01 - 07August 2012 ISSUE 85

Zanu PF Squanders Chance for Key Leadership Renewal THERE is something telling called targeted sanctions. In- about resolutions made by Zanu stead, Mugabe has used the PF politburo and central com- WikiLeaks disclosures to mittee to disband District Coor- strengthen his hand by creating dinating Committees (DCCs) an environment that is divisive, last month. Before being dis- through ignoring this brazen act solved, DCCs linked provincial of “betrayal” as a way of creat- structures with the district struc- ing uncertainty over the fate of tures. The DCC polls were the culprits. keenly contested within the par- In the first round of the 2008 ty, as they were linked to the presidential elections, the party succession race. Zanu PF has structures showed Mugabe their passed up several opportunities vote of no confidence in his to fully address the issue of suc- leadership, taking the polls as a cession of party leader President window of opportunity to re- . It is quite un- solve the outstanding issue of fortunate that instead of ad- succession. Zanu PF MPs and dressing the core crisis, that of Zanu PF Secretary for Administration and Politburo member, councillors campaigned for leadership renewal, the party themselves and urged their sup- has often resorted to sanctioning porters to make a “wise deci- those who make their presiden- be at a memorial service for pended. Instead of the party’s sion” over the presidency, hence tial ambitions public. General Constantine Chi- leadership holding a serious the “bhora musango” (anyone wenga’s brother. Zanu PF polit- meeting on why its senior mem- but Mugabe) strategy when it In disbanding the DCC struc- ical commissar bers were nicodemously dis- came to the presidential poll. tures, Mugabe has again put the was quick to shoot down Nyi- cussing succession issues, Mu- Hence, Mugabe lost the first lid on succession politics within kayaramba’s sentiments insist- gabe came out guns blazing. round of voting to MDC leader the party and engendered an en- ing that “the joke was not funny Within a few weeks of the . Instead of vironment of fear, especially for and should never be repeated”. Tsholotsho meeting, the six serious introspection, Mugabe Defence minister Emmerson This is sad given that even Sha- chairpersons had been suspend- keeps reminding the party lead- Mnangagwa’s faction that was ership in politburo and central on the ascendancy after winning committee meetings that they in most provinces against candi- erred by not campaigning for dates aligned to rival, Vice- him, as if to say without him the President . The This DCC furore leaves Zanu PF with a false party is history. message is thus clear: as long as sense of security in the short-term, but the bot- Mugabe is alive, the succession tom line is the party is failing, or rather reluctant No doubt the disbanding of the debate should never be placed DCCs is yet another blunder by on Zanu PF agenda. Contrary to to renew its leadership, and that is a recipe for Zanu PF as far as the succession assertions by the party that disaster as Mugabe is aging. question is concerned as it tar- DCCs are not wanted as they With the disbandment of the DCCs, the party gets symptoms rather than caus- were divisive as proven by the structures will become voiceless. es of the disease. What is clear, controversy that haunted the although no-one in Zanu PF will elections, Mugabe himself, who say it loudly or publicly, is that has been at the helm of the party party members are certain that for far too long, is also a major Mugabe’s reign is drawing to a stumbling block. mu himself may actually want ed and some of the people in- close and sooner rather than lat- someone “young” to lead the volved were strongly warned for er the succession issue would be This DCC furore leaves Zanu party. He expressed this view trying to stage a “palace coup”. resolved. By then it could be too PF with a false sense of security almost a decade ago, which saw This structural decay was con- late as Zanu PF will realise the in the short-term, but the bottom him being pushed into political firmed in the manner senior par- folly of tying its survival to an line is the party is failing, or ra- oblivion for a while. ty members confided in the US individual and dissolving struc- ther reluctant to renew its lead- government that they wanted tures to serve that person. This ership, and that is a recipe for The disbandment of DCCs con- the party leadership renewed, is an important lesson to other disaster as Mugabe is aging. firms that Mugabe has become according to WikiLeaks. parties in the country: the soon- With the disbandment of the Zanu PF himself. This is well er they start resolving issues of DCCs, the party structures will illustrated by the Tsholotsho Many senior members of the leadership renewal, the better become voiceless. Zanu PF has debacle of 2004. Some senior party expressed reservations for their political parties’ sur- adopted a top-down command Zanu PF politicians allegedly about Mugabe carrying on as vival. structure as opposed to the ideal used the cover of a prize-giving leader, and also cited his ad- situation of a bottom-up