DRAFT CONSTITUTION PERPETUATES RACISM-COLTART

EDUCATION minister David Coltart has dismissed the Copac-led draft constitution as racist, arguing the clause on land perpetuated racial discrimination.
Report by Pamela Mhlanga
Addressing residents during the MDC referendum publicity campaign meeting at Barham Green Hall in Bulawayo on Saturday, Coltart said the land provision discouraged foreign investors from doing business in Zimbabwe due to its “racist connotations”.
“According to the draft constitution, the clause on agricultural land in Section 288 that says all citizens, regardless of race, have a right to hold, occupy, use or dispose of agricultural land is well put and good, but the problem comes in Section 72 of the constitution,” he said.
Section 72 of the draft on the rights to agricultural land states that no compensation was payable in respect of the acquisition of land except for improvements, unless the agricultural land was acquired from an indigenous Zimbabwean.
It also states that with regard to the compulsory acquisition of agricultural land for resettlement, Zimbabweans were unjustifiably dispossessed of their land during colonialism, that they took up arms in order to regain their land and thus they must be enabled to reassert their rights and regain ownership of their land.
“The former colonial power, not the government of Zimbabwe, has an obligation to pay compensation for agricultural land compulsorily acquired for resettlement of people. This is a very unfortunate provision because any person of any race who wants to invest in the country is not given an opportunity to do so. It affects our ability for farming investment and deters foreign investors from investing in the country,” Coltart said.
He said the land tenure system was “unjust and unsustainable” as it was going to create a huge burden to Zimbabwe’s economy.
The Zanu PF-led government launched the fast track resettlement programme in 2000 ostensibly to address land ownership imbalances that were skewed in favour of minority whites.
At the time the resettlement programme was introduced, an estimated 4 500 white commercial farmers held 75% of prime agricultural land.
But some critics have disputed benefits derived from the land reform arguing that it had reduced the country from the region’s breadbasket to a basket case.
http://www.newsday.co.zw/2013/03/05/draft-constitution-perpetuates-racism-coltart/

ATTACK ON SIWELA DRAWS MTHWAKAZI FIRE

THE Mthwakazi Youth Joint Resolution (MYJR) on Tuesday defended Matabeleland Liberation Organisation leader Paul Siwela from the two MDCs who attacked him for saying the region’s political leaders in the government of national unity were traitors.
Report by Pamela Mhlanga
The organisation concurred with Siwela that Matabeleland was in shambles because it lacked competent political leaders.
On Monday, MDC and MDC-T parties attacked Siwela for calling Matabeleland politicians “traitors” who misled the electorate into accepting a half-baked draft constitution at the just ended referendum.
MYJR spokesperson Mqondisi Moyo yesterday said it was unfair for the MDCs to attack Siwela, whose statements they agreed with.
“We are disturbed by the political party leaders from Matabeleland who are not consistent when it comes to politics and the Matabeleland region at large. These are the kind of people who are only good at singing for their supper,” Moyo said.
Moyo added that allegations that Siwela was a confused politician who jumped from one political party to another in search of positions was meaningless as he was not the only one who had crossed floors in his political carrier.
MDC-T deputy national organising secretary Abednicho Bhebhe on Monday said Siwela was ignorant of constitutional matters and should thus shut up if he did not know what he was talking about.
MDC Bulawayo provincial spokesperson Edwin Ndlovu said Siwela was a confused politician who jumped from one political party to the other in search of positions to no avail.
“Matabeleland needs leaders who will come together and work together for a worthy cause instead of attacking each other as they are doing now,” Moyo said.
http://www.newsday.co.zw/2013/04/04/attack-on-siwela-draws-mthwakazi-fire/

