400 Million credit from Africa

from Reuters

..."COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) has provided a line of credit and so have Botswana and South Africa and that brings the line of credit to $400 million," Biti said.

"Botswana is giving us $70 million and South Africa is giving us $50 million and COMESA is giving us the bulk of the amount."

State media reported on Wednesday that the southern African country had secured $400 million in credit lines to help the local economy recover from years of economic contraction and hyper-inflation.
....

China's Million dollar Africa strategy

From Geostrategy

The billion-dollar China-Africa Development Fund opened its first Africa office in Johannesburg on Monday.

Chinese President Hu Jintao announced the creation of the 5-billion-dollar fund in 2006 to support Chinese investment in Africa, which supplies China with oil and other commodities.

South Africa's leading candidate for president in April elections, Jacob Zuma, attended the opening, together with Chen Yuan, the chairman of the Chinese Development Bank, and other Chinese officials....
Since its establishment in 2007, the fund has facilitated over 20 investments in Africa, amounting to nearly 400 million dollars, the statement added.

World Malaria Day: Ending the scourge

Battling MALARIA:

...

One of the key questions is where to focus first. Some believe it is best to start in the more severely affected countries, while others support initially choosing nations where there is less malaria in order to build momentum.

Brian Greenwood of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, believes it is important to tackle the less threatening enemy first, in countries where there is the least possibility of malaria returning across the borders of neighboring states....

Dr. Donald Hopkins, vice president of health programs at the Carter Center, believes tackling the big enemy first is the best approach.

“I think you are very, very well advised to start in the worst affected areas first or very, very early. Sometimes you see folks want to get rid of the easier areas first to establish momentum but that’s a mistake in my view,” he said...

(but Greenwood continues)He also noted, “You’ve got to start somewhere first.” That has already happened, in both the most severely affected countries, as well as those with lower malaria prevalence. As more insecticide-treated bed nets are distributed, more homes are sprayed and more people are treated for the disease, the momentum has already accelerated

Who should write Zim constitution?

SWRadioAfrica:

But the road to constitutional reform is full of landmines, and more will be planted if threats by the National Constitutional Assembly and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions are to be taken seriously.

Political analysts fear that if the country does not overhaul its constitution to suit its 21st century needs then the next elections in two years time, especially for the Presidency, will still divide the country....

Matombo told journalists in Harare that ZCTU ‘could not trust politicians with the writing of the new constitution,’ and vowed to mobilise workers to reject any proposed new constitution drafted by Parliament in a referendum scheduled for next year.

The Speaker of Parliament Lovemore Moyo has appointed a 25-member committee of legislators drawn from ZANU PF and the two formations of the MDC that will oversee the drafting of the country’s new constitution...

But Moyo reiterated that parliament will drive the writing of the new constitution over the next 18 months

Zi assets face seizure to pay back farmers

from the UKTelegraph

after a six-year legal battle between a group of Dutch farmers and President Robert Mugabe's government.

It finally ruled last week that Mr Mugabe's government had broken a bilateral investment treaty with the Netherlands and awarded the group more than £14 million in compensation.

he ICSID is part of the World Bank and the judgment can be enforced by seizing Zimbabwean state assets - such as Air Zimbabwe's aircraft - in any of its more than 100 member countries, which include both Britain and America. Embassy buildings, though, are excluded from seizure under the Vienna conventions....

Meetings with Obama administration, IMF bear fruit

From the Harare Tribune:

In an address to partcipants to National Endowment for Democracy forum, Biti said that although he didn't expect immediate results in terms of aid money following his meetings with US State Dept, National Security Council and Treasury Dept. officials Monday, in the long run, the meetings would bear fruits for Zimbabwe.

"It was a historic meeting, the first time that the Zimbabwe government has engaged directly with the US goverment," Biti said. "The meeting touched on several issues with the US government raising concerns on farm invasions, political detentetions and other GPA toxic issues like Gono's tenure."

Biti has been in Washington D.C. where, with the help of SADC ministers, he was expected to convince the Obama Administration that now was the time to support the inclusive government with financial aid. The inclusive government has said it requires US$10 billion to recover from decades of economic ruination by ZANU-PF.

No going back on unity deal

from Reuters Africa:



CHINHOYI, Zimbabwe (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said on Saturday there was no going back on the unity government,...

The MDC is still pushing for the finalisation of outstanding issues in the power-sharing pact, including the senior government appointments to positions of central bank governor and attorney-general.

