week.
In January the EU extended for another 12 months a series of sanctions including an arms embargo and travel ban against various officials in protest against the Zanu (PF) regime’s continued violation of human rights, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.
An embassy spokesman said the other EU countries had agreed that the visa be granted and that Murerwa would not meet Belgian officials. – Own correspondent
Zimbabwe not invited
GABORONE – Zimbabwe was not invited to a four-day ‘Africa Endeavour’ workshop held here last week on the cooperation of military forces because of ‘its poor relations with western countries’, according to Mmegi.
Zimbabwe was excluded from the United States-sponsored workshop ‘because of political reasons’, Lieutenant Colonel Warthon of the United States European Command told a press briefing. The workshop attracted participants from 21 African and European countries, among them, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Angola and Algeria. Other participants were the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), US Marine Forces Europe, and US Joint Interoperability Test Command.
Warthon said they intended to develop a test plan based on peace support operations and to execute frequency management procedures to support combined military operations.
“African Endeavour is the bedrock for testing, documentation and interoperability for African continent. It will support future African peacekeeping operations and provide regional stability in the greater security efforts on this great continent,” he said.
Botswana Defence Force’s Colonel Rex Thobosi said the main idea behind the exercise was to make communication simple between multinational forces deployed in troubled regions in the continent.
Zimbabwe might benefit from the workshop because it had good relations with the SADC region and had signed agreements that bound them to work together as a region, he said. He gave the example of military exercises in the past in which Zimbabwe participated while still under US and European sanctions.
He said all that Zimbabwe needed to do was to acquire the recommended standard equipment and they would be able to work with SADC countries on military assignments in the future. – Own correspondent
Armed police demolish squatter camp
MASVINGO – Armed police at the weekend raided a squatter camp on the banks of Mucheke river, burnt down the plastic shacks and chased away more than 200 people including children who lived at the camp.
The squatters, who watched in agony as their shacks and belongings went up in smoke, had lived at the illegal camp since about 2001 and had somehow escaped the government’s controversial urban clean-up campaign last year which the United Nations says left 700 000 people homeless after police demolished shantytowns and city backyard cottages.
Last Sunday’s demolition comes barely a week after President Robert Mugabe promised during his April 18 Independence Day speech to continue demolishing illegal settlements in cities and towns.
Masvingo police spokesman Charles Munhungei cited Mugabe’s independence speech in defending the police’s demolition of the squatter camp.
He said: “We are just complying with the government policy to get rid of illegal settlements in our urban areas. Even the President in his speech at independence made it clear that illegal structures will be destroyed and we are doing just that.” – ZimOnline
Govt reverses land grab
HARARE – The Zimbabwe government plans to take back land from close to 2 000 black owners who have failed to farm and return it to whites, State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa has said.
In a major policy reversal and the clearest admission yet by the Harare government that its controversial land redistribution programme failed, Mutasa said that the government had asked the white-member Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) to submit names of applicants to receive land repossessed from blacks.
However, land invasions in the KweKwe area continue where a handful of white farmers who have managed to stay on their land in the Sebakwe Conservancy are now being evicted.
“We have set up land identification committees countrywide working at a provincial level. Figures coming from provinces indicate that there is still a lot of under-utilised land. Some people are not farming at all and we will take away this land. In some provinces, like Manicaland 200 farmers will lose their land to new owners,” said Mutasa.
“We have held fruitful meetings with them (CFU leadership). They now seem to have a clear way forward and understanding on how to work with this government and we are happy with that. It was in this vein that we asked them to submit applications for land and these will be treated favourably. They are Zimbabweans like everyone else,” he added.
CFU vice-president Trevor Gifford confirmed his organisation had held talks with the government and had submitted names of former white farmers wishing to be allocated land by the government. – ZimOnline
EU position on DDT threatens millions
KAMPALA – Tuesday 25 April was Africa Malaria Day, a day to remember the million or more Africans who die every year from malaria. But it was also a day to consider practical, cheap and effective ways to reduce that death toll – and barriers to the implementation of such life-saving interventions.
Approximately 3,000 lives are lost to malaria in Africa every day. Most of these deaths could be prevented.
There is widespread agreement by scientists, public health authorities, and international health agencies that IRS programmes using DDT should be the primary tool for malaria prevention.
Already IRS using DDT is saving hundreds of thousands of lives. But more can – and should – be done. Governments across Africa recognise this and want to use DDT in IRS. However, the European Union is seeking to discourage the practice – threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the continent.
