NewsHawks 20 May 2022

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WHAT’S INSIDE Friday 20 May 2022 NDEipWloSmats SBPaOnnReTd ex-Zim
confront stalwart bares
ZNaEcWc S govt over battle with substance
invades, PVOs Bill abuse and rehab
camps at
Nssa Story on Page 15 Story on Page 54

Story on Page 4

Chiwenga’s
Indonesia
arms deal
ahead of
elections
fuels shivers

ALSO INSIDE Rwandan genocidaire: Minister summoned

Page 2 News NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Chiwenga’s Indonesia arms deal
ahead of elections sends shivers

REVELATIONS Vice-President Constantino peaceful demonstrations. are usually hotly contested and disputed. Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga
Chiwenga, currently in Indonesia, will hold “It is worrying that the regime in Harare “So the arms purchase is worrying, but also search Institute, a military intelligence organ-
talks with an arms manufacturing company to isation, says Zimbabwe spent US$92 million
buy military hardware for Zimbabwe have sent would want to buy arms as a priority for a coun- revealing in relation to Mnangagwa’s power between 2000 and 2006, and a total of US$647
shivers down the spine of the main opposition try with so many urgent problems when it is consolidation strategy. Mnangagwa encouraged million from 1980 to 2020 to acquire military
forces, amid fears that weapons are being prior- not at war. We are not Somalia. We have relative students to become engineers to build bombs hardware.
itised on the eve of general elections to crack- stability, so the country doesn’t need arms as a and guns to attack his enemies, which we know
down on possible political unrest if the polls are top priority. The real challenge is the economic means the opposition,” Siziba said. Zengeza legislator Job Sikhala said the mon-
rigged again. crisis due to a political situation flowing from ey to buy arms could have been better used to
lack of legitimacy for Mnangagwa’s leadership,” “So it’s clear that there is a deliberate closure buy essential healthcare supplies and fix social
Zimbabwe’s elections are always disputed and Siziba said. of the democratic space in Zimbabwe and re- service delivery.
this often triggers social instability as happened versal of the gains of the liberation struggle as
during the 2018 polls when the army killed sev- He said Chiwenga’s bid to buy arms was actu- its core values included the sacrosanctity of uni- “We need cancer machines, not arms of war.
en people in Harare on 1 August amid protests ally a reflection of how the versal suffrage, one man one vote; the right of This demonstrates awkward priorities of the re-
over delayed results. Zimbabweans to decide leaders of their choice.” gime. We need equipment for hospitals, not in-
Mnangagwa administration is desperate to vesting in weapons war at the expense of utilities
Chiwenga, a former army general who cling on to power after losing elections, which The Stockholm International Peace and Re- and infrastructure,” he said. — STAFF WRITER.
swapped combat gear for civilian public office
after the November 2017 military coup which PT Pindad is an Indonesian state-owned manufacturing company specialising in military hardware.
toppled the late former president Robert Mug-
abe, remains influential in the military.

The army is Chiwenga’s leverage in his bid to
force out President Emmerson Mnangagwa be-
fore the 2023 elections as they agreed before the
coup he would serve one term.

However, Mnangagwa is digging in and
pushing for re-election next year.

Chiwenga landed in the Indonesian capital,
Jakarta, on 15 May on government business to
attend a water conference set for 18 and 19 May.

Soon after his arrival in the Asian country,
state media news agency Antara exposed a secret
part of his itinerary, which included a “visit (to)
the state-owned weaponry industry PT Pindad
in Bandung to explore the possibility of arms
purchase”.

On Tuesday, Chiwenga with his entourage
visited Indonesian Vice-President Ma’ruf Amin.

“During the (Chiwenga’s) visit, his entou-
rage consisted of many persons, and they had
many bilateral interests (that were) conveyed to
the Vice-President,” Indonesian vice-president’s
spokesperson Masduki Baidlowi said at a Press
conference the same day.

The Antara news agency later repeated the re-
port that Chiwenga was set to visit PT Pindad
in Bandung.

“Chiwenga will be offered weapons and arms
to modernise the Zimbabwean military, as well
as other heavy equipment to improve the Zim-
babwean mining industry,” reported the news
agency.

PT Pindad is an Indonesian state-owned
arms manufacturing company specialising in
military hardware. It was founded in 1808 as
a military equipment workshop in Surabaya
under the name of Artillerie Constructie Win-
kel. It expanded into a factory before moving to
Bandung in 1923.

The Dutch handed over the factory to the In-
donesian government in 1950.

The company is now a major manufacturer of
military equipment for internal use and export.

PT Pindad sells a host of lethal weapons,
from sidearms to submachine guns, assault ri-
fles, battle rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles,
grenade launchers and armoured vehicles.

In its stock it has a 40mm Silent Mortar, ME-
105 105mm Howitzer, PK-1 field knife and a
PL-1 throwing knife.

The planned purchase of weapons from In-
donesia is out of the norm as Zimbabwe usually
buys military hardware from Eastern Europe
and China. Zimbabwe has in the past purchased
weapons from Brazil and African countries such
as South Africa, Namibia and Egypt.

Before the European arms embargo, it
bought arms from Britain and other European
countries.

Gift Ostalos Siziba, the Citizens’ Coalition
for Change deputy spokesperson, told The
NewsHawks the opposition party had been fol-
lowing the “worrying reports that Chiwenga is
pursuing an arms deal in Indonesia”.

Zimbabwe was banned by the United States
and European Union from buying military
equipment from there due to human rights
abuses, including the killing of civilians during

NewsHawks News Page 3

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Zacc investigates Nssa corruption

MOSES MATENGA

THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commis- sitated by staff changes and serial violations of a junior employee from the NBS finance ep- detail.
sion (Zacc) this week invaded and camped at corporate governance processes. artment has been elevated to the post of Nssa’s “We cannot speak on the issue now,” the
the National Social Security Authority (Nssa) acting finance director.
offices in Harare to investigate complaints of Among some of the key people interviewed Zacc official said curtly, but after confirming
alleged malpractices, corruption, corporate are the heads of human resources, property, The anti-graft body’s spokesperson, John the investigation.
governance failures and suspicious movements special projects, audit and investments. Makamure, was not immediately available for
of senior officials at the statutory corporate comment. Nssa spokesperson Tendai Mutseyekwa was
body tasked by the government to provide so- Zacc investigators are particularly keen on also not reachable for comment despite sever-
cial security, it has emerged. finding out why some senior staffers were shift- A senior Zacc official confirmed that a probe al attempts by The NewsHawks to reach out to
ed. They also want to find out why in one case is underway at Nssa, but without getting into him.
Zacc investigators have been camped on the
10th floor of Nssa building where they are in-
vestigating, among other issues, corporate gov-
ernance in critical departments that include
audit, finance, investments, procurement and
property in a bid to establish if corporate pro-
cesses and procedures are being followed by the
departments in executing their mandate.

Nssa was created by an Act of Parliament
and the law empowers the minister of Labour
and Social Welfare to establish social security
schemes for the provision of benefits in respect
of all employees.

Nssa’s mandate is to administer every scheme
and fund established in terms of the Act and
advise the minister on all matters concerning
the operations of the schemes and on matters
relating to social security in general.

Impeccable sources confirmed to The New-
sHawks that the anti-corruption investigators
arrived at the Nssa offices this Monday to initi-
ate the probe process. They are asking for docu-
ments and interviewing several officials.

Several Nssa departmental officials have
been questioned by the Zacc.

This comes amid allegations that the top
management is interfering with internal cor-
porate governance processes, providing a useful
glimpse into how Nssa subsidiaries, including
the National Building Society (NBS), are run.

As part of the process, the Zacc investigators
are probing the recent deployments and rede-
ployments of key senior staff members in those
departments.

Sources said some of the key members of
staff at the company have been removed, some
redeployed and others frozen out completely.

It emerged that the Zacc probe was neces-

EU to assist Zim in US$600m ivory sale

MOSES MATENGA Zimbabwe has elephant ivory tusks worth US600 million in stock and wants the current international all proceeds will go towards implementation of
ban on ivory lifted so that the country will be able to sell these the national elephant management plan cov-
EUROPEAN ambassadors accredited to Zim- ering conservation measures and initiatives
babwe have pledged to support the country in cause of good management we are now at 95 trade of anything to do with elephants. We aimed at enhancing protection of elephants in-
its conservation efforts following pleas from 000 elephants across the country and in the want to go with one voice, one vision as Afri- side protected areas where approximately 90%
the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority region we have a bigger number,” Rwodzi said ca,” Rwodzi said. of the population is found and also in Campfire
for assistance in the sale of a US$600 million recently. [Communal Areas Management Programme
ivory stockpile in Harare. ZimParks director-general Fulton Mang- For Indigenous Resources] areas where the re-
“So we are saying let us come together be- wanya pleaded with the diplomats during the mainder roams wild and free,” he said.
The plea comes as Zimbabwe next week fore COPE15 in November and discuss this tour to assist Zimbabwe with the sale of the
hosts an Elephant Summit in Hwange, where because we have other countries or regions ivory stockpile in Harare and promised trans- “When other countries with decimated ele-
at least 14 ministers responsible for tourism outside Africa who are fighting that elephants parency in the use of the money. phant populations look at us, they should envy
and environment from African countries are should be in Appendix 1 whereby there is no us and not pity us. Our predicament is not
expected to attend. “lf we can unlock the value of the stockpile, encouraging any other elephant range states to
grow their population. They ask when we get
Chinese and Japanese envoys are also ex- to Zimbabwe’s elephant population levels, are
pected to attend the indaba where issues of there any benefits or incentives for a country to
conservation, elephant management and the be in such a situation?”
negative impact of the ban on international
trade in elephant by-products are expected to “We kindly request the support of EU for
be discussed. Zimbabwe to be allowed a once-off sale of our
national ivory stock. We feel betrayed after ad-
On Monday, envoys from the Netherlands, hering to the Condition in Annotation ll.”
Germany, France, Britain, Switzerland, Cana-
da and the United States viewed the piled up The ZimParks chief said the money to be re-
ivory at the ZimParks offices in Harare, with alised if Zimbabwe is allowed to sell its ivory
the Swiss ambassador to Zimbabwe, Niculin will not go into government coffers but will be
Jager, who spoke on behalf of the diplomats, used in communities while also guaranteeing
saying there was a need for co-operation. transparency.

“This is important for us to understand the ZimParks said poaching was previously
functioning of ZimParks and how as players in rampant in the country, adding that the game
the international community we can contrib- rangers now have a shoot-to-kill policy towards
ute towards conservation efforts,” he said. armed poachers. On human-wildlife conflict,
officials said 68 people died last year and, so far
Tourism deputy minister Barbara Rwodzi this year, 32 have lost their lives.
said the indaba will discuss the conservation
and management of elephants in the region The elephant population, officials said, is
and in Zimbabwe. growing at 5% per annum and the jumbos are
destroying habitats of other species.
“We have a capacity of 45 000, but now be-

Page 4 News NewsHawks

Noic boss under Issue 81, 20 May 2022
corruption probe

NATIONAL Oil and Infrastructure Company “In the past, temperature would be taken for plinary committee soon. Some of the charges Noic chief executive officer Wilfred Matukeni
(Noic) chief executive officer Wilfred Matukeni every truck compartment when loading to deter- attached to his charge sheet are related to the “The issue of the death threats is now at the
has been placed under investigation by the Zim- mine the actual quantity dispatched. This ensured matters of corruption we raised in the report sub- police. Its case number is 1R041852. We look
babwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc). that clients get the actual quantities and poten- mitted to Zacc,” Chiota said. forward to the investigations,” he said.
tial losses or gains are recorded. Mr Matukeni The matter was reported to Harare Central Po-
The development follows a formal complaint changed this system . . . This means most clients Chiota also said some union leaders were re- lice Station.
filed at the anti-corruption body by the Zimba- were being shortchanged and Noic would record ceiving death threats from unknown individuals Matukeni did not respond to calls and messag-
bwe Petroleum and Allied Workers’ Union (Zi- huge gains or surpluses at the end of the month,” pressuring them to drop the corruption report. es when sought for comment. — STAFF WRITER.
pawu). reads part of the report.

This report is part of an investigation carried The union further alleged that Matukeni could
out under the Voluntary Media Council of Zim- have benefited from the surpluses and called on
babwe’s Investigative Journalism Fund supported Zacc to investigate the issue.
by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.
Noic handles millions of litres of diesel and pet-
Noic is in the business of pipeline transporta- rol transported through the Beira pipeline.
tion of petroleum products, as well as storage.
Using the pipeline, the state-owned company
The company has depots in strategic sites supplies fuel to regional markets in Zambia, Ma-
around the country, namely Bulawayo, Mutare, lawi, Botswana and the Democratic Republic of
Beitbridge, as well as Msasa and Mabvuku in Ha- Congo.
rare. Noic has blending facilities at its depots and
undertakes blending services on behalf of clients. Zipawu also said Matukeni mishandled a fund
totalling US$143 000 which was meant for the
Chamunorwa Murava, the Zacc communica- payment of overtime owed to 42 workers.
tions officer, confirmed that the body is probing
Matukeni. “It is against the labour laws and good corpo-
rate governance for a company to deprive work-
“Yes, we received the report. We will give full ers of their legitimate earnings. This is wage theft
details in due course,” he said. against the demand to treat all fairly. That is one
of the principles of good corporate governance
In a letter to Zacc dated 3 May 2022 signed enshrined in the law,” another part of the report
by Zipawu secretary-general Panganai Chiota, the reads.
labour body said Matukeni, among other issues, is
pocketing a US$20 000 monthly salary in a mar- Contacted for comment, the Zipawu secre-
ket “where even the President of the Republic of tary-general Chiota said they made a follow up
Zimbabwe does not earn close to that”. on the report at Zacc and were assured that the
investigation will be instituted.
Zipawu also implored on Zacc to investigate
Matukeni on alleged corruption and fraud. “At Zacc they said we will only be given a case
number once the matter has been allocated to an
The union said he changed the policy of check- investigating officer. They said we will hear from
ing temperature of fuel on every truck before it is them in about three weeks’ time from the date we
dispatched to depots of clients in order to detect submitted the report, which is 4 May 2022. The
periods when it expands and contracts. The work- matters we documented are very serious,” he said.
ers’ body said the change meant that Matukeni
would benefit from surpluses where the fuel ex- He revealed that from the time of documenting
panded. the corruption report, there have been instances
of victimisation of the Zipawu leadership.
“Fuel responds to temperature changes through
expansion and contraction. When fuel tempera- “Our Zipawu president (Samuel Hova) was
ture increases, the fuel expands and when fuel suspended and will be appearing before a disci-
temperature drops, the fuel contracts.”

Noic is in the business of transporting and storing petroleum products.

NewsHawks News Page 5

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

KWEKWE CITY COUNCIL in the Midlands Kwekwe city in US$400 000
has failed to account for millions of dollars road rehabilitation scandal
poured into the local authority for the rehabili-
tation of roads amid revelations that politically Kwekwe City Council
connected companies were contracted without
following procurement procedures. the Econet numbers do not show the names of dinner with the First Family.” kwe,” Munyaradzi Bhidi, the ACT-SA Zimba-
the owners on the money transfer service, Eco- The Central Mechanical Engineering De- bwe country director, said.
A schedule obtained by this publication from Cash.
the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration partment (CMED) is a wholly state-owned “Zimbabwe is a signatory to the United Na-
(Zinara) revealed that Kwekwe municipality During this investigation, the files of the two enterprise established in terms of the Central tions Convention against Corruption (UN-
was allocated a total of ZW$68 258 834.18 companies could not be located at the Registrar Equipment Department (Commercialisation) CAC). In that regard, it is of paramount impor-
(US$400 000) under the 2022 first-quarter dis- of Companies in Harare. Act Number 14 of 2 000, which outlines its core tance that the government takes seriously the
bursement of the Emergency Roads Rehabilita- functions as transport and equipment hire ser- corruption reports coming out from Kwekwe
tion Programme (ERRP 2.) Both Kwekwe Central MP Judith Tobaiwa vices. Its other tasks are procurement of vehicles regarding the road projects.”
and Mbizo legislator Settlement Chikwinya are on behalf of the government; fuel supply; driver
The money was part of a total fund of ZW$5 in the dark over the ZW$68 million road con- training and certification of government drivers. Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee
billion (US$29 million) distributed country- struction fund awarded to the Midlands city. chairperson Brian Dube also expressed concern
wide to towns and rural district councils for the It is also responsible for administration of the over the Kwekwe roads scandal.
rehabilitation of roads. Chikwinya is also the secretary for transport Transport Purchase Fund on behalf of the Public
in the opposition Citizens’ Coalition for Change Service Commission and Treasury. “We are going to visit Kwekwe to assess
However, investigations by this publication party. He has since submitted written questions whether there was value for money on the roads
with the support of a partnership between the to Parliament for the transport minister, Felix However, investigations revealed that in Kwe- projects,” he said.
Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe Investi- Mhona, to explain details of the murky deals in kwe, the department was contracted to repair
gative Journalism Fund and the Friedrich Nau- Kwekwe. roads under unclear terms. “We already had a plan to visit areas where
mann Foundation (FNF) revealed that there was public funds were used to assess if there was val-
flagrant violation of procurement regulations in According to parliamentary standing rules, The government department which ordinarily ue for money. It is also a matter of concern to
the absence of consultation with stakeholders. MPs can ask any written specific questions to repairs roads is the District Development Fund note that while Kwekwe got ZW$68 million,
ministers. The respective ministers are allowed at (DDF) engineering sector. nearby Gweru city got ZW$19 million when it
It emerged that while the roads in question least two weeks to come up with comprehensive is a bigger city with a wide margin of roads.”
were only partially rehabilitated, full payments responses after researching on the specific issues On 4 February 2022, Mhona visited Kwekwe
were received for the project. The roads involved raised. to inspect the roads. According to Zinara’s schedule of disburse-
include those which connect the Kwekwe city ments, indeed, Kwekwe received the highest
centre with Mbizo, the light industries as well as Minister Mhona is yet to respond. He condemned all the roads upon inspec- amount for roads rehabilitation.
the low-density suburb of Msasa. Other roads in Details of the written questions which will tion. He promised that the contractors would be
Amaveni were part of the project. soon appear on Parliament’s order paper de- punished and blacklisted, but no action has been While Kwekwe was allocated ZW$68 million,
mand that the minister provide Parliament with: taken. Chikwinya revealed the mood of the peo- Gweru received ZW$19 million, Gokwe ($30
The last road in question is that which stretch- “A schedule of roads rehabilitated under the ple of Kwekwe regarding the inconclusive road million), Redcliff (ZW$5 million), Zvishavane
es from Msasa turnoff, going past Kwekwe Poly- ERRP 2 in Kwekwe City Council; the amount projects. (ZW$5 million), Chirumanzu (ZW$6 million),
technic College and ending in Mbizo suburb. allocated per each road; the details of the com- Gokwe North (ZW$13 million), Gokwe South
pany that undertook the rehabilitation work, “The people of Kwekwe pray that the compa- (ZW$28 million), Mberengwa (ZW$4 mil-
In 1999, Zimbabwe adopted the Public Pro- including the names of the company and names nies redo the road rehabilitation work at their lion), Runde (ZW$4 million), Tongogara RDC
curement and Disposal of Public Assets Act of the directors; proof of tender process under own cost and that the directors of the compa- (ZW$4 million), Vungu (ZW$9 million) and
[Chapter 22:23] which regulates how local au- which the companies that did work in Kwekwe nies be arrested for misrepresenting themselves Zibagwe (ZW$4 million).
thorities such as Kwekwe should spend public City Council went through.” before government that they have capacity to re-
funds allocated to them for major projects such Chikwinya confirmed having submitted the habilitate the roads knowing that they did not,” Dube, who represents Gweru as its MP, ex-
as road rehabilitation in order to curtail abuse. questions even though they are yet to be re- Chikwinya said. pressed shock at how Kwekwe council was able
sponded to. to select Birthday and Zada companies when
The normal procedure is that major projects “The reason why we are asking the questions, “The people also pray that the administra- they did not have a track record in road con-
must be advertised to allow interested compa- and, especially the names of company directors, tors of the road tender processes be arrested for struction work.
nies to bid in a fair process so that the best bid- is that there is suspicion that the contracts were awarding tenders to people who do not deserve
ders are selected for any contract. given to companies with close connections to them. It is high time we begin to criminally Responding to questions on the criteria used
the First Family, and, especially the sons (of the prosecute any corrupt tendencies that impact on by Zinara when allocating road funds for cities,
The law, which derives from an Act of Parlia- First Family) whom we normally see hanging public funds so that in future any public fund is Tendai Mugabe, the Zinara spokesperson, said
ment, says in its preamble that it aims to pro- around in Kwekwe,” Chikwinya said. accounted for since it is taxpayers’ money which the amounts that must be allocated are deter-
vide for “control and regulation of public pro- “We suspect that they were given these con- is hard earned.” mined by the Transport ministry.
curement and the disposal of public assets so as tracts without proper tender processes, without
to ensure that such procurement and disposal enough capacity and enough knowledge to carry Mhona did not respond to a request for a “I cannot answer on their behalf,” he said.
is effected in a manner that is transparent, fair, out the projects.” comment on the issue of the Kwekwe road re- In an earlier interview, he said Zinara does
honest, cost effective and competitive”. “Because the money was given to companies habilitation programme or to a request for an not give contracts to companies for repair of
with close connections to the First Family, this is appointment to discuss the issue. roads, but only provides funds.
Section 31 of the law provides for competitive why they did sub-standard work without repri- “We only do monitoring and evaluation,” he
bidding in such projects as road construction. mand. These may be people who had supper and The Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Af- said in addition.
rica (ACT-SA), an anti-graft organisation based However, he did not respond to questions as
“The competitive bidding method of procure- in Kwekwe, but with a scale of operations that to whether Zinara had conducted any monitor-
ment entails a process in which- (a) a bidding spread to 16 Sadc countries, said it was appalled ing and evaluation in Kwekwe.
document is published in accordance with Sec- by the scandal.
tion 38; and (b) all eligible and qualified bidders — STAFF WRITER.
are permitted without discrimination to submit “We are aware of the roads debacle in Kwe-
their bids; and (c) all bids from eligible and qual-
ified bidders are assessed according to the same
criteria,” section 31 states.

However, investigations into Kwekwe City
Council have revealed that this provision was
violated to give the contracts to preferred com-
panies.

Lucia Mnkandla, the acting Kwekwe town
clerk and head of the procurement committee,
failed to explain how the ZW$68 million road
fund allocated to the municipality was used. She
also dodged questions on the names of compa-
nies awarded the contracts.

Initially she said she was attending a meeting.
Subsequently she referred questions to a junior
official. “I’m not clear about what you are ask-
ing,” she said. “There appears to be some mis-
information.”

Asked whether the municipality went to ten-
der for the repair of roads, she responded in the
affirmative. She, however, would not provide any
evidence. Our investigations revealed that two
little-known Harare companies, whose names
the town clerk appeared reluctant to disclose,
were granted the tenders. The two companies
are Zada Construction Company and Birthday
Construction and Earthmoving Company.

Zada Construction Company is located at
number 12910 Kirkman Road, Madokero, Tyn-
wald, Harare.

Birthday Construction Company is listed as
being located at 1154 Faber Road, corner Lor-
raine Drive in Bluff Hill, Harare.

Physical visits to these locations, however,
drew blanks. The gates were locked in each case.

Both Zada Construction and Birthday Con-
struction do not have digital footprints such as
websites or online links to previous contracts.

The phone numbers appearing in the online
directory of businesses are not functional, while

Page 6 News NewsHawks

BANK OF ZI Issue 81, 20 May 2022

RESERVE MBABWE

PRESS STATEMENT

LIFTING OF TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF LENDING BY BANKS

Further to the circular the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (the Bank) issued to banks on
9 May 2022, the Bank wishes to advise the public that the temporary suspension of
lending services by banks has been lifted with immediate effect. The lifting of the
suspension does not apply to those entities that are under investigation by the
Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) for abusing loan facilities to the detriment of the
economy. The FIU has accordingly advised all banks of the affected entities.

John P Mangudya
Governor
17 May 2022

NewsHawks News Page 7

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Rwandan genocidaire: Minister summoned

MOSES MATENGA l Legislators demand answers from Shava
l Zim-Rwanda relations in the spotlight
PARLIAMENT has summoned Foreign Af-
fairs minister Frederick Shava to explain why Foreign Affairs minister Frederick Shava The late Rwandan genocidaire Protais Mpiranya
Zimbabwe brought in, harboured and buried
one of the world’s most wanted genocidaires, General Assembly designated 7 April as the The grave where Protais Mpiranya was found buried in Granville cemetery, outside Harare, under the false
Protais Mpiranya, the last of the major fugi- International Day of Reflection on the 1994 name, Sambao Ndume.
tives indicted by the International Criminal Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) who spearhead-
ed the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in the Several sources in Kigali told The News-
Great Lakes country. Hawks that reference by Zimbabwe’s Foreign
minister to the “1994 Rwandan Genocide”
Zimbabwe came under fire last week after it has rattled the corridors of power at a time
emerged the government recruited Mpiranya, bilateral relations between Harare and Kigali
who had a US$5 million bounty on his head, were firming.
for its military campaign in the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) from 1998-2002 “The government of Rwanda takes serious-
to fight the Paul Kagame-led country and ly issues related to do with genocide denial.
Uganda after their invasion of the Congo in So there is unease here after Zimbabwe min-
1998. imised the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi,”
said a Rwandan official based in Kigali.
Relations have become frosty between the
two countries with Zimbabwe desperate to ex- Last month, and several times before, the
plain to Kigali its protection of Mpiranya who UN team visited Zimbabwe trying to ascer-
died in 2006 and was buried under the alias tain the whereabouts of Mpiranya.
Ndume Sambao.
An inter-ministerial taskforce, which in-
Harare East member of Parliament and for- cluded the Foreign Affairs, Home Affairs and
mer Finance minister Tendai Biti said Shava Justice ministries in coordination with the UN
must explain Zimbabwe’s involvement in the on the issue was established. However, Zimba-
issue that has become scandalous for the re- bwean political and military elites involved in
gime that stands accused of harbouring the the DRC war, including Mnangagwa and his
most wanted genocidaire. deputy, the ex-military commander General
Constantino Chiwenga, were reportedly not
Biti described the issue as a matter of na- cooperative.
tional interest in terms of Standing Order No.
62. The UN yesterday confirmed that it was
frustrated by Mpiranya’s close associates who
“I humbly request that if the minister of enjoyed the hospitality of Zimbabwe without
Foreign Affairs can present to this Honourable any trouble from the government.
House a statement of clarification to help our
country,” Biti said. “After his death, Mpiranya’s associates or-
ganised his funeral, while his wife travelled to
“You know that almost a million people Harare from the UK to attend. On 17 Octo-
were killed during the Rwanda Genocide in ber 2006, a private ceremony was held at a
April 1994. Life is important, no one wants funeral home in Harare, attended only by his
genocide, particularly given our own history family and associates. He was subsequently
in Zimbabwe.” buried in a cemetery outside of Harare under
the name Ndume Sambao,” the UN said.
“We learnt with sadness that the UN has
excavated the body of a wanted genocidaire “His tombstone was purposefully designed
known as Protais Mpiranya here in Zimbabwe. to thwart its discovery as Mpiranya’s final rest-
Mpiranya was responsible as one of the main ing place. These efforts which continue to the
perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandese genocide. present obstructed investigations and prevent-
So, we kindly ask the minister of Foreign Af- ed identification of Mpiranya’s remains until
fairs to come to this august House to explain earlier this year.”
why he was in Zimbabwe, why he was using
the false identity and why he was buried in
Zimbabwe and why he was not surrendered to
the UN Commissions on Rwanda.” Biti said.

Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda said
there will be a “conversation” on the matter
with the minister of Foreign Affairs.

Mpiranya’s case has shaken relations be-
tween Harare and Kigali, which have of late
been cordial as President Emmerson Mnan-
gagwa reached out to his Rwandan counter-
part to forge friendly ties.

Zimbabwean authorities have been in sixes
and sevens in the last week as they tried to
douse the fire stoked after the most wanted
genocide suspect in the world was discovered
buried at a local cemetery, known as Mbudzi.

The Harare authorities infuriated Rwanda
further after Shava issued a statement making
reference to the genocide as the “1994 Rwan-
dan Genocide.”

This did not amuse the Rwandan govern-
ment which immediately, through its Harare
embassy, corrected the narrative in a quick re-
sponse via the local embassy’s microblogging
site Twitter.

“The Embassy wishes to advise the correc-
tion of ‘1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in
Rwanda’ as opposed to the way [it] is men-
tioned in the statement,” Rwanda said.

Shava denied that Zimbabwe harboured
Mpiranya, a former commander of the Rwan-
dan presidential guard.

Genocide denial and minimising the geno-
cide against the Tutsi is a serious crime in
Rwanda, under laws against genocide ideology
and divisionism.

Both the United Nations and the African
Union recognise the massacres which claimed
the lives of up to one million people in 100
days of bloodletting as “the 1994 genocide
against the Tutsi”.

On 26 January 2018, the United Nations

Page 8 News NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

DUMISANI MULEYA ‘We’ll get him dead or alive’:
Reid’s Mpiranya trail to Zim
A BESPECTACLED white man of medium
height probably in his early 60s walks into the the Tutsi in Rwanda, as commander of the Pres- Famous Australian detective Robert “Bob” Reid
hotel restaurant where I am seated outside on pa- idential Guard under the assassinated president Zimbabwean UN lawyer Jasper Gwasira
tio couches basking in the sunshine while surfing Juvenal Habyarimana, Mpiranya was indicted
social media platforms. He is accompanied by a by the International Criminal Court for Rwanda
lanky dark black lad in his early 30s with thick (ICTR) in 2000, made public in 2002. He was
afro hair which seems a product of natural growth charged with eight counts of genocide, complici-
rather than locks styled with curling chemicals. ty in genocide, crimes against humanity and war
crimes.
The black guy looks around, dials his phone
and my iPhone immediately rings. So these are Notably, he was charged with responsibility for
the guys, I think to myself. I pick the call and tell the murders of senior moderate Rwandan lead-
them I was sitting outside; I had seen them walk- ers at the start of the genocide, including prime
ing in. minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana, president of the
Constitutional Court, Minister of Agriculture and
After a brief call, I go into the restaurant teem- Minister of Information.
ing with guests who have just finished their late
breakfast to join them. He was also charged with the murders of 10
Belgian United Nations peacekeepers during that
I had arrived early for the meeting despite that same period in which 800 000 Tutsis and moder-
the previous night — 11 March 2020 — I had ate Hutus were massacred within 100 days in one
slept late at some nondescript hotel after watch- of the world’s darkest modern periods spoken in
ing holders Liverpool going down 2-3 to Atlético the same wave length as genocides in Darfur, the
Madrid (2-4 on aggregate) in the Uefa Champi- Balkans, Cambodian killing fields, Armenia, Na-
ons League Round of 16, second leg at Anfield mibia and the Nazi-led Holocaust, among others.
through a Marcos Llorente double and an Alvaro
Morata goal. Liverpool had scored through Wi- The IRMCT was established by United Na-
jnaldum and Firmino. tions Security Council Resolution 1966 (2010) to
complete the remaining work of the ICTR and
I was particularly electrified by the match as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
boys from the team I support with my life — Yugoslavia after the completion of their respective
Real Madrid, Llorente and Morata, had done the mandates. The mechanism has two branches,
damage. Llorente had dramatically struck twice one in Arusha, Tanzania, and one in The Hague,
in extra time — the sort of shock therapy Real Netherlands.
Madrid gave to Manchester City recently in the
Champions’ League semis — as Atlético stunned So Reid, whom colleagues just call Bob, and
the seemingly invincible Liverpool at home. Gwasira had travelled from Arusha to Nairobi for
the meeting. I had travelled from Harare to Johan-
After sensationally eliminating City, Madrid nesburg en route Nairobi.
take on Liverpool on 28 May next weekend in the
final. They beat them 3-1 in the final in 2018 in We were looking for Mpiranya for related, yet
Kiev, now a theatre of war, not theatre of dreams. different reasons. They wanted him arraigned to
face justice for genocide and crimes against hu-
Back to the hotel, we exchange greetings and manity, while we wanted a story about his where-
niceties before settling down on chairs for formal abouts as one of the world’s most wanted killers.
introductions. The white guy looks relaxed, cor-
dial and welcoming, while the black bloke appears As we were preparing to set up our investigative
genuinely happy to see me.

I was comfortable, but did not know what to
expect in the touch-and-go meeting which had in-
terdependent and mutually reinforcing objectives:
To investigate the whereabouts of Rwandan geno-
cidaire and fugitive Protais Mpiranya, and hold
him to account for crimes against humanity.

The two guys wanted Mpiranya for interna-
tional crimes accountability, while we wanted a
story.

The aura of uncertainty surrounding the meet-
ing was exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic’s
looming shadow of death hanging over the world,
including Africa, with indecipherable repercus-
sions at the time.

Kenya, like many other countries including
Zimbabwe, had not yet imposed a Covid-19 lock-
down. Lockdowns and curfews came soon after
that.

The two men who had come to meet me at the
hotel in the affluent Westlands area in the Kenyan
capital Nairobi opposite Westgate Mall, the scene
of Al-Shabaab-perpetrated terrorist massacres in
which 71 people were killed in 2013, were Robert
“Bob” Reid, an Australian detective who gained
global fame as probably the best investigator in
the world during his days as operations chief for
the International Criminal Tribunal for the former
Yugoslavia after tracking down more than 160
Balkan war criminals, including the world’s most
wanted fugitive then, Ratko Mladic, and a young
Zimbabwean lawyer Jasper Gwasira working with
him at the United Nations International Residual
Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT).

