NewsHawks 29 July 2022

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WHAT’S INSIDE Friday 29 July 2022 NNEcuWbSe presents TSPalOeRoTf two
supplementary Platinums, and
NTaEgWwSirei’s budget amid two ex-Warriors
Kuvimba in worsening pressure captains
bid to seize
Zisco Story on Page 7 Story on Page 60

Story on Page 5

Mnangagwa
rape scandal:
Mutami’s high
school lover
speaks out

ALSO INSIDE Tagwirei’s Kuvimba in bid to seize Zisco

Page 2 News NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Mnangagwa rape scandal: Mutami’s
high school boyfriend speaks out

BRENNA MATENDERE Susan Mutami

A RUGGED, dusty road with thick gravel
mixed with red soil branches off the tarred Kwe-
kwe-Nkayi highway to the south at the 60 kilome-
tre peg on the left side of the route in rural Silobela
in the Midlands province.

Three kilometres down that road is a towering
maroon signpost built with brick and mortar em-
blazoned with a depiction of a heart which reads:
“Welcome to Loreto Mission School”.

This is the school where Australian-based
33-year-old Zimbabwean woman Susan Mutami
— who is accusing President Emmerson Mnan-
gagwa of rape — did her Ordinary Levels in 2005.

Mutami, 47 years Mnangagwa’s junior and
young enough to be his granddaughter, is cur-
rently trending on social media after presenting an
unprecedented Twitter Spaces session with close to
13 000 listeners in which she sensationally accused
Mnangagwa of raping her at the minor age of only
15. Mnangagwa, who officially turns 80 soon, is
said to be actually older in reality — 84.

Effectively, Mutami is accusing Mnangagwa of
rape, including statutory rape since she was a mi-
nor. She says the abuse occurred while she was at
high school and later staying at Mnangagwa’s farm
when he took over the responsibility of paying her
fees before she eventually left for Australia after
completing “O” Level.

As a result, Mutami has reported Mnangagwa
to Queensland Police Service in Brisbane, Austra-
lia. The case will be referred to The International
Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) and other
relevant jurisdictions. However, in terms of sec-
tion 98 of Zimbabwe’s constitution, the President
has immunity while in office.

“While in office, the President is not liable
to civil or criminal proceedings in any court for
things done or omitted to be done in his or her
personal capacity,” it says.

This puts Mutami’s case in a touch-and-go or
limbo situation, especially because Interpol would
need Zimbabwean police’s cooperation to investi-
gate the allegations.

The alleged abuse began when Mutami was in
Form 3. She was in class F3C at the time.

The Roman Catholic Church school was built
by Dominican Sisters in 1944 at a cost of £6 000.
It was the first mission in Rhodesia founded by a
women’s religious order and a deliberate step to
expand the Sisters’ work in rural areas. Previously,
the Sisters had only played a supporting role in
helping run priest-led missions.

The school is run by the Catholic Diocese of
Gweru, but the church’s congregation of men
who take oath of celibacy — never to marry in
their lives — The Brothers of the Sacred Heart, are
practically in charge. The Brothers of the Sacred
Heart religious congregation was founded by An-
dré Coindre, a diocesan priest, in Lyon, France, in
1821. Their mission is the evangelisation of young
people, especially through the ministry of educa-
tion.

A smaller path from the signboard takes one to
the gated administration block’s entrance, past a
Roman Catholic Church building, boys’ dormito-
ries and then girls’ hostels. In-between the dormi-
tories is the school tuckshop on the right and an
orchard on the left with a vast plantation of citrus
fruits that include oranges.

Mutami says she was also raped several times
by former state security minister Owen “Mudha”
Ncube, Mnangagwa’s confidante, in 2004. She
says whenever Ncube was sent by Mnangagwa to
take her home after forced sex with him, he (Ncu-
be) would also demand sex from her and impose
himself as well — secretly becoming a partner in
crime.

Mnangagwa’s spokesperson George Charamba
has denied the allegations, saying they were mere
“rumour”. Mnangagwa himself has not spoken
on the serious allegations. He has responded with
loud silence. Ncube has also not commented.

The dining hall for pupils in Form 1-3 classes is
located inside a yard housing girls’ hostels.

NewsHawks News Page 3

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Senior students — namely those in Form 4, Mutami’s former boyfriends include high-profile people such as the late retired Lieutenant-General and changed when she was in Form 3 when she start-
Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth — have their small- former Foreign Affairs minister Sibusiso Moyo. ed living a bling lifestyle at school.
er dining hall located inside the yard which has
four dormitory blocks for boys. green T-shirts, Top-toppers (yellow T-shirts) and in order to raise school fees. It did not make sense Mutami’s former classmates at Loreto High
Possent (red T-shirts). because our fees were so high that working at a speak of Mnangagwa — her “sekuru” — uncle –
The boys’ dormitory blocks are named in al- farm for one month would not raise even a quar- visiting the school to see and spend time with her.
phabetical letters: “A” block for Form 4 pupils, “Susan was good in athletics. Her nickname ter of it,” he says.
“B” block Form 2 pupils, “C” block Form 3 and was Wozoli, which she got after she outpaced The rumour at the time was that Mnangagwa
“D” block is the elite residence for Lower Sixth competitors in a 400 metres race at Wozoli Sec- Last week, Mutami said she stayed on Mnan- was dating her mother. Some, however, suspect-
and Upper Sixth students. All the buildings are ondary School out there in Silobela,” Mutami’s gagwa’s Precabe Farm in Sherwood, Kwekwe, ed that he was simultaneously having love affairs
painted maroon, the colour of the school uniform ex-school lover says. where she allegedly suffered abuse from him and with mother and daughter. As time went by, it
worn by girls from Forms 1-4. Girls wear also his wife, First Lady Auxillia. emerged Mnangagwa was actually having a rela-
brown shoes with white socks, while boys wear Wozoli Secondary is located in Makhohliso tionship with her as a minor, which is what she
black shoes and beige socks. Village in Silobela, Kwekwe district, in the Mid- The ex-boyfriend revealed that he once acci- now claims.
lands. dentally bumped on Mutami in Redcliff where
After Form 2, pupils are graded according to Mnangagwa owns Redcliff Hotel. The hotel was Research on victims and survivors of rape shed
end-of-term results to fit into three classes for Mutami’s high school lover said last week’s al- previously owned by Ziscosteel before it was sold light on Mutami’s behaviour as a child and adult
Forms 3 and 4. The best Form 2 pupils are placed legations of rape and sexual abuse — by Mnan- to him for a song. after the sexual assault ordeal.
into Form 3A class which studies science subjects gagwa — are now making sense and helping him
like physics, chemistry and biology; 3B class is understand her behaviour back then at school. “When I met her (in Redcliff) she was so un- A journal article by Professor Matthew Tull,
for average pupils doing commercial subjects like settled. She would look numerous times over her who works in the department of psychology at
commerce, accounts and mathematics, while 3C “When we were going out, her behaviour was shoulder during the brief encounter. Besides, her the University of Toledo, Ohio, United States, ti-
is for those who do not qualify for 3A and 3B. erratic. Sometimes she would become silent in language at school was also crude and immoral as tled Understanding Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,
They study arts subjects. Mutami was in 3C doing the middle of a conversation like a person in deep she would claim that, in terms of sex, she had ‘big provides insight into the behaviour of victims and
arts. thought and from nowhere she would start cry- boys’ who did the business on her,” the former survivors of rape.
ing. I could not understand her at the time; it was boyfriend says.
In the years leading to 2004, when Mutami strange, but after these allegations she has made “A person who has been sexually assaulted will
was at the school, the headmaster was Brother against some people it now makes sense to me,” He adds: “She was living a double life. A happy generally experience high levels of distress imme-
SF Mpondi. He retired in 2014. The school still he said. life on her face, but inside you could feel that she diately afterward. The trauma of being assaulted
follows a strict religious and learning programme. was an emotional wreck and boiling. Now that can lead to fear, anger, guilt, anxiety, and sadness,”
Lessons start at 8am and end at 4:30pm, with “Again, towards the end of each school term she has exploded, I really understand why and it says.
students going back to class from 6pm to 8pm when everyone was excited to be going home for hope she may get better. She was also one person
during the week for studies. the holidays, she would have a completely differ- who would not forgive. If you wronged her, the According to her high school ex-boyfriend,
ent mood marked with sadness and anxiety. misunderstanding would not end. As for me, I Mutami behaved exactly like that.Tull also de-
On Saturdays, students go for study between had to deal with that by apologising a hundred scribes other behavioural patterns of survivors of
2pm and 3pm, and then take a rest. On Sundays “During those days, she would be very aggres- times.” rape: “They might feel as though they are always
they go to class between 9am and 11am, then sive and we would break up often in our relation- in danger or need to always be on guard, and may
lunch at 1pm. They return to class from 2pm to ship. Sometimes we would break up twice in a The ex-lover also spoke of how he would be distrust other people.”
4pm; have supper at 5pm, and then go back again week and make amends later. Days before school spoilt by Mutami with gifts like perfumes, towels,
from 6pm to 8pm. holidays were the most difficult in our relation- snacks and cash at school and during weekend en- That has been part of Mutami’s behaviour.
ship.” tertainment gigs in the juniors’ dining hall. Another journal article by Melissa Hall and
Every day before sleeping, students gather in Joshua Hall titled The Long-Term Effects of Child-
dining halls for night prayers. Forms 1-3 go to The ex-boyfriend says that at the time, Mutami “We were a power couple of bling at school,” hood Sexual Abuse: Counselling Implications ex-
church on Tuesdays from 6am to 7am, while se- spoke about so many things he did not under- he said. plains the issue. Mutami said she lost one of her
niors do so on Thursdays. On Sunday morning stand, but which now make sense after her recent twin babies she conceived in a relationship with
there is mandatory church mass for all students Twitter Spaces public engagement. The NewsHawks found this interesting because independent legislator Temba Mliswa due to
and teachers. one of Mutami’s classmates — a lady — says stress.
“She at one time told me that we could not when she arrived at Loreto High, she was one The journal validates that stress can have long-
That is the sort of life Mutami lived and was meet during holidays because she had a person- of those kids who clearly appeared to be coming time effects on childhood sexual abuse on adults.
socialised into during her high school years. al bodyguard who watched all her movements. from a disadvantaged family. Melissa is a doctoral candidate in counsellor
During those days Mutami also told me that education at the University of Arkansas. She has
Through socialisation people acquire attitudes, during the holidays she would be very busy be- During her Form 1 and 2 years, she appeared experience working with at-risk children, adoles-
values, and norms of a particular culture, as well cause there was a farm she would go to work at like someone form a deprived family. Things cents, and their families. Her research interests
as learn behaviours considered appropriate at an include marital satisfaction, the role of family in
individual and societal level. child and adolescent behaviour and foster care.
Joshua is a licenced social worker. He has clin-
School is one of the most important institu- ical experience working with at-risk populations,
tions for socialisation. It influences the adoption including foster youth. His research interests in-
of social and cultural patterns of behaviour. Chil- clude foster care, social welfare policy, child and
dren adopt, select, form and imitate attitudes, adolescent behaviour.
values and norms from school that they bring to The two write: “Stress and anxiety are often
their homes and society. So part of who Mutami long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse.
is now was moulded at Loreto. Childhood sexual abuse can be frightening and
cause stress long after the experience or experienc-
Before going to Loreto in 2002 for Form 1, es have ceased. Many times survivors experience
she had passed her Grade 7 at Fitchlea Primary chronic anxiety, tension, anxiety attacks, and pho-
School in Kwekwe — her home town — with bias”.
eight units. Although she went to a low-density Other researchers note that after rape, a sur-
primary school in Kwekwe, she lived in Mbizo vivor loses self-esteem and, in the process, may
Section 10 township. Her father was Zanu PF indulge in a lifestyle marked with flamboyance
and had high-level links, including to Mnangag- in order to quickly recover from shock and de-
wa, which is how she came to know him. When pression. Mutami appears to be leading a life of
her father died, her family fortunes changed be- compensatory behaviour as a result of her alleged
fore Mnangagwa stepped in. abuse. In psychology, compensation is a strategy
in which one covers up, consciously or uncon-
In a bid to retrace Mutami’s footsteps to un- sciously, weaknesses, frustrations, desires, or feel-
derstand her socialisation and background in the ings of inadequacy or incompetence in one life
context of her allegations against Mnangagwa, aspect through overdrive indulgence or excellence
The NewsHawks went out to talk to various people in another area. Compensation can cover up ei-
about her past. ther real or imagined deficiencies and personal or
physical inferiority. Positive compensations may
In the process, we caught up with Mutami’s help one to overcome one’s difficulties.
former boyfriend at Loreto Mission School who On the other hand, negative compensations
dated her in 2004 when she was in Form 3 until do not, which results in a reinforced feeling of in-
she completed her “O” Level. That is the year she feriority. In her life, Mutami has dated eminent
said she was raped by Mnangagwa. citizens in Zimbabwean society, suggesting com-
pensation.
Her ex-boyfriend from Gweru is now based in Her former boyfriends include high-profile
Johannesburg, South Africa, running a haulage people such as the late retired Lieutenant-Gen-
truck company. He spoke on condition of ano- eral Sibusiso Moyo, who announced the 2017
nymity for fear of retribution and “for the sake of military coup which brought Mnangagwa to
my peace”. power and later became Foreign Affairs minister;
Mliswa, an independent MP and former Zanu
In an open and frank discussion, the 34-year- PF provincial chair; Kenneth Musanhi, Zanu
old man, short and dark in complexion, chroni- PF politburo member and businessman; Mines
cled his experiences with Mutami. deputy minister and tycoon Polite Kambamura;
and Judicial Service Commission secretary Walter
“I first met Susan in 2004 when I was in Form Chikwana, among others .
4; she was a stream behind us. We were in the According to the Australian Institute of Fami-
same sports house group called Winter Halder. ly Studies, one of the greatest and lasting impacts
She was a good 400 metres athlete and I was in of rape on victims is trauma and post-traumatic
the discus sporting discipline,” Mutami’s child- stress disorder.
hood boyfriend narrates. “Rape is not just physical violence, it is also
mental or psychological violence. It is not easily
“She was very good in athletics — the 400 me- forgotten,” it says.
tres race — hence in 2003 we both reached pro-
vincial sports finals which were held at Chaplin
High School in Gweru.”

Their sports house, Winter Halder (blue
T-shirts), was named after a Catholic priest, Fa-
ther Winter Walder, who once served at Loreto
Mission. Other Loreto sporting houses during
Mutami’s time were Tambaoga, which donned

Page 4 News NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Presidential immunity: Mutami's hurdle

RUVIMBO MUCHENJE President Emmerson Mnangagwa
Susan Mutami
THE filing of a rape case by Australian-based
Zimbabwean Susan Mutami against the Pres-
ident Emmerson Mnangagwa may not go be-
yond the police station file cabinet, legal experts
have warned.

Mutami filed the case with police in
Queensland, Australia, for the offence that was
allegedly committed 18 years ago in Kwekwe,
Zimbabwe.

Legal expert Musa Kika told The NewsHawks
that the case can be reported in Zimbabwe, but
can only be taken up after Mnangagwa leaves
office.

“If she reports in Zim(babwe), her case can be
attended to (at law and not at politics), because
it is still within the 20-year prescription period
for criminal offences in terms of the Criminal
Procedure and Evidence Act,” Kika said.

Mutami alleges she was sexually abused by
Mnangawga when she was just 15 in 2004 and
she has reported the matter 18 years later.

The President, however, has immunity from
prosecution, so the matter can only be taken up
in 2023 if he loses the election or in 2028 after
serving a second full term.

Section 98.1 of the constitution says: “While
in office, the President is not liable to civil or
criminal proceedings in any court for things
done or omitted to be done in his personal ca-
pacit.”

Police in Queensland hinted that they have
no power to deal with the matter and will refer
it to international jurisdictions.

“For confidentiality and privacy reasons, we
are unable to provide any information other
than to advise Queensland Police will liaise
with and refer any inquiries to international
jurisdictions,” Matt Adams, senior media and
public affairs adviser (Queensland Police) said.

Kika warns that international jurors may not
have jurisdiction over this case.

“Common law rape (unless done as a crime
against humanity), is not an extraterritorial or
universal jurisdiction offence. So Queensland
Police can’t do anything here. This offence was
wholly committed in Zimbabwe and only Zim
authorities can try the matter,” he said.

A lawyer who spoke to The NewsHawks on
cbondition of anonymity echoed Kika’s sen-
timents, saying arresting a sitting president
would jeopardise diplomatic relations between
Zimbabwe and Australia.

“The case is largely a political statement that
has been made. In terms of real legal value it is
difficult to implement. It is difficult for you to
arrest a sitting head of state especially if you are
a foreign government, it messes up the entire
diplomatic relations between the two countries.
If it was an ordinary citizen or maybe a cabinet
minister, they would be arrested once they set
foot in Australia, but ED will just evoke diplo-
matic immunity,” she said.

Another legal mind practising in Zimbabwe
is of the view that Mutami’s claims of abuse
may land her in trouble if she makes the report
locally and she could end up being the one ar-
rested.

“It’s an assertion of a remedy that is not lo-
cally available. There are no chances that Zim-
babwe police will accept the report, let alone act
on it. On the contrary, she may end up being
the one arrested herself on some charge or an-
other. She already shared her airport experience
as an example,” he said.

Earlier this year, as Mutami was leaving Zim-
babwe, she was detained at Robert Mugabe In-
ternational Airport for hours on end and she
opened a case against the minister of Home
Affairs, which is gathering dust in some office
somewhere.

The lawyer added that the likelihood of
getting justice is unlikely, as the Zimbabwean
police blocked her on Twitter, where she made
much of the claims.

“Just as an illustration that she won’t get any
justice in Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwean police
blocked her on Twitter,” he added.

The most realistic, but still improbable solu-
tion to the Mutami allegations would perhaps
be impeachment.

NewsHawks News Page 5

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

BRENNA MATENDERE Mnangagwa did not rape me,
says former Zanu PF minister
FORMER Environment and Tourism deputy
minister Annastancia Ndlovu, who is now a Former Environment and Tourism deputy minister Annastancia Ndovu
full-time employee at Zanu PF headquarters in
the party’s directorate, has strongly denied re- ‘nyika inovakwa nevene vayo’ (the country is mining, smart agriculture, image branding, Before 2018, she served as vice-president of
ports that she was sexually abused by President built by its owners) and we don’t want side- public relations and brand repositioning, as the World Federation of Democratic Youths
Emmerson Mnangagwa while she was a minor shows. Mutami must find other ways of seek- well as investor promotion. based in Budapest, Hungary.
in Midlands. ing Australian citizenship. I have never met her
and so how does she know me? Where did she In addition, she is vice-president of the Af- She has been the human resource specialist
The sensational reports were made by Aus- see me when I was a minor?” Ndlovu asked. firmative Action Group (AAG), which is led by at the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority based at
tralian-based Zimbabwean citizen Susan Mu- gold baron Scot Sakupwanya. the institution’s head office in Harare.
tami on the micro-blogging social media site Ndlovu has lately fared well in life.
Twitter recently. She now sits as the director of Manna Ven- She is also the current international repre- At the 2021 Zimbabwe International Trade
tures (Pvt) Ltd, a company with interests in sentative for southern Africa at the Leaders Fair, Ndlovu won the Excellence in Diplomacy
Mutami has filed a police report in Australia Without Borders Development Centre. and International Affairs Award.
against Mnangagwa, whom she alleged raped
her several times from the age of 15.

Tagging Mnangagwa’s official Twitter han-
dle, Mutami said the country’s leader “used to
sleep with Annastancia Ndovu, the late Melo-
dy Dziva when they were minors too. I knew
Annastancia before she even became a child
parliamentarian. It’s a clique of older men who
abuse young vulnerable women in society un-
der the pretext of providing assistance.”

Dziva, who became the youngest female
Zanu PF legislator at 28 in 2013 and died in
2020, was Midlands proportional representa-
tion Member of Parliament.

However, in an exclusive interview with The
NewsHawks, Ndlovu, who was once an MP for
Shurugwi, said Mutami was not her advocate
and must only speak for herself.

“To start with, I was never a child parlia-
mentarian as she alleges. I joined Zanu PF
while at Midlands State University when I was
19 years old, which means I was already an
adult. I became an MP at 27. So her (Mutami)
reports are utter nonsense. She must also let
Dziva rest in peace,” Ndlovu said.

“We will not get our attention diverted by
agents of the country’s detractors. Their attacks
give us more inspiration to stay focused. We
keep our eyes on the ball. I know President
Mnangagwa as a great and principled leader,
father, teacher and a strict disciplinarian.”

Asked if she ever visited Mnangagwa’s Pre-
cabe Farm in Sherwood, Kwekwe, where Mu-
tami said some sexual abuses by the country’s
leader took place, Ndlovu said:

“I only went there when there were Zanu PF
party programmes.”

On 19 November 2017, Ndlovu was among
several other ministers and top Zanu PF offi-
cials who were fired from the party for belong-
ing to a faction known as G40 which sided
with the late President Robert Mugabe just
before the coup that finally toppled the long-
time ruler.

The other ministers who were fired together
with her are Jonathan Moyo (Higher and Ter-
tiary Education), Saviour Kasukuwere (Local
Government), Ignatius Chombo (Finance),
Patrick Zhuwao (Public Services), Walter
Mzembi (Foreign Affairs), Makhosini Hlong-
wane (Sports), and Samuel Undenge (Energy).

Paul Chimedza and Mandi Chimene, who
were provincial ministers for Masvingo and
Manicaland respectively, were also fired on the
day.

Innocent Hamandishe, who held the Zanu
PF youth league national commissar’s post and
Kudzanai Chipanga, the then youth league
secretary, were also fired together with Ndlovu.

Other senior Zanu PF officials who also
joined the list of expulsions were Leticia Un-
denge, Eunice Sandi-Moyo, the late Sarah Ma-
hoka, Tongai Kasukuwere and Shadreck Ma-
shayamombe.

However, while most of these officials are
still under expulsion, Ndlovu is now a member
of Zanu PF working at party headquarters in
Harare.

Ndlovu was re-admitted to Zanu PF on 26
October 2018, barely a year after having been
expelled from Zanu PF.

She occupies the post of director for Eco-
nomic Affairs at Zanu PF headquarters where
former Mines minister Obert Mpofu is overall
head of such portfolios on the basis of his posi-
tion as secretary for administration.

Ndlovu denied the assumption that the
re-admission showed her closeness to Mnan-
gagwa, which Mutami highlighted in her pub-
lic spat.

“Am I the only one who was re-admitted?”
“We are working strongly behind President
Mnangagwa under his stewardship, as we say

Page 6 News NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Zim anti-rape laws
are weak — Report

NYASHA CHINGONO The ICJ is composed of 60 eminent judges International bodies blame the narrow approach by Zimbabwe in dealing with sexual violation issues.
and lawyers from all regions of the world and
ZIMBABWEAN laws are letting down vulnera- promotes and protects human rights through the “In addition, their rights to equality before the ed’.”
ble and exposed victims of rape, with the author- rule of law, by using its unique legal expertise to law and equal protection of the law are under- Zimbabwe is currently gripped by the case of
ities failing to comply with international statutes develop and strengthen national and internation- mined. Section 51 of the constitution of Zim-
in protecting victims, a report indicates. al justice systems. babwe provides that, ‘Every person has inherent Australian-based Zimbabwean Susan Mutami,
dignity in their private and public life, and the who last week claimed she was sexually abused
In 2019, 22 women were raped daily across According to 2019 statistics by the Zimbabwe right to have that dignity respected and protect- by President Emmerson Mnangagwa when she
the country and early child marriages were also National Statistics Agency (ZimStat), incidents was a minor.
on the increase due to religious and cultural prac- of rape increased since 2014 with the Zimbabwe
tices. Gender Commission reporting that 22 women
are raped daily, one every 75 minutes.
According to a report titled The Case for Re-
form: Criminal Law and Sexual Violence in Zim- “On average, 646 women are sexually abused
babwe by the International Commission for monthly, with one in three girls raped or sexually
Jurists (ICJ), Zimbabwe is failing to adhere to re- assaulted before they reach the age of 18,” a sum-
gional and international standards, with existing mary from the report reads.
laws in the country currently crafted in a manner
that seems to undermine and further exposes vic- The report adds that there was no adequate
tims. protection of victims, mainly girls, by Zimba-
bwean statutes, arguing that there was a need for
A report developed through research from action and a rethink.
Kudakwashe Chitsike and review by Elizabeth
Mangenje and Emerlynne Gil, stated that there “The present brief also highlights, on the one
was concern from international bodies over the hand, the lack of adequate protection of children
narrow approach by Zimbabwe in dealing with against sexual exploitation, while, on the other,
sexual violation issues. the failure to recognize the sexual autonomy of
adolescents engaged in non-exploitative, consen-
“Notwithstanding the various regional and in- sual sexual activity with a peer.”
ternational standards outlined above, including,
in particular, those setting out legal obligations “In addition to Zimbabwe’s obligations un-
binding on Zimbabwe, the country’s criminal der CEDAW, the authorities should also have
law on sexual violence still fails to comply with regard to the provisions of the UN Declaration
them,” the report reads. on the Elimination of Violence Against Women
(DEVAW).”
“In Zimbabwe, the criminal law embodies
harmful gender stereotypes, for example in the The report stated that despite being party to
way in which certain sexual offences, e.g., rape, numerous regional and international instru-
are defined. With respect to this, in 2020 the ments, Zimbabwe’s legislative framework fails to
CEDAW Committee expressed concern over adequately capture the scope and key elements of
Zimbabwe’s narrow definition of domestic vio- sexual and gender-based violence in its domestic
lence perpetrators in the Domestic Violence Act laws, in a manner consistent with the country’s
[Chapter 5.16], and at the persistence of discrim- obligations under those instruments.
inatory gender stereotypes and harmful practices,
e.g. polygamy, child marriage and virginity test- “Zimbabwe’s criminal law binary approach to
ing.” rape violates other survivors’ rights to protection
against rape, which, in turn, violates their sexual
autonomy and human dignity.”

NewsHawks News Page 7

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Tagwirei’s Kuvimba
in bid to seize Zisco

OWEN GAGARE ing board member, Michael Rzepczyk. omy, working in an integrated way with Hwange Businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei’
“We want to be a partner of Kuvimba and final- Colliery and the National Railways of Zimbabwe. Records for Kuvimba are not available in Zim-
KUVIMBA Mining House — a shadowy entity However, Zisco was destroyed through extended babwe’s company registry.
entangled in Zimbabwean tycoon Kudakwashe ly Zisco to bring the plant back into operation and periods of mismanagement, corruption and loot- However, according to United States-based civil
Tagwirei’s controversial business empire — is to feed your market here and export markets and ing. In 2005, for instance, a scandal exploded at society organisation The Sentry’s investigative re-
practically trying to seize defunct steel-making make a success story with steel here in the coun- Zisco showing the company had been looted by port titled Shadows and Shell Games: Uncovering
giant, Ziscosteel, in a purported US$1.3 billion try,” Rzepczyk told local journalists. ministers, politicians and top management. an Offshore Business Empire in Zimbabwe, Ziwa
deal which has now run into sticking points amid was registered by lawyers at Tagwirei’s law firm,
a politically-driven hostile takeover bid. However, he would not be drawn into saying Previous efforts to resuscitate what was once linking the tycoon to the mining house.
how much they will inject into Zisco, only stating sub-Saharan Africa’s largest integrated steel-pro- The directors of Ziwa included Brown and
The corporate-raiding and possibly asset-strip- that they were still making an assessment on its ducer have stalled and suffered stillbirths, includ- Simbarashe Chinyemba, both of whom have pre-
ping manoeuvre is now facing hurdles as Kuvimba needs and attendant costs. ing Essar Holdings’ US$750 million investment viously appeared in companies associated with
is resisting to undergo a required due diligence as- proposal in 2015. Tagwirei. Brown has since resigned as Kuvimba
sessment. Besides, Kuvimba does not want to ful- After Kuvimba was officially chosen as a pre- chief executive.
ly reveal its shareholding structure, shareholders, ferred investor for Zisco in February, there was The Indian investor had committed to take “By analysing hundreds of company docu-
finances, and balance sheet to help negotiations. concern that a major public asset had been placed over Zisco’s debts to various creditors, which ments, court filings, and communications, The
in the hands of a relatively shadowy entity with stood at US$500 million, but the deal collapsed Sentry’s investigation shows how Tagwirei used
Kuvimba wants a co-management contract murky ownership. amid divisions in the government over it. Later, complex corporate structures to build and hide
with Zisco to revive the company, but the move is the authorities’ decision to transfer the US$225 his wealth, potentially benefiting from preferential
turning out to be a backdoor attempt to take over While Zisco is defunct and debt-ridden, it has million assets to ZimCoke for a song sparked a government treatment along the way,” the report
the fallen steel-making behemoth. iron ore fines worth close to US$1 billion, accord- fierce board dispute. said.
ing to mining sources. Initially, the fines were esti- “Tagwirei has invested in gold, nickel, plati-
It wants an 8% management fee from gross mated at US$500 million. This is double its debt. ZimCoke paid ZW$1 million in May 2019 as num, and chrome mines by hiding behind South
revenue of operations over a three-year agreement, a transaction fee to take over Zisco’s critical coke African businesspeople and offshore structures in
which would entail restructuring Zicso’s corporate Fines come from natural raw iron ore through a ovens and an array of other assets from the inte- Mauritius and the Cayman Islands and by using
model, turnaround strategy and recapitalisation process of mining, crushing and screening, where grated steelworks, whose assets have been stripped. lawyers and financiers who are seemingly happy
plan, all now a sticking point. Zisco is offering 5% ore is separated into lumps and fines. Iron ore is Zisco’s non-core assets were sold to influential pol- to turn a blind eye to accusations of cronyism and
in management fees. processed like this for the iron and steel-making iticians and their cronies at giveaway prices. corruption.
industry. “New documents uncovered by The Sentry
To get the deal through, Kuvimba is promis- But Zisco’s Kuvimba deal has raised a stink in also show how Tagwirei has used similar networks
ing heaven and earth. It says it will inject US$1.3 Finance minister Mthuli Ncube and Kuvimba’s the public domain. to hide his financial interests in Zimbabwe’s new
billion in three years — doubtful according to late former chief executive David Brown claimed public-private partnership mining company, Ku-
sources — starting with raising US$300 million the government owns 65% of the shadowy enti- “If Kuvimba is a public enterprise, Zimba- vimba Mining House, with Zimbabwe’s Finance
through a debt and quasi-equity arrangement. ty’s shares, while the remaining 35% equity is held bweans have a right to know how the company ministry reportedly collaborating to deflect public
by Ziwa Investments, a Zimbabwean subsidiary is structured, organised and controlled. Repeated scrutiny from these arrangements.”
Kuvimba says it will also raise US$1 billion in- of the Mauritius-registered Quorus Management questions from the media and other stakeholders
ternally from Zisco and re-invest it, which would Services. on its ownership have not been satisfactorily an- Ziscosteel
boost its capacity to generate US$270 million to swered,” another business executive told The New-
also be ploughed back into the company to unlock Kuvimba’s labyrinth of shadowy structures and sHawks earlier.
value and boost capacity to borrow more. web of intricate offshore entities — notably its re-
lationships with Sotic International, Almas Global
Zisco has debts totalling about US$500 mil-
lion. But it is said to have iron ore lumps and fines Opportunity Fund, formerly used by Tagwirei
worth about US$1 billion. to invest in Sotic via the Cayman Islands, and
Quorus — has not been publicly explained.
Industry and Commerce minister Sekai Nzenza
says the deal has been approved by cabinet and rel- Almas owns 65% of Ziwa Resources. The 35%
evant investment agencies. The government says is legally owned by Zimbabwe-registered Pfimbi
a memorandum of understanding between Zisco Resources, whose directors are Tagwirei and his
and Kuvimba is on the verge of being signed, but wife. Although Kuvimba and the government
does not disclose there are contested and unre- deny Tagwirei’s involvement, if Kuvimba is owned
solved issues which pose a threat to the deal. 65% by the government and 35% by Ziwa, then
it means he is involved.
Despite all these difficulties, Kuvimba this
week brought in German investor SMS Group — That makes the management claim just a cov-
a global steel giant — to push the deal to revive er-up, which is the main problem. Corporate ex-
Ziscosteel. ecutives have raised concern that this is an opaque
and strange deal. The government says it owns
The Germans met President Emmerson Mnan- Kuvimba 65%, the other 35% is controlled by
gagwa and Nzenza, amid an unbroken deadlock. unnamed shareholders, yet it also owns Zisco.

High-level government and mining industry Corporate gurus are asking: What sort of model
sources told The NewsHawks that there was a high is this?
risk the deal could unravel in the same manner
as the proposed Kuvimba-Impala Platinum joint “In other words, how does government revive
venture to establish the world’s biggest platinum Zisco, which it destroyed to start with, by merely
mine in the Gretk Dyke earlier this year, unless putting it under another public enterprise? In the
political influence is brought to bear on Zisco to first place, we don’t fully know who actually owns
sign a bad deal. Kuvimba. Who is Ziwa? Who is Pfimbi? What’s
their relationship? How does Zisco come in on
The platinum deal stalled after Impala de- this new deal? Who benefits out of this?” a corpo-
manded greater transparency on Kuvimba affairs rate executive asks.
before considering a joint venture — the same
thing Zisco is doing. However, Kuvimba failed a The answers given by the authorities have at
basic transparency, accountability, and corporate best been deliberately vague; at worst they amount
governance test, as it could not disclose some of to obfuscation and dishonesty.
its ultimate beneficial shareholders and sources of
finance. To further complicate issues, Zisco is entangled
in a US$36.8 million dispute involving Hong
On the Zisco deal, Kuvimba has frustrated a Kong-based NJZ Resources (HK) Ltd, its subsidi-
demand for due diligence and proof of funds. ary Buchwa Iron Ore Mining Company (Pvt) Ltd
and the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zim-
At the same time, Kuvimba is demanding babwe (MMCZ).
greater control over the special purpose vehicle
(SPV) to implement the deal. Incomprehensibly, The dispute, which has been raging on since
Kuvimba is insisting on having four directors to 2019, is now under arbitration. The case arose
Ziscosteel’s two directors in the SPV, meaning to- out of a tender award dispute between NJZ and
tal control to facilitate its clandestine takeover bid. Buchwa, which, acting through its agent

Having promised to inject US$300 million MMCZ, neglected or failed to honour its obli-
into Zisco to start with, as part of the envisaged gations after the Chinese company performed its
US$1.3 billion total investment, Kuvimba is now duties. As a result, NJZ says it suffered extensive
only offering US$30 million — a drop in the losses and damages amounting to US$36.8 mil-
ocean. lion.

