ZANU PF ‘seeking legitimacy’ through sanctions case

The last two on the EU sanctions list: Robert and Grace Mugabe

By Alex Bell
SW Radio Africa
17 June 2014

Published by SW Radio Africa

ZANU PF has stepped up its efforts in seeking international legitimacy, by trying to secure a court ruling that declares the European Union (EU) targeted restrictive measures as ‘illegal’.

The party’s case against the EU, which it filed in 2012, is finally underway despite the Brussels based leadership bloc already removing the majority of its restrictions against the ZANU PF regime.

Robert Mugabe and his wife are the only two members of the regime who remain targeted with travel and financial restrictions, after the EU removed the bulk of the measures earlier this year. This is in spite of the flawed elections in Zimbabwe last July, as well as a lack of reforms that the EU had previously stipulated were needed before its ‘sanctions’ policy would be reviewed.

ZANU PF’s court case, which got underway at the General Court of the European Union last Tuesday in Luxembourg, now seeks to have the measures declared illegal, with the party arguing that the ‘sanctions’ were imposed without any legal basis. The party’s lawyers are arguing that it was only the UN Security Council that had the power to impose ‘sanctions’ on a member country.

Oral hearing of the case is set to continue for the next two weeks before a decision is handed down later in the year.

Observers say ZANU PF is trying to absolve itself of the financial ruin Zimbabwe is facing, with the party maintaining that international ‘sanctions’ are to blame for the dire state of the economy.

The measures, and those which still remain imposed by Australia and the US, have been repeatedly blamed for Zimbabwe’s current economic crisis despite the fact that it was only individuals and individual entities that were specifically targeted.

Wilbert Mukori, the spokesperson of the Zimbabwe Social Democrats group, said the court case has “no merit.” But he told SW Radio Africa that the EU itself has helped ZANU PF in this legitimacy drive, by actively seeking re-engagement.

“This re-engagement undermines the position of other countries who say that since the rigged elections last year, sanctions should remain,” Mukori said.

He also expressed concern that there is no attempt to hold the ZANU PF regime to account for past atrocities that led to the targeted sanctions being imposed. He said that the selfish interests of some EU member states meant that Mugabe and his “dictatorship” were being allowed to “carry on as normal.”

“The EU is giving the Mugabe regime the encouragement on carry on with human rights abuses and corruption. We have reached a point where corruption is rampant and looting has reached shocking levels. And that is the root cause of the economic collapse,” Mukori said.

Meanwhile, civil society members debated the ‘sanctions’ issue during a think tank discussion on the state of the Zimbabwe’s economy on Tuesday, with some civil leaders saying the targeted measures were “counter productive.”

James Muzondidya from the Zimbabwe Institute argued that the economy cannot be revived if targeted sanctions remain, saying the presence of the measures maintains a view of “instability.” He argued that because the sanctions have been “ineffective in effecting change,” they are “pointless in maintaining.”

The EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Aldo Dell’Arricia also gave his opinion on the matter, insisting it was the country’s massive international debt, not ‘sanctions’, that was stopping the government from receiving new loans. He also insisted that the targeted measures imposed by the EU were legal.

To contact this reporter email alex@swradioafrica.com or follow on Twitter

Marange diamond region hit by ‘panic and uncertainty’

Alluvial diamond field in Marange

By Alex Bell
SW Radio Africa
18 June 2014

Published by SW Radio Africa

The government’s plan to consolidate control of the Marange diamond region is said to have created a ‘panic’ situation, with mining investors, employers and workers uncertain about the future.

Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa in March this year announced plans to reduce the current number of mining firms in Chiadzwa to just one. This was followed by a threat by Mines Minister Walter Chidhakwa, to shut down all operations at the diamonds fields, where millions of dollars in ‘missing’ diamond revenue remains unaccounted for. He said that the government was losing diamond revenue through “cartels,” and that shutting down all mining at the alluvial fields was better than this continued revenue loss.

No further action has been taken since these threats which, according to a local research group, have left people ‘panicking’.

