Opinion / Columnist
Was too busy to address you, Cdes
12 Feb 2015 at 08:26hrs | Views
CABINET FILES AND CZ's NOTEBOOK
Dear Cabinet and
Politburo members
This week I decided to bless myself with a short break. This has nothing whatsoever to do with the minor mishap that took place at the airport last week.
After the incident, my detractors - who were still smarting from their disappointment at my assumption of the all-powerful post of African Union (AU) chair - had a real field day. That is expected of all losers. They are notoriously mean-spirited.
In this case it is quite expected if one is to consider that these are the same people who have been wearing woebegone faces from losing hands down each and every battle against me for many years. To them, this was some small consolation. Small-minded minions of the devil!
Anyway, the truth of the matter is that there is nothing really out of the ordinary about the incident. If anything, it only confirms that I am just as human as everyone else. The only difference is that the Almighty has favoured me handsomely, maybe after realising what I could do for my own people, and possibly a better part of humanity as well.
The reason why I am not addressing you in full this week is that I have lots and lots of paperwork to go through … from AU documents to scrutinising the fine print in the dubious multi-million dollar deal contracts which those skunks in the West are trying to foist on us as part of their knee-jerk reaction to the multi-billion dollar deals we have just signed with our all-weather friends, the Chinese and the Russians. Who knows, these Europeans who, through their illegal sanctions regime, have shown in more than a practical way that they do not want to see us prospering could be offering us a poisoned chalice. We know that below the patina of those sunny diplomatic smiles, it is all boiling hatred.
Their sudden interest to support our Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation programme raises stink. Anyway, we will continue walking with our backs firmly to the walls and sleeping with one eye wide open!
Meanwhile, I laughed myself sick when someone brought an excerpt of a statement issued by Morgan's party - which already has one leg in the grave, and the other on a bar of soap - after he put his foot in the mouth for the millionth time at the weekend:
"The MDC-T is a social democratic party whose main ethos and principles are benchmarked on tolerance, love, empathy, peace and harmony. As a party of excellence, the MDC-T deeply values, respects and upholds fundamental and basic human rights particularly freedom of expression and freedom of association.
"We would like to put the record straight that president Morgan Tsvangirai has not banned party members from using social media such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter etc. President Morgan Tsvangirai is a champion of democracy and free speech and indeed; his track record as the country's most popular politician speaks for itself… blah, blah."
What we will see in this world!
Kindest Regards
Yours Sincerely
ME
… AND NOW TO THE NOTEBOOK
Law enforcement
This week most of the Zimbabwean media went into a frenzy about legal observation made by High Court judge Justice Francis Bere, to the effect that there is no law allowing the police to demand on-the-spot fines from motorists allegedly nabbed while driving on the wrong lane of the law, let alone a law that allows police officers to impound motor vehicles of these "offending" drivers.
This appeared to be news to many, but the truth of the matter is that this has always been the position. Dr CZ remembers that way back when this issue was repeatedly raised in Parliament and other fora, no government or specifically Home Affairs official, has ever been able to explain this unorthodox way of enforcing the law away.
In fact, all decently educated police officers know that what they have always done is not supported by any piece of legislation.
As late as November last year, the Zimbabwe Republic Police director of legal affairs, Senior Assistant Commissioner Benjamin Mhiripiri, actually confirmed in an interview with the Bulawayo-based Sunday News that the confiscation of driver's licences by traffic police officers was illegal as there was no law which empowered police officers to do so, while arbitrarily demanding spot fines from traffic offenders was unwarranted as motorists could be given the option to pay later at their nearest police station.
Snr Asst Commissioner Mhiripiri - obviously one of the most level-headed members of that force -pointed out that members of the public still had a right to demand Form 265, which enables traffic offenders to pay the imposed fine at the nearest police station within seven days, failure of which they would be liable to prosecution. The police pointed out that even though this Form 265 gives police headaches in following up on offenders, it still remains the duty of traffic officers to explain to the motoring public the available options before issuing out a ticket, as it is still the only lawful way of enforcing traffic laws.
Snr Asst Comm Mhiripiri said it was regrettable that some traffic police officers were abusing the system by demanding spot fines from traffic offenders, and detaining motorists who would have failed to pay the fines until they raised the required amount.
