WEEKLY DIGEST June 8, 2022

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Exposed: How govt
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projects

ZIM’S MINES ARE REBOUNDING
… BUT SIGNIFICANT HURDLES STILL ABOUND

AFRICA IN BRIEF June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 2

Cameroon soldiers killed nine Plans to subsidise Tanzania
villagers, government admits stadiums panned

1 A group of soldiers have 4 Opposition parties has provoked a sharp response
killed nine villagers in- in Tanzania have criti- from members of the opposition
cluding an 18-month-old cised the government's who describe the plan as mis-
girl, in a “manifestly dis- plan to use taxpayers’ appropriation of public funds. A
proportionate” and “hasty” money to renovate stadiums, in- spokesman from the opposition
response to a confrontation in cluding some owned by the rul- ACT Wazalendo party said the
northwest Cameroon, the govern- ing CCM party.
ment has said. Tanzania is push- government should return
The four soldiers were searching ing to upgrade its the ownership of the
for a missing comrade in the vil- sports facilities grounds before ren-
lage of Missong when they came as a strategy to ovating them. The
across a group of angry villagers at enable it qual- Chadema party's
night, the defence ministry said in ify to host John Mrema
a statement on Tuesday. “In an in- big tourna- called on par-
appropriate reaction, unsuited to ments in- liament to re-
the circumstances and manifestly cluding the ject the pro-
disproportionate to the hostile vil- Africa Cup posal saying
lagers’ refusal to cooperate … the of Nations in it was unac-
soldiers, in a hasty reaction of self- 2027. ceptable to
protection … used their weapons,” While pre- use taxpay-
the statement said. senting his ers’ money to
The victims were four men, four ministry’s repair private-
women and the infant, it said. A budget esti- owned facili-
one-year-old child was lightly in- mates, the min- ties. The minis-
jured and taken to hospital. ister for culture and try has defended its
The statement was an unusual sport asked the par- proposal, saying the
admission of blame by the army, liament to approve a sum of
which civilians and rights groups 10bn shillings ($4.2m; £3.4m) to amenities will be used by
have accused of numerous kill- repair seven playgrounds, five Tanzanians and not just by CCM
ings and abuses during an ongo- of which belong to CCM. This members.
ing separatist conflict.
Cameroon’s northwest region is — BBC
one of two English-speaking re-
gions where secessionist fighters also killed more than 3,000 people. on a car at a checkpoint. A month
protesting perceived marginalisa- Last October, a mob lynched a later, a policeman killed an eight-
tion by the French-speaking ma- year-old girl in similar circumstanc-
jority have been battling govern- military police officer after he killed es.
ment troops since 2016. a five-year-old girl when he fired
Schooling and the internet have
been regularly disrupted in the an-
glophone areas, as has everyday
life. In all, nearly one million people
have been displaced into neigh-
bouring Nigeria. The conflict has

S A: Opposition calls for
prosecution of Guptas after arrest

2 The Democratic Al- in the United Arab Emirates and 2016, shortly after investigations
liance (DA), South Afri- called for their prosecution. into their role in using their affili-
ca’s leading opposition ation with former president Jacob
party, has welcomed Atul and Rajesh Gupta, two of Zuma, to influence contracts and
the arrest of the con- the leading members of the Gup- appointments, intensified.
troversial Gupta brothers by police ta family, were arrested in Dubai
on Tuesday. They fled there in April — Aljazeera

Mali military promises return to
civilian rule in March 2024

Mali’s military rulers have pro- Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari

3 posed the restoration of Nigeria: Buhari has no preferred
civilian rule in two years,
following an August successor, spokesman says
2020 coup and a fail-
ure to meet an earlier 5 Nigerian President as frontrunners to represent the
deadline for elections that Muhammadu Buhari APC during the presidential vote
led to crippling sanctions. Military has no preferred can- next February. The party is hold-
leader Colonel Assimi Goita signed didate from the rul- ing its primaries this week.
a decree read out on state televi- Colonel Assimi Goita, who led the military coup in Mali is now offering a ing All Progressives Party
sion on Monday saying that “the return to civilian rule in March 2024 (APC) to succeed him, his spokes- But the president’s spokesman
duration of the transition is fixed at Garba Shehu said Buhari told
24 months (from) March 26, 2022”. adopted on Monday. The length of will be lifted imminently,” he said, man has said on the eve of the par- APC governors from northern Ni-
The military seized power in an ini- the transition has also caused a rift adding that an electoral timeline ty’s primaries to pick a flag bearer geria during a meeting on Mon-
tial coup in August 2020 and failed with Mali’s partners, including the would follow. West African heads for next year’s elections. day that he has “no preferred
to deliver on a promise to hold United States and former colonial of state met in Ghana’s capital Accra Buhari, who is constitutionally candidate” and has “anointed no
elections in February, prompt- power France. over the weekend to discuss the situ- barred from contesting, will step one”.
ing sanctions from the Economic ation and agreed not to lift sanctions, down in 2023 after eight years in
Community of West African States Maiga said the ECOWAS medi- which include border closures and office, leading to intense spec- The governors separately told
(ECOWAS). Goita forced out an in- ator on the crisis, former Nigerian restrictions on financial transactions, ulation on whom he will back reporters that they were pushing
terim civilian government in May President Goodluck Jonathan, and unless interim leaders proposed a as his preferred successor. Vice for a presidential candidate from
last year, taking over the presiden- heads of state had been informed shorter transition. President Yemi Osinbajo and the mostly Christian south to
cy. The military said Monday’s de- of the 24-month decree. Bola Tinubu, a powerful former succeed Buhari, a Muslim from
cree followed an “advanced stage — Aljazeera Lagos state governor, are seen northern Nigeria.
of negotiations with ECOWAS” and “We are hopeful … the sanctions
Mali hoped sanctions would be — Aljazeera
lifted.
“The adoption of this decree is
proof of the willingness of [Malian]
authorities to dialogue with ECO-
WAS,” added a spokesperson who
read out the decree.
ECOWAS did not immediately
comment on the 24-month decree

THE DIGEST VIEW June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 3

Land
reform
revelations
shocking
Food shortages and elections a deadly
This is quite telling and really cocktail of trouble for Mnangagwa
unfortunate if this is the mind-
Alfonce Mbizwo set of all the people in the rul- THE granaries remain empty, no Vladimir Putin seems not ready to Paidamoyo Muzulu
Editor ing party. deliveries coming in and the food play ball.
assessments done so far point to a Reading between the lines, one
I T comes as a real shock That we were all “misguided” large maize deficit. The Russian top official, Speaker can see what happened.
that we have people in this to think that Zimbabwe’s land of the Federation Council of
country who believe that belonged to all of us, regardless Many families, both in urban and the Federal Assembly Valentina ZDF commander General Phillip
they are so powerful that of our divergent political per- rural areas, face starvation or food Ivanovna Matvienko, during Valerio Sibanda, in a speech at
they can literally hold a suasions and that our farm of- insecurity. The situation is made her meeting with President Charles Gumbo Barracks, the
gun to our heads with impuni- fer letters are mere confirma- worse by the local currency losing Mnangagwa at State House, told headquarter of 1 Commando,
ty and threaten to rain fire and tion that we agreed to be held value against the greenback in an Mnangagwa: “Russia is ready to during a military parade for the
brimstone upon us if we do not to ransom by the ruling party if economy fast dollarising. work with Zimbabwe to prevent the late Chanakira, said: “It remains
do as they please. we do not support it, is a very, development of food problems and a challenge to us all to defend
very sad revelation indeed. President Emmerson Mnangagwa establish new logistics to satisfy the the values that they stood for. We
And it is also dumbfounding and his Cabinet are in panic, a panic local demand for grain and food. must always remember that to be
to hear that Zimbabwe’s entire In fact, this whole issue induced by the looming general who we are today, it is because
farmland belongs to Zanu PF smacks of Zimbabwe’s scan- elections in the face of a hungry and “I understand your concerns. The somebody shed their sweat or
and its members according to dal of all time that the country’s destitute electorate. food situation in the world is not blood as the late Chanakira and
Information and Publicity dep- land reform programme was a easy. Russia now has more than many others did. Let us never lose
uty minister Kindness Paradza mere Zanu PF project disguised They are throwing wind to enough opportunities to make a sight of this important fact, no
who is also the Zanu PF Ma- as a national project. These rev- caution, and all they care about is decisive contribution to avoiding matter kuti tinenge tadziigwa sei.”
konde Member of Parliament, elations make the whole pro- their political survival. shortages, rising prices and
Makonde district chairperson gramme the grandest swindle maintaining world food security. Without being an expert in
and the ruling party’s secretary from our national coffers by a In the process, they have issued interpreting language, I was forced
for administration for Mashona- single institution, Zanu PF, be- decrees that would make one “We consider Zimbabwe a friendly to think hard why the last part of the
land West province. cause nowhere in our Consti- cringe if it the story was not so sad. State. And I think that if we receive statement was said in vernacular
tution is it mentioned that the an appropriate request, we will be language and for that matter, in
Apparently infuriated by re- country’s budget must fund the The situation is made worse ready to work on finding a way out that particular dialect.
settled farmers in parts of ruling party’s projects. by the spiralling inflation, which and prevent the development of
Mashonaland West who are economics professor Steve Hanke food problems here. I am sure that Was the message targeted at a
not attending Zanu PF meet- Billions of dollars were calls the highest in the world. with a high degree of interest, this particular institution or leader who
ings, Paradza fumed thus: “Be pumped into the land reform will be possible.” understands that dialect?
warned that the offer letter you programme and billions more This is further compounded by
are holding and which gives you are to be paid out by Treasury slave wages that the majority of I would not want to delve into The military guys have always
authority to be on that farm, to compensate white former workers are receiving, far below what “an appropriate request” is. been good at giving nuanced
can be revoked anytime and commercial farmers who were the datum poverty line that now It seems a lot of paperwork should statements. I still remember the
without recourse. From now on dispossessed of their proper- stubbornly stands at $120 000 a be done. Zimbabwe should make 2002 “straight jacket” statement
each farmer must take an active ties under the land reform pro- month for a family of six. feasible payment plans for maize. issued then by General Vitalis
role in party affairs including gamme. And to then imagine This is a daunting task for a country Zvinavashe flanked by other
encouraging their employees that all these billions are fund- The panic is real considering the drowning in debt, US$17 billion at generals.
to do the same. A lot of farm- ing a Zanu PF project is gut- new decree that farmers cannot last count. Probably, Mnangagwa
ers think it was because of their wrenching. move grain or sell to private players. will have to batter some more It could be that Zimbabwe is
cleverness that they secured For a good measure, the police and minerals in exchange for maize. heading for politically-exciting and
the farms they have. Those who If this is the reality facing us, the military have been roped in to dangerous times. The cocktail of
think that way are misguided. then we should as well forget ensure farmers comply with the There was some spectacular challenges the country is facing
You got that farm because the that we will ever live peaceful- order. volte-face by Mnangagwa this means a lot.
ruling Zanu PF party allocated ly in this country as long as we week. Late last week, the President
it to you. Some of you are an- do not subscribe to the Zanu PF It ceases to be a joke when the bestowed the honour of a State- And to close this article, one
ti-establishment yet you bene- political religion. We shudder to security sector is called in to enforce assisted funeral to the late retired cannot help but quote the great
fited from the land reform. This imagine how many thousands a fatwa. However, the farmers seem Major-General Godfrey Chanakira. British author William Shakespeare,
country is under sanctions be- of resettled farmers out there determined to hold on to their “Uneasy is the head that wears the
cause of you who are on the are going to be deprived of grain by not selling it to the Grain However, aftersome murmuring in crown.”
land, lest we forget that.” their land simply because they Marketing Board for a paltry $70 the corridors of power, Mnangagwa Paidamoyo Muzulu is a journalist
do not support the ruling party. 000 a tonne, an amount that is recanted his decision and declared based in Zimbabwe. He writes in
equivalent to farmers subsidising Chanakira a national hero. his personal capacity.
Instead of building bridges, the State instead of the other way
it appears Zanu PF is wont on round. The decision points to some
building barriers. If this is one behind-the-scenes power struggles
of the ruling party’s campaign Government has moved from or lack of thorough thinking before
strategies to win the 2023 gen- the lie of saying the country is food a public statement is issued or both.
eral elections, we are afraid it is secure to accepting that it needs to
misguided and will only serve to import the staple cereal. The World Chanakirawas a decorated soldier.
drive away potential voters. Food Programme puts the number He was the permanent secretary
of food insecure at 5,5 million in in the office of Vice-President and
As the sages say: “You can 2022. former Zimbabwe Defence Forces
lead a donkey to the river, but (ZDF) Commander Retired General
you can’t make it drink.” Last week, Grain Millers Constantino Chiwenga.
Association of Zimbabwe
Forcing people to kneel down announced that it was importing Why was Chanakira initially given
at the Zanu PF altar does not 400 000 tonnes of maize from a State-assisted funeral when
mean that they will be believers neighbouring Zambia. lesser mortals are interred at the
of its doctrine. “venerated” hill, the National Heroes
And this week, on Thursday, Acre? What forced a change of
It is quite sad that Zanu PF government engaged the Russian mind on his status?
has sunk so low as to reckless- government for food supplies.
ly abuse its status as the ruling
party. Interestingly, Russia under

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ANALYSIS June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 4

Exposed:
How govt
has bungled

on key
projects

LBY TATIRA ZWINOIRA manifesto, 94 have been kept whilst nine were The institute found that none of the prom- pleted in the sectors of this category with only
OCAL independent think tank, Siv- fully implemented and nine others weren’t. ises made under this theme were fully com- 46% of three promises under the informal sec-
io Institute says it is becoming in-
creasingly clear that the government DICOMM McCANN 123305
will not fulfil several promises it made
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The Zimbabwe dollar has fallen from $6,36 A member of the Deposit Protection Scheme
against the US dollar, when the local currency
was reintroduced into the market in June 2019.

