MDC 'May Call For Fresh Elections' in Zimbabwe

Fresh elections may be needed in Zimbabwe after political leaders failed to end their deadlock, former opposition party the MDC says.



But MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa did not give a timeframe for any new polls.


It says President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF failed to keep promises made when the MDC joined a unity government.


Relations remain fraught between the two long-time rivals who started sharing power a year ago to halt their country's economic collapse.

"In our view it's a deadlock. We realise there is disenchantment among the people. MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) spokesman Nelson Chamisa told journalists in Harare.


OUTSTANDING DISAGREEMENTS

Harassment

MDC accuses Zanu-PF of campaign of violence, Zanu-PF dismisses claims as 'outrageous'

Senior officials

MDC says central bank governor and attorney general must be replaced, Zanu-PF disagrees

Roy Bennett

MDC says terrorism charges against him should be dropped, Zanu-PF says courts must decide

Provincial governors

Mr Mugabe refuses to swear in MDC nominees

White-owned farms

MDC says farm seizures must stop, Zanu-PF disagrees


"If the deadlock persists then our trajectory is to have free and fair elections," he said.



A Zanu-PF spokesman however blamed the MDC for the impasse.



The MDC says its activists are still being harassed and wants key officials appointed by Mr Mugabe, such as the attorney general and central bank governor, to be replaced.


It is also angry about the terrorism charges levelled against its treasurer, Roy Bennett, who the party has nominated as deputy agriculture minister.


The party wants regional mediator South Africa to intervene.


Last November, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai called off the MDC's boycott of the unity government after regional mediation.


He said he was giving Mr Mugabe 30 days to deal with the issues.


Zanu-PF in return says the MDC has not done enough to attract foreign aid and investment since it joined the government.


The unity government has managed to halt Zimbabwe's economic collapse but donors remain wary of resuming funding.

* BBC

SA Mediators 'Comfortable' With Zimbabwe Talks - But MDC Sees Deadlock

A member of the South African facilitation team which left Harare this week after two days of consultations with parties in the Harare unity government on issues troubling the power-sharing arrangement said Thursday that her team was “comfortable” with the situation and ongoing negotiations.



But negotiators from the Movement for Democratic Change formation led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said little progress has been made in talks with President Robert Mugabe’s longtime ruling ZANU-PF, and that a deadlock in the discussions should be declared.



Political sources said mediators representing South African President Jacob Zuma who were in Harare from Monday to Wednesday put pressure on all negotiating sides to come to agreement, but without apparent results.



ZANU-PF representatives in the protracted talks reportedly told Mr. Zuma’s team they were under strict party orders not to make further concessions until Western sanctions have been removed. Negotiations were to pick up Monday, though MDC sources said it was unlikely anything would change.



South African facilitation team member Lindiwe Zulu, an adviser on international relations to Mr. Zuma, told VOA Studio 7 that mediators remain positive but want to see a conclusion to the negotiations soon.



The governing partners are haggling over the appointments of Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana as well as the swearing-in of MDC provincial governors and MDC Treasurer Roy Bennett as junior agricultural minister, among many other issues.



More optimistic than some, political analyst Zenzo Nkomo told VOA Studio 7 reporter Ntungamili Nkomo the South Africans are experienced mediators and have a good chance of producing results despite seemingly irreconcilable differences between ZANU-PF and the two MDC formations.
 
* VoA

Endless Political Bickering Mars Zimbabwe Govt

Harare - President Robert Mugabe's grip on power was pried open a year ago when he was forced into a unity government, but deep-seated mistrust and political bickering are hampering Zimbabwe's recovery.




When opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai became prime minister on February 11, 2009, the once-vibrant nation had plunged into a seemingly endless freefall.



Political violence had engulfed the country after failed elections in 2008. More than half the population needed food aid. Ruptured sewers sparked a cholera epidemic that killed more than 4 000 people. Doctors and teachers fled their jobs, while unemployment hit 94%.



