The European Union has given Zimbabwe $267 million, it said on Monday, the first time the bloc has given financial aid to the southern African nation’s government since imposing sanctions in 2002.
The 28-nation EU has gradually eased biting sanctions on Zimbabwe to encourage political reform, although it has kept an asset freeze and a travel ban on veteran President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace, as well as an arms embargo.
Since imposing the sanctions, the EU has shunned the government, and restricted its funding to charities only.
The EU ambassador to Zimbabwe Philippe Van Damme said during a signing ceremony that the agreement opened a new chapter in the bloc’s relationship with Zimbabwe, but cautioned that new problems could still emerge in future.
“Does this mean that everything is suddenly sorted out and that we are entering a new honeymoon? No, we have cleared some obstacles in our partnership, and as in any partnership new problems may emerge, old problems may reappear,” he said.
Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party has long demanded the complete removal of EU sanctions it denounces as illegal.
Finance Minister Finance Patrick Chinamasa said the aid marked a significant step towards improving ties between Zimbabwe and the EU but that sanctions on Mugabe and his wife would hurt full normalisation of relations.
“As long as the chief executive (Mugabe) remains under sanctions, our relations remain poisoned and unproductive,” Chinamasa said.
The EU said the funds will improve health, agriculture-based economic development, governance and institution-building.
Half of the money would be released this year, and the rest will be paid gradually until 2020, Van Damme said.
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe on Wednesday ratcheted up pressure against few hundred white remaining farmers saying they too must go adding whites would no longer be allowed to own land in Zimbabwe.
In an address filled with anti-western rhetoric at the launch of the A1 Model Settlement Tenure Permit in the Zanu PF heartland of Mashonaland West, Mugabe said Zimbabwe was no country for whites as far as the land was concerned.
“There are white farmers who are still on the land and have the protection of some cabinet ministers and politicians as well as traditional leaders,” he said.
“That should never happen and we will deal with ministers but as for our chiefs we do not want to harass you.
“Chief Charumbira (Fortune and president of chief’s council), you need to help us on this one because we respect you and your members. We do not want trouble.”
He added: “I have been given a list of 35 white farmers in Mashonaland West alone and in just a few districts that have been audited. We say no to whites owning our land and they should go.
“They can own companies and apartments in our towns and cities but not the soil. It is ours and that message should ring loud and clear in Britain and the United States.”
The new tenure system will confirm land ownership and, according to Mugabe, the government will create modalities within the financial services sector to allow farmers to access funding.
In typical anti-western rhetoric Mugabe took a dig at former British Premier Tony Blair.
“We had an agreement with the Margaret Thatcher government and when Tony Blair came he reneged on that agreement. I pleaded with him to review his decision but he was a boy from the street with no experience so he stuck to his guns,” said the veteran leader.
“I was not amused and told him to keep his England and we would keep our Zimbabwe. We will not pay for our land and we will not ask our people to pay for it because they never paid for it in the first place.
“They were selling to each other amongst themselves and we will not recognise any of that nonsense. They were living like kings and queens on our land and we chucked them out. Now we want all of it.”
Mugabe’s latest pronouncements are likely to send jitters across the agricultural sector and the remaining white commercial farmers some who have argued that they never benefitted from colonialism. – New Zimbabwe
Top ten academic performers at Hoërskool Wagpos, an Afrikaans government school in South Africa
by TAU Bulletin
And a school matriculation certificate is not a ticket to the corner office, the VIP lift and the executive washroom.
Education is holistic: it is not a voucher for a comfortable life, nor a ticket to the turnstile of good fortune. The dictionary defines education as “the systematic development and cultivation of the mind and other natural powers. It begins in the nursery, continues through school and also through life. The impartation of knowledge by others is but a part of education.” The dictionary’s synonyms for education include “breeding, cultivation, culture, development, discipline, information, instruction, knowledge, learning, nurture, reading, schooling, study, teaching, training and tuition”.
Education is an intrinsic ingredient of a culture: it is the living embodiment of the passing from generation to generation the means by which the people of that culture conduct their lives.
The exuberance displayed by South Africa’s Minister of Basic Education Ms. Angie Motshekga when she recently announced the matriculation pass rate for South African pupils had jumped to 76.5% (from 60,6% in 2009) was met with scepticism and even derision. According to AfriForum, the actual pass rate was less than 38%, this because only half of the students who enrolled at the beginning of their school careers finished to write Grade 12, the matric year.
Mr. Tinyiko Maluleke, deputy vice chancellor of student affairs at the University of Johannesburg asked in a hard-hitting article (Independent 5.1.14) whether the matric certificate could be trusted. He said the certificate was in danger of “meaninglessness, worthlessness and irrelevance. The country’s entire education system is at issue, and 20 years of democracy have not taught teachers and principals (of mainly black schools) to stop striking during school hours.”
Professor Jonathan Jansen, rector and vice-chancellor of the University of the Free State weighed in, saying SA’s education system is a “fraud”. He concurred with other critics that the results proffered by the Minister were “grossly misleading”. “We know that the top 5% of Grade 6 pupils know more mathematics than the bottom 20% of the maths teachers in the same grade. We know that South Africa was dead last, just above Yemen, at the bottom end of international rankings on science and mathematics.” Mediocrity has been institutionalized, he declared, while “government officials hope we are all ignorant enough to accept the ‘official lies’” because of the way the so-called pass figures were manipulated. Pass rates were “pulled up by white kids” said Graeme Bloch of Wits University. “Sorry to be racial, but if you are born on the right side of the tracks, you have a 100% chance of getting matric”.