In a new report titled ‘Contested Claims of
Progress: An Analysis of Government Perfor-
mance 2018 to 2021’ by the institute, it found
that to date, the government made 235 prom-
ises.

Of this, the ZANU-PF government has kept
only 185 promises. The report says the govern-
ment has not commenced any actions on 31,
broke four and only fully implemented 14.

“Some of the top line promises made during
elections included; transforming Zimbabwe
into an upper middle-income economy by
2030, the creation of one million formal sector
jobs, issuing land tenure documents (99-year
leases for A2 and permits for A1), building 2000
schools by 2023,” reads part of the report.

Others included: “rehabilitating and estab-
lishing at least one vocational training centre
per administrative district, establishing at least
one hospital per administrative district, and
delivering at least 1.5 million affordable hous-
ing within five years amongst many others
(ZANU-PF, 2018)”.

However, a look at the report shows that the
government has failed to implement these
topline promises.

“As already mentioned, 185 promises have
been kept. Significant progress has been made
in almost all the sectors. Progress remains slow
in social service delivery, agriculture, and cor-
ruption despite a high score on the number of
promises kept,” Sivio Institute said.

“In some instances, the high promise kept
score is due to the low number of promises
made in that cluster. For instance, ZANU-PF
made only two promises related to local gov-
ernment and 11 under Governance, Politics and
Civil Rights.”

The institute continued: “The majority of the
promises were made in the Economy cluster
(113) and Social Services (42) was a distant sec-
ond. Perhaps this explains the prominence of
the Ministry of Finance and Economic Devel-
opment and the Central Bank in public policy
making discourse”.

This means that while the report seemingly
paints a picture of significant progress made
by the government, that is not actually the
case as evidenced by persistent challenges
that exist in the economy.

According to the report, the institute identi-
fied challenges to do with capacity utilisation,
viability of state-owned enterprises, employ-
ment, currency stability, infrastructure devel-
opment, and informalisation of the economy,
as still persisting.

The report examines eight thematic areas
where the promises were made.

These are agriculture and rural develop-
ment, corruption, economy, local governance,
social services, trade and international rela-
tions, youth and gender, and governance, pol-
itics and civil rights.

Of these themes only five were scored, that
is, economy with 62%, agriculture and rural de-
velopment (49%), social services (39%), corrup-
tion (46%), and governance politics and civ-
il rights (61%).

Under the economy thematic area, 113
promises made in the government’s campaign

ANALYSIS June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 5

tor being fulfilled. Management System Project. Could this be “The country has, since the turn of the cen- The institute says the report has demon-
Others included 70% of 10 promises being the government overextending itself into de- tury, failed to turn the plug on the high levels of strated that the government has carried out
cisions that should traditionally be made by lo- migration of skilled health and education per- a number of measures especially in the eco-
fulfilled for tourism, infrastructure (65% of 24), cal authorities?” sonnel. The 39% barometer score is perhaps nomic and infrastructure development areas,
SMEs (63% of 13), mining (58% of 12), invest- very generous given the stagnation and de- but has more failures.
ment model (73% of 12), and manufacturing Under the social services theme, there were cline in this sector.”
(51% of 12). four sectors used to score the government's “Whilst it is probably too early to make a
performance. These are pension systems/al- Regarding the corruption theme, the insti- judgement call on whether the government
Lastly, only 49% of 10 promises made to fi- locations, housing, health and education from tute gave a score of 60% for ensuring a corrup- has been an overall success or failure it is be-
nancial services were completed, employment which government has failed to deliver more tion-free environment in both the private and coming increasingly clear that the government
(64% of 8), economic model focusing on state than 50% of its promises in each category. public sectors, and 59% towards swift justice will not be able to fulfil certain promises,” the
entities (80% of 4 promises), and budget ac- served on perpetrators of crime and other acts institute said.
countability (61% of 5 promises). For pension systems/allocations the govern- of economic sabotage.
ment only completed 46% of nine promises it One clear indication of the government’s
“However, the same government also broke made, housing (35% of 8), health (36% of 15), The institute gave a score of 64% towards in- failure can be found in the data generated by
several promises; they reduced civil servants’ and education (40% of 10). itiating a broad-based campaign on the need Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Commit-
salaries. They also promised to ensure that the to uphold sound ethical standards across all tee 2021 report that pointed to an increase in
rights of workers enshrined in the Constitution “The crisis in Zimbabwe is multifaceted but sectors and gave a zero for ensuring the non- vulnerability.
are fully protected. The teachers that went on has significant social ramifications which in- interference by the executive in constitutional
strike were suspended without pay,” Sivio In- clude collapse of public health delivery, declin- institutions combating corruption. “Our Citizens Perceptions Expectations re-
stitute said. ing enrolment in schools and quality of edu- port of 2021 also indicates an increase in the
cation, a non-existent public transport system, “Despite all these efforts, corruption seems number of citizens who are dissatisfied with
“Furthermore, some of the cabinet’s de- erosion of pensions and social safety nets,” the to be on the rise especially in government pro- the performance of the government. Is it pos-
cisions have not been popular. For instance, report read. curement,” the institute said. sible that these challenges may have to do
the approval of the Bulawayo Vehicle Parking with the expert-led paradigm of policymak-
ing?” the institute said.

“The GoZ like many others has not suffi-
ciently invested in meaningful consultations
with citizens and aligned policies to issues em-
anating from these discussions. There is a pre-
occupation with indicators such as growth of
Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The usefulness
of GDP as an accurate measure of economic
growth has been challenged especially where
we have high levels of informalisation.”

The institute said that the government
should instead focus on new indicators such as

“The number of new formal sector jobs, cre-
ating a competitive job market where workers
are rewarded according to regional standards,
improved access to high quality social goods
(education, health, and transport) and finally
identifying ways of creating a sustainable and
viable agriculture subsidy fund.”

The institute said that given the gravity of
the crisis in the country, a business-as-usual
approach to governance was always not go-
ing to be enough.

“Perhaps the biggest weakness of the gov-
ernment is the failure to read the changing en-
vironment. Globally, there is a growing con-
sensus on the need for effective and account-
able government administrations,” it added.

COVER June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 6

Zim’s mines are rebounding
…but significant hurdles still abound

IBY ISAAC KWESU were announced by government during May The government, through a statement re- mining industry was predominantly challeng-
n 2021, there were some positive devel- 2022 that seek to deal with exchange rate leased on 2 February 2021 announced a Poli- ing on the back of loss of value on the sur-
opments in the mining sector. Sever- and price volatility cy exempting the mining industry from com- render portion of export proceeds, inade-
al mining houses undertook expansion plying with the equity threshold of the Indi- quate foreign exchange allocations, fragile
projects while a number of new mines in including introduction of the willing buyer- genisation and Economic Empowerment Act. power supply, capital constraints and high-
the gold, lithium and coal sectors were willing seller framework will go a long way in Regularisation of this policy intent into law, cost structure. These challenges weighed
commissioned during the year. Support- restoring value for exporters including mining however, remained outstanding by the end down the full potential of the mining indus-
ed by firm commodity prices, mining output companies. of 2021. Meanwhile, it appears government is try in 2021, with some minerals including
grew by 3,4% in 2021, from -9% in 2020. De- PGMs, nickel and ferrochrome recording out-
spite the above, the mining sector continues Some of the fees gazetted in 2021 and sub- considering introducing an Economic Em- put declines compared to 2020. The domes-
to operate below its full potential with aver- sequently revised in 2022 remained high. powerment Framework which is expected to tic economy recovered by 7,8% in 2021 (from
age capacity utilisation estimated at around replace the current indigenisation law. a contraction of -4,1% in 2021) underpinned
8o% due to several challenges that include In 2021, mining companies were paying by strong rebound in agriculture (following
foreign exchange shortfalls, power deficits, royalty and some taxes in foreign currency. Coal producers faced several viability chal- bumper harvest in the 2020/21 agriculture
high operating costs and capital shortag- This situation further squeezed the available lenges including low coal price and foreign season) and improved activities in other real
es. A significant number of mines are facing foreign currency to mining companies. currency shortages which impacted nega- sectors of mining, manufacturing, and con-
foreign currency shortfalls to meet their op- tively on the viability of coal producers. The struction.
erational requirements. With most mining Amendments to the Mines and Minerals chamber engaged Government and ZESA to
companies in expansion mode, they now re- Act remained outstanding during the year resolve these matters. In 2022, government is projecting the
quire more foreign currency to fund the cap- under review. The government is now tar- economy to further grow by 5,5% support-
ital projects including setting up beneficia- geting to finalise the amendments in 2022. ZESA and government proposed some in- ed by strong recovery in mining (8%), agri-
tion facilities. Meanwhile, the measures that Amendments to the Gold Trade Act and Pre- terventions to resolve the matters including culture (5,1%), manufacturing (5,5%) and con-
cious Stones Act remained provision of diesel, review of the coal price struction (17,4%). Downside risks that are ex-
and a review of the foreign currency frame- pected to weigh down economic prospects
outstanding during the period under re- work for the coal producers.
view. The Ministry shared a copy of the draft
Principles to the Amendment of the Gold In 2021, the operating environment for the
Trade Act with stakeholders.

COVER June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 7

for 2022 include poor rains (that have sup- USD by end of December 2021. The parallel to emanate from anticipated widening par- ty utilisation was maintained in the PGM
pressed yields across the country), foreign ex- market rate depreciated from ZWL110/ USD in allel market premiums, high money supply sector. In 2022, average capacity utilisa-
change constraints, electricity shortages and January 2021, to close the year at growth, high food prices following a poor ag- tion is expected to increase to 83%.
high inflation. riculture season and high energy prices.
around ZWL220/ USD by end of Decem- Mineral exports increased to US$5,2 bil-
The exchange rate (both official and alter- ber 2021. The ‘black market’ premium contin- Average capacity utilisation for the mining lion in 2021, compared to US$3,7 billion in
native) depreciated during the year, propping ued to influence price formation in the econ- industry increased from 61% in 2020, to 80% 2020, largely driven by booming com-
up inflation pressure in the economy. The omy in 2021, with most prices of goods and in 2021. Notable increases in capacity utilisa- modity prices. In 2022, mineral exports
auction rate depreciated from ZW$82/USD services indexed to the parallel market rate. In tion were in respect of gold (80% to 87%) and are expected to surpass US$5,5 billion
at the beginning of January 2021, to ZW$109/ the outlook, inflation pressures are expected ferrochrome (40% to 60%), while full capaci- as the attractive prices are anticipated to
persist throughout the year.
BANK OF ZI
RESERVE MBABWE The top five minerals contributed 81%
of mineral exports in 2021 compared to
Foreign Exchange Auction Results 7 June 2022 86% in 2020, while the top three account-
ed for 61% in 2021, compared to 70% in
SMEFX91/2022 MAIN FX97/2022 2020.
Number of Bids Received : 855 317
43 Gold output increased to 31,5 tonnes in
Number of Bids Disqualified : 102 274 2021, compared to 20,9 tonnes in 2020,
274 largely benefitting from an incentive
Total Number of Bids Accepted : 753 USD20,665,498.04 framework introduced by government in
USD20,665,498.04 mid-2021. The implementation of the in-
Total Number of Bids Allotted : 753 350.0000 centive framework saw monthly average
295.0000 gold deliveries more than doubling from
Total Value of Bids Accepted : USD4,269,142.30 1,6 tonnes in the first five months of 2021,
to approximately 3,3 tones in the rest of
Amount Allotted : USD4,269,142.30 the year.

Highest Rate Received : 350.0000 Factors that continued to undermine
the full potential of the gold industry in-
Lowest Bid Rate Allotted : 295.0000 clude power outages (more pronounced
for operations not connected to dedicat-
Weighted Average Rate : 325.3314 ed power lines), capital shortages (as gold
producers cannot securitise their gold for
PURPOSE AMOUNT AMOUNT raising capital), inadequate foreign cur-
rency allocations and loss of value on the
Raw Materials ALLOTTED ALLOTTED surrender portion of export proceeds.

Machinery and Equipment SME AUCTION MAIN AUCTION In the outlook, with improved access to
capital, gold production is projected to
Consumables (Incl. Spares, Tyres, Electricals, 1,279,708.33 11,493,062.61 increase to 40 tonnes in 2022. This pro-
etc) jection is underpinned by anticipated im-
Services (Loans, Education, Dividends, 1,597,956.90 3,665,882.99 proved output on the back of capital pro-
Disinvestments, etc) jects with respects to Caledonia (Blanket
Retail and Distribution (Incl. Food, Beverages, 424,281.67 1,510,009.41 Mine) central shaft completion; Freda Re-
etc) becca production ramp-up; Shamva Gold
Electricity 325,110.73 1,236,837.05 resumption; How Mine

Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals 312,977.80 947,019.68 shaft sinking project; RioZim BIOX Plant
Project; Pan African Mining dump retreat-
Paper and Packaging 9,767.03 109,266.09 ment project; Eureka Gold Mine plant
completion; Golden Reef Mining ramp-
TOTAL 166,387.47 783,510.85 up; Turk Mine main shaft upgrade and
Golden Quarry Mine to ramp-up, among
GRAND TOTAL AWARDED 152,952.37 919,909.36 other projects in the gold industry.

