Rwanda, AU and UNHCR Sign Agreement to Evacuate Refugees, Asylum-Seekers

10 SEPTEMBER 2019
The New Times (Kigali)

The Government of Rwanda Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the African Union (AU) Commission, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees regarding the evacuation of refugees and asylum-seekers out of Libya.

Rwanda's representative to the African Union, Amb. Hope Tumukunde, signed on behalf of Kigali, while Amira Elfadil Mohammed Elfadil, the Commissioner for Social Affairs at the African Union Commission, and Cosmas Changa, the UNHCR representative to the AU, signed for their respective organisations.

The agreement was signed at the AU Headquarters in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

Under the framework, the "Government of Rwanda will receive and provide protection to refugees and asylum-seekers, as well as others identified as particularly vulnerable and at-risk, who are currently being held in detention centres in Libya," according to a joint statement released after the signing Tuesday morning.

They will be transferred to safety in Rwanda on a voluntary basis, it says.

As part of the tripartite agreement, the statement adds, "the first group of 500 persons in need of international protection will be evacuated."

"The group is principally made up of people originating from the Horn of Africa and includes children and youth at risk."

After their arrival, the parties agreed, the "UNHCR will continue to pursue solutions for the evacuees."

While some may benefit from resettlement to third countries, others will be helped to return to countries where asylum had previously been granted, or to return to their home countries if it is safe to do so, according to the communique.

Some may be given permission to remain in Rwanda subject to agreement by the competent authorities, it adds.

The development follows a commitment by the Government in 2017 to host African refugees trapped in Libya, as European nations stepped up migrant controls.

On arrival, the refugees will be accommodated in Gashora Reception Centre in Bugesera District.

Evacuation flights are expected to begin "in the coming weeks, and will be carried out in cooperation with Rwandan and Libyan authorities".

The African Union, it was agreed, "will provide assistance with evacuations, mobilise resources, and provide strategic political support with training and coordination.

"UNHCR will provide protection services and necessary humanitarian assistance including food, water, accommodation, education and healthcare."

President Paul Kagame made the commitment following damning revelations that tens of thousands of people from across Africa were not only stranded in Libya after their failed bid to reach Europe but many of them were being subjected to slavery.

Reports indicated that the refugees, most of them from West African countries, were openly being sold in modern-day slave markets in Libya.

UNHCR says it has evacuated more than 4,400 persons of concern out of Libya to other countries since 2017, including 2,900 through the Emergency Transit Mechanism in Niger and 425 to European countries through the Emergency Transit Centre in Romania.

The United Nations estimates that 4,700 "persons of concern are held in dire conditions inside detention centres in Libya".

"They urgently need to be moved to safety and to be provided with protection, lifesaving assistance, and durable solutions," the joint statement reads in part.

Thousands of migrants have died over the past few years while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European countries in hope for better lives.

Human rights groups have documented multiple cases of rape, torture and other crimes at the detention facilities in Libya, some of which are run by militia groups.

Rwanda is home to hundreds of thousands of refugees mainly from DR Congo and Burundi.

Read the original article on New Times.

Rwanda Government to Sign Agreement to Host Immigrants From Libya

9 SEPTEMBER 2019
The New Times (Kigali)
By Collins Mwai

Rwanda's intervention came amid harrowing revelations that the migrants, most of them from West Africa, are being sold openly in modern-day slave markets in Libya.

The Rwandan government will Tuesday sign an agreement to host 500 immigrants from Libya.

The deal will be signed in Kigali between the Government, the African Union and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, according to a notice from the Ministry of Emergency Management sent to The New Times on Monday.

This follows a commitment by the government in 2017 to host African immigrants trapped in Libya, as European nations stepped up migrant controls.

President Paul Kagame made the commitment following damning revelations that tens of thousands of people from across Africa were not only stranded in Libya after their failed bid to reach Europe but many of them were being subjected to slavery.

Reports indicated that the migrants, most of them from West African countries, were openly being sold in modern-day slave markets in Libya.

Rwanda is expected to receive the immigrants under an emergency plan it discussed with international humanitarian agencies and other partners.

The immigrants are expected to arrive in the coming days, the ministry said.

The United Nations estimates that almost 5,000 migrants are in detention in Libya, about 70 per cent of whom are refugees and asylum seekers, with most of them having been subjected to different forms of abuse.

This is against the backdrop of accusations levelled against the EU over the plight of migrants.

Thousands of migrants have died over the past few years while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European countries in hope for better lives.

Human rights groups have documented multiple cases of rape, torture and other crimes at the detention facilities in Libya, some of which are run by militia groups.

Rwanda is home to hundreds of thousands of refugees from mainly DR Congo and Burundi.

Read the original article on New Times.

Sh1,000 Note Recall Pressure a Risk for Shilling — Analysts

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9 2019
Kenya Daily Nation
   
CBK governor Patrick Njoroge with the old and new Sh1,000 bank notes. PHOTO | SILA KIPLAGAT | NMG

In Summary
An analysis by Sterling Investment Bank indicates that Kenyans are seeking to hold more of foreign currency.

By GEOFFREY IRUNGU

The risk of the Kenyan shilling depreciating is high in the short-term due to dollar demand as the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) removal of old Sh1,000 currency notes from the circulation draws to a close.

An analysis by Sterling Investment Bank indicates that Kenyans are seeking to hold more of foreign currency.

At the same time there has been an increase in the amount of currency in Kenyan shillings in circulation, which in turn weighs against the value of the unit.

Banks gained Sh25 billion in new deposits after the demonetisation exercise began.

Already the Kenyan shilling has seen its value fall in the past month to exchange at an average of 103.83 units to the US dollar as of last Friday.

On July 15, the local currency was exchangeable with the US currency at an average of 102.95 units before falling to 103 units and touching 104 units at some point.

Forex Cover Decreases by Sh3.5bn, at 9-week Low

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 9 2019
Kenya Daily Nation   

The Central Bank of Kenya. FILE PHOTO | NMG

In Summary
Data from Central Bank of Kenya shows that the reserves fell by $34 million or Sh3.53 billion last week.
This is, however, a smaller decline compared to the previous week’s $134 million (Sh13.9 billion) drop.

By CHARLES MWANIKI

The official forex reserves held at the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) dropped further last week by Sh3.53 billion to Sh957 billion, touching a nine-week low.

Data from Central Bank of Kenya shows that the reserves fell by $34 million or Sh3.53 billion last week, which was, however, a smaller decline compared to the previous week’s $134 million (Sh13.9 billion) drop. CBK noted in the bulletin that the reserves remain sufficient, exceeding both the country’s and EAC minimum threshold of import cover.

“The CBK usable foreign exchange reserves remained adequate at $9.218 billion (5.76 months of import cover) as at September 5. This meets the CBK’s statutory requirement to endeavour to maintain at least four months of import cover and the EAC region’s convergence criteria of 4.5 months of import cover,” said CBK in its latest weekly bulletin.

The cover level is the lowest since July 4, when they stood at $9.02 billion equivalent to 5.74 months of import cover.

The falling reserves have come at a time the dollar demand has gone up, putting pressure on the shilling’s exchange rate that stood at 103.82 at close of trading last week.

Although the CBK can intervene by selling dollars into the market to stave off volatility, regulator does not disclose when it intervenes in the market either by buying or selling dollars, and the amounts involved.

Ministry of Education Cancels Supplier Bond

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 10 2019
Kenya Daily Nation   

Education Principal Secretary Collette Suda. FILE PHOTO |NMG

In Summary
Eight supplies used performance guarantees to secure contracts but failed to deliver or supplied faulty equipment.
The affected suppliers include Madujey Global Services, Beta Trading Company, Rockey Africa, Aerospace Aviation, Evatop Agencies, Sonny Commercial Agencies, Redline Ltd and Sciencescope Limited.

By EDWIN MUTAI

The Ministry of Education has written to M Oriental Bank seeking to revoke performance guarantees that eight firms used to secure multi-billion shillings contracts to supply assorted equipment to public universities.

The Ministry says it has written to the bank to cash the performance bonds in its favour. The eight supplies used the performance guarantees to secure contracts but failed to deliver or supplied faulty equipment.

