Saturday, July 27, 2013

(STICKY) (TALKZIBABWE) Tsvangirai attacks AU Chief, Dlamini-Zuma
This article was written by Our reporter on 27 July, at 05 : 05 AM

PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has clashed with African Union (AU) Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma over the election environment in Zimbabwe.

On Friday Dlamini-Zuma told MDC-T leader there were no complaints raised by any political leader over alleged vote rigging by President Robert Mugabe’s and his Zanu PF party.

Addressing journalists at a party press briefing Friday, Tsvangirai accused Dlamini-Zuma of bias towards Zanu-PF and ‘lying to the world’.

In her remarks during an AU Observer Mission’s preliminary findings media briefing at Harare’s Rainbow Towers, Dlamini-Zuma said all the candidates she had met since arriving in Harare on Wednesday never mentioned any attempts to steal the election by Zanu-PF.

Dlamini-Zuma asked the Western reporter who had asked the question to confirm the source of the information they had about rigging allegations.

The journalist, unprepared for the question, said he had read of documents that were attributed to Zanu-PF which stated an elaborate vote rigging attempt as well as newspaper reports pointing to systematic rigging by President Mugabe.

“Can you give us a copy, not newspaper reports – the document you are talking about,” Zuma insisted.

“I met the Prime Minister who is the leader of MDC and he said nothing like that, gave me no document. So if you have it, give it to me otherwise I don’t work on newspaper reports or speculation,” she said.

“I work on what I have heard and seen. And that’s why I try and meet the leaders so that I can hear what you are saying from them and I didn’t.”

The AU chief went on: “I saw the leader of the MDC, the Prime Minister, I spoke to the Deputy Prime Minister Mutambara. l spoke to Professor Welshman Ncube. None of them mentioned any such document to me.

“None of them even used the word – and we (AU observers) were all here – of rigging.

“So they tell you maybe what they think you want to hear but they have not told us that so we cannot comment on it.

“If they had told us, I would tell you because I am here, I am transparent, I will say what I have been told, they have not told us that but if you have that document give it to us then we can deal with it because our view is that we don’t deal with rumours. We don’t deal with speculation.

“Somebody reports something, we try and verify and if its verified then we can talk about it because we won’t know where we are if we start running with every rumour, every speculation.

“So I am sure if they have given it to you, you will hand it over to us and then we can have a discussion based on something concrete.”

Zuma’s remarks however drew fire from Tsvangirai who addressed his own press conference an hour later.

“(On Thursday) I met the chairperson of the African Union, Madam Nkosanazana Zuma. I understand she has made a comment to the media to the effect that all principals are happy with what’s taking place and that no issues had been raised with her,” the MDC-T leader said.

“I just want to correct that. I have no intention of correcting an impression that has been created that will cause an unnecessary conflict but I want to say that it’s unfortunate that that statement has been made because the truth is that I raised with her a number of issues of concern to the MDC.

He insisted he had briefed Zuma’s delegation about the “chaotic” voter registration process run by the Registrar General’s office, the disenfranchisement of thousands of his potential supporters, the secrecy around the printing of ballot papers and the “deliberate” reduction of polling stations in his stronghold urban constituencies.

“For one to say none of the principals have raised these issues its not only unfortunate but it’s downright misleading,” he said.

Asked why Zuma would say something like that, Tsvangirai said: “You ask her. I met her. I did not meet her in a private room just the two of us so it becomes her word against mine. We met in a meeting.

“That’s a Zanu PF narrative, so as to endorse an outcome which then supports the Zanu-PF outcome.

“We know her background, who doesn’t know her background? It is a very unfortunate position to take to accuse me of lying when l had a full meeting in which she was there.

“A number of her own delegation were there, a number of my staffers were there and l pointed out these issues to her. Now the question is why would she want to distort a meeting in which everyone participated. It puts to question her integrity as an impartial observer of this process.”

NewZimbabwe.com/TZG

Labels: , , ,


Read more...

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Poverty won't go away by itself
By Editor
Fri 12 July 2013, 14:00 CAT

MIKE Rees, Standard Chartered Bank group executive director - wholesale, says despite strong economic performance, many African countries are experiencing 'jobless growth', especially among the young.

Rees says "the current economic boom across the continent offers an opportunity to change this and lift millions of Africans out of poverty, but it won't happen by itself. Tackling this desperate issue, ensuring that growth produces a dividend of opportunity and jobs for people should be top of mind for anyone interested in Africa's long-term future".

This is a very big challenge and there are many honest African statesmen who are not sleeping because of the distressing difficulties they and their people face today. They have done everything they have been asked to do by those who control the world economy, but still the great majority of their people are wallowing in abject poverty and unemployment. They are being told that their economies are growing at five, six or seven per cent but the poverty and unemployment is not accordingly reducing.

So many concessions have been given to transnational corporations to invest in African countries but still poverty and unemployment persists. But probably there is need to examine and re-examine where this growth we talk about is coming from. Over 60 per cent of our countries' export revenues come from the marketing of commodities. They have the worst lot in international trade.

The fact that there are very few of our countries with significant exports of manufactured goods, and that oil exporters are also a very small group, gives a clear economic picture of how we are dependent mostly on commodity exports - agricultural raw materials, mineral raw materials.

The question of commodities continues to be significant for our countries. It is needless to repeat well-known facts, such as the increasing substitution of synthetic products for natural commodities, which poses a constant threat to our economies. Their negative price-trend can be observed in both the short term and long term, although the trends in real prices over long periods are especially revealing and definitely challenge certain optimistic short-term perceptions generally held by economists of the developed world.

It is also a well-known fact that the share of the final price received by our countries from the marketing of commodities is extremely low.
In recent years, various studies, some of them carried out by the United Nations, have penetrated to a certain extent into the intricate manipulations of the transnationals, disclosing their harmful operations and their sophisticated techniques of exploitation. Although we are not against foreign investors and we actually seek and welcome them, it is impossible to avoid referring to the particularly harmful role played by these corporations in this field.

These huge transnational conglomerates which seek to establish their own peculiar international economic order, are by no means innocent of the erratic fluctuations in commodity prices and the minimum share of the final price we in the producing countries receive.

It should be recognised firstly that transnationals exert tremendous control over commodity marketing. Though widely known, this fundamental fact does not always receive the attention it deserves. Actually, all international trade in primary commodities exported by our countries continues under the transnationals' control.

The decision-making power of these corporations over price setting is such that any demand from us for the reassessment of our trade with a view to coping with unequal exchange must include - in order to be coherent and to get to the root of the problem - the eradication of transnational control over marketing and the transfer of trade mechanisms to our nations.

This overwhelming control is exerted by a few corporations which trade in more than one commodity.

Actually, these huge corporations set a price, takeover production and sell it at the established price in any quantity the market may absorb. These are the so-called "managed prices", fixed by the seller to maximise monopoly profits and thereby compensate, through large scale operations, for eventual drop in profits from one product by increasing profits on others, and also by shrewdly taking advantage of the inter-relationships of different products.

In this context, the well-known terms of trade indicators, based on usual trade statistics, can hardly express the real economic benefits for our countries, since a price increase under the prevailing conditions without eliminating the intervention of transnationals would only contribute a marginal share to the national producers, and would instead widen the gap between such producers and the increasing share appropriated by the transnationals.

For many years we have been crying about adding value to our raw materials before we export them but nothing much is happening in that direction. It is very difficult now to create many and meaningful jobs from the production of raw materials. Technology has improved greatly.

Even in the mining sector, fewer people are required to do a job because of the efficiency of the equipment being used. Mines are no longer employing as many people as they used to in the past. Even in large scale agriculture, jobs are not as many as they used to be. A few operators can plough, plant, weed and harvest an entire crop.

It is impossible to describe the international trade of our countries - be it in commodities or in manufactured goods - without finding in the transnationals and in the economic policies of the countries where the parent companies are based, the main obstacles to the development of our countries. To ignore the action of these conglomerates would be to follow the philosophy of an ostrich: burying one's head in the sand.

Without a coordinated strategy and concerned actions vis-à-vis transnational corporations, little progress would be achieved in steering away from the present catastrophic course in terms of trade expansion and the use of trade as a development factor. We are busy competing with each other for transnational corporations to come and invest in our countries. Some of our countries have declared huge parts of the country as economic zones where nothing or very little is paid in terms of taxes. We are losing out on meaningful taxes; our people are not getting the jobs we thought they would get from such investments and the benefits from exports are very limited.

And as Rees correctly observes, the quest to lift millions of our people out of poverty will not happen by itself. At the deepest point of our worst crisis, it is historically imperative for us - now more than ever before - to break the vicious circle of our trade inferiority and turn international trade into a true element for independent national development.

Labels: , ,


Read more...

Rupiah didn't want Nigerian oil deal to be known to many people - Kachingwe
By Mwala Kalaluka
Fri 12 July 2013, 14:01 CAT

MAJOR Richard Kachingwe yesterday testified that he exclusively managed the Nigerian oil deal on behalf of Rupiah Banda, who had a lot of interest in the transaction.

And Lusaka chief resident magistrate Joshua Banda yesterday warned members of the public that attend the former president's trial that he would flush them out from his court if they perceived it as a circus.