4,269,142.30 20,665,498.04 The three PGM operations of ZIM-
PLATS, Mimosa Mining Company and
24,934,640.34 Unki Mines continued to operate at (near)
full capacity utilisation in 2021. PGMs pro-
Notes duction, however, declined across most of
1. Bids with overdue CD1s, outstanding Bills of Entry (BOEs), insufficient ZWL and the metals in the basket: -2% for platinum
(15 004 kg to 14,732 kg), -2% for palladium
those with sufficient FCA balances were also disqualified. (12 890 kg to 12 619 kg) and -2% for rhodi-
2. Some Bids were allotted on a pro-rata basis. um (1 368 kg to

RESERVE BANK OF ZIMBABWE 1,333 kg).
7 June 2022 In the outlook for 2022, Platinum out-
put is expected to increase to 15,200 kg,
while palladium is expected to increase to
13,200 kg in 2022.
The anticipated increases are expect-
ed to emanate from a number of capital
projects being undertaken by the active
players. Zimplats’ approved a US$1,8 bil-
lion capital investment which is expect-
ed to increase with growth projects, boost
nameplate capacity and incountry pro-
cessing capacity, with the establishment
of an abatement facility; refurbishment of
the mothballed base metal refinery; and a
185 MW solar plant. Mimosa Mining Com-
pany invested US$40 million in capital
projects in 2021 to expand mine life and
production capacity. Some of the projects
include plant optimisation and studies
on the North Hill life-of-mine extensions.
Unki Mine’s debottlenecking project was
completed and successfully integrated
and is expected to deliver a strong pro-
duction performance. The medium-term
outlook for the PGM sector continues to
be very optimistic with the projects under
various stages of development. These in-
clude Bravura, Todal, Great
Dyke Investments and Karo Platinum
project. Nickel production decreased to
15,759 tons in 2021, compared to
16,440 tons in 2020.
A two – month production stoppage at
Bindura Nickel Corporation in the first half
of the year resulted nickel production for
the year. BNC, the primary producer for
nickel accounted for 30% of nickel output
in 2021, while secondary PGMs producers
contributed 70% of total nickel output in
2021.
Kwesu is the chief executive at the
Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe. This
analysis was extracted from the Cham-
ber of Mines’ 2021 annual report, which
was released last week.

OPINION June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 8

2022: A wild year for policy, investments

TAFARA Mtutu cost the world economy some levels. On the other hand, equities tend global and local capital markets.
US$16 trillion to date with an ad- The additional unexpected in- to underperform when actual in- According to the Singer-Ter-
Global geopolitical ten- ditional US$12 trillion expected to flation moves ahead of expected
sion that is centred be incurred in lost output over the flationary pressures subsequently inflation. In the five months to May haar model which adjusts capital
on the Russia-Ukraine next four years to 2025. prompted a response that was 2022, the Dow Jones Industrial, markets expectations for global
crisis has given rise to juxtaposed with Covid-19 recovery S&P 500, and Nasdaq Indices lost integration, market returns are
several risks that have The magnitude of these losses efforts. Four months after hinting 8,6%, 12,8%, and 22,5%, respec- heavily influenced by factors that
shaken global capital markets. cements the mandate by global of three interest rate hikes related tively. In European markets, Ger- drive global market returns in ex-
Among these risks is global infla- policymakers to recover lost value to the recovery from the pandem- many’s DAX weakened by 8,3% tensively integrated markets. On
tion, which surged beyond 9% in as swiftly as possible, and this has ic, the US Fed signalled six more while the FTSE 100 recorded mar- the other hand, markets that are
May 2022. underpinned an extended period hikes in March 2022 and inflation ginal gains of 3%. less integrated with the global
of low interest rates since March targets were also revised from market are likely to experience a
In response to the rising infla- 2020 as well as fiscal support 2,9% to 4,3%. The unexpected The poor performance in equi- volatility in returns that is mostly
tion, policymakers in developed packages by several governments spike in inflation and increased in- ties was also magnified by a re- driven by country-specific factors.
markets hinted that there will over the same period. terest rate hikes subsequently im- versal of the herding effect which
be multiple interest rate hikes pacted the expected returns from manifested in technology stocks. We note Zimbabwe’s capital
throughout 2022 to counter the We note that in November 2021, several asset classes. These stocks were hyped after markets are one of the less inte-
rising inflation, and some central the Federal Reserve had begun the tech sector was unanimously grated markets given that (i) the
banks in developing markets have hinting at three interest rate hikes According to economic theory deemed the best performing sec- country’s currency is not actively
already begun increasing rates in in 2022 to contain demand-driven on business cycles, real assets tor during the pandemic, leading traded in global markets, (ii) low
a bid to maintain currency stabil- inflationary effects of the fiscal often benefit the most from un- to unsustainable price apprecia- capital mobility which nullifies the
ity over and above the incentive to and monetary policies to stimulate expected inflation. In this case, tion which is now reversing. In the economic transmission effects
slow inflation down. growth. These pronouncements, commodities at the centre of the year to date, Meta lost 42,4%; Al- that manifest through changes
in part, set the stage for asset al- Russia-Ukraine conflict benefited phabet, -22,5%; Apple, -17,8%; Net- in currency rates, interest rates,
However, this comes at a time locations that favoured equities, the most with double-digit returns flix, -67,3%; and Amazon, -32,4%. and inflation rates, and (iii) declin-
when the economy is still in need inflation-linked bonds, and float- in the first five months of 2022. ing international investor partici-
of economic stimulus after the ing rate notes in 2022. Crude oil and natural gas prices However, in Zimbabwe, most pation on the Zimbabwe Stock
crippling effects of the Covid-19 gained 53,2% and 145,9% respec- equities have recorded positive Exchange.
pandemic. Several countries are This global economy’s Covid-19 tively, while wheat and corn pric- performance in the double digits,
still yet to rebound to pre-pan- recovery plan was abruptly marred es increased by 50,3% and 31%, if not triple digits. These constraints also pose
demic output levels and meas- by the Russia-Ukraine conflict respectively. further risks to existing traditional
ures to stimulate growth will inad- which came with unforeseen sup- The ZSE returned 113,2% in the risk factors, although the ZSE’s
vertently fan unwanted inflation ply-side inflation pressures. The Further, we opine that the pro- five months to May 2022 in nomi- returns somewhat compensate
pressures created by the Russia- unexpected volatility in the supply tracted constraints in the supply nal returns, and standout YTD per- seasoned investors.
Ukraine conflict. of critical commodities like crude of these commodities in the short- formers on the bourse include Axia
oil, natural gas, corn, and wheat at to-medium term could see com- (+304%), Tanganda (+273%), and Tafara Mtutu is a research an-
The Covid-19 pandemic, which the onset of the conflict saw prices modity prices stabilising at current Innscor (+224%). alyst at Morgan & Co Research.
garnered worldwide attention in of these commodities skyrocket to short-term equilibria until substi- — [email protected] or
March 2020, is estimated to have record levels within two months tutes for Russia and Ukraine’s ex- We attribute the low integration +263 774 795 854.
with ripple effects on global price ports are established. of the country with global markets
to the disconnect between the

OPINION June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 9

SOE placement process and/or the listing
privatisation: of the bank on the Zimbabwe Stock
Exchange will be finalised before the
#Howfar? end of the year,” said Ndlovu the POSB
chairman last year.
TEBEN MABUNDA
HE Zimbabwe Coalition The privatisation rhetoric has been
on Debt and Development in the corridors of Zimbabwean eco-
(Zimcodd), a socio-econom- nomics for the past two decades with
ic justice coalition, last year no results, due to a lack of political
launched a campaign code- commitment compounded by strong
named #Howfar, a move meant to put opposition from entrenched vested
the government to task over its po- interests.
litical and socio-economic promises
— made under the “Second Republic”. Agribank’s rebranding to AFC Hold-
An aspect of relevance is that of the ings in 2021 remains incomplete
privatisation of parastatals — much without any private investors taking up
touted by Finance minister Professor a stake in the financial institution. The
Mthuli Ncube upon assuming cap- remedy is not new to Zimbabwe, CBZ
taincy of Treasury. Holdings, Rainbow Tourism Group,
Zimpapers, Dairibord etcetera are
With the “new dispensation”, Treas- successful stories of parastatals that
ury had emphatically vowed to dispose were privatised (fully and partially),
of all or part of 35 state-owned enter- whose contribution to the economy is
prises (SOEs) by December 2020. Over noteworthy.
four years have passed since the “sec-
ond republic”, and the plans have not for consideration by the sharehold- ers. It is anticipated that the private Eben Mabunda is an analyst and
amounted to much. TV anchor at Equity Axis, a leading
financial research firm in Zimbabwe.
Stats show at one point, Zimbabwe’s — [email protected]
SOEs contributed approximately
40% to Zimbabwe’s Gross Domes- Press Statement
tic Product, a figure which has since 5 June 2022
plummeted to less than 10% over
the past decade. Rather, state enter- ZLHR STATEMENT ON WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
prises have heavily bled the fiscus, as
they are marred by operational inef- ON World Environment Day, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) calls upon the public to use the natural environment's resources in a
ficiencies, corruption, incompetence, responsible manner and to protect and preserve the environment.
government interference and nepo-
tism with most of them swimming in Commemorated annually on 5 June, World Environment Day is aimed at celebrating the natural environment and this provides an opportunity for
perennial losses. people around the globe to call for the implementation of policies that are aimed at protecting the planet from dangers such as global warming,
biodiversity loss, pollution and deforestation.
In fact, over the past two decades,
SOEs have cost the taxpayer billions The theme for World Environment Day in 2022, which is “Only One Earth”, emphasises the nite nature of the earth's resources. The theme is a call
of dollars, necessitating a pressing on everyone to utilise natural resources in a sustainable manner. Everyone has a responsibility to sustainably exploit the environment by avoiding
need to privatise them. A 2017 Audi- wastages. It is also important for everyone to maintain the earth and the environment by replenishing exploited resources through actions such as
tor General’s report exposed that 70% reforestation and afforestation. The fate of future generations largely depends on how well current generations manage the earth's limited
of SOEs were technically insolvent af- resources. Therefore, everyone should aim to preserve the earth so that future generations may also benet from the earth's resources.
ter collectively incurring an aggregate
U$$270 million in losses in one year. On World Environment Day, people should act collectively to preserve the Earth and its nite resources.
At that rate, the SOEs have probably
cost Zimbabwe over US$3 billion since World Environment Day has become increasingly important in light of the sustained increase in global temperatures. Global warming will have
2009 — enough to clear the central disastrous consequences for the Earth and its inhabitants, if it is not addressed urgently. World Environment Day has also become increasingly
bank’s blocked funds. important due to the widespread biodiversity loss and pollution which stems from human activities.

An example is national flag carrier In Zimbabwe, the government has a constitutional obligation to protect and preserve the environment and uphold everyone's environmental rights.
Air Zimbabwe (AirZim) which has op- According to section 73(2) of the Constitution, the state must take reasonable legislative and other measures to progressively realise everyone's
erated perennial losses over the past right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being. In terms of section 73(1)(b) of the Constitution, the state also has a duty to
half a decade. Official records show protect the environment for the benet of present and future generations by implementing measures that prevent pollution and ecological
that its four-year cumulative losses degradation, promote conservation, and ensure a balance between the need to sustainably utilise the environment and the need to promote socio-
came in at over US$137 million be- economic development.
tween 2014-18.
Local authorities are also obliged to comply with their legal obligations of maintaining the environment by ensuring that it is clean at all times.
In late 2018, Finance minister Pro- Several local authorities have been sued by residents over the past few years for their failure to maintain a clean environment and for failing to
fessor Mthuli Ncube announced that 11 collect and discard refuse and for failing to repair sewerage systems. The local authorities' non-compliance with their legal obligations poses a risk
SOEs, six IDC subsidiaries and 17 ZMDC to the well-being and health of residents and the state of the environment. Therefore, the municipalities' non-compliance with their legal obligations
subsidiaries would be privatised under threatens residents' constitutionally-protected environmental and health-related rights.
the government’s public enterprises
reform framework for 2018-20 while Since we only have ONE EARTH, ZLHR calls upon;
some would be liquidated, merged, or Ÿ The public to utilise the natural environment's resources in a sustainable manner and to protect and preserve the environment;
departmentalised. Ÿ Government to comply with its constitutional obligations of protecting everyone's environmental rights by implementing concrete

However, many of the transactions measures that are aimed at preventing pollution and environmental degradation;
have not materialised as SOEs could Ÿ Government and private companies to ensure a balance between the need to exploit the environment's resources for socio-economic
not afford advisory fees; compounded
by an apparent lack of investor sup- development, on the one hand, and the equally important objective of preserving the environment for future generations;
port. As attestation, the proposed sale Ÿ Both central and local government to comply with their legal obligations of maintaining a clean environment by collecting, removing and
of stakes in TelOne and NetOne, Zup-
co, and Petrotrade failed to take off as discarding refuse and repairing sewerage systems.
the firms could not afford transaction
fees. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights

Furthermore, in the government’s Kodzero/Amalungelo House
five-year economic blueprint, the Na- No. 103 Sam Nujoma Street, Harare, Zimbabwe
tional Development Strategy paper Phone: (+263 8677005347, +263 242 764085/705370/708118
(2021-25), Treasury, indicated plans to
privatise SOEs: Email: [email protected] | www.zlhr.org.zw
FOLLOW US: @ZLHRLAWYERS ON TWITTER | ZIMBABER LAWYERS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ON FACEBOOK
“In the interim, government will
expedite SOEs reforms targeting This project is funded by the European Union This project is implemented by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
improved governance, provision of
services at viable prices, full or par- The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the view of the European Commission
tial privatisation, demergers, outright
disposals and amalgamations of
some SOEs into existing government
departments.”

There had been an indication of
POSB’s possible listing whose pro-
cesses were expected to have been
completed by the end of 2021. We are
now mid-2022, nothing has material-
ised yet.

“The partial privatisation process,
which started in 2018 has significantly
progressed with the consultants who
were appointed to provide transaction
advisory services having submitted
the initial due diligence and valuation
reports to the technical committee

FEATURE June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 10

Rethinking disaster responses:
from risk to uncertainty

PIAN SCOONES ent sorts. This confidence is boost- learning and so on can improve opment strategy’, for example, is now so central to the humanitari-
revious blogs in this se- ed by a belief that increased access the predictive power and calcula- replete with such techno-optimist an and aid machine, don’t work or
ries have highlighted to information from satellite im- tive capacity of such mechanisms. claims. only do so partially because of pre-
how farmers’ responses agery, ‘big data’ analysis, machine The UK’s new ‘international devel- vailing uncertainty and ignorance?
to ‘drought’ are focused But what if such approaches,
on adaptive adjustments
to farming and livelihood practic-
es that unfold as a ‘performance’.
A drought is not a single event, but
emerges over time, and respons-
es are not singular or time-defined,
but continuously evolving.