The ministry entered into Sh2.88 billion contracts with various firms for supply of engineering equipment for selected public universities with funding from the African Development Bank (ADB).

Ministry of Education Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) and Principal Secretary Collette Suda told Parliament the eight suppliers had failed to deliver the equipment four and a half years after they won the tender.

The affected suppliers include Madujey Global Services, Beta Trading Company, Rockey Africa, Aerospace Aviation, Evatop Agencies, Sonny Commercial Agencies, Redline Ltd and Sciencescope Limited.

“I have written to the bank to withdraw the performance bond and the performance agreement. There is no loss to the government because we have the performance guarantee in hand and we have not paid the remaining 20 per cent of the contract. We are going to withdraw performance bonds and thereafter see if we will terminate the contracts,” Ms Suda said.

She said an advisory opinion from the Attorney General advised the ministry to pursue mediation processes with the defaulting contractors.

According to the contracts, the suppliers were to be paid an advance of 20 per cent upon signing of the contracts and submission of a bank guarantee of an equivalent amount.

A further 60 per cent of the contract sum was payable upon shipment of the equipment and submission of shipping documents and a final 20 per cent was payable upon receipt and acceptance of the equipment by the universities.

As at June 2017, the cumulative amount on purchase of goods and services was at Sh2.89 billion, but various omissions were noted on the equipment.

Pope Francis Sends Message to Kenya

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 10 2019
Kenya Daily Nation   

Pope Francis. FILE PHOTO | TIZIANA FABI | AFP

By PSCU

Pope Francis has sent a message of best wishes and blessings to Kenyans and President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The Pope sent the message as he overflew Kenya on his way back to Rome after his three-nation visit of Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius.

In the message delivered by radio and recorded by Kenya's Air Traffic Control (ATC), the bishop of Rome who is also the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church invoked blessings of peace and wellbeing on Kenya.

"President Uhuru Kenyatta, I offer my cordial best wishes to you and the People of Kenya as I return to Rome after my Apostolic visit in Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauritius.

"Upon all of you, I invoke blessings of peace and wellbeing," Pope Francis said.

The Pope arrived in Maputo, Mozambique on 4th September for a five-day apostolic tour of sub-Saharan Africa that saw him spend two days in Madagascar before completing his sojourn in Mauritius.

Pope Francis visited Kenya in November 2015 in his first tour of Africa making him the second pontiff to visit the country after Pope John Paul II, who visited Kenya a record three times.

MPs Mull Steps to Take After Foiled Perks Plan

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 10 2019
Kenya Daily Nation   

The National Assembly during a past session. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary
The MPs now have a daunting task of marshalling at least two-thirds majority or 233 of the 349 members in the National Assembly to overturn the presidential memorandum.

President Kenyatta’s argument is that the review of allowances does not take into account or make reference to the role of SRC.

The clause further sought to provide for the facilitation of activities held outside the precincts of Parliament by members and staff of parliament.

By DAVID MWERE

MPs are mulling steps to take next after President Kenyatta declined to sign the Parliamentary Service Bill, 2019, which sought to enhance their domestic and foreign travel allowances.

In a memorandum of August 16, 2019, sent to the National Assembly yesterday, the President noted that signing the bill passed on July 4 into law, violates the Constitution as the proposal of allowances did not have the input of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).

BENEFITS

SRC chaired by Ms Lyn Mengich is constitutionally mandated to regularly evaluate and review the remuneration and benefits of all State and public officers.

“In view of the foregoing, I recommend that the clause be deleted,” President Kenyatta says in the memo. He now wants the Parliamentary Service Commission to do this with the advice of the salaries commission.

The MPs now have a daunting task of marshalling at least two-thirds majority or 233 of the 349 members in the National Assembly to overturn the presidential memorandum.

If it happens, it will be the first time to marshal the numbers to veto the President’s text in the history of the Kenyan parliament.

Clause 20 (2) of the rejected bill, provided that PSC shall regularly review the domestic and international travel allowances applicable to the members and staff of Parliament.

President Kenyatta’s argument is that the review of allowances does not take into account or make reference to the role of SRC.

The clause further sought to provide for the facilitation of activities held outside the precincts of Parliament by members and staff of parliament.

This would have effectively seen taxpayers pay for the MPs’ caucuses as well as their parliamentary group meetings held outside Parliament.

The President also stopped a proposal that would have given PSC the powers to remunerate parliamentary employees after every three years as contained in clause 43 (1) of the bill, which the President’s memo faults for not taking into account the advisory role of the SRC.

The clause sought to empower PSC to determine the review cycle of remuneration and allowances of its employees.

In rejecting the MPs push for enhanced allowances, the president has in effect politically emboldened the powers of the salaries commission in executing its duties.

The commission has had a fair share of tiffs with MPs and is already in court to challenge the decision of PSC to award the 416 legislators in the National Assembly and Senate, a monthly housing allowance of Sh250,000 before tax.

The allowance was paid to the 416 MPs in lump sum early this year and backdated to October 5, 2018, when the High Court ruled that MPs just like other State Officers are entitled to a housing allowance.

The case was filed by the Deputy Governors, who argued that they are entitled to a House or a housing allowance opening the doors for the MPs to also stake their claim to the allowance.

MPs juts like the president, his deputy, county governors, Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, members of constitutional commissions and independent offices are also state officers.

The commission also slammed brakes on the Sh18,000 night allowance to MPs after the housing allowance was blocked by the courts.

The night out allowance was to cater to the MPs accommodation when attending to parliamentary business in Nairobi away from their constituencies.

EDITORIAL COMMENT: Mugabe’s Hero Declaration a Fitting Honor for Struggle Icon

09 SEP, 2019 - 00:09
Zimbabwe Chronicle

THE declaration of the founding father of Zimbabwe, Cde Robert Mugabe, as a national hero and his expected burial at the National Heroes’ Acre on Sunday is a fitting honour for the late struggle icon, Pan Africanist and elder statesman whose contribution to the independence of the country is unparalleled. 

Cde Mugabe belongs to a rare breed of liberators whose selflessness knew no bounds and who were passionate about the emancipation of the entire African continent. News of his death brought the entire world to a standstill with eulogies and condolences pouring in from around the globe.

Kenya declared three days of national mourning while Heads of State and former presidents took turns to console the people of Zimbabwe on their loss. Indeed a giant has fallen as epitomised by the spontaneous outpouring of grief and the global attention his death received from virtually all international news outlets.

In Cde Mugabe, Zimbabwe has lost a liberator and a father whose love for his people knew no bounds. We thus applaud the decision by the Zanu-PF Politburo to confer him national hero status and in the process ensure that he will be interred alongside his contemporaries at the National Shrine.

While there was talk that because of the circumstances of his resignation from office in November 2017, Cde Mugabe was against being buried at the National Heroes’ Acre, it has since emerged that the former President never said that with his family spokesperson and nephew, Mr Leo Mugabe, clarifying the issue at the weekend. “I saw the WhatsApp message to that effect, but we don’t know where the information originated from. I know there are people who create these stories so that they make comments for themselves, but that is not the official position of the family,” said Mr Mugabe.

Government has also revealed intricate details of the last moments of Cde Mugabe amid reports that the former President planned to return to the country at the end of this month and mutually agreed to meet President Emmerson Mnangagwa upon his homecoming before his untimely death last Friday.

The Director-General in the President’s Office, Mr Isaac Moyo, who was the point man in liaisons between the State and the former First Family, said the former President died around 4AM at Gleneagles Hospital in Singapore despite having briefly shown signs of improvement earlier in the week. The State materially supported Cde Mugabe and his family’s upkeep during the five-month period he spent in hospital prior to his death.

DG Moyo said Cde Mugabe and his family enjoyed cordial relations with the State and had planned to meet President Mnangagwa. “The former President hoped he was going to come back home and that he wished to see the President upon his return. We had told him that the President looked forward to seeing him upon his return and he had also expressed similar sentiments that he would be delighted to meet the President. And at that time, we were told that the last date of his medical engagements was the 17th of October and that soon after he would return home. A week after our return, I then got a call from Mrs Mugabe and she said that the treatment regime that the former President was having would no longer be extended to October, it would end in September instead and because of that, they were now scheduled to come back home at the end of September,” he said.

