Why Zimbabweans still live in fear

AN MDC councilor who told a security guard he “only argued with Robert Mugabe” has been arrested and charged with “undermining the authority of the President”.

Benard Nyamambi, 40, a councilor for the Movement for Democratic Change party led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in the resort town of Victoria Falls could be fined or jailed for a year if convicted. ADDPTED FROM NEWZIMBABWEAN http://www.newzimbabwe.com/news-2191-MDC+cllr+nabbed+over+Mugabe+insult/news.aspx

We have heard about the change in Zimbabwe. Some people think that it is safe to be in Zimbabwe, yet we have things like unlawful arrests still happening. In developed countries you can talk about your leaders in a any manor if you dispise of them (freedom of expresion). For example in Britain you can talk about the prime minister freely without fear of persecution and yet in Zimbabwe people are getting arrested for a simply statement.

It is my opinion that because of this power Mugabe still holds in Zimbabwe and still wishes to be only addressed as a hero nothing less he can do anything he wants to protect his interests. If one is a councilor and is arrested for making a negative statement about Mugabe then people go on to say there is freedom in Zimbabwe, what a contrast and people go on to say freedom is in Zimbabwe where there is a ruler like Mugabe not a leader and clear vaolations of human rights. People then go on to wonder why after the GNU not many Zimbabweans opted to go back to their home either from countries  like South Africa, Canada, United Kingdom and many other countries zimbabweans have fled to. It is simple Mugabe is still feared and still exercises his rule as he wishes. If they are human rights in Zimbabwe how come people like Benard Nyamambi get arrested for simple gestures? The lack of human rights in Zimbabwe is still there ,to remove Mugabe is the only road to true freedom.

Robert Mugabe has reportedly said he will not appoint provincial governors from the MDC, as they may not be loyal to him. He has also dug in his heels and said that Attorney-General Johannes Tomana and central bank boss Gideon Gono are going nowhere.

The ZANU PF leader is said to have told all this to South African President Jacob Zuma two weeks ago, also reiterating that he will not appoint Roy Bennett, the MDC treasurer-general, to the agriculture portfolio or any other ministerial post. The comments were made during a private meeting Mugabe had with President Zuma in Harare.The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe.http://www.swradioafrica.com/news310310/powershare310310.htm

Mugabe has reportedly said no to power sharing seen by the adaptation above. So how can one trust that there is no fear in Zimbabwe whilst Mugabe can do what he wants? It seems if he doesn’t want to go he won’t go and no one can do anything about that. If Mugabe believes that you are a threat and he can not trust you he will deal with you the only way he knows how. He does not trust the Likes of Roy Bennet and he simple won’t accept to put them in their rightful places as ministers and exert them to pressure through the justice system of Zimbabwe which he clearly manipulates. Yet at the same time keeping his friends closer the likes of Gideon Gono and Attorney general Johannes Tomana those people that he trusts. What chance is there for the unknown people who are suffering in Zimbabwe? Mugabe will do what he wants and people will remain in fear.

RUTENDO Munengani, wife of MDC-T legislator for Glen View North Fani Munengami, says she will never forgive President Robert Mugabe after she was raped by a soldier while her nine-month old son watched in horror. Mugabe, who is the commander-in-chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF), has always used the security services whenever he feels cornered in his three-decade-long rule. Adapted from The Standard Zimbabwe’s leading Sunday newspaper.http://www.thestandard.co.zw/local/23741-raped-by-mugabes-thugs-.html

Then we move on to serious cases like rape, being raped by a member of the supposed authorities of Zimbabwe how can one not live in fear after things like this happen. To think that these incidents happened in 2010 after everyone is supposing that Zimbabwe is still safe. Mugabe the Commander in chief will rather let his soldiers act this way and not punish them. Yet I still ask the question how can one not live in fear if these kind of things are happening under the noses of the inclusive government. Soldiers can act like this because they know that nothing will happen to them in the dilapidated structure of authority that exists in Zimbabwe, which is full of corruption and nepotism and so much more ‘isms’. Police officers, soldiers, guards and any authorities in Zimbabwe can simply get away with anything because they know they can be pampered by Mugabe and his regime and can get away with anything.

Just recently there has been wide spread objection to gay rights in Zimbabwe Mugabe has since mantained that he would not give these people any rights, and likened them to dogs. it is a well known fact that in any society they are gay people and they deserve to be heard. It is of my opinion that  everyone deserves human right protection and this is a clear obstruction of human rights. Therfore this goes on to show that yet another group of the Zimbabwean society will still live in fear.

