Zimbabwe Struggles With Budget, Donors Want Reforms

HARARE (Reuters) - A lack of cash is likely to prevent Zimbabwe unveiling any major projects in its 2010 budget, but analysts say it could provide the impetus for the reforms needed to attract foreign aid to rebuild the economy.




Finance Minister Tendai Biti is due to present his 2010 budget on Wednesday -- the first full budget by the unity government formed 10 months ago to try to end a decade-long political and economic crisis in the southern African nation.



"This is a straightforward issue. The government is broke and is living hand to mouth," said veteran independent economist John Robertson.



"There is very little money for the pressing demands on the government and until they are able to get some massive help there is very little they will be able to do," he told Reuters.



"The positive side is that we may see greater movement towards reforms, more pressure to respect private property rights and an appreciation that the country needs massive international assistance and goodwill to realise its goals."



Zimbabwe is trying to reconstruct an economy that the government estimates contracted by nearly 50 percent from 2000-2008.



The global economic downturn and festering tensions in a ruling coalition between President Robert Mugabe and his arch rival, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, are not helping.



Biti -- a senior figure in Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) -- has promised a "growth oriented" budget, but the coffers are bare, and there is no sign of any significant aid on the horizon.

Three Americans Dead as Zimbabwe Plane Crashes in China

Three American crew members were killed when a Zimbabwe-registered cargo plane crashed and caught fire on take-off at Shanghai's Pudong airport.




The plane left the runway and crashed into a storage building, sending thick black smoke billowing across the scene.



State media reported the tail of the plane - which was en route to the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek - struck the ground during take-off.



The four remaining crew members were taken to hospital.



China's official Xinhua news agency reported that one of the four was in a critical condition, with the other three said to be seriously injured.



The US embassy in China confirmed that the three dead were American citizens and said one of the injured crew was also American.



Shanghai television reported that the tail of the plane had broken into two or three parts, and that hundreds of firefighters were sent to the scene.



Story from BBC NEWS:

Britain's Brown Hopes Zimbabwe Can Rejoin Commonwealth

PORT OF SPAIN (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown held out the prospect on Friday that Zimbabwe could be re-admitted to the Commonwealth in 2011 if it pushes ahead with reforms.


Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth in 2003 after the organisation renewed a suspension imposed a year earlier when veteran President Robert Mugabe won re-election in a poll some observers said was rigged.



In an article for the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper, Brown said Zimbabwe's power-sharing government had chalked up achievements, including raising living standards and taming hyper-inflation.



But he said opponents of reform, both inside and outside Zimbabwe, would do everything possible to obstruct change.



The article was released in Trinidad and Tobago, where Brown is attending a summit of the Commonwealth, which groups 53 countries, mostly former British colonies.



"I sincerely hope that by the time of our next meeting in 2011, Zimbabwe will have made enough progress for us to welcome them back into the Commonwealth," Brown said.



Britain would channel 60 million pounds in aid to Zimbabwe this year and was ready to do more once the Zimbabwean government showed it was ready to implement a power-sharing agreement, he said.



"That means progress on reforms in security, justice and the economy -- including restructuring the central bank to improve management of the public finances -- and embracing a vibrant free press," Brown said.



"Political reform must include repeal of repressive legislation, an inclusive process leading to a revised constitution, and above all respect for human rights," Brown added

* Reuters

Institute Challenges Zimbabwe's Claim Marange Diamond Field Demilitarized

An institute in Mutare, Zimbabwe, has challenged a recent statement by Mines Minister Obert Mpofu saying the military is pulling out of the Marange diamond field in Manicaland province, scene of alleged grave human rights violations.




The Center for Research and Development in Mutare, capital of the eastern province bordering Mozambique, said it has carried out its own investigation and found the military is not pulling out of the rich Chiadzwa alluvial diamond field.



The government is under heavy pressure from the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme to put the field under the control of private partners and pull military units out of the area.



Harare has named several private partners, but companies including the Rapaport Group have said they will boycott Marange diamonds. And South Africa’s Old Mutual said it is reviewing a share stake in New Reclamation Group, which is among the companies Harare has invited into Marange.



Rights groups say more than 200 people have been slain in the Marange field by soldiers and police. A Kimberly Process team that visited the area concluded there were serious violations of human rights and extensive illegal trade in diamonds.



Director Farai Maguwu of the Center for Research and Development told VOA Studio 7 reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that soldiers have only left the claims being worked by Mbada Diamonds and Canadiles Investments, two Harare partners.


