BLADE

Fears that Mugabe encourages new farm invasions

President Robert Mugabe said Thursday (10.07.09) his government will not pay any compensation for land seized by his government over the past 10 years heightening fears that he is encouraging another onslaught of farm invasions.
 
Mugabe accused the largely white Zimbabwean commercial farmers of siding with the British and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s part at a time his government was trying to apply pressure on the British government to disburse funds to buy land for resettlement to the previously disadvantaged black population.
 
“The responsibility for compensating the farmers rests on the shoulders of the British government and its allies,” Mugabe said.
 
He was responding to a question by Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) President, Trevor Gifford, during the plenary session of an ongoing International Investment conference being held in Harare.
 
Gifford asked the Zimbabwean leader when his government would start paying farmers who have lost their source of livelihoods through farm takeovers.
 
According to the CFU, 175 farmers are due to stand trial for refusing to vacate their land to make way for the new farmers.
 
Mugabe blamed former Tony Blair administration of reneging on British pledges to pay compensation for repossessed land.
 
“I told Blair to keep his money and we were going to keep our land,” Mugabe said.
 
Ironically this comes at a time when Vaughan-Evans, a director of Zimbabwe’s Commercial Farmers’ Union (CFU), was axed to death at his home.  Vaughan-Evans represented the CFU in the Midlands Province.
 
The rich farmlands that are at the centre of Zimbabwe's often violent land dispute
 
The Daily Telegraph reported that Vaughan-Evans, who was in his late seventies, was killed on the eve of his wife Jean’s 80th birthday. The couple was attacked in their home in Gweru, Zimbabwe’s third largest city.
 
Gifford, the CFU president, said Vaughan-Evans, a renowned agriculturalist and conservationist, died from head wounds after he was attacked by an intruder.
 
Mugabe is adamant that it is point of fact that in the Zimbabwean constitution that compensation for land repossessed by government shall be paid by the British government.
 
“We did pay compensation for improvements and developments…we have honoured that part. This is our stand. It is a British responsibility,” he said.
 
“The farmers themselves let themselves down. Instead of supporting us in appealing to Britain, so Britain could realize that they had this responsibility towards paying compensation, they have sided with the British.”
 
Mugabe said farmers who were being approached for land should be willing to cede their farms and join hands with his government in appealing for compensation.
 
Mugabe went on to ask foreign investors to come and invest in Zimbabwe, saying the establishment of the inclusive government has created a conducive environment for investment in Zimbabwe.
 
“Zimbabwe upholds the sanctity of property rights,” Mugabe said in his main address.
 By John Mokwetsi 
 

Women MPs in Malawi increase representation

by Raphael Mweninguwe

A 50:50 campaign which was partly funded by the Norad through the Royal Norwegian Embassy to the tune of NOK20 million did not achieve its ambitious goals, but the campaign will continue.

Eunice Chamgomo of the  Gender Coordination Network said her organisation has achieved "some significant gains in sensitising people to vote for women parliamentary candidates".

"Out of the 239 women aspiring MPs, 42 of them made to Parliament," said Chamgomo.

In 2004 general elections 14% of the 193 MPs in Parliament were women. This year 21% of those elected are women. The 50:50 campaign targeted 50% of women to make it to the National Assembly.

Chamgomo, however, admited that with Malawi's cultural background, a majority of men "are not ready to put women into decision making position."

"Some village chiefs  openly refused to support women and were telling voters not to vote for women," said Chamgomo.

She explained that many aspiring women MPs had little financial resources to compete against men. Many of the women were primary school teachers with few campaign funds.

"Many people join politics with a view of getting rich and not to help the poor," said George Banda, one of the voters.

But Chamgomo said her organisation would ensure that MPs work for the good of the nation.

Undule Mwasungula, a human rights activist, who campagned for 50% women representation, said many women failed to make it to Parliament because of lack of money.

"The other reason is that many women did not get the support during the party primaries. Parties did not support women but men got all the support from political parties," he said.