This Zimbabwean people know they can survive if they just stay away from the authorities and do not defy Mugabe. With all the evidence of recent events which happen in Zimbabwe goes on to prove why people are still afraid in Zimbabwe. Mugabe still holds so much power that he is still feared in Zimbabwe. This can only change after the rulers of Zimbabwe change and Zimbabwe can once again breathe. In a nut shell Mugabe do what he wants in Zimbabwe and that is why people still live in fear in and out of Zimbabwe.

By Tichaona Manomano – volunteer community reporter with HAT News

A NATION CRIPPLED BY TALKS

Leaders of Zimbabwe can not seem to reach decisions on issues crippling their country. On the contrary people of Zimbabwe are seemingly coming to one conscious agreement with no need of talks what have you. All agreeing that talks are leading the country nowhere. ,” Ncube is also reported as saying “Nothing is moving and it is useless for us to continue telling the nation that there is no progress while they are looking to us as Government to deliver” The MDC officials in Zimbabwe seem to notice that nothing is moving although they want to give the ZANU-PF the benefit of the doubt that they might change for the betterment of the nation, they are equally and slowly getting frustrated, as seen by the above quotation by Professor W. Ncube. 

 “Enough is enough” is a commonly used term by the Zimbabwean people, well who can blame them for saying so. These talks never seem to end. In my view there is only one thing that seems to be stopping the MDC for going the whole nine yards? calling for another fresh round of fair elections, its simply that they know that when dealing with Mugabe it can never be a free and fair elections. History is the only weapon the MDC can depend on and by now the Zimbabwean people and the international community should have learned that you can not share power with Mugabe. He has refused to Remove the now  Reserve bank of Zimbabwe governor G. Gono and has recently claimed that as long as he is alive Roy Benet will never became a Minister . Mugabe has managed to do this because he is hiding behind the on going talks.

 The Unity Accord of December 1987 between ZAPU and ZANU is another example whereby Zimbabweans used their collective efforts to solve their political challenge/divide. Almost two decades later Zimbabwe is under an Inclusive Government again ZANU-PF has tried to share power before with an opposition party only to consume and silence the opposition party; there are strong similarities in the GNU and the unity accord. Although this is evident  to the MDC they seem powerless to do anything against the calculative Mugabe and his party ZANU-PF. All Zimbabwe must hope for is that Mugabe is peacefully removed from power which he is holding on to. The MDC is trying to remove Mugabe peacefully with the help of SADC but removing Mugabe from power peaceful for the past 3 decades has proved to be difficult.  

By now Zimbabwe should be in a new dawn and should be moving on, the never ending talks have been the hurdle to the price, the price of true freedom to the people of Zimbabwe, true economic freedom. Mugabe seems to be clinging on to power and buying  time to yet again orchestrate another plan to oust The MDC, although the MDC have proven to be strong so far, they should never under estimate the mind of Mugabe who is seemingly driven onwards by a ghastly demonic impulse. Mugabe is holding the nation at Ransom for his benefit.

  The GNU has been praised for easing the Zimbabwean economy by the international communities but this can be a short lived solution if these talks go on. It is just a matter of time when the Zimbabwean people get tired of the talks and realize that if they go on it will once again cripple the country. It is time for Mugabe to realize that he needs to be a true patriot of Zimbabwe and give the power to the truly elected leader of Zimbabwe that is Prime Minister M. Tsvangirai for he can truly reform the economy of Zimbabwe and revive Zimbabwe to its former glory.

Zimbabwe is still on a halt only surviving on temporary solutions, by now these talks should have been over and the country should have been concentrating on the issues of relighting the already dead economy. Some might ague that what is happening now is going back the riches of the olden Zimbabwe, but for how long should Zimbabweans continue lying to themselves. Zimbabwe should learn from history?  ESAP an economic measure introduced by ZANU-PF was a short lived solution for the dying economy of Zimbabwe in the 90s and took the country to disastrous lows in terms of the economy. Now we have the dollarization in Zimbabwe this might ease the economy yes, but it will be short lived if the talks in Zimbabwe never end. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC formation has since challenged its coalition partners to concede that the dialogue has failed and begin preparations for general elections. Of course Mugabe does not agree to this because he knows the true outcome of the general elections if at all they will be fair. Mugabe has a history of not playing fair so that he can remain in power. So what then will change this time? In my view once a devil always a devil especially when referring to Mugabe who is hiding behind the fact that talks are going on, and not wanting to relinquish power.

In conclusion Mugabe must realize that he has failed and must give up. These talks in Zimbabwe have the country crippled. Whenever one thinks there is a break through in the talks there is always something holding them back and that is Mugabe. It is time for the nation of Zimbabwe to be truly set free and be restored to its former glory.