Farmers’ responses are there-
fore ones attuned to uncertainty
– where future outcomes are un-
known – rather than risk – where
future events can be predicted,
forecast or anticipated. However,
most external interventions are, as
we have seen in respect of sover-
eign insurance in the previous blog,
framed by a risk and control mind-
set.

A whole paraphernalia of ap-
proaches are now central to ‘disas-
ter risk management’ approaches
and part of humanitarian respons-
es. With various technical inputs
and sophisticated models, they as-
sume that droughts can be predict-
ed, early warnings offered and in-
surance pay-outs provided to pre-
vent disasters happening.

There is a growing confidence it
seems in predictive models, cen-
tred on approaches such as ‘an-
ticipatory action’ as well as para-
metric/index insurance of differ-

FEATURE June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 11

And, as discussed in an earlier blog, even if predic- implications for the mainstream, risk and control ori- ed, grounded, uncertainty-centred from uncertainty will be essential.
tions are made, will farmers’ believe in and act on ented approaches to disaster response, especially approach centred on generating ‘high This post first appeared on Zim-
them? in settings affected by crisis and conflict and where reliability’ in real time. And to do this,
state capacity is weak (which is of course quite a lot learning from farmers, pastoralists and babweland
The long history of early warning systems in Afri- of places, including of course Zimbabwe). others who must always live with and
ca suggests that problems of data availability and
credibility will remain. As Margie Buchanan-Smith The paper concludes,
and Susanna Davies (now Moorehead) argued back “Reversing patterns of accountability, incorpo-
in 1994, “Improved capacity to predict drought‐in- rating new knowledges and actors, thinking about
duced famines has not led to a concomitant im- networks and encouraging systematic and reflexive
provement in famine prevention.” learning all challenge.. standard approaches. Ignor-
ing uncertainty—and not accepting inevitable igno-
From managing risk to generating high reliability rance and surprise—can be misleading, even down-
Instead of relying on technical fixes that assume right dangerous. Standard risk-management ap-
risk, what if a different approach was adopted, one proaches paper over cracks that can open up, caus-
that started by embracing uncertainty, not pretend- ing major problems. Fixing these by arguing that all
ing that we can predict and plan, even with improved that is needed is better planning, implementation,
knowledge? Could farmers’ responses, based on se- correcting errors, and improving co-ordination does
quential adaptation, learning and flexible respons- not deal with the core issue.”
es help us rethink approaches to drought and dis- Instead, the paper goes on,
aster response? “A ‘high-reliability’ approach, which embraces and
Our recent open access paper in Development works with uncertainty and complexity, is needed.
Policy Review – Providing social assistance and hu- And this requires fundamental changes in every-
manitarian relief: the case for embracing uncertain- thing from programme design, professional practice
ty – chimes very much with the Zimbabwe experi- and skill-sets, organisational culture and incentives
ence. As we argue, rather than blaming failures on to funding, monitoring, and evaluation regimes.”
poor models, implementation gaps, targeting er- Without such a shift, the paper argues, the con-
rors, exclusion by design, lack of co-ordination, poor tinued failures of aid and humanitarian interventions
governance and sometimes vague, black-boxed no- in disaster settings will continue. Embracing uncer-
tions of political economy, an alternative approach tainty means jettisoning now much-favoured tech-
that genuinely embraces uncertainty is proposed. heavy approaches in favour of a more sophisticat-
Based on case material from Ethiopia and Libya (but
could as well have been Zimbabwe or nearly any-
where…), it suggests four challenges for humanitar-
ian and social protection efforts addressing uncer-
tain disasters.
Skills, practices and capabilities — If uncertainties
cannot be planned away, then systems require the
continuous capacity to spot uncertainties, address
surprises and avoid areas of ignorance. This requires
horizon-scanning, thinking about the longer-term
future, as well as being aware in real-time of unfold-
ing situations on the ground. Drawing on work on
‘critical infrastructures’, we show how networks of
‘high reliability professionals’ – including farmers,
government officials and aid agency staff based in
the field – can act as brokers and translators, link-
ing and negotiating multiple sources of knowledge.
Identifying such networks and building their capac-
ity should be central to investment in disaster re-
sponses, we suggest.
Organisational change — The sort of flexible,
adaptive learning by high reliability professionals
in turn needs to be embedded in organisations, in-
centivised and rewarded. A more modular organisa-
tional arrangement, with decentralised, networked
decision-making can facilitate a more nimble, re-
sponsive action, we argue. Building in redundancy
means that organisations can change gear quickly
and have the flexibility to respond. Allowing for in-
novation, as well as learning from and sharing this,
is essential. The cumbersome, hierarchical organisa-
tion of standard governmental or development/hu-
manitarian agencies therefore has to be rethought.
Financing mechanisms — Standard approaches
to financing in disasters are notoriously poor at ad-
dressing uncertainties. Single, predictable funding
pipelines linked to fixed budgets, planned accord-
ing to defined risks and negotiated on assumptions
of stability and uniformity are inadequate for unpre-
dictable shocks and surprises. Appropriate financing
mechanisms to respond to uncertainty include con-
tingency funds, advance commitment funding and
contingency credit arrangements, linked to emer-
gency funding reallocation systems. Under condi-
tions of uncertainty we argue that this must go be-
yond standard index insurance systems as well as
anticipatory risk planning and pre-shock identifica-
tion of the most vulnerable. We equally must not as-
sume the existence of effectively functioning state
delivery systems and infrastructure. Instead, more
hybrid, ‘mutual’ approaches that build on local re-
sponse systems, but are combined with focused,
strategic external financing offer a way forward.
Accountability relations – Too often in disaster re-
sponses, accountability relationships run upwards.
Vertical monitoring, evaluation and audit control
systems follow. But, if accountabilities are extended
downwards and outwards, then other participants
become involved. Those delivering and receiving
social assistance and relief are as a result no long-
er just passive recipients, but are actively involved in
the response, operating through locally-embedded
networks, connecting implementing agency pro-
fessionals with so-called beneficiaries. If networked
arrangements and horizontal accountabilities are
built in from the start, a more collectively-owned
approach for high reliability, based on combined
knowledge and action can emerge, we suggest.
Rethinking disaster responses, why embracing un-
certainty is essential
A focus on uncertainty therefore shines a particu-
lar light on incomplete (or absent) knowledge about
the future, where standard techniques of prediction,
anticipation and preparedness don’t work. An ac-
ceptance that uncertainty and ignorance are cen-
tral fundamentally undermines our capacity to plan,
manage (even adaptively), and so ensure stable, pre-
dictable and targeted outcomes. This has profound

FEATURE June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 12

The AU says she wrote, “45 days. My people are under most two months into the war, and seven fidently declared in Dakar.
its neutral brutal attack from Russians now.” South weeks after he called Putin to get his side There are obviously sharp and wide-
Africa disputed her claim and insisted that of the conflict. South Africa’s steadfast re-
on the Ramaphosa wants to speak “to your presi- fusal to condemn Russia’s invasion and the spread divisions over the significance and
Russia- dent”. Ramaphosa finally had a 20-minute diplomatic spat with Abravitova strongly sanctity of international law in the AU’s
Ukraine war. phone call with Zelenskyy on April 20 – al- contradict the “African position” Sall con- leadership ranks. On the day Ramaphosa
Its actions attempted to shield Russia from justified

say TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURES OF ROADS IN HARARE
otherwise CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT

On May 22, speaking at a joint news LOCATION: 1. The following route will be used by cyclists and pedestrians in
conference with German Chancellor commemoration of the World Bike Day:
Olaf Scholz in Dakar, Senegal’s Pres-
ident Macky Sall said he would vis- Start at Africa Unity Square Corner Sam Nujoma / George Silundika, turn left into
it Moscow and Kyiv in the coming Jason Moyo, turn left into 3rd Street, turn left into Nelson Mandela, turn left into
weeks in his capacity as chairman of the African Inez Terrace, turn left into Robert Mugabe Way, turn left into Sam Nujoma then
Union (AU), which he said wanted “peace through turn right into Jason Moyo.
dialogue between the two sides”.
Please take note that vehicles will not be permitted on all the sections of roads
“We do not want to be aligned on this conflict, enclosed by the above route.
very clearly, we want peace,” Sall explained. “Even
though we condemn the invasion, we’re working DURATION: Saturday 4th June 2022 from 0600Hrs-1200Hrs
for a de-escalation, we’re working for a ceasefire,
for dialogue … that is the African position.” REASON: To allow for the commemoration of the World Bike Day.

But is the continental body genuinely “neutral” ROUTES: Alternative routes will be recommended by the use of informative
over Ukraine? Can it really foster peace by starting a signs
dialogue between the warring parties from the po-
sition of a non-aligned entity? WARNING: Traffic approaching closed and ZRP controlled intersections should do
so with due care.
We should take a look at the actions – not the
statements – of Africa’s leaders to answer these THE ACTING TOWN CLERK
questions. On March 2, 17 African states, includ- TOWN HOUSE
ing Sall’s Senegal, abstained from voting in a cru- HARARE
cial United Nations resolution condemning Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine. And the AU has unashamedly
snubbed two attempts by Ukraine’s President Vo-
lodymyr Zelenskyy to address its heads of state. On
April 12, Zelenskyy sought an audience with the AU
heads of state during a phone call with Sall. But the
requested meeting did not materialise.

Later that month, AU Commission Chair Mous-
sa Faki Mahamat revealed that Zelenskyy had
made a second request to address the AU through
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. That at-
tempt, too, yielded no tangible result.

Sall later promised to “get together all the heads
of state of the African Union who want to [meet]
with” Zelenskyy at a date yet to be confirmed. This
was a bewildering admission by the AU chairman
that not every African leader is willing to meet, and
acquire firsthand information from, the leader of
the invaded party. It was an admission that the AU
would not even try to arrange the meeting Zelen-
skyy actually wanted – which would include all Af-
rican heads of state – in fear of offending Russia.

These are not the actions of a truly non-aligned
body that condemns the invasion of Ukraine but
seeks to foster peace from the standpoint of com-
plete neutrality.

If there were any remaining doubts over the dis-
ingenuousness of the AU’s claim to “neutrality”,
South Africa’s President and previous chair of the
AU Cyril Ramaphosa dispelled them on May 24.

Addressing the media in Pretoria, again togeth-
er with Germany’s Scholz, Ramaphosa described
Russia and Ukraine as “two belligerent entities” in
a feeble and misplaced attempt to diminish the
former’s tremendous culpability in the devastation
being experienced today in Europe and beyond.
He lamented the economic fallout from Russia’s vi-
olent actions and blamed the West for an emerging
global food crisis, declaring that “bystanders” are
going to “suffer from the sanctions that have been
imposed against Russia” – repeating an argument
first put forward by Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who in
April said by sanctioning Russia the Western elites
showed that they are ready to “sacrifice the rest of
the world to maintain their global dominance”.

Ramaphosa also claimed that Africa “does have
a role to play [in the resolution of the conflict] be-
cause it has access to both leaders [of Ukraine and
Russia]”. However – just as has been been the case
with the AU in general – Ramaphosa’s government
has long been unwilling to engage with the Ukrain-
ian side.

On April 11, Ukraine’s Ambassador to South Afri-
ca Liubov Abravitova took to Twitter to complain
that senior South African officials have been de-
clining her meeting requests since the beginning
of Russia’s invasion in late February. “Since the be-
ginning of the Russian invasion, I did not have any
requested meeting with SA government officials,”

FEATURE June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 13

global condemnation in Pretoria, for exam- peared remarkably distant to the common Hence the redundant diplomatic charades not have to suffer the consequences of Rus-
ple, Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa African man or woman’s immediate prob- and organisational confusion engulfing the sia’s illegal and open-ended expansionism.
Akufo-Addo and Mozambican President Fil- lems in February. And hence it might have AU’s response to Russian aggression must
ipe Jacinto Nyusi did the exact opposite in seemed acceptable – or according to some come to an abrupt end. Russia poses a clear Before Sall’s delegation departs for Russia,
Accra. “We both condemn Russia’s invading even somewhat romantic – for some African and existential threat to Africa’s social, eco- the AU must undergo some much-need-
of Ukraine and have called for its immedi- leaders to try and defend Putin’s actions on nomic and political stability. Africa must ed, extensive soul-searching. How will the
ate cessation as its effects, together with the the basis of anti-(American) imperialism. speak truth to power collectively and act AU seek to negotiate peace and defend
ravages of COVID-19, have proven to be dev- decisively to help secure Ukraine’s wellbeing Ukraine’s right to territorial integrity and
astating to the entire world, particularly for Today, however, the widespread conse- and avert major crises across the continent. self-determination if it cannot commit itself
those of us on the African continent,” Aku- quences of Russia’s unprovoked aggres- As the progressive world acts against Putin, to safeguarding the UN Charter and interna-
fo-Addo said. Unlike Ramaphosa, he did not sion are starting to hit home. Many countries Africa must act in tandem with it. Electing to tional law?
blame Western sanctions, or attempt in any across Africa rely on Russia and Ukraine for extend an evidently cold and discredited fa-
way to whitewash Russia’s actions: he rightly a significant percentage of their wheat, fer- cade of neutrality indefinitely, even as thou- — Al Jazeera
labelled Russia’s invasion as a massive threat tiliser, and vegetable oil imports. According sands die and Ukrainian cities are destroyed Tafi Mhaka is a Johannesburg-based so-
to African and universal peace. to the International Monetary Fund, Africa by Russian shelling is simply indefensible. cial and political commentator. The views
is facing the possibility of widespread insta- Common Africans (and Ukrainians) should expressed in this article are his own
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine may have ap- bility as food and energy prices rise rapidly.

