A reckless president
By Editor
Wed 18 Nov. 2009, 04:00 CAT
We have consistently reminded Rupiah Banda and his minions that the exercise of power must be the constant practice of self-limitation and modesty.
What happened on Monday over the pornography case which Rupiah had brought against our news editor Chansa Kabwela should teach us a lesson about the consequences of abusing the judicial process to fix political opponents, real or imaginary.
There is no doubt that Rupiah has been abusing the judicial process – the police, the Anti Corruption Commission, the Drug Enforcement Commission, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the courts – to try and fix those he detests.
And we have pointed out before that the judiciary, at whatever level, may find itself confronting these abuses, and may find itself subjected to enormous pressures to accept them. Often, if the process is legal but unfair, there is little that a court can do.
There is need for people like Rupiah to realise that every Zambian is entitled to participate in the affairs of our country.
Our roles will differ but there is need for all of us to accommodate each other. The annihilist approach to public affairs that Rupiah and his minions want to champion will not lead them anywhere. It will actually destroy them. We say this because it is very clear that Rupiah’s approach to anyone who has a view different from his is to try to discredit them, crush them and to annihilate them.
This is what we see in the way that Rupiah has behaved over the case of Chansa. There was simply no reasoning, no stopping to think. To Rupiah, an opportunity to humiliate and destroy The Post had presented itself and he could not control himself. A man who as President is supposed to be an example of self-control and moderation allowed himself to lose his head and started to rant and rave against The Post and how bad our conduct had been in dealing with those pictures. Rupiah was propelled by nothing but hatred and a desire to crush us.
The story is now clear; The Post never published those pictures. It failed to publish those pictures not because it was unlawful to do so but simply because of the tragedy of that woman and that baby who she lost. What was The Post to do? This was not just a journalistic issue. It was a moral issue of immense proportion. It was an issue that was driven by very high levels of sensitivity to the humanity of others, the suffering of that woman and the loss that she had to endure.
A tragedy of immense proportion was unfolding in our country during the strike that had crippled the health sector. What were we to do as a newspaper? We had done everything possible, including pleading with health workers to ignore the insensitivities of Rupiah and his minions and return to work to save lives. Those pictures came to us during that time. We thought the newspaper could not hide that fact but share it with the government and others who could influence things for the better. Those pictures were sent privately.
But Rupiah’s pettiness and hatred blinded him from seeing the suffering, the pain, the despair or helplessness that those pictures carried. What Rupiah saw was an opportunity to crucify The Post by criminalising its very noble and otherwise sensitive communication with the government. We did not publish our communication with the government. It was done quietly because the editorial staff decided that that was the best way to deliver the message without being seen to be politicising the issue.
But this humble gesture has been criticised and deliberately criminalised by Rupiah, ending with Chansa standing charged with an offence that never was. What Rupiah has done in this so-called pornography case is to show how dirty his own mind is because where there was suffering and pain, what he saw was pornography and an image that corrupted his morals, an image that was capable of arousing sensual feelings – how sick, how wicked!
The prosecution of Chansa demonstrates the way that Rupiah and George Kunda in particular want to use our criminal justice system. For them, the criminal justice system is not there for the maintenance of law and order, it is there to fix political opponents and what they consider inconsequential members of our society. They want to use justice selectively to carry out their injustices.
This is their government policy as confirmed by Mike Mulongoti in Kasama recently when he said some people should be able to go to jail while others should not. This is why George for instance always had problems with the Task Force. It seems he was not able to manipulate it the same way he seems to manipulate everything else.
We say this because if the case of Chansa was about justice, it should never have seen the inside of the court. Reason would have prevailed long before Chansa was bundled before chief resident magistrate Charles Kafunda.
It’s clear to see how things work with Rupiah in this regard. First, Rupiah makes public pronouncements denouncing someone, accusing them and convicting them of a crime. After that, the police and other law enforcement agencies swing into action. And finally, the Director of Public Prosecutions comes in to give blessings to the whole act. Then the rest is drama and a comedy of injustices. This is how even this case of Chansa began and ended.
Pronouncements by Rupiah are not simple statements from an ordinary citizen. Rupiah commands all the law enforcement agencies in this country – the police, the Anti Corruption Commission, the Drug Enforcement Commission and indeed the intelligence, the army, air force and Zambia National Service.
When he says something that concerns their work, it is an order from the commander in chief and they swing into action because orders are there to be obeyed. This is what happened in the Chansa case.
Unreasonable as the charges were, no one, it seems, was prepared to tell Rupiah that his ranting and raving at State House was misplaced. The police could not tell him, the Director of Public Prosecutions could not tell him, George could not tell him. This is what happens when a person in Rupiah’s position surrounds himself with minions who are not prepared to tell him when he is headed the wrong way.
What is sad for Rupiah is that this situation will not improve, it will simply get worse. Rupiah does not seem to have anyone close to him who is ready to take him on and advise him that what he is doing is wrong and may backfire. We say this because Rupiah seems to have surrounded himself with sycophants, praise singers and spineless elements who seem to have no position on any issue other than an exhibition of hatred for us and others Rupiah considers enemies.
Rupiah has misled himself into believing that because he is president, he can destroy or annihilate all the people that he does not like. Although any normal person would say that this is an unreasonable position to take, Rupiah does not seem to have anyone to tell him this. And worse still, Rupiah himself does not have the capacity to realise that what he is doing is wrong, is not tenable.
Having Rupiah in State House, as the saying goes, is like having a bull in a China shop. Rupiah is running in all directions trying to break anything in sight. Rupiah wants to fight everybody who he thinks is not with him or is opposed to him. The wisdom of not fighting wars on many fronts is something Rupiah and his minions don’t appreciate.
Chansa’s case exemplifies the recklessness of a president who is drunk with power, who thinks because he is president, he can do anything and cage anyone, he has dominion over everything in this country.
This case in a way also shows that Rupiah and his minions have failed to understand how complicated running the affairs of the state is. Rupiah in this simple act of abusing his presidential powers has shown preparedness to disregard the demands of his office. He will do whatever he thinks is right for that moment regardless of the consequences.
What Rupiah has tried to do with Chansa, he would like to do with the whole media. He would like to criminalise anything that he does not like about the operations of the media. This is Rupiah’s default position in dealing with problems. We have seen this in the way he wants to deal with non-governmental organisations for instance. What he does not like about their operations, he wants to criminalise with the support and counsel of sycophants like George.
Rupiah’s recklessness is driving his government into a fight, even with the Catholic Church. This is the kind of person we are dealing with. To him, everything is about power and control. To him, everything is about fixing, revenge and hatred. But we know that there is no nation that can be built on the basis of revenge.
This cannot be done with feelings of hatred and revenge. As we have warned before, Rupiah’s hatred for us may lead him into serious problems. His hatred for us may cause him to commit atrocities that he and his minions may live to regret for the rest of their lives. We say this because Rupiah and his minions, when it comes to us seem to stop thinking, they can’t reason, hatred overwhelms them.
Rupiah’s pornography case against Chansa has clearly demonstrated what type of president we have in this country. It has shown us that we have a very petty-minded person in State House. And that position Rupiah occupies cannot be run by pettiness, small-mindedness and short-sightedness. It has also demonstrated that Rupiah is a liar because he lied about pornography that was not there.
Rupiah falsely accused us of engaging in pornography. If Rupiah has a sense of shame, a sense of embarrassment, this is the time for him to meditate deeply over his attitude towards those he does not agree with. There are many things to be said on this issue and we are sure that many other people have more to say on it.
Labels: CHANSA KABWELA, RUPIAH BANDA
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LAZ should not over protect Sakala – Sata
By George Chellah
Wed 18 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) leader Michael Sata yesterday urged the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ) and President Rupiah Banda not to over-protect the judiciary and Chief Justice Ernest Sakala. And Sata said his closeness and friendliness to the defence and security officers enables him to have all the required information about the country.
Reacting to chief government spokesperson Lieutenant General Ronnie Shikapwasha’s comments that he should stop intimidating the police and judiciary, Sata denied intimidating the judiciary.
“The Law Association of Zambia, the government and Rupiah Banda should not treat the judiciary in general and the Chief Justice in particular like kids,” Sata said.
“When they become over-protective of the judiciary and the Chief Justice, they heighten people’s suspicion that government is manipulating the judiciary. We should not be intimidated by government or LAZ. They have no monopoly over the judiciary.”
Sata said he would not hesitate to seek clarification from justice Sakala over what he termed as ‘suspect or political’ judgments.
“For the people of Zambia to have confidence in the judiciary, the administrative and judicial decisions should be very transparent. But when they look suspect, we will not hesitate to seek clarification from the head of the judiciary,” Sata said. “We expect the judiciary to be fair and impartial so that when we go there or appear before them, we expect total fairness and not political manipulation or judgments.”
Sata rejected Lt Gen Shikapwasha’s concerns over his recent observations on the judiciary.
“I have been interacting with the judiciary long before Shikapwasha left the Zambia Air Force (ZAF) training school. I am helping Shikapwasha and his notorious government by seeking clarification. Already people are saying that in Zambia there is justice for the rich and justice for the poor,” Sata explained.
“I will not hesitate to seek clarification when the judgment is suspect. The Chief Justice in his letter said that law has been used before. Let him clarify when it was used and under what circumstances.”
Sata said as long as LAZ was not willing to explain to Zambians the decisions that are being made by the judiciary, the opposition would continue seeking clarification from anybody including the President.
“You tell Stephen Lungu that if LAZ does not want to explain to the Zambians what decisions are being made by the judiciary, it’s not him to tell us what to do. We shall seek clarification from anybody. We have written to the President, we have written to the Speaker to seek clarification,” he said.
On Lt Gen Shikapwasha’s reaction to the picture in The Post on Monday where he was addressing police officers in Solwezi, Sata said his closeness and friendliness to the defence and security officers enables him to have all the information about the country.
“When they talk about ‘police and you’ what does Shikapwasha think that means? Zambians are supposed to cooperate with institutions, which are protecting them,” Sata said. “I will continue my public relations with people in the civil service including the defence and security.
It’s because of my closeness and friendliness to these institutions of the state that’s why I have more information about Zambia than Shikapwasha will ever have.”
He said it was because of the mentality like the one Lt Gen Shikapwasha has that the government does not pay attention to the needs of the police service.
“They regard them as tools. The police are working under very hostile conditions from this notorious government. We understand the suffering of the police because we are always with them,” Sata said.
“Shikapwasha doesn’t care when he is inside his house snoring and the policeman guarding him is getting soaked outside due to lack of raincoats. Who is Shikapwasha to stop us from greeting the police? Shikapwasha is a disgraced General who ran away like a rat during the Captain Solo uprising.”
Sata maintained that Statutory Instrument Number 38 of 2009, which grants the President powers to extend the retirement age of officers in the defence forces, was discriminatory. He said the government was under pressure because the truth is coming out.
“Zambia police training schools produce intelligent officers who are better than Shikapwasha so they cannot be intimidated by a greeting,” said Sata.
Labels: ERNEST SAKALA, LAZ, RONNIE SHIKAPWASHA, SATA
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Women’s Lobby welcomes Kabwela’s acquittal
By Mwala Kalaluka
Wed 18 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT
ZAMBIA National Women’s Lobby Group (ZNWLG) executive director Tamara Kambikambi has observed that Chansa Kabwela’s acquittal has vindicated those women who believed in what she did at a time when others chose to remain mute.
Kambikambi in a statement yesterday noted that ZNWLG commends female leaders, like Kabwela, who can remain steadfast amid adversity.
“What she went through was serious adversity,” Kambikambi said. “We want to see that more female leaders emulate such values because we believe that women bring a different style of leadership.
We are happy, personally, it has vindicated those of us who believed in what she was doing at the time when others chose to keep quiet about it.”
And veteran politician Simon Zukas said the state was just wasting resources on the Kabwela case.
“My comment is that the state was wasting their money on that case,” he said. “ I am glad about the outcome but it was just a waste of state money.”
Post editor Fred M’membe on Monday challenged President Rupiah Banda to appeal his ‘pornography’ case all the way up to the Supreme Court.
Labels: CHANSA KABWELA, SIMON ZUKAS, TAMARA KAMBIKAMBI, THE POST, ZNWLG
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TIZ ties Zambia’s success in corruption fight to Levy
By Chibaula Silwamba
Wed 18 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT
TRANSPARENCY International has attributed Zambia’s improvement in the 2009 corruption perception index ranking to the late president Levy Mwanawasa’s personal efforts.
And Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) has challenged President Rupiah Banda to do every thing possible to prevent Zambia from sliding back into a period when corruption was rife and institutionalised.
Meanwhile, TIZ said government should not protect a few people from prosecution on corruption charges.
Launching the TI corruption perception index 2009, TIZ treasurer Sampa Kalungu said corruption was still rampant in sub-Saharan Africa.
“In the 2009 CPI, Zambia has a score of 3.0 out of 10 points. This score indicates that Zambia this year has recorded another slight improvement of 0.2 points from last year’s 2.8 and is in the 19th rank category out of 69 ranks from last year’s 17th rank out of 60 ranks. This is an important development notwithstanding the fact that this CPI does NOT take into consideration the current situation as most surveys on Zambia mainly covers the two years starting from 2007 – 2008,” Kalungu said.