* VoA

Zanu-PF: Let's Prevent Repeat of Electoral Violence in Zimbabwe

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s political parties should act now to prevent recurrence of election violence that last year left at least 200 supporters of the then opposition MDC party dead, a senior official of President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party said on Wednesday.


ZANU PF secretary for women’s affairs Oppah Muchinguri said: “I am worried about what happened last year. We have to put a safety net and make sure that the violence that happened last year does not happen again.”

Muchinguri, who was speaking at the launch in Harare of a gender report by the Women in Politics Support Network, said political parties should start campaigning against political violence now and not wait for election time.

Zimbabwe is expected to hold fresh elections either at the end of 2010 or in early 2011 once a new constitution is put in place and that is expected to pave way for free and fair polls.

But human rights groups say ZANU PF and members of the fiercely pro-Mugabe security forces are committing violence in some parts of the country to try and intimidate voters into backing a controversial draft constitution known as the Kariba draft as the basis of new constitution.

The Kariba draft was prepared by ZANU PF and MDC officials but critics say the document should be discarded because it leaves Mugabe’s immense powers untouched.

Unprecedented violence broke out across Zimbabwe last year immediately after it became clear Mugabe had lost a first round presidential vote to MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai who, however, failed to achieve outright victory to avoid a second round run-off poll.

Human rights groups blame the violence on ZANU PF supporters and security forces who they say resorted to terror tactics to forestall what had looked a sure defeat for Mugabe in the decisive second round ballot.

However Tsvangirai pulled out of the second round vote because of attacks against his supporters.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai eventually bowed to pressure from southern African leaders to agree to form a government of national unity that has been able to end hyperinflation to stabilise the economy.

* Zimonline

President Zuma Will Now Serve as Zimbabwe’s Mediator

President Jacob Zuma has taken over as the regional mediator in Zimbabwe’s political crisis. His predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, was mistrusted by Zimbabwe’s prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai. Mr. Tsvangirai said he believed that Mr. Mbeki was biased in favor of President Robert Mugabe.

According to a statement from Mr. Zuma’s office, he appointed a new Zimbabwe team: Charles Nquakula, his political adviser; Mac Maharaj, his special envoy; and Lindiwe Zulu, his international relations adviser. The team will visit Zimbabwe soon and report back to Mr. Zuma, above.




Mr. Mugabe and Mr. Tsvangirai have been in a power-sharing government since February, but Mr. Mugabe and his party, ZANU-PF, have sent state security forces to arrest and jail rival politicians, human rights lawyers and civic leaders.


* NY Times

Zimbabwe Parties Resume Talks to Resolve Impasse

HARARE (Xinhua) -- The three parties in Zimbabwe's Global Political Agreement on Monday started negotiations to iron out differences which have created deep chasms within the country's inclusive government, in line with a SADC resolution passed in Maputo, Mozambique on Nov. 5.




Negotiations went well into the evening, with none of the chief negotiators shedding light on what was going on behind doors, according to the state controlled Herald newspaper.



There is an agreement that the media should not have a blow by blow account of the discussions, as this would be tantamount to negotiating in public.



President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF is represented by Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche, while Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC is represented by Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma.



Welshman Ncube and Priscillah Misihairabwi-Mushonga represent Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara's smaller MDC faction.



Talks had been scheduled to begin by Nov. 20 as per the resolution of the summit of the SADC troika on politics, defense and security that they should start within 15 days, but the negotiators failed to achieve this, citing other pressing government commitments.



The troika was flexible, however, giving room that negotiations should not start later than 30 days from the date of the resolution.



The GPA, signed on Sept. 15 2008 after a serious political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe and the absence of a clear winner in that year's general elections, resulted in the formation of the inclusive government in February.



Under the agreement, Mugabe retained his post while Tsvangirai became prime minister and Mutambara became deputy prime minister.



However, Tsvangirai on Oct. 16 announced his party's partial withdrawal from the government, citing unfulfilled promises by Mugabe's Zanu-PF, and prompting the SADC to hold a troika summit.



Among other issues, Tsvangirai's party wants the appointments of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono and Attorney-General Johannes Tomana reversed.



It also wants Mugabe to swear into office its treasurer Roy Bennett as deputy minister of agriculture, mechanization and irrigation development. Mugabe has said he will not swear Bennett into office until he is cleared of the terrorism, insurgency and banditry charges he is facing in the courts of law.



