Newsday

5 January 2011

By Owen Gagare and  Veneranda Langa

Arthur Mutambara’s shadow continues to haunt MDC-M ahead of this weekend’s congress with his supporters insisting the robotics professor was unfairly treated and should remain within the party leadership.

Mutambara, who appears to have been outwitted in the battle for the party presidency by his secretary-general Welshman Ncube ahead of the party’s elective congress, has the sympathy of some members who believe he is being unfairly treated.

Although Mashonaland Central Province nominated Ncube for the presidency on Monday, they brewed a shocker when they nominated Mutambara for the secretary-general’s position. Priscilla Misihairabwi- Mushonga, a very close ally of Ncube, is however very strongly tipped for the position and has secured nominations from nine of the 11 provinces.

Nominations in Masvingo Province, which is said to be behind Mutambara, failed to go ahead over the weekend after some members of the provincial executive refused to participate citing the violation of the party’s constitution ahead of the congress.

The remaining members could not constitute a quorum resulting in nominations being shelved. Masvingo was also threatening to boycott the congress unless their grievances were addressed.

Nominations in Chitungwiza and Manicaland provinces were also chaotic with some members walking out accusing Ncube of embarking on a restructuring exercise which placed his supporters in key positions ahead of the congress.

Nominations however went ahead with Ncube getting the nod for the presidency.

MDC-M spokesman Edwin Mushoriwa confirmed nominations did not go ahead in Masvingo after party members failed to constitute a quorum.

He however said the major reason was lack of information to the electoral college, although he acknowledged that there were some disgruntlements.

“Masvingo delegates will come for the congress, of course some people were misinformed about the time of the meeting, but the province will sit on the 7th (Friday) for the nominations,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mashonaland Central added interesting dimensions to the battle for positions at the congress after nominating Nomalanga Khumalo for the vice presidency.

She becomes the fourth person in the running for the position after Mushoriwa, who has the backing of six provinces, Frank Chamunorwa, who was nominated by three provinces and Trudy Stevenson who was nominated by Matabeleland South.

The province also chose David Coltart as its preferred candidate for the treasurer’s position, his second nomination after also securing the support of Matabeleland South. Coltart may face Paul Themba Nyathi who received nine nominations.

There is however growing belief that Coltart was better connected than Nyathi and could secure more funding for the party.

Coltart was one of the few party officials who were not involved in the party’s in-fighting ahead of the congress although Nyathi is a close ally of Ncube.

Mashonaland Central also nominated Qhubani Moyo for the deputy secretary-general’s position, his second after Midlands South.

He will square up with Moses Mzila Ndlovu, who was nominated by eight provinces. The other nomination went to Mushoriwa but he is likely to contest for the vice presidency.

Mushoriwa said his party had managed to transcend petty tribal, racial, religious, or ethnic divisions ahead of the congress.

The congress will be held under the theme “Celebrating our diversity”. He said this was prompted by the fact that they were a party representing a wide spectrum of Zimbabweans from different backgrounds and environments.

“As a party we celebrate that kind of diversity and say that in as much as we may differ we are one people. We are different from other political parties because we are the only political party that looks at the capacity and capability of a person, unlike other parties that look at tribal and racial connotations of a leader,” Mushoriwa said.

He said this was clear because at the moment, the MDC-M was the only political party in government that had assigned a white man to a ministerial post.

“We are the only party in government at the moment that has managed to appoint a white man as minister.

Coltart is the Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture and another white woman, Trudy Stevenson was appointed ambassador to Senegal on our party ticket,” he said.

Mushoriwa said MDC-M was an idea-based political party which had managed to maintain consistency in its policies and ideologies, compared to other political parties which thrived on personalities.

New Zimbabwe.com

3 January 2011

ANALYSTS have said Deputy Prime Minister Professor Arthur Mutambara – who is set to be replaced as leader of his MDC party – could yet retain his position in the coalition government.

Mutambara was appointed Deputy Prime Minister by President Robert Mugabe by virtue of being leader of a faction of the MDC, but the former student leader is set to be replaced at the party’s national congress due over the weekend.

Industry and Commerce Minister, Welshman Ncube — currently the party’s Secretary General — is a shoe-in for the party’s next president after being nominated by ten of its 12 administrative provinces.

A statement released by party spokesman, Edwin Mushoriwa, shows that Ncube is unchallenged for the presidency. Mushoriwa leads nominations for the deputy president.

Mutambara has since indicated that he would not be available for re-election but, with the party’s provinces nominating Ncube anyway, his offer to step aside was always going to be a moot point.

Still, despite confirming he was stepping aside, having “done my part”, Mutambara curiously insisted that he would not “be going anywhere”.

However, MDC activists unhappy with his leadership want Mutambara recalled from the coalition government and replaced by the party’s new leader.

But constitutional law expert, Dr Lovemore Madhuku, said Mutambara could remain Deputy Prime Minister even if he is removed from the leadership of the MDC.

“There is no such language as recalling in this country. It’s the ANC language and it’s nonsensical. Mutambara was sworn in by the President in terms of Amendment number 19 Act and that is the Constitution,” Madhuku said.

“It is only (President) Mugabe who can either force him to resign or dismiss him, if he is not happy with his performance. The GPA is not the Constitution and is a separate arrangement. So, Mutambara is likely to complete his term in the inclusive government,” he added.

The strife-torn coalition government may yet last longer than initially expected following indications that elections demanded by Mugabe could be postponed.

The Zanu PF leader had insisted that elections must be held by June to replace the coalition government arguing the fractious administration was no longer fit for purpose.

But state media over the weekend suggested the polls may be delayed to allow for the completion of ongoing constitutional reforms.

Meanwhile, Ncube said Education Minister, David Coltart, who has not been nominated for his position could still remain the party’s legal secretary.