James Mupfumi, the acting director of the Centre for Research and Development (CRD) told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that the government’s plans have created ‘uncertainty’. He said a direct result of this was the “arbitrary slashing of salaries” by the Mbada Diamonds firm, which has cut the pay of its workforce by 50%. The company has cited ‘low production’ as the reason for the salary cut.

Mbada is the latest of the seven firms operational at Chiadzwa to make changes with a direct impact on its workers. Recently, the Anjin diamond mine sent part of its workforce on forced leave, while workers at other mines have reported not getting paid for months.

“Because of that quietness and darkness over what is happening, we are hearing of companies downsizing, companies sending workers home without salaries. There is panic, there is uncertainty and nobody knows what is happening,” Mupfumi said.

He added: “We are also hearing that some investors and shareholders are pulling out the mining equipment at night and taking it to Mozambique, while people from the military are coming into the mining fields, also under cover of darkness.”

Mupfumi explained that the local community has been bearing the brunt of the confusion, with an increase in illicit activity being reported at the mines.

“The fact that the mining firms haven’t been paying the workers means there are more organised syndicates bringing in more illegal panners. And the response has been brutal. We’ve met with people who have been victimised and beaten after being accused of being panners by the security. So it has worsened the lives of already poverty stricken people who have not benefited from the diamonds ever,” Mupfumi said.

The speculation meanwhile about the true intentions of the government’s Chiadzwa consolidation plan has been rife, amid reports that steps are being taken to hand over control to the Mugabe family-linked Mbada firm.

According to a recent report by Africa Confidential, Mbada is set to be the “last miner standing” and would ultimately be a joint venture with the ZANU PF government.

“But we hear that the biggest private share may already be in the process of transferring to President Robert Mugabe’s wife, Grace Mugabe,” Africa Confidential reported.

Africa Confidential said that “Grace and her three children, rather than the President, are the beneficiaries of a 50% stake in Mbada,” according to two independent sources from the financial sector and an airline official who has worked with the President’s new son-in-law, Simba Chikore.

Minister Chidhakwa, allegedly a nephew of Robert Mugabe’s, is also reportedly leading the plans to put Mbada in control, after being placed in the Ministry “to secure the [Mugabe] family’s interests.”

The CRD’s Mupfumi meanwhile said that the ZANU PF “patronage system” has been at play in the diamond fields ever since the gems were discovered, and nothing will improve until there is a strong outcry from the public and civil society.

“I don’t think the government is sincere is stamping out corruption, because it boils down to political will to change things. For years the shareholding of the mines have been parceled out to senior members of ZANU PF and the army, and we haven’t seen any positive impact of diamond mining on the communities. And that is not going to change while the patronage system is working,” Mupfumi said.

To contact this reporter email alex@swradioafrica.com or follow on Twitter

ZANU PF power entrenched by ‘exploitative’ Trafigura deal

By Alex Bell
SW Radio Africa
27 May 2014

Published by SW Radio Africa

The planned takeover of the ZANU PF linked Sakunda fuel group, by a controversial Dutch multinational oil trader called Trafigura, has been slammed as an “exploitative deal” that entrenches ZANU PF’s grip on power.

The takeover of Sakunda is said to be part of Trafigura’s aims at “consolidating its grip on the fuel supply and distribution in Zimbabwe,” and to cement its relationship with Robert Mugabe and ZANU PF. According to a report by Africa Confidential  the deal has been done through Trafigura’s South African Subsidiary, Puma Energy Africa Holdings.

Senior ZANU PF and CIO officials have been linked to Sakunda for years, and the company has long been accused of supporting the party’s political and financial aims. For example in 2012, it was Sakunda that facilitated an estimated $40 million maize import deal with Zambia, after President Micahel Sata pledged to helped Mugabe’s re-election campaign.

More recently, in December 2013 Sakunda secured a $120 million loan from a French bank, which was guaranteed by Trafigura. It is likely this loan, which was given to the ZANU PF government, helped Trafigura in its plans to acquire Sakunda, despite already claiming a 60% stake in the local Redan fuel retailer last year.