“The slight improvement in Zambia’s position is a clear indication that some of the measures instituted by the government and particularly the administration of the late president Levy Mwanawasa are beginning to bear fruit. It is also an indication that Zambia can perform even better than most countries if our approach to the fight against corruption remains focused and devoid of self-serving interests.”
He said TIZ had always maintained the position that while corruption was still rampant during the reign of Mwanawasa, he did his best to publicly address the scourge of corruption.
“The late president demonstrated his eagerness to do something about corruption and it is these efforts among others which have been noticed by various stakeholders. It is true to state that nearly all the high profile corruption cases before the courts of law as well as those that have been concluded, were started by the Mwanawasa Administration,” Kalungu said.
“We do appreciate that President Banda’s approach to fighting corruption will not necessarily be the same as that of his predecessor but what is important for us is that everything possible should be done to prevent Zambia sliding back into a period when corruption was rife and institutionalised.”
Kalungu said for Zambia, the CPI was coming at a time when public sector corruption had become glaring.
“The 2009 CPI therefore, should be used as a reference point to assess what progress Zambia has made in the last two to three years. The results of the CPI for Zambia should serve as a unifier of efforts of all Zambians who are interested in making this country- corrupt free and we do sincerely hope that the 2009 CPI will mark a turning point in the approach towards the fight against corruption by all stakeholders especially President Rupiah Banda and his administration,” Kalungu said.
He said the government leaders, particularly the top leadership should be careful in the positions that they take on corruption cases.
“Government’s actions or lack of action on cases of corruption are closely watched by the international community and we wish to counsel President Banda to provide demonstrated leadership in the fight against corruption.
Everything possible should be done to fight corruption and it should not be left to mere political rhetoric. President Banda and his cabinet should recognise that a lot is riding on this fight against corruption. For instance, it is due to corruption and lack of transparency and accountability in the use of public funds that some cooperating partners are withholding financial aid,” he said.
“It has always been our conviction that Zambia can do better in the fight against corruption and it does worry us greatly when we see government not doing enough to build on what has been started in the fight against corruption.”
Kalungu said it was evident that economic development would only be possible if the government and all stakeholders work together and clean up the country of corruption.
“Transparency International Zambia would like to reiterate its philosophy that corruption anywhere and everywhere should be fought vigorously. We will support efforts to rid all sectors of corruption whether this is in the public sector, private sector, media, Church, civil society, or in the international development community.
The same rules should apply and there should be no sacred cows - we do not subscribe to protection of any person from prosecution if at all overwhelming evidence exists. The last thing that government (all the three arms of the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary) should do is to be seen to be protecting a few people from prosecution – this will send wrong signals both to the local and international community,” Kalungu said.
“The fight against corruption needs strength of character and the courage to do the right thing – political costs notwithstanding. The fight against corruption needs political will demonstrated in form of support for the independent functioning of the Judiciary, law enforcement agencies and watchdog institutions.”
He said it was time Zambians started to support the heroes in the fight against corruption while condemning the villains.
Kalungu said TIZ recommended that the government and other stakeholders should not sit back but use the 2009 CPI results to consolidate efforts in fighting corruption.
“We recommend that: (a) government recommits itself to the fight against corruption and this should be exhibited in the timely action taken against all allegations of corruption. No person or persons should be insulated from prosecution. Where necessary, government should not hesitate to appeal all cases where cogent evidence exists; (b) the implementation plan for the National Anti-Corruption Policy should be completed as soon as possible and funded as part of the 2010 budget; (c) government, the private sector, civil society including the media, should all embark on initiatives to prevent corruption in their respective sectors at the earliest opportunity. For instance, Codes of Ethics should be developed and enforced to cover all public servants and senior government leaders including the Permanent Secretaries, Secretary to the Treasury, Secretary to the Cabinet etc; (c) government should domesticate the UN Convention against corruption so that the national laws and policies can adequately reflect the various progressive provisions aimed at facilitating the fight against corruption,” Kalungu said.
“(d) President Banda should extend the forensic audits to all government spending ministries as soon as possible and in the same light, we call on the cooperating partners to support the work of the Office of the Auditor General as they conduct these important audits; (e) law enforcement agencies should expeditiously conclude the investigation and prosecution of corruption cases that have been pending for a long.
The Zambian people deserve to know the final position on the procurement of the hearses, the inflation of invoice payments by some food suppliers to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the dubious registration and award of government construction project contracts to construction companies owned by senior government leaders.”
Labels: CORRUPTION, TIZ
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Solwezi goes to the polls tomorrow
By Joseph Mwenda
Wed 18 Nov. 2009, 15:20 CAT
All is set for the Solwezi central parliamentary by-elections tomorrow despite the persistent violence that has marred the campaigns.
Residents will be electing their new leader to replace Benny Tetamashimba who died after an illness two months ago.
Four candidates are in the race for the Solwezi Central seat and its from these that electorates will chose one as their area member of parliament.
Ruling MMD is in the race with Albert Chifita, a carrer teacher. He has worked as district inspector of schools in Serenje, assistant secretary at the Ministry of Defence before joining Mulungushi Textiles.
Watson Lumba is the PF/UPND alliance candidate. He is an accountant by profession and a board member at Saint John’s Medical Center in the area.
The Forum for Democratic Alternatives (FDA) has floated Muhammed Kalela, a human resources practitioner. He worked for the then Indeco Limited and Lonrho Zambia.
The fourth candidate is an Independent, Thomas Kafula, a miner at Kansanshi Mining PLC.
Meanwhile, Anti-Voter Apathy (AVAP) director Bonnie Tembo has said political parties vying for the Solwezi Central parliamentary seat have failed to seize an opportunity to address issues affecting residents in the area.
And Tembo told the Post On-line this afternoon that his organisation has gathered evidence of vote buying by the ruling MMD in Solwezi ahead of Thursday's by-elections.
Speaking in an interview, Tembo said AVAP was concerned with the persistent violence in the campaigns ahead of the by-election.
“AVAP is concerned with the spark of violence in Solwezi and this has been caused by the desperation of political parties.”
“These parties have failed to seize an opportunity to address issues affecting residents in Solwezi, things to do with water and sanitation, education, health and washed away bridges. Instead, they are busy with verbal attacks on each other,” he said.
Tembo said even Vice-President George Kunda had also been using bad language in his campaign massages.
“I am just from monitoring an MMD rally addressed by the Vice-President who is calling PF leader Michael Sata a thug, he is calling HH a corrupt man. And then you saw that picture were cadre s were displaying placards saying “MMD for sale K100...) and so on, so when the opposing supporters see that they start drinking beer and start stoning each other,” he said.
Tembo further observed that by nature of MMD distributing food materials to the electorates, the November 19, 2009 by-elections may not be fair or credible.
“Our monitors are just returning from Mulenga village where the MMD was distributing fertilizer in exchange for voters' cards. They are being told that the cards will be kept safe until time for voting.”
“Another observer was among residents who attended a meeting by the MMD who gave out K5, 000 notes to all the people who attended. We have that money and we are keeping it,” he said.
Tembo said the electoral code of conduct had been heavily abused in the Solwezi campaigns.
Labels: BY-ELECTIONS, SOLWEZI COUNCIL
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‘Dignified wages will bring harmony in industrial relations’
By Fridah Zinyama
Wed 18 Nov. 2009, 04:00 CAT
ZAMBIANS for Empowerment and Development (ZED) president Dr Fred Mutesa has demanded that government puts its house in order and provide the necessary political leadership to transform industrial relations in the nation.
Last week, Konkola Copper Mines workers rioted demanding for better conditions of service, saying they wanted to benefit from the good copper prices on the international market.
Commenting on the protracted differences between the Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) and President Rupiah Banda, Dr Mutesa said employers, particularly those that were making huge profits like the mine owners, should seriously consider fairness in the way they remunerated their employees.
“Without workers there can be no production. Labour must be respected and given the due dignity through good conditions of service and adequate wages,” he said.
Dr Mutesa said paying dignified wages to employees would ensure a harmonious climate of industrial relations in Zambia.
“The story of rioting Konkola Copper Mines workers should be a matter of grave concern to all of us,” he said. “A harmonious climate of industrial relations will, however, not happen without concerted efforts by the authorities to promote development with equity.”
Dr. Mutesa said the announcement by labour minister Austin Liato on setting up of a tripartite committee to review legislation on the minimum wage which currently stands at K268, 000 per month was long overdue as employers had been taking advantage of their employees due to weak laws.
“In all sincerity, this move is long overdue. Government should not just pride itself in its ability to attract foreign investment into the country,” he said. “It’s a well known fact that capital without labour cannot produce anything.”
Dr Mutesa said his party was a strong advocate of labour empowerment.
“The empowerment of labour includes paying the workers a living wage, ensuring the highest standards of safety and occupational health and protecting the rights of workers,” he said.
Dr Mutesa said the riot by KCM miners was not an isolated case, as rioting in Zambia had become the main negotiating tool by workers in the collective bargaining process.
“This is happening because of weaknesses in the Industrial relations Act,” said Dr Mutesa. “Government has been talking about reviewing labour laws in this country for a long time and no concrete action has been taken.”
Labels: FRED MUTESA, KCM, ZED
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Munali Nickel delays resumption of underground production
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Wed 18 Nov. 2009, 04:00 CAT
MUNALI Nickel Mine has delayed resumption of underground production after shareholders approved the refinancing deal with Jinchuan Group of China, care and maintenance manager Shaun Vokes said yesterday.
In an interview, Vokes said the mine, which was set to resume output this month would start with underground production next month while the processing plant for nickel was scheduled to start operations in January next year.
Albidon suspended operations at the mine - Zambia's only nickel mine - following a fall in metals prices, which it said had made operations unsustainable.
"The processing plant is going to restart in January while the underground operations recommences in December," Vokes said. "We obviously have to allow the contractor to mobilise the site."
He said the shareholders meeting on October 30 approved the new financing arrangement to deal with the mine's external creditors which allowed the company to be taken over by Jinchuan Group.
"Basically what that meeting did was to approve the financing transaction with Jinchuan," he said.
Vokes said the mine was expected to clinch working capital for final operationalisation.
The mine closed in the first quarter of this year at the height of the global economic recession which depressed the commodity prices.
"By the end of this month, we expect the working capital facility to be reached with one of the commercial banks in China," Vokes said. "It is not yet certain but we are working around US $30 million."
Vokes, however, did not name the Chinese commercial bank expected to provide the crucial financing bridge.
Last September, Barclays Bank Zambia Plc said Jinchuan Group had secured a US $12.6 million facility from the bank for underground mining equipment.
Vokes said the funds would help the re-opening of the mine.
"With this re-financing arrangement for existing underground equipment, we expect the mine to resume operations late October or early November," he said.
Vokes said the Jinchuan Group was now trying to arrange finance for working capital before resuming operations at the mine.
Barclays said the funds would also help Jinchuan to start to manage both its production capacity as well as to meet its financial obligations.
Ore production at Munali in the first two months of 2009 was 74,000 tonnes, below the forecast 87,000 tonnes, mainly due to a lack of equipment and lower grades.
Munali mine, located in southern Zambia, had forecast production of 10,000 tonnes of nickel each year before its shutdown.
Labels: JINCHUAN, MUNALI NICKEL MINE
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ZISC aims to stay atop in insurance business
By Justin Katilungu in Kabwe
Wed 18 Nov. 2009, 04:00 CAT
ZAMBIA State Insurance Corporation (ZISC) managing director for general insurance Gilbert Sikazhwe has said the corporation will endeavour to be a market leader in the insurance industry.
During a Golf tournament reception held at Kabwe Golf Club, Sikazhwe said the re-branding of the corporation into ZISC Limited as the holding company, ZISC Life Limited and ZISC General Insurance Limited as subsidiaries was vital for future business of the group.
In conformity with the amended insurance Act No. 26 of 2005 which made it illegal for any insurance company to transact both life and non-life business, the corporation has been split into a group of companies.
"The birth of these companies encompasses the vision the company has had for many years that of growth and diversification which has led to this phenomenal re-branding exercise," he said.
Sikazhwe said for 40 years, ZISC had stood its undoubted status as Zambia's premier composite insurance company providing all types of insurance for life, general and administration of pension funds.
"We shall therefore endeavour to be market leaders in the insurance business. The strategic focus for the two subsidiary firms in the next three years will be to provide adequate insurance for the rapid growing sectors of the economy," he said.
Sikazhwe singled out the sectors with mega-risks as mining, agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and construction.
In anticipation of the growth, Sikazhwe said the corporation had created higher and broader underwriting capacities internally and externally in conjunction with its reinsurance partners.
He said ZISC would always continue to enhance its products and product delivery to its clients.
Sikazhwe stressed that in its quest to enhance effectiveness and efficiency, the company would continue to tailor products aimed at catering for every unique insurance need in the country.
For Kabwe, he said the corporation had products on offer - according clients a one-stop shop for their various needs such as the farm pack, which provided major types of risks that a farmer needed to protect their assets and human capital.
"ZISC will continue to stretch its presence so that we get a clear understanding of problems that our clients are facing and adequately communicate on the changes taking place in our environment," he said.
With one renewal and one premium, administration costs are reduced enabling ZISC to give out discounted rates depending on the number of sections selected.
Sikazhwe commended royal clients for supporting the insurance company and assured them of improved customer service and product delivery.
Labels: INSURANCE, PARASTATALS, ZISC
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COMMENT -
Geoffrey van Orden is the lying hypocrite who insisted that "there are no economic sanctions against Zimbabwe".