With Zimbabwe disintegrating, the government in January abandoned the local currency and legalised trade in US dollars.



Just weeks later, the power-sharing government took office, leaving 85-year-old Mugabe in control of security forces while handing Tsvangirai the purse strings.



More than any single action, dollarisation stabilised the economy, allowing once-bare supermarkets to restock at least basics like salt, sugar and cooking oil - items that had become luxuries.



Political settlement



"We have done so much in so little time," Tsvangirai said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. "However I would be the last to say that everything is rosy."



The economy last year grew by 4.7%, the first growth in a decade, but economic analyst Antony Hawkins said a full recovery to the peaks of the 1990s would take 10 to 15 years.



"The corner has been turned but it's going to be a long-haul," Hawkins said.



"We need a political settlement that gets recognition from the international community. We need political certainty to move faster. The economy is being held back by the politicians."



But Zimbabwe's political headaches have proved more difficult to fix.



Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and Mugabe's Zanu-PF are still feuding over Mugabe's unilateral appointments of the attorney general and central bank governor.



Mugabe has refused to swear in Roy Bennett, Tsvangirai's pick for deputy agriculture minister, who is being prosecuted for treason.



"In terms of stopping the economic haemorrhage, we have succeeded," said MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa.



* News 24

Zimbabwe's Mugabe Pays 5,000 Dollars a Day For Security

A recent report has revealed that Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is so paranoid about his security during his foreign visits that he pays a special allowance of 5,000 dollars a day to his guards.




Mugabe, who turns 86 this month, keeps a crack team of security officials from Zimbabwe's secret service, the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), who were assigned to keep him safe during his official visit to Switzerland, Italy and Denmark.



The President uses the team, as he has twice been a target of an attempted citizen's arrest, and has enemies among Zimbabwean exiles forced by economic collapse to leave and find work overseas.



According to The Times, Director-General of the CIO Happyton Bonyongwe submitted the request to the Treasury on October 1 2009, stipulating that the "allowances equivalent of 10 days must be paid in cash" to the "seven crack officers of the advance team to Switzerland".



Each officer accumulated a total of 50,000 dollars in cash, and the money was theirs to keep, a perk of the job, and they did not have to account for it on their return to Harare.



While, for his visit to Rome he paid less important members of the huge entourage were paid 2,000 dollars a day.



It is believed that the entire visit cost the cash-strapped unity government 1.4 million pounds.



In any country, 5,000 dollars a day would be considered good money, but in Zimbabwe, where most of the population lives on less than one dollar a day and a teacher or nurse earns five dollars a day, such sums are beyond people's wildest dreams. (ANI)



SEARCH

Britain Says It Supports Restoration of Zimbabwe Voting Rights at IMF

The U.K. Treasury issued a statement saying the macroeconomic environment has improved under Finance Minister Tendai Biti, and this was one of the factors contributing to its decision




The British Treasury said Friday that it supports the restoration of Zimbabwe’s voting rights in the International Monetary Fund, following a recent statement from the United States that it would not opposed such a development.



The U.K. Treasury issued a statement saying the macroeconomic environment in Zimbabwe has improved under Finance Minister Tendai Biti, and that this was one of the factors contributing to its decision in the matter.



"The UK government also welcomes Zimbabwe's re-engagement with the IMF over the last year, which has underpinned economic reform in Zimbabwe," it said. "Support for restoration of Zimbabwe's IMF voting rights is recognition of this progress, and forms part of Zimbabwe's re-engagement with international financial institutions," the Treasury said.



African affairs expert Tom Cargill of the Chatham House think tank in London told VOA Studio 7 reporter Ntungamili Nkomo that the development indicates Britain is shifting its policy towards Zimbabwe.



Relations between Harare and London have been troubled lately by reactions from President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party to a statement by Foreign Secretary David Miliband saying the British government would seek the views of the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai as to whether to lift sanctions on Mr. Mugabe and others.



ZANU-PF officials seized on Miliband's comment as evidence that the MDC was in a position to influence the West on sanctions, while MDC officials indicated their displeasure at the furor resulting from his statement.