(We must pause here to comment on this “if you are born” comment. Who you are when you are born is the result of your genetic background, a consequence of your family’s ancestral lineage. And if that history is replete with achievement, initiative, hard work, the ability to overcome obstacles and a skill and desire to move forward and improve yourself, then comparing those “born on the right side of the tracks” with those ”born into” poverty is fallacious. This delusion infers that there is some sort of pantry in the sky which dishes out ways of life to some, and other less salubrious ways of life to others.
Everyone in South Africa is a genetic descendant of his ancestors. Blaming poor education results on the “privilege” of some is disingenuous. Cultural backgrounds have played a huge role in education result disparities – Africans had no written word, while South Africa’s first-world educational system was brought to this country by European settlers who then superimposed it on Africans. Similar occurrences took place during the colonial times in other new-world lands.
As well, using the term “previously disadvantaged” (liberally utilized to neutralize white academic achievements) is to refute history. Indeed, Africans were actually advantaged by European settlement. From where did they receive everything they have now – their ability to communicate in a world language, their education, health, legal and legislative system, and the country’s first-world infrastructure?)
The laughing stock
Setting a matriculation pass mark of 30% makes South Africa the world’s laughing stock. Average grade three literacy achievements only reached 35%, with numeracy at 28%. In grade six, the language average is 28% and mathematics is 30%. These figures are a reflection of how the government has managed an education system not generic to Africa. Cultural and language problems have been swept under the carpet in the government’s rush to “prove” that education is improving, when the opposite is in fact true.
Education is not just learning – it is how you interpret, utilize and develop that which is taught. In a country where mediocrity is the norm, it is not surprising that many waving their certificates cannot get work. Dumbing down the worth of this certificate has caused heartache to millions. They were led to believe that their 30% pass would get them a job. The government has sacrificed young people as scapegoats to foster the illusion that the state’s education system is delivering.
Quality is the name of the game. Said Anne Oberholzer, Independent Examinations Board’s (IEB) CEO: “If I’m prepared to spend my salary on my child’s education … rather than buying clothes or a fancy car, you can’t stop me from doing that”. The excellent IEB pass rate was the result of “extra hard work” rather than necessarily school resources. “Success at matric starts way back – matric is a combination of all the years of school exposure”, she said.
It is a simple case of values and norms. If black teachers go on strike during class teaching times, if pupils burn down schools, if ministers don’t get school books to pupils in time, and if the government shows by example that one really doesn’t need a good education to get rich as a party hack with a cushy government job (where capacity doesn’t even come into it), why bother to learn? Why have unbelievably bad results in black schools earned the ire of government when at the same time they show by their actions you don’t have to get good marks to join the government jobs gravy train?
And why try to achieve through hard work and sacrifice when government will legally provide you with a goodly share of someone else’s company just because you are black? In both the public and private sector, there are ample opportunities to feed at the trough, so why struggle at school and university? This same hypocrisy extends to government complaining about the quality of teachers, while universities across the board give preference to blacks for academic posts. A University of Johannesburg advertisement for the Deputy Vice Chancellor: Strategic Services (24.1.14) says it is “committed to taking persons with disabilities and the potential of historically disadvantaged individuals into account in making this appointment”. So if merit is not a criteria for university posts, how will government produce good teachers, and how can this in the end provide competent students and graduates for the country’s future?
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship can’t be taught, yet it is the well-spring of all economies. It emanates from within and it is difficult, fraught with risk and sometimes very disappointing. It is easier to leaching on someone else’s success, a path made easier by government policies. While informal entrepreneurship is well entrenched in South Africa – small traders in townships and city streets sell goods someone else has produced – this doesn’t grow the economy.
Where is black entrepreneurial contribution to the formal economy? A weekly Pretoria is enthusiastically supported by locals and the diplomatic community. Selling mostly food, more than seventy stalls are manned by whites, Portuguese, Indians, a Moroccan family, Greeks, some Chinese. There is not one black South African stall. What is the point of an education that cannot extend to doing something for yourself?
Farming
Paging through any SA farm magazine shows the extent to which farmers have themselves developed and streamlined their profession. They haven’t just studied agriculture, they have applied it, improved on it, created new processes, adapted international methods to South African conditions and perfected agriculture to such an extent that 35 000 of them can feed 53 million people. Education was just the beginning. Without application, initiative, resilience, the ability to overcome hardship and plain hard work, where would South Africa be in terms of food security?
Most government officials and politicians see themselves as an intrinsic part of first world South Africa. They wear the clothes and drive the cars, but many do not exhibit the values generic to this first world. Education in this context should mean:
solving the problem yourself, not hiring a consultant;
making sure the traffic lights work and if they don’t, ensuring that a point officer keeps the traffic flowing until the robot is fixed;
making sure our cities are not littered and polluted until they look like Nairobi or Lagos;
answering the phone, replying to the e-mail and delivering the service to the people who pay your salaries;
owning up, with an apology, to the fact that many in government are incompetent and are unable to run South Africa as it should be run;
accepting criticism without retaliation in the form of racism accusations;
deciding that police asleep on duty, taking bribes and generally running amok with weapons is not worthy of a law-enforcement body;
immediately sacking all persons with criminal records employed in government;
not contemptuously ignoring court judgments;
ridding yourself of a completely unjustified entitlement syndrome because you didn’t create what you are now enjoying;
not wasting taxpayer’s money with impunity, and being contemptuous when confronted with this fact;
not handing over productive farms to incompetents and admitting this policy is a failure;
trying to emulate those who achieve instead of denigrating them and accusing them of being ”privileged”.
A point to ponder about education: Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe has three university degrees, but he remains a savage tyrant, contemptuous of his people’s quality of life, of democracy and of what others think of him. Education without values is truly just a piece of paper!
Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema said on Tuesday that he wanted to emulate Robert Mugabe and congratulated the Zimbabwean leader on being re-elected president.
Speaking from Nigeria where he was visiting spiritual leader TB Joshua for “blessings” and “divine intervention”, Malema said that he — like Mugabe — was merely misunderstood, according to an eNCA report.
The former ANCYL leader said that Mugabe’s success at the polls should be celebrated.
“They have made their wishes very clear… and we want to congratulate President Mugabe because he has returned the land to the people and Zimbabwe will be one of the fewest African countries which is truly owned by Africans,” he said, according to the eNCA report.
Federal prosecutors announced charges Tuesday against two Chicago men who they accuse of illegally lobbying US lawmakers to lift sanctions against longtime Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and members of his regime in exchange for a promise of $3.4-million.
Prince Asiel Ben Israel, 72, and C. Gregory Turner, 71, tried to persuade unnamed US state and federal lawmakers, including four from Illinois, to oppose the sanctions against the leaders of the southern African nation, according to the charges unsealed Tuesday in US District Court in Chicago.
The complaint says the men met with Mugabe, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Gov. Gideon Gono and other officials “multiple times” in the US and Africa, and allegedly agreed to lobby US federal and state officials on Zimbabwe’s behalf in exchange for the promised payments, which the defendants apparently weren’t able to collect in full.
No lawmakers have been accused of wrongdoing, although the investigation is ongoing, the US Attorney’s Office in Chicago said in a news release. It’s not illegal for public officials to meet with sanctioned Zimbabweans, but individuals cannot provide lobbying services to those subjected to US sanctions, prosecutors said.
Mugabe’s government has been under sanctions since 2003 for alleged democratic violations.
Ben Israel appeared in a federal courtroom in Chicago Tuesday, where the terms of his bond were changed to require him to remain in contact with the court’s pretrial services department. His wife, Hattie Brown, also appeared in court, promising US Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys that she would turn in her husband if he attempts to flee.
The complaint alleges that the defendants violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The violation carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1-million fine.
Ben Israel’s attorney, Viviana Ramirez, said Tuesday that it’s too early to address the merits of the case. Turner, a Chicagoan, is believed to be currently living in Israel. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
According to the complaint, Ben Israel and Turner began talking with Mugabe and other Zimbabwe leaders in early November 2008 regarding the influence they could exert to lift the sanctions originally imposed by President George W. Bush.
The defendants allegedly discussed with Mugabe, Gono and others their ties to several public officials who supposedly had close connections to then-President-elect Barack Obama.
The complaint states that Ben Israel and Turner engaged in public relations, political consulting and lobbying efforts and had a Nov. 26, 2008, “Consulting Agreement” that called for an initial payment of $90,000 and three subsequent equal installments of $1,105,000.
The defendants allegedly arranged for Ben Israel to travel to South Africa with two Illinois lawmakers – referred to as “Illinois State Senator A” and “Illinois State Representative A” in the complaint – in early December 2008. Travel records show the two lawmakers traveled to Israel, but did not return as scheduled and extended their overseas stay, the complaint states.
Three days after the lawmakers’ return in mid-December, a scheduler for President-elect Obama’s transition team sent an email to another transition team member stating that State Representative A “wants a phone call from (transition team officials) regarding a meeting he had last week in Zimbabwe. I am not sure who to pass this on to but it’s the second time they have called.”
The transition team forwarded the email to the FBI based on its concerns that the state representative may have violated sanctions by traveling to Zimbabwe, according to the complaint.
Obama has decided each year of his presidency to keep the Zimbabwe sanctions in place, most recently in March.
Mugabe, 89, has been president of Zimbabwe for 33 years. He was re-elected by a wide margin last week, although his political opponents say voting wasn’t free or fair and was marred by widespread irregularities. – Sapa
International unease mounted Sunday over the re-election of Africa’s oldest leader Robert Mugabe in polls denounced by Zimbabwe’s opposition as “stolen”.
Mugabe, 89, in power since 1980, trounced his long-standing rival Morgan Tsvangirai in Wednesday’s polls with 61 percent of the presidential vote while his party swept to a crushing parliamentary majority.
But 61-year-old Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) who has unsuccessfully tried to unseat Mugabe three times, condemned the vote as “fraudulent and stolen” and has vowed to challenge it.
Western powers, barred from sending full observer teams, voiced serious doubts about the polls following concerns over irregularities.
On Sunday, Germany said the election “casts a big shadow on the political and economic future of Zimbabwe”, while Australia called for new polls.
“Given our doubts about the results, Australia calls for a re-run of the elections based on a verified and agreed voters roll,” Foreign Minister Bob Carr said in a statement.
US Secretary of State John Kerry had Saturday described the election as “deeply flawed” and said Washington “does not believe that the results …today represent a credible expression of the will of the Zimbabwean people.”
British Foreign Secretary William Hague added his own “grave concerns” over the conduct of the vote in the former colony.
African and local observers raised concerns over the voters roll, the printing of extra ballot papers, and the turning away of voters at polling stations.
But with gentler assessments from the continent despite noting the flaws, President Jacob Zuma of powerful neighbour South Africa offered his “profound congratulations” to Mugabe on Sunday.
“President Zuma urges all political parties in Zimbabwe to accept the outcome of the elections as election observers reported it to be an expression of the will of the people,” a foreign ministry statement said.
The reaction in Zimbabwe’s Sunday press was starkly divided, with state-controlled newspaper The Herald proclaiming “President Mugabe romps to victory”, while the independent Daily News headlined, “It’s a Crisis”.