See my comments here and
here, debunking this little lying hypocrite.
EU parliamentarian Brigadier Geoffrey van Orden (retired)
This is a clear attempt at retaliation, not against Zimbabwe, but against those who dare to stand with Zimbabwe.
Could it be any clearer what is going on here? Not only is van Orden a spook (British Army Intelligence,
retired (?) with the rank of Brigadier), he exposes the sabotaging that is going on against Zimbabwe. No longer can they claim that it is 'Mugabe's mismanagement', when they have been caught with their pants down, sabotaging not only Zimbabwe, but anyone who dares to stand with Zimbabwe, in this case Malawi.
The Zimbabwe Vigil has an interesting background.
From their website: Background
During visits in summer 2002, both Roy Bennett, MDC MP and Tony Reeler of the Amani Trust suggested a regular vigil against the illegitimate regime in Zimbabwe as an effective way to raise awareness in the UK to the plight of the Zimbabwean people, and cited the hugely successful pickets outside South Africa House during the time of apartheid. As a result the Central London Branch of the Movement for Democratic Change set up the Zimbabwe Vigil. The Vigil was launched on 12 October 2002 and has been held every Saturday since. We welcome new members.So here you have an anti-Mugabe organisation coming into existence through the suggestion of Roy Benett (Selous Scout), now headed by Brigadier Geoffrey van Orden (British Army Intelligence Corps). The cynicism of using anti-apartheid tactics to see the return of white rule in Zimbabwe cannot be passed up, of course. And make no mistake, there are real dictatorships in Africa, Zimbabwe with it's parliamentary opposition is not one of them. This is regime change in the internet age.
EU petitioned to suspend aid to Malawi over bankrolling Mugabe
By Nyasa Times
Published: November 17, 2009
Malawi has been highlighted in a petition to the EU calling for punitive action against SADC countries over Zimbabwe affairs.
The Zimbabwe Vigil presented the petition to the EU’s Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Karel De Gucht in Brussels this week.
The petition reads: “A Petition to European Union Governments: We record our dismay at the failure of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to help the desperate people of Zimbabwe at their time of trial.
“We urge the UK government and the European Union in general to suspend government to government aid to all 14 SADC countries until they abide by their joint commitment to uphold human rights in the region. We suggest that the money should instead be used to feed the starving in Zimbabwe”.
The petition was handed over by Geoffrey Van Orden, MEP for the East of England, who received it at a ceremony last month to mark the Vigil’s seventh anniversary.
“Our argument is that SADC countries have been derelict in their duty to Zimbabwe. Why should countries which support Mugabe’s tyranny receive money from EU taxpayers?
“Why, for instance, should Malawi get £70 million in balance of payments support this year from the UK alone when its people face starvation because of a reckless loan to Mugabe, which predictably has not been repaid? “ reads the petition.
SADC has ordered urgent talks in Zimbabwe to resolve differences over the Global Political Agreement. But Mugabe has shown what he thinks of this by flying off to Rome with a retinue of 60 locusts to tell the UN World Food Summit how badly Zimbabwe has been treated.
The loan Malawi government gave Zimbabwe has also be blamed to have bee n one major cause of fore shortage in Malawi, the country which is currently experiencing fuel shortage, power blackout on daily basis and water scarcity.
***
Interesting article on the official use (anti-democratic abuse) of civil society organisations to overthrow unfriendly governments, check out:
Zimbabwe and the Power of Propaganda: Ousting a President via Civil Society
By Michael Barker
Global Research, April 16, 2008
Labels: EU, MALAWI, NEOCOLONIALISM, NGOs, ZIMBABWE
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Save yourself embarrassment
By Editor
Tue 17 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT
It is always better to admit when you are wrong. We say this because when one admits that they are wrong, it gives them an opportunity to correct their position. It is not possible for one to be wrong and be right at the same time. Refusing or attempting to conceal one’s wrong can only lead to one ending: embarrassment.
We say this in the light of an attempt to deny or conceal being wrong on the part of Rupiah Banda and his minions. Rupiah made public statements in Chipata and Solwezi about why he refused to appeal against Frederick Chiluba’s acquittal. We are not the only newspaper that carried this story. The state-owned and government-controlled Daily Mail has continued to carry the story. They published on Saturday and repeated their understanding of Rupiah’s statement in their edition of yesterday.
Before anyone accuses us of misquoting them, on Saturday they stated that: “President Banda has revealed that he refused to appeal against the acquittal of former president Chiluba because the lawyers who were prosecuting the matter were merely doing it for business. Mr Banda said US $13 million in taxpayers’ money was spent over a period of seven years in paying lawyers who were prosecuting Dr Chiluba. ‘They alleged that Dr Chiluba had stolen US $500,000 and government spent US $13 million on allowances and costs to prosecute him over a period of seven years. They kept assuring us that he was going to prison but they were doing it purely for business.’”
This line was repeated by the Daily Mail yesterday. According to them, “on Friday, President Banda revealed that he refused to appeal against Dr Chiluba’s acquittal because the lawyers who were prosecuting the matter were merely doing it for business”.
Today we are being accused of distorting Rupiah’s statement. However, the truth is it is not us but Rupiah’s minions, including those controlling the state-owned and government-controlled media, who are distorting facts. Today the nation is being told by these liars that Rupiah didn’t say that the US $13 million was paid to Mutembo Nchito but to many lawyers, especially foreign lawyers.
This is not true. And facts are there to prove that these people are lying. It is a fact that Rupiah said US $13 million of taxpayers’ money was paid to lawyers to prosecute Chiluba for stealing US $500,000. It is a fact that cannot be disputed that Chiluba was only prosecuted by Mutembo Nchito for stealing US $500,000. There is no other lawyer who was prosecuting or who prosecuted Chiluba for stealing US $500,000. Secondly, there is no other lawyer who was prosecuting Chiluba on any other criminal charge other than Mutembo.
It is also a fact that Rupiah gave the payment of US $13 million to the lawyers as a reason for refusing to appeal Chiluba’s acquittal. No one who heard or read what Rupiah said in all the newspapers or listened to him on radio or television can fail to agree with us that this is what Rupiah said. Rupiah was lying and his lie has been exposed not only by ourselves but also by Maxwell Nkole who was chairman of the Task Force. And now Rupiah and his minions know that they have been caught lying yet again, trying to discredit an innocent and honest lawyer – Mutembo.
And now that they know that there is no honest way they can explain away their lie, they have resorted to more lies trying to discredit those who expose them as liars. But how else can these liars explain their complicity in letting Chiluba go scot-free without having to lie, without attempting to discredit innocent and honest people? They can’t do without lies, they can’t live without deceit, manipulation and calumny.
It is clear that Rupiah set out to lie and mislead the people in his attempt to defend the indefensible. This is the problem that needs to be understood. Although Rupiah is an old man who by that reason alone should deserve some respect, he is a liar. And liars have never deserved the respect of anyone anywhere. When we catch him lying and expose him as such, we are accused of insulting him. When a thief is found stealing, what is he supposed to be called? What about a liar when he is found lying, what should he be called? We call Rupiah a liar because he is in the habit of telling lies, he is a habitual liar who tells lies even when there is absolutely no need to do so. Rupiah seems to be a pathological liar.
When he lied about paying the lawyers who were prosecuting Chiluba US $13 million, he must have known he was going to be caught, but he lied anyway. What kind of president is this? What kind of senior citizen is this? What kind of father and grandfather is this? What kind of human being is Rupiah?
Rupiah has more problems than he can probably deal with. He has surrounded himself with minions who will tell him lies to satisfy his ego even when those lies are ridiculous. How else do you explain the attempted justifications in the state media? They published what Rupiah said and yet they want to change our memories two days later. We were not the first to publish Rupiah’s comments on the payments to the prosecutors of Chiluba’s corruption case. It is clear that Rupiah said he did not allow the appeal because the lawyers had been paid US $13 million which could be used to build schools and clinics and it would not be logical for him to pay another US $13 million to the same selfish lawyers who wanted to appeal his acquittal. Who are the same selfish lawyers who were trying to appeal Chiluba’s acquittal who were going to get another US $13 million Rupiah was talking about?
It is clear that Rupiah was talking about Mutembo, hoping that no one would challenge him because the lawyer himself may not be in a position to do so. This is what liars do; they tell lies about people and use those lies to justify their attacks on those innocent people. This is what Rupiah was doing. Rupiah’s minions would have done better to shut up than attempt to rewrite such recent history.
Today, Todd Chilembo – no doubt instructed by George Kunda – is telling the nation that Rupiah meant all the lawyers, both local and foreign. But they forget a very simple fact; Rupiah was very clear. He was not talking about lawyers in the UK or lawyers who prosecuted this or that case. Rupiah was talking about the lawyers who prosecuted Chiluba’s case of US $500,000 theft. And there is only one lawyer in this country and indeed in this whole world who prosecuted Chiluba for stealing US $500,000. And that lawyer is Mutembo.
Rupiah did not stop at just accusing Mutembo of being paid US $13 million; he accused him of lying to him about when Chiluba would be going to prison. Which UK lawyer was prosecuting Chiluba to go to prison? It would be better to just admit that they have been caught lying, or better still just shut up.
Rupiah and his minions know very well that the UK lawyers who were working for the Task Force provided many services to the government. We have reported on these matters and indeed George was Attorney General when these matters were going on. Why do they want to lie and mislead the public? We are aware that the Task Force dealt with the now famous vulture fund case involving a company called Donegal. How much were the lawyers paid for this?
We also know that Chiluba and his tandem of thieves left us the Kwachamania mess where the state was sued for a US $150 million which the Task Force successfully defended. How much were the UK lawyers paid for this?
The UK lawyers also had the civil case against Chiluba and other defendants. They won that case and the state was awarded a judgment of US $55 million against Chiluba.
We know that Rupiah and his minions don’t want to enforce this judgment against Chiluba and recover US $55 million from him for the Zambian people. And this is why they are today bombarding the Zambian people with lies and half-truths of US $13 million of taxpayers’ money being paid to one prosecutor to send Chiluba to prison for stealing US $500,000. These are the same people who were eager to deceive the Zambian people that their government owed Chiluba US $8 million that he had put in the Zamtrop account. Even if this was true, which we know is not, still more a recovery of US $55 million from Chiluba would more than compensate the Zambian people for a loss of US $13 million in fees to lawyers and US $8 million in refund to Chiluba. But we also know, and Rupiah and his minions also know very well, that these legal fees they are talking about were not paid by the Zambian taxpayer alone. Not less than US $10 million of that US $13 million they are talking about came from donors. So what are they talking about? Why do they want to distort facts? Why all these lies and malicious insinuations? It is simply to conceal their iniquities in this whole issue.
We will continue to say that no monetary value can be put on law and order and good governance. This is however not ignoring the fact that in this particular case, in this pursuit of Chiluba and his tandem of thieves, a profit has been made. The government claims to have spent US $13 million but the recoveries are far more than that. In the Chiluba case alone, US $55 million should be recovered if Rupiah and his minions will be fair enough to the Zambian people to enforce the London High Court judgment – which we doubt they will, given their criminal collusion with Chiluba to allow him to go scot-free.
It seems George and his friends would have been happier to pay the Kwachamania syndicate, US $150 million than to pay competent UK lawyers far much less in legal fees. And these are the same people who have been ready to pay RP Capital US $2 million over a very short period, over a few weeks of sightseeing Zamtel – not seven years. Anyway, this is how crooks, liars operate. They are never logical or consistent.
Labels: CHANSA KABWELA, COURTS, RUPIAH BANDA, THE POST
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The Chansa Kabwela case: a comedy of errors
By Professor Muna Ndulo
Tue 17 Nov. 2009, 05:30 CAT
COMMENTARY:In recent times the news from Zambia has been dominated by the events surrounding the prosecution of Chansa Kabwela on charges of distributing obscene materials contrary to section 177(a) of the Zambian Penal Code.
The fact that it has even proceeded this far in the court is a sad commentary and a literal comedy of errors. That it is currently before the courts is a result of errors of judgment on the part of the President and the police.
The situation is exacerbated by the failure to stop the prosecution on the part of the Director of Public Prosecutions. No other case has damaged Zambia’s image and standing as a tolerant and democratic country in the world than the Chansa Kabwela case.
The case has been widely reported in the international media and the prosecution has been condemned by just about every credible human rights and media organisation around the globe.
This case, more than anything else, demonstrates the hegemonic position occupied by the presidency in African politics and the weakness of state institutions that are supposed to provide checks and balances to the presidency.
In this saga, three institutions have failed the Zambian people. “Let's go hand in hand, not one before another”, Shakespeare writes in the Comedy of Errors and that is exactly what has happened in this frivolous process.
First, the presidency for failing to exercise self restraint and observe the limitations imposed on the presidency by constitutionalism.
Second, the police for failure to act as an independent professional force and third, the Director of Public Prosecution for failing to rise to the occasion and use his constitutional powers to stop the prosecution and thereby serve the best interest of the state.
Since 1857 when the first obscenity laws were passed in the UK, the classic definition of criminal obscenity has always been” if it tends to deprave and corrupt morals ” stated in 1868 by John Coleridge.
Perhaps the most celebrated case ever brought under the obscene publications Act in the UK was the 1960 prosecution of Penguin books for the posthumous publication of D.H. Lawrence book Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
The jury acquitted Penguin of all charges. It was established in that case that the objective of obscenity legislation is the protection of morals. In the United States, the concept of obscenity has been used to draw the line between prohibited and permitted sexual representations.
