Mandebvhu Talks “Zimbabwe”…

In a fresh twist to the suspended Attorney-General (AG) Sobusa Gula-Ndebele saga, police have widened their investigations and are weighing the possibility of pressing obstruction of justice charges against Retired Army General Solomon Mujuru for allegedly shielding banker, James Mushore. The Financial Gazette established this week that the police might level allegations against Mujuru for using his political clout to shield Mushore from the law, in a development widely seen as part of the intense factional fighting within ZANU PF in the battle to succeed President Robert Mugabe when he leaves office. Whereas previously the police levelled allegations of misconduct against Gula-Ndebele over the former NMBZ Holdings deputy managing director, it has been established that the investigating officer, Alison Nyamupaguma, now claims that at one point the AG and Mujuru met Mushore together and that the retired army general had vowed that the astute banker would not be prosecuted even though he was on the police wanted list.

Mushore, on bail on allegations of flouting exchange control regulations and breaching immigration laws, was arrested in October last year after spending close to three years in self-imposed exile in the United Kingdom. In November, police quizzed Gula-Ndebele for meeting the former NMBZ director, and a close associate of Mujuru, who was on a police wanted list, at a Harare restaurant. President Mugabe subsequently suspended the AG in December to pave the way for an inquiry chaired by High Court judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu. Justice Bharat Patel has since been appointed acting AG. Nyamupaguma, who is currently working on other cases in Bulawayo, is expected to testify against Gula-Ndebele during a probe by a tribunal led by Justice Bhunu, which began on Monday. Sources said chief law officers Joseph Jagada and Florence Ziyambi and the new deputy AG in charge of legal drafting, Nelson Dias, among others, would be called as witnesses.

Gula-Ndebele has acknowledged meeting Mushore during lunch, but said this was purely “by chance” and the meeting did not last more than a minute. He also denied giving Mushore any form of assurance although he did not say whether the banker was alone or in whose company he was. Police national spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena yesterday professed ignorance over the Mujuru link. Bvudzijena said: “I am not aware of that. It (investigations) only concerns Gula-Ndebele. We are investigating his (Gula-Ndebele) conduct in relation to Mushore and I don’t know where (Retired) General Mujuru comes in.” Sources however, said the obstruction of justice charges against Mujuru, who together with the late Josiah Tongogara led the Zanla forces when President Mugabe languished in prison for 10 years from 1964 to 1974, could be viewed as part of the war of attrition against the former legislator for Chikomba. Widely seen as the kingmaker in ZANU PF’s succession politics, Mujuru left government in 1995. The “Mujuru camp” is linked to attempts to block President Mugabe from seeking a fresh mandate at the ruling party congress held in December. President Mugabe was however, endorsed unanimously.

It remains to be seen how Mujuru, who sits in ZANU PF’s supreme-decision-making body, the politburo, could be dragged into the imbroglio and whether the allegations would stick. Efforts to get a comment from Mujuru were fruitless. The infighting in Zanu PF has spilled into the AG’s office, with rival ruling party factions vying to control the department. The tensions have resulted in some recently appointed top officers being accused of corruption. A complaint seen by The Financial Gazette, lodged with the Presidency, accuses newly appointed Deputy AG Johannes Tomana of allegedly resolving that a Harare lawyer, Puwayi Chiutsi would be prosecuted only to backtrack for no reasonable grounds. The document also says the Harare Messenger of Court Smart Moyo should be investigated for misconduct. The complainant, one Jean Sano, confirmed in an interview on Tuesday that he had lodged the complaint. He was yet to get a response. Sources said the complaint was another aspect of the factional fight for the control of the AG’s office. This week the tribunal investigating the AG deferred proceedings to tomorrow. The matter will be held in camera in line with directives issued by President Mugabe.

The leading figures involved in this feud, Gula Ndebele and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa are said to belong to rival factions within the ruling party. In 2006, Chinamasa was charged by obstructing the course of justice by attempting to block the prosecution of ZANU PF supporters who were accused of political violence. He was acquitted. Last year, the police linked Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Rural Housing and Social Amenities Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa and the alleged leader of the other political camp in Zanu PF, to a plot to overthrow President Robert Mugabe’s government. “The other faction is now hitting back. It is now survival of the fittest,” a source said. It has emerged that the head of state suspended Gula-Ndebele after he had made recommendations to Cabinet following deliberations that took place late last year. The AG, who is an ex-officio member of both Parliament and Cabinet, was absent during these deliberations. Sources this week said at the Cabinet meeting, some expressed the view that Gula- Ndebele did not have a case to answer, but members of the rival faction drowned their voices.

(Source)

On a personal note, Nelson Dias was a couple of years ahead of me at school and his parents’ house was diagonally opposite my parents’ house in Greendale in Harare.

