Zimbabwe Vice President Hon. J.T.R. Mujuru presenting a cheque to Never Maroka on achieving Extension Worker of the Year award sponsored by Pannar Seed Company.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
Bindura Bureau
Zimbabwe Herald
Vice President Joice Mujuru says the Government is cognisant of the role of farmers’ unions as advisors on policy issues and vehicles of effective implementation of policies and programmes.
In a speech read on her behalf at a field day on conservation agriculture in Guruve on Wednesday, VP Mujuru said, "Farmers’ unions are important in that they lobby on behalf of their members and provide solutions to issues affecting their members in an organised way."
The Government, she said, acknowledged challenges which farmers were facing.
"Central to these challenges is lack of funding, inadequate supply of production inputs and limited farming infrastructure. Despite all these challenges, Government will always endeavour to support farmers through such schemes as mechanisation and input support schemes," she said.
VP Mujuru said Government was committed to implementing Sadc’s Maputo Declaration and set aside 10 percent of the annual budget to agriculture.
"Government recognises the principle of agriculture-led growth as a main strategy to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of poverty reduction, pursuit of a six percent average annual agricultural sector growth rate at the national level, and exploitation of regional complementarities and co-operation to boost growth.
"As Government, we will do all that we can to support union-initiated projects that enhance food production and therefore, work towards achieving the breadbasket status."
She said agriculture contributed over 40 percent of national exports, 60 percent of raw materials for manufacturing and provided livelihoods to over 70 percent of the population.
Zanu-PF members urged to participate in constitution outreach programmes
Herald Reporter
Zanu-PF members should participate in the forthcoming constitutional outreach programmes to ensure the party’s views and aspirations are captured in the proposed law.
This was said by the party’s secretary for finance, Cde David Karimanzira, at a Harare inter-district meeting at Zanu-PF Headquarters yesterday.
"The constitution is for us all and is about safeguarding the country’s wealth and heritage.
"We should all participate so that our views are captured. Don’t it leave to others to talk on your behalf," he said.
He urged mobilisation of support ahead of probable elections next year.
"We should start mobilising supporters now because elections could be held next year as announced by the President.
"We don’t want a repeat of what happened in 2008," he said.
Zanu-PF chairman for Harare Province Cde Amos Midzi called for unity in the party. "There is only one Zanu-PF and so we should all be united. We should be united and respect party structures. No one should claim to own the party; it is for us all," said Cde Midzi.
He said divisions seen during provincial elections last year had been resolved following meetings convened by political commissar Cde Webster Shamu.
Cdes Midzi and Hubert Nyanhongo were involved in a highly contentious poll.
"We had a meeting with the political commissar, his deputy, myself and Cde Nyanhongo and we agreed that we are one party. We agreed that Cde Nyanhongo will work as a Central Committee member while I will do my work as the provincial chairman," said Cde Midzi.
Meanwhile, the party has embarked on a programme to computerise its membership database.
Zanu-PF deputy secretary for science and technology Cde Patrick Zhuwao is leading the process.
PM wrong on elections: US
By Hebert Zharare
Zimbabwe Herald
NO peacekeeping forces will be deployed in Zimbabwe to monitor elections and MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai was wrong in suggesting such action as the Africa Union and Sadc will not sanction such a move, an American military expert has said.
Addressing journalists at the United States Embassy’s Public Affairs premises in Harare yesterday, the expert — a colonel in the American army — said a peacekeeping force had never been deployed to monitor elections in Southern Africa and Zimbabwe would not break that trend.
Mr Tsvangirai, who is Prime Minister in the inclusive Government, at the weekend told his supporters in Chitungwiza that a Sadc and/or African Union peacekeeping force should regulate Zimbabwe’s next elections.
"The Prime Minister was wrong in suggesting the deployment of a peacekeeping force in Zimbabwe to monitor elections. I think he used wrong terminology," said the official who cannot be named for diplomatic reasons.
"Sadc will not agree on the deployment of such forces here. There has to be consensus . . . there are rules of engagement.
"Inasfar as I understand Sadc, there will be no such agreement. The presidents in Sadc would not like this precedence to happen in the region," he said.
The colonel added that in suggesting the deployment of peacekeeping forces, Mr Tsvangirai had not put into perspective the complexity of such operations.
Such forces, he explained, were deployed in countries at war after the warring parties have peace talks that culminate in cessation of major hostilities.
He said: "The peacekeepers are then deployed in between them (the warring forces) to act as a buffer zone. They do not give instructions, they just report on what is happening."