As a result of the Westgate Mall terrorist at-
tacks, security checks at Kenyan hotels, malls and
other public places is unusually tight.

Reid had a well-earned reputation for tracking
down lawbreakers, criminals and genocidaires,
and nailing them even when the trail falters for
years from a long career which started in small po-
licing localities in Australia before he entered the
global stage.

His hunt for and capture of Mladic, the “Butch-
er of Bosnia”, responsible for the murder of more
than 7 000 Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in
1995, remains the stuff of legend.

Mladic had been running for 16 years when
Reid tracked him to a derelict farmhouse in north-
ern Serbia. Reid and his investigators caught up
with him to face the tribunal, which convicted
him of genocide and crimes against humanity in
2017. He was sentenced to life in prison.

After spearheading the 1994 genocide against

NewsHawks News Page 9
Former Zimbabwean minister Jonathan Moyo
Issue 81, 20 May 2022 The late Zimbabwean human rights lawyer and defender Dewa Mavhinga

journalism project The NewsHawks, we wanted Sophisticated yet chilled in atmosphere, the
big stories to start with a bang. We were deter- rooftop bar had a soothing effect which calmed
mined to follow any big story wherever it took my nerves about the dicey investigation and the
us. The Mpiranya story was evidently a big one, smell of death from the virulent Covid-19 pan-
especially given that we knew Zimbabwe had demic. I ordered a Tusker, arguably one of the
been harbouring him against its obligations under best known beer brands in Kenya, sat comfort-
international law and the dictates of its collective ably on a couch and went on an imagination and
conscience and humanity since 2002. thought odyssey about the journalism project we
were launching and the sort of stories we should
After settling down, Reid did not waste time publish.
before broaching the subject matter. He quickly
said all the information and details they had gath- A friendly waiter from the bar serving me then
ered over time indicated Mpiranya was in Zim- interrupts my wistful imagination trip with a bi-
babwe, hence he should be found dead or alive. zarre theory that Covid-19 did not kill black peo-
ple, so I should not worry about it. There was no
Reid summarised what was happening on the need for masks, she insisted. She was nice, but I
case, with Gwasira making intermittent interjec- was not impressed with her idle story, although
tions for clarifications and questions. The two I politely engaged her to drive out solitude, ask-
looked at ease with each other and explained the ing why she thought like that. It was ironic to
issue coherently and with crystal clarity. entertain her shaggy-dog story about Covid-19
as sometimes I prefer drinking alone quietly if
Reid said a UN investigations team had visited I am thinking about serious things. For me her
Harare after President Emmerson Mnangagwa Covid-19 urban legend was one of those zany
had seized power through a coup in November stories that I had heard from delusional Zanu PF
2017 to resume a probe which had stalled under officials back home.
the late former president Robert Mugabe’s regime
which stonewalled the process. Fortunately, Gwasira arrived to rescue me from
the jaws of the gaslighting conversation as I drift-
Mugabe and his top political and military elites ed to the brink of cynicism. We quickly switched
were determined to protect Mpiranya for joining from the waiter’s snake oil theories to serious
forces with them against Rwanda and Uganda in stories about genocide investigations and social
the Congo War from 1998-2002. issues. Immediately we struck a chord on that and
then drank jovially until they closed the bar.
While Mnangagwa was involved in the DRC
War, his new government was reluctantly willing During the meeting earlier in the day, it had
to cooperate with the UN as it wanted to end transpired there were several other Zimbabweans
international isolation and its pariah status, and involved in the Mpiranya case.
work with Rwandan President Paul Kagame. The
British, who supported the coup, wanted Mnan- These included the late southern African di-
gagwa to adopt the Kagame model — authoritar- rector of Human Rights Watch, Dewa Mavhin-
ian-driven economic upliftment. ga, former Zanu PF MP and minister Jonathan
Moyo and two local prominent lawyers who were
I listened attentively — seeing where the story providing consultancy services in the background,
was going — until it was my turn to speak. including contacts with former police and intelli-
gence bosses who knew of the Mpiranya matter.
Then I explained why Mpiranya is a big story
to us. I came to know of Mpiranya as a young I did not meet Moyo while in Nairobi as he
reporter in the late 1990s when I closely followed felt under siege, and cited security reasons for not
and covered the DRC War. In the process, I went venturing into the public.
to the DRC twice with Zimbabwean delegations
comprising officials, the military and journalists Mavhinga, always at the frontline of human
to get briefings on the war. rights battles, had brought in Moyo as a former
high-ranking Zimbabwean government official
First we were taken there by the late Defence into the process. Moyo had already settled in
minister Moven Mahachi and later by his succes- Nairobi after he had escaped with his family and
sor Sydney Sekeremayi, although Mnangagwa, friends the deadly nocturnal gunfire during the
Mugabe’s point man, who was Justice minister, November 2017 military coup which toppled the
was deeply involved.

Yet the real stories came from government, mil-
itary and intelligence sources. Oasis Hotel, Quill
Club and KGVI Barracks (now Josiah Magama
Tongogara Barracks) in Harare became some
of our best sources of war stories — some com-
manders and soldiers involved in the conflict that
we knew drank there.

At one time we got a long fax with a list of
names of Zimbabwean soldiers killed in action
and missing in action, an indication that the war
was costly in terms of lives and financially, and
published them. Mahachi was livid.

At personal level, I had a friend, Irvine Ndou,
who was a soldier and fought in the war. His war
diaries and experiences were interesting, sen-
sational and horrifying. He stayed at my place
on several occasions before he went to Australia
where he now lives.

As a result, I was one of the first reporters from
the circumference of action to write about the
first significant number of casualties and body
bags to arrive from the war after a neighbour in
Entumbane suburb in Bulawayo, where I lived,
was killed in the conflict.

After an hour of exchanges with Reid and
Gwasira amid guarded optimism and new hope,
we wrapped up the meeting with a joke — “he
can run, but can’t hide”. Mpiranya that is.

We agreed to keep in touch while exchanging
notes on the issue. Before the meeting ended,
Reid gave me a document with names and phone
numbers of Rwandans and Zimbabweans who
were said to be part of Mpiranya’s network. We
later checked most of the numbers, including
those supposed to be of his girlfriend, yielding
valuable details.

Soon after the meeting, I went up to the 10th
floor at the rooftop of the hotel, where there was
a sky bar which commanded sweeping views of
the Nairobi skyline, the Westlands area and the
neighbouring Nairobi National Park.

Perched on top of the luxurious five-star, sky
lounge, one of the swankiest rooftop bars in Nai-
robi, has plenty of comfy lounge seats, colourful
bar stools and cool lighting, while its open-air
terrace around a swimming pool comes with
breath-taking panoramic views, as well as a fresh
breeze blowing across the bar.

Page 10 News NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

late former president Robert Mugabe, install- Rwandan President Paul Kagame (left) and Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
ing President Emmerson Mnangagwa in power.
complex than just a mere investigation as he had Norton and Kadoma, as well as at a farm in Zimbabwe in 2006 at West End Clinic in Harare,
Communication between Mavhinga and become entangled in toxic friendships, enmities Shamva. The investigation took us to all those and was buried at Granville Cemetery (Mbudzi)
Moyo details how they came to work together on and betrayals — characterised by underworld places, including refugee camps. on the southern outskirts of the capital.
the issue, as well as how they linked up with Reid money deals — involving Kabuga, Kenyan intel-
and Gwasira, joining forces with the lawyers who ligence boss, Internal Security permanent secre- Reid kept an open mind, and insisted he want- I had remained part of that process, in touch
prefer to remain anonymous. tary Zakayo Cheruiyot and intelligence networks. ed Mpiranya dead or alive to ensure that he was with Reid and Gwasira until my phones and all
accounted for so that he would not cause any fur- valuables that I had on that day were stolen at
In one of the communications, Moyo tells Cheruiyot, who Munuhe had communicated ther harm. After that, he would say to us with a gunpoint in an armed robbery incident in the
Mavhinga that he was willing to help to ensure with about Kabuga without knowing he was the sense of wished-for satisfaction, I will happily go crime-ridden Alexandra Township — Gomora —
justice is not only done, but also seen to be done Rwandan mogul’s top contact in the intelligence back to retirement in Australia. in Johannesburg at the end of January this year.
on condition that his security was guaranteed as establishment, denied involvement in the murder.
the case was dangerous and his own safety had He said he did not know who Kabuga was, al- A former New South Wales detective and Coincidentally, a few days after that, former
been compromised on many occasions by Zim- though he knew Munuhe. ex-operations chief for the International Crim- Zimbabwean Finance minister Tendai Biti, the
babwean security agents. inal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, he had main opposition Citizens’ Coalition for Change
Besides Mavhinga and Moyo, there were oth- tracked down and arrested more than 160 war co-deputy leader, was robbed at Presidential Shop
Moyo cites an incident in which his photos er Zimbabweans from different walks of life who criminals before retiring in 2018. at Mandela Square in Sandton while he was buy-
were taken off a closed-circuit television camera had been involved in the Mpiranya case after they ing his favourite Madiba shirts.
in a Nairobi residential complex where he lived had been roped in for various skills. That is be- When the hunt for Rwandan genocide fugi-
and circulated on social media, and one in which sides the security services, police, intelligence and tives heated up after going cold for sometime, Still smarting from the robbery, I met Biti at
his teenage daughter flying as an unaccompanied the army officers, and government officials who Reid crawled out of the retirement woodwork Mandela Square walking like a zombie, badly
minor from Nairobi to Harare was accosted by were part of it. to get back on Mpiranya’s trail. He had hunted spooked and looking depressed. He could not
intelligence operatives at Robert Mugabe Interna- down war criminals and terror suspects in Aus- even see me. Briefly talking to him did not help.
tional Airport, interrogating her about her fami- Western embassies were also part of the Mpi- tralia, including Nazis after World War II, having I could relate to his agony and exasperation after
ly, especially her father’s whereabouts, and where ranya manhunt, and had their own processes. joined the NSW police in 1975 before becoming my Gomora experience, but I quickly let it go and
they lived. Naturally, Rwanda was also deeply involved. In a detective in 1981, working with the homicide moved on.
Rwanda, the genocide fugitives are monsters inc squad.
At one time, his security trailers also zeroed in characters who must be found by all means neces- Had that not been the case, I would have been
on him through geolocation technology while he sary and jailed for life. So he knew his job required him to be as pa- there in the thick of action on the periphery of the
was sitting at a Nairobi restaurant. So he was justi- tient as an ox. Not many people would wait for 15 UN process all the way to Mpiranya’s grave where
fiably paranoid. Always at the vanguard of human Reid indicated in our meeting and subsequent or 25 years to achieve something. the case was closed after DNA tests. Zimbabwean
rights defence, Mavhinga — who had previously numerous conversations that his UN team had officials — who are gifted with the DNA of lying
recommended me for a Human Rights Watch been engaging the Zimbabwean government over In his action-packed career, Reid worked in — were left exposed and have been incoherently
Award (with US$5 000 prize money which was Mpiranya after Mnangagwa’s ascendancy. He said several capacities for the federal attorney-general’s claiming they helped resolve the mystery.
later frozen at my request) promised Moyo im- there were high-level official meetings and inter- office, which included the Special Investigations
proved security measures and relocation elsewhere actions which had been going on, although it was Unit set up to investigate suspects who entered The fact is they were acting in bad faith. This
if needs be. clear political and security elites were not co-oper- Australia in the 1940s and 1950s after potentially may have serious implications for Rwanda’s new-
ating or engaging in good faith. working with the Nazis during World War II. found cordial relations with Zimbabwe, especially
Although there was a US$5 million bounty on Mnangagwa and his new role model, Kagame.
Mpiranya’s head, UN investigators said human Bureaucrats, who did not know much about The unit was set up by former Australian pre-
rights accountability and justice should be the Mpiranya, seemed well-intentioned in their ac- mier Bob Hawke’s government from 1983-1991 Without dogged investigators like Reid, Zim-
main motivation for investigators, witnesses and tions. Reid had explained there was a Zimba- in response to pressure from the Jewish commu- babwean officials who knew about the issue were
consultants than the money. They mainly offered bwean inter-departmental taskforce chaired by nity over an ABC News report that Yugoslavian prepared to go to their graves with the Mpiranya
the bounty to entice those keeping Mpiranya and Foreign Affairs formed to investigate the issue. It and Latvian immigrants in Australia had worked secret.
close associates to cooperate, which they did not. worked with the UN prosecution’s office at The with the Nazis.
Hague under chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz With their well-known love for power and
Moyo makes it clear in his communication and held meetings with the investigation team to Reid and his colleagues did not only substan- money, which is why they will not let go of their
with Mavhinga that he wanted justice and secu- facilitate the probe. It also coordinated the inves- tiate the allegations, but discovered the situation ivory towers and trappings of office unless hound-
rity, not the money. He says his security was far tigations at various levels until the end. was far more serious than had been reported. ed out like Mugabe, not even the US$5 million
more important than anything else at the material They set out in May 1989 to investigate and arrest bounty would have moved any one of them on
time. As part of that, Reid has been to Zimbabwe Ukrainian Ivan Polyukhovich in South Australia. Mpiranya’s case, to show that it was a high-stakes
and other countries in the region to co-ordinate He was then charged with war crimes in 1990. game for them.
For a long time, Moyo worked closely with the Mpiranya trail. They travelled to the United States, Canada, Israel
Mavhinga, Reid and Gwasira. He wrote detailed and the Soviet Union and excavated a mass grave Zimbabwean officials would not break the
reports for the UN on Mpiranya which gave the However, there was scepticism given that even site of up to 850 Jewish victims. All that evidence Mpiranya Omerta, a Mafia-style code of secrecy
process new momentum and traction. That ener- though Zimbabwe knew Mpiranya was in the was presented in court, but the jury still found and silence which seals their lips even against their
gised Reid to make the final push against Mpiran- country since 2002 it did not actively take mea- him not guilty of direct involvement in the mas- own interest.
ya ahead of his new retirement date in 2021. sures to arrest him or report to the UN that he sacres. He died in 1997.
had died for reasons best known to its leaders. After some splendid work, Reid retired in 2021
For Reid, failure was not option. By hook or Following his crime-busting and Nazi hunt- — months before Mpiranya’s grave was located.
by crook, he wanted to find Mpiranya dead or The top brass never wanted to expose Mpira- ing days in Australia, Reid then spent 17 years at He was awarded Member of the Order of Austra-
alive. So he scrolled down and navigated through nya after fighting with Zimbabwe in DRC, so the helm of the investigative team at the Inter- lia in January for his ground-breaking service to
chaotic masses of information and disinformation they protected him and lied about the issue before national Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugo- international criminal investigations.
constituting Mpiranya’s digital file and footprint. and after his death, although under pressure they slavia where he nailed Mladic who was convicted
occasionally said he had died. The UN did not of genocide, crimes against humanity and war With his great feats — stuff of legend, Reid
Apart from the headache of handling tonnes believe them, so it persisted with its own inves- crimes in 2017. retired as probably the best investigator in the
of information, the Mpiranya investigation was tigation. world. He now lives on the Sunshine Coast. He
fraught with danger. He then retired in August 2018, before being enjoys playing golf, and spending time with his
There were two theories: That Mpiranya was brought back to trail Mpiranya and others. He family in Queensland state, north-eastern Aus-
Moyo, Mavhinga, Reid, Gwasira and the law- well and alive in Zimbabwe living under pseud- worked indefatigably and his investigations led tralia, whose capital is Brisbane where my friend
yers were aware of that. In fact, we all knew not onyms, while traversing the region on the run, to the UN arresting Kabuga and resultantly dis- Ndou lives on the south-eastern coast.
only of the dystopian horrors of the genocide and that he had died. He had lived in various covering from a computer communication trail
against the Tutsi in Rwanda, but also how Kenyan locations, including army barracks, Msasa Park, Mpiranya had actually died of tuberculosis in For Mpiranya’s victims, scepticism and a sense
journalist William Mwaura Munuhe was killed of travesty of justice linger on. But for Reid, all is
by assassins while trying to help his country’s and well that ends well.
American investigators apprehend another geno-
cide fugitive, controversial businessman Felicien
Kabuga.

After a failed attempt to trap Kabuga, Munuhe,
who had fatally underestimated the Rwandan
genocidaire’s reach and influence within the Ken-
yan intelligence community, was found dead in
January 2003 at his upmarket Karen home.

Munuhe had made one great mistake: He had
been dealing with Kabuga as a business associate,
but selling him out to a powerful intelligence boss
within the system, unaware they were friends.

So Munuhe’s plot with Kenyan and American
intelligence to trap Kabuga was ill-fated. Two
days before a planned 16 January 2003 business
meeting to trap Kabuga, assassins, clearly hired
by the Rwandan fugitive’s intelligence henchmen,
stormed the journalist’s home and shot him in
the head. They then lit a charcoal stove, tucked
the body back in bed and staged a suicide-death
through carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon
monoxide poisoning occurs when the gas builds
up in one’s bloodstream in a closed space.

After the murder, Americans released a reveal-
ing statement saying Munuhe was killed by hit-
men for his hitherto publicly unknown role in the
doomed bid to capture Kabuga. That shed new
light into the epic hunt for the tycoon who even
married his daughters to Habyarimana’s sons to
cement proximity to power and leverage patron-
age for self-aggrandisement.

Yet Munuhe’s role in the issue was far more

NewsHawks News Page 11

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

The epic hunt for
one of the world’s
most wanted men
— Félicien Kabuga

HE was one of Africa’s richest moguls and laws — from military commanders to homicidal his past might finally be catching up with him. As a powerful member of the ruling Hutu elite, he
helped unleash the Rwandan genocide of 1994. strongmen — who has fled the scenes of some Félicien Kabuga had been in hiding since the late helped fan a virulent hatred of the minority Tutsi.
Then Félicien Kabuga vanished and stayed hid- of the most depraved episodes in recent mem- 1990s, flushed from the life of extravagance and He turned his commercial properties into training
den for more than two decades — until in May ory. He had come to this highly specialised line privilege he had enjoyed as one of Rwanda’s rich- grounds for a marauding militia — the so-called
2020, when the United Nations’ war crimes de- of work after a storied law enforcement career in est citizens after the extraordinary spasm of vio- Interahamwe — and he transformed a radio sta-
tectives picked up his trail and began to close New South Wales, in his native Australia, where lence that tore apart the country in three terroris- tion he owned into a propaganda outlet bent on
in. The Rwandan genocidaire, one of the most he pursued murderers and drug lords. But Reid is ing months in 1994. inciting the slaughter of Tutsi civilians. When the
wanted suspects of the Rwandan genocide not of the breed of swashbuckling detectives. gruesome murdering spree was unleashed, Kabu-
against the Tutsi in 1994 in which 800 000 Kabuga had been considered a key culprit in ga allegedly supplied the killers with hundreds of
people were killed, was arrested in May 2020 He is genial in his dealings with colleagues, gre- the genocide that left nearly a million people dead.
in France. The International Criminal Tribunal garious in a way that belies the focused attention
for Rwanda had charged the 84-year-old with he must summon to confront the perpetrators of
genocide and crimes against humanity. The heinous atrocities. His success depends on a rare
businessman from the Hutu ethnic group is obsession for detail and a deep commitment to
accused of being one of the main financiers of teamwork. He is clever and he is careful, and per-
the Rwandan genocide, paying the militias that haps not surprisingly, Bob Reid is uncommonly
carried out the massacres and equipping them. patient — a particularly advantageous trait in a
He also founded and funded the notorious Ra- line of work that requires endurance.
dio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM),
a Rwandan broadcaster that actively incited All fugitives want to stay hidden, but the crimi-
people to search out and kill anyone who was nals Reid has hunted can be especially good at do-
from the Tutsi ethnic group. Kabuga initially ing so. Often they have at their disposal the sorts
lived in Kenya and after the Kenyan and Amer- of assets that common absconders lack: small
ican fiasco to trap him, he left for France. More armies or vast fortunes. Loyalists and sycophants
than a quarter of a century after the genocide, and true believers can make disappearing easier.
he was arrested and sent to the International But nothing helps more than time. Years wash by
Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals at and people forget. Memory becomes history and
The Hague — which is handling outstanding the hard edges of human wickedness are some-
war crimes cases for Rwanda and the former how sanded off. This is what the fugitive hopes,
Yugoslavia for trial. at least.

JOSHUA HAMMER On that day in March, thousands of miles
from Bob Reid’s home office, an old man sat in
BOB REID rubbed his eyes and stared again at a forgettable building on an unremarkable street
the computer screen. Outside, daylight was fad- — unaware of the phone numbers filling Reid’s
ing, but the detective barely noticed. He had been computer screen, untroubled by the notion that
holed up in his apartment since the coronavirus
had emptied the streets of Arusha, hushing the Félicien Kabuga of Rwanda during his first appearance before the Mechanism for International Tribunals on 11 November 2020 in The Hague. — Picture: UN
clamour of the otherwise vibrant east African cap- IRMCT / Leslie Hondebrink Hermer
ital. Reid was fine with the tranquillity.

He had not come to Tanzania for the safaris or
the day trips to Kilimanjaro. The window in his
study faced a concrete wall. He was locked in on
his laptop.

As he scrolled with his mouse, Reid watched
phone numbers zip past. Thousands and thou-
sands of them, alphabetised by the relay stations
from which they had originated in Europe. Amid
the blur of data, he found himself adrenalised by
a hunch. The mystery that had consumed him for
months suddenly felt solvable, and if it was, Reid
let himself believe, the epic hunt for one of the
world’s most wanted criminals — a search that
had quietly been under way for nearly a quarter of
a century — might finally come to an end.

Among the small coterie of specialists who
track the world’s most monstrous fugitives, Reid
has a well-earned reputation for finding his man.
Even when the trail grows cold for years. A decade
ago, as chief of operations at the UN’s Interna-
tional Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugosla-
via, Reid directed the search for the Bosnian Serb
commander Ratko Mladic, the so-called Butcher
of Bosnia, who was responsible for the murder of
more than 7 000 Muslim men and boys in Sre-
brenica in 1995. Mladic had been running for 16
years when Reid tracked him to a shabby farm-
house in northern Serbia.

Masked agents hauled him away to face the tri-
bunal, which convicted Mladic of genocide and
crimes against humanity, sentencing him in 2017
to life in prison.

Years wash by and people forget. This is what
the fugitive hopes, at least.

There had been others, of course: During his
nearly 25 years chasing war criminals for the UN,
Reid had helped round up a litany of fugitive out-

Page 12 News NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

The 1994 genocide in Rwanda left nearly a million people dead.

thousands of machetes, the crude tools that soon blurred by the sheer number of victims. And yet 1990s. The essential implement of Rwanda's sub- tects of the Final Solution, including Hermann
became emblems of the entire tragic period. it was all too harrowing and real for those who sistence-farming economy had become a hideous Göring, Heinrich Himmler, and Rudolf Hess, the
endured the devastation. tool of mass murder. so-called ratlines funnelled others — Adolf Eich-
In the chaotic days following the atrocities, Ka- mann, Josef Mengele, and thousands of peripher-
buga had slipped out of Rwanda and, for a short As a Newsweek correspondent, I travelled I tried to imagine the final moments of these al war criminals — to comfortable lives in South
while, had managed to live openly in exile — pro- with the Rwandan Patriotic Front, a Tutsi rebel many victims, the screams, the explosions, and America. In those days, the odysseys might begin
tected by powerful government sympathisers in group, in early May 1994, through parts of the yet the serenity of the current day — the chirping with a perilous hike from Germany over the Alps
Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of country that had been seized from the genocidal birds and the warm sun — seemed to mock my into Austria and Italy and then involve a welcom-
Congo) and Kenya. Hutu government. The memories from that jour- attempts to conjure up the crime. Still, the chill- ing hand from, say, a powerful official within the
ney, and from several subsequent trips before the ing proof was all around. Catholic Church, who might arrange false papers
But in 1998, when the UN’s International genocide ended, remain ingrained in my psyche, and safe passage across the Atlantic.
Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda charged him with a vision of barbarity, evil, and grim, low-tech ef- After the genocide ended, the top killers tried
crimes against humanity, he went underground. ficiency. I recall the beautiful morning in front of to make their escape. Well-heeled génocidaires The United Nations’ Rwanda tribunal tracked
Suddenly, the mogul who had become a monster an imposing brick church in Rukara, two hours within Kabuga's clique dispersed around the down nearly 100 suspects during its two-decade
turned into something new — a kind of ghost from the capital of Kigali, when I stepped gingerly world. They bribed government bureaucrats for run. But Kabuga managed to elude capture. He
who had slipped into the fog. past hundreds of bodies rotting in the sun, the fake travel documents and references, obtained faded from memory. People had a difficult time
faces frozen in agony. protection from allies within the domestic intel- recalling what he looked like. Some thought he
Initially the United Nations pursued him in ligence services, found anonymity in safe hous- had died.
fits and starts, as the hunt, forced to depend on a I remember the light inside the sanctuary that es and drab apartment blocks, and moved from
network of unreliable informants, was disrupted filtered through the church's shattered stained- country to country when the heat got too intense. To be continued . . .
by internal debates about whether he might be in glass windows, illuminating corpses sprawled on Sometimes they were hidden in vehicles driven by l Joshua Hammer is a veteran foreign and war
Europe or Africa. The search lapsed into lethargy straw mats or under blankets. In an adjacent li- friends or relatives, sometimes they took seats on correspondent for Newsweek, who has covered
and clues were missed. brary, grenade fragments pocked the ceiling and commercial flights. conflicts on four continents. He is the author
walls, and beneath a framed portrait of Pope John of two previous books, A Season in Bethlehem
Then, after years of futility, a new prosecutor Paul II, the desiccated remains of a man and a Often the meticulously planned escapes con- and Chosen by God: A Brother's Journey. He
— a charismatic Belgian named Serge Brammertz woman were locked in a final embrace. formed to a familiar pattern. In the ashes of World has contributed articles to The New Yorker,
— took charge of the case at the UN’s Interna- War II, the Argentine authoritarian Juan Perón, Smithsonian, and many other publications. He
tional Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribu- The cleaved skulls of some victims made clear a sympathiser of Adolf Hitler’s, and his coun- lives in Cape Town, South Africa, with his wife
nals and shook things up. He reached out to Reid that many of these people had been dispatched by terparts in Brazil and Paraguay had welcomed and two sons.
in 2016, asking the detective to help reinvigorate machetes. It was a homicidal scene that belonged Nazi war criminals into the country. While Al-
the hunt for the now elderly Kabuga. to ancient or medieval times, certainly not to the lied forces captured some of the principal archi-

The pair realised that the passage of time had
created new urgency to catch a fugitive who
would certainly soon be dead. And so Reid joined
Brammertz in The Hague, and he began taking a
hard look at where the luckless search had gone
wrong. He scrutinised European police files, and
he reviewed the work of the Africa-based taskforce
that the previous tribunal had assembled in the
late 1990s. He scoured a decade’s worth of com-
munications and dead ends and slowly started to
glimpse the faint traces of Kabuga’s footprints.

Finally, with the world hunkered down last
spring, Reid was working into the sultry evening
— processing those phone numbers and suddenly
feeling the thrill of a breakthrough. From what he
could tell, an unusual number of calls had been
bouncing off a particular cell tower outside Paris,
in an unremarkable stretch of exurban sprawl. He
had stumbled onto something. Though Reid was
not yet sure just what.

The terrors and tumults of the 20th century
have a way of feeling distant to us — especially
the worst atrocities, the mass slaughter of inno-
cents perpetrated by criminal regimes. The geno-
cide and expulsions of Armenians by the Otto-
man Empire during World War I, the starvation
of millions of Ukrainians in 1932 and 1933 un-
der Joseph Stalin, the Nazi-led Holocaust of the
1940s, the Khmer Rouge's murders of over a fifth
of Cambodia's population in the late 1970s, and
the Rwandan genocide seem almost mythical in
their horror, the scale of suffering paradoxically

NewsHawks News Page 13

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Salary deductions rile civil servants

The PSC said civil servants will access loans from the NBS at interest rates of between 2% and 7%.

LIZWE SEBATHA every month from the deductions. PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou
“We are bitter and totally against the uni-
CIVIL servants are up in arms with their em-
ployer over 2.5% deductions from their sal- lateral deductions. No one knows what is
aries every month towards a loan scheme al- happening with those monies. Our members
legedly meant to benefit them. have tried to opt out, but the deductions have
continued. The only way forward is for the
Attempts to opt out of the “forced” loan government to stop those deductions,” Dongo
scheme are proving cumbersome, with a union added.
representing teachers now planning court ac-
tion to stop the deductions. The Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zim-
babwe (PTUZ) said it plans to drag the gov-
In 2020, the government approved the es- ernment to court to stop the unilateral deduc-
tablishment of the civil service mutual savings tions.
fund and injected ZW$100 million as seed
capital, augmented by the 2.5% deductions “We have been duped again. We are now in
from every civil servant. the process of instituting legal action to de-
mand that those teachers who were forcibly
The fund is known as the Government Em- taken into Gems be given their money and
ployees Mutual Savings (Gems). with interest,” PTUZ secretary-general Ray-
mond Majongwe said.
When unveiling the programme, the Public
Service Commission (PSC) said civil servants “It’s unfair, and unfortunate. This is how
will access loans from the National Building dictatorships work. It’s another hoax, bank
Society (NBS) at interest rates of between 2% fraud of unimaginable proportions.”
and 7%, much lower than the more than 50%
charged by commercial lenders. PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou added:
“Gems has always been shrouded in mystery.
The government began calling for applica- Its origins were never by consent. It was just
tions for the loans in May last year. imposed on teachers. The best way forward
is to just ensure that Gems deductions are
However, it was established that there is stopped forthwith.
simmering anger among civil servants who
alleged that they were forced into the loan “It has always been a looting process from
scheme against their will. teachers, and no one knows where that cash is
going. There is speculation that the money will
This is amid claims by their respective be used in the forthcoming elections to fund
unions that there was secrecy over the fund, Zanu PF campaigns.”
with their members not benefitting, while at
the same time failing to stop the deductions Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta)
because of bureaucracy in the PSC. chief executive officer Sifiso Ndlovu weighed
in, saying the government must provide clarity
“None of our members are benefitting from on the Gems funds after banks were suspended
that fund. We do not even have any informa- from lending.
tion about that ponzi scheme, but what we
are seeing are deductions towards Gems being “Our challenge now is to see if the suspen-
made. Unfortunately, we are being referred sion of all loans does affect the Gems fund
from one office to the next in the PSC when which is primarily governed under government
we try to engage on the forced deductions,” and also by contributing members who are not
Zimbabwe Nurses’ Association (Zina) presi- necessarily financial institutions but are indi-
dent Enock Dongo said. viduals who are putting together their money
to borrow from each other,” Ndlovu said.
A payslip of one civil servant seen by this
reporter had ZW$495.45 deducted from their PSC secretary Jonathan Wutawunashe how-
April salary towards Gems. ever said the Gems scheme was voluntary.

Zimbabwe has more than 300 000 civil ser- “Membership of Gems is entirely voluntary,
vants, and estimates suggest that the govern- and civil servants either opt in or out of the
ment may be making over ZW$150 million scheme,” he said.

