Features

HARARE – The licencing of private newspapers for the first time in seven years has raised hope of media plurality and opening up of democratic space in Zimbabwe but analysts warned that the freedom of press and expression remained under threat from hardliner elements in President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU-PF.

The newly created Zimbabwe Media Commission in May licenced four private dailies, including the banned Daily News, in a sign that the fragile unity government was following through on promises to open up the media to non-state publications.

But analysts cautioned, saying there was still a long way before total freedoms had taken root in the troubled southern African nation.

“Having more newspapers does not equate to freedom of the press or expression,” John Makumbe, a University of Zimbabwe political science lecturer said.

AN auction of Zimbabwean diamonds has created an air of expectation that the country’s economic plight will be eased or even improved, but the stones realised as little as a fifth of their value, and most of the proceeds are expected to benefit controversial mining companies.

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme — an initiative to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the multibillion dollar global market —allowed Zimbabwe to sell diamonds from the Chiadzwa area of Marange in Manicaland Province.

The diamond fields — reputedly the largest find in a century — have been mired in controversy, with constant allegations of human rights abuses since they were discovered in 2006.

Movement for Democratic Change Secretary-General Tendai Biti said Wednesday that three outstanding issues from the political agreement with ZANU-PF two years ago will be implemented within a month. 

The Southern African Development Community and South African President Jacob Zuma are guarantors of the political agreement which brought the unity government to power in February last year. 

The information Biti revealed at a press conference was not made public at this week's SADC summit in Windhoek

SURAT/HARARE - An Indian city and an entire nation is eagerly awaiting Wednesday’s auction of diamonds in Zimbabwe with international diamond regulators arriving in Harare ahead of the first legal sale of controversial diamonds from eastern Zimbabwe.

The auction has raised hopes of a huge inflow of diamonds into the market which the Indian city of Surat, the global headquarters of diamond polishing, is desperately waiting for.

The Indian city is facing diamond supply problems following the De Beers decision last year to reduce production.

As Zimbabwe commemorates Heroes Day, the official remembrance is again dominated by Zanu PF individuals.

Every day we are bombarded with Zanu PF propaganda on the country's only television channel: big breasted, big bottomed women wriggling their bodies, waving their fists and singing endless refrains in praise of Zanu PF.

A microbicide gel was 39% effective in reducing a woman’s risk of being infected. Here's how it could easily save the lives of many South African women. 
 
And who knew a press briefing could be so monumental?

Last week, at the press conference following the successful results of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) microbicide study, I convinced Quarraisha Abdool Karim, lead researcher, to smear a bit of the clear odourless gel onto my palm.

THE Zimbabwe Diaspora Development Interface (ZDDI) is hosting a consultative meeting on Diaspora participation in the Zimbabwe national constitutional reform exercise on Saturday, 7th August at the London Metropolitan University.

The public meeting will provide Zimbabwean community groups and individuals in the UK with an opportunity to map out and discuss the key issues they would like to see included in the draft constitution that will emerge from the current public outreach process being led by the Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (COPAC) in Zimbabwe.

KAMPALA - During the three-day summit of African
Union heads of state, roughly 37,000 children and 2,000 women died across Africa, mostly from preventable causes, says a civil society coalition for child and maternal health.

The coalition welcomed African leaders' pledge to make more resources available.

The 15th summit of the African Union ended with a commitment to pay greater attention to maternal, newborn and child health. Leaders also repeated calls for the arrest warrant against Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir to be stayed and committed more troops to the AU mission in Somalia.

BULAWAYO - (IPS) - A resurgence of interest in dried traditional vegetables has opened up a market opportunity for women entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo.

Urban consumers, who previously shunned dried vegetables as a culinary preference of unsophisticated rural people now view them as an affordable, nutritious convenience food. For some they even evoke nostalgia.

Seeing umfushwa - as the dried vegetables are known in the local SiNdebele - on a supermarket shelf inspired Mavis Svinurai to start processing her own. She now sells dried vegetables across Bulawayo's high-density townships.

LILONGWE - Mable Malinda wants to contest the local government elections but the independent candidate who is using her life savings to fund her campaign only has 500 dollars left in her bank account.

She has already spent three times as much buying
handouts for voters – an unofficial requirement when contesting elections in Malawi.

"This is not going to be enough because the voters want more and more handouts. I am thinking of abandoning the campaign altogether. It is proving to be a very expensive mission.

FOR a few minutes on July 6, 2000, time stood still for many in South Africa, Africa and the African diaspora.

Encouraged by the report of the FIFA Inspection Group that Germany and South Africa were both “very well qualified” to host the tournament, these millions awaited the important decision from Switzerland that South Africa would host the 2006 Soccer World Cup.

This was not to be. Rather than vote for South Africa during the last round, as directed by his region, Charles Dempsey from Oceania decided to abstain and thereby, by that one vote, tilted the balance in favor of Germany.

The European Parliament,
- having regard to its numerous previous resolutions on Zimbabwe, most recently that of 17 December 2008,
– having regard to Council Common Position 2010/92/CFSPof 15 February 2010 renewing until 20 February 2011 the restrictive measures against Zimbabwe imposed under Common Position 2004/161/CFSP, and to Commission Regulation 1226/2008 of 8 December 2008, amending the Common Position,

Mr. Chairman, delegates, distinguished guests:

It is my pleasure to be able to address you here in Israel at this important meeting of the Kimberley Process. At the outset, I would like to thank our Israeli hosts for organizing this event. In particular, I would like to congratulate the new KP Chairman, Mr. Boaz Hirsch.

Yesterday, as a prelude to this Inter-Sessional Meeting, a group of us - including representatives of government, industry and the NGO community - met to consider the manner in which the Kimberley Process should evolve, so that it continues to meet the challenges thrown up at it more than 10 years after the conflict diamond crisis first raised its ugly head. The role that will be played in this regard by the KP Chairman will be critical.

SANCTIONS on Zimbabwe have become more of a helpful tool for Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party than a hindrance.

And if this once-bountiful country is to turn a corner, the West should seriously consider suspending them.

The removal of the Labour Party from power in the United Kingdom last month has opened the best opportunity in a decade to repair Britain’s relationship with Zimbabwe.

But Britain has to act fast.