Zimbabwe Weekly Update – week ending 22 March 2010

Posted by ZDN on March 23, 2010

Politics

After a further visit to Zimbabwe by South African President Jacob Zuma, one of the major breakthroughs was a commitment by President Robert Mugabe to reverse his attempt to remove the mandates of MDC ministers. Negotiators from each side will present a progress report to Zuma on March 31.

Zuma also met Attorney-General Johannes Tomana, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor Gideon Gono and deputy minister of agriculture (designate) Roy Bennett. Tomana has since been offered a post as high court judge if he resigns as AG.

Cabinet approved the Government Work Programme (GWP) 2010, a plan crafted by Tsvangirai whereby he will closely monitor the performance of cabinet ministers and thwart moves by Zanu-PF to usurp his authority. The GWP must also repeal the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and introduce two new laws to regulate the media before the end of the year.

Zanu-PF youth militia are setting up guerilla-style ”liberated zones” in the whole of Mwenezi district in an attempt to eliminate the MDC in the event of elections next year.

Thousands of MDC youths marched unmolested through Harare, demanding the arrest and prosecution of Zanu- PF thugs who perpetrated acts of violence, murder, rape and arson in the run up to the 2008 elections.

However, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) banned a peaceful demonstration organized by victims of political violence at Jerera Growth Point in Zaka.

Governance

Part of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)’s property was auctioned off to pay its US$2.1 million debt to Farmtec Spares and Implements.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti has ordered the formation of a new board to drive reform at the Reserve Bank, which has been operating without a board for a year.

Legislators have proposed that the powers of the police be curtailed further beyond changes suggested in the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) Amendment Bill, which is currently before Parliament. Public hearings in all the country’s provinces found that most Zimbabweans want the powers of the police to be further reduced.

The UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) released a report officially recognising that Zimbabwe state security forces have used arrests and torture of labour leaders to stifle union activity in the country.

Business

Major changes to the controversial indigenisation law were supported by SA president Jacob Zuma. Public hearings revealed the majority of Zimbabweans condemn the new law.

The government has issued notice that it will acquire land belonging to property tycoon Phillip Chiyangwa for undisclosed urban developments. The move has unsettled the property market as Chiyangwa has been selling off prime land, primarily to the Zimbabwean Diaspora.

The Chinese have pulled out of a joint gold mining deal with Zimbabwe in protest over the government’s failure to honour its contractual obligations, deputy Mines Minister Murisi Zwizwai said.

Fly Kumba, a new low-cost airline, made its maiden flight from Johannesburg to Bulawayo last Thursday. The flight costs four times less than traveling on South African Airways (SAA).

The government owes state phone company Tel One millions of dollars in unpaid bills, paralysing the company’s operations.

Economy

Zimbabwe will next month launch a new blue print to succeed the 2009 Short Term Emergency Recovery Programme (STERP). The new Medium Term Plan (MTP) is expected to help spearhead the recovery of the country’s ailing economy up to December 2015.

Bank deposits increased by 35 percent during the last quarter of 2009 from US$1 billion to US$1.35 billion. The average monthly deposit growth was US$113 million, a 9 percent increase or 26 percent of GDP.

State power utility ZESA owes other regional electricity suppliers US$100 million due to low tariffs and failure by customers to settle their bills. The utility is owed US$347 million in unpaid bills, and requires US$383 million to import power and improve electricity generation.

The Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) index has tumbled by 11.5 percent over the past two weeks, while the mining index has shed a massive 22.7 percent on the back of the new indigenisation law.

Agriculture

Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa is allegedly demanding as much as US$5 000 from white commercial farmers in the Midlands to “protect” them from eviction.

Zimbabwe’s security forces want to prevent Gertrude Hambira, leader of the General Agriculture and Plantation Workers’ Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ), from attending a regional court hearing in Windhoek, Namibia, on 24 March. Despite two previous rulings by the SADC Tribunal, the lives, liberty and property of commercial farmers, farm workers and their families have continued to be violated by the Government of Zimbabwe. Ms Hambira is currently in hiding in South Africa for fear of her life.

Violence

Zanu-PF has allegedly started recruiting youths for training in murder and torture techniques for a massive campaign of violence against the MDC soon after the FIFA World Cup, a report reveals. The purpose of the plan is to plunge the country into total anarchy, making the drafting of a new constitution impossible.

Leading Zimbabwe Human Rights lawyer Dewa Mavhinga on Wednesday called for urgent regional action to save the country from sliding back into chaos, amid growing fears of a major upsurge in violence and tension in the rural areas.

Violence and intimidation against MDC activists has continued in Buhera, as Zanu-PF steps up its efforts to force villagers to support the Kariba Draft. Zanu-PF militia and war veterans are reportedly abducting and torturing villagers.

An MDC supporter’s house was last week burnt down by a Zanu-PF gang as renewed violence against the party intensifies, the MDC reported on Tuesday.

Diaspora

A detained Zimbabwean asylum seeker in the UK has embarked on a hunger strike to protest alleged racism and mistreatment at the hands of detention centre employees. The 43 year old woman, who was tortured in Zimbabwe, has been locked up in the UK’s Yarl’s Wood detention facility for more than five months

Humanitarian

Australia has pledged US$12 million to improve the provision of clean water in Zimbabwe and strengthen food security in the country.

Media

The Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) held its first meeting Thursday, after Mugabe approved its appointments. The new autonomous commission declared it would promote and protect media freedom.Tsvangirai told members of the new ZMC to ignore opponents of media reform and ensure the speedy registration of new media houses.

State-run Zimbabwe Newspapers Group (ZNG) and two of its journalists are facing a US$10 million defamation lawsuit from an Harare private school over an article published in the company’s tabloid, H-Metro.

ZNG performed dismally last year despite a monopoly on the daily newspaper market, recording an operational loss of US$329 000 during the year through 31 December 2009.

Diamonds

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy is forging ahead with its investigations into the diamond mining activities by Mbada Diamonds and Canadile Miners at Chiadzwa. Attorney General (AG) Johannes Tomana has told Mines Minister Obert Mpofu and his top officials that they could be jailed for refusing to appear before the parliamentary committee.

Mpofu on Wednesday said UK-based mining firm African Consolidated Resources (ACR), which owns the mining rights to Chiadzwa, will never mine diamonds at the field as long as he is in charge of the ministry.

Mines secretary Welcome Musukutwa has proposed restructuring the ministry, citing mismanagement of claims allocations, corruption and general incompetence of mining commissioners and other key staff.

Sport

Zimbabwean authorities on Thursday questioned New Zealand’s decision to withdraw from a June 2010 tour of the country. Zimbabwe Sports Minister David Coltart said he believed the use of ‘health and safety risk’ as a reason was incorrect, citing well-run private health facilities in Harare and Bulawayo.

The Good News

A new innovative programme called Male Champions has been launched to encourage men to support their wives in the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV programme. The lack of fathers’ involvement in PMTCT has for many years been cited as one of the major challenges hindering its success.

Telecommunications company Liquid Telecom is undertaking an ambitious US$3.5 million project, which it claims will transform Harare into the most digitalised city ahead of most of the world’s biggest cities.