Mugabe has Ndebele roots: Mudenge
by Lunga Sibanda
20/11/2010 00:00:00
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has Ndebele ancestry as his grandfather served King Lobengula, historian and Higher Education Minister Stan Mudenge claims.
Speaking at the Lupane State University’s inaugural graduation ceremony on Thursday, Minister Mudenge said the President had fascinating roots in Matabeleland that are not always known to the general public.
“His grandfather, a strong powerful figure, was in the service of King Lobengula in the 19th Century, during which he acquired and absorbed the Ndebele culture and language,” said Mudenge.
He said when the President’s grandfather returned to Zvimba, Mashonaland West, the colonial native commissioners -- noting his Ndebele cultural traits -- began calling him “Matibili,” the colonialists’ pronunciation of Matebele.
“In time, Matibili was Shonalised to ‘Matibiri’ because Shonas substitute ‘l’ with ‘r’,” he said.
Tracing the President’s lineage, Mudenge said the President’s father was the son of Constantine Karigamombe, alias “Matibiri.”
“Therefore, the President belongs the Matibiri Karigamombe house in Zvimba,” Dr Mudenge said.
He said President Mugabe’s father, Gabriel Mugabe Matibiri, went to work in Bulawayo, where he married his second wife, a Ndebele girl, mother to some of the President’s siblings, who had both Shona and Ndebele blood.
“As a young teacher, the President taught at Empandeni Mission and Hope Fountain Mission. It is at the latter institution that he taught, among others, Governor Angeline Masuku and Mrs Thenjiwe Lesabe, then the head girl,” he said.
Mugabe is reviled in Matabeleland where rights groups say 20,000 people were killed on his orders after Zimbabwe’s independence from colonial rule in 1980.
Labels: NDEBELE, ROBERT MUGABE, STAN MUDENGE
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Africa diamond producers blast KP
by Staff Reporter
20/11/2010 00:00:00
AFRICAN diamond producers have rejected calls for an extension of a year-long ban on Zimbabwean exports, describing as sinister attempts by the Kimberley Process (KP) to block trade in diamonds extracted from Marange.
African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA) secretary general Edgar de Carvalho said in a statement the decision to reinstate the ban on Zimbabwean diamonds smacked on political persecution of the southern African country.
"The motives behind the attempt to block Zimbabwean diamonds are sinister," said African Diamond Producers Association executive secretary Edgar de Carvalho.
"Zimbabwe cannot be held to ransom just because a minority of countries within the KP (Kimberley Process) continue to block consensus deliberately," he said in a statement.
The Kimberley Process barred the sale of Marange diamonds in November 2009 following reports of human rights abuses by the army at the mine.
A monitor appointed by the watchdog in July partially lifted the ban, saying Zimbabwe had ceased abuses by the military, which seized control of the Marange fields in late 2008 and forced out tens of thousands of small-scale miners.
Zimbabwe held its first diamond sale in August.
Kimberley Process chairman Boaz Hirsch said in a statement on Thursday that no agreement was reached on Zimbabwe's sale of Marange diamonds at a recent conference, therefore no trade should take place.
Hirsch said consultations continued within the Kimberley Process to determine if Zimbabwe should be allowed to sell diamonds from the Marange fields.
He called on KP members not purchase Marange diamonds outside the organisation's regulations.
"As a consequence, no trade of Marange diamonds can currently take place under the Joint Work Plan until an agreement can be found," said Hirsch.
The 18-member African Diamond Producers Association wants Hirsch to withdraw his statement.
"The ADPA might also be forced to make a declaration that might have severe negative ramifications regarding the continued participation of its member states in the Kimberley Process," de Carvalho said.
The association met in Namibia to discuss harmonisation of regulatory and fiscal legislation for African diamond-producing countries.
Labels: AFRICAN DIAMOND PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION, EDGAR DE CARVALHO, KIMBERLEY PROCESS, MARANGE DIAMOND FIELDS
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COMMENT - I know a better suggestion - stop bleeding the people of their money and start taxing the mines. Also, if there is a road tax, they should pay most of it, because they are doing most of the damage.
Govt to increase road tax by 50%
By Mutale Kapekele
Sat 20 Nov. 2010, 04:04 CAT
THE road traffic (amendment) bill which seeks to increase road tax by 50 per cent next year has passed second reading in Parliament. Moving the motion on the bill on Thursday, finance minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane said once the bill became law, the government would increase its domestic revenue for road construction and maintenance.
Dr Musokotwane said the country needed good roads to prosper and it was not enough to rely on donor funds to finance the sector. Currently, light vehicles and heavy-duty trucks are paying K180,000 and K1,499,940 per year respectively. Once the bill passes into law, light vehicles will pay K270,000 while heavy duty trucks will pay K2,249,910.
However, several members of parliament expressed reservations at the increase, which is expected to be implemented on January 1, 2011.
Debating the bill, Lukulu East parliamentarian Batuke Imenda, who chairs the committee on transport, observed that the proposed road tax increase was too high, especially for light vehicle owners as they were not responsible for the wear and tear of the roads.
He said if applied, public service transport fares would increase and burden the already over-charged passengers.
Imenda said his committee interviewed several people on the matter and they recommended that tollgates be introduced to collect tax from heavy trucks as a way of raising revenue for the roads.
Kalomo member of parliament Request Muntanga said it was not fair for the government to allow heavy-duty trucks to pass on Zambian roads for free.
“The heavy-duty trucks from South Africa, Namibia and Botswana are the ones destroying our roads but are paying nothing as they travel to Lumwana mine,” Muntanga said.
“Why don’t we put tollgates on our roads? These trucks are destroying the whole road from Livingstone to Solwezi. We could collect money from these road destroyers by simply applying the law. Why don’t you government want to collect money?”
Muntanga said if Zambians with small vehicles were over-taxed, they would be forced to “go off” the road but would willingly pay if tax were simplified.
And Katuba member of parliament Jonas Shakafuswa suggested that the government should introduce road tax that recognised the weight of the vehicle instead of bundling all in the same category.
Shakafuswa also suggested that the government charge the mines tax for the roads as they were responsible for heavy loads that “destroy the roads.”
He said it was unfair to allow ordinary Zambians to subsidise big players such as the mines.
“Why are we so kind to the mines? In countries where they come from, those involved in the mineral extractive industry pay up to 65 per cent in tax and here they want a tax break,” Shakafuswa said. “When are we going to be rich? As a government, we should not feel pity for those mines.
Maybe our generation has no potential to stand up to guys with money and we should leave it for our children.”
And the property transfer tax bill passed second reading in Parliament.
The bill seeks to increase property transfer tax from the current three per cent to five per cent to cover the period from April 2011 to March 2012.
Labels: JONAS SHAKAFUSWA, REQUEST MUNTANGA, ROADS, SITUMBEKO MUSOKOTWANE, TAXATION
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Tilyenji’s timely warning
By The Post
Sat 20 Nov. 2010, 04:00 CAT
To have peaceful, free and fair elections, certain conditions have to prevail in our country and in our hearts. There ought to be a conducive atmosphere. The major players have to agree on the conditions under which next year’s elections will be held.
The contestants have to conduct themselves in a manner that does not put others at an unfair disadvantage. There ought to be agreement on all the key issues concerning the organisation of the elections.
And constructive dialogue should be encouraged at all times on key electoral issues such as the Constitution, the electoral Act and voter registration.
In light of the legitimate concerns raised by Tilyenji Kaunda, president of opposition UNIP, we make a special appeal to the government and to the ruling MMD to realise that they have a serious responsibility.
As facilitators of next year’s elections, they should ensure that the concerns of all key players are adequately addressed.
We also make an appeal to all the opposition political parties about the need for them to be open and constructive in participating in the electoral process and in addressing the issues and concerns raised by Tilyenji, among others.
It cannot be denied that the Electoral Commission of Zambia is not independent from political interference to conduct free and fair elections next year.
And we agree with Tilyenji that it would be difficult for Zambia to hold free and fair elections which would be acceptable to all under the current electoral commission if nothing is done to strengthen its capacity and make it independent from the political influence of those in government and in the ruling MMD.
Truly, the entire Electoral Commission of Zambia needs to be overhauled with a view to increasing its capacity and strengthening its independence. We are very lucky as a nation that our people do not have a culture of violence. But we shouldn’t push our luck too far.
We were lucky to come out of the 2001 elections which were clearly manipulated to give Frederick Chiluba’s handpicked candidate, Levy Mwanawasa, a questionable and very narrow victory over Anderson Mazoka of opposition UPND.
And as Tilyenji has correctly pointed out, this was repeated in 2006 and 2008 over election results which were justifiably difficult for Michael Sata and his Patriotic Front to accept. Again, the Zambian people protested but remained peaceful.
Next year, the MMD will have been in power for 20 years – a very long time indeed in a multi-party democracy.
Clearly, the forthcoming electoral process will provide all Zambians with a unique opportunity to show their political maturity and their sincere aspiration for peace and harmony anchored in justice.
We believe it is in this spirit that Tilyenji is calling for free and fair elections conducted by a strengthened and independent electoral commission that has been overhauled for this purpose.
And in saying that the Electoral Commission of Zambia is not independent, we are not in any way attacking the integrity of the men and women who manage the affairs of this commission.
We have a lot of respect, and we don’t believe we are the only ones, for judge Florence Mumba, the chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Zambia.
She is a lady with an independent mind, a fair-minded person who, if given the right institutional framework, can deliver for us free and fair elections that we deserve.