This has put the deal in danger despite Kuvimba Buchwa operated an iron ore mine, Ripple
having courted German investors SMS Group — Creek, and the limestone quarry situated next to
a global steel giant — amid posturing by govern- the steel works. These operations supplied Zisco
ment officials, including Mnangagwa and Nzenza. with iron ore in the form of ore lumps and fines,
as well as the limestone required as flux for the
SMS is keen to partner Kuvimba to invest in furnace in iron and steel-making processes.
Ziscosteel, but also wants to conduct due diligence
before committing funds as indicated by manag- At its peak, Zisco produced one million tonnes
of steel annually and employed up to 8 000 people.
It was part of the backbone of Zimbabwe’s econ-

Page 8 News NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Govt insists on murky Petrotrade deal

MOSES MATENGA Petrotrade (Pvt) Ltd and Genesis are two of Energy minister Soda Zhemu the exclusion of the board, which is unlawful”.
the six major oil-importing entities, including million litres of petrol in the local market. Chinyoka described the deal as riddled with
GOVERNMENT is forging ahead with the con- the Indigenous Petroleum Association of Zimba-
troversial deal that will see one of the country’s bwe, Zuva Petroleum, Puma Energy (Trafigura), The fight over the merger and ultimate sale corruption.
biggest fuel suppliers, the state-owned Petro- Total Zimbabwe and Engen Petroleum Zimba- of the two firms is now before the courts where Both Petrotrade and Genesis are 100% owned
trade, being sold to a Kuwaiti firm, the Inde- bwe, who service the cumulative daily fuel re- Chinyoka is challenging his suspension.
pendent Petroleum Group (IPG), for less than quirements of 4.1 million litres of diesel and 3.1 by the government.
US$20 million, in a transaction insiders say reeks In court papers, Chinyoka, a seasoned lawyer, The takeover of Petrotrade, officials argued,
of corruption. accused Zhemu and senior officials in the minis-
try of pushing the privatisation of Petrotrade “to would be dire for the country as the police, mil-
In March, Energy minister Soda Zhemu sus- itary, Zesa and other state entities currently have
pended the eight-member Petrotrade board, lines of credit from Petrotrade and Genesis, from
claiming he had instituted investigations over where they also access fuel in local currency.
“corporate governance issues”, but The News-
Hawks was then reliably informed that the sus- Other government-owned entities set for re-
pensions were to facilitate the controversial deal form, Ncube said, include the struggling mobile
fiercely objected by the Tinomudaishe Chinyo- network operator NetOne.
ka-chaired board.
TelOne is also up for reforms and privatisation
The board members were opposed to a suspi- with discussions at an advanced stage with the
cious deal that they said smacked of corruption International Finance Corporation (IFC), under
in which Petrotrade and Genesis Energy are to be the World Bank Group, with a view to engaging
sold to IPG of Kuwait. it as the transactional adviser.

Despite the deal being mired in controversy “To date, the International Finance Corpora-
and alleged corruption, Finance and Economic tion has concluded the market assessment study
Development minister Mthuli Ncube on Thurs- for the privatisation of NetOne and TelOne
day confirmed the deal will go ahead. which will identify and describe in detail some
of the critical success factors which would lead to
Ncube, in his mid-term budget and fiscal re- the realisation of a successful partial-privatisation
view statement, also mentioned several other transaction,” Ncube said.
parastatals that are targeted, while giving progress
on state-owned enterprises reform. After successful de-merger from the Grain
Marketing Board (GMB), Silo Foods Industries
“In April 2021, a transactional adviser was en- is now seeking financial injection for procure-
gaged and has since completed the due diligence ment of new plant and equipment for milling
on Petrotrade and Genesis Energy companies in and processing, rehabilitation of existing equip-
March 2022 that will inform the merging of the ment, refurbishment of factory buildings, pur-
companies,” Ncube said, confirming the earlier chase of distribution fleet.
suspicion as to why Chinyoka and his team, who
were opposed to the deal, were suspended. “The re-capitalisation of Silo Foods Industries
will proceed by way of equity participation by
A local transaction advisory consortium has the private sector through the disposal of a 26%
already been paid US$115 000 even before the stake. A greater stake of the remaining 74% is
controversial deal is signed. earmarked for acquisition by a local govern-
ment-owned strategic investor which was iden-
No feedback has been given since the board's tified as an anchor investor given the national
suspension. strategic importance of Silo Foods Industries.”

“The execution of the envisaged merger of The turbaeound of the National Railways of
Petrotrade and Genesis Energy is now awaiting Zimbabwe (NRZ),
necessary approvals (for the two boards of di-
rectors and the approval of line ministry level),” Ncube said, given the huge capital require-
Ncube added. ments to fully capitalise the entity, would be un-
dertaken in two phases, namely, the Short-Term
It emerged that ministry officials were pushing Recapitalisation Phase and the Medium to Long
for the sale of Petrotrade for less than US$20 mil- Term Recapitalisation Phase.
lion to IPG after an understated valuation which
is said to be prejudicial to the state and set to ben- “In the Short Term, resource mobilisation
efit corrupt government officials. strategies will target acquisition of nine new lo-
comotives, 315 wagons and five Diesel Multiple
Units (DMU) at a total cost of US$115 million.”

NewsHawks News Page 9

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

BERNARD MPOFU/ NYASHA CHINGONO Ncube presents supplementary
budget amid growing pressure
GROWING pressure from a restive public ser-
vice, a weakening domestic currency and rising Finance minister Mthuli Ncube
inflation forced Zimbabwe’s Finance minister
to announce a ZW$929 billion supplementa- monthly to civil servants and government pen- on 1 July 2022. Civil servants also accused government of
ry budget ahead of the watershed 2023 general sioners, respectively, in hard currency effective 1 Last week, salary talks, between the govern- "making unilateral decisions during the nego-
elections. January 2022. tiating process. This is informed by perpetual
ment and civil servants broke down after the au- implementation of un-negotiated salaries and
Zimbabwe is battling rising year-on-year in- Treasury also introduced a flat cushioning al- thorities reportedly took too long to implement conditions of service, thereby diminishing the
flation which galloped to 191% in June from lowance of US$100 and US$50 to civil servants agreed conditions of service. essence of the negotiating process.”
131.7% in prior month. and government pensioners, respectively, pay-
able in hard currency effective 1 March 2022, In a letter to Public Service minister Paul Unions representing civil servants have been
Just this week, fissures within the public ser- reviewed sector specific allowances in health, Mavima, the joint unions told government that on a collision course with the government as
vice emerged when a planned flopped despite education and uniformed sectors and most re- workers were withdrawing from the National they renewed their demands for better salaries as
growing resent among government workers. cently effected a 100% salary increment effective Joint Negotiating Council (NJCNC) and the the cost of living continues rising.
Health Service Bipartite Negotiating Forum.
Desperate to pacify the public service as the
economy continues to wobble Mthuli Ncube,
the country’s Treasury chief, committed 53% of
the additional budgetary financing to public sec-
tor wages at a time hospitals and schools remain
under-stocked.

The Finance minister also cut economic
growth projections to 4.6% from 5.5% due to
the impact of the external global environment as
well as the country’s own unique circumstances.”

“Revenue collections to year end are now pro-
jected at ZW$1.7 trillion, while expenditures
are now estimated at ZW$1.9 trillion. This is
against the approved Budget of ZW$968.3 bil-
lion, entailing additional spending of ZW$929
billion,” Ncube told lawmakers during the pre-
sentation of the country’s mid-term budget and
fiscal review.

Experts say global inflation is expected to re-
main high, largely driven by commodity price
increases. In 2022, global inflation is now pro-
jected at 5.7% in advanced economies and 8.7%
in emerging market and developing economies,
1.8% and 2.8%, higher than initial projected in
January 2022.

Consistent with section 305(5) of the con-
stitution, the additional expenditures largely fi-
nanced by expected additional revenues require
approval of Parliament through a supplementary
budget.

According to Ncube, the 2022 National Bud-
get had set aside ZW$340 billion for compensa-
tion of public servants, of which outlays for the
period to June 2022 stood at ZW$193.8 billion,
against a target of ZW$160.2 billion, giving a
negative variance of ZW$33.6 billion.

“The bulk of the supplementary budget
(53%) is going towards employment costs to
cushion public servants against increasing cost
of living. The balance of the additional resources
are going towards meeting government consum-
ables (18%), capital projects (19%) and social
benefits (7%),” Ncube said.

“The challenges of yesteryear where the wage
bill crowded out other development expen-
ditures should be avoided in order to create
the right conditions for sustainable economic
growth that will provide scope for payment of
decent salaries to our hard-working workers. We
are stepping up provision of non-monetary in-
centives to improve their welfare.”

As inflation continues to soar to stratospher-
ic levels, the budget provision now needs to be
supplemented, taking into account reviews in
employment costs implemented over the period
January 2022 to July 2022.

To stop potentially explosive public service
strikes, the government has since the start of
the year announced measures such as a 20% re-
muneration effective 1 January 2022, payment
of Covid-19 allowance of US$75 and US$30

DEBT-RIDDEN Zimbabwe plans to hold a Broke Zim seeks meeting with creditors
high-level meeting with creditors and the inter-
national community as the authorities desper- “The country’s external debt continues to debt overhang and arrears clearance.” accumulating external debt arrears since 2000,
ately seek to normalise relations with creditors, burden the economy by restricting access to low Early this month, African Development Bank which are now estimated at US$6.6 billion as at
the country’s Finance minister has said. cost, long-term financing required to support the end of December 2021.
the desired medium to long term growth trajec- president Akinwumi Adesina agreed to be the
The country is battling to repay a huge exter- tory,” Ncube said. country’s "champion" for the debt resolution PPG external debt owed to multilateral credi-
nal debt of nearly US$15 billion which has made and re-engagement process. In his capacity tors, as at the end of December 2021, amounted
it ineligible to access concessional loans from in- “To address this challenge, government has as champion, he will coordinate and chair the to US$2.7 billion, of which US$1.5 billion is
ternational financial institutions (IFIs) such as developed the Arrears Clearance, Debt Relief forthcoming High-Level Debt Resolution Fo- owed to the World Bank Group, US$711 mil-
the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and Restructuring (ACDRR) Strategy aimed at rum. lion to the African Development Bank, US$358
and the African Development Bank. After going restoring debt sustainability. million to the European Investment Bank, and
into arrears with IFIs, Zimbabwe now relies on Official figures from Treasury show that the US$66 million to other multilateral creditors.
domestic resources such taxes, debt instruments “In line with the ACDRR Strategy roadmap, country remains in debt distress, with an unsus-
and expensive loans to finance some of its capital government will soon host a High-Level Debt tainable Public and Publicly Guaranteed (PPG) On the other hand, bilateral PPG external
projects. Resolution Forum with Development Partners external debt overhang amounting to US$14.4 debt as at the end of December 2021 amount-
and other stakeholders aimed at building con- billion as at the end of December 2021. ed to US$5.6 billion, with US$3.9 billion owed
Finance minister Mthuli Ncube told lawmak- sensus among all stakeholders on the process and to the Paris Club creditors and US$1.8 billion
ers during the presentation of the mid-term bud- procedures of resolving the country’s external The country has been unable to meet its debt owed to Non-Paris Club creditors. — STAFF WRIT
get and fiscal review statement that Harare plans servicing obligations and has, therefore, been
to engage the country’s creditors following the
crafting of a debt strategy.

Page 10 News NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

l GDP growth to slow down to 4.6% from Supplementary budget highlights
the 5.5% initially projected;
l ZW$929 billion supplementary budget-- Manufacturing sector growth is set to slow down.
To meet the increasing operational cost of
government, expenditures to year-end are now
projected at ZW$1.9 trillion, against the ap-
proved budget of ZW$968.3 billion, entailing
additional spending of ZW$929 billion;
l The agricultural sector is now projected to
contract by -5%, from the initially projected
expansion of 5.1%;
l Tax-free brackets widened as inflation ad-
vances;
l Agriculture to receive lion’s share of vote al-
location;
l The country’s balance of payments remains
favourable, with a current surplus of US$387.1
million having been registered during the first
half of 2022;
l The 2022 National Budget had a financ-
ing gap of ZW$76.5 billion, to be financed
through domestic borrowing and Special
Drawing Rights drawdowns;
l During the first half of 2022, the govern-
ment issued Treasury Bills amounting to
ZW$20.6 billion, against a target of ZW$41.5
billion;
l Preliminary Public and Publicly Guaranteed
(PPG) external debt stock as at end June 2022
amounted to US$13.2 billion;
l Mining sector is now expected to grow
faster at 9.5% in 2022, largely driven by in-
creased output in gold, platinum group metals
(PGMs), chrome, nickel, diamonds and coal;
l Platinum royalty to be raised to 5% from
2.5% in January 2023;
l Manufacturing sector growth to slow down
to 3.6% in 2022 compared to an initial projec-
tion of 5.5%;
l Government to facilitate the development
of primary and secondary markets for debt in-
struments; and
l Under the Road Development Programme,
resources amounting to ZW$25.7 billion were
availed during the period under review.

NewsHawks News Page 11

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

NYASHA CHINGONO Govt doubles platinum royalties

FINANCE minister Mthuli Ncube has doubled billion (US$63.5 million) against a target of low 3% of GDP in 2023. Finance minister Mthuli Ncube
platinum royalties to 5% from next year to ramp ZW$45 billion. Ncube flagged the depreciation of the Zimba- addressing them.
up revenue collection.
He did not give an updated target on Thursday bwe dollar and rising inflation among major con- The central bank more than doubled interest
The government in 2017 slashed the royalty but said Zimbabwe would aim for a deficit of be- cerns, but said the government was committed to rates to 200% in a bid to control runaway infla-
rate for all platinum group mining companies tion, which hit around 192% in June.
from 10% to 2.5% to encourage viability.

But Ncube said 5% is in line with other plat-
inum-producing countries and would improve
receipts.

“Low fiscal receipts are attributed in part to a
generous royalty regime on some major minerals.
A case in point is the royalty rate on platinum,
which was reduced from 10% in 2015 to 2.5% in
conformity with a court judgement. The reduced
rate was subsequently aligned across all platinum
producers,” Ncube said in his mid-term budget
and fiscal review statement.

“Compared to revenues accruing from min-
ing activities and rates charged on other precious
minerals and metals such as gold, the royalty rate
on platinum is sub-optimum. For example, roy-
alty rates on gold range from 3 to 5%, depending
on the international commodity price.”

Ncube argued that the tax regime is the major
instrument for sharing benefits from finite min-
erals.

“It is necessary to maximise revenue to the fis-
cus.”

The royalty rate cut had been affected to ensure
equity and fairness in the taxation of platinum
group metal miners.

Ncube told legislators that the mining sector
contributed only 1.2% to the gross domestic
product (GDP) in direct taxes in 2021.

“This is a significant contrast to countries in
sub-Saharan Africa which averaged 2% during
the same period.”

Ncube also proposed a 5% royalty regime for
lithium, which has attracted investor interest
during the first half of the year.

Zimbabwe holds Africa's largest lithium re-
serves and the fifth largest globally. Masvingo
province is home to the Bikita Minerals mine —
site of the world's largest-known deposit of the
metal at around 11 million tonnes. The resource,
however, has remained largely untapped for de-
cades due to a lack of investment.

In his budget review statement, Ncube low-
ered this year's economic growth forecast to 4.6%
from 5.5%, but he saw growth picking up to 5%
next year.

Ncube attributed the lower 2022 forecast to
the global economic environment and domestic
factors like reduced agricultural output.

But he said preliminary figures from the first
half of the year showed a better budget perfor-
mance than expected, with a deficit of ZW$27.9

Ncube said the mining sector contributed only 1.2% to the GDP in direct taxes in 2021.

Page 12 News NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Agric gets ZW$100bn to tackle food insecurity

BERNARD MPOFU

TREASURY has committed to inject an addi- Committee (PAC) report presented in March Zimbabwe has over the years recorded a sharp decline in agricultural output.
tional ZW$100 billion towards agriculture as following a two-year probe on how funds were used under the Special Maize Programme better and the central bank disregarded the law in dis-
the farming sector receives a lion’s share of the known as Command Agriculture, Chinamasa charging the programme.
supplementary budget at a time nearly four mil-
lion citizens are facing food insecurity.

Finance minister Mthuli Ncube has proposed
a ZW$1.8 trillion supplementary budget from
an initial budget of ZW$968 billion announced
last year.

According to the latest Rural Livelihoods As-
sessment Report, at least 3.8 million people are
facing acute food insecurity following a sharp
decline in agricultural output despite the gov-
ernment perennially dolling out billions of Zim-
babwe dollars into the sector.

Both urban and rural dwellers, according to
aid agencies, are food insecure. Treasury has been
subsidising agriculture and parcelling out inputs
in what critics said was an election gimmick
mainly targeting the 61% of the rural popula-
tion, which is traditionally the governing Zanu
PF’s stronghold.

Ncube told Parliament on Thursday that
lower-than-expected agricultural output and cli-
mate-proofing measures had prompted Treasury
to propose granting agriculture more funding.
Zimbabwe experienced two successive years of
economic contraction from 2019-20 due to cli-
mate change-induced droughts and floods.

“With the revised 2022 National Budget,
ministries of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate
and Rural Resettlement and Primary and Sec-
ondary Education top the list with an additional
ZW$100.7 billion and ZW$103.9 billion,” re-
spectively,” Ncube said.

“On agriculture, the resources are earmarked
for grain procurement, preparations for the forth-
coming season and dam construction. For the
rest of the votes, the additional funding is meant
to meet increased operational costs, the wage bill
and identified projects and programmes.”

Since taking over large swathes of land from
white former commercial farmers, authorities
have been frantically rolling out programmes
to boost agriculture output which dramatically
plunged at the turn of the millennium.

Early this year, the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) expressed concern over the limited
levels of transparency and accountability on the
country’s agriculture import substitution pro-
gramme, widely known as Command Agricul-
ture, amid growing criticism of the scheme.

“Although the input financing under the
Common Agriculture Programme was trans-
ferred to the banking system under a risk shar-
ing arrangement, risks to the budget remain as
the government provides an 80% credit default
guarantee,” the IMF said.

“Limited information, including on costs and
beneficiaries, hampers the assessment of the ef-
fectiveness of the programmes.”

Zimbabwe, once regarded the bread basket of
southern Africa due to good agricultural output
and favourable climatic conditions, has over the
years experienced a huge slump in the sector’s
contribution to the economy after production
was disrupted by the controversial land reform
programme.

In an attempt to reverse this trend, the gov-
ernment introduced several programmes such
as the farm mechanisation scheme and later on
Command Agriculture, which saw the govern-
ment subsidising farming inputs such as seed,
agrochemicals and fertilisers. Critics however
say the programme is not only a huge burden
on taxpayers but also shrouded in secrecy and is
also linked to the ruling Zanu PF benefactors.
Following a public outcry over the facility, the
government partnered with local bank CBZ in
rolling out the programme, but critics say more
disclosures are needed.

Before that, a damning parliamentary report
on Command Agriculture exposed how former
Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa and the Re-
serve Bank of Zimbabwe superintended over a
murky and illegal process through dubious ap-
provals of Treasury Bills that have saddled the
government with a debt of nearly US$1.6 bil-
lion.

According to Parliament’s Public Accounts

NewsHawks News Page 13

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Govt ramps up power sector
support as blackouts worsen

NYASHA CHINGONO

FINANCE minister Mthuli Ncube says the gov- Zesa will no longer charge mining houses tariffs below cost of production.
ernment is pushing to complete its 600-megawatt
Hwange 7 & 8 Expansion Project, with works a US$998 million loan facility and, according of ZW$138.6 million from the fiscus went to- port of programmes and projects under the energy
now at 88.3% completion. to Ncube, cumulative disbursements to May wards payment of local costs and an additional sector during the first quarter. The resources were
amounted to US$443 million, with a further amount of ZW$1 billion is being proposed to channelled towards Alaska Karoi Power Transmis-
Key components at Zimbabwe’s largest thermal US$334 million expected to be spent up to year- meet the same,” Ncube said. sion Project, Kariba Dam Project and the Emer-
power station, including a 400Kv transmission end. gency Power Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project
line installation, are already complete. “This was complemented by development part- Phase II.”
“In line with the loan agreement disbursements ner support amounting to US$2.2 million in sup-
Ncube told legislators during his mid-term
budget and fiscal review presentation that Hwange
Unit 7 is expected to be completed by November
2022 and Unit 8 during the first quarter of 2023.

This comes as Zimbabwe is grappling with crip-
pling power shortages, with utility company Zesa
painting a gloomy picture of the country’s power
situation.

Zesa will no longer charging mining houses tar-
iffs below cost of production, as it is struggling to
service a “ballooning power import debt”.

Exporters, such as mining companies, will be
charged USc10.63 per kilowatt hour (kWh) from
1 August, Zesa executive chairperson Sydney Gata
said in a letter to miners. Power from diesel-run
Hwange plant, which is under expansion to add
300MW, is produced at USc10.70/kWh, translat-
ing to USc12 for customers, he said.

“Zesa will no longer be able to continue supply-
ing electricity to exporting customers at USc9.86/
kWh as it is unsustainable,” he said.

Zimbabwe generates an average 1 200MW
to 1 300MW of its own electricity and relies on
imports from Zambia, South Africa and Mozam-
bique to cover shortfalls. Zesa requires US$17
million monthly for those imports, the company
has said in the past. Zimbabwe will pay US$6.3
million monthly upfront to Zambia over the next
five years for electricity supply following an agree-
ment with Zesco to supply 100MW.

The power export deal has three-to-five-year
tenure and negotiations were premised on Zim-
babwe making pre-payments for the 100MW of
US$6.3 million per month.

Zimbabwe will import 100MW per month
from Zambia, which declared a power surplus of
1 156.8 megawatts following the commissioning
of four out of five generators at its 750MW Kafue
Lower Gorge Power Station.

To lessen power pressures, Zimbabwe accessed

Page 14 News NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

PVOs Bill: Govt’s policy discord exposed

MOSES MATENGA l Ncube banks on US$750m from NGOs
l Mavima presses on, ignores warnings
THE government’s policy discord and oppor-
tunistic tendencies have been laid bare by the Public Service minister Paul Mavima
Finance minister Mthuli Ncube’s mid-term
budget and fiscal review statement. The Bill will also force the organisations to es to benefit members of a particular affiliation ing one year, or both such fine and imprison-
use local banking institutions for their transac- or making any test of the political allegiance of ment.
While Public Service minister Paul Mavima tions, a proposal frowned upon by many who its beneficiaries; to be sensitive generally to the
is stubbornly forging ahead with the enactment no longer trust the Zimbabwean banking sys- cultural values and norms of the community Veritas, an organisation that monitors the
of the ruinous Private Voluntary Organisations tem. in the area where they will be primarily oper- rule of law and constitutional issues, said the
(PVOs) Amendment Bill despite risks of job ating; to economically and socially benefit the Bill was unconstitutional, inimical to freedom
losses and potential forfeiture of US$800 mil- “. . . to use formal channels (that is to say community in the area where they will be oper- of association, ill-conceived and badly drafted.
lion in development funding this year, Ncube registered banking institutions or other finan- ating; in as far as possible to employ personnel
this week said the country was banking on the cial intermediaries regulated in Zimbabwe or who are Zimbabwean citizens or permanent “It will stifle the activities of private volun-
envisaged inflow of US$750 million via donors in any other state) for the transmission of its residents as members of their staff; the imple- tary organisations (PVOs) of all kinds and will
and other development partners. funds at every point from source to destination mentation of fair and safe labour practices . . .” put at risk the social and economic develop-
. . .” ment they bring.”
According to a report titled Punching Holes The Bill will criminalise any private volun-
To A Fragile Economy, compiled by Prosper The PVOs Amendment Bill, as read this tary organisation that supports or opposes any Veritas said they had analysed the minister’s
Chitambara, Clinton Musonza and Phill- week in Parliament, also seeks to block NGOs political party or candidate in a presidential, proposed amendments to the Bill and found
an Zamchiya, the proposed law will have a from political participation, a move observers parliamentary or local government election. that “they will not improve the Bill at all”.
far-reaching negative impact and implications said was meant to cripple the operations of or- The offender, the proposed Bill said, shall be
not just for civil society organisations, but also ganisations mainly in human rights advocacy. guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of level Observers, including the United Nations and
for government development programmes and 12 or to imprisonment for a period not exceed- several rights groups have warned that Zimba-
the poor, who rely on aid for survival and access “Not to conduct themselves in any politically bwe, a country facing serious socio-economic
to critical social services. partisan manner whether by using its resourc- hardships, risks losing out on much-needed
aid.
The report added that the ill-conceived Bill
was bound to cost Zimbabwe close to US$800
million in development funding, with devastat-
ing social and economic consequences.

Despite all the glaring consequences, Ma-
vima this week pushed the report through its
second reading in Parliament and remained
adamant that it was good for Zimbabwe as it
will bring sanity in the PVO sector, a claim im-
mediately dismissed by critics who view it as
part of a broader agenda to silence those flag-
ging Zimbabwe’s human rights violations and
corruption.

“This Bill will bring order into the PVO sec-
tor. It will make sure that there is clarity on
how PVOs are registered, are supposed to op-
erate, the specific mandates and geographical
areas, the level in our country at which they are
supposed to operate, be it at district, provincial
or national level,” Mavima said in expressing
how the controversial Bill was “good” for Zim-
babwe.

If it passes in its current form, the Bill will
see severe government monitoring of the PVOs
and criminalisation of some non-governmental
organisations.

The stringent government demands on the
operations of the NGOs are likely to see the
organisations succumb, with many leaving
Zimbabwe.

While Mavima was defending the Bill, Ncu-
be told Parliament in his mid-term budget and
fiscal review statement that Zimbabwe was
looking forward to at least US$750 million
from “development partners” in 2023. This
could turn out to be pie in the sky if the dis-
credited Bill sails through Parliament.

“During 2023, development partners are
expected to contribute US$750 million in
support of various programmes and projects,
thereby complementing the government bud-
get,” Ncube said.

“The support is, however, mostly delivered
outside the budget, and, hence, not included in
the 2023 fiscal framework.”

Ncube proposed a government-led
multi-stakeholder coordination mechanisms
by operationalising a three-tier dialogue forum
platform to interface with development part-
ners. This is contrary to the approach taken by
Mavima that seeks to criminalise the opera-
tions of NGOs and create an environment that
will see many organisations fold away.

There is a proposal to introduce the office
of the registrar of PVOs in the Public Service
ministry who will, among other tasks, consider
and determine every application for registration
and every proposed cancellation or amendment
of a certificate of registration.

A lot of demands have been made in the pro-
posed amendments that will see requirements
of particulars as shall be prescribed, including
information related to beneficial owner and
persons in control of the private voluntary or-
ganisation.

The Bill also seeks to codify the refusal of do-
nations from illegitimate or immoral sources,
as defined by the government.

NewsHawks News Page 15

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

PVO Bill to promote corruption: Experts

NATHAN GUMA

ENACTING the Private Voluntary Organisa- Zanu PF is pushing for the PVO Bill, arguing that non-governmental organisations in the country were sponsoring opposition players and civil society actors to
tions Amendment Bill (PVO) is likely to pro- push for a regime change agenda.
mote unrestrained corruption, as it will clamp
down on watchdog institutions that have been The PVO Bill is currently passing through Parliament
providing oversight on public finance manage-
ment, experts have warned. tion for the unauthorised expenditure. mainly resident’s associations are not institution- of the urban citizenry, the research results indi-
The money has not been accounted for to alised due to limited financial resources. As such, cated that there is often a discord in the policy
Zanu PF is pushing for the PVO Bill, argu- their efforts to hold the duty bearers accountable direction of residents’ associations in areas where
ing that non-governmental organisations in the date, and CSOs have been working to ensure remain minimal as they do not have a significant there is more than one association as competi-
country were sponsoring opposition players and accountability and transparency in use of pub- contribution to the governance processes. tion for resources may end breeding friction
civil society actors to push for a regime change lic funds by some of the institutions overseeing which eventually diverts them from their core
agenda. public finance. “Whilst civil society has the potential to be a function,” the report says.
viable voice of the voiceless and the eyes and ears
The Bill is currently passing through the Na- “About 35% of the civil society organisations,
tional Assembly, and the minister of Public Ser-
vice, Labour, and Social Welfare has published
a long list of amendments to the Bill which he
proposes to move when it reaches the committee
stage. Civil society organisations (CSOs) believe
the Bill will hamper progress that has been made
in promoting accountability by institutions that
manage public finances.

Zimbabwe was recently ranked third on bud-
get transparency by the International Budget
Partnership (IBP) in its Open Budget Survey
(OBS) report for 2021, with CSOs playing a
pivotal role.

“The PVO Bill has a number of provisions
which seek to shrink the civic space. The pro-
visions undermine the effectiveness of civil soci-
ety organisations that operate in public finance
management,” John Maketo, the Zimbabwe Co-
alition for Debt and Development (Zimcodd)
programmes manager said.

Zimcodd, one of the likely casualties of the
Bill, has been instrumental in promoting trans-
parency and accountability in public finance
management.

“The provisions’ ban on the political involve-
ment of CSOs, and the definition of political in-
volvement is vague. Politics is regarded as the au-
thoritative allocation of values or resources. In a
way, this literally means that public expenditure
tracking surveys or budget trends analysis will be
classified as political involvement.

“The PVO Bill will also be used to target
watchdog institutions that specialize in Public
Finance Management. This will be done to un-
dermine CSOs’ oversight role and facilitate the
continuation of under-dealings and poor public
procurement,” Maketo said.

Civil society has a myriad of roles in the bud-
geting cycle, according to an open-budget survey
report by Zimcodd compiled by public resource
management expert Vincent Chakunda.

“They contribute critical information on the
public’s needs and priorities that can lead to
stronger policy choices, draw more people into
the debate by collecting, summarising into easily
understandable formats, and spreading budget
information, and train members of the public
to understand and analyse government budgets
themselves, supplement government’s capacity
to budget effectively by providing technical sup-
port, whilst giving an independent opinion on
budget proposals and implementation,” says the
report.

In 2021, the national Treasury incurred unau-
thorised excess expenditure amounting to ZW$6
806 340 654 as a result of unallocated reserve
transfers made to line ministries amounting to
ZW$7 386 995 654, far exceeding the approved
budget of ZW$580 655 000.

An analysis of the Auditor-General’s report
for the year ended 2018 shows that transac-
tions worth US$5.8 billion, 5 million euro, and
319 thousand rand had financial irregularities
ranging from unsupported expenditure, excess
expenditure, and outstanding payments to sup-
pliers of goods and services, transfers of funds
without Treasury approval, among other prob-
lematic issues.

This constitutes about 82% of government ex-
penditure for 2018. Report ffindings show that
people lack confidence in legislative oversight
institutions, hence trust in CSOs.

In the same year, unauthorised expenditure
amounting to US$3.2 billion was incurred by
the ministry of Finance and Economic Develop-
ment in violation of section 307 of the constitu-
tion which requires the ministry to introduce a
Bill in the National Assembly seeking condona-

Page 16 News NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

MOSES MATENGA Mineral leakages bleed Zim

ZIMBABWE’s prospects of achieving the . . . US$12bn 2023 target under threat
much-touted US$12 billion transformation in
the mining sector is under threat as mainly polit- Zimbabwe Miners’ Federation president Henrietta Rushwaya
ically-connected individuals were taking advan-
tage of porous exit points to smuggle precious Henrietta Rushwaya was last year caught at Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, trying to linked to the ruling party being roped in by
minerals. Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in smuggle the precious mineral. struggling mines to avoid operational costs, stat-
Harare trying to smuggle 6kg of gold. utory obligations and compliance, leading to se-
Finance and Economic Development min- Zanu PF-linked dealers have taken over op- rious leakages of the precious commodity at the
ister Mthuli Ncube conceded during his mid- Another Zimbabwean linked to Rushwaya erations in the gold mining and trading deals expense of the country.
term budget and fiscal review statement on was also caught at Oliver Tambo International in Mashonaland Central province, with those
Thursday that although Zimbabwe was set for
growth and could achieve its target on the min-
ing front, leakages were affecting maximum ca-
pacity, hence the need for action.

This follows several reports that also exposed
how mainly politicians linked to the ruling Zanu
PF were taking advantage of political muscle,
corruption and porous exit points to smuggle
precious minerals including gold to South Afri-
ca, Botswana, Dubai and other countries.

Ncube said there was a need for government
to immediately plug the leakages if Zimbabwe is
to realise its potential in the sector.

“This will be through the monitoring of
mines, air strips, aerodromes, airports and na-
tional boundaries, gold mobilisation, formal-
isation of small-scale mines, and conducting
awareness campaigns,” Ncube said.

