Opinion / Columnist
Miss Alex Duval Smith is ill-informed about Zimbabwe
19 Mar 2012 at 12:22hrs | Views
Miss Alex Duval Smith is ill-informed about Zimbabwe to suggest that Robert Mugabe has won over a nation (The Independent, 16/03/12).
The British journalist may want to know that of the thousands of farms Mugabe seized from white commercial farmers his family owns 39 of them (see Timeslive, 31/07/11).
The real beneficiaries of the controversial indigenisation policy are Mugabe's loyalists who are assured of multi million dollar loans for buying shares in the likes of Zimplats and so on because villagers are simply being used as bait for demanding shares.
Miss Duval Smith may also want to know about Mugabe's role in the current stalemate.
Constitution outreach meetings were marred by politically motivated violence in various parts of Zimbabwe. For instance, in Mashonaland West, suspected Zanu-PF rowdy gangs disrupted Copac meetings in June 2010 sending rapporteurs packing in Mhangura's Sikona and Endeavour farming communities.
In Harare, thousands of Zanu-PF militia led brutal attacks on people in Mabvuku, Chitungwiza, Dzivarasekwa and Mbare where an MDC T Youth Assembly member was murdered at Mai Musodzi Hall.
Electoral Amendment Bill
A group of suspected Zanu-PF youths in October 2011 disrupted a public hearing into the Electoral Amendment Bill (EAB) which was being conducted at Mbuya Nehanda Hall in Marondera. The meeting which was supposed to mark the beginning of nationwide public consultations on the EAB scheduled to end in August 2011 had to be aborted.
Similar hearings into the bill were disrupted by Zanu-PF 'thugs' in Headlands, in Bulawayo, Kadoma and Mutare.
Human Rights Commission Bill
A rowdy mob of suspected Zanu-PF supporters in July 2011 disrupted public hearings into the Human Rights Commission Bill at Masvingo civic centre.
The group allegedly hurled insults and threatened to manhandle members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice and the Senate Thematic Committee on Human Rights. Zanu-PF wants to limit the scope of the Human Rights Commission to cases from 2009 while the MDC-T insists the period should start from 1980.
Zimbabweans are very disappointed with the conviction of human rights activist Munyaradzi Gwisai and 5 others for conspiracy to commit public violence after watching footage of Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings. For now, all that people can do is to hold church services hoping for their appeal and acquittal as well as the safe return of human rights activist Paul Chizuze who has been missing for almost six weeks.
The Voters Roll
Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede, a Mugabe ally in all elections since independence in 1980, recently claimed the voters' roll was 'perfect' and ruled-out rigging.
However, contrary to Mudede's assertion, research by R Johnson found that the Zimbabwe voters' roll was flawed. For example, as at 1st October 2010 there were 366,550 new voters who had not appeared on any previous roll and that there were 49.239 new voters over the age of 50.
The study also found that 16,033 of these new voters were over the age of 70 years, while 1,488 of them were over the age of 100; that some of the 228 new registered voters were actually small children; there were no less than 4,368 new voters over the age of 90 years and so on. Others have put the number of Zimbabwe's phantom voters at 2 million.
Security Sector Reforms
Robert Mugabe has described as 'nonsense' calls for security sector reforms arguing that there was nothing wrong with the security forces supporting his Zanu-PF party, despite that being unconstitutional.
To spite his critics, Mugabe instead promoted the notorious Three Infantry Brigadier General Douglas Nyikayaramba to Major-General, Air Commodore Michael Moyo to Air Viceâ€"Marshall and eight Colonels to the rank of Brigadier General ahead of elections.
By-elections
With over 20 parliamentary and senate vacancies, Robert Mugabe can be accused of blocking by-elections, despite a High Court order in the case of Lupane East, Nkayi South and Bulilima East because of uncertainly of Zanu-PF's electoral performance.
Furthermore, Mugabe may be not so keen on by-elections fearing that he may be bolstering the opposition forces in parliament and the senate in the event of an impeachment vote or key legislative reforms as outlined in the foregoing.
Media reforms
Media Minister Webster Shamu made a major contribution to preparations for elections by defying an ultimatum by principals to reform the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) and Mass Media Trust (MMT).