Together with Mutambara's smaller MDC faction, Tsvangirai also wants the appointment of provincial governors to be done on the basis of which party prevailed in the provinces during the March 2008 harmonized elections.



Zanu-PF has declared that the appointments of Gono, Tomana and provincial governors are non-issues in the GPA, although it has softened a bit on provincial governors, saying negotiators could reach an agreement on these.



On its part, Zanu-PF wants Tsvangirai's party to make an unequivocal call for the removal of economic and travel sanctions on its members, as per its promise in the GPA. While the international community has maintained that the sanctions are targeted, ordinary Zimbabweans have felt their pinch over the years.



MDC-T also argues that it has no capacity to have the sanctions removed, adding that the onus is on Zanu-PF to satisfy the international community's expectations in the area of good governance.



Among the issues Zanu-PF regards as outstanding are the setting up of a National Economic Council, the constitution-making process and a land audit, which it says are constrained by lack of funds "and the rather crowded agenda."



The party also wants radio broadcasts beaming into Zimbabwe from beyond its borders to be stopped. The broadcasts are generally anti-Zanu-PF, even though some party officials have granted interviews to the radio stations.



In its argument on the radio stations, Tsvangirai's party is calling for the opening up of the media landscape to allow other players to compete with the national broadcaster, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation. It also says it does not own or support any radio station

Zimbabwean Women Win Obama Award

US President Barack Obama has given a global human rights award to the leaders of a Zimbabwean women's rights group, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (Woza).




Mr Obama presented Magodonga Mahlangu and Jenni Williams with this year's Robert F Kennedy Human Rights Award.



At the White House ceremony, he praised Woza's non-violent resistance against oppression and the government of Robert Mugabe whom he called "a dictator".



"He even gave us a kiss. He said: 'You deserve a kiss,'" Ms Williams said.



"It was just the most incredible moment in my life," she told the BBC's Network Africa programme.





“ They often don't get far before being confronted by President Mugabe's riot police ”

US President Barack Obama



"In Zimbabwe we are enemies of the state, we've been arrested over 30 times, one magistrate called us 'incorrigible unrepentant criminals', but there we were in the White House lifting the human rights award."



Woza has organised more than 100 demonstrations in favour of democracy and women's rights in Zimbabwe since it was formed in December 2002.



"They often don't get far before being confronted by President Mugabe's riot police," Mr Obama said.



"By her example, Magodonga has shown the women of Woza and the people of Zimbabwe that they can undermine their oppressors' power with their own power - that they can sap a dictator's strength with their own.



"Each time they see Magodonga beaten back - beaten black and blue during one protest - only to get right back up and lead another, singing freedom songs at the top of her lungs in full view of security forces, the threat of a policeman's baton loses some of its power," he said.



Ms Mahlangu told the BBC the struggle had been worth it "because the world is seeing and other fellow Zimbabweans see that they are not alone".



Story from BBC NEWS:

Zimbabwe Parties on Possible Gono's Exit Deal

THE partial immunity from prosecution granted to the Central Bank Governor Gideon Gono through amendments to the Reserve Bank Reform Bill "is a safe exit strategy" for a man under immense pressure to throw in the towel, political analysts said last week.




Parliament passed the Bill after it was amended to include a clause that gives partial immunity to Gono or any employee of the bank "for anything done in good faith and without negligence under the powers conferred by this Act".



Earlier in the week, Zanu PF MPs had threatened to block the Bill because they felt it was "targeted at an individual rather than an office".



But the analysts said by agreeing to a clause that gives immunity to Gono, Zanu PF had, in a way, endorsed calls for the central bank chief to make way for fresh ideas.



They said Zanu PF can no longer bear with the pressure from both MDC and the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) on the resolution of the outstanding issues to the power-sharing agreement with the MDC factions.



The MDC-T has been pushing for the removal of Gono from the RBZ accusing him of destroying the economy through quasi-fiscal policies and recklessly funding Zanu PF programmes.



A Sadc ministerial team that assessed the implementation of power-sharing agreement between Zanu PF and the two MDC formations recommended that Gono should be reassigned to save the shaky coalition from collapse.



University of Zimbabwe political scientist Eldred Masunungure said the immunity granted to Gono was to pave way for "a soft landing" for the troubled RBZ chief.



Masunungure said the fact that the immunity came through an amendment gives credence to speculation that Gono might soon be reassigned.



