Zimbabwe Update

[XXPANTHAXX]

Zimbabwe thanks China, Russia for UN veto

Herald Reporter

GOVERNMENT yesterday thanked Zimbabwe’s true and trusted friends for
thwarting efforts by the West to impose more sanctions on the country
through the United Nations Security Council last week.

In an interview yesterday, Deputy Minister of Information and Publicity
Cde Bright Matonga hailed China and Russia for vetoing concerted efforts
by Britain and the United States to victimise Zimbabwe.

He also thanked Libya, South Africa and Vietnam for their unreserved
support for Zimbabwe.

"We are grateful to our all-weather friends, particularly China and
Russia. We thank them wholeheartedly for their continued support and for
the work they have done before, during and after independence. They
continue to support us even during these difficult times," he said. "We
are very grateful for their support.

"As Zimbabweans, we now need to work together as a united front. We have
to put our house in order and be organised. This is the time for nation
building."

Cde Matonga said it was important for Zimbabweans to put their
differences aside and join hands for the development of the country.

"We have to work together as a nation. We must be united and
disciplined. We do not need to take our friends for granted by always
putting them in difficult circumstances as they might fail to defend us
next time," he said.

Cde Matonga acknowledged the support the country was receiving from Sadc
and the African Union but noted that some African countries were being
compromised by the budgetary support they receive from the West.

He said there were no divisions in Sadc and the AU over Zimbabwe
although the West had tried to use divide-and-rule tactics.

"The enemy has not rested. The enemy is very bitter, vindictive and
racist. We should not relax and say we have defeated them. It may look
as victory, but it is not. We did not want to be on the agenda. We have
to focus on nation building," Cde Matonga said.

Moves in the Security Council to impose sanctions on Zimbabwe at the UN
level failed on Friday when Russia and China, two of the 15-member
body’s permanent members, vetoed the US draft resolution that could have
widened the current illegal embargo against Zimbabwe to include an arms
ban, among others.

The US, Britain, Italy, France, Panama, Croatia, Belgium, Costa Rica and
Burkina Faso voted in favour of the sanctions while China, Russia,
Libya, Vietnam and South Africa voted against. Indonesia abstained.

The negative vote of a single permanent member kills a resolution.

Russia condemned the move, saying it was an attempt to take the Security
Council beyond its mandate of maintaining international peace and
security.

It noted that such "illegitimate and dangerous attempts" could unbalance
the whole UN system, adding that the problems in Zimbabwe could not be
solved by the imposition of sanctions.

Stung by their failure, Britain and the US criticised Russia with
America’s UN envoy saying Moscow’s veto cast doubt on its reliability as
a G8 ally.

But Russia slammed the accusation as "unacceptable".

"Representatives of the United States and Britain have declared that our
vote betrayed the G8 Tokyo summit accords on Zimbabwe and that this
posed questions about Russia’s reliability as a partner in the G8,"
government spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said in a statement.

"We consider such statements unacceptable," he added.

In a separate statement, the Russian foreign ministry condemned violence
but warned the proposed UN resolution would have set a "dangerous
precedent" for interference in countries’ internal affairs.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said they would shift to the
European Union to see what further action to take against Zimbabwe.


Zanu-PF supporters commended

Herald Reporter

ZANU-PF supporters in and around Harare have been applauded for voting
overwhelmingly for President Mugabe during the June 27 presidential
election run-off.

Addressing hundreds of ruling party supporters in Epworth last week,
Harare Metropolitan Province Governor Cde David Karimanzira said the
elections were as historical as those of 1980.

He said some of the people who had voted for MDC-T during the March 29
joint presidential, parliamentary and council elections had realised
afterwards that the opposition was being used by Britain and its Western
allies to effect illegal regime change in the country.

Cde Karimanzira said when voting, people should know who they would be
voting for and not to sell the country to the former colonisers who
still had a hidden agenda to occupy Zimbabwe.

"This is the reason why they form opposition political parties to be at
the forefront for them so that they would benefit when it wins," he
said.

Cde Karimanzira said now that the elections were over, it was time for
people to unite and work together for the development of the country.

He said now that the land was in the hands of the people, it was time to
move to the industries, some of which were owned by the British.

"As part of its ongoing empowerment initiative, Zanu-PF has put in place
a bold legislative dispensation to ensure that Zimbabweans own at least
51 percent of strategic companies across the national economy. This
programme is ready for implementation," he said.