In Roth v US (1957) Justice William Brennan of the US Supreme Court held that obscenity is unprotected because it is “utterly without redeeming social importance.
Brennan confined obscenity to “material which deals with sex in a manner appealing to prurient interest.” He defined prurient interest as either “having a tendency to excite lustful thoughts “or as a “shameful and morbid interest in sex”.
He then promulgated the following test of obscenity: “whether to the average person, applying contemporary community standards, the dominant theme of the material taken as a whole appeals to the prurient interest.”
In Miller V. California (1973) the US supreme court ruled that “material is obscene if its predominant theme is prurient according to the sensibilities of an average person of the community, it depicts sexual conduct in a patently offensive way; and taken as a whole it lacks serious literary, artistic, political , or scientific value.”
The average person in Zambia, while no doubt being shocked and disgusted by the picture, would not regard the publication of pictures of a woman giving birth in order to expose the plight of ordinary people during a national strike by medical personnel as being prurient and having the effect or as intended to deprave and corrupt morals.
Instead, the pictures should lead to outrage and anger at those who were not making maximum efforts to end the strike.
The context and manner in which they were distributed leaves no doubt in one’s mind that the pictures were intended to make those in authority realise the serious impact of the medical strike and to bring about action to end the strike.
No doubt other situations could have been used but the choice of a maternity case was probably intended to touch the humanity in all of us and clearly succeeded in that objective.
As Shakespeare writes in the Comedy or Errors, “Every why hath a wherefore” (2.2.45). The wherefore was to show the horrible impact of the medical strike which justifies the why.
The source of the materials distributed eliminates any concerns relating to privacy issues and that would be for the woman in the picture to prosecute.
Pictures of a woman giving birth no doubt are inappropriate and the sight should make many cringe but cannot be erotic and do not deal with sex at all.
No doubt they are contrary to African tradition but that is not the test for obscenity and that is not what the obscene offences Act is designed to deal with.
The obscene offences Act when it comes to pictures is designed to deal with erotic pictures and their potential to corrupt the morals of those who view them. This case, more than anything else, illustrates poor governance and lack of independence on the institutions involved in the case-the police and the prosecution agencies.
It also illustrates the dominance of the Presidency over all other institutions. The President erred in getting involved in a matter that is clearly non-presidential.
If he felt that there might have been a criminal violation in the distribution of the pictures, his action should have ended at referring the matter to the police.
He was wrong to more or less direct the police to act. In a system that operates on patronage such as the Zambian system for a President to say “I hope those responsible for the law of this country will pursue this matter” amounts to a directive to officials whose survival depends on blind loyalty to do as he wishes.
Investigative and police wings of the government must be left to function professionally and independently.
Once the President made the mistake of issuing a directive to the police, the Inspector General of the Police compounded the situation by ethusistically carrying out the directive.
The police action shows lack of professionalism and independence. The Inspector General of Police should further realise that he is not a police man on the beat.
Where the head of the command is involved in issuing orders of arrest one begins to wonder as to who is doing the planning.
The tendency for the Inspector General to micro manage the police force as is evidenced by his recent instruction for the arrest of Kasama police officer who let a woman give birth in a cell regardless of whether an offence was committed or not will lead to an inefficient and ineffective police force.
Once the presidency and the police had erred in their handling of this case, it was then left to the Director of Public Prosecutions to step in and redeem the situation. In Zambia, the powers to conduct and supervise prosecutions of criminal proceedings are vested in the constitutional office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
He or she has power to discontinue, at any stage before judgment is delivered any criminal proceedings instituted or undertaken by himself or any other authority (Article 56). These powers are vested in him to the exclusion of any other person or authority.
I cannot think of a more compelling case than the Chansa Kabwela case for the excise of the Director of Public Prosecution’s power to discontinue a prosecution.
The case is not supported by the definition of obscenity, the distribution of the pictures was limited to a small section of leaders; and its objective was not to corrupt morals but to draw attention to the appalling conditions in the hospitals.
Ms. Chansa Kabwela explained that the photos were tearfully brought to the newspaper by the husband of the woman in the pictures in the hope that their publication might avert more tragedies.
Many of us disagree on the approach Chansa Kabwela adopted which might very well have been influenced by her frustration in dealing with the situation, but no one can doubt that any effort to end a strike which had caused so much suffering was a noble cause.
Besides, Chansa Kabwela, in a letter to the NGO Organisations acknowledge that in future she might do things differently.
In these circumstances, entry of a “nolle proseque” will be in the best interests of the country.
I am not advocating this approach because I am worried about Chansa Kabwela being convicted.
Not at all. I, like many others, have confidence in the men and women who run our courts and their ability to administer justice and interpret the law correctly.
The Kabwela saga should be brought to a rapid resolution in order to end the unnecessary depletion of resources, bring an end to the tarnishing of Zambia’s name abroad, and end the pain felt by Zambians as they endure this unnecessary court process.
Note:Muna Ndulo is Professor of Law at the Cornell Law School and Director of the Institute for African Development in the University.
Labels: CHANSA KABWELA, COURTS, THE POST
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Sata advises miners to fight for better conditions of service
By George Chellah
Tue 17 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT
PATRIOTIC Front (PF) leader Michael Sata (above) yesterday urged miners to fight for better conditions of service from President Rupiah Banda’s administration.
Commenting on the protracted differences between the Mineworkers Union of Zambia (MUZ) and President Banda, Sata said if miners just sat, nothing would happen.
“Improving the conditions of service for miners will be a pipedream as long as Rupiah Banda is in power. The MMD is benefiting more from these investors and the Chinese,” Sata said.
“Miners have to fight like a two months old baby if they have to get something from Rupiah Banda’s government. When a two months old baby cries, parents will have to jump like a sardine in a saucepan to attend to the child.”
He said there was no way investors could respect Zambians because the government was the worst employer.
“The government is the worst employer. How can the so-called investors respect us? The so-called investors are funding the MMD elections,” he said.
Sata said as long as President Banda was in office, the people should not expect any improvements in their conditions of service.
“Rupiah awarded himself hefty conditions when he came in power,” he said.
He complained that Statutory Instrument number 39 was very discriminatory where certain people have been awarded better conditions.
Sata also said even the foreign service was full of cadres.
“The foreign service is supposed to be for career diplomats or civil servants but the whole foreign service is full of cadres,” he said.
He called for the abolition of the Public Service Commission and the diplomatic school.
On Monday, Nchanga member of parliament Wylbur Simuusa called on Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) to appreciate workers' efforts by paying them reasonably.
Simuusa said KCM should pass on the benefits the government gave them to the miners.
He said KCM and other mining companies had taken miners for granted.
“My heart bleeds to see that the situation in the mining sector has deteriorated despite my several pleas to this government. I've always said that this government has made all mining companies disrespect Zambia's human capital by allowing these mining companies to abuse their workers,” Simuusa said.
“This government has given a lot of incentives to the mining sector, one of them the abolition of the windfall tax on the mines. Now, we all know that copper prices have soared at the London Metal Exchange. This is a boost to the mining companies which should pass on the same benefits to employees by giving them reasonable wages.”
Simuusa said mining companies had no excuse for them to continue giving their workers slave wages.
Last week, MUZ secretary general Oswell Munyenyembe said President Banda had failed to inspire miners during his one year in office.
However, President Banda's special assistant for press and public relations Dickson Jere condemned Munyenyembe, saying the government had done a lot to revive the country's mining sector.
But MUZ reiterated Munyenyembe's statement and added that it was a true reflection of the union's position on the challenges faced by miners in the country.
Labels: KCM, MINERS, MUZ, SATA, WYLBUR SIMUUSA
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Banda is implying that Levy was hateful, irresponsible – Mpombo
By Patson Chilemba
Tue 17 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT
FORMER defence minister George Mpombo has charged that President Rupiah Banda's recent statements on the dissolved Task Force on Corruption are implying that late president Levy Mwanawasa was hateful and irresponsible.
Commenting on President Banda's statement that he refused to appeal against former president Frederick Chiluba's acquittal on corruption charges because the lawyers at the dissolved Task Force on Corruption were selfish people who wanted to make business out of politics, Mpombo said what President Banda was implying was that president Mwanawasa was irresponsible and hateful when he set up the Task Force.
“We want to ask President Banda, why is he fighting a man who is not fighting him, the late president Mwanawasa, the man who is laying peacefully in the grave?” Mpombo asked.
“You know the issues of the disbandment of the Task Force, the comments by the President and his colleagues are both morally and politically unjustifiable because the picture they are trying to paint is that president Mwanawasa was irresponsible in his activities, hateful and wasteful in the performance of the national Task Force. You know these divisive tactics are counter-productive and they have got the capacity to divide the nation.”
Mpombo also asked Vice-President George Kunda to come out clearly in the open because he was one of the pioneers in the formation of the Task Force. He said it was sad that Vice-President Kunda had remained cowardly silent when president Mwanawasa was being insulted by President Banda.
Last week, President Banda claimed that the dissolved Task Force lawyers were paid US $13 million to prosecute Chiluba and yet they were prosecuting him for theft of US $500,000.
This was followed by another statement in Solwezi where President Banda said he refused to appeal against Chiluba's acquittal because lawyers at the dissolved Task Force are selfish people who wanted to make business out of politics.
On the MMD national convention, Mpombo said President Banda's recent statement that he would follow the constitution over the convention was vague and misleading. He challenged President Banda to come out clearly and say when the convention would be held.
Labels: GEORGE MPOMBO, MWANAWASA, RUPIAH BANDA
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Irrigation scheme pays dividends
By Obert Chifamba
WITH more than 90 percent of plot holders at Dotito Irrigation Scheme earning an
average monthly income of between US$200 and US$300 from the sale of their vegetables and other horticulture products, the relevance of formal employment is fast diminishing in the eyes of most Ward 9 residents.
Dotito Irrigation Scheme is among numerous projects that Vice President Joice Mujuru has been instrumental in forming in Mashonaland Central Province and has 93 households who have half-a-hectare each of irrigated land.
Irrigation water is drawn from the nearby Dotito Dam while the irrigation equipment was all sourced by the VP with the aim of improving the socio-economic realities of the people in her constituency.
"The establishment of the scheme was also borne out of the need to atone for the province’s failure to provide adequate land for the resettlement programme, which was implemented to economically empower the people, help resuscitate industry and re-build the economy," Senator for Mt Darwin South, North and West constituencies, Alice Chimbudzi said.
Senator Chimbudzi also indicated that VP Mujuru had secured two tractors, ploughs, disc harrows, generators and reappers and she also linked them with a company called Exhort, which deals with fresh horticulture produce.
Besides securing markets for the farmers, VP Mujuru also took some of the participants on an exchange visit to Chimanimani in Manicaland Province where similar horticulture projects are in operation. The farmers produce fine beans, potatoes, baby corn, baby marrow and gooseberries to name just a few.
It is also within VP Mujuru’s long term plans to construct a grading shed and install refrigeration equipment like cold rooms and pack rooms for the safe storage of the produce before farmers can send it to the markets, Senator Chimbudzi added.
The establishment of the scheme has had widespread ripple effects on the immediate community with enterprising producers engaging other less privileged members of society and paying them either in cash or kind.
The scheme has turned out to be a major source of income and employment for many families in Dotito while the issue of perennial food shortages has also suffered a silent and sudden death.
"We can now afford to have two meals a day, adequately provide for our families and even extend a helping hand to others who are not part of the scheme by employing them," a member of the project, Nyasha Mutyambizi said.
Idleness among the youths has also been reduced to a minimum as many now commit most of their time to tending their crops, seeking markets and holding fruitful farming discussions and experts and farmers alike.
Mutyambizi is one of the producers who have enjoyed a fairy tale run in their operations and have significantly changed their lifestyles for the better. Some have even managed to buy cattle and boast of being among the first to adopt the use of the multiple currencies courtesy of their trading partner, Exhort.
Initially, the farmers received input handouts, as they did not have adequate capital to buy from their own savings but most of them are now managing to spare enough from their sales to secure inputs.
Sadly, they have since parted ways with Exhort after a series of misunderstandings over alleged poor produce prices offered by the company. This development could have spelt doom for the farmers, the majority of whom do not know much about the marketing and exporting of horticultural produce had it not been for the timely arrival of Trans Zambezi Industries to replace Exhort.
The arrival of TZI saw almost all of the farmers, even those who had remained loyal to Exhort sever ties with their first trading partner and switch to TZI, who are offering better prices.
A host of other operational and logistical problems have since checked the impetus of the farmers. Just recently, the main pipe that draws water from the dam was vandalised leaving them unable to irrigate their crops for they needed to hire divers to do the repair works under the water, which proved very costly and beyond their means.
Once again the farmers turned to VP Mujuru for help and the problem was subsequently rectified giving them the leeway to resume operations.
But the struggle is not over yet. The irrigation pipes are grossly inadequate as each farmer may sometimes endure waiting for more than 12 days before her turn to have the pipes.
"Rotational irrigation tends to frustrate the farmers as they need to produce crops within very short periods of time and sell to generate income for the purchase of more inputs and fund the production of fresh crops," said Garikai Chipunza.
He is a resident technician with the Department of Irrigation in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development tasked with assisting the farmers in the general management and use of irrigation facilities.
Just like Agritex, his department has decided to have a resident extension agent on the site to give the farmers technical advice.