But such an independent institutional framework, with the necessary capacity, does not exist in our country.
Judge Mumba’s control of the elections is very limited. And it’s not possible to have an electoral commission whose officers are all appointed by one contestant – the political party in government.
As things stand today, all the commissioners of the electoral commission are single-handedly appointed by the President.
What stops him from appointing his relatives, friends, tribesmen and so on and so forth that are more open to swing things his way?
We also know that a huge part of our electoral process is managed by the Ministry of Local Government.
Again, a large number of officers in this ministry are appointees of the President.
And these know very well that their jobs depend on the continuation in office of those who appointed them.
Therefore, they would do everything possible, everything within their power, to swing things their way and ensure that as far as possible, they win.
We also know that the intelligence, the police and other security agencies play some vital role in our electoral process.
And from previous election petitions, we know what role the intelligence plays or can play to manipulate the outcome of elections in favour of those who are currently commanding them.
It is therefore very important that we urgently reconstitute our electoral commission so that it fairly represents all the key political players, the main known political bodies and impartial observers.
It cannot be left to the ruling party to choose all the match officials.
This, as Tilyenji has correctly warned, is a recipe for trouble, for anarchy, for post-electoral violence. Instead of increasing the free-and-fairness of our elections, the process is becoming less and less fair and free.
Soon it will be very difficult to make citizens confident that the results of elections are accurate and that the government does, in indeed, rest upon their consent.
And as we have said before, we are not in any way overlooking the fact that the political party in power may enjoy the advantages of incumbency, but the rules and conduct of the election contest must be fair.
Equal opportunities should be given to all political parties and persons taking part in the elections. Simply permitting opposition candidates to the ballots is not enough.
A free and fair environment should exist for all to meaningfully participate in the elections with a fair chance of winning if they are able to effectively motivate their supporters to convert their opinions into votes.
Free, fair and constrictive elections would translate into a reality when all of us as citizens of this country, as leaders of our people, take our responsibility seriously.
Let everyone involved have in their hearts the desire that all will benefit, and not just the party which wins.
Let’s hold elections in such a free and fair way that when all is done, let it be said, not that this particular political party or candidate won, rather that Zambia won the elections.
It is necessary to remind all our politicians, especially those in government and in the ruling party, that elections are for the good of the people and the country and not for the political survival of any individual or political party.
If the spirit of the primacy of the common good were to animate all our politicians, we would have no difficulties overhauling the electoral commission, the electoral Act and the Constitution to ensure peaceful, free and fair elections.
In the present atmosphere of fierce political competition, we remind our politicians of the noble goals of political activity and indeed of the elections.
Politics and elections aim at the promotion of the common good and the service of all the people.
Let’s tailor all our political and electoral institutions to this purpose.
Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, ECZ, TILYENJI KAUNDA
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ECZ isn’t independent to conduct 2011 polls - Tilyenji
By George Zulu
Sat 20 Nov. 2010, 04:01 CAT
TILYENJI Kaunda says Zambia’s electoral commission is not independent from political interference to conduct free and fair elections next year.
In an interview, Kaunda, who is UNIP president said, it would be difficult to hold free and fair elections which would be accepted next year with the current set up of Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ). He observed that there was need to strengthen the ECZ and make it independent from political influence.
Kaunda warned that a failure to overhaul the ECZ would make it a source of conflict during and after elections.
“We have seen that ECZ in its current form cannot hold free and fair elections and the call by stakeholders to have it overhauled is justified because if we are not careful next year Zambia will experience more violence than ever before because of the disputes that come with such elections. There are many issues that the commission has failed to address starting with electoral malpractices and this should encourage stakeholders to demand for sanity in the manner elections are held,” Kaunda said.
He said a free and fair electoral body was important in championing democracy unlike the current situation where institutions of democracy and governance such as the judiciary, police and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) were compromised and had failed to exhibit high moral standards during elections.
Kaunda said since 1996 Zambia’s electoral system had experienced difficult times in the manner elections were held because of poor and corrupt leadership in the management of the electoral process of the nation.
“In 1996 the MMD government introduced a law that barred traditional leaders from active involvement in politics, there was also another law that barred some people because of parentage and they (MMD) won that election. However, what is contentious now is how free and fair the current ECZ is. In 2001, it was clear that the man Mazoka (late UPND president) had won the elections but things changed towards the end, it was the same in 2006 and 2008 PF leader Michael Sata had won those elections and it is something that nobody can debate and it is dangerous if people fail to accept the results. So it calls for the total overhaul of the system in order to have not only free and fair but credible elections,” he said.
He added that Zambians would judge leaders harshly if they failed to provide adequate laws to govern the country’s electoral process which would inspire confidence from the electorates and other stakeholders.
Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, ECZ, TILYENJI KAUNDA
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Rupiah is scared of 50%+1 - Sata
By Patson Chilemba in Mbala and Chibaula Silwamba in Lusaka
Sat 20 Nov. 2010, 04:01 CAT
Michael Sata yesterday charged that Zambians have been robbed yet again over the none-inclusion of important pieces of legislation like the 50 per cent plus one clause in the Constitution. And PF secretary general Wynter Kabimba yesterday said the Rupiah Banda government has cheated Zambians on the constitution making process.
Reacting to Vice-President George Kunda’s comment that government will take some clauses of the National Constitutional Conference (NCC) for possible enactment excluding the 50 per cent plus one and other important pieces, Sata wanted to know when Kunda would stop being deceitful.
He said the government under the advice of Kunda decided to rob Zambians of their meagre resources through the NCC.
“When is comrade Kunda going to stop being deceitful? The people of Zambia have been fighting for a constitution to stand the test of time not a piecemeal constitution. Since the MMD appointed John Mwanakatwe, the constitution did not stand the test of time, they then appointed Wila Mung’omba and Chifumu Banda,” Sata said.
“What is the rush? The people shall make a constitution of their choice, not a constitution of George Kunda.”
He said people in Zambia had been robbed by George Kunda by expending hundreds of billions of tax payers’ funds on what he termed a bogus constitution.
Sata urged Vice-President Kunda to avoid cheating people that clauses referred to the referendum will not be in the constitution saying that was what they had planned for in the first place.
He observed that President Banda and his corrupt regime were scared of the 50 per cent plus one because it will be too much for them to rig the election.
He said they (President Banda and Vice-President Kunda) were also scared of the overwhelming rejection they would face from the Zambian people but were rushing to enact a constitution tailored for them.
“And if he says ‘we are going to Parliament’, what are they presenting to Parliament if the important piece like the referendum and other important things are not there?” he said.
Lusaka lawyer Edgar Lungu said the NCC was just a ploy to siphon money from the national treasury.
He said the government’s plan to enact “useless clauses” into law at the expense of important clauses justified those that boycotted the NCC as there was clearly no goodwill to enact a constitution that would meet people’s aspirations.
“It was just a ploy to siphon money out of government using a seemingly legitimate cause,” Lungu said.
And commenting on Vice-President George Kunda’s announcement that the government had began the process to have partial enactment of the Constitution except for clauses that require a referendum, including the 50 per cent plus one for winning presidential candidate, due to financial implications, Kabimba accused the government of duping Zambians.
Kabimba said at the time when late president Levy Mwanawasa’s government appointed the Mung’omba Constitution Review Commission in 2003 and the Chifumu Banda-led NCC in 2007, it had assured Zambians that they would have a new constitution.
“After having duped the people of Zambia into believing that they were coming up with a completely new constitution because the current one is bad in terms of presidential powers, first past the post electoral system, be it because of inadequate Bill of Rights or its lacking social and economic rights,” said Kabimba, a lawyer. “All of us believed that the current constitution is bad in those areas hence the Zambians have been looking forward to a completely new constitution that will address these issues. By the government now turning around, as the Vice-President has said that we shall go for amendments of the 1996 Constitution, is actually an act of fraud. The government is committing an act of fraud in the eyes of the Zambian people.”
He wondered why the government was turning around after having spent over K135 billion on the constitution-making process.
Kabimba said the Banda government was doing exactly what the Frederick Chiluba government did in 1996.
“For me, this is the government that has cheated Zambians in the constitution making process, yet again,” Kabimba charged. “So the arguments that were raised by opposition political parties like the Patriotic Front and the civil society at the time of establishment of the NCC to the effect that this process is a fraud, sham and that it is not intended to serve the people of Zambia by giving them the constitution that will not stand the test of time, resonate very clearly today as they did at that time. We have been proven right.”
He said Zambians should not forgive the Banda regime for cheating them that it was going to give them a new constitution when in fact it was just piecemeal amendments. “Now we are talking about an amendment to the constitution. Therefore, as Patriotic Front, we believe that the issue of the Constitution is an election issue; we shall take it to Zambians to decide,” Kabimba said.
Kabimba said the government avoided the referendum for fear of the 50 per cent plus one threshold because its candidate could not get those votes.
“That is an act of fraud and RB Rupiah Banda knows that he can’t marshal more than 38 per cent of the votes in a presidential election today,” said Kabimba.
And Anti Voter Apathy Project (AVAP) executive director Bonnie Tembo said the clauses that were referred to the referendum, which the government has excluded, were more important than those what Cabinet resolved to be amended.
Tembo urged President Banda to cut on his trips so that the country could save money to hold a referendum.
He said the amendments the government wants to make to the Constitution would make it incomplete minus those clauses that had been referred to the referendum.
