Monday, 4th June 2012

Howzit

I still have this cough/cold and last night it was quite bad, with me fighting for breath on more than one occasion. I feel quite rotten, but better than I did last week.

Yesterday morning, my wife and I were surprised by a rather strange sight in the street… 

And we have to remember that we live on a tiny close…

-o00o-

I have nothing but respect for Roy Bennett. He has become a target for Mugabe and he represents everything that the Zimbabwean leader hates.

He’s white, MDC and a former commercial farmer.

And yet, not happy with what he has handed out by way of hardship to Bennett, Mugabe has trumped up criminal charges waiting for him should he return to Zimbabwe.

MDC-T treasurer Roy Bennett, in self-imposed exile in the UK, has attacked President Robert Mugabe, describing him as ruthless, with an "intellect from hell".

He said Mugabe manipulated history, race, ethnicity and grievances like land and indigenisation to cling to power through violence.

Bennett, who was jailed a few years ago for pushing Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa to the floor, says a "criminal syndicate" loyal to Mugabe is looting Zimbabwe's finances and resources, while using brutality to hang onto power.

"This syndicate is laying waste to what remains of the nation's body and soul," Bennett said in an address, titled Smoke and Mirrors: Another look at politics and ethnicity in Zimbabwe, delivered at Rhodes House, Oxford this week.

He said Mugabe was cruel from day one in office, as shown by his crackdown on the Ndebeles, who opposed his rule during the 1980s.

After that, Bennett said, Mugabe shifted his campaign to root out whites from commercial farms. Now he is targeting anyone opposing his rule, the former MP said.

"Mugabe and his lieutenants have deliberately, cynically and strategically acquired and defended power," Bennett said.

"Zanu-PF has been cunning and calculating.

"I respect Mugabe for very little, but as an intellect from hell he is outstanding.

"We are not just breeding and importing disease and destruction, we are exporting it as well. Most strikingly, the Zimbabwean cancer is spreading to South Africa.

"Bottom-feeders from South Africa, many of them outwardly respectable companies, have trampled on ethics ... in the stampede for the Zimbabwean carcass.

"Arrogant and hard-hearted, they have shown no hesitation in standing on the heads of the Zimbabwean poor as they cavort with the Zimbabwean rich. They believe they are untouchable."

He said South African businessmen and companies did not realise they would import the Zimbabwean virus and unleash mayhem in their own country.

"They are bringing with them the people and practices that will annihilate the very foundations upon which their comfortable lives are based. South Africa is ripe for the Zanu-PF variety of national liberation," Bennett said.

(Source)

-o00o-

WOZA is a favourite soft target of ZANU PF and their slovenly police force. I am ashamed that once upon a time I wore that uniform. Granted, the political changes had not started when I was in the force, but the Gukurahundi was happening all around me.

It is a travesty of justice that the police are instructed to assault the women, and that they get away with it…

Police brutally assaulted several Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) activists on Saturday during a peaceful protest to demand the inclusion of devolution of power in the new constitution.

On Saturday WOZA embarked on massive protests in Bulawayo by staging simultaneous group sit-in protests blocking main roads leading into the city centre, but armed police officers and some in plain clothes descended on the protesters and violently dispersed them.

“We had embarked on peaceful protests demanding the inclusion of devolution of power in the new constitution and most of our members were beaten by police.

“We demand a devolution system that gives us the right to select our own provincial and council representatives. We also want powers to make local decisions based on our views about control and use of our local resources,” said Williams.

Williams also said WOZA will continue embarking on peaceful protests occupying streets until devolution of power is adopted.

Early this year President Robert Mugabe rejected “devolution of power” saying Zimbabwe is too small for that and it will also divide Zimbabweans.

Zanu PF spin doctor and politburo member Jonathan Moyo also castigated devolution of power recently saying the debate on devolution, has been falsely morphed into a constitutional issue carrying all the baggage of federalism which has become a dirty word in the Zimbabwean constitutional debate.

The Zanu PF Tsholotsho MP also declared that Zanu PF will not support or be part of any draft constitution that seeks devolution in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe Human rights organisations, civic society groups, pressure groups and other opposition political parties have called for the urgent implementation of devolution of power in Zimbabwe to stop the continued marginalisation of some provinces.

They are saying devolution of power is the only way of uplifting some of the country’s provinces that have remained marginalised since Independence in 1980.

Some civic groups accuse the central government of robbing resource rich regions to develop preferred provinces, notably Matabeleland which lags behind in terms of development.

(Source)

For me, the sad point is that the officers that attacked the WOZA activists and will never face criminal charges for their actions. It makes a mockery of the justice system in the country – but, then again, justice in Zimbabwe is a really difficult beast to cage.

-o00o-

Mugabe has a habit of stringing everyone along. Since the election in 2008 – which wasn’t so much an election as an enforcement by ZANU PF for Mugabe to remain Preseident – everything that he has promised has not happened.

It either is ignored completely or has mutated into something unrecognisable.

And he won’t take kindly about being told by SADC what to do…

MDC-T secretary general, Tendai Biti has described the Sadc meeting in Angola as “probably the most important post-GNU summit” adding the regional body had made it clear that new elections could not be held without political reforms.

Parties to the coalition government travelled to the Angolan capital, Luanda last week divided over the timing of new elections although they broadly agree that policy and other divisions have rendered the unity administration virtually unworkable.