“The position of secretary for legal affairs is not up for nomination, but rather that person is elected by the NEC,” Ncube said.

He added that the party’s provinces were probably happy with Coltart’s performance as legal affairs secretary and wanted to retain him in that portfolio.

The MDC has six seats in the Senate and holds 10 Parliamentary seats.

In the coalition government, the party was allocated four cabinet positions and also provided two deputy ministers.

Standard

2 January 2011

WITH MDC-M nominations for national executive council members in full swing, questions have been raised on the seemingly conspicuous absence of David Coltart’s name.

Coltart is regarded as one of the driving forces within the party and his absence on the nomination list got tongues wagging, with some speculating that he could be on his way out.

So far, the Education, Sport, Arts and Culture minister has only been nominated by Matabeleland South province as treasurer general, while Bulawayo nominated him as an NEC member.

Party secretary general, Welshman Ncube cleared the air this week saying Coltart was likely to be retained as secretary for legal affairs.

The position of secretary for legal affairs is not up for nomination, but rather that person is elected by the NEC,” he said.

Ncube said probably the provinces were happy with Coltart’s job as legal affairs secretary and wanted to retain him in that portfolio.

Meanwhile, an intriguing battle is looming for the party’s vice presidency, with Frank Chamunorwa and party spokesman, Edwin Mushoriwa literally neck and neck in the battle to assume the top post.

Mushoriwa seemed the likely candidate to take up that position, but Chamunorwa has had a late rally to keep in touch with the party’s spokesman.

It was revealed that from the six provinces that had held their congresses the two had garnered and equal number of nominations.

Sources within the party said if there was nothing to separate the candidates the issue would be taken to a vote by delegates at the party’s congress.

Party leader Arthur Mutambara recently announced that he would not be standing for the party presidency or any other post at the party’s congress this month.

He said he would remain an ordinary member of the party.

The announcement came a few hours after the MDC-M Harare province had announced that it was backing Professor Ncube to take over the presidency at the party’s congress to be held in Harare this month.

Mutambara’s withdrawal from the race clears the way for Ncube, who has not hidden his leadership ambitions

Weekly Agenda

By Mziwandile Ndlovu

31 December 2010

As per tradition at the end of the year, the Weekly Agenda conducts an in-depth review of the performance of the executive and other critical state instruments. The score card measures the work achieved by individual cabinet ministers and measures them on a scale of 1 to 10.

ECONOMIC CLUSTER

Finance (B-)

This year, Finance Minister Tendai Biti continued to exude the impressive work rate be exhibited last year that has come to be his trademark. It was an eventful year for him as he tried to continue with efforts to receive the economy.

Minister Biti used his energy and knack for aggression to try to force Mines Minister Obert Mpofu to account for proceeds from the sale of diamonds at the Chiadzwa fields though to no avail. Still walking the tightrope with his “We eat what we gather” policy, Minister Biti continued showing signs of prudence. Inflation has not waivered much and there has been no drastic change on the interest rate front and his mid-term fiscal policy review was relatively well received. He is riding on a crest of success after delivering a relatively sound budget for 2011 which managed to raise the tax free threshold and give civil servants a 100% bonus. He should also be credited with conducting a series of thorough consultations for the 2011 budget in just about every province. His dynamism and courage has seen him trying to rally a multi-party movement to get the budget passed by parliament.

On the downside, Biti has failed to make headway into getting hold of the proceeds of the Chiadzwa diamond fields. After trying to promote local businesses by banning the importation of animals and animal products in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, he had to climb down on the pronouncement on seeing local industry’s glaring inability to deliver. It also appears that he is not winning the battle on compelling companies to use fiscalized tax registers as there is fierce resistance to the move.

Also on the Ministers desk for 2011 is how to ensure that a common currency prevails in the country so that consumers in the Southern part of the country are not short-changed. While the Minister has announced that he has engaged the US government to supply coins to Zimbabwe, critics feel that he has gone against common logic of joining the Rand Monetary Union. In probably his blunder of the year, the Minister told a budget consultative meeting in Bulawayo that his Ministry would not release any information to show how much each province contributes to treasury and, in return, how much the state spends in each province.

Industry and Commerce (C)

Minister Welshman Ncube had a lacklustre year due to various reasons. Many would say that there is little that a minister can do to revive an economy when it is under sanctions and there is little foreign direct investment. What can be said about Ncube is that he made the right noises and appeared in the right place but little can be said about any improvements. There is no doubt that he has brilliant ideas on how to revive industry and he also attended and convened a couple of conferences to articulate these ideas. We never saw crisp policy pronouncements or any moves to promulgate legislation on the industry front as other Ministers were doing.  Many also feel that most of Ndube’s time this year was taken up by party politics. He was more concerned with positioning himself as his party’s next leader and fighting an onslaught on his party by the MDC. We look forward to a better year from him, at least before the end of the all inclusive government.

Economic Planning, Investment Promotion and Development (D)

This ministry, needless to say, has suffered from the Prime Minister’s cabinet reshuffle. The initial incumbent Elton Mangoma, who has since moved to Energy, also appears to have had an ordinary year, if not worse. A Minister in this portfolio is expected to run with the mandate of soliciting investment and also making policy pronouncements to come up with innovate ways to promote investment and to market the country as a viable investment destination. Sadly, we did not see this from Mangoma until his departure. The new incumbent Tapiwa Mashakada should be given time to begin to settle into his Ministry. He is also widely respected in economic issues but has taken rather too long to start making the right noises and make his presence felt.

