Sad destitution

Muguti states that he was a victim of political violence unleashed by the non-repentant Zanu (PF) transgressors. His child, Democracy, and his sister lost their lives as a result of Zanu (PF)s evil works. His wife was kidnapped and her whereabouts remain unknown to this date.

Its saddening and hard to believe that a man who has made such great sacrifices and experienced the harshest level of Zanu (PF)’s brutality in an effort to perpetuate the interests of his party is now living destitute. The bodies of his child and sister have been lying in the mortuary for several months.

Mugutis ordeal leaves a lot of questions to be answered regarding the MDC-Ts position on their fellow comrades situation.

Has MDC-T in its capacity as the ruling party failed to organize a decent burial for their comrade’s kith and kin?

If Muguti feels unsafe to go back and organize for the burial of his relatives, what then is the role of the national healing organ?

Given that MDC has got a vibrant branch in South Africa, why would they fail to find decent accommodation for one of their dedicated comrades?

I believe the MDC-T is a party of the people and for the people and if they havent addressed Mugutis matter to this date I would call on the partys social welfare department to look into it immediately to avoid tarnishing the partys good reputation. CHITSA G, by e-mail

Moz Diaspora privileges

EDITOR – I envy the people of Mozambique resident in Zimbabwe, and, I believe, elsewhere outside Mozambique, who will be participating in the forthcoming Mozambican national elections. Their constitution allows them to vote. The Zimbabwean constitution should similarly grant us similar rights, so that we can also vote in the next elections in Zimbabwe.

I appeal to progressive media to remind Zimbabweans to demand this right when the consultation process for a new constitution begins. It should not be difficult to sell the idea as the election campaign within by Mozambican political parties involved in the country’s forthcoming elections is in full swing, and still fresh in the minds of the people of Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwean parliamentarians and all officials involved in the constitutional process certainly have something to learn from the Mozambican experience.

Spread the message fast. BENJAMIN CHITATE, New Zealand

Moyo, a political opportunist

EDITOR – Jonathan Moyo is a very incompetent political commentator and shameless politician as well. For political commentary to be respectable it must possess essential features like consistency, honesty and accuracy. These have always been lacking in Jonathan Moyos analysis.

He was writing against Zanu (PF) ideologies in the 1980-90s before he joined the same party between 2000 and 2005. He then started writing pro-Zanu (PF) commentaries. In fact, he was backing the formation of an opposition party led by Morgan Tsvangirai to challenge and replace Zanu (PF).

He demonstrated a lack of consistency in his own commentaries. Moyos commentary victims all of a sudden became the opposition and he went to the extent of manufacturing lies and laws such as AIPPA to silence his critics. He towed that line until he was unceremoniously fired for trying to steal power from his Zanu (PF) seniors in an operation known as the Tsholotsho plot.

Since 2006, Zanu (PF) has been on the receiving end of Moyos attacks and this even blinded the MDC-T into withdrawing a candidate against him in the last parliamentary elections in Thsolotsho.

I have no doubt that had the MDC-T fielded a candidate against Moyo he would be writing his propaganda from somewhere else and not as a member of parliament.

His victory in Tsholotsho, however, did not give him the attention he sought and he decided to re-apply to rejoin Zanu (PF).

Moyo is presently running an MDC-T offensive through the media and he is so convinced that this is what can win him Zanu (PF). But has anything changed from the Zanu (PF) that he was fiercely criticizing fro the last 12 months?

Zanu (PF) will no doubt accept him back for the sake of strengthening its propaganda machinery only, but deep down they know what a snake he can be.

For the rest of us who have been struggling hard to understand the sort of political player that Jonathan Moyo is, I think the struggle is over. He is a selfish and dishonest political opportunist. STANLEY TAPERA, Harare

ZBC hypocrisy

EDITOR – I was shocked by the hypocrisy of the idiots at ZBC when Sekai Holland made that remark about Lobengula being a cattle thief.

Holland was merely stating a historical fact, the conquering Ndebele raided the shona when they settled in Zimbabwe and this must be acknowledged if we are to find true reconciliation and healing. National healing should take into account our shared history, Gukurahundi is a fact and so too were the Ndebele raids on Shonas. ANON., by e-mail

Electricity abuse

EDITOR In a small town called Mvurwi I witnessed the now-common dangerous abuse of electricity that the locals are reduced to.

People had connected their homes directly to the electricity transformers with naked wires. They are using wire that they stole from the previously white-occupied farms. Something must be done. TAFADZWA, Harare

IMF Funds – Who are the stakeholders?

EDITOR – Maybe I am missing something in Gideon Gonos argument about the funds received from IMF through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe as Zimbabwes allocation from his press release.