President Robert Mugabe had hoped Sadc would endorse his push for new elections to go ahead this year even if political reforms that include the writing of a new constitution are not completed in time.

But Biti told the weekly Standard newspaper that Sadc had tasked its Zimbabwe facilitator, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, with directly ensuring the implementation of all outstanding GPA issues.

He said the troika meeting told coalition parties to implement all agreed electoral, political, security sector and media reforms over the next twelve months adding Zuma would soon travel to Harare to give the process a new impetus.

Biti said under the new Sadc timeframe, elections could now only be held between June and October next year.

He also dismissed Mugabe’s argument that Parliament cannot constitutionally remain in office beyond March next year saying the legislative body’s current term only expires in June 2013, meaning elections would have to be held within four months after its dissolution.

However, Zanu PF spokesman, Rugare Gumbo accused the MDC formations of misinterpreting the Sadc resolutions saying the bloc merely said reforms should be implemented within 12 months.

“We still have seven months before the end of the year. I am confident within the next few months, we will have implemented the reforms in time for elections in 2012,” he said.

Gumbo also dismissed reports that Zanu PF was in crisis mode following the Angola meeting with senior officials concerned the poll delay could hurt the party’s chances, especially as its candidate would be 89 next year.

Mugabe has been dogged by reports of ill-health but insists he is in robust physical condition.

Gumbo said the Zanu PF leader would still be “as fit as a fiddle” next year adding: “We only want to hold elections this year because we don’t want this to interfere with the UN World Tourism Organisation congress, which will be held in 2013.”

(Source)

ZANU PF is in crisis – and has been for a very long time. For Gumbo deny the idea just adds to the concept that Mugabe is in trouble.

With SADC now making sterner decisions than in the past, the MDC is a little stronger for the experience.

-o00o-

Take care.

‘debvhu

Friday, 1st June 2012

Howzit

Well, it is overcast but still very warm. I have woken up with a seriously congested chest and I can't seem to maintain my balance for any useful period of time. In short, I don't feel at all too well.

-o00o-

I am unsure what to make of this video. The policemen initially seem intent on doing their job, but when US$20 is flashed, they become more friendly. But was the US$20 handed over?

-o00o-

As usual, in Zimbabwe, criminal charges are handed out like sweeties, but it would appear that the Attorney General has won through, convincing the Department of Immigration to let Trelawny go.

Fresh charges against a presenter with the UK’s BBC broadcaster, who was arrested in Zimbabwe a week ago, have been dropped.

Petroc Trelawny was on Wednesday evening charged for a second time in the space of a week, allegedly for contravening Zimbabwe’s immigration laws. He was originally charged over the weekend for ‘working without a permit’.

These charges were dropped on Monday after the Attorney General’s office refused to prosecute the classical music presenter. But a fresh case was launched by the State on Wednesday, accusing him of  violating the conditions under which his visitor’s entry certificate had been issued.

The new case was however dropped and the charges dismissed after it was brought before a Magistrate in Bulawayo on Thursday. Trelawny, who was finally released from police custody Wednesday and allowed to stay with friends, was still waiting for his passport to be returned on Thursday afternoon.

“Mr. Trelawny is once again a free man, and I say again because this is the third time effectively that courts have ordered he be freed. But we don’t know yet how the State will react given their actions this week,” Kumbirai Mafunda from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) told SW Radio Africa.

Trelawny meanwhile took to the social networking site Twitter on Wednesday after his release to praise the medical staff in a Bulawayo hospital, where had was admitted on Sunday with an arm injury.

It would be very interesting to read any report he has on conditions in Zimbabwean jails...

(Source)

-o00o-

Mugabe doesn't care about things like civil rights, and he has no care about level political playing fields. We watch as he attempts to mot only have targeted sanctions lifted, but he wants Zuma out as mediator and to be replaced by his new found friends, the President of Zambia.

Robert Mugabe's loyalists led by Tsholotsho North MP Jonathan Moyo have escalated calls for the holding of elections this year using the current Constitution so that "next year the image of the country is not battered by the effects of the acrimonious process", state media reported.

Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, were summoned by SADC to attend a meeting of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security that will discuss regional troubled spots, particularly Zimbabwe, Mauritius and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Mugabe is accompanied by Defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, Justice and Legal Affairs minister Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche while PM Tsvangirai’s delegation includes Finance minister Tendai Biti, Energy Minister Elton Mangoma as well as Jameson Timba, the minister of state in the PM Office. The two leaders travelled separately and arrived in Angola on Wednesday.

Zanu-PF loyalists including Moyo says there is need to support Robert Mugabe’s stance on the holding of elections this year with or without the new constitution as COPAC continues to employ what they called delaying tactics.

The discredited former Political science, Professor Jonathan Moyo says every Zimbabwean should fully support the holding of elections this year as conducting them next year will negatively affect the country’s image.

 “All progressive Zimbabweans should support the call for elections so that when the UNWTO begins in Zimbabwe we will be focussing more on the mega-tourism event.

“We all know that elections are a democratic process and are normally associated with acrimony that is why it has to be done now,” said Professor Moyo.

Another Mugabe loyalist, former Primary school teacher Alexander Kanengoni says it is only logical for the political parties in the country to agree on the holding of elections this year so that resources and time are dedicated to the hosting of the UNWTO General Assembly which is coming to Southern Africa for  the first time.

Mr Kanengoni said: “The onus is now on the political parties to agree on holding elections this year so that  all the resources should now be dedicated towards this mega-event which should be used as a strategic marketing tool.”