With Sakunda and Redan under its belt, Trafigura now controls over 125 Zimbabwe fuel outlets, and also has exclusive access to the government owned Fekura oil pipeline that runs from Beira to Harare.

Economic analyst Vince Musewe told SW Radio Africa that the deal does nothing for the empowerment of Zimbabweans, and goes against ZANU PF’s own indigenisation plans.

“It is unacceptable that an entity like this comes in and buys out the market. The laws also states that in the retail sector, only locals can participate. This is the fuel retail sector, so there is much more to this than a straight deal,” Musewe said.

Also implicated in the Trafigura deal is the Brainworks Capital Management firm, which made news headlines last year after company founder George Manyere was paid $40 million dollars to prepare the Zimplats indigenisation agreement.

Brainworks, said to be investing in Zimbabwe’s fuel sector alongside Trafigura’s Puma subsidiary, facilitated the recent sale of Trafigura’s BancABC stake to the former Barclays CEO Bob Diamond.

Diamond meanwhile recently said he would secure a $207 million European bond for Mugabe’s government.

Musewe said these loans and related deals are all about securing ZANU PF’s grip on power, in exchange for Zimbabwe’s assets. He said this was “exploitative” and such deals were undermining Zimbabwe’s economic recovery.

“This is the same beast that has done all the corrupt deals in Zimbabwe since the 80’s and it is the international community that is assisting the further entrenchment of ZANU PF. Despite the rhetoric that they (ZANU PF) want to empower Zimbabwe, the economic space remains limited to ZANU PF cronies and this kind of deal demonstrates that,” Musewe said.

Trafigura meanwhile has had its own share of controversy and in 2006 was directly implicated in a health crisis in Côte d’Ivoire after a Trafigura chartered ship offloaded toxic waste at an Ivorian port. The gas caused by the release of these chemicals is blamed by the UN and the government of Côte d’Ivoire for the deaths of 17 and the injury of over 30,000 Ivorians.

To contact this reporter email alex@swradioafrica.com or follow on Twitter

Violence leader Chinoz embraced as Book Café ‘guest of honour’

Chinotimba dances with crowd at Book Café

By Alex Bell
SW Radio Africa
26 May 2014

Published by SW Radio Africa

Buhera MP Joseph Chinotimba was last week embraced and welcomed as a guest of honour at the Book Café in Harare, where he reportedly “brought the house down” with his jokes.

Appearing at the Carnival Comedy Night at the venue, ‘Chinoz’ was pictured on stage, microphone in hand, making jokes and laughing with Book Café patrons.

The ZANU PF official has previously been the butt of Zimbabwean jokes, often described as a ‘caricature’ of politics in his quest to win the Buhera parliamentary seat in past elections. But since scoring a shock ‘win’ in the constituency last year, the jokes have seemed less funny.

The former Harare city council security guard rose to infamy during the 2000 land invasions when he and the combative war vets leader, Chenjerai “Hitler” Hunzvi, led the takeovers of white-owned commercial farms. Chinotimba styled himself “commander-in-chief” of the land invaders and openly advocated the use of extreme violence and rape.

He also advocated this level violence in Buhera during the 2008 elections period, and has been accused of being behind the deaths, assaults and rapes of many MDC supporters in the area.

According to eyewitness testimonies, on the 5th May 2008 Chinotimba raped an MDC-T member named Idah Munyukwi twice, after threatening her with a gun. Also under his instruction a group of about 21 ZANU PF thugs gang raped Memory Mufambi, an MDC-T supporter in Ward 18 of Buhera.

Mufambi, whose husband was a prominent MDC activist, was beaten unconscious by a mob of ZANU PF youth militia and war vets who then took her to their torture base where she was raped repeatedly over the course of a week. She suffered serious internal injuries as a result of the rapes, and has been in and out of hospital ever since.

Also in 2008, in Ward 27 area of Chapanduka, Chinotimba led a group of ZANU PF thugs who beat to death an MDC-T activist known as Sibamba. In another incident on the 18th May 2008, Chinotimba’s truck was used in the attack on Choukuse Nyoka Mubango in Ward 26. Mubango was axed to death in full view of his wife and five children.

MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora reacted with anger that Chinotimba was now being ‘embraced’ by society.

“It is hurtful and demeaning to see the tormentor being given this respect and being given a chance to perform as a guest of honour. It is arrogant on the part of government and it is unacceptable,” Mwonzora said.

He added: “The diplomatic community is forgetting that ZANU PF committed these horrendous crimes. We see them gracing these occasions as if everything is fine, and it is outrageous.”

Listen here to the 2009 interview with Chinotimba by Violet Gonda:http://www.mazwi.net/videos/joseph-chinotimba-the-comedy-of-zim-politics or See transcript here

To contact this reporter email alex@swradioafrica.com or follow on Twitter

Zim farming community ‘shell shocked’ after violent Guruve murder

Charles Taffs of the CFU says that there has been a rise in lawlessness since the land grabs began

By Alex Bell
SW Radio Africa
16 May 2014

Published by SW Radio Africa

The death of a young Zimbabwean woman, who was brutally beaten in an attack on her and her father near their Guruve farm, has left the farming community “shell shocked.”

Catherine Francis was out walking with her father Malcolm on Saturday when they were attacked by an as of yet unidentified group of suspects.

Full details of the incident are not yet clear, but it is understood the pair was found beaten and unconscious by a family member, after the attack took place.

Malcolm remains in a critical condition in hospital and is still being treated for serious injuries.

But Catherine passed away on Wednesday as a result of the brutal beating.

Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) President Charles Taffs told SW Radio Africa that he was outraged that these violent attacks are still continuing against the farming community.

“This is one of many murders that have taken place on farmers and farm workers, and it’s just continuing,” Taffs said.

The ZANU PF land grab campaign, launched over a decade ago by the Robert Mugabe regime, has seen the farming community, including tens of thousands of farm workers, face serious violence and deaths. To date, the perpetrators of the violence have never been brought to book.

“What we are seeing is a breakdown of the rule of law and people are doing what they please. The law has been selectively applied for 14 years and people are taking advantage of it, and the result is lawlessness,” Taffs explained.

He added: “From the community’s point of view, it’s like we aren’t even part of society, the white farming constituency. We are Zimbabweans and have every right to be here. What is happening is against every human rights charter this country has signed up to.”

“It is disgusting what has happened and I condemn it in the strongest terms,” Taffs said.

To contact this reporter email alex@swradioafrica.com or follow on Twitter

Africa fights for immunity for government leaders

President of Sudan Omar-al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for genocide and crimes against humanity

By Alex Bell
SW Radio Africa
16 May 2014

Published by SW Radio Africa

Attempts to secure immunity from prosecution for African government leaders has been criticised as a potentially “detrimental” move that would impact on the rule of law and justice on the continent.

African Justice Ministers and Attorney Generals gathered in Ethiopia this week, where they were set to discuss a proposal to absolve sitting African leaders for their part in genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The two day Ethiopia meeting was called to consider a draft protocol to expand the authority of the African Court on Justice and Human Rights to include criminal jurisdiction over these serious crimes. The draft protocol includes the proposed blanket immunity for heads of state.

Jemima Njeri, a senior researcher in the International Crime in Africa program at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), said the proposal “would be a major setback for justice for grave crimes.” She warned that this was a sign of Africa’s leaders “supporting each other,” at the expense of the rule of law.

“It is not right for African heads of state to include these amendments. It is detrimental to democracy,” Njeri told SW Radio Africa.

Human rights and justice groups from 19 African countries have since written to African governments, warning them that the rule of law is being threatened by the proposal.

“Impunity remains one of the biggest threats to human rights protection in Africa,” said Thuso Ramabolu, human rights officer at Lesotho’s Transformation Resource Centre, one of the signatories to the letter.

“It’s crucial for people responsible for mass atrocities to face justice, irrespective of their official positions. Immunity poses grave alarm and would create an incentive to hold on to power indefinitely,” Ramabolu added.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s Constitutional Court will on Monday hear the latest appeal against a landmark order for the authorities there to probe crimes against humanity committed in Zimbabwe.