 

By Tichaona Manomano – volunteer community reporter with HAT News

Tsvangirai calls on global Zimbabwe community to help rebuild their country

Source:Sokwanele

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, at a press conference in Cape Town yesterday (Thursday, December 3), said that he, together with number of senior representatives from parties that constitute the country’s Inclusive Government, is visiting South Africa to hold a series of meetings with leading figures from the Zimbabwean Diaspora to discuss ways to fast-track sustainable economic growth in that country.

Tsvangirai, leading a government delegation, is meeting with prominent figures in Zimbabwe’s Diaspora coming from 14 countries. The meeting entitled, “The challenges of Economic Reconstruction” began in Franschhoek earlier today.

The meeting is aimed at facilitating dialogue between the Inclusive Government and Zimbabweans in the Diaspora.

The meeting is hosted by the Institute of Justice and Reconciliation (IJR), a South African non-governmental organization that promotes transitional justice initiatives across the African continent.

Tsvangirai noted that he “recognizes and values Zimbabweans in the Diaspora and the critical role they can and should play in bolstering sustainable economic growth in Zimbabwe.” The Prime Minister stated that he “wanted to achieve a closer working relationship with all Zimbabweans in the Diaspora, many of whom are nfluential Zimbabweans working in leading international intergovernmental-, business-, and finance institutions.”

Dr. Fanie du Toit, executive director of the IJR said that these sessions were a means to facilitate dialogue amongst Zimbabweans and create conditions for sustainable economic growth, which is a deliverable of the Inclusive Government under the GPA.

“The IJR is regularly requested to facilitate these kinds of conversations across political and social fault-lines. As South Africans, we experienced the value of conversations such as these which paved the way for our democracy.

“We have facilitated this engagement at the request of Zimbabweans both within the country and those outside. The GPA, despite its difficulties, continues to provide us with a window of opportunity to get certain basic building blocks of a democratic transition in place. Economic success, for one, will be vital, not only for democracy, but also for social cohesion.” Du Toit added.

Press Release issued on behalf of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation by HWB Communications ( Pty) Ltd.

Tsvangirai is dishonest – Mugabe

Harare – President Robert Mugabe called Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai “dishonest,” state media said on Saturday, casting doubt on whether a dispute threatening Zimbabwe’s unity government can be resolved.

“We must no longer trust those who pretend to be in the inclusive government and have jumped in and out of it,” Mugabe was quoted as saying in the state-run Herald newspaper.

“They can never be true and genuine partners and they have proved to be dishonest.

“We, however, want to assure you that we will not allow the situation to continue like that.”

Tsvangirai, the former opposition leader, joined the unity government with his longtime rival Mugabe in February in a bid to end political violence and halt the nation’s economic freefall.

But two weeks ago he suspended cooperation with Mugabe’s party in protest over the arrest of Roy Bennett, his nominee for deputy agriculture minister.

A team from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) arrived in Harare on Wednesday in hopes of breaking the deadlock.

On Friday, the delegation announced that there was need for a full SADC summit to address problems related to the power sharing agreement.
Mugabe said the decision by Tsvangirai’s party to halt cooperation with the 85-year-old president’s Zanu-PF was hypocritical.
“Zanu-PF is not government, but in government. It is part of government like the other two parties.

“Cabinet is not a party affair. That kind of hypocrisy should be seen as it is.

“What kind of sincerity is that? We go into government, form policies hold investment conferences, (but) we have a part of the government striking against themselves.”

He said the government would continue to work despite the move by Tsvangirai’s party.

Zimbabwe police raid prime minister aides’ house

By Chengetai Zvauya

Zimbabwe police raided a house used by executives of the prime minister’s party, saying they were searching for weapons, the country’s finance minister said Saturday.

The raid signals the fragility of Zimbabwe’s unity government and will only worsen the already bitter relationship between President Robert Mugabe and his former rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mugabe was forced into a power-sharing government with the longtime opposition leader in February after disputed elections last year. Tsvangirai withdrew temporarily from the coalition government on Oct. 16.

Mugabe, 85, has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.

Tendai Biti, secretary-general of Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change, said about 50 armed police “ransacked” the house in a Harare suburb on Friday night.

He said a guard, Moffat Nyandure, and his wife were assaulted. Police told Nyandure to dig in the yard around the house in search of weapons, he said. Nyandure was made to dig with his bare hands for five hours.

A room occupied by a party official, who was at the house at the time of the raid, was searched and “valuable party documents” were taken, Biti said. Police “claimed” they had a search warrant, he said.

The house is used by MDC executives who visit from outside of the capital.

Police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena had no immediate comment.

Biti said the raid was “provocation” by Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party who wanted to see the unity government fail.

“They are behind this attack. Our decision of pulling out of the inclusive government infuriated ZANU-PF and this is the price we now pay for that decision,” Biti said.