The signing of the trilateral hosting agreement between Zimbabwe, Zambia and the UNWTO marks the official countdown to the hosting of the mega-event next year.

Both Moyo and Kanengoni said since the event is a major diplomatic breakthrough, it is important to ensure that no other processes taint the good image and perception that is currently prevailing.

Meanwhile, the SADC Extra-Ordinary Troika Summit that was scheduled to start this Thursday to discuss political developments in Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Lesotho and the Democratic Republic of Congo has been re-scheduled for Friday morning.

Although most leaders are already in the Angolan capital, Luanda, the Chairperson to the Troika, South African President Jacob Zuma has not yet arrived in Angola amid reports that he was compiling a hard-hitting final-push report on the Zimbabwean elections roadmap

Zuma is expected arrive Thursday.

This means that the SADC Extra-Ordinary Summit will be held soon after the Troika.

“That’s where the meat is (in the Troika). SADC leaders want a full appraisal of what has been occurring since conflicting reports are emerging from envoys dispatched from Harare to SADC capitals,” said an African diplomat, speaking strictly on condition of confidentiality."

On Thursday, the motor-mouthed Zambian President, Michael Sata met with Robert Mugabe his ally in Luanda.

The pair rehearsed their plans for covert resistence to Zuma's election road map. Sources said Mugabe will push for the removal of President Jacob Zuma and he will ask for Sata to take his place failure of which Mugabe would walk-out and go home to call for elections without the SADC roadmap.

Mugabe and his attack-dog Sata refused speak to journalists on their meeting.

Leaders of the MDC formations, Professors Author Mutambara and Welshman Ncube are expected to attend the Troika and will arrive this Thursday evening, while Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is already in Luanda.

(Source)

-o00o-

 Will SADC actually show how weak they are be allowing Mugabe to dictate who is the mediator? I sincerely hope not, as Sata is a fan of Mugabe, recently calling him 'grandfather'.

Mugabe would be happy to have a mediator that he can dictate to - and whilst Zuma is perhaps not the strongest individual for the job, Sata would suit Mugabe better.

South African President Jacob Zuma is expected to caution Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe against calling elections this year before the full implementation of reforms contained in the Global Political Agreement, the bedrock of Harare's inclusive government.

The two leaders will meet at the Sadc Troika and heads of state summit meetings in Luanda, Angola. The troika meeting, which will discuss the issue of elections in particular, will meet Thursday ahead of the Friday summit.

But Zanu PF sources say Mr. Mugabe will make a pitch to his fellow Sadc leaders to ignore Zuma, the Sadc-appointed mediator in Harare, and support his push for elections this year without a new constitution or other key democratic reforms in place.

Mr. Mugabe dispatched his envoys to the region ahead of the summit to push for elections this year, arguing the MDC formations are sabotaging the constitution-making process to delay fresh polls.

Sadc sources told VOA that Mr. Zuma will table a report on Zimbabwe before the troika on the state of affairs in Harare then present the same report to fellow heads of state in summit.

Mr. Zuma is expected to note progress made so far and insist on the completion of the election roadmap.

Sadc executive secretary Tomaz Salomao told VOA that Zimbabwe and other regional hot spots are up for discussion at the summit.

Zanu PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo said there is no going back on elections this year.

Secretary general Priscilla Misihairambwi Mushonga of the MDC formation led by Industry Minister Welshman Ncube said party negotiators have already agreed on what will be contained in Mr. Zuma’s report.

Spokesman Douglas Mwonzora of the MDC formation led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said they want Sadc to dissuade Mr. Mugabe from holding elections without key reforms.

(Source)

-o00o-

Elections cannot happen in 2012 because there is too much to do to ensure that the election is fair and democratic. Just the voters roll alone is a mess - but this suits Mugabe who like to have invented people voting for him - and a long line of dead people who are somehow able to cast their vote.

And then of course, there are the centurions - although npbody is able to find them...

Zanu (PF) will push the issue of Zimbabwe's fresh elections at the extra-ordinary Southern African Development Community (SADC) to be held in Angola, sources said on Thursday.

The three principals to the Global Political Agreement (GPA) are expected to attend the summit.

President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, were summoned by SADC to attend a meeting of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security that will discuss regional troubled spots, particularly Zimbabwe, Mauritius and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Mugabe is accompanied by Defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, Justice and Legal Affairs minister Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche while PM Tsvangirai’s delegation includes Finance minister Tendai Biti, Energy Minister Elton Mangoma as well as Jameson Timba, the minister of state in the PM Office. The two leaders travelled separately and arrived in Angola on Wednesday.

Welshman Ncube, the leader of the other faction of the Movement for Democratic Change, is also expected at the meeting, which sources said would have a bearing on when Zimbabwe would have its next polls. Ncube’s team included party secretary general Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga.

The Organ on Politics, Defence and Security, known as the Troika, would be held on the sidelines of the regional grouping's summit to discuss Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan which seeks to enhance cooperation between member states.

But in briefings as the three principals made their way to the Angolan capital, SADC and African Union (AU) diplomats accredited in Harare, said fireworks were expected at the SADC summit.

They said the Troika meeting was likely to eclipse the meeting of heads of state and government who will largely be engrossed with the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan put on the table.

“That’s where the meat is (in the Troika). SADC leaders want a full appraisal of what has been occurring since conflicting reports are emerging from envoys dispatched from Harare to SADC capitals,” said an African diplomat, speaking strictly on condition of confidentiality."

