Zimbabwe Says No Decision on Where North Koreans Will Train for Cup

The statement followed protests by activists who have threatened to disrupt training in Bulawayo, blaming North Korea for training Zimbabwe's Fifth Brigade which is accused of carrying out massacres in Matabeleland in the 1980s




Zimbabwe Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi said on Thursday that authorities have not yet decided where North Korea’s World Cup soccer team will train while in the country ahead of the June kickoff.



The statement followed threats by activists who have threatened to disrupt training if it is set in Bulawayo, blaming North Korea for training Zimbabwe's Fifth Brigade which is accused of carrying out massacres in Matabeleland in the 1980s Gukurahundi fighting between rival liberation movements.



Mzembi told VOA Studio reporter Marvellous Mhlanga-Nyahuye it is early days for a decision on the city to host the North Koreans.



He said the 2010 World Cup Ministerial Committee of representatives from Zimbabwe's unity government will reach a decision on where the North Korean squad will settle for its pre-Cup training program.



Mzembi noted however that the country has just three FIFA approved stadiums - two in Harare and one in Bulawayo - limiting the choices of venue.



Human rights activists have urged Harare to review its decision on putting up the North Koreans in Bulawayo, capital of the Matebeleland region, saying this risked opening up old wounds. Mzembi responded that there is no need to mix politics and sports.

* VoA

Cheap Chinese G-Tide Phones Take Zimbabwe by Storm

Maker ZTS International plans to assembly G-Tide phones in the country, making handsets available to the many Zimbabweans earning US$150 a month or less

Chinese-made G-Tide phones have taken Zimbabwe by storm as mobile users snap them up for half the price of leading brands like Nokia and Samsung.

Maker ZTS International plans to assembly phones in the country, making handsets available to Zimbabweans earning for the most part US$150 a month.

Reporter Gibbs Dube of VOA Studio 7 reported on the largest single exception to what economists say has been a limited Chinese impact on the Zimbabwean economy despite the Look East economic policy enunciated by President Robert Mugabe in 2003.

* VoA

Zimbabwe Denies Reports on Iran Uranium Deal

HARARE -- Zimbabwe's government on Monday denied reports that it had signed an agreement allowing Iran to mine uranium, saying there was no certainty that the southern African state had commercial uranium reserves.

President Robert Mugabe told Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Harare last week that Zimbabwe backed Iran's controversial nuclear programme and accused the West of seeking to punish the two countries for asserting their independence.

But Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube on Monday dismissed a report in Britain's Daily Telegraph claiming Harare had struck a deal allowing Tehran to mine untapped uranium reserves to secure raw material for its nuclear programme.

The report said Zimbabwe would get oil for access to potential uranium deposits.

"It's not true. No such agreement was signed," said Ncube, a minister from a splinter faction of the Movement for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe's unity government.

"There is no certainty that Zimbabwe has uranium deposits. You first have to prove that there are uranium deposits and that has not been done," he told Reuters.

Ahmadinejad was in Zimbabwe last week for a two-day visit and there was no official indication of any link between his trip and Iran's nuclear programme.

Mugabe has previously said the country holds uranium deposits which have yet to be exploited.

Iran faces a possible new round of United Nations sanctions over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment. The West accuses Tehran of trying to build nuclear weapons. Iran says it aims only to generate electricity.

Ncube said Zimbabwe and Iran had only signed general cooperation agreements in the fields of energy, science and technology and agriculture but officials from the two countries still had to meet to finalise details of any investment.

Asked whether Zimbabwe would in future consider jointly mining uranium with Iran, Ncube said: "There is no evidence that Zimbabwe has commercial deposits of uranium, so that question does not arise at all."

© Copyright (c) Reuters

Iranian Leader's Visit Exposes Zimbabwe Struggles With Power Sharing

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, discovered the split personality of Zimbabwe's government when he visited the country last week.




There was a warm welcome at Harare airport from the president, Robert Mugabe, who hosted a state dinner in his honour and assured the "comrade president" of Zimbabwe's continuous support of Iran's "just cause" on the nuclear issue.



But the prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, was less hospitable. His party, the Movement for Democratic Change, described the trip as "a colossal political scandal" and said that inviting Ahmadinejad to an investment forum is "like inviting a mosquito to cure malaria". The mixed signals underlined the perils inherent in the concept of a "unity" government, a growing trend in Africa.



Power sharing can often become a power struggle by other means. A peace deal in Kenya was salvaged from the ashes of post-election violence in 2008. But divisions run deep in the fractious coalition, with the president, Mwai Kibaki and prime minister Raila Odinga often pulling in opposite directions and threatening a constitutional crisis.



The protagonists in Madagascar's political deadlock have agreed to talks in South Africa this week, with international mediators pushing for another inclusive solution. Opposition politicians joined a unity government in Côte d'Ivoire earlier this year after the previous one was sacked. But the country remains in stalemate ahead of long-awaited elections.



'Half-donkey, half-horse'

Zimbabwe's grandly named "global political agreement", signed after disputed elections in 2008, is probably the most notorious example, described by one report as trench warfare every day. Ministers from Mugabe's Zanu-PF and Tsvangirai's MDC regularly issue contradictory statements, most recently on the introduction of a controversial indigenisation law stipulating that every company must have at least 51% of its shares owned by black Zimbabweans.



"Something has to give. It's untenable," said Nelson Chamisa, a government minister and MDC spokesperson. "You have a half-donkey, half-horse arrangement. The nature of the beast is something that is a puzzle, even for the people who brought it into being."