Mwakasungula said the campain should continue even after the general elections.

Each aspiring candidate received MK91,000 from Gender Coordination Network which was given by the Royal Norwegian Embassy. Other donors includes the UK's DfID.

With the local government elections due next year many women who lost in the Parliamentary seats have their minds now focused on next year elections.

Al-Bashir supported by African foreign ministers

by John Mokwetsi

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir who is facing a warrant of arrest from the International Criminal Court (ICC) and ousted Madagascar leader Marc Ravalomana are some of the controversial leaders who were at the official launch of the Common Market for East and Southern Africa customs union in Victoria Falls Sunday.

 

On Monday  the regional bloc Comesa shocked all by supporting the Sudanese president, al-Bashir and condemning the warrant arrest by ICC.

 

“We condemn the warrant of arrest by ICC,” read part of the Comesa communiqué.

 

ICC charges stem from al-Bashir's Arab-led government's six-year battle with ethnic African rebels in Sudan's Darfur region. About 300,000 people have died in fighting and 2.7 million displaced in the conflict, according to U.N. figures. Sudan says the numbers are exaggerated.

 

Bashir told the conference here that Sudan was committed to finding peace in the Darfur region but was facing foreign interference.

 

"It (the ICC warrant) is an action aimed at isolating Sudan and eventually fragmenting and dividing our country," he said.

 

"But through our own efforts and resources we are going to overcome such designs," he said in a speech delivered in Arabic and translated into English by an official.

 

Comesa however castigated the regime of Madagascar which was unofficially represented by Ravalomana.

 

Ravalomanana was forced to surrender power in March following an uprising led by Andry Rajoelina, the 35-year-old former mayor of Antananarivo who spearheaded months of street protests demanding the elected president’s resignation

 

Addressing the ninth Comesa Foreign Ministers meeting, Comesa secretary general Dr Sindiso Ngwenya said the regional bloc needed to find ways of addressing the conflicts, which weighed on integration between member states.

 

"We should be mindful that as we address the conflicts that besieged us for the past few years, new issues of peace and security have emerged that have a negative impact on our integration efforts," he said in apparent reference to the situation in Madagascar.

 

"Such issues include piracy off the coast of Somalia and recent conflicts in Madagascar.

 

"These are issues that need your attention and I am pleased to inform you that the committee on peace and security which met two weeks ago in Mauritius considered these issues."

 

Mugabe and Bashir have over the last few years been isolated by the international community for their human rights record.

 

Zimbabwe takes over the Comesa chairmanship from Kenya. Besides the launch of the customs union, the leaders will discuss economic integration, security and value added tax.

 

The new Comesa chairman, President Mugabe Sunday launched the bloc’s Customs Union here calling for increased trade and investment to bolster the sustainability of the arrangement.

 

The historic launch went ahead despite reservations from some East African countries, particularly Uganda.

 

The Customs Union is expected to strengthen economic integration and eventually lead to a single currency.

 

Under the union, all 19 members will impose a similar tariff on goods from outside the region that will range from zero to 25 percent, depending on the category of the goods and services.

 

"We have come to the moment that celebrates our existence as Comesa — the launching of the Comesa Customs Union," said President Mugabe.

 

"This past year, everything on Comesa focused on the Customs Union.

 

"We have thought and talked the Customs Union, we have even slept the Customs Union, and we have dreamt the Customs Union. This is the hour we have been waiting for.

 

"On this occasion we say to each other, that we are Comesa, bound together as a region, and that together we can achieve what we set out to achieve. To the whole world, we want to say we are Comesa, and that we are serious as the region. We want to be taken seriously.

 

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni said members of the East African Community were yet to fully deliberate on the implications of the Customs Union and could only endorse it after having done so.

 

He, however, said they had no problems with those countries that were ready to get into the union.

 

"We have a saying in our language that goes, ‘If one cow has a swollen mouth that does not stop the other cows from eating’," he said.