Both President Mugabe and Prime Minister Tsvangirai have sent various envoys to a number of countries, targeting specifically members of the Troika, which is chaired by South African President Jacob Zuma, the SADC-appointed mediator in the Zimbabwe crisis.

Apart from South Africa, other members of the Troika are Mozambique, Angola and Namibia.

President Mugabe is understood to have dispatched his envoys to these countries with specific briefs to push for polls this year while those sent by Prime Minister Tsvangirai had orders to debunk calls for fresh polls this year while there were still outstanding issues under the GPA.

(Source)

-o00o-

Take care.

‘debvhu

Thursday, 31st May 2012

Howzit

We were warned that there would be rain in the early hours of Tuesday, and yet here we are on Thursday and not a drop has fallen here. Not that I mind...

But then again, we have to remember that this is the same office that forecast last summer as the ‘hottest on record’ and it it turned out to be a very cold summer.

And I am always amused by the inclusion of the comment ‘since records began’. When did records begin – last week?

-o00o-

I really don’t know what is the answer here. Yes, it would appear that Trelawny did break the law, and yes, he does work for the BBC, but does the immigration service in Zimbabwe really want to pit themselves against the wishes and instructions of the regrettable Attorney General?

Petroc Trelawny, the BBC music presenter arrested in Zimbabwe for failing to obtain a work permit to compère at a music festival, is facing prison after immigration authorities filed a new charge against him of lying on his visa application.

The release of Petroc Trelawny, the BBC Radio 3 presenter arrested for working in Zimbabwe without a permit, has been delayed indefinitely after immigration officials refused to cancel an arrest warrant or give back his passport.

The latest development came just hours after a High Court judge ruled that Mr Trelawny's passport be returned to him and he be allowed to leave the country.

He has been held in police custody since he was arrested last Thursday while on stage with 500 local schoolchildren at the Bulawayo Music Festival, on suspicion of working without a permit.

On Monday, Zimbabwe's Attorney General ruled that Mr Trelawny should not be prosecuted for failing to obtain a Temporary Employment Permit since it was the duty of the academy which invited him.

(Source)

-o00o-

SADC is toothless, and this has been exhibited many times in the past 4 years with regard to Zimbabwe. So even if the right decisions are made at this summit, what guarantee do Zimbabweans have that they will be carried out?

This week’s SADC summit, which begins on Thursday in Luanda, Angola, will focus particularly on the next steps Zimbabwe will take before elections can be held, a top SADC official has said.

The regional bloc has found itself in the middle of a political tug-of-war between ZANU PF on the one side and the two MDC formations on the other, over the timing of the next election in Zimbabwe.

ZANU PF’s Robert Mugabe insists elections have to be held before the end of this year, while his arch-rival, Morgan Tsvangirai says they can only be held next year and after the necessary reforms have been implemented.

Leaders from 15 SADC states, including the principals to the GPA will attend the summit to discuss regional issues. But the crisis in Zimbabwe will once again come under the spotlight following recent pronouncements by Mugabe that he will call for fresh polls this year, with or without a new constitution. This is according to a SADC official who spoke to SW Radio
Africa on Wednesday.

Zimbabwe will also be on the agenda of the SADC Troika on Politics, Defence and Security on Thursday. A full SADC summit on Friday will then get a briefing of the Troika findings from South African President, Jacob Zuma, who chairs this tripartite grouping.

Zuma’s facilitation team was in Harare on Monday in meeting with GPA negotiators. SW Radio Africa is reliably informed that part of what was discussed between the negotiators and the facilitation team will form Zuma’s report to the summit.

(Source)

-o00o-

Mugabe has maintained that his party is not that interested in fulfilling the GPA until and unless targeted sanctions are lifted. They haven’t, and so Mugabe maintains his stance.

And SADC remains virtually powerless.

Political analysts and ordinary Zimbabweans are looking to the forthcoming Southern African Development Community summit set for Angola beginning of June to see if regional leaders can make headway in dealing with outstanding Global Political Agreement issues affecting the shaky coalition government in Harare.

Of particular importance is SADC's response to pleas by President Robert Mugabe, who's seeking support from his colleagues to call elections that will bring to an end the uneasy inclusive government that has been in place since 2009.

South African President Jacob Zuma, SADC mediator in Harare, on Monday dispatched his facilitation team to Zimbabwe ahead of a SADC troika meeting that will hear from all three political parties in the government on elections. After the troika meeting, Heads of State will meet in summit to discuss issues that include regional integration and Zimbabwe, among other
issues.

Harare insists that Zimbabwe is not on the summit agenda.

Sources privy to Monday's discussions between political party negotiators and the facilitation team led by Mr. Zuma’s international relations adviser, Lindiwe Zulu, said there were complaints all around about the slow pace of the Zuma-led talks in Zimbabwe.

(Source)

-o00o-

As a former member of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, I am quite disgusted at the manner in which politics is used to govern the progress of police investigations.

We have the case against numerous MDC members with regard to the death of a policeman in Glen View, but the same alacrity was not witnessed when it comes to this death.

Yes, people have been arrested, but is the case receiving the best that the ZRP can offer?

The murder of Sekuru Cephas Magura, the MDC-T chairman for Ward One Mudzi North, has again cast a spotlight on the issue of police loyalty to ZANU PF, and many Zimbabweans are demanding that the perpetrators be punished to the full extent of the law.