Along with their practical inefficiencies, unity governments are accused of defying the democratic will. If two sets of politicians are in power there is no longer an opposition to hold them accountable and the electorate has lost its right to choose. But for pragmatists they appear to be the imperfect answer to a deeply imperfect situation. Blessing-Miles Tendi, a Zimbabwean academic at Oxford University, noted in an interview that unity governments shelve rather than solve problems but added: "It's easy for you and me and many others to sit there, deliberate and criticise power sharing but there's a big elephant in the room: had there been no power sharing in Zimbabwe and Kenya, flawed as it is, what other option did we have?" - guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2010



Source: Mail & Guardian Online

Biti Raises Spectre of Price Controls in Zimbabwe

WHEN inflation soared out of control in 2007, President Robert Mugabe had a quick solution to the problem cut prices of goods by half and impose a freeze. Almost overnight goods disappeared from the shelves.




Mugabe's argument was a simple and less convincing one: businesses and retailers were conspiring with Western forces, Britain and United States, to raise prices and force a mass uprising of the people.



The days that followed saw several executives and shop managers being arrested and fined. To ensure that businesses were adhering to set prices, government quickly set up a National Incomes and Pricing Commission (NIPC) headed by Godwills Masimerembwa.



The commission did its best but possibly realised the task of monitoring prices of goods in a market where industry had close to zero production capacity and empty shops was an uphill one.



In the months that followed, it became apparent that government had lost the price control battle.



The NIPC became irrelevant. Apart from occasional threats, it was as good as dead. But the last nail on the NIPC's coffin came when the country officially adopted the use of multi-currencies in January 2009.



With the use of the US dollar and other stronger currencies, it was generally assumed prices would be relatively stable.



But inflation data and the economy's outlook are proving otherwise. Now Finance minister Tendai Biti might be forced to recommend the resurrection of the NIPC and go down the same road, judging by his comments last week.



In his review of the 2009 and first quarter economic performance, Biti painted a gloomy picture. Inflation is rising. Profiteers are back. The country's balance of payments position is US$1,6 million in the red. In essence, Zimbabwe is importing much more than it is exporting. Civil servants salaries are not sustainable.



But his main worry above all was inflation. Since last year, government adopted a free market economy where demand and supply are the chief variables. As such, government, according to Biti, had left the market to regulate and correct itself.



Government, Biti lamented, could have blundered and now wants to assume a more than watchdog role. If he follows through on his threat, this would be a marked departure from a free market economy into a semi-command economy where the state dictates economic policies.



Biti is of the view that businesses can no longer be allowed to "have its own cake and eat it" alone while abusing government liberal economic policies.



His argument is not new. In fact, it is the implausible one Mugabe made three years ago. Biti says although Zimbabwe has achieved economic stability, the economy is facing a number of "downside risks" with a potential to "reverse the gains realised" to date.



Like Mugabe in 2007, Biti sees profiteers bent on lining their pockets with cash at the expense of the economy. But unlike Mugabe, Biti does not see a grand conspiracy for regime change. Instead, he feels "greed" is the cause.



Biti said: "There are strong signs that inflation is on the increase as demonstrated by the month-on-months inflation of January and February 2010. What is clear and self-evident is that speculation tendencies are back on the market and that there is a huge constituency of the business sector that is keen to draw us back to the hyper-inflationary matrix of 2008. Going backwards where there was no confidence and businesspeople increased prices for the sake of increasing prices, we will not accept that.



They (business) cannot expect us to play basic liberal economics when they themselves (business) are not playing by the book. Business cannot have their cake and eat it. We are making a clear message that we are not accepting inflationary pressures on our economy."



But will price controls succeed in fighting inflation where even Mugabe, with the assistance of state machinery, has failed? Many feel that if Biti pushes for price controls, the move could achieve the same disastrous ends like Mugabe and invite the electorate's anger on his Movement for Democratic Change, a partner in the unity government.



* Zim Independent

Zimbabwe Constitutional Revision Process Remains Stalled; Funding Issues Cited

Co-Chairman Edward Nkosi of the parliamentary select committee in charge of the process said he couldn't give a firm date for the start of the public comment phase as haggling continues between donors and Harare over funding.


A Zimbabwean parliament member closely involved in the country's constitutional revision process, stalled for many weeks, said Monday that there is still no firm date for the launch of the public outreach phase.



Co-chairman Edward Nkosi of the parliamentary select committee in charge of the process said he couldn't give a firm date for the start of the public comment phase as haggling continues between international donors and the government over how various costs will be met.



The government put up US$120,000 to train rapporteurs who will record public opinion in the outreach phase, but donors are seeking a larger commitment, he said. Nkosi added that while donors have been willing to cover costs such as accommodations and meals, they drew the line at paying per diem allowances for participants.



President Mugabe in an Independence Day speech said the process was underway and critical to pave the way for elections. But some observers wondered whether all of the parties to the power sharing arrangement between his ZANU-PF and the two wings of the Movement for Democratic Change are eager to see elections.



Select committee co-chairman Nkosi told VOA Studio 7 reporter Patience Rusere that it remains uncertain when all of the funding issues will be addressed so that the revision process, which is supposed to be concluded by September or October, can resume.

* VoA

Iran's Ahmadinejad to Sign Agreements With Zimbabwe

Bloomberg -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad headed today for a two-day visit to Zimbabwe and Uganda to improve ties with the two African countries, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.