 

The Treaty establishing COMESA was signed on 5th November 1993 in Kampala, Uganda and was ratified a year later in Lilongwe, Malawi on 8th December 1994.

 

Member countries are Angola, Burundi comoros, D.R. Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Seycelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

 

COMESA replaced the former Preferential Trade Area (PTA) which had existed from the earlier days of 1981.

 

COMESA was established 'as an organisation of free independent sovereign states which have agreed to co-operate in developing their natural and human resources for the good of all their people."

 

Swiss to return Tanzania’s stolen billions

by Kizito Makoye, Dar es Salaam

 

As Tanzania government is feebly struggling to renovate its image in the donor community after a myriad of corruption scandals, Switzerland says it will assist the recovery of looted public funds that may have been stashed away in its bank accounts by corrupt Tanzanian officials.

 

The Swiss ambassador to Tanzania, Adrian Schalpfer announced recently that his country would "gladly help to repatriate funds" confirmed to have been looted from Tanzania and hidden in Swiss banks.

 

The move comes amid investigations against the beleaguered former Attorney General Andrew Chenge who is accused by the Britain’s Serious Fraud Office of receiving fraudulent payment linked to the controversial purchase of military radar.

 

 Chenge was forced to resign after one of his offshore accounts with 1 million dollars was disclosed in Britain’s Jersey Island.

  

Switzerland has now welcomed any formal requests from Tanzania authorities for the speedy release of information that could assist in prosecution of key suspects behind various corruption allegations.

 

The Swiss Ambassador did not cite any specific examples.

 

A Tanzania fugitive, Shailesh Vithlani, currently under investigation by SFO over some US$12 million corruption related bribes, is also believed to be hiding in Switzerland. 

 

Vithlani is the key suspect in the SFO investigation involving the purchase by Tanzania of 40 million dollars radar from BAE Systems of the United Kingdom.

 

He has being accused of paying kickbacks to several senior government officials to enable the company to clinch the deal.

 

The Swiss Ambassador said that his government is working closely with the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) to provide legal assistance on corruption.

 

Government authorities are currently investigating the foreign aspect of the Bank of Tanzania scandal following revelation that part of the Tsh 133 billion over (US$ 100 million) which got stolen  from external payment arrears(EPA) Account was stashed away in offshore bank accounts.

 

The Swiss Ambassador said “I know of no other country that has gone as far as Switzerland in actually returning assets deposited in its banks by greedy leaders as illustrated in the case of former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha. Then, some 400 million dollars was returned to the Nigerian Government," he said.

 

“Switzerland can wholeheartedly subscribe to this commitment. As a matter of fact - and despite an outdated perception of my country as an impenetrable safe haven for all kinds of ill-gotten fortunes - Switzerland is nowadays among the pioneers in promoting joint international commitments to combat the stashing away of stolen assets, to stop money laundering, and to stop financing international terrorism.’’

 

He further noted that at the general budget support annual review last November, development partners had agreed with Tanzanian government officials to jointly tackle corruption.

 

 Schalpfer was speaking in Dar es Salaam during the launch of a web-based system to enable the public to report and track corruption funded jointly by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Embassy of Finland.

 

Kizito Makoye is as Tanzanian Journalist based in Dar es Salaam

 

 

 

 

Video: New technology improves maternal health

Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre discusses improvements in maternal and child health and how new technologies can be used to improve global.

Mutharika faces huge challenge

by Raphael Mweninguwe

 

President Bingu wa Mutharika has been sworn in for his second and final five-year term in office after a landslide victory in the general elections that were held on May 19.

 

The swearing in ceremony took place on Friday, May 22 at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre, Malawi's commercial capital.

 

Presidend Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Rupia Banda of Zambia were among the regional leaders who attended the function.

 

Mutharika's Democratic Progresive Party (DPP) has won about 120 Parliamentary seats out of the 193 seats.

 

The main opposition Malawi Congres Party (MCP) which was represented in the presidential race by John Tembo lost miserably getting around 15 seats in the Parliament. The MCP leader lost to Mutharika who got 2.7 million votes while Tembo got 1.3 million votes. There were 5.9 million registered voters.