“It’s not in order to say that we are going to have a new constitution because that is not true. The best opportunity is now to have a referendum so that come 2011 we have a complete constitution. What has to go to the referendum is what the Zambians want. The government must respond to the needs of the people,” said Tembo. “We demand a referendum must be held.”
Labels: 50 PERCENT PLUS 1, MICHAEL SATA, WYNTER KABIMBA
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‘It’s shameful to control media for political survival’
By Ernest Chanda in Copenhagen, Denmark
Sat 20 Nov. 2010, 04:00 CAT
A DANISH legislator has observed that it is shameful for any government to control the media for political survival.
Addressing foreign journalists who visited him at the Danish parliament on Thursday, opposition Social Liberal Party parliamentarian Jorgen Poulsen who had also practiced journalism for over 30 years said he is happy that such a situation does not exist in Denmark. Poulsen said there should be no public document hidden from the media.
"It's a dream of any dictatorship to rule the press. It's a shameful thing and I have seen it in many African countries. You can't just keep out the press because they are the link between politicians and society," said Poulsen. "Our system in Denmark is that there shouldn't exist any kind of document between an MP and minister, between ministries and heads of departments without public knowledge. That doesn't simply happen. And you can ask for it document and you will get it. Every authority understands that journalists are here on behalf of the people."
And presenting a paper on The Role of the Media in a Democratic Process at the Danida Fellowship Centre earlier, Danish parliamentary specialist Jens Adser said access to information alone was not enough.
Adser advocated quality information that the public could use and appreciate.
"The information released to the public should be appropriate and correct. It should also be relevant, usable, sufficient and timely," said Adser.
Labels: JORGEN POULSEN, REGULATION
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Kabwe town clerk ignored procedure, insists finance director
By Chibaula Silwamba
Sat 20 Nov. 2010, 04:00 CAT
KABWE Municipal Council finance director Kate Mukonde has maintained that town clerk Vivian Chikoti ignored tender procedures in awarding the contract worth over K700 million to a local firm to survey plots.
In her letter dated November 9, 2010 to Kabwe mayor Teddy Sinkala, challenging him over his defence of an illegal transaction in the awarding of the tender to Geopractica, Mukonde stated that Chikoti ignored her advice and awarded a contract to William Mhango of Geopractica, a local surveyor to survey all plots in Kabwe without the approval of the council.
“In addition, sir, the survey fee to be paid by successful applicants specified and agreed upon in the signed contract have not been approved by council nor were they deliberated or resolved upon by the FGP Finance and General Purposes committee or any council committee. The current survey fee is K860, 000 for high cost area residential, not the K1, 200, 000 specified and agreed in the contract which is contrary to the laws as the Local Government Act chapter 281 of the Laws of Zambia clearly state,” stated Mukonde’s letter obtained by The Post from Kabwe Municipal Council.
“Your worship, your statement to the press was not only inaccurate but unfair as you misinformed the public about me. I feel that it was unfair to state that I was quoted in the article published in The Post of November 6, 2010 as no such thing was done and at no time did I avail the information published in the press to the Post newspapers,” she stated.
Mukonde dismissed Sinkala’s claims that the money to pay the surveyor was budgeted for in the 2010 council budget.
“I wish to urge you to refer to the approved council budget for 2010 and you will find that there is nowhere where the council budgeted for the payment to the surveyor,” Mukonde stated.
“The figures you quoted are revenues budgeted to be received from development charges which have already been allocated to fuels, road equipment etc for opening up of roads in the new areas where plots have been given to the public and the budget is balanced.”
Mukonde’s letter, obtained by The Post from the Ministry of Local Government and Housing in Lusaka, was copied to local government and housing minister Dr Brian Chituwo and his permanent secretary, Central Province permanent secretary Denny Lumbama, among other officials.
Chikoti, when contacted, referred all queries to Sinkala.
When contacted, Sinkala said the committees and the full council approved the awarding of the tender.
“Even the minutes’ numbers are there. If you want you can come to Kabwe and we will give you the minutes,” said Sinkala.
According to earlier information obtained The Post, Mukonde had on several occasions advised Chikoti but the latter allegedly defied the guidance.
Labels: KABWE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL, KATE MUKONDE, TEDDY SINKALA, VIVIAN CHIKOTI
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What anarchism really means
Direct action is part of creating direct democracy, but the student protests saw the media painting a caricature of anarchism
*
The Anarchist Studies Network* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 18 November 2010 14.30 GMT
Protesters are never a homogenous group, but those who protested under the anti-cuts banner last week were united in the view that the marketisation of higher education should be opposed. Typically, however, property destruction magically transformed a sizeable subset into "anarchists", and gave a green light to the general dismissal of their concerns. It's certainly true that anarchists were among the protesters.
What's misleading is the media's assumption that there's a generalised relationship between anarchism and violence. Anarchism is a far richer tradition, and in the light of the media frenzy, it's worth reflecting on what it stands for.
The Con-Dem alliance is looking to roll back the state. Anarchists want this too, but the government is looking to roll back the state and let business take up the slack, thereby bringing a fictitious "free market" into every last recess of our lives. That's where the disagreement lies. Anarchists advocate practical alternatives to both this neoliberal slash-and-burn policy and the old Labour state-socialism.
Generating a market in education will benefit those who want to make money out of it. Principally, this will include profit-driven universities and businesses. Education for the purpose of developing a sense of our personal and social potential is out, while education for a fat pay cheque is in: the government takes training off its balance sheets and heaps the cost onto students. Students are in effect being asked to pay universities up to £40k for a job interview with a graduate recruiter. And if your "investment" in your future doesn't pay off, the system will claim to be blameless: the responsibility is the student's. To assume that the interests of business and society are the same is utopian.
But anarchists do not believe that state socialism is the only alternative to the undemocratic inequalities produced by neoliberalism. Socialising property does not have to mean nationalising it – that would simply be substituting one set of bosses for another. What about genuine collective worker ownership of industry and services; what about universities democratically run by academics, students and support staff, instead of largely unaccountable and overpaid managers and technocrats?
More widely, couldn't we radicalise the co-operative model and have all companies democratically owned and run by managers and workers? Couldn't we expand and federate worker co-ops, mutuals and collectives? The movement for fan-ownership of football clubs is a further indication that these kinds of alternatives work. The challenge is to think through their potential, and anarchism provides such a framework.
But how does all this differ from the "big society", you might ask? In brief, the Tories are trying to mutualise the welfare state in preparation for privatising it. Individuals will be made responsible, but they will be given none of the power. Charities, voluntary associations and so on will be allowed to organise a village fete but the neoliberal structures of power will not be challenged. Wouldn't it make more sense to start by mutualising the banks?
As it stands, politicians have managed to protect the banks while everyone else takes the pain. As the cuts pinch the poor and the rich get no poorer, it will become clear whose interests are being served. As worker militancy grows and protests become more frequent, the demand for ever stronger, authoritative states will become louder, civil liberties will be curtailed (again), and those at the top of the tree will tell us that they have some special right.
Modern liberal democracies garner the opinion of some adults of voting age once every five years as a solution to pre-determined elite bargaining. Who voted for the Con-Dem coalition? When the governments that are voted in then routinely ignore the will of the people, be that over wars, cuts, or the minutiae of policy, we see modern representative democracy for the sham that it is. Allowing protest only on condition that it will never present a challenge to government is part of that same sham.
Because this fake democracy doesn't work and the interests of anarchists could never be represented by a political party, direct action is the tactic of choice. And direct action is part of the process of creating direct democracy. It produces results by raising the profile of causes and often halting practices many object to.
As well as a tactic, direct action is also a means for self-empowerment. It is a component of the society we hope to create, where people take control of their lives into their own hands and confront the root causes of injustices directly, without representatives. This sometimes includes property damage, but anarchists take seriously the notions of liberty and equality: that people are capable of speaking and acting for themselves and become even more capable through practice rather than representation.
The threat to a liveable world comes not from anarchists, but from governments and capitalism. Before the current crisis is used as a front to take us even deeper into a neoliberal nightmare, let's reconsider alternatives.
• The Anarchist Studies Network is a specialist group of the UK Political Studies Association. This piece was collectively written but does not necessarily reflect a consensus view
Labels: ANARCHISM
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COMMENT - I have been blogging about this for years. My opinion was first formed by the fact that there were over 320,000 recipients (families, over a million people) of landreform listed in the FAO/WFP country report for Zimbabwe, as well as the previously released snapshot of Masvingo Province from prof. Scoones in the 2008 article
A New Start For Zimbabwe? Also see here in
the Zimbabwe Guardian/TalkZimbabwe.com. Land redistribution is the only way forward throughout Southern and Eastern Africa. It puts the power to generate income into the hands of the people and raises demand for goods and services in doing so.
Land reform 'not a failure': UK studyby Joseph Winter I BBC
19/11/2010 00:00:00
ZIMBABWE'S often violent land reform programme has not been the complete economic disaster widely portrayed, a new study has found. Most of the country's 4,000 white farmers - then the backbone of the country's agricultural economy - were forced from their land, which was handed over to about a million black Zimbabweans.
The study's lead author, Ian Scoones from the UK's Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University, told BBC News he was "genuinely surprised" to see how much activity was happening on the farms visited during the 10-year study.
"People were getting on with things in difficult circumstances and doing remarkably well," he said.
He declines, however, to characterise it as a success.
The policy was central to President Robert Mugabe's re-election campaigns in 2002 and 2008, as he argued that he was putting right the wrongs inherited from the pre-1980 colonial era, when black Zimbabweans were forced from their homelands in favour of white settlers.