While both parties have said they are committed to the coalition, many feel it is doomed to collapse.

Tsvangirai has condemned unilateral moves by the president to fill government posts, continuing human rights violations and attacks on activists by ZANU-PF militants and security forces.

But the catalyst for Tsvangirai’s withdrawal was the prosecution of Roy Bennett, a popular party member nominated as deputy agriculture minister.

Prosecutors unsuccessfully tried to send Bennett back to jail to await trial on charges linked to discredited allegations that he had plotted the violent overthrow of Mugabe.

“These acts of harassment are an attempt to intimidate us but we will not be intimidated and our disengagement will not be reversed until outstanding issues are resolved,” Biti told reporters Saturday.

Tsvangirai this week traveled to meet regional leaders to explain his party’s withdrawal. A team of regional ministers will also visit Zimbabwe on Thursday to investigate the move.

Biti said the MDC was adamant it would not return to the coalition until there was movement from Mugabe’s party.

However, Mugabe and his party have treated Tsvangirai’s boycott with contemptuous indifference.

In his first comments on the issue Friday, Mugabe called the split a “non-event” and said his party would not change its course.

“No amount of pressure will make ZANU-PF yield to any one of their demands,” he told state television on his return from a summit of African leaders in Uganda.

“What the MDC wants is to have complete executive authority and that we cannot allow,” Mugabe said.

Mugabe has demanded that Tsvangirai do more to get international sanctions lifted and foreign aid and investment restored. He claims the sanctions have been illegally imposed by Western nations and have contributed to the country’s economic decline.

However, sanctions such as those imposed by the European Union are largely targeted against Mugabe and his cronies whose assets have been frozen and travel restricted.

Critics blame Mugabe for Zimbabwe’s economic meltdown which began after he ordered the seizures of thousands of white-owned commercial farms in 2000, disrupting the agriculture-based economy in the former regional breadbasket.

President Tsvangirai addresses thousands in Matabeleland North

Via MDC-T Press Release — President Morgan Tsvangirai has urged Zimbabweans to prepare themselves for free and fair elections in the next two years that will bring real change to the lives of the people.

Addressing thousands of people at four 10th MDC Anniversary rallies in Matebeleland North over the weekend, President Tsvangirai said the Constitution-making process would bring in a free and democratic Zimbabwe.

“The new people-driven Constitution will do away with repressive laws such as the AIPPA (Access to Information and Public Protection Act) and POSA (Public Order and Security Act),” he said.

The rallies were held at Manjolo Business Centre, Tinde Business Centre in Binga on Saturday, Sipepa Business Centre and Tsholotsho Growth Point on Sunday.

Thousands of people attended all the four marathon rallies that marked the celebration of MDC’s 10 years since its formation.

President Tsvangirai also said he was happy that the people of Zimbabwe had realised that it was only the MDC that could bring real change to the country.

“I am grateful that the people of Zimbabwe have realised that the MDC is the party that can bring real change.

“Ten years after the formation of the party, we have moved from being an opposition to the majority party. We have moved from being leaders of the opposition to leaders of government,” he said.

He also dispelled reports that the MDC had been swallowed by Zanu PF since it formed the inclusive government with the Zanu PF.

“The MDC is not going to be swallowed by Zanu PF because there is no way that a majority party can be swallowed by a minority party,” he said.

The MDC enjoys a majority share in parliament after it defeated Zanu PF in the March 2008 harmonised elections.

However, President Tsvangirai bemoaned the lack of paradigm shift on the part of Zanu PF.

“Zanu PF does not want to see progress and this is shown by the continued disregard of the rule of law and the refusal to resolve outstanding issues.

“However, despite these challenges, the past seven months have seen incremental progress. There is stabilisation of the economy. Schools and hospitals have reopened. It is our hope to increase liquidity on the market,” he said.

He said the government would see to it that all farmers had access to agricultural inputs in order to increase food production.

“This is only a transitional arrangement but it will give food security to the country. However, this programme will enable you to be self sustainable and bring the country to its former state as the breadbasket of southern Africa,” he said.

President Tsvangirai was accompanied by several senior MDC officials, who included, the deputy national organising secretary, Senator Morgen Komichi, national youth chairman, Hon. Thamsanqa Mahlangu, Hon. Samuel Sipepa Nkomo and Minister Gorden Moyo.

Also present at the rallies were parliamentarians, provincial and district members.

Zuma Agrees to Tackle Zim Issues

President Jacob Zuma has agreed to urge Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe to give Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s party one of two key contested posts in the fragile unity government.

Zuma agreed to this when he met Tsvangirai in Joburg on Monday, say official sources.

This could help to break the deadlock.