Also last week, Zanu-PF Secretary for External Affairs Cde Kumbirai
Kangai said land reform was irreversible and Zimbabweans should continue
safeguarding the gains of the liberation struggle.

Addressing hundreds of ruling party supporters in Buhera at the reburial
of the remains of a freedom fighter who was shot and killed by Rhodesian
forces in Rushinga District, Mt Darwin, during the liberation struggle,
Cde Kangai said Zimbabwe would never be a colony again.

Cde Silver Sebastian Mutomba, whose Chimurenga name was Cde Edson
Chikwata, was killed in 1977 and buried in a mass grave.

He was a brother to the Member of the House of Assembly-elect for Buhera
North Cde William Mutomba.

The reburial ceremony was done at his Mutomba homestead in Soro Village
in Buhera.


We’re not pulling out, say SA firms

AFP-Herald Reporter

JOHANNESBURG-- South African firms are staying in Zimbabwe resisting
calls for them to pull out, as they wait for a settlement that will see
business surge.

The companies are hoping they will be in prime position to benefit from
a future upturn.

The Zimbabwean economy has been weighed down by the Western-imposed
illegal sanctions making operating difficult for both local and foreign
companies.

Britain, the United States, the European Union, Canada, New Zealand and
Australia slapped an economic embargo on Zimbabwe because they are
opposed to the land reform programme.

Of late, foreign companies — particularly British-owned ones— have come
under increasing pressure from the Labour government in Britain to
withdraw from Zimbabwe following President Mugabe’s victory in the June
27 presidential election run-off.

So far British retail chain Tesco has said it will no longer buy farm
produce from Zimbabwe although others such as Barclays Bank have said
they will not pull out while British Members of Parliament with
investments in Zimbabwe are opposed to further sanctions against the
country.

But analysts say the dozens of South African companies — ranging from
mining giants and banks to tour operators — which are still hanging on
are confident that things are bound to get better at some stage.

"I believe that the decision by companies to stay in Zimbabwe is more of
a long-term business strategy than a humanitarian gesture. They are
simply positioning themselves for an anticipated economic recovery,"
said Johan Rossouw, chief economist at Cape Town-based Vector Securities
and Derivatives.

South Africa has traditionally been Zimbabwe’s biggest trading partner
and, according to the Department of Trade and Industry in Pretoria,
around 20 major companies and scores of smaller enterprises are still
operating in Zimbabwe.

Among the biggest still toughing it out is Standard Bank, which trades
under the name Stanbic in branches throughout Zimbabwe.

"Doing business is very difficult but we continue monitoring the
situation in Zimbabwe and our business operations," Clive Tasker, chief
executive of Standard Bank Africa, told AFP. "We have no intention of
pulling out."

South Africa’s largest supermarket operator, Pick ‘n’ Pay, is also
keeping its foot in the door through its 25 percent stake in Zimbabwe’s
TM Supermarkets chain even though it has not received any dividends in
the last four years.

"TM continues to trade under exceptionally difficult economic conditions
with procurement being their biggest challenge," said a statement from
Pick ‘n’ Pay. "We continue to support our colleagues and hope for
political and economic stability in the near future."

As well as the high street giants, South African mining firms are still
clinging on in Zimbabwe despite the ever growing problem of finding
parts and coping with load-shedding.

The Johannesburg-based Impala Platinum, the biggest foreign investor in
Zimbabwe through its subsidiary Zimplats, said it was working out how to
circumvent some of the problems it had experienced and was hoping to
increase production four-fold by 2010, according to The Sunday Times.

"We are in talks with neighbouring Mozambique to import electricity for
our mining operations in Zimbabwe," a statement said.

Tour operators are still arranging holidays for thousands of foreigners
to visit the country’s premier attraction, the Victoria Falls.

Tommy Edmund, chief executive of the Johannesburg-based Tourvest, said
the Victoria Falls benefited from its location next to the Zambian
border. "All supplies for the hotel are transported from Zambia,
including food and fuel," he told AFP.

"That makes us least affected by the (economic situation). We have
always been using the US dollar currency, so we did not feel the impact
of the Zim dollar collapse."

However, most of the food being imported from Zambia is made in Zimbabwe
and exported — sometimes through unscrupulous means — to neighbouring
countries. — AFP-Herald Reporter.


‘More women in Zimbabwe access reproductive health care’

New Ziana

Zimbabwe has made great strides in championing the rights of women as
well as improving reproductive health, an official with the Zimbabwe
Women Lawyers’ Association has said.