Page 14 News NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

BERNARD MPOFU Scandalous plundering of
precious minerals continues
THE paradox of plenty or the resource curse is
how some critics have described the correlation Mining is Zimbabwe’s largest earner of foreign exchange.
between Zimbabwe’s vast mineral endowment
and the country’s economic misfortunes. Mining is Zimbabwe’s largest earner of for- of Mines and Mining Development to dissemi- self-assessment of the diamond sector to gauge
eign exchange, accounting for more 50% of nate the policy. if the country was compliant with the KPCS.
Officials say Zimbabwe has over 40 base export earnings. Officials show that there are
minerals and several precious stones such as di- four diamond mining companies in Zimbabwe, “At Forbes Border Post, ZIMRA [Zimbabwe This initiative emanated from a resolution
amonds, yet it still remains an oxymoron that namely Alrosa (Private) Revenue Authority] officials were trained on the that was made by the committee on 26 July
why would a nation with one of the largest KPCS [Kimberly Process Certification Scheme] 2021 to appoint a sub-committee with the sole
known diamond and platinum deposits in the Limited, Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond requirements but the other agencies such as Im- mandate of conducting an inquiry into the di-
world have nearly half of its population living Company (ZCDC), RZM Murowa (Private) migration Department had not gone through amond sector, in particular to assess its level of
in extreme poverty. Limited and Anjin Investments (Private) Lim- the same. Secondly, border officials highlighted compliance with the KPCS. To this end, the
ited. Alrosa, according to the report, has not that they were not trained to identify the fea- sub-committee was empowered to spearhead
In their top-selling book titled Why Nations yet begun production and is still in the explo- tures of a diamond. To address this gap, MMCZ engagements with the ministry of Mines and
Fail, Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson ration stage. Conversely, ZCDC and Murowa indicated that it intends to post some of its offi- Mining Development, CSOs and other stake-
conclusively show that it is man-made political diamonds are actively involved in the mining of cials at the border posts. holders.
and economic institutions that underlie eco- diamonds.
nomic success (or lack of it). “There were no scanners to detect diamonds The committee also issued the Mines minis-
According to the latest parliamentary report, and other precious minerals at both Forbes Bor- try an ultimatum to overhaul mining laws in the
They argue that Botswana under Ian Khama urgent steps are needed to plug the revenue der Post and Robert Gabriel Mugabe Interna- country.
succeeded at building institutions that could leakages as well as improve transparency in the tional Airport. The committee was informed by
enhance prosperity. Mobutu Sese Seko’s Congo extractive industry. A few years ago round di- the Airport Authority that there were plans to “The ministry of Mines and Mining Devel-
and Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe did not even amonds worth an estimated US$140 million purchase the appropriate scanners in the year opment should review the diamond policy and
try. disappeared from the Minerals Marketing Cor- 2022.” submit a Bill amending the Precious Stones
poration of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) and ZCDC Trade Act by 31 August 2022, particularly to
Critics say Zimbabwe’s economic situation repositories. The diamonds weighed 350 000 The report also shows that while security per- integrate artisanal and small-scale miners in or-
has been epitomised by grand looting, bad pol- carats. sonnel at the ports of entry had not reported der to curb the illegal smuggling of diamonds
icy and institutional malaise, factors which are any incidences of smuggling, officials at Forbes in areas such as Marange. Alternatively, stiffer
well documented. Previous auctions revealed that Zimbabwe- Border Post were not aware of the features of penalties can be introduced to curb diamond
an diamonds normally fetch about US$400 an export certificate used in the trading of di- leakages,” the report reads.
Authorities on the other hand blame the per carat, although this can rise to as much as amonds.
country’s colonial history, the invisible hand US$12 000 per carat. The diamond sector in Zimbabwe is regu-
and sanctions imposed by the West at the turn “The customs officials requested MMCZ to lated by the Mines and Minerals Act [Chapter
of the millennium for this outturn. “One of the major loopholes in legal and supply them with a copy, so that officials would 21:05], the Precious Stones Trade Act [Chapter
policy framework is the non-recognition of ar- not be caught off-guard in the event that dia- 21:06], the Minerals Marketing Corporation of
The diamond rush after the turn of the new tisanal and small-scale miners who are largely monds are exported or imported through that Zimbabwe Act [Chapter 21:04] and diamond
millennium following the mass discovery of the fuelling the smuggling of diamonds to other border,” the report further reads. policy of 2019. While the Mines and Minerals
precious stones in Marange, the human rights countries, particularly through Mozambique,” Act regulates the issuance of licences for spe-
abuses, looting and lack of accountability have reads the report of the Portfolio Committee on The Portfolio Committee on Mines and cial grants to mine diamonds in Zimbabwe,
brought wealth to a few and despair to many. Mines and Mining Development. Mining Development in collaboration with the the MMCZ Act and Precious Stones Trade Act
ministry of Mines and Mining Development, regulate the export, sale, stockpiling, possession
This all began when Marange was discov- “Furthermore, it was noted that the Dia- diamond producers, the Minerals Marketing and dealing in diamonds. The diamond policy
ered to have one of the world’s richest diamond mond Policy is not widely known by the public Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) and civ- of 2019 outlines the investment opportunities
deposits in a century. In June 2006 and over and it was therefore, imperative for the ministry il society organisations (CSOs) embarked on a
the next two years, 30 000 small-scale miners
flocked to the area.

The diamond rush led to water, sanitation,
and housing crisis, as well as a rise in illicit fi-
nancial flows, smuggling and violence as politi-
cally influential figures allegedly took control of
the illegal extraction.

Before long, the government unleashed a
bloody crackdown code-named Operation
Hakudzokwi (“No Return”). Security forces
were reportedly ordered to shoot miners on
sight. Reports show that 200 were killed during
this operation, triggering international condem-
nation and later the relocation of locals, who are
yet to get back on their feet.

“Nations fail today because their extractive
economic institutions do not create the incen-
tives needed for people to save, invest, and in-
novate. Extractive political institutions support
these economic institutions by cementing the
power of those who benefit from the extraction.
Extractive economic and political institutions,
though their details vary under different cir-
cumstances, are always at the root of this fail-
ure,” Acemoglu and Robinson argued.

“Nations fail economically because of ex-
tractive institutions. These institutions keep
poor countries poor and prevent them from
embarking on a path to economic growth. This
is true today in Africa, in places such as Zim-
babwe and Sierra Leone; in South America,
in countries such as Colombia and Argentina;
in Asia, in countries such as North Korea and
Uzbekistan; and in the Middle East, in nations
such as Egypt.”

This is unlike neighbouring Botswana which
transformed from being nothing more than
a vast desert landscape to one of Africa’s fast-
est-growing economies on account of diamond
deposits. Botswana’s diamond mines account
for a third of its gross domestic product.

Just more than half a century on, Botswana
has turned into one of Africa’s fastest-growing
economies. Its capital, Gaborone, is a thriving
city of just under a quarter of a million people
with skyscrapers sprouting up in every corner.

Several voluminous reports on Zimbabwe’s
diamond industry compiled by pressure groups,
experts and parliamentary committees over the
years have gathered dust before some key rec-
ommendations on bringing transparency and
accountability on the seemingly opaque sector
are taken on board.

Just this week, a new parliamentary report
revealed that Zimbabwe’s largest airport has no
security scanners to detect smuggled diamonds
amid concerns that the country could losing
precious minerals worth millions of dollars
through smuggling across porous border posts.

NewsHawks News Page 15

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Diplomats confront govt over PVOs Bill

MOSES MATENGA United Kingdom ambassador
to Zimbabwe Melanie Robinson
DIPLOMATS accredited to Zimbabwe Head of delegation
have confronted the government over the of the European Union
Private Voluntary Organisations (PVOs) Timo Olkkonen
Amendment Bill that observers say has the
potential to further alienate Harare from
the international community.

The proposed Bill, now in its second
reading in Parliament, has been widely
condemned by civil society organisations
and the international community with
observers saying it was only crafted out of
fear of Zanu PF losing the next elections
due in 2023.

This week, the diplomats, who includ-
ed United Kingdom ambassador to Zim-
babwe Melanie Robinson and head of
delegation of the European Union Timo
Olkkonen met Foreign Affairs minister
Frederick Shava. They aired their con-
cerns, particularly on the issue of legisla-
tion, including the PVO Amendment Bill.

Information ministry permanent sec-
retary Ndabaningi Mangwana confirmed
that a meeting was recently held in which
diplomats expressed reservations on the
PVOs Amendment Bill.

“A few days ago some diplomats met
government officials over the PVOs
Amendment Bill. They expressed a lot of
bitterness and odium towards the Bill,”
Mangwana said.

“How does this Bill undermine their in-
terests? Don’t we have the right to advance
our own interests like everyone else?” he
asked rhetorically.

Several diplomats have expressed res-
ervations on the PVOs Amendment Bill,
with Robinson confirming the meet-
ing with Shava in which they discussed
“planned legislation, elections and UK
collaboration”.

Recently, Robinson congratulated Zim-
babwe on exiting the Financial Action
Task Force (FATF) grey list, but immedi-
ately said there was need now for Harare
to drop the PVO Amendment Bill.

“Good news for Zimbabwe, congratu-
lations on exiting FAFT financial grey list.
More work ahead but also great prospects
for improved banking, trade and invest-
ment opportunities. Hope to see the PVO
Amendment Bill dropped or amended ac-
cordingly,” she said.

On Wednesday, Citizens Coalition for
Change (CCC) member of Parliament In-
nocent Gonese said the Bill is retrogressive
and not good for the country.

“A question I want to pose is: why now?
I want to remind honourable members
who may not be aware that in 2004 we
had a Bill which was brought before this
august House. It was called the NGO Bill
and Honourable (Tendai) Biti et al, who
were in this Parliament at the time, may
remember that we burned the midnight
oil debating that Bill which was a draconi-
an piece of legislation which threatened to
take away the rights of the people of Zim-
babwe, particularly the right enshrined in
Section 58 of our Constitution, the right
to freedom of association.”

“Unfortunately, several years down the
line, today we are seized with a Bill which
in my opinion is actually worse than the
one which we had at the time,” Gonese
said.

“I will explain why I say it is worse.
Among other things, it is trying to inter-
fere with even trusts, for example, which
are not covered by the provisions of the
current Act, universitas and so on and so
forth. I believe that we must interrogate,
introspect and say to ourselves: is this
good for our country?”

Zanu PF is pushing for the Bill, arguing
that NGOs in the country were sponsor-
ing opposition players and civil society
actors to push for a regime change agenda.

Page 16 News NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

MORRIS BISHI Zanu PF MP threatens opposition

MASVINGO North Zanu PF legislator Davies Masvingo North Zanu PF MP
Marapira has declared that beneficiaries of the Davies Marapira
land reform programme should not support op-
position parties and those supporting the oppo- “We are receiving several cases of political constitution. We call upon Zanu PF to stop this behaviour.
sition will be evicted from resettlement areas. threats on our members on daily basis as the behaviour so that we have a fair and acceptable “It is true that opposition supporters are being
country is moving closer to the 2023 general election in 2023,” Charamba said.
Addressing Zanu PF youths during the elections. It is not a secret that the ruling party is threatened in Masvingo as the country is draw-
launch of a US$5 000 football tournament for using unethical practices to intimidate our mem- MDC-T shadow minister of State for Mas- ing closer to the 2023 elections. As a party we
youths in his constituency at Wondedzo Prima- bers. Many of our members are being sidelined vingo Festus Dumbu confirmed that cases of have adopted a strategy which will protect our
ry School on Sunday, Marapira said supporting during government programmes, which should political threats on opposition supporters are people from this violence. Intimidation is what
opposition politics in resettlement areas is a ta- benefit all citizens, because of their political af- increasing in the province on a daily basis. He the ruling party knows and this is implemented
boo punishable by eviction. filiation and this is a violation of the country’s said his party is adopting strategies that will pro- through traditional leaders and members of the
tect its supporters from the ruling party’s violent security sector,” Dumbu said.
His sentiments came as the country draws
closer to the 2023 general elections, with sev-
eral analysts and leaders of opposition parties
predicting a violent campaign as Zanu PF hard-
liners indicating that they pull out all the stops
to retain power.

Masvingo province witnessed terrible political
violence during 2002 and 2008 elections which
saw tens of people losing their lives and several
others being permanently maimed.

Marapira, who is also the minister of State in
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s office, told
the youths that land reform is the brain child
of the ruling party and all the beneficiaries of
the programme must support Zanu PF so those
found supporting opposition politics in resettle-
ment areas will be sent back to their places of
origin. He said opposition politics is for rural
areas.

“This area is a resettlement area which was
created through policies by the ruling party and
everyone staying here should support the ruling
party. On this issue we are serious so anyone
found supporting the opposition in this area
should know of his fate, which is eviction back
to his or her rural home and if we do that noth-
ing will happen to us because Zanu PF is the
owner of this land. I think l am clear on this
issue and everyone heard what l said,” Marapira
said.

Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) Masv-
ingo provincial spokesperson Derick Charamba
told The NewsHawks that his party is receiving
numerous complaints that opposition members
in rural and resettlement areas are being threat-
ened by Zanu PF officials for exercising their
constitutional right to association. He said many
of their supporters are being sidelined from gov-
ernment programmes like agricultural input and
food aid schemes, which is a gross violation of
human rights.

New CCC Karoi councillor replaces slain husband

NHAU MANGIRAZ

NEWLY elected Citizens’ Coalition for Change ordinary citizens and being their voices in the Rhoda Jaji male counterparts as l discharge my duties as a
(CCC) councillor for Ward 4 in Karoi, Rhoda boardroom. The citizens are your judges. Take the ward,” Karichi said. public officer,” she said.
Jaji, who replaced her late husband, Lavender note that it is good to humble yourselves and be
Chiwaya, says she will fight for women and so- with the same communities that voted you into Chiwaya was the opposition's Hurungwe dis- “I am happy that I will be finishing off my late
cial justice after her swearing-in. office,” Ngirazi said. trict chairperson at the time of his death. husband Chiwaya’s term of office. It's my wish
that I remain close to residents and carry out my
Rhoda Jaji (35) was recently sworn in as a A representative of Karoi residents, Edison Jaji said she was looking forward to helping duties effectively through better communication
Karoi town councillor. She is the only female Karichi, challenged her to draw inspiration from residents to get better service delivery. with residents. I am hopeful that all councillors
councillor in Karoi. her late husband Chiwaya. will help me as a new member.”
“l am coming into council business to rep-
Her husband Chiwaya was in August 2020 “The late Chiwaya was a man of the people resent women’s aspirations and fulfill their own Karoi town had all the 10 wards represented
found dead under mysterious circumstances, and could visit every household without favour. dreams and goals on social development.” by male councillors, with Zanu PF having six
with postmortem results confirming he was as- I appeal to you to take a leaf from what he did in while the opposition had four.
saulted, amid suspicion that his killing was po- “Though l am new in public office, I don’t
litically motivated. Two years later, his wife Jaji anticipate to be abused by anyone because am a
won the council seat following the 26 March woman. I must be treated equally like any of the
by-elections, defeating Zanu PF’s Solomon
Chikwerengwe. She was sworn in this week,
vowing to pursue Chiwaya's vision.

ln welcoming Jaji to council, Karoi Town
Council chairperson Abel Matsika challenged
her to represent women's rights on governance
and social development issues in the farming
town.

‘‘We are happy that you are coming here as
a female councillor and it gives us all the great
gesture that you will represent women and girl
rights in social development,” the council leader
said.

Hurungwe district’s acting development co-
ordinator Friend Ngirazi said elected councillors
must be accountable to citizens.

“Whenever councillors are elected, they must
respect citizens who voted them into power. Be
guided accordingly as you are representing the

NewsHawks News Page 17

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

MOSES MATENGA EU warns of chaotic 2023 polls

ZIMBABWE has failed to effect critical recom- . . . Zim ignores the bloc’s recommendations
mendations of the European Union (EU) Elec-
tion Observer Mission (EOM) that observed The EU dispatched an observer mission in 2018 to witness the first election after the coup that overthrew the late former president Robert Mugabe.
the 2018 harmonised elections, with the group-
ing warning of a potentially chaotic 2023 poll if There were also recommendations to develop address recurring problems related to voter reg- suing the PVOs Amendment Bill, amid inter-
the key issues remain unresolved. regulations on political party financing, reform- istration, constituency delimitation, level play- nal fears non-governmental organisations were
ing the state-owned media to fully guarantee ing field in the campaign, partisan behaviour of plotting and funding the opposition to effect
The EU dispatched an observer mission their independence and impartiality. traditional leaders and public administration, regime change.
in 2018 to witness the first election after the freedoms of expression, assembly and of the
coup that overthrew the late former president The mission said although it appreciated media, they will undermine progress towards “We are concerned that if the Private Volun-
Robert Mugabe and saw him being replaced initiatives by Zec to increase its engagement achieving an environment conducive to a great- tary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Bill is
by Emmerson Mnangagwa who faced off with through the multi-party liaison committees at er level of public trust in the electoral process adopted, it will severely impact the freedom of
main opposition candidate Nelson Chamisa in district and provincial level, there was consider- and peaceful elections,” Brok said. association and restrict legitimate activities of
a tightly contested race. ation that further determined efforts are needed civil society organisations.”
to fully respond to its role as an independent Brok said there was also concern over the laws
Mnangagwa narrowly won the disputed elec- and transparent election management body. the government was pushing that were likely to “Therefore, we urge the authorities and the
tion that Chamisa’s camp claimed were rigged undermine the electoral process and affect the legislature to reconsider, keeping in mind Zim-
by the Zanu PF regime allegedly working close- “This includes that there is more transparen- running of elections. babwe’s international commitment. We heard
ly with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission cy on every step of the electoral process on local, also concerns from part of the opposition and
(Zec). regional and national level,” Brok said. One of the laws, Brok said, is the Private civil society that amendments to the criminal
Voluntary Organisations (PVOs) Amendment law might be introduced which would endanger
As part of the 2018 recommendations, the The observer mission warned that if the rec- Bill which will have an impact on freedom of the freedom of expression.”
observer mission called for the independence ommendations are not met, it was likely the expression.
of Zec, an improved level playing field, a bet- outcome will be disputed. A final report by the mission will be pub-
ter legal framework and the inclusiveness of the The Zanu PF government is vigorously pur- lished at the beginning of next month.
process. “If the authorities and the legislators do not

The mission said state-owned media must be
more impartial in its coverage. It also recom-
mended that Zimbabwe introduce legal mea-
sures to mitigate the abuse of incumbency and
of state resources.

In its follow-up mission to Zimbabwe, El-
mar Brok, a former member of the European
Union Parliament and chief observer of the EU
Election Observer Mission to the 2018 general
elections, said a lot of recommendations have to
date been ignored.

The EU team met with political parties in-
cluding Zanu PF, the Citizens’ Coalition for
Change (CCC) and the MDC-T.

“To date, progress on the implementation of
the EU EOM recommendations has been lim-
ited, with the majority of the priority ones not
yet adequately addressed,” Broke told journal-
ists yesterday after completion of the follow-up
mission.

“The EOM welcomes that stakeholder con-
sultations on some legal reforms have taken
place or are ongoing but notes with concern
that the adoption of important reforms such as
amendments to the Electoral Act remain out-
standing.”

The EOM proposed 23 recommendations,
including 10 priority ones aimed at aligning
the Electoral Act with the 2013 constitution,
strengthening the independence of Zec and in-
creasing its information-sharing throughout the
electoral process.

Other recommendations included improving
voter registration, as well as the transparency,
verifiability and integrity of the results man-
agement process, introducing legal measures to
mitigate abuse of state resources, among others.

Justice Patel in eye of a storm

OWEN GAGARE which they cited Supreme Court and Constitu- karau and Patel, who delivered judgement on ing President Mnangagwa to extend his term
tional Court judges, given that they also stood behalf of the entire bench, heard the case despite by five years, like he did for Chief Justice Luke
CONSTITUTIONAL Court (ConCourt) to potentially benefit from the amendment, like a conflict of interest on their part, as they stand Malaba last year.
judge Justice Bharat Patel has become the first in the case of Patel. to benefit from the ruling.
beneficiary of the controversial judgement he The confirmation of his term extension was
wrote last year allowing the extension of judges’ Patel was one of the judges who upheld a The case put the judges in the dock for nemo gazetted on 14 April.
tenure by five years after reaching the retirement challenge by Zanu PF activist Marx Mupungu judex in causa sua: no one should be a judge in
age then pegged at 70. who had approached the ConCourt seeking the his or her own cause thereby compromising ju- “It is hereby notified that His Excellency,
setting aside of the declaratory order handed dicial integrity and public confidence. the President, has on the recommendation of
The controversial judgement legitimised Pres- down by the High Court. the Judicial Service Commission, and acting in
ident Emmerson Mnangagwa’s extension of his Nemo judex in causa sua is widely considered terms of section 186(2)(a) of the Constitution
close allay Chief Justice Luke Malaba’s term by A brief judgement of the Constitutional a pre-requisite to an independent and reliable of Zimbabwe, extended the appointment of
five years, after he turned 70 on 15 May 2021. Court read by Justices Rita Makarau and Patel judicial system. Hon. Mr. Justice Bharat Patel as judge of the
said the High Court judgement had no effect Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe for a period
High Court Justices Happias Zhou, Edith unless confirmed by the top court — ending ar- This principle is meant not merely to prevent of five years with effect from 16th April,” read
Mushore and Jester Charewa had in May ruled guments over whether Malaba was in contempt a potential wrong-doer from condoning his or General Notice 867A of 2022 by Chief Justice
that Malaba ceased to be chief justice when he when he continued reporting for work. her errors by judging the validity of their ac- Malaba, gazetted on 14 April 2022.
turned 70, despite Mnangagwa extending his tions, but also, and more importantly, to pre-
term following an amendment of the constitu- Through his lawyer Lovemore Madhuku, serve public confidence in the sanctity and in- A lawyer yesterday told The NewsHawks that
tion to allow for the extension. Mupungu approached the ConCourt, arguing dependence of the judiciary. the ruling had put Patel and other judges in
that Mnangagwa acted appropriately and con- an awkward situation moreso for Patel who in
Mnangagwa was eager for Malaba to stay as stitutionally by extending Malaba’s term of of- The principle of natural justice encompasses March heard a challenge of the term extension
the head of the judiciary to pivot his 2023 elec- fice by five years following controversial consti- two important principles: nemo judex in causa amendments.
tion bid. tutional amendments. sua (no one should be a judge in his or her own
cause) and audi alteram partem — hear the oth- “It gets worse. So, on the 16th of March, the
The High Court judges however ruled that Mapungu had sought an order varying or not er party or the rule of fair hearing; that no one ConCourt heard a challenge to the term exten-
incumbent justices could not benefit from the confirming an order of constitutional invalidity should be condemned unheard. sion amendments. Judgment was reserved. Patel
amendment of the constitution. handed down by the High Court which was up- sat in that matter. Before judgment, he has now
held by Patel and his colleagues. These are buttressed by the notion that justice availed himself of the benefits of the amend-
The ruling was made following an application should not only be done, but must manifestly ment. What is his judgment going to be?” asked
by the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum ConCourt judges, including Deputy Chief and undoubtedly be seen to be done. the lawyer.
and Young Lawyers Association of Zimbabwe in Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza, as well as Rita Ma-
Justice Patel turned 70 on 16 April, prompt-

Page 18 News NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

MOSES MATENGA Exposed — How minister July Moyo
arm-twisted council into murky deal
LOCAL Government minister July Moyo flouted
tender processes and local authorities’ laws before . . . US$400 million contract challenged
he personally arm-twisted MDC-T councillors
into signing a murky US$400 million deal with Local Government and Public Works minister July Moyo ed by the present councillors to chair the meeting
a Netherlands company for the Pomona waste hence it was improperly convened, constituted
management project, it has emerged. by and between the 1st and 6th respondents be US$0.03 will accrue to City of Harare, in order and conducted.
declared a nullity and to be of no force or effect.” to ensure that their refuse collection charges are
Documents gleaned by The NewsHawks re- reduced. Government grants the Harare Pomona In February, the Environmental Management,
vealed that Moyo personally went and cajoled The meeting that was suspiciously convened Waste Management facility and Waste-to-Energy Finance and Development and Business Commit-
Town House officials into the dubious deal but on the same day (28 February) confirmed Moyo’s Plant, a National Project status. tee of council held a meeting and recommended
bungled in the process after forcing the local au- influence and interest in the matter. to full council to approve the signing of the deal.
thority into a string of illegalities that are now be- “Geogenix BV be allowed to enter into negoti-
ing challenged in court. The notice for the meeting read: “Meeting of ations with other local authorities in and around He said the deal created huge debts for resi-
all Harare City Councillors with the Honourable the greater Harare, to deposit the waste at the Po- dents and ratepayers, who were not consulted in
Consequently, the deal between Harare City mona centre.” the course of engaging in the multi-million-dollar
Council and the Netherlands company, Geo- Minister of Local Government and Public deal.
genix BV, represented in Zimbabwe by Delish Works. Please be advised that the Hon. Minister In his court application, Markham, together
Nguwaya, an associate of the first family, is now of Local Government and Public Works has given with the residents, argues that the meeting was “As the court will note, the contract creates se-
being challenged by Harare North member of notice to meet with all Harare City Councillors unprocedurally convened and therefore illegal. rious financial obligations for the City of Harare
Parliament Allan Markham, the Combined Ha- in the council chamber today, February 28, 2022 to pay Geogenix BV in foreign currency (US$)
rare Residents Association (CHRA), Borrowdale at 11am. Will you please attend this important “However, as the minutes reflect, the council for a period of 30 years.”
Residents and Ratepayers Association and Cen- meeting.” went on to hold an ordinary meeting as opposed
tre for Alternative Development Trust who have to a special meeting. It goes without saying that “It is common knowledge that the City of Ha-
dragged Moyo to court seeking to nullify the deal. According to the minutes of the same day, the council could not have held an ordinary meet- rare’s waste collection costs are actually in the local
Mutizwa reported of Moyo’s earlier visit to Town ing as a consequence of a notice calling for a spe- currency (RTGS) and there is a huge disparity in
Harare City Council, Moyo, acting mayor House to meet officials on the deal. cial meeting,” Markham said. the exchange rates of the local currency and the
Councillor Stewart Mutizwa, mayor Jacob Ma- US$.”
fume, acting town clerk Mabhena Moyo and “However, he had shared his address with the “The meeting was therefore illegal as no notice
Geogenix BV are the other respondents in the Acting Mayor, Acting Town Clerk and Acting as required by the law was given to the council- He said Harare had no capacity to pay the debt
matter brought before the High Court on 26 Chamber Secretary on the need for projects with lors.” without trapping itself in a huge debt.
April 2022. National Projects Status to be approved without
undue delay.” “It is also notable that the date of the notice “I have noted that according to the minutes of
“The purported ordinary meeting was illegal as was the same date on which the meeting was held. the meeting, it is indicated that the government
no notice as required by the Urban Councils Act Reads part of Moyo’s address to council which This is improper as it did not afford enough time undertook to support council through devolution
was given to the councillors. The notice given to was read out by Mutizwa: “Government approves for councillors to prepare and attend the meet- funds to meet its financial obligations. If this is
the councillors was for a special meeting which that the city should enter into a joint venture ings,” the court papers read. true, this is a blatant violation of the principle of
did not specify the agenda,” the papers read. agreement (design, build, operate and transfer) devolution established by the constitution.”
for the Harare Pomona Waste Management fa- At law, notice of any meeting of council must
“The resolution by the council to adopt or ap- cility and Waste-to-Energy Plant with Geogenix be made known to all councillors at least two days He argued the contract was set up to fail as Ha-
prove the contract was not part of the notice of BV of Netherlands, that parties should sign an in advance rare did not have capacity to collect refuse as it
the special meeting and therefore could not have agreement after it has been approved by the At- only had six working trucks.
been made at the said special meeting.” torney-General, to protect all parties involved.” “Further, there is no evidence that this meeting
was convened by the Mayor Jacob Mafume. The “The failure of the City of Harare to deliver the
“The resolution by council to adopt or approve “Government undertakes to support the City minutes reflect that the meeting was chaired by required tonnage would however, not excuse it
the contract was unreasonable as the process to of Harare through devolution funds to meet its the purported acting Mayor, (Stewart) Mutizwa. from paying Geogenix BV. In fact assuming that
engage the 6th respondent (Geogenix BV) was financial obligations, for the gate entry fees, for The minutes of the meeting however, confirms Harare fails to perform its obligations, which is
not preceded by compliance by the 1st respon- the minimum guaranteed quantities of waste, and that the Mayor is in fact Mafume who was said highly likely given its incapacitation, the 6th re-
dent (Harare City Council) as a public entity with to enhance its refuse collection fleet for a period to be absent. I have verified that on this date the spondent may choose to terminate the contract
its responsibility to independently maintain and of five years.” substantive Mayor was available and should have and walk away with US$3.5 million for nothing.”
follow a system of properly evaluating all major chaired the meeting as prescribed by the law.”
capital projects prior to a final decision in the “Government through the Zimbabwe Ener- “It is therefore not an exaggeration to say that
project.” gy Regulatory Authority (Zera) undertakes to According to the minutes of the meeting, Ma- the contract is designed to fail on the part of the
approve the proposed US$0.06 electricity tar- fume was registered as absent and had sent his 1st respondent (Harare) exposing it to unneces-
The applicants said the manner in which the iff for the Pomona Waste Management facility apologies. sary claim from the 6th respondent (Geogenix
council handled the matter was “substantively and Waste-to-Energy Plant, of that US$00.6, BV) running into millions of US dollars, which
and procedurally unfair”. He argued that, at law, Mutizwa was not elect- will be paid from money generated from ratepay-
ers and devolution funds. It is therefore grossly
Markham, a former councillor for Ward 18 in unreasonable for the 1st respondent to have en-
Harare, said as a former city father, he was aware tered into a contract. It defies logic.”
of procedures to be followed in awarding such
deals and, in this case, that was not done. “I also note that the 1st respondent did not at
all consult the residents, stakeholders and ratepay-
The court papers show that a council meeting ers, that is, interested parties before the contract
was suspiciously and hastily convened on 28 Feb- was entered into. The contract places onerous fi-
ruary 2022 and events of the day raised suspicions nancial obligations on the 1st respondent which
of Moyo’s interests in the matter. will be paid for by ratepayers.”

“I note the meeting of the council was held However, as if to cover up for its failure to con-
at the special instance and request of the 2nd re- sult stakeholders, the City of Harare on Thursday
spondent, who is the responsible Minister and I tried to convene a “Stakeholder Engagement” on
believe that this exerted a lot of pressure, duress the Pomona deal but was snubbed by residents,
and undue influence on the councillors to make a forcing the local authority to postpone it.
grossly unreasonable decision.”
“The contract is stipulated to be valid for 30
“It goes without saying that the failure to go years. The 1st respondent will pay US$40 per
through a proper tender process not only preju- tonne to the 6th respondent. In the first year of
diced other participants but potentially preju- the contract, the 1st respondent is obliged to pay
diced the 1st respondent as a cheaper and efficient US$8.03 million annually from the year 2027
bid might have been considered. until 2052.”

“Council has since 2016 been looking for “It is submitted that given the humongous fi-
an investor to develop a waste-to-energy plant nancial liability incurred by the 1st respondent for
whereby waste at Pomona dumpsite and other many years which has the potential of affecting
dumpsites will be converted to energy. The matter service delivery, residents, ratepayers and other in-
was put to tender but all the companies that ex- terested parties ought to have been consulted on
pressed interest were blocked. this in line with the good governance practices,
transparency, accountability principles in the con-
“The decision to approve the contract by and stitution.”
between the 1st respondent (HCC) and 6th re-
spondent (Geogenix BV) was grossly unreason- “The decision was shrouded in secrecy and is
able and irrational and extremely detrimental to not in the best interests of the affected parties. The
the interests of the residents, stakeholders and failure to consult the residents on an issue which
ratepayers of the City of Harare.” has serious financial implications for the 1st re-
spondent which might affect its operations and
Markham challenged the Netherlands firm to service delivery is a gross irregularity warranting
prove it has the financial capacity for the project this Honourable Court to step in and set aside
amid suspicions that the company is capitalising the contract.”
on political influence.
Markham also alleged that the City of Harare
“Further, I do not believe that the 6th respon- did not conduct a feasibility study before entering
dent was and is able to meet one of the most into the contract but relied on the one done by
essential requirements of the 1st respondent to Geogenix BV, an interested party in the matter.
be awarded projects of this nature, that is, the
requirement to show that it has funding to im-
plement the project. I believe that the 6th respon-
dent has no financial capacity to fund this project
and I challenge it to prove otherwise.”

“I hereby seek that the resolution by the 1st re-
spondent to enter into a contract with 6th respon-
dent be and is hereby set aside and the consequen-
tial relief that the contract subsequently signed

NewsHawks News Page 19

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Parly committee tours Zesa’s Southerton factory

Employees assemble electricity transformers at the Zesa Enterprises Private Limited (Zent) factory in Southerton during a tour by members of Energy and Power Development Portfolio Committee on Wednesday.
The company manufactures between 250 to 300 transformers per day. The country currently has a deficit of over 300 000 transformers. — Pictures: Aaron Ufumeli

Page 20 News NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Hopeless youths drown
sorrows in illicit brews

NATHAN GUMA gerous alcoholic beverage is sold. be implemented to fight the use of illicit drugs. Therefore, she says there is a need to imple-
At times the stalls are left unattended as ven- Zimbabwe Psychology Association (ZPA) says ment a multisector approach to dealing with
LOOKING at James Mucheza (23) from a dis- drug abuse.
tance, one would think he is sleepwalking due to dors are afraid of police who maintain a hawk- there is a need to interrogate the root causes of
his weary and sombre look. eye on the area. When caught, the vendors land substance abuse which is affecting the youth in “We cannot tackle the problem at one level.
in hot soup for operating without a liquor li- various suburbs. We can take the drug addict to a rehabilitation
But after taking a potent alcoholic brew, he cence. facility, but we have not rehabilitated the place
is back at work, hanging precariously from the Based on independent research conducted by from which they are coming which might have
door of a Honda Fit, shouting for several hours Only a few bottles of the illicit drug are dis- the Health and Empowerment Trust, a non-gov- contributed to this.
in the various illegal termini in Mbare’s Matere- played, while much of the stock is stashed away ernmental organisation, 55% of Zimbabwe’s
rini area, some six kilometres from Harare’s cen- from the vending stall. This makes it easier for youths have been to mental health institutions “Have we rehabilitated the policies that have
tral business district. the vendors to escape should police mount a owing to drug misuse. affected this person, they may have contributed
raid. to this,” Dari says.
He is among many youths who consume “Substance abuse has got multiple causes. We
“Black Panther”, as the alcoholic beverage is re- Raids of that sort are rarely conducted and, have to look at policies that we have in place In addition, she says there is a need to address
ferred to. even when they are, culprits easily negotiate with and how they support to act against substance poverty, a major driver of substance abuse. “We
council police. Money changes hands. abuse,” says Noreen Dari, ZPA community psy- cannot talk about the economic status of the
The substance is part of a large family of Zim- chologist and director of marketing. country right now.”
babwean-brewed brandies that are being con- Licensed liquor wholesalers are feeling the
sumed by youths in Zimbabwe’s high-density heat from the competition posed by illicit ven- She says there is also a need to review the As it stands, several youths are sliding into the
suburbs, where many youngsters are feeling the dors. effectiveness of policies on drug abuse. This is abyss of substance abuse.
pinch of unemployment and poverty. because several people who sell alcoholic drugs
“People cannot tell our original product from in places like Mbare are not being brought to “I love this beer (Black Panther) and just can-
“This drug is so powerful,” Mucheza says. the counterfeit. The official one has a silver seal, justice. not stop taking it for me to work effectively,”
“The drug boosts my confidence. We call it but this can only be known by regular buyers,” Mucheza says.
Koblaginger or Kamgido.” says Godfrey Matiza, a manager at Kudzaidenga
The slang names loosely translate to “energis- Trading, one of Mbare’s largest liquor wholesal-
er” and “dog” respectively. People consuming ers.
the drugs have been known to behave wildly and
display dog-like tendencies. Some individuals from the Mbare communi-
As he speaks, he shows unusual bouts of ener- ty have been taking action against the abuse of
gy, gesturing vigorously and laughing animated- illicit drugs.
ly while speaking in a rather rare dialect of slang.
“When you take the drug, you may even end Clayton Masango’s Trio Studios are a far cry
up regretting why you did it in the first place. If of what they used to be since he barred music ar-
you drink just 200ml of it, you may end up not tistes from drinking and smoking in the studio.
knowing where you are, even madness.”
Every day, Mucheza needs at least US$0.50 The music producer has had his studio re-
(ZW$200) daily in order to quench his addic- done. The walls are emblazoned with religious
tion. At wholesale shops, vendors pay US$10 for comic pictures while a dusty Bible is placed on
a carton of 30 bottles. his makeshift recording desk.
Several people have taken advantage of the
alcoholic brew’s popularity and have begun pro- In the corner of the studio cabin, part of the
ducing it on their own. recording booth has been removed, leaving a
“I can never buy the fake Black Panther. That bare and dusty wall.
one is dangerous and can even kill,” Mucheza
says. “A few people come here nowadays,” Ma-
Vending stalls close to OK Mbare Musika sango says.
have become the hub where the potently dan-
“We lost some possible promoters, as they
were not comfortable with rampant drug abuse
within the studio. At one time we had to move
to Waterfalls so we could have a welcoming en-
vironment, but we came back here in Mbare.”