THE SOCIAL CLUSTER

Education, Sport, Arts and Culture (A-)

Minister David Coltart remains arguably the best performing Minister as far as indicators are concerned. Consolidating the work he did last year, he bought more stability to the education sector. Indicators showed that 2010 has actually been the best academic year in a decade. There were significantly less resignations by teachers this year and there were less disruptions of the academic calendar by way of industrial action. The text book initiative remains the most successful policy of the ministry. Textbooks are currently being delivered to 700 schools a week and the ministry has now achieved 1:1 student: textbook ratio. The minister’s energy also saw him gracing numerous arts and cultural activities to give moral support. Even though it was a bad year for sport, the ministry has called for another inquiry into the match fixing scandal that rocked local sport and has denounced the practice.

Higher and Tertiary Education (J)

Minister Dr. Stan Mudenge continues to be the weakest link in the executive as he is doing virtually no work to talk about. For a couple of years now, his health has been the subject of rife speculation and it only makes sense that President Robert Mugabe should rest this man, whose better days are clearly behind him. It appears the President does not recognise how strategic higher education is by keeping Mudenge there. It is not a surprise that there is no leadership from the centre in this sector and institutions of higher learning are operating wily nily. They charge the fees that they deem fit with no monitoring from the ministry. There has been no serious effort also to take advantage of the relative economic stability to lure some academic exiles. It appears Mudenge’s frail health only enables him to attend graduation ceremonies which he also struggles to do. This ministry, needless to say, is in need of a leader in the calibre of Senator Coltart.

Local Government and Rural Development (F)

Minister Ignatius Chombo spent the better part of his year fighting personal battles and not doing the employer’s business. He exerted more energy into fighting to ensure that his estranged wife gets as little property as possible in their protracted divorce proceedings. This domestic dispute brought to the public agenda his stinking wealth that raised questions about how he acquired it. He had to endure a storm of critics who insinuated that he used his official position to convine with municipal officials to acquire properties in all parts of the country. Sadly, his principal President Mugabe did not call him to account.

On the work front, he did not do much save for going around the country presiding over the installation of traditional leaders. He also caused a lot of controversy as he pushed to exercise his constitutional right to appoint special-interest councillors which was widely viewed as a politically motivated move. He was also a pain in the neck for MDC-M who wanted defecting councillors to also relinquish their council seats. Chombo refused to do this, as the current local government legislation empowers only the Minister to dismiss councillors.

Health and Child Welfare (C)

The usually media-shy Dr. Henry Madzorera had a reasonable satisfactory year. He showed some energy and innovation despite the absence of funding for many projects the ministry could have carried out. He consistently tried to energise the health sector for the better part of the year saying that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are achievable though efforts will obviously be adversely affected by lack of funding. He also maintained viable links with institutions such as the National Aids Council (NAC) which donated some vehicles to the ministry for AIDS alleviation programmes.

Madzorera also led initiatives such as securing the support of the Global Fund for the retention of health workers. The Voluntary Testing programme, of which the Ministry is a major stakeholder, recorded a 100% increase. The Ministry has also played a crucial role in publicising the Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) programme. We are looking forward to a better year.

Youth, Indigenisation and Empowerment (D)

Minister Saviour Kasukuwere quoted a lot of controversy in the earlier part of the year as he tried to rush through his controversial Indigenisation Bill regulations meant to give indigenous people 51% of all firms in the country. The move came under serious fire as people across the political divide and the general public condemned the move as it would adversely affect Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). So antagonising were his overtures that at one point, diplomats walked out of a meeting at which he attacked their countries’ ownership of companies in the country.

Not much happened on the Youth side save for attempts to reform the National Youth Policy of Zimbabwe. Somehow he managed to source funding from the UNDP and get the buy-in of a cross section of players in the youth sector. The process began on a positive note with the appointment of a credible academic to lead the process but soon ran into chaos as a result of allegations of bussing ZANU PF youths to the meetings by the Minister. There were reports of civil society functionaries walking out of meetings after being heckled for the king of presentations they made. It appears the process has been put on ice, at least for now.

Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development (F)

Minister Dr. Olivia Muchena had a dismal year by any standards. She is a strong Mugabe ally and continues to buy her cabinet stay on this strength. She invested some of her energy in supposedly fighting for the participation of women in the constitution-making process. She was also involved in a power tussle with Oppah Muchinguri within the ZANU PF Women’s League. Not much can be said of her work in her cabinet portfolio.

Labour and Social Services (D)

Minister Paurina Mpariwa also had a lacklustre year. It can be argued accurately that there is not much that a Minister of Labour can do in the absence of a viable industry. She made a critical intervention, however, in rising tendencies by Chinese companies to exploit and ill-treat workers. The Minister ordered the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) to probe the matter. Allegations raised were physical assault, dismissal without giving adequate notice, absence of toilets as well as allegations of women sharing the same toilets. As a result of the Minister’s intervention NSSA suspended operations at the sites until all safety requirements were met. Where fatal accidents occurred, prosecution was recommended. The polarization in the political terrain has also curtailed the Minister’s participation in the largely dysfunctional Tripartite Negotiation Forum (TNF). There is a growing trend in which various employers are opening firms in various parts of the country but making a deliberate effort to send staff to the place of work while marginalising the locals. The Minister should ensure that new laws are promulgated compelling employers to employ locals and also to embark on compulsory community development projects.

THE INFRASTRUCTURE CLUSTER

Energy and Power Development (D)

Such a crucial Ministry in the country was also negatively affected by the Prime Minister’s mid-year cabinet reshuffle. Previous incumbent Eng. Elias Mudzuri was axed in what largely viewed as part of a protracted power play at Harvest House. The Minister was yet to make any impact in leading efforts to rehabilitate transmitters. It may be too early to score the performance of new incumbent Elton Mangoma. He has also taken rather too long to start making proclamations on pressing issues on his desks. There appears to be no political will to whip the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) into line. The power utility has refused with impunity to affect the Tariffs and Competition Commission’s directive to lower their tariffs by 43% despite protracted demonstrations by residents of Bulawayo. The Minister is also mum on what is likely to happen to the utility bills being owed to the power utility by consumers who are apparently unable to pay. If Mangoma is a serious Minister, we must know his prescriptions for these issues at the beginning of the year. We also want to hear what direction is to be taken in alternative power development.

