ITS CORRUPTION, NOT SANCTIONS!

Sometimes I have been viciously persecuted, because of my stand against corruption, at other times, I have had to wait for years, because some corrupt individual or individuals, were blocking our way. And always I prevailed, because, "faith abides" it never, ever, fails.(Strive Masiyiwa,Econet Wireless Founder).This startling confessing by Masiyiwa comes at a time when Zimbabwe is embroiled in serious acts of corruption that has remained the major Achilles of Zimbabwe’s ailing economy. It has become rare today in Zimbabwe to bump into the caliber of people such as Masiyiwa who because of their faith in God and principles continue to stand strong against this evil called corruption. Corruption has become institutionalized and many people have embraced it in schools, creches, colleges, passport offices, on roads, government, the list is endless.
Recently I attended a public meeting organized by Zimbabwe Democracy Institute (ZDI) that sought to unravel and discuss the contentious issue of corruption. As has become the norm with Zimbabwean public discussions, the panelists who included representatives from political parties such as ZANU-PF,MDC-T and MDC-99, had to digress from the subject of corruption to focus merely on outclassing each other through unwarranted wits and attacks and the moderator of the discussion had a hard task bringing them back to the subject at hand.

Nothing really progressive was discussed by the panelists except for continued denial of facts by all parties as the representatives from political parties sang for their super with gusto and passion in defending for their parties in the fight against corruption even against better empirical evidence. The subject of corruption is quite interesting in Zimbabwe in the sense that despite the cries by the public over how rampant and normal it has become, the government of the day doesn’t appear moved at all. In fact what we have witnessed so far is cheap mere talk about “so and so” allegedly accused of doing this or that and is never followed up by any form of trial or arrest of the perpetrators. The government of the day is actually magnanimous to criminals and has from time to time pardoned and offered fortress and refuge to known criminals.

Many serious crimes involving huge sums of money paid for bribes and kickbacks have all bombarded the media at one point in time and shocked many but they were swept under the carpet and forgotten. To date, we continue to hear the same hymn on how sanctions have caused untold suffering for the common man, but there has been somewhat surreal silence over the prejudice and damage corruption has caused to millions. Services and amenities that should have ameliorated the sufferings of many, suffered still birth because of corruption. Scandals of serious corruption that come to mind are the Willowvale scandal, The War Victims Compensation scandal(WVCF),diamond scandals, wealth accumulation by government officials, the VIP housing scandal, the National oil company scandal,ZISCO scandal,Kondozi estate scandal,ZUPCO scandal,Fertilizer scandal, constituency development fund (CDF)abuse, Harare airport scandal, interference with functions of judiciary etc.

All these cited examples typify a government that has turned itself into a conference of lily-levered opportunists united by money and greed. A cursory cross checking of facts reveal that these acts of corruption never saw the perpetrators facing any form of trial before courts or even if they did the cases were never concluded and many today continue to lead in various ministerial posts and other positions. The reality on the ground for all to see is that these acts of greed and corruption have caused serious economic hemorrhage and meltdown and yet we continue to hear the same swan song about sanctions having caused untold suffering on the people. Simple mathematics of all the huge sums paid in all these corruption scandals proves that our debts to IMF and World Bank would have been settled all at once and the remainder would have been used for something that betters the lives of many.

If our politicians would spend so much effort dealing with the high levels of corruption and stamping it out completely, we would have made some economic strides .Of course sanctions have played a role to crumble our economy but the biggest setback to economic development has been corruption especially at government level. Travelling on the roads have become so costly where it has become a law to always leave a “fine” regardless of whether or not you have proper documentation. The proceeds from roadblocks are usually used for self enrichment and aggrandizement.Shockingly, the government is not disturbed to at least launch even an investigation. What we have heard are stupid justifications on the need for many roadblocks to reduce road carnage.

Only a few individuals understand why revenue from diamond sales hasn't been fully remitted to treasury in the last few years or why the money from tollgates is not being used to develop our roads which have caused a lot of accidents that have killed many. If you go the passport office or VID the story of having to offer someone a bribe is the order of the day. Many working there have build businesses and houses from such ill-gotten wealth which they are very proud of. What kind of nation have we turned ourselves into? What precedence are we setting for the next generation?

The case involving Zimplasts and Brainworks is something that shows how rampant and arcane these deals of corruption have become. Immunity from prosecution and trial by a few individuals have expedited corruption to crisis levels for example ,In the deal involving Zimplasts and Brainworks, a whooping us$40million was paid to Brainworks for preparing an “agreement” of the indigenization arrangement between Zimplasts and a community ownership trust. It remains the only world record I am aware of where US$40million was paid for preparing a “simple agreement”.

Recently former ZMDC boss Goodwills Masimirembwa was convicted of a case involving bribery worth more than 6 million dollars and the hullabaloo around his conviction and sentence has suddenly died down even though President Mugabe exposed such serious acts of his corrupt deeds. This has become the norm in Zimbabwe and those in echelons of authority seem unmoved by such revelations.

That defunct and useless” thing “called Anti-Corruption Commission that was set up to deal with corruption, is even more toothless than the former Ministry of Reconciliation that even failed to “reconcile” a single person during its existence. When it was set up, it was so lively to the extent that at one point it ordered a search at the ZMDC offices, Ministry of Youths offices although they later bowed to political muscle and pressure and stopped the search.