We are glad that the former President died at peace after resolving his differences with his protégé and confidante, President Mnangagwa. To his credit, the President never uttered a single bad word about his former boss despite open provocation from those around Cde Mugabe. That mutual respect ensured that the door was always open for rapprochement.

We commend the efforts of DG Moyo who worked hard to keep lines of communication open between Cde Mugabe and the Government. We are also delighted that the former President never voted for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change Alliance and its leader Mr Nelson Chamisa in last year’s harmonised elections. That would have been a great betrayal of the party he founded and the values and ethos that he lived by.

Now that everything has been clarified with the stage set for a grand farewell at the National Heroes’ Acre on Sunday, we urge Zimbabweans to come out in their numbers to give our founding father a fitting send off. Political differences should be put aside as the people of this country close ranks to honour a man who sacrificed a large part of his life to liberate them.

We also commiserate with the Mugabe family and urge them to take heart from the fact that their son ran a good race and has bequeathed a rich legacy to this country which will be hard to emulate.

Editorial Comment – African Unity: Lessons from Mugabe

09 SEP, 2019 - 00:09
Zimbabwe Herald

As Africa mourns the death of its iconic Pan Africanist Cde Robert Gabriel Mugabe last week, its new crop of leaders should learn important lessons derived from his thinking.

One of those lessons is Cde Mugabe’s emphasis on African unity, which he viewed as necessary for the development of the continent.

Throughout his life, especially from the early days of his involvement in the liberation struggle, most of Cde Mugabe’s speeches were centred on African unity.

Internally, this quest was manifested in the way he managed to unite Zimbabweans to focus on a common purpose of developing the country.

On numerous occasions, Cde Mugabe would emphasise that Zimbabwe is a huge entity with different players who are making it tick.

His stance was simply that the country is made up of different tribes which have their own cultures, but these make up one entity called Zimbabwe. He would also use the same talk about Africa, emphasising that with so many countries making the continent, it should not be lost to anyone that they make one entity called Africa.

Apart from pushing for African unity, Cde Mugabe would always defend the continent at international gatherings such as the United Nations General Assembly. He would confront the continent’s detractors, telling them openly to leave the continent alone to chart its own developmental path without interference.

It was clear that Cde Mugabe’s desire was to see a totally independent Africa that controls its resources and use them to develop its people.

This is a vital lesson to African leaders who should realise that with neo-colonialism hovering above their heads, they cannot make meaningful progress. To totally defeat imperialism, Cde Mugabe always implored African leaders to be united and speak with one voice against the vice.

In advocating for unity, Cde Mugabe was following the footsteps of African legends like the late Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah.

In fact, he had become a link between his generation of African leaders and that of the likes of Nkurumah.

Apart from speaking about African unity, Cde Mugabe did not hesitate to help fellow Africans in times of need. After independence in 1980, Zimbabwe was actively involved in ensuring that other African countries like South Africa and Namibia were free. He played a big role in ending post-independence conflicts in Mozambique, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Zimbabwe has its armed forces scattered across Africa to help with peace-keeping efforts and avoid recurrence of conflicts. Following Cde Mugabe’s demise, Africa is clearly clamouring for a new crop of leaders who stand for the continent without caring much about the consequences.

Most of the problems that faced Zimbabwe during Cde Mugabe’s time were directly as a result of the respond by Western countries to his stance on African unity.

A united Africa is definitely not in the interest of the imperialists, and this explains why they react ruthlessly to anyone who dare propagated such a stance. We all know that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was eliminated with the aid of Western countries because of his persistent calls for a united Africa.

Analysts have also noted that there was a Western hand in Nkrumah’s death because of his stance on African unity. They failed to eliminate Cde Mugabe for calling for African unity, but they made his country and people suffer through illegal sanctions that retarded economic growth.

Cde Mugabe wanted the plunder of African resources by foreign powers to stop so that the continent can fully benefit. Without unity, Cde Mugabe would always implore the African leaders, the plunder would continue as the foreign powers exploit the weaknesses caused by divisions.

The rousing reactions from African leaders to Cde Mugabe’s death clearly indicate that his principles were at the core of the continent’s survival.  Cde Mugabe’s stance was always in sync with the objectives of the African Union which are:

(a) to achieve greater unity, cohesion and solidarity between African countries.

(b) to defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of its member States.

(c) to accelerate the political and social-economic integration of the continent.

Family Free to Mourn, Says President

09 SEP, 2019 - 00:09
Kudakwashe Mugari
Deputy News Editor
Zimbabwe Herald

President Mnangagwa has expressed surprise that some members of former President Robert Mugabe’s family are not in the country allegedly fearing persecution and were worried about being barred from attending the funeral of the veteran nationalist who passed away on Friday morning, The Herald heard yesterday.

Patrick Zhuwao, Cde Mugabe’s nephew, is reportedly in “exile” fearing for his life.

This emerged at the weekend as the Mugabe family engaged President Mnangagwa on logistics to give the former President his final rest.

The family appointed Mr Leo Mugabe as its sole spokesperson.

Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Mr George Charamba, who is also the Presidential spokesperson,  revealed that on Friday the Mugabe family and Zvimba chieftainship connected with the President through Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi and Phillip Chiyangwa at State House during which meeting  they expressed gratitude for the support which the President, in his personal capacity as well as Government, extended to the former President and his family.

The former Head of State, who died at the age of 95 at a Singaporean hospital, had been unwell for a long time.

The emissaries requested that the President extends the same assistance to the family to get more members of both the Mugabe and Marufu families to travel to Singapore both to share in the grief with the former First Lady and assist with the overall arrangement of the repatriation of the body of the late Cde Mugabe.

Mr Charamba said the family wanted assurance from the President that family members who had either left the country on their own or had gone into self-exile could attend the funeral without any arrest.

In response, President Mnangagwa acceded to all the requests by the family.

Said Mr Charamba: ‘‘The President immediately gave instructions to the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Mr Misheck Sibanda to ensure that the delegation comprising both the Mugabe and Marufu and party officials and Government representatives depart for Singapore today to support the former First Lady and that a chartered plane must be secured to take them to and from Singapore.

‘‘Secondly, President Mnangangwa expressed surprise that there were some members of the Mugabe family who had left the country without any indication that they were facing any charges. In any event, if this had been made clear to the President, the Mugabe family would be protected against undue victimisation.

“In particular the President could not understand why Patrick Zhuwao had left the country except, possibly, in solidarity with his colleagues, one of whom had in fact been in and out of the country,’’ he said, in apparent reference to another “G40” kingpin Saviour Kasukuwere.

Mr Charamba explained that  in respect to travel documents of Mugabe family members who are currently undergoing trail in the courts, the President instructed the Minister of Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi together with the courts to look into the matter, stressing that travel documents were not held by the Government but by the courts.

Mugabe: ED Sends Team to Singapore

09 SEP, 2019 - 00:09
Kudakwashe Mugari
Deputy News Editor
Zimbabwe Herald

President Mnangagwa has assembled a delegation led by Vice President Kembo Mohadi, comprising former President Robert Mugabe’s family, the family of the former First Lady — the Marufus — and Zanu-PF officials to facilitate the repatriation of the national hero’s body from Singapore where he died last Friday.

The President also wrote letters to the former statesman’s confidants,  former Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda and Chinese President Xi Jingpin, officially notifying them of Cde Mugabe’s demise. 

Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, who is also the Presidential spokesperson, Mr George Charamba, said on Friday morning President Mnangagwa and his Government assigned Vice President Mohadi to lead a delegation to Singapore to bring home the remains of the nation’s founding father.

“The President gave instructions to the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda, to ensure that the delegation comprising both the Mugabe and Marufu families; party officials and Government representatives departs for Singapore today to support the former First Lady and that a chartered plane be secured to take them to and from Singapore.

“The delegation comprises of the Mugabe and Marufu family, from the party there is Zanu-PF Secretary for the Women’s League, Cde Mabel Chinomona; and Politburo members Cde Edna Madzongwe, Cde Sydney Sekeramayi and also a representative from the Youth League and the whole delegation is led by Vice President Kembo Mohadi.’’