 

Tembo who was in an electoral alliance with the United Democratic Front (UDF) has refused to accept the results saying the ruling party has rigged.

 

Ironically, Muluzi of UDF attended the swearing in ceremony and conceeded defeat though he was not standing but his party was in alliance with MCP.

 

PEOPLE'S EXPECTATIONS

 

Malawians are expecting a lot from the president whose first five years in office faced a lot of opposition MPs in Parliament who were in majority.

 

Voters protested against opposition members of parliament who rejected most of the bills put forward by government.

 

"Mutharika will have no excuse this time. We want him to deliver on his promises," said Jane Phiri, a nurse at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi's capital city.

 

Phiri said Mutharika faces tough times ahead and that the country expects a lot from him.

 

"I voted him because he said he would build houses for the youth and  create jobs," said a 26 year-old unemployed school leaver, Jef Mwale.

 

Mwale said government should live by its promises and that it should not take people for a ride.

 

In his inaugural speech Mutharika said his government will implement all its promises. Among them are food security, youth loan of US$1.4 million, free adult literacy education, clean portable water and

quality education.

 

He also called on the opposition parties to work with him for the good of the nation. He said his  administion would work with anyone regardless of political affiliation.

 

"May I ask all opposition parties to forget about the past and work together for the good of the nation. This country belongs to us all," said Mutharika.

 

Mutharika is aware that failure to implement the promises his government will be voted out of power come 2014.

Nordic funds consider Zimbabwe investments

A TECHNICAL team from the four Nordic Development Finance Institutions arrived in Zimbabwe this week to scout for investment opportunities.

The visit by the technical team from development funds in Demark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, is a follow up to the March tour by the two ministers from Norway and Denmark.

Norway's Environment and International Development Minister Erik Solheim. Solheim's visit was on how Norway could help the new administration find a better footing.

Danish Minister for Development Cooperation Ulla Tornaeas came in March on how Copenhagen would assist Harare in paying its civil service.

The Nordic Development Finance Institution-that is government owned investment funds-invest in private sector in developing countries.

Head of the delegation Kjartan Stigen told Bistandsaktuelt that: "The motivation of the visit is that the private sector development creates development. There is growing evidence of a business business environment emerging in Zimbabwe."

The team comprises Mr Jaakko Kangasniemi from Finnfund, Ms Lena Algerin from Swedfund in Stockholm, Mr Kim Gredsted from IFU of Denmark, he is based in South Africa, and Stigen, from Norfund, based in Oslo. 

Together these 4 development finance institutions at year end 2008 had a portfolio of 2.2 billion US dollars.

"This is a fact finding mission from the funds to assess the economic situation and the environment for investments, including the level of reforms being implemented and the durability of these changes," Stigen said.

Delegations started arriving last Sunday and some jetted in on Monday and the team immdediately looked at possible investments into Zimbabwe and meet bankers and executives of some Zimbabwe Stock Exchange listed blue -chip companies.

The team held meetings with Finance Minister,Tendai Biti; Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Minister,Elton Mangoma; and Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube.

The team leaves Zimbabwe on Saturday and will write recommendations to their respective governments.

Norfund has two joint ventures: one to work with the energy sector in developing countries and the other to establish and manage local and regional development funds.

Norfund structures joint ventures with struggling firms in the developing countries. It exits when the firms are on a sound footing.

Norfund commenced operations in 1998 and receives its investment capital from the Norwegian government on an annual basis. 

It was created to become a leading investment fund for emerging markets by combining a strong financial position with high-quality investment management skills and extensive international experience.

The Norwegian Embassy in Harare said: "The team came on their own and we have nothing to do with them. But I can confirm that we know they are here."

 

By John Mokwetsi

Malawians vote in hard fought elections

By Raphael Mweninguwe

Malawians from all walks of life are on Tuesday, May 19, choosing the next president and 193 Members of Parliament (MPs) in the fourth multiparty General Elections since 1994.