Internet abuse by the diaspora

from the Zimbabwe Mail:

OPINION - There are some Zimbabweans in the Diaspora who are abusing the privilege of having easy and unlimited access to the internet.

The abuse is taking varying forms which include among others; the groundless slander through malicious postings on Zimbabwean news websites/articles, the launching and trading of scathing insults on undeserving Zimbabwean characters, the reproduction of unfounded rumors and also the making of false claims, such as even purporting to be or have been in love with certain personalities, such as female writers, protest singers, politicians, poets....



Attributes that are befitting to describe the perpetrators are; they are not only very shallow minded, but silly and stupid too. Would one be wrong to read through them, some kind of desperation and frustration too? Desperation to thwart the gradual flowing in of freedom in Zimbabwe? Freedom, which knows no gender, race, political affiliation.

When the perpetrators feature as men, to attack a female in her works, one can conclude that they are male chauvinists who are sadly so, still living by the old mentality and thinking that the woman's place is nowhere other than the kitchen, and also in the bathroom corner where she changes the diaper

China signs pact with Zim

from the zim herald

ZIMBABWE and China have signed two deals worth about US$10 million which are expected to boost economic and technical co-operation as President Mugabe hailed the Chinese government for standing by Zimbabwe in difficult times.

Mugabe calls for national healing

from the BBC

President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe called for "national healing" as he appeared at an independence event with his rival, the current prime minister....

Earlier this week the former opposition party, the MDC, whose leader Morgan Tsvangirai is now prime minister, criticised President Mugabe for reportedly taking away MDC control over the state-owned telecommunications companies.

Mr Mugabe has called for all economic sanctions by the European Union and the US be lifted against his country.

The US and EU have insisted that concrete signs of progress in the unity government and around the rule of law are seen first.

However, on Thursday Washington lifted travel warnings on Zimbabwe, issued to Americans in 2002.

Why Africa is losing it's dignity Part one

from Spiegel on Line (Germany)

some excerpts

...The assessment of development of Sub-Saharan Africa is highly ideological. Large parts of the development community take for granted the adage that: "We are exploiting poor Africans, and we deny them all trade opportunities. We must forgive all of their debt, because the loans were forced upon them. A significant increase in financial development aid is needed, because more money means more development."
This is music to the ears of African kleptocrats. ...

The same effect is produced by the many who insist that Africa's prospects for development are being destroyed by unfair international trade relationships. Criticism of these relationships is undoubtedly justified. But why is trade flourishing, under identical conditions, in many developing countries outside Africa? ...

The most successful trading partners among the poorer nations export industrial goods, not agricultural products. China initially brought technically uncomplicated devices onto the world market, but with time its products became increasingly sophisticated. Why doesn't this work in Africa? Has anyone ever seen an iron, a bicycle or a hair clip with "Made in Togo" or "Made in Uganda" printed on it?...

ah, but part of the reason is that it's cheaper to import it from China..

Economic development, in particular, suffers from a lack of thoroughness, planning and reliability, and from the fact that African family clans typically demand a share of the economic success of their more successful members, instead of allowing them to enjoy the fruits of their labor....

Sub-Saharan Africa hardly even manages to take advantage of its wealth of mineral resources to promote the wellbeing of its citizens. On the contrary: They have proven to be a curse for the majority of Africans. The enormous profits are used to pay for wars and fill the bank accounts of the upper class. According to Transparency International, the president of oil-producing country Gabon, Omar Bongo, and members of his family own 39 pieces of real estate in the best of locations in Paris and on the Côte d'Azur....

corruption is Not limited to Africa, of course...

The massive international aid machine, made up of countless agencies and organizations, is too far removed from reality. It rotates on its own axis and circles the African continent like some spaceship filled with industrious and committed experts who are constantly dreaming up strategies, holding conferences, forging consensuses, publishing studies, formulating agendas, running the numbers on their macroeconomic models and generating tons of paper. The question of who actually reads these documents is better left unasked. This spaceship functions so perfectly that it could easily exist without Africa.

If we want Africa to embark on a more effective course of development, it must assume more responsibility. This is the core message of the "Bonn Appeal." We are no longer clueless as we face the problems of development. China pointed the way out of poverty by developing economically on its own strength, not by extending its hand for outside assistance. That would only be acceptable in times of acute need, when humanitarian aid is appropriate....

which is why the greedy Chinese may be better in the long run for Africa than aid

Double Money Scheme?