Whilst substance abuse is becoming rampant,
some organisations say a planned effort should

NYASHA CHINGONO as criminals flood schools with illegal drugs

TEACHERS have raised the alarm on rampant we, a local NGO working with communities Drugs such as He also blamed the redundance of pupils
drug abuse among pupils as a crisis gains momen- around Harare. crystal meth have during teacher strikes for the proliferation of drug
tum in schools which have become part of a new become popular use in schools.
wave of illicit substances. In Kambuzuma, parents have reported cas- among the youths
es of drug abuse among their children who are in Zimabwe. “Sometime teachers are not even teaching, so
Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe now in the habit of skipping school to sniff the not constitute teachers who experience these children end up doing drugs. When children are
(PTUZ) secretary-general Raymond Majongwe dangerous substances. In Bindura and Guruve, in things every day,” Majongwe said. idle, they end up in harmful practices and gov-
said schools have become a haven for dangerous Mashonaland Central province, a dangerous beer Drug peddlers had found new avenues to push ernment should do more to step in and help these
drugs like marijuana, crystal meth, known as called “Tumbwa” has ravaged lives. their contraband and schools have become easy learners. Most learners never recovered post-lock-
“mutoriro” or “guka” and other narcotics. targets. down,” he said.
The brew is disguised in freezit packaging, The illicit drug networks have become sophis-
Coupled with sex in schools, among other vic- with parents fearing the dangerous homemade ticated as peddlers aggressively target new mar- While Majongwe blamed the outlawing of
es, Majongwe said society is in danger of moral whiskey will be sold in schools. kets like schools. corporal punishment for the gross indiscipline in
decadence. The president of the Amalgamated Rural schools, Masaure said teachers should devise bet-
Following The NewsHawk’s series of reports on Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe, Obert Masaure, ter ways of enhancing discipline in schools.
“It is sad that teachers have become disempow- the scourge of drugs, the government set up an said the Covid-19 lockdowns had worsened the
ered. Government and parents connived to say inter-ministerial taskforce last year. use of drugs. “We need better methods of enhancing dis-
kids should not be disciplined. Schools are the “Indeed, our schools are seized with the issue cipline in schools. There are some who are ad-
mirrors of society,” Majongwe said. However, little has been achieved since the of drugs, and this will lead to other forms of in- vocating for the return of corporal punishment,
taskforce was appointed, with Zimbabwe now discipline, such as teen pregnancies. We also have which we are against. We believe outside corporal
He also blamed drug lords for pushing contra- risking losing an entire generation to drugs. the issue of violence which is on the rise. The pro- punishment there are other ways we can enforce
band in schools saying: “They are making a living liferation of drugs can be attributed to the long discipline among our learners,” he said.
out these drugs. They are making money out of “Where is the taskforce, who constitutes the closure of schools; they [children] ended up do-
our children.” taskforce? You cannot have a taskforce that does ing drugs,” he said. Savannah Madamombe, co-founder of com-
munity activist group Mubatirapamwe, said
Drugs like crystal meth, widely known as “mu- teachers have admitted that drug abuse in schools
toriro” in street lingo, cannabis cakes and other has reached alarming levels.
dangerous substances have found their way into
schools, sparking yet another crisis. “Several schools have reached out to us and it’s
enough evidence that substance and drug use has
Zimbabwe re-opened schools in early May and reached alarming levels,” she said.
parents had pinned their hopes on the resump-
tion of the school calendar to deal with redun- The non-governmental organisation has em-
dancy precipitated by Covid-19 lockdowns over barked on anti-drug seminars.
the past two years, which had led many scholars
into drugs. But parents have another crisis on “As such, Mubatirapamwe Trust is conduct-
their hands as the drugs are now being peddled ing preventative education trainings on drug/
in schools. substance abuse in educational institutions. The
school outreach programmes are aimed at as-
Disguised as muffins, ganja cakes are also be- sisting students in recognizing internal pressures
ing sold in schools by some children working such as anxiety and stress, as well as external pres-
with drug syndicates which have terrorised town- sures such as peer attitudes and advertising, that
ships, setting up bases flooding the market with influence them to engage in substance and drug
dangerous narcotics. use,” she said.

Mutoriro has also become popular in schools
since they re-opened, according to Mubatirapam-

NewsHawks News Page 21

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

AYESHA CHIDEMBO Young women fall prey to predators

NATASHA (20) of Unit K in Seke, Chitung- Drug abuse impairs judgment and decision making.
wiza, was 19 when her father forced himself
on her. really little choice between being abused by a community activist group which has been of- disorder. Shame, whereby one is made to feel
stranger in the drug den or by her own father fering counselling services to drug victims, said bad about herself and believe she is not good
Confused and feeling violated, she fled at home. so many factors are pushing young girls into enough, let’s talk of body shaming where a girl
home, taking refuge in one of the most danger- indulging in illicit drug use. who is obese may take crystal meth in order to
ous drug bases in Chitungwiza. That was the Speaking to The NewsHawks, the programme get that body of a model,’’ she added.
beginning of a downward spiral in her life. co-ordinator of the Zimbabwe Civil Liberties “Poor parenting skills, peer networks where
and Drug Network, Hilton Nyamukapa, said ‘friends’ influence a lot, school dropouts due “The notion of the girl child ‘sourcing pro-
There, she met two men in their mid-30s social and economic problems are fuelling drug to limited household disposable incomes tection in drug bases’ is evidently a manifesta-
who promised to protect her and give her shel- abuse. where girls are not capacitated enough to com- tion of maladaptation. For someone who has
ter. In turn, she would do daily chores, which plete their education, this gap causes girls to succumbed to mental health issues, self-medi-
included cooking, cleaning and other activi- “We have conducted research on drug use be involved in drug/substance use. And the cating through substance and drug use is their
ties, but her life would take a last turn after she among women in Zimbabwe and the report seeking of validation is also another criti- coping mechanism. However, the drugs im-
was introduced to drugs such as crystal meth will be out soon. The reasons are mainly rec- cal point, where society or peer networks set pair their judgment and decision making. As
also known as “mutoriro” in street lingo. reational and use is usually sustained by de- ‘benchmarks’ for how girls should behave. This such, the craving for drugs drives them to en-
pendence. People cite facing problems as the prompts girls to relate to bad circles because gage in risky sexual behaviours in exchange for
She is among countless vulnerable young la- reason for taking drugs, and these problems they want to fit into those circles of influence,” a fix. Unfortunately, when the girl child gets
dies in Zimbabwe who have found comfort in may differ by gender. We are also lobbying Madamombe said. hooked, she will perceive this as a fair social
drug use as they try to escape economic hard- for de-criminalisation of drug use to pave way exchange and will never understand that she is
ships or abuse at home. They soon realise that for public provisioning of drug treatment pro- “Not to forget trauma, whether emotional being abused.”
they have jumped from the frying pan into the grammes,’’ he said. or physical, also leads girls to take drugs be-
fire, because of rampant sexual abuse in the cause they are trying to numb the emotional Natasha is one such young woman, but there
drug dens. Many others have joined the treach- In addition, Savanna Madamombe the pro- pain. Talk of rape or sexual assault and stress are many more.
erous bandwagon owing to peer pressure, ruin- grammes director of Mubatirapamwe Trust, a
ing their lives in the process.

Speaking to The NewsHawks, Natasha said at
first she could just sit and watch people smoke,
drink and take drugs, but as time went on ev-
erything changed as she joined them.

“When I started staying in the base last year,
I could see people of different ages up to 45
coming in at different times to buy, smoke and
drink different harmful substances. During
this time, I would stay in my room and sleep as
I was not used to the environment, but could
not do much because of the situation which
was at home,” Natasha says.

“A few months down the line, the news start-
ed coming out that I was a sellout just because l
wasn’t smoking and neither was I drinking. The
only way I had to prove that I was not a snitch
was to indulge myself and behave like the rest
of the guys. This was not the way I hoped my
life would end up, but because I wanted the
food, the shelter and wasn’t going to go back
home to my abusive father, I had no option but
to prove my innocence.”

In this quest to prove her innocence, Nata-
sha found herself sleeping with different guys
in the drug den after getting intoxicated. Such
sexual encounters are common in the drug bas-
es. She revealed that group sex was common
and, in some cases, young ladies get so drunk
that they would not know who they slept with
or the number of partners they had while on
drugs.

“When I started drinking and smoking,
I felt more at home with no stress and wor-
ries. The only thing I saw as a problem at first
was the way I exposed myself more to guys,
sleeping with them and doing whatever they
wanted. The exchange of girls who would have
spent time and got in the base during the af-
ternoon or night is the order of the day, but as
time went on, I cared less about everything. All
I wanted was to get drunk and see tomorrow.”

However, for her, that has changed, as well
as she is now being viewed as personal prop-
erty.

She says: “During one of the nights in the
base smoking and drinking, I was surprised
when one of the guys I stayed with at the
house asked another guy to let me go because I
wasn’t for everyone anymore but for him only.
I was shocked, because the norm was that any-
one could have me as long as I was comfort-
able with it if I was in control of my senses.
Of course, there were occasions when I would
be too intoxicated or too high to remember
whom I was with, but when I was sober I could
choose.

“I only got to be quiet when he wanted to
start a fight with me or anyone who would ap-
proach me. After this incident, no one wanted
to sit, drink or smoke with me fearing the own-
er of the base and everyone would call me ‘the
first lady’ up to now.

“I have been paying the protection, food and
clothes since this day with him doing whatev-
er he wants with me whenever he wants be-
cause he knows I need the shelter. Even when
I am sick and don’t feel like drinking or tak-
ing drugs, he forces me and I temporarily feel
better, and thereafter he sleeps with me as and
when he wants. But when I am sober, I can
feel that I am worse off, but I have no choice,’’
Natasha said.

Natasha says she feels trapped, but there is

Page 22 News NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

RUVIMBO MUCHENJE Nation’s health disgrace: No
THREE years after walking out of a radiothera- functional cancer machines
py ward, Marlene Gadzirayi (35) has been found reasons is that, there is late detection of the dis-
with no new cancer cells mutating in her body. surgery, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy can ing because I am supposed to be at an age where ease. Another reason is that the country’s public
cause ovaries to fail, triggering early menopause, I am supposed to be having kids and giving birth healthcare system is not equipped to deal with
The journey to this partial recovery has not and, Gadzirayi went through all three treatment but then now, I am now going through meno- cancer at its various stages and in its different for-
been an easy one, it took time, and depleted her regimens. pause and it is quite a difficult stage for me. I do mats.
pockets and those of her loved ones. not really have age mates who are going through
“Hot flashes are a side effect from the treat- menopause,” she said. Hormone replacement in cancer patients may
She recounts her battle against colorectal can- ment which has seen me going through early be indicated for a variety of reasons mainly to in-
cer, a combination of two cancers in the colon menopause, it is because it’s a hormonal imbal- In 2020, the World Health Organisation’s re- hibit their continued secretion or control them as
and the rectum. She is lucky to be alive. ance as well. So, it’s a side treatment of treatment search on cancer revealed that Zimbabwe was los- some tumours’ growth rate is influenced by the
which is embarrassing, it is annoying, it’s frustrat- ing half of its cancer patients, and among many availability of such hormones.
In October 2019, Gadzirayi was diagnosed
with stage three B(IIIB) colorectal cancer after a The public relations officer at Parirenyatwa
seven-year span experiencing cancer-like symp- Hospital, Linos Dhire, confirmed that the three
toms and treating them using tips she found on radiotherapy machines at Parirenyatwa Hospital
the internet. have not been working since 17 January 2022.

“I was actually sick for years. I started having That means cancer patients have been preju-
constipation around 2012-2013. Then it was diced of treatment for five months. The brutal
just on and off, on and off until I sort of self-di- reality is that patients have been left to die.
agnosed. And the other times, I would have a
bloated stomach, I would have stomach pains Gadzirayi would not have managed to com-
and when I would go to the bathroom, there was plete the 40 radiotherapy sessions that she went
blood in stool. So, this was happening like on through had she solely relied on the radiotherapy
and off, like it wasn’t prolonged, so I would just machine at Parirenyatwa.
ignore it. Then I would google my symptoms, I
think that is the first mistake I made. So I would There is a likelihood that she could have died
google my symptoms, instead of going to the while on the waiting list.
doctor. I would just go to the internet and goo-
gle, “blood in stool” then would get hemorites “Radiotherapy is never once off, I had 40 ses-
and I would get “they will resolve on their own,” sions on the machine. It’s not everybody who
she said. needs 40 sessions, some people may need 15,
some people may need 20 or 25 depending with
After diagnosis, Gadzirayi went to Pariren- the stage, depending with the person’s age, de-
yatwa Group of Hospitals, a public facility in pending with the person’s tolerance of medica-
Harare, where she was supposed to undergo ra- tion as well,” she said.
diation therapy on one of the three radiotherapy
machines there. She was however put on an in- The machines at Parirenyatwa have been dys-
definite waiting list, desperately hoping to access functional for the greater part of 2022 and that
a machine that is not always working. means patients with limited resources have been
forced to resort to private healthcare where a
She was running out of time. single radiation session ranges from US$500 to
“It was difficult for me to go on the public hos- US$1 000 depending on the extent of cancer.
pital waiting list for treatment because my cancer
was quite aggressive and advanced so I opted for Cancer requires a lot of medication, which
the private route. The waiting list period was not may not be easily found in public hospitals, leav-
specific, but I was told that I would have to wait ing patients with two options: to either part with
for months for me to access the radiotherapy ma- thousands of dollars accessing the services of pri-
chine because sometimes it works and sometimes vate institutions or die while waiting in vain for
it didn’t work,” she says. services to improve at public healthcare institu-
In stage IIIB, the cancer would have spread tions.
through the muscle layer of the colon and/or rec-
tum wall to the outermost layer of the colon and/ Most Zimbabweans do not have the resources
or rectum wall or has spread through the serosa and have not lived to tell their story like Gad-
to the tissue that lines the organs in the abdomen. zirayi.
The extent of the cancer was dire and Gad-
zirayi had to move to private healthcare for radio- Chiedza Gadzirai before cancer diagnosis (top picture) and going through radial therapy at a private healthcare facility in Harare.
therapy, chemotherapy and surgery, which was
not very easy on the pocket.
“I was treated at a private facility because of
the stage at which the cancer was and also be-
cause it was difficult for me to go on the public
hospital waiting list because my cancer was quite
aggressive, so I opted for the private route be-
cause of that,” she said.
“It cost me thousands. Unfortunately I was too
sick to know the cost as well because my medi-
cal bills were being taken care of by family and
friends who were also donating and there were
also some people who were just paying direct to
service providers. Sometimes people would just
pay part of my doctor’s fees, sometimes people
would just pay direct to the hospital.
“Basically, I went through surgery, radiother-
apy and chemotherapy so most patients would
have radio therapy first and then they would go
for chemotherapy or the other way round, but,
because of the stage at which my cancer was, my
doctor decided that I would have both radio-
therapy and chemotherapy at the same time so
I would have my chemotherapy tablets and in-
jections and go for radiotherapy simultaneously.”
Forty radial therapy sessions later, Gadzirayi
was able to walk and start recovering, but the
cancer and the treatment had ravaged her body
that she still lives with the scars from the painful
ordeal.
At 35, Gadzirayi experiences episodes of hot
flashes even when temperatures are low.
She is already going through early menopause
because of her interaction with cancer treatments.
Research shows cancer patients are likely to
experience the early onset of menopause because

NewsHawks News Page 23

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

No political will to fight human trafficking

MOSES MATENGA l Zim children forced into prostitution, drugs

ZIMBABWE has no political will to fight hu- “The government significantly decreased in- no steps to do so during the reporting period.” “. . . some syndicates target illiterate people
man trafficking that is rampant in the country vestigations and prosecutions and did not iden- The report showed that as reported over the and transport them to the mines at night so they
and has seen dozens of desperate locals being tify a single trafficking victim, while NGOs do not know their location. Armed gangs known
exploited in foreign countries and locally, with identified and cared for more than 400 traffick- past five years, human traffickers exploit domes- as ‘Mashurugwi’ lure young men to abandoned
government officials also involved in the prac- ing victims.” tic and foreign victims in Zimbabwe, and traf- gold mines on the promise of self-employment
tice, a new report says. fickers exploit victims from Zimbabwe abroad. but force them to work the artisanal gold mines
“While it had a new national action plan, the with threats of violence and death.”
According to the 2021 Trafficking in Persons government’s anti-trafficking taskforce did not “Internal trafficking is prevalent and un-
Report on Zimbabwe by the United States office meet during the reporting period and the gov- der-reported. Traffickers exploit Zimbabwean It also emerged that South African gangs
to monitor and combat trafficking in persons, ernment did not allocate sufficient funding for adults and children in sex trafficking and forced fraudulently recruit undocumented Zimbabwe-
the government has also ignored pleas from vic- the plan’s implementation. Therefore Zimbabwe labour, including in cattle herding, domestic an migrants with promises of legitimate em-
tims of Kuwaiti exploitation, despite expressing was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List.” service, and mining (gold and diamonds).” ployment in mining and force them into labour
willingness to do so. Hundreds of Zimbabweans in the illegal mining industry.
have also been trafficked to several countries in “The government continued to lack the po- “Traffickers exploit women and girls from
Europe, Asia and other African countries where litical will to address child and forced labour, Zimbabwean towns bordering South Africa, “Due to the pandemic, Zimbabwean wom-
they are treated as slaves. particularly in agriculture. While a tripartite Mozambique, and Zambia in forced labour, in- en and children increasingly travel illegally to
committee of government, labour unions, and cluding domestic servitude, and sex trafficking South Africa for employment, where their lack
Trafficking is also rampant locally with young business representatives determined the MPS- in brothels catering to long-distance truck driv- of legal status increases their vulnerability to
children being forced into labour for little or no LSW [ministry of Public Service and Labour] ers on both sides of the border.” traffickers.”
wages, but the report said the government was would lead efforts to raise awareness of child and
not doing enough to combat the vice. forced labour among the tobacco industry and According to the report, experts estimate Zimbabwe, the report said, is a transit coun-
conduct regular inspections, the ministry took thousands of children have joined illegal dia- try for Somalis, Ethiopians, Malawians, and
Around 2016 to 2020, dozens of Zimbabwe- mond mining syndicates in the Marange fields Zambians enroute to trafficking in South Africa.
ans were stuck in Kuwait, where they had been in Chiadzwa since March 2020.
trafficked by some locals, with Harare being
accused of promising much, but doing little to
assist them.

“Despite the continued urging from victims
to take action in the 17 alleged trafficking cases
of Zimbabwean women exploited in trafficking
in Kuwait in 2016, and their stated willingness
to participate in the trials, the government did
not do so for the fourth consecutive year,” the
report reads.

“Moreover, in May 2020, the President (Em-
merson Mnangagwa) granted amnesty, report-
edly due to the pandemic, to a trafficker who
had exploited numerous Zimbabweans in Ku-
wait; she served approximately two years of her
50-year sentence.”

The report said while official corruption
and complicity in human trafficking remained
prevalent, the government did not report any
investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of
government officials for trafficking or related
crimes despite their being implicated.

“Observers reported the government did not
have a system to investigate and prosecute com-
plicit officials,” the report read.

“In past years, civil society reported officials
at the Beitbridge border crossing into South Af-
rica accepted bribes to allow organised criminal
groups to cross the border, at times likely with
trafficking victims. There was no report this
practice had changed.”

The report said observers continued to report
the government lacked a systematic procedure
to investigate cases, and immigration officials
lacked capacity to detect and investigate traf-
ficking.

“In addition, many investigations lacked suf-
ficient evidence to build strong cases. Courts
typically expedited sexual offence cases, but did
not treat trafficking cases with the same urgency,
so the cases often languished on the docket for
years.”

“The government stated no organisation iden-
tified any trafficking victims, but two NGOs
and one international organisation identified 91
suspected trafficking victims and reported them
to the ministry of Public Service, Labour, and
Social Welfare’s department of social welfare,”
the report reads.

“The 91 victims included 17 Zimbabwean
adult females subjected to a mix of labour and
sex trafficking, including in Uganda, Iraq, Ken-
ya, and domestically; and 67 children, including
57 exploited in sex trafficking. In addition, me-
dia and NGOs reported identifying 350 child
sex trafficking victims near the Mazowe mines.”

The report further indicated that an environ-
mental group that gathered data and observa-
tions of child labour and exploitation at dia-
mond and gold mines in Manicaland identified
more than 38 children as young as 14 forced to
sell drugs.

“The government of Zimbabwe does not fully
meet the minimum standards for the elimina-
tion of trafficking but is making significant ef-
forts to do so. These efforts included convicting
one trafficker and sentencing him to imprison-
ment and formally approving its 2019-2020 an-
ti-trafficking national action plan.”

Page 24 News NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Police’s brutal spikes ruin innocent lives

Laiza Chikonye is now immobilised and homebound due to injuries she sustained during the accident Laiza and Godfrey Chikonye . . . Godfrey is now one of Laiza’s major caregivers.
when she was hit by a commuter omnibus running away from police

NATHAN GUMA review every week paying an US$80 fee.”
It is a hard and trying time for Chikonye and
LAIZA Chikonye (69), a resident of Harare’s Before the accident, Chikonye was already Prior to the accident, Godfrey, who works as a
Glen View 8 high-density suburb, cuts a lonely using crutches to support her left leg which was welder, would do errands for neighbours in Glen the family is feeling the pinch. Winter has come
figure as she lies still in the corner of her couch. becoming weaker due to old age. View 8 to support his family, but times have and, during this time, wounds have a tendency of
changed. becoming more painful.
She shrieks and groans as she struggles to sit, “Now there is no possibility of me using
while at the same time avoiding bending her legs crutches,” she says. “I was using them to support It is becoming increasingly difficult for the Healthcare is now out of the reach of the aver-
— one of which is heavily bandaged. my other leg which was already weak before the family to raise money for food and other basic age Zimbabwean as families are struggling to put
accident. A wheelchair will be better since I can- commodities. food on the table.
Wrinkles form waves on her face as she winces not go anywhere.”
in pain while attempting to move her right leg. It Hospital bills are also ballooning. On the day The cost of living is maintaining an upward
takes more than three minutes for her to achieve Her husband, Godfrey Chikonye, is now a of the accident, Mbuya Dorcas Hospital quoted trend, shooting up 17.9% between February and
the feat. major caregiver to Laiza. Problems spalling from US$3 200 in admission expenses. March 2022, according to the Consumer Coun-
the accident are taking a toll on the family’s in- cil of Zimbabwe (CCZ).
“I have to use just one blanket,” she says. “If I come. “I work there (Mbuya Dorcas), but it is hard
use more, the weight will cause unbearable pain to negotiate for us to be treated for free,” said The economic hardships can only worsen,
on the legs.” He has been forced to forego any luxury or lei- Chiedza Chikonye, the daughter. A well-wisher considering the soaring inflation which has seen
sure and sometimes must put work on hold so he had to foot part of the hospital bill. Zimbabwe’s local currency on a freefall.
Chikonye was hit and run over by a commuter can watch over his wife. This has had an effect on
omnibus, whose driver was fleeing police officers, the family’s upkeep. In a week, additional medical costs amount- The Passengers’ Association of Zimbabwe
while trying to avoid a hand spike thrown by one ed to US$1 140.17. “We are cracking our heads (PAZ) says there is a need to make use of tech-
of the officers, reads a medical affidavit signed by “Since the accident, I have never left my wife’s right now and do not even know where we shall nology to promote surveillance at various termini
Dr Deric Chintembo, an orthopaedic and trau- side,” says Godfrey. “I am now lending her all get a further US$80 for review. while ensuring the safety of passengers and pe-
ma surgeon. The accident occurred on 9 May at attention as she has been immobilised by the ac- destrians.
Market Square Bus terminus in central Harare. cident. “We paid US$80 today, and next week we are
anticipating where the other amount will come “Some countries use closed-circuit television
She is lucky to be alive. “I carry her wherever she wants to go. When from,” Chikonye says. (CCTV). There should also be rank superinten-
Doctors who attended to her say there is a pos- she is going to the hospital, we also lift her with dents who are in charge of rank affairs. This will
sibility of permanent injury due to the nature of her chair into the car.” “The doctor says it will take at least three promote orderliness.
injury and her old age. months for me to recover. I also have to go for
Although the police announced a ban on the “Nowadays commuter omnibuses compete
use of spikes four days after the incident, damage for passengers within the bus terminus which can
has already been inflicted on Laiza’s life, and it endanger passengers’ lives,” Tafadzwa Goliati,
could be permanent. PAZ president, says.
After she underwent surgery at Mbuya Dorcas
Hospital in Waterfalls, her right leg is now fitted While the commissioner-general of police ini-
with screws and metal plates due to fractures she tiated a ban on the use of hand-held spikes for
sustained from the accident. Part of her left leg deflating tyres, a constitutional lawyer, Advocate
has a big discoloured scar full of clotted blood. Fadzai Mahere, says there is a need for a full ban
Drying burns, once swollen, dot the surface of on all spikes and other weapons of force used by
her leg. the police.
The injuries she sustained during the accident
have now confined her to her home. Mahere, who is also the Citizens’ Coalition for
Chikonye recounts the day misfortune befell Change spokesperson, said: “While we welcome
her — when an accelerating commuter omnibus the ban on spikes, we call for a complete overhaul
hit her and ran over both of her legs. of policing methods to bring us in line with the
“I was hit on the side and I fell on my right constitution.”
arm. After that, both of my legs were run over by
the vehicle,” she says. In early April, four people died while eight
“I never imagined that for a day I would end others were seriously injured after a police officer
up like this. “My life is no longer the same as I threw a spike at a moving commuter omnibus
am being helped with almost everything. I am in Mutare. Police say some motorists have been
now afraid of my future,” she says as she holds deliberately flouting traffic regulations, getting
back her tears. involved in accidents and claiming police had
Chikonye has foregone some of her former thrown spikes at them.
passions which include gardening.
A pensioner who left Parirenyatwa in 2018 Meanwhile, damage has already been inflicted
having worked there since 1979, gardening was on several other victims with others losing their
her major pastime. lives.

For Chikonye, the outdated policing method
has left a permanent mark on her life.

“I may or may not walk again, but I am now
afraid whenever I see a moving vehicle. I do not
want the same to happen to anyone again,” Chi-
konye says.

NewsHawks International Investigative Stories Page 25

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

InInvteesrtniagtaiotinvaelStories

Putin’s daughter in relationship with
ex-head of Bavarian State Ballet

DURING his more than 20 Igor Zelensky. ing by her patronymic, appears between 2017 and 2019 show tained instructions from an inter-
years in power, Russian President Shamalov received after marry- to be the couple’s daughter. her regularly traveling between national moving company about
Vladimir Putin has kept his fam- ing her. Moscow and Munich, where how to submit descriptions of
ily a closely guarded secret. Rel- Reporters confirmed Zelen- Zelensky had taken up residence valuable items to be moved.
atively little is known about his The couple had separated by sky and Tikhonova’s relationship with the Bavarian Ballet.
two adult daughters, who do not 2017, according to a leak of through several other indepen- Journalists were unable to
bear his surname. Shamalov’s emails on which that dent sources: • A source in the Bavarian Bal- reach Tikhonova or Zelensky for
investigation was based. let told reporters from Der Spie- comment.
Now a new investigation has • A source at Moscow’s Vnuko- gel that Tikhonova and Zelensky
revealed that Putin’s younger Reporters were able to identi- vo airport provided a list of pas- are most likely a couple. When reporters from Der
daughter, Katerina Tikhonova, is fy Zelensky as Tikhonova’s new sengers from a December 2019 Spiegel went to his registered ad-
in a previously unreported long- partner after they received an- charter flight that landed in the It is possible that Tikhonova dress in Munich, they were met
term relationship with Igor Zel- other set of leaked emails that be- VIP terminal. They were: Tik- has since moved to Germany to by his ex-wife, former Mariinsky
ensky, a Russian dancer who for- longed to one of her bodyguards. honova, Zelensky, their daugh- be with her partner. Among the Ballet dancer Yana Serebryakova.
merly directed the Bavarian State ter, a piano teacher, two nannies, emails received by her bodyguard She declined to comment.
Ballet in Munich. Among the attached docu- and three employees of the presi- was one, sent in late October
ments were scanned copies of dential security service. 2019, that had the subject line — Organised Crime and
Published today by OCCRP’s both Zelensky and Tikhonova’s “Moving to Germany” and con- Corruption Reporting Project.
Russian partner IStories and Ger- passports, as well as the passport • Data on Tikhonova’s flights
man news magazine Der Spiegel, of a girl born in 2017 who, judg-
the investigation also found that
Tikhonova and Zelensky appear
to have a child together.

Zelensky, 52, danced leading
roles at the Mariinsky Theater
in St. Petersburg, was a principal
dancer with the New York City
Ballet, and performed as a guest
soloist on many other world stag-
es. He took up the prestigious
position with the Bavarian Bal-
let in 2016 and appears to have
lived in Germany ever since.
Last year, he even contributed a
column to Süddeutsche Zeitung
describing his weekly routine in
Munich, including running in
the English Garden and buying
fresh produce at a famous food
market.

Zelensky stepped down from
his leadership role “for family
reasons” last month amid rising
scrutiny of his associations with
Putin and criticism of his failure
to condemn Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine. (Despite sharing a sur-
name, he is not related to the
Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky, who is currently lead-
ing his country’s defense.)

His relationship with Pu-
tin’s daughter was not publicly
known.

Tikhonova is best known for
her participation in a competi-
tive form of partner dance called
acrobatic rock’n’roll and for her
past marriage to Kirill Shamalov,
the son of a longtime friend of
Putin.

In a previous investigation,
iStories and OCCRP uncov-
ered the phenomenally lucra-
tive investment opportunities

Page 26 Editorial & Opinion NewsHawks

CARTOON Issue 81, 20 May 2022

It is the capital
city of impunity

A WEEK is a long time in international relations. We have Patel: Judge in his own cause
just been rudely reminded of this adage.
Hawk Eye
In just a few days, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s true
colours have come to the fore, laying bare the catastrophic Dumisani
extent of his reformist posturing. For a man who has spent Muleya
a lifetime in the shadows, one would expect Mnangagwa to
fully understand the limits of naked deception.

There is no better definition of a rogue state than a country
that actively harbours the world’s most wanted genocidaire
for years.

It was William Faulkner who said: “The past is never dead.
It’s not even past.” One of the cardinal rules of life is that
history will haunt you, no matter how powerful you think
you are. Who would have ever thought the mighty Robert
Mugabe would one day spectacularly lose power and bitterly
vow to vote for the opposition?

Many people are shocked that the story of Protais Mpiran-
ya, one of the world’s most brutal killers, has finally come to
a dramatic ending in Harare, not in Kigali or Paris.

In one fell swoop, Harare has cemented its credentials as
the capital city of unmitigated impunity.

One man who must be closely watching the Mpiranya
saga is Mengistu Haile Mariam, the Ethiopian dictator who
has lived in Harare for decades despite his conviction for a
litany of capital crimes including mass murder.

Perhaps Zimbabwe’s Foreign minister Frederick Shava has
not heard of the expression: “When you find yourself in a
hole, stop digging.”

This week, he was quoted by the Voice of America arguing
disingenuously that: “We are not harbouring Mengistu; we
allowed him to stay.”

It seems Shava has lived too long overseas, he really lacks a
proper appreciation of the realities of African politics on the
ground. No wonder the Rwandan government has rapped
his knuckles for lacking tact.

Shava cannot glibly sanitise the Mengistu issue. These are
grave matters of international law. Mengistu was sentenced
to death in absentia in 2008 after fleeing to Zimbabwe in
1991 following his ouster. His charge sheet includes geno-
cide, homicide, illegal imprisonment and property seizures.

