Zimbabwean Reserve Bank to Retrench 85% of Staff

ZIMBABWE’s bankrupt central bank is to retrench 85% of its bloated staff complement to help it move back into the black and function as a reliable national bank, Finance Minister Tendai Biti says.

ZIMBABWE’s bankrupt central bank is to retrench 85% of its bloated staff complement to help it move back into the black and function as a reliable national bank, Finance Minister Tendai Biti says.

The layoffs will mark the end of what analysts say was the use of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to prop up President Robert Mugabe’s party after years of misrule exhausted the country’s finances and led to economic collapse in 2008.

“There are about 2600 employees at the bank but the board will reduce the staff to around 400,” Mr Biti was quoted as saying in the state- run Sunday Mail newspaper.

He said the slashing of staff was the result of new legislation to restrict the bank’s operations to managing monetary policy, monitoring the banking industry and to act as lender of last resort.

The changes at the bank are among the few major agreements to have been carried out under Zimbabwe’s 18-month-old coalition government between Mr Mugabe and former opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, now prime minister.

Mr Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) accuses Mr Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) of stalling on other promised reforms.

Mr Biti confirmed that the bank, under governor Gideon Gono, owed 1,1bn, for which it has been forced by creditors to sell assets. The debt rendered much of its new mandate “academic for the moment”.

Under Mr Gono, the bank confiscated hundreds of millions of US dollars from the accounts of major companies and nongovernmental organisations. The money was used to pay for handouts to Zanu (PF) members and to buy vehicles, tractors, fuel and other goods which were distributed to the party faithful before elections.

To maintain the spending, Mr Gono had money printed as fast as the bank presses could produce it, resulting finally in inflation of 500- billion percent and the abolition of the national currency last year.

Zimbabwe’s economy began to shrink in 2000 after Mr Mugabe embarked on a controversial land reform programme often accompanied by violence. The economic crisis has been made worse by the withdrawal of foreign aid over differences with the government.

The economy was stabilised somewhat by the formation of a unity government involving Mr Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) and Mr Tsvangirai’s MDC. But foreign donors are still withholding crucial aid in the absence of further reforms. 

* Sapa

Zimbabwe Too Broke to Have Polls in 2011

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AFP) – Zimbabwe's electoral commission will not be able to draw up a clean voter's roll and organise elections next year because of lack of money, a state daily reported Friday.

"Ultimately, the economy of the country will determine when and whether we hold elections," Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairman, Simpson Mutambanengwe, was quoted by the state-run Chronicle newspaper.

"The biggest challenge is financial resources to conduct elections.

"The election date itself ... it is a political decision. However, the timeframe is no longer what appears to be envisaged by the political parties because we have a very big task."

Electoral reforms were needed for credible polls and funds also required to clean up the voters' roll, he said.

"As it is, the voters? roll is in disarray. It is a topical issue which needs to be addressed," said Mutambanengwe.

Contestants and observers in previous elections have reported about the ghost voters on the roll.

Zimbabwe's two main political rivals Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai formed a compromise government to pave way for fresh elections after a bloody presidential run-off election in which Mugabe was the sole candidate.

The parties have indicated they are ready to go for polls when they are due next year according to the timeline of the power-sharing government.

Parliament is to amend electoral laws to speed up the announcement of results and create a system for reporting political violence before the new polls.

The parties also agreed to draft a new constitution before the next elections but a drive to gather suggestions for the new constitution has been marred by reports of intimidation.

* Yahoo

Fires Destroys Historical Matebele Royal Site

HARARE, Zimbabwe — A museum official says a bush fire has destroyed the historic site of the encampment of 19th Century warrior King Lobengula in western Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe's National Museums and Monuments director Godfrey Mahachi says strong winds swept the fire through the five acre (two hectare) national heritage site, destroying all eight beehive hut structures, including the king's palace, and a palisade of wooden fortifications.

Lobengula's tribal capital was rebuilt as a symbolic national monument near the second city of Bulawayo in 1993 and became a center of academic and historical studies.

Mahachi said the fire began late Monday and reduced the site to ashes. He said Thursday that officials will meet soon to plan reconstruction.