The Mudzi disrict of Mashonaland East is said to be tense and people have been staying at home whenever possible since Saturday, when a ZANU PF mob of about 300 attacked 70 MDC-T activists at a rally at Chimukoko Business centre. The thugs had also put up roadblocks in the area.

According to accounts by those who were at the rally, ZANU PF activists led by Ward 3 councillor David Chimukoko started toyi-toying and chanting slogans near the venue of the MDC-T rally. Chimukoko even threatened Seargents Ngwenya and Mashipe after they told him the rally was cleared.

Political analyst Professor John Makumbe said the reason that the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) requires notification of the police when holding public events is so that they can be present to ensure there is no harassment or disturbances. But they always fail to protect the MDC.

“What is worse is that in Mudzi the police were looking on rather than intervene while people were being beaten. In a very subtle way the police are the ones perpetuating political violence,” Makumbe explained. He added that Mugabe will not order the arrests of his own party members because he would lose support.

Witnesses have said Sekuru Magura went missing after the attack and his body was found over an hour later, lying by the roadside where the mob had dragged and left him for dead. The 67-year old official appeared to have been stoned and kicked repeatedly.

The ZANU PF activists have reportedly claimed Sekuru Magura died after falling from a moving truck at the scene. However, they did not explain why they had violently disrupted the rally. Seven other MDC-T activists were also hospitalised after the attack. Four were treated in Harare and released.

Has anyone thought to ask the ZANU PF activists how it is that they know he ‘fell off a vehicle’? Were they taking him somewhere?

On who’s orders, and to do what?

(Source)

-o00o-

Well, this is of no real surprise. ZANU PF is broke – end of story…

Zanu (PF) is facing eviction from its offices here over unpaid rentals, electricity, water and other charges amounting to $ 5667.

The Catering Industry Pension Fund (CIPF), which owns Development House, which has been home to the former ruling party for several years, has dragged Zanu (PF) to court seeking its eviction from the Gweru premises for failing to pay rentals for the past two years.

Summons filed at the High Court early this month by CIPF show that Zanu (PF) had not been paying rentals, rates and electricity and water charges from the period August 2010 to April this year.

The pension fund wants the High Court to terminate the lease agreement it signed with the former ruling party and eject it from occupying its premises. It also wants the party to pay $5 667 comprising of rental arrears, electricity and water charges and the cost of detergents and fire extinguishers used at the premises.

“As a result of the defendant’s breaches aforesaid, plaintiff is legally entitled to and claims for cancellation of the lease agreement and for the defendant’s eviction from the leased premises,” CIPF noted in court papers perused by Radio VOP this week.

(Source)

-o00o-

Just who is responsible for such a sick idea?

Mugabe is not a leader, and certainly not a ‘tourism’ leader!

The United Nations (UN) tourism body has insisted that Robert Mugabe has not been an awarded an official title, after he and his Zambian counterpart were asked to be tourism ambassadors.

Local and international media have both reported on the shocked and indignant reaction to the news that Mugabe and Zambia’s Michael Sata had been selected as tourism leaders. This follows news that the two countries will jointly host the UN World Tourism Office (UNWTO) General Assembly next year.

The UN has since been strongly criticised with some reports stating the decision to choose Mugabe as a ‘tourism leader’ was hypocritical, because of the UN’s commitment to human rights. Other reports said the decision brings the UN’s credibility into question, because Mugabe is a known human rights abuser.

But the UN grouping has insisted that no official honour or ambassadorial role has been bestowed on Mugabe or Sata. The UN says it is simply trying to encourage the African nations to promote tourism as a valuable source of revenue.

Sandra Carvao, UNWTO’s co-ordinator of communications, said: “UNWTO has presented both presidents with an open letter which calls for them to support tourism as a means to foster sustainable development in their countries to the benefit of their people and consequently ask them to support the sector in this respect.”

(Source)

-o00o-

I wonder if this story sent chills down Mugabe’s spine?

But seeing as the UN is more intent on making Mugabe a ‘tourism leader’ I feel that any intent on making Mugabe stand trial for his crimes on Zimbabwe are further diluted every day.

Taylor, 64, was convicted last month of all 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity for aiding and abetting Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front (RUF) during the country's brutal 1991-2001 civil war.

In return, the court said, he was paid in diamonds mined by slave labour in areas under control of the rebels, who murdered, raped and kept sex slaves, hacked off limbs and forced children under 15 to fight.

"The accused has been found responsible for aiding and abetting some of the most heinous crimes in human history," said Special Court for Sierra Leone judge Richard Lussick on Wednesday.

"The trial chamber unanimously sentences you to a single term of imprisonment for 50 years on all counts," the judge said as he announced the ruling of the court based at Leidschendam, just outside The Hague.

"The trial chamber noticed that the effects of these crimes on the families and society as a whole in Sierra Leone was devastating," Lussick said in handing down the ruling, the first sentence against a former head of state in an international court since the Nazi trials at Nuremberg in 1946.

Taylor, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and dressed in a dark suit and gold tie, listened with his eyes closed as the judge handed down the sentence, which Taylor's team, and prosecutors, have two weeks to appeal.

Early this month, chief prosecutor Brenda Hollis argued for 80 years behind bars for Taylor, once one of west Africa's most powerful men and a driving force behind Sierra Leone's decade-long war which claimed 120,000 lives.