Ahmadinejad will meet with his counterpart Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe, and hold talks with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, state television reported without elaborating.



Uganda is a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.



Iran is entangled in a conflict with the U.S. and its allies which accuse it of seeking to develop atomic weapons using its nuclear program as a cover. The U.S. is trying to rally support for a fourth round of UN sanctions against Iran, which says its nuclear program is purely civilian.

Zimbabwean PM Tsvangirai Deplores Corruption, Smuggling of Mineral Resources

The Kimberly Process Certification Scheme has urged that the Zimbabwean armed forces leave Marange, but observers say there is still a significant military presence in the district and that diamond smuggling is rife




Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, speaking on the margins of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair on Wednesday, deplored corruption and smuggling in the mining sector in what appeared to be a reference to the controversial manner in which the Mines Ministry is developing the Marange diamond field in secrecy amid allegations of asset-looting.



Addressing business executives participating in the fair, Mr. Tsvangirai said corruption was counteracting the government's efforts to revive the economy. He called for greater accountability among businesses.



The Kimberly Process Certification Scheme has urged that the Zimbabwean armed forces leave Marange, but observers say there is still a significant military presence in the district, that diamond smuggling is rife, and that the rights of residents continue to be abused.



A parliamentary committee looking into operations in Marange has been barred from the area by the Ministry of Mines. Under the theme of “Unlocking Our Investment Potential,” the trade showcase will be opened on Friday by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.



Civic activists and Mr. Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change formation have expressed concern at his visit, given Iran’s isolation from most of the Western world which Zimbabwe is now trying to re-engage.



Political analyst Samukele Hadebe told VOA Studio 7 reporter Ntungamili Nkomo that corruption is everywhere in the economy, and that government must take drastic measures to curb theft and graft.



Mr. Tsvangirai also took up the chronic deadlock in negotiations over contentious aspects of the Global Political Agreement, saying the extended talks were holding back the economy.



The trade fair opened unofficially Wednesday with a significant increase in international exhibitors – but an alarming decrease in local participants due to the sluggish economy.



Trade fair general manager Daniel Chigaru told VOA Studio 7 reporter Chris Gande that contrary to news reports, the volcanic ash plume that has paralyzed European air travel has not hurt the exhibition.

* VoA

Zimbabwe Turns 30 as Mugabe Appeals for Peace and Tolerance

HARARE -- President Robert Mugabe on Sunday appealed for tolerance, urging Zimbabweans to shun political violence and instead focus on rebuilding the southern African country’s economy that is beginning to show signs of recovery after a decade-long recession.


In a keynote address at a rally to celebrate 30 years of independence from Britain in 1980 Mugabe also apologised to government workers for failure by his power-sharing administration with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to pay the disgruntled civil servants higher salaries.

“As Zimbabweans, we need to foster an environment of tolerance and treat each other with dignity and respect, irrespective of age, gender, race, ethnicity, tribe, political or religious affiliation,” Mugabe told the 30 000 people who thronged the National Sports Stadium for the celebrations.

Tsvangirai, members of his MDC party’s executive and some supporters attended the rally.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai formed a power-sharing government last year after a disputed election. The fragile coalition has stabilised the economy but has failed to attract foreign funding to support economic recovery due to power-sharing disputes between the two leaders, with Mugabe being accused of resisting full implementation of the global political agreement that gave birth to the unity administration.

Speaking against political violence that has characterised the country’s elections since the emergence of the MDC at the turn of the century to challenge the 86-year-old leader, who is Zimbabwe’s sole ruler since independence, Mugabe said; “Your leadership in the inclusive government urges you to desist from any acts of violence that will cause harm to others and become a blight on our society.”

He also said his chaotic and often violent land reform programme, blamed by critics for destroying the country’s commercial agriculture, and a controversial economic indigenisation law enacted last February serve as concrete examples which seek to truly empower Zimbabwean blacks.

"The economic empowerment policies are chiefly designed to redress the historic imbalances in the ownership of the economy," he said.

The regulations to force foreign-owned firms with a value of US$500 000 or more to sell 51 percent stake to locals by March 2015 were gazetted on February 5 in line with an Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Bill passed in Parliament by the then sole ruling ZANU PF party in 2007. Mugabe signed the regulations into law in March 2008.

Tsvangirai, labour and business have opposed the indigenisation laws insisting that they be dropped and replaced with a new indigenisation programme that should aim to empower the majority while creating conditions to ensure Zimbabwe was able to compete for the limited available international investment capital.

Mugabe also used the occasion to apologise for the low salaries which civil servants are receiving.

“We definitely regret the fact of meagre salaries and wages, but take it from me, the situation will improve progressively this year,” he said adding; “However, I wish to thank you for your sense of sacrifice and tolerance.”

The country’s civil servants, including teachers presently earn an average US$170 monthly salary. In February the government employees downed tools demanding that the cash-strapped government increase their monthly salary to at least US$600 for the lowest paid worker.

The industrial action, however, fizzled out after indications the government was technically broke. – ZimOnline

Mugabe Calls for Peace as Zimbabwe Turns 30 Years

Harare, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- President Robert Mugabe denounced violence and urged Zimbabweans to focus on rebuilding the country in a speech that marked the nation's 30 years of independence from Britain.




Mugabe's speech at a rally Sunday was in addition to other festivities marking his three decades in power. Events included songs, dance and an all-night reggae concert in the capital, Harare.



He called on Zimbabweans to be tolerant, treat one another with dignity, and refrain from engaging in violence, big or small.