* VoP

Pessimism Rises as Zimbabwe Govt Impasse Persists

Harare - One year of Zimbabwe's unity government and the parties are still nowhere near unified. Jason Moyo reports


Just one week before its first anniversary and Zimbabwe's unity government is on the rocks again. Zanu-PF has refused to agree to any further reforms until the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) calls for an end to sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and his inner circle, which prompted the MDC to challenge the president to end the partnership and call for an election.

Zanu-PF's position has been hardening steadily since its December congress, when a more radical wing of the party gained a foothold and began pushing for a harder stance against reform. The chorus of criticism rose after Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who is the leader of the MDC, told media in Davos, Switzerland, this week that only "some" of the sanctions must be lifted.

Tsvangirai has resisted pressure from Mugabe, campaigning instead only for the removal of sanctions on state enterprises, some of which his ministers control. The MDC also wants an end to an embargo on lending from the International Monetary Fund and other Western institutions, but lenders say Zimbabwe can access fresh credit only once it clears its debt of close to US$6-billion.
United States legislation enacted in 2001 bans financial support to Zimbabwe, but hopes have been raised after Washington's ambassador in Harare indicated a possible softening of his country's stance.
Zanu-PF is not too concerned about the removal of Western restrictions on the economy. Mugabe and his inner circle are said to be more worried about the personal measures that have kept them away from Western capitals and seen some of their children thrown out of foreign universities.
Comments by British Foreign Secretary David Miliband that his country would "be guided" by the MDC in deciding on sanctions have been fodder for Zanu-PF, which has always accused Tsvangirai of calling for the embargo in the first place.
This week Tsvangirai sought to play down the tension, saying he would continue in government with Mugabe. "I have taken a decision that we can work together, despite this acrimony, for the good of the country," he said.
But there was a tougher reaction from his secretary general, Tendai Biti, the minister of finance, who challenged Mugabe to withdraw his party from the coalition and call fresh elections. "Zanu-PF cannot … continue to be normative members of this government when they are working against it at every turn," Biti said. "Either they are in or they are out. If they are out, then bring on the election."

Sanctions Motion Finally Read in Zimbabwean Parliament

Harare — MWENEZI East legislator Cde Kudakwashe Bhasikiti (Zanu-PF), yesterday finally managed to give notice to move a motion calling on Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy PM Arthur Mutambara to engage Western countries to remove the illegal sanctions they imposed on Zimbabwe.




Cde Bhasikiti tried to give notice to move the motion on Wednesday, but was disrupted by rowdy MDC-T MPs, leading to the House's premature adjournment.



Yesterday, MDC-T representatives again attempted to disrupt Cde Bhasikiti while he read his notice and his voice was at one point drowned by the noise made by the legislators.



Part of the motion "calls upon the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara to engage the EU, the British and the American governments to urgently and unconditionally remove illegal sanctions imposed, at their instigation on the Government and people of Zimbabwe as confessed in the British parliament by the Foreign Affairs Secretary Mr David Miliband".



The House will debate the motion anytime now.

* Herald

Zimbabwean HIV-Positive People Want Constitutional Rights

HARARE (PlusNews) - AIDS activists in Zimbabwe have launched a major drive to ensure that the rights of people living with HIV are enshrined in the new constitution.




The Global Political Agreement signed in September 2008 between Zimbabwe's various political rivals, which gave rise to the coalition government in February 2009, includes writing the new constitution expected to be introduced in 2010.



"We are not calling for a token participation, but significant and meaningful involvement that will go a long way in promoting our welfare and rights when the constitution is adopted," Tonderai Chiduku, advocacy coordinator of Zimbabwe National Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS (ZNPP+), told IRIN/PlusNews.



The Southern Africa AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SAFAIDS), a regional non-profit AIDS organisation, also met recently to map out how HIV-positive people could participate in the constitution-making process. Country Representative Monica Mandiki noted that the current constitution did not have any explicit reference to the right to healthcare, and was "silent on HIV".