“Also critical is the need for government to
take pragmatic steps to remove loopholes that
have ensured the economy doesn’t benefit from
mineral resources such as platinum and lithium
by strong state ownership and participation in
the exploitation of natural resources, includ-
ing contributions to the Zimbabwe Sovereign
Wealth Fund.”

As reported by The NewsHawks last week,
gold dealers are illegally taking out the precious
commodity through porous border posts where
they connive with politically-connected individ-
uals.

“The pathway is fraught with corrupt nodes
that manipulate the security systems and doc-
umentation through the abuse of privileges and
power,” a report by the Centre for Natural Re-
sources Governance (CNRG) titled Zimbabwe’s
Disappearing Gold: The Case of Mazowe and Pen-
halonga, reads.

Only 30-40% of gold from the big dealers
is submitted to Fidelity Printers and Refiners
(FPR), while the rest is smuggled out.

“Most gold from Mutare and Mazowe is
smuggled to Johannesburg (South Africa) by
road and less by air,” the report stated.

“Mutare is also a transit city for gold smuggled
from Mozambique on its way to Johannesburg.”

Zimbabwe Miners’ Federation president

Only 30-40% of gold from the big dealers is submitted to Fidelity Printers and Refiners, while the rest is smuggled out.

NewsHawks News Page 17

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Archaic laws fuel emerald plunder

BRENNA MATENDERE Those caught with unlawful possession of gem- accused government officials of deliberately to earn much-needed foreign currency. With
stones usually seek protection from licenced stalling amendments to laws that govern min- the abundance of under-explored coloured
LAWS regulating the mining sector, which miners and ultimately masquerade as workers ing so that they continue looting and engaging gemstone deposits the country has the poten-
were passed during the colonial era and have of the licenced miners. There is no official for- in corrupt activities that benefit them. tial to realise more economic benefits from
not been amended since the country attained mat for mineworkers' registers so mine owners these gemstones. While gemstone mining is
Independence in 1980, are fuelling the plun- can print a fake workers’ register overnight to A number of high-ranking government and going on, the government should review the
der of emerald and other little-known precious present to police when required,” part of the Zanu PF officials have been fingered several current laws to tighten security at borders to
stones, a report has revealed. report reads. times for corruption in the mining sector but curb illicit outflows of gemstones. The PST Act
focus has been on gold and diamonds. should also include all semi-precious stones or
The investigative report, released on 22 July Pressure groups like CNRG and the Centre a separate Gemstones Act should be crafted.”
and titled The Political Economy of the Illicit for Research and Governance have in the past As part of its recommendations, the CNRG
Coloured Gemstone Industry in Zimbabwe, was said: “Zimbabwe needs more exports in order
compiled by Zimbabwe’s Centre for Natural
Resources Governance in collaboration with
the Global Initiative Against Transnational Or-
ganised Crime.

The research centred on coloured gemstones,
mainly emerald and “semi-precious” coloured
stones like aquamarine, chrysoberyl, tourma-
line, alexandrite and euclase.

The CNRG says obsolete laws are part of a
string of reasons why emerald and other gem-
stones are being looted.

“In general, the mining sector is not effec-
tively regulated in Zimbabwe. The over-arching
law, the Mines and Minerals Act, was passed
in 1961, and covers the acquisition of mining
licences, the conduct of mining activities and
other aspects of the mining value chain. It is
an old law, and its inapplicability to gemstone
mining and trade was admitted by government
through the passage of Statutory Instrument
(SI) 256 of 2019,” the report says.

“However, the implementation of SI
256/2019 has not been transparent. The Pre-
cious Stones Trade Act is a 1979 law; it is lim-
ited in application and scope and has not been
regularly amended to incorporate strategies to
deal with gemstone trading. In specific terms,
both the PST Act and the Mines and Minerals
Act are both silent on the mining and trading
of semi-precious stones.”

The report says Statutory Instrument 256 of
2019 is also not efficient.

“The efficiency and effectiveness of SI
256/2019 have been compromised from the
start due to loopholes for corruption and pa-
tronage within the mining industry and law
enforcement. According to the SI 256/2019,
gemstone sub-agents are appointed at the dis-
cretion of the Minerals Marketing Corporation
of Zimbabwe general manager, and can lose
their licences at the discretion of the MMCZ
general manager.

“The law on possession of gemstones has
been difficult to police because of corruption.

BRENNA MATENDERE Foreigners loot precious minerals

WELL-CONNECTED foreign syndicates are Mudzi, Chivi, Bubi and Hwange. routes used by people to cross into neighbour- not regulated until 2019 when the government
looting Zimbabwe’s emeralds using local prox- The report by CNRG revealed that these ing countries such as Mozambique and South gazetted Statutory Instrument 256 of 2019.
ies and taking advantage of corrupt systems Africa.”
to plunder and smuggle various other types of minerals are under serious plunder, mainly by The CNRG uncovered a lot of loopholes
little-known precious stones spread in differ- people linked to top government officials. “Even through official border posts, travellers in the gemstone sector in which foreigners are
ent places across the length and breadth of the and their luggage are rarely scanned. Because stampeding to loot the minerals from the coun-
country, a report by the Centre for Natural Re- “A lot of focus has been on diamonds and these coloured stones are simply rocks which try.
sources Governance (CNRG) has revealed. gold, as precious minerals, while severe illicit possess no obvious detectable characteristics, it
trading in and smuggling of coloured gemstones has been difficult to detect by use of the current “According to information gathered from
The report released, titled The Political Econ- has been going unchecked. Organised crime in scanning equipment at the ports of exit,” the re- local gemstone dealers, foreign buyers include
omy of the Illicit Coloured Gemstone Industry in the gemstone sector is bleeding the sector of port reads. nationalities of Zambia, Tanzania, Democratic
Zimbabwe, is the product of an investigation millions of dollars that should support social de- Republic of Congo, India, Pakistan, Singapore
by CNRG supported by the Global Initiative velopment in Zimbabwe.” The gemstone sector of Zimbabwe is reg- and China who come and trade with local min-
Against Transnational Organised Crime ulated by the Precious Stones Trade (PST) ers through informal arrangements.”
“Every year, Zimbabwe is losing US$1.8 bil- Act Chapter 21:06 and Statutory Instrument
The research looked at coloured gemstones, lion through illicit financial flows in the mineral 256/2019 (Minerals Marketing Corporation of “These buyers engage local individuals to buy
mainly emeralds and “semi-precious” coloured sector. The country receives above US$8 bil- Zimbabwe (Gemstones Subagents) Regulations, stones from artisanal miners on their behalf.
stones like aquamarine, chrysoberyl, tourma- lion in grants and donations from development 2019). They also make arrangements for their protec-
line, alexandrite and euclase. partners to support various sectors annually. As tion with security agents who in turn organise
of September 2021 the country owed external According to the PST Act, “precious stones” for their ease exit from the country with their
Amethyst is mainly found in Nyamandl- lenders US$13.2 billion. If managed well, the are defined as rough or uncut diamonds and contrabands.”
ovu, Hwange, Lupane, Hurungwe, Makonde, mineral resources have potential to offset exter- emeralds. Local dealers have to be licensed by
Chiredzi, Kariba, while emerald is in areas like nal debt and reducing the country’s high depen- the ministry of “Generally, foreign buyers buy the stones to
Mweza Range (Mberengwa) Hurungwe, Gutu, dence on foreign aid,” part of the report reads. supply jewelry manufacturers. Foreign illegal
Masvingo, Insiza and Hurungwe. Mines and Mining Development through the dealers have been targeting unaware commu-
The investigations by the natural resources issuance of Precious Stones Licences, to trade nities and buy at a price far below the interna-
Aquamarine is found in Mt Darwin, Mutoko lobby group also detected hot-spot areas of illic- in precious stones as defined by the PST Act. tional market price. These gemstones dealers are
and Karoi, while tourmaline is plentiful in Mu- it movement of the minerals that should salvage Although the PST Act includes emerald which organised with networks from the communities,
torashanga and Hurungwe. Zimbabwe’s comatose economy. is a coloured stone, it leaves out other coloured borders, and up to the final destination despite
stones of economic value precisely because they the existence of online companies who are regis-
Another type of gemstone called heliodor is “Porous borders and absence of technology are considered as ‘semi-precious stones’. The tered under the Global Online Suppliers,” part
found in Hurungwe and Mt Darwin, with sap- to detect coloured stones: The ports of exit are trading or dealing in semi-precious stones was of the report reads.
phire largely mined in Mudzi. not watertight. There are numerous unmanned

Citrine gemstone is mainly found in Maron-
dera and Goromonzi, while garnet is in Buhera,
Mutare, Bindura, Mazowe, Mutoko, Karoi,

Page 18 News NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Average salary very low as poverty bites

BERNARD MPOFU Most Zimbabweans work in the informal sector.
Food insecurity has become increasingly prevalent in the country.
SEVEN out of 10 employed
people in Zimbabwe earned a
monthly salary of ZW$20 000
in January this year, an income
which was below the obtaining
bread basket as urban poverty
hits the southern African nation,
a new report has shown.
The monthly average salary is
now ZW$120 000 a month.

Despite projections of a
boom, Zimbabwe’s floundering
economy has thrown millions,
in both urban and rural areas,
into abject poverty.

A new ZimStat 2022 First
Quarter Labour Force Survey
Results report has revealed the
glaring discrepancy between
incomes and monthly require-
ments. According to the Con-
sumer Council of Zimbabwe, a
family of six required ZW$72
967 in January to meet basic
needs.

The ZimStat report also
shows that the working age pop-
ulation was estimated at nine
million, constituting 59% of
the total population. The total
labour force obtained from the
survey was 3.8 million, giving a
total Labour Force Participation
Rate of 44%.

Twenty-eight percent of the
employed population was in the
formal sector, while 45% were in
the informal sector. Of those in
employment, 24% and 4% were
in the agriculture and household
sectors, respectively.

“Eighty-eight percent of the
employed population were in-
formally employed. The whole-
sale trade; retail trade and repair
of motor vehicles and motor
cycles industry had the largest
proportion of the employed
population at 26% followed by
agriculture, forestry and fishing
with 24%,” the report reads.

“Seventy-seven percent of
the employed persons earned
income of RTGS$20 000 and
below during the month of Jan-
uary 2022.

“Nineteen percent of persons
15 years and above were unem-
ployed. Among males the rate
was 18%, while for females it
was 21%. Matabeleland North
province had the highest un-
employment rate of 37%. The
age groups (15-19) years had
the highest unemployment rate
of 39% followed by those aged
(20-24) years at 34%.”

The survey revealed that there
were 27 000 labour migrants,
of whom 45% came from Mo-
zambique followed by 20% who
came from Zambia. One percent
of the employed population had
at least one form of functional
disability.

According to the World Food
Programme (WFP), food in-
security in recent times has be-
come increasingly prevalent in
Zimbabwe, largely due to the
country’s macro-economic crisis,
characterised by high levels of
inflation and rising food costs.

The Covid-19 pandemic has
compounded these existing
challenges, as restrictive mea-
sures imposed to curb the spread
of the coronavirus have resulted
in the widespread and prolonged
loss of livelihoods and income.

NewsHawks News Page 19

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

AYESHA CHIDEMBO Crisis as inflation erodes earnings

CIVIL servants are struggling to cope with Many workers in Zimbabwe are struggling to meet basic needs.
chronic high inflation that has seen prices of
various services, ranging from medical aid, fu- Nyaradzo Funeral’s monthly charges increased to ZW$12 000 for policyholders who were previously paying ZW$200.
neral cover to transport surge, while their sala-
ries continue being eroded, a snap survey by The This is, as always, a self-fulfilling cycle; as people “Without addressing the issue of prices, any is no fundamental logic why US dollar rates
NewsHawks has shown. expect things to get worse, they will actually act unstable economy creates negative sentiment. continue to increase, but they are, and the
to fulfil that expectation. That’s the major issue Tactics to hedge profits and incomes against socio-economic impact is creating poverty,”
The government has conceded failure to meet with our currency.” inflation become common phenomena. There Musewe said.
the demands of restive civil servants who want
salaries in foreign currency, amid worsening
hardships that have seen many workers strug-
gling to meet basic needs.

Service providers have increased their charges,
piling on the misery of the government workers,
whose salaries continue to be rendered useless
by runaway inflation.

Many are opting out of medical aid and fu-
neral policy schemes, choosing to focus on basic
survival, due to limited resources.

Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ)
spokesperson Chris Kamba said high inflation
is making it difficult for workers to budget for
basics, including food and services.

“There’s no rough estimate of a budget for a
family of four or six as from June as prices are
changing daily,” he said.

He said the Consumer Council is engaging
service providers and manufacturers in a bid to
tame the crisis and ensure the struggling work-
ers are rescued from the desperate situation they
find themselves in.

“We continue to engage manufacturers and
service providers because we believe dialogue
brings better results than controls and confron-
tations.”

“We have also created social media groups for
our membership where they share information
on where they can access affordable products,”
Kamba added.

Under the First Mutual medical aid
scheme, cover for two people was previously
ZW$13 000, but on 1 July 2022 the amount
shot up to ZW$26 000.

Nyaradzo Funeral Services’ monthly charges
increased to ZW$12 000 for policyholders who
were previously paying ZW$200.

Observers said the crisis that has hit mainly
the civil servants is the logical outcome of poor
governance, successive droughts and poor eco-
nomic policies.

Civil servants are not the only citizens reeling
under the economic crisis; workers in the infor-
mal sector are also crying foul as their major cli-
ents are usually those working for government,
who are now in dire straits.

On an average monthly salary of
ZW$40 000, it has now become increasingly
difficult for government workers to make ends
meet.

Mobile network operators have also repeated-
ly increased their tariffs.

Goodwill Taderera, the Zimbabwe Teachers’
Association (Zimta) acting secretary-general,
said salary increases are not matching prices.

“I agree with teachers when they complain
about the high rate (currency), medical aid,
rent, the funeral policies and the prices of basic
commodities, transport cost, school fess which I
am very certain that they are set to be increased
during this coming term while government is
not even paying the fees they had promised.

“So in our view the teachers are justified
when they complain that their salaries are too
low because they are subsidising the govern-
ment, considering the cost of doing business,
the cost of getting goods and services.”

“By the same token, I believe it is upon gov-
ernment to make sure that they improve teach-
ers’ salaries so that these teachers can also man-
age to lead a better life,” Taderera said.

Economic analyst Prosper Chitambara said:
“The continuous hardships are being caused by
chronic high inflation, which is eroding people’s
income and that’s the elephant in the room that
we need to address.”

“We need to deal with drivers of that chronic
high inflation so as to stabilise the economy, the
broad money supply growth and the instability
within the foreign exchange markets that needs
to be addressed in order to insure greater stabil-
ity in the economy,” he said.

Economist Vince Musewe said: “We must
sort out our politics first and the economy will
react accordingly.”

“The economic situation in Zimbabwe will
continue to deteriorate with rising inflation
because of lack of confidence in the currency.

Page 20 News NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Huge appetite for gold coins, but worries remain

ZIMBABWE’S central bank has registered an Gold is Zimbabwe’s single-largest foreign exchange earner.
overwhelming uptake of the Mosi-oa-Tunya
gold coin after local financial institutions,
pension funds, insurance companies and in-
dividuals bought the bulk of the 2 000 coins,
amid concern that the new asset class could
create arbitrage opportunities.

With inflation soaring and the country’s
currency in a free fall, the monetary authori-
ties are now fighting back with a novel strat-
egy.

The initial gold coins were sold at
US$1 823.80 each on Monday or
ZW$805 745.35 using the willing buyer will-
ing seller rate as at Friday. The coins can also
be bought using other foreign currencies such
as the rand and Australian dollar.

Gold is Zimbabwe’s single-largest foreign
exchange earner and production of the yellow
metal has been on an upward trend in recent
years, driven by strong output from artisanal
miners.

Market watchers say while gold coins may
create a new inflation-hedging investment op-
tion for asset management firms, the new in-
vestment may become a haven for rent-seek-
ing behaviour and arbitrage.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe however
said it will closely monitor the supply of the
coins, adding that agents, mainly banks, will
use the know your customer (KYC) principle
in selling them.

“Most of our agents are banks so we have
distributed through the head offices of banks.
The banks are the ones that shall now proceed
to disburse those gold coins to their branch-
es,” Mangudya said.

“Furthermore will also not allow the liqui-
dation of blocked funds for the purposes of
buying gold coins since the government has
already put in place a framework for dealing
with blocked funds under the Finance Act
whereby the government has made a determi-
nation of how it will liquidate blocked funds.
The bank shall also be releasing the gold coins
(going forward) on a demand basis.

Zimbabwe’s former deputy prime minister
Arthur Mutambara says the newly introduced
gold coin is “a self-enrichment scheme for the
elites”.

Mutambara notes: “You exchange your
US$ on the parallel market for 950, buy gold
coins in ZW$ at 441 and pocket 100% profit.

“That is the gold coin arbitrage opportu-
nity. Is this not common sense? It gets worse.
For the elites who are connected and have
access, you don’t have to involve your hard
earned US$ in the first part of the transac-
tion. You take your ZW$ to the RBZ and buy
the US$ at the auction rate. You take these
ill-gotten US$ to the parallel market and buy
ZW$ at 950. That’s a huge profit. Then you
go and buy your gold coins at 100% profit as
explained before. No production. It is shame-
ful.”

Morgan & Co, a brokerage firm, in its re-
search note on the impact of the gold coins on
the economy noted that the policy measure
could result in unintended consequences.

“We also expect holders of nostro balanc-
es to liquidate their balances in a manifesta-
tion of the bird-in-hand phenomenon. Given
the volatile policies in the country, we assert
that there is more confidence in gold’s abil-
ity to store value than nostro accounts. We
also opine that, despite efforts to uniquely
identify the coins and establish due diligence
protocols, there will be arbitrage profiteering
opportunities using the gold coin. Zimdollar
holders could purchase the coin for hard cur-
rency and then sell the currency on the paral-
lel market in the worst case scenario,” Morgan
& Co says.

“The ability to sell the coin in the interna-
tional market potentially opens the country
to a withdrawal of foreign currency in the
formal market and, even more so, withdrawal
of Zimdollar liquidity in the country. While
this could theoretically put downward pres-
sure on the parallel market rate, we maintain
that there remain other factors nullifying the
intended effect.” — STAFF WRITER.

NewsHawks News Page 21

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Gold coins beyond our reach: Workers

BRENNA MATENDERE

TRADE unionists from across various sectors RBZ governor John Mangudya
say the newly introduced gold coins are way
beyond workers’ affordability and will not wages, to be specific,” he said. that there is a need to take stock of measures and there was consensus at our Mutare meet-
benefit the average citizen. Shamuyarira also revealed that at a meeting introduced by the Finance ministry and the ing that there is need to abandon cosmetic
RBZ which continue to pile misery on ordi- measures by the Finance ministry and RBZ
Zimbabwe introduced the Mosi-oa-Tunya of the Tripartite Negotiating Forum technical nary citizens. regarding arresting inflation. There is need for
gold coins on Monday which are being sold committee held in Mutare last week, the gov- more robust action to this crisis,” he said.
to the public, with Reserve Bank of Zimba- ernment, business and labour unions agreed “We are in a hyperinflationary environment
bwe governor John Mangudya saying they are
meant to curb an inflation spike that has erod- Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe president Takavafira Zhou.
ed the country’s moribund currency.

An initial tranche of 2 000 coins was dis-
bursed to mostly commercial banks.

Mangudya said the coins “will have liquid
asset status”, meaning they “will be capable of
being easily converted to cash and will be trad-
able locally and internationally”.

The central bank said the coins “may also be
used for transactional purposes”.

Holders will only be able to trade them for
cash after 180 days from the date of purchase.
At launch this week, each coin was retailing
for more than US$1 800.

In separate interviews, leaders of trade
unions said workers will not afford the coins.

Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe
president Takavafira Zhou said the educators
stayed away from the gold coin trade because
of poverty.

“Gold coins are not palatable to the poor,
but the rich who can get much money. As for
teachers, no one has them. They are of no con-
sequence to teachers. No teacher will go for
them. The salary a teacher gets is inadequate
even to buy basic needs, and so buying a gold
coin is considered luxury,” he said.

Zhou added that teachers earn an average
ZW$54 000 after the latest 100% salary in-
crease, which is far less than ZW$800 000
which was the asking price for the gold coin
on Monday.

“What we need at this historical juncture
are not gold coins but US dollar salaries and
the rekitting of our industries to improve pro-
duction so that there is balance between im-
ports and exports. We can then think of gold
after stabilising our economy,” Zhou said.

Robson Chere, the Amalgamated Rural
Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe secretary-gen-
eral, echoed Zhou’s sentiments. “Gold coins
are generally not for teachers. They can’t af-
ford. The government must just dollarise the
economy to improve earnings of teachers. The
gold coins scheme is similar with the so-called
duty-free car incentive for civil servants who,
again, are unable to import the cars due to
their measly salaries,” he said.

While the gold coins are being sold in com-
mercial banks, employees of those same finan-
cial institutions also said they cannot afford
the precious pieces.

Zimbabwe Banks and Allied Workers’
Union national secretary-general Peter Muta-
sa, who is also the immediate past president of
the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, said
the price of the gold coins was not affordable.

“No ordinary bank worker can afford these
coins. The minimum wage in the banking sec-
tor is ZW$220 000 only. It means workers
have to save for all their net salaries for over
five months to buy one coin,” he said.

He also said the coins will not adress the
inflation and local currency devaluation prob-
lems faced by the nation.

“Instead, it is going to cause more prob-
lems as it opens another avenue of arbitrage
to the few rich and connected citizens. They
will make lots of money at the expense of the
majority poor. For workers, this is therefore a
non-issue and they will only bear the cost of
funding this heist by the rich through taxes,”
Mutasa said.

Kenneth Shamuyarira, the secretary-general
of the Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions,
told The NewsHawks that members of the la-
bour body in its entirety will not afford the
gold coins.

“The least paid of our members earn about
ZW$25 000 in salaries. The gold coins were
pegged at ZW$800 000. In simple, it means
we cannot afford. Our members are on slave

Page 22 News NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

President on the brink, analysts say

BRENNA MATENDERE Former Zanu PF youth leader
Jim Kunaka
POLITICAL analysts say President Emmerson
Mnangagwa will likely retain his post in Zanu PF enough support within the military, thanks to Chiwenga’s challenge is far too late and presently for No.2,” said Masunungure.
at the party’s October congress but his political the deliberate and concerted efforts to coup-proof the intra-party momentum is with ED and the Political analyst Rashweat Mukundu said at
life is on the brink ahead of the 2023 polls due himself by reconfiguring the command element multiple party structures and quasi-party proxies
to the comatose economy and the recent sex esca- in the whole security sectors. If there is any trou- deliberately created to mobilise support for him. present there is “do-or-die political gamesman-
pades revealed by an Australian-based Zimbabwe- ble from this quarter, it is most likely to arise from Jim Kunaka’s Zanu PF Original is not likely to ship in Zanu PF”.
an citizen, Susan Mutami. the middle to lower ranks who are haunted, as upset the apple cart.”
are most Zimbabweans, by the spectre of empty “While Chiwenga does not appear to be in any
The political analysts reckon that it is now too stomachs,” he said. “If No.2 [Chiwenga] is serious about chal- strong position as of now, factionalism is not nec-
late for Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga to lenging ED and winning, then he has to craft essarily ending in Zanu PF and while ED may
mount a serious challenge to wrest power from Masunungure reiterated that given the fact that an interparty coalition-like formation between still get his way at the October congress, this does
Mnangagwa at the October congress despite con- the Zanu PF congress is two months away, break- disgruntled elements in Zanu PF (and they are not in any way signal his consolidation of power
certed efforts by his supporters in the country and away elements like Jim Kunaka and Chiwenga’s many) and the main opposition. This could take struggles.”
abroad. A string of developments have in recent supporters no longer have adequate time to top- the shape or form of the 2008 ‘bhora musango’.
weeks dented Mnangagwa’s political gravitas. ple Mnangagwa at the elective meeting. Otherwise, as I see it, all doors to the Zanu PF “The Susan Mutami exposés are one signal
presidency via official party organs are now closed of Zanu PF politics heating up, but the boiling
On 18 July this year, Jim Kunaka, a former “If in October [the Zanu PF congress], then point and implosion is not October but a bit lat-
Zanu PF youth leader who led a notorious terror Former Zanu PF youth leader er,” Mukundu said.
group called Chipangano, but was later expelled Godfrey Tsenengamu
during the then Robert Mugabe era, publicly ac-
cused Mnangagwa of reneging on a deal to hand
over power to Chiwenga after one term following
the November 2017 coup.

Kunaka said Mnangagwa must hand over
power to Chiwenga in the letter and spirit of their
arrangement and went on to announce the for-
mation of new break-away political outfit, Zanu
PF Original.

He described Mnangagwa’s Lacoste faction as a
group of power mongers.

Before Kunaka’s diatribe against Mnangagwa,
another former Zanu PF youth leader, Godfrey
Tsenengamu, had also battered the embattled
leader in a public address to the media, in which
he said exiled party commissar Saviour Kasukuw-
ere was supposed to come back and take over at
the helm of the ruling party.

The situation reached a crescendo last week
when Mutami conducted a Twitter Space address
which attracted an audience of 13 000 in which
she accused Mnangagwa of raping her while she
was a 15-year-old minor.

Mutami made detailed revelations to back her
claims which included information on Mnangag-
wa’s body, like a birth mark on his inner left thigh
and another one on his bottom.

Australian police in Brisbane have since opened
a probe after a formal complaint of rape was made
by the 33-year-old health services professional.

The Australian police said they will hand over
the case to “international jurisdictions”.

Mutami also accused Mnangagwa of murder
and sexual abuse of women in Zanu PF.

She told her Twitter audience that she had in-
formed Zimbabwe’s first lady Grace Mugabe and
the current Zimbabwe National Army command-
er Lieutenant-General David Sigauke about the
sexual abuses.

In separate interviews with The NewsHawks,
political analysts forecast a dark future for Mnan-
gagwa insofar as his political life is concerned on
account of the latest revelations.

Political analyst and professor of world politics
at the University of London’s School of Orien-
tal and African Studies, Stephen Chan, told The
NewsHawks that while Mnangagwa’s sex scandals
may not directly lead to his downfall, his political
endgame was nigh.

“It will not be a sex scandal that impedes
Manangagwa's quest to be the 2023 presidential
candidate for Zanu PF, but power struggles with-
in Zanu PF itself that have much bigger stakes
than a sex scandal,” he said.

He added: “Susan Mutami has had a varied
romantic and sexual life. Whether or not her ac-
cusations are true, they will not register with the
bulk of Mnangagwa’s supporters.”

Chan also indicated that Mnangagwa, on the
other hand, may take comfort in the fact that his
rivals are not clean as well.

“The problem with using sex scandals to criti-
cise one leader is that his rivals also have their own
colourful and controversial intimate lives. Paint-
ing one person as sullied is hard when so many
can be placed in the same boat,” he said.

In his assessment of Mnangagwa’s political
life at present, University of Zimbabwe political
science professor Eldred Masunungure told The
NewsHawks that the leader’s advantage is the sup-
port he enjoys in the military.

“On balance, I think ED [Mnangagwa] has

NewsHawks News Page 23

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Fresh test for Zim’s re-engagement efforts

. . . as the US President Emmerson Mnangagwa
hosts crucial US President Joe Biden
Africa meeting

MOSES MATENGA

DESPITE spending millions of taxpayer dollars
on a public relations stunt and expending energy
on an international re-engagement exercise, Zim-
babwe continues wallowing in isolation amid re-
ports that the United States has not invited Hara-
re to a crucial investment summit in December.

Reports indicate that Zimbabwe will not be
represented at the US-Africa Summit this De-
cember just like the southern African country
missed out on a virtual indaba on democracy last
year.

US embassy officials in Harare would not im-
mediately confirm whether President Emmerson
Mnangagwa's administration will be part of the
December meeting that will see over 50 African
leaders in attendance, but The NewsHawks is re-
liably informed that only countries which took
part last year will participate in this year’s indaba
again.

Last year, Zimbabwe was sidelined from at-
tending the US Democracy Summit, with ob-
servers saying the snub confirmed the frosty rela-
tions between the two countries despite Harare’s
efforts to re-engage with the international com-
munity.

Although US President Joe Biden in a state-
ment this week did not mention the countries
which will participate in the crucial meeting, it
was established that he will maintain the same
stance former president Barack Obama took in
2014 during a similar summit when he invited
the vast majority of leaders but excluded Zim-
babwe, Central African Republic, Eritrea and
Sudan due to human rights and democracy con-
cerns.

The US has been consistent in calling out
Zimbabwe for human rights violations and has
renewed sanctions despite the coming into office
of Mnangagwa who promised reforms and re-en-
gagement after taking over from the late former
president Robert Mugabe via a military coup in
2017.

“I look forward to hosting leaders from across
the African continent in Washington DC on
December 13-15, 2022, for the US-Africa Lead-
ers’ Summit. The Summit will demonstrate the
United States’ enduring commitment to Africa,
and will underscore the importance of US-Afri-
ca relations and increased cooperation on shared
global priorities.”

“The US-Africa Leaders’ Summit will build
on our shared values to better and foster new
economic engagement; reinforce the US-Africa
commitment to democracy and human rights;
mitigate the impact of Covid-19 and of future
pandemics; work collaboratively to strengthen
regional and global health; promote food secu-
rity; advance peace and security; respond to the
climate crisis; and amplify diaspora ties.”

“I look forward to working with African gov-
ernments, civil society and diaspora communities
across the United States, and the private sector to
continue strengthening our shared vision for the
future of US-Africa relations.”

When Mnangagwa rose to power, some West-
ern diplomats viewed him as a reformist and their
governments were willing to give time to prove
himself.

However, Mnangagwa’s re-engagement efforts
have spectacularly failed and the US and Unit-
ed Kingdom have shut their doors in his face,
prompting him to change his tone and accuse
them of interfering in Zimbabwe’s internal af-
fairs.

Mnangagwa’s desire to return to the Common-
wealth under his re-engagement drive recently hit
a brick wall, with the grouping insisting Zimba-
bwe should address human rights violations, but
he has failed to meet the set conditions.

Page 24 News NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

MOSES MATENGA Storm over US$87m dam project

DESPITE growing pressure for him to step . . . plot to kick out probing MP exposed
down from the parliamentary committee on . . . I’m not going anywhere: Wadyajena
Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettle-
ment to pave way for an investigation involving Gokwe-Nembudziya MP
alleged abuse of office, Gokwe-Nembudziya MP Justice Mayor Wadyajena
Justice Mayor Wadyajena said he will not suc-
cumb to those making such calls and will pursue the 10% mark, but it was still at 2% despite over bemoaned the government’s slow pace of dis- US$2 624 271.51 of the required US$8.7 mil-
cases he is investigating to their logical conclu- US$2 million having been availed to Grindale bursement of required funds. lion, which is 10% of the total cost of the dam
sion. Engineering. construction.
The dam construction was set to take 36
Wadyajena, who is the committee's chair- But Grindale Engineering insists it was on months and the handover to the contractor was When completed, the dam is set to benefit the
person, is currently leading a probe into how a course to completing the project on time, the only done in January this year. nearby community with irrigation facilities for
local contractor, Grindale Engineering (Private) company's first dam construction project, but over 1 200 hectares.
Limited, won the US$87 million Vungu Dam The government has disbursed a total of
construction tender and received an advance
payment of over US$2 million.

He has been accused of settling personal scores
through the committee, an allegation he denies.

Wadyajena’s committee summoned the Zim-
babwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) and
Grindale Engineering to Parliament this week to
bring with them documents outlining how they
got the tender and if they met the legal require-
ments of acquiring government tenders.

Only Zinwa officials attended, while Grin-
dale Engineering formally asked to be excused
because of the unavailability of their technical
team.

The meeting was postponed to 4 August.
“Thank you for your letter dated 18th July
2022 inviting us to appear before the Commit-
tee following Parliament’s visit at Vungu Dam.
Grindale Engineering’s technical team is not
available on the requested date. It is therefore
our humble request that the hearing is scheduled
to another date that will allow us to have our
requisite technical team available for the meet-
ing,” the company’s managing director, Engineer
Grison Muwidzi, wrote.
“The presence of our team will assist you in
getting any information that may be of interest
to you in this respect.”
Wadyajena said: “We went to tour the project
in Silobela and made some requests for purposes
of clarification on tender, engagement of suppli-
ers for the Vungu Dam project.
“We had invited Grindale Engineering, but
they wrote a letter and said they received the in-
vitation on July 18 and they wanted more time.
It is therefore our request that we reschedule to
another date.”
“I have seen and read a lot on calls for me to
recuse myself. I am not recusing myself,” he said.
“I am here to stay and I will be chairing you
on August 4, 2022,” he said.
The committee is also investigating how sev-
eral contractors were awarded contracts to con-
struct critical dams across the country, including
the Vungu Dam project.
Information at hand suggests that work on
the Vungu Dam was supposed to have reached

Vungu Dam project in Silobela

NewsHawks News Page 25

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

LIZWE SEBATHA Equipment woes force Byo
road works to scale down
A COMBINATION of breakdowns and short-
ages of plant and machinery has forced the Bu- In the past, Bulawayo City Council (below) was forced to divert capital funds to finance road works after receiving inadequate budgetary support.
lawayo City Council (BCC) to scale down on
capital projects including the ongoing road re- munity groups and companies for road main- and beautify sections of the City of Bulawayo’s “The scheme would save Bulawayo ratepayers
habilitation works. tenance work, pleading that they volunteer to road network through community members millions of dollars every year while providing
rehabilitate roads under an "Adopt-A-Road" volunteering to sponsor and/or undertake road participants a great opportunity by giving back
A progress report of the road rehabilitation concept. maintenance and rehabilitation works at no cost to their community and being leaders in pro-
programme by the engineering services com- to BCC,” the council had said. moting civic responsibility and community
mittee shows road works are reportedly being “The scheme is intended to help to maintain
hampered by a constant breakdown of plant
machinery.