To me Gono seems to be giving a directive, instruction or some kind of pressure and not advice to the Finance Ministry. By any standard that is not proper communication considering that the Finance Ministry is Gonos boss.

Gono must understand that all constituencies and institutions are equally qualified to give the Finance Ministry advice on how to utilise the money. Gonos press release is so miscalculated that it badly exposes him and the institution he leads as people who want to exercise their powers without boundaries.

In fact, the press release seems to project Gono as having the monopoly on how best to use the IMF funds. What kind of advice is that and what kind of patriotism is that? What country can we reconstruct with these kind of players?

The finance Ministry must not be bullied by this kind action and must continue to take input from all constituencies and institutions equally, without fear or favour.

The argument by Gono that time is not on our side to spend the funds must be dismissed with the contempt it deserves. We can not rush to make ill-considered decisions or sacrifice lawful procedures to meet imagined deadlines.

The time for doing things without planning and in a lawlessness manner is over.

By any analysis, Gonos recent action of writing to the IMF with a plan to spend the money without the Finance Ministrys approval and purporting to be acting on behalf of the government amounts to quasi fiscal activities or running a parallel government of some sort.

Gonos must be condemned in the strongest terms possible by all progressive thinkers in the country and the whole world. STANLEY TAPERA, Harare

Biti should stick to his guns

EDITOR – Finance Minister, Tendai Biti should not fall into Gideon Gonos trap and release the US$510 million from the IMF as Gono is trying to get hold of that money and bankroll his cronies and the now bankrupt Zanu (PF).

If the IMF funds had gone into the hands of Zanu (PF) in the way that past loans have, it would have been used for nothing else but to prop up the Zanu (PF) regime.

The energy that Gono is showing in having the funds released truly reflect that he is being forced by some dark forces in Zanu (PF) and the government to get hold of the funds for sinister motives.

Biti should stick to his guns and not rush to release the funds until he presents the 2010 national budget.

We know the government is facing serious challenges especially when it comes to financing various projects, but Biti should be brave and not be swayed by what Gono, the public media and some in Zanu (PF)are saying.

We know some of the State journalists who are saying that Biti is denying the country access to the IMF funds are on Gonos payroll and are widely expecting when Gono will have access to the funds so that they also get their small share of the loot.

But Gono, and his cronies Zanu (PF) should know that time is up and there will be no more looting of public funds.

Bitis stance has shown that his party, the MDC, is truly a peoples party that is there to serve the people and not for selfish gain. TRYMORE MAZHAMBE, Mutare

I salute MDC

EDITOR – The MDC leadership should be saluted for its decision to consult the people on whether or not the party should remain in the inclusive government.

Such a move shows that the party still has the people at heart.

Under really trying and hazardous conditions, the leadership in the MDC has pushed the aspirations of Zimbabweans to a stage that everyone including the internationally community is heavily participating in.

The MDCs continued tough stance with the backing of the international community in their quest for a truly democratic Zimbabwe will soon see Zanu (PF) and Robert Mugabe running out of ideas.

The MDC resolution to engage the people on the performance of the inclusive government will certainly bear fruit for the party as the people have joined their side in determining the future of this country.

The people know that if they let MDC pull out of the inclusive government, their day to day living will crumble to an even worse scenario than the December 2008 and January 2009 levels as Zanu (PF) has nothing to offer.

As a result the people of Zimbabwe and some progressive forces in Zanu (PF) are fully behind the MDCs continued stay in government and are sure that this is the only way that Zanu (PF) and Mugabe will face their demise. AGRIPPA ZVOMUYA, Harare

How to lock your car

EDITOR This week I locked my car and as I walked away I heard my car door unlock. I went back and locked my car again, three times. Each time, as soon as I

started to walk away, I would hear it unlock again!

Naturally alarmed, I looked around and there were two guys sitting in a car in the fire

lane next to the store. They were watching me intently, and there was no doubt they were somehow involved in this very weird situation. I went straight to the police station, told them what had happened, and found out that I was part of a new, and very successful, scheme being used to gain entry into cars. Two weeks later, my friend’s son had a similar experience.

While travelling, my friend’s son stopped at a roadside rest to use the bathroom. When he came out to his car less than 4 – 5 minutes later, someone had opened his vehicle, stolen his cell phone, laptop computer, GPS navigator and briefcase.

He called the police and since there were no signs of his car being broken into, the

police told him he had been a victim of the latest robbery tactic.

There is a device that robbers are using now to clone your security code when you lock your doors using a key-chain locking device.

They sit at a distance and watch for their next victim. They know you are going inside to the store, restaurant, or bathroom and that they now have a few minutes to steal and run. The police officer said to manually lock your car door-by hitting the lock button inside the car — that way if there is someone sitting in a parking lot watching for their next victim, it will not be you. ANON., Bulawayo