ap- ceremony at Dinyane School in vanced age and deteriorating Tabani Moyo is a journalist proach. Leadership-related Tsholotsho to discuss a succes- health. Again the party did not based in Harare. He can be questions will not be tolerated. sion plan that would have shak- convene a serious meeting to contacted at rebeljournal- A case in point is when Major- en up the presidium. Six of the deliberate the succession issue [email protected] General Douglas Nyikayaramba party’s 10 provincial chairper- that had been confided in the said Retired Brigadier Ambrose sons were in favour of the suc- US government — one of Zanu Mutinhiri would succeed Muga- cession plan, but were later sus- PF’s “enemies” following so- Is Zanu PF Divided Over Constitution? With the submission of said opposition to a new the draft constitution to constitution ahead of elec- political principals recent- tions is driven by a view ly, it would appear that, that the constitution is a finally, there is forward strategy to win elections movement towards the by the MDC formations conclusion of the process. who view it as a transi- Coordinator’s However, there bickering tional document to be re- Note over ’s su- visited after elections. On 85 preme law is persisting, that basis, he said, Zanu but now, not so much PF would not support the Professor , Member of Parliament for Tsholotsho among political parties, [Zanu PF] MDC to get power. He but, it appears, heated de- consulting parliament; the draft constitution as not concluded by saying Zim- bate is mainly within removal of the constitu- being a draft constitution, babwe does not have a Zanu PF. On Saturday, 28 tional court from the but a political pamphlet. constitutional crisis and July, the MDC [T] Na- draft; opposition to the He lamented that the con- does not need a new con- tional Executive Commit- restructuring of the Attor- stitution is now conclud- stitution to hold elections, tee met to receive a report which he said must be dewaMavhinga and consider the draft held as soon as possible Interestingly, yesterday (31 July), Zanu PF politburo constitution and conclud- member professor Jonathan Moyo came out guns blaz- this year. This apparent ed that they were satisfied ing in his address at an IDASA meeting in Pretoria and very public Zanu PF where he outrightly dismissed the draft constitution as that the draft ‘essentially not being a draft constitution, but a political pamphlet. division over the constitu- captures the views of the tion may be reflective of people of Zimbabwe and major faultlines emerging represents an incremental ney General’s office to ing in negotiations char- within the party given the gain in the democratisa- create an independent Na- acterised by compromise various factions that may tion process.’ They then tional Prosecution Au- – and for him the word be jostling for power in resolved to support the thority; and opposition to compromise is ‘shorthand their sunset politics. But it draft Constitution. a section dealing with the for major selling out.’ could also be an elaborate nomination of presidential While noting that Zanu strategy by Zanu PF to The previous day the candidates and their run- PF was yet to come up feign confusion and oppo- UPCOMING Zanu PF politburo had ning mates. Minister Chi- with a position on the sition to the draft constitu- EVENTS met to deliberate on the namasa concluded by say- draft, he said his personal tion which they know is draft constitution but ing, “the Politburo and view was that the draft largely reflective of their 6-9 August, 8th meeting ended without a Zanu-PF are committed to was a plagiarized docu- views in order to give an Southern Africa position on the draft. seeing this process ment not reflective of the impression of compromis- Civil Society Fo- rum, Maputo However, one of the Zanu through. A lot of re- views of Zimbabweans. ing at a later stage. Justice PF negotiators and justice sources have been ex- minister Chinamasa is 15-16 August, minister Patrick China- pended; we cannot afford Directly responding to probably closer to the SADC Council of Ministers Meeting masa stated that the Zanu to see the process come to comments by his col- truth when he says Zanu PF politburo had endorsed naught.” league in Zanu PF that PF is happy with 97% of 17-18 August, 97% of the draft with a there was agreement to the draft constitution, but SADC Summit, few contested areas in- Interestingly, yesterday 97% of the draft, profes- professor Jonathan Moyo, Maputo cluding the national ob- (31 July), Zanu PF polit- sor Moyo said the consti- being the spin doctor he jectives and foundations; buro member professor tution is not a percentage is, probably wants to con- the appointment of pro- Jonathan Moyo came out issue and that, if it was a fuse the public about vincial governors; allow- guns blazing in his ad- body 97% good, perhaps where Zanu PF stands. ing the president to de- dress at an IDASA meet- the outstanding 3% is Dewa Mavhinga, Region- ploy defence forces out- ing in Pretoria where he brain and heart; so the al Coordinator, Crisis in side the country without outrightly dismissed the body cannot function. He Zimbabwe Coalition