Last year, the Supreme Court of Appeal upheld a court order from 2012 that compelled the prosecuting authorities in South Africa to investigate torture and other crimes perpetrated in Zimbabwe. This was after the police and National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had appealed the original order handed down by the North Gauteng High Court.

The South African police have then filed another appeal in January this year, arguing that among other issues, an investigation would infringe on the sovereignty of Zimbabwe and damage diplomatic relations.

The case is being led by the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) and the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum (ZEF) and was based on a dossier detailing a politically motivated attack on MDC members in Zimbabwe in 2007. This dossier, which implicates 18 high level ZANU PF members, was handed to the NPA in 2008 but the prosecuting body and the police decided not to take the case further.

ZEF Director Gabriel Shumba told SW Radio Africa that the latest appeal is “without merit,” and the ZEF and SALC “will vigorously oppose the appeal.”

To contact this reporter email alex@swradioafrica.com or follow on Twitter

Relocated Marange villagers face unfolding humanitarian crisis

A Marange villager from the cover of the report by the Centre for Natural Resource Governance

By Alex Bell
SW Radio Africa
25 April 2014

Published by SW Radio Africa

Thousands of villagers who were forcibly removed from their homes to make way for diamond mining operations at Marange, now face an unfolding humanitarian crisis.

This is according to accountability group the Centre for Natural Resource Governance, which warned in a detailed report this week that the villagers “are sliding deeper into the abyss of abject poverty.”

In early 2009 the government announced that plans were underway to relocate almost 5,000 Marange families affected by the diamond mining operations there. The affected families were to be relocated to a farm formerly owned by the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) at Transau in Odzi, about 24 kilometres west of the city of Mutare.

But almost five years later the commitments made towards the humane resettlement of the families have not been honoured.

“Observed from afar the new Arda Transau settlement portrays an aura of sophistication and affluence as it looks like a small urban settlement in the middle of nowhere. But behind this façade of affluence lies a community weighed down by the bondage of poverty and hunger,” the Centre warns.

Only a fraction of the families have been moved to Arda Transau, where housing facilities and developments like clinics and schools have not been completed. The families have also never been compensated for the loss of their homes.

The population at Arda Transau is slightly above 5,200 people, and consists mainly of women and children. The relocated people have no source of livelihood, and they depend entirely on the diamond mining firms, who facilitated their forced removal, for food handouts. But these food handouts have not been consistent and hunger has been a serious concern for months. The Centre for Natural Resource Governance said all the diamond firms, except one, have completely stopped handing out food.

The villagers are also largely unable to grow their own crops, because of an absence of suitable land and no access to irrigation facilities or other necessities for successful agricultural production. The report this week states that malnutrition is widespread and some villagers go several days at a time without eating. One 92 year-old-man said his family survived on eating salt-spiced anthill soil and a cup of water. The old man’s wife was clearly undernourished and the children showed clinical signs of kwashiorkor.

“Without food hand-outs we are doomed, and as we are speaking now some people who were relocated here have not received any food handouts for the past 12 months,” another villager revealed.

The health situation in Arda Transau has been described by one community leader as a “time bomb”, and according to the report this week, the local clinics are so badly resourced that people are expected to supply their own candles if they stay overnight.

The Centre’s Director Farai Maguwu told SW Radio Africa on Friday that the situation is “appalling.”

“There is serious poverty stalking this area and there is a humanitarian crisis unfolding. There are a number of recommendations for the government, but in the short term, the villagers need humanitarian assistance,” Maguwu said.

He also said that a redistribution of arable farm land was necessary, saying there is enough land owned by government ministers to give to the desperate Marange families.

“The government should make available some farms. Most Cabinet ministers have multiple farms, and yet the government has created a squatter camp for these villagers. They have been reduced to squatters,” Maguwu said.

Meanwhile about 4,000 other Marange families are still to be relocated from the mining area. The Centre’s report said however that this is looking increasingly uncertain.

“There are indications that companies are now reluctant to continue with relocations in light of the reported dwindling alluvial diamonds in Marange in recent months,” the report said.

To contact this reporter email alex@swradioafrica.com or follow on Twitter