Zimbabwe Crisis Reports Issue 18
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ZIMBABWE CRISIS REPORTS Issue 18 ■ November 2007 Fresh insights into the Zimbabwean situation MUGABE OUTMANOEUVRES RULING PARTY OPPONENTS President’s rivals caught flatfooted over ZANU-PF candidature for presidential poll. By Joseph Sithole in Harare President Robert Mugabe appears to have outwitted ZANU-PF rivals seeking to oust him from power, but remains at a loss as to how to turn around the country’s collapsing economy. The ZANU-PF politburo has all but endorsed Mugabe as its sole party candidate for a presidential election to be held jointly with a parliamentary poll early next year, beating back any Lazele Credit: challengers for the post. Robert Mugabe gives a speech at National Heroes Acre, Harare. Picture taken July 18. Last December, he failed to get endorsement for a plan to extend his Movemnt for Democratic Change, Mugabe’s bid to extend his term in term of office by two years to 2010 at MDC, which accused Mugabe of office. Instead, it resolved to reduce the Goromonzi People’s Conference, trying to extend his term of office the term of the current parliament by where he faced opposition from a because he was afraid of defeat at the two years, to run concurrently with the ZANU-PF faction led by retired army polls. presidential term, starting next year. A general Solomon Mujuru. The proposal special ZANU-PF congress in was also fiercely attacked by civil A ZANU-PF central committee meeting December is scheduled to decide who society organisations and the on March 30 again failed to endorse should be the ruling party’s candidate, NEWS IN BRIEF ■ After failing to stop President ■ The pressure group Women of ■ The British parliament and the Robert Mugabe from attending the Zimbabwe Arise, WOZA, has blamed MDC are calling for an investigation European Union’s Africa Summit in police for the death of founding into possible breaches of EU financial Portugal next month, Britain is member and activist Maria Moyo, 57, sanctions against Zimbabwe’s ruling reportedly lobbying Nordic countries who died on November 6 from elite by Barclays Bank. to put human rights abuses and state- pneumonia. WOZA says her condition sponsored violence in Zimbabwe on worsened after she was tortured in ■ An alarming 25,000 Zimbabwean the summit agenda. police custody. schoolteachers — unhappy at poor pay and working conditions — have ■ Negotiators from Zimbabwe’s ■ The MDC faction led by Morgan left the country since January. opposition Movement for Democratic Tsvangirai maintains that Lucia According to the Progressive Teachers Change, MDC, and the governing Matibenga has been removed from her Union of Zimbabwe, 10,000 have left ZANU-PF have agreed on provisions former position as head of the Women’s in the last three months alone despite protecting media freedom in a draft Assembly. However Matibenga refuses the government raising their salaries constitution that is now in the hands to recognise her removal or the along with those of other public of the country’s political leaders. selection of a replacement. servants in October. NOVEMBER 2007 ■ 1 THE INSTITUTE FOR WAR AND PEACE REPORTING but Mugabe has managed to head off president from six to five year — which serious challenge, there was no sign any challenge to his candidature. means there will be no debate of the that the root cause of all the anger presidential candidate. against Mugabe’s leadership — a For some time now, Mugabe has deftly collapsing economy — was turned the tables against the enemy Mugabe’s opponents were caught responding positively to his political within. He recently mobilised alleged literally flatfooted, as two weeks ago victories. veterans of Zimbabwe’s independence ZANU-PF spokesperson Nathan war, led by the abrasive Jabulani Shamuyarira had told the party “If Mugabe could confide in anyone,” Sibanda, who have been criss- mouthpiece, The Voice, that all said the analyst, “I have no doubt he crossing the country in support of positions in the presidium would be would confess that the economy was Mugabe’s candidacy at the party’s contested. But last week, Mugabe his greatest nemesis. He can see only special congress in December. loyalists changed tack, saying there spurts of sunlight in a bitterly cold Despite the resentment Sibanda has would be no competition since winter night. While he has made provoked among senior members of according to the ZANU-PF mincemeat of his political opponents, the party, especially in the two constitution, the first secretary of the in fact beating them before the game Matabeleland provinces, he appears party is automatically the presidential has started, the economy remains his to enjoy Mugabe’s tacit backing. candidate. most stubborn challenge against which he doesn’t appear to have a “What this means is that anybody who trick to play.” Mugabe has deftly turned raises