Maj Kachingwe said it would be dishonourable for Banda to deny giving him letters on State House letterheads to deliver to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja.

This is a matter where Banda, 76 of plot number 2758, off Leopards Hill Road, Lusaka is facing abuse of authority of office charges in relation to the alleged illegal procurement of oil from Nigeria to the tune of US$2.5 million, whose proceeds were alleged to have gone into an offshore account.

During cross-examination by Banda's defence team, Maj Kachingwe said Banda did not, however, want the Nigerian oil deal to be known to many people.

Responding to questions from defence lawyer Stephen Lungu, Maj Kachingwe said he consistently kept Banda informed about the dealings with Sub-Energy over the government-to-government Nigerian oil deal.

He said he was not aware that the Nigerian company Sub-Energy did not exist as of August 2008 but that when two company officials came to Zambia, he took them to meet Banda at Government House after receiving them at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport as guests of the president.

"This is a president. Surely the president can't deny that he gave me these letters. He is a man of honour," Maj Kachingwe said.

He said he read the letter that was given to then energy minister Kenneth Konga to deliver to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC relating to the delivery of 45,000 barrels of oil.

Maj Kachingwe said Konga also left a power of attorney that was prepared in a hotel business centre in Abuja, which allowed Sub-Energy to deal on behalf of Zambia on the oil deal.

Responding further to another defence lawyer, Lubinda Linyama, Maj Kachingwe said he signed the contract on the Nigerian oil deal on behalf of the Zambian government at the NNPC offices in Abuja and that it was witnessed by Sub-Energy managing director Akpan Ekpene and others.

"I was directed to sign," he said. Maj Kachingwe said he could vouch on the emailed remittance advice relating to the Nigerian oil issue which he sent to Banda.

"Do you know whether this money went?" Linyama asked as Maj Kachingwe replied: "I don't know. It is not my account. The president acknowledged."

Asked about who the beneficiary was according to the document, he said Banda or his son Henry would know better.

But he said Rupiah Bwezani Banda or Henry Chikomeni Banda's names do not appear on the document in question.

"It also shows the crookedness of Henry Banda. There is an offshore account," Maj Kachingwe said.

When probed if he had consulted the Attorney General when signing the contract at NNPC, Maj Kachingwe said he had consulted Banda.

"The president is the Attorney General," he said. "It was not me to consult. It was the president to consult. The president gave me delegated power…I have no difficulty in saying I was given powers by the president of the Republic of Zambia…Everything I was handing over to the president."

Maj Kachingwe said it was Banda who initiated the whole process.

"The president had a lot of interest in the deal," he said. "These were instructions from the president."

Maj Kachingwe said in response to questions from defence lawyer Makebi Zulu that he sat and discussed with Banda, and Banda told him they required another power of attorney after a second opportunity availed itself in relation to the Nigerian oil deal.

"That is why I am saying this is a presidential trial. I am being constrained," he said. "These are the questions you can direct to the president because he knows all these things."

He said Banda was very happy to meet with the officials from Sub-Energy such that apart from donating materials towards his presidential election campaign, he made sure that Maj Kachingwe was excluded from the second meeting with the duo.

"He handed over to Henry," he said.

On defence lawyer Sakwiba Sikota's attempt to test his character through an incident where he was accused of having caused diplomatic furore with Sweden in 2004 when he assisted a Burundese national to access a visa under the guise of an MMD cadre, Maj Kachingwe said it was sad that when someone was drowning they were even holding on to the branches to survive.

Hearing continues.


Labels: , , ,


Read more...

Nigerian oil dealer testifies in Rupiah's case
By Namatama Mundia and Mwala Kalaluka
Sat 13 July 2013, 14:01 CAT

SARB Energy managing director Akpan Ekpene yesterday testified how Rupiah Banda expressed interest in his proposal to supply crude oil to Zambia through the Nigerian government-to-government facility when they met at Lusaka's Government House in Lusaka in 2008.

And Maj Richard Kachingwe yesterday wondered why Banda's lawyers are today questioning his integrity following his testimony in the Nigerian oil case when they did not question it at the time it suited them.

Giving evidence-in-chief, Ekpene, a 46 year-old engineer of Plot 1099 First Avenue, Abuja, said his company deals in oil trading and that it was established in September 2008.

He said in 2008, he introduced the idea of the Republic of Zambia entering into a government-to-government contract with the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

"That has been my main and only dealing with the Republic of Zambia to date," he said.

Ekpene said through meetings with then Zambian deputy high commissioner Maj Kachingwe, he was able to come to Zambia to make a presentation to then acting president Banda at Government House.

"The acting president appeared. He greeted me warmly," Ekpene said. "He said 'welcome'. He asked me how things were in Nigeria and then he asked 'what do you have?'"

He said he gave Banda a briefing similar to that he had earlier given to then energy minister Kenneth Konga.
"Just as I was finishing, he took out his phone and called someone. When the person answered he said 'Kenneth'. He identified himself then he said 'I have a friend from Nigeria with an interesting proposal.' Then the acting president told me to wait, that other people were coming."

Ekpene was explaining to the court how the oil issue started.
He is expected to continue his evidence on Monday.

And wrapping up his testimony, Maj Kachingwe said what he had testified was the truth as he knew it because he actively worked with Banda on the oil contract and that the same defence lawyers like Sakwiba Sikota and Prof Patrick Mvunga that are today trying to question his integrity represented him in other matters when it suited them.

He said anyone would be bitter with Banda because he found the MMD in power and he saw it out of power because of his failure to listen.
Prof Mvunga said he did not represent Maj Kachingwe but the MMD.

Maj Kachingwe earlier told the court that he was interviewed by a Nigerian law enforcement agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to explain what he knew about the oil deal.

This is in a case where Rupiah Banda is charged with abuse of authority of office relating to the illegal procurement of oil from Nigeria to the tune of US$2.5 million, a transaction which allegedly benefited the former president and his family but he pleaded not guilty.

During continued cross-examination by Banda's lawyer Prof Mvunga, Maj Kachingwe told magistrate Banda that he was competent on the oil deal and Banda congratulated him.

This was after Prof Mvunga wondered why Maj Kachingwe did not ask Ekpene and a General Silva the destination of the proceeds from the oil contract.

He added that it would have been wrong for him to query Ekpene and General Silva what they had discussed with Banda's son, Henry, at a meeting at State House.

Maj Kachingwe said he was not blank when he signed the oil contract on behalf of government.

He also told the court that he was not the apportioning authority to ask why only 20,000 barrels of crude oil was offered when the government had requested for 45,000 barrels.

Earlier when he was cross-examined by Sakwiba Sikota, Maj Kachingwe told the court that he was last in Nigeria from May 25 to 31 after the EFCC requested for him.

He said he was required by the EFCC to go and be interviewed in connection with the oil deal they were investigating in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

Maj Kachingwe said the invitation to the EFCC was verbal and he was informed by investigation officer, Friday Tembo, that he was required there.

He said Tembo communicated to him a week before they travelled to Nigeria.

Maj Kachingwe said the application for a visa was done by the investigations officers.

Asked if it was Tembo who applied for his visa, Maj Kachingwe said he would not know but that his passport was picked by Tembo.

He said the air ticket was bought for him by the Zambian government and they also paid for his upkeep.

Maj Kachingwe told the court that he had already taken oath and was in the witness box when he travelled to Nigeria in the company of Tembo.

He said he used Ethiopian Airlines and was in business class while Tembo was in economy.

Maj Kachingwe said Tembo told him that the EFCC wanted him to interview him over the oil deal in order to get a version of his story.

Asked if this was the same period Director of Public Prosecutions Mutembo Nchito went to Nigeria, Maj Kachingwe said he did not know.

"But he passed through our hotel, we just greeted, he came to see Mr Friday Tembo," he said.

Maj Kachingwe said at the EFCC, he was questioned about the oil deal and he explained it the way he testified in court.
He said the interview was for about two hours and he did not sign any statement.

Maj Kachingwe said he did not tell EFCC that the matter was in court.

He said the commission did not tell him who they were investigating in that country.

"They didn't tell me who was being investigated; they had their own reasons of questioning me. They said they were carrying out an investigation on the oil deal in the NNPC," said Maj Kachingwe.

Labels: , , ,


Read more...

Sata mocks HH
By Roy Habaalu and Allan Mulenga
Sat 13 July 2013, 14:00 CAT

PRESIDENT Michael Sata has mocked Hakainde Hichilema over his ascendancy to the presidency of UPND.

In a letter to Hichilema dated July 12, 2013, President Sata said he would only respond to Hichilema's claims after telling him the legitimacy of his leadership.

"RE: Appointment of acting Chief Justice Lombe Chibesakunda. I acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 9th July, 2013, on the above matter. I will only respond to your letter when you tell me who elected you as president of the United Party for National Development (UPND), because as far as we know, you have never been elected to the section, branch, ward, constituency, district, province and let alone to the presidency of your party," read President Sata's response to Hichilema's letter.

In his letter to President Sata, Hichilema stated that the continued stay of justice Chibesakunda at the helm of the Judiciary was illegal.
He stated what was obtaining in the Judiciary suggested that there was more rot now than at any other time in the history of the country.
Hichilema claimed that if not corrected, the continued stay of justice Chibesakunda would erode people's confidence in a very important arm of government.