The city’s road network has been deteriorating
over the years due to ageing and lack of timely
maintenance owing to resource constraints.

The local authority says it requires about
ZW$30 million per month to meet govern-
ment funding shortfalls for the city under the
nationwide Emergency Road Rehabilitation
Programme (ERRP).

The government launched the ERRP in 2021
after President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared
the country’s roads a national disaster.

A follow-up Statutory Instrument (SI) 47 of
2021 was later gazetted, empowering the Trans-
port and Infrastructural Development ministry
to authorise the Zimbabwe National Road Ad-
ministration (Zinara) to source funding for road
rehabilitation.

In the past, the local authority was forced to
divert capital funds to finance road works after
receiving inadequate budgetary support from
the Zinara.

Zinara is a statutory body empowered to col-
lect and manage road fees from various sources
such as tollgates for onward disbursement to
the rural and urban councils for approved road
maintenance works.

A progress report of the city council's engi-
neering services committee reveals that the local
authority is also being forced to tender some
projects to private firms due to shortages and
breakdowns of ageing machinery.

“The section was facing a critical shortage of
key resources which made it difficult to meet the
ever-increasing demands from the entire organ-
isation. Forty-three (46) projects, 135 general
maintenance works orders and nine emergency
response requests had been received.

“The number of available vehicles against
these capital projects and general maintenance
was a mismatch,” the report reads in part.

“There could be a need to scale down these
projects in proportion with available resources
and budgets in the long run. The major chal-
lenges were material and mismatching equip-
ment. The Regrading and Regravelling works
were being tendered out to private contractors
due to lack of in-house plant. Last year, the
council was forced to turn to individuals, com-

Page 26 International Investigative Stories NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

InInvteesrtniagtaiotinvaelStories

Venezuelan spy and
alleged drug trafficker
linked to luxury flats

in Barcelona

PEDRO Luis Martin Olivares is der Chávez, he has managed to a lot of power and did a lot of worked as a police investigator Intelligence and Prevention Ser-
a former Venezuelan intelligence keep a low profile over the years, damage to many people” over the for years before becoming a po- vices, known as the DISIP.
chief wanted in the U.S. for drug even as his family has accrued years, although his influence had litical prisoner under Chávez
trafficking. His family has man- substantial assets abroad. more recently declined. and then escaping to the United Simonovis, backed up by two
aged to acquire millions of dol- States, Martin became involved sources who knew Martin, said
lars’ worth of property in Spain. Now, OCCRP, in partnership Of six people interviewed in in drug trafficking and money he then started to run a “parallel
with Armando.info, Infolibre, Venezuela about Martin, includ- laundering in the 1990s. office” out of Centro Lido, a lux-
Martín Olivares is little known and the Miami Herald has traced ing two former Venezuelan mil- ury mall and office space in Ca-
in his native Venezuela, nor does part of Martin’s fortune to Bar- itary officers who worked under He later began cooperating racas, while he was a senior intel-
his name appear on internation- celona, where his relatives have Chávez and a police officer, only with authorities to avoid the risk ligence officer. He and his people
al “most wanted” lists. Yet the acquired luxury apartments in Simonovis agreed to be quoted of prosecution, helping set up used informants and wiretaps to
United States is offering a $10 one of the city’s most expensive by name. The others asked to re- several “controlled deliveries” — obtain compromising informa-
million reward for his arrest — districts. The properties are un- main anonymous out of fear that drug sales carried out with the tion on wealthy or powerful fig-
more even than for the sons of known to Spanish investigators speaking publicly about Martin knowledge of law enforcement ures, and then demanded money
infamous Mexican cartel boss who looked into Martin’s assets would invite retribution. to capture other traffickers. to stop the harassment, they said.
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. in the country.
Martin did not respond to re- “He had the water up his neck, A Venezuelan who spent years
Martin, a high-ranking intelli- Drawing on court documents, quests for comment. but he could still breathe,” Si- in jail said that Martin also
gence officer under former Presi- investigation files, company and monovis said. used to visit the prison and of-
dent Hugo Chávez, was indicted property records, and interviews, A Shadowy Past fer “favors,” such as access to the
by a Florida court on drug traf- reporters also uncovered new Beyond the fact that Martin After Chávez became president rooftop, computers, or distance
ficking charges in 2015. The U.S. details about the former intelli- was born in 1967 in Caracas, in 1999, Martin was appointed learning courses, in exchange for
has sanctioned his commercial gence official’s life, including the there is little public record of to the Caracas anti-drug office, payments.
interests, which range from pri- fact that he also acquired a Span- his early years. He has described apparently leveraging connec-
vate security services to poultry ish identity card. himself as a lawyer and econo- tions he had built in the police Simonovis said that at a certain
farming. mist, but reporters could not find force, Simonovis said. In 2002, point Martin’s power had grown
Ivan Simonovis, a former po- any record of him having studied Martin became director of fi- enough that he began to black-
But despite the high-level lice commissioner and criminal those subjects in Venezuela. nancial intelligence in the Ven- mail figures within the Chávez
charges against Martin, 55, and investigator in Venezuela, told According to Simonovis, who ezuelan secret services — the power structure. “That was the
the official power he wielded un- OCCRP that Martin once “held General Sectoral Directorate of straw that broke the camel’s

NewsHawks International Investigative Stories Page 27

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

back,” he said.

‘You Never Abandon Intelli- Left: Property located in former bank building; Right: Apartment Martin bought in 2003.
gence’
a plane flying from Venezuela in ela and Colombia as part of a responded to requests for com- In 2018, he even launched a
Martin left the DISIP in the waters of the British Virgin broader scheme to facilitate the ment.) defamation lawsuit in a Florida
2004, but claimed to maintain Islands. Inside, they found more movement of narcotics from and court against Mendez and anoth-
a connection to the intelligence than 261 kilograms of cocaine. through Venezuelan airspace.” Urdanbest lists its corporate er informant, according to the
community. In a rare interview address in a luxurious office in Miami New Times.
with the Spanish website of the Authorities linked the ship- In 2018 OFAC also mentioned one of Madrid’s most expensive
pan-Arab TV network Al-Maya- ment to Colombian drug traf- Martin in its sanctions against neighborhoods. “[T]wo people who are strang-
deen in October 2020 — pub- ficker Roberto Mendez Hurtado, Diosdado Cabello, one of Vene- ers to him are saying all kinds of
lished six days after the U.S. also known as “Pluma Blanca,” zuela’s most powerful politicians Dominated by a large paint- inflammatory things,” his law-
reward for him was announced from the Norte del Valle cartel. and an alleged leader of the Car- ing, the office is shared with Bal- yer was quoted as saying at the
— he said that he still “handles In 2013, Colombia extradited tel of the Suns, claiming the two clutha SL, a company linked to time. According to U.S. court
information” despite formally Mendez to the U.S., where he “worked together to move illicit a Venezuelan businessman, Luis transcripts, Martin turned him-
departing the agency. was accused of organizing co- money to Panama, the Domini- Alberto Benshimol Chonchol self in to Venezuelan authorities
caine shipments from Venezuela can Republic, and the Bahamas — a financier known for fund- after an Interpol “red notice” was
“You never abandon intelli- to Central America and the Ca- in late 2016.” ing contemporary art, and for his issued against him, a fact which
gence, you always keep getting ribbean. He was convicted and ties to the controversial parallel his lawyer in the United States
information,” he said. sentenced to 19 years in prison, OCCRP has learned that market that allowed investors to used to argue that he could not
before being released in January Spanish security officials also be- exploit the difference between of- be considered a fugitive.
Simonovis and the wealthy en- this year. gan investigating Martin in 2014 ficial and black-market currency
trepreneur said that Martin kept after he came to their attention rates in the early 2000s. U.S. prosecutors rejected this
managing his “parallel office” out According to U.S. authorities, due to his past in the Chávez se- argument, claiming that Martin
of Centro Lido, where he now Martín had been on Mendez’s cret service and the allegations he Benshimol did not respond to had turned himself in because he
also began to run a commercial payroll, allegedly helping coor- was involved in the Cartel of the a request for comment. knew Venezuela would not send
empire: From 2004 to 2007, dinate cocaine shipments from Suns. Calling him “Platanote,” him to the U.S.
Martin founded at least five his position in the DISIP and or “The Big Plantain,” they start- Martin also owns another Bar-
companies, mostly in the field of distribute bribes to Venezuelan ed probing his assets in Spain. celona apartment, purchased in “We know well and good that
private security, although he did officials. He also allegedly made 2003. Currently worth around there’s a constitutional prohibi-
also open a poultry farm. sure radar was turned off to al- On the Golden Mile 200,000 euros, the fourth-floor tion in Venezuela from Venezu-
low planes loaded with cocaine Despite being in the crosshairs apartment is in a working-class ela extraditing its own citizens,”
Details of these companies’ to pass through Venezuelan air- of both U.S. and Spanish law neighborhood. said Adam Fels, assistant U.S.
operations show that Martin re- space. enforcement agencies, Martin’s attorney at the time.
mained well-connected even af- family members were able to When reporters visited in June,
ter leaving his official post. U.S. prosecutors also alleged acquire two valuable Barcelona they found the mailbox had no Fels noted in a court hearing
that Martin, along with Hugo apartments in 2013 seemingly name on it, although a neighbor that Martin had traveled exten-
Company records show that “El Pollo” Carvajal, a former unnoticed. said they could often see “move- sively before his indictment, but
his private security firm, Grupo Venezuelan military intelligence These properties, both un- ment in the shutters,” indicating stopped leaving Venezuela after
Control 2004, won contracts chief, was part of the “Cartel of known to Spanish authorities, it was occupied. 2015, presumably to avoid arrest.
from major state-run institu- the Suns,” a drug trafficking cell are together worth around 2.5
tions, including the state bank embedded within the country’s million euros, according to a ‘Taking Care of Business’ “There’s enormous amounts of
Bicentenario, the Maracaibo military. After two years on the property valuation service run In his interview with Al-Maya- travel based on his own passport
airport, and Minerven, a major run, Carvajal was captured in by BBVA, a major Spanish bank. deen, Martin dismissed the prior to him getting indicted,”
mining company. Spain in 2021 and is awaiting ex- Both are located in a 1950s-era charges against him, saying that Fels said. “This is a person who
tradition to the U.S. former bank building in the city’s Mendez was offering false infor- filled up passport books. And
Another of his companies, “Golden Mile,” a strip of high- mation to reduce his own sen- then, you see, as soon as he gets
PLM Consultores, provided “ad- Martin himself was indict- end property in the city center. tence. indicted and finds out about it,
visory services in institutional re- ed for drug trafficking 2015 by They are owned by Urdan- U.S. authorities “put people all the travel dries up.”
lations” to 11 companies linked a federal grand jury in Miami. best SL, a Spanish company in in prison who don’t even know
to Omar Farías, a businessman Three years later, the U.S. Of- which Martín’s wife, Alejan- you,” he said. “They tell them Today, Martin is still back in
known in Venezuela as the “In- fice of Foreign Assets Control dra Besteiro, his son Pedro Luis that they have to testify against Venezuela, working from the
surance Czar” because he won (OFAC) sanctioned his compa- Martín Besteiro, and his stepson you in order to reduce their con- same offices in the Centro Lido,
major insurance contracts from nies, saying that Martin had “ex- Orlando Urdaneta Besteiro ap- victions.” He said the OFAC according to Simonovis.
public institutions, allowing him ploited his government position pear as directors. (None of them sanctions were merely a way to
to amass a fortune under Chávez. and accepted bribes from drug “blackmail and pressure” him to “He is still taking care of busi-
traffickers operating in Venezu- turn against senior Chávez gov- ness in Caracas,” he said.
In 2010, Martin surfaced in a ernment figures.
classified U.S. State Department — Organised Crime and
cable, published by Wikileaks, Corruption Reporting Project.
detailing an alleged Venezuelan
intelligence agency plot to assas-
sinate Panamanian President Ri-
cardo Martinelli. The cable did
not provide any reasons Venezu-
ela’s government would want to
carry out such an assassination,
but it did link Martin to the
Chávez regime –– six years after
he left his post with the intelli-
gence service.

“While no evidence of any plot
was found, the law enforcement
team found significant deroga-
tory information on Pedro Ruiz
[sic] Martin Olivares,” said the
cable, which described him as a
“seriously bad actor.”

Around the same time, a joint
anti-narcotics operation carried
out by authorities in the U.S.
and British Virgin Islands would
have deep consequences for Mar-
tin.

In 2010, police arrested three
men who were waiting in a boat
to retrieve a package dropped by

Page 28 Editorial & Opinion NewsHawks

CARTOON Issue 91, 29 July 2022

An elitist economy
recipe for disaster

FINANCE minister Mthuli Ncube presented the mid-term Gold coin rush: What’s the reason?
budget and fiscal review statement on Thursday which was a
hodgepodge of the good and the bad but, ultimately, will not Hawk Eye
do much to calm frayed nerves in a troubled economy that con-
tinues pouring bucketloads of misery on the heads of hapless Dumisani
citizens. Muleya

Whether the government acknowledges it or not, there are
frightening storm clouds hovering above this country like the
proverbial sword of Damocles. In those raging clouds are shat-
tered livelihoods, empty wallets, grumbling stomachs and bro-
ken dreams. In short, poverty is terrorising the masses.

Chronic high inflation is one thing; the sense of hopelessness
created by clueless leaders is another. Citizens are living from
hand to mouth and there is utterly no indication when this wak-
ing nightmare will come to an end.

The proposed increase in the tax-free threshold from
ZW$300 000 to ZW$600 000 may deceive many into a tempo-
rary lull for now, but the stark reality is that inflation is shooting
up at an astonishing pace, rendering meaningless any Zimdollar
salary adjustment. The currency itself has become contaminated,
which explains why government workers are endlessly demand-
ing US dollar wages.

Poverty has taken root. In this miasma of economic turmoil,
the Treasury chief finds it necessary to increase taxes — as if he
thinks Zimbabwe can somehow magically tax itself into pros-
perity.

It was ill-advised to increase the withholding tax on cross-bor-
der traders who have no tax clearance certificate. The govern-
ment conveniently forgets that many families in this country
have been kept barely afloat by informal trade. Buying and sell-
ing is how they put food on the table. This includes small-time
cross-border traders who are not looking for super profit but
sheer day-to-day survival. A responsive and caring government
would desist from burdening people who are already drowning
in penury, particularly in this post-Covid era when extreme pov-
erty has become the rule rather than the exception.

What is more, the lowering of the value-added tax threshold
will deal a blow on the informal sector, where the majority are
toiling to eke out a living.

In a way, the Finance minister has come to terms with the
unassailable fact that this economy has self-dollarised. That is
the message conveyed by the instruction to companies to keep
US dollar books of accounts separately from the Zimdollar ac-
counts.

As the economist Brains Muchemwa has rightly observed, we
must ask ourselves why Zimdollar prices in the economy appear
to be shooting up every Tuesday after the Reserve Bank's weekly
forex auction. And it is trite economics that defending the Zim-
dollar begins with limiting its supply.

By the minister’s own admission, broad money supply has
expanded in leaps and bounds. We have to ask: Why are policy-
makers shirking their responsibilities in such a reckless manner?

Parcelling out greenbacks at a woefully understated exchange
rate is doing more harm than good. Zimbabwe must shift to-
wards a more conventional method of managing foreign ex-
change. Some of the policies that the monetary authorities come
up with are ludicrous. For instance, the general public was told
to go and access US$50 from bureaux de change at the official
rate. Where did that take us?

Enter the latest fad: gold coins.
How many people in this economy can really afford to buy
a US$1 800 coin? The average salary is barely ZW$20 000
(US$23). The government should stop playing Russian roulette
with people’s lives.
Money supply growth is on steroids. When you combine
money-creation with a highly inefficient forex auction system,
there is no better definition of a recipe for disaster. Policies that
serve the narrow interests of elites at the expense of the impover-
ished majority are a threat not only to national security, but also
to the republic’s very survival.

Reaffirming the fundamental impor- The NewsHawks is published on different EDITORIAL STAFF: Marketing Officer: Voluntary Media
tance of freedom of expression and me- content platforms by the NewsHawks Digital Managing Editor: Dumisani Muleya Charmaine Phiri Council of Zimbabwe
dia freedom as the cornerstone of de- Media which is owned by Centre for Public Cell: +263 735666122
mocracy and as a means of upholding Interest Journalism Assistant Editor: Brezh Malaba [email protected] The NewsHawks newspaper subscribes to the
human rights and liberties in the con- No. 100 Nelson Mandela Avenue [email protected] Code of Conduct that promotes truthful, accurate,
stitution; our mission is to hold power Beverly Court, 6th floor News Editor: Owen Gagare
in its various forms and manifestations Harare, Zimbabwe Subscriptions & Distribution: fair and balanced news reporting. If we do not
to account by exposing abuse of power Digital Editor: Bernard Mpofu +263 735666122 meet these standards, register your complaint
and office, betrayals of public trust and Trustees/Directors: with the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe
corruption to ensure good governance Beatrice Mtetwa, Raphael Khumalo, Reporters: at No.: 34, Colenbrander Rd, Milton Park, Harare.
and accountability in the public inter- Professor Wallace Chuma, Teldah Mawarire, Nyasha Chingono, Enoch Muchinjo, Moses Matenga,
est. Doug Coltart Jonathan Mbiriyamveka Telephone: 024-2778096 or 024-2778006,
Email: [email protected] 24Hr Complaints Line: 0772 125 659

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
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Website: www.vmcz.co.zw, Facebook: vmcz Zimbabwe

NewsHawks New Perspectives Page 29

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

AGENDA setting through selec- Be careful what you wish for
tive information is now the new
normal in Zimbabwe. quence of this emotional appeal rary conditions. tarian lines on the political field. tional system is not yet ready to
is now  the strict social division Disinformation operates in Misinformation in the eco- equip the people with media lit-
The country is portrayed as which is encroaching on tribal eracy and awareness to sieve the
more violent, dreadful and scary lines and will consequently lead society through psychological bi- nomic sector causes a policy that information, standards, and mea-
in media stories and academic to the storming of the citadel of ases. Our mind is always deceiv- favours the short haul rather than sures to subscribe towards truth.
writings. democracy and classic norms of ing us, but the majority of us do a long-term vision. The economic In the era of post-truth politics,
inclusivity. not know this. The propaganda challenges we are currently facing misinformation is increasing dai-
According to professor of com- machinery was firstly used to fa- to some extent are a result of years ly but our measures for media lit-
munication science George Gerb- The example of such narrative miliarise people through selective of misinformation from both the eracy are less efficient. It is high
ner, this phenomenon on a global building from our political and information. When something authorities, responsible institu- time we inculcated media literacy
scale is pronounced as the Mean economic environment is also becomes familiar, individuals tions and interest groups. This among the masses, to prepare peo-
World Syndrome. pronounced in the form of the tend to confirm those familiar has shaped behaviour, rendering ple for the pandemic of fake news
vocabulary in the daily speeches biases and seldom challenge the weak any regulation and policy.
The Mean World Syndrome as- of politicians and leaders of key existing beliefs. The con- and propaganda and,
serts that exposure to violent and economic institutions to appeal formational biases and Econometrics more importantly, to
scary media consumption shapes to the majority of people for their familiarity biases exploit HawksView preserve our sanity,
the negative views of people about vested interests. The use of a filter personal autonomy. Our democracy and envi-
the world, that the modern day is bubble in the social commercial- brain is reluctant to accept Tinashe Kaduwo ronment. The courses
bad and that living in this era is isation of existing beliefs and in- alternative truths and we to sensitise coming
more violent than in the previous sinuations is perpetuated through frequently conform to ex- The phenomenon of misinfor- generations about the
centuries. The violent news and the repetitive patterns of the news isting biases. In this way, mation has a major impact on the information landscape
negative consumptions overshad- narratives that conform to the misinformation shapes our democratic culture of inclusivity, must be designed on
ow the critical faculty of people to biases rather than providing the views covertly. participation and cohesion. For how to validate and fil-
analyse and sieve the truth. facts and evidence to filter the instance, when campaigns to get a ter certain information.
truth and reality. Misinformation on social, eco- franchise and increase voter turn- In this era, it becomes easy to
This is true for Zimbabwe and nomic and political matters is out through misinformation are succumb to psyche, emotion and
we are witnessing the Mean Zim- The maximisation of capital a setback to policymaking and practiced, the people vote for the cognitive bias. Policymaking in
babwe Syndrome. Disinforma- over the violent and dreary news national cohesion. The disin- distorted information subduing such an environment becomes
tion in the country from all or- and information is systemati- formation in political parlance their democratic choices freely. difficult and it is the economy
gans is now rampant and indeed cally entrenched in our society causes polarisation and intim- In the long term, the people suc- that bleeds.
a pandemic. The echo chamber- because the shock and crisis can idation to such an extent that cumb to the false interpretations.
ing of information is shaping the generate more media traffic. The people-to-people interactions are *About the writer: Ti-
consciousness of the people as a comments on such news and in- estranged, consequently causing Of concern is that our  educa- nashe Kaduwo is a research-
manipulative tool for the ulterior formation shape our perceptions alienation and social breakdown. er and economist. Contact:
motives of our leaders, public in- about the country and the econ- This is exactly the case in our po- kaduwot@gmail. WhatsApp
stitutions, corporations and inter- omy that ultimately construct a litical landscape. The nation is +263773376128
est groups. dismaying picture of contempo- now divided along tribal and sec-

The autonomy of the gener-
al and personal will is now con-
stantly under the sway of emo-
tional distortion and delusional
interpretations of the leaders and
politicians. The conformational
biases in this post-truth era have
subdued the rational choices of
individuals, affecting the ratio-
nal decision-making mechanisms
based on available heuristics and
intuitional biases.

It is time to sensitise the people
to statistical thinking, synchroni-
sation of the biases with rational
agency, and analysing the infor-
mation with objectivity.

Everywhere in the country,
the trending factor of  “We ” in-
stead of “They” or “Us” instead of
“Them”  and the phenomenon of
polarisation is sowing the seeds
of division and social turmoil. 
This is ultimately undervaluing
our commitment to the mutual
and inclusive culture of democ-
racy and institutional harmony.
Now, with this current rise of
identity politics and the wave of
democratic deficit, the post-truth
and disinformation narratives are
more pronounced in Zimbabwe.

What we are seeing is that nar-
rative building is now an efficient
tool in domestic politics, being
used to synthesise the selective
choices of interest groups or the
opinion-makers rather than pro-
viding the truth and technical
knowledge to leave the decision
choices to the people. The persua-
sive content is based on emotion-
al appeal. Just check the content
on Twitter handles of political
leaders and their proxies across
the political divide. The conse-

Companies & Markets NewsHawks

Issue 76, 15 April 2022
BusinessPage26
MATTERSNewsHawks

MARKETS CURRENCIES LAST CHANGE %CHANGE COMMODITIES LAST CHANGE %CHANGE
USD/JPY
GBP/USD 109.29 +0.38 +0.35 *OIL 63.47 -1.54 -2.37
USD/CAD
USD/CHF 1.38 -0.014 -0.997 *GOLD 1,769.5 +1.2 +0.068
AUD/USD
1.229 +0.001 +0.07 *SILVER 25.94 -0.145 -0.56

0.913 +0.005 +0.53 *PLATINUM 1,201.6 +4 +0.33

0.771 -0.006 -0.76 *COPPER 4.458 -0.029 -0.65

BERNARD MPOFU OK Zim groans under the
money transfer tax burden
RETAIL chain OK Zimbabwe, says it has ap-
proached the country’s tax agency to review as of December 2021 compared to ZW$8.6 downs which restricted business activity. collected in 2019 to ZW$463.57 billion col-
the 2% Intermediated Money Transfer Tax billion recorded during the previous year as According to the Zimbabwe Revenue Au- lected in 2021. The nominal growth in reve-
(IMTT), saying the current threshold is a huge companies and individuals battled economic nue collected mirrors growth in gross domestic
burden to the business. headwinds triggered by Covid-19 induced lock- thority's annual report, net revenue collected product and inflation.
grew in nominal terms from ZW$23.19 billion
According to the company’s annual report
for 2021 which was released this week, OK
Zimbabwe this year paid over

ZW$1 billion in IMTT out of its total tax
obligation of ZW$3.4 billion paid to date as
the tax head surpassed corporate tax for the first
time in three years.

Experts say apart from the weakening do-
mestic currency currently pushing prices, the
country’s multiple layers of tax are also infla-
tionary. IMTT is now applied to all transac-
tions, even on formal businesses that also pay
corporate tax.

Local businesses are battling low aggregate
demand due to a weakening Zimbabwe dollar,
rising inflation and prolonged power outages.

“OK Zimbabwe seeks active real-time en-
gagement with tax authorities on issues re-
quiring clarity. The group chief finance officer
communicates with the Zimbabwe Revenue
Authority (Zimra) regarding all tax matters.
When governments look to develop or change
tax policy, they invariably seek input from a
wide range of interested stakeholders, including
business advocacy groups and a large number of
individual companies,” reads the annual report.

“OK Zimbabwe, through its retail associa-
tion and its tax consultants, engages with the
government of Zimbabwe to provide perspec-
tive on how best to balance the need for govern-
ment revenues from taxation against the need to
ensure sustainable business continuity. In that
respect the group is engaging the authorities to
review the thresholds/mechanics of the IMTT
tax, as the tax in the current format negatively
impacts viability of formal businesses.

“We are operating in a highly volatile trading
environment and we have been closely on the
watch for any changes in tax legislation to avoid
any noncompliance issues. Tax consultants and
auditors reviewed our tax position, policies
and computations and provided feedback on
whether the processes are sufficient and if fur-
ther action was to be taken.”

The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority says it
was owed ZW$33.2 billion in unpaid taxes

BERNARD MPOFU Downward risks weigh down industry

A LOCAL research unit says Zimbabwe’s man- Zimbabwe’s energy sector, which is expected in the general economy. To add to the sector’s “ARS, however, foresees a negative impact on
ufacturing sector is expected to register 4.5% to drive manufacturing sector performance, has injuries was the action by the central bank to in- local industry productivity as locally produced
growth compared to a government projection of been facing a series of challenges such as lack of crease the bank policy rate from 80% to 200% goods are likely to lose shelf space to foreign
5.5% as downside risks outweigh the upside. maintenance and repairs, and low investments in per annum and from 50% to 100% per annum products, and jobs in the manufacturing sector
new power-generating infrastructure. Zimbabwe for medium-term accommodation. The increase will come under threat as sales volumes drop,”
The resuscitation of the manufacturing sector is experiencing rolling power outages which are in the cost of borrowing will disadvantage com- the report reads.
has remained one of the key priorities of the gov- lasting up to 15 hours in some areas. panies that need access to working capital for
ernment as evidenced by the allocation of foreign productive purposes and this deters economic “All these factors put together point towards a
currency on the auction system and supply-side “Of late, fuel, which is the next best alterna- growth.” downward path as it is likely to net off capacity
policies in place to support the sector growth. tive to power, has become relatively expensive utilisation in 2022 going forward.
in Zimbabwe and this has increased the sector’s The government also announced the suspen-
The sector is forecasted to grow by 5.5% in cost of production,” ARS says in its second-quar- sion of duty on imports of selected basic com- ARS projects a lower sector growth of 4.5%
2022 slightly lower than the 6.20% estimated ter research note titled "Hard Landing". modities such as rice, flour, and cooking oil for in 2022 and we recommend the government
for 2021. six months starting in May 2022, a policy shift should extend more fiscal measures such as cut-
“On the other hand, higher-than-expected which market watchers say will hurt the local ting tax on fuel and household incomes to lessen
Akribos Research Services (ARS) says down- inflation has also eroded household disposable manufacturing sector and retailers. the burden on both the sector and consumers
side risks such as supply chain disruptions, errat- incomes, negatively affecting aggregate demand respectively.”
ic power supply, exchange rate depreciation, and
lack of modern equipment and machinery could
render the sector uncompetitive in the region in
2022 going forward.

NewsHawks Companies & Markets Page 31

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Zimplats commits US$1m to exploration

BERNARD MPOFU

THE local unit of South Africa-headquartered
Impala Platinum says it will spend over US$1
million on exploration as the company seeks to
increase output.

Zimbabwe has one of the largest known plat-
inum reserves in the world alongside neighbour-
ing South Africa and Russia.

The white metal is mainly used in the auto-
motive industry for manufacturing catalytic
converters which are vital in reducing carbon
emissions.

In its trading update for the quarter ending
30 June, Zimplats Holdings Limited (Zimplats)
said mined tonnage increased by 9% quar-
ter-on-quarter and 4% year-on-year following
the full recovery of Mupfuti Mine from the ef-
fects of lower trackless mining equipment avail-
ability.

Milled tonnes increased by 4% from 1 706
671 tonnes to 1 769 270 tonnes compared to
the prior quarter due to an increase in the num-
ber of operating days and improvement in the
milling rate.

“A total of US$0.5 million was spent on ex-
ploration projects, with a further US$0.7 mil-
lion committed as at 30 June 2022,” Zimplats
says.

“Exploration activities included mineral re-
source evaluation, comprising approximately
2 190 metres of surface diamond drilling over
existing projects on the two mining leases. Ex-
ploration activities increased geological and ge-
otechnical confidence in production schedules.

“The development of Mupani Mine and
upgrade of Bimha Mine to replace Rukodzi,
Ngwarati, and Mupfuti mines, which will be
depleted in FY [full-year] 2022, FY2025, and
FY2028 respectively, progressed well during the
quarter.”

The company says a total of US$228 mil-
lion had been spent on the project to date and
US$81 million had been committed against a
project budget of US$468 million. The Third
Concentrator Plant which will increase milling
capacity by 0.9 million tonnes per year (equiva-
lent to about 80 000 6E ounces) is on course for
commissioning in August 2022.

“Cumulative project expenditure as at the
end of the quarter amounted to US$79 million
with US$14 million committed against a project
budget of US$94 million. Implementation of
the US$521 million smelter expansion and SO2
abatement plant project which commenced in
the previous quarter is on course,” the company
says.

The project consists of the construction of a
38-megawatt (MW) furnace and establishment
of an acid plant for the abatement of sulphur
dioxide generated by the smelter operations. A
total of US$19 million had been spent on the
project and US$218 million committed as at the
end of the quarter.

Procurement processes for the US$37 million
Phase 1 implementation of the 185MW solar
project, the company said, commenced during
the quarter under review. Phase 1 is a 35MW
plant at Selous Metallurgical Complex scheduled
for completion in FY2024. Overall, the project
has four implementation phases, with the last
phase scheduled for completion in FY2027 at a
total project cost estimate of US$201 million.

AFRICAN DISTILLERS says revenue for the African Distillers revenue up 57%
first quarter ending June was up 57% despite
the weakening of the Zimbabwe dollar as so- uct supply into the market and increased out- tion. company whose core business is the manufac-
cial and recreational activities increased fol- door activities as the Covid-19 restrictions “Revenue for the quarter grew by 57% in ture, distribution and marketing of branded
lowing the easing of Covid-19 regulations. were relaxed,” a statement accompanying the wines, spirits, liqueurs and ciders for the Zim-
Q1 trading update reads. inflation-adjusted terms over last year, whilst babwean market.
The trading environment for the quarter un- historic terms grew by 285%. Revenue growth
der review was challenging due to the depreci- “Wine volume grew by 30% over the pri- in both financial reporting sets was due to im- The company was established in 1944 and
ation of the local currency and rising inflation or year mainly driven by 4th Street wine im- proved demand and inflation related adjust- its activities originally centred around the sale
which exerted pressure on the company’s pric- proved availability and affordability following ments.” and distribution of imported spirits, liquors
ing. the commissioning of the brand’s local pro- and wines. Local production of a range of spir-
duction . Spirits and Ready-to-Drink volumes Going forward, the company says rising its commenced in 1946 and African Distillers
The company changed its financial year in grew 23% and 12% respectively as a result of inflation and rolling power cuts will have an Limited became a public quoted company in
2021 from June 30 to March 31 to align with strong demand and increased market penetra- impact on the business. 1951. — STAFF WRITER
Delta Group which had acquired additional
shareholding, resulting in it being a subsidiary. African Distillers Limited is a public quoted

“The company registered a volume growth
of 18% for the quarter compared to the same
prior period, benefiting from improved prod-

Page 34 Companies & Markets NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Mobile operators register
inbound calls decline

Potraz

BERNARD MPOFU share of mobile voice traffic in the period under Econet is the only fic from 25,902 terabytes recorded in the fourth
review. Telecel lost voice traffic market share by mobile network to re- quarter of 2021. The decline in internet and data
ZIMBABWE’S mobile network operators raked 0.2%, whereas NetOne and Econet gained 1%, cord growth in active traffic was experienced across all the three mobile
in less foreign currency during the first three individually.” networks.
months of the year after inbound calls into the subscriptions.
country registered an 8.5% decline while out- Total SMS traffic declined by 12.7% to record “Person-to-Person (P2P) traffic has been “The decline in internet and data traffic may
bound calls surged, a new report by the telecoms 2.4 billion messages in the first quarter of 2022, declining due to the proliferation of over-the- be attributable to declined data affordability be-
regulator has shown. from 2.8 billion messages recorded in the fourth top services, such as WhatsApp and Telegram, cause of declining disposable incomes,” the re-
quarter of 2021, the report reads. amongst others, offering cheaper and more con- port reads.
As the country faces an economic implosion venient messaging alternatives,” the report reads.
worsened by the plunge of the Zimbabwe dollar, A total of 22,052 terabytes of mobile internet
inbound calls have emerged as a source of reve- and data were consumed in the first quarter of
nue for telecoms firms as the calling party pays 2022. This represents a 14.9 % decline in traf-
for calls placed via cellphone.