Corruption has become celebrated, modest and stylish even in political parties as evidenced by lack of action against looters and abusers of constituency development funds. This has become the culture in Zimbabwe were politics has now become a lucrative “business” were even school drop outs and rank marshals sneak into to make rich pickings. The whole idea of even serving the people and developing communities has long been discarded.

As a way forward out of this quagmire, I recommend that government should adopt a zero tolerance policy on corruption, re-investigate all cases of corruption cases in Zimbabwe which have not been concluded. Government should also ensure that law enforcement agencies carry out their duties without fear, favour and impartiality. Public leaders or MP’s should declare their assets before taking office and all those ministers and government officials accused of corruption should be dismissed and investigated thoroughly. In conclusion, during President Obama’s inaugural visit to Ghana he said, “Africa does not need strong leaders, it needs strong institutions”. For sure this statement is becoming even truer in Zimbabwe especially in our long, tedious and onerous fight against corruption.

Rawlings Magede is the Director of Zimbabwe Youth Development Agency (ZYDA) and writes in his personal capacity.rawedge699@gmail.com

UNEMPLOYMENT AND POLITICAL VIOLENCE

By Rawlings Standgun Magede

On Sunday, 28 April 2013, i had the opportunity to watch a programme, on SABC1 called Sunday Live which was holding a debate on youth unemployment in South Africa. On the panel was Richard Ntjana, from the Youth Chamber of Commerce, Thulani Tshefula, president of the South African Youth council and Zwelinzima Vavi, the Secretary General of Congress of South African trade Union (COSATU).

What came out of the debate is that the South African youth council has since begun to take initiatives on youth unemployment by engaging government and has since started to work extensively with non-governmental organizations, youth groups, and are frequently holding road shows, where they engage youths on the contentious but serious issue of unemployment.

On the other hand the Youth Chamber of Commerce has followed suit in its mandate to equip youths by engaging youth entrepreneurs who would want to start businesses and equip them with skills and connect them to strategic partners and sponsors.Zwelinzima Vavi commended the move by government to realize the need to act on unemployment .

Also of interest was that the South African government together with non-governmental organizations, youth organizations and the private sector launched a multi- billion rand pact plan in the last few months known as Youth Employment Accord to help fight against youth unemployment, in which companies and public entities undertook to create jobs and training opportunities for inexperienced job seekers.

The package was contained in a Youth Employment Accord signed by government, labour, business and other civil society representatives in Soweto. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, who presided at the launch, praised social partners for signing the deal after months of negotiations.

Mr Motlanthe said the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) would set aside R1bn of its ‘Gro-E’ funding scheme to provide low-interest rate loans to youth owned or youth-focused enterprises over the next three years. The IDC would also provide technical support to help young people get the funds.

The Motsepe Family Foundation, a charity organization, would avail R100m over the next three to five years for youth co-operatives and enterprises, and a further R100m for education, mainly to benefit the youth. This was in an attempt to bring young people into the economic mainstream, Mr Motlanthe said.

Professional services company KPMG a private sector Harambee programme pledged that it will place 3,000 young people in entry-level work by the middle of this year, with a target of 10,000 by the end of 2014. Business and union leaders, including Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) president Sdumo Dlamini, backed the plan..
As part of the new plan, government departments will have to increase their intake of interns so that they equal 5% of total employment. This is to help the youth get the experience often required for employment in the private and public sectors.

Meanwhile, back home the rate of youth unemployment has reached shocking levels and the inclusive government doesn’t look disturbed at all. In a recent report, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Youth Development, Indigenization and Empowerment said youth unemployment in Zimbabwe is four times higher than that of adults.The committee said unemployment, currently estimated at 80 percent, needed to be addressed before it gets out of hand.


What is important to note is the difference of attitudes between the South African government and our own Zimbabwean government in their response to the scourge of youth unemployment. While the South African government takes the tasks head on, the Zimbabwean government is rather reluctant to act on the problem. For the youth in Zimbabwe it is indeed cold comfort that the serious problem does not seem to move the government of the day that is so much absorbed in elections,reforms,exit packages etc.This is a salient point, youth unemployment is today’s number one challenge for all youth across the political divide.

In unpacking this neglected but serious problem of youth unemployment, it is important that we start critically analyzing a statutory body that was created by an act of Parliament, which is the Zimbabwe Youth Council. Chapter 25:19 of the Zimbabwe Youth Council Act states “as amended in 1997,the overall administration of the act rests with the Ministry responsible for Youth, its functions is to co-ordinate, supervise and foster the activities of youth clubs, associations or organizations from grassroots to national level among others. It is also responsible for creating youth platforms to debate dialogue amongst youth and stakeholders in pursuit of youth empowerment. It also renders support to for Youth Associations.

The main problem with the youth council is its partisan nature since Minister Kasukuwere is the one who virtually controls it, hence it segregates and accommodates people based on political affiliations. A typical example is the way the Old Mutual Ukondla fund that was meant for youths was disbursed. The Youth council used the Old mutual youth fund as a kind of divine clothing which it wore like suit armour, yet a cursory cross checking of facts reveals and proves beyond reasonable doubt that only youth from the Minister of Youth’s party benefited only while the rest were left in the cold.