RE

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I consider myself a progressive human being and a good citizen. I grew up going to church. Although I may not necessarily be labelled a “good Christian,” I do believe in the value of some moral and Christian standards.

In that way, I believe in forgiveness, we all do wrong and need to be forgiven at some point, but we should never lose the lesson in the process.

This concerns one Zimbabwean citizen, Jonathan Moyo, PhD, a distinguished professor of political science turned politician.

I see the opposition is trying to bring together all anti-Mugabe people under a united front for election purposes. Please do, because it is all necessary, but I write to cry that please don’t include Jonathan Moyo. Hell, No!

I have nothing personal against him as a person, but I can’t forget what he did to us.

1) Who could have known that in Zimbabwe, state media could become so polarized, so propaganda spewing to the extent of rivalling the Soviet Pravda?

2) Who could have thought that ZTV could be so anti-people, pro-ruling party and predictably monotonous? ZANU PF is not a democratic party, never was. But they had some elementary pretence to democracy that they even let state papers expose some government scandals, until Jonathan came onto the show.

3) Here is a man who showed Mugabe how to control what citizens hear, think or see.

4) A man who hated democracy to the extent of bombing the Daily News! And then tried to close all independent papers, introduced Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act under the draconian Public order and security act and later brought Tafatawona Mahoso and company into a phony organization called MIC.

5) Now he wants to join hands with everyone to see ZANU PF out? Excuse me? He was a chief persecutor of the opposition, now he wants to be an ardent or zealous opponent of the former!

6) He is an educated fellow, very learned, full of double standards, hypocrisy and very stupid too! FYI, Jonathan Moyo does not disagree with ZANU PF in any way; he just failed to get what he wanted from it. For him to be given another chance through the opposition is like forgiving the now late, notorious robbers Chidhumo & Masendeke, who dramatically escaped from lawful custody, then employ them as prison officers at the same Chikurubi Maximum Prison because they know ‘prison issues’, no matter from what different angle. Hell no!!

7) “Jonho” tried to decimate the opposition when he was in power, now he wants not only forgiveness, but a platform to resuscitate his political fortunes from. He was the brains behind Mugabe’s 2002 controversial win, so let him go back there. If he is not wanted, it is not MDC’s responsibility to bail the man out. We may have forgiven him, but we will never forget! The guy is not as bad as you think, he is far worse. The opposition should be careful who it invites to this coalition, because they may lose a lot of public confidence. Do they want to challenge Mugabe on principle, or are they just another power hungry gang who want to use any avenue available to get into power? It becomes difficult to trust such people. Look at what Kibaki has just done.

Chinjai Maitiro enyu aya!!!

Masola Wadabudabu.

(Source)

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Government is mooting plans to hold special Lower and Upper House of Assembly sittings on open ground or hire extra space from nearby buildings as the current Parliament of Zimbabwe building is too small to accommodate the larger number of legislators expected after the March harmonised polls. In an exclusive interview in Vumba last week, the Clerk of the Parliament of Zimbabwe, Mr Austin Zvoma, said the increase in the number of parliamentarians in the Lower and Upper Houses from the current 150 to 210 and 66 to 93 respectively, presented serious challenges in various ways. “We might have to consider having special sessions outside the building, but that is the prerogative of the President (Mugabe) obviously advised by the parliamentary authorities like the President of the Senate to address the practical reality. In terms of the Constitution he (President Mugabe) determines where Parliament sits and so on those occasions, it may be possible to look at facilities outside Parliament.

“The real problem that is more than the plenary session of the two Houses separately is the facilities for committee meetings. There we have a serious problem because this is where most of the work of Parliament is done. The reforms meetings will be open and so it means we have serious constraints.” Both formations of the opposition MDC endorsed unanimously the Constitution Amendment Number 18 Act, that ushered in a number of changes, among them the increase of MPs in the Lower House from 130 contested ones to 210 and 66 senators to 93, among an array of other amendments to the country’s electoral systems. Mr Zvoma said that the major problems come on the official opening of Parliament and other events such as the State of the Nation address by the head of Government (President Mugabe) and during Budget presentations.

“That is when we have maximum attendance and also some other days when there will be some important debate in the House of Assembly. But since these ones are exceptions, they do not constitute a general pattern of attendance, so we are not really worried by that temporary problem until the new building (parliament) is completed. Quizzed on what was going to happen as the current House of Assembly was too small for such a huge figure added to scores of Zimbabweans who throng the House during special events, Mr Zvoma said a number of options were in place. Said Mr Zvoma: “This is another challenge we have to find ways of addressing and one possible way is of looking at renting other buildings near Parliament if they are available. The building of a new parliament is not something for the long-term future; it is, in fact, starting this year. “The building contractor is already on site and in the 2008 Budget, the funds were allocated. They might not be adequate for the first phase, but the projection is that as long as the resources are available, the project should take between two and half to three years. It might take longer because it is a big project.”