The two key disputed posts are Central Bank governor and attorney-general, held by Mugabe cronies Gideon Gono and Johannes Tomana respectively.

Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says Mugabe reappointed them last year in violation of the Global Political Agreement.

The MDC has insisted that both Gono and Tomana should be replaced by officials agreed to by all parties.

Zuma said publicly after meeting Tsvangirai that he would talk to Mugabe about the “weighty and important ” problems he had raised, without revealing what they were.

But impeccable sources said Tsvangirai and Zuma had agreed the issue of the appointments could be resolved if Mugabe allowed Tsvangirai to fill one of the two posts.

Tsvangirai would prefer to get the attorney-general’s post and give it to one of his top officials, advocate Eric Matinenga.

The MDC can live with Gono, whom Finance Minister Tendai Biti has labelled an “economic terrorist”.

Tsvangirai believes Biti has already tamed Gono, whose money-printing policies that fuelled runaway inflation have been neutralised by the “dollarisation” of the economy.

Tsvangirai would rather have the attorney-general’s post to halt the apparently politically motivated prosecutions of his MPs.

At least five have been sentenced to lengthy jail terms that will disqualify them from parliament.

The MDC believes that is a ploy to destroy its razor-thin majority in parliament. The MPs have been sentenced for various offences from political violence to corruption.

About eight more MDC MPs are being prosecuted in court on various charges. MDC insiders say they are now worried they could even lose the coveted post of speaker of parliament.

If Zuma does persuade Mugabe to give up one of the two key disputed posts, the MDC believes it has a good chance of getting the attorney-generalship.

The party believes Mugabe will be reluctant to lose Gono, his “personal banker”, as the MDC calls him.

Tsvangirai was also in Botswana last week to lobby his ally President Ian Khama.

Tsvangirai also complained of Mugabe’s failure to appoint the MDC’s Deputy Agriculture Minister Roy Bennett, who has been charged with the attempted violent overthrow of Mugabe.

And he complained to Zuma about Mugabe’s failure to honour another agreement.

Sources said Tsvangirai had endorsed Mugabe’s unilateral appointments of permanent secretaries (the top officials) to all ministries (in violation of the political agreement).

The understanding was that the MDC would then appoint all the deputy permanent secretaries and principal secretaries.

But Mugabe has not kept his side of the bargain.

And Tsvangirai also complained to Zuma about the continued imprisonment of MDC MPs.

Published date:09 August 2009

A turbulent marriage

Photo: Flikr/Umsoto

Still at odds: President Robert Mugabe (left) and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai (right)

(IRIN) – Recent moves by Zimbabwe’s unity government to adopt several outstanding commitments to the Global Political Agreement (GPA), the basis of the current system, are encouraging, but genuine dedication to the necessary reforms is hard to come by.

It took months to broker the agreement between President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations that made it possible set up a government and start resolving the challenges of Zimbabwe’s economic implosion and the violent elections in 2008.

In signing the GPA document on 15 September 2008, the main political parties agreed to “work together to create a genuine, viable, permanent, sustainable and nationally acceptable solution to the Zimbabwe situation and in particular to implement the [GPA], with the aims of resolving once and for all the current political and economic situations and charting a new political direction for the country.”

It has been a steep and rocky road, with MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who has been Prime Minister since February 2009, claiming that Mugabe has failed to respect the GPA deal.

Tsvangirai met with South African President Jacob Zuma – chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which brokered and endorsed the GPA – in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 3 August and again accused Mugabe of frustrating efforts to implement the reforms required in terms of the GPA.

“The Prime Minister has briefed me that the majority of issues are moving forward, except for a few,” Zuma told local media. “I have said I will be contacting President Mugabe.”

Tsvangirai has stressed the need to deal with unresolved issues, including control of Zimbabwe’s security forces, and ZANU-PF’s unilateral appointment of Attorney-General Johannes Tomana and Governor of the Reserve Bank, Gideon Gono, which were contrary to the terms of the GPA.

“Clearly, there are signs of movement in terms of implementing some of the outstanding issues on the GPA, but these developments are linked to the upcoming SADC summit and the first anniversary of the signing of the power sharing deal,” political journalist and analyst Dumisani Muleya told IRIN.

The next ordinary SADC Summit is scheduled for the first week of September 2009 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. “Zimbabwean leaders obviously want to avoid being the centre of attraction by drawing criticism from regional leaders for failing to fully implement the provisions of the power-sharing pact,” Muleya commented.

Slight signs of commitment

“Freedom of Expression and Communication” is one aspect of the GPA that has recently seen change. On 30 July the government announced that international television stations such as the BBC and CNN had in fact never been banned from conducting business in Zimbabwe, and reports of a ban were “false”. The BBC immediately sent its correspondent to Harare, the capital.

