Links ~ 23, 22, 21 September 2008
Links ~ 23 September
ANC confirms Mbeki’s successor (BBC News)
South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) has confirmed that deputy leader Kgalema Motlanthe, will become the caretaker president. Mr Motlanthe, an ally of party leader Jacob Zuma, will succeed Thabo Mbeki, who is due to step down on Thursday on the orders of the ANC.
Mbeki’s resignation “tragedy” for Mugabe (The Zimbabwean)
Analyst says Mbeki’s resignation “tragedy” for Mugabe . Thabo Mbeki who has been at the heart of the Zimbabwe crisis as the mediator and also the President of the major power in the region, resigned at the weekend after receiving an ultimatum by his political party the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
SA’s new men in-charge will not be soft on Mugabe
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) will name party deputy leader Kgalema Motlanthe as the country’s interim president until the poll, expected around April, after the ousting of President Thabo Mbeki, ANC members of parliament told the media on Monday. …Motlanthe’s strong links with South Africa’s powerful labour movement – he is a former secretary general of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) – could mean he favours a more robust policy towards Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
Risks for Zimbabwe Deal in Mbeki’s Resignation (NY Times)
Thabo Mbeki’s resignation as president of South Africa could hardly have come at a worse time for Zimbabwe, where he had just brokered a power-sharing deal that has now reached a pivotal — and perilous — moment, analysts say.
Reserve Bank runs out of cash (The Zimbabwe Times)
BANKS are failing to meet the demand for cash by the public as the Reserve bank has failed to satisfy the demand. The Reserve bank last week reviewed the maximum cash withdrawal from $500 to $1000 for both individuals and companies but this has not reduced the number of people queuing to withdrawal money. Today, Monday, many people failed to access their cash as most banks said they had not received any cash from the Reserve bank.
ZIMBABWE: Hunger begins to take its toll (IRIN)
BONDOLFI MISSION, 22 September 2008 (IRIN) – Five children have died in Zimbabwe’s southern drought-prone Masvingo province from severe malnutrition-related illnesses, according to members of a faith-based mission.
Germany doubles aid to struggling Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe Journalists)
GERMANY said Monday it will double humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe after the country’s president and the main rival opposition leader agreed on a deal to share power. “Even after the power-sharing deal between President Robert Mugabe and prime minister-designate Morgan Tsvangirai the situation with supplies for the Zimbabwean population remains desolate,” the German foreign ministry said.
Gono, Matonga off the Hook (Radio VOP)
HARARE, September 23 2008 – A Harare magistrate has cancelled a warrant of arrest issued against Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor, Gideon Gono and Deputy Minister of Information and Publicity, Bright Matonga, after the two separately turned up at Rotten Row magistrate courts on Monday.
Zimbabwe’s Manicaland Remains Trouble Spot Despite Peace Deal (VOA News)
The Zimbabwean province of Manicaland remains a trouble spot despite the recently signed power-sharing agreement between the long-ruling ZANU-PF party of President Robert Mugabe and the Movement for Democratic Change. MDC sources in the province said Monday that suspected ZANU-PF militia in the Buhera South constituency on Sunday shot and wounded MDC activist Chido Maenzanise in the leg when he fled after being accosted alongside a local highway.
“We will keep attacking MDC supporters until Mugabe tells us to stop” (The Zimbabwean)
ZANU-PF militia, waiting for Mugabe to tell them to stop attacking MDC supporters Berison Bvirivindi, a street vendor, thought the peace deal signed by Zimbabwe’s leaders last week meant it was safe to wear a T-shirt showing support for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). He ended up in hospital.
‘1 million people lost livelihoods in Mugabe’s farm seizures’ (ZimOnline)
At least one million people lost their livelihoods and homes as a result of President Robert Mugabe’s controversial farm seizure programme, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said in a report released at the weekend.
Links ~ 22 September
Deadlock over ministers threatens Zimbabwe deal – MDC (Reuters)
Zimbabwe’s main opposition party warned on Monday a deadlock over the allocation of cabinet posts threatened a fragile power-sharing agreement it reached with President Robert Mugabe earlier this month. A meeting over the weekend between negotiators from Mugabe’s ZANU-PF, Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and a breakaway MDC faction to sort out who gets which posts failed to break the impasse. Tendai Biti, secretary general of the MDC, said disagreements remained over the allocation of ministries and posts for 10 provincial governors and said this might require renewed mediation. “Fundamentally, we have a deadlock threatening the whole process, not only over the ministers but the governors as well,” Biti told Reuters.
ZANU-PF officials were not available for comment.
Mbeki’s offices says Zim power-sharing talks stalled, new admin to takeover (The Zimbabwean)
Thabo Mbeki’s spokesperson, Mukoni Ratshitanga, on Sunday told CAJ News in Pretoria that the expelled South African leader automatically ceases mediating in Zimbabwe’s power-sharing negotiation following the ouster by his party of the African National Congress (ANC). Gwede Mantashe, ANC’s secretary-general announced the sacking on Saturday in Johannesburg. In an exclusive interview with CAJ News, Ratshitanga said the new ANC administration would takeover from president Mbeki, but without giving any specific dates when the Zimbabwe’s power-sharing talks would resume following a deadlock last week in Harare. “The mediation in Zimbabwe’s power-sharing talks will be definitely affected, but it is a fact that the new administration will takeover. “Remember when president mbeki mediated in the Zimbabwe power-sharing talks was doing so in his capacity as head of state, and the new administration will definitely replace him to that regard,” said Ratshitanga. He said president Mbeki had since accepted the call to step down, but refused to shed more details on what course of action Mbeki would take after the sack considering the fierce in-house fighting within the ANC.