The majority of the farmers come from a smallholder and communal background and grew traditional food crops like maize and groundnuts only.
Their romance with delicate horticulture cash crops is still fragile and therefore calls for lots of technical guidance to meet the quality standards that both local and international consumers demand, Chipunza explained.
He said at the moment farmers have had to make do with 270 pipes and 150 sprinklers since the establishment of the scheme in 2007, a situation that could be improved if the number of pipes could be raised to 800. At the moment each farmer is allocated eight hours of irrigation time before passing on the pipes to the next.
The shortage of pipes aside, the project has been grappling with very high electricity bills, which until recently had been seesawing in the region of US$800 or more per month. The figures only dropped to below US$200 last month. And this has given the farmers a ray of hope, as they can easily pool resources and settle the bills without fears of any losses.
And the next thing the farmers want to see happening to their project is to have a fence erected right round to protect crops from marauding livestock. Of course some have already started erecting fences to protect their source of livelihood.
"The cost of 800 metres of barbed wire rolled into a bundle is currently in the region of USD130 or more, which makes it a bit difficult for us to mobilise funds for the purchase of adequate fence to secure the entire project," one of the beneficiaries said.
Of course the farmers may find it hard to go it alone but the redeeming reality is that most of them are on the verge of becoming self-reliant.
They can adequately feed and provide for their families. Their economic reality has vastly improved, thanks to the altruism of the VP.
Labels: AGRICULTURE, DOTITO IRRIGATION SCHEME, IRRIGATION, JOICE MUJURU
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Mujuru, Nkomo land VP posts
By Lloyd Gumbo
ZANU-PF national chairman Cde John Nkomo has all but wrapped the Vice-Presidency after winning support from six provinces that nominated him as the ideal candidate to fill the post that fell vacant following the death of fearless founding nationalist, Vice President Joseph Msika, in August.
Bulawayo, Mashonaland Central, Manicaland, Masvi-ngo, Matabeleland South and North have already confirmed Cde Nkomo despite the latter submitting two nominations for the post.
This means the two posts of Vice-President are all but secured after VP Mujuru received the endorsement of eight provinces apart from Masvingo, which nominated Cde Oppah Muchinguri, and Midlands, which was still to nominate candidates.
In an interview yesterday, Zanu-PF secretary for administration Cde Didymus Mutasa said the nominations had gone well and in line with party procedures.
He, however, said the Midlands Province — which did not sit for the nominations last week — had not officially communicated to him their position and thus he expected nominations from all provinces by the end of this week as outlined in the guidelines.
A senior party official in Matabeleland North who spoke on condition of anonymity said the province had nominated two candidates for each post — VP and chairman — because some cadres refused to go for a vote to nominate the two candidates only and decided to submit all the four names.
Attention has now been turned to the chairmanship race where a fierce tussle is now expected among senior party cadres — Cdes Mutasa, Simon Khaya Moyo, Obert Mpofu and Kembo Mohadi.
However, a political analyst yesterday argued that the real race was between Cde Mutasa and Cde Khaya Moyo with the former counting on yet to nominate provinces.
He lamented failure by other provinces to nominate candidates for the VP and national chairman posts, saying this was tantamount to "match-fixing" as their choices would be influenced by other provinces.
He argued that the rule was that all provinces should nominate at the same time to avoid cases of undue influence from other provinces as their choices were to be autonomous.
"The real battle is between Cde Mutasa and Cde Khaya Moyo without taking anything away from the other cadres.
"To me, these are the comrades who are contending for the post seriously. However, concern is around the failure by other provinces to nominate candidates to fill such posts as VP and chairman.
"Cde Mutasa will obviously be counting on yet to nominate provinces, especially Harare, Mash East and West and Midlands, because information on the ground is that these provinces are supporting him, while Cde Khaya Moyo will keep his fingers crossed for Masvingo and Mat North to change their minds."
In separate interviews, Cde Amos Midzi (Harare) and Cde Ignatius Chombo (Mashonaland West) said they were awaiting Matabeleland region to advise them on their nominations.
Cde Midzi — who is the Zanu-PF provincial chairman for Harare — said they deferred their nominations for the two posts to allow Matabeleland region to nominate as per party guidelines.
"We are still waiting for official communication from our colleagues on what position to take. Matabeleland hasn’t officially communicated their position, so we will wait.
"We don’t rely on unofficial information which comes through newspapers. The party has structures of communication," Cde Midzi said.
Cde Chombo, who is the party’s provincial secretary for lands in Mashonaland West, said they were also awaiting indications from Matabeleland region before carrying out their own verifications.
He was, however, confident that they would be able to meet Saturday’s deadline when the nominations would be submitted to the party’s secretary for administration.
"Nothing has been officially communicated from Matabeleland as of now on whom they have nominated for the two posts.
"However, we are confident that we will complete the process within the time stipulated by the secretary for administration," Cde Chombo said.
Nominations for the Presidium and Central Committee members began on Saturday and full lists are expected on Saturday when the secretary for administration receives them from the provinces.
Labels: JOICE MUJURU
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‘Govt won’t backtrack on empowerment drive’
Business Reporter
INDIGENISATION of the economy should not be mistaken for expropriation and the Government will proceed with the process while taking into consideration the thrust of empowering the majority of Zimbabweans, a Cabinet minister has said.
Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment Minister, Saviour Kasukuwere at the weekend said while there were some misconceptions regarding the application of the country’s indigenisation laws, the Government would not back down on the empowerment drive.
"We have no apologies to make and we are proceeding to make sure that the economy of this country is put in the hands of the majority blacks. It is Government’s desire to change the landscape of this country and the majority should be involved in this development.
"We are being very reasonable and yes, some mistakes were made during land reform and we do not want to repeat that. We must empower our own people first and then we can look at outsiders," Minister Kasukuwere said.
Minister Kasukuwere was speaking at a fund raising function for the construction of a US$24 million Territorial Convention Centre for the Salvation Army in Waterfalls.
He said existing opportunities and many other openings in the economy should be made available to Zimbabweans to change their fortunes.
The minister said people had the prerogative to take it upon themselves to create wealth as there numerous opportunities available waiting to be exploited.
"This country is filled with opportunities. We have rivers flowing with gold and we have vast mineral resources and if you work hard, you can make money," he told hundreds of worshippers at the site of the proposed development which will be funded using local resources.
The subject of indigenisation has caused some consternation in some circles with many mistaking it for nationalisation of foreign owned companies instead of compliance with the country’s indigenisation laws. The Government has maintained that in terms of the indigenisation laws, at least 51 percent of the ownership of companies should be in the hands of locals.
Minister Kasukuwere donated 60 tonnes of cement to kick-start the project, while local businessman Mr Philip Chiyangwa offered the church a house valued US$150 000 to be raffled and raise money for the construction.
Labels: BEE, CEMENT
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CBZ seals fertilizer, maize seed deal
Business Reporter
CBZ Bank Limited has struck a multi-million dollar deal with the Zimbabwe Fertilizer Company, Windmill and Seed Co for the production and supply of fertilizer and maize seed to the Grain Marketing Board.
The chairman of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Industry and Commerce Mr William Mutomba told Herald Business that CBZ Bank has pledged to fund production of 25 000 tonnes of fertilizer by ZFC and Windmill and 4 000 tonnes of seed maize by Seed Co.
ZFC and Windmill would shortly supply 12 500 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate as well as 12 500 tonnes of Compound D to GMB.
The fertilizer and maize seed to be supplied to GMB would exclude what the firms had been producing and supplying to the market.
The firms have been struggling to produce enough farming inputs to meet demand ahead of the summer cropping season due to lack of lines of credit worsened by liquidity problems in the economy.
However, Mr Mutomba said the three companies assured the Parliamentary Committee on Industry and Commerce that after the cash injection from CBZ Bank they would briefly raise capacity to optimal levels. The value of the deal could however not be established yesterday.
The committee visited the companies last week on concerns about the proliferation of fake fertilizer on the market and prohibitive prices of maize seed.
Fears were that the prevailing situation regarding price and availability of inputs could affect preparations for the next agricultural season.
"As you know, industry is the brain child of agriculture and reports were that nothing is happening at these companies, which support agriculture. Some of the said issues are however now historical, but others like liquidity still remain," said Mr Mutomba.
Following the deal with CBZ the three companies — ZFC, Windmill and Seed Co would supply the agreed quantities of fertilizer and seed maize to the Grain Marketing Board in the next three weeks.
Concerns about maize seed followed reports that farmers were falling victim to syndicates involving even big companies that sold fake maize seed, branded and packaged as the real product.
Police recently impounded over six tonnes of fake maize seed in Harare, which has since been linked to some big companies.
Companies that produce key farming inputs have reportedly indicated that they were facing problems accessing lines of credit from local banks to finance their working capital requirements.
Local banks have, since the advent of the multicurrency system, been stringent in terms of lending to agriculture and industry.
This has been largely due to the tight liquidity crunch rocking the entire economy, which has been worsened by the global financial recession, which severely hit developed economies.
Labels: CBZ BANK LTD, FERTILIZER, MAIZE
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Municipal police abusing powers
EDITOR — Allow me to highlight my own experiences over the excesses of the Harare Municipal Police.
On October 14, I was on my way to work and a workmate who had missed the staff bus waved me down. I was driving in the outer lane and stopped for him at a designated bus stop which I was later informed was only meant for staff buses (even though there is no information to that effect). In the car with me was my daughter who was running late for school.
Immediately after stopping, a municipal police officer forced his way onto the front seat of my car squashing my daughter. He did not even identify himself and demanded my car keys accusing me of stopping to unlawfully pick up passengers for profit.
I tried to explain that I had stopped for a workmate and the other passenger was my daughter, but to no avail (even after producing IDs).
I then decided to give my daughter US$1 for transport since it was obvious that I was going to be delayed and for municipal cop that was evidence that I was refunding the fare.
To cut a long story short, I was then given an option to drive to Trafalgar Court or to wait for the Wrecker. I opted for the former and was made to pay a fine of US$65 (receipt number 0780023952).
However, because I insisted on my innocence and wanted to go to court they altered the penalty to obstruction of traffic on a designated bus stop.
If left unchecked, these municipal cops can really turn into a monstrous force. I urge the responsible authorities to give the officers’ basic training in law enforcement and public relations.
C. Musarurwa.
Harare.
Labels: POLICE BRUTALITY, POLICE CORRUPTION
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COMMENT - A cop commits a crime, and a week later he is in court on murder charges. Let the MDC try and spin that. Down with police brutality and torture.
Mbare clashes: Municipal cop faces murder charges
Court Reporter
A municipal police officer who allegedly killed a vendor at Chishawasha Grounds in Mbare last week on Monday has appeared in court facing murder charges.
Anos Zharare (25) was not asked to plead to the charges when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Archie Wochiunga.
The magistrate remanded him in custody to November 30 this year and advised him to apply for bail at the High Court. Outlining the State’s case, prosecutor Mrs Phillis Zvekare told the court that on November 9 this year at Chishawasha Grounds in Mbare, Zharare was on duty as a municipal policeman dressed in civilian clothes.
He was patrolling the area with other officers as part of the Harare City Council’s blitz on vendors and touts.
They were tasked by Sergeant Gangaidze to arrest vendors along their way to Mupedzanhamo Flea Market where they intended to arrest other people engaging in activities contrary to the city’s by-laws.
It is alleged they tried to arrest vendors who fled from them in different directions.
Zharare allegedly singled out and chased Godfrey Tonde who was running towards a football ground and when he got closer to him he tripped him with his leg.
Tonde, it is alleged, flew into the air and dropped headfirst to the ground and lay motionless.
His fellow vendors and touts took the body to the municipal offices in Mbare and dumped it there.
Police then ferried the body to Harare Hospital and later arrested Zharare after a tip-off from members of the public.
Labels: POLICE BRUTALITY
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'Africa must think big to thrive'
By BBC
Mon 16 Nov. 2009, 14:30 CAT
Many African states are too small to continue to exist independently, Sudan-born magnate Mo Ibrahim has told a conference in Tanzania.
Ibrahim said the idea that 53 small African countries thought they could compete with China, India, Europe and the US was a "fallacy".
Trade within Africa accounts for just 4-5 per cent of the continent's international trade, something that is "not viable".
The tycoon said Africa "needs scale" to compete with the big economic players.
"We need scale and we need that now - not tomorrow, the next year or the year after."
The BBC's Peter Greste in Nairobi says Ibrahim was referring to economic integration rather than political unification.
Speaking to an audience that included Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, Ibrahim said Africans were poor, hungry and going without.
"Something is drastically wrong. I think we have the right to ask our leaders: are they really serious?" he said.
Ibrahim surprised African leaders last month when the $5m (£2.9m) Ibrahim prize for good governance was withheld.
The prize is given to a democratically elected leader from sub-Saharan Africa who has served their term and left office.
South Africa's Thabo Mbeki and Ghana's John Kufuor had been among the favourites.
Fact File
MO IBRAHIM
Sudan-born mobile phone entrepreneur
Moved to UK in 1974 to study
By 1983, director of BT Cellnet
Founded Mobile Systems International, which he sold to Marconi in 2000
Then set up Celtel, used by 25m Africans
2007: Started African leadership prize
2008: Named UK's most influential black person
Labels: MO IBRAHIM, REGIONAL INTEGRATION
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Appeal against ruling, Post challenges President Banda
By Mwala Kalaluka
Mon 16 Nov. 2009, 16:30 CAT
LUSAKA chief resident magistrate Charles Kafunda has acquitted Post news editor Chansa Kabwela of the case in which she was charged with circulating obscene materials or things contrary to the law.