However, this country being the Zimbabwe that we have all gotten so used to, where laws not just written in sand, but are also applied so selectively as to leave one wondering why the laws exist in the first place, this celebrated lawlessness will continue unabated. Remember we are talking of a country where members of the security forces somehow think it is their right to ride free on any vehicle, public or private, even when they are going on a drinking spree!
Thankfully Dr CZ knows a little of his rights. The last time some over-zealous traffic cops demanded a spot fine from him at a checkpoint along Kirkman Road in Harare for some far-fetched traffic offences, Dr CZ told them that he had money on him, but not to give to them. He demanded this pesky Form 265 which they claimed did not exist (to some of the youngsters, they could have been saying this with foolish honesty since most of them joined the police force when spot fines were already the norm). Dr CZ insisted they find one, if they had any hope of getting him to pay the fine at some point, if at all. And they decided to be typical Zimbabwean cops, a carry-over from the colonial Black-Watcher force! So Yours Truly was detained.
But being the no easy pushover that he sometimes chooses to be, Dr CZ ignored them and their idle threats and started reading the juicy novel that he had on his dashboard. Then he fell asleep. The next thing another motorist who was driving in the direction of the city centre who had been asked to deliver Dr CZ's drivers' licence was waking him up. The roadblock had been moved a few hundred of metres down the road close to Sherwood turn-off.
Dr CZ cannot agree with the Honourable Justice Bere more. Zimbabweans should stand up for their rights and refuse to be unlawfully intimidated to unlawfully paying spot fines.
Bird
Meanwhile, Didymus Mutasa, the new bird in Zimbabwe, continues to entertain thoroughly bored Zimbos with his euphonious songs. There are some people who are beginning to like his tunes. Recently, he granted another fulsome interview… this time to a South African weekly with close Zimbabwean connections.
There goes part of the interview:
Q: Do you regret any policies during the time you were in government?
A: In a way, yes. We have taken away people's land and we are not making good use of those farms. When you see how many Zimbabweans are in South Africa, it's millions. What are they going there for? It's work. We draw up fantastic blueprints but with no money to achieve them. It makes me very sad.
I have always wondered about our "Look East" policy that confines Zimbabwe to Russia and China. You then see how faulty some of our policies are. You never think about them clearly and they are given to you in a memorandum and when you meet your Cabinet and politburo colleagues to discuss them, you are told there is no time and we move to other issues.
cznotebook@yahoo.co.uk
Dear Cabinet and
Politburo members
This week I decided to bless myself with a short break. This has nothing whatsoever to do with the minor mishap that took place at the airport last week.
After the incident, my detractors - who were still smarting from their disappointment at my assumption of the all-powerful post of African Union (AU) chair - had a real field day. That is expected of all losers. They are notoriously mean-spirited.
In this case it is quite expected if one is to consider that these are the same people who have been wearing woebegone faces from losing hands down each and every battle against me for many years. To them, this was some small consolation. Small-minded minions of the devil!
Anyway, the truth of the matter is that there is nothing really out of the ordinary about the incident. If anything, it only confirms that I am just as human as everyone else. The only difference is that the Almighty has favoured me handsomely, maybe after realising what I could do for my own people, and possibly a better part of humanity as well.
The reason why I am not addressing you in full this week is that I have lots and lots of paperwork to go through … from AU documents to scrutinising the fine print in the dubious multi-million dollar deal contracts which those skunks in the West are trying to foist on us as part of their knee-jerk reaction to the multi-billion dollar deals we have just signed with our all-weather friends, the Chinese and the Russians. Who knows, these Europeans who, through their illegal sanctions regime, have shown in more than a practical way that they do not want to see us prospering could be offering us a poisoned chalice. We know that below the patina of those sunny diplomatic smiles, it is all boiling hatred.
Their sudden interest to support our Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation programme raises stink. Anyway, we will continue walking with our backs firmly to the walls and sleeping with one eye wide open!
Meanwhile, I laughed myself sick when someone brought an excerpt of a statement issued by Morgan's party - which already has one leg in the grave, and the other on a bar of soap - after he put his foot in the mouth for the millionth time at the weekend:
"The MDC-T is a social democratic party whose main ethos and principles are benchmarked on tolerance, love, empathy, peace and harmony. As a party of excellence, the MDC-T deeply values, respects and upholds fundamental and basic human rights particularly freedom of expression and freedom of association.
"We would like to put the record straight that president Morgan Tsvangirai has not banned party members from using social media such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter etc. President Morgan Tsvangirai is a champion of democracy and free speech and indeed; his track record as the country's most popular politician speaks for itself… blah, blah."