(Source)

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The police are investigating how three senior ZANU PF officials swindled $10 billion intended for a women’s project in Mashonaland East province. They are Mudzi West legislator Aqualinah Katsande, Zanu PF chairperson of Goromonzi district, Keresenzia Nyakudya and Biata Nyamupinga, an aspiring candidate for Mashonaland East province. She is the wife of Zimbabwe’s deputy ambassador to Australia, Felix Nyamupinga. The trio were arrested last week at a restaurant in The Avenues in Harare but released after a few hours. Police spokesperson, senior assistant commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena initially said he would look into the matter. But by the time of going to the press, efforts to contact him again were futile. But a senior policeman in the Serious Fraud Squad section who requested anonymity confirmed the arrests. It is alleged that after the ZANU PF congress last month, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe gave $10 billion to each province for women’s projects.

The Mashonaland East province’s money was deposited into a CBZ account under the Mashonaland East Women’s league. It is alleged that these three women would then use the party’s name and influence to withdraw cash from the bank. The money would then be used to buy foreign currency on the black-market. Their base of operation was Nyamupinga’s clothes shop called Pretty Fashions in the Central Business District. The women were arrested following a tip-off to the police. Katsande and Nyamupinga refused to be interviewed on the case, but a sales representative at Pretty Fashions confirmed the police had searched the shop but had not found any money. The matter was reported to the Minister Without Portfolio Elliot Manyika and RBZ Governor Gideon Gono. Efforts to get comments from the two were fruitless. “We have sent some boys to Mash East province and all I can say is there is progress being done and we are in the right track,” said a police source. The three are believed to be close to the Vice President Joyce Mujuru.

(Source)

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The controversial British property tycoon Nicholas van Hoogstraten has been arrested by police in Zimbabwe amid allegations that he violated the country’s strict currency laws.

Officers say they found large amounts of cash and some pornographic material – reported to be pictures of Hoogstraten, 62, and a 22-year-old woman – during a raid on his home in the capital, Harare.

The move against Hoogstraten – one of the few white land owners to be spared during Zimbabwe’s land reform purge – suggests strains in his close relationship with Robert Mugabe, the country’s president.

An investor in Zimbabwe, Hoogstraten has bankrolled Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party.

The police investigation is believed to relate to the 200 residential and business properties that he owns in Zimbabwe.

Police officers went to his mansion in the Emerald Hill suburb of Harare on Thursday evening and questioned him about allegations that he was charging rents in a foreign currency.

Zimbabwean law prohibits the use of foreign cash to buy local goods and services in an attempt to protect its currency, which has been severely weakened by hyperinflation.

Later Hoogstraten was paraded on state television holding large amounts of cash. It was reported that US$35,000 (£17,600) had been found at his home, as well as small amounts of sterling and South African rand.

He also allegedly had 20 billion Zimbabwe dollars, worth just £2,000 on the black market. A shortage of currency has plagued the country since October last year. It is blamed by the central bank chief on “cash barons” who hoard Zimbabwe dollars to exchange them for foreign currency.

The property tycoon has a number of convictions in Britain. Two years ago a high court judge ruled that he was responsible for the murder of a business rival.

Wayne Bvudzijena, an assistant police commissioner, said on Friday: “Hoogstraten’s arrest… follows reports received by the police that he was charging his tenants in foreign currency.”

Bvudzijena said: “[Hoogstraten] is being charged under the Exchange Control Regulations for charging a service and dealing in foreign currency.” The offences carry the penalty of a fine and forfeiture of cash.

The commissioner said the tycoon also faced possible charges under the censorship act relating to the pornographic material found in his home.

A spokesman for Hoogstraten said that he was held in high regard by Zimbabwean officials and expects the matter to blow over quickly.

He added: “It is extremely unlikely that there would be any substance to reports that pornography was found in his home.”

(Source)

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Former Zimbabwe-Rhodesia Prime Minister Bishop Abel Muzorewa is at the centre of a legal wrangle after taking over a farm belonging to a white farmer in Mutare. Muzorewa moved onto Cavalla Farm 4 months ago, despite the fact that Lodewyk Van Rensburg bought the farm in 1989, nine years after independence. The Bishop who led the country in 1979 under a short-lived coalition government with Ian Smith is said to have produced an offer letter from State Security and Land Resettlement Minister Didymus Mutasa. This is despite Vice President Joseph Msika ordering the cancellation of all offer letters issued after January 2007. Reports say at least 75 farm workers at Cavalla Farm have already lost their jobs to make way for the bishop and his people. The farm owner Van Rensburg, who is said to be a devout Christian, voluntarily gave up 700 hectares of the 1200-hectare farm for redistribution some six years ago.

