ZIMBABWE CRISIS REPORTS

Issue 17 ■ November 2007 Fresh insights into the Zimbabwean situation

ZANU-PF LEADERSHIP DIVISIONS MOUNT

Growing evidence of split in ruling party over its candidate for presidential election next year.

By Jacob Nhlanhla in Bulawayo

With ZANU-PF stalwarts distancing themselves from the intensive campaign by war veterans to ensure President Robert Mugabe holds onto power, all is clearly not well in the ruling party, say analysts.

The signs of division within the party over who should govern Zimbabwe come just two months

before ZANU-PF meets to choose its Lazele Credit: presidential candidate for what many War veterans march through the streets of Harare in support of President Robert here see as a watershed poll next year. Mugabe. Picture taken September 1.

The veteran president turns 84 next The war veterans, erstwhile heroes of Since 2000, when the expropriation of February, and has already indicated Zimbabwe’s 1970s war of liberation, white-owned commercial farms he is ready to stand for another term are already planning what they have intensified, the war veterans have despite being in power since 1980 termed the “million-man march” in been Mugabe’s most vociferous and and presiding over the collapse of the support of Mugabe staying on in violent supporters. Their support has country’s once-model economy. He is power. become even more vocal in the wake one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders. of public spats within the ruling party’s

NEWS IN BRIEF

■ A decision to dissolve the ■ The head of the government’s ■ Water and infrastructure minister women’s assembly of the Movement price commission, Goodwills Munacho Mutezo announced on for Democratic Change faction led by Masimirembwa, has warned that October 26 that water rates in the Morgan Tsvangirai continued to cause companies will face prosecution if they capital Harare will go up significantly internal strife and considerable public are caught using the black market to following an increase in the cost of acrimony. Assembly leader Lucia buy scarce foreign currency as a way of water-treatment chemicals. He said Matibenga refused to accept her financing their imports, Reuters news the national water company had no dismissal, and took the matter to agency reported, quoting local media. choice but to raise its prices, The court last week, after which the MDC Herald reported. held a congress of female members ■ After his summer onslaught on to decide who should be leader. inflation which resulted in price cuts ■ The last British Airways flight left Following rowdy scenes at the and — inadvertently — widespread Harare on October 28. BA was the last weekend meeting, Theresa Makone, shortages of basic commodities, long-haul carrier running flights to the wife of Tsvangirai advisor Ian President Robert Mugabe has Zimbabwe, but demand has collapsed Makone, was picked as the new launched an attack on a recent round as the political and economic women’s assembly leader. of price hikes, the International situation deteriorates further. Herald Tribune reported.