The Mpiranya case is an eye-opener in many respects.
For a long time, the Zanu PF leaders denied harbour-
ing the murderous ex-commander of Rwanda’s presidential
guard. Even when Mnangagwa took office on the back of the
2017 military coup, the authorities did not fully co-operate
with the UN investigators. They reluctantly co-operated, if
at all. This takes us to the big question: Why exactly did the
Zanu PF leaders harbour Mpiranya?
The most obvious answer is that the genocidaire had been
their key ally in the Congo War of 1998. They were bound
by loyalties forged on the battlefield.
The second, and less obvious, explanation is that the mass
murderer Mpiranya had a lot in common with Zanu PF
leaders whose own hands are dripping with the blood of the
1980s Gukurahundi genocide against the Ndebele people.
The Mpiranya imbroglio also explains why Zimbabwe’s
political elites are scared stiff of losing power. Their greatest
fear is being hunted down and brought to justice for all the
killings and the looting.
In the meantime, they continue violating human rights
and plundering state resources with impunity. But as history
has repeatedly reminded us, no man can run away from his
own shadow. Time is the great magician.

Reaffirming the fundamental impor- The NewsHawks is published on different EDITORIAL STAFF: Marketing Officer: Voluntary Media
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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 ‘Duty suspension on basic
goods double-edged sword’
THE suspension of duty on basic imported
goods will have a double-edged sword effect on Meikles is more directly affected by the new measures because they specialise in the retail of basic goods.
some Zimbabwe Stock Exchange-listed compa-
nies producing fast-moving consumer goods, a the country, thus affecting the top and bottom measures than most of the listed entities be- will most likely result in a pronounced and
local brokerage firm has said. lines of the business,” the report reads. cause they specialise in the retail of basic goods. legalised informal sector, which is a threat to
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority measures formal retailers.”
Last Friday, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube “Meikles is more directly affected by the new
liberalised the importation of basic goods in a
bid to cushion consumers from rising inflation
triggered by a weakening domestic curren-
cy and pass-on effects of Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine.

The goods exempted from duty for a period
of six months are maize-meal, milk, flour, soap,
salt among others.

Morgan & Co, a ZSE-registered stock
broking firm, said the lifting of protectionist
measures will have medium to high severity
on some listed companies such as Dairibord,
Meikles, OK Zimbabwe, Star Africa, Innscor
Africa and National Foods.

The new measures, which came at a time ca-
pacity utilisation for the country’s manufactur-
ing sector rose to 56.25% from 47% buoyed by
growth in capital expenditure to boost capacity,
will result in the proliferation of a thriving in-
formal sector.

“We opine that a handful of listed consumer
non-discretionary companies will be adversely
affected by the cheap imports making their way
into the country. Consequently we can expect
margins to be depressed going forward,” Mor-
gan & Co said in its research note.

“Cost containment will be of paramount im-
portance to most retailers and manufacturers
aiming to maintain operational profitability in
the medium term.”

The measures, the report further reads, will
have both negative and positive effects on milk
processor Dairibord, adding that overally the
severity will be medium. In 2021, national
milk production was 79.9 million litres against
demand of 140 million litres.

Dairibord has, therefore, had to import pow-
der to augment its raw milk production locally.

“The suspension of duty should benefit Dair-
bord’s operating costs going forward. However,
the increased imports may also create compet-
itive pressure on Dairibord’s milk and food
products,” the report says.

Retail chain OK Zimbabwe, Morgan & Co
anticipates, will be among companies hardest
hit by the lifting of the import duty.

“We note that OK Zim has a much larger
exposure to the lower income segment of the
economy as opposed to TM Pick n Pay,” the
report reads .

“Hence we expect the gazetted import mea-
sures to hurt the business’s sales in the coming
months. A strategic focus on Bon Marche,
hardware and home appliances should ensure
that OK Zim can still tap into higher consumer
groups. However, the company remains deep-
ly embedded in the low-income segment with
50 OK stores, seven OK Mart Stores and only
eight upmarket Bon Marche stores nationally.”

As winter sets in, sugar manufacturer StarA-
frica, the report further shows, will in future
record depressed volumes due to the influx of
imports.

“The import duty suspension of sugar will
most likely affect their flagship white sug-
ar brand going forward. Star Africa currently
holds a market share of circa 70% of the white
sugar industry. Cheap imports of brown sugar
will further dwindle demand for white sugar in

Page 28 Companies & Markets NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

BERNARD MPOFU

Exchange rate exposes Mnangagwa“IN an open economy with market determi-
nation of prices, exchange rate movements are
the most important indicator of underlying
macro-economic fundamentals. As the saying
goes, when in doubts observe the exchange rate,”
Ghanaian vice-president Mahamudu Bawumia, a
former economist with the African Development
Bank (AfDB) who also worked in Zimbabwe,
says in a widely circulated video which rings true
here just as it does in his own country.
“The lesson from history for government is
that you cannot manage the economy with pro-
paganda. In fact, you can engage in all the pro-
paganda you want, but if the fundamentals are
weak, the exchange rate will expose you.”
This sounded as if Bawumia was addressing
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa
when he was in fact not. He was telling basic eco-
nomic theories that apply in Ghana as they do
elsewhere around the world, especially in devel-
oping economies.
Of late the exchange rate has been exposing
government’s assertions that the economic fun-
damentals are strong, only sentiment, speculation
and black market activities are wrong.
Mnangagwa’s 7 May series of measures to con-
tain money supply and stem inflation, including
suspending lending, opened a Pandora’s box.
“Apart from the economic substance of those
measures, questions arose about the constitution-
ality of his actions. Did those measures comply
with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Act
(Chapter 22:15), the Finance Act and the Public
Finance Management Act (22:19)?” a senior po-
litical economy analyst asked.
“What was the basis of the President announc-
ing those strictly fiscal and monetary policy mea-
sures through a statement that was not signed?
Who had he consulted? Did he consult cabinet?
The RBZ Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)?
The ministry of Finance? How about bankers?
Did this come from Zanu PF or the Joint Op-
erations Command? There was no transparency,
hence no accountability. Why did the President,
through the RBZ, immediately climb down on
suspending lending? Are these impeachable ac-
tions?”
While there is no doubt that confidence or lack
of it, speculative activities, including borrowing
for arbitrage and parallel marketing trading have
a significant impact on stoking currency and ex-
change rate volatility, Zimbabwe’s economic fun-
damentals have been dislocated due to extended
periods of mismanagement, corruption and gov-
ernance failures.
What the government is trying to do now is
addressing the symptoms of the problem rather
than its root causes.
Currency fluctuations are a natural outcome of
floating exchange rates, a norm in open econo-
mies. Numerous factors influence exchange rates,
including a country's economic performance, the
outlook for inflation, interest rate differentials,
capital flows and many others.
A currency’s exchange rate is typically deter-
mined by the strength or weakness of the under-
lying economy. As such, a currency’s value can
fluctuate from one moment to the next. Senti-
ment is part of the basket of factors that influence
the exchange rate.
Exchange rate stability is one of the main fac-
tors that promote total investment, price stability Ghanaian vice-president Mahamudu Bawumia
and stable economic growth.
After the RBZ took a number of measures to balance, positive growth of the real sector, public are a manifestation of negative sentiments or per- financial disintermediation and shortages of the
contain money supply and stem inflation, the works undertaken by the government, fiscal sus- ceptions attributable to people’s past experiences local currency.
exchange rate continued to dip, indicating there tainability and a tight monetary policy stance. with hyperinflation and inevitable losses incurred It said there was a skills flight, low staff morale,
were underlying problems at play, contrary to The positive trend in foreign currency genera- during currency reforms.” foreign exchange shortages; low effective demand
what the authorities have been saying. tion has seen the country realising US$2.4 billion They further noted that the erosion of people’s also led to low production and productivity in all
The MPC of the RBZ met on 29 April 2022 to in foreign currency receipts during the first quar- savings due to inflation compelled them to try productive sectors. Declining incomes due to in-
discuss the recent macro-economic and financial ter of 2022, an increase of 15.9% compared to and avoid similar losses by holding the United creasing unemployment was accompanied by in-
developments and their impact on the economy. foreign currency received during the same period States dollar as a store of value. creasing levels of poverty. The economy witnessed
The committee noted with concern the recent in 2021, it said. While sentiment argument cannot be ignored, an upsurge in the informal sector activities that
uptick in month-on-month inflation, from 7.7% The foreign currency receipts were against for- the government’s fiscal delinquency and printing became the mainstay of the economy. Informali-
in March to 15.5% in April 2022, and the in- eign payments of US$1.8 billion, leaving a sur- of money to fund agriculture and infrastructure is sation of business activities also created a condu-
crease in annual inflation from 72.7% in March plus of US$1.9 billion. Money supply has also re- a major factor in fueling currency and exchange cive environment for tax evasion and thus under-
to 96.4% in April 2022. mained largely under control, with reserve money rate volatility. mining efforts by the government to broaden the
The central bank said the increase in inflation remaining stable at levels of around ZW$28 bil- The impact and effects of hyperinflation un- tax base and minimise leakages.
was as a result of a combination of global shocks lion for the past six months, while annual growth doubtedly devastating. “The hyperinflationary environment led to
and the pass-through effects of the recent ex- in broad money fell from 384% in March 2021 A paper done by the Zimbabwe Economic loss of value and confidence in the local currency;
change rate depreciation on the parallel market, to 151% in March 2022. Policy Analysis and Research Unit said prior to reduction in planning horizons (short-termism);
with a significant proportion of the inflationary In a bid to exonerate the government for mis- the official adoption of the multi-currency system increased cost of doing business; loss of compet-
pressures emanating from the impact of the on- management and corruption, whose impact are in January 2009, the economy was characterised itiveness (as domestic inflation was higher than
going Russia-Ukraine conflict. taking a toll on the economy, the monetary au- by hyperinflation, high and unsustainable budget that of trading partners); uncertainty leading to
It claimed economic fundamentals have re- thorities said: deficit; a growing balance of payments deficit; postponement of investment decisions; forced
mained strong to support a stable exchange rate “The existence of strong economic fundamen- dwindling foreign currency reserves, acute for- company closures or scaling down of business;
as evidenced by a favourable current account tals suggests that the recent exchange rate shocks eign exchange shortages, low capacity utilisation; inflation hedging (locking productive resources

NewsHawks Companies & Markets Page 29

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

in illiquid physical assets, equities, foreign cur- Analysts recommended the adoption of dollarisation. l Maintaining the foreign payment transactions
rencies). Consequently the economy declined by limit on the willing-buyer- willing-seller foreign
40% over the period 2000-2008,” it said. foreign currency would be converted to the local identifying some emerging policy issues regard- currency trading arrangement for banks and bu-
unit which was still exclusively the legal tender. ing the proposed currency reform options and reaux de change at US$1 000 and allowing the
“The hyperinflationary environment was so pro-offer suggestions on the way-forward. Bank to increase the limit as conditions permit.
endemic to the extent that normal economic The RBZ selectively legitimised the use of for-
transactions and systems broke down. Econom- eign currency when it introduced Foreign Cur- However, the government has avoided curren- This was before the 7 May measures suspend-
ic agents sought ways to preserve value of their rency Licenced Wholesalers and Retail Shops in cy reforms, preferring ad hoc measures that are ing lending — and its subsequent variation —
hard-earned incomes; companies pursued capital October 2008. Prior to this the use of foreign currently failing to stop exchange rate volatility and other interventions. Studies have demon-
preservation strategies that excluded the use of currency was legalised for the purchase of fuel and runaway inflation. strated that even though there is a relationship
domestic currency whose value was eroding ex- coupons under the Direct Fuel Imports Scheme. between
tremely fast. Prices were quoted in foreign cur- The government recently came up with mea-
rency indexed to parallel market rates. Multiple This had shortcomings which the official adop- sures to enhance confidence in the economy, exchange rates and inflation, the relationship
parallel market rates were used depending on tion of the multiple currency system sought to deal with market indiscipline and increase the has a number of weaknesses. Exchange rates can-
the medium used in the transaction (i.e. transfer address. The Short-Term Emergency Recovery demand for the local currency, which measures not be used to reliably predict movement in in-
rate for electronic transfers, cash rate and cheque Programme adopted the Rand as the reference were expected go a long way in buttressing the flation rates. Exchange rate movements can influ-
rate).” currency. The Zimbabwe dollar balances held by current tight monetary policy stance, restoring ence domestic prices via their effect on aggregate
the financial sector as well as notes and coins in confidence in the economy, taming market in- supply and demand.
Foreign currency (in particular the US dollar circulation were demonetized in the 2009 mid- discipline, stabilising inflation and exchange rates
and South African rand) was initially used as a term Fiscal policy review. and creating a conducive environment to support On the supply side, exchange rates could affect
store of value (asset substitution) and later as a the envisaged economic growth rate of 5.5% in prices paid by the domestic buyers of imported
medium of exchange (currency substitution). Thus, the adoption of the multi-currency sys- 2022. goods directly. In an open small economy (an
The business of changing money became a thriv- tem has fundamentally changed the country’s international price taker), when the currency de-
ing business especially among the unemployed macro-economic landscape, with far-reaching As a result, the RBZ resolved to maintain the preciates it will result in higher import prices and
youths. However, the market distortions, espe- economic and political implications some of status quo in respect of the monetary policy deci- vice versa.
cially the arbitrary changes in the rates, the de- which were hazily understood at the time when sions taken on 1 April 2022 as follows:
mand for huge amounts of Zimbabwean dollar the policy was advocated for. l Maintaining the Bank Policy Rate at 80% and Exchange rate fluctuations could have an in-
cash, endless queues in banking halls and short- the Medium-Term Bank Accommodation Facili- direct supply effect on domestic prices. The po-
age of local cash generated debate on policy al- There is a growing body of literature that has ty Interest Rate at 50%; tentially higher cost of imported inputs associated
ternatives to stabilise the economy and provide a attempted to evaluate the costs and benefits of l Maintaining the minimum deposit rates for with an exchange rate depreciation increases mar-
viable medium of exchange and store of value. “dollarisation in its different formats”. ZW$ savings and time deposits at 12.5% and ginal cost and leads to higher prices of domes-
25% per annum, respectively; tically produced goods. Further import-compet-
Several policy analysts and commentators rec- The paper provided an overview of that liter- l Maintaining the quarterly reserve money ing firms might increase prices in response to an
ommended the adoption of dollarisation, given ature and a context to the factors that led to the growth target at 5% for the quarter ending June increase in foreign competitor price in order to
the common use of foreign currency already pre- adoption of multicurrency regime in Zimbabwe, 2022; and improve profit margins.
vailing in the economy. its implications and draw lessons from country
experiences with dollarisation. It concluded by The extent of such price adjustment depends
In particular, American economist Steve Han- on a variety of factors such as market structure,
ke (2008) observed: “To stop hyperinflation, nature of government exchange rate policy, or
Zimbabwe needs to immediately adopt a differ- product substitutability.
ent monetary system”.
Exchange rate variations can also affect aggre-
First is “dollarisation”. This option would re- gate demand. To a certain extent, exchange rate
place the discredited Zimbabwe dollar with a for- depreciations (appreciations) increase (decrease)
eign currency, such as the US dollar or the South foreign demand for domestic goods and services,
African rand. causing increase (decrease) in net exports and
hence aggregate demand. This may increase real
Hanke’s recommendation on dollarisation, output. Furthermore, the expansion in domes-
which was supported by several business leaders, tic demand and gross national product may bid
and policy analysts was stating a fact that was al- up input prices and accelerate wage demands by
ready prevalent on the ground. Acting Minister of workers seeking higher wages to maintain real
Finance Patrick Chinamasa had said at the time: wages. The nominal wage rise may result in fur-
“Honourable members will be aware that in the ther price increases.
hyperinflationary environment characterising the
economy at present, our people are now using Many developing economies have experienced
multiple currencies for day-to-day business trans- high exchange rate volatility. This translates to
actions, alongside the Zimbabwe dollar” (2009 a high degree of uncertainty for the two main
National Budget Statement). monetary policy objectives that policymakers of-
ten seek to achieve: price stability and economic
The 2009 National Budget and Monetary Pol- growth. Volatile exchange rates are associated with
icy statements announced on 29 January and 2 unpredictable movements in the relative prices in
February respectively, gave legal effect to the use the economy. Therefore, exchange rate stability is
of foreign currency for transaction purposes, thus one of the main factors that promote total invest-
legalising currency substitution. ment, price stability and stable economic growth.

Prior to this announcement foreign currency Bawumia was right: “If you are in doubt, ob-
was predominantly used as a store of value. The serve the exchange rate”.

There is a future.

ZIMBABWE
CHILDREN’S CANCER RELIEF

STAY EARLY
ALERT! DETECTION

IISS TTHHEE BBEESSTT PPRROOTTEECCTTIIOONN!!

IF YOU SUSPECT EYE CANCER
VISIT YOUR CLINIC TODAY

Page 30 Companies & Markets NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

DUMISANI NYONI Caledonia to spend US$3m
on alternative power source
VICTORIA Falls Stock Exchange-listed Caledo-
nia Mining Corporation’s board has approved a Caledonia’s board has approved a
US$2.8 million capital programme which will project to construct a 12MWac solar
result in the mining concern saving US$9 million plant to provide approximately 27% of
per annum in electricity costs at its flagship oper- Blanket Mine’s average daily electricity
ation in Gwanda. demand from next month.

Due to erratic power supply from the Zimba- Due to the higher-than-anticipated use of the 2022. The company is considering increasing the
bwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa), Caledo- diesel generators in October 2021 because of the Caledonia’s board has also approved a project scale of the solar plant to further reduce Blanket’s
nia, whose flagship operation is Blanket Mine, further deterioration in the Zesa supply, Blanket reliance on the grid and diesel generators.
has been experiencing interruptions to its power lost two of its 2.5 MVA generators; replacement to construct a 12MWac solar plant which should
supply from the grid, causing severe damage to its units were commissioned in early 2022 at a cost provide approximately 27% of Blanket’s average “The continued deterioration in the Zesa sup-
electrical equipment in the process. of approximately US$1.2 million. Additional daily electricity demand from June next month at ply means that the power factor regularly falls
capital costs relating to poor electricity supply of a cost of approximately US$14 million, including to 60%, which means that Blanket is effectively
In light of this, Caledonia’s board has approved approximately US$3.2 million are anticipated in construction costs and other project planning, paying for 100% of the power, but receives only
a further US$2.8 million capital programme, ac- structuring, funding and administration costs. 60%,” it said.
cording to the company’s latest management and
discussion analysis.

The money will be used to install capacitors to
improve power utilisation efficiency, install fur-
ther autotap changers to stabilise the power at the
mine’s central shaft, and optimise power use.

“This investment programme is in addition to
the approved capital investment of approximately
US$3.2 million which was included in the 2022
capital budget. It is estimated that these new mea-
sures will result in a 15% reduction in anticipated
total power consumption and improve the mix
of power by reducing the use of diesel genera-
tors from an expected 21mWh to approximately
2mWh,” the company said.

“The overall savings arising from the new pro-
gramme are expected to be approximately US$9
million per annum assuming a diesel cost at
US$1.70 per litre. As mentioned above, Caledo-
nia is evaluating the possibility of further increas-
ing the scale of the solar project,” Caledonia said.

To address power challenges, in 2019 and early
2020 Blanket Mine increased its diesel generating
capacity to 18MW of installed capacity, which
was sufficient to maintain all operations and capi-
tal projects but only on a stand-by basis.

Blanket also installed a 10MVA auto tap
transformer to protect some of its equipment
from voltage fluctuations on the incoming grid
supply. A second 10MVA auto tap transformer
was installed in December 2021 at a cost of ap-
proximately US$500 000 to protect equipment
at number four shaft and the main metallurgical
plant.

Following the installation of this transformer,
Blanket said it has used less diesel in the produc-
tion of gold — consumption in the first quarter
of this year was 83 332 litres compared to 1 169
297 litres in the preceding quarter.

The company revealed that the quality of the
incoming grid supply has deteriorated further in
the quarter and in April 2022, which means that
generators continue to be used at central shaft on
a nearly constant basis.

As the work at central shaft relates to capital
projects, the continued high usage of generators
there has an adverse effect on capital spending
and not on production costs, it said.

Zimre revenue up 47%

ZIMRE Holdings Limited says its revenue for heartland investments were however watered
the first quarter ending March was up 47% down by an unprecedented increase in claims
compared to the prior comparative period, driv- particularly agricultural claims as a result of
en by the group’s reinsurance arm. climatic changes. As a result total expenses and
claims increased by 32% from prior year.”
The group said despite the optimistic start to
the financial year, the effects of Russia's inva- Going forward, the company said: “ZHL
sion of Ukraine spread to Africa and Zimbabwe, continues to implement its strategy to champi-
with fuel, cooking oil, gas and wheat price in- on the financial services industry for value chain
creases. Zimbabwe, being a net importer of all development and initiate real estate develop-
these commodities, has since felt the effects of ment and growth. Key moves within this strat-
pass-through inflation due to the depreciating egy include the consolidation of operations to
local currency. capitalise on economies of scale, elimination of
duplicate costs, and exploring strategic partner-
The group’s reinsurance arm contributed ships both locally and regionally to enhance its
51% of the top line followed by life and pen- market presence. In 2022 the group aims to de-
sions (31%), reassurance (8%), insurance (5%) velop an independent wealth management arm,
and property (4%). which arm will inform and direct the group’s
investment initiatives while offering similar ser-
“The group recorded a moderate top line vices to the investing public.”
growth (Gross Premium Written) of 12% and
134% from prior period in historical and in- The global economy entered 2022 in a weak-
flation-adjusted terms respectively. While total er position than previously expected, with
revenue was 47% and 178% above prior year growth projections of 4.4% against 5.9% in
performance in historical and inflation-adjusted 2021. Sub-saharan Africa was projected to reg-
terms respectively,” the company said in a state- ister growth of 3.7% in 2022, down from 4% in
ment. 2021. — STAFF WRITER

“The benefits of the group’s consolidation of

NewsHawks Companies & Markets Page 31

Issue 81, 20 May 2022 BANK OF ZI

RESERVE MBABWE

Foreign Exchange Auction Results 17 May 2022

SMEFX88/2022 MAIN FX94/2022
Number of Bids Received : 1068 433
26
Number of Bids Disqualified : 53 407
50
Total Number of Bids Accepted : 1015 USD42,053,973.50
USD5,604,709.04
Total Number of Bids Allotted : 135 299.0000
220.000
Total Value of Bids Accepted : USD8,998,155.54

Amount Allotted : USD1,240,118.58

Highest Rate Received : 300.0000

Lowest Bid Rate Allotted : 220.0000

Weighted Average Rate : 258.5404

PURPOSE AMOUNT AMOUNT
Raw Materials ALLOTTED ALLOTTED
SME AUCTION MAIN AUCTION

399,298.05 3,162,049.14

Machinery and Equipment 421,176.31 1,022,000.57
152,356.57 199,557.09
Consumables (Incl. Spares, Tyres, Electricals,
etc) 118,337.19 303,837.41
Services (Loans, Education, Dividends,
Disinvestments, etc) 82,083.50 335,266.58
Retail and Distribution (Incl. Food, Beverages,
etc) - -
Electricity 66,866.96 50,000.00

Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals

Paper and Packaging - 531,998.25
TOTAL 1,240,118.58 5,604,709.04
GRAND TOTAL AWARDED
6,844,827.62

Notes
1. Bids with overdue CD1s, outstanding Bills of Entry (BOEs), insufficient ZWL and

those with sufficient FCA balances were also disqualified.
2. Some Bids were allotted on a pro-rata basis.

RESERVE BANK OF ZIMBABWE
17 May 2022

Page 32 Companies & Markets NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Currency volatility for financial reporting

BERNARD MPOFU Delta Corporation turned “Had the financial statements been prepared out of touch with reality.
down advice to apply foreign in accordance with the requirements of IAS 21, “The directors and management disagree
INDEPENDENT audit firms have raised currency auction system ex- many elements would have been materially dif-
the red flag on some Zimbabwe Stock Ex- change rates in the preparation ferent. The effects of the non-compliance with with the professional conclusion of our audi-
change-listed companies which failed to com- of its financial statements last the requirements of IAS 21 have been consid- tors on the application of IAS 21,” Delta chair-
ply with international financial reporting stan- year. ered to be material and pervasive to the finan- person Sternford Moyo said in a commentary
dards as the currency conundrum continues company considered the rate which supplies cial statements as a whole.” to the financial statements.
dogging the economy, The NewsHawks has were being charged, the rate at which foreign
established. currency was being obtained from sales and the Earlier on in the week manufacturing con- “The independent auditors, EY, have issued
rate it accessed foreign currency on the foreign cern Cafca’s auditors Grant Thornton also a modified review opinion for the period end-
Rising inflation and the volatility of the Zim- exchange trading auction during the year. raised the foreign exchange dynamics when it ed 30 September 2021 as they believe that the
babwe dollar are some of the key issues which Grant Thornton, the independent auditors issued the company’s results for the six months determination of an estimate exchange rate is
arose during the reporting period, with several for mining concern Hwange Colliery Compa- ended 31 March 2022. not compliant with International Financial
companies announcing that they were coming ny Limited, also issued an adverse opinion, cit- Reporting Standards. The auditors believe that
up with strategies to ensure they stay afloat. ing failure to comply with IAS 21 and IAS 29. Questions sent to Admire Ndurunduru, the the auction exchange rate is the appropriate
“During the prior and current financial years, Public Accountants and Auditors Board chief spot exchange rate…This is contrary to the cir-
At a time the economy continues to wobble, the foreign currency-denominated transactions executive, on what impact this would have on cumstances applicable to the entity . . . There
retailers and other service providers are now and balances of the company were translated shareholders were not replied to. are varying views on the matter and we urge
charging prices based on the official exchange into ZWL using the interbank exchange rates/ the Public Accountants and Auditors Board to
rate, parallel market rate, Real-Time Gross Set- foreign currency auction rates which were not Last year, the country’s largest beverage pro- provide appropriate guidance to the market,”
tlement rate and several others, depending on considered appropriate spot rates for trans- ducer, Delta Corporation, turned down pro- Moyo said.
the mode of payment consumers opt to use. actions as required by IAS 21,” the auditors fessional advice from international audit firm
wrote. Ernst & Young, to apply foreign currency auc- This week, the local unit was trading at
This week, audit firms which are required to “The opinion on the prior year financial tion system exchange rates in the preparation ZW$258:US$1 on the official auction against
play an oversight role on publicly listed compa- statements was modified in respect of this mat- of financial statements, saying the opinion was ZW$400:US$1 on the parallel market.
nies issued adverse opinions as local firms ditch ter and the misstatements have not been cor-
the official exchange rate when preparing the rected in the financial statements for the year
financials during the ongoing financial report- ended 31 December 2021.
ing.

In its report attached to African Distillers’
full-year audited financial information for the
year ended 31 March 2022, the local unit of
international audit firm Ernst & Young ar-
gued that by determining its own exchange
rate during the preparation of financial state-
ments for the period under review, Afdis failed
to adhere to International Financial Reporting
Standards.

The auditors also noted that the financials
failed to comply with International Accounting
Standard (IAS) 29 which relates to reporting
on hyperinflationary economies and IAS 21.

IAS 21 gives guidance relating to the effects
of changes in foreign exchange rates in volatile
markets.

“Effective 1 August 2020 to 31 March 2022,
management applied an internally generated
exchange rate (transaction rate) to translate for-
eign currency-denominated transactions and
balances to functional and reporting currency,
the Zimbabwe dollar (ZW$,” Ernst & Young
said.

“We believe that the use of a transaction rate
was inappropriate for financial reporting as it
does not meet the definition of a spot rate. We
believe that management should have applied
the auction rate as it met the International Fi-
nancial Reporting Standard definition of spot
rate.”

Afdis, in its response attached to the finan-
cials, defended this decision, saying in deter-
mining the closing rate applied at year-end, the

ZIMBABWE Stock Exchange-listed RTG records post-Covid business uptick
hospitality concern Rainbow Tourism
Group (RTG) says its occupancy level strong performance recorded to date
for the first quarter ending March rose has positioned the group to close the
by 43% compared to the previous pe- first quarter on a solid position. This
riod, with the easing of Covid-19 reg- was despite the continued local infla-
ulations. tionary pressures and exchange rate
volatility.
Official statistics show that tour-
ism accounted for 4.25% of gross do- “The group remains optimistic about
mestic product (GDP) with a value of the continued recovery of the tourism
US$1.03 billion in 2018. In 2019, the sector as we approach the tail-end of
sector accounted for 6.3% of GDP with Covid-19 era. The return of physical
a value of US$1.23 billion. At the same international conventions and exhibi-
time, the data also shows that tourism tion is pointing towards the return of
accounted for 1.56% of national em- normal tourism,” the update further
ployment levels in 2018, with around reads. According to private sector fund-
100 000 jobs supported and created. ing arm of the World Bank Group,
Zimbabwe’s tourism sector could have
“Occupancies for the hotels division lost nearly US$700 million in business
closed at 43%, a growth of 3.6 times due to Covid-19 restrictions aimed at
from 12% recorded in 2021,” RTG slowing down the spread of the respira-
says. tory disease.

“The group also witnessed an in- The International Finance Corpora-
crease in conferencing business across tion, a unit of the World Bank Group,
the city hotels. The resort hotels have said the pandemic, which has claimed
shown a strong recovery during the first millions of lives across the globe, calls
quarter of 2022. Improved prospects for new policy measures to help the in-
for travel internationally are expected to dustry recover. — STAFF WRITER.
consolidate the recovery of the Victoria
Falls market.”

The company says the continued

NewsHawks Companies & Markets Page 33

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Stop excessive money supply: Imara

Imara says government should stop printing money to deal with the tumbling value of the local currency.