He told the UK Daily Mail that ‘ultimately the Lord will judge what has happened. But it does make a mockery of his position as a man of the cloth.’ Muzorewa meanwhile remained defiant saying he just wanted to have land which was taken from his forefathers without compensation. He called his action ‘a correction of injustice.’ The matter is set to go to court in February. Van Rensburg’s lawyers have already written to the police seeking Muzorewa’s eviction but so far nothing has happened. The offer letter to Muzorewa is peculiar in that he was once the sworn enemy of Zanu PF during the liberation struggle. Zanu PF slogans at the time referred to him as a ‘puppet’ for colluding with the white regime of Ian Smith. That same ‘puppet’ is now grabbing white owned land with the assistance of Mugabe’s government.

Journalist, actor and writer Norman Madawo has described Muzorewa’s actions as ‘satanic’. Madawo who recently launched his book ‘White Farmer-Black Warrior: A friendship out of tune’ said it was wrong for Muzorewa to hide behind the excuse of correcting a historical injustice. ‘You cannot solve one injustice by creating another. All this means is that the next government will have to reverse whatever is being done now,’ he said. Madawo said the media hardly highlight the plight of farm workers who are the most affected by the upheavals. This he says drove him to write his book and explore the motivations for the land reform exercise, the relationships between white farmers and their workers among other things.

(Source)

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ZANU PF political heavyweight Dumiso Dabengwa, now emerging as the main dissenting voice, on Wednesday confronted President Robert Mugabe at the party’s heated politburo meeting over war veterans leader Jabulani Sibanda’s controversial activities. The meeting also witnessed an attack by retired army commander General Solomon Mujuru on Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono over his remarks last month that ZANU PF chefs were corrupt. Gono was also attacked at the ZANU PF Youth League meeting last week, although the league’s leader Absalom Sikhosana assured him of support this week. There was a wrangle between senior officials Simba Makoni and Elliot Manyika over the party’s election manifesto, sources said. However, the sources said, it was the Sibanda saga which caused a stir. The issue drew the battle lines between Mugabe and Dabengwa who has of late been defiant against his party leader. Dabengwa was supported by Mugabe’s deputy Joseph Msika, party chair John Nkomo, and other former PF ZAPU leaders. Ex-ZAPU officials also fought from the same corner on the Sibanda conflict at a politburo meeting on October 24 last year. Msika and Nkomo last month almost walked out of the ZANU PF congress over the issue, causing chaos at the meeting. Msika had reportedly told Mugabe that the Sibanda issue was his “rubbish”. Dabengwa has upped the ante in the intensifying ZANU PF power struggle by creating ructions in meetings. This has raised speculation that he wants to challenge Mugabe for the leadership. It was also said Dabengwa was positioning himself to take on Mugabe on a different political platform if his fight from inside fails. Reliable politburo sources said Dabengewa, jailed by Mugabe’s regime from 1982-87 despite acquittal over unsubstantiated treason charges, frontally tackled his boss over Sibanda’s continued political manoeuvres.

“Dabengwa confronted the president in the meeting by firing a question, saying ‘Mugabe, what’s happening? Jabulani Sibanda is wreaking havoc and is destroying the party,” a source said. “He went on to aggressively deal with the matter in great detail.” Dabengwa spent the whole of last year challenging Mugabe internally. At a politburo meeting on November 28, ahead of the party’s extraordinary congress last month, Dabengwa questioned the way Mugabe was being endorsed as the party’s presidential candidate. He told the party’s legal affairs secretary Emmerson Mnangagwa that he was acting unconstitutionally in pushing that agenda. But Mnangagwa defended his action, claiming it was lawful. However, Dabengwa’s complaints triggered protests at the congress that Mugabe was unconstitutionally and unprocedurally endorsed. This view still holds sway in the party.

Inside sources said that Mujuru attacked Gono over his remarks at the ZANU PF congress that party officials were corrupt. Mujuru complained that Gono’s remarks that senior party officials were “thieves” were unacceptable and demanded action should be taken against him, it was said. Contacted for comment, Gono said reports of an attack on him by Mujuru were unfounded. “Those are laboratory-type lies that seek to misinform the public and generate unnecessary and non-existent conflicts between the governor and the supreme body of the ruling party,” Gono said. “I’m tired of these epidemic theories of conspiracies, lies and deceptions.”

(Source)

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Many of you don’t know me from Adam, but I have been writing on the internet for about 3 years.

For my sins, I run “The Bearded Man“, “Messages From Zimbabwe” and also produce a weekly podcast “ZNU Podcast” (in the right hand side bar of my main blog).

Thanks to Gordon for the invite to start some writings here, and my intention is to not duplicate the work I do elsewhere, but to hopefully bring an entirely new focus on the problems in Zimbabwe.

I write to spread the word, not for personal notoriety, and sincerely hope that you will make this page one that you regularly visit.

Hopefully it won’t take me long to get into the swing of things.

Take care.

‘debvhu

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