NOVEMBER 2007 ■ 1 THE INSTITUTE FOR WAR AND PEACE REPORTING ranks over who will take the party to leader who forged the Unity Accord supporting Mugabe, without... letting the next generation. with Mugabe in 1987 and became the party congress decide the party’s Zimbabwean vice-president until his [presidential] candidate.” The Zimbabwe National Liberation War death in 1999. Veterans Association, ZINLWA — a It is generally believed that ZANU-PF belligerent force that has been In another sign that Sibanda has members who formerly led ZAPU are incorporated by the authorities into an estranged Mugabe from his erstwhile fed up with Mugabe and would rather official reserve army — began staging comrades from ZAPU, these see another leader selected by the marches across the country two Matebeleland politicians have reportedly party’s December congress. The months ago, campaigning for Mugabe sought an audience with Mugabe “to indications are that they support the as sole ZANU-PF candidate. remind him of the Unity Accord”. faction led by retired army commander General Solomon Mujuru in the internal The leader of the war veterans, Mugabe increasingly seems to be ZANU-PF power struggle. Jabulani Sibanda, was suspended sidelining the former ZAPU members from ZANU-PF after his alleged whom he sees as an obstacle to his Mugabe says he is going to stand participation in an attempted 2004 ambition to be the country’s life because he does not want the party to palace coup to oust Mugabe. president. become divided over the succession However, he says he has now returned issue. Yet the nationwide marches to the party fold. seeking to impose him as the “The war veterans [are] candidate for next year’s polls appear When the veterans this month took throwing their weight to be achieving just that. their march to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s behind Mugabe when second largest city, deep cracks within everybody else seems to “This is just what the country does not the ruling party emerged. need,” said a Jesuit priest who is a see the future of the close observer of the political scene. Situated in the heart of Matabeleland, country without him” — Bulawayo is home to former members political commentator. “If only people were left to choose of ZAPU, the Zimbabwe African their leaders, the marches [by war People’s Union. ZAPU was crushed by veterans] would not have any Mugabe’s military in the 1980s and its Though officials have tried to play relevance. But then Zimbabwe offers remnants swallowed up by ZANU-PF down these reports, some Bulawayo- many bad examples of how war in the 1987 Unity Accord. based war veterans have reportedly veterans have been empowered by been asking how Sibanda can lead politicians who seek to pursue power When Sibanda took his campaign to marches in support of Mugabe if he for power’s sake.” Bulawayo, local ZANU-PF was expelled from ZANU-PF. heavyweights would have been Zimbabwe’s war veterans have in the expected to rally behind him in this These differences have arisen against past been accused of fomenting stronghold of the Movement of the backdrop of efforts by the political violence ahead of elections, Democratic Change, MDC. However, Southern African Development and their endorsement of Mugabe former ZAPU stalwarts ignored him. Community to broker a resolution to ahead of the ruling party’s congress the troubled nation’s crisis. this December points to the possibility Zimbabwean vice-president Joseph of another election marred by violence. Msika, once a ZAPU member, has Analysts insist the war veterans’ pro- distanced himself from the veteran’s Mugabe campaign is further Already, human rights organisations say marches and is one of several obstructing the negotiations between they have recorded an escalation in politicians to have criticised Sibanda’s ZANU-PF and the MDC, in which the politically-motivated violence over recent involvement in the pro-Mugabe president’s departure is already a months. One faction of the divided MDC campaign, although he still insists he sticking-point. has already indicated it could be pulling is behind the president himself. out of the South Africa-mediated talks “We are in for a long wait in the solving with ZANU-PF if state-sponsored “Sibanda was expelled from the party of the crisis, with the war veterans violence is not stopped. a long time ago. He has no mandate throwing their weight behind Mugabe to campaign for the party or its when everybody else seems to see Observers say that if war veterans can president. He has to stop,” said Msika the future of the country without him,” browbeat party officials as they did in in early October after Sibanda led the a Bulawayo-based political Bulawayo, the average voter will be at Bulawayo march in support of commentator told IWPR. their mercy as they press for Mugabe’s Mugabe. re-election. “The divisions rocking ZANU-PF do Msika is said to have been a confidant not point to any reforms as long as the Jacob Nhlanhla is the pseudonym of of the late Joshua Nkomo, the ZAPU war veterans march across the country an IWPR journalist in Zimbabwe. ■

2 ■ ISSUE 17 ZIMBABWE CRISIS REPORTS MDC RIVEN BY NEW DIVISIONS

As elections draw closer, the already divided opposition is stricken with internal strife.

By Joseph Sithole in Harare

October has not been a good month for Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, in the last couple of years.

In October 2005 the party split into warring entities, while this month two key groupings within the larger of the two factions have been dissolved under controversial circumstances. Credit: Lazele Credit: The Movement for Democratic MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai at a rally held in a high-density suburb of Harare. Change, MDC, has also spent the Picture taken July 7. month dealing with the fallout from its controversial decision to back constitutional amendments that, Both factions have since tried to damp But even as attempts are made to heal among other things, allow President down their differences as they the rifts and form a united front, the Robert Mugabe to effectively hand- confronted an increasingly violent Tsvangirai-led MDC has become pick his successor. Mugabe administration, but in embroiled in two internal conflicts of its September they jointly incurred the own that could be leading to a messy wrath of their opposition allies when implosion. they took a tactical decision to back the Both MDC factions incurred constitutional bill, which went through the wrath of their civil both houses of parliament unopposed. MDC women’s assembly society allies by voting and British branch both They are still struggling to mend the rift with ZANU-PF to get with their main civic society partners dissolved amid controversy. constitutional amendments within the Save Zimbabwe Campaign, through parliament. which accuse them of selling out. At a recent meeting in Bulawayo, non- government groups voted to reject the On October 10, the faction’s influential amendments and continue pressing for women’s assembly led by Lucia The MDC split in October 2005 badly an all-new constitution. Matibenga was dissolved by the weakened the party in its fight against MDC’s standing committee, on the the ruling ZANU-PF. The bigger grounds of poor performance. faction, led by Morgan Tsvangirai, decided to boycott an election for the Morgan Tsvangirai’s faction “With the MDC’s attack on its women’s Senate, or upper house of parliament, of the MDC could be league, we are relegated once again fearing that the institution — newly heading for implosion. to a second-class citizen position,” reconstituted after a eight-year lapse said Grace Kwinjeh, one of the senior — would simply be stuffed with leaders of the dissolved women’s supporters of President Robert assembly. Mugabe. The MDC factions need to draw a line under this issue and start working Matibenga disputed the legality of the The other MDC, which took part in the towards crucial presidential and move and took the matter to Senate vote, is now led by Arthur parliamentary elections in March next Zimbabwe’s High Court, which Mutambara. year. ordered the party to hold a congress

NOVEMBER 2007 ■ 3 THE INSTITUTE FOR WAR AND PEACE REPORTING

the constitutional processes at this critical time would have been remiss,” he said. “He is fully aware of the constitutional requirements, hence he has already called for fresh elections this week. Those who have been suspended are free to contest,” he said.