"Your leadership in the inclusive government urges you to desist from any acts of violence that will cause harm to others and become a blight on our society," he said. "Don't fight even over girlfriends. The country is full of beautiful women. If you can't get one, come to Mugabe for assistance."



Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai also attended the rally but did not speak. Crowds erupted into cheers every time his face appeared on giant screens televising the event in the stadium.



Mugabe, 86, said he was committed to reform, and urged Zimbabweans to support a constitutional reform that would make way for fair elections in the future.



He also decried Western countries for sanctions over accusations of vote rigging in 2008 and human rights abuses. The sanctions include financial and visa bans on him and some of his top government officials.



Before the travel ban, Mugabe and his wife would shop at exclusive stores in Britain, including the famed Harrods in London.



"Those in Europe who yesterday were our colonial masters continue to oppress us, with the help of the U.S.," Mugabe told thousands gathered at a stadium in the capital. "What kind of evil did we commit such that we continue to get accusations from Great Britain, Germany and America?"



Mugabe, who led a guerrilla war against white rule in the country formerly known as Rhodesia, reiterated his controversial stance on land policy. He said his government would continue to seize companies from foreigners and transfer them to locals as part of an effort to empower blacks and broaden ownership.



"The land we have is not for the British," he said. "So remain vigilant because they want to reclaim it through the back. Zimbabwe was attained through blood."



One of Africa's longest-serving rulers, Mugabe was forced into a power-sharing deal with Tsvangirai after chaos erupted in the country following disputed elections in 2008.



The two parties -- Mugabe's ZANU-PF and Tsvangirai's MDC -- continue to wrangle over various issues including reform and leadership positions.



However, the president denied any rows Sunday, and said the rivals were focused on rebuilding the economy.



Mugabe, a former school teacher, has an ironclad grip on his party's reins. Last year, ZANU-PF chose him as its leader for an additional five years.



Despite isolation from the West, Mugabe's supporters include his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is expected to visit the country Friday for a trade exposition.

Zimbabwe Celebrates 30 Years of Independence!

Zimbabwe is marking 30 years since independence from the UK.
Celebrations include all-night song and dance performances in the capital, Harare, and a speech by President Robert Mugabe in the city's stadium.
Mr Mugabe, who has ruled since 1980, leads a unity government with rival Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister.
On the eve of the anniversary, a civil rights group said four of its members had been denied bail after they were accused of staging an illegal protest.
The group, Women of Zimbabwe Arise (Woza) deny wrongdoing. The four were part of a group of women demonstarting against regular power cuts and high electricity tariffs in Zimbabwe.
Economic woes
Zimbabwe declared independence on 18 April 1980, following a seven-year conflict against Rhodesia's white minority rule. Mr Mugabe, a former guerrilla leader, was elected president.
Independence also brought crippling international sanctions to an end.
The new country was widely seen as a new model for Africa.
Zimbabwe experienced strong growth in its first decade but the economy began to decline in the 1990s.
In 2000 Mr Mugabe launched a controversial land reform programme, seizing white-owned farms and handing them to blacks.
In the following years, farm production and the currency went into free fall. The one-time food exporter became dependent on aid.
Meanwhile Mr Mugabe suppressed the opposition, saying it was in league with former colonial power Britain.
In 2008, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change won a parliamentary majority. But MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the presidential run-off, citing violence against supporters.
However the two sides reached a power-sharing deal later in the year.
New elections are due to be held but no date has been set.


Story from BBC NEWS

If We Do Not Act, South Africa Will Fall Apart Just like Zimbabwe Has!

South Africa is ground zero for the fight against HIV/AIDS and the international community relies upon its soft power to deal with the political crises in Sudan, Somalia, and Zimbabwe.

Due to South Africa's successful democracy and its leadership in its region, the world is blind to the nation's Achilles heel -- its highly skewed and contentious distribution of land.


Due to unjust Apartheid-era policies, when Mandela won the presidency in 1994, whites owned about 87% of the land although they constituted less than 10% of the population. In the political bargain that ended apartheid, Mandela allowed whites to keep their property despite how it was acquired.

In exchange, blacks received the promise of land redistribution, which is guaranteed by section 25 of the South African Constitution. But, less than 1% of the country's land was redistributed by 1999, less than 3% by 2003, and less than 5% by 2008. Consequently, one of the most overlooked injustices of the 21st century is that only one side of Mandela's bargain has been upheld.
More importantly, if the U.S. and other world leaders do not intervene to help South Africa correct the skewed distribution of land, unrest will result. James Gibson, a Political Scientist at Washington University, surveyed 3,700 South Africans and found that 85% of black respondents believe that "most land in South Africa was taken unfairly by white settlers, and they therefore have no right to the land today."

His most troubling finding is that 2 of every 3 blacks agreed that "land must be returned to blacks in South Africa, no matter what the consequences are for the current owners and for political stability in the country." To be sure, hurriedly redistributing land with no technical or financial support for new owners can have disastrous consequences, as we have witnessed in Zimbabwe. But, Gibson's data suggests that the current dilatory pace of land redistribution in South Africa can also have devastating consequences.


South Africa's ruling party (the ANC) has been diligently working on redistributing the land, but they require technical and financial support from the West to overcome the massive challenges they are facing in the areas of administration and post settlement support. America should earmark at least $4.5 million specifically to bolster South Africa's land redistribution programs.

Sunday is the 30th anniversary of Zimbabwe's independence from white rule. Due in large part Mugabe's manipulation of his countrymen's deep seated anger over the severe land inequalities created under colonialism, Zimbabwe has fallen apart.

