Three MDC activists killed in petrol-bomb attack

The charred remains of three bodies have been discovered while four activists are missing and another two are critically injured and awaiting treatment in St Anthony’s Musiso hospital. The MDC is awaiting the submission of their names from its structures on the ground.

The attack on MDC offices in Zaka is part of an ongoing Zanu (PF) violent campaign trail that began whem Tsvangirai trounced Mugabe in polls on March 29 and which has left over 50 MDC activists dead.

 The violence has spread nationwide but has mainly targeted Gutu and Zaka in Masvingo. Uzumba, Murehwa, Mutoko and Mudzi in Mashonaland East province. Buhera, Makoni and Mutasa in Manicaland province. Hurungwe, Kadoma, Chegutu and Zvimba North in Mashonaland West province. Shamva, Mazowe, Mount Darwin and Muzarabani in Mashonaland Central province.

It cannot be called a free and fair election when people continue to be killed, forced to flee to the mountains in fear and even teachers are targets. Zanu (PF) thugs barricade rural roads and force villagers to attend night vigils where they are threatened with death if they vote for MDC President, Morgan Tsvangirai. Villagers cannot move from one village to the other without Zanu (PF) “passes” and 10,000 homes have been torched nationwide.

Mugabe masquerades as a victim and the public media, especially the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and The Herald, have catalysed violence through hate language against the new ruling party, the MDC, says the MDC in a statement.

We are appealing to SADC, the African Union and the international community to take a tough stance against the regime in order to allow the people of Zimbabwe to freely express themselves once again on June 27. We remain convinced that whatever antics the regime engages in, the people of Zimbabwe have spoken and on June 27 they will vote for a new President who is ready to deliver a new Zimbabwe.  

Broadcasting manager axed

HARARE – Robson Mhandu, state broadcaster’s general manager for TV Services, and Lawrence Maphosa, his chief programmes officer, have been suspended pending dismissal at ZBC for gross negligence. Sources have confirmed that the pair were “gotten rid of” by Zanu (PF)’s hardliners spearheading former President Mugabe’s campaign for the June 27 run-off against MDC’s Morgan Tsvangirai.

The pair wait for communication of their fate from the acting CEO of ZBC, war veteran Happison Muchechetere who is acting in cahoots with Zanu (PF)’s Allan Chiweshe, the General Manager for Radio Services. Muchechetere took over from Henry Muradzikwa, who was axed last month at the insistence of Mugabe’s campaign team, which blamed ZBC for Mugabe’s loss to Tsvangirai in the first round of voting.

ZBC has a total war veteran management.

Sources said the Zanu (PF) media committee under Patrick Chinamasa wants

war veterans and Zanu (PF) activists to hold key positions at ZBC to completely shut out Tsvangirai.

MDC would not be covered in ZBC’s news and current affairs programmes,

or would be maligned blatantly,” the sources added.

“It was feared that Mhandu and Maphosa, would insist on certain

minimum programme qualities, which the ruling party does not care

about for now,” added the source. – CAJ News

 Wheat yield in danger

BULAWAYO

The late planting of the winter wheat crop in some parts of Zimbabwe will significantly reduce the government’s set target of 70 000 hectares and potential yield.

Rugare Gumbo, former minister of agriculture, said the farmers were likely to surpass expectations. However, the situation on the ground reveals that it is unlikely the target will be reached.

“The shield variety is a high yielding and long season variety, which is ideal for planting in mid-March and at the beginning of April and be harvested in September or October, but now it’s too late to plant this variety, which has an anticipated yield of 11 tonnes per hectare. We are expecting to get some diesel allocations soon and also farmers might face problems in sourcing compound D fertilizer, as it is currently in short supply,” Matabeleland’s agricultural technical extension services officer, Dumisani Nyoni said.

900 hectares had been earmarked for the winter wheat in Bulawayo and Matabeleland North provinces. However, it is expected to be less. Farmers in Matabeleland North have said the present turn of events has dampened their spirits to effectively contribute to the country’s food security.

“We are willing to begin planting the winter wheat crop but as I talk there are no inputs for us to do so, Donald Khumalo, the chairman of Umguza Irrigation Lots, said.

In related development, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) is yet to pay some farmers for delivering wheat to the Grain Marketing Board last year.

“We are still to get our foreign currency payment promised by the RBZ last year and the latest we have heard from them is that they are contemplating paying us in local currency at the inter-bank rate,” Busiso Mkhwananzi, the Umguza Irrigation Lot secretary said. – CAJ News

Businesses forced to cut back

BY CHIEF REPORTER

HARARE

Zimbabwe’s military junta is accusing white-managed companies of closing down parts of their businesses to create economic chaos ahead of a key presidential election run-off later this month.

Industry and International Trade former Minister Obert Mpofu told the state-radio his ministry was compiling a list of such companies.

He charged managers of sending workers on forced unpaid leave and telling them that if they voted for the MDC candidate Morgan Tsvangirai again they would get their jobs back, but would be fired if they voted for Robert Mugabe in the June 27 poll.

“We have received a lot of reports,” Mpofu said. “We are taking stock and compiling the names. When we come back into power we will not hesitate to help workers to buy those companies under our indigenization and economic empowerment act.”

The business community counters that companies are cutting back production because they cannot obtain enough foreign currency to operate. The tourism industry has had to lay off staff because tourism here has come to a virtual halt as a result of political violence.

Mpofu insisted however that the timing of the “rampant” closures could not be just a coincidence.

“There is nothing political about it. Companies are having difficulties in raising forex to finance operations. The only way is to close,” Economic commentator John Mheza said.

The Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines made an urgent appeal to the government this week to allow gold producers to open foreign currency. Gold producers are not permitted to hold receipts in foreign currency accounts because they are not direct exporters. They are obliged to sell their gold to the Reserve Bank, and are paid in local currency at the official exchange rate. Hyper-inflation is currently running at over 1 million percent and the rising price of foreign exchange on the parallel market.