And Post editor-in-chief Fred M’membe has challenged President Rupiah Banda to appeal magistrate Kafunda’s acquittal of Kabwela all the way up to the Supreme Court.
This is in a case where Kabwela was charged with one count of circulating two pictures of a woman in ‘labour’ contrary to section 177 1 (b) of the Penal Code chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia.
Particulars of the offence were that Kabwela allegedly circulated the pictures between June 1 and 10, 2009 in Lusaka and the prosecution premised their case on the notion that the images tended to corrupt morals.
Delivering ruling in a parked courtroom at around 14:00 hours today (November 16, 2009) magistrate Kafunda said the photographs in question were actually meant to address matters of national interest in the health sector.
Magistrate Kafunda said there were two ingredients that had to be considered in determining whether Kabwela could be placed on her defence or not.
Magistrate Kafunda said for the offence at hand to be made out it was necessary to establish whether Kabwela did circulate the photographs and also that they corrupted the morals of the people they were exposed to.
Magistrate Kafunda said it was not in dispute that Kabwela circulated the photographs.
“Therefore, I do not wish to belabour the issue of circulation, which in my view is a settled matter and has not been contested by the defence,” he said.
He said the photographs were circulated and exposed to PWI, PW3, PW5, PW6 and PW10.
But he said in determining whether there had been any prima facie case made against Kabwela, the second and last ingredient of whether they tended to corrupt the morals of those the photographs were exposed to had to be considered.
Magistrate Kafunda said he had recourse to look at the photographs themselves and what they portrayed and this was further buttressed by some of the prosecution.
He said one of the pictures showed a woman in labour with a ‘dead’ child coming legs first.
“From the photographs, the mother’s vagina is visible,” magistrate Kafunda said.
Magistrate Kafunda said according to the witnesses they were shocked and angered by the pictures because to them the process of giving birth was a sacred one according to the Zambian culture.
Magistrate Kafunda said according to the prosecution witnesses the public nature in which the photographs were circulated were in violation of the local customs and an affront to the women’s standing.
Magistrate Kafunda said according to one of the female witnesses, Nawina Hagwagwa she was shocked by the pictures to the extent that she retorted that ‘ki mitolo’, which means taboo in Silozi.
He noted that according to some of the prosecution witnesses the violation of customs in Zambia was a corruption of morals and so was the demeaning of women.
“Every society, including Zambia, has its own tenets of customs that guide what is wrong and what is right,” magistrate Kafunda said.
But magistrate Kafunda said it does not follow however, that conduct that may depart from such morals may be obscene.
He agreed that the test of obscenity went beyond such considerations in that that alleged to be obscene must tend to corrupt morals.
“I have had recourse to the photographs in question, I do sympathise with the witnesses as to the effect the photographs generated in them but unfortunately that in itself does not amount to corruption of morals,” magistrate Kafunda said. “I saw no evidence whatsoever…”
Magistrate Kafunda said having considered the evidence he had found that the prosecution had failed to prove the obscenity and corruption of morals ingredient.
He said against the above background it would be prejudicial for the court to place Kabwela on her defence.
“This trial must therefore terminate,” magistrate Kafunda said.
He said this was so because no case had been made out against Kabwela by the prosecution and that he was therefore accordingly acquitting Kabwela and dismissing the case against her under Section 206 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).
“The state has right to appeal,” said magistrate Kafunda.
Following the court’s pronouncement the audience, who included family members, media workers, members of the public, politicians and activists filed out of the courtroom in a celebratory mood.
One of Kabwela’s lawyers, Remmy Mainza, told journalists outside the courtroom that it was clear from the onset that the case was not one that should have seen the inside of the courtroom.
“I do not know the motive of the prosecution,” he said. “The law was on our side. I was confident and that is why we put up a good fight based on the fact that the law was on our side.”
Mainza said the prosecution did put up a good fight only that the facts were against them.
In a post-ruling interview, Kabwela said the outcome of the case was not for herself or for the Post but for the poor woman who was in the ‘labour’ pictures and for those other people that suffered during the health workers’ strike.
“I have been vindicated. I have always said that whatever I did was purely out of good will on behalf of the Post,” Kabwela said.
“I think I can’t find the right words to use at the moment. I am happy that the court has vindicated me. Whatever I did on behalf of the newspaper was not in anyway meant to discredit anyone.
The letter to the Vice-President (George Kunda) was very clear. I was merely trying to bring to attention the situation in the hospitals.”
Kabwela said the fact that some people had interpreted her decision as a circulation of pornography was something she would live with because she could not understand such perceptions arising from a sad picture.
Kabwela said the Post newspaper and herself were able to face the case following the immense support they got from the members of the public.
And M’membe challenged President Banda to appeal his ‘pornography’ case all the way to the Supreme Court.
“There are so many things to say about that acquittal of Chansa. This was a case started by President Banda against us. He publicly accused us of pornography and called us all sorts of names. He insulted us of being sick, morbid and peculiar,” M’membe said in an interview.”
“Everyone can remember how charged President Banda was about this issue and instructed the police to arrest and prosecute us. Our innocence has been proved. Mr. Banda’s allegations against us could not even go beyond case to answer.”
“We challenge him to appeal magistrate Kafunda’s ruling. We won’t ask for what he dif with his friend Frederick Chiluba. We do not fear an appeal like them. So we urge them to appeal all the way up to the Supreme Court. As I said there is a lot to say and we will say it at length in the coming days.”
During a press briefing at State House President Banda made some comments on the ‘labour’ pictures and below is a verbatim.
Question: Good morning Your Excellency, my name is Costa Mwansa from MUVI-TV. In your address Sir you did mention that you have the powers to appoint and relieve people of their duties without the consent of either people from the opposition or even students.
My question is on the fact that you were presented with the Dennis Chirwa tribunal report of which the nation did expect you to comment on the findings but there were concerns that you kept rather silent on the tribunal findings and were very quick to reappoint Honourable Dora Siliya as Minister of Education in very short period of time after the case was quashed by the High Court.
President Banda: (after talking about the Dennis Chirwa led tribunal) … I like your question because perhaps this will help me to explain that she (Dora Siliya) was at ZIBAC not for the pleasure of sitting next to me which she didn't. There were many witnesses.
It was like we have got many diplomats who were there with us from all over the world, from all the countries that are accredited to Zambia.
They know that Dora Siliya was sitting at the back and you know I’m so big so I don't turn around I didn't even have the pleasure of looking at her. I saw her in the paper sitting next to me, this manipulation, this is lies, everybody knows that The Post lied.
Dora Siliya did not sit behind me...next to me. Next to me was sitting Honourable minister Mutati, minister of commerce, on my left was sitting Dr Mwanza and the other day was sitting the treasury...the deputy secretary to Cabinet Evans Chibiliti.
At no time did Dora Siliya sit next to me. In any case what's wrong with Dora Siliya sitting next to me? What are you trying to imply?
Just because you are morbid and peculiar you sent photographers to go and take pictures of your mother naked, shame on you!
And I hope that there are laws in this country to stop the young men from taking pornography. I hope those responsible for the law of this country will pursue this matter.
Shame on you photographer who took the pictures of our mothers naked. I couldn't look at it, when I looked at it I threw it away and you wanted to be sending it round...it means that you are sick yourself and don't pretend to be worried about the people in the hospital.
You are the same people who are saying the nurses should continue to go on strike, the doctors. Who is going to look after our sick? This is not fair for us to be subjected to trash and call it journalism.
Wamene uyo mwana...(that same child) who took that picture of the mother I wish him good luck! You cannot go and take pictures of a woman who is my mother, all of us are from women, and send it round without shame.
How do you think? I would be ashamed to show it even to another person.
At this point President Banda's press aid Dickson Jere interjected.
Thank you, Your Excellency...
President Banda: Don't stop me I want this to stop. In this country that's why I agree with the mothers whoever has come to introduce into our country journalism of showing naked pictures of mothers and children is a sick person and he should be watched and arrested if caught up with this. This is something unacceptable.
Jere: I think most of you may not know the background where the President is talking about...it's that one newspaper has been distributing these pictures to different organisations showing our mothers giving birth at UTH.
And some of the pictures have been sent to us and I think your guess is as good as mine, which that newspaper is. I will take more questions.
Labels: CHANSA KABWELA, CHARLES KAFUNDA, COURTS, RUPIAH BANDA, THE POST
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Expatriates’ conditions
By John Kane
Mon 16 Nov. 2009, 04:00 CAT
I don’t support people who resort to riots. However, what transpired in Chingola where KCM employees rioted and destroyed machinery worth millions of kwacha should be a wake-up call to the legislators of this country.
I say this because if we had a law governing the way expatriates are paid compared to Zambian employees, particularly in the mines, it would help to minimise similar conflicts happening in the near future.
KCM employees complained that some Indian employees are paid $6000 while a Zambian is paid $500 for the same job done. In addition, these Indians have free accommodation while a Zambian miner has to pay rentals through the nose! What criteria are used to arrive at such figures? I don’t have any grudge against Indian community, but I will blame our own people, Zambians who are aware about such disparities and have chosen to be quiet. Such a disparity is not only seen in KCM but in all the mines.
It will therefore be imperative for the government, particularly the President, to take interest in this matter. The late president Mwanawasa stopped Mopani Copper Mines from implementing a buying system which was going to hinder most Zambians from doing business with the mine. I therefore strongly feel that if the President can speak on our behalf to the mine owners to raise our salaries to match those of foreign employees, miners shall live happily ever after.
Labels: KCM, LABOUR, RIOTS, SALARIES
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Mutasa says Tsvangirai should be grateful
November 16, 2009
Geoffrey Nyarota
ANDREW Geoghegan of Australian ABC reported this story on Sunday, November 15, 2009
Elizabeth Jackson: After weeks of paralysis, Zimbabwe’s Government of National Unity is functioning again. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says he’s prepared to work with President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party if it honours the power-sharing agreement.
The ABC’s Africa Correspondent Andrew Geoghegan was in Zimbabwe recently and he was granted a rare interview with one of Robert Mugabe’s closet allies. Didymus Mutasa was head of the country’s feared security services and is now the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs.
He makes it clear that Prime Minister Tsvangirai should be doing as President Mugabe says.
Andrew Geoghegan: How would you describe the relationship between Zanu-PF and MDC? Is it working?
Didymus Mutasa: We are doing our best. We are working as well as can be expected. Tsvangirai takes his orders from the President and I always feel that members of the opposition, Tsvangirai’s party should have seen this much earlier on and started to work with us as Africans, and not take their orders as they had done from Europe, Britain and the United States.
Geoghegan: They say political intimidation is continuing and there’s no respect for the rule of law, and that human rights are being violated. What do you say to those claims?
Mutasa: Well I say that’s nonsense. There has never been non-observation of human rights in this country. In fact, it is our party, Zanu-PF, which has been fighting for human rights ever since – there were no rights in this country at all during the colonial period. The lot of us used to have dogs set up on us and we had to decide to take up arms in order to achieve both democracy and human rights. We find it absolutely nonsensical that anybody could say that we do not observe human rights, when in fact it took us 15 years to fight for them.
Geoghegan: But how then do you explain the political violence that has occurred in the past few years, particularly when we look at the MDC. Obviously Morgan Tsvangirai himself was targeted.
Mutasa: There was no political violence all along until the MDC came into the picture. Now who do you accuse for being violent? It was Tsvangirai himself and that’s why he was beaten up by none other than the police, because he was ignoring their orders.
Geoghegan: Why is it though, that independent human rights groups, the UN and others, say that there has been political violence perpetrated in Zimbabwe by the security forces?
Mutasa: In their presence, no. They are talking like, everyone of you journalists are talking, repeating things that you have heard from other journalists, things that you have not yourselves experienced. And this is what, in fact, has been what the – our President is complaining about, what he refers to as information imperialism.
And when they were reporting about us before, they were talking a lot of rubbish. Lies, and naturally that offended us.
Geoghegan: Can I ask you; what do you believe has been the cause of Zimbabwe’s economic collapse?
Mutasa: Well, one chief cause has been the sanctions that were imposed against us by your country, Australia, most of the white Commonwealth countries. And I can’t understand why.
Geoghegan: But those sanctions are targeted at individuals.
Mutasa: Illegally.
Geoghegan: But how would sanctions targeted at individuals in a government affect all Zimbabwe?
Mutasa: Why should they ever done? What right have other countries to do with the affairs that are going on in Zimbabwe?
Geoghegan: But I don’t understand how those targeted sanctions would cause economic collapse.
Mutasa: My dear, they are not targeted. It targets the relationships between their companies and our companies, and those companies are not individuals. I am one of the people targeted by sanctions, that doesn’t affect me at all. I mean the fact that people stopped me from going to Australia or going to Britain doesn’t affect me at all.
But the fact that those sanctions have on the ordinary people in this country is what really annoys all of us.
Geoghegan: Are you confident that free and fair elections will occur next year? And if that is the case, who do you think will win?
Mutasa: My dear, free and fair elections have been taking place all through in Zimbabwe since 1980. We have never cheated as a party and as a government. Free and fair election will continue to take place in Zimbabwe and in this case Zanu-PF will win. Zanu-PF will win because it is now beyond any doubt that you Europeans, you Australians and all you white Commonwealth – the so-called international community, if you behave yourselves and do not come and interfere in the internal affairs of Zimbabwe, no doubt Zanu-PF will win.