Lobengula left the encampment to regroup his "induna" warriors in 1881 as colonial forces advanced toward it.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press

Speech by Tsvangirai at the Launch of the New MDC Card

Remarks by the President of the Movement for Democratic Change, The Right Honourable Morgan Tsvangirai, to Mark the Launch of the New Party Card, Harare, 27th August 2010

Members of the Standing Committee and National Executive, party leaders and officials, members of Harare Province, mayors and councilors, Ministers and members of Parliament, Members of the Diplomatic Corp, Invited Guests, comrades and friends,

I wish to start today’s events with a minute of silence to mark the passing of our National Hero, Gibson Sibanda. Thank you. 

Comrades and Friends, today we are gathered here to launch the MDC’s new, real change party card. This historic step would not have come about without the work, comradeship and commitment of people like Gibson Sibanda.

He epitomised the characteristics of a true hero of Zimbabwe. His entire life was spent in serving the people of Zimbabwe, in working courageously and relentlessly to build a new Zimbabwe – a free Zimbabwe, a democratic Zimbabwe where each citizen has the right to live free from fear, poverty and hunger.

It is because of people like Gibson and the many other thousands of Zimbabweans that share his vision and the vision of the MDC that the party continues to strive to be a Party of Excellence.

In being a Party of Excellence, we must always put the people first, shun corruption and nepotism and never lose sight of the founding ideals of the Party, born out of the National Working People’s Convention in 1999.

As a post-liberation party, the MDC was born to protect, promote and fulfill the true ideals of the liberation struggle and we represent the natural successor to the continuing struggle to build the type of nation our heroes sacrificed so much to achieve.

The MDC today stands true to those ideals and the ideals articulated in our first manifesto written 11 years ago.

Namely:
•    The MDC stands for the supremacy of the nation and its peoples over partisan or individual interests.
•    The MDC rejects systems that prioritise defence of leadership interests over defense of people’s interests.
•    The MDC stands for a people’s constitution prepared in a democratic, broad-based and participatory process that recognizes equality of opportunity and treatment of all Zimbabweans.
•    The MDC stands for social democratic, equitable, human-centred development policies, pursued in an environment of political pluralism, participatory democracy and accountable and transparent governance.
•    The MDC aims to build a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society.
•    The policies of the MDC aim to build sustainable, equitable, long-term and stable growth in our economy from household to national level, through investing in and developing the capabilities and opportunities of our people, our national resources and infrastructures.

Comrades and Friends, the launch of our new real change card today is the next step by the Party of Excellence on the journey to building a prosperous, peaceful and democratic society.

It is the master card to real change.

It represents a qualitative leap in the capacity of the MDC to organise and mobilise to deliver real, positive change to the people. 

It presents the opportunity for the majority of Zimbabweans who aspire to such a society to become shareholders in this national project. By obtaining this new party card, we will all be able to contribute to ensuring that the MDC has the resources and support to deliver real change to the people.

It is a reality that in order to achieve this real change we need to raise more money, to provide more support, better services and greater accountability to all our members. It is for this reason that we ask all Zimbabweans to invest with us in our vision of a new Zimbabwe by purchasing and owning the real change card.

Comrades and Friends, I recently heard the current inclusive Government described as purgatory – because we cannot tell whether it will lead to a new heaven, a new Zimbabwe or plunge us back into the hell of oppression and poverty that we have experienced over the past decade.

Indeed, the reluctance by some to abide by the commitments to which they had agreed in September 2008 threatens the future of our great nation. 

Such an attitude threatens the legacy of our war of liberation which was waged to empower each and every citizen, to provide all of us with the privileges and protections which are our inalienable right.

Therefore, the only way forward is for all signatories to the GPA to abide by the agreement that we signed. Continued failure to fully implement the GPA betrays the trust and the hope the people placed in this inclusive Government.

The issue of Provincial Governors is a prime example of this. The formula for the allocation of the Governors was agreed by the negotiators based on the results of the election. It is for this reason that the MDC was awarded five Governors as a reflection of our mandate from the people.

To then artificially link the allocation of Governors to the issue of restrictive measures is a blatant attempt to undermine the GPA, the inclusive Government and the will of the people.