America cannot stand by and allow South Africa to go down the same treacherous path. Americans played a significant role in ending Apartheid, however, the land-based inequalities born under Apartheid live on. Americans must once again lend a hand to our South African allies and put the legacy of Apartheid to rest once and for all.

* Huffington Post

Zimbabwe's Inflation Increases to 3.5%

HARARE (AFP) – Rising food prices pushed Zimbabwe's annual inflation to 3.5 percent in March, a six-fold increase over the -0.7 percent rate posted the previous month, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) said.




"Prices as measured by the all-items Consumer Price Index increased by an average 3.5 percent between March 2009 and March 2010," the CSO said in a statement.



"The year-on-year food and non-alcoholic beverages inflation prone to transitory shocks stood at 1.23 percent in March while non-food inflation stood at 4.55 percent," the CSO said.



On Thursday, finance minister Tendai Biti accused local businesses of stoking inflation, saying speculative price increases were creating inflationary pressure.



"On analysis, the increase in the inflation figures have largely been food-driven," he said.



"The inescapable conclusion in the absence of key fundamental inflation drivers that are justifiable is speculation," he said.



Aid agencies say an estimated two million Zimbabweans are in need of food aid after a crisis that saw record-setting hyperinflation wreak havoc on the country's economy.



In January last year, the government decided to abandon the essentially worthless local currency, allowing trade in US dollars or other foreign currencies.



That quickly stabilised the economy, ending a freefall that had spanned nearly a decade and allowing some businesses to begin piecing together their shattered operations.



But the use of multiple currencies has brought erratic pricing practices as businesses set their own exchange rates between US dollars, South African rands and other currencies.

* Yahoo

Zimbabwe Hopes For Favourable Outcome to Kimberly Process on Marange Diamonds

HARARE – Kimberley Process (KP) monitor for Zimbabwe Abbey Chikane has presented his report on activities at Marange diamond field to the board of the world diamond regulator, which Zimbabwean officials hope will decide in their favour and allow Harare to sell the nearly three million carats they have stockpiled.


A senior Zimbabwean government official speaking on condition that his name was not published said on Monday once the KP board reads the report it will make its own assessment and recommendations.

“Mr Chikane submitted the report to the KP board and we are now just waiting for feedback on what the board has to say,” the official said. “The report we think was favourable to us, and we do not see any reason why we should not be able to sell. Once we get the greenlight we should be able to sell.”

The report, prepared last month after the KP sent diamond monitor Chikane to assess operations at Marange (also known as Chiadzwa) where Mbada Investments and Canadile Miners were last year licenced by the government to mine diamonds, indicates that Zimbabwe has in stock 2.767m carats of Marange diamonds awaiting regulatory approval for export.

Harare officials, who spoke to ZimOnline about three weeks ago, indicated they were expecting Chikane back in Zimbabwe either by end of last month or first week of April to formally grant Mbada and Canadile permission to sell diamonds from Marange.

Chikane is yet to return to Harare.

Mbada and Canadile are two joint venture firms formed by state-owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) and some South African investors to exploit the Marange deposits.

But Zimbabwe cannot trade diamonds from Marange until the KP inspects the stones and certifies that they were obtained in line with the world diamond watchdog’s standards.

The requirement is part of measures to end human rights abuses and other illegal activities at Marange where Zimbabwe’s army is accused of committing rights violations and diamond smuggling.

Currently, the KP board is chaired by Israel which took over from Namibia.

According to the report by Chikane, between October 2006 and February 2010, 4.401 million carats of diamonds were produced at the mine, while 1.634 million carats were sold, with the remainder held in stock.

The report indicated that production was split between the government-owned Marange Resources, Mbada, Canadile and African Consolidated Resources (ACR), a London-based company that is currently involved in a legal dispute regarding the Marange claims.

Marange 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 that owned the deposits committed gross human rights abuses against illegal miners who had descended on the field.

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

Zimbabwe in Toll Gate Fees Windfall

Government has raked in US$12 million in tollgate fees as of March 30 this year and the bulk of the money has been spent on trunk roads rehabilitation and pothole patching.




However, most of the major roads where tollgates were set up are still in a dire state seven months after the introduction of toll fees in August last year.



The 22 tollgates established on the country’s major roads are cashing in an average US$1,3 million every month.



However, the tolling stations are still to be expanded and staff spent the rainy season working in the open.



Secretary for Transport, Communications and Infrastru-ctural Development Mr Partson Mbiriri last Friday said the collected money was not enough to cater for all road requirements.



"The total fees collected by Zimra (Zimbabwe Revenue Authority) from 18th August 2009 to the end of March 2010 is US$12 204 159, 15. The total amount disbursed to Zinara (Zimbabwe National Road Authority) is US$9 053 534,43. We appreciate that the money is a useful amount but it is not adequate to cater for all requirements on our trunk roads.



"US$3 million has been to date disbursed to eight provinces for the maintenance of regional, primary and to a limited extent to secondary road network for pothole patching, grass cutting and bush clearing," he said.



Mr Mbiriri said US$280 000 was spent on the resurfacing of Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road for a distance of 12km while US$620 000 was allocated to five tollgate sites for widening purposes.



Among the sites widened were Esbank along the Harare-Bindura Road, Ruwa along the Harare-Mutare Road and Seke along the Seke-Wedza Road.