The EU has created confusion in Uganda by issuing statements claiming that DDT harms human health. Such claims are not supported by scientific evidence accumulated over decades. Richard Tren of South African health charity Africa Fighting Malaria points out, “When DDT is used in IRS, it saves lives and prevents disease, improving human wellbeing. It poses no threat to human beings at the levels at which it is used in IRS.”
“If the European bureaucrats opposed to the use of DDT have their way, they will effectively condemn tens of thousands of Ugandan children to death,” said Tren. – Own correspondent
Prosecute murderers – MDC urges
HARARE – Lawyers for the MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai have written to the Attorney General requesting that he take action in the case of the murders of Tichaona Chiminya and Talent Mabika, Tsvangirai’s election campaign manager and young party supporter, who were killed in Murambinda on April 15, 2000, in the run up to the general elections.
“Easter Saturday marks the 6th anniversary of these killings. Our client, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, is concerned that not everything possible is being done to deal with those responsible,” says the letter.
Justice Devittie in his judgement in the High Court in 2001 heard undisputed evidence which was not contested by the police, nor by those publicly implicated. The evidence showed that the ZR Police had been present during the assassinations. The Commissioner of Police had been subpoenaed for the trial but failed to do so.
“This judgement confirmed that the killings were particularly coldhearted, brutal and politically motivated – in the judge’s words ‘a wicked act’,” says the letter.
A taped record of the evidence was mysteriously stolen from a locked room at the courthouse before it could be sent to the AG’s office – but again no action was taken.
“The conduct of the whole prosecution surrounding these deaths is so unusual that it is difficult to escape the conclusion that the same acknowledged political interference still continues and that in violation of the Constitution instructions are still being given and followed by your office in this matter,” says the letter.
It demanded that the AG provide information about the status of investigations into the two murders as well as into those of hundreds of other MDC supporters after the 2000 referendum. “Our information is that most of these murders have still not resulted in any prosecutions.” – Own correspondent
ZIC concerned at poor attendance
HARARE – Zimbabwean firms are failing to attract potential investors while local companies’ turnout has been relatively low at investor meetings arranged within the region and abroad.
Countries which lead the region in receiving investment include South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique and Zambia. The Zimbabwe Investment Center (ZIC) continues to register concern over failure by firms to recognise the importance of such events at a time when the country desperately needs investment.
ZIC director, Richard Mubaiwa said it is disappointing to note that only a few companies manage to travel for workshops and meetings, as there are great opportunities of luring new investors.
“For instance, Zimplow is the only local firm that attended the European Union-Southern African Development Community Investment Partnership Promotion (ESIPP) workshop on the Light Manufacturing Industry held recently in Malaysia.
“We are still waiting for an official report from the company concerning the workshop,” he said.
The ZIC creates a platform for potential investors in the country whilst it also gives the green light by registering approved projects.
According to the institution, the Light Engineering 2006 meeting brought together entrepreneurs and investors from SADC, EU and other regions to build and strengthen mutually beneficial inter-enterprise cooperation and partnership agreements.
There were 99 SADC companies present, 114 projects, 90 companies from EU and Third Countries and 20 Investment Related Intermediary Organisations from SADC and 2 from EU.
“Zimplow is also understood to have been involved in private talks with potential investors.
“We do not understand why our companies do not value such meetings, but on the other hand it could be because many companies do not have enough resources as they are crippled by economic hardships,” said Mubaiwa.
During the meeting, over 800 one-to-one meetings took place between the EU and SADC companies, which resulted into recording 45 letters of intent.
“At the meetings attended by ZIC, there are a lot of potential investors who are trying to penetrate into the Zimbabwean market and this opportunity needs to be grabbed quickly,” he said.
A few local firms also attended the Mat Construct 2005 meeting held late last year in South Africa, which was also attended by Zimbabwean government officials.
There were 102 EU and 78 SADC companies attending the event with a total of 258 participants, including regional intermediary organisations. – One Business
Gono reluctant to bail out parastatals
BULAWAYO – The government has failed to avail billions of dollars it promised to suffering state companies in a bid to save them from going under.
Many parastatals are on the brink of collapse, saddled with huge debts, which they can’t settle.
As a result, the government, in February, unveiled a facility for distressed companies, which seeks to resuscitate companies reeling under viability constraints.
However, CAJ News has established that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) is reluctant to release the billions the government has been asking for.
In an interview, Obert Mpofu, the Minister of Industry and International Trade confirmed that the government was yet to get money for the state companies.
Mpofu said: “…our Ministry is still in the process of finalizing the list of beneficiaries.
“Officials in the Ministry are in the process of examining the projects to be funded and ensuring that the funds to be availed will be put to intended use.”
RBZ governor, Gideon Gono, has hit out at state companies saying that they are a drain on the fiscus. – CAJ News