Some millers accused the GMB management in the city of passing false information about them to the grain taskforce, which in turn led to them being banned from receiving grain, ostensibly because they were profiteering.
“All this was a lie against us because we are perceived to be MDC supporters. The government, with these politically-aligned policies, is worsening the food crisis in the city because those who get grain only supply markets they are told to. Most of those who refused to supply such markets and also refused to toe political lines were also banned from receiving and milling grain,” said another miller, based at Tshabalala.
Eddie Cross, a senior member of the bigger faction of the MDC (Tsvangirai) said he had been also barred from buying anything from the food distributor.
“I am also not allowed by the GMB management from buying anything there. I have to use other people to buy on my behalf and that is only because I am a well-known MDC party member,” said Cross.
However, the GMB’s acting Chief Executive Officer Samuel Muvuti denied the reports.
“That is really untrue. We serve people who deserve to be served with maize and any other commodity that we have. Those millers who were banned are in that position because they did things in the wrong way and they are now looking for excuses,” he said. – Bayethe Zitha
Mugabe’s neighbours evicted
HARARE – Fifteen neighbours of Robert Mugabe have been told to leave their homes, despite filing a legal challenge with the Supreme Court.
The challenge, mounted last year by 15 Borrowdale residents against eviction orders, has been gathering dust in the Supreme Court, more than a year after filing it through Harare law firm, Atherstone and Cook.
Getting rid of the residents would allow Mugabe to create a security cordon around his retirement home.
Sources told The Zimbabwean that the residents were seeking to prove that the eviction was irregular as the properties were urban rather than agricultural land.
Among Mugabe’s neighbours who face eviction are pensioners, widows and older couples.
Although government claimed it was going to compensate the evicted families, estate agents said the homes had been seriously undervalued. – Chief Reporter
Gono exaggerates, says IMF
JOHANNESBURG – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says a political solution is the only way out of Zimbabwe’s eight-year economic crisis and accuses central bank governor Gideon Gono of exaggeration following his comments about double standards by the Fund.
Director of IMF’s African Department Abdoulaye Bio-Tchané said the consensus within the international community was that a lasting solution to Harare’s political feud would usher a new period of economic stability.
Bio-Tchané revealed that the Zimbabwean crisis was of major concern to the Fund and Zimbabwe’s neighbours, and that the issue recently featured prominently during a meeting between the IMF and the African Caucus in Mozambique.
He said Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gono was not being truthful when he said the Fund was overly harsh when dealing with Zimbabwe.
Presenting his mid-year monetary policy on October 1, Gono said the IMF reneged on an understanding that Zimbabwe’s voting rights would be restored once it cleared its debts to the Bretton Woods institution.
The RBZ chief also said there was consensus that if the same kinds of conditions being asked of Zimbabwe were applied to the other countries, the IMF would not be lending or supporting half of them.
Bio-Tchané said contrary to Gono’s comments, other IMF member countries met the same conditions. – ZimOnline
Chief orders headmen to campaign for Mugabe
MUDZI – Local headmen were ordered to campaign for Zanu (PF) and its leader Robert Mugabe after being summoned to a meeting by Mudszi Chief Mukota.
Mukota was among traditional leaders given agricultural equipment and treated to a stay at some of Harare’s leading hotels.
“We should start preparing for next year’s elections and guide our subjects on how to go about it, to defend our independence and vote for our party,” he told the headmen.
The meeting was attended by the full force of Zanu (PF) leadership, including Mashonaland East governor Ray Kaukonde and MP for Mudzi West Aqualinah Katsande.
After the meeting, headmen went into the villages to summon their subjects to meetings, at which they promised people seeds, fertilisers, ploughs and scotch carts in return for supporting Zanu (PF). Sources say the headmen also threatened unspecified action against those supporting the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
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