The vote marks the end of Mugabe and Tsvangirai’s tense compromise government, forced by bloodstained 2008 polls, that helped steer the isolated nation out of a protracted crisis.
In Harare’s oldest township Mbare on Sunday, several hundred Mugabe supporters carried a white coffin draped in an MDC flag, with a red knotted scarf placed on top with the inscription “RIP Morgan”.
“People are elated,” said one of the marchers, Tatenda Savanhu, 26, an economist.
“It’s really a moment of joy that the GNU (coalition government) is now gone that we are going into an era of ZANU-PF”.
— Finding a smoking gun may prove difficult —
Tsvangirai vowed to challenge the result in court and said the MDC would boycott government institutions.
“The fraudulent and stolen election has plunged Zimbabwe into a constitutional, political and economic crisis.”
Tsvangirai defended his 2008 decision to enter the uneasy pact with Mugabe, who has had him arrested, beaten and charged with treason, saying it had “rescued” Zimbabwe after years of meltdown.
But Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party says there is no need for the MDC in the new government.
“We have received over 60 percent of the vote, we have two-thirds majority, why would we want to bring someone else on board?” State Security Minister Sydney Sekeramayi told AFP.
The MDC now has until Saturday to present evidence of fraud to the constitutional court, but finding a smoking gun may prove difficult. The inauguration is expected within 48 hours of the court’s decision.
Tsvangirai said he would submit a dossier of “all irregularities and all the illegalities” to the influential 15-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) and called for an urgent summit.
The European Union, which had been moving toward easing long-standing sanctions, has also expressed concern.
But Emmerson Mnangagwa, defence minister and a key Mugabe lieutenant, argued that the result was a game-changer.
“The West will now have to climb down, they must find a ladder and climb down… A democratic election has taken place in Zimbabwe,” he told AFP.
The SADC, which engineered the power-sharing government, said the vote was “free and peaceful”.
But top SADC election observer Bernard Membe noted: “We did not say it was fair … we didn’t want to jump to a conclusion.”
The poll’s credibility was further tarnished by the resignation of one of the nine official electoral commissioners over “the manner” in which the polls “were proclaimed and conducted”.
But Harare based political analyst Blessing Vava said Western concerns meant little with African guarantors having given the polls the nod.
“The issue of Zimbabwe is over and done with,” Vava said.
The criticism will also be of little concern to Mugabe, he said.
“He will not care much with what the West will say, this is the reason why they were not invited to observe elections in the first place.” – AFP
Zimbabwe’s election was credible and fair, the chief of the African Union observer mission said Friday, but the bloc’s report noted some problems with the voter roll and of people being turned away from polling booths.
President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF appeared confident of a sweeping victory, while the rival Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has said the “sham” polls would plunge the country into crisis.
“We are very happy this morning. We are very confident and excited. We think there is a sense of victory for us,” ZANU-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo told dpa.
He said the party expected to get between 130 and 140 seats in the 210-member parliament.
Results from about 30 per cent of seats in parliament showed Zanu-PF taking a strong early lead, with 52 to the MDC’s 10.
Mugabe’s party managed to wrest control of some urban constituencies previously held by the rival MDC.
The final results of Wednesday’s election must be announced by Monday.
Local elections observers noted there were serious problems with the voters roll in urban areas – long considered MDC strongholds.
Tsvangirai has declared the elections to be “null and void” because of allegations of vote rigging.
Zanu-PF insists the poll were conducted in a “free and fair” manner, as does the Zimbabwe Election Commission.
In the 2008 election that was marred by violence, Tsvangirai won the first round but did not get enough votes to avoid a run-off. Widespread intimidation, including the deaths of some 200 of his supporters, forced him to pull out of the runoff.
The presidential poll results are only expected in the coming days. If no candidate gets at least 50 per cent of the vote, a second round will be held September 11.
The 89-year-old Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since 1980, has vowed to step down if he loses.
Africa’s oldest head of state presided over a decade-long economic collapse, in part blamed on his policy of grabbing white-owned farms without compensation and fueling hyper inflation. -sapa-dpa
ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe has accused Zimbabwe’s Zanu-PF of using Julius Malema’s party to destabilise the ANC in Limpopo.
Mantashe also accused Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) of distorting the Freedom Charter.
He was addressing political journalists and their editors during an ANC monthly political briefing in Joburg on Monday.
Mantashe said the EFF’s call for grabbing land without compensation and the nationalisation of mines had been influenced by Zanu-PF.
He said the EFF had adopted Zanu-PF’s policy despite the fact that Robert Mugabe’s party had destroyed the Zimbabwean economy.
“The EFF has the influence of Zanu-PF. There have been active engagements between its leaders and with Zanu-PF. Zanu-PF is using them to destabilise the ANC in Limpopo.
“Zanu-PF destroyed the economy of their country. In 1980, the value of the Zim dollar was R1.50 and today it has no value. It is a massive destruction of the economy. I do not want South Africa’s economy to collapse,” Mantashe said.
He also lambasted Malema for allegedly distorting the ANC policy on land, saying the Freedom Charter never advocated nationalisation of mines and land grabs without compensation.
“The Freedom Charter never wanted to take land by force. The charter states that the land is owned by all those who work it. We never propagated the nationalisation of mines. It is not what the Freedom Charter is saying,” Mantashe said.
He said the ANC would not encourage a Zimbabwean-style land grab but would rather allocate farming land to people who had a passion for farming.
“We are not going to give people farms who will in future just use these farms as places for weekend braais. We are going to give land to peasants who are going to use the farms to succeed,” he said.