What we will see in this world!
Kindest Regards
Yours Sincerely
ME
… AND NOW TO THE NOTEBOOK
This week most of the Zimbabwean media went into a frenzy about legal observation made by High Court judge Justice Francis Bere, to the effect that there is no law allowing the police to demand on-the-spot fines from motorists allegedly nabbed while driving on the wrong lane of the law, let alone a law that allows police officers to impound motor vehicles of these "offending" drivers.
This appeared to be news to many, but the truth of the matter is that this has always been the position. Dr CZ remembers that way back when this issue was repeatedly raised in Parliament and other fora, no government or specifically Home Affairs official, has ever been able to explain this unorthodox way of enforcing the law away.
In fact, all decently educated police officers know that what they have always done is not supported by any piece of legislation.
As late as November last year, the Zimbabwe Republic Police director of legal affairs, Senior Assistant Commissioner Benjamin Mhiripiri, actually confirmed in an interview with the Bulawayo-based Sunday News that the confiscation of driver's licences by traffic police officers was illegal as there was no law which empowered police officers to do so, while arbitrarily demanding spot fines from traffic offenders was unwarranted as motorists could be given the option to pay later at their nearest police station.
Snr Asst Commissioner Mhiripiri - obviously one of the most level-headed members of that force -pointed out that members of the public still had a right to demand Form 265, which enables traffic offenders to pay the imposed fine at the nearest police station within seven days, failure of which they would be liable to prosecution. The police pointed out that even though this Form 265 gives police headaches in following up on offenders, it still remains the duty of traffic officers to explain to the motoring public the available options before issuing out a ticket, as it is still the only lawful way of enforcing traffic laws.
Snr Asst Comm Mhiripiri said it was regrettable that some traffic police officers were abusing the system by demanding spot fines from traffic offenders, and detaining motorists who would have failed to pay the fines until they raised the required amount.
However, this country being the Zimbabwe that we have all gotten so used to, where laws not just written in sand, but are also applied so selectively as to leave one wondering why the laws exist in the first place, this celebrated lawlessness will continue unabated. Remember we are talking of a country where members of the security forces somehow think it is their right to ride free on any vehicle, public or private, even when they are going on a drinking spree!
Thankfully Dr CZ knows a little of his rights. The last time some over-zealous traffic cops demanded a spot fine from him at a checkpoint along Kirkman Road in Harare for some far-fetched traffic offences, Dr CZ told them that he had money on him, but not to give to them. He demanded this pesky Form 265 which they claimed did not exist (to some of the youngsters, they could have been saying this with foolish honesty since most of them joined the police force when spot fines were already the norm). Dr CZ insisted they find one, if they had any hope of getting him to pay the fine at some point, if at all. And they decided to be typical Zimbabwean cops, a carry-over from the colonial Black-Watcher force! So Yours Truly was detained.
But being the no easy pushover that he sometimes chooses to be, Dr CZ ignored them and their idle threats and started reading the juicy novel that he had on his dashboard. Then he fell asleep. The next thing another motorist who was driving in the direction of the city centre who had been asked to deliver Dr CZ's drivers' licence was waking him up. The roadblock had been moved a few hundred of metres down the road close to Sherwood turn-off.
Dr CZ cannot agree with the Honourable Justice Bere more. Zimbabweans should stand up for their rights and refuse to be unlawfully intimidated to unlawfully paying spot fines.
Bird
Meanwhile, Didymus Mutasa, the new bird in Zimbabwe, continues to entertain thoroughly bored Zimbos with his euphonious songs. There are some people who are beginning to like his tunes. Recently, he granted another fulsome interview… this time to a South African weekly with close Zimbabwean connections.
There goes part of the interview:
Q: Do you regret any policies during the time you were in government?
A: In a way, yes. We have taken away people's land and we are not making good use of those farms. When you see how many Zimbabweans are in South Africa, it's millions. What are they going there for? It's work. We draw up fantastic blueprints but with no money to achieve them. It makes me very sad.
I have always wondered about our "Look East" policy that confines Zimbabwe to Russia and China. You then see how faulty some of our policies are. You never think about them clearly and they are given to you in a memorandum and when you meet your Cabinet and politburo colleagues to discuss them, you are told there is no time and we move to other issues.
cznotebook@yahoo.co.uk
Source - fingaz
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