"We have noted with great concern that madam Justice Lombe Chibesakunda has been in acting role for more than (1) year. "Acting" does not connote permanency. It is temporary administrative measure. What is obtaining now in the judiciary is tantamount to making a permanent decision in temporary circumstances. This is a breach of the Constitution and is unacceptable. We demand that you live up to the oath you swore to uphold by correcting the constitutional and statutory violation outlined above through the appointment of a substantive Chief Justice," read Hichilema's letter.

Hichilema stated that a select committee of Parliament comprising political parties rejected the name of justice Chibesakunda.
He stated that the continued stay of Justice Chibesakunda after she was rejected by the select committee of Parliament was a clear abuse of power by the executive.

Hichilema said appointing judges on contracts was unconstitutional.

"There is no provision in the constitution for a judge to serve on contract. Allowing a judge to serve on contract like in the current case only serves to compromise their independence. There are many qualified person below the age sixty-five (65), years that you can choose a substantive chief justice from," he stated.

Hichilema said her continued stay would cement the idea that she was in that position as a cadre of the government party to dispense injustice against the opposition.

And Vice-President Dr Guy Scott told Parliament that justice Chibesakunda was on contract and that her continued stay at the helm of the judiciary was legal.

Responding to Katombora UPND member of parliament Derrick Livune who rose on a point of order questioning the legality of the continued stay of Justice Chibesakunda after the parliamentary select committee rejected her candidature for the position, Vice-President Scott explained that she was on contract and her stay was legal.

"Let me first seek permission from Mr Speaker, whether I can respond to this because it is before the courts of law. You should know that she is has signed a contract and therefore, it is legal. There is nothing like acting Chief Justice; it is just Chief Justice," he said.

Vice-President Scott explained that it was procedural that her name was submitted to the parliamentary select committee for scrutiny.

But Mazabuka UPND member of parliament Garry Nkombo in a point of order demanded to know the length of Chief Justice Chibesakunda's contract and when it became binding but Speaker Patrick Matibini said the Vice-President had already tackled the question.


Labels: , ,


Read more...

JCTR calls on govt to curb cost of basic commodities
By Masuzyo Chakwe
Sat 13 July 2013, 14:00 CAT

THE Jesuit Centre for Theological Reflection has urged the government to tackle the rising cost of basic commodities.

Releasing the Basic Needs Basket for the month of June, JCTR stated this was so in view of the fact that so far no well-articulated framework had been put in place to ensure that the poor do not suffer adverse shocks of price changes.

It stated that it was imperative that clear measures, such as zero rating some food products be put in place to mitigate the increasing cost of food items.

In May, the government sequentially scrapped fuel and maize subsidies contending that the measure would free resources for infrastructure development and poverty reduction among others.

This change in subsidies has generated a debate with various actors voicing varying views.

JCTR stated that at household level, the effects of the subsidies removal on prices of basic commodities were still being felt two months afterwards. According to Daniel Mutale, the social conditions programme manager, the effects of removal of subsidies on basic food items was deepening.' Mutale said this calls for an urgent response to address the rising food costs.

JCTR stated that the cost of living for the month of June as measured by the JCTR's Basic Needs Basket for an average family of five living in Lusaka stood at K3,684.46.

"The Basic Needs Basket total has increased by K59.26 compared to May 2013 when the basket was K3,625.20. Evidently this increase is almost double the Basic Needs Basket total increase from April to May which was K31.60. From the time the subsidies were removed in May, a cumulative increase in the Basic Needs Basket total of K90.86 has been seen. The total cost of essential food items contributed most to this increase by K41.78 while that of essential non food items increased by K17.48. Increases in unit price of food commodities such as mealie-meal, beans, dry fish and beef by K3.18, K1.49, K24.62 and K1.13 respectively, explain the increase," it stated.

Mutale stated that, "The fact that it is the basic food items whose prices are affected is worrisome as these are integral to the diet of the majority poor." JCTR stated that not only was the cost of basic food items such as mealie-meal, which on average costs K59.28, unaffordable but the price was steadily rising as evidenced by an increase of approximately K3 in the month of June.

It stated that data from the Satellite Home Survey carried out by the JCTR in some high density areas within Lusaka shows that a great number of families rely heavily on mealie-meal for their basic meals.

"Thus the current and potential future increase in its cost and those of other basic food items will both constrain the already struggling families and pose a threat to household food security," stated JCTR.

Labels: ,


Read more...

UPND summons MPs serving in govt
By Roy Habaalu
Sat 13 July 2013, 14:01 CAT

THE UPND has summoned its members of parliament serving in government for disciplinary hearings.

According to a letter dated July 3, 2013 copied to party secretary general Winston Chibwe, UPND Western Province secretary Sishwashwa Mbinji said he had summoned Kalabo Central and Sinjembela members of parliament Chinga Miyutu and Poniso Njeulu respectively to appear before the disciplinary committee within 14 days to exculpate themselves against allegations levelled against them.

Mbinji said the provincial team that toured Kalabo district discovered that Miyutu used abusive language to both party members and the public.

"That you often referred to party officials that their reasoning is no different to that of your petty dog. In another evidence, you described the behaviour of some village headmen at Yuka as being like that of mating dogs," read the letter.

Mbinji said the party established that Miyutu had failed to work with the structures and selected a few he worked with, thereby causing divisions.

"That at one of your public meetings at Ndoka, you instructed two ward councillors who appeared at the meeting dressed in the UPND attire, that they should remove their dress or leave the meeting and that they should never again appear dressed in party attire at any of your meetings in future. That despite being the party district coordinator, you have not turned up for the scheduled district committee meetings in the last one and half year," adding; "In addition, the provincial committee has an observation which would require you to justify your response that Mabili and Nangula wards are not part of Kalabo Central Constituency when you were instructed to participate in the local government by-elections in the two wards in November, 2012," read the letter in part.

On Njeulu, who is information deputy minister, Mbinji alleged that he created a cartel surrounding him thereby isolating the rest causing divisions and sowing seeds of discontent in the party.

Mbinji said that Shangombo district committee was divided between those that surrounded Njeulu and those forced to stand at a distance due to his style of leadership.

"It is alleged that you have failed to organise the party effectively and maintain unity in your constituency and district. In addition the provincial committee would like you to justify the response you gave when instructed by it to participate in Mabili and Nangula wards by-elections in November, 2012. Arising from the above stated therefore, you are called upon to appear before the party disciplinary committee without fail and exculpate yourself against the allegations and give satisfactory explanation within 14 days" stated the letter to Njeulu.

Labels: , , ,


Read more...

'Govt aware of L/stone retirees' planned protest'
By Cynthia Phiri in Choma
Fri 12 July 2013, 14:01 CAT

LABOUR Minister Fackson Shamenda says the government is aware of a ploy in which some unpaid retirees in Livingstone have planned to stage a protest during next month's United Nations World Tourism Organisation general assembly.

Shamenda, who disclosed this in Choma yesterday when he called on Southern Province permanent secretary Bernard Namachila, said the planned protests were discovered after a fact-finding mission undertaken to the tourist capital by himself and senior officials in the ministry, who included permanent secretary Trevor Kaunda and labour commissioner Cecilia Mulindeti Kamanga.

He said over 200 aggrieved retirees who have not been paid their dues since 1998 were planning to protest against the government, adding that if not forestalled, this would undermine the successful hosting of the UNWTO activities.

He said during his visit to Livingstone, he discovered that if labour issues were not handled properly, the country would suffer an embarrassing situation of protests by workers during the UNWTO General Assembly.

Shamenda called for urgent action to resolve matters that could trigger industrial unrest during the event, which will be attended by international delegates.

"It is also disturbing to learn that there is no single labour officer in Livingstone following the relocation of the provincial capital to Choma. Livingstone is a busy town with a lot of economic activities and it is unacceptable for it to be left unmanned," he said.

Shamenda directed Kaunda and Kamanga to immediately deploy a labour officer in Livingstone. He said there was no way Choma could have two labour officers when Livingstone had none.

And Namachila assured Shamenda that measures would be taken to forestall the planned disturbances during the upcoming UNWTO general assembly.

Labels: , ,


Read more...

(NEWZIMBABWE) Is a Tsvangirai vote a “Vhoti Mubhini?”
12/07/2013 00:00:00
by Thamsanqa Ephraim T. Zhou

ZIMBABWEANS are a creative lot. In 2008, when President Robert Mugabe was at his lowest, his party came up with the “bhora musango” concept which, in football terms, demands a player to sabotage his own team by kicking the ball into the crowd instead of making an effort to score by kicking towards goal.

In Mugabe’s case, it was his own party that asked voters to donate their vote to the opposition. Now Mugabe appears to be re-gaining his Mashonaland territory with his “bhora mugedhi” call.

As the 2013 general elections draw closer, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s challenge for the State House appears to be frustrated by his failure to prove he can deliver in Government - his personal shenanigans with women, his MDC-T party’s legendary corruption in local government and his arrogance in not wanting to negotiate in good faith and as an equal, a grand coalition deal with Professor Welshman Ncube (MDC) and Dr Dumiso Dabengwa (ZAPU). His chances also appear to be derailed by the resurgence of President Mugabe and Zanu PF support in Mashonaland, rural and urban.