But his numerous critics accused him of simply bribing voters, while destroying what used to be one of Africa's most developed economies.
"What we have observed on the ground does not represent the political and media stereotypes of abject failure; but nor indeed are we observing universal, roaring success," says the study - Zimbabwe's Land Reform, Myths and Realities.
Scoones accepts that there were major problems with the "fast-track" land reform programme carried out since 2000, such as the violence, which included deadly attacks on white farmers and those accused of supporting the opposition, and the corruption associated with the allocation of some farms.
The study also notes that most beneficiaries complained about the government not giving them the support they need, such as seeds, fertiliser and ploughing the land.
But he says much of the debate has been unduly politicised.
"We wanted to uncover the facts on the ground," he said.
Scoones says it is important that the full picture, with all its nuances, is known and argues that the 10-year study of 400 households in the southern province of Masvingo debunks five myths.
The study found that about two-thirds of people who were given land in Masvingo were "ordinary" - low-income - Zimbabweans. These are the people Mugabe always said his reforms were designed to help.
The remaining one-third includes civil servants (16.5%), former workers on white-owned farms (6.7%), business people (4.8%) and members of the security services (3.7%).
Of these, he estimates that around 5% are "linked to the political-military-security elite". In other words, that they were given the land because of their political connections, rather than their economic need, or agricultural skills.
Scoones accepts that the proportion of such "cronies" being given land may be higher in other parts of Zimbabwe, especially in the fertile areas around the capital Harare, and that 5% of people may have gained more than 5% of the land even in Masvingo.
But he maintains that they gained a relatively small proportion of the overall land seized across the country.
The researchers found that, on average, each household had invested more than US$2,000 (£1,200) on their land since they had settled on it - clearing land, building houses and digging wells.
This investment has led to knock-on activity in the surrounding areas, boosting the rural economy and providing further employment.
One of those questioned, identified only as JM, told the researchers that before being given land he had relied on help from others but now owns five head of cattle and employs two workers.
"The new land has transformed our lives," he said.
Others say they are much better off farming than when they had jobs.
He says that about half of those surveyed are doing well, reaping good harvests and reinvesting the profits.
Maize is Zimbabwe's main food crop but its production remains reliant on good rains and output remains well below that pre-2000. Scoones says Zimbabwe's food crisis of 2007-8 cannot be put down to the land seizures, as those people who went hungry produced a large surplus both the previous and subsequent years.
Before the "fast-track" land reform began in 2000, tobacco, mostly grown by white commercial farmers, was Zimbabwe's biggest cash crop.
But producing top quality tobacco requires considerable investment and know-how, both of which are lacking among many of the new black farmers.
Instead, they often grow cotton, which has now replaced tobacco as the main agricultural export.
Scoones says those who are struggling the most are the least well-off civil servants, such as teachers and nurses, who have been unable to get credit and do not have the resources, or political connections, to invest in their land.
He hopes that as Zimbabwe's economy slowly recovers under a power-sharing government, a new programme can be worked out which would give these people the backing they need to succeed.
It is often argued that large-scale commercial farming - as many of the white Zimbabweans used to practise - is inherently more efficient than the smallholder system which replaced it, but Scoones dismisses this argument and says he is backed by several studies from around the world.
He says it is now impossible to return to the previous set-up, and even suggests that some of the evicted white farmers may one day work with the new farmers as consultants, marketing men, farm managers or elsewhere in the overall agricultural economy, such as transporting goods to market or helping to transform and add value to their produce.
Many of those who remain bitter about losing their land may are likely to respond: "Over my dead body".
But Scoones says a surprising number are already taking this option and making reasonable money from it "under the radar".
Zim land reform was a success: UK study
By: BBC-TZG
Posted: Friday, November 19, 2010 12:50 pm
A UNITED Kingdom study has confirmed government reports that Zimbabwe's land reform programme has not been the complete economic disaster widely portrayed in the press and other international reports.
In a new study carried out by that country's Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University, confirmed that the farmers have become very productive since the 2000 Fast Track Land Reform Programme and subsequent land reform policies.
The study's lead author, Ian Scoones, told BBC News he was "genuinely surprised" to see how much activity was happening on the farms visited during the 10-year study.
"People were getting on with things in difficult circumstances and doing remarkably well," he said.
The policy was putting right the wrongs inherited from the pre-1980 colonial era, when black Zimbabweans were forced from their homelands in favour of white settlers.
"What we have observed on the ground does not represent the political and media stereotypes of abject failure," says the study - Zimbabwe's Land Reform, Myths and Realities.
The study, however, notes that most beneficiaries complained about the government not giving them the support they need, such as seeds, fertiliser and ploughing the land.
But he says much of the debate has been unduly politicised.
"We wanted to uncover the facts on the ground," he said.
The study found that about two-thirds of people who were given land in Masvingo were "ordinary" - low-income - Zimbabweans. These are the people President Mugabe always said his reforms were designed to help.
The remaining one-third includes civil servants (16.5%), former workers on white-owned farms (6.7%), business people (4.8%) and members of the security services (3.7%).
Of these, he estimates that around 5% are "linked to the political-military-security elite".
Mr Scoones says the proportion of such "cronies" being given land was a relatively small proportion of the overall land seized across the country.
The researchers found that, on average, each household had invested more than $2,000 (£1,200) on their land since they had settled on it - clearing land, building houses and digging wells.
This investment has led to knock-on activity in the surrounding areas, boosting the rural economy and providing further employment.
'Under the radar'
One of those questioned, identified only as JM, told the researchers that before being given land he had relied on help from others but now owns five head of cattle and employs two workers.
"The new land has transformed our lives," he said.
Others say they are much better off farming than when they had jobs.
He says that about half of those surveyed are doing well, reaping good harvests and reinvesting the profits.
Maize is Zimbabwe's main food crop but its production remains reliant on good rains and output remains well below that pre-2000. Mr Scoones says Zimbabwe's food crisis of 2007-8 cannot be put down to the land reform, as those people who went hungry produced a large surplus both the previous and subsequent years.
Before the "fast-track" land reform began in 2000, tobacco, mostly grown by white commercial farmers, was Zimbabwe's biggest cash crop.
But producing top quality tobacco requires considerable investment and know-how, both of which are lacking among many of the new black farmers.
Instead, they often grow cotton, which has now replaced tobacco as the main agricultural export.
Mr Scoones says those who are struggling the most are the least well-off civil servants, such as teachers and nurses, who have been unable to get credit and do not have the resources, or political connections, to invest in their land.
He hopes that as Zimbabwe's economy slowly recovers under a power-sharing government, a new programme can be worked out which would give these people the backing they need to succeed.
It is often argued that large-scale commercial farming - as many of the white Zimbabweans used to practise - is inherently more efficient than the smallholder system which replaced it, but Mr Scoones dismisses this argument and says he is backed by several studies from around the world.
He says it is now impossible to return to the previous set-up and even suggests that some of the evicted white farmers may one day work with the new farmers as consultants, marketing men, farm managers or elsewhere in the overall agricultural economy, such as transporting goods to market or helping to transform and add value to their produce.
Many of those who remain bitter about losing their land may are likely to respond: "Over my dead body".
But Mr Scoones says a surprising number are already taking this option and making reasonable money from it "under the radar".
Labels: DECOLONISATION, IAN SCOONES, LAND REFORM, ROBERT MUGABE
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Mineral exports bring in US$800m
by Business Reporter
19/11/2010 00:00:00
ZIMBABWE earned US$807 million from mineral exports in the first nine months of the year, a state-run minerals marketing agency said on Friday. The Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) said the earnings represented an increase of 25 percent over the same period last year.
The agency said platinum, of which Zimbabwe has the second largest reserves in the world after South Africa, accounted for the bulk of the earnings at US$540 million. This was followed up by diamonds at over US$100 million, and smaller earnings from nickel, coal and granite.
Gold production has surged strongly this year, and export earnings were projected around US$500 million for the full year.
Zimbabwe’s mining sector has been on the rebound, buoyed by strong commodity prices and an improving local operating environment.
Operators have been particularly complementary about the government’s decision to ditch the Zimbabwe dollar and remove other operational restrictions which had chocked the industry over the last decade.
However the industry still expresses concern over power supply interruptions and the government’s empowerment regulations which require all foreign-owned firms to localise at least 51 percent of their issued share capital.
Labels: MINERALS MARKETING CORPORATION OF ZIMBABWE, MINING
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Politics is not dirty
By The Post
Fri 19 Nov. 2010, 04:00 CAT
The scourge of corruption is one of the most virulent ills that our country is facing today. Unless we recognise the full extent to which corruption, abuse of office and all sorts of plunder of national resources is responsible for our poverty as a nation, we will not be able to develop to our full potential.
Integrity and honesty are some of the most important qualities that our country needs in order to make progress. In other words, we will not move forward in a way that benefits all our people, especially the very poor, unless the principles of honesty and integrity form the bedrock upon which our governance systems are developed.
Many people ask the question: why are we so poor as a people in the midst of such abundant resources? Why does our country make other nations rich by giving them resources which they transform into goods and services that we later pay a high premium for? Is there something wrong with us? Are we cursed to live under this yoke of poverty and deprivation whilst possessing vast resources?
The reasons for our poverty are complex and we cannot pretend to be the experts that can fully explain why we are where we are.