Mantashe said his party was looking forward to the establishment of its proposed task team to be set up by President Jacob Zuma. One of its priorities would be to stabilise the mining industry. – The Star
Recent comments made by members of Jacob Zuma’s technical team on the situation in Zimbabwe were “unfortunate”, says the presidency.
“The presidency has noted with great concern, recent unfortunate statements made on the situation in Zimbabwe,” spokesperson Mac Maharaj said in a statement.
Maharaj said the comments were attributed to a team member supporting Zuma in his role as a facilitator, with South Africa appointed by Southern African Development Community (SADC) to offer assistance to help Zimbabwe’s political parties resolve their differences.
Zuma’s team comprised of Mozambique high commissioner Charles Nqakula as its head, Maharaj, and Lindiwe Zulu, international relations adviser to the president.
The Agence France-Presse news agency reported on Friday that Zulu had said there were challenges leading up to the July 31 elections in Zimbabwe, following problems with early voting.
Thousands of Zimbabwean security forces reportedly could not make their mark in early voting with polling stations opening late, and lacking indelible ink, stamps, voter rolls, ballot papers, and boxes.
“If things didn’t go right in the special vote, those things need to be looked into by the time of elections on July 31,” Zulu said.
Imposition
Maharaj said the technical team supported Zuma in his role as facilitator, could not impose its views on Zimbabwe, nor make public pronouncements.
“Only President Zuma has the mandate to speak on Zimbabwe on behalf of SADC on facilitation issues,” Maharaj said.
“A number of statements have been made during the facilitation process which have been unauthorised and which are regrettable and unfortunate. Some of the utterances have also been inaccurate.”
The presidency said reports stating Zuma had telephoned Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe to express his unhappiness about election preparations were incorrect.
“No such telephone call has been made,” said Maharaj.
Zuma had also been alerted to “inappropriate postings” in social media on the situation in Zimbabwe.
“South Africa remains fully committed to the warm historical relations with the republic of Zimbabwe and wishes the people of Zimbabwe well as they prepare for the elections,” said Maharaj. – Sapa
President Robert Mugabe on Thursday rebuked the “insane” US for criticising his push for elections without key reforms and told it to keep its “pink nose” out of Zimbabwe’s affairs.
“America must be mad, absolutely insane,” Mugabe, who is seeking to extend his 33-year rule, told an election campaign rally in the northern town of Chinhoyi.
US President Barack Obama during his visit to South Africa last month called on Zimbabwe’s government to apply key reforms ahead of the landmark elections.
“For anyone to suggest that our elections must not be held even after the expiry of the term of parliament, because some party is arguing for reforms of our security forces, is a mad argument, completely.”
Mugabe declared July 31 polling date to choose a successor to the wobbly power-sharing government.
His main rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai had wanted a delay to allow time to implement a battery of reforms including an overhaul of the security forces headed by Mugabe’s allies.
During his visit to neighbouring South Africa, Obama said “harassment of citizens and groups needs to stop and reform needs to move forward so people can cast their votes in elections that are fair and free and credible.”
Mugabe said Zimbabwe would determine its own future and that the US has no moral ground to chastise his regime.
“Keep your pink nose out of our affairs, please.”
“Where do you get that audacity to open your mouth and try to sermonise us,” questioned Mugabe, alleging racism was rife in the US.
“Your prisons are still full of blacks. Where is your democracy? There is lots of racism in your country.”
He reiterated his decision to bar the US and the European Union from observing the Zimbabwe vote.
“We have already invited well meaning friends. Ill-intentioned friends, we never can invite.”
Observers from the Southern African Development Community and the African Union will watch the vote.
The EU Thursday wrapped up a summit with South Africa, urging Zimbabwean political players to take all the necessary steps “to create and ensure a conducive environment for the holding of peaceful, credible, free and fair elections”. – Sapa-AFP
Zimbabwe’s political rivals have clashed over an apparently secret document said to be from intelligence sources that alleges an outlandish plot by President Robert Mugabe to hire a Lebanese murder squad to assassinate his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma, and a top diplomat.
The typed two-page report – persuasively detailed but at times written in excitable language strewn with grammatical and spelling errors – has been dismissed by Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party as “hogwash” and a “typical setup”. The rival Movement for Democratic Change said the assassination threats should be taken seriously.
Roy Bennett, the MDC treasurer-general, in exile, was more certain. “We know the report to be credible; it comes from reliable and trustworthy sources within the heart of the CIO [Central Intelligence Organisation],” he said. “It is a stark reminder of the full horrific extent that Robert Mugabe is prepared to go in order to hang on to power and avenge his critics.”
The MDC and civil society groups in Zimbabwe have applauded Zuma for taking a tougher stand against Mugabe than the previous South African president, Thabo Mbeki.
They come amid souring relations between neighbours Zimbabwe and South Africa. Last week Mugabe branded Zuma’s chief mediator, Lindiwe Zulu, “some stupid, idiotic woman” and a “little street woman” after her failed attempt to force a postponement of elections.
The purportedly leaked document, dated 2 July and of unknown authorship, contains a paragraph headed: “Lebonese assasins” (sic). It states: “On Monday this week Mugabe hired six Lebanese nationals to try and assassinate Lindiwe Zulu, who is Zuma’s advisor. The six met clandestinely with Mugabe yesterday to be briefed by him on the details of their mission … The six were told they must not concentrate on Zulu only, but should also pay attention to Zuma himself, and if they get a chance to do so they must assassinate him as well – but everything must appear as an accident.”
It adds: “Mugabe promised the six Lebonese [sic] an undisclosed fortune in cash if they succeed in getting rid of the two who [sic] South Africa senior officials who are giving him a lot of trouble. Names of the six could not be established, but they entered into the country via Zambia in the last few days, where they had previously held a close meeting with [president] Michael Sata before travelling into Zimbabwe.”