POLITICS June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 14

Zimbabwe’s 2023 elections: How to judge
candidates’ social protection promises

Zimbabwe is head- cation services. Safety nets are also called social reach of cash and food transfers to poor house- Then there’s social insurance which covers
ing for general polls in assistance and typically include cash and food holds, extend social insurance coverage to infor- pensions and worker compensation. But this
2023 amid an ongo- transfers, public works, subsidies and fee waivers mal workers, and facilitate access to education, doesn’t cover the risks faced by most workers as
ing macroeconomic cri- for education and health. health and water for all citizens. it only applies to formal employment. Only 15% of
sis. In the decade start- What’s in place Zimbabweans are employed in the formal econ-
ing from 2001, the state-led econ- The Zanu-PF government’s safety net package omy while 85% work in the informal economy.
omy started to show signs of strain. includes cash transfers to 52,049 households, I have researched social protection in Zim-
Unemployment reached 85%. In- public monthly maintenance allowances in form babwe and beyond for the past decade. There Many informal workers create their own risk
flation, which was a staggering of food and or cash to 6,688 households and pal- are a few key social protection measures to con- mitigation mechanisms such as burial societies
79,000,000% in 2008, came down try tuition grants and examination fee subsidies sider. Among them are social insurance, such as or subscribe to funeral insurance policies to cov-
but has been rising in the past two for underprivileged students. pension, sickness, maternity and unemployment er funeral expenses, which can be as high as their
years. It is still among the highest in benefits. These depend on contributions yearly income. Another cost that could be cov-
the world. The main opposition party, MDC-Alliance (now from formal economy workers and ered by social protection is school fees. Accord-
Citizens Coalition for Change), promised their employers. ing to the Zimbabwe National Vulnerability As-
The economic crisis has height- to bolster social protection and re- As The coverage of the Har- sessment Committee 2020 report, 50.3% of chil-
ened the vulnerability of house- form the National Social Securi- monised Social Cash dren of school-going age were sent away from
holds and the need for social pro- ty Authority. The terms “social Zimbabwe Transfers programme school in the first term of 2020 because they
tection to prevent hunger among protection” and “social secu- is limited to 52,049 could not pay fees. The report also notes that
poor households, complement the rity” are used interchange- heads for 2023 households. So, it cov- 75% of all rural residents who are chronically ill
risk mitigation mechanisms of in- ably, and typically include ers only 6% of the miss their medication because they cannot af-
formal workers, and improve access social assistance and social presidential elections, food insecure house- ford it.
to social services such as education, insurance measures. due to be held on 23 April holds. But over four
health and water. million Zimbabwe- In the short-term, social protection must fo-
Little-known opposition 2023, new or recycled ans, out of a popula- cus on fee waivers to improve access to educa-
It is highly unlikely that the formal parties also made promis- tion of 15 million, are tion and health care services for all citizens. In
economy will turn the tide soon to es. For instance, the Peo- the medium term, all these critical social servic-
create formal employment, which ple’s Rainbow Coalition es must be brought within acceptable travelling
is vital for the stability of household promised to provide social food insecure. distances.
income, and reduce the need to The flagship social
support food insecure households. promises will be madesecurity, and the Alliance for Lessons from elsewhere
the People’s Agenda under- to voters. assistance programme A number of countries in Southern African De-
In the last presidential election took to deliver social packag- gives households be- velopment Community region have national so-
in 2018, several presidential candi- tween US$20-50 bimonth- cial cash transfers for all vulnerable people of a
dates promised to provide social es such as support for education ly, depending on household certain demographic group. For instance, in Bot-
protection for citizens. and health care. swana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Af-
As Zimbabwe heads for 2023 presi- size. rica, older people receive an old age grant.
The ruling party, Zanu-PF prom- Since inception in 2011, the pro- Some governments in Africa complement the
ised to create safety nets and en- dential elections, due to be held on 23 April risk mitigation mechanisms of informal workers.
hance access to health and edu- 2023, new or recycled promises will be made gramme has covered less than 20 districts. There
to voters. Voters must judge candidates by the are 59 districts in Zimbabwe and all have food in-
soundness of their promises to improve the secure households.

POLITICS June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 15

For instance, the Rwandan govern-
ment adds a matching contribution
plus life and funeral insurance pol-
icies on the contributions that in-
formal workers make towards their
pension. In Ghana, the government
contributes 5% to the new national
pension scheme, which includes in-
formal workers. Free access to ed-
ucation has had positive impact on
enrolment in Kenya, Malawi and
Uganda. There are fee waivers for
health care in countries such as Es-
watini and Burundi.

Conclusion
It’s important to address two is-
sues when it comes to social pro-
tection in Zimbabwe.
The first is the lingering view that
social protection creates a depend-
ency syndrome – not only in Zimba-
bwe, but Africa-wide. This myth has
been busted by scientific evidence
showing that cash transfers do not
lead to fewer people seeking jobs.
The second is whether the state
can afford to finance the extension
of social protection to all food inse-
cure households. In a constrained
macroeconomic environment such
as Zimbabwe’s, funding social pro-
tection among other competing
needs is about budget priorities
more than it is an issue of sourcing
new revenue. Where there is high
unemployment and food insecuri-
ty, it is socially and legally justified
for the poor to depend on social as-
sistance as it is their right, for which
the government must be held ac-
countable.

— Africanthinker
Gift Dafuleya is a Lecturer in
Economics, University of Venda
This article is republished from
The Conversation under a Creative
Commons license. Read the origi-
nal article.

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INTERVIEW June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 16

Mashumba: Women achieving those sort of goals.
farmers need a lift Also, how people view other people’s
W omen Who Farm Afri-
ca founder Ruramiso activity. search actually shows that women actual- ability.
Mashumba says Zimba- So, when I moved back to the farm af- ly pay back loans better than men. For me, I am fortunate because my
bwean women need em-
powerment to take lead- ter my university degree I was the one TN: What other push back do you come parents never put any restriction on me,
ing roles in the agriculture sector. who started setting up systems and across pertaining to the fact that you are even up to now they are continuously en-
equipping the farm, putting up equip- a young woman into farming? couraging me to think bigger, to do more
Mashumba (RM), who runs Chomwed- ment and all. because it is important for us people who
zi Farm in Marondera, told Alpha Media What other push backs have you expe- are in the food industry to really take it
Holdings chairman Trevor Ncube (TN) on TN: Talk to me about how that all start- rienced? seriously and look in-depth because we
the platform In Conversation with Tre- ed? Setting up equipment? need to ensure that we feed people at an
vor that women were the ones doing the RM: Well I have experienced quite a lot, affordable price.
most difficult tasks at farms, but their You found this farm run down and you especially in the beginning.
roles were not properly recognised. decided you were going to do this? How We need to ensure that we do not have
did you actually do it? Now I feel that people have seen me hungry people and people are growing
Below is an extract from the interview. farm and 10 years of farming they have re- good quality crops.
TN: Ruramiso Mashumba, welcome to RM: It was very challenging. When I fin- alised that I am really serious about this.
In Conversation With Trevor. ished school, I went to the UK to study Then I think of other women who do
RM: Thank you very much Trevor. a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture, and I Some of the push- backs I got, I remem- not have the same empowerment as I
TN: We are delighted that you found came back enthusiastic and I thought it ber when I wanted to grow snap peas and have, and it breaks my heart because in
the time to join us, to talk about some- would be very easy, but it was very diffi- one of the gentlemen in the community the rural areas the women I am working
thing that you are very passionate about, cult because I remember when I moved said to me those crops are not for women, with there, do not have the same back-
farming. to the farm we actually had not built a women should grow things that are sim- ground, who do not have parents who
You have been farming Ruramiso now house yet so I renovated a chalet that was pler and easier. encouraged them like me, and may-
for 10 years, 10 years experience in farm- on the farm and I decided to live there. be they will shy away from achieving
ing at Chomwedzi Farm in Marondera. I also got an opportunity to travel a lot, their potential because of the situations
Why farming? I mean I have seen there I remember we didn’t even have water fortunate enough because I was a mem- around us.
is an excitement in the country, particu- or access to electricity. ber of a farmers’ organisation in Zimba-
larly with young people taking on to bwe that really encourages young people TN: Let us drill down into your farming
farming, why did you decide to get into There was this tree that was on top of and women. activity.
it yourself ? the thatch because it was a thatched
RM: Well, that is an interesting ques- round house that used to have these I would travel and so I went to the Sey- How big is the farm in the first in-
tion Trevor. worms that would get into my house and chelles in 2015 and I remember it was a stance? What crops are you into? What
Actually, when I was growing up I did bite me. policy meeting on climate change. farming activities are you engaged in at
not know I was going to end up on a Chomwedzi Farm in Marondera?
farm, but what I knew is I wanted to help So, it was very uncomfortable to be Something I noticed was that it was only
people. honest. My decision to move to the farm men talking, it was a conference on cli- RM: We are on about 400-hectare
So when I was in high school I just had especially coming from the UK. mate change and women, a topic on how land. It is a commercial farm.
this passion for helping women and pro- to encourage more women and how to
ducing food. Also, just trying to acquire equipment. ensure that we are farming even with cli- We have trees, 100 hectares of euca-
I actually thought I would end up in an With farming if you do not have the cor- mate change. lyptus trees. We are working in partner-
NGO (non-governmental organisation). rect equipment it is difficult. ship with an organisation here in Zimba-
Fortunately I went to a school that was The conference only had male facilita- bwe to address challenges of deforesta-
very agriculture based, which is Water- I remember when I was growing snap tors, male moderators, male speakers and tion. In Zimbabwe we have lost a lot of
shed College, and there we got to learn peas for export, in one of my first com- they were talking about women. woodland through cooking and curing of
so much about farming. mercial projects, in the morning we woke our tobacco crop which is a big export
I got to love the land, and my father at up at 4am and we tried to do land prep- So it is interesting how the world is in crop in Zimbabwe, so we have lost a lot
that time had just recently bought our arations with the handles, it was so dif- terms of viewing women. of woodland.
farm, so I really loved the land and en- ficult.
joyed farming. I think that most people view women’s It is important for us to grow trees to
I remember talking to my mom about Sometimes just trying to hire a trac- participation as a primary level as if we are reforest our country as well as to pro-
wanting to work with food and then tor in the area you find that most peo- the ones who are working in the back. vide an alternative for cutting the Musa-
she also encouraged me to take up ag- ple will be busy, people will do their land sa trees, which are very special.
riculture because there was a course at prep first and then they can hire out their If you go to a lot of big commercial
school, which was training people agri- equipment so it was really challenging farms you will find the women are the So we need to preserve them and pro-
culture but I did not think to myself that, the first few years, very challenging just ones working, grading the peas or what- vide an alternative for farmers to use
as I was making these decisions, that it trying to get the finance from the banks ever produce they have on the farm, work- when they are curing tobacco.
was very male-dominated and what the and sometimes you would get negative ing on the ground doing the intensive
industry would think. feedback because they would just ask work, but very few are owners of the farm We have a plantation, it is about nine
My parents were very encouraging of how old I was and I was 25 years old then, business or influencing policy or speaking years old now.
me and told me I could do anything and and they would say I was a very young on panels even if it affects women.
so that is how I started. woman. We are also growing commercial
Then I did my course and I ended up So it is the way farming is, not only on maize, we are doing seed potatoes and
farming. Certain comments I think that even Zimbabwe but internationally. commercial potatoes.
TN: Talk to me about it, your father has men would not have been even asked.
a farm? Did you inherit the farm? Talk to A lot of people have seen this as a chal- I have a small dairy there as well and
us about that bit? Just trying to even convince out-grow- lenge and wanted to encourage more we have a solar plant of about 220 pan-
RM: It is a family farm. My father bought ers; they would be in doubt because I women to be on these platforms and els.
the farm about 20 years ago and he en- guess the industry is used to males as share more.
couraged all of us to take up projects on it is a male dominated industry so men We are really big on making sure we
the farm, but I am the only one who end- are what they are normally used to, so TN: Sorry to jump in here. are sustainable in many ways by planting
ed up taking the said projects. when a woman comes and starts look- What does it do to you when somebody trees, using renewable energy as a power
So, I do live with my parents on the ing for capital or starts looking for a con- asks you that question towards the end of source, looking at other methods we can
farm and I am farming there, so I would tract and things like that, it can be diffi- an interview, is getting married not going farm better without damaging our soils.
call it a family farm. cult and people need to change the way to mess you up?
TN: So are you the one farming, or you they think. And all this negativity that you experi- So those are the main crops we are
are helping dad farm? Clarify that for us? ence? What does that do to you? growing on the farm.
RM: I think I would say my parents are TN: So you had things said to you as RM: You know it makes me realise just
helping me because I am the one who is you were looking for finances which how far we are from development, be-  “In Conversation With Trevor” is
the farmer. would not be ordinarily said to men, such cause I always say women participation is a weekly show broadcast on YouTube.
TN: Wow. as? very important because if we are looking com//InConversationWithTrevor. Please
RM: I am the one who is farming and at Zimbabwe reaching a middle-income get your free YouTube subscription to this
running the projects. RM: Trevor, when I started people used economy, we are looking at improving the channel. The conversations are sponsored
I am fortunate enough that my par- to ask me questions that I felt they did food sector, we need both players. by Nyaradzo Group.
ents live on the farm so sometimes when not ask men. This is the men and women participat-
I travel they can oversee things, but I am ing actively in the sector.
the one who farms and teaches my part- Questions like, I remember when I had So it makes me realise how far some-
ners new agricultural skills. an organisation came to the farm, and times we are, even internationally on
Sometimes it is very difficult to get then they were asking me all these ques-
them to change old ways, but it is inter- tions on sustainable farming.
esting.
TN: Did your father farm before you The interview was going well and then
started? they said to me at the end, what about if I
RM: My father is not a commercial got married, did I think it would affect my
farmer, my father had a few cattle that he participation on the farm?
used to keep on the farm.
So our farm when I moved there was So I just thought to myself I wonder
actually run down. if men get asked, you know, such ques-
Not much was happening in terms of tions.