But it is possible to understand some of the reasons why we find ourselves in the quagmire that we are currently in. The problems that we face as a nation affect all of us in one way or the other. The pervasive poverty is a cancer that afflicts every citizen to varying degrees. We are either directly infected by this cancer of poverty or we are affected by it. Even those who think they are rich and therefore should not concern themselves with the poverty that surrounds us as a nation because according to them, it is a political matter that does not concern them, should stop and think again. We say this because it doesn’t matter how rich you think you are, your wealth is in danger if you live in a country where the vast majority of your compatriots are poor, and this not out of laziness or lack of initiative but as a result of a failed system of governance.
There are many of our people who think that politics is a dirty game with which they need not concern themselves. The only problem with this kind of reasoning is that it is this same dirty game that affects almost every aspect of our lives.
This dirty game determines whether we have good hospitals or bad ones; it determines whether we have good schools for our children or bad ones; it also determines whether we drive on good roads or bad ones. In many ways, politics decides whether we have food to eat as citizens or none. The quality of politics determines the quality of our lives. It is therefore naïve to think that we can somehow insulate ourselves from this so-called dirty game for fear that if we participate or make our positions known on issues, we will be victimised.
It is true that politics in a developing democracy like ours can be a very expensive adventure for those who participate in it. The system of winner-takes-all ensures that those who lose are punished by those who win. But this is so because many of our people have not yet begun to fully accept that politics is about them; politics is about their welfare. Any politics that ignores the people and their needs is not politics but crime. This is why we see the kind of politics in our country that are predicated on feeding the hungry vultures that participate to the exclusion of our people.
This culture of indifference to the politics of our country breeds a fertile ground for corruption and abuse of office. Those who are brave enough to join this so-called dirty game feel entitled to reap the benefits of their adventure.
But things need not be this way. We need to get to a time when it is not only those who are extraordinarily courageous or uncaringly criminal in their mentality who get into politics. It must be a game played to benefit every citizen. We must make sure that it is not rewarding for criminals to get into public office. To this end, it is good that institutions like Transparency International are pushing the agenda that makes it difficult for criminal politicians to continue stealing from their people with impunity.
The issue that Transparency International is raising is not a matter that is far removed from our domestic problems. It is good that they have adopted the declaration calling on governments to act decisively on the repatriation of stolen assets.
We say this because the keepers of our people, their leaders have become their butchers. Unfortunately, this butchery does not end at persistent violation of rights and denial of meaningful participation in their politics, but it extends to the plunder and wanton pillaging of national resources.
The brave crook who manages to survive the rigours of the unforgiving African political scene is left to loot the national treasury without the fear of any reprisal. This is the experience of many countries in Africa. Our country has suffered this same fate. It is therefore good that international solidarity in the form of Transparency International’s declaration on repatriation of stolen assets is coalescing international opinion in favour of poor countries that suffer at the hands of the thieves, the kleptocrats who run our countries. They need to know and understand that the world is watching. The age of impunity needs to be brought to an end.
But it is not only organisations like Transparency International that are going to bring about this change. International solidarity can help to raise our morale as we fight to stop those that are supposed to be our leaders turning into vultures that plunder our resources. But we also need to do something for ourselves. No effort should be spared in ensuring that our people understand the full extent to which corruption and abuse of office is responsible for their poverty; they need to understand that accountability from those that govern them is not a nice sounding word which can be ignored at will by our governments. Accountability or the lack of it is what makes the difference between a child dying due to malnutrition or surviving because of adequate nutrition. Accountable governments ensure that resources that are meant to service the public are used to do just that.
But governments that are not held accountable are prone to self-aggrandisement and abuse of government systems for personal benefit. It is we the people that should hold the government to account. If we fail in our job, we reap the consequences of such failure.
And we are all familiar with what those consequences are: poor health services, bad sanitation, non-existent roads and the list could go on. We need to understand that unless an increasing number of our people wake up to their obligations in holding this government and any succeeding governments to account, this country will remain poor for a foreseeable future.
It is only because our people allow Rupiah Banda and his minions, for instance, to claim the right to amass inexplicable wealth, that they feel confident to challenge common sense and pass laws that make it legal for them to abuse their offices, acquire wealth and not be accountable for it. Because they feel that our people do not have the immediate means to stop them, they continue in their stiff-necked pursuit of shameful benefits from the corruption of political processes that should be used to benefit our people. Parliament should be passing laws that protect citizens from the sticky fingers of crooks who occupy public office. But now, Parliament is being used to create an enabling environment for corruption. This is what Rupiah’s legacy in the fight against corruption is going to be: the president who created an enabling environment for thieves!
Labels: CORRUPTION, TIZ
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Stop vote-rigging - Kabanda
By Christopher Miti in Nyimba
Fri 19 Nov. 2010, 03:59 CAT
CITIZENS’ Forum executive secretary Simon Kabanda says there is a need for measures to be put in place to prevent people tampering with votes in an election. And Caritas Chipata has described the voter registration in Eastern Province as “shameful”. Meanwhile, people in Nyimba’s Chamillala ward have said the Vice-President should not be appointed by the President.
In an interview on Wednesday, Kabanda, whose organisation is currently carrying out awareness meetings aimed at ensuring that disabled people’s rights are enshrined in the Constitution, said there was a need to change the law that governed the declaration of votes and the swearing in of the President.
“From the past elections, what has been discovered by the courts and also what those who monitor the counting of votes have discovered is that sometimes the votes are tampered with. One candidate would get a certain amount of votes and yet when the votes from the constituency go to the national centre, the ECZ, they find that the figures that are given are different from what was recorded in the constituencies…,” Kabanda said.
He said what was recommended by the Mung’omba Constitution Review Commission that a president-elect should not be sworn in until after 90 days was supposed to be followed.
“What was recommended by the Mung’omba Commission was also recommended by the Electoral Reform Technical Committee 2003; that was the same thing that was recommended by the Mwanakatwe commission in 1993. So it is clear that to strengthen our multi-party democracy, we need not to rush into swearing in the president-elect. Look at Brazil, the woman who was elected has not been sworn in.
In other countries even the United States, they do that, so why can’t we learn some good practices from other people? This will help us to avoid problems. A few weeks ago, I was in Kenya to find out how they managed to have a successful referendum on the constitution but on the sidelines of that discussion, I also inquired what led to that post-election violence. One of the reasons why people were furious was actually the rush in swearing in the president-elect,” he said.
Kabanda appealed to Parliament to ensure that Article 34 of the Constitution was amended before next year’s election.
And Caritas Chipata Governance unit programmes officer John Mthaziko Zulu said the issuance of National Registration Cards had negatively contributed towards the low voter registration in the province.
“This exercise is becoming shameful because as I am talking to you, I am the chairperson of the Chipata District Voter Education Committee and my voter facilitators have not received any money from the time the period was extended. They are in the field and they are just working without money and when you find that some facilitators are not in the field, you can’t question them. And this is not happening only here but even in other provinces,” said Zulu in an interview in Nyimba on Wednesday.
He said the facilitators who were also school leavers might soon start demonstrating over the unpaid allowances.
Labels: CITIZENS FORUM, SIMON KABANDA, VOTER REGISTRATION, VOTERIGGING
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Stop vote-rigging - Kabanda
By Christopher Miti in Nyimba
Fri 19 Nov. 2010, 03:59 CAT
CITIZENS’ Forum executive secretary Simon Kabanda says there is a need for measures to be put in place to prevent people tampering with votes in an election.
And Caritas Chipata has described the voter registration in Eastern Province as “shameful”.Meanwhile, people in Nyimba’s Chamillala ward have said the Vice-President should not be appointed by the President.
In an interview on Wednesday, Kabanda, whose organisation is currently carrying out awareness meetings aimed at ensuring that disabled people’s rights are enshrined in the Constitution, said there was a need to change the law that governed the declaration of votes and the swearing in of the President.
“From the past elections, what has been discovered by the courts and also what those who monitor the counting of votes have discovered is that sometimes the votes are tampered with. One candidate would get a certain amount of votes and yet when the votes from the constituency go to the national centre, the ECZ, they find that the figures that are given are different from what was recorded in the constituencies…,” Kabanda said.
He said what was recommended by the Mung’omba Constitution Review Commission that a president-elect should not be sworn in until after 90 days was supposed to be followed.
“What was recommended by the Mung’omba Commission was also recommended by the Electoral Reform Technical Committee 2003; that was the same thing that was recommended by the Mwanakatwe commission in 1993. So it is clear that to strengthen our multi-party democracy, we need not to rush into swearing in the president-elect. Look at Brazil, the woman who was elected has not been sworn in.
In other countries even the United States, they do that, so why can’t we learn some good practices from other people? This will help us to avoid problems. A few weeks ago, I was in Kenya to find out how they managed to have a successful referendum on the constitution but on the sidelines of that discussion, I also inquired what led to that post-election violence. One of the reasons why people were furious was actually the rush in swearing in the president-elect,” he said.
Kabanda appealed to Parliament to ensure that Article 34 of the Constitution was amended before next year’s election.
And Caritas Chipata Governance unit programmes officer John Mthaziko Zulu said the issuance of National Registration Cards had negatively contributed towards the low voter registration in the province.
“This exercise is becoming shameful because as I am talking to you, I am the chairperson of the Chipata District Voter Education Committee and my voter facilitators have not received any money from the time the period was extended. They are in the field and they are just working without money and when you find that some facilitators are not in the field, you can’t question them. And this is not happening only here but even in other provinces,” said Zulu in an interview in Nyimba on Wednesday.