Similarly, desperate calls to link future elections to the issue of restrictive measures is another attempt to avoid the commitments in the GPA which determines the framework for such elections. This is in line with SADC’s recent resolution to produce a definitive roadmap to these elections as a clear exit strategy to the Zimbabwe crisis.

Elections are inevitable, as any transitional process can only ever be temporary. Therefore we must commit ourselves to driving through the administrative and logistical changes that will ensure that the next elections are free, fair, legitimate and credible.

Comrades and Friends, the sad fact is that those that are trying to prevent progress have nothing to fear from it. The society that we are striving to build will ensure that every citizen is afforded protection by the law and lives free from fear of persecution and intimidation.

The other reality is that it is futile to try and oppose, delay or obstruct the will of the people. The past 11 years have shown that regardless of the challenges and obstacles that must be overcome in the struggle for freedom and democracy, no weapon is stronger than the will of the people united in the quest for peaceful change.

It is for this reason that I am convinced that while this current political dispensation may be viewed as a type of purgatory, it will inevitably lead to a new heaven for the people of Zimbabwe.

A heaven that allows all of us to feed our families, educate our children and care for our loved ones in a peaceful, prosperous environment.

Comrades and Friends, we will build a nation where our relationship with our fellow citizens is built upon respect. Respect for our choices, respect for our lifestyles and respect for our inalienable rights as global citizens. 

We will work towards a society where we are united by our identity as Zimbabweans, but where we are also united in our ability to respect our individual differences under that title. No one has the right to define exactly what is meant by sovereignty, or who is more patriotic or more deserving of access to our nation’s riches and resources.

Where we all have equal access to our nation’s wealth and the protection of our laws based on a deep and abiding tolerance for our differences as much as a deep and abiding affection for our similarities. 

As the next step on this journey to our new Zimbabwe it therefore gives me great pleasure to launch the MDC’s new real change card and to purchase the first one.

I call upon all Zimbabweans to join me as members of the winning team. 

Join me in the real change team as we build the new Zimbabwe.

Together we will reconnect with the founding spirit, values and principles of our great movement; this mammoth movement that has over the years shown great fortitude in living true to its founding mission and vision. 

Together we will march towards a new society underpinned by our respect of the supremacy of the nation and its people over narrow, partisan and individual interests.

Together we will consolidate the people’s party and galvanise everyone in the villages and the urban townships to continue the brave march towards real change. 

Let us remain together, united, winning and ready for real change. 

I thank you.


* The Zimbabwean

New Row in Zimbabwe Over Mugabe Refusal to Name MDC Co-Founder Hero

Spokesman Nelson Chamisa of the Tsvangirai MDC formation blasted President Mugabe calling his decision to snub Sibanda 'shocking'. Both formations of Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change closed ranks Wednesday in objection to President Robert Mugabe’s refusal to endorse liberation participant, labor leader and MDC co-founder Gibson Sibanda as a national hero following his death on Monday. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara wrote to Mr Mugabe asking him to grant Sibanda national hero status which would allow him to be interred at National Heroes Acre on the outskirts of Harare along with prominent liberation figures. But sources in Mr. Mugabe's ZANU-PF party said he consulted just a few party officials and sent word to Mutambara that Sibanda would only be accorded a so-called state-assisted funeral, not a hero’s burial. His family said he will be buried in his rural home of Filabusi, Matebeleland South. But MDC sources said they believed the decision was taken by the ZANU-PF politburo, though party sources said that body had not met on Tuesday before Mr. Mugabe's decision became public. The ZANU-PF leaning Herald newspaper reported Mr. Mugabe’s refusal Tuesday, but Mutambara told VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that he only received official word Wednesday. ZANU-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo said he was not in Harare on Tuesday and said he did not think that the politburo had in fact met, referring questions on the matter to ZANU-PF Secretary for Administration Didymus Mutasa, a top security aide to Mr. Mugabe. Mutasa told VOA that he was not involved in the decision. Spokesman Nelson Chamisa of the Tsvangirai MDC formation blasted President Mugabe calling his decision to snub Sibanda "shocking." Political analyst Trevor Maisiri said Mr. Mugabe is reaffirming his dominant political position in denying hero status to a co-founder of the former opposition party which is now in government.