In the past, Tsvangirai has been lucky to get the sympathy of most Zimbabweans when he made blunders. Even his entertaining confusion in Germany while walking the red carpet with Chancellor Angela Merkel was blamed on his lack of education rather than inability to grasp issues of protocol. His new wife’s failure to read a simple English prepared speech also makes a mockery of what could have been an educated nation’s First lady. Lack of policy on the part of the MDC-T was forgiven and considered less significant than the need to remove Mugabe and “change the regime.”

It has been suggested that the 2008 beneficiary of bhora musango was PM Tsvangirai and the MDC-T. The protest vote he received enabled him to move from an opposition leader into the Prime Minister’s office. But since this was a protest vote, it should not be confused with a case when a party is voted for on account of their expected ability to deliver. The scenario was such that even a dog wearing an MDC tie could have won against Zanu PF.

The GNU should have been an opportunity for Tsvangirai to prove to Zimbabweans and those with vested interest in Zimbabwe that he was a credible leader who could lead the country to another level. While the likes of Biti, Chamisa, Coltart and Professor Welshman Ncube and Mzila Ndlovu demonstrated their ability to transform from defenders (opposition) to strikers (government), the same can not be said about our dear PM. The MDC has argued time and time again that although they were in Government, driving flashy cars, living in leafy suburbs and taking fat pay cheques every month, in reality they had no power. They failed to bring promised reforms in the security sector, media, economic, health or to change the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans.

It is the exposure of Tsvangirai’s weaknesses in the last 4 years that triggers new questions whether a vote for the MDC-T leader is a wasted vote or what they call in Mbare: “vhoti mubhini” (throwing your vote or ballot paper in the bin). If anyone was in doubt that Tsvangirai is no longer the crowd-puller that he once was, the Mashonaland pictures of Rushinga market traders running away from him were a pain to watch and demonstrate that this time, hayilume. The going will be tough. Unfortunately, someone then went on to post on YouTube, a “star rally” address by Tsvangirai of a handful of red-shirted MDC-T members leading others to wonder if these were indeed from Rushinga or four-wheeled few who were part of the entourage.

Things must be tense in the Tsvangirai camp after revelations that Reketayi Semwayo, who was paraded as the face of a coalition with Zanu Ndonga was already registered as an MDC-T candidate in Chipinge. Given that the conditions for him to have been a candidate are that he should have been a member of the MDC-T for 5 years, the claims of a coalition with one of your own were like claiming to catch fish from your own can. The real fish in the sea should have been the double bazooka in Prof Ncube and ZAPU under Dr Dabengwa alliance.

Zimbabweans want change. That is clear. Tsvangirai has already tried twice and failed to take over power from Mugabe. The saying goes that a fool is he who tries the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. Zimbabweans can-not be fools. A grand coalition would have been assured of victory, but expecting Tsvangirai to have been the chief candidate ahead of a national war hero is a bit of a no brainer. The President of a country should be a flame that shines the brightest; the pride of future generations.

It is clear to all honest Zimbabweans that Tsvangirai would not be a suitable candidate for a number of reasons. Firstly he has these intellectual challenges, moral difficulties, and is compromised by his past links with Zanu PF and a constant reminder that he refused to fight in the war of liberation while the likes of Dr Dabengwa spent decades fighting for his freedom and democratic rights.

Secondly and most importantly, MDC-T and Tsvangirai have no capacity to take over power even if they win elections. Tsvangirai is a Morsi character on the ballot paper. This is because they have, for the past decade allowed themselves to be perceived as agents of Western and imperial interests in Zimbabwe, alienating the country’s security sector in the process.

Now Zimbabwe has three choices: there are those in Mashonaland who will stick with their 90 year old leader. It is their democratic right and that must be acknowledged. The millions who want change and for Zimbabwe to move forward have to choose between a less than perfect Tsvangirai and a credible Ncube-Dabengwa Presidency.

Clearly, the Ncube-Dabengwa ticket is the best for Zimbabwe going forward because it has capacity to take over power in the event of a win. Dr Dabengwa is a liberation war hero who trained most of the generals serving in the country’s security services today. His record in government is clean and one to admire. ZAPU fought in the war and can preserve the gains of liberation, thus countering Mugabe’s reason for staying on. Ncube has proved that he is principled, shuns violence and corruption and has the intellectual ability to run a country.

On the other hand, a Tsvangirai Presidency has the real danger of looking like a Morsi-of-Egypt Presidency where you win an election but do not have the power. His relationship with security services is not good. His patriotic credentials continue to be questioned with the MDC-T fronting former Rhodesian Forces’ personnel such as Giles Mutsekwa and Roy Bennett. In the event of a Tsvangirai win, he may still fail to take over power leading to an Egypt type of crisis.

Tsvangirai’s policies are confrontational and against the long term interests of Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans are in favour of the land being in the hands of Zimbabweans and in favour of indigenisation of the economy. Tsvangirai favours Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and has promised to reverse indigenisation and previously threatened to return the land to the white farmers. It is likely that any attempt to reverse land acquisitions and indigenisation would bring social unrest in the country. The army and police, being at logger heads with Tsvangirai are likely to play an al Sisi leading to Tsvangirai’s fall. Zimbabwe could then be plunged into further crisis.

Zimbabweans must be asking themselves: what is the good of voting in a man who will not be able to take over power? We recall that MDC-T wanted to take over the ministry of home affairs so much when the GPA was signed but when it came to it, Minister Theresa Makone failed to have power in her own ministry. MDC-T has continued to argue that even though they are in the GNU, in reality they do not have power. Was 2008 just vhoti mubhini?

The only way therefore Mugabe can be removed from power by democratic efforts is if Zimbabweans vote overwhelmingly for a team that can take over power and deliver stability and that is the Ncube-Dabengwa ticket. It is better not to waste a vote on a candidate that will not change anything. I certainly would not put mine in the bin but invest it in a leadership that will bring real change and stability to Zimbabwe. Kujik’othandayo.

Labels: ,


Read more...

(NEWZIMBAWE, AFP) Obasanjo to lead AU observer team
12/07/2013 00:00:00
by AFP

FORMER Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo will lead a team of 60 African Union monitors to Zimbabwe for the July 31 election, the organisation said Friday.

Obasanjo will arrive in Zimbabwe 10 days before the vote, which has already been overshadowed by allegations of political intimidation and electoral rolls packed with "ghost voters".

In a statement, the AU said the monitors - drawn from African NGOs and member countries - will work with nine observers already on the ground.
Obasanjo has twice ruled Nigeria.

A former soldier, he headed a military government between 1976 and 1979 and served an eight-year term as an elected president between May 1999 and May 2007.

President Robert Mugabe has opposed the entry of non-African observers to monitor the election, which will see the long-term leader try to extend his 33-year term.

Rights groups have expressed concern that the vote will see a repeat of vote rigging and violence that has marred previous polls.

Amnesty International on Friday called on regional bodies to "meticulously document human rights violations, in particular those committed by government agencies".

Security forces, controlled by President Robert Mugabe, 89, have in the past been accused of rights abuses and intimidating political opponents.

At least 200 people were killed in the run-up to the June 2008 presidential run-off between Mugabe and his arch rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Tsvangirai will again be Mugabe's main opponent on July 31.



Labels:


Read more...


(NEWZIMBABWE, GUARDIAN UK) Zuma assasination plot claim hogwash: Zanu PF

12/07/2013 00:00:00
by The Guardian (UK)

ZANU PF has dismissed as “hogwash” and a “typical set-up” an apparently secret document said to be from intelligence sources that alleges an outlandish plot by President Robert Mugabe to hire a Lebanese murder squad to assassinate his South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma, and a top diplomat.

The typed two-page report – persuasively detailed but at times written in excitable language strewn with grammatical and spelling errors – has been dismissed by Mugabe's Zanu PF party as "hogwash" and a "typical setup". The rival Movement for Democratic Change said the assassination threats should be taken seriously.

They come amid souring relations between the neighbouring countries ahead of key elections in Zimbabwe this month. Last week Mugabe branded Zuma's chief mediator, Lindiwe Zulu, “some stupid, idiotic woman” and a "little street woman" after her failed attempt to force a postponement of elections.

The purportedly leaked document, dated 2 July and of unknown authorship, contains a paragraph headed: "Lebonese assasins" (sic). It states: "On Monday this week Mugabe hired six Lebanese nationals to try and assassinate Lindiwe Zulu, who is Zuma's advisor.

“The six met clandestinely with Mugabe yesterday to be briefed by him on the details of their mission … The six were told they must not concentrate on Zulu only, but should also pay attention to Zuma himself, and if they get a chance to do so they must assassinate him as well – but everything must appear as an accident."

It adds: "Mugabe promised the six Lebonese [sic] an undisclosed fortune in cash if they succeed in getting rid of the two who [sic] South Africa senior officials who are giving him a lot of trouble. Names of the six could not be established, but they entered into the country via Zambia in the last few days, where they had previously held a close meeting with [president] Michael Sata before travelling into Zimbabwe."

The document also claims that Mugabe summoned and castigated security officers over a leak to the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, regarding the involvement of an Israeli company in managing the country's electoral role.

Mugabe ordered that "the culprits who leaked the information are made to suffer and die a painful death", it says. Tsvangirai has spoken publicly about his concern over the role of the Israeli company Nikuv.