His defence argued such a sentence would be "excessive".

(Source)

-o00o-

Take care.

‘debvhu

Wednesday, 30th May 2012

Howzit

The weather continues to be very hot – but I don’t mind in the slightest. Having lived in Plumtree and Chiredzi I welcome the heat and am not looking forward to a change, which, I see, is due within the next few days.

The heat suited me as we attended a get-together of people from the old country this last weekend, and whilst there were limited numbers, we had an excellent time and I enjoyed providing the music for a karaoke and sing-along on Saturday evening…

For those that are interested, there are photographs on Facebook.

-o00o-

Zimbabwe’s Attorney General agreed on Monday to drop Mr Trelawny’s prosecution but immigration officials have told The Daily Telegraph they believe he still has a case to answer.

The 41-year-old classical music presenter from London was arrested last Thursday while on stage at Bulawayo City Hall, where he was compèring at a music festival involving 500 local children. Held in police custody over the weekend, he slipped on a patch of water in his cell and was admitted to hospital with a dislocated shoulder.

On Monday, his lawyer persuaded Johannes Tomana, the attorney general, to release him on the grounds that it had been the responsibility of the festival organisers, rather than Mr Trelawny, to obtain a Temporary Employment Permit (TEP).

Police were informed that the prosecution had been dropped and Mr Trelawny was to be released and allowed to leave the country.

Mr Trelawny’s flight home was booked for lunchtime on Tuesday and he was preparing to be discharged from hospital, only to be told that his passport was being held by the Department of Immigration in Bulawayo.

Munyaradzi Ngarayapenga, Mr Trelawny’s lawyer, said that officials there were refusing to cancel their arrest warrant.

“Immigration has the document from the police stating that no prosecution will take place but they have told me they are now in consultations with the Attorney General’s office in Harare, and we don’t know what those consultations could be about,” he said.

“Legally, Mr Petroc is a free man but technically, he is not as the warrant of arrest has not been withdrawn by immigration.”

He said it was not clear whether the delay was deliberate or down to red tape.

“If he is not allowed to go free I may have to explore other legal avenues,” he said. “Mr Petroc is therefore likely to remain in hospital in Bulawayo for another day.”

B Lunga, Bulawayo’s Chief Immigration Officer, said: “The department of immigration believes we do have a case against him and have informed the Attorney General in Harare.

“We believe there is a case that should be settled by a court of law.”

He would not comment on suggestions that Mr Trelawny’s detention while on stage at Bulawayo Music Festival had been unnecessarily heavy-handed.

Mr Trelawny has now been in custody for 48 working hours and so under Zimbabwean law, must either be released or brought before the courts tomorrow morning.

(Source)

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At least six ZANU PF activists have reportedly been arrested in connection with the murder of an MDC-T ward official in Mudzi North last Saturday, but already there are concerns that the arrests are simply a ZANU PF ploy to save face, ahead of the SADC summit next week.

Cephas Magura, the MDC-T chairperson for ward 1, Mudzi North, died from injuries sustained during an assault by ZANU PF thugs at Chimukoko Business Centre. The MDC-T had organised a rally there with permission from the police.

Graham Nyahada, the MDC-T information secretary for Mashonaland East, said there are unconfirmed reports that Newten Kachepa, the ZANU PF MP for Mudzi North who was implicated in the attack, was arrested at Parliament on Monday afternoon. He allegedly drove the youths to the rally.

Nyahada also dismissed statements made by MP Acquilinah Katsande, who claimed Magura was not murdered, but had simply fallen off a truck at the venue.

“The ZANU PF people took him from the spot where he was stoned and moved him to the roadside so they can say he was in the car,” Nyahada said.

He also expressed doubt that the arrests were sincere, saying ZANU PF has a history of arresting their own just to save face, then release them later.

“We have a SADC summit in Angola next week and team from South Africa who jetted into Zimbabwe yesterday. So this is only a face-saver,” Nyahada explained.

A similar scenario took place in the mining compound of Shamva last month, when police officers murdered an MDC-T supporter following a gold deal that had gone sour. The police officers were arrested after an angry demonstration by the local villagers, but they were later released on bail.

According to the MDC-T, Magura was hit with a stone by the ZANU PF gang, who continued to assault him as he lay on the ground. He was then dragged to the roadside and left for dead. Seven other MDC-T activists were injured and treated at the Avenues Clinic in Harare.

One of the accused ZANU PF thugs, George Katsande and his mother Acquilinah, who is the MP for Mudzi West, gained notoriety after the 2008 presidential runoff, when MDC supporters were targetted and assaulted, livestock taken and homes destroyed in Mudzi West.

A dossier in the possession of SW Radio Africa shows that Aquilinah Katsande orchestrated a reign of terror between April and June 2008, which gained her a reputation for being brutal and heartless.

According to the dossier, Katsande “was present when most heart wrenching punishments were meted out on MDC activists in her constituency.” Most of her victims died instantly or a few days later.

The son George and Tawanda Mazunze led a gang of ZANU PF militia who abducted Fianda Katiyo on the 1st June 2008. They took Katiyo to Nyahondo torture base and subjected him to terrible torture throughout the night. Katiyo died a week later.

These ZANU PF officials and thugs were never prosecuted and they lived to repeat the same actions four years later. Magura’s death last weekend could have been avoided.

(Source)

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A former member of the European parliament has questioned why the British government is not pushing for Robert Mugabe’s prosecution at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for “crimes against humanity.”