“The Zimbabwe Government has told the BBC there is no ban on its operations and it can resume reporting, legally and openly, in Zimbabwe,” the BBC said on its website.

The Daily News, a pro-MDC newspaper that was shut down by the ZANU-PF government in September 2003, has also been re-licensed to operate, but its computers and archives were seized in the run-up to the elections in 2008, so the publication is not expected to appear on the streets anytime soon.

“While it is a welcome development to invite foreign media, and to issue a license to The Daily News, more still needs to be done in terms of repealing laws that have been used to prey on journalism,” said Matthew Takaona, president of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists. “All cannot be well if the Prime Minister has to go to meet Zuma to appeal for the full implementation of the GPA.”

After years of cracking down in response to public demonstrations, the government has also described as “false” reports that Zimbabweans were not allowed to stage demonstrations, claiming all that was needed was to notify the police.

“The notification is not meant to be some form of application for permission from the police to proceed with intended gathering or procession – it is for creating a platform for consultation between the police and the convener of the procession on how best the procession or gathering can be best managed,” said Giles Mutsekwa, MDC Co-Home Affairs minister, who shares the portfolio with his ZANU-PF counterpart.

Parliament also recently announced that it would start interviewing members of the proposed Zimbabwe Media Commission, which will replace the Media and Information Commission, the ZANU-PF government media regulatory body that presided over the closure of independent newspapers, television and radio stations.

Interviews to appoint commissioners to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission are in the pipeline.

On 30 July the National Security Council met for the first time since the formation of the unity government in February to discuss the prickly issues of the armed forces and security services. The ministers and commanders of the security forces finally sat down with Tsvangirai, whom they had vowed never to work with or salute.

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Tsvangirai urges exiles to come home

(AFP) – Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai got a warm reception on Saturday in Johannesburg as he appealed to exiled Zimbabweans to invest in and return to their country.

“The reconstruction cannot be done by government alone, by people in Zimbabwe alone,” he said at a rally of about 300 Zimbabweans singing protest songs and greeting his speech with cheers, claps and whistles.

“You and everyone else will have to play their part in that reconstruction agenda. Zimbabwe is changing,” he said. “It is slow and it can be frustrating, but it is changing.”

The rally at the University of Witswatersrand here contrasted sharply with his welcome in June in England, where Tsvangirai was jeered when he appealed to Zimbabweans to return to their country.

“I think he’s a true leader. He’s a person who can take Zimbabwe from darkness to the sunny side,” said one attendee at the rally, Mduduza Mcube, 29.

Several people wore shirts saying the Zimbabwe’s President Robert “Mugabe must go” and waved the Zimbabwean flag.

Many at the rally were reluctant, however, to return to a country which is still plagued by economic and political instability.

Farai Madamombe, 39, was disappointed by Tsvangirai’s speech, which he said did not give him a “roadmap” back to his country.

Madamombe moved to South Africa three years ago after losing his job as an accountant in Zimbabwe, and said he could not return until there were job opportunities there.

South African investors on Friday evening were also receptive to Tsvangirai but appeared hesitant to commit money to Zimbabwe, saying it would be a humanitarian investment unlikely to reap financial benefits.

“This country’s economic stability requires access to foreign markets, finance, technologies, skills and ideas, which are only made possible by all the key stakeholders working together as partners committed to Zimbabwe’s development,” Tsvangirai said at a dinner for South African industry leaders.

Tsvangirai and Mugabe formed a unity government in February after Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s only ruler since its independence, lost a first round vote last year.

The government was formed to end the violence that erupted after the vote and to rescue the floundering economy.

Tsvangirai arrived in South Africa Friday and was due to meet with South African President Jacob Zuma before he leaves on Tuesday to discuss the problems Zimbabwe’s unity government is facing, according to MDC spokesman Sibanengi Dube.

Mugabe Entraps Tsvangirai

By Kenneth Mawomo

Mugabe’s carefully contrived political choreography has left the MDC leader and Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai enmeshed in an intricate and dangerous political web-like-structure, minefield.

(Image Courtesy of www.toonpool.com)

If not careful, the gaffe prone MDC leader with a knack for scoring own goals, is slowly but surely digging his political grave.  The unity government that Tsvangirai pontificates about at any given opportunity is a far cry from what it should have been. In fact, it is nowhere near what it should be.

Mugabe is a master at side footing political opponents.  History is awash with vital lessons, but nobody seems to learn from it.    Mugabe has once again, in trade mark hawkish fashion, sold another dummy to another political foe and opposition leader.  He might as well be preparing the MDC leader’s epitaph.