Editor: Dewa Mavhinga. Published by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition - SA Regional Office; 711, 7th Floor Khotso House, 62 Marshall Street, Mar- shalltow. P.O Box 61113, Marshalltown 2107; Tel: +27-11-8383736 / Mobile: +27-73-5211813. Email: [email protected]. Inbrief Around Zimbabwe

ZANU PF and the Draft Constitution ing from the disease are likely to experience chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness, fatigue The ZANU PF Politburo is set to meet today to finalise analyzing and general discomfort. the draft constitution. Media has been awash with reports that cer- tain clauses in the draft constitution have widened the rift between Bulawayo Facing Serious Water Shortages ZANU PF factions with the bone of contention being the new draft constitution’s running mates clause. The clause requires a party candidate to nominate two running mates which become his depu- ties once elected into office.

Speaking in Pretoria at a meeting organized by the Institute of De- mocracy in Africa yesterday Professor Jonathan Moyo acknowl- edged that ZANU PF has factions like most parties. Responding to why ZANU PF seems to be dismissive of the draft constitution con- sidering that ZANU PF had representatives in COPAC during the draft process, Moyo stated that the ZANU PF negotiators in CO- PAC were just mere agents of ZANU PF and their work is subject to scrutiny by the principals who are not bound by what the agents agree to put in the document. Moyo dismissed the draft as a flawed document.

MDC-T Endorses Draft Constitution

Residents of Bulawayo accessing water from a protected well in Magwegwe

Bulawayo City authorities declared a water emergency which saw the city implementing water rationing starting on Friday last week. The rationing will see residents of Bulawayo experiencing 24hour water cuts for 2 days a week a move necessitated by the fact that the city’s main dams and reservoirs are close to empty after going for two seasons without sufficient rainfalls.

Bulawayo gets its water from Insiza, Inyankuni, Lower Ncema and Umzingwane dams. Water shortages like these are a serious call for concern given the fresh outbreaks of typhoid reported in Harare and Chitungwiza.

A project to solve Bulawayo perennial water shortages called the MDC– T Gokwe Kabuyuni Member of Parliament, Hon Costin Muguti National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (NMZWP) has been on the cards since 1912 and has failed to materialize due to finan- cial constraints. The Chinese promised to avail funding for the pro- ject by means of a loan worth $1,2 billion needed to carry out the The MDC-T endorsed the draft constitution which according to National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (NMZWP). Midlands North Provincial Chairman, Hon Costin Muguti is truly people-driven because it enshrines and guarantees the right to free- According to the Minister of Water Resources, Management and dom, democracy, transparency and good governance in Zimbabwe. Development, completion of the project This means the MDC-T will be going for a yes vote in the coming may take up to three years. referendum. Both formations of the MDC have endorsed the draft constitution. The Project will be undertaken in 3 phases, the first would entail the completion of the Gwayi-Shangani Dam, which would receive After approval by the parties the draft will go to a stakeholder’s water from the Zambezi River, while the second would be the con- conference, though this has no power to change anything and after struction of a pipeline from the Gwayi-Shangani Dam to a reservoir that it will go through parliament and finally a referendum. Accord- in Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park suburb. The third and final phase will ing to Justice and Legal Affairs Minister the be the construction of a 245km pipeline from the Zambezi River to country will hold the coming referendum using the Referendums the Gwayi-Shangani Dam. Act that was promulgated in 2000. The Minister said unlike in gen- eral elections, one does not require to be a registered voter to vote in a referendum. What is needed only is for one to go to a polling Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition on Advocacy Mission to station and produce identification particulars in the form of national Tanzania identity card, a passport or a driver’s licence. Zimbabwe civil society leaders under the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coa- Harare’s Health Woes Persist lition banner are in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on a week-long advo- cacy mission ahead of the SADC Summit to be held in Maputo, Harare and Chitungwiza registered a fresh outbreak of typhoid in , on the 17 and 18 August. the past weeks. About 162 cases have been recorded so far in a new wave of outbreak of the water borne disease. The outbreak has been Tanzania is a member of the SADC Organ Troika on Defence, Poli- exacerbated by the poor sewerage system and unsafe water being tics and Security Cooperation and has nominated Ambassador Da- accessed by residents. To add to this the Ministry of Health and vid Katye as SADC representative to work with JOMIC in monitor- Child Welfare Director for Epidemiology and Disease Control, Dr ing Zimbabwe’s progress towards elections. The other SADC rep- Portia Manangazira confirmed that more than 140,000 people have resentative was nominated by Zambia. been affected by the H3N2 influenza (flu) bug which has claimed the life of one person so far.