He gave examples of armed conflicts between Ethiopia and Eritrea, and in Sudan’s Darfur region among other hotspots where deployment of the peacekeeping forces was necessary.
He said it would be difficult to deploy such peacekeeping forces in Zimbabwe.
"If you try to deploy the peacekeeping force, it will not be successful. The rules of engagement do not allow them to fight the two forces.
"They are not there to shoot, they are there to report. So the practicality will be difficult for elections," he said.
Commenting on Zimbabwe’s military, the expert said the Zimbabwe Defence Forces continued to grow professionally.
In the past, MDC-T’s allies have called for military intervention in Zimbabwe.
PM defends indigenisation laws
By Tendai Mugabe
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has defended the indigenisation laws and regulations saying they promote Zimbabwean interests and must not scare away foreign investors.
At a symposium on public-private partnerships yesterday, PM Tsvangirai said the policies would result in greater Zimbabwean participation in the economy.
"I want to assure you that there is no intention on the part of the Government to undermine investment, but to promote broad-based indigenisation and empowerment.
"Sometimes investors get alarmed when a policy is announced without clarification, but I want to assure you that the policy is in the best interests of the people of Zimbabwe.
"The policy intends to enhance local participation and, of course, not the enrichment of a few people," he said.
Key statutory regulations of the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act were gazetted last month and became operational on March 1.
From this date up until May companies worth over US$500 000 should furnish Government with detailed plans on how they will conform with the legal requirement that Zimbabweans own 51 percent of the shareholding.
After that they have five years within which to implement those plans.
There have been attempts in some quarters to demonise the empowerment agenda and several MDC-T figures have come out castigating the law that seeks to ensure Zimbabweans control their own economy.
PM Tsvangirai, however, said Government was discussing how best to implement the law.
"We are negotiating, discussing and not with the intention of getting rid of the Indigenisation Act, but how we can create an environment that allows local participation."
He said the idea was not to criminalise foreign investment.
PM Tsvangirai decried the recent civil servants’ strike saying they must understand that Government had no money.
"We can’t squeeze blood out of a stone and at this stage of the inclusive Government we have started on polarisation and this is not healthy," he said.
PM Tsvangirai said Zimbabwe should invest more in higher education to boost the economy adding private sector participation was crucial.
"Government is not abandoning its mandate of supporting the higher education sector by seeking partnership with the private sector but we are just sharing the responsibility.
"Zimbabwe must continue to invest in human capital. It is that human capital that helps much to develop our economy but the world over it proved that governments could not achieve this alone," he said.
The PM bemoaned the deterioration in standards at State universities. He said Government was supportive of the implementation of public-private partnerships that were properly instituted.
Tertiary and Higher Education Minister Stan Mudenge said the private sector was the largest consumer of university graduates and it should assist in nurturing students.
He said Government would host an Intellectual Expo where they would ask institutions of higher learning to showcase what they are doing.
Minister Mudenge said this would also help the public understand how State institutions were using their money.
Typhoid cases rise to 45
Herald Reporters
Confirmed typhoid cases in Mabvuku have risen to 45 amid unconfirmed reports of another death from the disease in the same suburb.
Last week Harare City Council officials said five people died while 35 others had been treated for typhoid.
However, yesterday city health services director Dr Stanley Mungofa dismissed reports of the deaths.
Regardless, Mabvuku residents said a man from Mhonda Street died after displaying typhoid symptoms yesterday morning.
Dr Mungofa said they were offering free treatment. "Nobody will be denied treatment at the council clinics.
"The number of confirmed cases has risen to 45 and we suspect there could be more as many are still being reported in the community.
"We have started campaigns to raise awareness of the disease among residents in the suburb," he said.
Dr Mungofa said council, Government, the World Health Organisation and Unicef were monitoring the situation.
He appealed to the public to exercise strict hygiene practices and avoid drinking water from unsafe sources.
Nyamaturi Street residents in Mabvuku yesterday said many people had been treated for the disease while others in the area said the outbreak could be linked to an unprotected well there.
Mrs Loice Chimbwanda said: "We only got water two weeks ago after the first cases were reported but we had gone for close to six months without water.
"There was also no refuse collection during that period. We are disheartened that council acts only when there are disease outbreaks before attending to service delivery."
Typhoid fever is transmitted by ingestion of food or water contaminated with an infected person’s waste.
Symptoms usually develop one to three weeks after exposure.
It is characterised by slowly progressing fever reaching about 40 degrees Celsius, profuse sweating and non-bloody diarrhoea.
Untreated typhoid fever manifests itself through headaches, coughing, nose bleeds and abdominal pains.
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