SAFAIDS and ZNNP+ are calling for a bill of rights that would promote better access to health services. An estimated two million people are living with HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe, one of the countries hardest hit by HIV/AIDS, but have never before been actively involved in such legislation and do not have representation in parliament, Chiduku said.



"Because the two million people living with HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe continue to face grave challenges in accessing treatment, social services, basic healthcare, education and other socio-economic rights, it is important to highlight the need for an expanded Bill of Rights in the new constitution, with provisions on non-discrimination and equal protection before the law," ZNNP+ said in a recent statement.



The activists have also urged policy-makers to include a clause that would commit the government to spending a minimum of 10 percent to 15 percent of the national budget on healthcare, Mandiki told IRIN/PlusNews.



But the odds of getting their voices heard are slim. "The fact that we don't have decision-makers in the process militates against us, because there is no guarantee that those that form the bulk of the leadership and steering teams [writing the constitution] will be sensitive to our needs," Chiduku admitted.



The campaign also calls for the constitution to provide prisoners with "free and uninterrupted antiretroviral therapy, adequate food, and access to qualified medical professionals by the state, as the need arises".



SAFAIDS and ZNNP+ will be holding policy dialogues throughout Zimbabwe to collect the views of networks of people living with HIV, which will be included in a national document to be presented to the committee heading the constitution-making process.



"While our main hope is to be given more representation in the process of writing the new constitution, we will push to ensure that the views of people living with HIV and AIDS ... [are heard]," said Chiduku. "We cannot leave anything to chance because the constitution defines the laws that affect us."

Mugabe Instructs Govt Ministers to By-Pass Tsvangirai

HARARE – Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister (PM) Morgan Tsvangirai are locked in a fresh power struggle after the former instructed government ministers to report to his two vice-presidents by-passing the Premier – a clear breach of the former foes’ power-sharing agreement.
The global political agreement (GPA) that gave birth to the Harare coalition government splits powers between Mugabe and Tsvangirai.

The GPA – itself a source of incessant squabbling between the two rivals over its implementation – specifically charges Tsvangirai with overseeing formulation and implementation of government policies and requires ministers to “report to the Prime Minister on all issues relating to the implementation of such policies and plans”.

But Mugabe’s chief secretary Misheck Sibanda in a circular to Cabinet ministers and their permanent secretaries said Vice President Joice Mujuru and John Nkomo – all from Mugabe’s ZANU PF party – will assist the veteran leader to run the government.

Circular

The January 25 Circular No. 2/2010 reads: “I am directed to inform you that in the inclusive government, Honourable Vice Presidents will continue to assist His Excellency, the President in the general supervision and management of the administration of government business just as the Honourable Prime Minister is assisted by deputy prime ministers.”

Sibanda’s circular does not spell out whether ministers are expected to continue reporting to Tsvangirai and if so, who takes precedence over the other, the PM – who is also deputy chairman of Cabinet – or the two Vice-Presidents.

But a closer reading of the document shows it is a well-calculated move to isolate the PM’s office, leaving Tsvangirai – with all his powers given him by the Constitution and the GPA intact – but no one to supervise and no means to execute decisions.

Permanent secretaries are the chief executives of government ministries and having them report directly to Vice-Presidents leaving out Tsvangirai effectively cripples the PM leaving him unable to influence and direct formulation of government policies or their execution.

Sibanda’s circular says Mujuru supervises all social and agricultural ministries, in addition to overseeing the implementation of programmes to enhance productivity in the agricultural sector; implementation of the indigenisation and empowerment programmes including women empowerment in gender equity programmes.

* Zimonline

Sanctions Motion Unleashes Chaos Inside Zimbabwe Parliament

HARARE – Chaotic scenes erupted in Zimbabwe’s Parliament yesterday forcing the House to adjourn prematurely after a legislator proposed a motion to urge Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to call on Western nations to lift sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and his top allies


Legislators from Tsvangirai’s MDC party rose in protest, banged on benches, booed and jeered after a legislator from Mugabe’s ZANU PF party moved to introduce the motion calling Tsvangirai and his party to campaign for the lifting of the visa and financial sanctions.