In all its activities it doesn’t attempt to take the youth ministry to task on the problem of youth unemployment or even engage all youths from the political divide on issues affecting them or let alone create dialogue around the subject. Youth unemployment is a national problem that across political circles.

Such a neglect of duty and responsibility leaves politicians with the leeway to manipulate and use this group of hungry and unemployed lot to achieve their own selfish ends. Zimbabwean unemployed youths might not take time to understand law or understand economics but one thing that they surely understand is when their stomachs are empty. This leaves them susceptible to politicians who will use money to lure them into settling political scores against their opponents during elections. So in a nutshell; election violence can never be eradicated if the chief problem of youth unemployment is unattended to. The last time I heard about the Zimbabwe Youth Council doing “something” was when it had a poorly attended referendum meeting at Africa unity square where it imposed the “yes ‘ vote to the few youths who had come, mostly, uniformed school kids.

It was a typical political meeting as ZANU PF youths stormed the place singing and mocking those advocating for a no vote.It was not a platform to debate the constitution, but a last desperate attempt by the council to mobilize for the “yes” vote which the minister of youth wanted. This, to me was one of the greatest betrayals of our time, which will live to be told on another day. Why did the council have to speak for the generality of youths from Zimbabwe? To me the independence of the youth council remains the sole problem that hinders the youth council from carrying out its mandate. This also proves beyond doubt that in carrying out its mandate, only certain youths from political parties will benefit.

The inclusive government also has failed dismally to come up with ways of reducing youth unemployment. The parties in the inclusive have even failed to provide employment even for their own loquacious supporters, many who only get to have a few “Obama” dollars during elections times. This has in a way shaken off lethargy from some of their loyal supporters who have and remain disappointed year after year, as they are dumped and forgotten as soon as they put ink to paper. This ,they now interpret as a move by a determined oppressor to dig deep claws into the flesh of a squirming victim who remain in the abyss of neglect and suffering, even after having sacrificed a lot, at times even one’s life. To them, they have understood the new law of “jungle politics” in Zimbabwe that states that for you to survive and see the light of day tomorrow; you must demean yourself even in the least of forms by drumming up support for a particular politician, even if it goes against your values, but for the sake of survival you have to do it, and have a lot of empty promises and a few dollars as a “reward”.

The Ministry of Youth led by Kasukuwere has been busy with glorifying the indigenization policy at the expense of its main duty which is to champion the issues that affect youth.Kasukuwere himself has been too busy on his personal diatribe against RBZ governor, Gono on the need to indigenize banks. So busy has been Kasukuwere that he has even confused and aptly misinterpreted his own indegenisation policy.

What’s important to note is that youth unemployment has been a long overdue and unaddressed time bomb way before the inclusive government came into effect. While ZANU PF has been harping on the tired and lame rhetoric of defending sovereignty, and independence gains, it has used such a vain but baseless statement to eschew the pending and real issue of unemployment. While they continue to preach from the same line of verse year after year, they have failed to honestly defend and promote the very gains of the independence that they purport to have brought .The acknowledgement even by parliament or even the president that unemployment is on the rise, is not enough to deal with this problem. The question is what is the government doing to ameliorate the general suffering that people including the youth continue to face including unemployment?

Despite having rich diamond deposits in Chiadzwa, the arcane dealings of the Ministry of Mines in as far as transparency of the diamond extraction and revenue collection are concerned have left many youths questioning whether Chiadzwa is within our borders. The Companies that are extracting diamonds there have never publicly offered any help to “genuine’ youth initiatives that are not politicized.The youth have nothing to point to as a sign that our country is rich in diamond deposits.
The unspoken but self evident fact is that government has failed to act on youth unemployment but the political parties in the inclusive government continue to tap from this hopeless “resource’ of unemployed youths for their survival.

The Peoples Charter section on youth adopted at the Peoples Convention, in Harare 2008 clearly states that;
“Believing that at all given times the youth, both female and male, represent the present and the future of our country and that all those in positions of leadership nationally and locally must remain true to the fact that our country shall be passed on from one generation to the next.

The People state that, in order for each generation to bequeath to the next a country that remains the epitome of hope, democracy and sustainable livelihoods, the following principles for the youth must be adhered to and respected:

The youth shall be guaranteed the right to education at all levels until they acquire their first tertiary qualification.

The youth shall be guaranteed an equal voice in decision-making processes that not only affect them but the country as a whole in all spheres of politics, the national economy and social welfare.

The youth shall be guaranteed access to the right to health.

The youth shall not be subject to political abuse through training regimes that connote political violence or any semblance of propaganda that will compromise their right to determine their future as both individuals and as a collective.

The youth have the right to associate and assemble and express themselves freely of their own prerogative.”

The problem of youth unemployment is a national problem that cuts across the political divide that calls for government and the generality of Zimbabwe to be honest and work to try and eradicate. No one in more Zimbabwean than the other.

In conclusion the great thinker of old Theodore Roosevelt once said,”Patriotism means to stand by the country. It doesn’t mean to stand by the president or any other public official. Zimbabwe is ours and let’s makes it better.