State Enterprises and Parastatals (B)

The Ministry also suffered from the premier’s cabinet reshuffle. The score is only attributed to the current incumbent as not much can be said about previous incumbent Joel Guebuzza Gabuzza’s performance.

Minister Gorden Moyo has fired the right warning shots in the short time that he has taken over the reins. The Minister immediately went on rounds to state entities to conduct a comprehensive audit into their operations. His most notable initiative so far has been the Ministry’s Corporate Governance Framework which he has pushed for so energetically. The new policy is set to bring about better accountability in state entities as it compels state entities to hold Annual General Meetings and submit audited annual financial statements. He has also pushed for Parliament to be able to determine the remuneration of CEOs which have been said to be exorbitant.

Information Communication Technologies (D)

Minister Nelson Chamisa had done well when he took over the portfolio with the way he facilitate the availability and flooding of sim-cards on the market. We also praised his Ministry for their dynamic website but it appears he did not do much this year in his ministerial portfolio. It appears he has given up on his fight with Nicholas Goche for the control of Net-One. It would appear that Chamisa is fully employed by Harvest House as Director of Communications as that is virtually the work he did this year.

Information, Media and Publicity (G)

Minister Webster Shamu is one of the people who are drawing a salary for no work done. There has been no reform what-so-ever to the public media as it remains partisan. In fact, he appears to have intensified his campaign for jingles possibly in preparation for elections next year. We only saw him running around as ZANU PF national commissar.

National Housing and Social Amenities (F)

Not much can be said about either the previous or current incumbents Fidelis Mhashu and Giles Mutsekwa who was also a political casualty of the PM’s mid-term cabinet reshuffle as he was moved from the powerful Home Affairs Ministry. No work to talk about.

Public Service (F)

We are still waiting for the outcome of Minister Eliphas Mukonoweshuro’s public service human capital audit. We have yet to hear prescriptions on how to avoid waste by the payments of ghost workers. He developed some balls this year though as he publicly clashed with Minister of Finance Tendai Biti accusing him of behaving like a super-Minister. He also announced an elaborate loan scheme for civil servants to thunderous applause. We await the outcome as civil servants filled in the forms and are yet to get any response.

Newsday

31 December 2010

By Owen Gagare and Nduduzo Tshuma
The year 2010 comes to an end today. It witnessed numerous developments both in the social and political arena. Below are some of the quotes that made headlines in the local media.

“That’s a laughable argument. In fact it’s a very weak argument, perforated argument, I’m sure conceived by very weak and barren minds. There is no reason why a particular individual, particularly in this case, why a whole institution would try to hide behind a finger, the finger of the so-called restrictive measures,” MDC-T spokesman, Nelson Chamisa, responding to Zanu PF’s declaration that the party would not make any concessions before sanctions are removed.

————————–

“The mischievous and barbaric calls for the prosecution of the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe over the WikiLeaks reports represent desperate acts by those whom the people unequivocally rejected in March 2008,” said the PM’s spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka responding to calls by Zanu PF for Tsvangirai to be prosecuted over theWikileaks exposé. “Zimbabweans are not worried about what the US embassy in Harare cabled to Washington. They are only aware of their strong opinion which they cabled from the various polling stations in March 2008 entrusting their hope and faith in the person of Morgan Tsvangirai.”

————————-

“We have seen criticism from the Reserve Bank governor this week again and we will only take note of (him) when the governor stops his megaphone criticism,” Indigenisation minister Saviour Kasukuwere commenting on RBZ governor Gideon Gono’s criticism of government’s decision to make it mandatory for foreign-owned companies to cede a 51% stake to blacks.

“When they are ready to talk we will listen. But in the meantime we will not listen to this kind of megaphone criticism. We remain determined to empower our people and we will not accept such criticism from individuals seeking relevance.”

————————–

Methuseli Moyo, Zapu spokesperson, on Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai comments on the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project:
“I think it was obvious from what he said that he is both ignorant and contemptuous. He is generally ignorant about Matabeleland and specifically ignorant about the Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project. Secondly, he is contemptuous of the person of a hero of the calibre of Dr Dabengwa and other Matabeleland leaders who initiated the project and pressurised the government to fund it. He doesn’t want to acknowledge the role played by our leaders through the Matabeleland Action Group.”

————————–

“Anyone who believes they can deny the truth of our past is delusional. Covering up old wounds can only make them fester. We must face them so we don’t perpetuate the wrongs of the past” — Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, while officially opening a photo exhibition showcasing gory pictures of the 2008 victims of violence. The police had tried to confiscate the pictures.

————————–

Zanu PF Central committee member Godfrey Malaba on harassment of journalists:

“As a party, we also do not condone the harassment of journalists. We are in an inclusive government, so I do not see why people would say Zanu PF is harassing journalists. The co-minister of Home Affairs Theresa Makone is not a deputy minister but an equal one so it is not Zanu PF that is harassing journalists, but the inclusive government. Every ministry that is headed by a Zanu PF person, the deputy is MDC so you cannot blame Zanu PF on things done by the inclusive government.”

————————–

Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu on being President Mugabe’s “ever obedient son”:

“Joshua Nkomo brought liberation to this country, that is why he is called Father Zimbabwe; and President Mugabe also brought the liberation of this country. When you tell other people that you are their son they jump and say they have found a scoop.”

————————–

“I would like to state unequivocally that the Prime Minister has spoken most definitely and conclusively on the issue of civil service remuneration. There is no government policy to freeze civil servants’ salaries at present. That is the position of the government which at the moment is cast in stone” — Public Service minister Eliphas Mukonoweshuro in support of PM Tsvangirai after Finance minister Tendai Biti had announced a civil service salary freeze, contradicting his boss, who insisted that there was no such policy.