The Guardian has seen a copy of the two-page document but has not been able to verify it as being genuine. The possibility that it is a hoax designed to embarrass the opposition cannot be ruled out.

Rugare Gumbo, spokesman for Zanu PF, insisted: "To be frank with you, it's all rubbish and hogwash to think a head of state like president Mugabe would set up something like that. We have a disagreement with Lindiwe Zulu but it would not go to that extent."

Asked about the alleged threat to Zuma, he replied: "You should not take it seriously. It's a typical setup in Zimbabwe to try and cause some confusion before the election because we are going ahead with our election according to our laws whether they like it or not."
Fierce factional infighting within Zanu PF and the security sector has resulted in a number of damaging intelligence leaks.

Douglas Mwonzora, the MDC's spokesperson, said of the document: "We have had sight of the intelligence information but we are unable to confirm its authenticity. For the MDC, the international community must take these assassination allegations seriously."
But Roy Bennett, the MDC treasurer-general, in exile, was more certain.

"We know the report to be credible; it comes from reliable and trustworthy sources within the heart of the CIO," he said. "It is a stark reminder of the full horrific extent that Robert Mugabe is prepared to go in order to hang on to power and avenge his critics."

The MDC and civil society groups in Zimbabwe have applauded Zuma for taking a tougher stand against Mugabe than the previous South African president, Thabo Mbeki.



Labels: ,


Read more...

(GLOBALRESEARCH) Poor Utilization of the Land Behind Food Shortages in Venezuela
By Global Research News
Global Research, May 27, 2013
Venezuelanalysis.com
by Chris Carlson

As Venezuela continues to suffer shortages in many key food items and a dependence on food imports, some officials are pointing poor land utilization as a key cause of the problem.

Last week, Venezuela approved the import of large quantities of food from countries like Brazil to counter the continuous shortages in key items like chicken, cooking oil, butter, and toilet paper.

Analysts have attributed the shortages to delays in acquiring foreign exchange for imports, and government price controls that discourage production among the private sector.

But various officials have pointed to a deeper problem that goes back decades in Venezuela: the poor utilization of Venezuela’s agricultural lands.

PSUV legislator Braulio Álvarez addressed the problem on state television last week, assuring that large landowners do not utilize their land to its potential.

“Large producers like those who make up [the producer’s association] Fedeagro have left 30 to 40 percent of their lands uncultivated,” he said.

Álvarez said that large landowners prefer to engage in speculative activities in currency exchange and imports rather than invest in producing their land.

“We have the capacity to produce much more,” he said.

State officials insist that while food production has increased overall during the Chavez era, it has not been enough to meet demand and much more must be done.

As a result, Venezuela is now looking to get countries like China and Brazil involved in its agricultural sector, requesting their assistance in raising production.

Last week, China’s Vice President Li Yuanchao took note of Venezuela’s agricultural capacity during a visit to a farming project in central Venezuela.

“Venezuela has large expanses of land and favorable conditions for agricultural development. If they take advantage of it, the country has the capacity to be self-sufficient in agricultural products,” he said.

But World Bank statistics seem to confirm the view that much of Venezuela’s land is vastly underutilized. With a total land area of 92 million hectares, Venezuela cultivates less than 3 million.

The rest of the land is used for extensive cattle grazing, or left unused, a problem that has gone unchanged for decades according to statistics on land use.

The problem is linked to the existence of latifundios, large estates that are left at a low level of productivity by their owners who graze cattle on fertile land instead of cultivating it.

A similar situation exists in neighboring Colombia, where FARC negotiators have recently emphasized latifundio and extensive cattle grazing as the central problems that must be addressed if a peace agreement is to be reached.

Colombian Minister of Agriculture Juan Restrepo recently noted the severity of the problem in that country, where only 5 million hectares are cultivated out of a total of 114 million hectares.

“The value added of one hectare of cultivation is on average 12 times greater than a hectare dedicated to extensive grazing,” he said.

The problem of underutilized land has been a major point of emphasis of the Venezuelan government since Hugo Chavez came to power in 1999.

During the Chavez government, nearly 4 million hectares (10 million acres) of land were expropriated from landowners who had left it idle or underutilized.

However, much of the expropriated lands have not been transformed into productive farms after being transferred to farmer’s cooperatives or state companies.

This situation led President Nicolas Maduro to announce changes in recent weeks, including putting farms under the control of state governments, and bringing in foreign investment.

“We’ve decided to hand these farms over to the state governors, so that with the help of the Ministry of Agriculture they can convert them into models of food production,” said Maduro recently.

Recent agreements signed with Brazil, Uruguay, China and Argentina all included plans for these countries to aid Venezuela in developing its agricultural sector.

Foreign Minister Elías Jaua noted that the Chinese and others will be transferring technology and aiding in the management of state-owned farms.

“We are teaming up to manage these farms together, so we can reach the level of efficiency necessary to make them useful to the Venezuelan people,” he said.

Opposition politicians insist that the expropriated lands should be returned to their previous owners, and opposition leader Henrique Capriles has promised that if elected he would review all the expropriations.

Labels: , ,


Read more...

Venezuela: U.S. and Opposition’s Private Sector Waging Economic War, Attacking Food Sovereignty
By Correo del Orinoco
Global Research, July 11, 2013
Correo del Orinoco 28 June 2013

COMMENT - This sounds a lot like what happened in Zimbabwe as late as 2007. - MrK

The economic war by the opposition private sector against Venezuela continues apace. It actually began years ago as one of the prongs of Washington’s pitchfork for the overthrow of the constitutionally and democratically elected socialist government here. The most well known attack on the economy was the managers’ walkout and industrial sabotage of PDVSA the nationalized oil industry that nearly destoyed the economy but failed due to the brilliant response by the workers and the government. Since then, Washington and it’s opposition front in Venezuela have developed new strategies and tactics to wage war on the government with what Hillary Clinton called, “soft power”.

The Counter-Revolution and Its Fronts

There was the speculation by the stock exchange houses in Caracas, resulting in capital flight; the corrupting of the private bank officials resulting in the theft of millions of depositors’ funds; infiltration of government bureaucracies by the fifth column to render services ineffective; the circulation of illegal drugs into Venezuelan youth, particularly in locales of the Chavista electorate; Colombian paramilitary groups crossing the border illegally to spawn violence and in some cases, executing labor leaders; the organizing and funding of the opposition by the US State Department for elections and violent street actions; the August 2012 attack on Venezuela’s biggest oil refinery at Amuay; the sabotage of the national electrical system causing blackouts throughout the country; the opposition’s denial of agriculture on vast stretches of their privately-held fertile lands; artificially-produced inflation by means of the parallel dollar market and attacks on the production and distribution of food and household items with their control of food processing and distribution and their hoarding and dumping of massive quantities of food to create shortages in the market. Of course each of these attacks against the revolution have been made-to-order for consumption by the US/European capitalist media to convince the public that the Venezuelan government is failing and more broadly that “socialism doesn’t work”.

The Government Fights Back

It hasn’t been easy but throughout the 14 years of Chavez’ presidency the government has patiently and systematically responded to each new front opened by the opposition. Since the October 12, 2012 election won convincingly by President Chavez, the opposition has stepped up their attacks in a number of these areas and increasingly the new Maduro-led government has become more aggressive in defeating them.Shortly after appointing his cabinet following his April 14th election victory, he fired bureaucrats who have served as impediments to the revolution. Some of them simply didn’t do their jobs, denying prompt and effective public services and others directly undermined the mission and work of the revolutionary government. Maduro’s purging of officials in Indepabis, Venezuela’s consumer protection agency serves as one example and his replacement of directors in the national electric system is another. His appointment of Jesse Chacon as Minister of Electricity and their subsequent militarization of the nation’s electrical depots has greatly reduced the number and length of the blackout sabotage across the country. As the government has gained more control of the electrical system, we have seen the opposition shift their focus to sabotage of food distribution.

Sabotage Of Food Processing & Distribution

The sabotage of food processing and distribution has been going on for years. In the last two weeks of January, 2008, more than 13,000 tons of food were seized by the government as part of Chavez’ Food Sovereignty Plan launched in order to fight speculation, hoarding and sabotage in the food distribution chain. Jorge Martin wrote at the time, “The main lesson is that food sovereignty is not compatible with capitalism”. When he announced government measures to gain control of the food distribution system on January 22, President Chavez explained,“Among the responsibilities of the government, one of them is to attack the capitalist model, the monopolies and rackets, so that the people, the workers, together with the revolutionary government can take the country forward”.

40,000 Tons Of Hoarded Food Seized Since January

Since last November, the opposition has stepped up two main fronts: manipulating the parallel dollar-bolivar exchange rate market causing the devaluation of the local currency, the bolivar and the hoarding and price speculation on basic food products typical of the average Venezuelan family’s diet. Regarding the foods kept off the market, it’s worth mentioning that most of it is under price controls which offers lower profits to the opposition food industries. There have been times when for weeks it has been impossible to find corn meal for making traditional repas or powdered milk or recently even toothpaste and toilet paper – in some areas – of the country. It seems the US and some European media has placed an extra emphasis on the shortage of toilet paper in a few locations of the country, perceiving the propaganda value for readers’ imaginations – “OMG An entire country without toilet paper!!” We Venezuelans can only smile at this level of ignorance but we can sympathize given the blanket negative brainwashing to which the average news reader is subjected in the United States and Europe. But now that the government and the security forces are working in tandem with the local population and the Communal Councils for intelligence purposes, large amounts of foodstuffs have been found hoarded all over the country. Since January at least 40,000 tons of food has been found hidden in various locations. This sort of action is both political and economic – political in the sense that the population will blame the government for these artificially engineered shortages prejudicing its popularity; economic in the sense that it puts pressure on the government to raise the prices of basic foods thus sparking inflation.