"This is meant to pave a way for soft landing and a trouble-free exit from the central bank," Masunungure said.



"It's a golden handshake for him and he will soon be reassigned to a politically invisible job where he will start a new life without being haunted by prospects of being prosecuted."



Another UZ science lecturer, John Makumbe agreed but described the immunity as a "costly" golden handshake.



Makumbe blasted the MDC formations for making such a "concession" saying it was an insult to Zimbabweans who suffered at the hands of Gono's poor quasi-fiscal policies.



"It's dangerous to give immunity to a person who destroyed our economy propping up Zanu PF," Makumbe said.



"I am furious about it. The MDC has no authority to grant anyone immunity."



After granting immunity to Gono, said Makumbe, it will be a contradiction to prosecute all those fingered in a recent audit by the Comptroller and Auditor-General Mildred Chiri.

* Standard

Zimbabwe Withdraws Troops From Diamond Fields

Zimbabwe has started withdrawing soldiers from diamond fields in the east of the country after recommendations by the Kimberly Process and criticism over rights abuses, state media reported today. The government deployed soldiers at the poorly secured diamond fields in Marange last year to seal off the area and clamp down on illegal mining, but rights activists say this resulted in serious rights abuses by the army.




A meeting in Namibia early this month of the Kimberly Process which regulates the global diamond trade, voted to allow Zimbabwe to continue mining and trading in diamonds but gave it six months to improve conditions in Marange. "As is evident at these (Marange) fields, there are no army officers or police details," Mines Minister Obert Mpofu was quoted as saying by the state-controlled Herald newspaper during a tour of Marange by government ministers yesterday.



The government, through its mining arm - Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation, is mining diamonds in Marange in a joint venture with two little-known South African companies, Core Mining and Grandwell Holdings. Mpofu said there was still room for more foreign investors to prospect for diamonds in Marange and across Zimbabwe. "I want to urge all investors interested in diamond mining or other mining activities to come to Zimbabwe and work with the government," he said.



In September, Mpofu said the government would insist on a 50% shareholding in all diamond mining ventures, but it is unclear what stake the government holds in the Marange venture. Mpofu is consulting industry officials on an eagerly awaited mining bill which investors had hoped would scrap the requirement for foreign mines to sell majority shares to locals.



Murowa mine in central Zimbabwe, majority owned by Rio Tinto, is the country's largest diamond mine while the privately run River Ranch mine is the second biggest. - Reuters

Xenophobia: PASSOP Launches Appeal For Relief Funds

Dear Friends of PASSOP,




As a result of xenophobic violence that broke out in De Doorns, Western Cape earlier this week, over 2,500 foreign nationals have been displaced from their homes. They have been temporarily resettled at a camp that lacks sufficient food, water, sanitation, and shelter. This type of environment can create a breeding ground for human rights abuses if not properly monitored. PASSOP has launched an emergency appeal for donations to support our efforts in addressing this crisis, which include:



• Maintaining a presence in the community and are working towards setting up a satellite office there to coordinate the site monitoring;

• Engaging the press in a media advocacy campaign to raise awareness of the issue (see links below); and

• Organizing a concerted effort among various civil society groups to coordinate the fair delivery of humanitarian aid to the displaced.



If you would like to donate to support these efforts, please see our banking details below. Any amount you can give would be very much appreciated. If you do choose to donate, please be so kind as to send us a confirmation of your donation (including name, email address, phone number, and address) to gill@passop.co.za.



Banking Details

Name: PASSOP

Bank: Nedbank

Country: South Africa

Branch: Rondebosch , Number 104809

Account #: 1048074730



If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact the PASSOP Office at 0217624638 or Gill Charles at 0835360242.



Thank you,

The PASSOP Crew

Xenophobia Crisis at De Doorns in Western Cape, South Africa

The GZF South Africa chapter National Co-ordinator, Ms Nora Tapiwa will conduct a fact finding visit to the Xenophobia crisis farming area of De Doorns in Western Cape on Saturday 21st November 2009.
Her cell number is 079 138 3896.
The GZF Cape Town city chapter Committee will also have a meeting at the Golden Acre mall along Adderly street on Saturday mid day.
Concerned members of the public are also welcome to attend the meeting.
The GZF will issue a public statement on the way forward in the next few days.
Issued at Cape Town on Thursday 19th November 2009
 
 
Mr. Daniel Molokele


International Co-ordinator

Global Zimbabwe Forum

www.zimcsoforum.org

Pre-Congress Nomination Process Highlights Rivalries in Zimbabwe's ZANU-PF

Divisions in Zimbabwe's former ruling ZANU-PF party were revealed on the weekend as Masvingo province refused to nominate Vice President Joyce Mujuru for the post of party vice president, which she must retain if she is to continue as national vice president.