“This government does not operate on the basis of super ministers who may frequently arrogate themselves responsibilities that are neither in their present province of competence nor designated mandate ,” he said, in clear reference to Biti.

————————–

“The political crisis . . . no longer exists. The country is making progress and it is time investors started looking at Zimbabwe from a different perspective,” PM Tsvangirai tells reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on Africa.

————————–

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Ignatius Chombo’s alleged wealth:

“He has 15 cars. What does he want to do with all those cars? It is like a baboon that goes into a field and takes a maize cob and puts it under one armpit and then the other side. As it is walking it is attracted to another cob and breaks it again leading to many cobs collecting on the ground. That is primitive accumulation of wealth and it’s a shame.”

—————————

“Zimbabwe shall recover by her wits and resources. Zimbabwe will not be saved by any country or organisation, least of all Western. Let our partners in the inclusive government get that so we do not waste our efforts on useless initiatives” — President Robert Mugabe addressing an ordinary session of the Zanu PF central committee in July, a week after a government delegation held a meeting with the European Union in Brussels, aimed at normalising relations between the country and the bloc.

————————–

“They cannot be God to us today, when they were not good to us yesterday. They detained us, jailed us, shot at us, bombed us and slaughtered us in our hundreds. We bore the brunt of their cruelties and shall never forget” — President Mugabe, blasts Western diplomats during the burial of his sister Sabina at the National Heroes’ Acre in August.

————————–

“(Prime Minister Morgan) Tsvangirai is just like a fly in a kombi or a bus. The fly can sit on the driver’s seat but that does not make it the one in charge of the bus” — War veterans leader Jabulani Sibanda, threatening villagers while on a terror campaign in Bikita West.

“He can be eliminated in the political set-up and life will go on. You can kill a fly by simply swatting it against a window.”

————————–

“We have sought to re-engage the EU on the issue of the immediate removal of the evil sanctions that are hurting our people. We seek friendship and nor enmity, togetherness not apartness, good understanding not division” — President

Mugabe said during the Heroes’ Day celebrations.

“But no sooner had we started the re-engagement than we realised that the EU is far from being sincere, as the bloc keeps shifting goalposts. The US and EU are keen to have our people continue suffering under the evil sanctions.”

————————–

“Our position is clear. First and foremost, we do not recognise Zanu PF as the sole determiner of who goes to the Heroes’ Acre. We reject lock, stock and barrel the decision to deny Sibanda hero status. We are saying the Zanu PF politburo is not worthy of deciding who should go to the Heroes’ Acre or not,” said Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara after the Zanu PF politburo had denied the MDC-M vice-presidency hero status.

“Robert Mugabe has no locus standi to determine who is a hero or not.”

————————–

“Unfortunately, we thought there would be serious revenue from diamonds. We only realised $56 million from the sale of 1,2 million carats of diamonds in the first sale. Chiadzwa has proved not to be an Eldorado” — Finance minister Tendai Biti, officially launching the 2011 National Budget consultative process.

————————–

“For as long as I am chairman (of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission), I will do everything in my power to ensure that we never do anything that distracts our impartiality” — Justice Simpson Victor Mutambanengwe, addressing editors in Kariba.

—————————

“By 2014, Zimbabwe will sit on high internet and you will be connected even if you don’t want. By year end we will have connected to the rest of the world and all those nightmares of boiling tea and have it before you are connected will be a thing of the past,” — ICT minister Nelson Chamisa.

————————–

“We are on national duty giving birth. We gave birth to all of you sitting here today. You are ministers and presidents because of us, but you are now denying us the right of giving birth to the children that are going to be the leaders of tomorrow.” — Bulawayo East MP, Thabitha Khumalo (MDC-T) – December 7, 2010.

—————————

“Mr Speaker, the Public Order and Security Amendment Bill was no great step forward. Those of us who have been in the political opposition since 2000 are well aware that all of us have been victims of this particular legislation.” — Bulawayo South MP, Eddie Cross (MDC-T) — October 5, 2010.

————————–

“The reality of our situation today is that we have a form of education, rather than an education that is of a qualitative substance. We have schools, physical buildings and teachers in the classrooms, but the reality is that our education system has declined dramatically in the last two decades.” — Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Senator David Coltart – March 3, 2010.

————————–

“Mr Speaker, I wonder why Zanu PF MPs go out of the House each time an MDC MP presents a motion in this august House. My question is do they tell their supporters out in the country that we are scared of the MDC’s constructive presentations that are now awakening the country?” — Bikita South MP, Varandeni Jani (MDC-T) – Hansard October 19, 2010.

————————–

“Madam Speaker, I will label Jabulani Sibanda as a step-child because he was not born and bred by Zanu PF. He is an insult to the Ndebele people. The people of Zaka demand this terrorist who is terrorising them to be ejected as soon as possible.” — Zaka West MP, Festus Dumbu (MDC-T) – October 19, 2010

————————–

“Honourable Mutseyami, the way you are dressed is not suitable for this august House. May you kindly go out and return in a proper dress code.” – Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Nomalanga Mzilikazi Khumalo (MDC-M) – Hansard November 16, 2010

————————–

“We are turning the National Heroes’ Acre into a National Heroes’ Hectare, full of people who do not deserve to be national heroes.” — Zaka West MP, Festus Dumbu (MDC-T) – Hansard October 19, 2010

———————–

“Furthermore, in terms of our superstars who are in the Diaspora that might have made mistakes – Mawere, Makamba, Ntuli Ncube and others have been de-specified, but Strive Masiyiwa has not been in the country for ten years. I have been out of the country where we were talking and discussing with people like Bill Gates and yet we cannot talk to our own superstars.” — Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara (MDC-M) – Hansard February 10th 2010.