According to the Postal and Telecommunica-
tions Regulatory Authority (Potraz) first-quarter
sector performance report, international incom-
ing traffic declined by 8.5%, whereas interna-
tional outgoing traffic increased by 24.6%.

“This may be attributable to uncompetitive
tariffs, where it is now cheaper for residents to
call outside the country, than for foreign resi-
dents to make calls into the country. This results
in a decline in foreign currency earnings from
international voice traffic after settlement, the
report reads.

Econet, according to Potraz, was the only mo-
bile network to record growth in active subscrip-
tions (1.1%), with NetOne and Telecel recording
declines of 1.1% and 5% respectively. For Ne-
tOne, this is the first quarter over the past

year to record a decline in active subscriptions.
Telecel`s active subscriber base has been consis-
tently declining.

“A total of 1.77 billion minutes of voice traffic
were recorded in the first quarter of 2022. This
represents a 2.3% decline, from 1.81 billion
minutes recorded in the previous quarter,” the
report says.

“This is a consecutive quarter to record a de-
cline in total mobile voice traffic; however, the
margin of decline (-2.3%) is much lower than
that recorded in the previous quarter (-14.3%).
Inbound roaming recorded the biggest decline
of 16.2%. Roaming traffic usually peaks during
the festive season, due to increased cross-border
travel, and then declines thereafter. This partly
explains the huge decline in both inbound and
outbound roaming traffic in the first quarter of
2022.

“The trend of declining international incom-
ing and outgoing voice traffic continued into the
quarter under review. This is partly attributable
to the proliferation of over-the-top services.

“There was no major change in the market

NewsHawks Companies & Markets Page 33

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Geo-political turmoil jolts African economies

BERNARD MPOFU World Bank country manager for Zimbabwe Marjorie Musonda Mpundu

THE World Bank says while Zimbabwe remains payments amounting to US$100 000 to each of ity challenges, as reflected by low debt service ra- for debt restructuring.
the only country in Africa in arrears with the mul- the 16 Paris Club bilateral creditors in September tios (actual debt service to revenue and exports), According to the latest arrears and debt man-
tilateral lender, several African countries may soon 2021, as a sign of its commitment to the engage- while at the same time accumulating arrears. Ex-
default on repayments to the international finan- ment and re-engagement process with the inter- perts say, looking ahead, the country will face sim- agement strategy, Zimbabwe is pursuing both the
cial institution due to economic shocks caused by national community. The country is also facing ilar challenges in debt servicing which requires on HIPC model and seeking bridge financing to si-
the outbreak of Covid-19 and Russia’s invasion of serious debt service capacity challenges — liquid- average US$140 million annually, hence the need multaneously pay off its arrears with the World
Ukraine. Bank and African Development Bank.

Zimbabwe, currently ineligible to access loans
from the World Bank Group, owes the Bretton
Woods institution nearly US$1.5 billion and has
been arrears since the turn of the millennium.
The debt-ridden government now relies on do-
mestic resources such as taxes, debt instruments
and expensive loans to finance some of its capital
projects.

Official figures show that World Bank Group
assistance to Zimbabwe totalled US$1.6 billion
between 1980 and 2000. Direct lending was sus-
pended due to non-payment of arrears.

However, the World Bank remains fully en-
gaged through trust funds such as the Zimbabwe
Reconstruction Fund (Zimref) and the Global
Financing Facility.

Marjorie Musonda Mpundu, World Bank
country manager for Zimbabwe, said several
countries on the continent will feel the ripple ef-
fects of global geo-political developments.

“This number will keep on increasing until
payment is made,” Mpundu said.

“Just note that Zimbabwe is not the only coun-
try that has been in arrears to the bank . . . Soma-
lia is clearing its arrears now, finalising the High-
ly Indebted Poor Country process maybe next
year and then Sudan started its arrears clearance
in 2020. So they have started clearing. So Zim-
babwe is the only one in Africa now remaining.
Given the global shocks that are happening and
also some shocks in some countries, there will be
a few countries that will be in arrears and will join
Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is not an outlier; there are
few countries that are in that position.”

Experts say the country is expected to remain
in debt distress in the absence of a comprehen-
sive arrears clearance strategy aimed at debt sus-
tainability in the post-Covid-19 pandemic era,
sustained economic recovery and growth. Offi-
cial figures show that Zimbabwe registered 6%
growth in 2021 after enduring two successive
years of economic contraction.

Official figures from Treasury show that the
country remains in debt distress, with an unsus-
tainable Public and Publicly Guaranteed (PPG)
external debt overhang amounting to US$14.4
billion as at the end of December 2021.

The country has been unable to meet its debt
servicing obligations and has, therefore, been
accumulating external debt arrears since 2000,
which are now estimated at US$6.6 billion as at
the end of December 2021.

PPG external debt owed to the multilater-
al creditors, as at the end of December 2021,
amounted to US$2.7 billion, of which US$1.5
billion is owed to the World Bank Group,
US$711 million to the African Development
Bank, US$358 million to the European Invest-
ment Bank, and US$66 million to other multi-
lateral creditors.

On the other hand, bilateral PPG external debt
as at the end of December 2021 amounted to
US$5.6 billion, with US$3.9 billion owed to the
Paris Club creditors and US$1.8 billion owed to
Non-Paris Club creditors.

Arrears, according to the latest Treasury statis-
tics, remain a major challenge to the economy,
constituting more than 77% of total external
debt. Almost all external debt owed to multilat-
eral development financial institutions is now in
arrears, (World Bank Group, US$1.4 billion or
88%, African Development Bank, US$681 mil-
lion or 95% and European Investment Bank,
US$344 million or 95%).

As part of re-engagement with internation-
al financial institutions and other creditors, the
government in March 2021 resumed making
quarterly token payments to the multilateral de-
velopment banks, the World Bank (US$1 mil-
lion), the African Development Bank Group
(US$500 000) and the European Investment
Bank (US$100 000).

Treasury also began making quarterly token

Page 34 Companies & Markets NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

THE ZIMBABWE WOMEN IN

PRODUCTION AGRIBUSINESSFeeding the nation, building the economy

CONFERENCE

Simelane Mlilwane Simon Pande Tatenda Machirori Tryphina Dube Nomhle Mliswa
(AMA) Thakaza
(Ministry of Labor) (Zimtrade) (Summerhill Farm)
The formalities in (Value Chain Specialist)
Formalizing from Local & Export Overview of current Good quality
informal to formal Opportunities. goat export market Understanding Goat Production.
goat production. the Goat value
opportunities. chain production.

Dr Lawrence Michelle Gwatimba Nyasha Cris Kadram Eng.Mhonda Sibanda
Dinginya Madzvamuse
(Tzoro Farm) (Kadram Livestock) (Crisper Body Solutions)
(VET Department) (Credsure Insurance)
Women in Goat Health and Goat value addition
Goat Breeding livestock farming Livestock Insurance. Maintenance. in cosmetics.
and Nutrition.

05 AUG 2022

Zimbabwe Agric Show Ground (ZAS)

(ROBBIE MUPAWOSE HALL)

Tatenda Katai Patience FOR MORE INFO CONTACT
Chakuvinga
(Prestige Leathers)
(Empower Bank)
Women in
livestock farming Understanding Financial
Management in the
Goat Production SHAMISO NOMHLE
Value Chain.

+263 775 988 199 +263 772 393 691
+263 713 687 141 +263 712 149 054

NewsHawks Stock Taking Page 35

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Zimbabwe Stock Exchange Pricelist

`

29 July, 2022

Market Cap ($mn) 2,125,079.34 -0.16% Top 5 Gainers 9.09% Top 5 Losers -9.48% Value Leaders ($) 239,988,200 Top 5 Gainers YTD 500.00%
All Share Index 16,594.91 -0.11% Nampak 2.88% Masimba -7.06% Turnall 124,865,600 Zeco 300.76%
Top 10 Index 10,265.73 0.76% FML 2.37% DZLH -4.29% Delta 99,438,470 CFI 204.82%
Value Traded ($) -71.18% OK Zimbabw e 1.23% FCB -2.77% Econet 14,381,460 FCB 185.60%
Interbank rate (USD/ZWL) 497,612,852.00 1.09% FBC 1.22% Turnall -2.35% Simbisa NMB 175.00%
443.8823 Axia GB Holdings CBZ 4,441,500 RioZim
Market Cap (US$mn) -0.16%
YTD Movement (%) 4,787.4838 -60.74%

Bloomberg Opening LTP Closing Price Previous Volume traded Value traded Shares In Market Cap Market Cap Price Change Price Change

Ticker (RTGSc) (RTGSc) (RTGSc) Change (%) Price (RTGSc) (shares) (RTGS$) Issue (mn's) (RTGS$ mn's) (US$ mn's) RTGS YTD (%) US$ YTD (%)
33,295.00 - 33,295.00 - 33,295.00 - - 119.49 39,785.70 89.63 166.36% -34.79%
Afdis AFDIS: ZH 1,441.82 1,420.00 1,441.82 20,213.94 45.54 121.09% -45.87%
1,420.00 -1.51% 217.73 1,200.00 17,040.00 1,423.52 3,580.27 8.07 -40.89% -85.53%
African Sun ASUN: ZH 217.73 220.00 220.00 1.04% 1,700.00 95,000.00 209,000.00 1,627.40 7,428.62 16.74 62.68% -60.17%
1,700.00 - 1,700.00 7,897.30 44,135.36 99.43 166.00% -34.88%
Ariston ARISTON: ZH 7,897.30 7,993.36 - 1,900.00 - - 436.98 57,755.53 130.11 -45.71% -86.71%
1,900.00 7,995.00 1,900.00 1.22% 2,600.00 11,600.00 927,230.00 552.15 34.42 0.08 14.71% -71.92%
Art ARTD: ZH 2,600.00 - 2,600.00 242,857.14 3,039.76 50,109.97 112.89 -24.13% -81.43%
242,857.14 - 242,857.14 - - - - 0.00 0.00 - -
Axia AXIA: ZH SUSPENDED - - 22,100.00 - - 1.32 1,930.46 4.35 30.00% -68.17%
22,100.00 - - - 13,500.00 - - 20.63 70,559.30 158.96 79.60% -56.03%
Bridgerfort MMDZ: ZH 13,500.00 - 22,100.00 - 37,500.00 - - 42.94 39,765.33 89.59 300.76% -1.89%
37,500.00 13,500.00 - 26,529.77 - - 8.74 345,306.84 777.92 62.90% -60.12%
Bridgerfort Class B 26,529.77 13,500.00 37,500.00 - 3,265.00 32,900.00 4,441,500.00 522.66 10,863.32 24.47 -13.30% -78.78%
3,265.00 - 26,477.02 - 4,994.93 - - 106.04 129,528.86 291.81 22.99% -69.89%
BAT BAT: ZH 4,994.93 3,034.44 -0.20% 15,787.09 471,600.00 124,865,600.00 1304.18 407,470.82 917.97 85.05% -54.70%
15,787.09 26,000.00 5,000.00 -7.06% 624.72 900.00 27,310.00 358.00 3,782.59 8.52 43.91% -64.77%
Border BRDR: ZH 3,005.00 15,728.96 0.10% 6,500.00 11,700.00 585,000.00 2590.58 44,214.31 99.61 94.37% -52.42%
624.72 5,000.00 -0.37% 2,200.00 632,200.00 99,438,470.00 2590.58 2,396.31 5.40 39.37% -65.88%
Cafca CAFCA: ZH 6,500.00 15,690.00 626.00 0.20% 1,100.00 2,200.00 13,772.00 604.25 22,739.83 51.23 204.82% -25.38%
2,200.00 6,580.00 1.23% 1,691.36 1,000.00 65,800.00 671.95 12,008.49 27.05 -13.00% -78.70%
CBZ CBZ: ZH 1,100.00 626.00 2,200.00 - 1,019.78 4,200.00 92,400.00 108.92 12,626.48 28.45 30.74% -67.99%
1,691.36 6,580.00 1,052.86 -4.29% 156.80 700.00 7,370.00 2159.81 821.57 1.85 -33.29% -83.67%
CFI CFI: ZH 1,019.78 2,200.00 1,740.00 2.88% 1,500.00 500.00 8,700.00 690.14 17,446.78 39.30 150.00% -38.80%
1,100.00 1,019.78 - 24,704.82 - - 1,238.16 47,685.38 107.43 -11.77% -78.40%
Delta DLTA: ZH 156.80 1,700.00 -2.35% 29,906.33 900.00 1,378.00 536.59 170,941.45 385.11 84.71% -54.78%
1,500.00 153.11 - 12,030.00 - - 1,163.12 9,624.00 21.68 50.38% -63.19%
Dairibord DZL: ZH 24,704.82 - 1,500.00 - 500.31 - - 193.02 9,295.37 20.94 54.10% -62.28%
29,906.33 150.00 24,704.82 0.30% 4,800.00 10,200.00 3,059,615.00 569.88 10,499.85 23.65 -21.00% -80.66%
Ecocash EHZL:ZH 12,030.00 29,996.23 - 10,700.00 - - 80.00 27,033.13 60.90 -14.47% -79.06%
- 12,030.00 -0.06% 1,100.00 56,500.00 282,500.00 1,859.07 9,067.78 20.43 7.56% -73.67%
Econet*** ECO: ZH 500.31 - -9.48% 175,000.00 500.00 21,725.00 241.65 119,700.19 269.67 27.31% -68.83%
4,800.00 29,995.00 500.00 - 2,300.00 30,400.00 3,252,800.00 252.65 9,295.95 20.94 185.60% -30.08%
Edgars EDGR: ZH 10,700.00 - 4,345.00 9.09% 1,025.00 14,500.00 174,000.00 755.65 2,602.19 5.86 62.70% -60.17%
1,100.00 500.00 10,700.00 - 2,925.77 - - 68.40 38,513.91 86.77 9.13% -73.28%
FBC FBC: ZH 175,000.00 4,345.00 1,200.00 - 8,199.06 400.00 9,200.00 404.17 5,425.19 12.22 0.00% -75.52%
2,300.00 10,700.00 175,000.00 - 795.00 - - 253.87 294.84 0.66 0.00% -75.52%
Fidelity Life FIDL: ZH 1,025.00 1,200.00 2,300.00 2.37% 2,413.27 108,900.00 3,261,700.00 1,285.88 6,050.06 13.63 -17.19% -79.73%
2,925.77 - 1,025.00 - 940.00 - - 66.17 23,457.66 52.85 20.51% -70.50%
FCB FCB: ZH 8,199.06 2,300.00 2,995.13 - 9,005.00 - - 37.09 22,261.76 50.15 -14.69% -79.12%
- 8,199.06 -0.49% 21,950.92 10,500.00 252,150.00 251.94 123,059.95 277.24 143.22% -40.46%
First Mutual FMLH: ZH 795.00 3,000.00 - 163.38 - - 2,495.50 7,563.47 17.04 38.45% -66.11%
2,413.27 SUSP 795.00 0.01% 15,187.50 18,000.00 1,620,985.00 247.20 39,681.82 89.40 126.83% -53.49%
First Mutual Properties FMP: ZH SUSP 2,401.43 -0.28% 220.00 65,700.00 14,381,460.00 562.18 844.95 1.90 10.00% -73.07%
940.00 2,400.00 -1.82% 10,000.00 101,600.00 162,975.00 4,715.08 35,710.24 80.45 42.51% -65.11%
GB Holdings GBH: ZH 9,005.00 - 940.00 0.08% 470.00 2,300.00 349,600.00 261.06 2,253.19 5.08 11.43% -72.72%
21,950.92 9,005.00 9,005.47 - 4,350.00 - - 384.07 4,631.63 10.43 45.16% -64.46%
GetBucks GBFS: ZH 21,800.00 21,889.59 - 252.36 - - 357.10 4,489.45 10.11 -18.41% -80.03%
163.38 165.00 -2.77% 12,400.00 52,513,800.00 239,988,200.00 493.04 21,373.26 48.15 58.44% -61.21%
Hippo HIPO: ZH 15,187.50 15,200.00 160.41 - 2.88 - - 106.47 13.34 0.03 500.00% 46.88%
- 15,200.00 0.06% 362.00 4,400.00 11,110.00 1,778.00 6,581.95 14.83 -3.74% -76.44%
Innscor INN: ZH 220.00 - -1.61% 459.18 100.00 12,200.00 175.19 2,644.88 5.96 57.79% -61.37%
10,000.00 457.00 220.00 - 1,907.43 - - 463.34 6,547.03 14.75 -19.49% -80.29%
Lafarge LACZ: ZH - 10,000.00 - 100.00 362.00 1,818.22 7.14 0.02 - -
470.00 252.50 - 11,005.00 - - 576.00 13,423.24 30.24 175.00% -32.68%
Mash MASH: ZH 4,350.00 12,200.00 457.00 -0.39% 300.00 5,700.00 344.58
- 4,350.00 - - - 167.89
Masimba MSHL: ZH 252.36 362.00 -0.05% 600.00 66,000.00 122.03
12,400.00 - 252.50
Meikles MEIK: ZH 1,900.00 12,200.00
2.88 -
Nampak NPKZ: ZH 362.00 11,000.00 2.88
459.18 362.00
Natfoods NTFD: ZH 1,907.43 459.18
SUSPENDED 1,900.00
NMB NMB: ZH 11,005.00
4.25
NTS NTS: ZH 11,000.00

OK Zimbabwe OKZ: ZH

Old Mutual OMU: ZH

PPC PPC: ZH

Proplastics PROL: ZH

RTG RTG: ZH

Seedco SEED: ZH

Simbisa SIM: ZH

Star Africa SACL: ZH

Tanganda TANG:ZH

Truworths TRUW: ZH

TSL TSL: ZH

Turnall TURN: ZH

Unifreight UNIF: ZH

Willdale WILD: ZH

ZBFH ZBFH: ZH

Zeco ZECO: ZH

ZHL ZHL: ZH

Zimpapers ZIMP: ZH

Zimplow Holdings ZIMPLOW: ZH

Hw ange HCCL: ZH

RioZim RIOZ: ZH

Econet shares in issue include Class A Shares

Exchange Traded Funds Opening LTP Closing Price Change Previous Price Volume traded Value traded Market Cap Market Cap Price Change Price Change
(RTGSc) (RTGSc) (RTGSc) (%) (RTGSc) (RTGS$) (RTGS$ mn's) (US$ mn's) RTGS YTD (%) US$ YTD (%)
Cass Saddle Agriculture ETF 150.00 150.00 155.75 150.00 48,434.00 39.26%
Datvest Modified Consumer Staples ETF 160.03 160.00 161.39 3.83% 160.03 21,490.00 75,434.00 - - 55.75% -53.65%
Morgan&Co Made in Zimbabwe 0.85% 9,745.00 34,682.60 109.79 0.25 61.39%
Morgan&Co Multi Sector 124.74 125.00 124.97 124.74 24.97%
OM ZSETop-10 ETF 2,756.37 - 2,756.37 0.18% 2,756.37 - 12,176.00 3,076.76 6.93 24.97% -32.52%
0.00% 218,843.00 - 3,471.04 7.82 175.64%
849.62 723.00 763.44 849.62 -57.89%
-10.14% 1,670,739.00 610.75 1.38 71.99%

* The complete list of ZSE Indices can be obtained from the ZSE website: www.zse.co.zw

Property
NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022 PROPERTY INTERIORS ARCHITECTURE GARDENING Page 36

The home of prime property: [email protected]

Beitbridge Border Post upgrade underway

Work on the new Beitbridge Border Post is going on schedule. — Pictures: Aaron Ufumeli

NewsHawks News Analysis Page 37

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

NYASHA CHINGONO Mnangagwa remains mute amid
damaging criminal accusations
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangag-
wa should address the nation on the due legal process — till the interna- Chiwenga is currently mired in an unresolved Zanu PF leadership issue President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
sensational rape allegations levelled tional reaction reaches fever pitch.” abuse storm involving his former wife has been raging since the coup. Chan said.
against him by controversial young Marry Mubaiwa. Mohadi’s resigna-
Zimbabwean woman Susan Mutami, The explosive revelations do not tion set a precedent. The silence in Parliament on this Zimbabwe is a state party to vari-
who is based in Australia, analysts say. end with Mnangagwa: Mutami salient issue is also deafening, analysts ous regional and international instru-
makes further allegations of sexual Given the precedent set by former said. ments that are relevant to sexual and
Neither Mnangagwa nor his office abuse by Mnangagwa and his trusted state co-vice-president Mohadi, who gender-based violence. In terms of in-
have come out to address the damn- political ally Owen “Mudha” Ncube, was forced to resign amid a sex scan- “The allegations are severe, not ternational law, Zimbabwe is obliged
ing allegations, choosing instead to whom she also says preyed on her dal involving several women last year, least against a head of state. The polit- to reform statutes, policies and ad-
engage a business-as-usual approach. each time the President had finished Mnangagwa, who stands accused of ical ramifications thereof are self-ev- ministrative processes to prevent sex-
with her. rape, is under pressure to address the ident already. I'm not sure about a ual crimes, including rape.
Mutami, who has had dealings sensational allegations against him. constitutional crisis, given the silence
with high-level Zanu PF, govern- This creates a web of sleazy and sor- on the part of those who would be ex- International human rights bod-
ment and military officials, last week did allegations of sexual exploitation Mnangagwa is going to Zanu PF's pected to react in such circumstanc- ies have clarified that in determining
dropped a bombshell by accusing and abuse against a poor and vulnera- elective congress desperate to ward off es,” Mandaza said. whether an act amounts to rape the
Mnangagwa of raping and repeatedly ble minor by powerful Zanu PF lead- an undeclared challenge by Chiwenga most important aspect is the lack of
abusing her as a minor at only 15. ers painted as sexual predators. who, behind the scenes, is fighting to While in other jurisdictions such consent of the victim and whether
be the party’s presidential candidate rape allegations could attract the im- consent may have been vitiated by
Her Twitter Spaces monologue at- Mnangagwa is not the only one in the 2023 general election. peachment of a president, it remains circumstances in which it took place.
tracted 13 000 listeners. to be involved in a sex scandal in the to be seen whether Mutami will prove
Zanu PF presidium. Mnangagwa and Chiwenga been her case. The rape allegations are injurious
Mutami has reported Mnangagwa fighting for political power and su- to Mnangagwa’s reputation which
to police in the eastern coastal city of Zanu PF co-deputy leader Kembo premacy ever since they removed the “These are rape allegations yet no has been under scrutiny since 2017.
Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. Mohadi was last year forced to resign late former president Robert Mugabe judicial ruling on the veracity. There Proven or not, this is likely to further
as state vice-president over a sex es- in 2017. Their power struggle over an are no grounds for impeachment at cripple Zimbabwe's international
While this remains a serious alle- capade. Vice-President Constantino this stage,” political analyst Stephen diplomatic re-engagement efforts.
gation against the head of state, the
presidency has remained mum on the
issue.

Instead, Zimbabweans got was a
cheeky response from deputy chief
secretary in the Office of the Presi-
dent and Cabinet, George Charam-
ba, who said: “We do not deal with
rumours at the President’s office. I
have nothing more to hide.”

It is apparent that Mutami’s alle-
gations are not being treated with
urgency.

Asked if he was not concerned that
the audience of Mutami’s Twitter
Spaces session attracted a huge audi-
ence and the nation needed to know,
in the public interest, if Mnangagwa
was a sex predator, Charamba blurt-
ed out in a fit of rage: “You see, I am
done with you. I said we do not deal
with rumours. No, no, no. That is it.
What more do you want?”

A comprehensive official response
from the presidency revealing the na-
ture of the relationship Mnangagwa
had with Mutami would clear the air
and restore confidence in his office.

It would also do well for the Pres-
ident’s public standing, which has all
but waned since the military coup
which catapulted him to power in
2017.

Although the President’s private
sexual life remains his business, rape
allegations against a minor can only
harm his stature as the head of state
and someone seeking another term in
2023.

Even though the rape allegations
are not entirely new, last Friday’s
Twitter Spaces revelation provided
graphic detail.

Former President Robert Mugabe
tried to end Mnangagwa’s career in
a related way, amid various similar
and yet more horrific allegations just
before the 2017 coup. Former po-
lice commissioner-general Augustine
Chihuri had prepared files on Mnan-
gagwa's alleged criminal activities for
which he was supposed to be arrested.
However, Mnangagwa rode on the
coup, averting any plans of arrest.

Political analyst Ibbo Mnandaza
said:   “In a normal country, there
would at least have been a reaction at
the helm of the state instead of lame
denials in the face of such serious al-
legations.

“But in Zimbabwe, that’s wishful
thinking to expect the obvious in
such a situation. It will be business as
usual — not resignation or stepping
aside to allow due investigation and

Page 38 Critical Thinking NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Inflation is spiking in Zimbabwe (again).
Why high interest rates aren’t the answer

JONATHAN MUNEMO

THE Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has ranged between 10% and 20%. The Instead, this move sparked  wide- minister of finance include re-intro- celerating prices. This raises the risk
raised its benchmark rate from 80% situation radically changed in the spread shortages of products and duction of the US dollar, which will that the economy could descend into
to a fresh record of 200%. This in- 1990s when the economy slumped promoted an underground econo- be used along with the Zimbabwe a recession.
crease comes as Russia’s invasion of after the government introduced  a my  where price controls were not dollar. This is the second time the
Ukraine is driving global commodity land reform programme. enforced. government has taken this step. The Better options
prices higher, exacerbating inflation first was in 2009, when the Zimba- The fundamental and longstanding
in many countries around the world, This was meant to redistribute The first episode of hyperinflation bwe dollar was  abandoned  after its drivers of inflationary pressures in
including Zimbabwe. land from the white minority (which ended in 2009 when the government value had collapsed following the Zimbabwe are lax monetary policy
owned most of the country’s fertile decided to replace the worthless first bout of hyperinflation. and de-anchored inflation expecta-
Finance minister Mthuli Ncube’s agricultural land) to the majority Zimbabwe dollar with the US dol- tions, not the war in Ukraine, which
thinking is that aggressive tightening black Zimbabweans who had been lar. This move quelled inflation until In addition, the central bank is currently receiving the most atten-
of monetary policy is necessary to disenfranchised under the colonial 2018, when a new local currency was will introduce gold coins, which will tion from policy makers.
counter these inflationary pressures. period. But the programme was introduced. serve as a store of value and can also
There has been a rise in the prices poorly implemented and benefited be used as collateral and to conduct The central bank should therefore
of imported food, fuel, fertiliser and mostly  senior government officials This new currency soon set off a transactions.  focus more on tackling the underly-
other essential commodities. and people closely connected to second episode of hyperinflation. ing drivers of inflation.
them. Confidence in the Zimbabwe dollar By doing so, the central bank is
This is why, according to the min- had been severely dented by the pre- implicitly admitting that the printed To restrain monetary growth, it
ister,  inflation accelerated to 192% The result was a sharp drop in ag- vious episode of hyperinflation and Zimbabwe dollar in circulation has should start by scrapping the Zimba-
in June. ricultural output, which had been an the US dollar continued to be the failed to perform its role as a store of bwe dollar and legalise use of the US
important source of exports, foreign preferred currency to use by house- value and means of exchange. dollar as planned. This would help
In fact, inflation was highly ele- currency and employment. holds and firms, even with the new as the US dollar provides a superior
vated prior to Russia’s invasion of local currency in circulation. The cost of living crisis stoked by store of value and would force the
Ukraine. From 2000, it rapidly in- At the same time tax revenues high inflation has already fuelled nu- government to wean itself off depen-
creased from single digits to  114% plummeted as the economy  con- Additionally, it was feared that the merous strikes by government em- dence on printing money.
in 2004, climbed even higher to hit tracted, prompting the government government would again revert to ployees. Most recently,  teachers and
157% in 2008, and then peaked at to finance higher spending by print- printing money to finance a swelling health workers went on strike to de- Finally, sound and credible central
558% in 2020. ing money. Because this monetary budget deficit. For these reasons, the mand higher pay. bank communication plays a key role
expansion was not accompanied by new Zimbabwe dollar wasn’t popu- in anchoring views that Zimbabwean
There are two longstanding funda- greater economic growth, inflation lar and its purchasing power quickly The prospect that growing labour people have about inflation. This is
mental drivers of inflation in Zimba- quickly accelerated. eroded, setting in motion a steep in- unrest will radiate across other sec- worth noting because Zimbabwe’s
bwe. The first is monetary expansion crease in prices. tors looms large. Therefore, with central bank has not maintained a
that is not supported by economic In the 2000s, the inflation prob- expectations of higher inflation now strong record of keeping inflation
growth. When there is more money lem became so severe that Zimba- Inflation surged to a stagger- firmly entrenched, the central bank’s low and stable for more than a de-
in the economy than goods and ser- bwe was gripped in a bout of hy- ing 255% in 2019, up from a modest aggressive policy tightening will most cade. Trust in the institution is low.
vices that can be purchased with it, perinflation which spurred a sharp 11% in 2018. It further accelerated likely temper demand, while doing
its purchasing power falls and prices weakening of the local currency and in 2020, peaking at 558% that year. little to fix the economy’s enduring — The Conversation.
increase. triggered a de-anchoring of inflation It has come down since then, but has weak production capacity.
expectations. nevertheless remained elevated. *About the writer: Jonathan
The second relates to what Zim- Difficult times If this happens, the more hawkish Munemo is professor of economics
babweans now expect when it comes Initially, the government attempt- New measures announced by the response from the central bank raises at Salisbury University, United
to inflation. Expectations are usually ed to rein in inflation by  imposing the risk of stagflation – the combi- States.
anchored when prices of goods and price controls. without much success. nation of faltering demand and ac-
services are stable over time and con-
sistent with what people expect to
pay for them. In Zimbabwe this is no
longer the case – expectations have
been de-anchored.

This happens when prices signifi-
cantly differ from what people ex-
pect. If they are getting higher, this
can have an inflationary effect by
driving up wages and demand for
goods and services. Higher wages
and demand in turn could push pric-
es even higher, thus making inflation
expectations self-fulfilling.

An example of another country
that was gripped by hyperinflation
and a de-anchoring of expectations
is Venezuela in 2017.

But there are risks to the Zimba-
bwe central bank’s decision to hike
rates too aggressively. Higher rates
could reduce output, while pric-
es continue to rise as in  the 1970s.
These conditions are referred to as
stagflation.