Rawlings Standgun Magede is a rural political enthusiast, who writes from Nkayi, Matebeleland North province and can be contacted via email gstandgun@gmail.com

OF BRIBERY,LOOTING AND CORRUPTION....

The story that appeared in the Herald of a real estate company, River Valley Properties owned by one Mrs Smelly Dube, who is described as a “grateful resettled farmer”, who build a house in Gweru for President Mugabe cannot go without probe.

The house is valued at US$50, 000, with a booster pump worth more than US$500,000 dollars with capacity to supply water to more than 4300 households both in Hertfordshire phase 1 and 2 which are currently being owned and developed by River valley properties. The reason for her building the house was to honour and appreciate the president for the land reform programme. The company also gave more than 1000 high and medium density stands to civil servants and offered to provide building materials on monthly basis payment.

For a company that doesn’t even have the sense to set up a website for its marketing and advertising, or even advertise on zimclassifieds, River Valley real estate must have so much money to splash. Minister Chombo was the guest at the handing ceremony..
The real estate industry has suffered terribly since the inception of the multicurrency system and this has made it even more difficult to own a property for the common man. Banks that were giving people loans, when the multicurrency started have stopped doing so. These banks that were giving people loans had preconditions for the loans. First they wanted a prospective loan applicant to have a certain substantial amount in their account and the property that they wanted was supposed to have deeds. Without deeds, they don’t tolerate you. Of course the loan grants differ depending on your salary.

One startling fact to note is that Hertfordshire phase 1 and 2 are not yet serviced hence there are no title deeds that have been granted as yet so what Mrs Dube has been doing is to approach low income earners such as civil servants to make monthly contributions towards the purchase of stands. Phase 1 and 2 do not have water and sewer reticulation and yet people have started staying in houses where service in not yet complete. And now donating a house worth 50,000 with a pump worth over 500,000 to the president when her company has actually defaulted in its promise of fully servicing phase 1 and 2 is day light robbery.

With the “blessing” of Minister Chombo she is invincible and there is nothing that the people there can do.It is not wrong to give or donate houses to the president but in this case Dube is doing so as to have the president’s blessing and have immunity from prosecution in milking peoples’ hard earned cash and continue defaulting in her promises. This is wrong and the responsible authorities, definately not Minister Chombo, should probe into such a scam where many prospective home-seekers have been duped by people who try to buy some treacherous political muscle by bribing their way to the top.

It seems everyone in politics is trying to catch a seat in the gravy train before it goes off its rail. I have a relative who owns a stand in Hertfordshire phase 1 who phoned me after seeing the story that she had donated the house to the president. He was arguing that Dube should have used the money to finish servicing the stands first before she thinks of even donating a house.Mrs Dube is not fresh to controversy. She is deemed untouchable because of her close connections to the first lady.

At one point she was sucked in Kwekwe Gold scam. She is a Gweru politician not a “grateful Gweru farmer” as the Herald reported. She is a close associate of Midlands Governor Jason Machaya.She once partnered ZANU PF Buhera North Mp William Mutomba to form Midkwe Minerals and attempted to grab Kwekwe based Chaka Gold Plant from its Australian owner Lee Jones.

The pledge by Mrs Dube is a fraud disguised as a token of appreciation to thank the president for the land reform. Minister Chombo seems to have ears only for sycophants.With the mushrooming of bogus land developers such as Energy Mutodi, the flamboyant musician, who have gone on the prowl fleecing many prospective home seekers of millions of dollars, many innocent people continue to lose their money. These land developers such as Dube and Mutodi demagogically pretend to be advancing the causes of potential home seekers while undermining and betraying them. Many of these home seekers have to eke out a living from meager salary while saving their money with the hope that one day they will purchase a stand.

Many have been arraigned to the courts but justice has not been prevailed because these land developers have the political muscle to make them immune from prosecution. Many dubious schemes in Harare are being run under the pretext of real estate. For example innocent home seekers have been swindled their hard earned cash in areas such as Crowhill, stoneridge,southlea park, snake park, belvedere west and budiriro 5 extension by land developers who purport to be friends with Minister Chombo.

For how long shall this injustice continue? Why are our courts magnanimous to such thieves? Do the responsible authorities have a chunk in the bounty? Why should cases of fraud be continually swept under the carpet? Why do people continue to loot and rob other people all in the name of patriotism and indigenization?

Why should politicians inflict suffering on the very people they purport to lead b y continually stealing from them.

Mrs Smelly Dube is a Politician who is stealing from people not just a "grateful farmer" as the Herald wants everyone to believe.

Rawlings Standgun Magede is a rural political enthusiast who writes from Nkayi Matebeleland North province.rawedge699@gmail.com

Political Idiocy and the aftermath of the “yes” vote

By Rawlings Standgun Magede

Recently, i was debating the recent referendum with COPAC co-chair, Paul Mangwana over the legitimacy of the yes vote. His argument was that Zimbabweans did well by grabbing this opportunity presented them and voted in favour of the document as this process had taken a lot of time and money.He went to argue that there is no constitution that can best meet the term “people driven” citing that even the American constitution was written by less than five people and yet it is ranked as one of the best constitutions in the world. To him the fact that only a “handful’ of people were consulted during the scandalous outreach programme, made the constitution “very’ people driven.

