Patronage and Military entrenchment in the national economy

THE PRESIDENT’S MEN: Zimbabwe’s Service Chiefs are suspected to have played a key role during the election.-zimbabweinpictures.com This week, we continue with publishing and controlling ownership of the means as platinum and gold mining. This section edited excerpts from a report published hrough an elaborate patronage of production. The military, through po- examines the extent to which ZANU-PF’s by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition titled system established to reward OLWLFDOSDWURQDJHKDVEHFRPHDVLJQLÀFDQW political patronage has entrenched the The Military Factor in Zimbabwe’s Politi- SDUWLVDQ VHQLRU PLOLWDU\ RIÀ- part of the domestic bourgeoisie class and military in national economic affairs and cal and Electoral Affairs. Below is Chapter cials and keep them loyal to many top commanders have teamed up the likely impact on electoral processes. 5 of the report which looks at how service ZANU-PFT and to President Mugabe, the with politicians and businessmen to form Retired and serving senior military chiefs are being handsomely rewarded for military has increasingly played central political and economic interest groups RIÀFHUVKDYHLQWKHUHFHQWSDVWEHHQDS their role in maintaining the status quo. and critical role in directing production venturing into lucrative businesses such Continued on Page 3 The Bottom Line is Economic Empowerment “I believe that if we solve the Now the issue is that Zimbabwe- see is for the South African gov- opment Chamber we tell people, are campaigning for elections. economic problems then other ans come to South Africa look- ernment to give the Zimbabwean ´Saviour Kasukuwere. inevitable, and therefore pieces of ZANU-PF that is that propaganda and violence while a few The Inclusive Gov- WRUHVLVWFKDQJHLVWRÀJKW are state controlled papers, populism are convenient SHRSOH EHQHÀW IURP WKH ernment, particularly the in vain. television and radio, is that instruments to pave way national resource. Those pro-democracy forces Democratic pursuit Zimbabwe is faced with for repression and vio- with strong connections to within the MDC forma- of change of government, some imaginary, phantom lence that enables a small, the political elite are milk- tions, must move swiftly or regime change if you enemies who are lurking unpopular political clique ing the country dry in the to smash propaganda and like, is a basic right that behind tenets of democ- WRUHPDLQLQSRZHULQGHÀ- name of sovereignty over populist politics in order must be enjoyed by all cit- racy, good governance, ance of democratic values. our national resources. to create a fresh environ- izens. Only those caught transparency, account- The purveyors propagan- $QG DV ÀQDQFH PLQLVWHU ment where there is no up in a time warp – be- ability and human rights da themselves are desper- Tendai Biti will testify, polarization, hate speech lieving Zimbabwe to be respect. According to the ate to be accommodated there is no accountability or outright lies about our still experimenting with propagandists, to respect by the very west that they for diamond revenue. A challenges and the causes the failed and discredited everyone’s basic rights demonize on a daily basis. small but powerful politi- thereof. Dangerous propa- idea of a one-party state would be tantamount to Many of them have re- cal elite aligned to ZANU- ganda, such as that com- – would frown upon free opening the doors for the ceived western education, PF has the audacity to loot ing from sections of the political activity. No so- enemy to take over the and those who have been the country in the name of military that Prime Minis- ciety has ever reached its country. The nonsense slapped with travel restric- the people. ter Morgan Tsvangirai and innovation or develop- spewed out by the pro- tions long to resume their This phenomenon, of the MDC are a national ment potential under an pagandists does not stop shopping sprees in Lon- a small, parasitic political security threat must be environment of fear and there, they go on convince GRQ 3DULV RU 1HZ

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From Front Page tribution of land, housing and prominent political posi- (DRC)’s natural resources following Zimbabwe’s in- pointed in large numbers to run various state-owned com- WLRQV WR WRSUDQNLQJ PLOLWDU\ RIÀFLDOV DQG WKH GLVWULEX- WHUYHQWLRQ LQ WKH '5& ZDU EHWZHHQ $XJXVW  DQG panies. For instance, Retired Colonel Samuel Muvuti was tion and production of food. Mugabe placed national July 2003. A United Nations expert panel investigating appointed by President Mugabe to head the country’s sole food distribution and various agriculture programmes the plunder of DRC resources found that joint venture buyer and seller of maize, the Grain Marketing Board directly under the control of the army through con- companies to exploit resources were formed between *0% EHIRUHKLVGLVPLVVDOLQRQFRUUXSWLRQDOOH- trol of Grain Marketing Board sales since 2002. ¶JHQHUDOVDQGRWKHUWRSRIÀFHUVLQWKH8JDQGDQDQG=LP- JDWLRQVLQZKDWPD\KDYHEHHQPHUHLQÀJKWLQJZLWKLQ 6HQLRU PLOLWDU\ RIÀFLDOV UDQN DPRQJ WKH WRS EHQ- EDEZHDQDUP\DQGRWKHUWRSRIÀFLDOVDQGXQVDYRU\SROL- ZANU-PF. President Mugabe in 2004 appointed Retired HÀFLDULHV WR WKH YLROHQW DQG FKDRWLF FRPPHUFLDO IDUP ticians in the government of the DRC.’ Among the top Major-General Mike Nyambuya provincial governor of invasions that began at the instigation of ZANU-PF in military leadership, General Vitalis Zvinavashe (the late), 0DQLFDODQG DQG ODWHU 0LQLVWHU RI (QHUJ\ XS WR  February 2000. An investigation by a Zimbabwean on- was a major stakeholder in a company called Operation Previously Retired Colonel Christian Katsande, now the OLQH SXEOLFDWLRQ UHYHDOHG WKDW RI WKH  DUP\ RIÀFHUV Sovereign Legitimacy (OSLEG) which had lucrative deputy secretary to Cabinet, headed the state-owned oil from the rank of Major to Lieutenant General of the mining contracts in the DRC through a partnership with procurement company – the National Oil Company of =LPEDEZH1DWLRQDO$UP\DWOHDVWEHQHÀWHGIURP DÀUPRZQHGE\'5&·VODWHSUHVLGHQW/DXUHQW.DELOD Zimbabwe (NOCIZM). farm invasions and have farms in most fertile parts of 7KH0DUDQJHGLDPRQGÀHOGVLQWKHHDVWRIWKHFRXQ- 6HQLRUPLOLWDU\RIÀFHUVZHUHDOVRDSSRLQWHGWROHDG the country. The Zimbabwe Defence Forces Command- try are under the tight control of the military who control strategic state institutions including the Zimbabwe Pris- er, Constantine Chiwenga owns two farms near Harare access to them. However, there is rampant systematic ons Service (ZPS), the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), including a 1,200-hectare farm known as Chakoma Es- smuggling of Marange diamonds and a thriving illicit the Central Intelligence Organization trade in the diamonds across the (CIO), the Zimbabwe Electoral Com- porous Mozambican border. The mission (ZEC), National Railways of A number of government and inde- global blood diamond watchdog Zimbabwe (NRZ) (under retired Air to which Zimbabwe belongs, Commodore Michael Karakadzai) and pendent land audits have found wide- WKH .LPEHUOH\ 3URFHVV &HUWLÀ- The Department of National Parks and cation Scheme (KPCS) has so Wildlife. The increased militarization of far failed to end the smuggling the state has led to the military taking spread evidence of corrupt allocations or the widespread abuses in Ma- control of an expanding range of deci- UDQJH GLDPRQG ÀHOGV LQ ZKLFK sions and actions, from political strat- and looting of farm equipment by se- soldiers are implicated. There egy to the formulation and implemen- are genuine fears that diamond tation of agrarian and economic policy. revenue from Marange which Retired Major General Jevan QLRU SROLWLFLDQV DQG PLOLWDU\ RIÀFHUV is not properly accounted for is Maseko is Zimbabwe’s ambassador to being used by the military and Cuba while retired Brigadier-General those aligned to ZANU-PF to Elisha Muzonzini heads the mission in tates while Air Marshall Perence Shiri owns at least two build a war chest to fund electoral violence should Zimba- .HQ\D ,Q ODWH  0XSIXQKLUD DQG PRVW RI WKH 0LQ- farms in Marondera and Shamva. Retired Army General, bwe go to elections in 2011 as ZANU-PF so much wants. erals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe board were Solomon Mujuru and his wife, Vice President, Joyce The companies that were granted licenses to mine abruptly replaced. Rtd. Col. Nelly Abu Basutu heads the Mujuru together with their close family members alleg- diamonds in Marange under unclear circumstances MMCZ while her husband, Air Vice-Marshal Titus Abu edly own at least 25 farms totaling 105,000 Hectares. and in violation of Zimbabwe’s laws and regulations Basutu, is deputy to the Air force Chief Perence Shiri. A number of government and independent regarding tender procedures are controlled by senior In 2009 the ZANU-PF Information and Pub- land audits have found widespread evidence of cor- PLOLWDU\ RIÀFHUV 7KH FKDLUSHUVRQ RI 0EDGD +ROGLQJV licity Minister, Webster Shamu, in violation of the rupt allocations and looting of farm equipment by se- is former Vice Air Marshal, Robert Mhlanga, who was Global Political Agreement (GPA) appointed eight QLRU SROLWLFLDQV DQG PLOLWDU\ RIÀFHUV *HQHUDO 0LNH Mugabe’s helicopter pilot for over 20 years and a key VHQLRU PLOLWDU\ RIÀFLDOV WR ERDUGV RI PHGLD DQG LQ- Nyambuya is implicated in the looting of essential state witness in the treason trial against MDC Presi- formation state companies – the Broadcasting Au- farm equipment at the invaded Kondozi Horticultur- dent, Morgan Tsvangirai in 2003 while Canadile Miners’ thority of Zimbabwe (BAZ), Zimbabwe Broadcast- al Estate in Manicaland, which was one of the biggest Director is Retired Captain Kurotwi. Several military of- ing Holdings (ZBH), Zimbabwe Newspapers group agro- export industries in the region before invasion. ÀFHUVDUHDOVROLVWHGDVVKDUHKROGHUVLQERWKFRPSDQLHV (ZIMPAPERS), NewZiana, Transmedia and Kingstons. Members of the Zimbabwe National Army aligned President Mugabe has gone to great lengths to to ZANU-PF were also implicated in the looting and ensure the military’s continued loyalty, including dis- plundering of the Democratic Republic of Congo Chapter 6 follows next week. - Editor. Cynthia Manjoro deserves to be free! From Page 2 see Cynthia Manjoro be the mother, sister, friend, aunt, Grace Chirenje-Nachipo is a gender activist who be the change that she deserves. Denounce the treatment daughter, colleague, IT Specialist and woman that she also gives social commentary on various issues affecting Cynthia is getting and demand to see her freed. In your deserves to be in this world and not behind bars. Yes we Zimbabwean life. own space and at whatever level, do your bit and let us indeed can make this a reality…it is up to you, act now!