This is concerning as growth in
Zimbabwe and other African coun-
tries is already projected to decelerate
in the next few years  due to higher
global inflation, tighter global fi-
nancing conditions, debt distress,
additional supply disruptions and
increased risk of geoeconomic frag-
mentation for the world economy.
The backdrop
After independence in 1980, the
central bank of Zimbabwe managed
to keep prices from running out of
control. During that decade inflation

NewsHawks Critical Thinking Page 39

Issue 91, 29 July 2022 How the market can solve Zim
impeding economic implosion
REJOICE NGWENYA
government must focus on effective — whether grain or mineral — must s. serves. The reason why our dollar is
SINCE the 2005-2008 economic era, policy reform that encourages  indi- be traded in an open, free market to Although their experiments have rejected as worthless is that the RBZ
Zimbabweans have never experienced vidual innovation, individual expres- yield the best value for producers. Let not only failed dismally, it is drench- is exploited for political expediency.
turbulence in their individual, domes- sion, and strong currency. Dominat- the forces of demand and supply dic- ing citizens with intractable poverty.
tic, corporate, and collective lives as ing public media and interfering with tate the value of all commodities. If the Zanu PF is entertaining any Both Ncube and Mangudya are
they do at the moment. judicial independence does not work National policy environment hopes of winning in 2023, Ncube and clueless about how to run a modern
well with the matrix of economic One of the biggest failures of this Mangudya are their defeat agents. No economy. Allowing the Zimbabwean
Yes, we may boast about "high gold growth. government is public policy, especial- economy can function with such dis- dollar to operate parallel with a "bas-
deliveries" and "excellent tobacco ex- National institutions ly monetary policy. Money defines ruptive and impoverishing monetary ket of currencies" will tame inflation.
ports", but critical questions linger: The central government controls hun- everyone’s life. If money is valueless policy. President Emmerson Mnan-
are these economic victories positively dreds of public institutions meant to — if money cannot be saved and gagwa must urgently employ more Zimbabwe, just like Botswana,
affecting the man-in-the-street? Have enhance the quality of life of citizens. loses its essence as a reliable medium competent Zimbabweans to head the needs a free flow of funds with lib-
they enhanced real income or im- It is a Comaliso submission that most of exchange — creates the need for National Treasury and the National eralised forex market not subject to
proved the general standard of living? such entities as public enterprises are a change of government only for the Reserve Bank. partisan state interference. This whole
beyond reform, thus they should be good of the citizens. How is it that af- The Comaliso panacea experiment of a "forex auction" is a
In the past year in Zimbabwe, privatised. The net result is to release ter the 2008 hyperinflationary night- We have already alluded that the total failure. It creates false hope for
runaway inflation fueled by an in- resources into the fiscal system that mare, policymakers have not learned Zimbabwe government is too large a foreign-currency-starved producers
crementally worthless local currency can be diverted to public health and anything? In this day and age, Zimba- burden to its citizens. Our domestic who could benefit more from a lib-
has savaged and completely decimat- infrastructure projects. bwe is subjected to a "multi-currency" and foreign debt is largely attributable eralised stock exchange which is the
ed consumer purchasing power. As environment of bond notes, RTGS, to reckless government expenditure secondary capital market for firms to
living costs escalate, the value of the Moreover, privatisation exempts United States dollars, rand, and an on huge public services, appeasement raise capital.
Zimbabwe dollar depreciated, forcing he central government from unneces- array of other "virtual transaction" projects, and widespread corruption.
citizens to rely on scarce but reliable sary recurrent expenditure and costly currencies. Failure to adhere to the rule of law Yes, they may have "brought in mil-
US dollars. subsidies. The central government and widespread violation of private lions" in investment, but how many
has heavily invested in grain, power, Comaliso likens monetary policy property rights extinguishes opportu- billions are they exporting? Why does
Food, rental, transport, medical and transport without offering value to a high-pressure hosepipe watering nities for Zimbabwe to be considered Zimbabwe owe China that much if
aid, insurance, school fees, entertain- for money to the citizenry. But these a famished vegetable garden. If the a destination for foreign direct invest- we are development partners?
ment, and pension "costs" are well institutions have become harbingers hosepipe develops a small hole, you ment. Billions of dollars are wasted on
beyond the average citizen. Entrepre- of corruption and sources of self-en- can only repair it effectively by clos- expensive state-owned companies that Commercial banks, finance hous-
neurs complain about eroded profit richment only for a few ruling party ing the tap and temporarily "starving" can perform better as independent es, bureau de change, and building
margins while both private and pub- henchmen. the vegetables for a good cause. You private entities. societies should be left to practice
lic service employees rightly clamor would be drenched if you try to repair No country can enjoy enhanced their expertise without senseless gov-
for improved US-dollar denominated If Zanu PF is entertaining any the hole while water is running. domestic production, competitive ernment interference and statutory
wages and salaries. hopes of winning in 2023, Ncube and exports, domestic savings, consump- instruments.
Mangudya are their defeat agents. No To this effect, our humble submis- tion, and investment without its own
The central government has failed economy can function with such dis- sion is that both Professor Mthuli strong currency. The Zimbabwean The RBZ needs to take the route of
to respond to these demands, po- ruptive and impoverishing monetary Ncube and Reserve Bank governor government must urgently make up a currency board so that the printing
sitioning the nation for industrial policy. John Mangudya must be urgently its mind to have its own Zimbabwean of money not supported by funda-
unrest. This whole cacophony of cut off from the monetary hosepipe dollar supported by fiscal discipline, mentals is eliminated and confidence
economic turbulence translates to po- Compelling citizens to deliver grain system. They are drenched with gross strong production, and foreign re- restored.
litical discomfort, forcing the central to state institutions is a recipe for food incompetence.
government to harden its stance on insecurity. All national commodities The national Treasury needs to reli-
dissenting voices. Using its legislative giously adhere to budget spending and
majority, the ruling party attempts to fast-track implementation of interna-
invoke a barrage of policy reforms that tional public sector accounting stan-
would only exacerbate the already dire dards for greater accountability and
situation. transparency. We have also observed
that the current status of political
The Coalition for Market and Lib- freedom is not supporting multi-party
eral Solutions (Comaliso) proposes a political representation in the parlia-
more dignified way of returning Zim- ment. This results in a one-party ma-
babwe to economic and national gov- jority thwarting oversight.
ernance sanity.
National governance Comaliso insists that industry
Comaliso has always insisted that too boards like the Institute of Chartered
much government interference in the Accountants Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe
economy upsets the balance of forc- National Chamber of Commerce,
es of demand and supply that should Confederation of Zimbabwe Indus-
determine the development agenda. try, Chamber of Mines, Banker Asso-
There is an urgent need to de-mili- ciation of Zimbabwe, and Commer-
tarise and de-politicise the economy cial Farmers Unions be listened to and
to allow inclusion, equal access, and involved in all key decision-making.
empowerment.
Measures to encourage savings and
Creating a real market-led economy investment need to be implemented
today has become difficult because the as this is the only way to guarantee
invisible hand of demand and supply production and stability. The central
is decapitated by price manipulation. bank should allow the market to set
interest and exchange rates to avoid
Our government is too big, at- arbitrage and distortions.
tempting to respond to every chal-
lenge with a new ministry, depart- Comaliso is equally concerned by
ment, or statutory instrument. Its China’s expropriative and exploitive
insecurity compels it to concoct in- tendencies in Zimbabwe. Yes, they
consistent policies meant to appease may have "brought in millions" in in-
most citizens who are better off defin- vestment, but how many billions are
ing their own lives. they exporting? Why does Zimbabwe
owe China that much if we are devel-
The dazzling array of economic and opment partners?
political statutory instruments like
new bills, and laws meant to strength- What value do Chinese companies
en the control of private and public offer to Zimbabwe’s human capital
institutions are a blight. There is no and industrial relations? How much
commitment to the rule of law, while do Chinese companies contribute to
economic freedom is thwarted by an the national purse? How transparent
appetite for central planning by the is China’s relationship with our mili-
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. This only tary establishment? We need answers.
adds bureaucracy and red tape to the
already chaotic state of the economy. *About the writer: Rejoice Ngwen-
ya is the director of the Coalition
Moreover, persistent reports on for Market and Liberal Solutions
property rights violations are other (Comaliso), an organisation whose
factors worsening our country’s econ- mission is to have a Zimbabwe that
omy. respects, adopts and implements in-
novative ideas that strengthen the
No economy can grow when citi- free market economy, respect for pri-
zens are choked with excessive legis- vate property rights, and constitu-
lative and policy power. The Zimba- tionalism – ultimately entrenching
bwean government is always on the responsible capitalism.
defensive against real and perceived
enemies. Without political freedom,
private property rights, and free mar-
kets, there can be no real economic
growth.

Citizens must be allowed to free-
ly exercise their constitutional rights
without impediments. The central

Page 40 Critical Thinking NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

“We are not gays”: Regime preservation and
politicisation of identity in Mugabe’s Zim

YOLAINE FROSSARD DE SAUGY

POLITICISED homophobia has
become a dominant theme in the
study of regime preservation tactics
in southern Africa. However, a con-
sensus on the potency of this tool
has prevented researchers from fully
exploring the conditions of its gen-
eral success and occasional failure.

In this article, Frossard de Sau-
gy fills this gap with a thorough
examination of the strategies of
politicised homophobia deployed
by the Robert Mugabe regime, their
connection to hegemonic mascu-
linity, the liberation war, and land
questions, and the conditions which
led them to lose their potency and
ultimately fail to save Mugabe from
mounting domestic challenges.

On the UN stage The late former President Robert Mugabe.
Speeches made at the United Na-
tions General Assembly (UNGA) dent Mugabe increasingly retreated tried and tested strategy to shore up mophobia by Mugabe has been as the gap that this analysis contrib-
rarely attract intense media scruti- behind this rhetoric, blaming the its position. studied extensively (e.g., Campbell utes to fill.
ny. However, soon after then-Pres- West, Whites, and anyone finding 2003; Epprecht 1998; Gaidzanwa
ident Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe themselves outside of a gradually This article thus argues two 2015), but this article goes fur- The second part outlines the
stepped away from the podium in narrower definition of citizenship points: first that, building upon a ther by weaving together existing discursive practices of the Mugabe
New York on 28 September 2015, for the country’s woes. Homosex- conception of Zimbabwean identity accounts of sexual politics under regime and the construction of its
his speech was quoted in news out- uals as un-African “others” and so- that he had long worked to forge, in Mugabe and linking them to other foundational myths. The third part
lets ranging from the British Tele- called “agents of the West” progres- 2015 President Mugabe attempted strands of state rhetoric and policy explores the 2015 speech itself, its
graph to France 24.1 Most com- sively became one of the symbols to leverage a growing clash of dis- to demonstrate their interconnect- resonance at the national and re-
mentators focused on one point in of this alleged menace, which was courses around homosexuality in edness. Such a thick description is gional levels, and its aftermath.
particular: the moment when Mug- described as nothing less than an at- Africa to strengthen his position in necessary to fully understand not Making Sense of Politicized Ho-
abe steered away from his prepared tack on the values and sovereignty national and regional politics at a only the dynamics and the poten- mophobia A Rising Issue
remarks to assert,“We are not gays.” of Zimbabwe. time of domestic crisis. This speech cy of politicized homophobia in The first challenge faced by the lit-
at the UN pulpit owed nothing to Zimbabwe, but also the erosion of erature is to define what is meant
This addition was referred to However, though this rhetoric chance or anger. It was a calculated its power, and to do justice to the by the concept of politicised or po-
in strikingly similar terms across built on powerful tropes and suc- political move born from a precise historical specificities of the case as litical homophobia. Though there
various publications: he “blurted ceeded in galvanising support for well as to the complexity of politi- have been some misgivings related
[it] out” (Telegraph 2015; Mirror his party for a long time, there are regional context, in line with a cised homophobia as a state strate- to the use of homophobia as over-
2015); he “shouted” (Slate 2015); numerous signs indicating that by long tradition of attempts at rede- gy. The analysis therefore relies on ly focused on fear and eliding local
he “barked” (Independent 2015a); 2015 the tide had begun to turn. fining Zimbabwean identity and in- a wide array of secondary sources as specificities (van Klinken & Chitan-
he “launch[ed] a bizarre tirade” Enduring socioeconomic issues strumentalising anti-Western rheto- well as some primary material, in- do 2016; Thoreson 2014), most of
(France 24 2015). All these terms were becoming too pressing to ig- ric for political gain, deployed at a cluding interviews with Zimbabwe- the recent literature begins with the
seem to suggest that this was an ir- nore, and the use of scapegoats was key moment in Zimbabwean poli- an activists and Mugabe’s UNGA idea of going beyond personal hos-
rational outburst, seemingly outra- becoming less and less effective. tics — in effect, an escalation in the speech, to provide an in-depth case tility to focus on the strategic use
geous but resolutely outlandish. Yet Western journalists were thus dou- use of the international stage for do- study of the instrumentalisation of of the negative meanings associated
this assertion was made in a rather bly mistaken; Mugabe’s use of dis- mestic matters. Second, it explores homophobia in Zimbabwe. with same-sex sexualities by actors
measured tone, devoid of the emo- course, far from being anecdotal, the limitations of this strategy and seeking to achieve political goals
tions implied by the journalistic was an attempt at mobilising what hypothesises factors that explain its The choice of a single case is nec- — going beyond the notion of fear
rhetoric, and it was not the only had once been a powerful political loss of potency for a government essary here to explore the mecha- itself to the parameters of its instru-
addition to the script, though it tool aimed at consolidating power that had made it one of the defining nisms at play in sufficient detail and mentalisation (Currier 2010; McK-
became the most famous. President by symbolically defining insiders features of its discursive attempts at ensure the reliability of the findings ay & Angotti 2016; Serrano-Amaya
Mugabe included a few other seem- and outsiders and using a wide regime preservation. The key (Bennet & Elman 2006); it can 2018).
ingly spontaneous comments direct- nonetheless provide enough materi-
ed toward President Obama and the array of resources to enforce these claim of this analysis is that the al to generate a hypothesis regarding This analysis thus follows Ashley
alleged imperialist tendencies of the distinctions. The fact that it was very factors that led to the use of the limits of this strategy, which fur- Currier in using the term “politi-
US. used in such a brazen way at the this diversionary tactic, the mount- ther research will potentially be able cized homophobia”to best reflect
United Nations was not a sign of er- ing socioeconomic issues faced by to generalize. the idea of a purposive strategy lev-
These, as well as other important ratic behavior, but rather a clue that the population of Zimbabwe, left eraged against multiple forms of op-
parts of the prepared speech, actu- the Mugabe regime was less secure unaddressed, ultimately caught up The first part of this article retrac- position, what she terms a deliber-
ally reflected a recurring theme of than it wanted to appear with the government and under- es the existing literature on this top- ately activated public spectacle, but
Zimbabwean political discourse, mined its discursive power. ic and its key contributions, as well
the idea that President Mugabe and was attempting to rely on a
and his party (the Zimbabwe Afri- The instrumentalisation of ho-
can National UnionPatriotic Front
[Zanu-PF]) stood as a bulwark of
anticolonialism against the West’s
imperialist attacks, which included
the so-called promotion of homo-
sexuality.

During his thirty-seven-year ten-
ure as head of the government of
Zimbabwe, President Mugabe built
a narrative justifying his hold on
power through a mystique of anti-
colonial liberation, masculinity, and
violence.

As political and economic con-
ditions in Zimbabwe deteriorated,
first in the 1980s and 1990s due
to mismanagement and the imple-
mentation of a Structural Adjust-
ment Programme (SAP) and then
more famously in the early 2000s
along with the implementation
of a land ownership reform, Presi-

NewsHawks Critical Thinking Page 41

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

a similar concept of purposeful state cised homophobia in 1995 (Bosia & countries in the region. the war on the battlefield and there- Colonization was conceived as an
strategy can be found under the Weiss 2013; Epprecht 2013b). The analysis also builds on Ashley fore the right to rule” (Compagnon emasculation of the black man,
umbrella of political homophobia 20110:3). Mugabe and Zanu PF es- which was to be counterbalanced
in most works on the topic (Bosia & However, these parallels must not Currier’s insistence on the specifici- sentially worked to create a form of by the strong masculinist message
Weiss 2013; Currier 2018; McKay be construed as signs of a uniform ties of homophobia as more than a foundational myth, the tale of a glo- of the liberation struggle leading to
& Angotti 2016). or unifying phenomenon; though symptom of authoritarian rule, the rious rebellion taking back its land a “growing confusion of male viril-
politicised homophobia has risen “gendered and its freedom, with its leadership ity with African nationalism” (Ep-
In these works, politicised ho- as a key element of many political at the heart of the epic. Long after precht 2005:260). Therefore, “the
mophobia is mainly understood as struggles, it becomes politicized for and sexualized contours of this the end of the war, Mugabe contin- reassertion of male power framed
a tactic of othering, similar to other different reasons and through dif- strategy” (Currier 2010:112) and ued to exploit this narrative of liber- much of the nationalist discourse,”
processes of nationalist construction ferent mechanisms in each country, the need to ation; he presented himself and his and those who did not support the
stressing the distinction between the and most scholars call for a nuanced, government as permanent freedom armed struggle “were branded as
collective “we” and the outsiders in-depth approach of each case to consider its material consequenc- fighters, always engaged in a strug- sell-outs/quislings, loyal ‘lapdogs,’
(Slootmaeckers 2019). As such, it is weigh the influence of a wide range es. Studying Namibia, Currier ar- gle for the emancipation of the na- effeminate (and often homosexu-
usually deployed either in situations of factors such as socio-economic gues that homophobia “underpins tion. This made them the only ones al), too cowardly to lay down their
of political competition tensions, religion, democratisation, African nationalist masculinities” fit to rule, with every election a test life for family, culture and nation”
and specific historical trajectories (Currier 2010:113) and is essential of the people’s patriotism and their (Parpart 2008:187) into a gendered
for control of the state, as in José (Awondo et al. 2012; Bompani to the retelling of the patriotic histo- support for this foundational strug- view of Zimbabwean politics after
Fernando Serrano-Amaya’s study of 2016; Epprecht 2013b; Geschiere ries of the liberation struggle which gle against colonialism (Alao 2012; independence and an emphasis on
its role in political transitions, or 2017; Kaoma 2018; van Klinken reaffirm the masculinist control of Compagnon 2011; Ndlovu-Gatshe- the hegemonic masculinity as de-
as a tactic of regime preservation & Chitando 2016; Manyonganise the state by the liberation move- ni & Willems 2009). fined by Slootmaeckers; the ruler
through the invention of a common 2016; Nyanzi 2013; Pierce 2016; ments. This article follows this line had to embody this triumphant ver-
enemy conjured up at critical junc- SerranoAmaya 2018; Tamale 2013; of inquiry by highlighting the cen- This liberation war imagery thus sion of masculinity, and “competing
tures and against which the state Thoreson 2014). Such precautions tral connection between myths of served as the basis of the “imagined masculinities [were] regarded as, at
can coordinate efforts (Amusan et are seen as crucial to avoiding easy masculinity, liberation, homopho- community” of Zimbabwe, in Ben- worst, pale versions of "real men"
al. 2019; Bosia & Weiss and essentialising dichotomies be- bia, and Zanu PF’s claims to legiti- edict Anderson’s terms (Anderson […]: incompetent, shifting, and
tween Africa and the West or the mate power and authority. However, 2006), and helped bind its members vulnerable others who can only be
2013; Korycki & Nasirzadeh erasure of local forces putting for- it goes beyond the implied dichoto- together. In this imagined commu- used to denote how unwell the na-
2013; Serrano-Amaya 2018). It is ward alternative understandings and my of Currier’s approach by taking nity, the figure of Mugabe loomed tion might become if they should
in this context that politicized ho- meanings (Epprecht 2013b; Kao- into account the role of competing large: be allowed to rule the country”
mophobia comes to encompass more ma 2018; Serrano-Amaya 2018). masculinities as discussed by Koen (Muponde 2015:138; Slootmaeck-
than sexual minorities and is applied Though nuance is indeed central and Slootmaeckers, who emphasises the Robert Mugabe [came across] as ers 2019). Masculinity later contin-
to all critics of the state, bundled to- necessary, the underlying consensus relevance of competing and hierar- the tormented, self-righteous mes- ued to occupy a central role in the
gether and dismissed through these on a rise of politicised homophobia chised masculinities and focuses on siah, a father and strong-armed fig- nationalist rhetoric, while Mugabe
attacks (Currier 2018), as was the has prevented many scholars from the processes through which hege- ure whose life [was] an instance of and Zanu PF engaged in “a cam-
case in Zimbabwe. interrogating a potential shift in this monic hierarchies of masculinity mythopoetic narrative of suffering paign to […] somehow feminize
trajectory and considering the possi- and nationalism are maintained and fighting for “the people.” His the [opposition party Movement for
Though these tactics are part of a bility of an erosion of its influence. instead of treating men and mascu- life, and that of his political party, Democratic Change] MDC” (Ham-
wider effort at constructing the na- linity as stable, undifferentiated cat- [was] both a trope of the narrow mar & Raftopoulos 2003:29). Zanu
tion against its perceived enemies, Indeed, a central question that egories (Slootmaeckers 2019). This path to the salvation of “the people,” PF and Mugabe thus put forward
politicized homophobia presents has received less attention so far in differentiation is essential to a fine- and iconic material for the constitu- a reinterpretation of the national
some unique characteristics and the literature concerns the condi- grained understanding of the artic- tion of what it means to be “Zimba- history that solidified their control
deserves to be explored as a stand- tions of success (or failure) of this ulation of masculinist myths and bwean.” (Muponde 2004:177) of the state through a reassertion of
alone phenomenon with specific strategy. discourses in Zanu PF’s discourses dominant masculinist tropes (Curri-
consequences (Currier 2010; Serra- and its consequences, as developed The personality cult centered er 2010).
no-Amaya 2018). Kapya Kaoma has hypothesized below. around Mugabe emerged as early as The Third Chimurenga and the
that the success of the anti-gay Ruling Discourse, Ruling Zimba- the 1970s and was faithfully culti- Specter of the West
This distinctiveness has been ap- movement is bwe Foundational Myths: Mug- vated; his image as a central figure of This foundational myth of mascu-
proached in two ways: its unique abe, Patriotic History, and Mas- the liberation was mobilized for ev- linist liberation took a new direction
relationship to masculinity and its due to the existence of domestic culinity ery election after 1980 (Compagnon in the 1990s with the worsening of
construction as a gendered strategy, and global infrastructures for social The history of Mugabe and Zanu 2011; Ndlovu-Gatsheni 2009). This Zimbabwe’s economic situation,
with authors relying on feminist lit- mobilisation and to the impact of PF’s rise to power has been abun- brand of nationalism even came to which precipitated the crystalliza-
erature showing how homophobia globalization, which makes cultural dantly described elsewhere and be dubbed Mugabeism, a doctrine tion of state rhetoric against one
works as a structural, institutional imperialism a potent threat (Kaoma does not bear repeating here (Alao in which substance evolved to fit the particular enemy: the West. Be-
mechanism of reproduction of a 2018); and Tara McKay and Nicole 2012; Blair 2003; Muzondidya circumstances and the audience, but cause of mismanagement and the
normative masculinity associated Angotti state that anti-homosexu- 2009; and Raftopoulos 2004). The the nationalist core remained un- added stress of the SAP, by 2000
with the nation and bolsters mascu- al discourses “are made meaning- current analysis focuses instead on changed. “Mugabeism consistently the country’s inflation had reached
linist control over the state, often by ful through their intersection with one particular strategy of regime imagined the postcolonial state and 57% and unemployment 50%; the
rewriting its history in the process other social and cultural logics preservation, the use of discourse to the nation in skewed partisan terms loss of a constitutional referendum
(Currier 2010, 2018; McKay & An- in particular historical moments” shape and re-shape the nation and that included use of the state media the same year threw the government
gotti 2016); and the idea that po- (McKay & Angotti 2016:401), legitimise political control. Indeed, to promote only Zanu PF and Zanla into a crisis. To rally support, Mug-
liticized homophobia is often used thus underlining the need to ex- Mugabe’s 37-year rule over Zimba- (Zanu’s military arm) war contribu- abe turned to a very sensitive topic
preemptively, in places where there plore each case separately. However, bwe was underpinned by a carefully tions, war songs, party slogans, and in Zimbabwean politics: land own-
are none or few pre-existing de- there have been few studies follow- crafted narrative justifying his hold symbols, even at national events” ership reform. Arguing in a famous
mands for gay rights along a West- ing this line of inquiry and seeking on power by constantly rewriting (Ndlovu-Gatsheni 2009:241). slogan that “The Land is the Econ-
ern model, which distinguishes it to understand not only what made the national past, turning it into omy, the Economy is the Land,”
from other strands of identity pol- politicised homophobia a powerful what was dubbed a “patriotic his- This discourse was indeed inten- Mugabe promised to take land back
itics that rely on locally entrenched political tool in a specific context tory” behind which the party could tionally disseminated at every turn from white farmers to give it back
divisions (Bosia & Weiss 2013). In but also whether it could lose its po- unite (Kriger 2006). To this aim, to shore up the legitimacy of the to black Zimbabweans to finally
the African context, the other char- tency and what factors would lead Mugabe and Zanu PF mobilised regime. Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni conclude the liberation struggle
acteristic of politicised homophobia to such an outcome, a gap that this a cultural identity of Zimbabwe- mentions the creation of a National and save the economy (Raftopoulos
found almost unanimously in the article attempts to fill. ans as “patriots,” mostly defined as Youth Training Service as well as Na- 2003). This episode was named the
literature is its depiction of the West Tackling politicised homophobia those supporting them, as opposed tional Strategic Studies in every col- “Third Chimurenga,” a direct refer-
as an imperialist force which needs To conduct such an in-depth anal- to “sell-outs,” which covered virtu- lege “to inculcate issues of national ence to the liberation war: the first
to be resisted; most leaders mobiliz- ysis of the Mugabe regime’s use of ally anyone else (Ndlovu-Gatsheni ethos and patriotism” (2009:30). Chimurenga took place at the end of
ing politicised homophobia usually politicised homophobia and its lim- 2009). Only “patriots” could be Laws were passed to “define local in the nineteenth century when black
do so by associating homosexuality itations this article follows Serra- deemed “real Zimbabweans,” a defi- ways that serve the values and inter- leaders rebelled against white domi-
with “white culture” and construct- no-Amaya’s approach, emphasising nition which became increasingly ests of the ruling party” (Thompson nation, while the second Chimuren-
ing it as an outside force threatening the process of deployment and the narrow and selfserving as the regime 2012:18), complemented by shows ga was the anti-colonial fight of the
the local sovereignty, culture, and results of politicised homophobia faced mounting opposition and on state-owned radio and television, 1970s. The third Chimurenga would
values that the nationalist rhetoric as much as the groups involved in sought to delegitimise its enemies state-sponsored galas and concerts, thus be the final one, which would
seeks to defend, thus both contest- its elaboration. This permits an un- by restricting the number of people and education programs in rural allow Zimbabweans to complete the
ing and externalising homosexuality derstanding of “the use homopho- who could pretend to participate in areas, all aiming to disseminate a liberation by physically taking back
(Bompani 2016; Currier 2018; Kao- bia not as mere instrumental actions the nationalist project (Thompson narrow, monolithic interpretation their land from the remaining white
ma 2018; van Klinken & Chitando but as mechanisms of construction, 2012). of nation and identity (Muzondidya farmers. The land issue was depicted
2016; Manyonganise 2016; McKay destruction and reconstruction 2009). as the only issue that mattered; “all
& Angotti 2016). As will be demon- of social power relations” (Serra- The resonance of this constructed other aspects of the national liber-
strated, all these strands are relevant no-Amaya 2018:14). Focusing on identity was ensured by relying on Mugabe was once again central ation struggle, such as the right to
to the Zimbabwean case. the dynamics of the phenomenon a shared cultural template, the his- in this propaganda effort, with his vote, democracy, human rights, and
also allows the inclusion of a wider tory of the country’s liberation war. speeches “endlessly quoted” in state- equality, were erased from the nar-
There is also agreement on the array of intersecting factors such as However, Zanu PF used a heavily owned newspapers and TV pro- rative of the liberation struggle as
rise of politicised homophobia in socioeconomic issues, liberation war doctored version of the story: the grams (Thompson 2012:14). the land issue became elevated into
Africa in recent years and the need discourses, religious influences, and role of the other liberation move- a singular basis of freedom” (Ndl-
to consider its regional dimensions, personal political calculations in ment (Zapu, the Zimbabwe African As theorized by Currier, mascu- ovu-Gatsheni 2009:237). Margrete
including the use of similar rhetoric shaping the state’s rhetoric and the People’s Union) or Britain’s media- linity occupied a key place in this Aarmo argues that this connection
and tropes such as the “unAfrican- modalities of its use and thus deliv- tion of the independence agreement mythology of the liberation war between land and liberation was
ness” of homosexuality and its im- ers the type of in-depth case study in 1980 were erased from official (Currier 2010). Becoming part of particularly significant, as it tapped
morality (McKay & Angotti 2016; that does justice to the complexity history as“the ruling party Zanu PF the guerrilla cohort was a rite of
Bosia & Weiss 2013). and particularities of the Zimba- propagated the fiction that the Zim- passage only fit for “real men” (Nd-
bwean trajectory while highlighting babwe African National Liberation lovu-Gatsheni 2009), and the liber-
Zimbabwe is often seen as a its influence and parallels with other Army (Zanla), its military arm, won ation was understood in “political
leader in this area, quickly emulat- paradigms that link[ed] the winning
ed by others in the subregion and and losing of power to manhood and
throughout the continent after conquest” (Muponde 2004:180).
Mugabe’s first forays into politi-