BOGUS ZIPRA TAINTING OUR NAME

A FORMER Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZPRA) official on Saturday accused the suspected National Youth Service, popularly known as the Border Gezi youths, of allegedly masquerading as members of  ZPRA war veterans.
Pamela Mhlanga
The youths are reportedly harassing villagers ahead of harmonised elections.
The organisation said the youth strategy was discrediting and tainting the former liberation fighters in the eyes of the public.
Addressing Siyezi and Makoronga communities of Ward 33 during a meeting hosted by Friends of Zapu in Silobela in the Midlands yesterday, former ZPRA official Tonderayi Sithole alleged some members of Border Gezi youths were masquerading as ZPRA war veterans and harassing villagers.
“It is frustrating that after all the efforts by ZPRA war veterans to remove the fear factor that the public has regarding war veterans, there are some individuals, most of them from Border Gezi, who go about perpetrating violence and pretending they are us,” Sithole said.
Sithole added that ZPRA had principles that required members to co-operate with the masses and desist from any forms of violence on members of the public.
“We are striving to show the society that we are peace loving and that is what we have been advocating for, so that people integrate us back into the society,” Sithole added.
He urged the community to report to the police any individuals who harassed them using ex-ZPRA tags, especially towards elections, saying ZPRA war veterans did not believe in violence.
http://www.newsday.co.zw/2013/04/15/bogus-zpra-tainting-our-name-sithole/

MAKANDIWA FRENZY HITS CITY

MORE than 3 000 people packed the United Family International Church (UFIC) Centre in Bulawayo yesterday morning where the church’s founder Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa was expected to lead the Sunday service.
Report by Pamela Mhlanga
There were winding queues outside the centre along 15th Avenue as people jostled to enter the giant venue.
However, the thousands of people who had packed the centre that reportedly has a capacity of 3 000 people, were told by UFIC overseer Tinashe Zuva that the charismatic preacher had failed to make it for the service.
Zuva could not give reasons for Makandiwa’s no-show despite the fact he had held crusades at White City Stadium in the city on Friday and Saturday.
“Although father (Makandiwa) is not here in body, he is here in spirit and he is the one who will perform all these miracles through me,” the overseer said.
Zuva told the service that he had sat next to Makandiwa during the Friday and Saturday crusades and would perform miracles using the “anointing”.
“It is such an honour that I sat next to the man of God and I also had the privilege to receive his anointing, which is at work today,” he said.
When the NewsDay crew got to the centre at 9am, some people who said they had arrived an hour earlier were still struggling to make their way into the church.
One of the church leaders was instructing UFIC members who were already seated to give seats to visitors.
“I understand that he (Makandiwa) came on Thursday and has already conducted two of his crusades at White City Stadium on Friday and Saturday,” said a woman who preferred to remain anonymous.
“I came here at 08:30, but there are so many people in front of me such that I doubt if I will even get a chance to get inside the church as it would be already full.”
Zuva said Makandiwa was anointed by God to end poverty in Zimbabwe.
“Today you shall cross over from rags to riches, from poverty to riches, from pedestrians to motorists with the anointing of Makandiwa, which is in me today,” he said.
“Poverty is a demon and a curse. Your life must change for the best and you shall begin on a prosperous journey starting today.”
http://www.newsday.co.zw/2013/04/29/makandiwa-frenzy-hits-city/

TB DEATHS WORRY COUNCIL

ONE in 10 tuberculosis (TB) patients die in Bulawayo, a figure which the city council says is too high and a cause for concern.
Pamela Mhlanga, Own Correspondent
Addressing stakeholders during the Bulawayo World TB Day at the Barbourfields Training Grounds on Friday, the city council’s director of Health Services, Zanele Hwalima, said there was a constant need to create TB awareness in the province as it also contributed to several deaths.
“In 2011, 84% of our patients were treated successfully for TB, but there is always a need to reach the national target of 87%. So the 10% death rate in the city is disappointing,” she said.
Hwalima said it was disappointing that a number of people in the city were still succumbing to TB, which had led to the 10% death rate and the 2% rate of TB treatment failure in patients.
She, however, said there was hope as the 10% rate was a reduction from 13% death rate that was recorded in 2008.
Speaking during the same event, the Bulawayo provincial education director Dan Moyo said TB was a major health issue in Bulawayo city clinics, but despite all efforts to ensure patients completed their course of treatment, there has been the emergence of drug resistant TB that was extremely difficult and costly to treat.
“Drug resistant TB is the presence of bacilli resistant to one or more anti-Tuberculosis drugs and includes multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB,” he said.
“Drug-resistant TB is extremely difficult and costly to treat. The costs of treating MDR-TB can be several hundred times higher than costs for treating drug-susceptible TB.”
Moyo said although the cure of DR-TB was possible, it took 24 months of treatment with toxic drugs, some of which needed to be administered by injection.
“It is, therefore, important to ensure that all patients are diagnosed early and adhere to treatment the first time they are diagnosed with TB, to prevent development of DR-TB,” he added.
http://www.southerneye.co.zw/2013/06/03/tb-deaths-worry-council/