Geoghegan: Your leader, President Robert Mugabe is 85 years old. I’m sure he’ll be the first to admit he’s not going to live forever. Are there succession plans in place?
Mutasa: We are working on them. This is still premature to discuss them. He’s not the only person who’s head of state who is that old. The Queen of England is much older than our President and nobody has ever referred to her as an old lady. You all respect her very much. You people are racists aren’t you?
Geoghegan: But that is a monarchy. That is a separate system.
Mutasa: Absolutely, but in terms of being head of state, he sees the head of state the same way that our President is head of state.
Geoghegan: So he has no plans to retire.
Mutasa: Well, he has no decision of his own in our democracy. What he does is what his people are asking him to do. And if his people, or when his people ask him to retire, he will do so immediately. He is the one man in this world who is so misunderstood and we know that it is deliberately so because there is not any African leader in this world who has lead his people as well as that.
Geoghegan: Do you ever see a day when Zanu-PF will not be in government?
Mutasa: Never. I don’t.
Elizabeth Jackson: Didymus Mutasa, Zimbabwe’s Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, speaking there to our African correspondent Andrew Geoghegan in Harare.
Labels: DIDYMUS MUTASA, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, MUGABE
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Govt launches inputs subsidy
Agriculture Reporter
Government has established a farming inputs subsidy scheme that will see a 50kg bag of fertilizer selling for US$7 while maize and sorghum seed will both be available at less than US$1 per kg.
The subsidy will benefit communal,
A1,
old resettlement and
small-scale farmers who did not get any inputs under the Government and Food and Agriculture Organisation-run support scheme.
However, limits will be placed on the quantities an individual can buy.
Grain Marketing Board communications manager Mrs Muriel Zemura said the subsidised inputs were already available at their countrywide depot network.
"Farmers under Category A are communal and they will buy a maximum of 50kg of Compound D and ammonium nitrate fertilizers and 10kg of maize seed or 5kg of sorghum seed," she said.
Category B covers of A1, old resettlement and small-scale farmers who will buy a maximum of 150kg of compound D, 100kg of ammonium nitrate, and 20kg of maize seed or 5kg of sorghum seed at the subsidised prices.
Mrs Zemura said the 50kg bag of fertilizer costs US$7, maize seed had been pegged at 52 US cents a kg, with sorghum seed going for 30 US cents a kg.
It is understood that the subsidy came into being after protracted inter-ministerial negotiations over the past weeks.
Sources at the weekend said the Ministry of Agriculture had "fought a huge battle to get Treasury to release the money for the subsidy".
The sources said the matter was finalised last week following a meeting between Agriculture Minister Joseph Made and Finance Minister Tendai Biti.
The Government-FAO Smallholder Emergency Support Programme brings together 16 donors and 35 non-governmental organisations.
Of the 1 301 988 national communal households, 691 686 households are to receive inputs in the form of seeds, fertilizers and extension assistance from the 35 organisations who received funding from donors.
Distribution of the inputs under the FAO programme is underway in most parts of the country.
Committees at national, provincial, district and ward/village level will oversee the distribution of inputs.
Targeted households include those headed by children, women, the elderly, the disabled or the chronically-ill in communal and old resettlement areas.
US$70 million was raised towards this end out of a targeted US$142,52 million.
Coverage of the programme in provinces ranges from 41 percent to 65 percent while the national average is 53 percent.
The 2009/10 summer cropping season has also seen the Government mobilising US$210 million for inputs.
Meanwhile, a local seed producer has said it has dispatched seed to GMB depots under Government’s US$210 million scheme.
Pioneer Seeds national sales manager Mr Manasa David Makasi said his company had sent 2 121 tonnes of maize seed to GMB depots in Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Manicaland, Midlands and Masvingo provinces.
"We want to ensure that farmers get the correct varieties for their agro-ecological regions," he said.
Labels: AGRICULTURE, FAO
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No nationalisation: President
From Hebert Zharare in Rome, Italy
President Mugabe yesterday said the Government will not nationalise foreign-owned companies, but will insist on the 51 percent local ownership on all companies according to the country’s indegenisation laws.
The President, who is the Head of State and Government as well as Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, said this while addressing Italian business representatives at a luncheon hosted by Harare’s embassy here
"We have not nationalised companies. We have many companies that are in the mining, agro-industry and manufacturing sectors. We will not nationalise them because that has not been our policy. We have our indigenisation laws that say for all the companies, at least 51 percent of it must be locally owned.
"This is the law we should apply in respect of all the new investments in the country. We have never offended against this pledge," said the President.
He assured Italian businesspeople that the Government would render whatever assistance to enhance foreign investment.
The President, who is here to attend the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s summit starting today, told the Italians that his office was always open to them.
He paid tribute to Italian businesses for their continued support during a time when some Western nations were vilifying the country and its leadership for implementing the land reform programme.
The land reform programme has economically empowered many Zimbabweans who have become proud owners of land.
"Before the land reform programme, about 70 percent of Zimbabwe’s arable land, was owned by a minority 4 000 whites.
"However, after the rationalisation of the land tenure system in the country, over 300 000 Zimba-bweans now own good farming land.
"Come and invest and make profit. You are aware that some European countries and America have imposed some sanctions on us. As for you, you have defied that because you know what is morally right. It is that understanding that we praise you for.
"During that time when others were imposing sanctions on us, you worked with us as if you were a humanitarian organisation because you wanted to see Zimbabwe grow," he said.
President Mugabe said there was no way the Government would seize their investments because it had no such policies.
He chronicled the history of the land reform programme and how it led to a bilateral dispute between Zimbabwe and Britain.
President Mugabe said his Government took the fast-track route after the British government under former prime minister Tony Blair had reneged on earlier pledges to support the programme by paying compensation for the land.
He said there was nothing wrong with taking land from white former farmers because it was done according to the laws of the land. After the British government had refused to pay for the compensation, President Mugabe said the Government was left with no option but to take the land from former commercial farmers.
He said Italian businesspeople should not fear investing in Zimbabwe because of land reforms.
The President told the delegation that the inclusive Government formed by Zanu-PF and the two MDC formations was working but reiterated that illegal sanctions were hurting the people.
He said it was unfortunate that some countries such as France joined Britain in the imposition of sanctions on the country.
President Mugabe said former French president Jacques Chirac failed to explain why his country was imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe. "He just said it’s unfortunate but we have to work as a group
(European Union)," he said.
The Italian delegation that met the President included the president of their International Chamber, Mr Gianni Simoncini, and his vice, Mr Alessadro Pigato.
Other members of the delegation were from the tourism, dam construction and farming sectors.
These included an old supporter of the liberation struggle in Africa, Mr Dina Forti. Mr Forti — who is now 94 years old — mobilised support for the liberation struggles in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia and other Southern African countries.
Earlier in the day, President Mugabe met FAO director- general Mr Jacques Diouf at the organisation’s head office. Briefing journalists after the meeting, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made said the two leaders discussed what could be done to ensure food security.
Minister Made said President Mugabe paid tribute to FAO for helping the country raise US$70 million worth of inputs to assist about 700 000 smallholder farmers.
"Water provision is key to unlocking agriculture potential. It is against this background that it was agreed to make sure that no crop was lost after harvesting. About 40 percent of the crop is lost through post-harvesting problems," said Minister Made. He said a specialist had been sent to Zimbabwe assist in minimise post-harvesting crop losses.
An Italian company built Kariba Dam in the 1950s.
The President also attended mass at the Vatican.
Labels: NATIONALISATION
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No nationalisation: President
From Hebert Zharare in Rome, Italy
President Mugabe yesterday said the Government will not nationalise foreign-owned companies, but will insist on the 51 percent local ownership on all companies according to the country’s indegenisation laws.
The President, who is the Head of State and Government as well as Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, said this while addressing Italian business representatives at a luncheon hosted by Harare’s embassy here
"We have not nationalised companies. We have many companies that are in the mining, agro-industry and manufacturing sectors. We will not nationalise them because that has not been our policy. We have our indigenisation laws that say for all the companies, at least 51 percent of it must be locally owned.
"This is the law we should apply in respect of all the new investments in the country. We have never offended against this pledge," said the President.
He assured Italian businesspeople that the Government would render whatever assistance to enhance foreign investment.
The President, who is here to attend the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s summit starting today, told the Italians that his office was always open to them.
He paid tribute to Italian businesses for their continued support during a time when some Western nations were vilifying the country and its leadership for implementing the land reform programme.
The land reform programme has economically empowered many Zimbabweans who have become proud owners of land.
"Before the land reform programme, about 70 percent of Zimbabwe’s arable land, was owned by a minority 4 000 whites.
"However, after the rationalisation of the land tenure system in the country, over 300 000 Zimba-bweans now own good farming land.
"Come and invest and make profit. You are aware that some European countries and America have imposed some sanctions on us. As for you, you have defied that because you know what is morally right. It is that understanding that we praise you for.
"During that time when others were imposing sanctions on us, you worked with us as if you were a humanitarian organisation because you wanted to see Zimbabwe grow," he said.
President Mugabe said there was no way the Government would seize their investments because it had no such policies.
He chronicled the history of the land reform programme and how it led to a bilateral dispute between Zimbabwe and Britain.
President Mugabe said his Government took the fast-track route after the British government under former prime minister Tony Blair had reneged on earlier pledges to support the programme by paying compensation for the land.
He said there was nothing wrong with taking land from white former farmers because it was done according to the laws of the land. After the British government had refused to pay for the compensation, President Mugabe said the Government was left with no option but to take the land from former commercial farmers.
He said Italian businesspeople should not fear investing in Zimbabwe because of land reforms.
The President told the delegation that the inclusive Government formed by Zanu-PF and the two MDC formations was working but reiterated that illegal sanctions were hurting the people.
He said it was unfortunate that some countries such as France joined Britain in the imposition of sanctions on the country.
President Mugabe said former French president Jacques Chirac failed to explain why his country was imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe. "He just said it’s unfortunate but we have to work as a group
(European Union)," he said.
The Italian delegation that met the President included the president of their International Chamber, Mr Gianni Simoncini, and his vice, Mr Alessadro Pigato.
Other members of the delegation were from the tourism, dam construction and farming sectors.
These included an old supporter of the liberation struggle in Africa, Mr Dina Forti. Mr Forti — who is now 94 years old — mobilised support for the liberation struggles in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia and other Southern African countries.
Earlier in the day, President Mugabe met FAO director- general Mr Jacques Diouf at the organisation’s head office. Briefing journalists after the meeting, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made said the two leaders discussed what could be done to ensure food security.
Minister Made said President Mugabe paid tribute to FAO for helping the country raise US$70 million worth of inputs to assist about 700 000 smallholder farmers.
"Water provision is key to unlocking agriculture potential. It is against this background that it was agreed to make sure that no crop was lost after harvesting. About 40 percent of the crop is lost through post-harvesting problems," said Minister Made. He said a specialist had been sent to Zimbabwe assist in minimise post-harvesting crop losses.
An Italian company built Kariba Dam in the 1950s.
The President also attended mass at the Vatican.
Labels: NATIONALISATOIN
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Biti is being hypocritical
EDITOR — I am at pains writing this letter because the biggest perception about me is that I am an MDC-T member. Such a perception is wrong, but I am not very worried about that because as a grown-up man I can handle it. I am an independent person, neither MDC-T nor Zanu-PF.
I write in response to Tendai Biti’s attack on The Herald’s story that suggested he and party president Morgan Tsvangirai were on a collision course over the issue of sanctions.
I am not privy to your sources, but I can confirm that the story is true. If there has been a change of heart from Biti then he must just say so.
On April 26 this year, Biti met with Zimbabwean citizens in Washington, DC at an Ethiopian restaurant.
At that gathering, he argued that the sanctions against Zimbabwe were hurting the country. I am not an economist, but he raised the issue of clearance that was being blocked by sanctions. A prominent Zimbabwean woman told Biti in his face that he was wrong in arguing for the lifting of sanctions because these were targeted not sanctions on Zimbabwe, but Biti was adamant that Zimbabwe was under economic sanctions to the surprise of the gathered Zimbabweans.
He said if Zimbabwe was to move forward economically, sanctions had to be lifted.
As a responsible citizen, I would not want to sit back and regret that I should have raised this issue with my countrymen so they can make an informed decision.
To know Tsvangirai’s position just go back to his response when Giles Mutsekwa told a recent forum that economic sanctions were hindering police from effectively discharging their duties.
So people might ask why I am bringing the Washington discussion up now. Well, Biti’s posturing disgusted me.
His appearance on all news channels denying that he ever advocated the lifting of sanctions and attacking The Herald for raising this issue was hypocritical.
MDC-T claims to be ‘‘a party of excellence’’ and therefore has to stand up for the truth, nothing but the truth.
Biti must either declare a change of heart or immediately stop his deceptive media blitz.
Denford.
Baghdad, Iraq.
Labels: SANCTIONS, TENDAI BITI, ZDERA
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Beekeeping can contribute to poverty alleviation
By Shingai Jena
THE emphasis on minerals as the key to economic growth appears to be taking away the focus of planners and investors from opportunities that other natural resources in the country can contribute to poverty alleviation.
While an attempt is being made to improve livelihoods of rural communities through the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources, its bias on wild life, particularly elephants, is also relegating the impact that other natural resources can make in poverty alleviation.