Speaking at a family planning workshop, which coincided with
commemorations for World Population Day on Friday, ZWLA director Ms
Emilia Muchana said more women in Zimbabwe now had access to health care
while gender equality had also improved over the years.

She urged stakeholders, particularly the private sector, to continue
assisting Government to ensure it maintained and boosted its record on
women rights and reproductive health.

"Zimbabwe’s legal framework on women rights and reproductive health is
encouraging," she said.

"More and more women now have access to health services," she said,
adding this was one of the most important basic human rights.

Ms Muchana said the National Family Planning Act, which led to the
establishment of a National Family Planning Council, was evidence of
Government’s efforts to provide access to reproductive health and the
right for all people to be able to decide the number and timing of their
children.

The Domestic Violence Act also showed the country’s commitment to the
interests of women.

Meanwhile, Ms Muchana urged Government to improve implementation of the
Termination of Pregnancy Act so as to allow women to terminate the
pregnancy in cases such as rape.

"There is lot of bureaucracy in this process," she said, adding a number
of women had since given birth to "unwanted kids" due to delays in
granting them the go-ahead to terminate such pregnancies.

Termination had also been confused with abortion, which was religiously
wrong.

The one-day workshop brought together women organisations, civic
society, the private and public sector. — New Ziana.


Pakistan pledges continued support to Zim

Herald Reporter

Pakistan will stand by Zimbabwe in its challenging times and continue to
render assistance in every way possible in an effort to cement the
already cordial relations between the two countries.

Speaking at a function to mark the first anniversary of the
Pakistan-Zimbabwe Friendship Association and inauguration of the
association’s executive in Harare on Friday, Pakistani Ambassador to
Zimbabwe Mrs Rifat Iqbal said the formation of the friendship
association was a symbol of continuing solidarity between the two
countries.

She said the friendship between Pakistan and Zimbabwe dates back to the
war of liberation during which Pakistan extended moral and material
support to Zimbabwean freedom fighters.

"The establishment of the Pakistan-Zimbabwe Friendship Association is a
step in the right direction and will contribute to the cementing of the
relationship between our two countries," Mrs Iqbal said.

She said the two countries have enjoyed cordial relations marked by
mutual respect and commonality of views on important issues.

"In the field of education and training, Pakistan continues to allocate
scholarships and training programmes for capacity building to Zimbabwe
in the spirit of South-to-South co-operation," Mrs Iqbal said.

The chairman of Pakistan-Zimbabwe Friendship Association Mr Munawer
Husain Butt said Pakistan has over the years identified with Zimbabwe as
both countries have suffered under the yoke of colonialism for many
years, which denied their people the right to self-determination.

He said that despite the economic hardships in Zimbabwe, Pakistani
investors continue to explore for investment opportunities in Zimbabwe.

The Minister of Policy Implementation — who is the patron of the
Pakistan-Zimbabwe Friendship Association — Cde Webster Shamu said the
support the Pakistani community continues to give to the country was a
sign that they believe in the rights and freedom of the people of
Zimbabwe.

He said Zimbabwe also respects the sovereignty of other countries and
expressed Government’s commitment to ensuring the cordial relations
between the countries continue to grow.

Last year, the association donated computers and printers, among other
equipment, to the Zimbabwe Republic Police’s Harare Central District to
aid the force in maintaining law and order.

[rebelAfrika]

It was not too long ago where elements on THIS VERY FORUM were postulating the possibilities of China being a new colonial force in Africa, where as I had to FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT to get people to recognize that China's foriegn policies with various African countries have been nothing but MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL to both China and Africa. I hope the same people who attacked China's relationship to Africa will read the article above. China and Africa have a BEAUTIFUL history of NEVER having been enemies of each other.

[BlackQueen]

Be cautious,brother. What starts off as a "friendship" with Africa and China may turn to a complete rape of her resources,just like what the enemy is doing now.

Originally Posted by rebelAfrika

It was not too long ago where elements on THIS VERY FORUM were postulating the possibilities of China being a new colonial force in Africa, where as I had to FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT to get people to recognize that China's foriegn policies with various African countries have been nothing but MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL to both China and Africa. I hope the same people who attacked China's relationship to Africa will read the article above. China and Africa have a BEAUTIFUL history of NEVER having been enemies of each other.

[rebelAfrika]

Originally Posted by BlackQueen

Be cautious,brother. What starts off as a "friendship" with Africa and China may turn to a complete rape of her resources,just like what the enemy is doing now.

Are the nations of Africa so naive? On the other hand sister...you be cautious not to become paranoid.