The H3N2 is a subtype of virus that causes flu and persons suffer- Numbers Do Not Necessarily Indicate Progress: A Rejoinder to Ms Polygreen’s Article in the New York Times.

The hullabaloo over the statistics York Times journalism falls into the a fairly huge some amount of money about Tobacco farming but highly di- around Tobacco figures reached its trap of being keyboard happy without in Zimbabwe, while an experienced versified. Destruction of big agro- crescendo with the New York Times understanding the dynamics around the farmer is failing from 200 hectares to concerns such as Kondozi estate article by Ms Polygreen squeaming issues of land in Zimbabwe. This eli- produce and eke a living. The num- should remind us that other sectors headlines of Mugabe’s Fast Track sionistic interpretation of history was bers, figures and their logic do not add such as horticulture were destroyed Land Reform Process beginning to irresponsibly invoked by Mahmod in this case. 200 hectares of planted and nothing has been done to revive bear fruits. The argument in this article Mamdani’s essay Lessons on Zimba- Tobacco is no small piece of land in this sector. Where are the new farmers is that the pain suffered by Zimbabwe- bwe published in 2008 by the London terms of yields. More so, we are made in the horticulture industry? Where are ans was necessary in smashing the Review Books. Furthermore, Moyo to believe that the figure 60 000 is the new farmers in the animal hus- existing property relations in Zimba- and Yeros 2008 make similar asser- comprised of totally new farmers with- bandry section? Tobacco farming is bwe. Further to this, the article uses tions of a radicalized state and revolu- out paying regard to the farmers from not the alpha and omega of Zimba- races as tool of analogy to drive points tion brewing from below. The logic of the old resettlement and communal bwe’s agricultural system. home on the shifting power relations the argument is simple, ‘chaos breeds areas. A visit to Chinhenga village in An argument is also made that the re- between black and white. Many half order’ and there was no other way out- Makoni District a communal area, one sults in increased tobacco sales justi- baked and unscientific truths are used side the Jambanja (violence). will be greeted by small tobacco dry- fies the pain. But the question that to buttress the argument that out of the ing halls. This is a new phenomenon lingers is according to whom is this chaos finally some order has emerged. This interpretation of Zimbabwe’s that was not characteristic of this vil- pain justified? In 2005, while I was Statistics are conveniently quoted political economy fails to account for lage 5 years ago. working in Manicaland province, I without going into their finer details the fact that, the resort to violence by dealt with a rape case of a 13 year old and blanket statements made. In this ZANU PF was primarily geared to- The actually demographics in the fig- gale whose father was working as one case, numbers are equated to progress wards the conquest and retention of ure 60 000 are therefore not clear. The of the managers at Charleswood Estate without critically engaging them. This lost political ground. ZANU PF creat- use of the arithmetic mean in coming owned by Roy Bennet (MDC-T Sena- alleged shifted is supported by argu- ed a bourgeoisie state that only sought up with the figure of $6000 per farmer tor). This little girl, together with a ments based on Ian Scoones’ studies to replace the pigmentation of the state is very misleading because it does not group of women was raped by a gang and African Institute of Agrarian Stud- from black to white, whilst still main- show the differences between small of thugs simply because the father was ies. taining the same colonial institutions. scale farmers and large scale farmers branded a sellout. The rapist would set This explains why 32 years after inde- in terms of who got what. Numbers are dogs on the girl and women to make The figures are enticing and tempting; pendence we are still battling with conveniently juggled to reinforce un- them comply with their sexual de- from 2000 White tobacco farmers to questions of gross inequality. The verified