The delegation leaves today.

Mr Charamba revealed that President Mnangagwa wrote letters to Cde Mugabe’s pals.

‘‘President Mnangagwa wrote to President of the Republic Singapore Her Excellency Halimah Yacob  expressing his gratitude on the role they played in according the former President health care facilities during his time of illness.

“Secondly, (he wrote) to President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping. Mugabe and Xi had been all weather friends with China siding with us against the West who imposed sanctions on us,’’ said Mr Charamba.

“President wrote to the founding president of the Republic of Zambia Kenneth Kaunda informing him of the demise of Mugabe, as you are aware Kaunda was President Mugabe’s best friend. Kenneth Kaunda also worked with Mugabe in the Frontline States,’’ said Mr Charamba.

Chinese President Xi Condoles Zimbabwe

08 SEP, 2019 - 00:09
Sharon Munjenjema
Zimbabwe Sunday Mail

People’s Republic of China President Xi Jinping has described former President Robert Mugabe as an “outstanding statesman” in Zimbabwe and on the continent.

He said this in his condolence message to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the people of Zimbabwe yesterday.

“I wish to express on behalf of the Chinese government and people, as well as in my own name, deepest condolences and sincere sympathies to you, and through you, to the Government and people of Zimbabwe and to the bereaved family.

“Mr Mugabe was an outstanding statesman and leader in the national liberation movement of Zimbabwe and Africa. He visited china many times and made remarkable contribution to the friendship and cooperation between Zimbabwe and china, and between Africa and china. His passing is a great loss for the Zimbabwean people, moreover the Chinese people are also deprived of an old good friend,” said President Xi.

He hailed the long-standing friendship between Harare and Beijing.

“We stand ready to work with the government and the people of Zimbabwe to further expand and deepen cooperation across the board and make ready progress in China-Zimbabwe comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation,” he said.

Cde Mugabe deepened the two countries already blossoming relations through the Look East policy.

Cde Mugabe’s Body Expected Wednesday

08 SEP, 2019 - 00:09
Sunday Mail Reporter

Cde Robert Mugabe’s body is expected home on Wednesday afternoon.

Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, who is also the Presidential spokesperson, Cde George Charamba, said the former President was expected to be buried on Sunday at the National Heroes Acre.

He said contrary to reports in some sections of the media, there was never any differences of opinion between Government and family on where the former President would be buried.

“It is the time line that we are working with, but subject to confirmation with the leadership. The major decisions will be taken tomorrow in the context of the proposed programme,” said Cde Charamba.

The body of the founding President of Zimbabwe is expected to be received at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Mugabe and Marufu family members and chiefs from Zvimba.

Upon its arrival, the body is expected to be taken to Cde Mugabe’s rural home in Zvimba.

While a proper funeral programme is yet to be announced, provisional plans are that the former President’s body would be placed in the giant National Sports Stadium, where mourners from all the country’s provinces would have the opportunity to pay their last respects.

Government’s Chief of Protocol, Mr Munyaradzi Kajese, is today expected to convene a meeting of Government officials that will work out a comprehensive draft programme for the funeral.

A team of Government officials, the Mugabe and Marufu family members and Zanu-PF party representatives is to travel to Singapore today or tomorrow to assist the wife of the former President, Mrs Grace Mugabe, in repatriating the body.

Emerging from a meeting with traditional leaders from the Gushungo clan in Zvimba yesterday, family spokesperson Mr Leo Mugabe told the media that it was befitting to include chiefs in preparations for Cde Mugabe’s burial, since he was a chief in the Gushungo clan.

“Overall, the people who will make decisions will be the Zvimba chiefs who are gathered now (yesterday).”

He denied media reports that the former President had refused to be interred at the National Heroes Acre.

“I saw the WhatsApp message to that effect, but we don’t know where the information originated from. I know there are people who create these stories so that they make comments for themselves, but that is not the official position of the family,” said Mr Mugabe, who is a nephew to the former President.

Legends Don’t Die

08 SEP, 2019 - 00:09
Joseph Nyadzayo
Zimbabwe Sunday Mail

I rushed in first, as if I was one of the invitees or had some important role to play.

Of course, my duty was to do the usual – I was to be the biblical spider on the wall in the King’s Castle. He stood behind his office desk with Father Fidelis Mukonori, the Catholic priest, by his side.

The situation was a bit tense.

My duty on this day was to capture that shot at that moment when the Generals would salute their Commander-in-Chief.

That salute was important. It would tell a story, a story that the Generals remained loyal to their boss till the end. Indeed, in a single file, they came and one after another they gave their salute.

I had to capture it all.

Former President Mugabe then invited everyone to sit down and the meeting started.

The South African Defence Minister had come and was to receive a brief from President Mugabe on the state of affairs, wherein, she would proceed to a Sadc meeting in Angola.

This was the penultimate day I would last see the man after 22 years of serving him.

The last would be after the “Asante Sana” speech. I never knew President Mugabe personally prior to working for him.

I was simply head-hunted for the role. After serving him for 22 years, covering his official assignments and some domestic ones, I began to appreciate the kind of a person he was.

Some of his attributes were difficult to capture through the camera. If I am to talk about his demeanour as a gentleman, I would say he had excellent deportment, very few can match that.

He was always well-dressed. A casual look for him would generally mean a navy blue blazer and a grey trousers on a weekend coming for a party. A matching tie was a given. I never saw him in jeans.

That could be the reason why most people were surprised to see him in an Adidas track suit the other day.

I said to myself, “Hakuna mumwe, ndiChatunga chete who did that. (It could only have been Chatunga)”

At one time, the former President surprised many at the Rainbow Towers hotel, when he took out a small comb to touch-up his hair after poising for a group photo with other leaders. I was amazed at how he could discipline his body.

If he sat for a meeting, he would punish his body and sit there doing his work with very little recess.

But, despite that immaculate look, the former President was a poor subject for photos.

He never seemed to like them much.

He wanted everything to be done like a drill and the photos tended to be stiff and a bit old school, where one would wait for the flash bulb to go off. For him, it seemed that photographs were mostly for the record, not a beauty contest.

However, what I liked most about him was that if you had successfully explained what you wanted to be done, he would follow the instructions.

His favourite question was ‘why?’

When you were done, he would clap his hands and say ‘good show’ as he walked away.

The moments I found him comical was when various ministers and officials were being sworn-in. He would look at how these new ministers wrote their signatures, I guess compared to his. His was a well-crafted cursive, which danced into a waltz to the end.

For the outrageous ones, he would look at them and say ‘he he heee, chirega uwone’.

President Mugabe was truly a man of letters.

He was so well and widely read such that one could hardly talk above his head on most conversations. One day, he was officiating at a Presidential Pass-out Parade of the ZRP at Morris Depot.

As was custom, after lunch, he would come close to the Police Band to listen to their tunes. Invariably, they would play ‘kure kwatinoibva makwiro’.

The late pianist, Promise John, would be leading on the piano. President Mugabe stood by the piano listening.

He asked the player if he knew the word that describes discord in music of the highest order.

The player did not know.

Nobody knew the word and he gave it and walked away.

I cannot remember the word, but I had never come across that word. He said he was a musician in his early years at school and would play the bugle — an instrument with only two notes.

Ndofunga zvaishata zvokuti huya uwone.

In his last days at work, President Mugabe had become slow and frail, which was no surprise given his advanced age.

He was now delivering most of his speeches with his eyes closed. It posed a great challenge to photographers since they had to wait a long while to click their cameras when he opened his eyes a few times. Somebody described photographers as visual anthropologists.

I will expropriate that description and say that my mission differed from that of some of my colleagues.

There came a time when other photographers would be around President Mugabe just to capture the embarrassing postures he would find himself in, such as when he was dozing off in a conference or as he gapped to take a bite off his birthday cake.

That would be their prized photo.

The day he tumbled and fell at the airport, some celebrated a golden picture.

I am reminded of the story in the Bible, where sons saw their father sleeping naked.

I never celebrated such a picture.

It was vile to me.