Another US$120 000, Mr Mbiriri said, was allocated to traffic counting at 16 tollgate sites to verify the toll fees collected by Zimra at these points while US$873 330,77 was expended on the rehabilitation of the old section of the Harare-Norton Road for a distance of about 11km.



Work on this road is still underway and it is being carried out in conjunction with the City of Harare’s department of engineering.



Mr Mbiriri said US$2 744 000 was committed to the erection of tollgate shelter, construction of two weighbridges in Manicaland Province and other traffic safety equipment.



"US$2 400 000 was designated for erection of tollgate shelter and tenders were awarded to Tega Steel and Morewear Industries, which are already excavating foundations.



"US$144 000 was disbursed for the construction of two weighbridges on either side of Birchenough Bridge in order to protect the bridge from being destroyed by overloaded vehicles while US$200 000 was budgeted for the purchase of traffic safety equipment to be used on the regional trunk road and primary road network," he said.



Mr Mbiriri said the remaining US$1 407 468 was earmarked for the continued maintenance of the regional trunk road and primary road network.



A lot of noise has been made on how tollgate fees were being used since most of the roads had remained in a deplorable state.

* Herald

Zimbabwe Prosecutors Drop Maize-Hoarding Charge Against Bennett

Bennett, a former lawmaker, served eight months in prison in 2004-2005 under a parliamentary bill of attainder over a scuffle with Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa on the House floor amid debate over land reform




Jonga Kandemiiri
Washington12 April 2010



A Zimbabwean state prosecutor said Monday that maize-hoarding charges dating to 2001 brought recently against Senator Roy Bennett have been dropped.



State Prosecutor Chris Mutangdura told VOA that the charges were being withdrawn because they were brought by a magistrate in Chipinge, Manicaland province, too long after the alleged crime.



Bennett, treasurer of the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and deputy agriculture minister designate, is currently being tried on charges he conspired in 2006 to overthrow the government of President Robert Mugabe. He has called the charges politically inspired.



Bennett, a former member of parliament, served eight months in prison in 2004-2005 under a parliamentary bill of attainder over a scuffle with Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa on the House floor after a heated exchange regarding the seizure of Bennett’s farm.



Prosecutor Mutangdura confirmed to VOA Studio 7 reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that the maize hoarding charges against Bennett have been dropped.



Bennett said he could not confirm the information, but said he would be relieved if it were true.

* VoA

Warring Zimbabwean Parties Turn to Zuma, Again

Negotiators trying to break the political stalemate in Zimbabwe have asked President Jacob Zuma to help put the talks back on track.



The final report on the protracted talks between President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change reveals that negotiations stalled soon after Zuma's recent visit to Harare, where he announced agreement on a "package of measures" to conclude a deal.



The report, titled Final Report Of Negotiators on the Post-Maputo Inter-party dialogue, was exclusively obtained by the Sunday Times this week. It shows that although Zuma was hopeful that outstanding issues would be resolved, Zanu-PF and MDC negotiators quickly ran into trouble after he left.



The report, which was submitted to Mugabe, Tsvangirai, Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara and Zuma on Wednesday shows that there was a deadlock on the swearing-in of the MDC's Roy Bennett as deputy minister of agriculture, the appointment of attorney-general Johannes Tomana and Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono, the chairing of cabinet and the review of ministerial allocations.



Also unresolved were the allocation of provincial governors, transport arrangements for Tsvangirai, communication between Mugabe and Tsvangirai, regularisation of Tsvangirai's staff, national heroes, the role of Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba and compensation of white commercial farmers for their seized land.



Although several issues remain unsettled, negotiators consider the Bennett, Tomana, Gono and governors issues as the most pressing and now need Zuma's intervention, again.



The most important agreement was reached on electoral law reforms . These reforms are designed to prevent the crisis which paralysed the country following the March 2008 presidential election. Tsvangirai won the first round of the poll but was forced out of the second round by Mugabe through a campaign of violence and intimidation.



Mugabe and Tsvangirai have been harping on elections of late. There was agreement on sanctions, pirate radio stations, hate speech, bias in the media, rule of law and state organs and institutions and land issues . Negotiators also agreed on national heroes, respect of national institutions and events, constitutional amendment No19 and allocation of ambassadors .



Zanu-PF and MDC negotiators held meetings between November 23 2009 and April 2 2010 but failed to clear all the issues on the agenda.



The MDC discussed the final report in its extraordinary national executive meeting on Friday.



On the Bennett issue, the report says, MDC-T argued there was no legal basis for Mugabe to refuse to swear him in. Zanu-PF said Bennett was facing serious charges of trying to overthrow Mugabe and banditry, and it was inappropriate to allow him into office.



Insiders said proposals on Gono's resignation and Tomana's redeployment to the high court as a judge were not formally discussed because Zanu-PF refused to entertain the issues. The report indicates that on provincial governors, a formula of sharing positions was agreed - five, four, one - but the sticking point is who gets more representatives.



On sanctions - Mugabe's main complaint - the report says negotiators "agreed that the re-engagement committee set up by cabinet be convened as a matter of urgency to deal with the issue". The committee will engage the US and European Union over sanctions.



The report says all issues agreed upon must be implemented immediately, while Zuma, Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara try to break the impasse on the outstanding issues.



Following a Southern African Development Community organ on politics, defence and security meeting in Maputo last November, Zanu-PF and MDC negotiators have been negotiating on the 27 unresolved issues following the agreement brokered by former South African president Thabo Mbeki in 2008. Zuma's facilitation team, comprising political adviser Charles Nqakula, ''special envoy" Mac Maharaj and Lindiwe Zulu, Zuma's international relations adviser, is expected in Zimbabwe soon to deal with the remaining issues.

