Herald Reporter

The Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee has bemoaned political violence in parts of Zimbabwe following recent attacks on Zanu-PF supporters in Mashonaland Central by suspected MDC-T functionaries.

Committee member Cde Oppah Muchinguri (Zanu-PF) last week told The Herald that they were monitoring the situation and urged political parties to rein in their supporters.

"Cases of political violence continue to rock the nation and recently we received reports of political violence in Mashonaland Central. We have sent our teams to investigate the reported cases and they have not yet given us feedback.

"The differences between our people as a result of political disturbances have gone deep and it requires the efforts of all stakeholders to explain the importance of national healing and reconciliation," she said.

It is understood that MDC-T supporters, who claimed to be on a "revenge mission" started the violence.

It was not clear at the time of writing how extensive the violence was.

Efforts to get a comment from the parties were also fruitless over the Independence holiday.

Cde Muchinguri said their taskforce faced financial constraints, making it difficult to effectively carry out its activities.

"We embarked on a tour of all provinces recently but we feel that we should carry the message of reconciliation to district and ward level," she said.

Cde Muchinguri said despite the limited resources, Jomic was making efforts to ensure people live harmoniously.

She said Zimbabwe could only develop if people realised the importance of unity.

Cases of political violence have also been reported in Buhera, Epworth in Harare and parts of Masvingo where huts have been torched.

HARARE City Council last week commissioned new equipment to unblock clogged sewer pipes with Town clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi promising residents an end to sewer blockages.

The new machinery signals the end of manual de-choking of blocked sewer lines with metal rods.

The equipment, known as the high velocity or jet machine, pushes materials blocking sewer lines for 200 metres and can also be used to suck the materials out.

A demonstration on how the equipment works was done in Highfield last week.

"We want to have less than 10 percent blocked sewers in the city. We are committing ourselves," said Dr Mahachi.

He said Harare residents were sick and tired of blocked and overflowing sewers. He urged personnel from Harare Water to effectively use the new equipment to improve the lives of residents. The equipment has been in use in South Africa and other countries in Europe, Asia and America for over 55 years. Three machines were bought from South Africa at a cost of R1, 3 million. The money was part of a US$17,1 million facility Government advanced to the city last year to improve water and sewer service delivery.

Five machines are required to cover all suburbs affected by sewer blockages. Mr Harold Crown, whose company Cemo Pumps supplied the equipment, said, "These units will be used to clean, by way of high pressure water, sewer pipes and drains in and around the city.

"These units cannot only unblock pipes but can also suck a certain amount of product from pits, sumps and ponds."

SABC

Chairperson of the SABC Board, Professor Ben Ngubane, says the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association conference is being held at the right time for South Africa. The conference, which is being held in Sandton, north of Johannesburg, was founded in 1945.

Objectives of the gathering include promoting the concept of public service broadcasting and fostering freedom of expression. Ngubane says they are excited that one of the major training points at the conference will be about educating and preparing sports commentators on what they need to do in terms of pre-match planning, language and the sports commentary. He says these aspects emphasise the importance of the conference as well as that of the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Ngubane added that the workshops held at the conference will be very helpful to South Africa's media as the World Cup draws near. Earlier, the Communications department's Mlindi Kgamedi said public broadcasting should be a window through which South Africa's diverse cultures and its people should be reflected. Kgamedi also said there is a need for public broadcasters to be centres of excellence.

Mlindi's expectations are for discussions to be more robust in the next few days as delegates engage on issues including media freedom, the coverage of major sporting events and new ways of funding public service broadcasting content. According to Mlindi, lessons shared on the coverage of major sporting events will certainly be useful as the SABC prepares to broadcast the World Cup.

SABC

There is still no word on whether a deal has been struck between the South African Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) and the South African Local Government Association (Salga). Talks continued in Midrand yesterday, but no official statement has been released as to their outcome.

Union members took to the streets countrywide last week, some trashing city streets with rubbish. Samwu received a revised mandate from its members last week but says some of the issues have been agreed to and others have been outstanding for seven years.The union has further maintained that the strike will continue until an agreement is signed.

At the same time, as municipal workers continue to demand better salaries and improved working conditions, the meeting yesterday was expected to discuss a revised mandate from striking workers. Speaking from Midrand, Samwu's Tahir Sema said they are hoping that the strike will end soon.

On Saturday, Samwu announced that Salga agreed to their second-big demand, to stop using external lawyers for internal disciplinary procedures.

theherald

THE municipal strike which has disrupted services in Nelson Mandela Bay and around the country for the past week is set to continue today.

