Mugabe calls special cabinet session
13/06/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has called a special cabinet meeting for Thursday to deal with the economy. Cabinet sits every Tuesday, but ministers have requested a special session to discuss a document which Finance Minister Tendai Biti tried to table on Tuesday.
Thursday’s session will begin with Biti presenting the report on the state of the economy, according to Misheck Sibanda, the chief secretary to the President and Cabinet.
Biti warned last month that Zimbabwe was likely to miss this year’s economic growth targets owing to revenue shortfalls and rising domestic debt.
The minister said: "We are facing a number of downward risks, which are threatening our macro-economic projections.
"The key reason is simply that we have not been able to meet our revenue targets and the key cause is non-performance of our diamond revenue.”
Biti had projected that the economy would this year expand 9,4 percent, driven largely by mining, agriculture and tourism.
In the first quarter to March, the government collected US$771,1 million against a target of US$869,7 million.
Revenue collected from diamonds was US$30,4 million against a target of US$122,5 million.
Biti said the government had become "a major destabiliser" of the economy, as domestic debt had ballooned to US$300 million.
Cabinet is also expected to tackle the shortage of change – a major problem since Zimbabwe decided in 2009 to use foreign currencies in place of the valueless local currency.
Ministers will also discuss instability in the banking sector and the indigenisation programme as it relates to efforts to sustain the nascent economic recovery.
Labels: MISHECK SIBANDA, ROBERT MUGABE, TENDAI BITI
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Chamisa's ICT Bill threatens unity: reports
Pius Muringisi
Thu, 23 Jul 2009 04:59:00 +0000
ICT Minister Nelson Chamisa
A PROPOSED Information Communication Technology (ICT) Bill threatens to usurp the powers of the president and reduce various ministers to figureheads, according to the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda.
Last week, ICT Minister Nelson Chamisa submitted a draft ICT Bill to Dr Sibanda that — if passed into law — will see the Media, Information and Publicity and Transport ministers stripped of core functions.
Dr Sibanda declined to transmit the draft to the Cabinet Committee on Legislation after discovering that it was an attempt to re-assign the functions of the portfolios; something that only the Head of State and Government President Robert Mugabe has the prerogative to do.
The Bill which was seen by the Zimbabwe Guardian on Wednesday seeks to achieve the following:
“Provide for the establishment of the National Information and Communications Technology Authority of Zimbabwe and to provide for its functions and management;
“Provide for the licensing and regulation of telecommunication, broadcasting and postal services;
“Provide for the facilitation and regulation of electronic communications and transactions;
“To repeal the Postal and Telecommunications Act and the Broadcasting Services Act, to amend the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and to provide for matters incidental thereto.”
Currently, Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Nicholas Goche administers the Postal and Telecommunications Act, while Media, Information and Publicity Minister Webster Shamu does the same for BSA and AIPPA.
The ICT Bill is an outcome of the ongoing battle between Chamisa and Shamu on the administration of certain aspects of telecommunications sector.
Chamisa wants control of the fixed line telecommunications sector, where government has held a sway through TelOne since independence in 1980.
He also seeks to control telecommunications and the broadcast media.
Chamisa's efforts at controlling these functions prompted President Mugabe to transfer the communication portfolio from the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development led by Nicholas Goche.
Sources in the Zanu PF party have dismissed the bill as a political bill and criticised the minister for "playing politics with a crucial ministry".
President Mugabe’s spokesperson and Secretary for Media, Information and Publicity, George Charamba said Chamisa had “grievously misdirected himself” in trying to change the functions of certain ministries and seeking to repeal laws that he did not administer.
"I can tell you that it is transcendental in intention. It goes beyond the portfolio of the ICT Minister in that it purports to take legislative decisions on at least three Acts which are outside his mandate," said Charamba.
“Presently, Minister Chamisa is minding what can be described as virgin territory legislatively in that he has not been assigned to administer any Act and in my experience of Government a minister can only influence the life of an Act that has been officially assigned to him.”