Some years ago, we were in Sendai, Japan.

It was during a TICAD summit.

As the President was walking from one plenary hall to another, I was walking some distance behind him.

An African man, whom I did not know and who had stood aside to give him way, grabbed me by my arm to stop me and said, “My brother, you see that old man there, that is Africa’s grand man, he must be respected.”

After saying that, he walked away.

I was left wondering how a stranger could say that. From his accent, he could have been from West Africa.

RGM had become such a figure that when he found himself in the presence of super power leaders, him coming from a small country such as Zimbabwe, he seemed to match them in his own way.

At one time, we went to Russia, they were celebrating 70 years after the victory in the Second World War.

The former President sat to meet Vladimir Putin of Russia in his office.

I was in that office for about five minutes. Just like Putin himself, who sat there attentively and motionless, I received a history lesson.

The former President said to Vladimir Putin, “Here you are celebrating victory in a world war. Three countries had sought to divide the world for domination among themselves, Europe for Hitler, Asia for Japan and Africa for Italy.

“After defeating these imperialists, look what they are doing to you, a country that fought alongside them.

“They have imposed sanctions on Russia. We of Africa, fought to get our independence from them, to establish democracy, but they turn around and impose sanctions for taking back our land and accusing us that we lack democracy.”

Putin looked like a young man receiving wisdom from an old wise African man, an old black man, who looked almost blue.

All this makes me say that Robert Mugabe was a blessing to Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe, we have this one in the bag, a reference point, do not adopt the language of those he fought all his life, who know the potency of such a legacy.

Some of our countrymen are failing to talk about Robert Mugabe without putting a ‘but’, ‘conflicted’, ‘checkered’ and so on in their narration of the old man’s history.

It’s as if, should they not include these words, funding to them might dry up.

They queue at SABC studios to give their analysis and sound learned. Yet one can see that all they want is to demonise the legend.

My view is that our image as Africans was immensely boosted by Robert Mugabe. For the sake of our history, he has to be celebrated without reservations.

He navigated the ship when the waters were most treacherous, yet he achieved what no other African leader achieved – that is giving land back to its rightful owners.

Others pride themselves of having been Mugabe’s adversary for close to two decades, turning the political adversity into a career.All this long, they would be throwing spanners into his developmental efforts. Getting him sanctioned even. Now they say he was a failure.

Vana bere kudaidzira kuti ngoma ngaitsve vachiziva kuti dehwe ndivo vakadya. (hyenas call out let the music play fully knowing they ate the hide that makes the drum).

Fortunately, legends do not die.

They speak from the world yonder!

Rest in eternal peace, Grand Master!!

Joseph Nyadzayo is the Presidential Photographer

Cde Robert Mugabe’s Last Moments

08 SEP, 2019 - 00:09
Ranga Mataire and Kuda Bwititi
Zimbabwe Sunday Mail

Cde Robert Mugabe planned to return to the country at the end of this month and mutually agreed to meet President Emmerson Mnangagwa upon his homecoming before his untimely death last Friday, Director-General in the President’s Office Mr Isaac Moyo said.

DG Moyo, who was the point man in liaisons between the State and the former First Family, said the former President died around 4am at Gleneagles Hospital in Singapore, despite having briefly shown signs of improvement earlier in the week.

Cde Mugabe spent five months receiving treatment in Singapore.

The State materially supported Cde Mugabe and his family’s upkeep during the period.

In an exclusive hour-long interview with The Sunday Mail yesterday, in which he described intricate details of his time with the Mugabes, Mr Moyo gave details of how he had learnt of the devastating news of Cde Mugabe’s demise in the wee hours of Friday, after having communicated daily with Mrs Mugabe last week.

Receiving the news

“Last Saturday, I got a call from Amai Mugabe and she said that the former President had been admitted to hospital. We again spoke on Sunday and she said there was not much change.

“We spoke earlier in the week and she said that his condition had improved. However, on Wednesday night, she said there had been a significant deterioration in his condition.

“That day, she spoke in an agonised voice and I did the best I could to comfort her. I spoke to her again on Thursday, in the morning and in the evening and she said the situation was really bad.

“When I woke up at around 4am on day morning, I saw a missed WhatsApp call from the former First Lady and I immediately sensed that something was wrong. Ever since we had communicated, she had not called around that time.

“Upon returning the call, she conveyed the sad news that the former President had passed on. She broke down and it was painful hearing her voice from the other side of the phone,” he said.

Amai Mugabe told him that Cde Mugabe passed on “between two to three minutes” after the missed call.

President Mnangagwa’s anguish

Mr Moyo said soon after speaking to the former First Lady, he conveyed the message to President Mnangagwa, who informed him that he would call Amai Mugabe to convey his condolences.

“At that point, I needed to advise the President and I called him just after 4am. Fortunately, the President is the type of person who picks up his phone, unlike others whom when you call at night you will be lucky to get answered. He picked up his phone from Cape Town and I broke the news to him. After that, the President then also called Mai Mugabe to say that he had heard the news and to convey his condolences.”

DG Moyo said he could hear from the tone of the President that the news of his former boss had devasted him given the fact that the two had mutually agreed to meet upon Cde Mugabe’s return.

Cde Mugabe’s plans to return home

“The former President hoped he was going to come back home and that he wished to see the former President upon his return. We had told him that the President looked forward to seeing him upon his return and he had also expressed similar sentiments that he would be delighted to meet the President. And at that time, we were told that the last date of his medical engagements was the 17th of October and that soon after he would return home. A week after our return, I then got a call from Mrs Mugabe and she said that the treatment regime that the former President was having would no longer be extended to October, it would end in September instead and because of that, they were now scheduled to come back home at the end of September.”

Cordial Relations

DG Moyo said since last year, he had developed a cordial relationship with the Mugabes, characterised by frank engagements with the couple who freely opened up to him on their concerns.

“For the last year, in fact even before the elections, the President assigned me to be the link man between former President Cde Robert Mugabe and his wife . . .

“Members of the Mugabe family like Walter Chidhakwa and Albert Mugabe (nephews to Cde Mugabe) visited me and told me of their desire to visit Singapore and from that time I had also informed the President in turn had tasked me to work with the family, and he tasked me to ensure that they were able to go.

“We had actually assisted the former first lady’s sister — Mrs Gumbochuma — to go to Singapore. She did not have a passport and we used our good relations with the Registrar-General to consider treating her passport application as a humanitarian emergency.”

National Shrine

DG Moyo said he was surprised to see news that Cde Mugabe had refused to be buried at the National Heroes Acre.

“I saw it in the newspapers. When we went there to see the former President, there was absolutely none of that. I was actually surprised to see it in one of the newspapers. If they had such a feeling, they had managed to hide it from us. You can see from the description I gave there was no hint of that. We actually had a very good engagement.

“Even when I engaged with Walter and Albert, they knew what Government had been doing for the former President, they were full of praise for the President. They knew that Government had gone out of its way to support the former President to have stayed that long in Singapore.”

Hospital costs

DG Moyo said last year, Cde Mugabe visited Singapore for routine medical check-ups before returning home, but this year, doctors had requested for an extension of his time under treatment.

“He was staying in a house that he was renting privately. It was not paid by Government, but from his own resources. Government only paid for his medicals. But the accommodation he paid for himself. It was fairly small (single storey) Singaporean suburban house that was convenient for his condition.”

Mugabe never voted for Chamisa

DG Moyo said: “Of course here and there, there were also moments we had our tensions. I remember when I first went to see him after his press conference, where he announced he was going to vote for Chamisa. We really had an exchange that day, but what then emerged was that he said despite having threatened to vote for Chamisa, he actually did not vote for Chamisa and I was told on how on the eve of the elections, he had agonised, he could not sleep. According to the former First Lady, he had woken up around 2am somewhere and he said he could not sleep and the idea that he would go and vote for Chamisa was rebuffed, he could not do that.

“And the former First Lady said she then encouraged him to follow his real wishes and to vote for comrades he has always been with and not to worry about the small matters between them, and so the former First Lady, with the concurrence of Cde Mugabe himself, said he had not voted for MDC, but he had voted correctly, I found that fun and I enjoyed the story.”