There are six presidential candidates with one little known independent candidate, James Nyondo who has just joined politics. But the main contest is between the main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) president John Tembo and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president Bingu wa Mutharika.

 

Former president Bakili Muluzi of the United Democratic Front (UDF) has been barred by the Electoral Commission (EC) from standing as president on the ground that "he already served his two consecutive five-year terms since 1994 as required by Section 83 of the Constitution".

Muluzi's decision to run for the presidency was aimed at removing Mutharika from his position. In 2004 Mutharika won the presidency on the UDF ticket but he resigned from the party two months later and formed his DPP party. Muluzi and his UDF party felt cheated and went into opposition in the National Assembly for the past five years.

"I know Mutharika has agreed with the Electoral Commission to bar me from standing as president of this country. But since he has done this I am telling the nation that Mutharika will be the first president in Africa to rule for one term and lose the elections," challenged Muluzi at a political rally he organized jointly with Tembo in Lilongwe, Malawi's Capital City.

 

Muluzi has since formed an electoral alliance with Tembo to unseat Mutharika and the two opposition leaders are urging their supporters to vote for Tembo in the presidential race. On the seat of an MP, the parties are urging their supporters to vote for their own MPs to Parliament. UDF supporters are voting for UDF MPs so, too, is the MCP since the UDF presidency candidate, Muluzi, is not standing.

But Mutharika dismissed Muluzi's accusations saying it was the Constitution that bars his mentor from standing and not him and the EC.

 

With Tembo and Muluzi teaming up against Mutharika analysts say the alliance is likely to defeat the DPP "provided that the elections are free and fair and without any rigging on the part of the ruling party."

"If Mutharika is going to rule out the alliance between UDF and MCP it is doing so at its own peril," said Anthony Ngwira, a political commentator.

During the 2004 General Elections the MCP had over 60 MPs, all from the Central Region of Malawi where the party has strong support. The UDF had about 52 MPs mainly from the Southern Region of the country. While the Northern Region, which has 33 MPs distributed the seats to other political parties with the Republican Party winning about 17 seats. The Republican Party which came third in the elections in 2004 is now being headed by another presidential candidate Stanley Masauli.

 

Ruling DPP has never participated in any General Elections but Mutharika has campaigned heavily on the subsidy program, which is considered to have reduced hunger in Malawi. The party has in the past five years garnered support mainly from people in the cities and towns, which puts him at a disadvantage. The president said since taking office he has reduced hunger in Malawi, the economy has improved and there are "some development programs in place."

President Mutharika comes from Thyolo District in the Southern Region and Muluzi also comes from the same region but from Machinga District. The two politicians have their main support base from the South and the votes are likely to split but districts where Muluzi comes from have many people compared to the districts that supports Mutharika.

 

Mutharika, however, has more support in the Northern Region where the whole population combined could equal the population of just three districts in the Southern Region. There are 27 districts in Malawi with the North having only six and 12 from the Southern Region.

Since 1994 Malawians have been voting on regional lines. Voters choose their leaders from the regions where they come from. In the past three elections voters picked leaders according to their regions and if this trend will happen on Tuesday, Tembo is likely to win the presidency because in the Southern Region the votes are likely to be split between those voting for Tembo due to the alliance and Mutharika.

However, it is too early to call.

 

President Mutharika has admitted that it will be tough for him to sail through against Tembo. But he has told all his supporters to vote for him. He has accused Tembo of killing people during the 30-year one party rule of the MCP under former head of state the late Dr. Kamuzu Banda.

Tembo denies the allegations and he has since called on Mutharika to take him to court if he was involved in the disappearance of political opponents when MCP was power. Tembo was one of the powerful men in the MCP government and was close to the late former president.

Mutharika uses government controlled radio and TV stations for campaigning while the opposition uses private ratio stations. The opposition has been given total black out on the public radio stations but their supporters rely on private media for any information from their leaders.