Leading by example
Although Zesa has denied that Robert and Grace Mugabe defaulted on their power bills to the tune of R3million, we will soon know if he is leading by example or by defaulting.
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Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, Political Analyst, London, zimanalysis2009@gmail.com
The British journalist may want to know that of the thousands of farms Mugabe seized from white commercial farmers his family owns 39 of them (see Timeslive, 31/07/11).
The real beneficiaries of the controversial indigenisation policy are Mugabe's loyalists who are assured of multi million dollar loans for buying shares in the likes of Zimplats and so on because villagers are simply being used as bait for demanding shares.
Miss Duval Smith may also want to know about Mugabe's role in the current stalemate.
Constitution outreach meetings were marred by politically motivated violence in various parts of Zimbabwe. For instance, in Mashonaland West, suspected Zanu-PF rowdy gangs disrupted Copac meetings in June 2010 sending rapporteurs packing in Mhangura's Sikona and Endeavour farming communities.
In Harare, thousands of Zanu-PF militia led brutal attacks on people in Mabvuku, Chitungwiza, Dzivarasekwa and Mbare where an MDC T Youth Assembly member was murdered at Mai Musodzi Hall.
Electoral Amendment Bill
A group of suspected Zanu-PF youths in October 2011 disrupted a public hearing into the Electoral Amendment Bill (EAB) which was being conducted at Mbuya Nehanda Hall in Marondera. The meeting which was supposed to mark the beginning of nationwide public consultations on the EAB scheduled to end in August 2011 had to be aborted.
Similar hearings into the bill were disrupted by Zanu-PF 'thugs' in Headlands, in Bulawayo, Kadoma and Mutare.
Human Rights Commission Bill
A rowdy mob of suspected Zanu-PF supporters in July 2011 disrupted public hearings into the Human Rights Commission Bill at Masvingo civic centre.
Zimbabweans are very disappointed with the conviction of human rights activist Munyaradzi Gwisai and 5 others for conspiracy to commit public violence after watching footage of Tunisian and Egyptian uprisings. For now, all that people can do is to hold church services hoping for their appeal and acquittal as well as the safe return of human rights activist Paul Chizuze who has been missing for almost six weeks.
The Voters Roll
Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede, a Mugabe ally in all elections since independence in 1980, recently claimed the voters' roll was 'perfect' and ruled-out rigging.
However, contrary to Mudede's assertion, research by R Johnson found that the Zimbabwe voters' roll was flawed. For example, as at 1st October 2010 there were 366,550 new voters who had not appeared on any previous roll and that there were 49.239 new voters over the age of 50.
The study also found that 16,033 of these new voters were over the age of 70 years, while 1,488 of them were over the age of 100; that some of the 228 new registered voters were actually small children; there were no less than 4,368 new voters over the age of 90 years and so on. Others have put the number of Zimbabwe's phantom voters at 2 million.
Security Sector Reforms
Robert Mugabe has described as 'nonsense' calls for security sector reforms arguing that there was nothing wrong with the security forces supporting his Zanu-PF party, despite that being unconstitutional.
To spite his critics, Mugabe instead promoted the notorious Three Infantry Brigadier General Douglas Nyikayaramba to Major-General, Air Commodore Michael Moyo to Air Viceâ€"Marshall and eight Colonels to the rank of Brigadier General ahead of elections.
By-elections
With over 20 parliamentary and senate vacancies, Robert Mugabe can be accused of blocking by-elections, despite a High Court order in the case of Lupane East, Nkayi South and Bulilima East because of uncertainly of Zanu-PF's electoral performance.
Furthermore, Mugabe may be not so keen on by-elections fearing that he may be bolstering the opposition forces in parliament and the senate in the event of an impeachment vote or key legislative reforms as outlined in the foregoing.
Media reforms
Media Minister Webster Shamu made a major contribution to preparations for elections by defying an ultimatum by principals to reform the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) and Mass Media Trust (MMT).
Leading by example
Although Zesa has denied that Robert and Grace Mugabe defaulted on their power bills to the tune of R3million, we will soon know if he is leading by example or by defaulting.
-----------------------
Clifford Chitupa Mashiri, Political Analyst, London, zimanalysis2009@gmail.com
Source - Clifford Chitupa Mashiri
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