Although hopes rose that the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) strike would be settled at the weekend, union officials said this would only happen once an agreement covering all issues had been signed with the SA Local Government Association (Salga).

Salga communications manager Milisa Kentane said last night they had held discussions with Samwu officials at OR Tambo International Airport yesterday.

These would continue today.

As the strike dragged on more incidents of violence and intimidation were reported.

Mandela Bay municipal security officials are fearing for their lives after a petrol bombing at a municipal depot, followed by death threats.

Security officials based at the electricity depot in Buik Street, Motherwell, witnessed two men hurling a petrol bomb over the 3m-high boundary fence at about 10pm on Friday.

A dark blue VW Citi Golf was seen leaving the scene.

Police were called shortly after the explosion and escorted fire department vehicles to the depot after they refused to enter the area without a police escort.

A senior municipal security services source said shortly after the petrol bomb attack the emergency control room received a phone call threatening to kill all working security officials if they “did not go home”.

Metro security officials say they believe the petrol bomb and death threats were intimidation tactics from striking workers.

These incidents come after police captain Gert Jonker was hit in the eye with a brick on Friday while police were attempting to disperse strikers who were lighting fires in Govan Mbeki Avenue.

Services have also been disrupted.

Port Elizabeth resident Sherice Evans of Bluewater Bay had no joy getting a sewerage leak fixed yesterday. Evans said that a few months ago a sewerage pipe situated at the back of her home burst, resulting in sewage “overflowing all over the place”.

“The same thing happened on Thursday when the sewerage pipe broke. (The sewage) is so disgusting and horrific, you can’t take the smell. We tried to call the municipality today (Sunday) to come and fix the problem but to no avail,” said Evans.

The strike subjected ratepayers to filth that was not only a “tremendous inconvenience” but a “huge health risk”.

Samwu national spokesman Tahir Sema said the main issue of the dispute related to job evaluation. Salga was delaying implementing an agreement reached in 2003.

Another issue was the use of lawyers by the municipalities to discipline and eventually dismiss workers, while municipal disciplinary procedures were not used.

Nelson Mandela Bay acting municipal manager Elias Ntoba said the municipality was “constantly interacting” with Salga regarding the strike to ensure a speedy resolution.

While they recognised it was a protected strike, “we do, however, condemn acts of vandalism, intimidation and trashing of streets that have characterised the strike action so far. We call upon the striking employees to conduct themselves in a manner that accords with legitimate and peaceful strike action.”

With regard to municipal services, the municipality was making every effort to ensure services were rendered to the public.

Ntoba said: “We take this opportunity to apologise to all residents and stakeholders for any inconvenience caused. We are hopeful that the impasse will soon be resolved.”

theherald

RESIDENTS around the country were today (April 19) waiting for word on whether a deal had been struck to end the week-long municipal workers’ strike.

Spokesmen for the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) and the SA Local Government Association (Salga) were not immediately available to discuss the outcome of a meeting between the two in Midrand yesterday.

During that meeting Samwu spokesman Tahir Sema said Salga had conceded to most of their demands but there were just a few “sticky issues” outstanding.

They had been meeting since Wednesday to resolve the dispute.

Samwu had vowed to continue the strike until it was completely satisfied its demands had been met, even though workers would not be paid for the duration of the strike.

The demands included giving workers market-related salaries, which Salga had said would take it over the budget allocated by the Treasury.

Samwu said not only would this raise the salaries of lower and middle income workers, but it would also level senior council officials’ salaries and perks which it said were too high.

Samwu also wanted councils to stop outsourcing legal consultants for labour disputes.

These measures, which they had been trying to introduce for seven years, would go some way to addressing concerns over corruption in councils, which had been cited as a reason for a wave of service delivery protests, Samwu said.

The strike had affected not only refuse removal, which had left many city centres heavily littered as the country prepares to host international visitors for the Soccer World Cup, but had impacted on almost all council services including primary health care, municipal bus services and burials. – Sapa

theherald

TOP ANC leaders and its youth league were expected to meet today (April 19) amid reports Julius Malema had been formally charged with ill-discipline.

“There is an expected meeting today. I think the meeting has been anticipated,” ANC Youth League spokesman Magdalene Moonsamy told Sapa.

The national working committee of the youth league would meet the top leadership structure of the ANC, she said, declining to elaborate.

Sunday papers reported Malema had been charged for alleged ill-discipline and bringing the organisation into disrepute.

He was to appear before a disciplinary committee headed by Derek Hanekom, reported the Sunday Times and City Press.

Malema apparently received a letter from ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe to inform him of the charges.