He added: “No minister can seek to override, let alone rescind and annul an Act outside his or her portfolio. This, therefore, is without precedent.
Charamba said the only person in government with such "transcedental authority" was the President, according to the Constitution and the Global Political Agreement signed by Zanu PF and the two MDC formations in February this year in forming the inclusive Government.
“The only person with such transcendental authority, according to the Constitution and the GPA, is President Mugabe.”
BITI BUDGET STATEMENT, ICT BILL WELL TIMED
Meanwhile Finance Minister Tendai Biti's move to lift duty on cellphones, computer equipment and scrapping of duty on foreign newspapers without consulting
the relevant ministries has been criticised as "a systematic assassination of the authority of the President and key Cabinet ministers."
Biti and Chamisa are seen to be colluding to undermine the authority of the President, the Prime Minister and various ministers in Cabinet.
A few weeks ago, Biti has dismissed statements made by PM Tsvangirai as untrue; which have later been proved to have been correct. He dismissed PM Tsvangirai's statement that Zimbabwe had received over US$900 million in credit lines from China and the existence of a US$5 billion loan from that country. These loans were later proved to be existent.
*The Herald newspaper and other sources were used in compiling this report.
A source in the President's office said: “Biti wants newsprint to come in for free and at the same time Chamisa is trying to strip the Ministry of Information of its role. These are things that should not be read in isolation."
Labels: ICT, MISHECK SIBANDA, NELSON CHAMISA
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Nabobs of negativity and the trenches of Albion
THE ‘nattering nabobs of negativity’’ is a phrase that was coined by William Safire, speechwriter to then US vice president, Spiro Agnew to refer to the media, particularly its inclination to accentuate the negative over the positive.
Despite the warts that saw him fall with the Nixon administration, which probably explains why he was averse to media scrutiny, Agnew captured one failing of the so-called liberal or ‘‘independent’’ media, obsession with negativity.
Agnew may as well have been referring to some sections of the media in Zimbabwe and their Western overlords, who thrived on Mugabe-bashing over the past decade and who appear out on a limb following the consummation of the inclusive Government.
This section of the media, which transformed itself into de facto mouthpieces of everything opposition be it to do with the MDC formations, the so-called civil society or non-governmental individuals like Lovemore Madhuku is still in the trenches of Albion hurling pot-shots at Mugabe but surprising happy to miss Tsvangirai who is now part of the same executive. These are the media that wore the tag ‘‘opposition media,’’ like a badge of honour. And with the MDC formations joining Government, their favourite target, national discourse has been narrowed to a Manichaen contest between Zanu-PF and the other parties to the inclusive Government.
Over the past four weeks the nation has been bombarded by imaginary contests. First it was Gono vs. Biti, and when Gono saved Biti’s hide in an issue I will not name here; came Tomana vs. Tsvangirai. When the two were sworn-in in Parliament on the same day last week putting paid to claims that Tomana faced the sack, the nabobs mooted Chamisa vs. Shamu. Sadly with youthful enthusiasm,the young minister was baited and stormed NetOne building where Shamu was meeting workers.
Misheck Sibanda had to bring that matter to rest, leaving the arena open for the tired ‘contest,’ Tsvangirai vs. Mugabe. I will not go into detail about the powers of the two men apart from reminding the nabobs that Tsvangirai took his oath of office before Mugabe, just like any of the ministers, while Mugabe took his oath before the custodian of the supreme law of the land, the Chief Justice.
If that does not contextualise the balance of power, then I do not know a simpler way of putting it for the nabobs. Anyway, over the past 10 years we have been fed this ‘‘contest’’ that was supposed to have culminated in Mugabe paying obeisance to Tsvangirai or alternatively seeking asylum in some far off land, but as we all know Mugabe is still here. Talk about missing the point.