Not to be outdone, ZANU PF MPs shouted back at their MDC counterparts, jeering and calling on their coalition partners to accept responsibility for the punitive measures imposed on Mugabe and 200 senior members of his party by the European Union (EU) and the United States (US).

MDC chief whip Innocent Gonese said the notice of motion was against the spirit of the power-sharing agreement but his ZANU PF counterpart Joram Gumbo insisted that they would force a debate on the motion when Parliament resumes today.

The furore started when MP Kudakwashe Basikiti rose and read a motion: “Calling upon the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister to engage the EU, UN and the United States and United Kingdom governments to urgently and unconditionally remove illegal sanctions that were imposed on the people and government of Zimbabwe which they called for as confessed by British MP, David Miliband.”

The shouting and jeering continued for about 30 minutes, with MPs resisting efforts by the Sergeant at Arms and Deputy Speaker Nomalanga Khumalo to force them out of the House.

MDC MPs chanted anti-ZANU PF slogans, and sang: “ZANU yaora baba (ZANU is rotten)”. ZANU PF MPs responded by hurling abuse at the MDC MPs.

Unable to control the commotion, Khumalo, who was chairing in the absence of Speaker Lovemore Moyo, prematurely adjourned the House to today.

Gumbo later said in an interview that ZANU PF would not backtrack on the motion, promising “vigorous” resistance to any efforts to stop the motion.

“As far as we are concerned the notice was tabled and debate will follow. We are not going to abandon it at the whims of the MDC. Tomorrow we expect to raise the matter again and there will be fireworks if the MDC attempts to stop us,” he said.

Gonese said the motion was provocative. “It is against the letter and spirit of the global political agreement. Remember I had to shelve my own motion on the June 2008 on violence after ZANU PF engaged us. We kept the motion in abeyance until the First Session ended. We don’t expect them to behave as if they own this country.”

* Zimonline

Britain Won’t Bow to Mugabe Over Sanctions, Says MP

A SENIOR British parliamentarian has charged that his country will not bow to pressure by President Robert Mugabe to lift sanctions slapped on Zimbabwe.




Malcolm Bruce, the chairman of the British House of Commons International Development Committee, noted in a statement on arrival in Zimbabwe on Tuesday that President Mugabe’s ZANU-PF must stop using sanctions as an excuse to block progress in the country.



"Our role is to provide independent parliamentary oversight of how the British government spends its aid. We are not here to advise on political developments. The British government has already made clear that the key to having the EU's restrictive measures lifted is for those blocking progress in Zimbabwe to implement the commitments they signed up to the Global

Political Agreement and to stop using sanctions as an excuse," he said.



Bruce is in Zimbabwe, together with seven other British parliamentarians on a four-day visit to review the effectiveness of Britain's aid programme.

The visit comes as the country prepares to mark the one-year anniversary on February 11 of a power-sharing government formed by arch-rivals President Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the former party MDC.



The power-sharing deal, which ended months of post-election violence against opposition supporters, has been marred by disagreement between the two parties over sanctions and a host of other issues.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband told the British House of Commons recently that London was awaiting an update from the MDC before deciding whether the targeted travel and trading bans could be lifted.



The European Union is this month also expected to decide whether to renew its restrictive measures against President Mugabe and scores of his allies.



Bruce said the team of parliamentarians, which includes Hugh Bayley Labour, Nigel Evans Conservative, Richard Burden Labour, John Battle Labour, Andrew Stunell Liberal Democrats, Daniel Kawcynski Conservative and Mark Lancaster Conservative, will visit projects funded by Britain.

“My colleagues and I are delighted to be in Zimbabwe to see first-hand how Britain's substantial aid programme - at US $100 million our largest ever in Zimbabwe - is helping improve the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans,” said Bruce.



