Christians protest at attacks on Zimbabwe trade unionists

The World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) and its Zimbabwe Advocacy Office say they are shocked at recent attacks on trade union leaders by police and security forces in Zimbabwe during a period when the southern African country is trying to reconcile bitter divides – writes Peter Kenny.

In a statement sent to Ecumenical News International recently, the General Secretary of the student federation, the Rev Michael Wallace, and the coordinator of the Zimbabwe office in Geneva, Marlon Zakeyo, said that three days earlier, police raided and ransacked offices of the General Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union of Zimbabwe in Harare.

“These senseless attacks, together with the recent upsurge in general violence in the country, indicate clearly that Zimbabwe’s political crisis remains unresolved and that Zimbabwe’s Inclusive Government needs to do much more to deliver change,” the statement said.

The statement noted that the police forced the Secretary General of the agricultural workers’ union, Gertrude Hambira, to flee her home to South Africa, leaving her family behind.

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200 Zimbabweans currently detained in UK

The Zimbabwe Times – The British government is holding at least 209 Zimbabweans at its immigration centres and prisons, it was announced Thursday.

The figure was announced in the House of Lords after a question had been raised on the deportation of foreign nationals and the number of them currently held in detention centres and prisons in Britain.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office Lord Alan West of Spithead said the British government had announced in a written ministerial statement on October 29 last year that authorities were looking to normalising the returns policy to Zimbabwe progressively as and when the political situation developed.

According to latest HM Prison Service figures, as at December 18, 2009, there were 209 Zimbabwean nationals in prisons including those in the immigration removal centres, Dover, Haslar and Lindholme.

The 209 included those held on remand, serving custodial sentences or held under the Immigration Act 1971.

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ICG: Zim democratic transition remains at risk

The Zimbabwe Independent – ZIMBABWE is facing political and security risks which might scuttle the current transition, the International Crisis Group (ICG), a global organisation led by retired statesmen, has said. In its latest report titled Zimbabwe: Political and Security Challenges to the Transition, the ICG said the country’s transition from dictatorship to democracy was bedevilled by serious “political and security risks”.

“Despite initial scepticism, Zimbabwe’s year-old unity government has achievements to its credit, but the democratic transition remains at risk, especially from hard-line security officials –– President Robert Mugabe’s last reliable supporters,” the report says.

ICG Africa Programme Director François Grignon said the military posed the greatest threat to transition.

“As Zimbabwe enters its second year under a unity government, the challenges to democratic transformation are in sharp focus,” Grignon said.

“The military leadership and other Mugabe loyalists in Zanu PF are using their symbiotic relationship with the state apparatus to exercise veto power over the transition. A mature political system must develop, so Zanu PF and the MDC engage as both competitors in politics and partners in government.”

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MDC meets on worsening situation in Zimbabwe

The mainstream MDC party led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has called for crisis meeting of its national executive council members Thursday to discuss the party’s deteriorating relations with President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party.

“We are dealing with a whole array of issues affecting Zimbabweans, ranging from the state of the inclusive government, issues to do with the constitution-making process, the dialogue, the general life of the GPA, you name it,” party spokesperson Nelson Chamisa told The Zimbabwe Times Wednesday night.

“The environment is fast deteriorating and we are going to receive reports from all the provinces on what is happening in the country.”

The MDC national executive council comprises 48 members drawn from all the country’s 10 provinces.

It is the highest decision-making organ in between national councils and national congresses.

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MDC Leicester branch pray for Peace in Zimbabwe

By Korasi Gumi

“The peace of the world must be prayed for by the faiths of the world”, (Dr Edward Carpenter: 1974).This time it was the peace of Zimbabwe being prayed for by the faiths of Zimbabweans. The MDC Leicester Branch has taken the lead by invoking the power of prayer in order to bring about peace and stability in conflict ravaged Zimbabwe.

The people of Zimbabwe have suffered enduring pain under the leadership of Robert Gabriel Mugabe and his ZANU PF government. They have been forced to live in abject poverty and deteriorating socio-economic conditions coupled by disease and despair for three decades. The MDC Leicester Branch saw it fit appeal to the Almighty for mercy on behalf of the suffering masses.

Through prayer, the MDC Leicester branch intends to draw the attention of Zimbabwe’s leadership to the worsening situation in the country as a result of the continued bickering over outstanding issues of the Global Political Agreement (GPA).

The prayer day, led by Pastor Forbes Madziya of Christ Ministries International Church and his Praise and Worship Team from Coventry, was well attended.

Pastor Madziya delivered a very powerful sermon that left everyone with hope and faith that change was imminent. The singing from the Praise and Worship Team inspired everyone and gave every indication that the situation in Zimbabwe now needed divine intervention.