He said the facilitators who were also school leavers might soon start demonstrating over the unpaid allowances.
Labels: CARITAS, SIMON KABANDA, VOTER REGISTRATION
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Prosecute Global Fund looters, NGOCC urges
By Joseph Mwenda
Fri 19 Nov. 2010, 03:59 CAT
THE NGOCC says it will be illogical for the government to repay the Global Fund US$13 million without prosecuting those responsible for misappropriating it.
Commenting on Sweden’s withdrawal of its US$85 million annual pledge to the Global Fund following concerns of financial misappropriation in Zambia, Cameroun, Mauritania and Mali, NGOCC executive director Engwase Mwale yesterday said Zambia had many needy sectors which needed attention.
“Given the situation of our country, we need every resource to be directed to the needy areas and we know that in terms of development, we need every funding that comes into the country to be applied accordingly,” Mwale said in an interview.
“Therefore, it will be very unfair for the country to be made to pay back when culprits are available; they are currently moving around in this country. It is very important for government to ensure that these culprits are made to pay back.”
She advised the government to quickly investigate the abuse of funds in question and ensure that culprits pay back.
“These people who misappropriated money meant for the innocent majority must be prosecuted and most importantly, they must be held to account for them to make sure that this money is available as soon as possible for them to pay back,” she said.
Mwale said the government and concerned parties should find a lasting solution to the continued embezzlement of donor aid in the country.
“Fund misappropriation has continued hitting us as a country. It is even more worrying that this time, it was funds meant for HIV and AIDS whose repercussion is heavily inclined towards many women and children that have benefited from this support,” Mwale said.
She warned that many people would lose their lives following the decision by the Global Fund donors to withdraw funding.
“We have had reports of HIV/AIDS drugs as well as TB drug shortages in most of our health centres. A lot of people are suffering, a lot of citizens who are trying to prolong their lives will actually lose their lives because of the lack of these important life-saving drugs,” Mwale said.
Mwale said the misappropriation of funds would also affect the country’s efforts to reduce infant mortality rates, which still remained high.
And chief government spokesperson Ronnie Shikapwasha said he would only comment on the matter once Sweden officially communicated to the government.
“I have seen the article in The Post but we have not received the communication from Sweden. When Sweden communicates to us then we can comment,” said Lieutenant General Shikapwasha.
According to the Global Funds’ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report, of the total misapplied US$25 million, Zambia had the highest amount with almost $12 million in ineligible expenditures identified and $1 million in non-delivered goods.
In Cameroon about US$$3 million was reported to have been abused, US$4 million in Mali while US$6.7 million was identified in Mauritania as unaccounted for.
Stefan Emblad, the director of resource mobilisation at the Global Fund, stated that all the four countries that misused funds must repay.
Labels: ENGWASE MWALE, GLOBAL FUND, NGOCC
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Kitwe mayor complains to Chituwo over provincial officer's conduct
By Mwila Chansa in Kitwe
Fri 19 Nov. 2010, 04:04 CAT
KITWE mayor Elias Kamanga has urged Copperbelt Province local government officer Solomon Sakala not to behave like a policeman or a school prefect for mayors on the Copperbelt.
Reacting to Sakala’s threats of disciplinary action on him for allegedly going out of the country without clearance from Cabinet Office, Kamanga said Sakala’s threats were totally misplaced. Kamanga said he found Sakala’s threats quite strange, especially that he was not his supervisor.
“Is it not amazing that the office of the provincial local government officer should threaten the office of the mayor which by government protocol is equivalent to deputy minister?” he wondered.
“It is actually gross insubordination for a provincial local government officer to dress down my office and indeed any mayor in the press in the manner that has now become fashionable for the provincial local government officer.”
Kamanga said he had since complained to local government minister Dr Brian Chituwo over Sakala’s conduct.
He said he was comforted by the fact that Dr Chituwo agreed with him that Sakala had overstepped his limits by addressing himself to the elected office of mayor.
He said he had been very reluctant to issue press statements because he did not want his office and the council at large to be misunderstood but that the continued innuendoes and insinuations in some sections of the media had made it imperative for him to clear the air.
Kamanga said, in fact, the Zambian delegation to the meeting he went for in Namibia was led by local government deputy minister Moses Muteteka and that before he went out of the country, he personally phoned Dr Chituwo, who said it was okay for him to go.
When contacted, Sakala said he did not want to comment on the matter.
“I do not want to comment. I have never spoken to Mr Kamanga,” said Sakala.
Local government permanent secretary Timothy Hakuyu said he could only make a proper comment after fully understanding the context of the briefing by Kamanga. However, Hakuyu said the issue of quarreling in the press over seniority was unacceptable.
Labels: BRIAN CHITUWO, ELIAS KAMANGA, SOLOMON SAKALA
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TIZ calls on govt to act decisively on management of frozen assets
By Ernest Chanda
Fri 19 Nov. 2010, 04:01 CAT
TRANSPARENCY International has adopted a declaration calling on governments to act decisively on the repatriation of stolen assets and management of frozen assets. And Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) president Reuben Lifuka called on the government to take the declaration seriously.
According to the TI Bangkok Declaration on Stolen Assets Recovery and the Management of Frozen Assets, made at the annual members’ meeting in Thailand, members called for political will among governments to fight corruption in a more meaningful way.
“This resolution reflects the fact that, despite some asset recovery successes, several countries are experiencing difficulties today in their endeavour to trace, seize, recover and repatriate assets and money illegally appropriated and transferred abroad by their nationals and other collaborators,” TI members said last week. “Moreover, well over US $140 billion has been illegally and corruptly appropriated from Africa alone, by politicians, soldiers, businesspersons and other leaders, and kept abroad in the form of cash, stocks and bonds, real estate and other assets. While the issue of the circulation of criminal proceeds and money laundering is now being addressed to some extent, the status of frozen assets for the duration of litigation or resolution of disputes arising out of the ownership of these assets is not being directly addressed.”
The members called for the prosecution of those alleged to have stolen assets.
They also mandated the World Bank and regional banking institutions to open accounts for frozen assets.
“Countries in which the stolen assets are located should respond swiftly to requests for mutual legal assistance and develop and enforce laws and regulations that prevent frozen assets from staying lodged with the same institution, corporate structure or individual that accepted the asset prior to the freezing order,” TI members said.
“Financial institutions which do not release frozen assets to the legally declared owner after a release order has been issued by the competent jurisdiction should be held legally liable.”
They further recommended that financial institutions should release frozen assets accrued of interest calculated on the basis of time elapsed between freeze and release.
“The World Bank and/or Regional Development Banking Institutions should create escrow accounts for frozen assets and all governments and the international community should, as a matter of priority, ensure the swift transfer of all frozen assets to these accounts,” they stated.
TI members wondered why so much money stolen from Africa had been allowed to circulate freely in the economies of some of the world’s wealthiest nations in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East and diverse offshore havens, and they called on developed countries to tighten their anti-money laundering efforts.
Lifuka described the declaration as a call for developing countries to work together in managing resources properly.
“It is necessary in our view that the government of Zambia takes this declaration seriously,” he said.
“This is a call, not just on the G20 countries, but also developing countries to work together in the repatriation of stolen assets and management of frozen assets.”
Labels: REUBEN LIFUKA, TIZ
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COMMENT - Why would the sawmillers depend on donor funds? Aren't they in the private sector?
Pine timber crisis warning
By Abigail Chaponda in Ndola
Fri 19 Nov. 2010, 04:04 CAT
COPPERBELT Saw-millers’ and Timber Growers’ Association chairman Nick O’Conn-or predicts that Zambia will run out of pine timber in the next 10 years.
Speaking at a COSTIGA meeting at Kafubu Inn in Ndola yesterday, O’connor asked the Zambian government to release the $24 million donated by the Danish and Finish governments that it had been holding on to for the past one year for support to the private sector to empower and improve the timber and forestry industry.
“Zambia is facing another grave crisis; ZAFFICO Zambia Forestry and Forest Industries Corporation is utilising 1,800 hectares of timber a year, calculated without taking theft into account so it is 1,800 plus, but we are planting less than 1,000. For the past 15 years we have planted much less than we have harvested and we can conclusively say that in the next 10 years Zambia will run out of pine timber and will have to import to build houses,” he said.
O’Connor said 2010 was a difficult year for most sawmillers, adding that apart from being a wet year that made harvesting difficult with the state of roads in the plantation, millers had to contend with serious third-party buying that had been crippling the industry.
He said third-party buying was illegal as the buyers were bribing ZAFFICO staff to steal extra round wood, making a direct loss to ZAFFICO and the country.
“The next urgent issue is the empowerment of the more than 300 small-scale sawmillers who are battling with viability because of the third party buying and because they were under-capitalised at the beginning and could only afford the inefficient thick circular blade saws that create a large amount of saw dust meaning the millers sell less for each tree cut. This is costing Zambia dearly,” he said.
“I commend the Danish and Finish governments for their farsightedness in seeing the need for assistance. They have offered $24 million for support to the private sector to empower and improve the timber and forestry industry.
Unfortunately, these funds are stuck in government, and the private sector cannot access it. We have written to the minister for help and hopefully will be invited to a meeting where we will request that the ministry facilitates unlocking the funds to help our industry and Zambia.”
He said the association had come up with a double plan to mitigate the effects on Zambia in an event that the country runs out of pine timber.
O’Connor said the other plan was for all members of the association to assist ZAFFICO with planting and cultivation to meet the 3,000 hectare per year of timber that Zambia needs.