NYASHA CHINGONO government’s weak economic pol- Imara drew comparisons with ly in 2021. To date we only have they no longer have the capacity
icies, especially the Zimdollar, more stable economies like the statistics for broad money to the to make meaningful loans to their
ZIMBABWEAN independent fi- which the government initially US which increased money supply end of February this year which clients given their own credit limits
nancial advisory firm Imara As- pegged at 1:1 with the US dol- during the Covid-19 period, stok- highlights a 6.5% growth in broad and lending criteria,” Imara said.
set Management says inflation is lar, but has continued to tumble ing inflation which is now at 8.5%. money since the end of December
always a monetary phenomenon, against the currency. 2021.” To deal with the tumbling value
hence the government should con- “If we now look at Zimbabwe of the local currency, the govern-
tain money supply to stem infla- Imara’s notes expose ther infla- and the ZWL [Zimdollar], the A fortnight ago, the government ment should stop printing money,
tion. tionary effect of increasing broad economics explained above works suspended bank lending, accusing Imara says.
money supply to the economy. in the same way. Excess money elements in the banking sector of
In its Investment Notes for growth over and above the need for fuelling inflation and devaluing “To resolve the problem of a de-
May, Imara says the government “In a country like the US there nominal GDP growth and some in- the local currency. Imara, however, valuing currency, rising prices and
over-printed the local currency and may be a time lag, perhaps of up flation, will lead to inflation and in says the argument that banks were a booming stock market would
subsequently flooded the money to two years, for inflation to show the case of ZWL, a devaluation in creating money falls aways as they simply be to cease creating excess
market. itself once there is excess money in the currency,” Imara said. have their own credit limits. money in the first place since that
the system. In a country like Zim- is the financier behind these symp-
“An economy needs money babwe, where the general popula- “Looking at 2021 and taking the “Banks are being blamed for cre- toms. As it is, the US Federal Re-
growth for nominal GDP to rise tion is well aware of the damaging RBZ Monthly Economic Review, ating money, hence bank lending serve is yet to blame itself for their
and for a little inflation. If that effects of high or hyperinflation broad money M3 rose by 132% was stopped altogether. Banks how- high inflation, preferring to accuse
money growth is excessive, then and where money market rates are over the year whilst the parallel rate ever operate primarily in the ZW$ external factors such as the Ukraine
inflation will occur for certain,” hugely negative, the impact of ex- of exchange fell from ZW$115 to sector which, as we have written War. The Swiss National Bank, on
Imara said. cess money creation could be al- ZW$200, a 74% devaluation but before, is declining as a percentage the other hand, may take a differ-
most instantaneous,” Imara said. as we know GDP also rose sharp- of the economy to the extent that ent view,” Imara said.
Recent weeks have exposed the

Page 34 Stock Taking NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Price Sheet A MEMBER OF FINSEC & THE ZIMBABWE STOCK EXCHANGE

Friday, 20 May 2022

Company Sector Bloomberg Previous Last VWAP (cents) Total Total Price Price YTD Market
Traded Traded Change Change (%) Cap
Ticker Price (cents) Traded Volume Value ($) (cents) ($m)
(%)
Price - -
9,400 127,420
AFDIS Consumer Goods AFDIS: ZH 33000.00 - 33000.00 - - 164.00 39,433.19
African Sun Consumer Services ASUN: ZH 1308.13 1475.00 1355.53 - - 47.40 3.62 111.06 19,301.82
ART ARTD: ZH 2100.00 2100.00 6,400 26,880 100.96
Ariston Industrials 392.50 - 420.00 78,400 8,902,860 - - 12.84 9,176.52
Axia Consumer Services ARISTON: ZH 11404.25 420.00 11355.69 27.50 7.01 277.89 6,835.06
BAT AXIA: ZH 366000.00 11355.00 366000.00 - - -48.56 -0.43 14.34 62,700.48
CAFCA Consumer Goods BAT: ZH 26000.00 26000.00 - - 52.94 75,518.67
CBZ Consumer Goods 11009.09 - 11282.22 900 101,540 - - 50.09 2,271.13
CFI CAFCA: ZH 26400.00 - 26400.00 - - - - 182.14 58,967.82
Dairibord Industrials CBZ: ZH 5300.00 11500.00 5002.66 48,800 2,441,300 273.13 2.48 42.93 27,994.79
Delta Banking CFI:ZH 30934.64 - 30917.06 46,800 14,469,190 - - 90.22 17,909.57
Ecocash 9898.24 5000.00 9850.91 31,900 3,142,440 -297.34 -5.61 142.32 403,212.76
Econet Industrials DZL: ZH 18337.78 31005.00 18397.73 537,400 98,869,380 -17.58 -0.06 116.44 255,195.43
Edgars Consumer Goods DLTA: ZH 430.00 9800.00 430.02 57,200 245,974 -47.33 -0.48 -1.14 476,607.33
FBC Consumer Goods EHZL: ZH 7200.00 18395.00 7200.00 - - 59.95 0.33 112.68 2,598.39
Fidelity ECO: ZH 2000.00 430.00 2000.00 1,000 20,000 0.02 0.00 26.70 48,380.39
First Capital Technology 997.88 - 974.01 69,500 676,940 - - 181.99 2,178.47
FML Telecommunications EDGR: ZH 1635.87 2000.00 1600.69 10,200 163,270 - - -19.97 21,036.81
FMP Consumer Services FBC: ZH 698.58 1000.00 698.58 13,200 92,212 -23.87 -2.39 -10.44 11,047.05
GBH FIDL: ZH 178.00 1635.00 178.36 1,100 1,962 -35.18 -2.15 -22.28 8,649.52
Getbucks Banking FCA: ZH 1050.00 700.00 1050.00 - - - - 75.00
Hippo Financial Services 33000.00 180.00 33000.00 - - 0.36 0.20 17.86 957.06
Innscor FMHL: ZH 45004.42 - 45000.00 5,500 2,475,000 - - 177.10 12,212.74
Lafarge Banking FMP: ZH 15300.00 - 15300.00 - - - - 91.25 63,696.79
Mash Financial Services GBH: ZH 329.34 45000.00 378.00 900 3,402 -4.42 -0.01 16.50 256,444.40
Masimba 6000.00 - 6000.00 - - - - 12,240.00
Medtech Real Estate GBFS: ZH 1980.00 378.00 1980.00 - - 48.66 14.78 9.09
Medtech Class B Industrials HIPO: ZH 2600.00 - 2600.00 - - - - -43.43 7,027.30
Meikles 17800.00 - 18800.00 700 131,600 - - 4.00 14,499.22
Nampak Financial Services INN: ZH 1585.00 - 1580.00 100 1,580 - - 50.28
NatFoods Consumer Goods LACZ: ZH 220000.00 19200.00 220000.00 300 660,000 1000.00 5.62 41.62 237.60
NTS MASH: ZH 1375.00 1580.00 1366.67 600 8,200 -5.00 -0.32 60.05 34.89
NMBZ Industrials MSHL: ZH 3450.00 220000.00 3450.00 - - - - 116.93
OK Zim Industrials MMDZ: ZH 3807.79 1300.00 3727.36 344,300 12,833,310 -8.33 -0.61 328.41 47,497.46
Proplastics Real Estate MMDZB: ZH 7388.19 - 7300.00 1,000 73,000 - - 35.81 11,939.24
RTG Industrials MEIK: ZH 700.00 3995.00 700.00 2,700 18,900 -80.43 -2.11 151.74 150,480.24
RioZim Financial Services NPKZ: ZH 11126.25 7300.00 11000.00 1,400 154,000 -88.19 -1.19 -10.26
SeedCo Financial Services 23800.00 700.00 23797.50 8,600 2,046,585 - - 175.00 3,469.60
Simbisa Industrials NTFD: ZH 21953.32 11000.00 21969.08 19,100 4,196,095 -126.25 -1.13 125.43 13,943.92
Star Africa Industrials NTS: ZH 199.93 23795.00 192.18 60,600 116,460 -2.50 -0.01 144.10 47,929.54
Tanganda Consumer Goods NMB: ZH 22105.88 21850.00 21984.31 10,200 2,242,400 15.76 0.07 65.87 18,391.30
Truworths Industrials 172.50 190.00 172.00 400 688 -7.75 -3.88 227.83 17,468.47
TSL OKZ: ZH 9775.00 21800.00 9800.00 100 9,800 -121.57 -0.55 -14.00 13,423.24
Turnall Banking PROL: ZH 481.31 172.00 430.00 5,200 22,360 -0.50 -0.29 39.66 58,828.05
Unifreight Consumer Services 3500.00 9800.00 3500.00 - - 25.00 0.26 4.85 123,506.83
Willdale RTG: ZH 272.00 430.00 256.25 6,400 16,400 -51.31 -10.66 16.80
ZB Industrials RIOZ: ZH 8300.00 - 8300.00 - - - - -17.20 9,061.45
Zeco Consumer Services SEED: ZH 250.00 - - -15.75 -5.79 7.79 57,393.25
Zimpapers 2.88 - 2.88 50,000 266,500 - - 500.00
Zimplow Basic Materials SIM: ZH 533.00 - 533.00 100 2,560 - - 83.16 660.60
ZHL Consumer Goods SACL: ZH 2530.00 533.00 2560.00 11,300 59,974 - - 8.47 34,996.04
Consumer Goods TANG: ZH 552.53 2560.00 530.74 1,441,700 154,620,182 30.00 1.19 41.12
TOTAL Consumer Goods TRUW: ZH 530.00 -21.79 -3.94 2,120.07
Consumer Goods 3,726.60
Consumer Services TSL: ZH 4,556.13
Consumer Goods TURN: ZH 14,540.82
UNIF: ZH
Industrials WILD: ZH 13.34
Industrials ZBFH: ZH 3,070.08
Industrials ZECO: ZH 8,821.26
9,650.01
Banking ZIMP: ZH 2,571,852.75
Industrials ZIMPLOW: ZH
Consumer Services
Industrials ZHL: ZH
Financial Services

ETFs DMCS.zw 203.50 216.00 212.93 75,785 161,368 9.43 4.63 112.93 150.19
MCMS.zw 2500.00 2400.00 2400.00 7,037 168,888 -100.00 -4.00 140.00 3,088.15
Datvest Modified Consumer Staples ETF OMTT.zw 920.19 950.00 950.39 612,050 30.20 3.28 115.95 1,365.00
Morgan&Co Multi-Sector ETF 64,400
Old Mutual ZSE Top 10 ETF 17,432.46

FINSEC Financial Services OMZIL 21000.00 - 21000.00 - -- - 110.00 US$m
50.02
Old Mutual Zimbabwe 8.06

VFEX (US cents) Mining BIND:VX 3.93 - 3.93 - -- - -28.55 118.88
Mining CMCL:VX 1300.00 - 1300.00 - -- -- 107.19
BNC Consumer Goods - - -- - 4.52
Caledonia Consumer Goods PHL:VX 21.95 - 21.95 - -- - 0.18 YTD %
Padenga SCIL:VX 28.10 28.10 +16.50
SeedCo International +12.84
+50.28
Index Close Change (%) Open YTD % Top 5 Risers Price Change % +111.06
ZSE All Share 20,797.23 +0.02 20,792.40 +92.17 Mash 378.00c +48.66c +14.78 +50.09
Top 10 13,359.56 +0.06 13,351.99 +96.13 Ariston 420.00c +27.50c +7.01
Top 15 14,813.61 +0.12 14,796.45 +96.74 Meikles 18800.00c +5.62 YTD %
Small Cap -1.53 506,238.45 +23.77 African Sun 1355.53c +1000.00c +3.62 +4.85
Medium Cap 498,491.72 -0.02 37,366.60 +83.06 CBZ 11282.22c +47.40c +2.48 -17.20
37,357.60 +42.93
+273.13c +41.12
+65.87
Top 5 Fallers Price Change %
Turnall
Willdale 430.00c -51.31c -10.66
Dairibord 256.25c -15.75c -5.79
ZHL 5002.66c -297.34c -5.61
Star Africa 530.74c -21.79c -3.94
192.18c -3.88
-7.75c

SALES & TRADING: Davide Muchengi: [email protected] | Lungani Nyamazana: [email protected] | Tatenda Jasi: [email protected]
RESEARCH: Batanai Matsika: [email protected] | Precious Chagwedera: [email protected] | Tafara Mtutu: [email protected]
Tel: (+263) 08677008101-2 | Email: [email protected] | Address: 14165 Sauer Road, Gunhill, Harare

MORGAN & COMPANY has issued this document for distribution to its clients. It may not be reproduced or further distributed in whole or in part for any purpose. This document is not and should not be construed as an offer to
sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe to any investment. MORGAN & COMPANY has based this document on information obtained from sources it believes to be reliable but which it has not independently

verified; MORGAN & COMPANY makes no guarantee, representation or warranty and accepts no responsibility or liability as to the accuracy or completeness of its content.

Property
NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022 PROPERTY INTERIORS ARCHITECTURE GARDENING Page 35

The home of prime property: [email protected]

Vending stalls construction in progress

Work on vending stalls at the intersection of Chinhoyi and Kwame Nkrumah streets being built
by the City of Harare is in progress. It is expected to be opened soon. — Pictures: Aaron Ufumeli

Page 36 News Analysis NewsHawks

NYASHA CHINGONO Zim leaders cosy in bed Issue 81, 20 May 2022
with wanted murderers
REVELATIONS that Zimba- feather, fly together,” political an-
bwe harboured one of the world’s Like birds of a feather, some his existence in the country be- Protais Mpiranya. alyst Rashweat Mukundu said.
most wanted genocidaires, Protais of the Zimbabwean leaders who fore his death.
Mpiranya, the last of the major protected Mpiranya, including along the same lines with Rwanda Professor Stephen Chan added
fugitives indicted by the Inter- President Emmerson Mnangag- The Mpiranya saga has once but has failed because of his fail- that Rwanda is right to express
national Criminal Tribunal for wa, stand accused of genocide at again shone the spotlight on Zim- ure to deal with corruption and discontent as Zimbabwe has not
Rwanda (ICTR) who spearhead- home, the Gukurahundi massa- babwe’s association with rogue the plethora of economic prob- provided clarity on the Mpiranya
ed the 1994 genocide against the cres, allegations he denies. elements and fugitives of justice. lems bedevilling the country.    case.
Tutsi in the Great Lakes country Such have found a haven in the
testifies to its long history of sid- Last week, Foreign Affairs min- country and may never pay for Last week, it was apparent that He also says it is difficult to be-
ing with rogue individuals, ana- ister Frederick Shava denied that their crimes under international the Mpiranya saga had triggered a lieve that his existence in Zimba-
lysts have said. government harboured Mpira- law. diplomatic tiff, with the Rwandan bwe was not unknown to a high
nya, saying that Harare had as- embassy correcting the govern- level of authority.
In April this year, for example, sisted UN investigators in their The government has not been ment’s rhetoric on the genocide,
Zimbabwe was part of a club of effort to locate him for years. sincere about the case, leading the saying it was a “genocide against “It is highly unfortunate that
rogues, including eight other UN team on a wild goose chase the Tutsis” and not the Rwandan both Mengistu and Mpiranya
African states and authoritarian “As a law-abiding nation, Zim- yet fully aware that Mpiranya was genocide. found refuge in Zimbabwe. The
regimes like Cuba, North Korea, babwe will never harbour crimi- in their backyard. two cases are different. The grant-
Iran, Syria and Russia, that voted nals and welcomes findings from Government was not aware ing of exile to Mengistu was not
against a United Nations General the DNA samples extracted from Mnangagwa’s government is that the Rwandese are particular kept secret - although no one
Assembly resolution to suspend the fugitive. The government of now caught in the eye of a storm about phrasing, especially on the revealed how he was able to live
Russia’s membership of the UN Zimbabwe wishes to clarify some and a costly diplomatic war with genocide as it has far-reaching so palatially in his exile. Mpira-
Human Rights Council. recent media reports that are cir- Rwanda which has been support- consequences. nya entered the country secretly,
culating insinuating that the gov- ing its bid of a return to the Com- although it is difficult to believe
In the vote, Zimbabwe sided ernment was harbouring the most monwealth. Analysts say the Mpiranya saga that it was unknown to a high
with rogue regimes known for au- wanted Rwandese fugitive, whose confirms Zimbabwe’s association level of authority,” Chan said.
thoritarianism and human rights remains were allegedly found in Rwanda, one of Africa’s fast- with dangerous and rogue ele-
violations at a time the Russian Zimbabwe under the alias Ndume est-growing economies, is a stra- ments. “Collusion of some sort would
military is mercilessly killing and Sambao,” Shava said. tegic partner whose economic have been required on something
displacing millions, including model is lauded for its success. “Zimbabwe has never had a as simple as changing his iden-
women and children on a daily It is shameful for government Since assuming power through a progressive human rights ap- tity. So, until the Zimbabwean
basis. to still use the word “allegedly” military coup in November 2017, proach and it is not surprising government can provide greater
when referring to Mpiranya’s case, Mnangagwa has sought to build that the government associat- clarity on a range of details in
The UN General Assembly sus- yet authorities were fully aware of bridges with Rwanda as he sought ed with the likes of Mpirinya, this case, Rwanda is right to ex-
pended Russia from the UN Hu- to model Zimbabwe’s economy a known genocide perpetrator. press discontent. This was a want-
man Rights Council over reports Such accommodation of  a crim- ed criminal who had the blood
of “gross and systematic viola- inal fulfils the saying birds of a of thousands of people on his
tions and abuses of human rights” hands,” he added.
in Ukraine.
To counter international criti-
Zimbabwe has also been har- cism on its association with want-
bouring former Ethiopian strong- ed criminal, Zimbabwe has indi-
man Mengistu Haile Mariam, cated that it is ready to extradite
who was found guilty of genocide Mengistu.
by an Ethiopian court in 2006
and sentenced to death in absen- Shava told the Voice of Amer-
tia. ica this week: “If the people of
Ethiopia approach the govern-
It was not a surprise that the ment of Zimbabwe, appropriate
20-year manhunt for one of the steps will be taken by the govern-
world’s most brutal killers came ment of Zimbabwe in response
to a decisive end at Granville to the request from the people of
cemetery, but Zimbabwean au- Ethiopia.”
thorities say they did not conceal
his whereabouts. In 2017, presidential spokes-
person George Charamba said
Last week, the world, especial- the country would not extradite
ly Rwanda, woke up to news that Mengistu.
Mpiranya had been harboured in
Zimbabwe for four years before Mengistu, an Ethiopian dic-
his death in 2006. tator who has been staying in
Zimbabwe since 1991, was found
This was confirmed by United guilty of genocide by an Ethiopi-
Nations (UN) investigators on an court in 2006 and sentenced
Tuesday last week.   to death in absentia.

As reported by The News- The late president Robert Mug-
Hawks last week, Mpiranya was abe harboured Mengistu, known
recruited into Zimbabwe’s mili- for killing one million people
tary campaign in the Democratic and instigating a purge of polit-
Republic of Congo (DRC) from ical opponents in what became
1998-2002 to fight Rwanda and known as the “Red Terror”.
Uganda after their Congo inva-
sion in 1998. Amid the diplomatic drama
surrounding Mpiranya’s case
There was a US$5 million which is far from over until the
bounty on Mpiranya’s head, but government provides reasonable
Zimbabwe did not give up the explanations why the genocide
murderous army general to face criminal was buried in its back-
his crimes. yard, it is important for the au-
thorities to engage in soul search-
Instead, it offered Mpiranya a ing.
safe haven, where he lived a nor-
mal life and even colluded with They should ask themselves
the authorities to get fake docu- whether ruining the country's
mentation. international reputation is the
price they are willing to pay for
Endless efforts by the UN to associating with murderous indi-
track him down failed until con- viduals.
firmation, when there was little
choice but to cooperate. For a country which has vowed
to turn the corner in human
Analysts said Zimbabwean rights and ostensibly get back to
leaders protected Mpiranya, a the community of nations, it is
mass murderer, before and after imperative that Zimbabwe cuts
his death. ties with such elements being
hunted down by the International
Criminal Court.

NewsHawks Critical Thinking Page 37

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Taona B. Protais Mpiranya: A case of elite
Denhere collusion and betrayal of victims

THE pioneering and legendary  Ja- crimes and war crimes, the Zim-
maican reggae lyrical genius Peter babwean securocrats and political
Tosh was classified as the Che Gue- figures facilitated his clandestine fu-
vara and the Malcom X of reggae mu- gitive escape from the DRC to Zim-
sic, because of his rebellious, militant, babwe in September 2002.
radical, truthtelling and forthtelling
musical style. Prima facie there is substantial ev-
idence that shows that senior zimba-
Through the barrel of the micro- bwean military and political officials
phone, he  produced an immortal aided and abetted the surreptitious
reggae classic titled “Down-pressor escape of Mpiranya to Zimbabwe.
man”.  Accordingly, it is instructive For instance, Mpiranya  flew out of
and  relevant to reference some of the the DRC to Harare aboard a Zimba-
thought provoking, poetic and meta- bwean military plane together with
phorical lyrics of this song: other Hutu commanders. Moreover,
Mpiranya was no longer known as
Downpressor man Alain Hirwa but had acquired a fake 
Where you gonna run to Ugandan passport and was going by
All along that day the name James Kakule. Therefore, it
You gonna run to the sea can be demonstrated that the Zimba-
But the sea will be boiling bwean government enabled Mpiran-
When you run to the sea ya to hide in plain sight despite being
The sea will be boiling, indicted for grave and serious inter-
All along that day national crimes. For instance, he was
You gonna run to the rocks allowed to set up a transport business
The rocks will be melting in Zimbabwe and live like a normal
When you run to the rocks civilian. Thus he would conduct his
The rocks will be melting All that day business errands and run his person-
The  lyrics of “Downpressor man” al life without fear or risks of ever
further say: being betrayed by his host country
You can run but you can't hide, and handed over to the ICTR. Addi-
Telling you all along that day tionally, after entering Zimbabwe as
You gonna run to the Lord James Kakule, however, when he died
Beggin' to hide you on 5 October 2006, he had another
You gonna run to Jah alias, Sambao Ndume. Accordingly,
Beggin' to hide you the manner in which Protais Mpiran-
All, all along that day ya would regularly assume new aliases
Downpressor man points to an individual who had close
You can't run, elite support networks within the
you can't bribe Jah-Jah Zimbabwean government.
You can't bribe no one
Them no want no money Criminal connivance and illicit dese moderate senior  leaders such atres of Congolese military conflict The great betrayal
Therefore, these prophetic and im- scheming as  Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingi- that Mpiranya started to cultivate Needless to say that the commissions
mortal lyrics by Tosh have become Suffice it to say that, between the yimana, the president of the Con- sweetheart deals with the Zimba- and omissions of the Zanu PF gov-
very instructive and crucial in light months of April 1994 to July 1994, stitutional Court, the minister of bwean military establishment and ernment in facilitating the fugitive
of the discovery of the body of one the tiny East African nation state of Agriculture and the minister of In- the securocrats. Thus, the conflict in existence of Mpiranya for the past 20
of the  world`s most wanted fugitive Rwanda was engulfed in apocalyptic formation. He also actively partic- the DRC provided rich pickings for years amounted to the betrayal of the
genocidaires, Protais Mpiranya, at genocidal terror and repression. Thus, ipated  in the murders of 10 Belgian self-enrichment for the Zimbabwean 800 000 victims and the survivors of
Granville cemetery just outside Hara- the 1994  genocide aganist the Tutsis United Nations peacekeepers during political and military establishment Rwanda genocide and their families.
re in Zimbabwe. and the moderate Hutus resulted in that same period who provided in the form of conflict minerals such Therefore, the Zimbabwean govern-
Thus, after 20 years of being a fu- 800 000  extrajudicial murders and close protection security to moder- as diamonds. Consequently, the cur- ment  became an accessory in the
gitive from international justice and deaths. ate Rwandese senior leaders such as rent President of Zimbabwe, Em- genocidal and war crimes committed
accountability, due to his infamous Prime Minister Uwilingiyimana. merson Mnangagwa and some of the by Mpiranya. For instance, in  the
and active role in participating in  the The genocidal campaign was a securocrats who staged the Novem- past 20 years the  Zanu PF leaders did
1994 genocide against the Tutsi and state-sanctioned campaign that was Therefore, in 2000 the Interna- ber 2017 military coup that deposed not show the political will in assisting
moderate Hutu in Rwanda. driven by the extremist Hutu gov- tional Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda Robert Mugabe, were implicated in the UN, the ICTR, the IRMCT and
Therefore, this opinion will seek ernment officials in cahoots with the (ICTR) indicted Mpiranya on eight the United Nations 2002 report on the international community to pro-
to explore and expose the dark web rank and file Hutu militias known as counts of genocide, complicity in the plunder of mineral resources, par- vide justice and closure to the victims
and the evil nexus  of  elite collusion the Interahamwe. The raison d'etre of genocide, crimes against humanity ticularly the  blood diamonds in the  and families of Mpiranya's genocidal
within the Zimbabwe military and this genocidal campaign was to sys- and war crimes. Consequently, an DRC killing fields. crimes.
political establishment that facilitated tematically exterminate  and elimi- international warrant of arrest was is-
Mpiranya`s fugitive outlaw existence nate the Tutsis, who were the minori- sued against Mpiranya and he subse- Thus, it also reported that Mpiran- Thus, there was a systematic pat-
from international justice. ty tribe in Rwanda in order to create quently became a fugitive from inter- ya, who was now using various aliases tern of obstruction of justice by the
Additionally, I will  argue that de- a mono-ethnic and mono-cultural national law. After Paul Kagame and including Alain Hirwa or Command- Zimbabwean government designed to
spite the discovery of his body, he has ethnocentric Hutu Rwandan state. his then rebel movement the Rwan- er Hirwa, managed to have his fair prevent and protect Mpiranya from
been indicted on crime of genocide, dan  Patriotic Front captured Kigali share of DRC conflict and blood di- facing justice. For instance, in  De-
war crimes and crimes aganist hu- One of the key protagonists of in August 1994, Mpiranya and other amond spoils. Therefore through his cember 2012, the ICTR investigators
manity. this state-sanctioned ethnocentricity Hutu genocidaire extremists fled to military prowess in fighting alongside informed the UN Security Council
Nonetheless, the Zimbabwe gov- and ethno-nationalist genocidal cam- Cameroon, only to resurface in the Zimbabwean army in repelling Ugan- (UNSC), that Mpiranya had strong
ernment through its commissions paign to pulverise Tutsis into physical Democratic Republic of Congo in dan and Rwandan-backed rebels, networks and connections in Zimba-
and omissions in providing refuge oblivion was Mpiranya. He effective- 1998. By then, Mpiranya had formed coupled with a war chest of his dia- bwe, and that he must most likely be
and hiding this fugitive in plain sight ly  became the butcher of Rwanda. a rebel group, the FDLR, which mond proceeds, Mpiranya managed in Zimbabwe. However, the Zimba-
became an active accessory to inter- fought alongside the Zimbabwean to establish an incestous nonetheless bwean government still did not come
national crimes and betrayed the  800 Mpiranya was commander of the military as part of a coalition that mutually beneficial relationship with to the aid of both the ICTR and the
000 victims of the genocide and their presidential guard and, under his was propping up the beleaguered re- the senior Zimbabwean military and UNSC by providing the information
families. authority, he initiated the incendi- gime of Laurent Desire Kabila against  political elites. and whereabouts of Mpiranya.
Thus, this tragic intentional dere- ary spark of the  genocidal campaign Congolese rebels supported by both
liction of international obligations by against the Tutsis and moderate Rwanda and Uganda. Accordingly, when the ICTR in Furthermore, in 2012 the govern-
the Zanu PF governments has rein- Hutus. 2002 issued an indictment against ment of Rwandan President Kagame
forced its image as a pariah govern- Accordingly, it was in the the- Mpiranya on numerous genocidal applied diplomatic pressure on the
ment, that is part of the international Mpiranya kickstarted his geno- Zanu PF government to hand over
criminal nexus. cidal campaign by murdering Rwan- Mpiranya. Nonetheless, the matter
went only as far as just being dis-

Page 38 Critical Thinking NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

cussed in Parliament without any and international justice on the altar mar regime.  Furthermore, on 21 to face justice, largely in part to the the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Thus,
further actions being pursued to find of elite collusion and international May 2021, Zimbabwean government active role played by the senior mil- the failure by the Zanu PF govern-
Mpiranya. That was another clear criminal enterprise. There are also again voted against the  United Na- itary and political officials within the ment to fully cooperate with both the
case of disingenuousness and lack of other mutually inclusive develop- tions General Assembly Resolution Zimbabwean government. Therefore, ICTR and IRMCT in exposing and
sincerity on the part of the Zanu PF ments, that explains why the Zanu that seeks to protect vulnerable pop- the Zimbabwean government provid- handing over Mpiranya amounted to
government to fulfill its international PF government did not actively and ulations against genocide, war crimes, ed a safe haven for this world's most a miscarriage of international justice.
obligations in fighting genocidal and fully support  the IRMCT  with fur- ethnic cleansing and crimes against wanted genocidaire. In doing so, the Accordingly, Zanu PF betrayed  the
war crimes. nishing them with the whereabouts humanity. Zimbabwean government became an international community, as well as
of Mpiranya, especially between the Conclusion active accessory in aiding and abet- the Kagame government, the victims,
However, in November 2017 after years 2020 and 2021. For instance,  The discovery of the body of the ting  grave international crimes and families and survivors of the 1994
Robert Mugabe was deposed in a mil- on 5 January 2020, Zimbabwe was genocidaire fugitive Mpiranya, 20 its perpetrators. genocide.
itary coup the  IRMCT officials trav- the only African country that voted years after he was indicted for serious
elled to Zimbabwe on the renewed against the United Nations General and heinous crimes aganist humanity, Crucially, the commissions and *About the writer: Taona Den-
but misplaced hopes and belief that Assembly Resolution (UNGA)  con- war crimes and the crime of genocide omissions of the Zanu PF govern- here is a human rights and in-
the Emmerson Mnangagwa govern- demning the genocidal persecution clearly shows that he was not able ment  between the years 2002 and ternational development lawyer
ment would provide the whereabouts of Rohingya Muslims by the Myan- 2022 was a travesty of international based in the United Kingdom.
of Mpiranya. The IRMCT officials justice for the victims and survivors of
had been motivated and influenced 
to travel to Zimbabwe on the basis TRUSTED ICT AND BUSINESS
that the new administration might SOLUTIONS PROVIDER
be more progressive and cooperative
than the previous Mugabe adminis- Supplies, supports
tration. and maintains complete
information and
This was largely due to the fact that communication technology
when Mnangagwa assumed power in solutions for your business.
November 2017, he had portrayed
himself as a transformative and pro- Reliable ICT
gressive change agent. Nonetheless, Services for Business
the IRMCT came back empty hand- Contact Us: 263(0)242793020
ed. Consequently, in 2020, Serge - Computers - Printers 0717 824 764
Brammetz, the chief prosecutor of - Networking - Accessories 0771 542 550
IRMCT, informed the  UNSC that, - Consumables - Computer So [email protected]
despite substantive and solid evidence ware [email protected]
which located the genocidal fugitives
in Zimbabwe. Nonetheless, some
southern African governments have
not been co-operative and forthcom-
ing in flushing out these genocidaires.

Dr Martin Luther King Jr once
rhetorically and prophetically said
that, the arc of the moral universe
is long but it bends towards justice.
Therefore, through the unrelenting
methodical and forensic investigation
of Brammertz and his dedicated crack
unit of UN investigators, they man-
aged to gather and collate irrefutable
and watertight evidence, which clear-
ly shows that the genocidaire Mpiran-
ya died and was buried in Zimbabwe.

Consequently, the Zanu PF gov-
ernment, having now been confront-
ed with this new and convincing and
incriminating evidence, then reluc-
tantly allowed Brammertz and his
team on 7 February 2022 to search for
Mpiranya's grave at Granville cem-
etery, where his remains were found
and were subsequently confirmed
through DNA analysis in April 2022. 
Accordingly, despite Mpiranya being
an international fugitive for 20 years
both dead and alive, eventually the
long arm of the law eventually caught
up with him.

Therefore by February 2022 it was
clear that the genocidaire Mpiranya
could not hide anymore and neither
could he bribe the Lord nor anyone.

Another important aspect to note
why Mpiranya before his death on
October 2006 could feel at home and
secure in Zimbabwe, is because his
hosts, the Zanu PF government were
perpetrators of genocide in their own
right and had genocidal skeletons
in their cabinets .That is, Zanu PF
government presided over the Guku-
rahundi  genocide which, according
to conservative estimates, resulted in 
20 000 genocidal deaths of  people
from Metabelaland and the Mid-
lands provinces. This also explains
why the Zanu PF government for
the past 20 years was evasive and un-
willing to volunteer information on
the whereabouts of Mpiranya. This
further reinforces the fact that the
Zanu PF government  is a genocid-
al denialist regime that is prepared to
sacrifice its international obligations

NewsHawks Critical Thinking Page 39

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Presidential decree: A bout of economic
madness and cocktail of illegalities

Alex T.
Magaisa

ON 7 May 2022, President Em- Minister of Finance and Economic Development Mthuli Ncube.
merson Mnangagwa issued an eco-
nomic declaration that must surely stopping a dairy farmer from selling the burden is bank workers. When- manifested in the past week as busi- sugar-cane farmers, those custom-
claim a place among the most ab- milk. It destroys a critical source of ever capital suffers a hit, labour nesses that offer goods and services ers are producers of goods, this will
surd economic policy initiatives by income and threatens the viability takes a heavy beating. Banks will on credit responded by shutting put a squeeze on production. If this
a governmental authority anywhere of the business. start talking of restructuring and down all credit facilities. The Surrey results in low production, trust in
in the world. A rise in bank charges staff rationalisation, which is cor- Group wrote to its clients indicat- the future is eroded. Consequent-
However, as I will demonstrate, it is porate-speak for job cuts. Wages ing that it was suspending credit ly, there will be less credit where
Apart from reversing a disastrous the ordinary citizens that carry the might also fall or stagnate. In this facilities. there is no trust in the future. The
public transport monopoly that heavy burden of this hare-brained way, capital passes on the cost of result is increasing levels of poverty
should never have been established policy intervention because banks the government’s misguided poli- Fivet, which specialises in veter- among those at the bottom of the
in the first place, the rest of the will devise ways to survive. One cies to labour. That will mean more inary goods and services also sus- credit chain.
measures were knee-jerk reactions other source of income for banks people joining the ranks of the un- pended credit facilities as did hotel
to try to solve an economic problem is bank charges. Banks charge cus- employed and many young people chain Cresta Hotels and Wholesale Realising the carnage that the
that is fast spiraling out of control. tomers for all sorts of services. They being kept out of employment as Beef which is based in Bulawayo. presidential decree was having on
might charge for maintaining the companies reduce their intake. the credit market, the RBZ tried to
Among the raft of measures was account, making transfers, using Rise in cost of goods and services Tongaat Hullett, the sugar pro- make an exception. Late on 12 May,
an outright ban on bank lending cash machines, printing statements, Companies that use banking ser- ducer was more direct in attributing the RBZ tweeted, “Suspension of
whose immediate effect was to pose custody of assets and so much more. vices will be hurt by the rising bank its change of course to the govern- lending facilities does not apply to
an existential threat to financial in- Customers regularly complain of charges. But like the banks, these ment’s ban on bank lending when marketable commodities such as
stitutions, particularly those solely too many bank charges. Now, if businesses also have an easy outlet it announced that it was cutting all tobacco. Cotton, sugar, maize, etc.
licensed to carry out lending activ- they can’t earn income from lend- for their pain. They will just pass it advance payments to farmers. “We All banks have been advised accord-
ities. The presidential decree was ing because of the government ban, on to their customers by raising the normally fund the advances from ingly”. This was in response to the
self-defeating: by banning lend- banks will simply go for the next prices of their goods and services. proceeds that we access from the obvious damage the outright ban
ing, a government whose mantra easy target: the customers. They will The ultimate victim of the govern- banks. Following the recent suspen- on bank lending was causing on the
is “Zimbabwe is open for business” just raise their charges, and some ment’s ridiculous ban on bank lend- sion of lending by banks we find production side of the economy, a
was effectively sending the message might even invent new charges. ing is the long-suffering citizen who ourselves unable to continue offer- belated realisation that the blanket
to the market that it has no trust Already some banks have started has no outlet. For many, the only ing advances,” wrote the company declaration was unsound.
in the country’s future. To appreci- sending notices to their customers way to avoid the high prices is to in its communication to sugar-cane
ate the weight of this message, one regarding increases in tariffs. The forgo the goods and services, which producers. But still, this Twitter announce-
must understand the concept of government’s ban, therefore, hurts effectively means rising household ment is not without fault. It is
credit and the basis upon which it ordinary citizens the most as banks poverty.   The ban has therefore had a pre- vague because it does not define
is constructed. pass on the burden. Loss of credit facilities dictable chain reaction in the cred- what it refers to as a “marketable
No trust in the future Job losses Another predictable consequence of it system. The supply chain in the commodity”. It mentions agricul-
The concept of credit is intimately Another constituency that bears the ban on bank lending has already credit system has been broken by tural products which might mean
tied to trust in the future. As his- the ban. If the banks cannot give the exception is limited to “mar-
torian Yuval Noah Harari puts it, credit, those that rely on bank loans ketable commodities” of the agri-
credit represents the difference be- will also not be able to provide cultural variety only. But is that the
tween today’s pie and tomorrow’s credit to their customers. This cre- intention?
pie. You can only lend when you ates a vicious cycle: If in the case of
believe that tomorrow’s pie will be
bigger than today’s pie. When a
bank lends money to a company,
it is because both the bank and the
company have trust that the com-
pany’s future will be brighter than
its present. This means the com-
pany will be able to repay the loan
plus interest, from which the bank
derives its income.