With the advent of agrarian reforms, emphasis has again been on land tillage and not exploitation of other natural resources.
Since independence, Zimbabwe has been striving to reduce poverty among the previously marginalised black majority so that it can live up to its former status of being the "land of milk and honey".
This has, however, proved to be a tall order as wealth disparities have continued to dog the nation despite the vast natural resources that the country has, which are the envy of many.
Many foreigners who have visited the country have fallen in love with Zimbabwe.
While it might be true that at one time the country was a land of milk and honey, today there is nothing to prove it, as the national herd has dwindled and the trees where bees made honey have either fallen to the axe or gone up in flames.
Folklore has it that African men used to woo women with honey which they collected from hills near the villages where they lived.
In those days, being able to collect honey was a sign of brevity and innovation as it required great skill since one risked getting a swollen face from bee stings.
Honey was known to have a unique way of winning hearts of women as it "sweetened" the tongue, whatever that meant.
Today, in addition to being a tongue sweetener, honey has the potential to change the lives of rural communities through practising modern methods of keeping bees, harvesting, processing and marketing.
The idea of beekeeping as a means of alleviating poverty was conceived as way back as 1992 when the country was implementing the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme when Zimbabwe was hit by drought.
In order to overcome effects of the devastating drought, some concerned individuals who included Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development Minister Olivia Muchena founded the Zimbabwe Farmers Development Trust with the view to identify low cost projects of alleviating poverty and agreed on beekeeping.
ZDFT executive director, Tichasiyana Mapondera, said beekeeping was agreed on because of its minimum funding requirements since it uses readily available natural resources such as land, trees and the bees.
At inception, the project targeted small-scale farmers as well as rural communities in and around the Hurungwe district of Mashonaland West province as a pilot project.
To date it has been launched in more than 25 districts in the country.
However, withdrawal of support by the W.K. Kellogg foundation which provided funding for producing modern beekeeping materials has hampered progress as plans were underway to spread the project to other parts of the country.
"We urgently need a US$100 000 cash injection to facilitate further training programmes and remuneration of staff who train and manufacture beekeeping equipment," said Mapondera.
The funding required is small compared to the profits that farmers generate per year from honey production.
With raw honey going for up to US$2 per kilogramme, a small-scale farmer with an average of 100 modern Kenyan top bar hives which produce at least 30 kilogrammes each of raw honey and are harvested four times a year, earns at least US$6 000 per quarter.
In Buhera, there are more than 300 communal farmers involved in beekeeping who, when harvests are good, produce up to 1, 2 tonnes per quarter, which translates into a gross total of income of US$1 million a year.
With such impressive figures, words such as destitute and unemployed would cease to exist in the Zimbabwean vocubulary.
Taking into consideration that workers in the country are earning on average US$150 per month, rural folk would not find any reason to envy their relatives in urban areas who toil the whole month to get paid.
Besides the economic benefits it would bring to individual farmers, beekeeping would also benefit the pharmaceutical industry as honey is a key raw material in the manufacture cough medicines while other companies use it to cosmetics including soap and hair products. While legendary boxer Muhammad Ali described himself as someone who "flew like a butterfly and stung like a bee," Zimbabwe can regain its status as the "land of milk and honey" through exploiting the insect that stings to operate income-generating projects and eliminate poverty. — New Ziana.
Labels: BEES, HONEY
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The media ‘propaganda model’
By Reason Wafawarova in SYDNEY, Australia
THE people who preach Press freedom are very articulate in expressing a view of how the media ought to function, but this model hardly shows how the media do function.
The model of how the media ought to function is what the American journalistic schools refer to as "the Jeffersonian role" of the media where the media is a counterweight to government.
This in reality is meant to be that "cantankerous, obstinate, and ubiquitous Press, which must be suffered by those in authority in order to preserve the right of the people to know, and to help the population assert meaningful control over the political process", (Noam Chomsky, 2002; Understanding Power).
This is the standard conception of the media today the world over and clearly most people in the media do take this conception for granted.
There is the alternative conception; that media will present a picture of the world which defends and inculcates the economic, social and political agendas of society’s privileged groups — groups that dominate the domestic economy of nation states and which, therefore, also largely control government.
This is the "Propaganda Model" that Chomsky described as leading to the media serving their societal purpose through such things as the way they select topics, distribute their concerns, frame issues, filter information, focus their analysis, employ emphasis, tone or the timing of reports and so on.
This is the wide range of techniques employed in the media "propaganda model" where the end result is that common belief that says whatever is in the news must be true.
This model does not suggest in any way that the media always will agree with state policy at any given moment. In the Western democracies control of the government shifts back and forth largely between bi-party systems like is the case in the US, the UK and in Australia. This means that various elite groupings will take turns in controlling government and whichever group happens to be in control of government at a particular time will only reflect part of the elite political spectrum.
There are often tactical disagreements within this spectrum like is the case with Obama’s approach to the Afghan war. The wider spectrum suggests that the war is, in Obama’s own words, "a war of necessity", but there are media criticisms on how George W. Bush was executing the war. These are nothing but tactical disagreements within the confines of the accepted spectrum pushed by the media propaganda model.
Essentially nothing much goes beyond the range of elite perspectives although there are citable examples of "media scrutiny" on state policy — in reality scrutiny within the accepted limits.
The challenge is how one proves the reality of the media propaganda model. Noam Chomsky came up with four basic observations.
First is elite advocacy. This is the traditional thinking among elite democratic thinkers in the West — a tradition that claims that the media and the intellectual community in general ought to carry out a propaganda function where they control what is commonly called "the public mind" or "public opinion".
This tradition dates back up to the 1920s when it was still quite fashionable to boast publicly as a propagandist or an imperialist. Then people were a bit more honest and frank.
The view that the media have a part in playing a propaganda function in nation states is not a monopoly of totalitarian states as we are often told. In fact, it is a dominant theme in the Anglo-American democratic thought and this has been the case for over 300 years; if one traces the thinking back to the first major popular-democratic revolution in the West, the English Civil War of the 1940s. This was an armed conflict between supporters of the King and the Parliament between 1642 and 1648.
The Royalists represented the more traditional elite groupings while the landed gentry and the merchant class were aligned to Parliament. Both groups became increasingly worried as the war progressed because they realised that there were now popular movements springing up and challenging everything — the right of authority altogether, the master-servant relationship; and there was a lot of radical publishing taking place then because the printing press had just been invented.
The elites on both sides of the Civil War became very worried that the general population suddenly was beginning to get out of control. The capacity to coerce was being lost and they had to do something about it.
They first tried to re-introduce coercion by establishing an absolutist state, afterwards restoring King Charles II in 1660 after several years of military rule by Oliver Cromwell’s regime. However, the new elitist set up could not restore the old order of coercion anymore. The gains of popular rebellion began to be seen as the British political democracy began to take shape. There was the establishment of the constitutional monarchy and the introduction of the Bill of Rights during that time.
The lesson that the Western elites learnt from this period was that each time there is a popular movement that succeeds in dissolving state power, there has always been this resort that says when you start losing the power to control people by force, you have to start to control what they think.
That recognition is quite central to the Western political culture and it is the same thinking that drives Western foreign policy.
There is a mainstream rightwing clique of political scientists, journalists, public relations experts and others, not only in the West, but also in other places infected with Western thinking — a clique that believes the ruling elites need more effective propaganda to control the public mind.
Walter Lippmann, a dean of American journalists, was one such member of this clique. He referred to the population of the United States as the "bewildered herd" and advised that there was need for the state to protect itself from "the rage and trampling of the bewildered herd".
He suggested this could be done by what he called the "manufacture of consent". Essentially if you cannot do it by force and the bludgeon, you can equally achieve the goal by calculated "manufacture of consent".
This thinking says that the conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organised habits and opinions of the masses is a central feature of a democratic system, and the thinking is literally like that. It is in this case, the job of the "intelligent minorities" to scheme and execute this manipulation of the attitudes and opinions of the masses.
This in essence is the leading doctrine of modern day liberal-democratic intellectual thought: that once you lose the power to control people by force you need better indoctrination.
That was the first observation; where elite advocacy plays a role in shaping the framework of what people should be allowed to think about.
The second observation raised by Chomsky is what he called "prior plausibility". The institutional structure of the media as made up of corporate ownership, an elite audience and a business market will naturally mean that corporate media would serve a propaganda function in a business-dominated society such as is the Western world today.
This writer covered this aspect of the propaganda model last week in the article title "West Using Media as a Propaganda Tool".
The third point raised by Chomsky is the public perspective. Over time the public has tended to generally agree with the basic features of the propaganda model as explained above. People actually know too well that the media are too conformist and subservient to private power. This is the public’s image of the media in general although the media’s self image is often exactly the opposite.
This writer has met a lot of people in the public domain of Australia, who curiously beg for the "real story" of what is happening in Zimbabwe. On asking what they mean by "real story" the answer is always that "you know how they often tell us what they want us to hear".
So in reality there is this observation that the people are indeed aware of the manipulations carried on them by the media for the benefit of the elites.
While one would think that these matters of the media as propaganda model would be debated publicly in the West, the reality is that the people in the West are always told of faraway places where such chicanery is the routine manner of uncivilised dictators and tyrants.
The public debate you hear in the West is always over whether the media are too extreme in their undermining of authority, and in their criticism of power. The expectation is that they should be serving their "Jeffersonian role" as a check on power.
When you suggest there is no "Jeffersionian role" at all and that the media, together with the intellectual community in general, are basically subservient to power, then you are labelled an extremist or any such label as to alienate you from any positive image.
The propaganda model therefore will never be discussed in the media in the West because it is akin to a well-known harlot inviting people to discuss harlotry.
The fourth observation is to do with the empirical validity of the "propaganda model" as suggested by Noam Chomsky and Ed Herman. The two learned authors firstly allowed their opponents to choose their own topics for discussion so that the usual argument that "you only pick convenient examples that work for you" would fall away. The opponents were arguing that the Western media are so independent that they do not follow any guided spectrum.
Their preferred topics were the Vietnam war, Watergate and similar stories. When these stories were put to scientific testing, they clearly confirmed the propaganda model. This was through such indicators as sub-topics, concerns, frame issues, focus of analyses, emphasis, tone and a whole range of other issues.
The two authors also looked at paired examples of historical events. They covered atrocities committed by enemy states and compared such to coverage of atrocities which were roughly on the same scale, but were committed by the US.
They looked at coverage of elections in enemy states and in client states, just like what recently happened with the Zimbabwe election of March 2008 and the Afghan election of October 2009.
The Zimbabwe election was extensively covered as barbaric and grossly illegitimate, while the Afghan election was covered not so extensively, and also not in so much bad light. This was despite that the election in Zimbabwe proceeded to a run-off after no candidate garnered enough presidential votes to form a government, while the Afghan run-off was a result of a nullification of the first round of elections where the Western- backed Hamid Karzai embarked on massive rigging that was confirmed by most of the independent election observers that covered the poll.
As Chomsky jokingly concluded, it is safe to dare take a "hazard guess that the ‘Propaganda Model’ is one of the best confirmed theses in the social sciences".
In reality the media freedom we hear so much about is nothing more than this propaganda model. Unlimited media criticism of power centres is only acceptable to Western elites if it is targeted at enemy states like Zimbabwe, Cuba, Iran, Venezuela and others like that.
This is where we have the West financing advocates for free Press who dutifully shout to death point that journalists must be left to do as they wish.
If the client government wanted by the West one day becomes a reality in Zimbabwe all that will be is this propaganda model, and all this noise about limitless media freedoms will just not be tolerated and will not even be discussed publicly anymore.
In fact, even now divergent opinion directed at the MDC-T is simply unacceptable to Western elites and even to the advocates of free Press themselves, which is why some journalists have been placed on sanctions. This writer is no stranger to all forms of threats, including death threats; for criticising the MDC-T or pointing out the shortcomings of Prime Minister Tsvangirai.
Zimbabwe we are one and together we will overcome. It is homeland or death!
l Reason Wafawarova is a political writer and can be contacted on Wafawarova@yahoo.co.uk or reason@rwafawarova.com or visit www.rwafawarova.com
Labels: PROPAGANDA
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Urban farmers start planting
Agriculture Reporter
Harare’s urban farmers have started planting summer crops following the onset of the rains. Over the weekend, many families were either planting or clearing land in preparation for planting.
Most parts of Harare received rains at the weekend while in most parts of the country the rains started falling last week. Yesterday, some farmers were working in the rain to plant maize.
Mr Simbarashe Mnangagwa of Gleneagles said he was lagging behind with land preparations and so he had to work in the rain.
"It is always good to do things at the right time and this extends to farming," he said.
Many farmers were beginning to have fears that the season was already lost due to the delay in the rains.
Department of Meteorological Services head of forecasting Mr Tich Zinyemba last week said most parts of the country had received rains.
He said the falls were generally light.
"Notwithstanding, there have been some significant falls across the country. The situation as of now indicates that the rainfall situation should continue improving in all provinces of the country," he said.
Farmers have been encouraged to liaise with Agritex officials to best use the precipitation they get depending on soils and their agro-ecological regions.
Mr Zinyemba advised farmers with irrigation facilities not to wait for the rains as the climate was conducive for planting.
Urban farming plays a pivotal role in promoting food security, nutrition and improving household economies.
Labels: HARARE, URBAN FARMING
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