Zimbabwe Officials Rubbish Mugabe Cancer Scare

Zimbabwe officials have rubbished claims that president Robert Mugabe is being treated in Dubai over a cancer scare.

The Times of South Africa said the 85-year-old – who has not been seen in public since last Tuesday, when he returned from Namibia – had been secretly taken for treatment. His daughter, Bona, is said to have travelled from Hong Kong to Dubai to be with him.

Zimbabwean officials immediately dismissed the report, calling it the product of "sick and evil minds".

"The president is not sick, but was away on holiday," one told the Associated Press. "He returned home yesterday, and those reports are a load of rubbish."

Journalists in Zimbabwe also played down the rumours, saying Mugabe often travelled abroad for health check-ups, but said all eyes will now be on a visit by the South African president, Jacob Zuma, tomorrow.

Sources in the ruling Zanu-PF party have said Mugabe will greet Zuma but if he fails to appear, speculation over his health will intensify. The Times of South Africa quoted "well-placed sources" as saying Mugabe had been unwell at the weekend and was undergoing specialist treatment.

The paper said it was believed he was being treated by a Malaysian urologist, Awang Kechik, who has treated him for a prostate condition for years. Mugabe has never confirmed rumours that he has prostate cancer.

Some of his colleagues in the Zanu-PF politburo claimed they "do not know where the president is", the Times of South Africa said.

Mugabe missed the recent burial of his long-time comrade in the liberation struggle, Senator Richard Hove, a politburo member. The acting president, Joice Mujuru, presided over the ceremony.

Mugabe is the oldest member of Zimbabwe's government following the death of the vice-president, Joseph Msika, earlier this month.

* Guardian

Zimbabwe National Hero Status Urged for Late MDC Co-Founder Sibanda

Zimbabwe's former opposition Movement for Democratic Change party and many Zimbabweans were on Tuesday mourning the death of of Gibson Sibanda, a veteran labor activist and co-founder of the MDC who died late Monday at Mater Dei at hospital, Bulawayo, after a long battle with cancer.

At the time of his death, Sibanda was vice president of the MDC formation of Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, which in 2005 broke away from the larger formation now led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

He was a special adviser to the National Organ on Healing and Reconciliation.

His passing seemed likely to revive the political debate over the designation of national hero status. His party has asked President Robert Mugabe to ask that he be granted national hero status. This would allow his remains to be interred at National Heroes Acre in Harare.

But reports late Tuesday said Mr. Mugabe declined to confer hero status on Sibanda, instead giving him a "state assisted funeral," meaning he will probably be buried at his rural home.

Hero designation has always been in the hands of the ZANU-PF Politburo, and other parties including the MDC and the revived Zimbabwe African People's union or ZAPU have demanded ZANU-PF make the designation process more inclusive reflecting the multi-party political reality.

During the 1970s liberation struggle Sibanda was welfare secretary for PF-ZAPU in Matabeleland and was detained on a number of occasions by the Rhodesian authorities of the time.

Mutambara told VOA Studio 7 reporter Blessing Zulu that Sibanda’s qualifications as a national hero cannot be questioned. Speaking for the Tsvangirai MDC formation, Lucia Matibenga, designated governor of Masvingo province but not yet sworn in, said Sibanda was apolitical.

ZANU-PF Chief Parliamentary Whip Joram Gumbo said Sibanda was an asset during his terms in the parliament because of his talent for building consensus.

Sibanda co-founded the MDC with now-Prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai in 1999, becoming vice president of the party which remained in opposition for a decade until its two formations became part of the current national unity government put in place in February 2009.

The MDC split into two factions in 2005, nominally over the question of whether the party should take part in elections for a new senate, though internal divisions contributed significantly.

Sibanda, who was a widower, is survived by four children. Funeral arrangements were still being made.

* VoA

Zimbabwe Seeks Bids For Collapsed Steelmaker

Zimbabwe is inviting new bidders to take over its collapsed state steelmaker, after rejecting offers from two foreign companies.

In a statement Wednesday, Zimbabwe's Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube said the bidding process is now open.  He said offers must be submitted to the government by September 24.

In May, Zimbabwe's government rejected bids by South Africa's ArcelorMittal and India's Jindal Steel to take over the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company, or ZISCO.  President Robert Mugabe said those companies were too big.