* NY Times

Abel Muzorewa, Cleric and Politician in Zimbabwe, Dies at 85

Bishop Abel T. Muzorewa, once a central player in white minority plans to blunt black majority rule in what is now Zimbabwe, died on Thursday in Harare, the capital, the state-controlled newspaper The Herald said Friday. He was 85.




Bishop Muzorewa enjoyed brief renown as prime minister of an unrecognized white-dominated government before history, war and diplomacy moved on without him.



In a career as a cleric and political activist in what was then called Rhodesia, Bishop Muzorewa initially attracted a following as a nationalist leader, thwarting British plans to strike a deal in the 1970s with former Prime Minister Ian D. Smith.



But the nationalist struggle splintered into many factions. A fundamental divide opened between those black politicians, like Bishop Muzorewa, who chose to remain inside the country to pursue a political settlement, and those, like Joshua Nkomo and Robert Mugabe — now president of independent Zimbabwe — who went on to conduct a guerrilla campaign from exile.



The war began in 1972, and as it intensified and international economic sanctions deepened, Mr. Smith came under pressure from neighboring, apartheid-ruled South Africa to seek black leaders for what was called an “internal settlement.”



The deal, struck in 1978, offered the first all-race elections — albeit under white supervision — since Britain’s arch-colonialist, Cecil John Rhodes, carved out a land from the savannas of central Africa and named it for himself in 1890.



Among those black leaders was Bishop Muzorewa, head of the United African National Council. He campaigned in the 1979 elections under the slogan “The Winner,” and T-shirts handed out to supporters showed him clutching a ceremonial baton.



Bishop Muzorewa’s victory made him prime minister of a nation then called Zimbabwe-Rhodesia — and brought enduring condemnation from more radical nationalists, who labeled him a puppet of Mr. Smith’s South African-backed machinations.



With the bush war still raging, Bishop Muzorewa’s government was shielded by those same white-led security forces that were fighting the exiled guerrilla movements led by his rivals. Mr. Mugabe, Mr. Nkomo and their followers boycotted the 1979 vote. The United Nations called Bishop Muzorewa’s government illegal.



As the war continued, Britain used its formal position as the colonial power to convene a peace conference in London in late 1979. Those negotiations led to elections that brought Mr. Mugabe to power as prime minister upon independence in 1980.



Bishop Muzorewa won only 8 percent of that vote. The outcome dashed any last hopes by the white minority, South African leaders or British diplomats that Bishop Muzorewa, a member of the majority Shona people, might act as a bulwark against Mr. Mugabe.



His political career as a minority legislator lasted only four years, but he continued as a declared opponent of Mr. Mugabe for many years, courting arrest on charges of conspiring against the government.



Abel Tendekayi Muzorewa was born in eastern Rhodesia in April 1925, the eldest of eight children. He had been a schoolteacher and a lay preacher before he went on to theological college. As secretary of the Students’ Christian Movement, he established himself as an opponent of the white minority rule that Mr. Smith once vowed would last for 1,000 years.



He was consecrated as Bishop of Rhodesia in the United Methodist Church in 1968.



Mr. Mugabe routinely labeled Bishop Muzorewa a sell-out. Referring to his diminutive stature, the somewhat larger Mr. Nkomo liked to call him “the little bishop.” Bishop Muzorewa retired formally from politics in 2001.

* Ny Times

SA President Zuma Blasts ANCYL President Malema

DURBAN, South Africa — South African President Jacob Zuma intervened Saturday to try to rein in the outspoken youth leader of his African National Congress party but did not suspend him from his position.




Zuma, after months of pressure to do something about Julius Malema, said his party's leaders should "think before they speak, as their utterances have wider implications for the country."



Zuma said he spoke to Malema earlier in the week about his verbal abuse of a BBC journalist, his defiance of ANC policy on Zimbabwe and his performance of a song from the anti-apartheid era that could be deemed hate speech.



The telephone discussion apparently took place Thursday, soon after Malema expelled the journalist from an ANC Youth League news conference. The next day, Malema defended his own behavior and called on the journalist to apologize for interrupting him.



"The manner in which a BBC journalist was treated at an ANC Youth League press conference is regrettable and unacceptable, regardless of any alleged provocation on his part," Zuma said Saturday.



Zuma did not suspend or expel Malema from the party or from his position. The Youth League is known for getting voters to the polls, and local elections are coming.



Zuma did promise an investigation into whether Malema and other party leaders were defying ANC discipline, but would not say what sanctions they might face.



Malema traveled to Zimbabwe earlier this month and returned expressing praise for Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who was forced into a power-sharing arrangement with his main opponents after a series of inconclusive elections marred by violence blamed on Mugabe's supporters.



Zuma, who is the chief mediator in talks aimed at getting Zimbabwe's leaders to resolve their differences and prepare for new elections, said Saturday that South Africa had to be neutral.



"We cannot and will not side with any one of the parties to the exclusion of others," Zuma said.



Malema also has revived an anti-apartheid era song that refers to killing white farmers. Opposition parties and civil rights groups have accused him of spreading hate speech, and a court has ordered the song banned. The ANC has appealed the ban, but asked its members to show restraint and respect the courts.



Citing the song, white supremacists have blamed Malema for the death of Eugene Terreblanche, who was killed April 3 in what police have described as a wage dispute with two black farmworkers.



