Zimbabwe Weekly Headlines February 4th, 2011

President Robert Mugabe has publicly stated last week that elections will be held this year with or without a new constitution. He added that he has the constitutional right to dissolve Parliament and call for fresh polls.

THE Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T), whose national executive met last weekend, has passed a resolution to the effect that the party will not contest any national election before the adoption of a new constitution. The party also demanded that there should be a clear roadmap on the polls after the adoption of the new constitution to replace the current compromise Lancaster House document.

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National Oil Company of Zimbabwe (Noczim) last week had their entire cash resources seized by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) due to default in payment of fuel importation duties and other imports. With the seizure of its funds, Noczim was unable to effect payment for the petroleum which it had purchased, which petroleum was in tanks at Beira, in Mozambique, pending forwarding to Zimbabwe through the Beira Corridor pipeline.  As a result, a fuel shortage in Zimbabwe was imminent, with a major scarcity already prevailing in Harare.

Bearing in mind that Noczim is a government parastatal, and that Zimra is government’s revenue collection vehicle, I wonder what steps the government will take to prevent the wheels of the economy from coming to a complete halt.

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To many senior government officials in ZANU PF, the violent and chaotic land reform programme presented a perfect opportunity for them to get rich overnight.  They descended upon the most viable agricultural enterprises across the country like hungry vultures and devoured the assets. But today, the farms are ruined and without their equipment which was either sold or lay broken in the fertile agricultural soils. And consequently, the nation’s economy has crumbled to its knees.
It emerged last week that ZANU PF officials operating as the so-called Masvingo Initiative intend to seize a number of private preserves belonging to Germans, including the Save Valley Conservancy Trust.
A mob of about 150 seized Lake Chivero Recreational Park, Kumba Shiri resort, and several other sites around the lake, forbidding guests and employees from leaving.
Robert Mugabe's nephew, Patrick Zhuwao, has claimed responsibility for the invasions. Ironically, the invasions occurred while Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi was at a conference in Spain where he branded Zimbabwe ‘the world of wonders’.

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Traditional leaders and soldiers are being used by ZANU PF to force villagers in remote areas of Zimbabwe to sign a ZANU PF ‘anti-sanctions’ petition. The campaign is an attempt by ZANU PF to get more than a million signatures on a petition against the targeted restrictions that were placed on Robert Mugabe and his close allies by the E.U., the U.K. and the United States.  The petition shall then be handed to Western ambassadors for onward transmission to their capitals.

“Ticha gura maoko nemazino,” meaning ‘we shall be breaking hands and teeth’, was the chilling message sent out to villagers of Rusape, Gokwe and Masvingo province who fail to sign the document. If ZANU PF is so desperate to have sanctions removed, the simple and cost effective way of achieving this is by employing democratic principles that they vowed to when they took over power from the Rhodesian government.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has held an urgent meeting with Robert Mugabe to discuss escalating violence perpetrated by ZANU PF militia on MDC structures. The Prime Minister, who is under severe pressure from his party colleagues who are demanding protection,  is angered by  the way the police are selectively applying the law. As usual, Robert Mugabe denied planning the violence and shouldered the blame on mischief makers.

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It seems that convicted serial rapist Madzibaba Godfrey Nzira,  a self proclaimed prophet and ZANU PF supporter,  was pardoned and released from jail by Robert Mugabe in order to start a campaign to coerce members of the Apostolic sect to rally behind ZANU PF.  The convict, originally sentenced to 20 years, only served 7 years of that sentence.

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Zanu (PF) youths popularly known as Chipangano have this week visited vendors in Mbare demanding President Mugabe's birthday donations of $1.00 and voter registration receipts for the forthcoming referendum to choose a new constitution for Zimbabwe. The President turns 87 on the 26^th of this month.

Joao Matandirani
MDC Southend Hausunde