From the Zimbabwe Mail:

,,,This system of fraud was perfected in the former Zaïre under late dictator, Mobuto Sese Seko, who produced a stash of unrecorded notes for his own use.

The RBZ official said that he and several of his colleagues had recently been questioned over the allegations.
“It is quite possible,” he said. “The team heading the bank had total control of the process, so they would have been able to produce several versions of each Zimbabwe dollar note.”

Separate reports have spoken of truckloads of money being delivered to the army, CIO, youth militia and Zanu (PF) headquarters. There are also well-documented cases of senior party members swapping Zimbabwe dollars for foreign exchange on the black market. ...

No Uhuru Speech for Tsvangirai Uhuru Line-Up

From The Standard via All Africa

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe left out Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai from the Independence celebrations programme....

Chamisa said thousands of MDC-T supporters who thronged the stadium expecting Tsvangirai to address the nation for the first time were taken aback when he was not given the platform.

He said it was an opportunity for Tsvangirai to share his views with the whole world about the country's independence. He said independence celebrations did not belong to one party or one person....

Zim raids local bank accounts

from the NYTimes

Zimbabwe’s central bank raided the private accounts of companies and aid donors for hard currency to finance the government during the economic crisis, according to a central bank statement made available on Monday. The central bank’s governor, Gideon Gono, left, said the bank took foreign currency from private accounts to help make some $2 billion in loans to state-owned companies for power and grain imports. He said the government still had to repay about $1.2 billion to the central bank, which would allow it to repay money it owes private accounts

Morgan Tsvangirai on his wife

from the uKGuardian

In his first interview since the double tragedy, he describes the depths of his grief and pays a touching tribute to his wife of 31 years. "I don't know how to replace her," he says. "It's almost unimaginable that anyone could ever take her place, with the same qualities and the same love and care." The deep voice cracks as he struggles to hold back tears. "Susan and I were married for 31 years. As you can imagine, that made her almost a lifelong companion. She was humble. Not very pretentious at all."..

go to link and read the whole article

Botswana offers credit line to Zim

from TheGlobe and Mail:



Botswana yesterday pledged a $70-million (U.S.) credit line to Zimbabwe to boost the country's ailing economy and support key industries. "All that is left is to tie up the agreement," a Zimbabwean government official said after a meeting between Tendai Biti, that country's finance minister, and Botswana's secretary for economic planning Taufila Nyamadzabo. The money would shore up the steel, leather and manufacturing industries, Mr. Nyamadzabo said.

Bus crash disaster

The Zim Herald via All Africa

Twenty-seven passengers, including the driver and conductor perished on the scene while three were pronounced dead on admission at Chivhu District Hospital on Wednesday afternoon.

Forty-six others were seriously injured when a Harare-bound Mhunga bus burst its front left tyre and plunged into the Munyati River about 20km outside Chivhu, along the Harare-Masvingo Road.

Mbeki recalled to define Mua

from swradioafrica

Our source said the principals have now agreed that it was pointless to meet Friday because of Mugabe’s attitude. So they have agreed to invite former South African President Thabo Mbeki to a meeting on Monday, so that he can interpret the terms of the global agreement regarding Mugabe's powers.

There has been an ongoing wrangle between the rival parties over key issues, such as the appointments of governors, permanent secretaries and ambassadors, plus the land invasions and the freeing of the media.

Zim economy "starting from zero"

from the BBC:

Now that Zimbabwe's coalition government has decreed that it wants normal relations with other nations, and the country has adopted the US dollar and the South African Rand as currency, some people think it is time to pursue a different approach to the country.

the main problem according to the article, is Mugabe: Europe and the US fear if they lift sanctions, Mugabe will simply take over and divert all the money...and companies worry that if they invest, the companies will end up taken over by the government...

Saidi to join the Herald

from the Zim Times

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s longest serving journalist and one of President Robert Mugabe’s most strident critics in the media has been called from retirement for the third time – this time to rescue the President’s most fanatical supporter, The Herald newspaper.

The Zimbabwe Times can reveal that veteran journalist William “Bill” Saidi (77) has been offered the job of deputy editor-in-chief of the flagship of State-run Zimbabwe Newspapers, The Herald.
...

from the Zim Telegraph

Saidi confirmed that he had been "offered the job."

In addition to being one of the nation's most respected journalists, Saidi is an alumnus who through the years has demonstrated a genuine commitment to professional journalism.

His vast experience in the field, and his many contacts nationwide, will be a tremendous asset to the Herald as the new government renews its emphasis on professional news reportage.