When the n’anga nabs one’s own
It was against this backdrop of the imaginary contest pitting Mugabe against Tsvangirai that Western media went hysterical in the wake of the fatal crash last week that claimed the life of Tsvangirai’s wife, Susan. With no shred of evidence linking Mugabe or the Government to the accident, BBC, CNN, Sky News and other weapons of mass deception began peddling conspiracies that the accident was an attempt on Tsvangirai’s life. Bad blood, they opined, exists between Mugabe and Tsvangirai. ‘‘Analysts’’ were brought in to document ‘‘Zimbabwe’s history of suspicious accidents.’’
All of a sudden there was talk of evacuating Tsvangirai to Botswana for ‘‘safety’’ not medical reasons. So hysterical was the melodrama that to the un-initiated, Mugabe had been tried and convicted. Some nameless, faceless ‘‘officials’’ in MDC-T did not help matters either by claiming that Tsvangirai suspected foul play.
Though they did not have the courage to put their faces or names to the claims. Then came the shocker that deflated them all. Tsvangirai was travelling in a party vehicle, with a party driver and party bodyguards. Most importantly, a US embassy truck hit his car. As such if there was foul play, it had to be a CIA hit. From there the conspiracy theories against the Government fell flat on their face.
For the BBC and other weapons of mass deception, it was time for damage control. No apology to the readers for selling them a dummy for hours on end was forthcoming. All of a sudden, one after the other the British and American governments released statements saying ‘‘all indications are that it was a genuine accident.’’
Sadly no one in Zanu-PF or the Government saw the irony, or the need to tackle the duplicitous Anglo-Saxons. It was Jonathan Moyo, independent legislator, who raised the alarm. Why were the Americans and the British quick to put the cart before the horse in saying this was a genuine accident, when only hours before their media were raising quite a stink when they believed they could pin it on Zanu-PF? As Moyo said, the Westerners appear to think all Zimbabweans are stupid as to believe that a genuine accident is one that does not implicate Zanu-PF; or that an accident is only genuine if it involves Usaid vehicles or drivers.
Then the cap fitted
AS it turned out the death truck, 81 TCE 128 is registered to the American embassy and it was, ostensibly, on a mission for a project co-funded by the American and British governments when it hit Tsvangirai’s vehicle. The British Foreign Office released a statement to that effect saying they co-owned the vehicle with the Americans; only for McGee – in his wisdom or lack of it but most likely the latter - to turn around and try to deny the undeniable. The vehicle, his office claimed, did not belong to the embassy (though it clearly bore US embassy plates and Usaid insignia) but was bought by Usaid money for an unnamed ‘‘contractor.’’
I do not know what McGee hoped to achieve by this asinine statement apart from adding fuel to the fire. Why is he denying ownership of a truck that he acknowledges was bought by American money and which, according to the Central Vehicle Registry, is registered with the US embassy technical services division? What is he trying to hide? And what is this that we now hear, that there was a second truck identical to the one that hit the Tsvangirais vehicle? Why didn’t the driver stop to assist the injured? Why were the police not told of this second vehicle, again, driven by a Usaid driver? And why did he rush to brief the US and British embassies and not the police, as a responsible witness should have done. I smell a big rat here. Just imagine, dear reader, the hullabaloo if the tables were turned and Tsvangirai’s vehicle had been sideswiped by a Government truck and it was the Government denying ownership of the truck bearing Government number plates, and clearly registered to a Government department. With the Government only saying the truck was bought, by Government money, for a ‘‘private contractor.’’ Imagine the hysteria on BBC and CNN, and the readings ‘‘analysts’’ would be making from the word ‘‘contractor’’ and Government’s unwillingness to name the ‘‘contractor.’’ Contracted to do what? Carry drugs, as we have been told, or take out Tsvangirai for choosing inclusion over regime change?
Let’s not kid ourselves, the white West is angry with Tsvangirai. They bankrolled him for 10 years, 10 years, in the hope that he would depose Mugabe and return land to the erstwhile baases. If there are people who want Tsvangirai dead in this world, it is these people who vehemently opposed the formation of the inclusive Government, and who have made it clear that they will do everything in their power to sabotage it, they have since renewed their ruinous sanctions. These are the people who are miffed by the fact that the MDCs, which were supposed to spearhead the reversal of the land reform programme, upheld its irreversibility by signing the broad-based agreement that laid the framework for the inclusive Government. These are the people who extended the sanctions on the very day Tsvangirai added his voice to the anti-sanctions lobby, though he chose to misrepresent the punitive sanctions as ‘‘restrictive measures.’’