————————–“Madam Speaker, the people of Zimbabwe have a right to know who killed and maimed their relatives, who stole their stock, who did everything? Zimbabweans demand that and we have a right to know.” — Kadoma Central MP, Editor Matamisa (MDC-T) – Hansard March 17, 2010.

————————–

“My message is violence begets violence and if we train our youths to be violent, they will grow into violent adults.” — Mbire MP, Paul Mazikana (Zanu PF) – Hansard March 17th 2010.

————————–

“We hear stories of people being arrested – it is normal. A person like Farai Maguwu can spend three weeks in jail and it is normal business as usual because there is that normalizing the unusual. So, we have a culture of being lackadaisical, indifferent, impunity, and we are trying to make a point in this statement that we cannot continue like that.” — Harare East MP, Tendai Biti (MDC-T) – Hansard December 9, 2010.

———————–

“Madam President, there is an intruder in the House, you are breaking Zimbabwean law by allowing a stranger in the House, (referring to provincial governors unilaterally appointed by President Robert Mugabe” — Non- Constituency Senator Morgan Komichi (MDC-T) – Hansard September 9 2010.

————————–

“Zanu PF members are a problem to me. The problem we have in this august House is that we are self-centred and not thinking about the grassroots. We are simply embarking on a pull him down syndrome, so that should there be any failures, we will apportion blame to an individual though that person would have done the work.”

— Senator for Hwata, Rorana Muchichwa (MDC-T) – December 10, 2010.

Newsday

By Moses Matenga

27 December 2010

Education minister David Coltart has acknowledged the increase in cases of teachers sexually harassing students in government schools and has written to the permanent secretary in his ministry to start investigating such cases and bring culprits to book.

In a letter dated December 14, Coltart said the continued harassment of pupils in government schools was worrying and “affecting the education of innocent children”.

The letter was in response to one written by an official from Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ) alleging an increase in cases of rape and sexual harassment of students.

“You will note the letter reveals what seems to be a deep-seated problem of teachers sexually harassing their students. This unfortunately is now affecting the education of innocent children,” Coltart said.

“Could you, therefore, as a matter of urgency ask the provincial education director responsible for Murehwa to investigate this matter and report back to you and please let me have a report regarding the matter?” TIZ had written to Coltart alleging that teachers at Chimhau Secondary School were allegedly abusing pupils.

The letter was written by Annatolia Chimunye of TZI.
Last week, Titus Gwemende, head of programmeswith the organisation, said Chimhau case was a tip of the iceberg as his office had several cases of abuse of pupils.

“There are teachers at the school who are abusing pupils. Others have come up to report the cases but others are not because of fear,” he said.

“One of the victims is pregnant and was forced to leave the school,” Gwemende said.

“We decided to approach the ministry to take action. There are serious cases of abuse in schools, but those who are supposed to be taking action are doing nothing,” he said.

“In rural schools, it is difficult for pupils to have access to report such cases so we applaud minister Coltart’s stance to investigate the matter.”

Cases of headmasters and teachers harassing and sexually abusing pupils are reportedly on the high with a recent one of a Chikwezvero Primary School headmaster in the dock for allegedly sodomising and raping more than 13 pupils.

The headmaster is currently out on bail.

Standard

26 December 2010

By Nqaba Matshazi

Allegations of rampant child sexual abuse have hit Chimhau Government Secondary School in Murehwa, amid reports that one student has gone into hiding after being impregnated by a teacher.

Two pregnancies have been reported in recent months, with sexual abuse at the school being described as deep-rooted and widespread to the extent that it was affecting pupils’ progress.

According to a correspondence in our possession, the case has been taken up by the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture with the minister, David Coltart instructing the permanent secretary, Stephen Mahere to investigate the matter.

“Could you therefore, as a matter of urgency, ask the provincial education director responsible for Murehwa to investigate the matter and report back to you and please, let me have a report regarding the matter,” reads part of the letter from Coltart to Mahere.

The Education minister raised concern that the matter was affecting the pupils but nothing seemed to be done to address the issue.

Mahere also received a letter from Transparency International-Zimbabwe (TIZ), detailing the allegations and how the pupils had attempted to report the matter to both the police and school authorities, but on each occasion faced no joy.

TIZ programmes manager, Titus Gwemende said allegations of abuse were commonplace at the school with one of the teachers having been caught abusing a girl in his kitchen.

“One of the girls was being abused in a kitchen and members of the community had to come to her rescue,” he said. “This shows that even the community is aware of what is going on at the school.”

Gwemende said they had been provided names of two teachers who were abusing pupils but initial indications were that the scandal could be bigger than what they have.

He said in cases where the girls fell pregnant they were forced out of the education system so the crimes of the perpetrators would not come to light.
“One of the girls, a Lower Sixth pupil, has since gone into hiding and no one knows where she is,” Gwemende said. “The case was reported to the police but nothing was done.”

It is reported that teachers take advantage of pupils by calling them to their houses and asking them to do household chores and from there the abuse is initiated.

“As part of rape prevention strategies we have lobbied the Ministry of Education to ban the practice by teachers in rural areas of allocating their household chores to children,” Rita Mbatha, from Women’s Comfort Corner Trust, said. “Each year many children are sexually abused and most cases are never reported.”

Coltart said he was on leave and could not comment on the progress made in the investigations while Mahere was not reachable on his mobile.

Cricinfo

By Liam Brickhill

December 25, 2010

After the genuine progress made in 2009, it was tentatively expected that 2010 would be a watershed year for Zimbabwe cricket. In certain respects it has lived up to that billing, and wins over West Indies, India and Sri Lanka suggested that all the hard work was beginning to pay off. A series win over Ireland also calmed a few nerves, but a winless tour of South Africa and the 3-1 drubbing by Bangladesh that followed confirmed Zimbabwe’s continuing limbo status: too good for the Associates but strugglers against the big boys.