 

All the presidential candidates are aware of what the people want: safe drinking water, quality education, food, clean energy, quality health services and many others. An estimated 60% of the 13.6 million people are living below the poverty line.

With all these people living in poverty, they now stand a chance to decide who should lead them in the next five years hoping that their poverty will end. Politicians are now kneeling down asking for people's votes but once elected into office Malawians will be forgotten again until the next voting period.

Norway joins UN Human Rights Council

After intense diplomatic activity the last year, Norway has secured a seat on the UN Human Rights Council.

On Tuesday Norway was elected as one of 47 members of the UN Human Rights Council together with the USA, Belgium and 15 other countries.

“The aim of our engagement is clear. It is to ensure that individuals are better protected against abuse and have better access to the rights set out in existing standards and conventions in the field of human rights. As a member Norway aims to make a difference,” said Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

His diplomats have a big job ahead of them. Among the re-elected members of the council are China, Saudi-Arabia and Cuba - not countries known for their respect for human rights.

The Norwegian minister has already spoken to Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton about cooperation the Human Rights Council.

- We agree that womens health and child hearl are also part of the human rights perspective, says Støre to Blade.

Jan Speed

Opposition ultimatum in Zimbabwe

By John Mokwetsi
for bistandsaktuel.no/bladet

The main opposition party in Zimbabwe, the MDC-T has given an ultimatum to President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara to resolve outstanding issues of the global political agreement (GPA) by Monday 11 May.

The ultimatum signalled growing frustration with the inclusive government, which is struggling to deal with the country’s economic and social problems.

The outstanding issues that remain unresolved include the reappointment of provincial governors, permanent secretaries, ambassadors, Reserve Bank  governor Gideon Gono and Attorney-General Johannes Tomana.
Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara met on Tuesday for the sixth time in two weeks to try to deal with the sticking points.

D-day 17 May
Addressing a press conference in Harare on Wednesday, MDC-T secretary-general Tendai Biti said if the issues were not resolved by Monday, the matter would be referred to the party’s national council, which will meet on May 17, to decide the way forward.
“The delay in settling outstanding issues is an assault on the integrity and health of the all-inclusive government,” Biti said. “It is hoped that these issues will be brought to finality when the three principals meet on Monday... which should be the last meeting… and failure of which we will convene a national council meeting to chart the way forward.”
He, however, said that his party would not pull out of the unity government saying doing so “will be a betrayal of the long suffering people of the MDC and Zimbabwe”.
Biti said the reappointments of Gono and Tomana were unprocedural in that they were executive appointments done after the signing of the GPA, which states that such appointments must be done following agreement by the principals.
Also of concern to the MDC-T, Biti said, was the refusal by Mugabe to swear in its treasurer-general Roy Bennett as the deputy Minister of Agriculture.

Attack on security bosses
Mugabe has cited what he calls “serious charges” against Bennett. Biti said Bennett was innocent until proven guilty. He said according to the GPA, which was now part of the constitution, Mugabe had no powers to refuse to swear-in Bennett after he was nominated by his party. Biti urged the deputy-minister-designate to go to his office and start work.

The MDC-T secretary-general also lashed out at the service chiefs for failing to respect “the new authority in town, which is the office of the Prime Minister”.
He said the service chiefs had shown reluctance to respect Tsvangirai during the Independence Day celebrations and at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.

“The delay in finding a lasting solution to outstanding issues is of great concern to the MDC,” Biti said. “In our view these issues should have been concluded soon after the formation of the inclusive government in February.”
He said the party was worried that some elements in government, Zanu PF, the security forces and public media continued to disregard provisions of the GPA.

“There are a number of toxic and poisonous attitudes that some of these institutions are showing. Their attitude is as if they are in a war situation,” Biti said.
Biti also raised concerns over the disregard of human rights by state security agents in light of the re-arrests of Zimbabwe Peace Project director, Jestina Mukoko, former personal aide to the Prime Minister, Ghandi Mudzingwa, journalist Shadreck Manyere, and 15 other MDC and civil society activists.