While there might be a grain of truth in his argument i reminded him that the United states of America and Zimbabwe are totally different countries at different socio-economic and political developments, hence those countries are worlds apart in terms of governance to say the least and cannot be compared. As far as Mangwana’s duty as a citizen is concerned, he thinks that his job was done because he claims that he delivered the constitution 33years years after independence. He wrongfully thinks history will absolve him for delivering such a careless, selfish and disastrous constitution to the people of Zimbabwe. I argued and told him that constitutions across the world are based on the country’s history hence the reason why the Lancaster constitution was amended so many times like that because it fell short in addressing arising issues. I later on jokingly concluded to him that if there was anywhere in the world where constitutions should not provide for an executive president, then it’s in Africa, the place where power is abused by incumbent presidents to unleash terror and mayhem against opponents.

The idiots of the 21st century are not those who oppose and question undemocratic decisions taken by politicians and labelled ‘nhinhi” at every turn, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn from history. They are those who herd people like cattle into unprincipled terrains where the grass will not be greener for the future generations of Zimbabwe. The question should be: is the next generation going to be proud of decisions that we make for them? History in Africa has taught us that if too much power is given to one person, where he is the sole appointing authority of all key post, then there will be untold suffering on all those who dare question or oppose him.

While this writer feels pity for the two MDC formations in the inclusive government and some malleable civic society organisations for choosing against better advice to support the COPAC draft amid widespread approval of the draft as an elitist document by the people of Zimbabwe and some civic organisations such as NCA, they had no clue what the consequences of their decisions meant. For them no matter the contents of the draft,” progress” and not the content was important as long as we do away with the Lancaster constitution. They actually were hoodwinked into believing that ZANU PF was sincere in calling for unity and peace and the need to “move” the country forward by voting “yes”, little did they know that they were wrong. In the end ZANU PF managed to achieve what they had always wanted: writing a constitution that protects their interests. There is no name in the lexicon that can best describe such sell-out tendencies within the MDC’s and some CSO’s.

While some of us who we campaigning for a no vote were harangued and called all sorts of names and labelled retrogressive elements, events that began unfolding have led many people realize that the “yes vote was not about progress and moving the country forward but it was about settling a political score. Before the ink on the ballot papers could even dry, a top human rights defender, Beatrice Mtetwa was arrested under unclear and malicious circumstances.As if that was not enough, The Prime Minister of the republic of Zimbabwe, the right honourable Morgan Richard Tsvangirai’s staff were arrested. More arrest followed. The Prime Minister even tried to get them released but to no avail. What does it show to the people of Zimbabwe? He is the prime minister and hence should have influence on the police that is if at all he has any aorta of influence and power in government.

At one point i used to believe that Tsvangirai was the man who had felt the pulse of the people of Zimbabwe but when he endorsed such a draconian draft by whipping his supporters to support such a flawed document that creates an all powerful president changed my mind. He went on to tell green lies to the electorate that the COPAC draft will clip executive power.where? How?I still wonder and i am still looking in this “foolish” draft where executive power is trimmed till today. While many of his supporter see the world in binary terms i.e. MDC-T vs. ZANU PF, what they fail to understand however is that our politics transcend political parties. Whoever thought that the Nazi under Hitler would be exterminated from the face of German politics? Back during those days, it seemed a herculean task to ever imagine a Germany without Hitler. Today if you go to German and dare mention Hitler’s name, you might find yourself dead or wounded because the people there don’t want to be reminded of such a dark phase in their history. Coming back home we make our decisions without foresight of what the next 30years of our beloved country hold by voting for a document where the president remains the sole appointing authority of literally everyone.

I thought that most civic society groups who have witnessed unparalleled attack,imprisonment,killing and clampdown on their activities were going to at least question the issue of the attorney general who just like in the Lancaster constitution is appointed by the president. We have seen unwarranted arrests even after courts clear and order people to be released but still many continue to be detained. On this subject of attorney general there was surreal silence on who should appoint him from civic organizations. The evil agenda of the attorney general’s office against civic organizations is conspicuous to any functioning mind.
For these CSOs this draft constitution that they voted “ yes” for doesn’t change or seek to address the issue of the attorney general who has been a thorn in their flesh for the all these years. Many sold out their principles just because they wrongfully think that the MDC-T is always right and should never be questioned and is never wrong. They don’t realise that as far as their mandate as civic society that of being the watchdog of government is concerned, they lost the plot and will continue suffering huge, if not fatal setbacks in their pursuit of an “MDC –type” of a democratic society. While this shoot-from-the-hip approach by civic society to endorse a fraudulent constitution against better advice on the basis that the MDCs had endorsed it, unfortunately when the history of Zimbabwe is written, it will not be kind to such sell out elements.

Otherwise the selling out by some civic society groups and the two MDC’s in the inclusive government is a story yet to be told and it shall be told in the same way as the sun shall rise tomorrow.