The year began on a positive note with the news that both Heath Streak and Grant Flower were chasing the job of coach of the national side. That position eventually went to Alan Butcher, Surrey’s coach until 2008, but Streak was retained as bowling coach and Flower signed on to work with the national team’s batsmen after his final season with Essex. The trickle of former players returning to domestic cricket continued, and with them came another wave of English county and former

international players – many of whom played in the successful second edition of the Stanbic Bank Twenty20 competition.

Brian Lara was the most notable signing, and although he played just three games for Southern Rocks, his participation lent a veneer of class to the week-long Twenty20 competition and helped spark increased local interest. News that he had signed a contract as batting consultant to the national team followed. However, it is widely thought Lara’s interest in Zimbabwe is merely as a stepping stone to the IPL, and the news that he had been paid an extravagant US$30,000 for his fleeting Twenty20 visit was greeted with incredulity.

While good PR may help win influential friends as Zimbabwe seek a steady position in cricket’s mainstream, it doesn’t win cricket matches and there is a strong feeling that the money being spent on Lara could have been used on grassroots cricket, and that it is a decision that needs consideration.

Central to those considerations will be Ozias Bvute, Zimbabwe Cricket’s managing director. Berated as a divisive influence during Zimbabwe’s decline, Bvute can now take plenty of credit for Zimbabwe’s improving image, as can sports minister David Coltart, a former human rights lawyer and one of the founding members of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, who has placed a particular focus on cricket. A feeling persists that Peter Chingoka, Zimbabwe cricket’s long-serving and controversial chairman, remains the obstacle preventing the resumption of full international cricketing ties, particularly with England. Bvute has thus taken a prominent role in the running of cricket, with Chingoka now firmly in the background. An injection of youth helped overhaul Zimbabwe Cricket’s media department, and where acrimony had once existed, a healthy working relationship with the cricketing media has been fostered.

Perhaps the most valuable lesson learned this year is that, out of the direst straits of the last few years, it is possible for cricket in Zimbabwe to blossom once again – provided there is a collective will for it to do so. At times the players have shown real determination to improve their dismal reputation, and wins in the first two games of their West Indies tour suggested a corner had been turned after their capitulation for 44 all out to hand a one-day series win to Bangladesh in November 2009.

Brendan Taylor, with three fifties and two hundreds – including a career-best 145 not out against South Africa in a losing cause – has had a year to be proud of and topped Zimbabwe’s ODI run-scoring tables. However, his success was tempered somewhat by the failure of his opening partner Hamilton Masakadza. A stand-out performer in 2009, when he scored 1087 runs in ODIs, Masakadza’s form fell away alarmingly and he ended 2010 with the ignominy of falling to more ducks in ODIs in the year than anyone else apart from Kenya’s James Ngoche, and was struggling to hold his place in the side.

Masakadza and Taylor’s opening partnerships had been a major factor in Zimbabwe’s successes in their home tri-series against India and Sri Lanka, relieving the pressure on a brittle middle order. Zimbabwe’s spinners can also take a lot of the credit, and Prosper Utseya, Ray Price and Graeme Cremer will be a crucial part of the team’s World Cup plans.

A return to Test cricket remains the ultimate goal for the Zimbabweans, and it was with this objective in mind that they originally fielded a team for the first-class Intercontinental Cup, which ran from July 2009 to December 2010. After wins over Kenya, Canada and Netherlands and draws against Ireland and Afghanistan – the eventual winners – Zimbabwe XI were in the running for a spot in the competition final. There is still no escaping the influence of politics in Zimbabwean sport, however, and after Scotland’s decision not to tour the country Zimbabwe forfeited their final game and fell out of contention. An unofficial Test series against New Zealand A in October also tested the mettle of Zimbabwe’s second string in the absence of the touring senior players. Zimbabwe will need to play many more matches of this sort as they look to find their feet once more in the cauldron of Test cricket.

High point
In June, Zimbabwe enjoyed a fairytale run to their first final in a tri-series involving only Test-playing nations since the NatWest Series in 2000. The series signalled the return to Zimbabwe of top-level cricket – although India and Sri Lanka sent relatively inexperienced squads, which took some of the gloss off – and most importantly the hosts tasted victory and emerged from the tournament with a new sense of self-belief. They could not extend their run to the final, where they crashed to a nine-wicket defeat, but the successes set the positive tone for the year.

Low point
The fragility of Zimbabwe’s development was in evidence just a month before their home tri-series success as they imploded in spectacular fashion against New Zealand at the World Twenty20, losing their last nine wickets for 26 runs to be all out for 84. Their collapse was made all the more unforgiveable as they had toured the West Indies just weeks before and should have been familiar with the conditions at the Providence Stadium, where they had recently won an ODI against West Indies.

New kid on the block
Craig Ervine looked like just the sort of level-headed middle-order finisher Zimbabwe had been hoping for when he stroked an ice-cool unbeaten 67 on debut to seal the six-wicket win over India in May. Two single-figure scores followed that effort, but Ervine restored his reputation with innings of 145, 59 and 177 to set up Intercontinental Cup victories over Netherlands and Canada. A frustrating inability to turn good starts into substantial scores and an apparent weakness against spin appeared to have crept into his game as he registered five scores of between 14 and 24 against Ireland and South Africa, but Ervine cemented his position by topping the Zimbabwean batting table on a bowler-dominated trip to Bangladesh, with 134 runs at 44.66.

Fading star
Niggling injury and the pressure of captaincy had a disastrous effect on Elton Chigumbura‘s form during the year. Replacing Utseya as leader after Zimbabwe returned from a dismal showing at the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, Chigumbura looked like the man for the job as Zimbabwe reached the finals of their home tri-series in June. That success masked his lack of potency with both bat and ball, and a mediocre season of county cricket with Northamptonshire didn’t seem to help. By the end of the year he was playing as a specialist batsman, and with an average of 19.78 with the bat and 140.00 with the ball as captain, were he not in charge he might be struggling to justify his place in the line-up.

