The video footage above shows sewage freely flowing along the perimeter of Lobengula Primary school (Bulawayo) – you can hear children shouting and playing near-by in the background.

It’s cool and dry in Zimbabwe at the moment, but when the rainy season ensues, and the weather turns hot, the threat of a massive cholera epidemic looms large again. This footage, and the images included in this post, clearly show that unhygenic conditions persist.

Rubbish left uncollected alongside a road in Makokoba, a high density residential area

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Via MDC Mailing list — The MP for Mutare West in Manicaland province, Hon. Shuah Mudiwa, was on Saturday sentenced to seven years in prison on false charges of kidnapping.

Allegations against the MP are that he and two other MDC supporters kidnapped a 13 year-old girl in his constituency during the run-up to the 27 June, 2008 presidential run-off.

Two and a half years of the sentence were suspended.

Hon. Mudiwa, today filed papers at the Mutare Magistrates’ Courts appealing against his imprisonment.

The MDC views the sentencing of Hon. Mudiwa as an attempt by Zanu PF and other retrogressive forces in the inclusive government to whittle down the party’s majority in parliament.

The MDC is the majority party in parliament after winning 100 seats in the House of Assembly in 29 March 2008 harmonised elections.

Several other MDC MPs are also facing trumped-up charges on various allegations.

Sokwanele note: Veritas warned that MDC-T MP seats could be under threat. Read our earlier blog post here -
MDC-T Parliamentary Seats Under Threat – Veritas

This blog was sent to us by a Zimbabwean refugee trying to survive in South Africa. It details the experiences that some foreigners have at the hands of the more corrupt members of the South African police force.

The Police in Johannesburg have introduced the stop and search operation which only sees it targeting foreigners. This is suppose to be a good move because it was introduced to offer safety for the Confederations Cup (soccer) that is underway and 2010 World Cup that is to be held next year but the police are abusing the move for their personal gains.

Everyday I move around because I am not working. It is difficult for some South Africans to get a job in their country, but more for us as foreigners. The law here in South Africa allows companies to give first preference to locals and later it may be given to foreigners. So to get employment is just like trying to match lotto numbers, very difficult.

One day when I was going to watch a match in Joubert Park where there is a big television screen for everybody to watch for free, it was Bafana Bafana playing against Iraq. Bafana Bafana is the name given to the South African football squad. (more…)

Presidential Powers in the “Kariba Draft Constitution”

Background

On 30 September 2007 at Kariba, the Minister of Justice and the Secretaries-General of the two MDC formations agreed upon a draft Constitution to replace the present Constitution of Zimbabwe. The draft, which is known as the Kariba Draft, was the culmination of secret negotiations between the parties sponsored by the then President of South Africa, Mr Mbeki. The draft was never implemented but in Article 6 of the Inter-party Political Agreement [IPA], which deals with the constitution-making process, the parties “acknowledged” it and it was an annexure to the IPA.

MDC-T Minister of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Eric Mr Matinenga has said that the Kariba Draft is one of several draft constitutions that will be made available for reference, but he also said “Nobody owns the Kariba Draft and it is where it belongs – Kariba”. At its extraordinary National Executive meeting on Tuesday, the MDC resolved “to reject any attempts to have the Kariba draft, one of many drafts available, adopted as the Alpha and Omega of the constitution-making process”. (more…)

Human Rights Watch have released a report today into the abuse of human rights in the Marange Diamond Fields in Zimbabwe. It’s a damning report, highlighting the central involvement of the military in the diamond mines and accusing them of being involved in a litany of abuses, including forced child labour and the torture and abuse of villagers living in the area (who are also forced to work in the fields). The report’s summary (included in full below) also raises hard questions for the new power sharing government. It says:

While Zimbabwe’s new power-sharing government, formed in February 2009, now lobbies the world for development aid, millions of dollars in potential government revenue are being siphoned off through illegal diamond mining, smuggling of gemstones outside the country, and corruption. The new government could generate significant amounts of revenue from the diamonds, perhaps as much as US$200 million per month, if Marange and other mining centers were managed in a transparent and accountable manner. This revenue could fund a significant portion of the new government’s economic recovery program, which would benefit ordinary villagers like the residents of Marange.

You can download the report from the Human Rights Watch website here, or from where we have archived it on the Sokwanele website here.

Please use our e-card to spread the word about the abuses taking place. It’s a national disgrace.

Report Summary

Zimbabwe’s armed forces, under the control of President Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union–Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), are engaging in forced labor of children and adults and are torturing and beating local villagers on the diamond fields of Marange district. The military seized control of these diamond fields in eastern Zimbabwe after killing more than 200 people in Chiadzwa, a previously peaceful but impoverished part of Marange, in late October 2008. With the complicity of ZANU-PF, Marange has become a zone of lawlessness and impunity, a microcosm of the chaos and desperation that currently pervade Zimbabwe. (more…)

Please make sure you are a part of the new constitution making process.

Provincial consultative meetings for input into the agenda of and selection of delegates to the First All-Stakeholders Conference are taking place around the country. 27th June at 10 am – in Bulawayo, Lupane, Gweru, Masvingo and Gwanda . Venues are being advertised in the press – The Chronicle listed the City Hall for Bulawayo’s venue.

Please spread the word to everyone.

GDP growth for the year 2009 is predicted to be between 4 and 6 % which, given negative growth for preceding years, is a positive indicator of revival. Quite where this improvement will occur is unclear but the retail sector is performing well, and Services is likely to recover, both at the expense of manufacturing.

Many industries have now moved onto short working weeks and some larger enterprises work alternate weeks. Demand for goods is increasing but the financial squeeze continues to deny industry the chance to re-stock and re-finance. The wrangle over exorbitant utility bills continues further reducing the competitiveness of Zimbabwean business within the region.

Margins are slender within the prevailing forex driven market conditions. Previously the Zim Dollar provided the luxury of trading in conditions which allowed a lot of room for manoeuvre.

Business has raised concerns about the increase in fuel prices which do not correspond with world oil price rises. This is having a very negative effect on the ability of local companies to compete as such costs make up a considerable proportion of the value of the end product. Prices have risen from USD 0.65/l in February to USD 1.30 now and rumoured to go to USD 1.60 USD.

From the SILVERDOCS website:

This year’s SILVERDOCS Sterling Award for a World Feature goes to MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN directed by Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson, which explores, through the lens of a 74-year-old white farmer, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s deeply controversial land seizure program, which intended to re-distribute white-owned farmland. The director will receive $10,000 cash. (more…)