According to Pastor Madziya, the power to bring change in Zimbabwe is in God’s hands. Every leader is annointed by God to serve the people and if one fails to serve the people then God has the power to remove that individual.

Reference was made to 1 Samuel 16:1 in which the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way: I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, I have chosen one of his sons to be king”.

The people of Zimbabwe were encouraged to be strong and courageous, and not to be afraid of Mugabe and his cronies, for there is a greater power among the people through Jesus Christ.

The event would not have been a success, had it not been for the sheer dedication of the Prayer Committee members; Mandiwengerei Zambezi (who also gave a vote of thanks), Master of Ceremony and Prayer Committee Chairman Lawrence Madziva , Zororo Mataruka, Mary Muteyerwa and executive committee members Pelani Ziba, Ashton  Zaranyika, Richard Jaramba, Juliet Makande and the Women’s Assembly members,  Wendy Zhakata, Tryness Uzande and Lee Vareta.

Zim’s democracy ‘insufficient’: EU ministers

IOL – A year into a power-sharing agreement that was supposed to put an end to President Robert Mugabe’s autocratic rule, Zimbabwe has made “insufficient” moves towards democracy, European Union foreign ministers said on Monday.

Last week the EU extended sanctions against the country for another year, renewing an arms embargo and a visa ban and asset freeze against Mugabe and his acolytes.

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EU Sanctions on Mugabe and Allies to Stay

ZimOnline – MEMBERS of the European Parliament (MEPs) have urged EU ministers meeting today to renew targeted sanctions on President Robert Mugabe and his henchmen to punish them for lack of progress in implementing the global political agreement (GPA).

The GPA is the power-sharing agreement signed in 2008 by Mugabe and former opposition leader and now Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai at the behest of southern African leaders and which gave birth to the Harare coalition government.

On the eve of the meeting by the EU Council of ministers to review the sanctions, Geoffrey Van Hordern, the MEP, who spearheads the European Parliament’s campaign for freedom and democratic change in Zimbabwe and, speaks for many MEPs outraged by Mugabe’s conduct, said the sanctions must be renewed because nothing much has changed in Zimbabwe despite last February’s inauguration of the unity government.

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Human Rights Watch: Zimbabwe’s transitional government a “sham”

ZimOnline – Human Rights Watch (HRW) has described Zimbabwe’s transitional government as a “sham”, saying Harare’s protracted year-long administration has not made any real progress in implementing much-needed political reforms.

HRW director for Africa Georgette Gagnon at the weekend said the power-sharing government has demonstrated little political will or capacity to enact meaningful changes to improve the lives of ordinary Zimbabweans.

“The transitional power-sharing government is a sham . . . From a human rights perspective, nothing has changed for the better. Robert Mugabe and ZANU PF are still fully in control,” Gagnon said.

She accused parties to the global political agreement (GPA) of lack of seriousness in implementing provisions of the pact they signed in September 2008 which led to the formation of the inclusive government last February.

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Zimbabwe Talks Remain Deadlock

SW Radio Africa – The latest negotiations between the political parties in the coalition government entered day two with still no progress. The talks resumed on Monday after a break of over two weeks.

There is a media blackout on the sensitive proceeding stalling the full implementation of the Global Political Agreement, signed in September 2008. But sources close to the talks said there is still no movement on the fundamental issues in dispute.

“The MDC-T maintains there is a deadlock, ZANU PF is not giving in on anything and the MDC-M, on the other hand, is trying to prolong the dialogue as long as it can,” said one of the sources.

MDC-T Chief negotiator Tendai Biti is quoted saying: “You can’t call these ‘talks’ because there is no talking. We are moving nowhere. We can’t make any movement on the key issues so there are no talks to talk about.”

A South African team sent by President Jacob Zuma arrived in Harare on Monday to facilitate the dialogue between the political parties and it’s reported the team, Charles Ngqakula, Lindiwe Zulu and Mac Maharaj had scheduled more meetings with the negotiators on Tuesday.

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Fresh Power Struggle Rocks Zim Coalition

ZimOnline – Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister (PM) Morgan Tsvangirai are locked in a fresh power struggle after the former instructed government ministers to report to his two vice-presidents by-passing the Premier – a clear breach of the former foes’ power-sharing agreement.

The global political agreement (GPA) that gave birth to the Harare coalition government splits powers between Mugabe and Tsvangirai.

The GPA – itself a source of incessant squabbling between the two rivals over its implementation – specifically charges Tsvangirai with overseeing formulation and implementation of government policies and requires ministers to “report to the Prime Minister on all issues relating to the implementation of such policies and plans”.

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