400 Tons Of Hoarded Food Seized On June 18

Many people prefer to believe opposition claims that it is government mismanagement and policy causing shortages but on June 18th in Tachira state, 400 tons of basic foods were found hoarded in a secret warehouse in the city of San Cristobal. The products discovered were 195 tons of rice, one ton of ground coffee, 4,000 liters of cooking oil plus sugar, black beans, toilet rolls, canned sardines and tuna, lentils, peas, oats, mayonnaise, tomato sauce and serviettes. All foods sold at regulated process. The discovery was made by a joint operation led by Tachira state governor, José Vielma Mora, in conjunction with the state police and the tax authorities (SENIAT). The fact that this merchandise was found in Tachira state, which borders with Colombia, could mean that the food was due to be illegally smuggled into Colombia and sold in supermarkets there at much higher prices than in Venezuela.

Labels: ,


Read more...

Monday, July 22, 2013

(STICKY) (TALKZIMBAWE) US gags poll showing Mugabe win
This article was written by Againstprof Makuyana on 20 July, at 18 : 53 PM

Last week l sent an email to Professor Susan Booysen asking if there are any latest poll-findings and predictions about Zimbabwe elections from Freedom House, a polling organisation that she chairs.

She is a fellow and highly respected lecturer here at Witwatersrand University and she teaches political science to PhD students.

I pretended to be an MDC supporter so that she wouldn’t lie to me and this is how the email exchange went:

“I am an investor who is planning to invest in Zimbabwe if Dr. Richard Morgan Tsvangirai wins the forthcoming elections.

“I acknowledge the last poll-finding you conducted in February 2013 and I am now asking if you have any latest poll-findings on Zimbabwe elections because we are planning to go and invest in Zimbabwe as soon as Tsvangirai wins.”

She responded after three days and told me that there were latest poll-findings from Freedom House, but they were still to be verified. I insisted that she gave me a clue as to who was leading that poll, but all she could say was that the poll findings would be out for public consumption by Wednesday this week.

By Wednesday, I checked the Freedom House website, but there was nothing published. I decided to send her an email asking why the results were not yet out again after waiting for another week.

This is what she had to say to me in her email response:

“I humbly apologise for not coming back to you over that issue. I received the poll-prediction results that initially showed Mugabe leading three weeks ago, but I ordered our team to either look into the statistical-feasibility or re-do the whole research. They chose the later on the grounds that a lot has changed since all the political parties have already started campaigning and most people who didn’t disclose their political preference are now politically active.

“They then sent me the latest poll-finding this Monday which showed the gap between Mugabe and Tsvangirai increasing by more than 10% in favour of Mugabe. Another shocking political player is Welshman Ncube whose support has increased from less than 1% to 6.9%. It appears as if Mugabe is no longer easy to defeat. I have already advised the MDC-T to either pull out of the race or discredit the entire electoral process because if the elections continue, there is very little chances for Tsvangirai. He made a lot of political blunders during the past three years and that destroyed his brand whilst renovating Mugabe’s.

I then asked her (Professor Booysen) why Freedom House did not release the results and she said they had been instructed by the American Embassy in South Africa never to release the results of the poll-findings.

However, she did not give me the reasons why the American Embassy in South Africa did not want the results released.

Zanu-PF is going to win even if they sit on the poll-findings. The reality is coming down on 31 July 2013.

We know the MDC wants to dispute the election results and that is why they do not want these poll-predictions published. They know that it will be difficult to say Zanu-PF has rigged the election when every poll prediction was showing a Zanu-PF win.
_______

This article was published with consent from Againstprof Makuyana.

Labels: , , ,


Read more...

(MnG SA) Malema's red berets storm 2014
12 Jul 2013 00:00
Charles Molele, Matuma Letsoalo, Andisiwe Makinana

The Economic Freedom Fighters says its stance on land appropriation and nationalisation will help it to topple the ANC. Former ANC Youth League president Julius Malema insists that his Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)stand a good chance of toppling the ANC, and that they are the only credible alternative to the ruling party.

Addressing the media at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg on Thursday, Malema said the expropriation of land without compensation and the nationalisation of the mines and other key sectors of the economy are central to his organisation's yet-to-be-formed policy.

Malema also introduced some new members, including celebrity Kenny Kunene, actor Fana Mokoena, former ANC Youth League North West chairperson Papiki Baboile, former youth league spokesperson Floyd Shivambu and former Umkhonto weSizwe cadre Mpho Ramakatsa.

Malema and his followers wore military-style red berets reminiscent of the thousands who marched from Johannesburg to Pretoria in 2011 to demand economic transformation.

Malema said he was confident that if an EFF national assembly scheduled to take place in Soweto at the end of July resolved to form a fully fledged political party, they would secure millions of votes from ordinary people impatient for change.

"It is no secret that an absolute majority of all those who have responded are saying that EFF should be a radical, left, and anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist movement with an internationalist outlook that should contest elections in South Africa," said Malema.

"The ANC played a role in ushering in democracy but the situation now demands a new political party that will pursue and deliver economic freedom … if we resolve to form a party you can be guaranteed we will meet the ANC on the ground. We never lost. We even put [Jacob] Zuma as ANC president in Polokwane when everybody was afraid," he said.

Redistribution of land

"There isn't a single debate we lost when we were still in the ANC. If we resolve to contest the elections, rest assured that we will be a government in waiting … There are 30-million registered voters. Only 17-million voted. Where are the others? We will talk to them. There is going to be action everywhere. We will be among our people."

Malema said white South Africans were welcome to join the EFF for as long as they were prepared to support redistribution of land.

"Whites must be prepared to share the land. Who are we to say whites must be driven to the sea? The Freedom Charter says the land belongs to all who live in it but all of us must have something to share," Malema said to applause.

He has already met with a number of civil society organisations, including black consciousness activist Andile Mngxitama's radical September National Imbizo. Mngxitama said this week "their [the EFF's] positions on land and nationalisation are the same as ours. So, the affinity is clear."

The Imbizo has formally adopted a position document that moots a ­coalition with the EFF, but said that any engagement with Malema's group would be based on the ­acceptance of its people's manifesto.

Democratic reform

The manifesto is an Imbizo document that sets out the organisation's intentions, including changes to the South African political and parliamentary system, democratic reform, and demands that politicians and public servants use the same public services they legislate for the rest of the people and that members of Parliament aren't politicians but "revolutionaries".

"A rejection of the manifesto would expose the EFF as nothing but another ANC outside the ANC…" said the document.

The manifesto likens the EFF to the radical nationalism of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu-PF and states that this is the main reason the organisation is engaging with the EFF.

The Imbizo is an urban movement operating mainly in the townships. Mngxitama said they were busy with an audit but that their members number in the thousands.

Malema has also met with the Congress of the People and revealed he was in talks with a number of Cosatu unions. However, he said that his party would not enter into a coalition with the Democratic Alliance.

"Our enemy number one is white monopoly capital, which is supported by the DA. We will never get into bed with the DA," said Malema.

Labels: , , , ,


Read more...

(BBC) Julius Malema launches Economic Freedom Fighters group
Julius Malema at the launch his Economic Freedom Fighters party in Johannesburg, South Africa on 11 July 2013 Julius Malema was once a close ally of President Jacob Zuma

South Africa's former African National Congress Youth League leader, Julius Malema, has launched a political group called the Economic Freedom Fighters.

Mr Malema, who was expelled from the governing ANC in 2012, said the EFF wanted the redistribution of farm land and the nationalisation of the mines.

"We will share, black and white. But failure to share means you will be forced to share," he said.

He described his movement's ideology as "anti-capitalist".

Wearing a red beret inscribed with "Commander In Chief EFF", Mr Malema told journalists in Johannesburg that the EFF was "inspired by people's suffering on the ground", the South African Press Association quotes him as saying.

"We all belong here, but we all have to show proof that we belong here," he said.

Julius Malema once told me that his blood was "black, green and gold" - the colours of the ANC which kicked him out for sowing divisions and bringing it to disrepute.

So saying that he is launching his Economic Freedom Fighters to challenge the oldest liberation movement on the African continent is quite an about-turn.

There is no doubt that South Africa is experiencing what some may call a "winter of discontent".

A few weeks ago Mamphela Ramphele launched another party, Agang, also with the intention of unseating the ANC.

Mr Malema insists that he will not join with Agang or indeed the official opposition Democratic Alliance.

He will certainly bring with him some of those disillusioned youth from the weakened ANC Youth League but he will need to work much harder to convince South Africans that his policy of nationalisation is the future of the most powerful economy in Africa.

"Black people have nothing to show. Therefore we must give them something to show so they can say proudly: This is our land, this is our country."