Rawlings Standgun Magede is a rural political enthusiast who writes from Nkayi,Matebeleland north province .rawedge699@gmail.com

PEOPLE REJECT COPAC DRAFT

If recent results of a constitution debate on the YES\NO vote hosted by Crisis in Coalition, are anything to go by, then the politicians who are advocating for yes votes have everything to worry about because the people rejected the COPAC draft describing it as a weak and selfish draft meant to further the interests of politicians. COPAC co-chair Douglas Mwonzora,Virginia Muwanigwa from Womens coalition, Psychology Maziwisa from ZANU PF and Dr Charity Manyeruke from the University of Zimbabwe were advocating for a yes vote .On the other hand the No vote was represented by Clever Bere(NCA).Job Sikhala(MDC-99)Munyaradzi Gwisai(ISO)Simba Makoni(Mavambo).
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Speakers of the yes vote came one after the other trying to defend the draft constitution but to no avail. The people objected when Psychology Mazivisa stated that if ZANU PF was to win the coming elections, it will amend the constitution and this brought the discussion to a standstill. What this means is that people will have no say in the amendment process because this will be dealt with at party level. The audience noted that the current Lancaster house constitution was amended more than 18 times but still fell short in addressing real issues and this has been done over a period of more than 20years.What guarantee do people have that if they voted yes for the constitution, when the time to make amendments come, will they be consulted and how long will that take? Such an observation prompted people to question the motive behind the politicians call to vote for a yes come referendum time. The people even queried why the people were given only 3 weeks to read and analyse the draft and yet it took COPAC 4years to come with a draft.

Mwonzora tried as much as he could to fire fight for the yes vote but he could not extinguish the disgruntlement people had with the draft document. The people at the debate refused to allow political parties to continue misleading the people on the constitution by deceiving people about the so-called incremental gains purported to be in the draft. Even the representative from ZANU PF actually admitted that the draft falls short in terms of addressing issues and called it a ‘compromise “document among the political parties. In his presentation Mazivisa expressed his dislike of the draft constitution because it was a “compromise” document fully acknowledging that it fell short on party expectations .What is important to note is that the constitution has been about the political parties and this explains why they had closed door meetings to edit and horse-trade several clauses while the people of Zimbabwe were kept in the dark. For how long shall politicians be allowed to play old tricks on the people? Simply put, the draft seeks to protect the interests of whoever wins the next elections who will seek to amend the constitution to their own taste.
Those who were representing the no vote did well to critic the draft in an informed manner and managed to convince the audience that they should vote no in the coming referendum. Of major importance is that in the draft there was an age requirement for one to be president but there was no retirement age. The issue of having an all powerful executive was not welcomed by the audience.

As the election bell continues to toll towards judgement day, with the political parties using vast resources to whip and buy their supporters to vote yes in the coming referendum, it remains to be seen who will heed to such a call. This writer is more convinced that no progressive Zimbabwean would want to surrender the fate and future of coming generations to a bunch of inept and selfish leaders who tell people to vote “yes” so that their selfish ends are achieved.Zimabwe is more than ZANU PF and MDC. Who would want to vote yes for a draft that one political party would change to its own taste? Have people become that callous to surrender the destiny of this troubled country to politicians?

Dr Simba Makoni who maintained a neutral approach during the course of the debate blasted the advocates of the yes vote advising them to find better reasons, if any, on why the people should vote yes in the coming referendum. Even well known ZANU PF apologist Goodson Nguni described the draft constitution as “rubbish’.

Now is the time for those progressive Zimbabweans who are not confused and have not fallen prey to the stratagems by politicians, to put to an end this nonsense once and for all by voting NO in the coming referendum

If enough time is given for people to critically analyse the draft, they will see for themselves how monstrous the COPAC draft is.

Rawlings Magede is a rural political enthusiast who writes from Nkayi, Matebeleland North Province
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Why youth empowerment in Zimbabwe is a pipe dream

By Rawlings Magede

Over the years the Zimbabwe has witnessed many socio-political and economic changes. These changes have a direct effect on every age group. However, the most vulnerable group is the youth who remain at the mercy of circumstances.



With the scourge of unemployment running rampant, many fall unsuspectingly into the trap of being used for other selfish means by politicians.

The youth constitute the majority of the population, this entails that whenever there is any economic haemorrhage and meltdown, and they are affected the most. Despite this, over the years, the youth have played servitude and prostration at the hands of politicians who have continued to use them as barricades against leadership change and renewal.

The problem we have in Zimbabwe today is that those in positions of leadership are not prepared to relinquish their privileges so as to accommodate the plight of the suffering masses ( youths included)such as dealing with the high rate of unemployment, either because of ideological deficiency and selfishness.

Such elements turn to the youth for political survival. Zimbabwe has a wanton record of political led violence. Every time the country goes for elections, violence characterizes the process and it is a morass to a peaceful political transition. All this stifles the democratic process.

Despite having many organizations that purport to advance the concerns of the youth, the majority of youth remain vulnerable to manipulation by politicians. I am not sure if I should conclude that these organizations are not doing enough to advance and raise awareness among the relevant stakeholders.

The youth remain unemployed and destitute and this means that as long as the youth remain unemployed, political violence can never be eradicated.

A telling example is the OLD mutual Youth Fund that was politicized from the beginning. To date many youths still live under false hope that their projects are still being considered.