TN: Wow.
RM: Yes. So, I think it is just sort of like a
stereotype people have. The idea that the
ability of a woman to perform on a farm
is different from a man, or to service her
loans or things like that. which, some re-

OPINION June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 17

Let Africa exploit its natural gas reserves, says Mary Robinson

A frican countries should be able to ex- guments ahead of Cop27 in Sharm el-Sheikh in
ploit their vast natural gas reserves November, which is certain to make the issue a
despite the urgent need to cut glob- flashpoint at the UN climate summit that is seen
al greenhouse gas emissions, the for- as a chance for African countries to gain glob-
mer UN climate envoy Mary Robinson al attention for their vulnerability to the climate
has said. crisis, and their economic potential.

Robinson, the chair of the Elders group of for- Robinson’s intervention is likely to inflame
mer world statespeople and business leaders, controversy after two weeks of UN preparato-
said African countries’ need for energy was so ry talks for Cop27 convened in Bonn, Germany,
great that they should use gas widely, in con- from Monday. While some back the idea that Af-
trast to developed countries that must halt their rican gas can be exploited while the EU and de-
gas use as quickly as possible to stave off cli- veloped countries find green alternatives, oth-
mate breakdown. ers see an African dash for gas as a potential dis-
aster.
“Africa is trying to get its voice out about its
needs for just, equitable energy, and of course Mary Robinson:
that implies some use of gas as a just transition,” Mary Robinson: ‘Some people think it’s a dan-
she told the Guardian in an interview. gerous message,’ she said of her backing for Af-
rican gas. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA
She pointed to the 600 million people in Afri- With gas prices high and likely to remain so,
ca without access to electricity and the 900 mil- and with most of Africa’s potential reserves
lion who use biomass or dirty oil cooking stoves, owned or licensed by foreign companies, it
who could use gas as a less polluting alternative. would be difficult to keep African gas on the
“There has to be a certain leeway to tackle the continent, rather than sold to the highest bidder.
energy poverty in Africa, and give Africa a faster Thuli Makama, the Africa programme director
capability to move,” she said. at the campaign group Oil Change Internation-
al, said: “Africa should not be pressured to ex-
African leaders will bring forward similar ar- ploit fossil fuel reserves to serve the internation-
al community in the face of Russia’s unprovoked
JOB VACANCY war, and Africa does not need to develop these
reserves to meet its energy access needs. It’s a
POSITION: EVENTS COORDINATOR myth that fossil fuels are good for development.”
African countries are also unhappy that de-
Core function of job: veloped countries have exploited their own gas
To oversee and organize pro table events that will make an impact to a target audience. and are now seeking new sources because of
soaring prices and supply constraints following
Essential Duties and Responsibilities: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Africa has major gas
· Build an Events calendar; reserves in countries including Nigeria, Mozam-
· Come up with promotions and marketing plans in increase brand visibility; bique and Senegal but many are still largely un-
· Build excellent relationships with stakeholders at all levels; exploited.
· Raising sponsorships for all events; Mohamed Maait, Egypt’s finance minister,
· Develop comprehensive budget for every event; made the argument last month on a visit to Lon-
· Manage the overall event cycle from conception to post-event audit; don. He warned rich countries not to appear to
· Develop preferred suppliers list for all event resources and have signed agreements with “punish” the poor world and gave the example
supplies; of Senegal, where major gas discoveries are ex-
· Assist in carrying out market research and audit of event progress; pected that could transform the economy – but
· Build rapport with supporting functions and ensure their support to sustain the brand would also constitute a vast “carbon bomb” of
performance; the kind that if exploited would lead to temper-
· Produce reports and analysis at the completion of each event. ature rises far exceeding the 1.5C limit targeted
in Glasgow.
Reporting: “Senegal were hoping this discovery would
· Reports to the Commercial Executive help them. Now you are coming to say, climate
change means stopping the finance,” said Maait.
Quali cations & Experience: “That is very worrying.”
· Possess a diploma or degree in Events Management, Marketing or a business related Urging Africa to drill for gas marks a change of
quali cation. heart for Robinson, who before last year’s Cop26
· 5 years proven experience as an Events Coordinator summit heavily criticised the UK government for
· Excellent presentation & Communication skills its involvement in financing a new gasfield in
· Have good report writing skills and must be able to use Microsoft PowerPoint & Mozambique. She also called the UK’s tax breaks
Microsoft Excel. for North Sea oil and gas “a form of madness”.
· Must have a clean class 4 driver's licence. Robinson, the former president of Ireland and
· Must be able to work odd hours and with minimum supervision. an influential figure in global climate diploma-
· Must be driven and results oriented. cy, acknowledged she had been very reluctant
to encourage fresh exploitation of gas, but Afri-
Applications must be sent to [email protected] on or before 10th June,2022. ca’s energy poverty was so great that the transi-
tion to gas was needed.
“Some people think it’s a dangerous mes-
sage,” she said. “You can see my dilemma. I’m
utterly committed to [climate action], I couldn’t
be more on-message about how serious that is.
But it’s not a one size fits all.”
Sign up to First Edition, our free daily newslet-
ter – every weekday morning at 7am BST
The International Energy Agency has warned
that no new oil and gas should come onstream
in future if the world is to limit global heating
to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. The Guardian
has uncovered nearly 200 carbon bombs, a sig-
nificant number of them in Africa, representing
oil and gas deposits that if exploited would re-
sult in greenhouse gas emissions going far be-
yond 1.5C or 2C of heating.
“If we had done the right thing and invested
in clean energy for African companies at scale,
we would be in a different place, but we haven’t
done that,” said Robinson. “And now we have to
understand that African countries are hit by the
climate crisis disproportionately.”
She said European countries and the US,
which are still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, had
no basis on which to advise African countries to
leave their reserves alone. However, Jamie Pe-
ters, a campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:
“Fossil fuel extraction hasn’t brought prosperity
for the vast majority of Africans and further de-
velopments will only bring more damage.
There needs to be a rapid move to develop
clean energy systems in Africa to provide ener-
gy security and much-needed jobs – and this
should be funded by the rich, industrialised na-
tions that have done most to create the climate
crisis.”

— The Guardian

COLUMN June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 18

Now we know: Zim’s
urban dreams is to

have boreholes
AFTER spending a week in the Swiss Alps opposition CCC, Chalton Hwende, had a
and hobnobbing with some of the world’s brainwave moment. He proposed that his
richest investors, the country’s current party should form its own television sta-
owner returned home to speedily imple- tion.
ment what he had learned from spend- “Let’s do it Zimbabwe — we are left with
ing a week in a developed economy. He only 12 months before the election, and so
opened boreholes in his capital city. we need US$96 000 and we free the air-
According to the Herald, which we all waves,” he said.
know to report the truth, the whole truth, In other words, to counter Zanu PF prop-
most of the time, President Emmerson aganda, the country also needs opposi-
Mnangagwa is finally delivering where the tion propaganda, because quite clearly,
opposition has failed. the country does not already have enough
“Under successive MDC/CCC councils, propaganda. Besides, MultiChoice will
most residents in the capital and its satel- laugh at any party that comes with such
lite towns did not have running water, how- a proposal out of their offices. Good luck
ever, access to potable water is crystallis- to those who will again fork out money for
ing into this lat-
reality as Tidbits est new
President bright
Mnan- idea from
gagwa politi-
keeps his cians.
Even
promises,” more
the Herald laugha-
There is trouble said. Twitter: @MuckrakerZim ble than
in the cockpit
The Hwende’s
paper’s
screaming headline read: President turns idea was the response by Nick Mangwana,
urban dreams into reality. the world’s busiest government spokes-
Who knew that when some of us left person.
the rural hinterlands of Gumbonzvan- Mangwana reminded us that the law
da, heading to town, our dreams were does not allow political parties to control
to draw water from wells, defecate in the broadcasting stations. Clearly, the party
bush and cook by firewood? It will not be that Nick so dutifully grovels for has never
long before donkey-drawn transport is in- heard of that law, seeing as ZBC news bul-
troduced under Zupco. This is the sort of letins read like a rundown of notice boards
WMy Dear People, it was now time to amend the constitution progress we all dreamed of. at remote Zanu PF district offices.
hen is a hero not a hero? to allow for the diaspora vote.  If Mangwana and the mafia he works
So, a retired senior sol- Bootlicking
dier died in the past few Chris came out swinging and literally While some of us were busy celebrat- for allowed diverse voices on public me-
days and Launchmore told Jacob where to get off.  ing the arrival of rural civilisation to our dia, as Section 61 of the constitution re-
duly announced that he capital, one family in Glen View had what quires, then he would not have to embar-
would get a state-assisted funeral.  Why is Chris this afraid of the diaspora amounts to a visit from rass himself in public.
vote? Betting fans
You would normally think that’s the end the Lord and Saviour him- Just when some
of the matter. Zimbabweans who live outside the coun- self. betting heads were
try are Zimbabweans too and deserve the According to the Herald, Under successive wondering who to
But no, the Generari wasn’t too pleased right to elect leaders in their homeland.  MDC/CCC councils, put their money on
with what he thought was the belittling of which we all know reports in the 2023 elec-
his comrade.  But this triggered Chris who immediate- impartially and fairly, the tion, one so-called
ly went off the rails and said all manner of family of one Takondwa most residents in the opposition figure,
The Generari visited the family and an- things.  Gideon was blessed by capital and its satellite Parere Kunyenzu-
nounced that the issue would be revisited the unexpected visit from ra of the Zimbabwe
and the retired senior soldier would even- It’s always interesting to see the likes of Mnangagwa, when the al- towns did not have Transformative Par-
tually be declared a hero.  Chris praising Launchmore and all the sup- leged President took a running water, however,
posed good work that he is doing in Zim- break from the tiring job
You see, a state-assisted funeral is ac- babwe.  of opening a borehole in access to potable water ty (ZTP), has claimed
tually below the status of provincial hero the neighbourhood. is crystallising into neither Nelson
and the Generari was peeved.  They spew all things patriotic and you Chamisa nor the cur-
would swear they would do anything for “This is a Heaven-sent reality as President rent supposed lead-
Days later, Launchmore issued a state- this country. gesture by President Mnangagwa keeps his er will win next year.
ment now bestowing national hero’s sta- Mnangagwa that is slow- “We have a mes-
tus on the fallen soldier.  They supposedly hate the West so much ly taking us out of Egypt,” sage to President
and will take every opportunity they have the paper quoted the promises
It begs the question now, who really is to attack the West. 
in charge of the country.  family. “We cannot even Emmerson Mnan-
The only thing they will never tell us is gagwa. God has giv-
Launchmore’s word should have been that they actually send their children to express the happiness we en the kingdom of
final, but he was made to eat his words western countries for better education have because it was some-
and declare the fallen soldier a national while the rest of us have to contend with thing that took us by surprise. We thank Zimbabwe to your neighbour, a David,”
hero.  dilapidated education and health systems.  the Lord that we had a close-up with him.” Kunyenzura told obviously idle report-
We imagine this is how Bible-era report- ers. But just as Chamisa supporters were
I wonder what made Launchmore ini- Recently Chris and Monica were in Cana- ers like Matthew, Mark, Luke and John re- about to celebrate, the man came in with
tially order a state-assisted funeral.  da where they attended a graduation cer- ported the Messiah’s divine visit to Zac- a wet towel.
emony for their son.  chaeus’ home. But we suspect even they He said: “To avoid ambiguity, this David
I am minding my own business, but my would find this depth of bootlicking a bit is not coming from the MDC group, with
hunch without evidence is that some- If Zimbabwe was the land of honey they embarrassing. their various mutations that encompass
thing is brewing and there is trouble in so want us to believe it is, then their child the CCC brand, just in case some fanat-
the cockpit.  would have been at the University of Zim- Dr Amai the cook
babwe or Midlands State University.  Speaking of messiahs, we have no short- ics in this division may start to premature-
It won’t be long before whatever is hap- age of those. While the husband was mi- ly celebrate.”
pening becomes public and we should But they realise that they have messed raculously turning dust into water in Glen He must be one of those heavily ine-
prepare for an interesting showdown.  up with the education system and to get View, the wife was once again teaching briated soccer betting fans who watch a
the best for their relatives they have to people how to cook. Cooking is, appar- Champions League final and bet on both
As you all know, Zanu PF is expected to send them as far away from Zimbabwe as ently, a skill that she alone possesses in all finalists losing.
hold an elective congress this year and possible.  of Zimbabwe and beyond. Money charlatans
the road to that meeting could be a lit- In her latest act of sharing this rare skill, Muckraker was amused to read an arti-
tle bumpy.  Have you been to the shops recently? the new Dr Amai set about teaching men cle about a chap who gave his money to a
Shelves are increasingly becoming bare how to cook. Zambian charlatan who claimed he could
Already there is talk of someone being while prices are out of the reach for most “Through this, the First Lady is aiming to change thousands of dollars into millions.
jettisoned and others being promoted. At people.  build a complete home where men, wom- In news that surprised nobody with half
the moment, these are all rumours, but en and children understand and play their a brain, it was a scam.
if it does happen, the last quarter of the I know you love blaming Baba for every- roles effectively. The First Lady, who was It was reported: “During the prayer ses-
year could be very interesting.  thing but you must stop it.  all smiles, preached the gospel of peace, sion, one of the accused persons changed
love and unity to the community,” it was the bags and gave Mutero one full of
Joji’s response to demands that his boss Baba is long gone but the economy is reported. We can only hope that, after she newspapers. The matter came to light
should appoint a second vice-president bad. It shows that all along Baba wasn’t was done teaching random men about when Mutero opened the bag upon arriv-
are a clear sign that something is up.  the bad guy you thought he was.  how to play their role, she had energy left al at his house when he discovered that it
to teach her hubby about how to play his had newspapers.”
Joji fell short of dishing out expletives You blamed him for everything: but is role as a national leader. He somehow Only one man has tried to change
when he was sought for comment and lit- your situation better than it was in 2017 seems very unaware of that role. worthless pieces of paper into real dollars
erally insulted parliamentarians. when you marched against him?  and got away with it. He is still the gover-
Hwende’s TV
If all was well, then he would have been I know some roads are better than they Last week, the secretary-general of the nor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
measured.  were when Baba was in charge, but do you
eat roads, kkk? 
You see why I put Joji in his place a few
years ago.  Everything is more expensive and life
has become so difficult. 
Is there anyone as abrasive as Cde Chris
in politics? The guy is always ready to pick It’s so bad that I’m actually thinking of
a fight even when there’s no need for one.  relocating to go and live in the diaspora,
kkkk. 
Cde Jacob made a sensible remark that
Munopengaaaaa!