“We are looking forward to visiting a number of projects in Harare and Bulawayo covering areas, such as health, HIV/AIDS and education, where the UK Department for International Development's work with local partners is delivering real benefits to thousands of Zimbabweans."

*  The Post

Zimbabwean Robbers Disrupt Diamonds Transportation

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s minerals marketing authority on Tuesday shelved plans to transport 300 000 carats of diamonds to the central bank after armed robbers raided the offices of one of the firms involved in a dispute over ownership of the gems, officials said.


The Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) – the sole marketing and selling agent of all minerals produced in the country – was last week ordered by the Supreme Court to take the diamonds at the centre of an ownership dispute between British owned firm African Consolidated Resources (ACR) and Mbada Diamonds to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) for safe keeping.

But the transportation was aborted after the armed robbers, who officials suspect had information about the planned movement of the diamonds, raided ACR offices.

"There was an apparent security breach at ACR today. We suspect the raid has to do with the intended transportation of diamonds from our offices to the RBZ as per the Supreme Court ruling," an MMCZ official told ZimOnline.

A senior official who was part of the team that was supposed to see the handing over of the diamonds confirmed the incident.

"ACR security staff were beaten, and their offices were raided by thieves in town," an official close to ACR and the central bank said, adding; "We shelved the plans for security reasons, ACR is going to issue a full statement on what transpired . . . the transportation of the diamonds which was meant to take place to the RBZ has been shelved."

Sources in the diamond industry expressed shock at the incident and have called for the beefing up of security within the industry.

"There has been to much publicity over the Chiadzwa diamonds and their transportation and this is causing troubles for us in the industry," said a source from the industry.

There was no immediate comment from the police.

The decision to transport the diamonds to the central bank follows a legal ownership dispute between ACR and Mbada Diamonds – a joint venture formed last year by the government’s Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) and Grandwell of South Africa to mine diamonds at Chiadzwa after Harare ejected ACR from the controversial fields.

Last month the Zimbabwe government cancelled a planned diamond auction of the 300 000 carats by Mbada, saying no gems from the controversial field could be sold without certification by the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS).

ACR, which holds right of title to claims on the Chiadzwa diamond field – also known as Marange – has warned international diamond traders against buying the Chiadzwa gems saying they are “stolen”.

Chiadzwa is one of the world’s most controversial diamond fields with reports that soldiers sent to guard the claims after the government took over the field in October 2006 from ACR committed gross human rights abuses against illegal miners who had descended on the field.

International rights groups have been pushing for a ban on Zimbabwean diamonds but in November, the country escaped a KPCS ban with the global body giving Harare a June 2010 deadline to make reforms to comply with its regulations. – ZimOnline

Britain Rejects Pressure From Former Zimbabwe Ruling Party to Lift EU Sanctions

House of Commons International Development Committee Chairman Malcolm Bruce said Britain has made clear that the key to lifting sanctions is for 'those blocking progress in Zimbabwe' to honor their commitments





Britain has declared that it will not be pressured into lifting travel and financial sanctions aimed at Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his inner circle before the 2008 Global Political Agreement is implemented in full.



Malcolm Bruce, chairman of the House of Commons International Development Committee, gave the British position in a statement issued on the arrival of his delegation in Harare on Monday.



Bruce said the British government has “made it clear that the key to having [European Union] restrictive measures lifted is for those blocking progress in Zimbabwe to implement the commitments they signed up to."



Mr. Mugabe and the leaders of the two formations of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, today prime minister and deputy prime minister, respectively, signed the Global Political Agreement for power sharing in September 2008. The pact ended an impasse following national elections marred by deadly violence.



Mr. Tsvangirai's MDC has accused President Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party of failing to honor commitments made under that agreement following the inception of a national unity government in February 2009.



Diplomatic sources told VOA that the European Union might ease sanctions on state-controlled enterprises and support the restoration of Zimbabwe's voting rights at the International Monetary Fund, but said travel and financial sanctions against Mr. Mugabe and other key figures would remain in place.