The youth leader is said to be accused of bringing the ANC and the government into disrepute by publicly endorsing Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party and attacking the opposition Movement for Democratic Change during a recent visit to that country.

He also faced possible censure for remarking former president Thabo Mbeki never rebuked the youth league publicly when he disagreed with it, unlike President Jacob Zuma.

He also faced charges for saying, after Eugene Terre’Blanche’s murder, that the rightwing leader had died before changing his racist behaviour, and for his aggressive behaviour towards BBC journalist Jonah Fisher, calling him a “bastard” and “bloody agent”.

According to the charges, Malema brought the ANC into disrepute, and violated the moral integrity expected of members or public representatives of the organisation.

According to the Sunday Times, charges against him included promoting racism, sexism, tribal chauvinism, and religious and political intolerance. – Sapa

businessday

PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma used the reburial of veteran trade unionist Lesley Massina at the weekend to call on the alliance to respect the guiding principles of the African National Congress (ANC) of selflessly serving the people without gunning for positions, a tendency he said was beginning to affect party unity.

Although Zuma did not point at any ANC structure or mention names, the ANC Youth League has openly called for the removal of secretary-general Gwede Mantashe and lobbied for deputy police minister Fikile Mbalula to replace him.

Zuma said at the funeral service in Randburg that during the time of Massina, leaders in the ANC were not campaigning for positions. “The movement identified leaders based on their work and commitment to the movement.”

He said there was no trading of names before congresses as was happening now. “Branches were never under pressure to consider names for leadership; that is the ANC we know, not the one where people stand up and want to be elected.”

He also called for unity in the tripartite alliance, saying it was “paramount for the success of our democracy”. “No one among us should do anything that undermines our unity,” he told mourners.

The reburial of Massina provided an opportunity for bonding between workers and the revolutionary movement, he said. “Through his life he was courageous, committed and a diehard cadre of the ANC .”

Massina was a founding member of the South African Congress of Trade Unions in 1955, and became its first secretary-general. He left for Swaziland in 1961, where he died in exile in 1976.

In February the Swazi government granted permission for his remains to be exhumed and repatriated to Johannesburg . Sapa

businessday

JUDICIAL Service Commission (JSC) member Fatima Chohan has expressed disappointment at the lack of interest in the posts of judge- president in North West and KwaZulu-Natal.

Chohan, commenting during interviews for the two posts, said on Friday it was disturbing that there was only one candidate for each of these posts.

Herbert Msimang, the current acting judge-president of KwaZulu- Natal, was interviewed to be permanently appointed in that division and Monica Leeuw, acting judge-president of North West, was interviewed for her permanent appointment to that division.

During Leeuw’s interview, Chohan said uncontested posts undermined the work of the commission, as judge-presidents played a “very critical role”.

Following the withdrawal of Judge Raymond Zondo as a candidate, the position of judge-president of the Labour Appeal Court and Labour Court is also uncontested. Supreme Court of Appeal Judge Dunstan Mlambo will be interviewed for the position today.

This leaves only the Eastern Cape judge-presidency and the Gauteng deputy judge-presidency contested.

Chohan asked Leeuw whether there was an “unspoken rule” that if someone was acting as judge-president, others did not make themselves available. Leeuw replied that in her division this was not the case. She said she was nominated by the three other senior judges in her division and that even if she had not been acting as judge-president, she would have made herself available.

At the close of the interviews, Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo clarified that there was no rule that the positions should not be contested just because one of the candidates was already acting in the post.

Ngcobo reminded the commission that with the Gauteng candidates, Willem van der Merwe had been acting in the post and the position was nonetheless being contested.

Despite being the only candidates for the job, Msimang and Leeuw were not given an easy ride by the JSC. Msimang was grilled by Sipho Mdluli, representing KwaZulu-Natal Premier Zweli Mkhize, on his “judicial temperament”. Mdluli said he had a reputation for impatience.

Msimang said during his interview that under the current judge- president of KwaZulu-Natal, Vuka Tshabalala, the division was “the most peaceful in the country”.

Msimang does have a reputation in legal circles for impatience. Two KwaZulu-Natal lawyers told Business Day he was “irascible” and impatient on the bench, but he was “revered” for his legal acumen.

Leeuw was also not spared by the commission. Commissioner Peace Mabe asked her whether she considered herself “an affirmative action candidate”. If appointed, Leeuw will be the first woman and first black woman appointed judge-president.

But with 10 years as a judge under her belt, Leeuw told the commission she did not think she would be appointed on the basis of affirmative action because she had the “necessary expertise” and was almost as experienced as the senior males in her division.