AFRICA June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 19

The CAR has large mineral resources, including gold, which could benefit from greater investment

Why the Central African
Republic adopted Bitcoin

The Central African Republic's decision to adopt Bit- comes businesses and attracts global crypto-enthusiasts". ternet access. The CAR has signed a deal with neighbouring
coin as legal tender came as a surprise to many, Sango is a "Crypto Island… the first island in the metaverse Cameroon to share its fibre optic network in 2023.
but the government argues that it will secure an
independent financial future for the country, as that is backed by reality". "What the [Bitcoin] law did is anticipate that technology
the BBC's Damian Zane and Guy Bandolo report. The people behind the presentation used a lot of "big so, in fact, we can be ready when that technology is available
The president seemed to be following the Elon Musk style of to us," Mr Ngassiyombo said.
cryptic cryptocurrency tweets. words" but "the document was not very clear on exactly
what they want to do", says Stone Atwine, a crypto-specialist He is a cryptocurrency investor himself and told the BBC
Under the teasing heading "More to follow" CAR President who runs digital financial services company Eversend. how he gets regular updates about price fluctuations on his
Faustin-Archange Touadéra typed "Vires in Numeris" - a Lat- phone. "I made money today," he laughed as he showed how
in motto meaning "strength in numbers" that has been asso- Among the jargon seems to be a plan to allow people to the app works.
ciated with Bitcoin. Then came his nation's motto. invest in mining and other industries using Bitcoin and a
promise that no income or corporation tax will be charged. It is argued that in a country where few people have bank
This was shared with the world a month after the CAR accounts, the adoption of Bitcoin will help encourage sav-
became only the second country, following El Salvador, to Mr Atwine believes that this could have potential as "a lot ings and offer a safe place to store and transfer money.
adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. of cryptocurrency enthusiasts are looking for great places to
build where things are legal". But many are sceptical.
The mineral-rich nation is ranked as one of the poorest in Dr Viswanath-Natraj argues that while there are advan-
the world - a situation complicated by a near-decade-long The CAR has significant deposits of diamonds and gold, as tages, investor concern about the country's financial stabili-
civil war which has devastated much of the country. The gov- well as other minerals, and Bitcoin is being seen as an easier ty could in fact drive up interest rates and the volatility in the
ernment has recruited the Russian mercenary Wagner group way to attract investors to the country. Bitcoin price could damage savings.
to help in its fight against rebels. The Cameroon-based Bank of Central African States
"Impenetrable bureaucracy keeps us stuck in systems that (BEAC) oversees the CAR's currency, the CFA franc, which is
The CAR's Bitcoin announcement left many scratching don't give us the ability to perform. The solution was to re- backed by France and is shared by five other countries in the
their heads and some wondering if it had more to do with a think our economic philosophy," President Touadéra said in region. It was not happy when the law was passed.
political shift away from France and towards Russia. reference to the Sango project. A damning letter sent in April from the bank's governor,
Abbas Mahamat Tolli, to CAR's Finance Minister Hervé Ndo-
There has certainly not been a sudden explosion in the The CAR has large mineral resources, including gold, which ba said the Bitcoin law indicated that the country wanted to
capital, Bangui, of businesses such as shops or cafes accept- could benefit from greater investment establish a currency that could compete with or replace the
ing Bitcoin as a means of payment. CFA.
The plan cannot be faulted for its ambition but when it He urged CAR to scrap the law, saying it could affect finan-
According to an estimate from 2020, nine out of 10 Cen- comes to cryptocurrency and ordinary Central Africans, more cial stability in the region.
tral Africans do not have access to the internet - a prerequi- publicity - and infrastructure - are clearly needed. The International Monetary Fund was also critical, saying
site for using Bitcoin. that it raised "major legal, transparency and economic policy
"I don't understand what cryptocurrency is," Edith Yam- challenges", the financial news agency Bloomberg reported.
That, along with a patchy and unreliable electricity supply, bogaze, who sells cassava in Bangui, told the BBC. Supporters of Bitcoin, which is hailed as a disruptive force
led some to question whether the CAR was the right country that improves the lives of ordinary people, may not be sur-
to test the theory that cryptocurrencies were set to replace "I have a smartphone, but I do not have good enough in- prised by the attitude of established economic institutions.
traditional forms of money. ternet to be able to use cryptocurrency. Also, I do not trust But the criticism and where it is coming from also indi-
cryptocurrency because there are people who do scams on cates that the CAR's move may have political motives as well
'Visionary plan' the internet." as economic ones.
The initial decision, announced on 27 April, was accompa- While France's involvement with the CFA and the fact that
nied by little explanation except that it would open up "new This scepticism seems to be matched by some in El Salva- it is pegged to the euro ensures its stability, critics also see it
opportunities for our country". dor, where President Nayib Bukele promotes Bitcoin with a as a form of neo-colonial control.
The "more to follow" that President Touadéra was refer- missionary zeal. They argue that it stymies economic independence and
ring to in his May tweet was the announcement of a project allows France, the former colonial power, to retain its influ-
called Sango - named after one of the country's official lan- "El Salvador has had problems with the take-up of the Chi- ence.
guages. vo Wallet," said Ganesh Viswanath-Natraj, an academic at The Jeune Afrique journal has reported that some govern-
This "visionary" plan would create "a fantastic opportunity Warwick University specialising in cryptocurrencies. ment ministers have a strategy of trying to break away from
for anyone who believes in crypto investing", according to a France. Despite the fears of the BEAC, it is highly unlikely that
government press release. The Chivo Wallet is a government-developed app to make the CAR would give up the CFA "as this would cause major
However, the website that the press release encouraged Bitcoin transactions easier, but recent research suggest- economic disruption", analyst Nathan Hayes from the Econ-
people to visit to find out more is opaque to say the least. ed that while there were a lot of downloads when it was omist Intelligence Unit told the BBC.
Visitors to the Sango website need a "secret code" in order launched last year, there have been virtually none in 2022. "It's a populist announcement from the government, rath-
to get more information er than a serious shift in monetary policy," he said.
To go on an investor waiting list, the visitor is encouraged Some people told researchers that they did not trust Bit-
to sign up to receive a "secret code". coin. — BBC
The code provides access to a flashy slide presentation
that declares that the CAR wants to build the "first legal 'The internet is coming'
Crypto Hub recognized by a country's parliament, that wel- Backers of CAR's adoption of the cryptocurrency, however,
are asking people to be patient.
MP Jean Galvanis Ngassiyombo, who is on the Nation-
al Assembly's economic, planning and finance commission,
admitted that the technological infrastructure was not yet in
place in the country.
But he told the BBC that a fibre optic network would be in-
stalled by the end of next year which could give everyone in-

AFRICA June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 20

Ethiopia’s complicated barriers to peace
A T the start of this year, promising
signs began to emerge that the war should exist and, in late-May, arrested the region. While the OLF is recognised Eritrea
in Ethiopia might be entering a new 4,000 people in a sweeping crackdown as a legal political party, however, Ad- The war in Tigray provided an oppor-
phase. After over a year of fighting, against the Fano. The federal govern- dis Ababa designated the OLA – which tunity for Eritrea’s long-standing lead-
hundreds of thousands of deaths, ment said it was acting against “groups it refuses to call by its chosen name er, President Isaias Afwerki, to settle
and millions of displacements, it seemed that involved in the illegal arms trade, loot- and refers to as Shane – a terrorist or- ancient scores with the TPLF and oc-
negotiations might be on the horizon. ing and destroying property of indi- ganisation in May 2021. cupy the contested border territory of
viduals, killings, and creating conflict Badme.
The African Union envoy Olusegun Obasan- among the public”. The OLA has conducted joint offen- Eritrean forces have been involved
jo met with the main warring parties. The US sives with the Tigray Defence Forces from the start of the war and helped
envoy for the Horn of Africa flew to Addis Aba- The Fano question is likely to test (TDF) and is part of a nine-group re- federal forces take control of Tigray in
ba. The UN General-Secretary Antonio Guterres Abiy’s relationship with Amhara elites bel coalition alongside their Tigray- the early months of the conflict.
optimistically declared that “there is now a de- further. The federal government wants an counterparts. The federal govern- Through the war, Tigray’s leaders and
monstrable effort to make peace”. to demobilise their former military al- ment has accused the OLA of numer- international actors have repeated-
lies who they cannot control and who ous atrocities, including the killing of ly demanded that Eritrean forces, who
Since then, there has been some progress. are deepening resentments and insta- 150 people in August 2021. The group have been accused of various atroci-
In March, the federal government implement- bility in parts of the country. But doing denies the charges, which are difficult ties, withdraw from the region.
ed an indefinite humanitarian ceasefire, which so would reduce the Amhara region’s to verify as no independent body has This is also a condition of the TPLF
forces in Tigray welcomed. Aid convoys have bargaining power and weaken its mil- investigated the matter. accepting to enter talks. Eritrea has ig-
been allowed into the Tigray region. Some po- itary strength. nored these calls, likely because it sees
litical prisoners have been released. The OLA has been excluded from Badme as part of its territory and be-
Oromia negotiations and the federal gov- cause it fears a resurgent TDF. This has
At the same time, however, movement to- In Oromia region, federal forces ernment’s strategy for dealing with left the federal government in a diffi-
wards meaningful talks has been slow. Different have been fighting the Oromo Libera- the group remains to be to defeat it cult situation.
regional and international peace efforts have tion Army (OLA), an armed group that through militaristic means. It remains
lost momentum. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s emerged out of the Oromo Liberation to be seen if this strategy is any more — African Arguements
national dialogue initiative has been criticised Front (OLF). Both groups want self-de- viable today than it has been in pre-
for its opacity and exclusion of key parties. termination or genuine autonomy for ceding decades of conflict in Oromia.

Moreover, while fighting with Tigray forces
has subsided, the federal government has in-
tensified military operations against the Oro-
mo Liberation Army (OLA) and recently arrested
4,000 people in Amhara region in a crackdown
against the militia group known as the Fano.

Reasons behind the delays in peace talks in-
clude mistrust among parties and the complex-
ity of different groups’ demands. Here are some
of the key parties to the war and what they want.

Who wants what?
Tigray
The conflict began in November 2020 after
relations between the federal government and
the Tigray regional government, led by the Ti-
gray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), broke
down. Tensions escalated as each party ac-
cused the other of illegitimacy, and the war was
sparked after Tigray forces attacked the federal
Northern Command bases.
Within weeks, the Ethiopian National Defense
Force (ENDF) had taken control of much of Tig-
ray, including the regional capital Mekelle. The
federal government imposed a media blackout
and a devastating blockade on aid, telecommu-
nications, and banking services.
By mid-2021, however, Tigray forces had
fought back and retaken most of the region.
In November 2021, the TPLF and its allies came
within 250 km of Addis Ababa before retreating.
Through the war, the Tigray government has
called for peace talks on several occasions, but
with preconditions that one Ethiopia security
official described as “unrealistic”. The TPLF’s key
demand is that Eritrean forces and Amhara mi-
litia withdraw from areas they continue to oc-
cupy, which is more complicated than it seems
for reasons explained below. For their part, Tig-
ray forces have withdrawn from the Afar region.
Amhara
Since Abiy took office in 2018, Amhara elites
have been among the groups that have bene-
fited the most. They supported the prime min-
ister as he side-lined the TPLF and challenged
Ethiopia’s federal system. And in the war, Am-
hara special forces and militias have played a
key role in the federal government’s assault on
Tigray.
In return, Amhara elites have renewed their
claims to certain territories, including Western
Tigray. This area has witnessed several crimes
against humanity during the war and remains
occupied. Amhara leaders insist the territo-
ry is theirs – and their backing of Abiy may be
contingent on his tacit support for this claim –
while Tigray forces say they will fight to regain
it and will not negotiate until it is returned. The
federal government is additionally concerned
about Western Tigray because it borders Sudan
and would give Tigray forces greater access to
foreign support and weapons if it were back in
their hands.
Another issue relates to the Fano, an influen-
tial militia group that started as an Amhara na-
tionalist movement and has played a significant
part in the conflict. Their soldiers joined federal
forces in sweeping into Tigray in 2020 and have
come to occupy several neighbouring areas,
not just in Tigray but Oromia and Benshangul-
Gumuz regions too. In 19 months of the war, the
Fano have been accused of several atrocities
and were recently alleged to have killed about
27 Oromia police forces.
As relations between the Amhara elite and
the federal government have become strained,
Addis Ababa has increasingly turned against
the militia group. The federal government re-
cently declared that no informal mercenaries

OPINION June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 21

ARTS June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 22

Hwabaraty to launch new project
: Jelimani is Culturally rich!