Infact history tells us that the Westerners have a proud history of carrying out hits in various parts of the world on those people they consider threats or acolytes they consider past their sell by date. These people have permanent interests, not permanent friends. Tsvangirai was of use to them, only to the extent they believed he safeguarded their interests.
The gospel according to Pat Robertson
If a society has evangelists who publicly call for the killing of heads of state and government, to what extent can they go, in private, to do in those people they feel threaten the all-conquering foreign policy of the United States? Remember Pat Robertson of the 700 Club and his calls for the assassination of Saddam Hussein, Slobodan Milosevic and Hugo Chavez? By endorsing the land reform programme, Tsvangirai is now guilty of Mugabe’s crime, dispossessing white capital, and he makes an attractive target. Every year, the CIA declassifies files that reveal their misdeeds throughout the world. I bet my last dollar, that 25 years from now, we will read about an abortive mission along Masvingo Road. As Alice said after eating a magical cake in Wonderland, ‘‘it gets curiouser and curiouser,’’ and our security agents must get to the bottom of this matter.
Walking on the wrong side of history
The cheek of it! From the stable of nabobs, last week, came a 101 lecture on media ownership and practice. The writer claimed he saw an excellent opportunity for media reform in the wake of the inclusive Government. And the reform, wait for it, was to focus only on the public media to the exclusion of his stable and others of like mind like The Zimbabwean which is printed in London and flown to Zimbabwe for sale.
For the first time, the writer referred to Zimpapers, for what it is, public media, not the ‘‘State-owned’’ or ‘‘State-controlled’’ mantra that had become the stock-in-trade of the private — not independent please — media. Some may wonder what brought this bout of lucidity but the intention was clear. The papers, the writer said, belonged to the public, and the Government should have nothing to do with them. He proposed that an MDC version of the media comprising of the Western-funded MISA, IJAZ, the likes of WOZA, you name it, lead the said reform.
In other words, the self-serving West should take the lead in ‘‘reforming the public media’’ at a time we are collectively telling them hands-off. Talk about being on the wrong side of history. The writer accused the public media of peddling ‘‘distortions, falsehoods and propaganda.’’ One wonders whether stories like ‘‘My ordeal as Mugabe’s prisoner (Basildon Peta)’’, and ‘‘Woman beheaded in front of kids (Lloyd Mudiwa),’’ to mention but a few, appeared on the pages of The Herald or the so-called independent newspapers. If there is a quarter that needs reform, it is the so-called independent media that has become so compromised that even the US State Department has no qualms boasting about its influence in certain stables.
In its report titled ‘‘Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: The US Record – 2006,’’ the State Department revealed that it funds and has editorial influence in certain weeklies that peddle anti-Government sentiment. This was a throwback to Kansteiner’s confession that the US uses some sections of the media to undermine Zimbabwe.
It is these papers that are in need of reform, to make them truly Zimbabwean. The writer should state his real intention. Many of the ghosts walking the Internet are crying for a home and, with the coming of the inclusive Government they hoped they would find it at the ‘‘brick and mortar’’ building. You see, the irony is always stark when the devil tries to run away with the gospel.
l caesar.zvayi@zimpapers.co.zw
Labels: CAESAR ZVAYI, MISHECK SIBANDA, NEOCOLONIALISM
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Ministers remain functional - Sibanda
Ralph Mutema
Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:15:00 +0000
ZIMBABWE’S Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda, has issued a statement saying ministers should continue with the management of their ministries until the appointment of new ministers in the expected all-inclusive government.
Dr Sibanda who was responding to media speculation that ministers were no longer empowered to run their ministries clarified this position yesterday and said the only exception was Provincial Governors and Resident Ministers who had a fresh mandate to run their ministries.