Glenys Kinnock, who was Minister of State for Africa in the last Labour government, was speaking during a parliamentary debate last week Thursday. Her argument was that crimes against humanity are defined by the United Nations (UN) as, “a widespread attack on a civilian population.”

According to Kinnock, Mugabe should be investigated and subsequently indicted by the ICC over “the Matabeleland massacres in the 1980s, continued state-sponsored violence against political opponents, and ongoing atrocities in the diamond fields in Zimbabwe,” because “there is evidence of his responsibility.”

Responding to the question the British Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, David Howell said: “Zimbabwe is not a party to the Rome statute and to get an ICC charge against Mugabe would require a UN Security Council resolution. That means getting past all five of the permanent members.”

Howell said the reluctance of some permanent members especially China and Russia, “to see these matters taken up by the UN and remitted to the ICC for charges” meant people “who have committed unsavoury acts” like Mugabe were outside the reach of the ICC.

Last month former Liberian president Charles Taylor became the first African leader to be prosecuted and found guilty by the international court. A three judge panel found Taylor guilty of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity for supporting rebels who carried out atrocities in Sierra Leone.

(Source)

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Zambia's President Michael Sata on Tuesday addressed his Zimbabwean counterpart President Robert Mugabe as  “grandfather” to the laughter of guests invited to the launch of preparations for the hosting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly in the resort town.

“Comrade Sekuru (grandfather) Robert Mugabe was my boss and I was his youth.

Your Excellency may I call upon you to deliver your speech,” Sata who is 75 years old said.

Mugabe who is 88 years and has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980 sighed and laughed as he stood up to give his speech. He said; “The President of the Republic of Zambia comrade Michael Sata, muzukuru (nephew), grand, grand, grandson, Sekuru is grandfather.”

The Zanu (PF) party wants Mugabe to contest forthcoming elections whose date is yet to be announced.

Zimbabwe and Zambia are co-hosting the UNWTO general assembly next year and the two neighbouring countries will become the only other African countries to host the general assembly after Senegal hosted the meeting a few years ago.

The signing ceremony on the No-Man’s land on Victoria Falls Bridge was attended by UNWTO secretary general Taleb Rifai, government officials from both Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Mugabe and Sata welcomed hosting the UNWTO general assembly encouraging local and foreign tourists to visit the two southern African countries which share the majestic Victoria Falls.

(Source)

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South African President Jacob Zuma’s strong facilitation team comprising senior figures Lindiwe Zulu, Mac Maharaj and Charles Nqakula are in Harare for talks with the negotiators of the three parties in the Global Political Agreement (GPA).

A South African official moving around with the team confirmed their presence saying they are on a mission to meet the negotiators of the three political parties in the GPA and to get an update on the progress that has been made in the implementation of the agreement in various areas.

The current visit by the facilitators comes hot on the heels of a SADC special summit of the SADC Troika Organ on Politics, Defence and Security in Johannesburg, South Africa last month.

The Troika Summit last month expressed satisfaction with the progress on the implementation of the GPA and the making of a new constitution in the country.

Robert Mugabe has said that the inclusive government no longer has the people’s mandate as it has overstayed the duration it was given by the GPA.

The visit of the facilitation team is being viewed as a precursor to the SADC summit to be held in Angola this week where the facilitator President Jacob Zuma will be expected to brief the Southern African leaders on the Zimbabwean issue.

Robert Mugabes frantic push for elections this year faces a Southern African Development Community (Sadc) test this week when the bloc convenes an emergency meeting in Angola.

Sadc executive secretary Dr Tomz Augusto Salomao yesterday said although Zimbabwe was not officially on the agenda, the summit was likely to review the countrys political situation, given the recent discordant remarks over the roadmap to the next general elections.

Yes, there will be a Sadc Extraordinary Summit meeting in Luanda this week, Salomao said

The summit will review the political developments in member states such as the elections in Lesotho, the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo and so on, and Zimbabwe, though not on the agenda, can be discussed as well.

The inclusive government is a Sadc-negotiated political settlement, which brought together former protagonists President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Over the past few weeks, both Mugabe and Tsvangirai dispatched their respective Zanu PF and MDC-T party envoys to various Sadc member states to drum up support for their positions as tussling over elections and reforms escalated.

State Security minister Sydney Sekeramayi met Tanzanian leader Jakaya Kikwete on Saturday as Mugabe stepped up his campaign to win Sadc backing for elections he wants held this year.

Media reports said Sekeramayi travelled to Tanzania with a special message from Mugabe after meeting Zambias President Michael Sata in Lusaka last Tuesday.

Before him, Defence minister Emmerson Mnangagwa had flown to Angola to deliver a special message to President Jos Eduardo dos Santos while Vice-President John Nkomo reportedly met Botswana President Ian Khama on a similar diplomatic offensive.

Last month, Tsvangirai dispatched MDC-T international relations secretary Jameson Timba to several regional countries to drum up support ahead of the Luanda summit.

Sadc leaders are expected to oppose Mugabes manoeuvres to call for elections before the completion of major reforms as this might result in a repeat of the 2008 poll violence.

Last week, United Nations Human Rights chief Navanethem Pillay advised against rushed polls and urged Mugabe to ensure free and fair future elections. Pillay was in the country on a five-day working visit to assess the human rights situation.