The Masvingo party structure instead backed Manicaland Governor Oppah Muchinguri.



Analysts said Muchinguri’s nomination reflected Masvingo’s alignment with Defense Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose faction is vying for dominance with Mujuru’s.



Mujuru needs the support of one more province to reach the required six nominations.



Current ZANU-PF Chairman John Nkomo was well on track to claim the other vice presidency as he also has five nominations at this date.



Not surprisingly, all 10 ZANU-PF provinces have nominated President Robert Mugabe to continue as president of the party.



Nominations for the post of party chairman - which most assume will need to be filled if and when Nkomo is elevated to vice president - have been scattered among Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi, Mines Minister Obert Mpofu, Ambassador to South Africa Simon Khaya Moyo and ZANU-PF Secretary for Administration Didymus Mutasa.



ZANU-PF House Whip Joram Gumbo told VOA Studio 7 reporter Chris Gande that the nomination process shows that ZANU-PF is a truly democratic party.



But Joy Mabenge, democracy and governance manager at the Institute for a Democratic Alternative for Zimbabwe in Johannesburg, said the scramble for top positions within ZANU-PF shows rather that the party is increasingly deeply divided.

* VoA

Tsvangirai Meets MDC-T, ZANU PF Negotiators

HARARE – Prime Minister (PM) Morgan Tsvangirai on Monday met negotiators from his MDC-T and President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party as he pushes for a speedy resolution of a power-sharing dispute threatening Zimbabwe’s coalition government.




Tsvangirai’s spokesman James Maridadi told ZimOnline that negotiators from Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara’s MDC-M party did not attend the meeting with the PM due to other pressing commitments.



“They met and discussed the urgency of business at hand. Because other negotiators were not available due to other pressing issues, the PM has taken it upon himself to brief them,” said Maridadi.



The Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s special organ on defence and politics earlier this month gave the Zimbabwean parties two weeks to open up negotiations to resolve outstanding issues from last year’s power-sharing agreement or global political agreement (GPA) that gave birth to the coalition government.



Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara met last Friday but apparently decided to task their party officials to thrash out possible solutions to differences rocking the unity government.



However the Zimbabwean parties look set to miss the SADC deadline given on November 6 as they are yet to begin serious talks to tackle differences that saw Tsvangirai and his party temporarily boycott Cabinet meetings and only agreeing to end the protest action after intervention of regional leaders.



The outstanding issues holding back Zimbabwe’s coalition government include Mugabe’s refusal to rescind his unilateral appointment of two of his top allies to head Zimbabwe’s central bank and the attorney general’s office.



Mugabe has also refused to swear in Tsvangirai ally Roy Bennett as deputy agriculture minister while the MDC-T is also unhappy by what it says is selective application of the law to target its activists and officials.



On the other hand Mugabe, who insists that he has met all his obligations under the GPA, accuses the MDC-T of not living up to a promise to lead a campaign for lifting of Western sanctions against the veteran Zimbabwean leader and members of his inner circle. – ZimOnline

Tourists Return to Zimbabwe as Economy Recovers

JOHANNESBURG — The number of tourists visiting Zimbabwe this year has more than tripled, a trade official said Monday as entrepreneurs tried to lure investors to the troubled southern African country.




Emmanuel Fundira, president of the Zimbabwe Council of Tourism, said at an investment conference in neighboring South Africa that a unity government formed in February has brought political and economic stability. But full recovery is very much linked to the success of the new government, which many fear is on the brink of collapse.



Zimbabwe has a wealth of minerals and natural attractions and was once the region's breadbasket. Many blame its economic meltdown on President Robert Mugabe's land policy under which thousands of white-owned commercial farms were seized in 2000. Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, also is accused of undermining democracy.



Mugabe was forced into the coalition with longtime opposition leader Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai after elections last year that were inconclusive and marred by violence blamed on Mugabe's supporters.



Tourism received a boost when a number of Western countries lifted warnings against traveling to Zimbabwe after the unity government was formed. Zimbabwe is also hoping to benefit from the football World Cup to be held next year in neighboring South Africa.