Tsvangirai’s Come Back Home Plea

Take for instance, the call by the MDC leader to those in the diaspora to return home on the basis that it is now safe to do so.  This is a typical example of how Mugabe’s overbearing political tentacles can force you to choke on your own vomit.  Such a call was made against the backdrop of a damning human rights report by Amnesty International.

Some critics such as Llyod Msipa, dismissed the report by Amnesty International’s Irene Khan with disdain on the basis that it was prepared by a visitor.  Msipa is of the view that as Zimbabweans we should have trusted the Prime Minister’s word.  But the issue here is about facts, hard facts, not the two individuals’ national identities.  Yes, the Prime Minister is one of our own.  It is true he is not a visitor to his own country.  But ironically he failed to associate himself with the truth when he should have known first hand.

He should have told his audience that while their commitment to the success of the unity government is unquestionable, ZANU PF was being insincere and dangerously deceptive.  Pure and simple!  And as they say, ‘the truth shall set you free’.  Any attempt to sanitize the truth is unacceptable.  Not in this modern era of information technology.

What baffled many was that while Tsvangirai was making a bold declaration about Zimbabwe being safe for returnees, reports in the media including those emanating from his own party’s press office continued to give a grim but accurate account of disturbing events in our beloved country.

MDC’s Press Statements

On 23 June 2009, the MDC Information and Publicity Department’s Pressroom released a press statement immediately after the prime Minister’s not-so-well-received come back home call, which highlighted Resolutions of the MDC Extra Ordinary National Executive meeting.

Needless to mention that the contents of this press release were at variance with the Prime Minister’s overall risk assessment report.  It stated that the MDC was;

“FURTHER CONCERNED with the arrest and continued detention of the party’s activists, in particular the party’s Director-General, Toendepi Shonhe, on an innocuous trumped-up charge of perjury,

DISTURBED by the continued onslaught on civic society activists, journalists, and lawyers,

ALARMED by the renewed and relentless efforts by the forces of darkness to target and victimise MP Parliamentarians as evidenced by the crackdown on our MPs. Hon Shua Mudiwa, Mutare South MP, has been convicted of kidnapping”.

One wonders whether the Prime Minister had shuttled from another planet altogether probably, with a free Zimbabwe we are yet to be introduced to.  Your guess is as good as mine.

As if that is not enough, the deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe spearheaded a boycott of cabinet by MDC ministers in protest of what they perceived as Mugabe’s blatant display of bravado when he, in an unprecedented move, brought forward by a day, the date of a cabinet meeting to ensure that Tsvangirai would not chair the meeting in his absence.

Khupe pointed out that, “we [the MDC] are worried that we have remained the polite and subservient upholders of the GPA against clear evidence of the absence of a reliable and honest partner”.  There you are, they have said it not us.  We therefore wonder which functional government of national unity Tsvangirai so fondly talks about.

Another press release from the MDC dated 8 July 2009, lamented the delay in resolving outstanding issues as agreed within the context of the Global Political Agreement.  In their appeal to SADC, the statement said, “we await their [SADC] response to the delay in the resolution of all outstanding issues which include the continued crackdown on MDC and civic activists, the delay in the swearing-in of Deputy Agriculture minister Hon Roy Bennett, the appointments of provincial governors, permanent secretaries, ambassadors and the failure of the National Security Council to meet despite a clear Constitutional provision to that effect”.

These are not the kind of statements to be made by a party that is working in harmony with another in a government of national unity.  In an earlier instalment, I questioned the efficacy of this so called unity government because it is anything but united.

This is confirmed by yet another MDC press release of 9 July 2009 which point out that “the MDC is concerned by the continued persecution and harassment of its members and MPs by the State through the Attorney-General’s office in an attempt to decimate its structures and reverse the party’s majority in parliament”.

At least seven MDC MPs who include Chipinge East MP, Hon. Mathias Mlambo, Mutasa Central MP, Hon. Trevor Saruwaka, Hon. Lynnette Karenyi, Senator Roy Bennett and Mutare West, Hon. Shuah Mudiwa have been convicted this year or are facing trumped-up charges for various allegations.

MP Mudzuri Contradicts Prime Minister

Not so long ago, Hon Harrison Mudzuri, the MDC legislator for Zaka Central, attacked his party’s president, Morgan Tsvangirai, saying he is pretending all is well in Zimbabwe when violations continue despite the establishment of the inclusive government.

According to Zimbabwe Times, MP Mudzuri is quoted complaining that the “Prime Minister and party leader is just pretending that things are right in the country when nothing has changed”.  He went on to say that, “… our members are being harassed and arrested everyday, and when you try to tell the Prime Minister, he will say that such complaints will undermine the inclusive government”.