But Mabe said she would only vote for Leeuw on the basis of affirmative action, and that she expected Leeuw would empower other black women in a similar way.

businessday

Gold One has reported a 21% increase in quarterly gold production and a operating cash flow of $7,3 million for the quarter ending March 31st 2010.

The company says it continues to ramp up production at its flagship Modder East mine.

Included in the quarterly highlights are gold recoveries increased up by 4.3% to 96% for the quarter.

It’s also reported a positive outcome to Ventersburg scoping study.

Revenue for the company for the quarter was US$ 14.4 million, and cash operating costs were million US$ 7.1 million,

resulting in an operating cash flow of US$ 7.3 million.

Development and capital expenditure for the quarter for both Modder East and Sub Nigel was million US$ 5.6 million. Cash on hand at the end of the quarter was million US$ 8.9 million. The company paid US$ 4.2 million toredeem convertible bonds while also paying interest on the bonds for the quarter of around US$ 1.3 million. Excluding the payments made in respect of the convertible bonds, Gold One was cash flow positive during the quarter. Gold One has made good progress in refinancing the company's convertible bond.

One South African bank and one international bank have been shortlisted to finalise and implement a facility on a syndicated basis, and it is anticipated that final credit committee approved term sheets will be in place by the end of May 2010.

businessday

Eskom supported the use of its huge procurement programme to stimulate local industry, but has warned that this means higher costs and therefore higher electricity tariffs.

The severe shortage of skills, limited access to funding and the high cost of local inputs such as steel, cement and chemicals all pushed up the cost of local procurement for the utility’s power station build programme.

Eskom chief operating officer Brian Dames said in Parliament on Friday that the option of procuring from “alternative, established suppliers” had to be available when necessary to ensure the integrity of Eskom’s capital programme.

Eskom, Transnet and Kumba Iron Ore briefed Parliament’s trade and industry committee on ways their businesses could contribute to achieving the goals of government’s new industrial policy action plan, which aims to launch SA on a new job-creating growth path.

Strategic new industries would be created through leveraging the procurement by state-owned entities to foster local business. The public sector will spend an estimated R846bn over the next three years on infrastructure.

Dames and Eskom acting CEO and chairman Mpho Makwana told the committee the establishing of new industries would entail additional cost in investment and skills development in the immediate future. “In the interim a portion of SA’s electricity pricing reflects this cost of local industry establishment,” they said.

“SA’s capital expansion could be procured internationally at lower cost but national imperatives guide high localisation, which adds a cost premium.”

Dames said Eskom had established a procurement process that facilitated localisation, empowerment, skills, job creation and industry development. The R426bn Medupi and Kusile coal- fired power stations alone were projected to create about 40000 direct and indirect jobs that would benefit about 160000 people. Eskom would also source about 57% of its procurement locally.

Dames said Eskom’s long-term plans for future “fleet procurement” — purchases of a range of items smoothed over a long period to ensure the sustainability of local industries — required clarity on SA’s future energy mix and its own funding model.

He also cautioned against locking state-owned enterprises into long-term commercial arrangements unless “significant localisation benefit” could be realised.

Kumba Iron Ore CEO Chris Griffith emphasised the importance of SA having a competitive steel sector with level playing fields and a well-run transport sector if it was to meet the aims of its industrial policy. “Making iron ore available to a broader spectrum of steel producers in SA should create opportunities for increased competition in the steel sector,” Griffiths said.

Increased electricity tariffs could make the iron ore and steel industries less competitive, while Transnet’s difficulties in funding its capital expenditure could jeopardise Kumba’s expansion plans.

Kumba spent R3,2bn (36,9% of its R8,7bn discretionary spend) last year at black-owned and black-empowered vendors.

Acting CEO Chris Wells said Transnet had spent R13,5bn of its 2009-10 procurement spend of R20,7bn at broad-based black economic empowerment companies. Its move to long term strategic fleet procurement would assist local enterprises by providing a stable pattern of demand. It planned buy 75-100 locomotives over a lengthy period.

20100418
SABC

The Telkom Senior National Swimming Championships ended in Durban on a positive note today. Fourteen qualifying times are set for the Commonwealth Games in India later this year.

At the end of a long week the contenders picked up the pace. Tough qualifying times and the banning of the fast swimsuits really raised the bar at the championships.

"I think adjusting to not having the suits again definitely works in my favour but, nonetheless it is hard to be going out swimming laps without the suit on. But overall I am really optimistic," says swimmer, Roland Schoeman.

Schoeman qualified in the 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle. Neil Versfeld came from behind to beat Cameron van der Burgh in the 200m breaststroke. Van der Burgh earlier qualified for the event he's focusing on the 100m breaststroke.