"We do recognize that we have a responsibility to act in a way that reduces the potential for tension, and encourages unity," Zuma said Saturday.


* AP

ANCYL President Malema Kicks Out BBC Journalist

Johannesburg - A journalist at an ANC Youth League media briefing was called a "bastard" and an "agent" by its president Julius Malema on Thursday.




The media briefing was on the Youth League's visit to Zimbabwe.



Malema was criticising the Movement for Democratic Change for speaking out against the visit from its office in Sandton, when BBC journalist Jonah Fisher mentioned that the youth league leader lived in Sandton.



An angry Malema retorted: "Here you behave or else you jump. Don't come here with that white tendency, go out bastard, bloody agent."



Explaining the outburst later, Malema said the youth league and its leadership could not be undermined "in our own terrain".



"This is not a playground. This is not a beerhall. Don't abuse us in our own space, in our own house... this is my house," he said, referring to ANC headquarters, Chief Albert Luthuli House.



Land reform policy 'courageous'



Malema recently returned from a trip to Zimbabwe to study the effects of "nationalisation" in that country.



Malema hailed Zimbabwe's land reform policy as "courageous and militant".



"Land reform in Zimbabwe has been very successful," he said, adding that the controversial programme was a "very correct method".



Malema said violence, however, should never be used to implement policy. He said this before verbally sparring with the journalist.

North Korea World Cup Team to Train in Zimbabwe

North Korea will train in Zimbabwe before the World Cup, after they were the only one of five competing nations to accept a request from the Zimbabwean government to come to the country.



Zimbabwe's tourism minister Walter Mzembi said that a quintet of teams, including England and the United States, were asked to boost the tourism industry with a visit, but that only North Korea confirmed their stay.



"Of the five countries that we are aiming to come to Zimbabwe, only North Korea have confirmed they will stay in Zimbabwe at the end of May before proceeding to South Africa for the World Cup tournament," Mzembi told AP.



Mzembi also claimed that Australia and five-time World Cup winners Brazil were asked to set up training camps in a bid to reach the "achievable target" of 100,000 tourists before and after the World Cup.



Zimbabwe has been plagued by political violence and severe economic problems and is hoping to cash in on the continent's success in hosting the tournament in South Africa, while North Korea, who last appeared at the World Cup in 1966, will enter the country on May 25.

* ESPN

Zimbabwean Man Stoned to Death in South Africa

A dedicated father has been stoned to death for being a Zimbabwean.

Those who knew him say Sergent Kanyimo was a quiet man whose only passion was his wife and five children back home in Zimbabwe.
The xenophobic attack happened in the early hours of Good Friday in Wallacedene, Kraaifontein, as Sergent left for work in Simon's Town.
Homeowner Maduna Mwahla, 56, says she was shocked to see the bloodied man in her yard.
"It just doesn't make sense. Why would one kill a man simply because he comes from another country?" she asks.
She says she heard a stone hitting her house then peeped through the window and saw Sergent sprawled on her doorstep.
"They hit him with a hammer until he fell down - he stood up but they hit him repeatedly until he could stand no more," she says.
But witnessing the murder is the least of Maduna's worries - she is scared Sergent's spirit will haunt her home and begged his family to conduct a ritual to cleanse it.


* IOL
"Before they leave, they must say to him: 'Now we are collecting your body and we are taking it back to Zimbabwe'," Maduna says.



"I'm worried that his soul will roam around and cause bad luck."



A 22-year-old witness to the attack says Sergent's death is xenophobic.



"They [the attackers] said they wanted to rid our area of foreigners - and it hurts because I know him personally," she says.



Sergent's brother-in-law Adam Chairi, 22, says the older man hated alcohol and kept to himself.



"All he cared about were his five kids and wife he left in Zimbabwe," says Adam.







Police spokesman Captain Gerhard Niemand asks anyone with information on the attack is urged to call Kraaifontein Police Station on 021 980 5500 021 980 5500 .- Daily Voice

SA to Receive Zimbabwe Progress Report for Review

South African facilitator Lindiwe Zulu said her team will have a copy of the report by Wednesday and review it with President Zuma before returning to Harare to press the power-sharing parties for broader agreements.


The three principals in Zimbabwe's troubled power-sharing government have received a report summarizing the state of talks by their negotiators, who have again deadlocked on key issues and are expected to meet soon to try to resolve those so-called outstanding issues with the help of South African mediators.


Negotiator Elton Mangoma of the Movement for Democratic Change formation led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told VOA on Monday that Mr. Tsvangirai, President Robert Mugabe and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara were reviewing the report from negotiators for their parties. Mutambara is the president of a rival MDC formation.


Sources said the report states that negotiators could not agree on the fates of Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana, whose appointments in late 2008 by President Mugabe in the interim between the September signature of a power-sharing agreement and the formation of a national unity government has been a bone of contention.

Following mediation by South African President Jacob Zuma in March, political sources said one of the two men was supposed to step down as part of the “package of measures” assembled by Zuma, mediator on behalf of the Southern African Development Community.


President Robert Mugabe and other ZANU-PF officials since then have denied there was such a deal.


South African facilitator Lindiwe Zulu said her team will have a copy of the report by Wednesday and review it with President Zuma before returning to Harare later in the week to push for broader agreements.


Bulawayo-based political commentator Qhubani Moyo told VOA Studio 7 reporter Ntungamili Nkomo that the only solution may be new national elections – but this is possible only if a new constitution is put in place.

* VoA