Links ~ 8 October 2008

Zimbabwe chaos wipes out education for 4.5 million pupils  (The Times)
The class of 2008 will not receive an education. Since the school year began in January, Zimbabwe’s 4.5 million pupils have had a total of 23 days uninterrupted in the classroom, teaching unions say – a sorry state for a country that once had the highest standard of education in Africa. [...] In the mid-1990s there was a national O-level pass rate of 72 per cent. Last year it crashed to 11 per cent. Many schools recorded zero passes. To avoid the humiliation of total failure in 2008 the Government has cancelled the academic year. “It would be criminal if the Government allows examinations to go ahead,” Raymond Majongwe, the secretary-general of the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe, said.

MDC quits unity talks over deadlock (Business Day)
Zimbabwe’s power-sharing deal is teetering on the brink of collapse after Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) negotiators walked out of a critical meeting with Zanu (PF) yesterday as a dispute over ministerial posts intensified. Unless the mediator, former president Thabo Mbeki, intervenes to break the deadlock, talks over the allocation of 31 government ministries might soon be abandoned. Three meetings involving President Robert Mugabe and main MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai have failed to resolve the issue. The Southern African Development Community and the South African government have agreed that Mbeki can continue as mediator.

Zimbabwe ruling party says MDC prejudicing talks (Reuters)
Zimbabwe’s Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa on Wednesday accused the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change of endangering power-sharing talks which have stalled over allocation of cabinet posts, but said negotiations would continue. Chinamasa also rejected opposition calls for mediation in the stalled process, saying there was no need. “The MDC is prejudicing talks by trying to negotiate in public. That will not assist the process. That’s a sure way of collapsing the negotiations,” Chinamasa said.

Zuma says Zimbabwe rivals must maintain dialogue (ZimOnline)
The head of South Africa’s ruling ANC party Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday Zimbabwe’s political rivals should maintain dialogue so that they can resolve a deadlock over sharing Cabinet portfolios for the formation of a power-sharing government. “I am hoping that it is going to be resolved by Zimbabweans themselves. I think it is just taking long. They just have to negotiate with themselves and find a solution,” Zuma told a South African radio station. [...] Zuma commended Mbeki’s mediation efforts, and said he was confident that the former president could return to Zimbabwe if his help was again needed. “If he intervenes again, I am certain he will do a good job,” Zuma said.

Mbeki Expected In Harare (Radiovop)
Former South African president Thabo Mbeki is expected to arrive in Harare on Wednesday after the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) asked for the facilitator of the Zimbabwean crisis to be called in to solve the prevailing impasse on the allocation of key ministerial posts. Mbeki was appointed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to mediate in the Zimbabwean crisis. The new government in South Africa headed by Kgalme Monthlate has supported the Southern African Development Community’s decision to have Mbeki to continue with his mediation role. It is reliably understood that Mbeki was initially expected in Harare Tuesday night but his flight was cancelled. A red carpet had been laid out for him at the Rainbow Towers, the usual venue for the negotiations. The carpert was removed late last night after word filtered that the former South African’s arrival had been postponed to Wednesday afternoon.

Zanu PF Minister implicated in food aid scandal (SWRA)
The ZANU PF MP for Umguza, Obert Mpofu, is allegedly behind a massive food aid scandal where maize meant for starving villagers is being sold on the black market or in some cases bartered for cattle in his constituency. The outgoing Minister of Industry and International Trade is said to be at the heart of a syndicate overseen by the ward 13 councillor in his constituency, Ernest Sibanda. Our Bulawayo correspondent Lionel Saungweme said evidence has emerged that truckloads of maize from the Grain Marketing Board were being diverted to Sibanda’s homestead. ‘Once in position of the food aid, Sibanda and his gang would in turn sell the maize on the black market. In most cases they barter the maize for cattle from desperate villagers,’ Saungweme said. During the March elections a truck carrying 30 tonnes of maize disappeared in the province and follow up investigations by a government task force of the CIO, police and ZANU PF officials led to the doorsteps of Sibanda. ‘He was found in possession of the stolen maize and Mpofu blocked the authorities from taking any action against him. To get rid of the evidence, the maize load was distributed to ZANU PF card carrying members only from the constituency,’ Saungweme said.

Sticker Shock In Zimbabwe As Officially Sanctioned Hard Currency Shops Open (VOA)
Shops and fuel stations in Zimbabwe licensed to charge for goods in hard currency opened for business this week amid complaints that their prices were exorbitant. Supermarket chain Spar was among retailers who also sell items for local currency. But sources said shelves were still empty at the TM-Hyper and OK chains. Smaller shop owners said they were still trying to pull together enough hard currency to restock. An official at the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe said business people in Bulawayo were still trying to gauge public reaction to paying hard currency for ordinary commodities.

Zimbabwe officials on alert over mysterious South African virus (APA)
Zimbabwe health and immigration officials have been placed on high alert to detect possible existence of cases of a deadly viral disease that has claimed three lives in neighbouring South Africa, Radio Zimbabwe has reported here. [...] Three people – two Zambians and a South African nurse – have died from the mysterious disease first detected in mid-September when the two Zambians arrived in Johannesburg to treatment one of them. [...] Symptoms of the disease include fever and flu-like symptoms, vomiting, diarrhoea, body aches and coughing.

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