Multiple paralympics gold medalist and world record holder Natalie Du Toit put in a number of star performances.

The 14 swimmers who have qualified for the Games in New Delhi in October are Chad le Clos, Roland Schoeman, Cameron van der Burgh, Wendy Trott, Natalie du Toit, Chanelle van Wyk, Riaan Schoeman, Gideon Louw, Darian Townsend, Sebastien Rosseau, Neil Versfeld, Heerden Herman and Mark Randall.

20100418
aljazeera

Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's president, has called on his people to end political violence and work to rebuild the country's shattered economy.

Addressing a rally to mark 30 years of its independence from British-backed minority white rule, 86-year-old Mugabe praised the power-sharing government intiated after polls in 2008 and urged Zimbabweans to back constitutional reforms.

"The leadership of the inclusive government urges you to desist from any acts of violence that will cause harm to others and become a blight on our society," Mugabe said.

"As Zimbabweans we need to foster an environment of tolerance and treating each other with dignity and respect irrespective of age, gender, race, ethnicity, tribe, political or religious affiliation."

Human rights groups say that hundreds of people have been killed in political violence over the past 10 years, with opposition supporters blaming much of it on supporters of the president's Zanu-PF party.

Power sharing

Mugabe, a former school teacher and leader of the independence struggle, entered a power-sharing government with arch-rival Morgan Tsvangirai, now prime minister, after a political crisis sparked by a disputed general election in 2008.

Although the Zanu-PF and Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) continue to argue over the pace of change and appointments of senior state officials, Mugabe said on Sunday that the power-sharing deal was working.

"Many of the key provisions of the global political agreement which is the maker of our inclusive government, have been and continue to be in the process of being fulfilled," he said as Tsvangirai looked on.

Mugabe also said that Zimbabwe would continue with plans to transfer 51 per cent of shareholdings in foreign companies to black Zimbabweans.

"The economic empowerment policies are chiefly designed to redress the historic imbalances in the ownership of the economy," he said.

The policy has been criticised by Tsvangirai and other members of the MDC, who on Wednesday said that the cabinet, chaired by Mugabe, had shelved the act.

Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, reporting from Harare, said that the so-called "empowerment" law showed that there were problems between the two parties in the power-sharing government.

"The president tried to tell his people that the inclusive government is working but clearly there are differences behind the scenes," she said.

But she said that many ordinary Zimbabweans remained pleased that the power-sharing administration exists after the turmoil of the disputed elections and the country's economic crisis.

"I come to celebrate the independence my last heroes fought for," Brian Kasunzumuma, a 27-year-old vendor, told the AFP news agency.

"I come here every year to celebrate independence as a Zimbabwean."

Mugabe has been blamed for the ruin of the country in recent years, as it went from being an agricultural powerhouse and educational beacon, to having a stagnant economy and continuing political crisis.

Millions of Zimbabweans have fallen into poverty since independence and millions more have crossed into neighbouring countries to seek jobs and food.

"It should be a landmark anniversary, but unfortunately for many people it is a time to count lost opportunities, and wasted lives," Lovemore Madhuku, a political commentator and head of pressure group National Constitutional Assembly, said.

"Instead of celebrating freedom, a lot of people are preoccupied and are rightly worried about their lives and the future," Madhuku said.

"There is very little happening around us to give anyone any sense of comfort."


"The fact they are not getting along is not a big concern outright, they just want them to at least pretend to get this government to work so that outside investors can maybe think of coming to the country."

'Celebrating' independence

Traffic jams clogged the streets around the National Sports Stadium as Zimbabweans gathered by the thousands for Sunday's celebrations.

The stadium in the capital, Harare, was decked out in Zimbabwean flags, but participants wore normal clothes after a warning earlier in the week that political gear and party regalia would not be allowed.

20100418
africanews

Two oil tankers collided and burst into flames in Nigeria's southwest Ogun State on Saturday killing at least five people and several wounded. The two tankers rammed into each other in heavy rain and exploded. Three big freight trucks along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway also caught fire.
NIGERIA- Oil tanker explosion kills 5 people
The bodies were burnt beyond recognition according to an AFP photographer saying the five injured were pulled out of the inferno before firefighters arrived.

An assistant driver from one of the tankers said they were driving from a fuel depot in Lagos, less than 20 kilometres (12 miles) away, when they ran into another tanker while trying to avoid a stationary truck.

"We tried to avoid one stationary truck and ended up crashing into another and there was one big explosion," said a badly burnt Laken Abiodun writhing in pain.
Road accidents are common along Nigeria's poorly maintained highways.