It has been amazing watching Hwabaraty grow into this become a footballer or one of the modern rap artists but, The project makes him wholesome artist, he always knows
giant of a musician that he has become. Award winning watching him from afar over the years I can tell it’s like a call- exactly how he wants his music to go in terms of rhythm and
musician and cultural ambassador Hwabaraty is set to ing to him, he was made for this kind of music, he still very time.
release his lates offering Jerimani on the 29th of May at much borrows a lot of traditional rhythms & chants that he
the Bulawayo Theatre. fuses with a contemporary slant & a futuristic sound. Hwabaraty
Back in 2017 he released his 2nd album #WozaNhlanhla, His songs have a deep meaning, telling stories of our an-
an album that marked his arrival in the music scene, it intro- Jelimani cestors & reminding Africans on the importance of respect &
duced & established him as one of the best in the country & It’s the authenticity in his voice and how true he is with his fully embracing who they are, he does all this through telling
opened so many doors & opportunities for him. vocal capability that makes him special. It is his ability to spot his own story & journey that many would relate to.
& collaborate with people who suit his style that makes him Bruce Ncube
No one would have seen it coming & no one would have a cut above the rest. The album is too rich & many would probably not get it
thought that he would become this person who’s so deep- You can hear the simple yet, so beautiful harmonies by something that reminds me of when Willis Wataffi won the
ly rooted in his culture; not only does he bring that out in his Dudu Sibanda & I think Thandeka of Nobuntu, some of the best album a couple of years ago, no one was ready for that
music that he composes himself but it’s also his lifestyle in finest backing vocalists you can ever get in Zimbabwe. & many would have been asking themselves as to who he
general. He’s changed over the years into a very spiritual life- Jelimana is a very special album that shows my growth & was because it’s music that you wouldn’t hear on a daily ba-
style, grounded & family oriented. depth, the album is full of percussion.” sis.
Hwabaraty
Growing up in Njube, you would have thought he would — earGROUND

SPORT June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 23

The 21
transfers
that will
dominate
the summer
window

It's that time of year again - Europe's top clubs is probably Leicester’s last chance to sell Sevilla last year and are hopeful of com- lan but there is now a belief that New-
are taking stock of the season that was and Tielemans for a significant fee. His form pleting the move this time around. Tel- castle could win the race for the 22-year-
beginning to plot how they will reshape their has dipped in recent months but he re- egraph Sport reported last month that old centre-back. Newcastle made two
squads for the upcoming campaign. mains one of the most technically gift- Kounde remains keen to join. bids for Botman in January, both of
Two massive transfer coups have already ed players in the Premier League. Arsenal which were rejected.
been sealed in recent weeks - Man City's move for have scouted him extensively. Jules Kounde (right) was close to join-
Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe's decision to ing Chelsea last year 18. Cheick Doucoure (Lens)
stay at PSG. Youri Tielemans only has one year left on Interested: Crystal Palace
his Leicester deal Jules Kounde (right) was close to join- Estimated cost: £15m
Telegraph Sport runs through some of the oth- ing Chelsea last year A dynamic midfielder who has
er potential transfer sagas that could dominate the Youri Tielemans only has one year left on emerged as one of the brightest talents
summer window. his Leicester deal 13. Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig) in Ligue 1 since helping Lens win promo-
Interested: Chelsea, Tottenham, Man- tion in 2020. Has two years left on his
1. Darwin Nunez (Benfica) 8. Jesse Lingard (free agent) chester United contract and is highly rated, so Palace
Interested: Manchester United, Atletico Madrid Interested: West Ham, Roma Estimated cost: £40m-50m might find it hard to land him.
Estimated cost: £55m-65m Estimated cost: Free Gvardiol is left-footed, which makes 19. Ruben Neves (Wolves)
One of the most exciting young strikers in the West Ham would love to bring Lingard him more valuable as a centre-back, and Interested: Barcelona, Manchester
world, and a player who has been watched by back to the club after his hugely success- is seen as one of Europe’s most promis- United
many of the leading clubs in Europe. Brighton, ful loan spell last year. The 29-year-old will ing defenders. Chelsea, United and Tot- Estimated cost: £40m-50m
Newcastle and West Ham have all made attempts not be short of options, though, as his sta- tenham are all in the market for central Wolves are demanding a fee of £70
to sign Nunez in the past year, but he is understood tus as a free agent makes him an appeal- defenders. million for Neves, who admitted after the
to be determined to join a Champions League club, ing prospect for a number of clubs across 14. Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan) final game of the season that his future
which could be bad news for Manchester United. Europe. Reports in Italy have suggested Interested: Tottenham with the club was uncertain. The Portu-
A move to Spain is currently seen as the most like- that Roma are interested. Estimated cost: £40m-50m guese midfielder has been a long-term
ly outcome. 9. Christian Eriksen (free agent) Bastoni is wanted by Antonio Conte, target for Barcelona and his sale could
2. Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City) Interested: Brentford, Tottenham, who managed the Italian at Inter Milan. hold the key to Bruno Lage's own trans-
Interested: Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur Leicester At 23, Bastoni is another young defen- fer business this summer.
Estimated cost: £35m-45m Estimated cost: Free sive prospect who will not come cheap. Ruben Neves joined Wolves from Por-
Arsenal are keen to bring Jesus to the Emirates, Eriksen proved his fitness and his qual- 15. Marc Cucurella (Brighton) to in 2017
reuniting him with former Manchester City coach ity in his six-month spell at Brentford. The Interested: Manchester City Ruben Neves joined Wolves from Por-
Mikel Arteta, but Tottenham Hotspur are also look- Denmark playmaker is desperate to rep- Estimated cost: £25m-35m to in 2017
ing at the Brazilian. Jesus has only one year remain- resent his country at the World Cup and Pep Guardiola is an admirer of Cucurel- 20. Kalvin Phillips (Leeds United)
ing on his current contract but City will still expect could stay in west London. la, who enjoyed a superb first season in Interested: Manchester City, Liverpool,
to receive a hefty fee. 10. Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manches- English football. Cucurella can play as a Aston Villa
3. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton) ter City) left-back, left wing-back and also on the Estimated cost: £50m-60m
Interested: Newcastle, West Ham, Arsenal Interested: Arsenal left side of a back three. The England midfielder is high on the
Estimated cost: £40m-50m Estimated cost: £30m-40m 16. Jack Harrison (Leeds United) list of Man City’s transfer targets with
Newcastle have a longstanding interest in Cal- Zinchenko is a versatile player who can Interested: Newcastle Liverpool also thought to be monitoring
vert-Lewin, who has also caught the eye of Arse- operate in midfield, on the wing or as a Estimated cost: £20m-30m the situation. Aston Villa have also been
nal and West Ham in the past. Everton are under- left-back. He is therefore a logical target Harrison has impressed in the Pre- linked with the 26-year-old but Leeds
stood to want £50m for the England internation- for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who mier League and has caught the eye of are in ongoing contract talks with Phil-
al, which is a lot of money for a player who has en- worked with the 25-year-old during his Newcastle manager Eddie Howe. Tele- lips and an exit is not guaranteed.
dured an injury-plagued campaign. His form in the time as Pep Guardiola’s assistant. graph Sport reported last month that a 21. Raphinha (Leeds United)
previous season, when he struck 21 goals, was more 11. Aaron Hickey (Bologna) deal could be difficult to complete, with Interested: Barcelona
impressive. Interested: Brentford, Arsenal Leeds hoping to resist offers for a key Estimated cost: £50m
Dominic Calvert-Lewin had an injury-ravaged Estimated cost: £10m-20m player. The Brazilian is expected to leave El-
season There is a long list of admirers for Jack Harrison scored on the final day land Road this summer with Barcelona
Dominic Calvert-Lewin had an injury-ravaged Hickey, a 19-year-old full-back who im- as Leeds secured Premier League surviv- favourites to land his signature. Leeds’
season Credit: ACTION IMAGES VIA REUTERS pressed in Serie A this season and is a al Jack Harrison scored on the final day survival means the deal will be consider-
4. Tammy Abraham (Roma) full Scotland international. Brentford are as Leeds secured Premier League surviv- ably more expensive than it could have
Interested: Arsenal hoping to win the race for his signature. al Credit: GETTY IMAGES been, which could open the door for
Estimated cost: £55m-65m 12. Jules Kounde (Sevilla) 17. Sven Botman (Lille) other clubs to swoop.
After a hugely successful first campaign in Ita- Interested: Chelsea Interested: Newcastle, AC Milan
ly, in which he became the highest-scoring English Estimated cost: £40m-50m Estimated cost: £30m-40m — The Telegraph
player in a Serie A season, there will be no shortage Chelsea almost signed Kounde from Botman appeared close to joining Mi-
of clubs looking to bring Abraham back to the Pre-
mier League. Arsenal have shown serious interest in
the past, but Roma will no doubt demand a huge
fee for a player they signed for £34m last year.
5. Armando Broja (Chelsea)
Interested: West Ham, Southampton
Estimated cost: £20m-30m
Southampton would like to keep Broja, who im-
pressed on loan from Chelsea, and West Ham are
also interested in the striker. His Chelsea future re-
mains uncertain but the club have form for cashing
in on their talented young players.
6. Victor Osimhen (Napoli)
Interested: Arsenal
Estimated cost: £65m-75m
Reports in Italy suggest that Napoli are demand-
ing an enormous fee for Osimhen, who they signed
from Lille for around £60m in 2020. The 23-year-
old is a powerful No 9, strong in the air and quick
across the ground, but will any club be willing to
meet the asking price for a player who still has
three years remaining on his current deal?
7. Youri Tielemans (Leicester City)
Interested: Arsenal
Estimated cost: £25m-35m
With one year remaining on his contract, this

June 8 to 14 2022 Weekly Digest 24

AustrZaimlia'tsobuur styo hkoicmkestsaurmt mer
A ustralia's home international season will be-
gin in late August and the men's team fac- dies were slated for three T20Is but one match has been ground.
es one of their busiest summers as the catch- dropped due to the tight window with the CPL finishing There are some tight turnarounds in the men's sched-
up of Covid-impacted series continues in the in late September and them being involved in the quali-
final months of the current future tours pro- fying phase of the World Cup. ule with the first ODI against England in Adelaide taking
gramme. place just four days after the T20 World Cup final on No-
The five men's Tests of the summer will take place vember 13, should either side make it that far, and there
The men's side will face Zimbabwe (ODIs), New Zea- across barely six weeks with Perth (November 30-De- is a maximum of four days between Tests once that for-
land (ODIs), West Indies (T20Is and Tests), England (T20Is cember 4) hosting the opening match against West In- mat begins on November 30.
and ODIs) and South Africa (Tests and ODIs) in the 2022- dies followed by a day-night game in Adelaide (Decem-
23 campaign - in addition to the men's T20 World Cup - ber 8-12). South Africa will play at the Gabba (December Pakistan Women tour of Australia, 2022-23•ESPN-
with the first two of those series taking place in Towns- 17-21), MCG (Boxing Day) and SCG (January 4-8) before cricinfo Ltd
ville and Cairns, starting on August 28, as international the ODI series wraps up the men's home schedule ahead
cricket returns to the Top End. The last time Australia's of a tour to India next February and March. The ODIs against Zimbabwe and New Zealand in
men played in the region was 2008 although Townsville northern Queensland - both series which have been
has since hosted internationals involving Papua New That order of Tests means a move away from the tra- postponed due to Covid - are unlikely to feature a full-
Guinea. The women's team will host Pakistan for ODIs dition of the Gabba being the opening match (although strength Australia side with a handful of players having
and T20Is in January before the T20 World Cup in South that has also happened a number of times in recent deals in the Hundred which runs until early September
Africa while they are also set to travel to India for five years) but it allows both West Indies fixtures - played be- while some may also be rested.
T20Is before Christmas. fore the holiday period - to have a greater primetime slot
on Australia's east coast television market while CA are Having not played any ODIs in the previous home sea-
The three men's ODIs against South Africa, set to take also looking ahead to when the Gabba is not available son the men's team have 12 scheduled in 2022-23. The
place after the Test series in mid-January, remain to be during its redevelopment for the 2032 Olympics. three matches against South Africa are set to start ear-
confirmed after a request from CSA to have them moved lier in the day than would be traditional to free up the
but no alternative window has yet been found. It is un- "We also know the Gabba's going to be offline for a evening for BBL matches. They could be the last home
derstood CSA had hoped to play them before the Test couple of years," Roach said. "Taking the chance to look ODIs played in January as CA looks to create a window
series to enable players to return home in time for the re- at some different opportunities when we've got the in the calendar for the BBL so that Australia players can
cently-announced domestic T20 league. chance to us makes a bit of sense. We've got a very good be more involved.
record in Perth too. Moving away from fortress Gabba is
"Our strong intention is to play them as scheduled not something that scares us." The domestic schedules will be announced in the
and we're working through that with South Africa," Peter coming months. The WBBL will take place from mid-Oc-
Roach, Cricket Australia's head of operations and sched- After last season featured two women's Tests against tober to late November with the BBL expected to start
uling, said. "This is a really busy season of cricket and India and England, there are none on the calendar for after the West Indies Test series and it may run into ear-
finding a spot will be difficult, but we're engaged in that the upcoming summer but they remain central to Crick- ly February. With the men's T20 World Cup also in Oc-
discussion with South Africa and we hope to finalise that et Australia's ambitions. The two limited-overs se- tober and November, plus Sheffield Shield, Marsh Cup
in the coming weeks." ries against Pakistan will take place from January 16-29 and WNCL matches to slot in, it has meant a challeng-
across Allan Border Field, North Sydney Oval and Manu- ing jigsaw puzzle to find suitable venues for all the for-
The T20Is against West Indies and two bilateral se- ka Oval with the teams then heading to South Africa for mats. The expanded WNCL - now a full home-and-away
ries against England will be squeezed in either side of the T20 World Cup where Australia will defend their title. tournament - is likely to start in late September ahead
the men's T20 World Cup with the T20Is acting as warm- of the WBBL.
ups. Australia will also make a whistle-stop tour to India Unlike recent seasons, no women's internationals have
in mid-September for three T20Is. Originally, West In- been scheduled for September with an eye on player Both West Indies and South Africa are expected to
workload heading into the World Cup while March has have warm-up matches ahead of their respective Test
also been left vacant in case a Women's IPL gets off the series.

— ESPNcricinfo