Page 42 Critical Thinking NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

into a symbolic association between led to persistent rumors about past time (Anonymous source, interview, est corners of colonial oppression elder and a war hero. His star shone
land, fertility, wealth, and the regen- and present officials and durably 2018). (Campbell 2003; Epprecht 2008; particularly brightly toward the end
eration of the nation, again making embarrassed the government (Gaid- Msibi 2011). Others have pointed of the 1980s and the beginning of
masculinity and sexuality central as- zanwa 2015); the 1999 attempt by The choice of homosexuals as out the fact that male homosexuali- the 1990s, when in addition to be-
pects of the national imagining and British gay activist Peter Tatchell to scapegoats is not surprising; as ar- ty could represent a threat to wom- ing a leading voice in the Southern
the Zimbabwean identity (Aarmo have Mugabe arrested for torture, gued by Aarmo, homosexuality came en’s access to resources and moral Africa Development Community
1999). an episode which “angered Mugabe to be viewed as a useful symbol be- rights through marriage, which (SADC) and among the Frontline
so much that he called Tony Blair cause it represented an ideal other to could explain why the Zimbabwean States he chaired the OAU and the
The 2000 crisis thus saw a read- and his government ‘little men’ and this nationalist construct, “a simple, Women’s League so enthusiastically Non-Aligned Movement and re-
justment of the liberation myth and accused them of ‘using gay gangster binary opposition to the extended supported Mugabe’s discourse (Ep- ceived the Jawaharlal Nehru Peace
its masculinist undertones to a con- tactics’” (Gaidzanwa 2015:163); family, the heterosexual, patrilin- precht 2013a). The HIV and Aids Award.
temporary struggle against Western and the accusations of same-sex re- eal institution that constitutes the epidemic, dismissed as “a white
imperialism. The ensuing radicali- lations leveraged against the Minis- ‘cultural backbone’ of the cultur- man’s disease or a scourge amongst However, the end of the apart-
sation of rhetoric would define the ter of Information Jonathan Moyo al tradition in Zimbabwe,” even if the few black men who, perhaps out heid regime upset the regional
political stage in Zimbabwe for years in 2002 which again embarrassed this culture was actually an artificial of too much love for money, agree to balance, with Mandela’s star ris-
to come. The political crisis at home the government (Human Rights construct (Aarmo 1999:268). This be made ‘wives’ by white perverts’” ing as crisis engulfed Zimbabwe
was redefined as a fundamental Watch 2003). These events have cer- fits with Currier’s argument regard- (Gundani 2004:97) as well as the (Nyakudya & Jakarasi 2015). It is
struggle between African sovereign- tainly marked public discourse but ing homophobia as key to the reaf- disproportionate visibility of white thus not surprising that as South
ty, embodied by Mugabe and Zanu seem more like consequences than firmation of a masculinist control of gay men, particularly in South Af- Africa was developing its demo-
PF’s constant fight for liberation causes of the resentment; many el- the state and the bundling togeth- rica, also contributed to the image cratic constitution, which included
and independence and the reappro- ements point to a larger dynamic at er of opposition forces as outside of homosexuality as white, foreign, protections for gay rights, Mugabe
priation of the land, and a looming play which was closely related to the of the national imagining (Currier and distant (Hoad 2007). increasingly sought to portray his
imperialist threat aiming to defeat national identity narrative previous- 2010). Notably, as Mugabe’s domi- regime as the regional protector of
the liberation movement. Any form ly delineated and more particularly nant rhetoric shifted from liberation The contemporary difficulties African values against “the South
of opposition, including domestic the patriarchal and macho nature of history to a reemphasis on the West faced by Zimbabwe also played a African political leadership’s capit-
opposition parties, was necessar- its obsession with the liberation war. as the central enemy, homosexuals role. ulation to the international capital”
ily a stooge for the West, and any went from symbolising the subordi- (Campbell 2003:269). South Africa
discourse that was not the official First, it must be noted that Mug- nate masculinity over which the lib- Anxiety about morality or social was derided for not being African-
line was an attempt at importing abe displayed no overt hostility to erators triumphed to the anti-Zim- conduct often “reflect deeper so- ized enough and not having won a
foreign cultural values. Democracy homosexuals before the rise of op- babwean agents of imperialism, a cial and material insecurities about military victory; indeed,“the class
and human rights were constructs position and economic troubles in rhetorical evolution which allowed the future,” which would be un- in power in Zimbabwe considered
insidiously aiming to weaken the the 1990s, despite having poten- them to continuously embody the derstandable in a country afflicted themselves guardians of African
fight against neo-colonialism led by tially known about Banana since “other” of thennationalist construct by civil war, the stress of debt and male power, and the silent text of
the liberation heroes, and anyone the 1980s (Epprecht 2013b; Man- and be readily available to shore up neoliberal reform, and HIV and many of the intellectuals and leaders
opposing the land seizures — even yonganise 2016). Indeed, his first support as requested by the circum- Aids (Rao 2014:194). The difficult in Zimbabwe was that South Afri-
to protect black farmworkers who famous attack came in 1995 at the stances (Epprecht 2013a; McKay & economic situation in particular ca had succumbed to a constitution
lost their livelihoods — was sabo- Zimbabwe International Book Fair; Angotti 2016). “undercut several of the principal that gave rights to gays and lesbians
taging the national project, subvert- the government prohibited the Gays Resonance stays of masculinity in Zimbabwe because its liberation movement
ing the nation’s autonomy, and part and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) This emphasis on the threat posed by — the ability to provide for a wife had not conquered power and were,
of a plot from outsiders seeking to organization from attending the homosexuality is notable, not only and children above all” (Epprecht hence, not ‘real men’” (Campbell
reassert control over its assets (Nd- Fair, and Mugabe justified his ac- because it occupied an increasingly 2013a:177–78). 2003:166; McKay & Angotti 2016).
lovu-Gatsheni & Willems 2009; tions by saying that he “[found] it central role in the party’s narrative
Raftopoulos 2009; outrageous and repugnant to [his] but also because it found a receptive As men found their position in- This seems to have been a potent
human conscience that such immor- audience. By September 1995, the creasingly challenged, they devel- tool, and Mugabe is often described
Tendi 2010; Worby 2003). This al and repulsive organisations like Zimbabwean Parliament had voted oped a need to reassert their dom- as leading the way in the dissemina-
violent rhetoric had concrete con- those of homosexuals, who offend in favor of repressing homosexu- inance and reject those who could tion of homophobic language at the
sequences; acts of violence against both agents of the law of nature and als, and Marc Epprecht relates that question their standing and status, end of the 1990s. Horace Campbell
white Zimbabweans notably in- the morals and religious beliefs es- during the trial of Canaan Banana’s including homosexuals (Msibi states that “Presidents Arap Moi of
creased, the government strength- poused by our society, should have bodyguard in 1997, who admitted 2011). In this understanding, “the Kenya, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda,
ened its control over state media any advocates in our midst or even to murdering the man who had well-publicised turmoil over ho- and Sam Mujona of Namibia re-
and doubled down on patriotic pro- elsewhere in the world” (Campbell called him Banana’s wife, “the judge mosexuality in Africa is in fact a produced [Mugabe’s] homophobic
paganda, repressive legislation and 2003:155). This rhetoric, repeated still felt that to name this relation- poorly choreographed distraction statements” (Campbell 2003:179);
outright violence by the police and over the years including when the ship in public constituted an insult from the tenuousness of hegemon- indeed, “President Sam Nujoma of
the military were recorded, and local government banned GALZ from so horrible that it diminished [the ic African masculinity and is also Namibia vowed to ‘uproot’ homo-
administrations were purged (Mere- attending the Fair again in 1996, murderer]’s responsibility,” betray- imbricated with the socioeconomic sexuality from Namibian society
dith 2002; Thompson 2012). amalgamates many of the tropes ing the depth of prejudice against developmentrelated failures of Afri- […] on December 6, 1996, employ-
usually found in anti-gay discourse homosexuals (Epprecht 2013a:4). ca’s ruling men” (Ratele 2014:116). ing almost identical rhetoric to that
As noted by Erika Harris, defin- including religious beliefs, morali- Though most Zimbabweans seemed Homophobia thus has it “uses” in of his Zimbabwean counterpart”
ing national identity and nationalist ty, and cultural particularism (Ep- to remain moderate and were “baf- Africa “as a kind of explanation (Hoad 2007:77). Most of those who
discourse is not just a matter of be- precht 2013b; Kaoma 2018). fled by the ‘antihomo’ campaign (or better still, displacement) of echoed Mugabe’s rhetoric did so us-
ing but of acting; identity, once de- of 1995” (Epprecht 1998:633), it the impossibility of attaining and ing a similar frame of anticolonial
fined, legitimates a particular range The timing of this incident was seems that the government was able maintaining traditionally hegemon- nationalism, constructing them-
of actions (Harris 2009). Casting no accident; the 1995 speech took to impose its perception of the sit- ic African masculinity. The "homo- selves as repositories of tradition
himself and his party as the defend- place close to the launch of the pres- uation and shape public attitude, sexual", then, is what a real African against foreign incursions (Hoad
ers of African sovereignty and true idential campaign and at a time of at least in part. One activist stated man is not, and a defining charac- 2007).
Zimbabwe allowed Mugabe to vio- massive worker protests and other that “the general perception of ho- teristic of the dominant male posi-
lently repress any form of opposi- demonstrations against the SAP mosexuality has been widely shaped tion is violence” (Ratele 2014:118). The fact that this discourse seemed
tion and mobilize support. (Campbell 2003). by the rhetoric from political lead- Homophobia “worked” because it to spread does not mean that it was
ership in Zimbabwe” (Anonymous was articulated in a context within the only one nor that it was justi-
Zanu PF’s majority in the polls As the economic situation wors- source, interview, 2018). Segments which it provided answers, howev- fied in claiming to represent genu-
can be deemed dubious, but it none- ened and disillusionment with the of the media, the churches, and the er misguided, to very real concerns ine “Africanness.” Despite allegedly
theless managed to keep control of regime grew, official harassment of political elite quickly rallied behind and fit well between the socially ac- intending to defend African values,
enough of the police, military, and homosexuals increased. In addition, this banner, as well as members of cepted understandings of self and these approaches mostly reproduced
war veterans to successfully face off in the mid1990s Galz was becoming the public. During the 1999 hear- identity. The anti-Western turn of European codes, including Western
any challengers. Defining who the a strong voice among civil society, ings related to the amendment of Mugabe’s rhetoric itself agreed with conservative arguments and colo-
real citizens were thus allowed Mug- openly criticising the government.“- the Constitution, a sizeable number the already existing and potentially nial-era laws (Epprecht 2013a). As
abe to continue ruling as their al- Such unprecedented assertions of of people sought a ban on homosex- influential narratives of anti-impe- stated very vividly by Neville Hoad,
leged protector, even as the internal individual freedoms, gay identities, uality and a Human Rights Watch rialism which held currency even “President Mugabe is obviously less
crisis deepened. and the right to criticise if not out- Report found that “homosexuality among those most at risk. Strikingly, worried about Western cultural im-
right mock one’s elders were seen […] galvanized press and public Aarmo reports a conversation with a perialism when he puts on a suit
Homosexuals as the Anti-Zimba- by the ruling party as a dangerous alike” (Human Rights Watch 2003; lesbian woman in Harare who felt and tie in the morning, and no one
bweans Mugabe and Zanu PF had foot in the door heralding wider at- Aarmo 1999; Campbell 2003; Hoad threatened by the president’s rhet- accuses monogamous heterosexu-
thus constructed a complex and tacks from civil society” (Epprecht 2007). The government’s articula- oric but was nonetheless supportive ality of being a decadent Western
potent national discourse blending 2013a:178), which explains the tion of cultural identity seemed to of Mugabe’s general attitude toward import (which, given the historical
hegemonic masculinity, liberation mounting attacks against the orga- have taken hold. the West (Aarmo 1999). polygamy of many sub-Saharan Af-
and land, African sovereignty, and nization. Regional dimensions rican societies, it clearly is)” (Hoad
anti-imperialism to justify their Many elements can be cited to This rhetoric was also significant 2007:73). The narrative constructed
hold on power, deflect blame for the Indeed, homosexuals became explain the resonance of this dis- within the regional context. In the by Mugabe and Zanu PF remains
mounting economic hardships, and such notorious boogiemen that course, including a rejection of ho- 1980s, Mugabe had sought to dis- just this, a narrative, serving polit-
reject any attempt at opposing their one Zimbabwean LGBTQ rights mosexuality dating back to the co- tance himself and Zanu PF from ical aims.
policies. In this context, homosex- advocate once referred to homosex- lonial era and its internalised codes. the legacies of the white Rhode-
uality and homosexuals became uality as one of Mugabe and Zanu Africa had long been described by sian regime they had just replaced It remains nonetheless that nu-
a recurring theme of the Mugabe PF’s “campaign tools” (Washington colonial ethnographers as a land of and to position themselves as lead- merous African countries adopted
rhetoric. Blade 2014; Manyonganise 2016). primitive purity and thus naturally ers in the fight for liberation and stronger stances against homosex-
Electoral periods thus regularly saw heterosexual, a consensus which was independence in Southern Africa uality toward the end of the 1990s
Some have attributed this phe- increased threats on Galz as the driv- later adopted and perpetuated by (Nyakudya & Jakarasi 2015). The and the beginning of the 2000s,
nomenon and Mugabe’s dislike and ing organization of the “gay agenda” African scholars, contributing to the patriotic discourse of Zanu PF was explicitly linking it with renewed
increasingly frequent attacks against in Zimbabwe. The organization and imagining of homosexuality as for- thus deployed beyond Zimbabwe’s attempts at colonialism and fram-
homosexuals to his religious educa- by extension its members (and any- eign to Africa or limited to the dark- borders, and it succeeded for a time ing their answer as anti-imperialist
tion and personal views (Epprecht one assumed to be gay due to their in solidifying Mugabe’s status as an resistance.
2005, 2013a), with three episodes appearance, dress, or mannerisms)
often mentioned to explain his viru- faced increased pressures during this Homosexuality had left the realm
lence, including the outing of former of the intimate to become the focus
president Canaan Banana, which

NewsHawks Critical Thinking Page 43

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

of a myriad of public discourses as and indeed his more conventional next presidential election, but accu- have so many problems” (Epprecht that still remain potent in African
NGOs, activists, and politicians in points on the need to reform the sations of dementia, and that he was 2013b:4–5). Molly Manyonganise politics.
Africa and elsewhere attempted to United Nations Security Council, generally too old for office, contin- agrees with this interpretation, argu-
shape the narrative according to promote self-determination, or stop ued to abound (Gaidzanwa 2015). ing that “Zimbabweans are not that They also failed to see that this
their own perceptions and politi- interference in domestic affairs, Opposition also grew within the dump [sic] and they have begun to posturing did not reflect the actual
cal aims. In this Mugabe was not even when they were spontaneously population; Itai Rusike, executive question why the President is focus- nature of the perception of homo-
alone, and if his rhetoric appeared added to his written notes, drew ap- director of the Community Health ing his energies on a theme that is of sexuality in Africa, as proven by the
sometimes bizarre, he was not out plause and apparent approval from Working Group in Zimbabwe, stat- no consequence to their wellbeing ambivalence of the response to it. In
of step with his domestic or region- at least some in the room. His view ed that “the political climate was while he turns a blind eye on bread this, Mugabe’s 2015 speech is dou-
al context (Nyakudya & Jakarasi that rights should not be imposed if marred with violence and intimi- and butter issues” (Manyonganise bly significant; it illustrates how ho-
2015; Tendi 2010). To the contrary, they are contrary to traditions and dation. A lot of people were being 2016:70). mosexuality had become a symbol
homosexuality grew into a symbol values, which is how he introduced arrested […] for demanding their of South-North relations, and how
of opposing conceptions of moder- his “we are not gays” assertion, also rights or speaking against the gov- The moment when Mugabe this dynamic, which had taken its
nity and international relations in drew on regional precedent and ernment and Mugabe” (I. Rusike, sought to use the international stage roots in actual cultural trends, had
the mid-2000s and 2010s. In 2011, could be expected to receive some interview, 2018). Finding himself in to send a sure message home was taken on a life of its own, more con-
then-Prime Minister of the UK support from his African counter- a dangerous position, Mugabe thus thus the moment when his rhetoric nected to leaders’ ends than to the
David Cameron suggested that aid parts. went back to his old “toolbox” and began to fail him. expectations of the population. By
could be linked to improvements in sought to use the rhetoric that had the end of Mugabe’s tenure in pow-
LGBTQ rights, and then-President Homosexuality had come to oc- served him so well in the past to This tool had perhaps been used er, what had been a potent political
of the US Barack Obama later made cupy an outsized place in interna- once again bolster his position and too many times and was not enough tool of mass obilisation had turned
similar comments (Guardian 2011; tional conversations, enmeshed in a reassert his influence. to distract from the seriousness of into a rhetoric shared and spread by
Atlantic 2015). larger discourse on neo-colonialism The Fall the population’s more immediate the elite, popular adhesion to which
and imperialism. It would take two more years before challenges. could not be taken for granted any-
This caused a violent backlash Mugabe was forced to leave pow- more. It is likely that the dire ma-
from countries such as Tanzania, While African politicians, among er, and it might therefore be diffi- What failed to rally the popula- terial conditions in Zimbabwe ulti-
Ghana, and Uganda, where presi- others, continued to present their cult to state that his speech was a tion also failed to unite the party. mately overtook identity concerns
dential adviser John Nagenda “ac- opposition to it as a defense of Af- clear indication of things to come. Fighting within ZANU-PF wors- and these specificities might not
cused Mr Cameron of showing an rica’s traditions against so-called But there were nonetheless signs. ened in the next months, and “by apply to other cases where political
‘excolonial mentality’ and of treat- Western values and ideas, Western If Mugabe’s rhetoric fit within the early 2016, party internecine strug- turnover had been more frequent or
ing Ugandans ‘like children’” before leaders increasingly took what they region’s general discourse, one that gles reached such a pitch that ob- socio-economic conditions more fa-
insisting on his country’s status as perceived as progressive stances to he had participated in building, his servers were warning the country vorable More research is thus need-
a sovereign state (BBC 2011). In satisfy domestic demands. By tak- pronouncement was met with more risked descending into civil war” ed to evaluate the popularity and
2014 in Uganda, the infamous An- ing this position at UNGA, Mugabe embarrassed laughter than applause (Onslow & Plaut 2018:147). In- potency of politicized homophobia
ti-Homosexuality Act was ardently aligned himself with a regional con- — as opposed to some of his other fighting continued, and critiques in different national contexts and
defended by Members of Parlia- sensus he had helped to create and points in the same speech — indi- kept mounting as Mugabe made to assess the generalisability of these
ment who chanted “our bill” “as a signaled his will to remain a strong cating that it might be a bit out of more explicit his desire to see his findings.
way of asserting moral authority voice in this new kind of culture step. In addition, attitudes toward wife Grace succeed him; in 2017
and national autonomy against a wars; as stated by an expert who homosexuality may not have dras- this led to the sacking of Vice-Pres- A deeper understanding of this
neo-colonial West” (Awondo et al. preferred to remain anonymous, his tically changed in Zimbabwe in ident Emmerson Mnangagwa, who complexity is key not only to aca-
2012:154). message was clear: recent years, but the appeal of this had opposed Grace’s promotion. demic understandings of politicised
rhetoric seems to have faded in the This proved to be a step too far, and homophobia but also to re-shape
From regional politics, this de- He wanted to show the public face of the seriousness of the other it was accomplished without the Western policy on LGBT rights
bate had come to be framed as a opinion that he wasn’t afraid of the challenges encountered by the pop- necessary support including with- and activism in Africa. The trend
battle between two systems, nation- international community and that ulation. As stated by one activist, in the military. Mnangagwa staged of Western heads of state making
al sovereignty versus human rights, it didn’t really matter that promot- “By this time, the general feeling a successful coup a couple of days statements regarding the need to
which echoed larger preoccupations ing human rights were action that of the masses was that of indiffer- later (Onslow & Plaut 2018) and protect gay rights has not abated
regarding the nature of internation- were agreed by UN agencies, the ence towards the President and his remains in power today. in recent years, most recently il-
al governance and SouthNorth rela- global North, that it was against speeches as this message had run its Conclusion lustrated by Prime Minister Justin
tions. Zimbabwean values, African val- course, people wanted to hear mes- For Mugabe, taking a stand such as Trudeau of Canada’s remarks to
ues, and there was nothing that sages that spoke to their daily strug- this made sense on both a nation- President Macky Sall during a 2020
The clash continued in 2015 and could be done to steer [them] away gles, addressing poverty and getting al and an international level. Ho- trip to Senegal (AP News 2020).
beyond, with President Kenyatta from [their] normal, regular beliefs” the economy back on track” (Anon- mophobia appeared as a convenient Such declarations, though poten-
stating during a news conference (Anonymous source, interview, ymous source, interview, 2018). tool at the meeting point of his tially well-intentioned, tend to
with then-President Obama that 2018). personal myth and regional trends, backfire. Playing into the hands of
“while Kenya and the US share some Sending a Message Home This is not to say that Mugabe’s especially as Western leaders as well “hardline politicians who are raising
values — democracy, value for fam- However, this speech was not only rhetoric had always succeeded in as African governments had made the counter-rhetoric of state sover-
ilies, entrepreneurship — there were intended for a global audience. imposing the state’s narrative until homosexuality a symbol of their ap- eignty” (Amusan et al. 2019:61),
‘some things that we must admit we Mugabe’s discourses were always then. James Muzondidya states that proach to international relations and they force the topic in public de-
don’t share’” (Independent 2015a). diligently broadcast home, and this despite the use of both discourse cultural issues. It was not an out- bates in ways that might do a dis-
While more subdued than Mugabe’s one was no exception; it was exten- and violence, Zanu PF failed to im- landish outburst, but rather a logical service to local activist movements
message, Kenyatta’s answer none- sively echoed in the press and on so- pose a total control over the state choice in the continuity of previous by associating them with the West
theless made it clear that he did not cial media, with the aim of sending apparatus; there had been infight- political rhetoric, the mobilization and imperialist designs and provide
agree with the perceived imposition a message4. Like previous instances ing and opposition from within of a carefully constructed cultural an opportunity for politicians who
of Western cultural values. Former of televised homophobia, this state- the party since the 1980s, and the identity. This international forum might otherwise be losing influence
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete ment came at a tense moment in government’s narrative was in con- provided him with an opportunity to deploy this strategy with renewed
spelled out similar views in an in- Zimbabwean politics and can be stant competition with others in the to reaffirm his commitment to the vigor (Awondo et al. 2012; Currier
terview with Christiane Amanpour read as an attempt to rally support media and elsewhere (Muzondidya narrative he had carefully built and 2018; Epprecht 2013b). It therefore
(CNN 2014) while his successor, for Mugabe and his followers. 2009). But it had nonetheless been from which he hoped to reap bene- risks presenting more opportunities
John Magufuli, attacked gay rights enough to generate a movement, fits at the regional and national lev- for each side of the debate to score
activists in 2017 by saying that they Indeed, in 2014 the economy was to rally crowds, and to strengthen els. But precedent was not enough domestic political points (Kaoma
brought to his country “homosexual ramatically in the red, forcing Mug- Mugabe’s status and his party’s uni- to ensure its success; this time the 2018) than allowing for any kind
practices that even cows disapprove abe to seek help. He was also seen as ty, and for a long time the govern- rhetoric ultimately failed because it of progress in the protection of mi-
of ” (Vox 2017), and was accused of aging, taking frequent trips to Sin- ment had been able to control the became disconnected from the real- nority rights and perpetuates harm-
encouraging harassment and policy gapore for his health, which meant narrative. However, in recent years a ity and needs of the people it was ful stereotypes about an overwhelm-
brutality against LGBTQ individu- that the fight to determine his suc- shift had begun. As summarized by supposed to rouse. ingly homophobic Africa when the
als (HRW 2020). In 2016 a group cession was brewing. one activist, there had been a “grad- reality, as shown, is much more
of African nations also attempted ual positive shift in public discourse This illustrates the limits of cul- complex.
to suspend the nomination of the In 2014 his wife Grace Mugabe on the issue. tural identity as well as its potency.
first UN expert monitoring LGBT was nominated to run the Zanu PF’s Cultural affiliations and symbols can In-depth understanding of the
rights, a position justified by the Women League, and it was under- There has been an increase in the function as potent political tools, actual dynamics and further explo-
Botswana Ambassador to the UN, stood that she was being groomed coverage of LGBTI lives and issues but alone they cannot constitute a rations of the limitations of politi-
Charles Ntawagae, in familiar to succeed him, especially after in the media, from a time when it political program in the long term. cized homophobia as a strategy, as
terms: “African nations ‘are alarmed’ she launched a violent smear cam- was sensationalist in nature to now outlined in this article, need to be
that the Human Rights Council paign against Joice Mujuru, anoth- when we almost see positive profil- In addition, it must be noted that pursued to further both academic
is delving into national matters” er promising candidate and Zanu ing of LGBTI issues. There has been Mugabe’s speech created such an understanding of the phenomena
(Guardian 2016). PF veteran. At the December 2014 a steady creation of spaces for dia- uproar in the media because it was and more nuanced and effective pol-
2015: Once More with Higher Zanu PF Congress, various factions logue and inclusion of LGBTI peo- an easy source of dignation, fitting icymaking.
Stakes Friendly Audience fought to eliminate their rivals, and ple socially” (Anonymous source, conveniently within the narrative of
When Mugabe stepped toward the Grace emerged as the rising star interview, 2018). In addition, these a homophobic and backward Africa, — Cambridge University Press.
podium at the UNGA in 2015, he behind Mugabe, who was seen as identity debates were increasingly but it was made possible in part by *About the writer: Yolaine
therefore came prepared. He had for too old to continue ruling for long perceived as a distraction from en- the rhetoric of the West, which pro- Frossard de Saugy is a PhD can-
years put forward a narrative about (Gaidzanwa 2015). during issues which remained unad- moted this view and pretended to didate in international rela-
who he was, who his party was, and dressed. come to the rescue without consid- tions and comparative politics at
the role they played in national, re- In 2015 the infighting worsened. ering local practices or perceptions McGill University in Montréal,
gional, and international politics, According to Sue Onslow and Mar- Epprecht quotes opposition lead- (Rao 2014). Commentators failed Quebec.  She previously served
and he banked on the reception of tin Plaut, the cabinet was reshuffled er Morgan Tsvangirai already de- to note that there was a reason why as consultant and health financ-
this narrative at home and abroad to include 72 Ministers that year, crying this in the early 2010s when Mugabe would use this language or ing analyst for the Global Fund
(Ndlovu-Gatsheni 2009). He could and internecine struggles culminat- he referred to the antihomosexu- that the small quote they extracted to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis, and
expect his views on sovereignty and ed in Mujuru’s dismissal and expul- ality discourse as “an elitist debate from the speech was part of a wider Malaria, and specialises in global
anti-imperialism to be shared by at sion from the party, accompanied by when people have no food, when narrative that they preferred not to health governance, HIV and Aids,
least some countries of the region, a purge of her supporters, leading people have no jobs, when people see or address, as it raised questions minority rights, and political ad-
her to create a new party (Onslow & of resistance to their own system of vocacy.
Plaut 2018). Mugabe was endorsed beliefs in ways that have been and
as party leader and candidate for the

Page 44 CritiOcablitTuhairnyking NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Obituary: Mutsekwa stood test of time

IT is never easy to fight on the Rho- army. After working in the post-In- Tekere in a bid to stop the Zanu flict. After Zum, Mutsekwa joined Giles Mutsekwa.
desian side of the liberation war and dependence military, Mutsekwa was PF one-party project. That helped the Democratic Party as a founder Born in 1948, Mutsekwa served
later join the post-Independence then promoted to the rank of full to defeat Zanu PF’s one-party state member and national chairman. as secretary for security and intelli-
army dominated by former enemies colonel to lead a battalion in Nyan- agenda. gence of the MDC-T led by Morgan
to make a professional military ca- ga that was going to be deployed in During his controversial mili- Tsvangirai. He also served as MP for
reer, and then going on to become a Matabeleland during the Gukura- A strict disciplinarian, he raised tary career, Mutsekwa distinguished Mutare North from 2000 to 2008.
minister – this time on the right side hundi campaign. his children with the belief that ed- himself a trained soldier with vari- After serving as co-minister of
of history. ucation, hard work, honesty, respect ous military awards, which include Home Affairs in 2009, he was in
Mutsekwa refused and opted to and principle was critical in one General Service Medal – Bronze 2010 re-assigned and became min-
Even though he died in the resign instead. achieving their God-given purpose Cross of Zimbabwe. ister of National Housing.
MDC-T party led by Douglas Mwa- in life. He was a loyal person, who Mutsekwa was a trained soldier
onzora, whom he worked with in the The late former president Robert had a deep disdain for disloyal peo- He has held several posts in the with various military awards, in-
Edgar Tekere-led Zimbabwe Unity Mugabe and the then late former ple. He never put self-interest ahead army including the post of officer cluding the General Service Medal
Movement (Zum), Giles Mutsekwa General Solomon Mujuru, who was of public service as many politicians cadet 1978-1979 and then after In- – Bronze Cross of Zimbabwe.
had managed to show his versatili- at the time army commander, re- nowadays do. dependence in 1983 he was promot- He served in the Rhodesian army
ty, despite a somewhat controversial fused his resignation and insisted on ed to the rank of captain and then in prime minister Ian Smith’s gov-
career. him taking up the promotion. A gentle giant, Mutsekwa was full major in 1984. ernment where he held several posts
of humour, with a unique ability in the army, including being officer
Mutsekwa  was born on 14 Sep- Mutsekwa stuck to his guns and to communicate wisdom with such He retired from the army in cadet (UK) 1978-1979.
tember 1948 in Honde Valley to a was allowed to resign with the rank simplicity, even when faced with ad- 1986, and joined the private sec- At Independence, he joined the
peasant farmer in  a family of  nine of major instead of colonel. versity and complex issues. He was tor as a general manager for a Mu- Zimbabwe army and was in 1983
children. His father was born in a stickler for good personal hygiene, tare-based haulage company owned promoted to the rank of captain.
Nyanga to a royal  bloodline of the His refusal to go and join Guku- grooming and presentability,  some- by retired Air Force of Zimbabwe Mutsekwa also participated in the
Katerere chieftaincy.  rahundi showed that he had learnt thing his wife aptly complimented officer Don Howard, Commercial military campaigns of Mozambique
from the Rhodesian experience not him with. Transport  (Pvt) Ltd. between 1982-86.
His only surviving sibling based to be on the wrong side of history After leaving the army, Mutsekwa
in Cape Town, South Africa, de- again. Always an advocate for unity and He soon left the transport indus- entered politics and joined the Zim-
scribed his late brother as always peace among family members, soci- try to become a full-time politician babwe Unity Movement (Zum) s its
courageous and protective, having After learning from experience ety and in politics right up to death, and, as a result, endured endless ar- the Manicaland provincial chairper-
a disdain for bullies and standing and rehabilitating himself, Mutse- Mutsekwa – despite a wrong start as rests, detentions and harassment. son. He was with Douglas Mwonzo-
up to them growing as a boy in the kwa opposed oppression of any kind a young man – wanted the current ra in Zum.
village.  and spent his entire adult life fight- Zimbabwean situation resolved by Before his retirement, Mutse-
ing for democracy and justice.  democratic means and without con- kwa participated in the military
Mutsekwa grew up and did his campaign in Mozambique between
early primary education in Gatsi, As part of that, he was instrumen- 1982-86.
Honde Valley. tal in the formation of Zum with

His father went and successfully
applied for an education scholarship
at the United Methodist church in
Old Mutare then headed by a Bish-
op Dodge.

Mutsekwa then went on to study
at Nyatsime High School were he
did his Form 1-6.

He then went on to study via
correspondence with a United King-
dom university for a degree in busi-
ness administration.

Mutsekwa then got employed
by Nestlé Rhodesia as an adminis-
trative clerk. During his stay there
as a young man without discerning
minds around him, he was attracted
by a Rhodesian Army recruitment
advert that was offering almost dou-
ble the wage he was getting at Nestlé
as an administrative clerk.

Yet this was a deceitful ploy to
recruit young black men into the
army. A lot of propaganda and re-
muneration were used as a ploy to
lure young black men into the Rho-
desian army to fight the liberation
forces, a move which was not just
manipulative but also damaging to
the reputation and careers of undis-
cerning young black men.

So Mutsekwa sadly fell for it and
joined the Rhodesian army in 1968.
He went through a gruesome six-
month training course,  of which
only him and five other recruits out
of 50 qualified.

Some died during the training.
Mutsekwa was then assigned to
the administration and logistics be-
cause of his educational background.
The then went for further train-
ing at Sandhurst military academy
in the UK, and got promoted to the
rank of captain in 1978, then major
in 1983 after he had joined the new
integrated military. 
Mutsekwa was one of the officers
involved in the demobilisation and
integration of the military involv-
ing the Rhodesians, Zanla and Zip-
ra forces, helping to form the new

NewsHawks Reframing Issues Page 45

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

THE Roman Catholic Church, The Catholic doctrine of and Official Correspondence of
like most Western-founded church- discovery and dominion Daniel Webster while Secretary
es, did not plan for post-indepen- of State, 1848:177).
dence strategies in Africa. They The terror position of the Johnson v. M’Intosh was also Pope Nicholas V.
failed to formulate context-specific church’s doctrine is inconsis- part of the basis for the 2005 It means that the Roman Cath-
strategies in order to improve their tent with international law and City of Sherrill ruling by the US to pitch Catholicism in South- olic Church’s doctrine is active at
church-state relations contextually. best practice.  Article 1, in both Supreme Court (City of Sher- ern Rhodesia and Nyasaland but, the level of diplomacy and inter-
the International Covenant on rill v. Oneida Indian Nation of unfortunately, he was strangled national relations and the states
The other aspect is that, whilst Civil and Political Rights and New York, 544 US 197 (2005),’ and thrown into the Musengezi of Christendom. The 1856 Paris
the Catholic Commission for Peace the International Covenant on County of Oneida v. Oneida In- River. treaty has unilaterally conferred
and Justice is very instrumental in Economic, Social and Cultural dian Nation of N. Y., 470 US all non-Christian states into the
limiting the excessive use of force Rights, reads: All peoples have 226, 234 (1985) (Oneida II). The Africans, by killing Silvei- Christian family of nation states.
by the state on its citizens, its open the right to self‐determination. ra, clearly indicated that, foreign
criticism on democracies made the The Roman Catholic Church’s religion was not welcome in Af- The Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church to be seen By virtue of that right, they doctrine of dominion and dis- rica, especially the labelling and made a blunder of thinking that
as an agent of regime change and freely determine their political covery influenced Western hege- challenging of the African value change of terminology would
neo-colonialism. status and freely pursue their mony, colonisation, gross human system as pagan, demonic and erase its human rights violations.
economic, social and cultural de- rights violations, wars, slave trade satanic. According to Grewe (2000:229),
According to Baur (1994:17), velopment. (Venne’s, 2011:559- and other heinous acts across the it would be a serious mistake to
what missionaries forget is that in 60, 563-64). globe. As long as the doctrine of Hu- conclude that, such a shift in
their attempt to evangelise, they man Rights is Western linked, it terminology erased the centuries
end up colonising states religiously. The continued use of the Ro- The greatest mistake of the may never be recognised as suf- of conceptual development that
Thus, there were three major forms man Catholic Church’s draconi- Western-founded churches was ficiently covering and embrac- had taken place in the context of
of colonisation in Africa, namely: an papal decrees by states has a to assume that, upon attaining ing the African people as well. Western Christendom.
religious, political and economic negative connotation of its im- political independence, Africans Africans have demonstrated over
through the slave trade which, in age. These human rights theo- had forgotten their brutal expe- centuries that they are against The Roman Catholic doctrine
turn, shaped how Africans perceive logical doctrines by the church riences under Western-found- Western civilisation whatsoever, of dominion and discovery great-
Westerners. are still being used by hegemonic ed churches. The church would in as much as Western civilisa- ly influenced the US’s political
powerful states to oppress and have formally engaged the affect- tion showed keen dedication to behaviour. Through the effective
  subjugate weaker states. ed states for truth and reconcili- subdue and totally erase African use of the doctrine of discovery
ation. civilisation whatsoever. and dominion, the US govern-
MATHEW MARE In the United States, there is ment has achieved global hege-
contemporary evidence of the use In the case of Zimbabwe, the This is further compounded by mony and a unipolar status.
IN light of the above, it is pru- of the Roman Catholic Church’s church facilitated the process modern states that are continu-
dent to note that the Catholic doctrine of discovery and domin- of colonisation by helping Ce- ing to revoke history by referring Chapter IV and 165 of Henry
Church conducted a radical ap- ion. In 2005, the US Supreme cil John Rhodes’ British South to archaic Papal decrees which Wheaton’s elements of interna-
proach on evangelising move- Court ruling in the case of City African Company to dupe King authorised the violation of hu- tional law of 1836 argued that
ment in pursuant of the Pope’s of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Na- Lobengula into signing the Rudd man rights. almost a quarter of the world’s
declaration to non-Christianised tion of New York, the Court cit- Concession. behaviour is influenced by Cath-
regions such as Africa, through ed the “doctrine of discohvery” as A number of states have since olics’ doctrine of conquest which
the doctrine of discovery. The de- central to its decision. According to Brelsford domesticated some of the Papal also shaped the Berlin Confer-
cree was issued by the Pope and (1965:554), the Roman Catho- decrees into constitutions. In ence which carved up Africa.
contained in the document Dum This means that the doctrine lic Church as early as 1561 had 1843, the United States Depart-
Diversas issued in 1452. of Christian discovery found in Father Goncalo da Silveira trying ment of State, in its Treaty of Wheaton has brought forward
Washington, adopted the term a new dimension of the global
Pope Nicholas V even wrote to Christendom (The Diplomatic scope of the doctrine of conquest
the King Alfonso of Portugal, in- and discovery and how the same
structing him to invade, capture, shaped international relations.
vanquish and subdue all pagans The human rights violations by
and to reduce them into slaves. In the Western powers and the Ro-
addition, they took away all their man Catholic Church have roots
possessions and property (inter in the Papal decree.
ceatera papal bull, 1452:345).
By this one concise statement,
The doctrine made it possible Wheaton documents, the global
for the Roman Catholic Church scope of the doctrine of discov-
and even paved a way for Protes- ery and domination is still valid
tant churches, in later centuries, today.
to impose foreign religions on
“new subjects” as well as taking The “New World” encompass-
all resources that belonged to es the entirety of the Western
them. The move made the Af- Hemisphere and to this we must
rican community surrender to add the continents and islands
Catholicism and other tenets it of Africa and Asia, starting with
embodied such as social, politi- Vasco de Gama’s voyage to India
cal and economic ones because of on behalf of Portugal in 1498
subjugation by the Roman Cath- (Creation of Rights of Sover-
olic missionaries. eignty Through Symbolic Acts,
1938).
While the 1941 Atlantic Char-
ter signed by Roosevelt and The English colonisation ex-
Churchill stated that, they re- tends the scope of discovery and
spect the rights of all peoples to domination to Oceania (Austra-
choose the form of government lia and New Zealand) and the Pa-
under which they wanted to live cific (Hawai’i, Tahiti, etc) (ibid:
and that they wished to see sover- 1938).
eign rights and self‐government
restored to those who have been The sweep of the doctrine of
forcibly deprived of them (ibid, discovery and domination is
1425). global in scope when we con-
sider the colonial voyages and
The Roman Catholic Church justifications of Portugal, Spain,
is yet to make substantive legal France, Holland, Sweden, and
reforms to change some of its de- Russia, and the successor politi-
crees issued in the past. The doc- cal systems of any of those pow-
trine of discovery and crusades ers in places distant from their
resulted in terror behaviours by home countries.
the Roman Catholic Church.
*About the writer: Dr Mat-
For example, according to thew Mare is a Zimbabwean
historian David Stannard, some academic who holds two bach-
60% of the Indians in California elor’s degrees, five master’s
were wiped out in a 10-year pe- qualifications and a PhD. He
riod in the mid-nineteenth cen- is also doing another PhD and
tury (declaration of continuing has 12 executive certificates in
independence by the First Indian different fields. Professionally,
Treaty Council, 1974). he is a civil servant and also
board member at the National
Aids Council of Zimbabwe.

Page 46 Reframing Issues NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

South Africa has been warned that it faces
an ‘Arab Spring’: So what are the chances?