Despite the Ministry of Youth and empowerment stating that the agricultural sector received the largest allocation of funds under the Old Mutual Youth Development Fund that was being administered by CABS since 2009, it remains to be seen what the so-called agricultural projects will yield.

Acccording to the ministry the agricultural sector received 34% of the grant, distribution took 315%,manufacturing 23%,service 11% and mining .The ordinary youth still questions the opaque manner in which the fund was disbursed. The mystery of why their project proposals were turned down continues to haunt many today.

The youth ministry also allege that the fund also benefited youths from Nyanga, Mutare, Macheke, Bulawayo, Masvingo, Hwange and Gweru. If what the ministry is saying is anything to go by, then an audit of how the youth fund was disbursed is needed to find out if the process was not done in a partisan manner.

The audit should be done by an independent commission made of members from civic society, youth leaders from communities and political parties. A cursory cross checking of facts reveals that the fund was abused or diverted for other “projects”.

Recent media reports suggest that The Zimbabwe Youth council that three quarters of the youth who benefited from the fund diverted the money meant for projects.

“Some of you are now asking the reason why we are have resorted to paying for what one would have applied to get for his or her project because the money is being diverted,” Livingston Dzikira Zimbabwe Youth Council Director told reporters in Nyanga at the UNICEF workshop.

“So far from the people who have benefited, 70% of them have diverted the funds. Some have taken the loans to pay lobola and those are the same people you seem at public forums denouncing the program”.

This reveals serious levels of corruption and graft. In the first place why was the process done secretly? Why did the ministry of youth not do a wide consultation across the country to assess the projects? If the youth council knows as Dzikira clearly states the names of people who abused the fund, what has his office done to deal with such gross abuse of funds?

The youth fund was politicized from from the beginning when Vice president Joice Mujuru officiated the programme under the watchful eye of Kasukuwere. This they saw an opportunity to drum up support for ZANU PF and revive its waning popularity.

It’s a pity that most youths not aligned to ZANU actually wasted their time and resources coming with project proposals with the hope of having their proposals approved. It’s not given that half of the youth in the country are politically affiliated to any party, there are some who are just concerned about leading normal lives.

Livingston Dzikira admitted that as far as the disbursing of funds was concerned, he had no oversight and control whatsoever. Asked by reporters at the same occasion of his affiliation to Zanu-PF which has raised concerns by the public over how deserving youths benefit from youth empowerment programme Dzikira said he follows orders given to him by Saviour Kasukuwere, the minister of Youth Empowerment Minister who is Zanu-PF.

“I am an employee, who reports to the board and when the body is not present I give reports directly to the responsible Minister and it is impossible for you to separate me from that otherwise I get fired, “he said.

In other words what he was saying is that the youth fund was meant for ZANU PF youths, all he does in his capacity as director is to process finalized suggestions of names from Kasukuwere. Why then did Old mutual and the ministry of youth bother the ordinary youth to apply for the fund when they knew that the fund was meant for ZANU PF youths?

The youths had to scavenge for money to prepare and photocopy the project documents when in actual fact they were not qualified for the fund before they even applied.

One startling fact is that Kasukuwere is deputized by Tongai Matutu from MDC-T, the peoples’ party of excellence”. What is excellent about the MDC when it cannot question such an injustice as far as the disbursing of the youth fund is concerned.

Matutu and his other comrades from the MDC are still obsessed with the luxuries of being in government that come with luxurious cars and bogus allowances while neglecting their role in government? The MDC ministers should not be anyone’s tool in government; they should at least denounce such injustices from within government.

The reality within the Ministry of Youth is depressing; no backbone, no drives towards empowering youth save for those affiliated to ZANU PF.

Most youth organizations that claim to stand for the plight of the youth are just lily-livered opportunists united by money and the anti-Mugabe mantra but who remain mentally and materially beholden to other people who in most cases are politicians.

The real youth that they claim to represent are just imaginary and non-existent. Many of them just play “a watch and see attitude” even whenever they should advocate.

Despite Zimbabwe being a signatory of many international conventions that respect the role of the youth in economic and political issues, Zimbabwean youths remain on the sidelines in as far as issues of governance and their welfare are concerned. The Zimbabwe Peoples Charter section on youth clearly states that;

“Believing that at all given times the youth, both female and male, represent the present and the future of our country and that all those in positions of leadership nationally and locally must remain true to the fact that our country shall be passed on from one generation to the next.

The People state that, in order for each generation to bequeath to the next a country that remains the epitome of hope, democracy and sustainable livelihoods, the following principles for the youth must be adhered to and respected:

The youth shall be guaranteed the right to education at all levels until they acquire their first tertiary qualification.

The youth shall be guaranteed an equal voice in decision-making processes that not only affect them but the country as a whole in all spheres of politics, the national economy and social welfare.

The youth shall be guaranteed access to the right to health.

The youth shall not be subject to political abuse through training regimes that connote political violence or any semblance of propaganda that will compromise their right to determine their future as both individuals and as a collective.

The youth have the right to associate and assemble and express themselves freely of their own prerogative.”

The inclusive government has fallen short in addressing any of the tenets of the people’s charter.

The principles in the peoples’ charter on youth are social welfaristic that harness together all the socio-economic ills that affect youths daily. The inclusive government continues to sideline the youth in issues such constitution reform, tertiary education, social welfare and health.