A political analyst in Harare said the internal strife and the accompanying allegations reflected badly on Tsvangirai’s leadership skills.

“It doesn’t augur well for a person who is fighting what is generally regarded as a dictator to be constantly accused of ignoring party rules and regulations. It gives you an ominous Credit: Lazele Credit: picture of the future when such a Lucia Matibenga, the ousted chairperson of the MDC’s women assembly. Picture person wields real state power,” said taken October 31. the analyst, who did not want to be identified. of its female members to decide make way for friends and relatives of whether the assembly should be senior party leaders. He suggested the lack of unity and dissolved. public conflict was bad news at a time when the MDC should really be MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti focusing all its efforts on the rejected claims of unfair treatment, Opposition members elections. saying the party had run an internal “appear keener to destroy inquiry into “disharmony” in the body themselves than face ZANU- “Tsvangirai keeps shooting himself in and had acted on the basis of most of the foot,” he said. “The party is already the evidence it had gathered. The PF head on as a united too weak to pose a serious threat to decision did not reflect “patriarchy, party” — analyst. ZANU-PF in next year’s election, and chauvinism or contempt of the feminist he provokes a new storm in the party movement”, he said, in remarks when civic society partners are quoted by the London-based SW already ambivalent about his ability to Radio Africa. lead. “What happened today among Zimbabweans here is an assault on “Zimbabweans have been both democracy and human rights. MDC is “already too weak deprived of a right to Once again, Zimbabweans have been to pose a serious threat to choose their leaders” — deprived of a right to choose their leaders,” said Tapa the day he was ZANU-PF in next year’s Ephraim Tapa, ousted as removed. “The MDC... can never take election” — political head of MDC’s British us to the freedom that we are craving analyst. branch. as Zimbabweans. The freedom I am talking about is the right to make decisions on who should lead us.” Meanwhile, the Tsvangirai-led MDC “The MDC is being forced to fight on branch for Britain and Ireland, led by However, a senior party official, who too many fronts, when it should be Ephraim Tapa, was dissolved on declined to be named, defended mobilising the limited resources it has October 13 at a meeting presided over Tsvangirai. He said they had for the big fight against ZANU-PF. I by MDC national chairman, Lovemore information that the party had been don’t know what will happen next year, Moyo. infiltrated by the Zimbabwean security but they appear keener to destroy services — “hence the need to move themselves than face ZANU-PF head Both disputes have stirred up furious with speed”. on as a united party.” infighting, with accusations of wrongdoing on both sides, and claims “This is a very sensitive issue, and for Joseph Sithole is the pseudonym of a that people are being pushed out to the president [Tsvangirai] to follow all reporter in Harare. ■

4 ■ ISSUE 17 ZIMBABWE CRISIS REPORTS GOVERNMENT POLICIES BACKFIRE TIME AND AGAIN

No let-up in directives that alienate and demoralise the population.

By Hativagone Mushonga in Harare

The ZANU-PF-led government appears to be shooting itself in the foot with the policies it has implemented in the last few months. In addition to continuing farm seizures, these include the imposition of an import duty — payable in foreign currency — for items including clothing, footwear and electrical goods, thereby cutting the source of livelihood for cross-border traders; and the price slash in July that Lazele Credit: Shopper in a Harare supermarket looks at the price of soap, now a costly item. resulted in empty supermarket shelves, Picture taken October 31. job losses, company closures and the arrests of company executives.