Labels: COSTIGA, DONORS, NICK O'CONNOR, TIMBER
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Zamtel to invest K600bn in Internet access
By Florence Bupe
Fri 19 Nov. 2010, 04:01 CAT
ZAMTEL is investing K600 billion into new technology to enh-ance the country’s Internet access and capacity, company chief commercial officer Amon Jere has disclosed.
Addressing trainee journalists at Post Newspapers on Wednesday, Jere acknowledged that Zambia’s Internet penetration rate had remained among the lowest globally and pledged Zamtel’s commitment to ensuring a reversal of the situation.
“Although some reports have indicated that Internet penetration rates stand at about 6.3 per cent of the Zambian population, it is in actual fact just about two to three per cent. As Zamtel, we want to take the lead in providing faster, more affordable Internet services and we are working with other countries in the region to install optic fibre technology,” he said.
Jere disclosed that Zamtel was partnering with Botswana, Namibia and Tanzania to lay optic fibre cables for enhanced technological growth.
He further explained that Zamtel was working with Zesco to integrate the two organisations’ optic fibre installations.
Jere also explained that Zamtel would strive to increase Internet access for Zambians through the provision of the service on fixed phone lines.
“We are trying to ensure that all landlines have fixed broadband Internet. This will help us create more access,” Jere said. “We also expect to roll out 3G (third generation) technology by January next year.”
However, Jere echoed sentiments of many other stakeholders that the cost of Internet services in Zambia had remained high due to a number of factors such as the cost of computers.
And Jere said Zamtel was in the process of recovering the K200 billion owed to the institution by various clients.
“We are engaging government to try and recover the huge debt that is owed, and a number of ministries are starting to pay their bills. Zamtel was owed K200 billion by various organisations and we have instituted a team to try and recover the monies,” he said.
Jere said as a means of improving the management of revenue, the company was encouraging the use of pre-paid service facilities.
“If you came to us now and asked for a landline, we will most likely put you on pre-paid. In fact, some government ministries have taken the responsibility of asking for pre-paid landlines to avoid accumulating debt,” said Jere.
Labels: AMON JERE, INTERNET, OPTIC FIBRE, ZAMTEL
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Rupiah must halt his useless trips - Mpombo
By George Chellah and Patson Chilemba
Fri 19 Nov. 2010, 04:01 CAT
GEORGE Mpombo says having President Rupiah Banda in office is the biggest curse to have befallen Zambia. And Mpombo has warned that Zambia would be ransacked if President Banda secured a second term because the President had twisted priorities.
In an interview, Mpombo, who is also Kafulafuta MMD member of parliament, said
President Banda had no sense of prudence when it came to the use of state resources.“Rupiah Banda’s two years’ ‘accidental’ term in office is a vivid manifestation of the presidency made simple. His conduct regarding national issues while in office amounts to ‘shattering irrationality’ which has seriously compromised the country’s international standing,” Mpombo said.
“Regarding foreign travels, it is mind-boggling that the President doesn’t see sense in genuine concerns from Zambians over his travels.
“Rupiah Banda must halt his useless trips. He should apply some breaks on his travels,” he said.
“One wonders what time he is in his office to sort out domestic problems. It’s a very saddening leadership he is providing. He spent the last two months travelling.”
Mpombo said outgoing Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made a stopover at South Africa but unlike President Banda, President Jacob Zuma was not jumping around in readiness for a trip to Brazil.
He claimed President Banda was “hoodwinking” Zambians to vote for him, because his character was different from that portrayed. “Arrogance is a very destructive leadership quality. We don’t know whether the President has any conscience or shame. We have not finalised the approval of the budget but he is already travelling,” Mpombo said.
“Zambia will be run down completely if Rupiah Banda secures a second term. This country will be ransacked. Rupiah Banda has twisted priorities. He is the most travelled head of state and people justifying these trips must have something seriously wrong with them.
“The man is squandering money . . . In my view, to have Mr Banda as President is the biggest curse because the man is arrogant,” Mpombo said.
He added that President Banda tried to portray a picture to the people that he was very caring, but claimed he was a political wolf.
“Look at the picture he projects in those awkward and clumsy adverts. You see a Banda who is speaking in a good voice, with emotion, begging for votes from people and deceiving them that the President is responsible for construction of the stadium in Ndola. You know, a very humble Banda. But look at the real Banda, arrogant, sly, deceitful. You know, it is incredible,” he said.
Labels: GEORGE MPOMBO, RUPIAH BANDA
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50% + 1 won’t be used in 2011 - Kunda
By Chibaula Silwamba
Fri 19 Nov. 2010, 04:01 CAT
THE 50 per cent plus one threshold for a presidential candidate will not be used to determine the winner in next year’s general elections. Vice-President George Kunda yesterday confirmed that the requirement for presidential election victory was among five contentious clauses referred to a referendum by the Chifumu Banda-led National Constitutional Conference (NCC).
However, he said the referendum would not take place before next year’s tripartite elections, partly because of cost implications.
This means the 50 per cent plus one provision for a candidate to be declared president would not be part of the electoral Act on which the 2011 polls will be held.
Vice-President Kunda said the government had not reached a decision on the holding of a referendum but that it would be held “at an opportune time”.
“As you know all these processes have cost implications for the nation,” said Vice-President Kunda, who doubles as justice minister.
“As you know . . . we are doing a national census where we are spending billions of kwacha and again we are going to have elections next year where we will spend billions of kwacha so the issue of the referendum, we have to reflect on it and decide as Cabinet and even the people of Zambia whether this is how we should proceed.”
He said the decision of Cabinet was that Zambians should proceed with the enactment of provisions that did not require a referendum.
“Substantially, we will have a new constitution except for part three, the Bill of Rights and Article 79. If you have looked at the draft constitution presented by the NCC, it substantially addresses the issue of enacting a new constitution,” he said.
“Government has decided to publish in the government gazette the Constitution of Zambia Bill 2010 and the Constitution of Zambia (Amendment) Bill 2010 as required under Article 79 of the Constitution of Zambia. This means that the enactment process of those provisions of the draft constitution which do not require a referendum has begun.”
He said the draft bills would be published in the government gazette for 30 days, and would be available at Government printers from November 22 after which they would be tabled in the National Assembly in February 2011 for debate.
He said the government’s aim would be to have the amendment enacted.
Vice-President Kunda said Part iii (Bill of Rights) and Article 79 of the current constitution have remained intact as per current constitution.
The clauses that require to be subjected to the referendum include the following:
Article 95 (1) of Mung’omba Draft Constitution on Electoral systems for Presidential elections which provides that Elections to the office of President shall be conducted on the basis of a majoritarian system where the winning candidate must receive not less than 50 per cent plus one vote of the valid votes cast and in accordance with Article 125; Article 162 (8) (a) of Mung’omba Draft Constitution on tenure of office and vacation of office of member of National Assembly which provides that; 162 (8): “If a political party is dissolved – (a) a member holding a constituency-based seat shall retain it.
He further cited other articles of the draft constitution that would need referendum.
Labels: 2011 ELECTIONS, 50 PERCENT PLUS 1, CONSTITUTION, GEORGE KUNDA
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JCTR urges attention to worsening human development
By Maluba Jere
Fri 19 Nov. 2010, 04:00 CAT
JCTR has urged the government to res-pond to the worsening human development in the country. And Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflections (JCTR) has noted that despite the overall level of inflation going down as reported by the Central Statistical Office, prices of commodities typically consumed by average Zambians have increased.
In a statement yesterday, JCTR stated that the 2010 Human Development Report entitled 'The wealth of nations: pathways to human development' revealed that Zambia’s human development situation had deteriorated since 1970.
“According to the report, of the 135 countries in their sample for 1970 to 2010, only three countries, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe have a lower Human Development Index today than in 1970,” stated JCTR’s social conditions coordinator Miniva Chibuye.
“The results therefore mean that Zambia is among the only three countries where people are worse off than they were in 1970 in terms of health, education and levels of income.”
Chibuye explained that according to the report, one of the major contributing factors for Zambia had been the worsening health situation as measured by life expectancy, which is now at 47.3 years.
She said Zambia needed to look beyond meeting the MDG target on primary education if it was to make significant progress towards human development. Chibuye noted that the situation of worsening human development was exacerbated by the high cost of living.
And JCTR has stated that the cost of food alone in October, which includes mealie-meal, vegetables, beans, dry fish, among others increased by K27,150 to K895,000 in comparison with K867,850 recorded in September 2010.
She explained that the Basic Needs Basket (BNB) survey for a family of six in October 2010 was K2, 877,830.
She further advised the government not to be complacent with meeting the Millennium Development Goal on primary education but instead focus on enabling more pupils to complete secondary school and enter tertiary education.
Labels: JCTR, MINIVA CHIBUYE
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Chiluba’s aide ‘confessed he wrote the articles’
By Namatama Mundia
Fri 19 Nov. 2010, 04:02 CAT
A WITNESS yesterday testified that former president Frederick Chiluba’s spokesperson Emmanuel Mwamba confessed to him that he had authored two contemptuous articles relating to the Mathew Mohan trial.
In this case, Mwamba is alleged to have authored and published two contemptuous articles that circulated on the Zambian Watchdog web site which analysed Mohan and his co-accused Idris and Shabia Patel’s murder case.
During examination-in-chief led by Supreme Court judge Gregory Phiri, who sat as High Court judge, Post managing editor Amos Malupenga, told a packed courtroom that Mwamba had confessed having authored the two contemptuous and scandalous articles.