The document also claims that Mugabe summoned and castigated security officers over a leak to the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, regarding the involvement of an Israeli company in managing the country’s electoral role. Mugabe ordered that “the culprits who leaked the information are made to suffer and die a painful death”, it says. Tsvangirai has spoken publicly about his concern over the role of the Israeli company Nikuv.
The secretive Israel-based firm – accused of manipulating past elections in the region – is alleged to be involved in managing Zimbabwe’s voters’ roll.
Eddie Cross, a MDC MP told the Mail & Guardian that he had been informed by security sources that the company, Nikuv International Projects, is working on the roll at Defence House, the headquarters of the Zimbabwe Defence Force. The MDC also alleged that Nikuv was a front for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, although it offered no evidence to support the claim.
Cross said the source told him that the company is working under the direction of Daniel Tonde Nhepera, the deputy head of the Zimbabwe’s dreaded internal security arm, the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).
Another Zimbabwean intelligence source confirmed to the M&G the allegation that Nikuv is working on the voters’ roll “with the CIO”.
The Guardian has seen a copy of the two-page document but has not been able to verify it as being genuine. The possibility that it is a hoax designed to embarrass the opposition cannot be ruled out.
Rugare Gumbo, spokesman for Zanu-PF, insisted: “To be frank with you, it’s all rubbish and hogwash to think a head of state like president Mugabe would set up something like that. We have a disagreement with Lindiwe Zulu but it would not go to that extent.”
Asked about the alleged threat to Zuma, he replied: “You should not take it seriously. It’s a typical setup in Zimbabwe to try and cause some confusion before the election because we are going ahead with our election according to our laws whether they like it or not.”
But this is not the first time allegations have surfaced of Zimbabwean government agents carrying out clandestine operations in South Africa. Nor are rumours of assassinations so unusual: South Africa’s Mail & Guardian newspaper recently compiled a list of nine Zimbabwean politicians who have died in mysterious car crashes, including the one last month involving Edward Chindori-Chininga, the outspoken chairperson of a parliamentary committee that had just released a highly critical report on the diamond industry.
Fierce factional infighting within Zanu-PF and the security sector has resulted in a number of damaging intelligence leaks, notably on the Facebook page of a mole known as Baba Jukwa.
Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC’s spokesperson, said of the document: “We have had sight of the intelligence information but we are unable to confirm its authenticity. For the MDC, the international community must take these assassination allegations seriously.” – The Guardian
Roy Bennett, the MDC treasurer-general, in exile, was more certain. “We know the report to be credible; it comes from reliable and trustworthy sources within the heart of the CIO [Central Intelligence Organisation],” he said. “It is a stark reminder of the full horrific extent that Robert Mugabe is prepared to go in order to hang on to power and avenge his critics.”
The MDC and civil society groups in Zimbabwe have applauded Zuma for taking a tougher stand against Mugabe than the previous South African president, Thabo Mbeki.
They come amid souring relations between neighbours Zimbabwe and South Africa. Last week Mugabe branded Zuma’s chief mediator, Lindiwe Zulu, “some stupid, idiotic woman” and a “little street woman” after her failed attempt to force a postponement of elections.
The purportedly leaked document, dated 2 July and of unknown authorship, contains a paragraph headed: “Lebonese assasins” (sic). It states: “On Monday this week Mugabe hired six Lebanese nationals to try and assassinate Lindiwe Zulu, who is Zuma’s advisor. The six met clandestinely with Mugabe yesterday to be briefed by him on the details of their mission … The six were told they must not concentrate on Zulu only, but should also pay attention to Zuma himself, and if they get a chance to do so they must assassinate him as well – but everything must appear as an accident.”
It adds: “Mugabe promised the six Lebonese [sic] an undisclosed fortune in cash if they succeed in getting rid of the two who [sic] South Africa senior officials who are giving him a lot of trouble. Names of the six could not be established, but they entered into the country via Zambia in the last few days, where they had previously held a close meeting with [president] Michael Sata before travelling into Zimbabwe.”
The document also claims that Mugabe summoned and castigated security officers over a leak to the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, regarding the involvement of an Israeli company in managing the country’s electoral role. Mugabe ordered that “the culprits who leaked the information are made to suffer and die a painful death”, it says. Tsvangirai has spoken publicly about his concern over the role of the Israeli company Nikuv.
The secretive Israel-based firm – accused of manipulating past elections in the region – is alleged to be involved in managing Zimbabwe’s voters’ roll.
Eddie Cross, a MDC MP told the Mail & Guardian that he had been informed by security sources that the company, Nikuv International Projects, is working on the roll at Defence House, the headquarters of the Zimbabwe Defence Force. The MDC also alleged that Nikuv was a front for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, although it offered no evidence to support the claim.
Cross said the source told him that the company is working under the direction of Daniel Tonde Nhepera, the deputy head of the Zimbabwe’s dreaded internal security arm, the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).
Another Zimbabwean intelligence source confirmed to the M&G the allegation that Nikuv is working on the voters’ roll “with the CIO”.
The Guardian has seen a copy of the two-page document but has not been able to verify it as being genuine. The possibility that it is a hoax designed to embarrass the opposition cannot be ruled out.
Rugare Gumbo, spokesman for Zanu-PF, insisted: “To be frank with you, it’s all rubbish and hogwash to think a head of state like president Mugabe would set up something like that. We have a disagreement with Lindiwe Zulu but it would not go to that extent.”