Farm invasions continue across Zimbabwe, fueled by GNU accord (Harare Tribune)
The conventional thinking across Zimbabwe by ZANU-PF supporters is that it is better to invade farms now, for if the new cabinet is formed, the door to invading farms will be shut. And so, since the signing of the GNU deal September 15, there has been a spike in the number of farms being invaded. In Zimbabwe, invading farms is increasingly becoming a lifestyle, where one invades a farm, loot its assets and move on to the next farm, a commercial farmer battling against farm invaders said in Mashonaland East Province. “Invading farms is not an art, a tradition that is being passed from one generation to the next,” the tobacco farmer said.[...]
Reserve Bank runs out of cash (Zimbabwe Times)
Banks are failing to meet the demand for cash by the public as the Reserve bank has failed to satisfy the demand. The Reserve bank last week reviewed the maximum cash withdrawal from $500 to $1000 for both individuals and companies but this has not reduced the number of people queuing to withdrawal money. Today, Monday, many people failed to access their cash as most banks said they had not received any cash from the Reserve bank. This is happening despite claims by Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono to have put in place “pro-active and appropriate” strategies after the withdrawal of Giesecke and Devrient, the German company which was the main supplier to Zimbabwe of paper to print money since 1952. Reserve Bank officials, however, blame the banks, saying the cash shortages will persist as banks have inadequate Treasury Bills (TB) to use as collateral when collecting money from the Bank.[...]
Links ~ 21 September
Zimbabwe faces fresh uncertainty (Financial Times)
Thabo Mbeki’s departure from office could hardly have come at a worse time for the Zimbabwe settlement negotiations. It appeared likely on Sunday that he would remain mandated as mediator in the talks at least in the short term both by the ruling African National Congress in South Africa and the regional Southern African Development Community. But he would have less clout if he were no longer president of South Africa, to break the logjam already threatening to unravel last week’s agreement. The two main parties – President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF and Mr Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change – are deadlocked over the allocation of cabinet portfolios with Mr Mugabe determined to retain control of strategic ministries after facing dissent from within his party last week for already giving too much away.[...]
Intimidation and fear as Mugabe says he is in the ‘driving seat’ (The Independent, UK)
Despite Zimbabwe’s President agreeing to share cabinet posts with the opposition, a sense of mistrust still exists. Berison Bvirivindi, a street vendor, thought the peace deal signed by Zimbabwe’s leaders last week meant it was safe to wear a T-shirt showing support for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). He ended up in hospital. Still in severe pain from his injuries, Mr Bvirivindi said he had been seized at his stall in Harare’s Road Port bus station by a gang from Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF youth militia – the same thugs who terrorised Zimbabweans earlier this year to such an extent that the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, quit the second round of a presidential election he was leading to spare his followers further violence. “They told me that they were going to continue attacking MDC supporters until Robert Mugabe tells them to stop and acknowledge Morgan Tsvangirai’s role as Prime Minister,” said Mr Bvirivindi in his hospital bed. But the 84-year-old President has said no such thing in public since he signed last Monday’s accord, and talks this weekend on how cabinet jobs should be shared out were deadlocked.[...]
Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum May report
OVERVIEW: Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 21 July 2008 and subsequent signing of the power sharing agreement between the two MDC formations and ZANU (PF) on 15 September 2008, attention has largely been diverted from the gross human rights violations that occurred post the 27 June 2008 Presidential run-off. However, it is of paramount importance that the Human Rights Forum and other organisations documenting human rights violations continue to highlight these atrocities and to ensure that these violations are not shelved or forgotten about. This May MPVR serves these purposes among others.[...]
Warrant of arrest out for Gono, Matonga (The Zimbabwe Times/VOP)
A Harare magistrate on Tuesday issued a warrant of arrest for Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor, Gideon Gono and Deputy Minister of Information and Publicity, Bright Matonga, after they failed to attend a corruption trial. Matonga was supposed to appear in court as the accused in an ongoing trial, while Gono and an official from his office, Fortune Chasi, were supposed to testify. Matonga is facing corruption charges arising from his alleged misconduct during his tenure as chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO, where he is said to have demanded US$2 000 per bus delivered by Gift Investments director, Jayesh Shah. Harare magistrate, Morgan Nemadire, issued a warrant of arrest against the three after law officer, Chifarai Dube, from the Attorney General’s Office, applied for the arrest of the officials.[...]
From the Herald (republished in the Zimbabwe Times)
(The following is the Nathaniel Manheru column published in The Herald of Saturday, September 20, 2008. Manheru is none other than President Robert Mugabe’s press secretary, George Charamba, who is the permanent secretary for Information in the government of Zimbabwe.) As before, the media has once again failed in their duty to inform and enlighten through well-founded interpretation of events of the week. Copies of the agreement underpinning the hopes of an inclusive government in Zimbabwe were made available to all media houses. The media, thus, have no excuse for rigging facts and dishing out harebrained interpretations. Well, before one even gets into the substance of the agreement, one is hard put to establish where the notion of Government of National Unity came from. It is not there in the Dar Declaration. It is not there in Sadc communiqués…It is not there in AU documents. Simply not there. What is worse, it is not there in the documents agreed to by the parties. There is a whole world of difference between a Government of National Unity, on the one hand, and an inclusive Government, which is what is being worked towards in Zimbabwe, on the other. Is it being suggested that the two MDC formations and Zanu-PF constitute Unity and the Nation?[...]
September 23rd, 2008 19:48
There will be a new SADC leadership and a democratic wind of change in Southern Africa. Protectionism will be dead, and Mugabe will go with it. Politics in South Africa will open up to new thoughts and ideas for the future. This will rub off on Zimbabwe which will become prosperous once again.