Statement on Mbare Violence by Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe:

A Plea To Politicians: Respect Human Rights and Dignity for Mbare Residents

The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe (CCJPZ) is appealing to political parties and politicians as well as the youths to stop violence and respect human rights and human dignity of the people who live in Mbare. Violence in Mbare, since the beginning of this year is largely political. The organising points have been Carter House and Paget House in Mbare. This area is close to a place where some people, especially those who are HIV positive, collect their anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs). But the place has become so unapproachable and inhospitable that some of the victims of violence are now afraid to go and collect their drugs.  Systematic about the violence is that it is imported; most people behind the violence are not permanent residents in the area, but have been ‘shipped’ from other areas.

The Commission believes that diversity is a positive value that can be used for the betterment of the country, but it seems we are destroying that diversity and forcing people to follow certain political positions.  The victims of violence say they are being punished for their democratic rights of participating in political associations of their choice. But our experience has shown that politicians will never win votes by beating and killing their perceived opponents. The best way of winning votes is by promoting human rights and human dignity. How, for example, can a person (and his family, relatives etc.) who dislocated his jaw as a result of political violence would vote for the political party responsible for dislocating it?

Usually, a family house is the safest place where an individual can seek refuge.  But in Mbare, there are politically related groups that force their way into private property of those with alternative political mindsets, confiscating household goods and other personal property. In extreme cases, some families in Mbare supporting a particular political position have lost their houses to people who belong to other political parties. Buying and (re)selling opportunities, some of the most forms of   survival strategies in Mbare have been availed on partisan basis. Vending positions, flea market tables have also been politicised. All this is happening amidst tense, but implicit political violence. Families have been broken by the violence, and some men have to go and see their families at night to avoid being caught by the politically dogmatic groups. Is this the freedom that claimed gallant daughters and sons of the soil during the liberation struggle?

However, all these scenarios do not only undermine the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government and guaranteeing to everyone the right that are essential for effective political participation – but are also against the Gospel values and principles which the Church follows. They undermine the principle of the Common Good which requires that political, economic and the social order should ‘allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to make independent choices to reach their fulfilment more fully and more easily’. The political violence in Mbare also undermines the principle of human dignity, the human worthiness that we derive from God who loved us first and created us in his own image. It is instructive to consider every ‘neighbour without exception as another self, taking into account first of all his life and the means necessary for living it with dignity’. Every political, economic, social, scientific and cultural programme must be inspired by the awareness of the primacy of each human being over society. CCJPZ therefore advises the politicians, political parties and the youths to desist from violence in Mbare to enable citizens to live their normal lives. END!

30 June 2011

A.M Chaumba, National Director.

She loves not

If I were a baby,
In the comfort of your womb
In the warmth of your flesh,
Wondering if there is life after birth,
Singing when you sing
Crying when you cry
Laughing when you do
With you always
I would wish I could stay inside you
Forever,
For Africa loves not her children,
She sends them to war against their mothers.

- Dzikamai Bere

Listen to Dzikamai Bere’s interview on being young and Zimbabwean here

Last month I went to the MPOI (Mass Public Opinion Institute) panel discussion on security sector reform. Interesting, but some panelists did not speak on the security sector at all. One of the most interesting/disturbing/amusing panelists was Mr. Goodson Nguni, of Zanu PF. Wow, are some of them racists!

All his presentation – supposedly Zanu PF policy on security sector reform – was, “we will not let the whites take over”. I must assume these are all whites in general, as I know of no white involved in security, and there were only two whites in the room, myself and the panelist Mr. Matyszak. The implication, I assume, was that the MDC was a white party. Which was something I did not know. When I was a member, I was of a very small minority.

And secondly, two months ago, while painting MacDonald Park pool, I was asked by the local area (Zanu PF) Chairman if I would consider being the local area Zanu PF Treasurer. So I am left to wonder some more. On the one hand, I am being asked to join them in a senior position (take over their money), on the other hand, their stated aim is not to let the whites (and I am quite sure I am one) take over. So I am forced to consider – amongst all the multiple political parties, and splits, and mergers, etc. are there now two Zanu PFs? The Zanu PF (Rational) Party, and Zanu PF (I am completely out of my tiny little mind) Party? Not that I joined either.

The audience also found some humour in his presentation. There was a lot of sniggering going on. A couple of people stood up and walked out, and from their asides as they were leaving, and the sniggers in response, they found something amusing!

A woman a couple of seats down asked me why I did not respond. I just shrugged. First, it did not need any response. Second, while I may be a racist, I do my best to avoid racial discrimination. And I was there to hear about security sector reform, not engage in a racist debate with a rabid racist. I thought the RF was gone? As a racist (which I think we all are), I notice what colour skin you have. Just as, as a sexist, I notice if you are male of female (I love females!) and as an ageist, I notice how old you are. Discrimination involves taking some action for or against someone depending on their predisposition (skin colour, sex, age). So the Zanu PF policy, as pronounced by Mr. Nguni, is racial discrimination. It involves taking action (keeping them out) based on a skin colour (white). This is a bit disturbing. As a Zimbabwean, I am to be kept out of my national security! However, I console myself by believing that he is only one of the Zanu PFs out there. And the Zanu PF in my area, judging by my area chairman, considers me a Zimbabwean.