20100418
africanews

Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika has tied the nuptial knot with former tourism minister Saturday in a colourful ceremony at a stadium packed with guests, including several African leaders.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, prime ministers from Mozambique, Rwanda and Swaziland, the vice president of Tanzania and ex-presidents from Mozambique and Zambia attended the highly publicised wedding between Mutharika, 76, and ex-tourism minister Callista Chimombo, 50, according to the AFP.

Mutharika, the current chairman of the African Union, is marrying for the second time after his first wife, Ethel, died of cancer two years ago.

Chimombo, a former legislator, was a senior member of Mutharika's governing Democratic Progressive Party. In 2004, she was appointed tourism minister in Mutharika's first cabinet.
Wearing a white suit with white gloves and riding in a white limousine, Mutharika arrived shortly after 9 am (0700 GMT) at the 15,000-seat Civo Stadium in the administrative capital, Lilongwe.

The limousine, a rare car in the poor southern African nation, was a donation from China, a government official told AFP.

"The government did not buy the limousine," said Edward Sawerengera, director general of state residences. "It has been provided by a well-wisher," he said.

Archbishop Tarcizio Ziyaye, head of the country's nearly three million Catholics, blessed the wedding from a special podium built to resemble a church.

From the stadium, the first couple rode in the limousine through several Lilongwe shanty towns, waving to the crowds that thronged the dusty roads.

The couple then hosted a state-house banquet for nearly 5,000 invited guests.

20100418
inform

HARARE (Reuters) - President Robert Mugabe on Sunday urged Zimbabweans to end political violence and focus on rebuilding a devastated economy that critics say is a victim of his three decades in power.

Addressing a rally to mark 30 years of independence from Britain, Mugabe said Zimbabwe would pursue its controversial land seizure policy and plans to transfer control of foreign firms to locals as part of a black empowerment drive.

In a fairly mild speech by his strident standards, Mugabe, now 86, denounced Britain, the United States and other Western countries for imposing sanctions on Zimbabwean leaders over charges of vote rigging and rights abuses.

But there was none of the usual name-calling in what has become a traditional attack on what he sees as imperialist forces.

In a conciliatory message to his domestic political opponents, Mugabe urged Zimbabweans to stop inter-party violence which local rights groups invariably blame on militant supporters of the president's ZANU-PF party bent on destroying the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) of rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

"Your leadership in the inclusive government urges you to desist from any acts of violence that will cause harm to others and become a blight on our society," he said at a rally attended by about 30,000 people.

BICKERING

Mugabe -- who spearheaded a guerrilla war against white minority rule in the then Rhodesia -- denies accusations that he has hung onto power over the last 10 years through violence and vote rigging.

On Sunday, the veteran leader called on people to support a constitutional reform program intended to lead to free and fair elections by 2013. But critics say his ZANU-PF is stalling the process to buy time to reorganize the party.

Mugabe was last year forced into a power-sharing government with Tsvangirai after a political crisis sparked by the disputed general election in 2008.

Although ZANU-PF and Tsvangirai's MDC continue to bicker over the pace of reforms and appointments of senior state officials, Mugabe said on Sunday the power-sharing deal was working and the country was focused on the economy.

"Many of the key provisions of the global political agreement which is the maker of our inclusive government, have been and continue to be in the process of being fulfilled."

Despite criticism that the move will damage the economy and discourage foreign investment, Mugabe said he was pressing on with plans to transfer 51 percent of shareholdings in foreign companies over the next five years to black Zimbabweans after a decade of seizing and transferring white-owned farms to blacks.

"The economic empowerment policies are chiefly designed to redress the historic imbalances in the ownership of the economy," he said.

Tsvangirai and members of his MDC executive -- who have criticized the new policy -- attended the rally and his MDC supporters in the crowd cheered when Mugabe acknowledged the presence of his arch rival.

The aging president, who says he will run again for office if his party nominates him, said although the national economy was in a bad shape, Zimbabweans should celebrate their freedom and remain vigilant against incorrigible racism.

"No challenge or hardship can overcome our sense of freedom, independence and sovereignty," he said.

20100418
inform

President Robert Mugabe on Sunday issued an unprecedented appeal for an end to politically and racially driven violence in Zimbabwe, as the nation marked 30 years of independence.

"The leadership of the inclusive government urges you to desist from any acts of violence that will cause harm to others and become a blight on our society," he told a ceremony in Harare marking the anniversary.

"As Zimbabweans, we need to foster an environment of tolerance and treating each other with dignity and respect irrespective of age, gender, race, ethnicity, tribe, political or religious affiliation."