Fundira said 362,000 people had visited the country by August compared to 100,000 visitors the year before.



A decade ago, Zimbabwe earned $250 million in revenue from tourism, Fundira said. This dropped to $40 million in 2005 but has risen to $100 million since the unity government was formed.



"The economy has got so much potential but political stability is extremely key," Fundira said.

* AP

Botswana's Khama Blames ZANU-PF in Zimbabwe Crisis, Raises Ballot Option

President Ian Khama of Botswana gave the simmering Zimbabwe crisis a stir on Friday with a state of the union speech in which he accused the ZANU-PF party of President Robert Mugabe of violating the 2008 Global Political Agreement for power-sharing in Harare and suggesting that new elections in Zimbabwe may be required to end a power stalemate.




In his address to Botswana, Mr. Khama voiced concern at the “continued failure of ZANU-PF to fully honor the GPA." President Khama added that “in the absence of genuine partnership, it would be better for all parties to go back to the people, for they are the ultimate authority to determine who should form the government of Zimbabwe.”



Mr. Khama has long been Mr. Mugabe's most outspoken critic among heads of state in the Southern African Development Community, guarantor of the power-sharing agreement, but his latest statement was one of the most blunt and far-reaching in scope.



Speaking for the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Information Communications Technology Nelson Chamisa said the party welcomed Mr. Khama's statement. He said that if SADC-sponsored talks within the government failed to resolve the so-called outstanding issues which have troubled the government since its inception, internationally monitored elections would be the next option.



ZANU-PF Deputy Spokesman Ephraim Masawi said he had not seen Mr. Khama’s full statement and therefore declined to comment.

* VoA

Zimbabwe Agrees Not to Export Disputed Diamonds, U.S. Says

By Brian Latham



 (Bloomberg) -- Zimbabwe’s government won’t export diamonds from its disputed Marange diamond fields until it has put in measures to better monitor trading in the gems.



“Zimbabwe agreed not to export Marange diamonds until the monitoring mechanism is established,” Ian Kelly, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said in an e-mailed statement yesterday.



The Kimberley Process, a global body created to curb trade in gems mined to fund conflict, on Nov. 5 decided not suspend Zimbabwe’s membership, saying it supports the nation’s attempts to work toward compliance with the group’s requirements.



Marange was seized by the Zimbabwe government from Maidstone, England-based African Consolidated Resources Plc in 2006 after gems were found. As many as 20,000 illegal miners besieged the area, also known as Chiadzwa, and were later cleared off by the army and police. New York-based Human Rights Watch says more than 200 were killed last year. Zimbabwe’s police say they have had no reports of atrocities.



To contact the reporter on this story: Brian Latham in Durban at blatham@bloomberg.net.

Tortured Arms Dealer to Testify in Bennett's Case

HARARE — An arms dealer who said he was tortured into testifying will be allowed to take the stand in the terror trial of a top ally of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, a judge ruled Wednesday.




The trial of Roy Bennett, a top Tsvangirai aide and treasurer to his party, has thrown Zimbabwe's fragile unity government into crisis with claims that the former white farmer schemed to overthrown President Robert Mugabe three years ago.



Arms dealer Peter Hitschmann is the state's star witness against Bennett, but has already said that he was tortured into making statements to authorities.



Bennett's lawyers had sought to block his testimony, but judge Chinembiri Bhunu said in his ruling that Hitschmann "must be accorded the right to to put his defence across."



Bennett could face death if convicted. Other MDC officials have already been cleared of the same charges.



Bennett's arrest last month prompted Tsvangirai to stage a three-week boycott of the unity government. He attended the weekly cabinet meeting Wednesday for the first time since the crisis erupted.



Tsvangirai and his long-time rival formed the unity government nearly a year after disputed polls that saw Mugabe handed the presidency in a one-man run-off.



Copyright © 2009 AFP

Canada Urges Zimbabwe to Comply With Diamond Trade Rules

OTTAWA — Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon on Monday urged Zimbabwe to quickly implement a proposal to bring it back into compliance with international diamond production standards.




The work plan was endorsed by the Kimberley Process assembly at a meeting last week in Namibia, giving Zimbabwe until June 2010 to rectify alleged human rights abuses by its army against civilians at its Marange diamond fields.



"The success of the work plan rests squarely on the government of Zimbabwe, and I urge the government to implement it fully and without delay," Cannon said in a statement.