Asked about the alleged threat to Zuma, he replied: “You should not take it seriously. It’s a typical setup in Zimbabwe to try and cause some confusion before the election because we are going ahead with our election according to our laws whether they like it or not.”
But this is not the first time allegations have surfaced of Zimbabwean government agents carrying out clandestine operations in South Africa. Nor are rumours of assassinations so unusual: South Africa’s Mail & Guardian newspaper recently compiled a list of nine Zimbabwean politicians who have died in mysterious car crashes, including the one last month involving Edward Chindori-Chininga, the outspoken chairperson of a parliamentary committee that had just released a highly critical report on the diamond industry.
Fierce factional infighting within Zanu-PF and the security sector has resulted in a number of damaging intelligence leaks, notably on the Facebook page of a mole known as Baba Jukwa.
Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC’s spokesperson, said of the document: “We have had sight of the intelligence information but we are unable to confirm its authenticity. For the MDC, the international community must take these assassination allegations seriously.” – The Guardian
– See more at: http://praag.org/?p=7173#sthash.Q4ousLtS.dpuf
Roy Bennett, the MDC treasurer-general, in exile, was more certain. “We know the report to be credible; it comes from reliable and trustworthy sources within the heart of the CIO [Central Intelligence Organisation],” he said. “It is a stark reminder of the full horrific extent that Robert Mugabe is prepared to go in order to hang on to power and avenge his critics.”
The MDC and civil society groups in Zimbabwe have applauded Zuma for taking a tougher stand against Mugabe than the previous South African president, Thabo Mbeki.
They come amid souring relations between neighbours Zimbabwe and South Africa. Last week Mugabe branded Zuma’s chief mediator, Lindiwe Zulu, “some stupid, idiotic woman” and a “little street woman” after her failed attempt to force a postponement of elections.
The purportedly leaked document, dated 2 July and of unknown authorship, contains a paragraph headed: “Lebonese assasins” (sic). It states: “On Monday this week Mugabe hired six Lebanese nationals to try and assassinate Lindiwe Zulu, who is Zuma’s advisor. The six met clandestinely with Mugabe yesterday to be briefed by him on the details of their mission … The six were told they must not concentrate on Zulu only, but should also pay attention to Zuma himself, and if they get a chance to do so they must assassinate him as well – but everything must appear as an accident.”
It adds: “Mugabe promised the six Lebonese [sic] an undisclosed fortune in cash if they succeed in getting rid of the two who [sic] South Africa senior officials who are giving him a lot of trouble. Names of the six could not be established, but they entered into the country via Zambia in the last few days, where they had previously held a close meeting with [president] Michael Sata before travelling into Zimbabwe.”
The document also claims that Mugabe summoned and castigated security officers over a leak to the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, regarding the involvement of an Israeli company in managing the country’s electoral role. Mugabe ordered that “the culprits who leaked the information are made to suffer and die a painful death”, it says. Tsvangirai has spoken publicly about his concern over the role of the Israeli company Nikuv.
The secretive Israel-based firm – accused of manipulating past elections in the region – is alleged to be involved in managing Zimbabwe’s voters’ roll.
Eddie Cross, a MDC MP told the Mail & Guardian that he had been informed by security sources that the company, Nikuv International Projects, is working on the roll at Defence House, the headquarters of the Zimbabwe Defence Force. The MDC also alleged that Nikuv was a front for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, although it offered no evidence to support the claim.
Cross said the source told him that the company is working under the direction of Daniel Tonde Nhepera, the deputy head of the Zimbabwe’s dreaded internal security arm, the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).
Another Zimbabwean intelligence source confirmed to the M&G the allegation that Nikuv is working on the voters’ roll “with the CIO”.
The Guardian has seen a copy of the two-page document but has not been able to verify it as being genuine. The possibility that it is a hoax designed to embarrass the opposition cannot be ruled out.
Rugare Gumbo, spokesman for Zanu-PF, insisted: “To be frank with you, it’s all rubbish and hogwash to think a head of state like president Mugabe would set up something like that. We have a disagreement with Lindiwe Zulu but it would not go to that extent.”
Asked about the alleged threat to Zuma, he replied: “You should not take it seriously. It’s a typical setup in Zimbabwe to try and cause some confusion before the election because we are going ahead with our election according to our laws whether they like it or not.”
But this is not the first time allegations have surfaced of Zimbabwean government agents carrying out clandestine operations in South Africa. Nor are rumours of assassinations so unusual: South Africa’s Mail & Guardian newspaper recently compiled a list of nine Zimbabwean politicians who have died in mysterious car crashes, including the one last month involving Edward Chindori-Chininga, the outspoken chairperson of a parliamentary committee that had just released a highly critical report on the diamond industry.
Fierce factional infighting within Zanu-PF and the security sector has resulted in a number of damaging intelligence leaks, notably on the Facebook page of a mole known as Baba Jukwa.
Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC’s spokesperson, said of the document: “We have had sight of the intelligence information but we are unable to confirm its authenticity. For the MDC, the international community must take these assassination allegations seriously.” – The Guardian
– See more at: http://praag.org/?p=7173#sthash.Q4ousLtS.dpuf
Roy Bennett, the MDC treasurer-general, in exile, was more certain. “We know the report to be credible; it comes from reliable and trustworthy sources within the heart of the CIO [Central Intelligence Organisation],” he said. “It is a stark reminder of the full horrific extent that Robert Mugabe is prepared to go in order to hang on to power and avenge his critics.”
The MDC and civil society groups in Zimbabwe have applauded Zuma for taking a tougher stand against Mugabe than the previous South African president, Thabo Mbeki.