Elders, VP Chiwenga Mourn Cde Mugabe

08 SEP, 2019 - 00:09
Lincoln Towindo and Kuda Bwititi
Zimbabwe Sunday Mail

THE late former President, Cde Robert Mugabe, carved his mark in championing education for all in Zimbabwe and should also be remembered as a freedom fighter, who contributed immensely to promote freedom within Sadc, deputy chair of a group of prominent figures and former statespersons known as The Elders, Mrs Graca Machel, has said.

Speaking to journalists after delivering the group’s condolence message to President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House yesterday, Mrs Machel said the late nationalist’s legacy of providing education for all should be treasured.

“(Former) President Mugabe will be remembered as a freedom fighter,” she said.

“He contributed immensely for the freedom of this country; he contributed immensely for the freedom of other people here in the region.

“But I must say also that the first years of development of Zimbabwe, we say Zimbabwe was a beacon in this region, particularly in education.

“Many of you benefited from the policies he championed to make sure that education is available to everyone in this country.

“But, of course the young generation only remember the last years, where there has been hardships.

“We appeal that it is important to have a cool and balanced outlook on his contribution and honouring him, like the President took the initiative to declare him national hero and to give all the honours of a statesman.

“Countries have history and history has to be honoured.”

Elders chair and former Irish president Mrs Mary Robinson, who led the delegation, said the group was saddened by the death of former President Mugabe.

“We came here as Elders to pay our respect to the President following the death of (former) President Mugabe.

“I remember when I came here as President of Ireland on a State visit in 1994, I was very well received by President Mugabe.

“Indeed, he even invited me to go in the car with him to his old school, which was not on the agenda, but we did that.

“I was back here in 2012 in discussions about the Constitution to help to have more gender dimensions, again he hosted a big meeting and I met him at that time.

“But even more so, Mama Graca Machel has strong memories of how supportive President Mugabe was during the early days.

“So, we wanted to present our credentials and our condolences. And we also had a very good discussion with the President.”

Commenting on the 2008 incident, where delegation of the Elders was refused entry into the country by President Mugabe’s government, Mrs Machel said the incident does not put a stain on Cde Mugabe’s record as a statesman.

“I would not want to dwell into some of the tensions.

“But as you know, we did not come to Zimbabwe (at the time), but we did support Zimbabwe from where we were.

“But for me, history is history, it has to be honoured even in times of difficulties.” Meanwhile,

Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga yesterday described Cde Robert Mugabe as an “iconic leader of African emancipation”, who empowered the nation through the land reform programme “at the risk of his own life and position”.

In a condolence message to President Mnangagwa, Cde Mugabe’s family and the people of Zimbabwe, VP Chiwenga, who is presently receiving treatment in China, said the former founding President prosecuted the liberation struggle with distinction after taking over the reins of the party in 1977.

“It is with a deep sense of sorrow and shock that I learnt of the untimely passing on of Zimbabwe’s founding father and former President Cde RG Mugabe, on 6 September 2019.

“Cde Mugabe was the liberator of Zimbabwe, who upon taking the reins of leadership of Zanu in 1977, led the prosecution of the liberation struggle with distinction until the attainment of national independence in 1980,” he said.

“He will remain our founding father and iconic leader of African emancipation.”

He applauded Cde Mugabe for leading Zimbabwe to become the country with one of the highest literacy rates in Africa, as well as law-abiding people, who respect the Constitution and electoral processes.

Cde Mugabe, he added, was a selfless leader, who put the national interest ahead of his own.

“He leaves behind a legacy of a country with respect for constitutionalism, whereupon elections are held as prescribed in the Constitution and the highest literacy rate in Africa.

“At the risk of his own life and position, Cde Mugabe courageously empowered the nation, through the land reform programme. . .

“As I extend my condolences from China, my heartfelt sympathises are with his beloved family, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde E.D Mnangagwa and the nation at large. May his dear soul rest in eternal peace,” said VP Chiwenga.

The VP has been in China since July.

He served as Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces from 2004 to 2017, with the then President Mugabe as his Commander-in-Chief.

Prior to being Commander ZDF, Chiwenga also served Cde Mugabe as Commander of the Zimbabwe National Army from 1994 to 2003.

Before independence, General Chiwenga was one of the celebrated military officers, who signed the revolutionary Mgagao Declaration that was a turning point in the history of the liberation struggle in 1975.

The declaration led to a seismic shift in Zanu as it led to the removal of Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole as president.

He was later replaced by Cde Mugabe. The Zanu congress in Chimoio, Mozambique, in 1977 endorsed the Mgagao declaration and affirmed Cde Mugabe’s leadership.

Mugabe: Our Shining Black Prince

08 SEP, 2019 - 00:09
Ranga Mataire
Zimbabwe Sunday Mail

Before hearing of the news of the death of Zimbabwe’s founding leader, Cde Robert Gabriel Mugabe, I had intended to write about afrophobia that gripped South Africa in the past weeks.

My intention was to connect the dots leading to the flaring up of violence. I had intended to show that far from being spontaneous, the violence had all the hallmarks of being contrived.

Maybe, the afrophobia story will still be given its deserving full account on another day. Sad to note that afrophobia goes against everything Mugabe ever fought for, and what he stood for throughout his life and political career. The struggle for a united Africa.

So, I think it is befitting that the focus be on the founding president of Zimbabwe — Cde Mugabe, the man who personified “Writing Back” in words and deeds.

It is always difficult to compartmentalise the life of a man, whose long stratum of life straddled and bestrode the country’s political arena like a colossus.

But, as an avowed pan-Africanist, Mugabe was a proponent of “Writing Back” as a noble initiative worth appropriating as a lifelong dictum against Western imperial machinations.

Here was a man who at a very early age sought to debunk the myth of white racial superiority by fighting for the freedom and liberation of his people.

Cde Mugabe’s lifelong struggle was premised on ensuring the dignity of the African and unwrite the falsehoods about black people that for long was fed imperial Europe and justified enslavement and colonial conquest.

If ever there is something that Cde Mugabe bestowed on Zimbabwe and the African people — it is self-pride, black consciousness and an obstinate resolve to fight domination by former imperial forces.

While Cde Mugabe’s adversaries begrudge his steadfastness in standing up to the West, a majority of Zimbabweans and Africans in general regard him as an intractable liberation icon, who personified their long struggle against political and economic stranglehold by former colonisers.

And to most Africans, the man is an enduring symbol of Africa’s determination to assert its dignity. He never relented in calling for the reformation of a skewed international system, that treats black people as second-class citizens. In post-colonial period characterised by all sorts of chicanery, Cde Mugabe became the sole voice of African conscience.

Attempts by Western detractors to create an image of a monstrous Mugabe has thus far failed to stick as most Africans still regard him as a principled leader groomed and grounded by his upbringing of simple village life raised by his mother, Mbuya Bona Mugabe, and mentored by the Jesuits at Kutama Mission in Zvimba District, north-west of the then Salisbury.

There cannot be any doubt that despite his illustrious political career as an African statesman and a liberation icon, President Mugabe, just like the late founding Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi, must have died with a lingering concern about the failure to achieve a United States of Africa as envisaged by the continent’s founding fathers.

The quest for concrete unity of all African nations will remain Mugabe’s unfinished project.

Cde Mugabe at one time expressed his exasperation with some African leaders stalling continental unity.

Addressing journalists at State House after a two-hour meeting with the then outgoing AU chairperson Benin President Thomas Boni Yayi in May 2016, Cde Mugabe said the setting up of a United States of Africa would have been the panacea in ending most of the continent’s divisions.

“Africa is not a united continent. We are not at the stage our founding fathers wanted us to be when the organ was formed.”

Cde Mugabe told journalists that the continent still needed to deal with the vestiges of colonialism, which left Africans divided into Anglophones and Francophones, a situation which continue to make certain countries vulnerable as they are still depended financially on the former colonisers.

While the project for continental unity has faced hurdles, Cde Mugabe has on the domestic scene achieved major milestones as a leader especially his ability to craft a wholly internal solution to halt early internal disturbances in Matabeleland and Midlands provinces caused by former disgruntled PF-ZAPU cadres, who had turned dissidents.