Are we missing something here?  Is the priority of this inclusive government its own survival or the security of the people?  People’s human rights and the sanctity of life are paramount and should be treated as such.  We can never accept the Prime Minister’s view that human rights violations are isolated and exaggerated.  So, if these incidents are isolated and exaggerated are they not worth talking about.  This is ridiculous to say the least.

Human rights violations in a country that purports to uphold the rule of law should be a source of embarrassment for any well-meaning government.  Let it be known that under no circumstances should any form of human rights abuses on any single individual by anyone including the state, no matter how isolated, should be tolerated in the 21st century.

To be honest, Hon Mudziri’s informed assessment of the situation on the ground, as well as the MDC’s incisive press releases, confirm our worst fears.  The Prime Minister is in deed living in a world of make belief. He is sadly but steadily developing a deep aversion for the truth.  A typical ZANU PF characteristic that is proving to be highly contagious.  If anything, his bold claim that Zimbabwe is now safe for those in the diaspora to return is not only preposterous, but dangerously fact-hostile and evidence-free.

UKBA’s Response

Not surprisingly, Tsvangirai’s utterances have been dismissed with the contempt they deserve.  Even the United Kingdom Border Agency has exclusively revealed to HAT News that their policy of not enforcing removals from the UK to Zimbabwe, in place since 2006, remains unchanged.

A statement from their spokesperson notes that, “we announced in September 2006 that we would be halting enforced returns to Zimbabwe and we are not currently enforcing the return of Zimbabwean nationals.  We take our international responsibilities seriously and we will grant protection to those Zimbabweans that need it.

We will continue to consider each application for protection on its individual merits. We expect those who have been found not to be in need of our protection to return home”.

Tsvangirai’s Dilemma

As it stands, Tsvangirai is now being forced to swim against the tide.  Who ever thought he would one day stand in defence of Mugabe?  How times change.  Mugabe should be pleasantly surprised by the turn of events.  Who wouldn’t envy him when his one time foe is now one of his enthusiastic defenders?

Mugabe has the MDC leader in the kind of position where he really wants him to be.  He has got Tsvangirai so fixated with protecting the interests of the inclusive government while alienating his political base.  In doing so, poor Morgan is busy stirring a hornet’s nest with disastrous consequences.  Already there is discord and discontent within the rank and file of his Party.  Top of the list is the recent public clash between him and finance Minister, Hon Tendai Biti over the China loan.

The fact that it is only Tsvangirai who feels obliged to speak glowingly about his working relationship with Mugabe while the octogenarian remains mum about it demonstrates the unwarranted level of desperation endured by the MDC leader in his bid to make this marriage of convenience work.

Mutambara’s ZANU PF Mantra

Throw Mutambara into the mix, and you can’t begrudge Mugabe for being on such an unprecedented lengthy honeymoon.  Mutambara’s love for the ZANU PF way should be put in its proper perspective.  He is a beneficiary of Mugabe’s intransigence.  Had Mugabe been magnanimous in defeat after the March 2008 harmonised elections Mutambara would not be the Deputy Prime Minister today.

No wonder why he is in support of the unilateral appointments made by Mugabe of Reserve Bank governor, Gideon Gono and Attorney General, Johannes Tomana. Likewise, he is a very grateful beneficiary of the back door politics that have dominated Zimbabwean politics since independence.  The abnormality of Mutambara’s enthusiasm to work with the two ZANU PF apologists is beyond comprehension to say the least. Nobody questioned Gono and Tomana’s qualifications.

The issue has never been about the two men’s qualifications.  It has always been about their moral standing and the manner of their appointments.  Tomana is currently presiding over the persecution of MDC MPs and activists including human rights activists while Gono has kept the ZANU PF machinery well oiled through the wanton printing of worthless paper money.  No wonder why Mugabe keeps hallucinating about the reintroduction of the Zimbabwe dollar.

Mugabe questions Tsvanirai’s Sincerity

As I write, Mugabe has ironically questioned the MDC’s sincerity in the unity government because the Party’s leadership including Tsvangirai failed to turn up at the Heroes Acre for the burial of a national hero, Ackim Ndlovu.  Mugabe rhetorically asked, “Are we truly united in the inclusive government? Are we truly one? Show it and let us speak with one voice, the voice of Zimbabweans”.  Isn’t this a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black?  Morgan watch your back!

At least the principal signatories to the Global Political Agreement are beginning to see what we saw well before they put pen to paper.  Yet it has taken them this long to get to grips with the folly of their selfish deeds.   It speaks volumes about the calibre of our leaders.   Unfortunately, it is now too late for any divorce proceedings to be commenced. And for some time, we will agonisingly be stuck with this government of national disunity.

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