He narrated how Mwamba phoned him on the evening of October 18, 2010 asking if he had heard of the drama that took place earlier in court when Mohan commenced his defence and implicated some judicial officers and Lusaka lawyer Robert Simeza. He said Mwamba told him that Mohan’s testimony was the worst version of James Lukuku and that he was just a crook and liar bent on implicating innocent people like Simeza.
Malupenga said because he had arrived at Wila Mung’omba’s residence where he went for a function, he told Mwamba that they would speak later. After about two hours, Mwamba phoned back asking if Malupenga was free to talk but Malupenga was still busy and he didn’t phone back that evening.
The following morning, Mwamba sent a text message to Malupenga’s phone indicating that he had sent him a document. A short while later, Mwamba and Malupenga spoke. Mwamba said what he sent to Malupenga’s email box was just a summary of what he had wanted to discuss with him and that the two should talk after Malupenga had read the article.
Malupenga said when he opened his mailbox, he found the first anonymous article titled, “Sajid Murder - The Plot Thickens”, which was also sent to Amos Chanda.
Malupenga said he later sent a text message to Mwamba asking if the analysis on The Watchdog did not amount to contempt and that if it were The Post doing that, its editor could have been cited for contempt. This was on October 20 when he saw the same article published on The Watchdog.
He said Mwamba’s response was, “Aaaa. I have encouraged Simeza to meet with you.”
Malupenga had earlier phoned Simeza asking for a meeting.
Malupenga said he had several conversations with Mwamba who accused The Post of giving undue prominence to Mohan’s testimony because they had seen an opportunity to prove their corruption allegations against the judiciary using Mohan whom everyone knew to be a crook and a liar.
Malupenga dismissed Mwamba’s claims saying people at The Post were not cowards to hide behind Mohan as the newspaper had shown in the past that it could criticise the judiciary without hiding behind anyone whenever criticism was due. He said for now, The Post had no issues with the judiciary.
Malupenga said a few days later, he heard from colleagues in the newsroom that there was another analysis of the Mohan trial on The Watchdog but he did not check it on the very day because he was busy. He said he visited the Zambian Watchdog website on October 27 and read the article together with the accompanying comments.
“I was very upset when I saw how the author was cleverly trying to link The Post to the ‘scheme’ as it was referred to,” Malupenga said.
He said he phoned Mwamba asking him why he had proceeded to link The Post to the Mohan ‘scheme’ when the newspaper had clearly no interest in the matter.
“I briefly referred him to our earlier conversation but he said he was ignorant about what I was talking about. I asked him not to pretend that he didn’t know what I was talking about. I told him the first analysis; I was not concerned because he didn’t link us. But in the second one, he linked us and that is why I phoned because I was not happy,” he said.
Malupenga said Mwamba said he was surprised that Lloyd The Watchdog editor had decided to publish the article because he sent it to him on Sunday October 24, “just for his information”.
He said Mwamba said in any case, there was no need for The Post to worry because his reference to the newspaper was very innocent and in passing.
“He said The Post were never the target and there was no reason for us to overreact or to be sensitive over the matter,” Malupenga narrated.
He said he warned Mwamba that enough was enough and The Post was going to expose him because he had warned him earlier.
“He Mwamba said he could not understand why we were over-reacting because according to him, he had done bigger things against The Post and Fred M’membe in the past and we didn’t react the way we were reacting this time,” Malupenga said.
He said after about 30 minutes on the same day, he phoned Amos Chanda to inform him about his conversation with Mwamba but Chanda said he had already been contacted by Mwamba who told him that The Post were angered by the articles in question.
Malupenga said Chanda said Mwamba could not understand why The Post was angered by the two articles because according to him, his reference to the newspaper was very innocent. Mwamba asked Chanda to explain to The Post the context in which his harmless reference to the newspaper was made.
Malupenga said he told Chanda that they could meet although a decision to expose Mwamba had already been made.
He said he phoned Mwamba the following day, October 28, based on the information he had received and took him back to his previous conversation with him on the two articles. He said he decided to record this conversation with Mwamba.
Malupenga said when he put it to Mwamba, during the conversation which lasted for about 20 minutes, that he had a scheme to put a wedge between The Post and the judiciary, the latter responded that it was a pity there was such an interpretation because it was never The Post under attack in his anonymous article but the scheme meant to frame Simeza, that is what he was fighting.
“We ended the conversation with him saying he would rather discuss the matter in person and that he could come to my office so that we discuss face-to-face,” Malupenga said. “Up to now, Emmanuel has never come to discuss this issue.”
Malupenga said later in the evening, he received a text message from Mwamba saying he was going to discuss the issue with Chanda in the hope that the misunderstanding could be cleared.
He said he responded by saying that Mwamba should go ahead and discuss with Chanda but as far as The Post were concerned, there was no misunderstanding because they had always known his schemes against them.
Malupenga said after his meeting with Chanda, Mwamba sent a text message to his phone saying, “Actually, there was no meeting. I was just reprimanded. I think for a good cause.”
Malupenga said on November 2, 2010, he implemented what he had promised Mwamba by way of writing to him to put on record what was discussed concerning the two anonymous and contemptuous articles and also expressed anger at his conduct, which The Post considered to be habitual.
Malupenga said he indicated to Mwamba that he would be discussing with The Post lawyers on the way forward. He said he copied this letter to the Inspector General of Police Francis Kabonde and judge Phiri.
Malupenga said after Mwamba received the letter, he had another meeting with Chanda and that Chanda later informed him that Mwamba felt excessively and unfairly attacked and that he denied being the author. He said Mwamba had even issued a statement on the Zambian Watchdog to that effect because he had some integrity to protect.
Malupenga said he was very upset with Mwamba’s position and thought of phoning him so he could tell him off but later decided to send him a text message just to create a record because he had heard that Emmanuel was ready to repudiate his own confessions.
Malupenga’s text message to Mwamba on November 2, 2010 read: “My namesake Amos Chanda tells me u feel excessively and unfairly attacked and that u deny being the author and accuse us of wrongly accusing you. I am told u have issued a statement on the Zambian Watchdog in the bid to protect your so-called integrity. Surely, u cannot shamelessly repudiate your own confessions which will be collaborated corroborated by independent evidence.
“I hope u recall my earlier warning to you that u will accuse us of fighting u when we respond to your attacks. Its ok for u to attack us but it is wrong for us to defend ourselves. I kept warning u against linking us to Mohan issues because we have nothing to do with them but u were determined to do so. U should now justify why u only talked about The Post in your analysis and excluded other media houses that covered Mohan’s defence,”
Malupenga said Mwamba has never responded to his text to date. He said he still had all the text messages he referred to in evidence on his phone. He also had a CD containing his phone conversation with Mwamba together with its transcript and printouts from his mailbox showing the anonymous article he received from Mwamba’s mailbox.
Malupenga is this morning expected to tender all these before judge Phiri as part of his evidence. Judge Phiri said court officials should make arrangements to provide all the necessary equipment to enable the court to listen to the recorded conversation this morning when the matter comes up for continued hearing.
And Malupenga told judge Phiri that should need arise, he was able to prove that Mwamba was behind most of the anonymous articles although for now he would confine himself to the two articles which were of interest to the court.
Mwamba remains remanded in custody.
Labels: COURTS, EMMANUEL MWAMBA, FREDERICK CHILUBA, MATTHEW MOHAN, WILLA MUNG'OMBA
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Antwerp backs Zimbabwe diamond trade
By: Comment
Posted: Thursday, November 18, 2010 11:52 am
THE future of the Kimberley Process (KP), the international diamond trade watchdog has been put to doubt at it has defied a report on Zimbabwe compiled by its own monitor.
Mr Abbey Chikane, the KP appointed monitor, last month submitted a report saying Zimbabwe had complied with all KP requirements, but the US blocked Zimbabwe's certification on flimsy grounds. This week, Mr Chikane went ahead and certified a batch of Zimbabwean diamonds for trade.
This move was also coupled with the Belgian diamond industry's backing of Zimbabwe, rendering the KP embargo useless.
The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), the Belgium-based organization has openly declared support for bringing Zimbabwe into international diamond trade while the monitor.
Whie addressing a high-powered delegation from the AWDC at his office in Harare, Minister of Mines and Mining Development Obert Mpofu revealed that the leading diamond dealers from countries including the US and Canada had repeatedly showed willingness to buy diamonds with or without the KP.
He said unless the KP made distinction between politics and economics it would not work, and warned that Harare could “make or break the KPCS.
“The biggest enemy of the KPCS is the politicisation of the organisation,” he added.
The minister urged the AWDC and other global diamond traders to play a constructive role in ensuring Zimbabwe freely trades in its diamonds.
In response, the AWDC president Nishit Parikh said: “We would like Zimbabwe to be successful. We are here to offer our services in whichever way we can for you to be part of the diamond community.”
AWDC support in the KP monitoring system indicate Zimbabwe will be legally back in diamond trade soon.
About eighty percent of the world’s diamonds pass through the AWDC, and its daily trade averages $200mn with a yearly turnover of $45bn.
Chikane’s decision to certify Chiadzwa diamonds is a sign that the KP is losing its teeth as countries like the US and Britain have politicised the organisation.
Labels: ABBEY CHIKANE, ANTWERP WORLD DIAMOND CENTRE, BLOOD DIAMONDS, CHIADZWA, KIMBERLEY PROCESS
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