Having worked with Cde Mugabe as editor of the Zanu-PF’s mouthpiece, The People’s Voice, I got the immediate impression that he was God’s gift to Zimbabwe, as he exhibited traits of a selfless visionary, who, in my view, was largely misunderstood by his detractors.

Cde Mugabe was a man who never prevaricated on issues he held dearly. He was a man of big issue ideas — land reform, indigenisation, educational reforms and minerals beneficiation. We may debate about the execution of his post-independence big issue reforms, but that he was a man who would not hesitate to take big steps in anything he believed is not questionable.

Granted, like all mortals, Cde Mugabe made some regrettable errors, some that bordered on the preservation of power at all cost, but on the whole, particularly during the early years of Zimbabwe’s independence, the man was just what the doctor had ordered for a landlocked resource-rich nation.

As small as Zimbabwe is, it was Mugabe who made Zimbabwe a recognisable nation with his candid “tell-it-as it is” deliveries at international forums. It was those speeches that interred him in the hearts of many Africans, who regarded him as an African hero, the last bastion of post-independence African struggles.

As editor of The People’s Voice, I had the privilege of easy access to the then first secretary and president of Zanu-PF. My immediate boss, the late Dr Nathan Shamuyarira — was a close confidante of Cde Mugabe. Dr Shamuyarira was at that time, the Zanu-PF secretary for information and publicity.

Whenever I felt the need for Mugabe’s voice in the paper on any pertinent national issue, Dr Shamuyarira was always at hand to facilitate access.

During my tenure as editor, I had five interviews with Cde Mugabe and at all times, I was so much enthralled by his lucid expression, graphic memory and general understanding of issues even from a minute level.

I have no doubt  at all that those four occasions, we struck a chord. He was equally fascinated by the idea that I was a “child of war” and knew my parents.

It was a marvel that given his advanced age, Mugabe could remember some intricate detail about his war-time cadres. The man’s love for and empathy for his war-time comrades was apparent.

His face always changed into a sullen stupor each time he recounted the massacres at Tembwe, Nyadzonya and Chimoio. He kept shaking his head as his mind went back to those horrendous years of war.

I had no doubt that despite his human frailties, Cde Mugabe was a servant leader missioned to deliver his people to the Promised Land.

It was also clear at the time that Mugabe respected his war-time colleagues, the likes of Cdes Joshua Nkomo, Didymus Mutasa, Shamuyarira, John Nkomo and Mnangagwa. These and others were his confidantes, people he could turn to for wise counsel.

As we await the arrival of his body, we are consoled by the fact that Cde Mugabe had become not only a Zimbabwean son of the soil, but an African treasure, who dedicated his life to the cause of black people. He was pugnacious, audacious and steadfast. He remains our shining black Prince.

For feedback contact ranga.mataire@gmail.com or lovemore.mataire@zimpapers.co.zw

Mugabe Dies: Accorded National Hero Status

07 SEP, 2019 - 00:09 
Nduduzo Tshuma
Political Editor
Zimbabwe Chronicle

FORMER President, Robert Mugabe, who died in Singapore yesterday morning, has been declared a national hero and the Government has declared days of national mourning until his burial.

Cde Mugabe (95) was receiving medical treatment in the Asian country when he succumbed to an undisclosed illness.

Addressing journalists at State House in Harare following a Zanu-PF Politburo meeting at the party’s headquarters, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who cut short his trip to the World Economic Forum in Cape Town, said the death of Cde Mugabe leaves a big void in the nation.

“Zanu-PF, the party which the late departed helped found, has met and accorded him National Hero status which he earned and richly deserves.

“As we await the arrival of the remains of our dear departed icon, we pray that the good Lord grants him mercies, putting his dear soul to eternal rest. We as Zimbabweans declare days of mourning for our leader until he is buried,” said President Mnangagwa.

He paid tribute to the Government and people of Singapore for the hospitality and medical care they extended to Cde Mugabe up to the very end.

“In particular we are most grateful to the team of medical experts and support staff which cared for him with such great diligence, dedication and compassion. They did all they could up to the very end,” said President Mnangagwa.

The President hailed former First Lady Mrs Grace Mugabe for supporting her husband until he breathed his last.

“On behalf of our nation, that of my family and on my own behalf, I wish to express my deepest, heartfelt condolences to the Mugabe family, to Amai Grace Mugabe and the children especially, on this their saddest loss. Amai Mugabe stood by her husband to the very end, thus imparting to our nation a lasting lesson on devout love and care. For that, we deeply thank her as we join her in the grief of loss and bereavement which is also ours to feel and bear,” he said.

President Mnangagwa said the death of Cde Mugabe, whom he described as an iconic leader of the country’s struggle for liberation, has left a huge void in the nation. “A veteran nationalist and a doughty Pan Africanist fighter, Cde Mugabe bequeaths a rich and indelible legacy of tenacious adherence to principle on the collective rights of Africa and Africans in general and in particular the rights of the people of Zimbabwe for whom he gave his all to help free.

“In his life and political career he met and melded key phases, moods and shifts in the story of our national struggle and a quest for freedom and statehood including the tragedies, pains and rigors which underwrote that epic story,” said President Mnangagwa.

“Incarcerated for 11 years in settler colonial prisons, he, alongside fellow nationalists who included the late father Zimbabwe, Cde Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, remained unbowed and resolute, eventually escaping from the then Rhodesia in 1974 in order to lead and guide the resumption and escalation of our war of liberation at a time of its tragic setbacks and paralysis.

“Before long and under his firm leadership, the struggle regained momentum expanded and consolidated, transforming the Patriotic Front into a formidable co-ordinated national liberation movement and fighting force capable of waging one of the most gruelling and protracted struggles in the Southern African region.”

President Mnangagwa said the nation owed its independence attained in 1980 to the sacrifices of veteran nationalists and freedom fighters pre-dating the 1960s, who included the late Cde Mugabe.

“A great teacher and mentor, the bitterness of long spells of incarceration and anguish of a brutal and bitter war, never extinguished Cde Mugabe’s forgiving inner humanity. That humanity shone undiminished throughout that season of war and forcefully asserted itself by way of the signature policy of National Reconciliation on which our whole Statehood was founded and built,” said President Mnangagwa.”

“Through that policy of forgiveness, southern African politics took a definitive shift towards a just, post-conflict multi-racial harmony, which would be replicated elsewhere in our region and beyond. He thus wrote a lasting page on nation building and statecraft for the world, making him stand out as such a remarkable statesman of our century.”

Apart from landmark post-independence transformations in areas of rights, education, social services for the hitherto marginalised Zimbabweans, President Mnangagwa said Cde Mugabe would be eternally remembered and honoured for the bold and historic Land Reform Programme which he undertook.

“Through this programme, indigenous Zimbabweans regained their long denied land rights to complete their sovereignty. For that he was especially vilified, shunned and punished by those who stood to lose from an end to colonial ‘rights’, and from a just reassertion of African rights.

“With characteristic defiance, he stood firm and undaunted resolutely pressing on with the Land Reform Programme to completion, all against formidable odds which included punitive sanctions and other reprisals that followed and which still dog us to this today. Today, Zimbabwe’s Land Question, itself a principal grievance of our struggle, stands fully irrevocably addressed and resolved. History will remember him for this bold move,” said President Mnangagwa.

He said as the country mourns Cde Mugabe, his Government remains determined to carry forward the transformation the former President, “so fervently desired, including protecting and defending the gains of the struggle for which he made huge sacrifices”.

“On the bedrock and solid foundation of the First Republic which he moulded as its leader, we today recover and grow our economy brick by brick until his life-long vision of an empowered people is realised,” said President Mnangagwa.

Mugabe’s Major Accomplishments

07 SEP, 2019 - 00:09
Mashudu Netsianda
Senior Reporter
Zimbabwe Chronicle

CDE Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the country’s founding President having served as Prime Minister from 1980 to 1987 and then as Executive President from 1987 to 2017.

He chaired the former Zanu from 1975 to 1980 and led its successor political party, the Zanu-Patriotic Front, from 1980 to 2017.