ZISCO stopped operations in 2008 at the height of Zimbabwe's economic crisis due to a lack of funding.

* AFP/Reuters/VoA

Qaddafi's Son Is Considering Investing in Dam, Ethanol Project in Zimbabwe

Bloomberg - Saadi Qaddafi, one of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s sons, has expressed interest in building an ethanol plant in Zimbabwe’s Masvingo Province, the Zimbabwe Reporter said.

Gaddafi is visiting the southern African country this week to assess Libyan investment opportunities in agriculture and tourism, the newspaper said. The former professional football player met with Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe on Aug. 23.

During the visit he expressed interest in reviving the Tokwe-Mukosi dam project to irrigate a sugar cane plantation that will be used for the manufacture of ethanol, the newspaper said.

Situated south of Masvingo City in the vicinity of Zimbabwe’s sugar estates, the $130 million project has been stalled since 1998 due to lack of funds.

Billy Rautenbach, a Zimbabwe investor slapped with sanctions by the European Union for links to Mugabe’s regime, attempted to develop an ethanol project in Masvingo last year but was forced to relocate the project to the Manicaland Province due to a shortage of water, the Zimbabwe Herald reported in March.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lauren van der Westhuizen at atlvanderwesth@bloomberg.net.

MDC Zimbabwe Co-Founder Gibson Sibanda Passes Away

A co-founder of Zimbabwe's former opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, has died aged 66.

Gibson Sibanda was a prominent trade union leader before Zimbabwe's independence in 1980 and was arrested several times for his activities.

He helped form the MDC in 2000 but left five years later after differences with leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mr Sibanda joined a breakaway faction of the MDC and at the time of his death was a minister in the unity government.

A spokesman for his party said Mr Sibanda had been suffering from cancer for some time and died in Bulawayo.

Mr Sibanda and Mr Tsvangirai were both trade union leaders when they decided to set up the MDC to counter what they said were President Robert Mugabe's disastrous economic policies.

Mr Tsvangirai is now prime minister in the power-sharing government which was formed 18 months ago. It is trying to stabilise the economy hit by rampant inflation and shortages of food and fuel.

* BBC

Zimbabwe's Mugabe Says No to More Political Reform

Days after hopes were raised at the Southern Africa Development Community summit that Zimbabwe is set to make substantial political progress, President Robert Mugabe has once again turned his back on reforms he signed to nearly two years ago. In remarks at a closed-door meeting of ZANU-PF's politburo, following last week's SADC summit in Windhoek, Namibia, Mr. Mugabe said he will not concede to more political reform until U.S. and EU sanctions are lifted. His words were published in last week's pro-ZANU-PF Sunday Mail newspaper. The sanctions on Mr. Mugabe, his colleagues in ZANU-PF and some companies they control were imposed in 2002, following violent Zimbabwe elections. In Windhoek, the SADC facilitator on Zimbabwe, South African President Jacob Zuma presented his report and a plan for resolution of outstanding political reforms agreed to by Mr. Mugabe nearly two years ago. The political agreement is the foundation upon which Zimbabwe's unity government was formed last year. In his report, Mr. Zuma said 24 out of 27 outstanding issues have been agreed to by Movement for Democratic Change leader Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Mr. Mugabe. Mr. Zuma suggested that within a month from the SADC summit the leaders would try to find agreement on the outstanding issues. Those include the position of attorney general, the post of governor of Zimbabwe's central bank, and Mr. Mugabe's refusal to sign MDC treasurer Roy Bennett in to office as deputy agriculture minister. Since returning from Namibia last week, Mr. Mugabe says he will not appoint any MDC leaders to powerful positions as provincial governors, even though, as Mr. Zuma noted in his report, the present ZANU-PF incumbent's contracts expired last month. The Sunday Mail reported Mr. Mugabe told his 150-member politburo that Prime Minister Tsvangirai had failed to fulfill his side of the political agreement to ensure the largely personal Western sanctions against the president and his colleagues were lifted. The Movement for Democratic Change says it has no control over foreign governments. U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe Charles Ray told journalists at a briefing last week the United States would not lift sanctions until the political agreement is fulfilled.

