Links ~ 27 July 2008

SA objects to new Zim sanctions (AFP)
South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said that South Africa could not understand the need for new sanctions on Mugabe’s regime and said it was “outside interference”.

“For us, it is difficult to understand the objectives of new sanctions,” said Pahad. “The Zimbabweans are meeting; let them sort out what they want for their future. We should not allow outside interference.”

South African President Thabo Mbeki had told news reporters on Sunday that negotiations were continuing. Mbeki refrained from disclosing more details other than saying, that the South African cabinet had expressed the hope that the Zimbabwean political parties would act with urgency to ensure an early settlement.

UN assists Mujuru’s venture (M&G)
African Management Service Company (Amsco) is a public management company constituted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and it is providing assistance to River Ranch Diamond Mine that is owed by the Mujuru’s. Joyce Mujuru is vice-president of Zimbabwe and Solomon Mujuru, a former commander or the Zimbabwean army and currently a member of Zanu-PF’s politburo. The mine has been in the possession of the Mujuru’s since 2001. Solomon Mujuru is one of the Zanu-PF officials targeted by US sanctions.

Zimbabwe army nearing collapse as recruits lack basic training (The Daily Telegraph)
Mugabe relies on his army to keep him and his henchman in power, but hyperinflation has impoverished his soldiers. A serving NCO had told the Daily Telegraph that a soldier now earns ₤11 a month. The World Bank defines absolute poverty as a monthly wage of ₤15.

The NCO said that new recruits lacked even the most basic training. Army boots were made of what he called “Chinese plastic” which only lasted for a few days when they did patrols. Soldiers have to survive on minimal food and the NCO said that he had been hungry for “at least a year”.

“At least three quarters of us would not take up arms for Zimbabwe,” he said. “We will not go to war for Zimbabwe, I am not going to take a risk with a rifle for Zimbabwe. That time is gone.”

The army had deployed him to the Central Intelligence Organisation during the terror campaign.

“I was deployed to intelligence, in plain clothes, so I didn’t have to do the beating myself, but I saw it. You have to do the beating or you are labelled MDC. Then you will just be discharged and sent to prison.”

One of Mugabe’s henchmen hiding in Botswana (Sunday Standard)
Ceasar Zvayi former Political and Features Editor of Zimbabwe’s state-sponsored newspaper The Herald is in Botswana and working as a journalism lecturer at one of the colleges in Botswana.

Zvayi allegedly masterminded some of Zanu-PF’s publicity campaigns and was among 37 supporters of Mugabe blacklisted by the European Union for targeted sanctions and a travel ban.

Zimbabwe to remove ‘zeros’ from currency (AP)
Gideon Gono governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) plans new currency reforms that include removing some “more zeroes” from the local currency and raising the daily limit on cash withdrawals. Official estimates peg inflation at 2.2 percent, but independent analysts estimate it closer to 12.5 million percent. Last week a new 100 billion dollar bank note was launched but one these notes can not even buy a loaf of bread, if one is able to find a loaf of bread.

In an attempt to improve liquidity in the market, Gono will once again slash zeroes as it has done in 2006. “This time, we will make sure that those zeros that would come knocking on the Governor’s window will not return. They are going for good,” said Gono.

Gono said that the end of a 40-year-long contract for the supply of special bank note paper had been the result of the West’s “devilish” economic sanctions against Mugabe’s regime. RBZ sources said that the bank was trying to source a new supplier in Asia and through South Africa.

Swaziland invites Mugabe to royal independence festivities (AFP / Swazi News)
Swaziland has invited Zanu-PF’s Robert Mugabe to attend a royal day of celebration that marks the 40 years of independence from Britain and King Mswati’s III 40th birthday on September 6.

Mugabe will be one of 13 Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders invited to attend the celebrations. Foreign Ministry Principal Secretary Clifford Mamba said, “The invitations were sent before the Zimbabwean presidential run-off. We are looking forward to hosting the one who is president of that country if he accepts our invitation”.

King Mswati III offended Mugabe when he chaired a meeting of regional leaders, which called for the postponement of the runoff election. Mugabe said at a rally, held just before the runoff, that Mswati could not teach him (Mugabe) anything on multi-party elections.

16 boys expelled for eating school’s pigs (Afrik.com)
A group of 16 boys have been expelled from the Cyrene Mission near Bulawayo for skinning and eating two pigs that belonged to the school. The boys were all in Form 4. The boys had allegedly driven the pigs to a secluded place and then killed the pigs and roasted the meat. One of the boys said that they did it because they were hungry. “We survive on boiled beans and vegetables,” he said. The boy said that they had nothing to eat that morning, as there was no sugar or maize meal for porridge. Hunger had prompted them to kill the pigs. “We have nothing during tea time. We only eat during lunch. It is unbearable. We are like prisoners at Khami Maximum,” said the boy.

Sources said the boys were lucky that the school authorities did not hand them over to the police as stock theft carries a sentence of 27 years without the option of a fine.

Zimbabwean schools all over the country suffer because of the economic meltdown in the country. Students at most boarding schools must bring their own food. Parents have to drive to schools on weekends to take food to their children, if they can.

Sources said that Form 1 and 2 students, who are to young to cope with the hunger, spend the day sleeping in their dormitories and do not attend classes anymore.

African kids feed Chinese company profits (Business Report)
A juggernaut of Chinese companies is moving across Africa with the aim to secure natural resources to supply China’s factories, to build cities and to fuel its economy. China is not self-sufficient in natural resources and has made the sourcing of minerals and food from around the world its priority and Africa is China’s new frontier. Chinese companies do not tie African aid and investment to human rights and labour standards. Many Chinese companies are notorious for lax practices and Africa’s weak law enforcement makes it vulnerable to those companies.

In Katanga (DRC), as in some other African countries, child labour is used with complete disregard of health and safety of those who dig for rocks containing copper and cobalt. Joost Kooijmans, a legal officer at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) says, “This is one of the worst forms of child labour. If they buy ore processed by children, they’re involved in violating the rights of the children.”

Han Donfang founder of the China Labour Bulletin, which monitors Chinese worker abuses, said, “The Chinese, from the top leaders to the desperate ordinary people, believe that making money is more important than human life.”

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