During his tenure of office, particularly soon after independence in 1989, the country recorded a tremendous economic growth and some of the positive developments that are worth highlighting include programmes such Free Education for All, Health for All in 1980, the 1987 Unity Accord between former PF-Zapu and Zanu-PF and the Land Reform programme in 2000.

Renowned historian Mr Pathisa Nyathi said Cde Mugabe belonged to a group of nationalists such as the late Vice-President Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, Cdes Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo, George Silundika and Herbert Chitepo among others, who sacrificed their lives to liberate the country.

“We have to acknowledge that in terms of our liberation heritage, Cde Mugabe was instrumental and he belongs to that cadre of people who sacrificed a lot to ensure the independence of what we now term Zimbabwe from the colonial yoke. He belongs to the same class as Joshua Nkomo, JZ Moyo, George Silundika and Leopold Takawira, Herbert Chitepo and many others. Although he was not part of the nationalist movement when it started in 1957 on the 12th of September, but even then it had been realised that he had some qualities which the nationalist movements in Southern Rhodesia and the African National Congress needed so they sent for him to be brought back into the country from Ghana where he was a teaching,” he said.

Mr Nyathi said when the National Democratic Party (NDP) was established on January 1, 1960, Cde Mugabe was a publicity secretary whose election was done on the basis of his oratory skills having majored in English at Fort Hare University.

He lauded Cde Mugabe for spearheading the land reform programme, which saw thousands of landless blacks being resettled on prime land which was formerly a preserve for the whites.

“He is the first Prime Minister of this country and we see in that period the Lancaster House talks had certain clauses that did not allow land acquisition and all that was there was the willing-buyer-willing seller and there were not many white farmers who were willing to sell their land, so the resettlement process was at a skewed rate.

“It was through Cde Mugabe that the land reform programme was fast tracked in 2000 and more land was made available to the landless black majority and generally the empowerment of black people economically was important as it was at the heart of the liberation struggle,” said Mr Nyathi

“Soon after independence great strides were made in the education sector and in 1980 we had only one university, which is now the University of Zimbabwe, which had been opened in 1957 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, but today we have lots of them, both State and private universities.

“We had many people who had lost out in terms of education because of the liberation struggle and several upper tops as they were called then, were opened and these are commendable strides in education.”

Mr Nyathi said several district hospitals and rural health centres were opened.

He, however, said his shortcomings included his failure to mould Zimbabwe into a solid united nation by failing to resolve the Gukurahundi issue beyond merely referring to it as “a moment of madness.”

Renowned academic Professor Lovemore Madhuku said Cde Mugabe’s administration played a key role in the development of a robust education system in the country, which also catered for the less privileged. He said his generation benefited from the Free Education for All programme.

“My parents are poor peasants in Chipinge. They could not have afforded to pay for my university education. Under the leadership of Robert Gabriel Mugabe, the Government of an independent Zimbabwe paid for my university education. My generation benefited from that vision. The colonial regime wanted a secondary or high school to look like something so spectacular and that accessing them was a privilege of only a few,” he said.

Prof Madhuku, however, said when the Government of former President Mugabe came into power, school was made compulsory and free.

“When Cde Mugabe’s government came in 1980, he said we wanted every child to go past primary school and secondary schools were then established near primary schools. There was massive and expansive development of primary and secondary schools throughout the country. There was also an expansive development of teacher training colleges and we are where we are now, rated as one of the most literate societies in the world, and Zimbabweans are regarded as highly educated and you can’t talk of a highly educated Zimbabwean without at the same time talking of a person called Robert Gabriel Mugabe and his government,” he said.

Retired journalist, Saul Gwakuba Ndlovu, echoed Prof Madhuku’s sentiments saying Cde Mugabe played a key role in spearheading a programme of free and compulsory education for all which ran up to O-Level.

“He introduced free and compulsory education and services, which is what we really fought for and we called it socialism and that is to say the State was going to control the means of production and means of distribution.

“The land reform programme was inevitable because we fought for land and colonialism was all about land and the British government wanted to own land in Africa, Asia, South America and parts of Europe such as Malta so that its people could be settled there and  we the indigenous people of those lands would then be dispersed and dispossessed,” he said.                                                             
“It was in pursuance of that that Ian Smith made a Unilateral Declaration of Independence on November 11, 1965. He wanted his regime to have full control of this country so that land is given permanently to white settlers.”

Zanu-PF National Deputy Commissar Cde Omega Hungwe said Cde Mugabe was a distinguished revolutionary who will always remain the country’s icon despite circumstances surrounding his retirement on November 21, 2017 following Operation Restore Legacy.

She said Cde Mugabe’s illustrious record could not be expunged from the history of Zimbabwe.

Operation Restore Legacy, which was led by the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, was aimed at restoring the legacy of the liberation struggle that was under threat from the excesses of counter-revolutionaries who had wormed their way into the top echelons of Zanu-PF and Government.

This culminated in Operation Restore Legacy whose high point was the resignation of Cde Mugabe.

The military made it quite clear that their intervention did not constitute a military takeover, but as stockholders of the governance process, they could not continue to watch as the very fabric of what they fought for was being shredded to pieces by elements bent on destroying both the former President Mugabe and Zanu-PF’s legacies.

— @mashnets

Artistes Mourn Mugabe

07 SEP, 2019 - 00:09
Bongani Ndlovu,
Showbiz Correspondent
Zimbabwe Chronicle

ARTISTES from all over the country are mourning the death of former President Robert Mugabe with some saying they will miss him as he changed their lives.

Former President Mugabe (95), died yesterday morning in Singapore where he had gone for medical treatment.

2010 Big Brother Africa (BBA) finalist, Munyaradzi Chidzonga, who was handed $300 000 by the former President after most felt he had been robbed of victory in the competition, said his life changed after that meeting.

“My condolences go out to his family. This man changed my life forever. I’ll never forget the words he shared with me. A complicated man, his epic successes as a statesmen are rivalled only by his equal failures as one.

“His story cannot be told by one voice alone. Go well, Son of the Soil, Rest in Peace your Excellency,” said Chidzonga.

Arts critic and renowned playwright Raisedon Baya said ex-President Mugabe was a man of principle.

“Whatever Mugabe’s faults, one thing that will never be taken away from him is that he remained a true Pan Africanist who was true to his principles. He was a man of principle,” said Baya.

The arts critic said Mugabe sadly, never supported the arts industry.

“However, Mugabe never really commented about or supported the arts. We would have liked him to. To be honest, we’ll remember him/his government for censorship and curtailing artistic freedom. All the banning of artworks and detention of artistes were done during his time, not by him directly, but under his watch.”

Award-winning playwright and arts teacher Thabani Moyo said former President Mugabe’s death has left the country poorer.

“I think Robert Gabriel Mugabe’s death has left me with mixed feelings. But it’s either way, a great loss. We’ve lost one of the great minds that Zimbabwe once had. He’s one man who stood for what he believed in and never cared what the next person thought,” Moyo said.

He said there are a lot of stories about Mugabe that artistes can continue to tell artistically.

“He has left us with a lot of material with which to work with. Mugabe’s life has good, interesting and horrifying stories we can tell. There are a lot of stories that theatre artistes came up with on Robert Mugabe and I believe more are yet to come. His legacy lives on, be it good or bad. May his soul rest in peace,” said Moyo.

Musician Jah Prayzah said former President Mugabe’s name would be forever remembered.

“Zita renyu richagara kwemakore nemakore, richaramba ririmo mundangariro dzedu uye vachauya vachanzwa nezvaro. Rest in Eternal Peace Baba,” he wrote on his Instagram page.

Olinda Chapel, who is known for her social media outbursts, was yesterday in a sombre mood.

She described former President Mugabe as a man who believed in education.

“Rest in peace Gushungo. Your banter and ability to command attention will forever be missed. You were a true believer in education and you seeded this in our Zimbabwe. Nematambudziko to the Mugabe family, Mwari vakunyaradze,” she posted on her Instagram page.

Nudist, Vimbai Zimuto said: “Gushungo, we celebrate your life today. We were fortunate enough to have met you, see you and know you. May your soul rest in peace.”