He also urged the ministers to start preparing comprehensive briefs on the operations of their ministries to facilitate a smooth takeover process when it becomes necessary.
"Heads of ministries should continue to discharge their normal supervisory responsibilities as the chief executive officers of their ministries as well as attending to the specific responsibilities assigned to them by the High Level Resource Mobilisation and Utilisation Committee in the preparations of the agriculture summer season now upon us.
He also said that his office will continue with its supervision and coordination role with the current composition of ministers.
"The Office of the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, assisted by the Office of the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, will continue to supervise and co-ordinate the activities of ministries to guarantee efficient service delivery," he said.
Labels: CABINET, MISHECK SIBANDA, ZIMBABWE
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Mbeki urges African leaders to assist Zim with farming inputs
Posted: Tuesday, September 16, 2008
September 16, 2008
The Herald
SOUTH AFRICAN President Thabo Mbeki yesterday urged African leaders to urgently assist Zimbabwe with sufficient farming inputs and inject life into the country's agricultural production ahead of the 2008/09 summer cropping season as Government announced the distribution of inputs for the season.
Agriculture is the backbone of Zimbabwe's economy.
Mr Mbeki said all African leaders should lead by example and demonstrate their solidarity with Zimbabwe and help the country out of its economic challenges.
He said African leaders were capable of dealing with problems besetting the continent.
President Mbeki said rains were around the corner and Zimbabwe was in dire need of farming implements.
"The rains are about to start, so the time to put the seeds in the soil is very close, but we must get the seeds, we must get the fertilizer, we must get the fuel, we must get the implements as a matter of urgency. I am quite certain as a region and a continent we can do that," said President Mbeki in his closing remarks after the signing of Zimbabwe's power-sharing deal.
"We have a responsibility to do that and demonstrate that we are capable as a continent to take care of our problems. This is one entry to make as a matter of urgency."
Announcing the conclusion of the inter-party dialogue last Thursday, President Mbeki said he had discussed the issue of food security with President Mugabe, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and Professor Arthur Mutambara.
He said it was imperative for the leaders to work to ensure that production on the land was stepped up so that food shortages do not recur.
In a statement yesterday, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda, who is also chairman of the Resource Mobilisation and Utilisation Committee for the 2008/9 Agricultural Summer Season, said Government had embarked on a programme to enhance food security at the household and national level for the coming summer cropping season.
"Full-scale mobilisation of A1, A2, communal, individual and institutional farmers as well as vulnerable groups for the programme, is in full swing.
"With indications from the Meteorological Department pointing to a good season in terms of the rainfall distribution pattern, efforts have to be focused on boosting the country's state of preparedness for the cropping season," he said.
He, however, said the support by Government was meant to complement and not to substitute the farmers' initiatives.
He said other programmes such as the Targeted Farmers Programme, Vulnerable Social Groups Programme and Individual Efforts by the Generality of Zimbabwean Farmers would run concurrently with the distribution exercise.
In the Targeted Farmers Programme, 500 000 hectares will be put under maize production, with a commitment to deliver all the produce to the Grain Marketing Board.
"Farmers for this programme are in the process of being identified, while contract forms will soon be availed to the farmers by the Ministry of Agriculture," he said.
Dr Sibanda encouraged farmers to urgently complete forms, to facilitate the provision of inputs support and monitoring by Agritex, District Development Fund and his committee with the expected yield under the programme expected to be five tonnes per hectare.
The Vulnerable Social Groups Programme, Dr Sibanda said, is targeting disadvantaged members of society in every province.
"Beneficiaries under this programme are being identified by the provincial and district structures of the Department of Social Welfare and will each get 10kg seed maize or small grains seed pack, 50kg of compound D and 50kg of ammonium nitrate (fertilizers).
"Distribution of the inputs will commence as soon as the list of the beneficiaries is in place. That target is for this group of farmers to produce a combined 200 000 tonnes at an average yield of 0.5 tonnes per hectare."