I am yet to understand what it means to be a youth in Zimbabwe. Does it mean that you must be a member of a political party youth wing that is used to unleash violence against an innocent, exposed and vulnerable electorate and be given trinkets as a form of reward or be a member of a youth organization where you are allowed certain privileges I don’t know.

May the real youth stand up!!

Rawlings Magede writes in his personal capacity and can be contacted on rawedge699@gmail.com

THE CURSE WITH THE “YES” VOTE

The COPAC led process has been nothing but a circus so blatantly diverted by politicians leaving a lot of questions unanswered for the common man to question whether if the sole responsibility of writing this law of the land is for a few privileged politicians. Zimbabwe is ours too!

Many still question why the constitution has been reduced to a contest of just three political parties namely ZANU PF and MDC formations instead of the whole nation. This poison that has been injected into our nation must be eliminated because the people of Zimbabwean are not as docile as what the politicians take them to me. While this debate of who should write a constitution appears more poignant with each passing day, what lies ahead of us is not only an onerous task but an important choice to be made by the whole nation that will shape the next generation. It is a task that must be executed with caution by every Zimbabwean. It’s high time we get over the politics of thinking that everything in Zimbabwe starts and ends with Mugabe and Tsvangirai.

“Vote Yes” has been the ZANU PF and the two MDC formations war cry and they have been trying so hard to convince the people of Zimbabwe to support their party positions, they have continued to pursue various subterranean devices, they have gone on an offensive preaching green lies to their supporters about how good the constitutional draft is. If this is not a scandal of untold proportions, then nothing is. But what’s key to note here is that their supporters are not unthinking robots as they think, but they are human beings with reason and intellect and capable of making informed decisions not because Morgan or Robert advised them to vote yes. It is just political gibberish and daydreaming not supported by any empirical evidence to believe that any progressive Zimbabwean will hearken to the dictates from the political parties.

Given the foregoing, the political parties have upped their game in their pursuit of the yes vote by sloganeering the yes vote whenever they get the chance, but the question is what exactly are people voting for when they vote yes? In the end who is going to have the last laugh? I was amused by the high levels of ignorance people have towards the constitution draft. Recently I had a discussion with a close friend of mine about the draft. He didn’t know that in the new constitution the President may at any time remove the Attorney-General from office. What this means is that if the incumbent president chooses to protect his supporters or apologists from prosecution, the attorney general will have to comply with the presidents’ directive, and failure to do so will result in dismissal.

Having such a provision in the constitution allows or gives room for the selective application of the law. If we look at the prosecution of human right defenders and opposition supporters in the last decade especially under the current Attorney General,Tomana,results of torture, kidnapping and killing by state agents has been on the prowl and it is sad to note that none of these perpetrators have been brought to book. For how long should the country continue stalking under the heel of oppression in as far as selective application of the law is concened? Time would fail me if I am to talk about executive authority. The COPAC draft falls short in addressing issues that affect us on a day to day basis therefore the people of Zimbabwe should reject it by voting a big “NO”. Many will ask what happens next if we vote no. What means is that the whole process will start all over again. This will send a direct message to the politicians to put people first.

Those in power and the ones aspiring to get into power are seeking to preserve their interests and the price or sacrifice for such a parochial goal is the ordinary Zimbabwean. This writer is aware that it is natural because of sin, for a robber to protect his loot. The murderer has to continue murdering so as to protect his own life and interest but generally there is a hangman, so is the eternal fitness of all human power has an end, today for him, maybe tomorrow for you. Zimbabweans have been taken for granted for many years and if people can be honest with each other for a moment, we will find out that people have been sidelined from the onset. Firstly the politician tempered with people’s views captured in the national report and replaced them with their own. It is also important to note that the additions and subtraction in the national report were effected during “closed meetings,” far away from people. No one knew the contents of the deliberations.


It is true that the glamour of materialism has to a greater degree destroyed the innocence and purity of the national conscience in Zimbabwe given the suffering that people are going through, but, still beyond our politics, beyond our soulless industrialism, generations after us are going to pay for our careless and treasonous negligence if we always at according to the dictates of politicians. Why should the next generation suffer for crimes that we can solve today? Voting yes to such a treasonous draft will perpetuate the politics of patronage which will continue to haunt generations to come. Why should politicians rush people into voting for a draft that has shortcomings so that they protect their interests?

How can COPAC delay publishing the national report that has can people’s views and yet it has come up with a draft that is meant to deceive people into believing that it contains their views captured during the outreach programmes.What lies! The shameful thing about this COPAC process is that the political parties are not even remorseful while doing such a treasonous and poisonous act. Common sense and remorse has suddenly disappeared even from the most parties that shamefully call themselves the “people’s party.”

It is against such a background that the same politicians, who have perpetrated unwarranted suffering on the people through demonic and moronic policies such as the indigenization and empowerment, are coming back to the people begging for a “yes” vote come referendum time to extend their looting schemes, yet when they were adding and subtracting the contents of people’s views, they never cared to consult people.
The choice is yours Zimbabwe.

Rawlings Magede is a rural political enthusiast who writes from Nkayi, Matebeleland North province. He can be contacted on rawedge699@gmail.com