They come amid souring relations between neighbours Zimbabwe and South Africa. Last week Mugabe branded Zuma’s chief mediator, Lindiwe Zulu, “some stupid, idiotic woman” and a “little street woman” after her failed attempt to force a postponement of elections.
The purportedly leaked document, dated 2 July and of unknown authorship, contains a paragraph headed: “Lebonese assasins” (sic). It states: “On Monday this week Mugabe hired six Lebanese nationals to try and assassinate Lindiwe Zulu, who is Zuma’s advisor. The six met clandestinely with Mugabe yesterday to be briefed by him on the details of their mission … The six were told they must not concentrate on Zulu only, but should also pay attention to Zuma himself, and if they get a chance to do so they must assassinate him as well – but everything must appear as an accident.”
It adds: “Mugabe promised the six Lebonese [sic] an undisclosed fortune in cash if they succeed in getting rid of the two who [sic] South Africa senior officials who are giving him a lot of trouble. Names of the six could not be established, but they entered into the country via Zambia in the last few days, where they had previously held a close meeting with [president] Michael Sata before travelling into Zimbabwe.”
The document also claims that Mugabe summoned and castigated security officers over a leak to the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, regarding the involvement of an Israeli company in managing the country’s electoral role. Mugabe ordered that “the culprits who leaked the information are made to suffer and die a painful death”, it says. Tsvangirai has spoken publicly about his concern over the role of the Israeli company Nikuv.
The secretive Israel-based firm – accused of manipulating past elections in the region – is alleged to be involved in managing Zimbabwe’s voters’ roll.
Eddie Cross, a MDC MP told the Mail & Guardian that he had been informed by security sources that the company, Nikuv International Projects, is working on the roll at Defence House, the headquarters of the Zimbabwe Defence Force. The MDC also alleged that Nikuv was a front for the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, although it offered no evidence to support the claim.
Cross said the source told him that the company is working under the direction of Daniel Tonde Nhepera, the deputy head of the Zimbabwe’s dreaded internal security arm, the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).
Another Zimbabwean intelligence source confirmed to the M&G the allegation that Nikuv is working on the voters’ roll “with the CIO”.
The Guardian has seen a copy of the two-page document but has not been able to verify it as being genuine. The possibility that it is a hoax designed to embarrass the opposition cannot be ruled out.
Rugare Gumbo, spokesman for Zanu-PF, insisted: “To be frank with you, it’s all rubbish and hogwash to think a head of state like president Mugabe would set up something like that. We have a disagreement with Lindiwe Zulu but it would not go to that extent.”
Asked about the alleged threat to Zuma, he replied: “You should not take it seriously. It’s a typical setup in Zimbabwe to try and cause some confusion before the election because we are going ahead with our election according to our laws whether they like it or not.”
But this is not the first time allegations have surfaced of Zimbabwean government agents carrying out clandestine operations in South Africa. Nor are rumours of assassinations so unusual: South Africa’s Mail & Guardian newspaper recently compiled a list of nine Zimbabwean politicians who have died in mysterious car crashes, including the one last month involving Edward Chindori-Chininga, the outspoken chairperson of a parliamentary committee that had just released a highly critical report on the diamond industry.
Fierce factional infighting within Zanu-PF and the security sector has resulted in a number of damaging intelligence leaks, notably on the Facebook page of a mole known as Baba Jukwa.
Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC’s spokesperson, said of the document: “We have had sight of the intelligence information but we are unable to confirm its authenticity. For the MDC, the international community must take these assassination allegations seriously.” – The Guardian
– See more at: http://praag.org/?p=7173#sthash.Q4ousLtS.dpuf
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has filed an urgent application with the country’s top court to push back crucial elections by two weeks, his justice minister said Wednesday.
Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa told AFP he had filed papers “yesterday (Tuesday)” that sought “a postponement of the date for the harmonised elections from July 31 2013 to August 14, 2013.” – Sapa
The New York Times recently carried an article stating that Zimbabwe’s “land reform”, confiscating the land of white farmers, was a “success”. Now this report from the United Nations World Food Programme shows the true picture: a country where one in five people receives food hand-outs.
Famine has raised its head in Zimbabwe again, as the numbers of people depending on aid to avoid starvation soared by 60 percent from last year to 1.6 million, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
The agency said that one in five of the country’s rural people were in need of famine relief. Grain production in the last year was 1 million tonnes, the worst since 2009, which at 800,000 tonnes was the worst year on record.
Zimbabwe had a reputation as “Africa’s breadbasket” until 2000 when President Robert Mugabe launched his violent seizures of white-owned farms, forcing 1,500 white farmers of their land and displacing a million farm workers and their families.
The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have said that year marked the beginning of the collapse of one of Africa’s most successful economies.
The latest figures were released after a lengthy study by UN agencies, the Zimbabwe government and non-governmental organisations involved in agriculture.
Already, the report said, rural residents of the country were feeling the effects of the food shortages, a pattern marked by empty domestic granaries and farmers selling their cattle to raise money to buy food.
The report blamed erratic rainfall, low supplies of seed and fertilizer, and bad farming practices.
At the height of the last rainy season, farmers unions slammed a supply arrangement set-up by government officials. Political figures in Mugabe’s ZANU(PF) party snapped up cheap fertilizer and seed and sold large quantities of it at inflated prices while peasant farmers waited helplessly.
During the current winter wheat season, promises of cheap supplies from the government also came to nothing, resulting in the lowest wheat crop forecast yet of 5,000 tonnes.
The WFP said it would rely on “regionally procured cereals” to make up the country’s current shortfall.
Commentators have pointed out that the biggest regional producer is Zambia, where scores of white farmers moved and became large-scale producers again after being driven off their land in Zimbabwe in the last decade. – Sapa-DPA
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