The Kimberley Process, named for a South African mining town, was created in 2003 with the aim of curbing the flow of "blood diamonds" into the mainstream market.



About 70 diamond-producing countries, including Canada, as well as industry groups and civil society organizations form part of the Kimberley Process, which is meant to stop diamond sales from benefitting armed groups.



Civil society groups which are part of the process have demanded the suspension of Zimbabwe's international diamond trade over the alleged human rights abuses at its gem fields.

* AFP

Zimbabwe Economy Minister Projects 15% Average Growth Over Next Five Years

Economic Development Minister Elton Mangoma of Zimbabwe on Monday today unveiled a mid-range plan to relaunch and transform the Zimbabwean economy over the next five years, envisioning an average rate of growth over the period of an ambitious 15%.




Over the nearer term Mangoma told reporters in Harare that he looked for 12.5% growth in gross domestic product in 2010 after a projected 3.7% expansion this year.



Mangoma said the country would not reintroduce the Zimbabwean dollar over the period but would stick with the multi-hard currency regimen adopted by the country's national unity government with transactions primarily in the U.S. dollar and South African rand.



He called for a market-driven economy but said the country would review mining agreements where resources were not being tapped or where royalties had been set too low. He said mining operations should deliver clear benefits to surrounding communities.



Economist Eric Bloch told VOA Studio 7 reporter Chris Gande that growth averaging 15% is not out of reach - but emphasized that the plan's success would depend heavily on emergence of a political climate that bolsters investor confidence.

* VoA

Tsvangirai Ally's Terrorism Trial Begins in Zimbabwe

A top aide to Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai went on trial Monday, facing terrorism and weapons-smuggling charges.


Mr. Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change says the case against Roy Bennett is politically motivated - in the prime minister's words, a "malicious prosecution."



The case in Zimbabwe's High Court has been adjourned until Wednesday so the judge can consider submissions made by the state and defense attorneys.



The state says Bennett's defense outline was presented improperly, while the defense says a key prosecution witness should not be allowed to testify.



Bennett, a white former coffee farmer, is one of most popular leaders in Mr. Tsvangirai's MDC party. The party has designated him to be deputy agriculture minister in Zimbabwe's power-sharing government.



He was arrested in February on charges dating back to 2006, when a weapons dealer was arrested and initially charged with plotting to assassinate President Robert Mugabe.



The weapons dealer signed a confession implicating Bennett and others in the alleged plot, but later recanted and told reporters he had been tortured before signing the document.

* VoA

Suspend Zimbabwe Now, Says Diamond Group

Johannesburg - Investigators for the world's diamond control body say Zimbabwe should be suspended because its security forces are raping women, killing illegal miners and smuggling gems out of a diamond field in the troubled country's east.




Human rights groups have made similar accusations, but the charges carry particular weight coming from Kimberley Process investigators who visited Zimbabwe in June and July. Their recommendations are in a confidential report obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday.



Zimbabwean authorities have repeatedly denied such charges, including in statements to Kimberley Process investigators and officials. The investigators said they found evidence contradicting the official account, and that information provided by Zimbabwean authorities "was false, and likely intentionally so".



The report was presented to Kimberley Process Certification Scheme officials, who were expected to decide this week on what to do about the southern African country. Their investigators recommended that Zimbabwe either be suspended or voluntarily suspend itself until it has met minimum standards for remaining part of the process.



The Kimberley Process was established in 2002 in an attempt to stem the flow of "blood diamonds" - gems sold to fund fighting across Africa. Participants must certify the origins of the diamonds being traded. Suspension could result in buyers shunning Zimbabwe's diamonds.



While the rough gems flowing from Zimbabwe's Marange field do not fit the strict Kimberley definition of conflict diamonds, the investigators said the lawlessness in the area would make it easy for traffickers to bring in such gems from other countries and then export them as Zimbabwean.



"Lawlessness, particularly when combined with violence and largely overseen by government entities, should not be the hallmark of any system deemed to be compliant" with the Kimberley process, the investigators added.



The investigators interviewed witnesses, victims and survivors of victims.



While illegal miners often fled when team members approached, seven told of working for soldiers who allowed them to keep only 10 percent of the proceeds of any diamonds recovered.



"Each one of these illegal miners reported seeing people killed and the numbers they cited ranged from one to seven," the report said. "This group also told members of the team that they observed extreme violence against illegal miners" by soldiers using rifles, dogs, batons and teargas.