Dr Sibanda said inputs would be acquired from traditional distribution outlets using individual resources in the Individual Efforts by the Generality of Zimbabwean Farmers programme.
He said distribution of inputs has started, with trains and trucks already moving consignments to provincial GMB depots and to individual farming communities.
"Farmers under the targeted programme with their own transport or means should arrange to pick up the inputs from their local depots. Government will, as in previous seasons, provide farmers with fuel for the summer cropping season."
Dr Sibanda said the Resource Mobilisation and Utilisation Committee will monitor the uplifting of the fuel and its utilisation by the farmer.
"It should also be noted that fuel for targeted farmers will be distributed to identified areas within the farming clusters for easy of access, to reduce on transport costs or other logistical challenges," he said.
The fuel will be distributed directly to A1 and A2 farmers and farmers without tillage services, including communal farmers, can access the services from DDF and Arda as well as any other service providers, Dr Sibanda said.
He said other farmers not benefiting from the programmes would access the inputs and fuel through traditional outlets.
"Government, in liaison with relevant stakeholders, is working round the clock to ensure the timeous availability of adequate amounts of inputs in the market and that these are distributed to all farmers equitably," he said.
He requested banks to commence the processing of loan applications by individual farmers, adding the Reserve Bank would unveil more details on this issue.
Dr Sibanda said farmers with their own tillage facilities and fuel should proceed immediately with land preparedness and those with functional irrigation facilities should immediately start planting.
"Ideally, the entire planting programme should have been concluded by November 30 while farmers with seed and fertilizers left over from the previous season should use them as intended," he said.
Dr Sibanda urged farmers still holding their small grain stocks to grow them, expressing concern at the insufficient quantities available in the country.
"Accordingly, Government has put in place arrangements to import additional seed to bridge the deficit. Farmers in the relevant agro-ecological regions of the country will be notified on the distribution thereof once the consignment has been received," he said.
He said steps are being taken to adequately capacitate Agritex and DDF officers in accordance with the agreed conceptual framework, so as to enable them to effectively monitor the whole farming process in the districts, from inputs support distribution to harvesting and collection of produce.
"This will be complemented by measures to be taken to counter the abuse of inputs supplies, especially seed, fuel and fertilizers," he said.
Dr Sibanda said Government would deal firmly with corrupt persons who are in the habit of using their political and social influence to abuse agricultural inputs thereby prejudicing the agricultural production programme.
"Notwithstanding the challenges being confronted, with sufficient willpower and the unity of purpose by all stakeholders, the goal to ensure food security at the national and household level can be achieved."
In terms of the power-sharing deal signed yesterday by President Mugabe and the leaders of the two MDC formations, Mr Tsvangirai and Prof Mutambara, they agreed to stabilise the economy and ensure its growth.
"The parties agree to give priority to the restoration of economic stability and growth in Zimbabwe.
"The Government will lead the process of developing and implementing an economic recovery strategy plan," read article III of the agreement.
To that end, the parties expressed commitment to working together on a full and comprehensive economic programme to resuscitate the country's economy, which would urgently address the issues of production, food security, poverty and unemployment and the challenges of high inflation, interest rates and exchange rates, among other things.
The parties also unequivocally pledged that humanitarian and food assistance was paramount to the sanctity of human life.
The parties agreed that every Zimbabwean regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, political affiliation and religion is entitled to humanitarian and food assistance from Government.
"It is the primary responsibility of the State to ensure that every Zimbabwean who needs humanitarian and food assistance receives it."
To complement Government's efforts to feed the nation, non-governmental organisations involved in humanitarian and food assistance are allowed to provide food without discrimination.
However, in the exercise of their work the NGOs are not allowed to promote the interests of any political party.
In terms of the agreement, NGOs rendering humanitarian and food assistance should operate within the confines of the laws of Zimbabwe.
Labels: LAND REFORM, MISHECK SIBANDA, RESOURCE MOBILISATION AND UTILISATION COMMITTEE, TARGETED FARMERS PROGRAMME, THABO MBEKI, ZIMBABWE
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