SANDY AFRICA

FORMER South African presi- Former South African president Thabo Mbeki.
dent Thabo Mbeki recently launched a
sharp critique of the governing African grant to unemployed people during the which lawlessness increases even fur- any overt sanction. Already, many young people engage
National Congress (ANC) for failure to Covid-19 pandemic was a tangible re- ther. Transnational organised crime It could be a blessing in disguise that in protest action. So-called service de-
address what it has  labelled  the triple sponse to the crisis that families facing networks and local gangs are  becom- livery protests are part of the South Af-
challenge of poverty, unemployment starvation needed. Similar scaled-up ing increasingly brazen. The police the country is perpetually in election rican experience: for the moment they
and inequality. measures to deal with the multiple cri- are overstretched and gripped by their mode. The local government elections remain largely localised and driven by
ses are needed, and there is no time to own internal problems. This break- and national general elections occur ev- single issues. Just five years ago, student
Mbeki, who led the party  from waste. down in respect for the law by criminals ery five years. Because they overlap each protests through the  #FeesMustFall
1997 to 2007, said the government has the effect of eroding the legitimacy other, the country has an election every movement  saw activism on a nation-
seemed to have no plan to address these Something needs to be done ur- and authority of the state. three years. al scale. The national mood changed;
problems, warning that rising poverty gently to address a host of big chal- politics changed. Some of those young
and hardship, poor governance, and lenges, ranging from the  high cost of Extortion, protection rackets, kid- In between these events, political activists are now in parliament, in local
mounting lawlessness could see South living  to  soaring fuel prices, and  in- nappings, drive-by shootings, if they parties hold their own leadership con- government, and other spaces.
Africa erupt into its own version of the adequate provision of basic municipal are allowed to encroach unchecked, tests, which serve as bellwethers for
“Arab Spring”. services. will result in criminal networks being who is likely to occupy national office But they account for a small minori-
even more of a destabilising factor than or local government seat. This ongoing ty. There is a vast, restless sea of young
The “Arab Spring” uprisings which Bored youth, with limited opportu- political actors. A convergence of these extra- and intra-political competition people with unmet dreams and aspira-
swept across North Africa and parts of nities for work and gaining skills, get elements – a South Africa where dis- serves as a pressure valve to absorb the tions. They wake up to lives of poverty,
the Middle East more than a decade sucked into drugs or alcohol abuse, pet- gruntled elements engage in ongoing energy that might otherwise bubble joblessness, boredom. They see little
ago, led to the overthrow of authoritari- ty crime or worse. destabilisation, and collude with, or over. change, and perceive the state to be in-
an regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Possible trajectories even unwittingly create the space for different to their plight.
Many of the protesters were young and Given the picture I have painted, is an criminal networks to run amok – does Political assassinations,  especially at
educated and had become disillusioned Arab Spring likely? not augur well for a prosperous nation. the local level, are a pernicious by-prod- Yet these same young people are en-
by the corruption and patronage that Mitigating factors uct of this endless electoral churn. ergetic, connected via social media, and
benefited only political and economic It is impossible to make an accurate Uprisings like those that occurred in But the prospects of attaining office bursting to claim their space. Some are
elites. prediction, but two trajectories are Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, were the through outwitting, or ganging up with fortunate to come by opportunities,
plausible. result of combustible local conditions, rivals, are still sufficiently attractive to but for those from poor families, there
A common feature of these uprisings triggered by a small spark. People were the political classes. is not much to persuade them that their
was that the existing constitutional or- One is a repeat of last July’s devastat- railing against political systems they lives are about to get better. Therein lies
ders had become so delegitimised that ing unrest. The failure of the state to saw as authoritarian and intolerant of This is not to deny that destabili- the challenge to political parties and the
they simply collapsed under the weight respond decisively to the July unrest dissent. sation is not widespread, something state.
of social discord. could encourage politically inspired referred to by Ramaphosa when he ad-
anarchists to resort to violence again if South Africa is still a very different dressed the nation on broadcast media — The Conversation.
Mbeki’s prophesy is sobering, espe- they don’t get their way. They have test- political space. The country is a noisy on Monday 25 July. Sabotage of electri-
cially coming a year after devastating ri- ed the waters and seen what’s possible. democracy with a free and open media, cal infrastructure, illegal connections by *About the writer: Sandy Africa
ots in parts of the country in July 2021. And given that people remain frustrat- lots of dissenting voices, and insulting community members, theft of cables by is associate professor of political sci-
With the plotters of what President ed about their lives, the country could the government of the day doesn’t carry organised criminals might not necessar- ence and deputy dean of teaching and
Cyril Ramaphosa described as a failed see another outbreak of violence. ily be centrally orchestrated. Neverthe- learning (humanities), University of
insurrection  still at large, many South less, they delegitimise the authority of Pretoria, South Africa.
Africans nervously await a repeat. Another trajectory is the one in the central state.

Political parties, trade unions, busi-
ness, civil society groups all realise that
South Africa is a pressure cooker. But
the youth have shown little interest in
organised politics. Their low participa-
tion rates in elections are a sign of that.
There is a sense that something needs
to change quickly, and radically. If not,
the youth could explode in impatience
and anger, a tsunami that even political
parties will find difficult to contain.
Ramaphosa’s plan
President Ramaphosa used a public
platform to respond to Mbeki’s criti-
cism, almost a week later. Addressing
the closing session of the ANC Kwa-
Zulu-Natal electoral conference  he
pointed  out that the government did
have a reform agenda to address these
problems. He cited the unwieldy  Na-
tional Development Plan, government’s
formal blueprint for achieving its long
term goals, and the ANC’s own 2019
election manifesto as “the plan”.

Some of the priorities identified have
since  been translated into the govern-
ment’s  Economic Reconstruction and
Recovery Plan, which aims to change
the asset and resource base of the econ-
omy by making the ownership struc-
ture more inclusive.

Tellingly, the president referred to
these measures as “reforms”, language
that invokes the idea of incremental
change. But such initiatives sound dis-
tant and removed from what is needed.

What people want to see is visible
change in their daily lives, and more
imagination on the part of their gov-
ernment in relieving their hardships.
The R350 (about US$20.72) monthly

NewsHawks Reframing Issues Page 47

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

JULIUS GATUNE/ DEON CLOETE The industrial policy options
for southern Africa countries
THERE is a need to transform the
underlying economic principles of Coal operations at one of South Africa’s coal-fired power plants. Industrial policy needs to envisage less reliance on carbon.
the economies in southern African
countries to address the persistent dence on carbon. ios  leapfrog world. In this scenario nopolies. the tools to create new products, lead-
challenges of severe poverty and un- The interplay of the 4IR and oth- countries leapfrog over classical bar- In this scenario there is a sustain- ing to new industries. But there are
employment. riers to rapidly adopt new technolo- risks. These technologies also open
er drivers is key to understanding the gies. This is achieved when the 4IR is able regional economy, thanks to a the potential for counterfeit goods.
Two of the region’s strategies are potential impact of industrialisation. governed through effective democrat- democratised and empowering 4IR. And they can be harmful by emitting
the Southern African Development Changes to income, behaviour and ic principles. But the associated industries remain toxic particles.
Community’s  Vision 2050  and perceptions shape consumption and unsustainable. The “green monopo-
its  Regional Indicative Strategic De- in turn demand-and-supply respons- Some examples include invest- lised” industries dominate the econo- The way forward
velopment Plan. These highlight es. The demand for reducing indus- ments in blockchain, waste tracking my. They use technology innovations Industrialisation in southern Africa
technology as a way to lead economic try’s dependence on carbon and the and mapping technologies. These to enhance their economic positions, will demand concerted efforts in four
growth equitably and sustainably in a 4IR has set a new trajectory in tech- would help reorganise, for example, spreading deep fakes at an unimag- domains. These are:
growing industrialised region. nological disruption. This has been mining and agricultural value chains. inable scale. This results in polarised
accelerated by the COVID-19 pan- At the same time they would reduce communities, social unrest and unfa- • skills development and technolo-
But, in our view, these plans aren’t demic. And this, in turn, has forced negative effects on the environment. vourable economic conditions. gy infrastructure development
enough. Historical drivers – such as the rapid adoption of digital tools Blockchain can reduce barriers to en-
poor governance and the legacies of such as artificial intelligence, robotics try. New competitors could come in Advancements in technology are in • dynamic innovation ecosystems
colonialism – have kept the region’s and new modes of work. — crucial for job creation. the hands of a few powerful monopo- • circular economy principles
potential locked in negative cycles. lies without effective regulatory prac- • practical regulatory frameworks.
It’s true that the desire for industrial For countries in the Southern Af- A possible (undesirable) future tices. This creates the ideal breeding If properly harnessed, industriali-
transformation exists. But the prac- rican Development Community, would be colonialism reloaded. ground for hacking, cybercrimes and sation can provide new pathways to
ticalities are not connected with real 4IR can be viewed as a double-edged corporate bullying tactics. Inequality achieve personal and collective eco-
buy-in from power brokers. The re- sword. On the one hand it presents In this scenario the benefits of the deepens because profit is more im- nomic wellbeing. Inequality can be
sult is low levels of implementation. opportunities. These include im- 4IR are concentrated among a few portant than people and the environ- narrowed. And marginalised commu-
provements in business productivity, well-connected multinational com- ment. nities can be at the centre of industri-
The Southern African Develop- banking the unbanked, formalising panies. al development.
ment Community has set itself the economies, creating new markets and A green monopolies scenario will The fusion of technology and in-
goal of emulating the high-growth improving public service access. Many industry participants are ex- have the resources and political pow- vestment into skills development and
economies of the Asian Tigers. These cluded from the green economy. This er to invest in technologies such as job creation is critical. This is partic-
include Hong Kong, Singapore, On the other hand it poses risks. would reinforce current challenges advanced robotics. This will create ularly important for the region’s bud-
South Korea and Taiwan. But to These include automation at the ex- such as poor technology infrastruc- efficiencies and environmentally sus- ding youth population.
achieve this it needs to support infra- pense of job creation and moving ture and low skills levels. tainable industries. But it will be at — The Conversation.
structure and economic diversifica- manufacturing operations to more the expense of job creation.
tion that takes economies away from advanced economies. Aggressive To avoid this, investments in the *About the writers: Julius Gatune
primary commodities. adoption of 4IR could also deepen skills base are necesssary to improve Another probable future is the do- is senior project consultant at the
inequality by exposing the region’s social and civic competencies. They it-yourself (DIY) scenario. Maastricht School of Management
In our view, the co-incidence of unprepared skills base and outdated must accompany investments in in the Netherlands. Deon Cloete
two developments provides an op- infrastructure to new technologies. technology infrastructure to increase This is achieved when technology is head of the SAIIA Futures Pro-
portunity for such a transformation. The desirable and undesirable access to economic opportunities. empowers citizens. An example is 3D gramme at the South African Insti-
They are the emerging Fourth Indus- We called one of the desirable scenar- This will turn the tide on the ever-in- printing. These kinds of technologies tute of International Affairs.
trial Revolution (4IR) and the green creasing digital divide. can help create self-sustaining villages
economy. The Fourth Industrial independent of the larger economies.
Revolution represents the possibility Another – quite probable – unde- The democratised process provides
of fundamental change through tech- sirable future we termed  green mo-
nological and scientific advances. The
green economy can be described as a
low carbon, resource efficient and so-
cially inclusive approach to economic
development.

A recent  study  by the  Futures
Programme at the South African In-
stitute of International Affairs high-
lights a range of future scenarios for
industrialisation in the region. These
don’t predict the future. Rather they
explore a range of uncertainties about
regional industrialisation. They also
identify challenges and opportunities.

The scenarios visualise how in-
dustrialisation in the region might
evolve. They were mapped from the
viewpoint that the green economy
and Fourth Industrial Revolution
hold significant promise. They have
the potential to boost industrial ac-
tivity, transform socio-economic de-
velopment and advance transitions
while alleviating unemployment
and inequality. The scenario analysis
provides plausible and possible alter-
natives for industrialisation. It also
alerts decision makers to undesired
pathways. The main four scenari-
os are called Do-it-Yourself (DIY),
Leapfrog World, Green Monopolies
and Colonialism Reloaded.
Re-thinking industrialisation
The Fourth Industrial Revolution
paves the way for increased intercon-
nectivity and smart automation. It
does this by creating rapid and un-
precedented changes to technology,
industries and societal patterns. But
there is been little exploration of its
impact on the emerging drivers of
industrialisation. These include rapid
urbanisation, population growth, ris-
ing incomes, energy decentralisation,
climate change and reducing depen-

Page 48 Reframing Issues NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

CLAUDIO GASTROW/GILSON LÁZARO Angola’s Eduardo dos Santos: A
divisive figure in life and in death
THERE is unlikely to be consensus
on what  José Eduardo dos Santos, during the civil war period (1975-
Angola’s former long-time president 2002), Dos Santos’ inability to en-
who died earlier this month in Bar- courage significant diversification
celona, Spain, will represent in the of the economy during the decade
memory of Angolans. long post-conflict oil boom was
perhaps one of his greatest failures.
While he has been credited for
steering his country through a de- If poverty was already extreme for
cades long  civil war, his rule was many Angolans, the failed promises
marred by authoritarianism, high of the oil boom only made the pe-
levels of corruption, and the secu- riod that followed worse. With the
ritisation of the state. crash of oil in 2015,  the country
has experienced austerity, rising un-
Critics were not tolerated and employment and worsening social
inequality marred attempts at conditions. This situation could
post-conflict reconstruction. The have been alleviated if more focus
failure to significantly diversify the had been placed on building alter-
country’s economy beyond its heavy natives to the oil industry.
reliance on oil has continued to
haunt his successor, João Lourenço. Angolan former President José Eduardo dos Santos. Legacy unclear
Dos Santos died five years after
Dos Santos was not a man known By the end of the country’s civ- omnipresent due to the belief in the mocracy. Criticism was treated as a leaving office in self-imposed exile,
for his speeches or for intense pub- il war  in 2002, decisively won by office’s capacity to collect informa- threat. Security forces were readily abandoned by his previous political
lic engagement. The most common the MPLA led by Dos Santos, the tion about the most banal of every- used to harass critics and opposi- allies, especially those belonging to
way that he was encountered was presidency had almost rendered day actions and statements. tion. his own generation of the anti-colo-
through his face being on the coun- other decision-making structures Oil dependence, corruption and nial struggle.
try’s banknotes, an ironic reminder irrelevant. The new  2010 constitu- These beliefs often seemed to inequality
of the wealth he seemed to person- tion further embedded presidential be realised in the late days of Dos Dos Santos’s economic legacy, more His body is now  in litigation in
ally control. powers. These had been informally Santos’s rule when activist circles than his political one, attracted the a Spanish court  and is the subject
accumulated during the 1980s and were infiltrated. This led to  arrests most attention abroad. During his of a close dispute between different
Outside election cycles, Dos San- strengthened in the 1990s. This in- and show trials  of those question- final years and his retirement in wings of his family and the Angolan
tos was a withdrawn president. He cluded the elimination of the po- ing state policies and the political 2017, the accumulation of wealth state. President João Lourenço  de-
stayed in his presidential homes, sition of prime minister as head of system. by his family, especially his eldest creed seven days of national mourn-
trusting only a small group of advis- the government. child,  Isabel dos Santos, generated ing  and insists on holding a state
ers and preferring to give verbal in- One of the long-term legacies of significant criticism from Angolans funeral. Dos Santos’s children have
structions rather than written ones. Dos Santos inspired loyalty and his rule is a paranoid and authori- and foreigners. accepted to bury him in Angola, but
Angolans generally only saw him in fear. A number of factors made this tarian political system. It does little only after the 2022 election as they
the media and occasionally at offi- possible. These included his long to serve the needs of the majority His children’s actions were seek to leverage the political signifi-
cial events if they were allowed to stay in power (1979 to 2017) as well and centres too much power in the viewed by many as symbolic of the cance that his body symbolises.
be present. as the creation of a parallel security presidency. broader scourge of corruption that
state answerable almost exclusively had come to characterise Angola’s The dispute is evidence of the
His silence allowed people to to him. People were wary of phones Attempts at opening up the po- political economy. This, under the power Dos Santos’s wielded in life
project their beliefs onto him, rath- being tapped, of acquaintances litical space and producing an en- pretence of building a “national and now in death. On the eve of the
er than ever be sure of an insight working for intelligence services, gaged civil society  were dampened bourgeoisie”. Angola’s  August 24 elections, his
into his own thoughts. It was pre- and the internet being monitored. if not openly crushed. Despite lead- funeral would be a means for Lou-
cisely this distanced silence, there- ing the country into its most-pro- At the heart of Dos Santos’s renço to gain electoral advantage
fore, which produced his aura of This fear created a relationship longed period of peace since 1961, power and Angola’s wealth stood and redeem himself in the face of
power and the cult of personality to the presidency in which it was when the  insurrection against Por- oil. While many understood the public criticism for the attacks car-
that surrounded him. understood as socially remote from tuguese colonial rule began, Dos country’s continued reliance on oil ried out against Dos Santos and his
Absent but omnipresent ordinary Angolans; but seemingly Santos’s style of rule was detrimen- children.
Dos Santos came to power in Sep- tal to the growth of a vibrant de-
tember 1979  at the age of 37. He For Lourenço and the hard-core
quickly came to inhabit his presi- of the MPLA, Dos Santos’ body is a
dential position, side-lining many political asset with the potential to
of the original prominent leaders appease internal divisions, negotiate
of the governing People’s Move- with his children, and calm popular
ment for the Liberation of Angola dissatisfaction  with Lourenço’s and
(MPLA), while installing his own the party’s performance since 2017.
people in positions of power.
Amid the political dispute over
His understanding of the work- the body and general elections, Dos
ings of state institutions, presiden- Santos’s political legacy will contin-
tial power and financial flows be- ue to divide Angolans immensely
came apparent as the MPLA found for a long time.
itself increasingly unable to coun-
teract its own president, causing — The Conversation.
frictions between party and leader.
*About the writers: Claudia
Oil funds were used to ensure the Gastrow is senior lecturer in adn-
viability of the MPLA’s war effort thropology at the University of Jo-
against the rebel movement Uni- hannesburg in South Africa. Gil-
ta through the purchase of weap- son Lázaro is research associate at
ons and food. They also became the Catholic University of Angola.
a means of  disbursing patronage
and favours, tying the elite to the
president’s whims. The fear of los-
ing access to financial support in
a country where to be poor meant
having almost nothing acted as the
ultimate threat for the elites.

NewsHawks Africa News Page 49

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

MUTHOKI MUMO Fear grips Kenyan journalists
ahead of key general elections
KENYANS are preparing to head to the some taekwondo and boxing training; I
polls 9 August for a national election that John-Allan Namu, investigative journalist and founder of the independent news outlet Africa Uncensored. can take care of myself. But I still fear be-
is predicted to be tightly contested. Depu- coming a burden to my colleagues.
ty President William Ruto is vying for the is concern about the issue of profiling these politicians speak up at the rallies are not metal, you are not a piece of iron, John-Allan Namu, investigative jour-
presidency against main contender  Raila because these politicians have their sup- negatively about the media houses, they of course you must be afraid. The ripple nalist and founder of the independent
Odinga, a veteran opposition figure who porters. And what they do is they unleash do not need to tell the audience to lynch effect is that the women shy away from news outlet Africa Uncensored.
nonetheless has the backing of the current them on our media houses. They unleash this journalist or that journalist. Their reporting on politics. The extremes that So far in this season, we have had few in-
President Uhuru Kenyatta.  them on our specific journalists. It is a statements are as good as orders. There is some editors have gone to [in response] is cidents [of physical attacks on journalists].
security concern for our teams out there also a question of what happens after the to tell women journalists not to go out to Yet I still feel there is a decline in Press
In 2017, Kenyan journalists were ha- because profiling amounts to a green card elections if the side you supported does the field to report political rallies. Which freedom. Self-censorship and “brown en-
rassed and detained while covering a dis- to supporters to proceed as they may wish. not win. How will you earn that [public] for us is not a very good thing. We want velope” journalism  [a practice  generally
puted general election. Now, the country’s We’ve had to remove our branding from trust back? the women to go out there, to report on considered unethical    in which journal-
Press corps hopes to avoid a repeat of such our journalists [covering a rally]. So no Judie Kaberia, executive director of the difficult subjects. ists accept payment in return for favour-
incidents. microphone that shows who we are.  Be- Association of Media Women in Kenya Sophia Abdhi, reporter and present- able coverage] are much bigger concerns
cause if you proceed with your identity (AMWIK) and a former reporter who er with Al-Shifaa TV, an online media in these elections than in previous ones.
But Kenya remains vulnerable to po- all over the place, you do not know what covered elections between 2007 and outlet based in the coastal Mombasa We’ve [also] seen journalists being chased
litical turmoil, and there have already supporters will do. The impact is that our 2017 for the privately owned broad- County  out of meetings [by politicians]. As an
been incidents of violations against the teams move with fear.  caster Capital FM.  My experience, as a “lady” journalist cov- independent outlet, without the name
press, including the March 2022 assault of Nicholas Kipchumba, reporter with The media owners are the most difficult ering my third election, has not always brand recognition of “mainstream” media,
two journalists covering an event at Odin- Kass Media Group, a national Kalen- group [to deal with] when we talk about been that good. I remember one incident we have had our own issues with access,
ga’s party headquarters and journalists jin-language outlet broadcasting on ensuring that journalists work in a free [on 20 February 2022]. We received a getting prominent politicians to sit down
having been denied access while covering radio, television, and reporting online  environment where they can report in- call early in the morning, to go meet Ka- for interviews for instance. What I’ve
Ruto. The critical aspect of the media debate dependently, especially the media owners lonzo Musyoka [a politician allied with heard from our teams [on the ground] is
now, and many may not actually be bold who have taken political sides.  Of course Odinga], whom we’d been chasing for an that the crowds at rallies are on edge, ant-
Between May and July, Committee to enough to acknowledge it, is that the me- they have freedom to say who they are interview. But I had a family emergency, sy. There is a sense that things could take
Protect Journalists (CPJ) spoke with more dia has taken sides. [In June] the [statu- supporting. But if the public trusts us to and I did not have someone to watch my an ugly turn fast. Covering situations that
than 50 Kenyan journalists and press free- tory regulator] Media Council of Kenya be objective and independent, then that is [three-year-old] son so I went with him. went violent in past elections I’ve learned
dom advocates about their concerns. They gave some warnings on this. At face value what it should be.  At the hotel, we also found [Odinga], so a couple of things. The first: Don’t be a
spoke of the risks of covering political ral- we might conclude the reason [for the me- we had to interview him too. The security hero. Don’t try to get that exclusive shot at
lies that could turn violent  or even deadly  dia to take sides] is freedom, that they are Women journalists face specific con- guards tried to take my son away but he the expense of your own safety. Secondly,
and the normalisation of sexualised at- freely choosing who to cover. cerns. During elections, the crowds don’t refused. So he was there on the side-lines, it’s always important to know where the
tacks against female reporters. see women journalists as professionals. while I was interviewing [Odinga] and police are. Are they coming? Are they al-
But I really think if you look more They see them as sexual objects. It hap- Kalonzo. I even have pictures of him with ready on the ground? And never put your-
Nearly all of them worried about deeply you will find it is about [the] state. pened to me while reporting a political the politicians. self between police and protesters. And
“profiling” — when politicians and their Media houses rely heavily on government rally [in a past election]. You are holding avoid reporting after dark. 
supporters publicly brand individual jour- advertising or advertising from govern- the microphone and someone is pinch- The story was a scoop: for our online
nalists or media outlets as prejudiced in ment-controlled institutions. So they will ing you on the back and another one is media house to have a story that even the Recognizing that women journalists
favour of the opponent. This accusation – lean the same way as the president [in fa- just passing hands over you and is hold- mainstream did not have. But I felt bad. face unique threats [in the field] we are
whether based on real or perceived biases vour of Odinga]. ing your bust. It has been so normalised, Having my son with me that day, I felt trying to mitigate this when we assign sto-
in coverage – leaves journalists vulnerable that we don’t see it as a crime. And even like I was exposing my son. Later we had ries: matching reporters and producers in
to attacks, Kenya’s media regulator said in The safety of journalists is problematic if we report it, nobody takes it seriously. to cover a [Odinga] political rally. My male-female pairs. Many of our reporters
a May statement. when it comes to such situations. If your They just say: “Just that? Just someone colleague insisted that we stay in the car are young, so we will also try to put them
media is perceived as being pro Kenya holding you? Tell them not to hold you.” when things turned violent. Sometimes together with someone who has more ex-
Below, CPJ has published the views of Kwanza [Ruto coalition], would you feel It is not a small thing. Because the next our colleagues feel they need to protect us perience.
six of these journalists and advocates rep- comfortable covering an Azimio [Odinga’s thing is that you are so afraid. And you as women. They see it as their duty. I have
resentative of the concerns of the country’s coalition] rally? Or vice versa? And when When CPJ called Raphael Tuju, the
press corps writ large ahead of the elec- executive director of Azimio la Umoja, for
tions. Their comments have been edited comment, he said that political profiling
for length and clarity. of the press reflected a broader “disease
and dysfunction” throughout society, as
CPJ also contacted representatives of well as alleged professional failings with-
Ruto and Odinga’s campaigns and their in the media. He said he condemned any
affiliated parties, as well the country’s elec- physical or verbal attacks on journalists.
tions commission, for comment. Those
responses are included after the journal- When asked about the March 2022 at-
ists’ stories. tacks at Odinga’s party headquarters, Tuju
William Oloo Janak, chairperson of referred CPJ to the Orange Democratic
the Kenya Correspondents Association, Movement (ODM), which is part of Azi-
which represents about 600 Kenyan mio la Umoja, for comment.
journalists 
The political environment is increasingly CPJ called and sent text messages to
hostile. We have seen statements recently ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifu-
from the Kenya Kwanza Alliance [the co- na, party spokesperson Philip Etale, and
alition of parties backing Ruto], lebelling Odinga’s campaign secretariat spokesper-
certain media houses as hostile to them. son Dennis Onsarigo, but none replied
The media needs to be called out if they to CPJ’s queries about safety concerns as-
are not doing the right thing. sociated with profiling, the risks faced by
women journalists covering politics, or the
But this is a delicate period. What we March attack.
are worried about is the interpretation
[of these statements] by supporters on CPJ also called and sent requests for
the ground. The top leaders complaining comment via text message and messaging
about the bias will not attack the jour- app to David Mugonyi, Ruto’s spokesper-
nalists. It is their supporters who, taking son in his capacity as deputy president;
the cue from leaders, will begin to point Hussein Mohamed, Ruto’s campaign
at journalists, perhaps to attack jour- spokesperson; and Veronica Maina, the
nalists even. And the journalists are not secretary-general of Ruto’s United Dem-
quite ready [to deal with election-related ocratic Alliance party, but none answered
attacks]. We have a huge group of young CPJ’s questions about the press freedom
journalists. Many of them have not cov- issues surrounding his campaign.
ered elections or have only covered one,
and these are the statistics we are seeing In  a July 15 press conference, Mo-
among our membership countrywide. hamed denied claims that journalists were
They don’t have the institutional memory. unsafe covering the Kenya Kwanza cam-
The level of sensitivity to potentially vola- paigns, and criticized the media coverage
tile environments is very low.   of the campaign as biased.
Linus Kaikai, group editorial director
of Royal Media Services (RMS), a pri- CPJ called and messaged Wafula Che-
vately owned national broadcaster bukati, chair of the Independent Electoral
The problem journalists are facing right and Boundaries Commission, a statutory
now is that of profiling. Profiling of jour- body tasked with running the elections,
nalists in election years is becoming an but did not receive any replies. The com-
entrenched culture. [RMS] journalists mission’s public relations official, Purity
are being profiled as favouring Azimio la Njeru, asked that CPJ send questions via
Umoja One Kenya Coalition [Odinga’s email but did not reply to those questions
politician coalition] for the simple reason by the time of publication.
that our chairman and proprietor [SK
Macharia] has declared his preference and — Committee to Protect Journalists.
is actively taking part in the campaigns for
Raila Odinga. He has made it very pub-
lic. We have made repeated assertions and
given the public assurances that the posi-
tion of the chairman doesn’t affect our ed-
itorial leaning but it is not accepted. There

Page 50 Africa News NewsHawks

Issue 91, 29 July 2022

Kenya’s young voters have a dilemma: They
dislike ethnic politics but feel trapped in it

NARELLE GILCHRIST/ AMANDA B. EDGELL/
SEBASTIAN ELISCHER

IN elections and beyond, young elections, and youth views may have for students from ethnic groups with of ethnic politics. Tear gas fired at protesters in Kenya.
Kenyans are an important political changed since our survey. Also, the historically even less political power, Thus, we have a mixed picture:
cohort. People between the ages of 18 views of university students may dif- such as the Luhya, Kamba and Kisii. They also tend to support further
and 35 make up about  30% of the fer from those of the youth as a whole. Kenyan youth continue to engage in constitutional reforms to create a less
population and nearly 40% of regis- Students’ perceptions of discrim- ethnic politics out of pragmatism. In polarised system.
tered voters in the 2022 election. Of the students we surveyed, ination  reflected  the common belief their actions, they appear to be far
97% identified primarily as Kenyan, in Kenya that members of the pres- from “tribeless”, despite widespread This explains why #TribelessYouth
According to World Bank esti- choosing their national identity over ident’s ethnic group reap social and resentment of this system. founder Kihika remains hopeful. She
mates, almost  20% of young Ken- their ethnic one. One-third stated economic benefits. Many students Moving beyond ethnic politics told us: There is a huge number of
yans  were not employed or engaged that ethnicity remained an important stated that the Kikuyu and Kalenjin How a country like Kenya can move youth candidates both on political
in education as of 2019, a frustration part of their daily life; 47% said it had advantages in society since, as past ethnic politics is something party tickets and as independents.
that may  drive  their political views. played a minor or no role. one student put it, “the president and scholars and policy practitioners have Additionally, young people in the
The Covid-19 pandemic likely wors- deputy come from there.” long tried to understand. We don’t civic space are on the frontline.
ened the situation given lockdowns in Most (84%) agreed with a state- have many new answers from our
2020 and 2021. ment that tribal identities hurt Ken- As a result, Kenyan youth feel pres- research. However, Kenyan students However, as shown by the recently
yan politics more than they helped. sured to participate in ethnic politics echo many of the solutions proposed failed and polarising move to change
None of the major political parties More than one student said: despite their stated dislike of tribal- by scholars. the Kenyan constitution – under
and alliances in the current election ism. One student stated: The big fear the  Building Bridges Initiative  –
has put forward a clear vision for Tribalism is killing us. is that if we do not look out for our- For example, students in our sur- agreeing on the details of reform is
young people. Instead, the electorate Many students felt, though, that selves, no one will look after us. vey cited problems with Kenya’s elec- difficult. This is a result of conflict
has been treated to the traditional ethnic discrimination negatively af- toral system, in which the “winner and distrust between self-interested
election campaign menu of implicit fected their lives and politics. Over a Accordingly, 40% of surveyed stu- takes all”. political elites.
ethnic hostilities and the  attendant third (38%) stated that members of dents agreed that having a co-ethnic
fears of politically motivated violence. their group faced disadvantages be- in government was important to They suggested ways to increase — The Conversation.
cause of their ethnicity. them. power-sharing and inclusion, such
In the country’s last election in That number rose to nearly half as rotating positions between ethnic *About the writers: Narrelle
2017, then 23-year-old universi- among students from the Luo eth- Only 29%, however, admitted to groups. Gilchrist is a PhD candidate at
ty student Shikoh Kihika started a nic group, who have been repeatedly listening to the political opinions of Princeton University in the United
hashtag, #TribelessYouth, in response denied access to the presidency. They their ethnic or tribal leaders. This Kenyan university students have a States. Amanda B. Edgell is assis-
to hateful, discriminatory messages are the base of support for presiden- suggests that the youth accept that sophisticated understanding of liberal tant professor at the University of
she saw on social media. In 2017, tial candidate Raila Odinga. having a co-ethnic in power has im- democracy and the reforms necessary Alabama, US. Sebastian Elischer is
over a quarter of Kenya’s popula- The number was greater than half portant material benefits, while also for it to overcome ethnic divisions. associate professor of political sci-
tion was on social media. It’s like- acknowledging the dangerous effects ence at the University of Florida,
ly that  fake news  and other online US.
messages designed to stoke fear and
ethnic resentment contributed to the
violence witnessed in that election.

Kihika’s call for unity among Ken-
yan youth was  shared widely. How-
ever, a lasting change in behaviour is
harder to detect.

Social media is again being used to
spread divisive content in the run-up
to the August 2022 election.

Some messages are designed to
stoke fear and disrespect, creating a
narrative that Kenyans need to de-
fend their ethnic communities.

Do these tactics resonate with
young Kenyans, or is there hope for a
more “tribeless” political generation?

We decided to  study  the political
attitudes of Kenyan students, particu-
larly their views on the use of ethnic-
ity in politics.

We found that most Kenyan stu-
dents dislike ethnic-based politics in
principle. However, the pressures of
tribalism are difficult to ignore.

This suggests that the pattern of
ethnic voting and violence in Kenya
will be difficult to break, particularly
while concerns about ethnic discrimi-
nation and exclusion persist.

The students we surveyed widely
supported institutional reform aimed
at increasing power sharing and in-
clusion in Kenya’s government, but
these changes may be hard to achieve.
What the youth say
Our survey of University of Nairobi
students to gauge their views on de-
mocracy and ethnicity was done in
August 2018.

We surveyed 497 students between
the ages of 18 and 35 less than a year
after the 2017 general elections. It’s
important to note that our results
may have been coloured by the 2017