Bruce said such parties must “stop using sanctions as an excuse” not to comply with the terms of the power-sharing agreement. Top EU officials are to meet on February 20 to decide whether to extend the sanctions.



Bruce said he and seven other British members of Parliament are in Zimbabwe for four days to assess the effectiveness of humanitarian aid.



ZANU-PF hardliners in recent days have seized on comments by British Foreign Secretary David Miliband last month to the effect that London would look to Mr. Tsvangirai and his MDC formation for guidance on whether the target sanctions should be lifted. ZANU-PF seized upon his comments as proof that the MDC could influence the West on lifting sanctions.



ZANU-PF insiders report a worrisome resurgence by hardliners, leading to the latest crackdown on MDC members, eleven of whom were arrested Saturday in Mount Darwin, Mashonaland Central, for holding a meeting to discuss the ongoing revision of the Zimbabwean constitution.



Spokesman Nelson Chamisa of the Tsvangirai MDC formation said the latest arrests are boosting tension, and that state media is vilifying Mr. Tsvangirai.



ZANU-PF deputy spokesman Ephraim Masawi declined to comment.



London-based political political analyst Msekiwa Makwanya told VOA Studio 7 reporter Blessing Zulu that Britain should negotiate directly with ZANU-PF.

* VoA

Zimbabwe Star Benjani Joins Sunderland on Loan

LONDON (Reuters) - Zimbabwe striker Benjani Mwaruwari joined Sunderland from Manchester City on loan until the end of the season after the Premier League rubber-stamped the deal on Tuesday that was held up on transfer deadline day.




The signing of the 31-year-old is a relief for Sunderland manager Steve Bruce whose side have tumbled to 13th in the league after a bright start.



"He's a big, strong, powerful centre forward and one we've been tracking for a long time," Bruce told the club's website (www.safc.com).



"I'm delighted we've been able to bring him to the club, he'll bring another dimension to our striking options."



Benjani arrived in English football at Portsmouth in 2006 before being signed by former City manager Sven Goran Eriksson for around 7.5 million pounds in 2008.



However, with City's attack now boasting Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz, his first-team opportunities have been severely restricted.



Sunderland, without a league win for two months, also signed Tottenham Hotspur right back Alan Hutton on loan.

Secret Airstrip Uncovered in Zimbabwe’s Marange Region

A mile-long runway is being built in Zimbabwe’s controversial Marange diamond field, according to a report published by The Telegraph Sunday. Construction of the airstrip raises speculations that runway will be used to smuggle locally mined rough diamonds out of the region.

The airstrip is not the only one in the area, however it is wider and longer than the existing ones, possibly to allow larger planes to land by the diamond fields. The newspaper further speculated that the airstrip will be used for offloading arms from China, which to be paid for with diamonds, but did not provide any sources to backs its arms for diamonds theory.

Aerial pictures published in The Telegraph show that construction work is well under way, with a newly built control tower apparently complete and the runway nearly ready for surfacing. The images also depict a tented army camp in the diamond fields, a violation of Zimbabwean court orders and of the Kimberley Process.

The Kimberley Process (KP) has been urged to suspend Zimbabwe over the many reported acts violence at the mines. At a meeting in Namibia in November, the KP decided to give Zimbabwe until June to implement a working plan that will bring it back into compliance.


According to human rights groups, some 200 independent miners were killed when soldiers seized control of the Chiadzwa area in November 2008.

Bishop Verryn Hearing Postponed Indefinately

The head of the Central Methodist Church Paul Verryn’s disciplinary hearing, which was to start yesterday, has been postponed indefinitely — pending arbitration of his dispute with his church senior, his lawyers said.


Verryn was suspended from his church duties last month and faced disciplinary charges for breaching the Methodist Church of Southern Africa’s rules.

The Central Methodist Church provides refuge to more than 3000 refugees and homeless people, mostly from Zimbabwe. But it has been criticised for overcrowding and unhealthy living conditions, which spill into the streets of central Johannesburg.