Mugabe (88), who is also fighting against old age and reported ill health, has maintained that he wants elections this year and it is suspected his emissaries delivered special messages to regional leaders to drum up support for his poll bid with or without reforms.

Meanwhile, Sadc-appointed mediator South African President Zumas international relations advisor Lindiwe Zulu yesterday said her team would be in Zimbabwe today to check on progress in the implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA).

The facilitation team is coming to meet the principals tomorrow (today) to check on the progress made in implementing outstanding issues in the GPA, she said.

It is our responsibility as the facilitation team to check on the progress and report to Sadc.

Earlier this year, Zulu said outstanding issues in the GPA should be finalised before the country holds elections.

Regional leaders are expected to discuss the ongoing political crisis jamming the implementation of the GPA and election roadmap, which is a requirement for the holding of a credible election in Zimbabwe.

(Source)

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Police on Monday claimed they were not privy to the identities of members of the terror group Chipangano as Zanu PF and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) parties jointly denounced the shadowy group.

Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesman James Sabau said police were not aware who comprised Chipangano. Zanu PF Harare youth leader Jimmy Kunaka is known to be the leader of the group.

“Who are these people? We as the police don’t know them. If anyone has their identities they should approach the nearest police office so that they are arrested,” said Sabau after being quizzed by journalists on why the police were turning a blind eye to the terror's campaign in Mbare where they are reportedly setting up illegal road-blocks among other criminal activities.

In a joint press conference held at the head offices of the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC) lunchtime Monday, also attended by ZRP officers including Sabau, the three chairperson of Zanu PF and the two MDC formations, Amos Midzi, Paul Madzore and Trynos Mgutshini respectively, disassociated themselves from the shadow group.

In a press statement read by Mgutshini on behalf of the three provincial chairpersons of the three political parties labelled Chipangano a criminal gang not linked to any of the parties’ signatory to the Global Political Agreement (GPA).

“We as chairmen of the Harare province, representing the three political parties in the GNU, hereby denounce Chipangano as a criminal gang not affiliated to any of the political parties represented in JOMIC,” read part of the statement from ZANU-PF and the two MDC formations.

Chipangano has, however, been largely associated with President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF.

It has been accused of terrorizing members and supporters of the two MDC formations, particularly Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s popular faction.

But ZANU-PF has made it clear its structures are well structured and do not include Chipangano.

The three political parties appealed to the public to report any criminal activities by members of Chipangano to the police.

“We urge the police to do their work without fear or favour. We believe there is no one above the law in this country. We want to tell members of Chipangano, whoever there are, that their time is up,” it added.

(Source)

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Zanu-PF supporters have castigated the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Navi Pillay for calling for the inclusion of gay rights into the Bill of Rights, saying these are Western machinations which attempt to dismantle the solid cultural values of African people.

In her final report after a five day fact finding mission on the Zimbabwean human rights situation, Ms Pillay stirred a hornet’s nest by calling on the country to legalise homosexuality.

Supporters of President Mugabe's party Zanu-PF says Ms Pillay is an agent of neo-colonialisism, who wants to clandestinely smuggle immoral values which are detested by God.

Ms Pillay’s three paged report was not entirely negative as she acknowledged that Zimbabwe is amongst the top African states to have ratified human rights protocols.

However, her call for the inclusion of gay rights has been widely condemned by President Mugabe and his loyalists and some Zimbabweans, saying the country is conservative and has firm foundations embedded in cultural and religious morals.

What has irked most Mugabe's supporters is that the Westerners are trying to force African people to accept what they say are immoral practices which are even being resisted in their own countries.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwean women in Zanu-PF says they are surprised at Ms Pillay’s claims that the country’s laws are not gender sensitive, after the UN chief claimed that women need their husbands’ authority to acquire passports.

After spending five days in the country on a fact finding mission on human rights, Ms Pillay on Thursday told journalists in Harare before her departure that she had been surprised that Zimbabwe’s laws require a woman to get consent from her husband to get a passport.

Apparently, the country has no such laws and Zimbabwean women say they have no clue as to where the UN envoy got such false information from.

The women say they are accorded the rights to access travel documents without need for their husband’s permission, adding that Ms Pillay might have ulterior motives to tarnish Zimbabwe by misleading the international community.

Ms Pillay was in the country last week on a five day fact finding mission where she met representatives from government and the civil society on the prevailing human rights situation in the country.

(Source)

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Ahead of Friday's summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Luanda, Angola, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is pulling out all the stops to lobby regional leaders on his plans to call for an early election, with or without the new constitution.

SADC has developed an elections road map, albeit one with disputed issues, to guide the country to credible, free and fair elections.

Mugabe is anxious to have the elections this year, while he is still fit to campaign, and wants to secure consensus and backing for his plans in Zimbabwe and regionally.

He told UN human rights commissioner Navi Pillay that he wanted elections soon because the coalition government is dysfunctional. He claimed the drawn-out constitution-drafting process was being used by his rivals to delay the polls.

Mugabe this week intensified his bid to get regional leaders to back him in his plans. He dispatched a number of envoys in the SADC region to South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania - a powerful troika on politics, defence and security - as well as Namibia, Botswana and other countries to test their resolve to insist on the full implementation of the global political agreement and the elections road map before the polls.

President Jacob Zuma is SADC's chief facilitator and his team will be in Harare this week, ahead of the Luanda summit, for an update on Zimbabwe's security issues.

(Source)

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Take care

‘debvhu