It was the first time Mugabe had ever issued such a call for non-violence, in a nation that has been wracked by political turmoil through much of its recent history.

Traffic jams clogged the streets around the National Sports Stadium as Zimbabweans gathered by the thousands for Sunday's celebrations, including township residents bused in early in the morning.

The stadium was decked out in Zimbabwean flags, but participants wore normal street clothes after a warning earlier in the week that political gear and party regalia would not be allowed.

It is the second year running that Zimbabweans across the political divide have joined in the commemorations, which in previous years had turned into rallies for Mugabe's ZANU-PF party.

Mugabe -- who at 86 is Africa's oldest leader -- delivered his speech as his rival in the power-sharing government, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, looked on.

Fanuel Chikwakwaire, a jobless 30-year-old from Glen View township, called for a change in leadership after three decades that have seen Mugabe dominate the political landscape.

"On this day I am hoping for change, especially for the president," Chikwakwaire told AFP at Sunday's ceremony. "He is not going to go on and on. The talks must end now so we can vote."

Mugabe, a former guerrilla leader, was hailed as a hero when he led Zimbabwe to independence in 1980 from the white-minority Rhodesian regime.

He invested in clinics and schools and made Zimbabwe a regional model of economic stability.

But now the the country needs food aid for most of its rural population, the result of a spectacular economic collapse through which Mugabe retained a stranglehold on the presidency.

Mugabe fell out with his Western allies following land reforms in 2000 that saw militant ZANU-PF members seize land from white commercial farmers.

The ensuing chaos undermined the agriculture-backed economy, which shrank to half its 1980 size. The Zimbabwean dollar went into free-fall, with hyperinflation spiralling to the point that prices doubled every day.

Western sanctions, including an asset freeze on Mugabe and his circle, were imposed after 2002 elections that observers said were rigged.

The government put itself in isolation, expelling foreign journalists, demonising the former colonial power and straining an already touchy relationship with the West.

In 2008, the end seemed near for Mugabe as the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) won a majority in parliament.

But MDC leader Tsvangirai withdrew from the presidential run-off election, citing violence against supporters. Mugabe hung on through months of talks to remain president in a power-sharing deal.

The unity government with Tsvangirai has restored some stability to the economy by ditching the former currency.

But the on-again, off-again partnership has also been bogged down in haggling over the allocation of key political posts.

The unity government is supposed to pave the way to fresh elections, but a date for new polls has not been set.

20100418
inform

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe said Sunday he hopes his country's tourism industry will get a boost from the football World Cup in neighbouring South Africa.

"With the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament, it is government's hope that tourism will receive another boost for its total recovery towards being a major contributor to the country's economic growth," Mugabe told thousands of Zimbabweans gathered at the National Sports Stadium for the country's 30th independence celebrations.

He said Zimbabwe's tourism industry is showing signs of recovery.

"In 2009 the sector generated an estimated amount of 522 million dollars, contributing 6.5 percent to the gross domestic product," Mugabe said.

The southern African country is expecting to host some 100,000 foreign nationals during the month-long World Cup, mostly South Africans looking to escape the drama surrounding the tournament.

Zimbabwe's tourism industry has taken a beating as a result of the country's ongoing political and economic woes.

Tourist arrivals plunged from 1.4 million in 2000 to 223,000 in 2008, as several countries in Asia and the West issued travel warnings against going to Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwean government has said it hopes to cash in on South African visitors who have no interest in sport and those who are renting their homes to foreign visitors.

South Africa is expecting hundreds of thousands of foreign football fans for Africa's first World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 11.

20100418
inform

Sudan's first multi-party election in more than two decades is an example other African and Arab countries can follow despite some deficiencies, observers from the Arab League said on Sunday.

"The elections did not meet international standards but they are a big step forward compared to other countries in the region," head of mission Salah Halima told reporters in Khartoum.

"They were an achievement despite the deficiencies," he said. "There was no evidence of fraud, but there were deficiencies and mistakes. These mistakes however do not greatly affect the results."

The Arab League sent a mission of 50 observers to oversee Sudan's presidential, legislative and local polls, a five-day process which ended on Thursday.

The Carter Center headed by former US president Jimmy Carter, with 70 observers, and 130 observers from the European Union agreed that the vote failed to reach international standards but did pave the way for a democratic transformation in Africa's largest country.

"There is a consensus among international observers to say that what happened in Sudan is better than what has taken place in other African countries... We want Sudan to be an example for other African and Arab countries," Halima said.

"If the elections did not meet all the international standards, it does not minimise the experience of democratic transformation for Sudan.

"The Sudanese government has opened up space of democracy and we must make the most of it."