What 2011 holds
Zimbabwe cricket appears to be in robust health, particularly in the domestic game, which has gone from strength to strength under the new franchise system. A return to Tests is imminent, although Zimbabwe could well struggle to beat the likes of Bangladesh, New Zealand and West Indies for some time. Like the country itself, on the surface there is plenty to be positive about but there have been ominous stirrings from Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party, with the old man suggesting that the unity government, under which a semblance of stability returned to the country, had run its course, and there’s a strong chance there could be fresh elections in 2011. Whether cricket can survive whatever political turmoil that brings could be the real test next year.

Liam Brickhill is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

RadioVOP

23 December 2010

Gutu, December 22, 2010- President Robert Mugabe has attacked the Movement of Democratic Change slogan of change saying it was being used inappropriately.

Mugabe who was addressing party supporters at Chamisa Primary School in Gutu where he had visited his uncle, Chief Gutu, also known as Kasirai Masanganise said: “We took the MDC aboard in government and asked their policies, and they said ‘Chinja’ (Change). Unochinjei usingakwanisi kuchinja ganda rako. (What do you change if you cannot change the colour of your skin?) Mugabe said.

Mugabe added; “All the MDC wants is just a change. Ukavati nyika ndeyedu iZimbabwe.Vanongoti Chinja. (If you say to them this is our country, they just shout ‘Change’. Tikati tinoda kuti vanhu vedu vatore masimba, vanongoti Chinja. (If we say we want to transfer power to our people, they just shout ‘Change’.) Tikati tinoda kutora mabhizimusi, vanongoti, Chinja. (If we say we want to claim our wealth they just say ‘Change’) Tochinja chere nemukadzi here anenge achishanda nesimba? (Should we change even a hard working wife?). Zvose zvose Chinja nekungoda kuchinja?. (Everything is change,change for the sake of change). That is what is making them lose support,” he said to the applause of his supporters.

Meanwhile the hungry villagers dressed down Zanu (PF) youth and accused Mugabe of taking them for granted after waiting for his address for more than four hours.

Thousands of villagers were forced to come and listen to Mugabe’s address after his meeting with Chief Gutu.

Mugabe came aboard a Zimbabwe Republic Police chopper which landed at the soccer pitch of Chamisa Primary School. He addressed the villagers despite that Education minister David Coltart said he had banned schools to be used as political rally venues.

On his arrival Mugabe preceded to the chief’s homestead, where he feasted, leaving the crowd hungry at the primary school.

Mugabe only turned up to address the hungry crowd after four hours.

The bored villagers, who were commandeered to sit in the heat by the party’s overzealous youth militia, refused to chant Zanu (PF) slogans before Mugabe’s arrival. Some of the villagers were bussed as early as 6am.

Mugabe donated 60 tonnes of seed and 60 tonnes of fertilizer.

“We have been here as early as 7 am after we were told that everyone must go. We were actually rounded up. We have been sitting in the sun and waiting on empty stomachs. Mugabe has grown arrogant. The country is bigger than an individual,” said an elderly citizen.

The meeting was also attended by children. Other traditional leaders in the area where also left in the cold and were made to wait for hours.

When Mugabe finally pitched up to address the crowd, he told them he was on a private visit to his uncle, Chief Gutu who he installed as chief this year.

Swradioafrica.com

By Tererai Karimakwenda

21 December, 2010

The Zimbabwe Mail news site has reported that rowdy mobs belonging to rival factions of the MDC-M fought running battles all day in Mutare on Sunday, after Manicaland province rejected Welshman Ncube’s nomination as MDC-M leader. The report said police responded to violent clashes between Ncube’s supporters, and supporters of current President Arthur Mutambara, who is from Manicaland.

Mutambara announced over the weekend that he would not seek re-election as MDC-M president at the party’s congress due in January, 2011, in order to avoid divisions within the party. It is known that he had lost the endorsement of 11out of the party’s 12 provinces to Ncube.

MDC-M spokesperson Edwin Mushoriwa on Tuesday denied the allegations that rival factions had fought in Mutare. He described the Zimbabwe Mail report as ‘malicious’ and ‘meant to tarnish the image of the party’.

Mushoriwa said it is also not true that Manicaland province had rejected Ncube. “There is only Professor Ncube for president in all the provinces, including Manicaland, and there were no objections,” said Mushoriwa.

The MDC-M spokesperson also denied the report that Mutambara was being defiant and insisting that he will run for President in elections in 2011. He said the party was united and the reports are coming from ‘people who want to create divisions within the MDC’.

But there has been a huge outcry from MDC-M members over the fact that Senator David Coltart was not nominated for any top positions within the party. Some of them ‘attacked’ secretary-general Ncube on his Facebook page, describing Coltart as ‘hardworking’ and crediting him with improving the education sector, in his position as education minister.

Ncube reportedly responded by announcing that Coltart would be appointed into a ‘National Executive Council’.

On Monday SW Radio Africa had reported that the MDC-M provincial chairperson for Manicaland, Sondon Mugaradziko, had been arrested after heavily armed
police barged into a meeting he was about to chair in Mutare on Sunday.
MDC-M spokesperson Edwin Mushoriwa said that Mugaradziko was still in police custody Tuesday and was facing charges of ‘organising a political meeting without clearance’.

But Mushoriwa explained that according to the Public Order and Security Act (POSA), a political party does not need to inform the police when they hold a private meeting. He said their chairperson was taken by the police before the meeting had even started.

“It works in ZANU PF’s favour when we cannot meet to organize,” said the frustrated spokesperson.