* VoA

A New Era as GZF Botswana Sets up Interim Committee

The Global Zimbabwe Forum (GZF) is pleased to announce that it has successfully set up a new national chapter that will be co-ordinated by a local Interim Committee.

The Interim Committee was set up on Saturday 21^st August 2010 at the Gaborone Sun hotel on the sidelines of a national consultation workshop for Zimbabweans living in Botswana.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Zimbabwe office was the host of the main event.

The event was part of the preparations of a face-to-face meeting with some senior Zimbabwean government ministries officials that will be held on Saturday 28^thAugust 2010 at the same venue.

The terms of reference for the Interim Committee have been summed up as follows:

1.        To be the main representative and facilitator of any events/issues related to Zimbabweans resident in Botswana as from 21^st August 2010 to 31^st March 2010.

2.        To help organise a national conference to be attended by representatives of Zimbabwean organisations that are actively based in Botswana by the end of March 2011. The same conference will adopt a constitution for the GZF Botswana chapter and also elect a substantive executive Committee.

3.        To conduct a credible mapping exercise and survey across Botswana and develop a reliable database of all Zimbabwean organisations in the country together with a list of prominent Zimbabweans in Botswana from various and diverse sectors/communities.

4.        To develop the administrative capacity of the GZF Botswana chapter by coming up with a strategy for fundraising for the financial and programme needs of the chapter.

5.        To develop a public awareness strategy that will help Zimbabweans in Botswana to know more about each other and work together as a community under the facilitation of the GZF Botswana chapter.

6.        To help develop a credible public process of engagement of Zimbabweans in Botswana with both the relevant departments of the host Botswana government, the local Zimbabwean embassy, the relevant government ministries back home in Zimbabwe and to provide linkages with the broader Zimbabwean Diaspora communities.

The GZF Botswana Interim Committee consists of the following members:

Chairman –                                   Mr. Panganayi Chakanyuka (cpangas4@yahoo.com) (+267) 72582986

Vice Chairman –                          Ms. Bokang Gwebu (bgwebu@gmail.com) (+267) 3924076

Treasurer –                                   Mr. Bob Muchabayiwa (boblibertm@gmail.com) (+267) 74094805

Spokesperson/Media  –              Mr. Jerrry Bungu (jerrybungu@gmail.com) (+267) 71406493

Information/Comms –                Mr. Freeman Chari (freemanchari@gmail.com) (+267) 72666980

Committee Members –               Dr. Farai Madzimbamuto (faraitose@hotmail.com) (+267) 7270880

                                                      Ms. Jennifer Nzonzo (jennifer.nzonzo@mopipi.ub.bw) (+267) 73283315

                                                      Mr. Newman Ndlela

Co-ordinator –                            Mr. Lenox Mhlanga (lenoxmhlanga@gmail.com) (+267) 74785067

Zimbabwe's Election Watchdog Backs Proposed Police Voting Reforms

Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri is said to be resisting the reforms, demanding that the status quo be maintained with police in polling stations and voting 30 days before ordinary citizens The Zimbabwe Election Support Network has thrown its support behind electoral reforms proposed by the three parties in the national unity government which would bar police from being stationed inside polling stations and abolish mass postal voting for police officers. Government sources told VOA that the proposals are in an electoral law amendment bill being drafted by the Office of the Attorney General soon to be tabled in parliament. Parties in the inclusive government want police to cast ballots a day or two before other citizens. But Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri is said to be resisting the reforms, demanding instead that law enforcement agents be allowed inside polling booths. Postal voting by police has been criticized by observers in previous elections who say members of were compelled to cast ballots for ZANU-PF under heavy pressure from supervisors. The Zimbabwe Independent newspaper said Chihuri has protested the proposed changes in writing to the Home Affairs Ministry, demanding police be allowed to vote 30 days before election day. VOA could not reach Chihuri or one of the the two co-ministers of Home Affairs for comment. Zimbabwe Election Support Network chairman Tinoziva Bere told VOA Studio 7 reporter Ntungamili Nkomo the amendments are appropriate because they will restore transparency in police voting. Weighing in on the debate, Bulawayo-based political analyst Mandlenkosi Gatsheni said the police commissioner’s objections should not be heeded.

* VoA