the issue of a presidential the tables against possible candidate other than Mugabe would be declared out of order,” said a senior Economic problems “should rivals within ZANU-PF. ZANU-PF official in Harare. “Those have been a godsend for three agenda items mean the fireworks any competent opposition that people were expecting from the party” — analyst. Formerly the provincial chairman for likes of Mujuru challenging Mugabe Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second largest are dead and buried. Only divine city and an MDC stronghold, Sibanda intervention can change that reality.” was suspended from the party in 2004 The analyst said Mugabe had given and expelled two years later for A University of Zimbabwe lecturer in Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono “indiscipline”, specifically for attending politics said he was surprised by the carte blanche to print money in the a meeting opposing the accession to ease with which Mugabe outwitted hope of improving the supply side of the vice-presidency of Joice Mujuru, opponents within his party. “He won the economy. “They are hoping that wife of the general. without breaking a sweat against dire increased production might shore up predictions that the Mujuru camp the economy,” he said. “But that is a The war veterans are aligned with would want to build on the victories big ‘if’ because it all depends on the Rural Housing Minister Emmerson they scored in Goromonzi against inputs available and the rains, over Mnangagwa, a bitter rival of Mujuru, [extending Mugabe’s term to] 2010 which they have no control. and seen by many as a favourite of the and against Mugabe’s automatic president. endorsement in March,” he said. “It’s “Mugabe scored a lot of points against an unbelievable anticlimax.” George Bush at the recent UN General The women’s and youth branches of Assembly in New York. He is also ZANU PF have already expressed their However, he said the party might have winning his latest spat with British backing for Mugabe. The two groups are alienated significant constituencies in prime minister Gordon Brown over his led respectively by Gender and Women’s Matabeleland and Manicaland, where presence at the forthcoming European Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri and senior party leaders are against the Union-Africa Summit in Lisbon. He has Youth Minister Saviour Kasukuwere, both readmission of Sibanda into the party. all of Africa in his pocket. Back home, of them firmly in the pro-Mugabe camp. Most senior party leaders in the two the MDC is all but beaten. provinces have boycotted Sibanda’s With the key grassroots constituencies solidarity marches, while Mnangagwa “Yet with inflation raging at 8,000 per safely in his pocket, Mugabe turned claims Sibanda has appealed against cent and unemployment nearly 80 per on his senior opponents in the party. his suspension, and in any case was cent, plus pervasive shortages of all At the party’s ordinary session of the doing work for a welfare organisation basic commodities, the economy central committee on October 26, as leader of the war veterans. doesn’t appear to respond positively to Mnangagwa, who is also the party’s Mugabe’s political fortunes. That secretary for legal affairs, said the Another analyst noted a bigger irony in should have been a godsend for any special congress in December would the whole drama. He said while competent opposition party.” only discuss agricultural mechanisation Mugabe had made “mincemeat” of his and the harmonisation of elections, opponents in the party and the Joseph Sithole is the pseudonym of an and ratify a reduced term for the opposition was too weak to mount any IWPR journalist in Zimbabwe. ■ 2 ■ ISSUE 18 ZIMBABWE CRISIS REPORTS LIFE-SAVING DRUGS OUT OF REACH FOR MOST Many seriously ill patients can no longer afford prescription charges. By Nonthando Bhebhe in Harare As the prices of drugs and healthcare continue to soar to astronomical levels, many Zimbabweans with life- threatening conditions are going without the treatment they need. Spending an afternoon at one of Harare’s busiest pharmacies is heartbreaking, as patient after patient walks in and out without collection their prescription because they just Lazele Credit: can’t afford it. A woman gets free healthcare during AIDS Expo 2007 in Harare. Picture taken July 13. Barely able to stand without leaning against the wall, Martin Sibanda, a self- diabetes. A month’s supply of Sibanda stares blankly at the employed welder, waits anxiously for nifedipine to treat hypertension costs pharmacist and then turns to his wife. the pharmacist to give him the prices an average of five million ZWD; drugs He tells her that they will just have to of the five drugs that were prescribed for diabetes go for about six million go back home and pray for God’s to him at a clinic close to his home in ZWD and ulcer medication costs ten healing.