Once a close ally of President Jacob Zuma, Mr Malema has become one of his strongest critics and campaigned for his removal from office at the ANC's national conference in December 2012.

He has accused the president of not doing enough to help the poor black voters who had helped to elect him.

According to South Africa's Mail and Guardian newspaper, he did not commit to contesting next year's elections, saying such things would be decided at the organisation's national assembly to be held at the end of July.

Analysts say that increasing numbers of South Africans are losing faith in the ANC, which has dominated the country since 1994, accusing it of corruption and failing to improve the lives of ordinary people.

South Africa is the continent's biggest economy, largely based on its mineral wealth, but it has experienced sluggish growth in recent years.

Last month, another new party, Agang, was formed by Mamphela Ramphele, the former partner of black consciousness leader, Steve Biko.

However, Mr Malema said he would not work with either Agang or the official opposition, the Democratic Alliance.

Mr Malema became infamous for singing the anti-apartheid song Shoot the Boer, which South Africa's high court ruled in 2011 was hate speech and banned the ANC from singing it.

However, Mr Malema and other ANC leaders objected, arguing that the song was a celebration of the fight against minority rule.

He was later expelled from the ANC for provoking party divisions.

The 32-year-old also faces a corruption charge relating to a government tender awarded to a company partly owned by his family trust.

He rejects the charge, saying that the case is politically motivated.

Labels: , ,


Read more...

(LAND DESTROYER REPORT) Fomenting Civil War in Egypt
Eric Draitser
StopImperialism.com

The killing of more than 50 people at a demonstration in support of ousted Egyptian President Morsi in Cairo on Monday has justifiably horrified many in Egypt and internationally. The pro-Morsi elements have placed the blame on the military forces, while the military claims it was attacked with live ammunition. While accusations are hurled back and forth, a new aspect to this story is emerging – the presence of a third force, namely snipers stationed on rooftops firing at both sides of the conflict. This revelation raises serious questions about the true nature of the conflict in Egypt and the disturbing similarities between this incident and similar ones in Syria, Thailand, and elsewhere.

The Cairo Massacre

As thousands gathered near the Republican Guard headquarters where many believe the Egyptian military is holding former President Morsi, violence erupted, killing at least 51 people and injuring hundreds. The bloody incident marked a clear transition from a purely political conflict to a potential civil war.

According to military officials, pro-Morsi “terrorists” attempted to storm the building, thereby eliciting a violent response from the military forces defending themselves. Colonel Ahmad Mohammad Ali, a spokesman for the Egyptian military claimed that police personnel were attacked while attempting to secure the area. He noted that, “They were on top of buildings…they either fired or threw things down…they were firing live ammunition and the military had to defend itself.” Colonel Ali’s comments have been echoed by most major media outlets in Egypt which are largely controlled by forces sympathetic to the military and the former Mubarak regime. However, the Muslim Brotherhood and other pro-Morsi forces paint a distinctly different picture.

A statement on the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party website naturally blames the Egyptian military forces for wantonly killing what it describes as “peaceful protestors who reject the military coup and demand reinstatement of their elected President Mohamed Morsi.” From the Islamist perspective, the massacre, as well as the coup itself, was a direct assault not only on the Muslim Brotherhood but on democracy itself. Moreover, the killings seem to have set the precedent that Islamist elements have no recourse in Egypt other than violence.

Despite the differences between these opposing factions, there is a common thread between them – both are blaming the other for inciting the violence that could lead to a total destabilization of the country. However, here it is critical to note that the bulk of the killings on Monday took place at the hands of unknown snipers stationed on rooftops, as shown in this youtube video. Although the snipers appear to be wearing military uniforms, their actual identity remains unclear. Because it is impossible to verify exactly who the snipers were, and who they were working for, it is critical to instead examine the possible motives or lack thereof.

The military has claimed repeatedly that they were attacked and that the response was purely defensive. However, this cannot possibly explain the presence of military snipers on rooftops, no mere defensive posture. Conversely, the claim by the Muslim Brotherhood and allied supporters that the snipers were obviously Egyptian military does not seem consistent with the political circumstances, nor the facts on the ground.

First and foremost, it should be noted that the military stands nothing to gain and everything to lose from using such tactics. Having seized power in what can only be regarded as one of the most “popular coups” (not my term) in modern history, they already had the majority of the country and world opinion on their side. There was no worldwide condemnation of their actions, rather, governments seemed to be falling over themselves to “look forward” and “call for stability”, both simply coded language for tacit support. So, with the world watching Egypt, carefully scrutinizing every move the military and secular opposition make, in what possible way could they stand to benefit from sowing such chaos? Naturally, they stood to gain nothing. Moreover, the notion that Egyptian military snipers would fire at their fellow soldiers is far-fetched to say the least.

Secondly, the Muslim Brotherhood and their supporters undoubtedly understood the impossibility of fighting the military on the streets. Whatever weapons sources claim they had (bottles, rocks, small arms) are certainly not enough to significantly impact the military. The notion that these demonstrators attempted to “storm” the Republican Guard headquarters seems laughable. Although the crowd was predominantly comprised of fervent supporters of the deposed President Morsi, they were still regular Egyptians, not militant Salafists or some such formation.

So it would seem that neither side really stood to benefit or had the capability to do what the other side is suggesting. That would then raise the most critical question of all…if the snipers were not part of either side, then who exactly were they? It would seem that the only logical conclusion would be that the snipers were from some as yet unknown third party whose interest was not in taking sides but in ensuring that violent clashes and killings would take place so as to stoke tensions and foment civil war. Keen observers will note that we have seen this scenario before, most recently in Syria.

The Syrian and Thai Precedent

At the outbreak of the violence in Syria in 2011, many wondered how the situation on the ground escalated so quickly. It would seem, according to mainstream Western media reports, that the Syrian security forces had simply gone mad and began killing peaceful demonstrators at random. However, what became clear within days was the fact that unknown snipers stationed on rooftops in cities such as Deraa and Hama were indeed the main culprits. As seen in these videos as well as countless articles, the presence of snipers on rooftops throughout Syria is undeniable. Naturally, the claim was immediately made that the snipers were merely Assad’s military forces. Conveniently enough, no evidence was ever produced that showed the initial snipers were indeed government soldiers.

Interestingly, the Arab League observer mission, itself openly hostile to the Assad regime, noted in its report of early 2012 that many of the atrocities including sniper shootings, could be correctly attributed to a third, unknown force inside the country. As the report noted:

The Mission determined that there is an armed entity that is not mentioned in the protocol. This development on the ground can undoubtedly be attributed to the excessive use of force by Syrian government forces in response to protests that occurred before the deployment of the Mission demanding the fall of the regime. In some zones, this armed entity reacted by attacking Syrian security forces and citizens, causing the government to respond with further violence.

The report corroborates what many eyewitnesses have stated, namely that some of the violence that erupted at the outset of the conflict in Syria was attributable to this “third force” replete with snipers and military training and equipment. Predictably, the report attempts to spin the violence from the “third force” as being purely in response to the Syrian military, but provides no evidence other than a generic assertion that “undoubtedly [the violence] should be attributed to the excessive use of force by Government forces”. Essentially then, it should be clear that there was some element inside of Syria during the early stages of the conflict that used snipers and other forms of violence and terror to push the opposition and government into full scale war. It seems to have worked quite successfully.

Syria is certainly not the only country that has experienced this sort of phenomenon. In 2010, violence erupted between the government of Thailand and red shirted supporters of US-backed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Just as in Syria, mysterious gunmen armed with sniper rifles, machine guns, and grenades emerged within the ranks of the red shirts and began attacking Thai troops, killing a prominent Colonel and six other soldiers. The attempt to “storm” a military facility with protestors was clearly a cynically orchestrated cover for the fomenting of chaos and possible destabilization of the country with the intention of installing Washington’s darling Shinawatra. Here again we see that snipers and other armed, unknown fighters were at the center of the incident.

What happened in Thailand was no mere accident. It required coordination and planning, financing and materiel support. This indicates that, contrary to the mainstream media’s fantastical narrative, this was no mere political protest and should not be treated as such. Rather, as in Syria, we see a clear example of the lengths to which certain elements will go to achieve their political aims.

The details of the massacre in Egypt are still coming out, so it is impossible to say for certain exactly what happened. However, judging from previous experiences in Syria and Thailand, one should have reservations about the narrative being sold to the public. Who exactly were those snipers in Cairo? Who gave the order to fire at both pro-Morsi protestors and at the military forces? The answers to these and other questions must emerge with time. Hopefully, there is still a united and peaceful Egypt when they finally do.

Eric Draitser is an independent geopolitical analyst based in New York City. He is the founder of StopImperialism.com. You can reach him at ericdraitser@gmail.com.


Labels:


Read more...

Poverty won't go away by itself
By Editor
Fri 12 July 2013, 14:00 CAT

MIKE Rees, Standard Chartered Bank group executive director - wholesale, says despite strong economic performance, many African countries are experiencing 'jobless growth', especially among the young.

Rees says "the current economic boom across the continent offers an opportunity to change this and lift millions of Africans out of poverty, but it won't happen by itself. Tackling this desperate issue, ensuring that growth produces a dividend of opportunity and jobs for people should be top of mind for anyone interested in Africa's long-term future".