The report said women "reported that, while under the custody of the security forces, they were raped repeatedly by military officers and that they have been forced to engage in sex with illegal miners. One victim told the team that she tested HIV-positive after she had been forced to have sex with two men and then raped by a military officer".



The investigators said it was "credible" that syndicates operated by police and soldiers have been smuggling rough diamonds out of Marange since at least 2008, and likely since formal production began in 2007.



"The team concludes that the government of Zimbabwe authorities are aware of these syndicates and ongoing smuggling operations and have permitted them to continue," the report said.



London-based Global Witness, a human rights groups that tracks how Africa's mineral wealth is misused, has complained that the Kimberley Process has so far failed to address smuggling, money laundering and human rights abuses in Marange.



Human Rights Watch called last week for Zimbabwe to be suspended from the Kimberley Process. The international rights watchdog has said repeatedly that Zimbabwean soldiers are smuggling diamonds and killing and beating civilians to consolidate a hold on Marange that benefits the Zanu-PF party of long-time President Robert Mugabe.



Mugabe entered into a coalition with his rival Morgan Tsvangirai in February, but Tsvangirai this month suspended his participation, accusing Mugabe of continuing human rights abuses and undermining the unity agreement.According to Kimberley process officials, Zimbabwe exported nearly 800 000 carats of diamonds from three fields, including Marange, last year. Zimbabwe has no diamond processing facilities, so exports only rough gems. - Sapa-AP

SADC Troika Steps up Zimbabwe Mediation Efforts

Efforts to resolve the political impasse that threatens to break the Zimbabwean fragile unity government are expected to be bolstered when President Jacob Zuma travels to the Mozambican capital, Maputo, for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Troika summit.




The summit of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation will be held to review the political situation in the region. But, the focus will be on President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangaria. The two leaders formed the unity government to end political violence that erupted after last year's failed presidential elections.



Two weeks ago, Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party suspended co-operation with Mugabe's Zanu-PF party in protest over the prosecution of the MDC's Deputy Agriculture Minister-designate Roy Bennett. The MDC claims he is being prosecuted on trumped up charges.



Since then the political tension between Tsvangarai and Mugabe has heightened, a move which political analyst say has the potential to once again trigger incidents of political violence. Now, regional leaders who include the chairperson of SADC President Joseph Kabila of the DRC, his Mozambican counterpart Armando Guebuza and Zuma will meet in Maputo today to pressurise Zimbabwean leaders to resolve their political differences which threatens the survival of the shaky unity government. The unity deal which was brokered late last year is meant to draft a new constitution that will pave the way for fresh elections.



* SABC

Zimbabwe Has no Money for Food Production

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s cash strapped government has managed to raise only US$5.7 million out of $48 million it had planned to use to fund agricultural production this season, the ministry of agriculture said on Tuesday.




In the first official confirmation that the 2009/2010 farming season that began last week will again go to waste, agricultural permanent secretary Ngoni Masoka also said that the country had managed to acquire less than half of the amount of fertilizer required by farmers.



“Only US$5.7 million out of a total provision of US$48 million having been released as at 30 September 2009,” Masoka told Parliament’s portfolio committee on agriculture.



The lack of funds had crippled efforts to mobilise resources and inputs to ensure increased food output to end hunger that has stalked Zimbabwe for the past 10 years, according to Masoka.



He said: “A total of 1 200 000 tonnes of fertiliser were required for the 2009/2010 season. To date only 44 percent has been mobilised through private sector partnerships and donor assistance, leaving a huge gap which will adversely impact on productivity.”



President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s coalition government has made revival of food production to end hunger a key priority. But the administration’s failure to raise cash from donors has hampered its ability to resuscitate agriculture or other key sectors of the economy.



Farm invasions that have continued despite promises by the unity government to restore law and order in the agricultural sector will also hit hard efforts to increase food production.



* Zimonline

Zimbabwe's Mugabe Hold Talks With DRC's Kabila

President Mugabe held critical talks with DRC counterpart Joseph Kabila on the country’s latest political impasse.

According to AllAfrica, Kabila, who is described as an ally of Mugabe, said that the power-sharing government remained Zimbabwe’s only option. Mugabe met Kabila ahead of a SADC summit on Zimbabwe in Maputo on Thursday.

Swaziland’s King Mswati, Mozambican President Armando Guebuza and Zambian President Rupiah Banda, are scheduled to meet, hoping to help narrow differences between Mugabe and PM Tsvangirai.

* Afrik