information. Even the refer- mands. I recall vividly this case being 60 000 Black tobacco farmers sharing Utete and Bhuka reports expose gross ence to Ms Rudo Boka, whose family one of the many that I dealt with in $400,000,000.00 and further broken cases of multiple farm ownerships by has been a huge beneficiary of ZANU Manicaland province. The major ques- down to $6000.00 per farmer. A story the ZANU PF elite and with most of PF patronage politics is meant to give tion that remains un-answered is what of a great Africa revolution whose this land being reduced to picnic and authority to the quoted figures. How- did this minor and the other women do progress is read in a numbers game braai resorts as remarked by Gideon ever the major question is if indeed Ms to deserve being raped. Do the in- that seeks to distort Zimbabwe’s eco- Gono in one of his monetary policy Boka’s company did heavily invest as creased tobacco figures justify the nomic history simply to satiate the addresses. The RBZ led farm mecha- she claims what is the quantity of the rape? Many Zimbabweans were raped, appetite of exhausted nationalists. To nization programme and the huge debt investment and who were the benefi- maimed, killed displaced, had liveli- borrow from Benjamin Disraeli one is it has created for the nation is another ciaries? hoods destroyed (this was the pain), tempted to conclude that, ‘there are legacy of Mugabe’s land reform pro- and the question still remains could three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, gramme. It seems there is a tendency to create land have not been distributed without and statistics’. Mark Twain further the history of the triumph without go- raping minors. Do we need to rape to stressed this point when he says The question is where did the machin- ing into the nitty-gritty of things. What create successful black farmers? Is that ‘figures often beguile me; particularly ery go, and why are those farmers not it seems in this case may be not what it the progress? when I have the arranging of them producing. Interestingly, Ms Poly- is. Ali Mazrui cautioned against quick- myself’. These quotations may help us green’s article admits that, “The new ly celebrating easy victories, and it Numbers do not necessarily indicate in gaining insight on the arguments farmers are receiving virtually no as- seems the narratives on Zimbabwe’s progress. Beyond every figure there is round the purported fruits of the fast- sistance from the government, which land reform discourse are falling into a story. This is what we have to bear in track . Fig- for years poured money into larger the same trap. We need more facts mind and begin to critically engage ures are quoted and bastardised with farms given to politically connected beyond the mere juggling statistics to with the numbers before being over- impunity without attaching any shred elites”. So if these farmers are receiv- suit narratives that seek to massage the taken by the euphoria of being able to of evidence to them. We are made to ing nothing; the question is what hap- egos and pride of failed politicians. count. There is a serious risky of dis- believe that there is progress, without pened to those farmers who were re- There is a lot of land that is still lying torting history and sanitizing heinous any definition of this progress. Indeed ceiving the support? Where are their idle and not being used by many of the crimes in the name of revolution. the numbers are a reality, but they do figures? Where do they fit in the ma- beneficiaries of the fast track land re- not necessarily indicate progress. trix of these figures and new found form. The land question is far from By Tamuka Chirimambowa Eldorado? Farmers are selectively over and up to today remains unre- There a lot of factual inaccuracies quoted to parrot a well choreographed solved. There is need to look at the around the interpretation of the statis- act and claims are made that inexperi- debate beyond the excitement of one tics. More so, the question is progress enced farmers form small pieces of bubble of Tobacco farming. Zimba- at what cost, and who pays? The New land are eking as much as $10,000.00 bwe’s agricultural system was not only