According to the latest Parliamentary Update from the Southern African Parliamentary Support Trust (SAPST), the Thematic Committee on Human Rights has prepared the committee’s first report on the state of prisons and prisoners in Zimbabwe.

Following visits to Harare Central Prison, Chikurubi Maximum Prison, Mutare Prison, Mutimurefu Prison and Whawha, the committee made a number of observations including:

• Prisoners’ living conditions left a lot to be desired mainly due to budgetary constraints. Inadequate funding made it difficult for the ZPS to operate effectively and prisoners found the life in prison hazardous, as they had to make do without most of life’s basic necessities.
• Prisoners’ diet, uniforms, bedding, transport to take them to referral hospitals and courts, constant supply of medication especially ARVs and ablution facilities were critical for the health of the prisoners while they serve their sentences.
• Mutare Remand Prison Complex was in a dilapidated state and needed refurbishment as a matter of urgency as it was no longer fit for human habitation. There was need for urgent maintenance to avoid eruption of diseases and other communicable infections. The complex was built with punitive intentions during the colonial period and should be renovated to suit a Rehabilitation Centre.
• Nursing mothers in prisons fed their children from the rations they received. Children were being forced to survive on sadza served with beans and/or vegetables. Lack of balanced diet affected the growth of these children. There were no crèches/pre schools for these children and this affected their rights to basic education.
• The Committee noted with great concern the length of time the prisoners stayed on remand especially those convicted of murder, stock theft, robbery and rape. Some had gone for more than 6 years without trial.
• Young offenders were affected by lack of transport to transport them to Whawha Young Offenders Prison and sometimes stayed at Remand Prisons for more than 3 years. There were no facilities at the Remand prison to protect young offenders from being sexually molested by adults.
• Lack of balanced diet was another critical issue that was raised by inmates. A number of inmates showed signs of malnutrition.
• The Committee noted lack of legal representation for most of the prisoners. Most of the prisoners said that they did not afford lawyers and they had lost their cases even if they were innocent because they would be competing with those that were fortunate enough to have legal representation.

Kind of curious really that Zanu PF says civil servants can’t get a pay rise because of Western Sanctions. Meanwhile MPs salaries and associated benefits aren’t affected by Western Sanctions. The real impact of sanctions is being minimised by Zanu PF’s most pathetic stance that absolutely everything wrong with Zimbabwe is because of Western Sanctions, and nothing else. Get real guys, you’re looking stupid.

Here is an excerpt from the latest bulletin from the Southern African Parliamentary Support Trust:

Motion on the Plight of Civil Servants

Hon. Moses Mare (MDC-T Chiredzi West) seconded by Hon. Greenbate Dongo (MDC-T Goromonzi South) introduced a motion in the House regarding the “low levels of remuneration for civil servants and everyone paid through the Treasury”. The motion noted that the country’s resources were not being utilized in the best interest of the nation, in particular the lack of transparency in the distribution of the proceeds raised from the sale of the diamonds at Chiadzwa. The motion further bemoaned the existence of “ghost workers” who were drawing salaries from the fiscus.

The motion called upon the House to;

- Ensure that all proceeds from previous sales of diamonds from Chiadzwa are properly accounted for and remitted to Treasury;

- Put in place the necessary legislation and mechanism to enable Treasury to take full control of all diamonds mined in the country;

- Ensure that all minerals are sold to the best advantage of the country;

- Remove all ghost workers from the Government payroll and;

Members across the political divide were generally agreed on the dire plight of civil servants in the country, they differed on the causes of the situation. MDC-T Members blamed what they called mismanagement of resources, especially proceeds from the mining sector, in particular proceeds from the Chiadzwa diamond fields, corruption and “ghost workers”.

On the other hand, some ZANU PF Members argued that government was not able to pay civil servants decent salaries because of the “economic sanctions imposed by the West” on Zimbabwe. There was also unanimity by backbenchers that the issue of civil servants’ salaries should be depoliticized and focus more attention on ways of improving the economic situation and broadening the revenue base so that government can be able to pay its workers decent salaries.

Electricity consumers may soon see a welcome credit to their accounts, following the resolution of an outstanding argument between consumers and ZESA dating back to 2009.

According to The Herald 13 July, “Zimbabwe Electricity Authority is now required to revert to the US$40 per month for consumers in low-density areas and US$30 per month for high-density consumers for the period between February 1 and November 30, 2009 as directed by Government.”

This was ordered by Justice Susan Mavangira at the High Court on Monday 11th July 2011. Since the change over of the currency to the US dollar people have complained over the manner in which ZESA was handling its billing for electricity usage. The Competition and Tariffs Commission conducted investigations based on these complains from the customers and filed an application.

All those customers who had paid for electricity usage in US dollars before February 2009 will have the amounts credited to their accounts.

But before I can start to celebrate over the recent High Court ruling on ZESA let me alert people to the mid year statement made by the Zimbabwe Power Company Chairman, which amongst other things warns the country about an upcoming tariff increase.