Therefore, all credit is based on
trust in the future; a belief that to-
morrow will be better than today.
There is more and cheaper credit
in an economy where there is more
trust in the future. By contrast,
where there is no trust in the fu-
ture, there is less credit and where
it is available, the credit is usually
short-term and very expensive. All
this leads to the conclusion that
when you ban credit, you are ef-
fectively saying that you have no
trust in the future. You are saying
the future cannot be better than
the present. Far from promoting
belief in the economy, the Zimba-
bwean government’s hare-brained
declaration is sending negative and
demotivating messages to the mar-
ket. Besides, as already stated, ban-
ning bank lending undermines the
core of banking businesses, which
threatens their very existence. One
of the principal sources of bank
income is lending and charging in-
terest. The interest represents the
profit a bank makes when it lends
money. Prohibiting lending is like

Page 40 Critical Thinking NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Furthermore, when it says “etc”, those that cannot access credit on and the policy inconsistencies that ment measures. They don’t want to is the government’s misguided at-
it leaves room for other commod- the formal markets that fall victim had a bad impact on the economy. rock the boat so they would rather tempt to force people to use the dis-
ities without limitation but what to the loan sharks. However, in an interesting and in- comply if they kept their property. credited local currency. Zimbabwe’s
might these commodities be? This triguing twist of events, BancABC In this way, business elites become currency problems have a long his-
vagueness is not a good policy. It Now, however, with the govern- issued another statement disowning complicit as enablers of authoritar- tory and will not be solved by knee-
leaves room for guesswork and ment’s ban on bank lending, ev- its earlier statement. In its second ian regimes. jerk policies. The government must
corruption. All this could easily eryone who wants finance is forced statement, BancABC declared that Labour’s voice understand that money is a mental
be resolved by having a clear legal to go to the black market in which it was “fully aligned with the di- By contrast, the labour provides a construct. Historian Yuval Noah
instrument that regulates market the loan sharks reign supreme. The rective issued by the Monetary Au- critical voice against illegalities in Harari puts it very neatly when he
conduct, not an illegal presidential government’s ban on bank lend- thorities” pledging to “implement the banking sector. The union for says, “Money is anything that peo-
decree amended through social me- ing, therefore, serves to fuel a rise all measures as directed and in full workers in the banking sector was ple are willing to use in order to
dia and press statements. That’s not in the black market in credit, cre- compliance with the law”. The iro- bold and unapologetic in its criti- systematically represent the value of
how to run an economy. ating a new breed of merchants in ny of all this is that the bank was cism of the presidential decree. The other things for the purpose of ex-
Cancellation of dividends the "chimbadzo" business. Because pledging compliance with an illegal Zimbabwe Banks and Allied Work- changing goods and services”. His-
The ban on bank lending has also it is unregulated, it will be the Wild “directive”. Why would the bank ers' Union (Zibawu) raised con- torically, therefore, money has been
put a squeeze on companies’ cash West of the credit market. Since disown what was in fact a sober and cerns over the ban on bank lending, represented in various forms such
resources affecting their ability to the cost of accessing credit in the measured critique of the ridiculous arguing that it put its employers’ as cowry shells, coins, notes, etc. In
meet their legal obligations. One "chimbadzo" market is high, busi- decree? The answer lies in two parts: business and consequently its mem- the modern age, most of the money
listed company, Dairibord sus- nesses getting finance from there first, is that there is the rule of fear bers’ jobs at risk. that we use is not even in physical
pended the payment of dividends will simply pass it on to the con- which is practiced by the regulato- form but it is electronic and digital.
to shareholders. This is to preserve sumers meaning a rise in the cost of ry authorities. The Reserve Bank of Apart from restructuring and
the cash it has for working capital. goods and services. Zimbabwe behaves like the govern- closing departments, the viability Money is a system of mutual
It would have relied on bank loans Legal deficiencies ment whose operating manual is of credit-only institutions was at trust between individuals in society:
to plug the gap but with the ban, Apart from the economic ramifica- based on authoritarianism.  serious risk. It explained how its people accept money when they be-
that tap has been shut. This means tions, the presidential decree also members rely on bank loans for ba- lieve that other people are willing to
existing shareholders that were due has important legal deficiencies. The It rules the financial sector with sic services like medical fees, school accept it. If you have one US dol-
to receive dividends as a return on measures were announced without an iron fist. The same fear with fees, and other emergencies and lar, you are confident that if you go
their investment must wait. any legal instrument to back them. which the government exercises how they would be forced to resort to Thailand or Namibia, someone
Risk of litigation In the absence of a recognized legal power over citizens is what the RBZ to the black market where rates are there will want it. Trust in the US
However, since this dividend had instrument, the central bank resort- uses toward regulated entities. The harsh and punitive. Ironically, it dollar increases if your government
already been declared, the suspen- ed to referring to the measures as a result is that just like citizens fear was left to labour to question the demands taxes in that currency.
sion of payment exposes Dairibord “Presidential Announcement”. But their government, financial institu- government’s unreasonable policies Compare that to the status of the
to a lawsuit by one or more of any there is no legal instrument under tions are also fearful of the central while capital remained silent.    Zimbabwe Dollar. While a Zimba-
disgruntled shareholders. This is be- Zimbabwean law that is called a bank. They would rather comply What is govt trying to solve? bwean bank will accept the South
cause although ordinarily, a share- Presidential Announcement. with an illegal directive than chal- So, what is the mischief that the African rand, A South African bank
holder does not have a right to de- lenge it because the regulatory au- government is trying to solve by will not accept the Zimbabwe bond
mand a dividend, once it has been It is trite that any directive that thority is vindictive. Like citizens, banning bank lending? We can get note. It is worse when the Zimba-
declared by the directors, a dividend affects the right to private property regulated institutions have habit- some clues from tweets and inter- bwe tax authorities prefer the US
becomes a legally claimable right. must be based on a law of general uated to government illegalities. views given by the RBZ. The gov- dollar ahead of the Zimbabwean
The only reason the shareholders application. They might complain for a mo- ernment thinks some companies dollar. Money is a question of trust
might avoid taking legal action, in ment but eventually, they just fall and individuals are borrowing from and if the market has no trust in it,
this case, is because it is not in their If it is not passed by Parliament as into line. The second reason is the banks to fund the purchase of for- it has no value.
interests to sue the company in primary legislation, then it must be absence of the rule of law in Zim- eign currency at cheap rates on the Learning from Chikurubi
which they are invested in the long issued under a statutory instrument babwe. In countries where the rule forex auction system. They think if This can be explained at a very basic
term. But while existing sharehold- as secondary legislation. Secondary of law prevails, citizens and corpo- they stop bank lending, it will re- level. A study of the political econ-
ers might bite their teeth and take legislation can only be issued within rations have the confidence to defy duce funding for these activities. In omy of the community of inmates
the pain because they understand the terms prescribed by the primary and challenge regulatory authori- one tweet, the RBZ threatened to in Chikurubi Maximum Security
the difficult operating environment or enabling legislation. No such leg- ties. If there was respect for the rule reveal the names of those that have Prison can reveal some very useful
that has forced the company to islation was cited in this decree. At of law in Zimbabwe and companies made “significant borrowings” from lessons to the authorities. Among
take such drastic action, this type the very least, President Mnangag- were confident that they could find banks which is ridiculous because inmates, cigarettes are an important
of news is not encouraging to pro- wa could have used the Presidential refuge in the courts and the law, there is no law that prohibits “sig- form of currency. It does not matter
spective investors. The ban on bank Powers (Temporary Measures) Act, they would probably challenge il- nificant borrowing”. This is a clum- whether the inmate is a smoker or
lending therefore could have wider which permits the President to issue legalities as other companies do in sy attempt by a regulator to create not, or whether they are religious or
ramifications on the country’s repu- regulations temporarily. other jurisdictions. This certainly an innuendo that those who are not, everyone uses the cigarette as a
tation as an investment destination. used to be the norm in the past. borrowing significantly are the ones medium of exchange.
Rise of "chimbadzo" This is a controversial law that is who are causing currency problems.
One inevitable consequence of the arguably unconstitutional, but at For example, Econet, now an If it had proof and if offences were If you have cigarettes, you can
ban on bank lending is the prolif- least it exists in the statute books international phenomenon, would committed the regulator would not trade them for other goods or ser-
eration of a black market in credit. and is available to be used until it never have been established had hesitate to act. vices. Prisoners accept them as a
Banks and other credit institutions is repealed or struck down by the it not successfully challenged the currency because they know that
are licensed to provide lending courts. However, it is a sign of a state-run monopoly, the Posts and In trying to explain the ban on other prisoners also accept them.
which makes it a regulated business. sheer disregard for the rule of law Telecommunications Corporation bank lending, Governor Mangun-
Regulation means the regulator can that President Mnangagwa and his in the late 1990s. It got its first dya gave an illogical metaphor of Yet interestingly, there is no cen-
keep an eye on the licensed credit advisers could not even be bothered license through a Supreme Court closing the tap when a tank is over- tral authority telling them that this
market, ensuring that there is com- to resort to it and decided instead to decision and the government duly flowing. He said the ban on lend- is the only acceptable currency. In-
pliance with rules of fair play. This issue a blunt and illegal instrument. complied. But that was in another ing was a temporary measure to deed, there may be other items that
is important for the protection of This is a country in which a Presi- era when there was a semblance of shut the tap because the tank was are used concurrently as currency,
consumers. However, this does not dent has no regard for legality that the rule of law in Zimbabwe. By overflowing. But as water engineers such as soap or food. One might
mean there is no unregulated credit important economic measures with contrast, it is doubtful that Econet would explain, the tank does not therefore say there is a multi-curren-
business that goes on in the econo- serious consequences are issued un- would achieve the same success in overflow unless there is a problem cy system in the prison community
my. Loan sharks – individuals and der a blatantly illegal process.   current times with the way the judi- in the system. Shutting down the in which the cigarette just happens
companies that offer short-term Why there is no legal challenge cial institution has become compro- tap does not solve the problem be- to be the most universally accepted
and punitively high-interest loans from the affected banks mised and politicised. cause when it is opened again, the and dominant currency. Since there
have existed from time immemori- Curiously, despite the economic problem will recur. is no central authority dishing out
al. The common name of this type imprudence and illegalities of the Those that dare to challenge the cigarettes, the currency is subject
of punitive loan is “chimbadzo”. presidential decree, there was a regulatory authorities invite vin- In short, the authorities are not to market forces: much depends on
muted response from the banking dictive attacks. In an authoritarian solving the source of the problem, who can access cigarettes from out-
The methods used in the "chim- industry. There was virtual silence environment, the attacks come in which is the rigged forex auction side and who wants them inside.
badzo" business are harsh and often from the Bankers' Association of various ways with tax, policing, and system. It is that which is so at odds
brutal, especially in the collection Zimbabwe, the body that represents licensing authorities being weap- with market realities that there is The currency works because ev-
of payments. The exceedingly high regulated banks in the country. Its onised against individuals and com- a huge arbitrage opportunity from erybody trusts it, something that
rates of interest mean that individ- mute response was a total contrast panies that challenge the regime.    the start, which politically exposed the Zimbabwe Dollar has failed to
uals are often caught up in a nev- to its excitement when the govern- persons (business and political achieve since its re-introduction.
er-ending debt cycle. Once in debt, ment introduced the foreign cur- As a result, facing vulnerabilities, elites) have exploited.
it’s hard to get out and debtors live rency auction system in 2020. very few individuals or companies In a nutshell, it is arguable that
at the mercy of their creditors. This have the guts to challenge illegal- They were warned when the auc- the community of inmates at Chi-
is part of the dark economy that Ironically, it is that foreign cur- ities even if they are obvious. The tion system started but they paid no kurubi Maximum Security Prison
operates alongside the formal econ- rency auction system that has Confederation of Zimbabwe Indus- attention. To use a dramatic African has a currency system that is more
omy. However, the need for "chim- proved disastrous, leading to a free- tries (CZI) another industry associ- metaphor, the RBZ governor John stable and predictable than the sys-
badzo" services is limited by the fall in the Zimbabwe Dollar and the ation that issued a biting critique of Mangudya, Finance minister Mthu- tem being run by the trio of Ma-
availability of credit through formal government’s knee-jerk reaction to the government’s economic policies li Ncube, and President Mnangag- ngundya, Ncube, and Mnangagwa
and regulated institutions. Peo- banning bank lending. a few weeks ago ended up making wa are trying to solve the problem for the rest of Zimbabwe. They
ple are less likely to resort to loan a U-turn and disowning its earlier of diarrhoea by stitching the anus. might benefit from a crash course
sharks if they have access to credit Only one bank, BancABC issued statement. This will not solve the problem with inmates.
in the formal markets. It is usually a critique that, although directed which lies in the cause of the diar-
at its clients, found its way into Very few owners of capital are rhoea.    *About the writer: Dr Alex
the public domain. The statement willing to challenge the establish- A currency no one trusts Magaisa is a law lecturer at Kent
was sober and critical of the mea- ment. As one banker said in a pri- At the core of our national problem University in the United Kingdom
sures introduced by the decree. It vate interview, their overseas bosses and former adviser to Zimba-
highlighted the existential threat would chide local managers if they bwe's late prime minister Morgan
that it posed to the banking sector tried to challenge the illegal and Tsvangirai.
economically irrational govern-

NewsHawks Reframing Issues Page 41

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Zim’s energy solutions within reach (Part 2)

as in loans repaid through the end
user’s power bill.

JABULANI J. all these problems. Every house idences and the grid at large. Coal mine. File picture Many paths to the future
MHLANGA has a rooftop which is exposed Grid-connected home-based so- We have a long way to go before
to the sky, and we can "deputise" lar with battery back-up provides ever plunge large swaths of the Zimbabwe is completely energy
IN the previous article, we exam- these as a standalone micro pow- individual Zimbabwean families country into darkness, as has hap- independent. The solutions pre-
ined the effects of Zimbabwe's er plant. The major advantage of and businesses with their first real pened before. sented here are but a few of those
power challenges and presented a this is that we already have con- taste of energy independence. we have available to us. Another
tantalising solution in the form of nected every urban home to the For the sake of our environment source of renewable energy that
solar power. In this article, we will national grid. We can exploit this Nature decentralises systems and our nation’s development, we we have in ample supply is wind,
discuss potential strategies for ex- connection to feed power into the such as these, eliminating the need to deploy massive amounts particularly in the Eastern High-
pediting the deployment of solar grid when there is a surplus of problems caused by power cen- of renewable energy as quickly as lands. Large-scale wind power
power to ease our energy woes as production from the solar panels tralisation. possible. Home-based solar mi- projects can partner small wind
quickly and efficiently as possible. while drawing from it when there cro power plants can help achieve turbines on homes and farms all
is a deficit. The government has The distribution of photovolta- this goal. It is far quicker to have intelligently connected to the
Currently, when we think of already put in place regulations ic panels over a larger area rather a wide variety of installers putting grid.
electricity generation, we think allowing for such “net meter- than being concentrated in one lo- up thousands of these systems
of large centralised plants feeding ing”, and recently increased the cation reduces the impact of cloud than it is to have a few large-scale We can also solve some of the
power transmitted over long dis- cap that households can feed into cover. We can also partner these projects, which notoriously take reliability problems faced by wind
tances to reach the end user. With the grid from 100 kilowatts to 5 systems with artificial intelligence a long time and can be subject to and solar by exploiting areas with
solar energy, this typically means megawatts. and data-driven micro-grids, al- cost and deadline overruns. hilly terrain to build pumped hy-
taking over large swaths of land lowing neighbourhoods to share dropower facilities. These act as
to create “farms” of photovoltaic On-site batteries serve as a power and storage, as well as bar- With homeowners footing part giant batteries by pumping water
panels. These come with their is- back-up for the individual res- gain with the national authority. of the bill, this can also ease the from a lower reservoir to a higher
sues, such as deforestation to clear No single point of failure would initial cost burden for the govern- one using surplus electricity when
land, displacing wildlife and peo- ment. We can distribute addition- renewables are at their most pro-
ple, and possibly using up arable al funding as tax rebates, as well ductive, then running the water
agricultural land. back down through a turbine to
generate electricity when the sun
These solar farms may also be far is down or wind speeds are low.
from human settlement, requiring
further investment in power lines. More than anything, we need
They also share a problem with the knowledge, talent, industri-
the centralised energy we already ousness and ingenuity that Zim-
use, with a few points of failure babweans have shown time and
having massive consequences. The time again to make these dreams
failure of a single power line or a reality.
transformer, for example, could
take an entire solar farm offline, With the Zimbabwean gov-
depriving thousands of house- ernment, companies of all sizes,
holds of electricity. homeowners and other average
citizens working on large and
In addition, the sun is not al- small-scale renewable energy proj-
ways available 24 hours a day. ects, Zimbabwe has a bright fu-
Generating solar energy is only ture in the 21st century.
viable during daytime, as well as
when the sky is free of dense cloud *About the writer: Jabulani
cover. This makes it necessary to Mhlanga is a Zimbabwean
build large power reserves, such as physicist based in India. He is a
battery banks and pumped hydro. sustainable energy activist with
Every home a power station an interest in the rolling out of
Fortunately, we have a solution to solar energy projects as a long-
term solution to power outages
and inefficient power generation
methods.

Page 42 Reframing Issues NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Dar es Salaam’s bus rapid transit:
Why it’s been a long, bumpy ride

MALVE JACOBSEN

INFRASTRUCTURE projects are
often subject to political aspirations.
But when they are not realised as
promised or their costs multiply over
the years, the projects turn into pub-
lic controversies.

After a while, the aspirations,
promises and controversies settle as
the infrastructure system becomes
an  integral  part of the environment
and society.

Dar es Salaam Bus Rapid Transit
is such a project. It was planned to
improve urban transport by gradual-
ly replacing minibuses in Tanzania’s
largest city.

Various challenges, like unclear
construction plans, residents’ protests
and unexpected costs, led to several
years of delay in constructing and
implementing the transport system.
Planning started in the early 2000s
and it began to operate in 2016.

One out of six construction phases
is complete, offering more than 300
000 trips daily.

The second phase is under con-
struction and funding has been se-
cured for its third to fifth phases.
Phase six is still under discussion.

My  research  shows how the Dar
es Salaam Bus Rapid Transit is both
political and deeply embedded into
global and local social structures. It
also looks at what these entangle-
ments mean for the implementation
of a bus rapid transit model in a spe-
cific context.

Despite concrete plans and bind-
ing contracts that framed the infra-
structural project over decades, local
social and political conditions still
shape its development.

Pioneer project Dar’s rapid bus transit system is expected to be faster to build and cheaper to operate than railways. Said Khalfan/AFP via Getty Images
This transport project has played a
central role in Tanzania’s national and transport businesses —  say  that partnerships or the structure and po- industry. bought more than 200 buses. The
politics. The government set a strong these bus systems make for high-qual- litical power of the minibus industry In addition, the largest bus com- investments made it appear irreplace-
focus on infrastructural development, ity transport available to the people. differ from city to city, between and able.
and the project served as a pioneer of They have become a trend in cities within continents. pany — the state-controlled Shirika
urban transport innovations and large of the global South for the last two Plans and reality la Usafiri Dar es Salaam (UDA) — To ensure that the only available
infrastructure systems. It was mainly decades. The Transmilenio system of Since it began, Dar es Salaam’s proj- has been vying for a monopoly. The option for rapid transit operations
promoted by the late President John Bogotá was used as a model of the ect has been under pressure to suc- bus company tried to frustrate the did not become insolvent, the UDA
Magufuli while he served as minister concept that has been spreading to ceed and act as a model. Its promoters contract between the Tanzanian gov- Rapid Transit was allowed to earn
for works. the African continent. tend to  portray  it as the way it was ernment and the World Bank, which revenue from its buses and fare col-
planned rather than how it actually financed the first phase of the project. lection system.
Dar es Salaam  experiences  heavy In 2003, international consultants operates. Under the agreement, the system was
congestion. Minibuses, called “da- picked Dar es Salaam’s system as the to run through a public-private part- UDA Rapid Transit continues
ladala”, are the main mode of urban best practice model for urban Africa. On the ground, the system is grap- nership consortium, which would to be the single operator of the Dar
transport. They are reliable and ef- Cities like Addis Ababa, Kampala and pling with overcrowded buses, lack of consist of Tanzanians and interna- es Salaam Rapid Transit System.
ficient, but they cannot handle the Nairobi are following suit, trying the operational schedules and long delays tional operators. Whether other operators might come
city’s rapid population growth. This is Dar es Salaam model. Professional in constructing and operating bus on board in future phases is still un-
mainly because they do not have their and personal networks around former corridors and stations. The delays and The bus company used three tac- certain.
own physical infrastructure like the Bogotá mayor Enrique Penalosa and changes of plans point to controver- tics to render the international part-
rail and bus rapid transit systems do. the New York-headquartered  Insti- sies and power struggles. nership impossible: Social practice, personal relations
tute for Transportation and Develop- and political negotiations direct the
A bus rapid transit system has des- ment Policy have made the Tanzanian Controversies are nothing unusu- • It merged with the Dar es Salaam system’s development. Infrastructure
ignated lanes and high-capacity buses metropolis the point of reference for al in large-scale planning processes. Commuter Bus Owners Association projects are political, controversial
that call at stations every few minutes. African technocrats instead of South They often have productive moments to form a new company: UDA Rapid and permanently under transforma-
It also  features  off-board fare collec- African cities, which implemented as they reveal uncertainties and en- Transit. tion. They tell us about global mod-
tion, enclosed stations and access for the Transmilenio bus rapid transit able renegotiation. els, national development agendas
pedestrians and cycles. Compared to model earlier. • It lobbied politicians to support and sociopolitical negotiations on the
rail-based systems, the rapid bus tran- In contrast to the strong political its joint venture as the interim oper- ground.
sit is expected to be faster and cheap- But there is no guarantee that Afri- will at international and national lev- ator of the rapid transit system pend-
er in terms of planning, construction can cities will learn better from Dar es els, not all Tanzanian politicians are ing the international public private — The Conversation.
and operation. Salaam than they would from a Latin in favour of the project. Some would partnership procurement.
American or Asian city. Contexts like have preferred a rail-based solution *About the writer: Malve Jacob-
Policymakers — international the attitude towards public-private while others are part of the minibus • It made huge investments that sen is a post-doctoral researcher at
NGOs, development corporations were inconsistent with its status as an Johannes Gutenberg University of
and consultancies, local governments Mainz in Germany.
• interim operator. It installed an
automated fare collection system and

NewsHawks Reframing Issues Page 43

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Roads, railways and bridges: The
changing face of East Africa cities

IN East Africa’s major cities, the In Nairobi, East Africa’s business and financial hub, a tolled 27km expressway has been launched, giving hope
skyline is changing. From the age- to commuters who have had to endure three-hour drives on the stretch, instead of just 15 minutes.
ing buildings, potholed roads and
chaotic transport systems, a new Key developments in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in recent years include flyovers and bridges
order is emerging. New skyscrapers
have sprouted and big-ticket trans- linking downtown to upmarket suburbs such as Kigamboni, Oysterbay and Masaki.
port infrastructure networks are in
the works. In Uganda, the government is executing a 10-year infrastructure development plan that seeks to reduce traffic
congestion and improve its flow through the Kampala Metropolitan Area with several new roads.
In Nairobi, East Africa’s business
and financial hub, a tolled 27km ex- Nairobi Expressway along Waiyaki way, Westlands in Kenya.
pressway has been launched, giving
hope to commuters who have had Uhuru Highway and Waiyaki Way, graded and constructed. termini, Bunyala/Workshop termi- from Mombasa to Uganda, Rwan-
to endure three-hour drives on the as it boasts interchanges, exits and The government also embarked nus, Desai and Park Road and Fig da, South Sudan, Burundi, Soma-
stretch, instead of just 15 minutes. entry routes that will act as toll Tree terminus. The latter three and lia, northern Tanzania, and eastern
ramps. on major renovations of the Nairo- Green Park are complete, awaiting Democratic Republic of Congo,
The Nairobi Expressway from bi Commuter Rail Service (NCRS), commissioning. Kenya has invested US$380 mil-
Mlolongo in Machakos County The expressway is expected to which is part of Nairobi Metropoli- lion in the standard gauge railway
through the Jomo Kenyatta Inter- serve at least 25 000 vehicles per tan Transport Master Plan aimed at “We intend to remove all mata- to evacuate cargo to the Nairobi
national Airport to the city’s West- day. integrating rail transport with other tus and boda-bodas from the city Inland Container Depot and Nai-
lands suburb comes with the prom- modes of transport like road and air. centre,” said Lt-Gen Badi. “We will vasha container depot. To connect
ise of easing congestion on the city Then there is the BRT project The project has seen the modernisa- build six termini where all mata- to the Malaba border, the metre
roads. It is estimated that commut- that is expected to offer a reliable, tion and expansion of underutilised tus and boda-bodas will terminate gauge railway from Naivasha is be-
ers in Nairobi lose at least US$155 secure and comfortable system for railway infrastructure. There are 26 without entering into the city cen- ing linked to the SGR, then to facil-
million annually in traffic jams. city residents. new modern passenger-handling tre.” itate trucking, the government has
stations in Syokimau, Makadara, invested more in roads and bridges
“The highway will reduce the In 2020, Stecol Corporation Imara Daima, Ruiru, JKIA, Kikuyu The NMS has also been roll- to open up the port city. The proj-
rampant traffic jams that are often signed a memorandum to build the and Embakasi Village in the city’s ing out non-motorised transport ects include the 28km Dongo Kun-
witnessed on our roads,” said Presi- BRT system working with Nairobi outskirts. (NMT) corridors to provide safe du highway connecting Miritini
dent Uhuru Kenyatta last weekend. Metropolitan Area Transport Au- walkways and cycling lanes, to re- and Kwale County, and two bridges
thority (Namata). As part of the project, the Nairo- duce private cars in the CBD. The costing US$28 million.
This is one of the retiring presi- bi Central Station in the city centre on-street parking slots that dotted
dent’s pet infrastructure projects The system comprises a right-of- has undergone a facelift with desig- the streets were replaced with ca- In the South Coast, a number of
and part of his legacy. way lane, coloured pavement, dedi- nated boarding points. bro walkways and cycling lanes. The projects are playing a major role in
cated BRT lane and flyovers as well US$12 million NMT corridors are boosting tourism. One is Liwatoni
But it does not come cheap. Users as 13 intermediate stations. It will The Nairobi Metropolitan Ser- also being expanded to city estates.  footbridge, which has improved fer-
are paying tolls as high as US$15.65 have five lanes, which are in differ- vices, which was created by the ry operations, motivating tour op-
and as low as US$1.04. Its construc- ent phases of development. Uhuru Kenyatta administration and And in Mombasa, Kenya’s sec- erators to resume their visits to the
tion cost US$764 million, accord- put under a military general, Mo- ond-largest city and the gateway to South Coast. The US$16.3 million
ing to the Kenya National High- To complement the BRT sys- hamed Badi, has been instrumental East and Central Africa, the govern- footbridge has reduced congestion
ways Authority. tem, Transport and Infrastructure in changing the face of the city. In ment has prioritised the Mombasa and eased human and vehicular
Cabinet Secretary James Macharia September 2020, the NMS began Port Development Project allocat- movement across the Likoni chan-
The expressway, with 18.2km on gazetted a commuter rail network. relocating public service vehicles ing $69 million this financial year. nel, which serves about 350 000
the ground and 8.9km elevated, is a The BRT and commuter rail will be and boda-boda cyclists out of the The project features a Freeport and passengers and 7 000 vehicles daily.
Class A four-lane dual carriageway integrated. city centre to seven new out-of-city Special Economic Zone, a second
with a design speed of 80km per centre termini. They include US$2.1 container terminal, roads and up- The Liwatoni bridge opens daily
hour. It was constructed and fund- Operations have started in Em- million Green Park terminus, the graded rail. for pedestrians at 6am and closes
ed by the China Communications bakasi, Pipeline and Donholm Muthurwa and Globe Roundabout
Construction Company. It has 11 railway in the city’s eastlands. The To ensure free movement of cargo
interchanges at Mlolongo, Standard three railway stations are among the
Gauge Railway, JKIA, Eastern By- 10 stations Kenya Railways has up-
pass, Southern Bypass, Capital Cen-
tre, Haile Selassie Avenue, Museum
Hill, Westlands and James Gichuru
Road.

To use the road, motorists are
registering to access the Manual
Toll Card (MTC) and Electronic
Toll Card (ETC). One can also pay
in cash.

The government says the proj-
ect is expected to improve Kenya’s
competitiveness in the region and
entrench Nairobi’s position as a
business hub.

The other major projects that are
changing the skyline and face of the
capital include the Green Park Ter-
minal, part of seven out-of-city-cen-
tre termini under construction, bus
rapid transport (BRT) corridors,
non-motorised transport and light
commuter rail.

The construction of the express-
way began mid-2020 as a part-
nership between the government
through the Kenya National High-
ways Authority (KeNHA) and Chi-
na Roads and Bridge Corporation
(CRBC).