Verryn faces two charges. Firstly, that he initiated court action to have a curator appointed to ensure the best interests of parentless children living in the church without authority. The second charge related to Verryn’s talking to the media after he was instructed not to.

But Verryn’s lawyers, the Legal Resources Centre (LRC), said he denied the charges and that at the root of the disciplinary process was a dispute with Presiding Bishop Ivan Abrahams.

The LRC has been cagey on what the “dispute” involves. But on Friday it said the arbitration would consider “Verryn’s request that the decisions to charge and to suspend him be reviewed and set aside”. This implies that Verryn could argue there was a flaw in the way the decision to charge him was taken.

The LRC also cited the church’s regional district discipline registrar, Jeff Matthee, as being involved in the dispute.

In terms of church procedure, Matthee would have made a preliminary decision on whether the complaint “deserved a charge”.

Matthee is a partner at the law firm Malherbe Rigg & Ranwell. His associate, Bongani Khoza, has been responding to media queries but would not comment.

rabkinf@bdfm.co.za

Zuma May Refer Zimbabwe Impasse to the AU

SOUTH African President Jacob Zuma will this week take the disputes


threatening Zimbabwe's year-old unity government to the African Union - the

guarantors of the power-sharing agreement. Senior South African government

officials yesterday said Zuma had prepared a report on Zimbabwe, which will

be presented to the summit already underway in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.



Zuma is reportedly getting impatient with the continued bickering and delays

in resolving issues around appointments, and has suggested that the parties

should "park" some of the contentious issues and work towards fresh

elections next year.



Saul Kgomotso Molobi, a senior official in South Africa's Department of

International Relations and Co-operation confirmed that Zuma would put

Zimbabwe on the agenda.



"The President as the mediator will give a report on the facilitation in

Zimbabwe," Molobi told The Standard yesterday.



"I cannot get into the details, as he has not made the presentation yet."



Zuma's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya said the report will appraise the

heads of state and government on South Africa's mediation.



The report comes at a time when the talks are currently deadlocked and hopes

for a resolution of outstanding issues are disappearing.



Negotiations were supposed to resume 10 days ago, but they were deferred

until February 8 after the parties failed to find common ground.



Zanu PF and the MDC-T have been trading accusations over who is responsible

for the collapse of the talks, now threatening the inclusive government.



On Wednesday, the Zanu PF politburo met in Harare and resolved not to "make

any further concessions" to the two MDC formations until sanctions imposed

by Western countries on its leaders are removed.



This position was adopted at the party's congress in December last year, and

appeared to have been bolstered by recent statements by British Foreign

Secretary David Miliband on sanctions. But the MDC-T also blames Zanu PF

because of its intransigence on fully implementing the GPA.
 
* The Standard

Haiti Earthquake Survivor's Mother Gives Glory to God

Harare — Mrs Esneth Mapondera-Mwendapole (85), the mother of Mrs Lukonde Hatendi (50), the Zimbabwean woman who miraculously survived the devastating Haiti earthquake has described her daughter's life as "very fortunate" and "full of luck".



Mrs Hatendi, who has been evacuated to Miami in the United States together with another woman whose nationality has not been disclosed, were reportedly the only two survivors out of the 200 people who were in the collapsed UN complex in Port-au-Prince.



Her three biological children and three adopted children were also relocated together with her.



In an interview, Mrs Mapondera-Mwendapole said her daughter had a very fortunate childhood and had the rare opportunity of learning in four countries.



She started primary and secondary school in Lusaka, Zambia, where she attended Parklane Primary in Chilanga Cement and Kabulonga Secondary schools.



Her maternal uncle, Mr John Mapondera, then took her to Britain where she finished her secondary education.



She came to Zimbabwe in 1980 when her mother, who was married to a Zambian man, relocated to her home country.



Here she studied French lessons before moving to France for further education.



She worked for some embassies before getting a job with the United Nations in 1984.



She worked in Arusha, Tanzania, before moving to Haiti.

* Herald