This is a very big challenge and there are many honest African statesmen who are not sleeping because of the distressing difficulties they and their people face today. They have done everything they have been asked to do by those who control the world economy, but still the great majority of their people are wallowing in abject poverty and unemployment. They are being told that their economies are growing at five, six or seven per cent but the poverty and unemployment is not accordingly reducing.

So many concessions have been given to transnational corporations to invest in African countries but still poverty and unemployment persists. But probably there is need to examine and re-examine where this growth we talk about is coming from. Over 60 per cent of our countries' export revenues come from the marketing of commodities. They have the worst lot in international trade.

The fact that there are very few of our countries with significant exports of manufactured goods, and that oil exporters are also a very small group, gives a clear economic picture of how we are dependent mostly on commodity exports - agricultural raw materials, mineral raw materials.

The question of commodities continues to be significant for our countries. It is needless to repeat well-known facts, such as the increasing substitution of synthetic products for natural commodities, which poses a constant threat to our economies. Their negative price-trend can be observed in both the short term and long term, although the trends in real prices over long periods are especially revealing and definitely challenge certain optimistic short-term perceptions generally held by economists of the developed world.

It is also a well-known fact that the share of the final price received by our countries from the marketing of commodities is extremely low.

In recent years, various studies, some of them carried out by the United Nations, have penetrated to a certain extent into the intricate manipulations of the transnationals, disclosing their harmful operations and their sophisticated techniques of exploitation. Although we are not against foreign investors and we actually seek and welcome them, it is impossible to avoid referring to the particularly harmful role played by these corporations in this field.

These huge transnational conglomerates which seek to establish their own peculiar international economic order, are by no means innocent of the erratic fluctuations in commodity prices and the minimum share of the final price we in the producing countries receive.

It should be recognised firstly that transnationals exert tremendous control over commodity marketing. Though widely known, this fundamental fact does not always receive the attention it deserves. Actually, all international trade in primary commodities exported by our countries continues under the transnationals' control.

The decision-making power of these corporations over price setting is such that any demand from us for the reassessment of our trade with a view to coping with unequal exchange must include - in order to be coherent and to get to the root of the problem - the eradication of transnational control over marketing and the transfer of trade mechanisms to our nations.

This overwhelming control is exerted by a few corporations which trade in more than one commodity.

Actually, these huge corporations set a price, takeover production and sell it at the established price in any quantity the market may absorb. These are the so-called "managed prices", fixed by the seller to maximise monopoly profits and thereby compensate, through large scale operations, for eventual drop in profits from one product by increasing profits on others, and also by shrewdly taking advantage of the inter-relationships of different products.

In this context, the well-known terms of trade indicators, based on usual trade statistics, can hardly express the real economic benefits for our countries, since a price increase under the prevailing conditions without eliminating the intervention of transnationals would only contribute a marginal share to the national producers, and would instead widen the gap between such producers and the increasing share appropriated by the transnationals.

For many years we have been crying about adding value to our raw materials before we export them but nothing much is happening in that direction. It is very difficult now to create many and meaningful jobs from the production of raw materials. Technology has improved greatly. Even in the mining sector, fewer people are required to do a job because of the efficiency of the equipment being used. Mines are no longer employing as many people as they used to in the past. Even in large scale agriculture, jobs are not as many as they used to be. A few operators can plough, plant, weed and harvest an entire crop.

It is impossible to describe the international trade of our countries - be it in commodities or in manufactured goods - without finding in the transnationals and in the economic policies of the countries where the parent companies are based, the main obstacles to the development of our countries. To ignore the action of these conglomerates would be to follow the philosophy of an ostrich: burying one's head in the sand. Without a coordinated strategy and concerned actions vis-à-vis transnational corporations, little progress would be achieved in steering away from the present catastrophic course in terms of trade expansion and the use of trade as a development factor. We are busy competing with each other for transnational corporations to come and invest in our countries. Some of our countries have declared huge parts of the country as economic zones where nothing or very little is paid in terms of taxes. We are losing out on meaningful taxes; our people are not getting the jobs we thought they would get from such investments and the benefits from exports are very limited.

And as Rees correctly observes, the quest to lift millions of our people out of poverty will not happen by itself. At the deepest point of our worst crisis, it is historically imperative for us - now more than ever before - to break the vicious circle of our trade inferiority and turn international trade into a true element for independent national development.


Read more...

Rupiah goes vulgar
By Mwala Kalaluka
Thu 11 July 2013, 14:01 CAT

RUPIAH Banda yesterday turned to vulgar language on the issue of his passport and knee problem.

And Banda's sympathisers threatened Major Richard Kachingwe shortly after he concluded his evidence-in-chief in a case where the former president is facing charges related to a Nigerian oil deal.

Banda said assertions that he had a knee problem were just a fantasy.

"I don't know about that. All I know is that they said I can apply for my diplomatic passport to be reinstated but I have no knee problem. That is all what I want to say… kapena eve yake isaima (unless his which doesn't erect)," said Banda without specifying who he was referring to and while wagging his index finger in front of him.

Earlier after the court session, Banda, without being asked any question caught journalists unawares and started talking to himself about his knee.

"My knees are okay! My knees are okay! My knees are okay! That is just a fantasy," as journalists scrambled to get notes from Banda who doesn't usually give interviews after court sessions.

Banda's supporters heartily laughed at his remarks.
On Monday, Banda arrived at the Lusaka Magistrates' Court complaining audibly, about his leg.

"This leg is giving me pain, it started over the weekend," Banda said to his sympathisers as he disembarked from his official motor vehicle outside the court complex.

And in an interview at the Lusaka Magistrates' Court, his senior private secretary Mikatazo Wakumelo said sooner or later, Banda would be required to go to South Africa for medical check-up.

"Yes, that knee problem is not new, he has had it for some time now and sooner or later he will be required to travel. Unfortunately, he will have to travel to South Africa where they (the state) do not want him to go," he said.

Asked if there was anything stopping Banda from fleeing once he leaves the country, Wakumelo said it was not his nature.

"Banda has travelled before after leaving the government, he has not run away. Why would he run away now?" he wondered.

And yesterday after Banda bade farewell to a paltry crowd of sympathisers that thronged his motor vehicle outside the Lusaka Magistrates' Court complex, they remained behind to wait for Maj Kachingwe who was still inside the court complex under police guard.
Notable among the group was UPND leader Hakainde Hichilema's special advisor William Banda and some known MMD and UPND cadres.
As soon as they realised that Maj Kachingwe was being driven away from the court premises, they rushed to the back of the complex and hurled verbal threats at him.

"Ichi chikazizi there is that owl," one of the sympathisers shouted as Maj Kachingwe waved at her from the safety of the moving motor vehicle. "Venzo kunyopola nawo a Banda they were eating together with Banda. Chi criminal naimwe paka muzangenamo this criminal even you will be arrested."

Another male sympathiser shouted that they would beat up Maj Kachingwe because he was a criminal.

Meanwhile, Director of Public Prosecutions, Mutembo Nchito, yesterday told Banda's lawyers that there is a limit to which they can play to the gallery.

This is a matter where Banda, 75 of plot number 2758, off Leopards Hill Road, Lusaka is facing abuse of authority of office charges in relation to the alleged illegal procurement of oil from Nigeria to the tune of US$2.5 million, whose proceeds were alleged to have gone into an offshore account.

When the matter before Lusaka chief resident magistrate Joshua Banda came up for continued hearing yesterday, Nchito led Maj Kachingwe in identifying some of the documents relating to his testimony in the matter.

Maj Kachingwe, the expelled MMD national secretary, confirmed the various documents which were marked for identification.

"I confirm this is the letter I collected and handed over to the president," he said after being shown a letter from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company NNPC dated March 21, 2011. "I called president Banda that the contract was about to be signed…I quickly came here I was funded and I went back."

After identifying the various documents, Nchito availed Maj Kachingwe for cross-examination by the defence.

However, one of Banda's lawyers, Lubinda Linyama, applied for an adjournment to allow the defence to peruse the bulky documentation that the prosecution had just identified.

He said even though time was of the essence, adjourning the matter for 24 hours was the only way the defence could be helpful to the court as well as rendering professional service to Banda.

Another defence lawyer, Sakwiba Sikota said the State had asked for three months to organise its documents and that as such the defence's application for an adjournment was reasonable and non-obstructive.
"We have just been given these documents today," he said.

"Otherwise we will have a very haphazard cross-examination."

In response, Nchito said two days had been lost and that every effort must be undertaken to make as much progress as possible.

"It is a balancing act. I would have been flattered if my colleagues had said maybe we stand down the matter and come back in the afternoon because it is also true that my colleagues had three months to prepare for cross-examination," he said.

But Sikota said the defence had a 61-paged document to go through and they had asked for a day to go through it instead of the three months that the prosecution had asked to organise themselves in terms of documentation.

Nchito reacted and told Sikota that he was straying and being mischievous.

"There is a limit in playing to the gallery," said Nchito, as Sikota responded: "I am not playing to the gallery."

Nchito said Sikota was a very senior lawyer who knew that the State had not asked for the three months being referred to and magistrate Banda agreed with Nchito.

Magistrate Banda later allowed the defence's application and adjourned hearing to the whole of today.

Labels: , ,


Read more...