Touted as a game-changer in re-
ducing traffic congestion, the proj-
ect is expected to free up one of
the city’s main arteries, the A8 road
median including Mombasa Road,

Page 44 Reframing Issues NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

at 8am, after which residents are istration. It was completed after his its commercial and residential proj- Ssempebwa said the choice of ex- will operate the Nairobi Expressway
allowed to use the ferry. It opens death in March 2021 and launched ects in Dar, which had stalled: The pressways is because of their proven for 27 years to recoup its invest-
again between 4pm and 8pm, when by his successor Samia Suluhu Has- Morocco Square, described as "the efficiency.   ment through toll fees, with 27 toll
a majority of people leave work. san in February this year. largest project in East Africa under booths. With the government seek-
one foundation, integrating premi- The government is expected to ing to raise the national debt, this
Prominent hotelier Mohammed Magufuli’s 'Bulldozer' nickname um offices, retail mall, apartments roll out an expressway development is likely to be painful to taxpayers.
Hersi said the bridge is important was derived from his aggressive fo- and a hotel," and the Kawe 711 programme, which will focus on Kenyan MPs have been pushing for
for tourism, adding that the Don- cus on infrastructural evolution, Complex, another premium centre. other parts of the country with high a law change to increase the state’s
go Kundu project will open up the and he oversaw the shift of Dar's traffic, such as Malaba and Mbarara, borrowing limit to US$115.04 bil-
South Coast, one of the region’s upcountry bus terminus to a new Amid the city's growing splen- Ssempebwa said. lion from US$79.64 billion, even as
tourist hubs. site outside the CBD to ease traffic dour, over two-thirds of Dar’s pop- public debt hit US$70.97 billion in
jams. ulation still live in unplanned set- Uganda started collecting toll on December 2021.
“Dongo Kundu will connect tlements. The Dar es Salaam Master its roads this year, starting with the
Mombasa and Kwale and its loca- The Dar es Salaam Bus Rapid Plan outlines the creation of at least Kampala-Entebbe Expressway, a In Tanzania, national debt has
tion is strategic since it is located Transit (BRT) began operations in five satellite cities to decongest the quicker way to the country’s only spiralled recently due to President
next to Moi International Airport,” May 2016. Despite commuter com- capital and bring jobs and services international airport. Samia’s borrowing spree to fund in-
said Mr Hersi. plaints ranging from insufficient closer to the suburbs, reducing the frastructure projects. This has had
The case of Dar es salaam buses to high fares, the BRT has need for commute to the city. How- According to the country’s Minis- some leaders grumbling about a
In Tanzania, the Indian Ocean port done a lot to ease public transport ever, progress remains slow. ter of Works and Transport Gen Ka- possible debt stress. Dodoma’s na-
city of Dar es Salaam remains the hassle in the city and is credited Kampala’s decongestion tumba Wamala, all major express- tional debt amounted to US$37.57
commercial hub and the main focus with the global Sustainable Trans- In Uganda, the government is exe- ways will be tolled.   billion by end of January 2022, an
of urban infrastructural expansion. port Award Dar was awarded in cuting a 10-year infrastructure de- increase of US$133.2 million from
2018. velopment plan that seeks to reduce Before rolling out the road toll- December 2021 and US$6.27 bil-
In the past decade, the sprawl- traffic congestion and improve its ing, UNRA had projected that it lion from the amount recorded in
ing metropolis has registered rapid Only Phase I of the BRT, which flow through the Kampala Metro- would handle about 13,000 vehicles January 2021.
changes to its skyline. City planners cost US$143 million, is complete. politan Area with several new roads. monthly but more than 30,000 ve-
also appear to be struggling to keep It consists of 29 stations on one According to Allan Ssempebwa, hicles use it. External debt accounted for
up with the pace of transformation, main lane out of the city and a sin- Uganda National Roads Authority 75.4% (US$28.17 billion) of the
even with the help of a comprehen- gle branch-off. Government officials (UNRA) spokesperson, the aim is According to UNRA, a week af- national debt stock. Data from the
sive Dar es Salaam Master Plan that say Phase II will begin later this year to reduce the time and cost of travel ter launch, the expressway generat- Bank of Uganda shows that total
was adopted with an initial time- after delays attributed to funding around is the country’s administra- ed over US$70 000, which will be public debt stock as at October 2021
line of 2012-2032 and later reset to hitches, while the original plan to tive and commercial capital. used to maintain the road and repay stood at US$20.72 billion while ex-
2016-2036. introduce four more BRT by 2035 the US$350 million loan from the ternal debt exposure amounted to
also remains on course. Top of the plan is the 108km Exim Bank of China used for its US$12.78 billion in the period.
Key developments in recent years Kampala–Jinja Expressway that is construction. Motorists now pay
include flyovers and bridges linking The ongoing cross-country stan- expected to cost about US$1.4 bil- between US$1.4 and US$5, de- Meanwhile Kenya’s Kisumu City
downtown to upmarket suburbs dard gauge railway (SGR) project lion.  The road, when complete, will pending on the vehicle size. is hosting the 9th edition of the Af-
such as Kigamboni, Oysterbay and also starts from Dar and, although offer a faster travel between Kampa- Rwanda’s infrastructure jugger- ricities Summit in the coming week.
Masaki. The projects were initiated the initial plan to complete it in five la and Jinja, a strategic route on the naut The theme of the Summit is ‘The
by the late John Magufuli to ease phases up to Mwanza and Kigoma Northern Corridor. The other high- In Rwanda, the government last Role of Intermediary Cities of Afri-
traffic congestion. remains unchanged, talks are at an ly anticipated project is the 3.2km week launched phase two of the ca in the implementation of Agenda
advanced stage to add connections Japan-funded Kampala Flyover set Rwanda Urban Development Proj- 2030 of the United Nations and the
The Mfugale Overpass was com- to Rwanda, Burundi and DRC, as to cost US$148 million. The proj- ect, an infrastructure juggernaut African Union Agenda 2063’. The
missioned in 2017 to sort out traffic part of the East African Railway ect involves the construction of a expected to connect Kigali with six event focuses on the fast rate growth
snarl-ups on the main road to and Master Plan. flyover at Clock Tower, widening of other cities and sort out unplanned of urbanisation in Africa and its im-
from the Julius Nyerere Interna- Queens Way, Nsambya and Muk- settlements and flooding. The city plication for public policy in plan-
tional Airport. It was followed in Dar's infrastructural develop- wano roads and improvement of in- targets asphalt roads, pedestrian ning for the use of the urban space
2020 by the bigger and more elab- ment has also triggered a real es- terfacing roads and junctions. walkways, storm water drains; street for humane and sustainable liveli-
orate Kijazi Interchange, which has tate boom. A slew of ambitious lighting and bus stops in the plan hoods with regard to socio-econom-
cleared congestion at Ubungo, the projects, mostly funded by pension It is touted as the solution to the funded by the government, the ic problems that already face small
main entrance and exit point con- fund schemes and the state-owned traffic jam and flooding in the area. World Bank and other development and large urban areas in Africa.
necting the seaside city to the hin- National Housing Corporation as partners at a cost of US$175.45 Kisumu governor Anyang’ Nyong’o
terland.    long-term investments, are also Others are the 23km Buse- million. told The EastAfrican that more than
back on track to fulfil the demand ga-Mpigi road estimated to cost Costs 8 000 delegates are expected to con-
The US$258.3 million Tanzanite for decent and affordable public US$153 million, the 32km Kam- But the expansion has come at a verge on the city from May 17 to
or New Selander Bridge between the housing and office rental space. pala-Bombo road, and the 56km cost to the economies. Moja Ex- May 21.
CBD and the high-end Oysterbay Kampala-Busunju road. pressway, a subsidiary of CRBC,
commercial and residential area was Earlier this month, the NHC se- — The East African.
also built by the Magufuli admin- cured a US$75.3 million loan from
the government to complete two of

Tanzanite bridge in Dar-es-Salam, Tanzania.

NewsHawks Reframing Issues Page 45

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Effect of neoliberal restructuring on
peasant farmers in southern Africa

A seminar by Freedom Mazwi

“THE neoliberal market-driven ap- STIAS Iso Lomso Visiting Scholar Freedom Mazwi during his seminar on 10 May 2022.
proach has yielded little in national
and local economic development and ventures, and prioritisation of medi- dustrialisation leading to mass unem- ily industrialised like Europe and the “Land concentration and alien-
led to decreased food production, um-to large-scale farmers in agrarian ployment and the informalisation of USA so what we do with the land is ation of small-scale farmers has led to
unemployment and increasing starva- structures. Increasing integration into the economy.” important.” a rise in hunger and food insecurity,
tion. The privatisation of the agricul- global capital circuits and markets has Land reform unemployment, social polarisation,
ture sector and its opening to market been problematic for family farmers, Patterns of land grabs and displace- “Land reform is viewed as a pre- new divisions of labour, production
mechanisms has complicated the lives including marginalisation from agrar- ments further increased after the condition of development,” he con- for export, undemocratic practices
of the peasantry — especially women ian economies and a decline in living 2008 economic crisis (and are likely tinued. “But the situation is complex and a lack of autonomy of African
and children — making them subject standards and well-being.” to increase further post-Covid-19) — farmers face the danger of eviction governments. It requires a serious
to volatile markets and fluctuating with calls for land reform inten- because of the state’s need for direct rethink. We need to promote democ-
prices.” Contract farming geared for ex- sifying in some countries. Mazwi investment while at the same time racy in Africa and address the short-
port of raw products predominates pointed out that the response from much of the land remains underuti- comings of the neoliberal project
“Neoliberalism is the antithesis of while the flow of capital into African governments to these demands has lised.” which has essentially been undemo-
democracy. The democratic path is agriculture via land grabs, contract varied from state violence in Malawi cratic.”
questionable. We need to find alter- farming and investments has been and South Africa to the use of state In discussion, he addressed the
native development paths, to rethink erroneously envisaged by African apparatus to silence the dispossessed need to learn from other countries “The life of the peasant farmer is
development politics and econom- states. All resulting in policies that in Mozambique and Uganda which saying: “What has been done to US not something to be romanticised,”
ics,” said Stellenbisch Institute for favour large-scale agriculture with the further raises issues of social justice, farmers should be a warning to Africa” he concluded. “However, the only
Advanced Study (Stas) Iso Lomso development of a trimodal structure equity and democracy. as well as stressing the important role way Africa can industrialise is through
Visiting Scholar Freedom Mazwi of in some countries due to the emer- of co-ops. “There is a need for co-ops. agriculture. We need new measures to
the Sam Moyo African Institute for gence of middle-scale capital farming “Nations that go beyond this and Small-scale farmers have no collective ensure subsistence farming in Africa
Agrarian Studies, Zimbabwe. alongside large-scale plantations and initiate expropriation without com- voice and the state is not protecting survives and to transform the lives of
peasants. pensation become subject to punitive them. We need to look at successful peasant farmers.”
Mazwi was presenting a seminar measures,” he added. co-ops. They can give farmers auton-
on his latest book published this year “Economies were forced to open omy, bargaining power, a voice.” *About the seminar presenter: Dr
by Springer. Mazwi’s focus is on how borders for free trade leading to in- "Zimbabwe has been isolated for Freedom Mazwi is a researcher at
globalisation impacts on peasant/ dustrial collapse, high unemployment two decades.” His Stias project looks at the role of the Sam Moyo African Institute for
small-scale or family farmers analys- and the international movement of China in African agriculture. “China Agrarian Studies in Zimbabwe and
ing especially how the peasantry have capital. Opening borders allowed “Land is key in Africa,” he con- has been in the picture for a number an Iso Lomso Visiting Scholar at the
been impacted by neoliberalism since capital to flow but what was the tinued, “central in the liberation of decades. But it doesn’t matter if Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced
independence. He started from the outcome for Africa?  Rising poverty, struggles. Land reform is essential for the capital is from the East or West – Study (Stias) in South Africa.
perspective of Zimbabwe, then ex- climate and ecological crisis, de-in- survival in Africa. Africa is not heav- capital remains capital, the motive is
panded to include case studies from maximising profits.”
other southern and eastern African
countries — South Africa, Uganda,
Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya,
Mozambique and Eswatini.

He pointed out that in Africa's
immediate post-independence years
(from the 1960s) state-interventionist
policies were implemented in most
nations. However, the policy-making
space changed dramatically in the en-
suing decades due to Structural Ad-
justment Programmes (SAPs) which
effectively placed African states at the
mercy of decisions made by Inter-
national Monetary Fund and World
Bank technocrats and forced agricul-
tural restructuring.

“There was an overall 33% reduc-
tion in grain production in Africa
post SAPs,” said Mazwi.
Significant impact
This shift had significant implications
for agricultural policies and the peas-
antry in southern Africa. Prior to the
rise of neoliberalism, family farmers
received state support and protection
from imports and I a whole other rage
of areas such as agricultural finance,
production and marketing. Neoliber-
al reconfigurations entailed the with-
drawal of the state from financing ag-
riculture through subsidies and state
marketing boards, as well as large-
scale privatisation. This involved
scaling down public spending and
privatisation of land tenure, as well
as the promotion of land investments
and contract farming in an attempt to
attract international capital.

“The region’s agricultural sectors
have become increasingly extrovert-
ed, driven by international capital. In
some countries, this resulted in the
introduction of tax holidays for inter-
national capital, promotion of joint

Page 46 Reframing Issues NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

DANNY BRADLOW/ Debt distress in Africa: Biggest
MAGALIE MASAMBA
problems, and ways forward
THE Covid-19 pandemic has had a
profoundly negative impact on Afri- of the Covid-19 pandemic on the stone of reforming debt management. contracts that are as comprehensive This includes citizens of the debtor
ca’s sovereign debt situation. debt situation but also recognise that Sovereign debtors should follow well as possible. states, multilateral creditors, bilateral
it is only one factor contributing to publicised, predictable and binding creditors, and private creditors such
Currently, 22 countries  are ei- the difficult debt situation in the re- legal procedures in incurring new This means contracts should fair- as bondholders, institutional inves-
ther in debt distress or at high risk of gion. Thus, they also focus on the financial obligations. In addition, ly allocate risks between the parties. tors of various sorts and commercial
debt distress. This means that African broader domestic and international they should disclose the amount and This would include, for example, ac- banks.
governments are struggling to pay the factors that are shaping debt manage- contractual terms of their loans. This commodating who is better able and
debts that they incurred on behalf of ment in the region. should include any arrangements for more willing to accept the risks. In It also requires that all necessary is-
their states. For example, Mozam- enhancing the security of the loan. addition, contracts should provide sues are addressed. These range from
bique and Zimbabwe are already in In an effort to chart a way forward, An example is resource-backed loans. the parties with clear answers to issues financial sustainability to the social,
debt distress. Others at high risk in- the contributing authors addressed In these loans repayment is either that could arise between them. human rights and environmental im-
clude Malawi, Zambia and Comoros. the following four themes: made in natural resources or is guar- pacts of the restructuring.
anteed by the revenues generated by This would require policymak-
This situation is likely to be exacer- • The impact of structural changes the sale of the natural resource. ers providing guidance to their debt The sovereign debtor and its credi-
bated by the war between Russia and in the global economy on the South- managers on the terms and condi- tors must therefore seek to effectively
Ukraine. The conflict is causing com- ern Africa Development Community Sovereign debtors should disclose tions they can accept in contractual engage with each of these actors and
modity prices, particularly food and debt landscape. An example is the in- this information to their creditors, negotiations. with all of these issues.
gasoline, to rise. It is also disrupting creasing importance of finance in the the multilateral financial institutions
the supply chains of critical goods global economy. of which they are member states. Comparability of treatment These recommendations show
like fertilisers. They should also make the informa- during restructuring:  This means that there is a need for more inno-
• The challenges of sovereign debt tion publicly available through na- that, when needed, all creditors vative approaches to sovereign debt.
The ability of countries to man- management and restructuring in the tional platforms. should participate on comparable One possible approach is the DOVE
age their debt is complicated by the region; terms in any sovereign debt restruc- (Debts of VulnerablEconomies)
changing composition of the debt. Good governance:  This involves turing. Southern Africa Development Fund. It will use funds raised from all
They now owe more money to a • The implications of the lack of strengthening national debt manage- Community sovereign debtors can the stakeholders in sovereign debt to
broader range of creditors. transparency on the accumulation ment policies to deal with issues of improve creditor confidence by of- buy the bonds of African debtors in
and use of sovereign debt; governance. fering all creditors comparable treat- distress and commit to only agree to a
In 2020, sub-Saharan Africa had a ment. This would give them comfort debt restructuring that complies with
total external debt stock of US$702.4 • Options for incorporating hu- Transparency on its own won’t that any relief they provided would a set of published principles based on
billion, compared to US$380.9 bil- man rights and social considerations ensure responsible borrowing. Debt benefit the debtor rather than other international standards that support a
lion in 2012. The amount owed to into sovereign debt renegotiations management frameworks and practic- creditors. comprehensive approach to the debt
official creditors, including multilat- and restructuring. es should conform to all the principles restructuring.
eral lenders, governments and gov- of good governance. The list includes This should facilitate the debtor’s
ernment agencies, increased from Contributors make five key recom- transparency, participation, account- efforts to reach agreement with all its — The Conversation.
about US$119 billion to US$258 mendations: ability, reasoned decision-making and creditors.
billion. effective institutional arrangements. *About the writers: Danny Brad-
The first concerns debt transpar- A comprehensive approach: Sov- low is SARCHI professor of interna-
In the past, official creditors of ency:  The recommendation is that Legal predictability: This involves ereign debt is not just a financial is- tional development law and African
African countries were primarily the countries in the region should adopt strengthening contractual provisions sue. It has implications for the social, economic relations at the University
rich Western states and multilateral comprehensive debt data disclosure in debt contracts. political, economic, cultural and en- of Pretoria in South Africa. Magalie
institutions like the World Bank and requirements and state borrowing vironmental situation in the debtor Masamba is a post-doctoral fellow
the International Monetary Fund. procedures that are transparent and Debt is a contractual relationship. country. It requires a comprehensive at the Centre for Human Rights at
This group has now expanded to in- participatory. The aim would be to It is therefore important — for debt- approach to debt restructuring that the University of Pretoria.
clude China, India, Turkey and mul- facilitate holding relevant decision ors and creditors — to enter into incorporates all relevant stakeholders.
tilateral institutions like the African makers accountable.
Export-Import Bank and the New
Development Bank. Debt transparency is the corner-

In addition, the amount of bonds
issued by African states on interna-
tional markets has tripled in the last
10 years. These bonds are held by a
broad range of investors such as in-
surance companies, pension funds,
hedge funds, investment banks and
individuals.

In our  new book  we address the
challenges that these changes have cre-
ated for sovereign debt management
for the 16 countries in the Southern
Africa Development Community.

We hope the book will stimulate
debate among academics, activists,
policymakers and practitioners on
how Southern Africa Development
Community should manage its debt.
Five recommendations emerge from
the contribution. These include the
need for enhanced debt transparency
and an approach to debt manage-
ment that takes into account a host
of factors beyond just finance.

The book contains a series of essays
initially presented in several  virtual
workshops held in 2020. The partic-
ipants sought to understand the debt
challenges facing countries in the
Southern Africa Development Com-
munity. They also offered policy-ori-
ented recommendations for dealing
with them.

The book includes contributions
from a multi-disciplinary group of in-
ternational experts as well as African
researchers. In their contributions
they discuss the complexities of debt
management and restructuring –
generally and in the Southern Africa
Development Community member
states.

They pay attention to the impact

NewsHawks Africa News Page 47

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

Xenophobia does not tell the full
story of migration in South Africa

SHANNON MORREIRA/ TAMUKA CHEKERO

THE dominant story of migration created in the 1960s by the apart- 52 people were interviewed about Both Shona and Tsonga cultures formal business or family relation-
in South Africa is that of xenopho- heid government as the capital of their health-seeking practices. see people as part of a collective. ships. They also walk a line be-
bia. The subject is regularly in the the then  Gazankulu Bantustan, This is also the case more wide- tween  gift and market economies.
news with the focus on both in- to which Tsonga-speaking people During fieldwork we were also ly across southern Africa. Being Unlike dominant xenophobic nar-
cendiary political rhetoric and acts were mainly confined in line with able to see the ways in which a “proper” person in the region, ratives which position African mi-
of  violence against foreign nation- apartheid policies. those migrants who had stayed in then, is to be part of a set of socially grants as damaging to South Afri-
als. the country for up to two years bonded networks. Since the preco- can society, these relationships are
We found that, despite all the ev- were able to transform their rela- lonial era, hushamwari practices of mutual and benefit all parties.
The anti-migrant sentiment idence of xenophobia in the coun- tionships with locals, so that they gift-giving and exchange have been
stems largely from South Afri- try, migrants in many everyday lo- moved from being outsiders to be- used as ways of incorporating new Lessons learnt
ca’s  dire economic situation. Some cal contexts were able to create and ing part of the community. arrivals, such as migrants, into ex- We do not want to dismiss the
people accuse migrants of “taking maintain convivial social relation- isting social networks. realities of xenophobic violence.
jobs from locals” amid increased ships with South Africans. They did this by using local- But we believe that studying the
poverty and  scarcity of resources. ly relevant indigenous practic- Our research showed that Zim- relationships built by migrants in
Migrants are also accused of fuel- Such networks matter, as they es.  Hushamwari  is a Zimbabwe- babwean migrants to Giyani care- these hostile contexts can show us
ling  crime. While the exact num- can be used to avoid both physical an  Shona  word which loosely fully and deliberately drew on how important those networks are
bers of migrants are not known, xenophobic attacks and less obvi- translates as “friendship” but which such locally relevant practices to to peace-building. African ideas of
what is clear is that South Africans ous forms of social exclusion and can also encompass a set of struc- formalise their relationships with making strangers feel at home have
believe  there are many more mi- marginalisation. Even where the tured activities, such as gift-giving, Xitsonga-speaking South Afri- been mobilised to good effect in
grants in the country than there wider community may be hostile that bring the concept of friend- cans. Practices included creat- Giyani. This has implications for
really are. towards foreign nationals, conviv- ship into practical being. ing stokvels (mutual savings clubs) policy and interventions in spaces
ial social networks afford migrants which South Africans were then in- where xenophobia is rife.
Lately, hostility against migrants a level of belonging and protection. The notion of hushamwari aligns vited to join; giving gifts or lending
has been marshalled by  organised The study with the South African  Xitson- money; and attending parties and — The Conversation.
groups, such as  Operation Dudu- Our qualitative study was based on ga  word  kuhanyisana  (loosely traditional ceremonies together.
la and the political party Put South ethnographic fieldwork conducted translated as “to help each other to *About the writers: Shannon
Africa First. in 2017 and 2018. The work was live”). Together, these practices al- Practices like this open up a Morreira is an associate professor
part of a  broader project  on mi- low for structured social cohesion. semi-formal transactional relation- at the University of Cape Town in
These new anti-migrant move- grants’ access to healthcare, and Employing the concept of husham- ship which ties people together in South Africa. Tamuka Chekero is
ments have been decried by South ongoing ethnographic work on wari enables researchers to examine mutually beneficial ways. Husham- a PhD candidate in anthropology
African president Cyril Ramaphosa indigenous knowledge. In total the ways in which people create re- wari  relations straddle the divide at the University of Cape Town.
as “vigilante-type” organisations. ciprocal friendships that are a little between informal friendships, and
“like family”.
Research has consistently shown
that many of the statements  that
fuel xenophobia are false. They fuel
a national narrative of irreconcil-
able difference between South Af-
ricans and Africans from elsewhere
on the continent.

This is simply not true. Peaceful
and mutually beneficial relation-
ships between South Africans and
migrants can and do regularly ex-
ist. Xenophobic rhetoric hides this
reality.

Anti-migrant sentiment has very
real effects. It is estimated that
since 2008, when large-scale xe-
nophobic violence first erupted in
South Africa, more than 60 people
have been killed, and thousands
left homeless by  episodes of xeno-
phobic violence in the country.

But this does not tell the full sto-
ry of immigration in the country.

For our study, we turned the fo-
cus away from spaces of violence
to areas where migrants have been
able to settle and live ordinary lives
among South Africans. The study
was originally examining migrants’
healthcare practices. But in the
process we gained insights into the
ways in which local practices were
being used to make peaceful and
mutually beneficial relationships
between migrants and locals.

Our anthropological study of
migrants in Giyani, a town in the
north-eastern part  of Limpopo
province, examined how Zimba-
bweans who settled in the area de-
veloped their social relationships
within it.

This ethnographic study ex-
plored forms of friendship and
conviviality between Shona mi-
grants from Zimbabwe and Xit-
songa-speaking South Africans liv-
ing in Giyani. The small town was

Page 48 World News NewsHawks

EVAN EASTON-CALABRIA Issue 81, 20 May 2022

LIKE many others, I was surprised and UK’s plan to send asylum seekers
upset to hear about the United King- to Rwanda raises red flags
dom’s new deal to offload its respon-
sibility to tens of thousands of asylum
seekers to Rwanda. The plan is for
Rwanda to process and host such refu-
gees indefinitely.

I have spent 12 years researching and
working with refugees in East Africa,
the Horn, and the Great Lakes region,
with a specific focus on livelihoods and
survival. The experiences of Rwandan
refugees I have interviewed who have
fled the country as well as refugees with-
in the country are often heartbreaking.

The United Nations and many other
institutions and individuals have con-
demned the UK-Rwanda Deal. The
UN called it  a breach  of international
law and Amnesty International labelled
it as “appalling”. Criticism includes that
it derogates from the principle of terri-
torial asylum, namely that people have
the right to access the national asylum
process in the country that they enter.
The first legal action states that both in-
ternational law and the UN 1951 Ref-
ugee Convention have been breached,
along with British data protection law.

Both my research findings and per-
sonal connections with Rwandan refu-
gees make me seriously concerned about
this move. Here I share the biggest red
flags. These include Rwanda’s poor hu-
man rights record; the treatment of ar-
riving asylum-seekers; and the offload-
ing of responsibility for asylum seekers
by the UK onto Rwanda, and other
poor refugee-hosting countries, and to
aid agencies in the region.

Rwanda’s human rights record British Home Secretary Priti Patel (left), and Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta. Photo by Simon Wohlfahrt/AFP via Getty Images
The first red flag is Rwanda’s human
rights record, and thus the environment ly transported to a so-called “regional of asylum seekers onto other countries. More work for aid agencies If asylum seekers leave Rwanda on
that awaits asylum-seekers. processing centre”. These are in Papua This is problematic in part because The fourth red flag is that the UK gov- such routes, it could strain the resources
New Guinea, in the Republic of Nauru ernment’s refusal to take responsibility of UK-funded programmes, such as one
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Nauru) or on Manus Island. Since the Rwanda — like the majority of the for asylum seekers within its own terri- addressing  unsafe migration  through
has claimed that Rwanda is “one of the new policy was implemented in 2013, 4 world’s main refugee-hosting coun- tory puts an increased onus on others. and from Ethiopia. And, if asylum seek-
safest countries in the world”. This la- 183  people have been transferred off- tries — is a low-income country with Ironically, this includes humanitarian ers choose to leave Rwanda and settle in
bel is useful for some actors – like host shore. a poverty rate of  approximately  38%. agencies which are funded by the UK. nearby refugee-hosting countries, the
countries and donors – but not for ref- The UK-Rwanda deal thus reinforces need for donor assistance in those places
ugees themselves. While Rwanda has The UN, and human rights groups the troubling status quo of where refu- The UK will reportedly pay Rwan- will only increase.
widely been presented as peaceful and and organisations have  long de- gees are hosted in the world, with 85% da  £120 million  (about US$148 mil-
stable since the 1990s,  evidence-based nounced  the approach and its inhu- hosted  in developing countries. The lion) for the initial 5-year arrangement, Currently the UK-Rwanda deal is
reports  by institutions, including the mane policies. Upon arrival, asylum UK-Rwanda deal is, according to some, which will include the costs of accom- being challenged — as it should be. It
United Nations and Amnesty Interna- seekers are essentially treated like pris- nothing other than 21st century impe- modation and integration as well as de- undermines every human being’s right
tional, have challenged this narrative. oners, with multiple rights violated, in- rialism. livering asylum operations. to seek asylum, the larger norm of
The UK Government itself has – as re- cluding through arbitrary detention and territorial asylum, and commitments
cently as 2021 – cited ongoing concern denial of medical care. Disturbingly, offloading responsi- However, despite all the costs in get- enshrined in the 1951 Refugee Con-
about the Rwandan Government’s re- bility to other (poorer) countries is in- ting them there and processing them, vention. Problematically, outsourcing
strictions to civil and political rights and Those granted refugee status can ei- creasingly legitimised by other western many asylum seekers may not choose to responsibility means outsourcing un-
media freedom. ther remain in detention, locally inte- countries. stay. This means that humanitarian pro- necessary challenges to asylum seekers
grate on Manus or Nauru with limited grammes funded by the UK and other themselves as well as to Rwanda and the
Like Rwandans, all asylum seekers prospects, or — much more commonly For instance, in 2016 the EU Bloc countries will have much more work to nearby countries which may ultimately
and refugees who become resident in — be resettled in a third country such as made a  landmark deal with Turkey  to do in assisting these people in Rwanda host these refugees.
Rwanda are faced with the suppression the United States. prevent irregular migration from Turkey and elsewhere.
of freedom of speech and right to as- to Greece. Taking this one step further, — The Conversation.
sociate, along with the risk of arbitrary Asylum seekers who arrive in Austra- in November 2021 the Danish govern- There’s evidence of this in the secretive
detention, ill-treatment and torture in lia by boat (or have since 19 July 2013) ment put  forward a bill  to externalise deal that Israel made with Rwanda and *About the writer: Evan Easton-Ca-
government detention facilities. This are permanently banned from settling asylum claims, with asylum seekers to Uganda to send African asylum seekers labria is a senior researcher at the
risk is echoed by Rwandan refugees I in Australia even if they are legally rec- be relocated out of the EU during the to the East African nations between Feinstein International Centre at
have interviewed in Uganda, including ognised as refugees. asylum process. 2014 and 2017. Research  shows  that Tufts University in the United States,
several whose abuse by government au- Offloading responsibility the vast majority of refugees immedi- and research associate at the Refugee
thorities left them disabled. Building on this, the third red flag is that Given these recent precedents, the ately left again. This often happened Studies Centre at the University of
the UK is offloading the responsibility UK’s new scheme is much more of a through dangerous northern migration Oxford in the United Kingdom.
In addition to the risk of human continuation of a worrying trend than routes in an attempt to reach Europe.
rights violations for asylum-seekers an innovation.
within Rwanda, there is a deep worry
that the authoritarian approach of the
Rwandan government is being further
legitimised through this deal.
Treatment of refugees
Relatedly, the second red flag, and my
primary consideration, is how asylum
seekers and refugees will be treated
upon arrival in Rwanda.

This deal builds on the offshoring
approach first pioneered by  Australia.
In an offshoring scenario, asylum seek-
ers arriving in Australia are immediate-

Porsche just got angrier Being a Fashion Model

&Life Style

STYLE TRAVEL BOOKS ARTS MOTORING

Page 49 Issue 81, 20 May 2022

JONATHAN MBIRIYAMVEKA Zim sculpture Benhura and thought it was inspiring and be-
gets lofty US city honour fitting to honour me to inspire gen-
DOMINIC Benhura has long been erations to come. They installed one
an acclaimed sculptor from Zimba- locally and internationally. and Whereas: “The City of Carmel among those sculptors whose works of my sculptures in the city among
bwe, with worldwide recognition Part of the proclamation by Mayor desires a wide variety of art through- are featured in the community helps their local public art display, thereby
coming his way over the years. out the community  to enhance the attract attention to our investment impressing cultural diversity to the
Brainard reads: “Whereas: The City lives and cultural opportunities to its in the arts; Now, therefore, I James city.”
Few accolades, though, eclipse be- of Carmel, Indiana uses art as an eco- citizens, businesses and visitors, and Brainard, Mayor of the City of Car-
ing awarded a “day” by a city in the nomic development tool, and Where- Whereas: The City of Carmel under- mel, Indiana, Do Hereby proclaim Benhura's new sculpture was un-
United States of America. as: The City of Carmel appreciates stands the importance of being able May 14, 2022 as Dominic Benhura veiled by The Carmel Art District
the investment made by the Clay to work with a local gallery, such as Day in the City of Carmel, Indiana and Kuaba Gallery at Main Street
The 14th of May will remain Township Board and Trustee for this Kuaba Gallery, and its owner Jayne and invite all citizens to duly note and Veterans Way, next to the Carm-
etched in the arts sector as a histor- significant piece of art, and Where- During to procure art from outside this occasion.” el Chocolate Café.
ic occasion after James Brainard, the as: This sculpture will be placed in our country to add value and di-
mayor of Indiana city Carmel, pro- the Carmel Arts & Design District, versity to the City’s collection; and In an interview from the US, Ben- According to the Kuaba Gallery
claimed it as Dominic Benhura Day. a revitalised older section of the Whereas: having world-renowned hura said he was happy about the website, Benhura's pieces are said to
city that was underused and is now artists, such as Dominic Benhura, recognition. be, “daring and bold” as he strives to
This follows the installation of a thriving, vibrant area of the city; capture balance and movement phys-
Benhura’s sculpture as part of the “Well, they liked my career story ically and emotionally in his work.
permanent collection to the public “Inspired by nature and his family,
art display, bringing value and cul- the family dynamic is a theme found
tural diversity to the city, labelled most often throughout his work,” a
one of the safest in America. statement reads.

The sculpture was commissioned Also featured on the website are
by the owner of Kuaba Gallery, Jayne works by Nigerian Chika Idu and
During, who for the last 20 years has Brazilian Christine Drummond.
been handling Benhura’s work both

Page 50 Life & Style NewsHawks

Issue 81, 20 May 2022

JONATHAN MBIRIYAMVEKA

FROM the outset, you can see that Precious Chakuma (in all pictures) showing her beauty.
modelling chose her. It was a natu-
ral match between two! Stunning model distribution of lotions and protec-
shoots for the stars tive clothes.
Precious Chakuma oozes con-
fidence and her obvious beauty for promoters, models and agencies Sports Arts, Recreation and Culture Her track record as an advocate “However, I noticed that a wide
makes her stand out in a crowd. to take a leaf and change the face of as well as a gender-based violence for the rights of the disabled is there gap still exists as they remain ex-
modelling.” activist,” she said. for all to see. cluded from mainstream economic
However, nowadays modelling is programmes and perpetuation of
at its lowest and with all the stereo- And already she has a fallback “As a former chairperson for negative attitudes and discrimina-
types surrounding the runway, what plan just in case modelling remains young women and people with dis- tion towards them, which is result-
good can come out of it really? in limbo. She is currently in her fi- abilities at the University of Zimba- ing in poverty and vulnerability,”
nal year at the University of Zim- bwe, I've been an advocate for their she said.
“I decided to pursue modelling babwe, where she is reading for a rights as well as encouraged them
so I can prove to the world that, degree in social work. to report abuses and go after their She described herself as “some-
one is what it takes to become ev- dreams,” she remarked. one who is eager to learn new things
erything they desire and hard work “I'm the former Student Repre- and ready to do them in a different
pays despite where one comes from sentative Chairperson for Young “I've also been live on Classic excellent way and quick to adapt.”
or their physical appearances,” she Women and Persons with Disabil- 263 and ZTV's YGT advocating
told The NewsHawks. ities at the institution as well as the against gender-based violence as But what does she hope to
current vice-chair of the University well as the rights of people with achieve in, say, five years to come?
23-year-old Precious, who is af- of Zimbabwe Community Out- disabilities. And I've also worked
fectionately known on social media reach (UZCO). with organisations that assist peo- “I aspire to be a great model, in-
platforms as simply Barbie263, says ple with albinism in an attempt to fluencer and an advocate for all the
modelling can however be more re- “I also did a separate certificate in remove structural barriers that are vulnerable people in Zimbabwe. I
warding if there is purpose. HIV and Aids programme as well resulting in their social exclusion also want to open my own beauty
as women's empowerment pro- through awareness campaigns and palace and a modelling agency, es-
“At first it was for fun until I re- gramme with the ministry of Youth, pecially for the disadvantaged peo-
alised I could use modelling as an ple, so they get the chance to show-
opportunity to become an influenc- case their talents,” she enthused.
er and a voice of advocacy against
all forms of abuses directed towards And she has a message for those
women and people with disabilities. who are afraid to pursue their
I want to be a motivator to people dreams:
with low self-esteem,” she explained
about her first love. "You're everything it takes to be-
come what you desire to be; hard
Versatile Precious is also an ac- work pays.”
tress, and has been a professional
fashion model for three years now.

“For the past few years until now,
the modelling industry has been
negatively affected to the extent
that models now lack confidence,”
she said.

She explained further: “There is
lack of support and appreciation
of the modelling in the country as
well as financial constraints which
have been hindering the full devel-
opment of the industry. Trending
misconceptions surrounding mod-
elling such as that people who do
modelling are those who failed aca-
demically and people of loose mor-
als as well as low recognition of the
profession have made it difficult for
us to achieve our aspiring model-
ling goals. Therefore, I suggest there
should be empowerment work-
shops carried out to educate both
the models and the society to ap-
preciate the industry as well as en-
courage co-operation with sponsors
so we reach greater heights. I hope