BULAWAYO COUNCIL SNUBS INVESTOR

THE Bulawayo City Council has turned down an organisation’s request to lease two factory shells at Kelvin North industrial area for purposes of wood furniture manufacturing.
Report by Pamela Mhlanga

According to the latest council minutes, Bright Hopes Co-operative had applied to the local authority requesting to lease two factory shells to set up a common facility centre with assistance from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), for all wood workers in Bulawayo.
The organisation said the move was expected to create employment opportunities for residents in the city.
“Bright Hopes Co-operative Society is kindly requesting for a workshop facility from the city council to assist its members in their operations,” the application read.
“The co-operative, with the assistance of the International Labour Organisation, wishes to set up a common facility centre for all wood workers in Bulawayo.”
The organisation said ILO would supply machinery, while the local authority will be expected to assist in providing workshops.
“The co-operative will be responsible for the payment of rentals,” the organisation said.
“We have identified two shops, number 40 and 42 from Phase I Kelvin North. These shops are ideal for such activities and are currently not allocated to anyone.”
However, the city council resolved that the application by Bright Hopes Co-operative must not be acceded to and recommended that the factory shells should be put to tender instead.
This was resolved after a council discussion where mixed feelings over the application had earlier on been reflected with the financial director Kempton Ndimande having no objections to the organisation’s request, as long as appropriate charges were levied on the factory shells.
Ward 14 councillor Phenias Ndlovu observed that the two factory shells at Kelvin North were vacant and council urgently required revenue.
Chamber secretary Sikhangele Zhou advised that factory shells were allocated through a tender system and as such this application could not be supported.
Deputy mayor Amen Mpofu noted that there was a directive on allocation of council premises.
“The recent announcement by the relevant ministry that the local authority could allocate vacant premises was not clear as no official letter had been received from the government,” he said.
In response to issues raised, a senior housing official explained that the applicant was seeking premises to operate from and had a willing donor that had already donated equipment.
http://www.southerneye.co.zw/2013/06/12/bulawayo-council-snubs-investor/

OBERT MPOFU UNDER FIRE

A ZAPU aspiring candidate for Umguza constituency has attacked Zanu PF politburo member Obert Mpofu, also MP for the area, accusing him of vote buying.
Pamela Mhlanga
Zapu southern regional co-ordinator Mark Mbayiwa alleged that Mpofu was not fit to be MP for Umguza constituency, claiming the Zanu PF legislator was out of touch with reality.
Mbayiwa charged that Mpofu, who has been holding rallies in and around Matabeleland North drumming up support for President Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF, was flaunting his riches in a desperate measure to woo voters. He said Mpofu was using his money and maize to lure supporters to vote for him.
“I agree that Obert Mpofu receives scores of people in his rallies, with some rallies having as many as 3 000 people attending, but who are those people? But that does not mean that thousands of people who attend his rallies actually support him,” Mbayiwa told Southern Eye yesterday.
“The majority would be coming for the maize only and the money that he always dishes out at his rallies.”
He added that Mpofu had a tendency of pretending to develop his area only towards election time so that people would support and vote for him.
“The state and general appearance of the area he is representing is worse with potholed roads and dilapidated infrastructure despite his presence as an MP,” Mbayiwa said. “The clinic where I was born in the area is in a terrible state with Mpofu always pretending to rehabilitate the mortuary only towards elections.”
Mbayiwa said the only thing that Mpofu had done, as far as development was concerned, was developing his “fancy” house.Contacted for comment yesterday, Mpofu told Southern Eye he was not moved by allegations raised by a “small party”.
“Vote-buying; what is wrong with that? I don’t think there is anything wrong with vote-buying as far as I am concerned, but how does one buy as many people as 3 000?” Mpofu quipped.
He said he was not worried about Mbayiwa’s accusations because they came from a “small party”.
http://www.southerneye.co.zw/2013/06/17/obert-mpofu-under-fire/