Some commodities are slowly starting “You tell me where we are now,” said ZWD for their water bills, despite the to re-appear in the shops, but at Chanakira. “I have never felt so supply being erratic. The government unaffordable prices for ordinary helpless in my life and I never thought has approved high water tariffs — a Zimbabweans, whose salaries had I would be forced to go hungry — this rise of between 3,000 and 8,000 per also been frozen through a is not the reason why I went to school cent, depending on the area. At the government directive. The prices of and university. When is change going same time, several suburbs of the some items have now gone up by as to come?” capital are experiencing water cuts of much as 800 per cent. more than four days and in some cases even one to two weeks. “I simply cannot afford anything now. “My salary is worth only Some of the prices are now too high five bars of… washing The Zimbabwe National Water for small people like me. What this soap” — factory Authority, Zinwa, has started cutting means is that the prices are going to administrator Mary supplies to residents who fail to pay be even worse on the black market,” Chanakira. the huge bills and has threatened to said Mary Chanakira, an administrator continue doing so. at a factory. In the leafy rich suburbs of Highlands, “I have to earn at least 100 million The few goods that have been Borrowdale and Mandara, residents Zimbabwean dollars to live delivered to supermarkets are quickly were shocked to receive bills of up to comfortably in Zimbabwe. At the resold on the black market at double 24 million ZWD — twice the increased moment, I earn five million a month. or treble the official price. Meanwhile, monthly salary teachers were awarded How many things can I buy? My salary essentials like sugar, salt, maize meal, in an October pay settlement. is worth only five bars of one-kilogram cooking oil and all meats including washing soap.” beef, chicken and pork are still in short Pensioner Sekuru Murehwa, who looks supply. after five orphaned grandchildren in The official exchange rate is currently the poor Harare suburb of Highfield, one US dollar to 30,000 Zimbabwean As if that were not enough, Harare could believe it when two weeks ago dollars, ZWD, but on the black market residents now have to fork out he received an eight million ZWD it stands at around one million ZWD. between five million and 24 million water bill.

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In previous months, he used to pay an Mugabe when he is arriving or faction of the Movement for average 250,000 ZWD. At first, he departing. This does not, however, Democratic Change said jokingly their thought it was a mistake, only to be mean he and ZANU-PF still electioneering was being done for told that water charges had gone up command huge support in Harare. them by the ruling party, through their by a huge percentage. Instead, the crowds are “borrowed” bad policies. crowds from Harare’s largest vegetable market, Mbare Musika, “We are suffering already and the nearby flea market at “I am so angry because I and all blame falls on the Mupedzanhamo. know he is the same man government. Things have to that has impoverished me” change” — Harare IWPR spoke to some vendors at the — market trader. two markets who have been forced pensioner Sekuru Murehwa. to attend such events. “We are required to close the markets and we all have to go to the airport to “No need to campaign,” he said. “Where am I going to get eight million welcome or bid the president “ZANU-PF is doing it for us. Whatever ZWD? I have never held that kind of farewell,” said one. “If we don’t go, move they are making is convincing money before. I am not the only one, we lose our space in the market. people why they should be out of everyone is crying about their water There will be people there taking a power. So really, we are just watching bills. I think they will have to cut us off register of everyone. So my dear, ZANU-PF destroying itself. But still, if the government does not intervene you either attend or lose your source with politics we have to be always on because I know for a fact people in of livelihood. our toes and work hard to get the this area cannot afford to pay even a Zimbabwean vote.” quarter of their bills,” he said. “So we go, chant slogans, sing songs praising [Mugabe] but deep down in If the situation continues on its “I know the water authority is looking our hearts, we will be cursing him and downward trend, as is likely, ZANU-PF for money to buy chemicals, but to do normally by the time I leave, I am so will have its work cut out to convince so this way is wrong. It is very cruel. angry because I know he is the same the electorate that it should be allowed How many ordinary Zimbabweans man that has impoverished me, the to run the country for another five earn that kind of money? And even if same man who is making my kids go years. If it does not succeed in doing they did, they also have to eat, go to to school on empty stomachs, the so, it will have to employ the same work, educate their children and same man who is making me live in tactics as it did in previous elections clothe them. We are suffering already near-destitution.” — violence, intimidation and vote- and all blame falls on the government. rigging. Things have to change.” When asked about the campaign for joint presidential and parliamentary Hativagone Mushonga is the At Harare International Airport, large elections next year, an opposition pseudonym of an IWPR reporter in crowds of people turn out to meet legislator from Morgan Tsvangirai’s Zimbabwe. ■

The Zimbabwe Crisis Report is information provision, It also contributes to the an initiative of IWPR-Africa’s capacity building and development of regional policy, Zimbabwe Programme. dissemination and distribution. promotes dialogue and builds This programme promotes bridges within the region. It also democratization and good The key purpose is to increase raises the Africa wide and governance with Southern Africa awareness in the Southern African international profile of Zimbabwe and contributes to the region of the Zimbabwean in the context of the region. development of a culture of situation and the implications for Importantly it also builds the skills human rights and the rule of law. regional peace, security and and capacity of the media to Focusing on Zimbabwe the economic development. reliably and accurately report programme has three core political transition, governance and components — human rights issues.

The programme is managed by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting — Africa. For further details go to www.iwpr.net

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