The elections are likely to see the re-election of President Omar al-Beshir, who came to power in a military coup in 1989, but they were marred by a boycott of the opposition and logistical problems.

20100418
inform

Moving away from aggressive reform campaign, US cuts aid, hitting Egypt's democracy groups

President Barack Obama has dramatically cut funds to promote democracy in Egypt, a shift that could affect everything from anti-corruption programs to the monitoring of elections.

Washington's cuts over the past year amounting to around 50 percent have drawn accusations that the Obama administration is easing off reform pressure on the autocratic government of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to ensure its support on Mideast policy, including the peace process with Israel.

"Obama wants change that won't make the Egyptian government angry," said Ahmed Samih, head of a Cairo-based organization that in 2005 used U.S. funds to monitor parliament elections. "And in the Egyptian context, that means there will be no change."

In a statement to The Associated Press, USAID Washington's main international aid agency said, "the United States is committed to the promotion of democracy and human rights and the development of civil society in Egypt." It said the cuts came as Washington was drawing down nonmilitary aid to Egypt in general over recent years.

The administration has made similar cuts in democracy aid to Jordan, another U.S. ally.

The policy in part reflects a change in focus, with more development and economic aid to Afghanistan and Pakistan. It also reflects how Obama has moved away from his predecessor George W. Bush's aggressive push to democratize the regimes of the Middle East.

Egypt was the centerpiece of the Bush policy, straining U.S. ties with Mubarak though by the end of the Bush administration, the American reform push had already seemed to fall by the wayside.

The democracy cuts for Egypt are "of particular concern as the environment there becomes increasingly restricted as evidenced by recent crackdowns against political activists, bloggers, and journalists," the U.S.-based democracy watchdog Freedom House said in a report released Friday.

Egypt has been one of the top recipients of U.S. foreign aid ever since it became the first Arab country to sign a peace accord with Israel, in 1979. The aid was as high as $2 billion a year in the past, including $1.3 billion in funds for Egypt's military. But since the Bush administration, Washington has been reducing the nonmilitary part of the package.

This year's aid, like last year's, is $1.55 billion, including $250 million in nonmilitary aid.

In 2008, the Bush administration dedicated around $45 million of that to programs for "Governing Justly and Democratically." A portion directly funded non-governmental organizations known as "civil society" groups that carry out independent programs to promote human rights, hold the government accountable and promote reform.

For the 2009 budget, the Bush administration dedicated the same amount. But when it came to office, the Obama administration rearranged the funds, with only $20 million put to the democracy program, moving the difference to strictly economic projects, according to State Department reports to Congress. It has laid out slightly higher funds, $25 million, for the 2010 and 2011 fiscal years.

It has also imposed new rules barring USAID money to unregistered groups, both Egyptian and international. Many groups do not register with the Egyptian government because they fear pressure and interference.

USAID said funds from other American agencies continue to go to unregistered groups, and cited the "constrained budget environment."

But the amount is reduced from $10 million in 2008 to around $2.6 million now, according to a report by the Project on Mideast Democracy, a Washington-based group that studied the budget.

Freedom House warned that the new rules are "essentially giving the Egyptian Government veto power over who receives funding from USAID."

The changes come at a murky time for Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation. Presidential elections are due in 2011, but the recent illness of the 81-year-old Mubarak has raised questions about whether he will run. Mubarak does not have a clear successor.

Past elections have been notorious for reports of widespread rigging to ensure ruling party victories.

Samih was unable to apply to USAID for funds to monitor upcoming parliamentary elections in November. He was also rejected for funds for another project Radio Horytna (Our Freedom Radio), Egypt's first youth-run online radio station.

The Egyptian Center for Human Rights was turned down for $300,000 from USAID to monitor elections for parliament's upper house last year, said its director, Safwat Girgis. He turned to one of the American agencies authorized to fund unregistered groups, but was told it does not deal with election monitoring.

USAID also yanked funding for another project of Girgis' group to promote the rights of women and the disabled and communication between Egypt's Muslims and Christians through public workshops, he said.

The Egyptian government now appears to be moving to shut down unregistered groups.

A bill before Egypt's parliament would impose heavy punishments on these groups unless they apply to the state. Under the bill, the government can refuse registration for any NGO if security agencies do not approve. The state can also disband the board of directors of any registered nonprofit or pull its license.

Samih warned that if the legislation passes, he would have to shut down his Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-violence Studies, which promotes democracy among youth and trains bloggers and new media writers.

"Obama wants to democratize the region the way the leaders of the Arab countries want, not the way the Arab people want," Girgis said.