A recent statement from Reporters Without Borders:

Bill would restrict public access to official information

Reporters Without Borders calls for the withdrawal of bill which is about to be submitted to parliament and which would allow the authorities to block public access to official documents including judicial decisions, new legislation and public records.

Announced on 22 October and called the “General Law Amendment Bill,” the proposed law’s sole aim seems to be to place additional obstacles in the way of access to information and thereby hamper the work of the media even more.

“Drafted by members of the coalition government’s Zanu-PF wing, led by President Robert Mugabe, this bill would just aggravate the already precarious situation for Zimbabwe’s media,” Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Jean-François Julliard said. “It is a political manoeuvre designed to prevent any critical examination of the government’s actions.”

Julliard added: “The bill is extremely dangerous as it would allow the authorities to adopt unjust measures without anyone knowing and without anyone being able to protest. It shows that the government is rejecting transparency in favour of secrecy and abuse of authority.”

Under the proposed law, the publication of any government document would require prior permission from the authorities. A human rights group or a journalist, for example, would need the justice minister’s permission to publish a judicial decision affecting the public’s rights. This would restrict the ability of ordinary citizens to monitor what the authorities do and, as such, it is contrary to the principles of good governance.

The bill’s announcement has coincided with a number of developments in recent weeks that have raised concerns about a renewed crackdown on the media. The government announced at the start of this month that no licences would be issued to new radio or TV stations. Two journalists, Nkosana Dhalmini and Andrison Manyere, were arrested while covering a public debate at the end of last month and were held for two days.

And an arrest warrant was issued last week for The Zimbabwean editor Wilf Mbanga in connection with an article critical of President Mugabe that was published after the 2008 elections. Mbanga has lived in London for the past six years.

Zimbabwe already has two laws that throttle free expression. One is the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), adopted in 2002. The other is the Interception of Communications Act, adopted in August 2007. The coalition government made significant efforts to limit their negative effects earlier this year, for example, by issuing licences to several privately-owned dailies. This bill constitutes a major step backwards.

Christmas decorations are up in most supermarkets indicating that the festive season is just around the corner and that mindless spending on food, drink and gifts can begin.

Had I the financial means I would add onto my Christmas shopping list Hugh Masekela’s song ‘Send Me’ and mail a copy of the track to every politician in office. This idea was inspired after reading Tawanda Chisango’s glowing review about the track’s rich Afro Jazz sound and moreover, its positive message. Describing the song as “spiritually uplifting” my immediate thought was that it would surely have some impact in reviving our seemingly lifeless statesmen to some noticeable action.

Primarily, I am hoping that the mere title of the song ‘Send Me’ will remind politicians that they have mandates to fulfil, as given by their constituents. All too often, it happens that public servants develop amnesia once elected into office and they forget that national, and not personal, development is paramount. In bestowing ‘Send Me’ as a gift perhaps our elected office bearers would remember that they were indeed sent, by us and for us. Maybe then we could get a bit more from them than ribbon cutting or the signing of yet another memorandum of agreement with ambiguous benefits for the masses.

Chisango writes: “The song is about someone … who is asking … to be sent so that they may be there when all the problems have been solved”. I imagine how nice it would be to have elected officials who actively find solutions to problems (or challenges, if we must use the more politically fashionable term), and not the more usual case where the politicians are the problem. Masekela’s song could inspire those in office to stop the tirades and the finger pointing in a westerly direction. After all, the purpose of putting politicians in power is not so that they can list the problems obvious to us all, but that they can find solutions to them.

But to fix a problem, you have to know that it exists and to do this you have to be in touch with the situation on the ground. Chisango explains that the person in the song is willing to go everywhere to assist the situation – to the railways, taxis, shebeens, buses, and the whole country. I admit that this is a tall order for our honourable representatives, who typically only visit their constituencies during election periods when they are garnering votes. How does one keep in touch with reality when they are surrounded (and shielded) by beefy bodyguards, heavily tinted car windows and nine-feet thick concrete walling? However, I believe that a new political norm is possible where statesmen actually live in the real world, amongst their constituents and assisting to better all our lives.

Although Masekela’s song is centred on being sent to tackle the HIV/AIDS pandemic, its message makes it relevant to all difficult circumstances that require the intervention of a champion or advocate. Elected officials take note. Being ‘honourable’ is not only a title that comes with the job; it indicates that there is a job to be done. The honour comes from being chosen and sent as a reliable campaigner for the people, to confront every difficulty no matter its size or its source and to improve circumstances for all of us.

You can download Send Me here

Support Childline Zimbabwe this Christmas. If you shop at Spar, consider donating your change, also known as a credit note, Childline. All proceeds will go to making Christmas better for children in need. Participating Spar supermarkets have donation boxes available where you can deposit your credit notes.

Bulawayo Agenda have just issued this report:

Hwange
Teachers in one of the schools in the mining town of Hwange are reported to have been arrested for being in possession of wireless radios. The radios were distributed to the teachers by PTUZ. There are suspicions that the arrests may be politically motivated. However, PTUZ and the Hwange Human Rights Youth Forum have organized a demo for Thursday against Police brutality and harassment. The two teachers are still in police custody.

Victoria Falls
Gushungo buses are said to have resurfaced in Hwange. The buses are plying the Hwange – Victoria Falls route for free to the residents of Hwange and Victoria Falls. The resurfacing of the buses is thought to be an election campaign method by ZANU-PF. It is also alleged that Zanu PF is funding funerals and birthday bashes of residents in Vic Falls with one resident having benefitted 21 crates of beer and 25 crates of soft drinks on her 50th birthday bash.  It is also reported that Zanu PF is dishing out ‘loans’ of between $500 to $1000 to youths and women in various parts of the country while  government has run out of funds for other important issues such as grants for the elderly and the disabled.

By now, I expect that many of us are well acquainted with the expansive list of assets that Zimbabwe’s Minister of Local Government and his wife are fighting over in their divorce trial.  For the most part, people have been outraged by the flagrant excess and insatiable gluttony of it all and the suspicion is that it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

On my part, I have been surprisingly inspired by the whole episode. It is evident that over the decades there have been tireless efforts towards this vast accumulation of assets.  So encouraged am I that I have decided to share the pearls (or diamonds, if you prefer) of wisdom I’ve extracted.

- Have ambition and don’t settle for less. Why should you own only one stand in Borrowdale when you can have twenty, or be the proprietor of one company when ten companies are even better?

- Don’t get disappointed if you never get promoted and you’ve been stuck in the same post since 2000. With the right attitude you can still do well and get rich through the opportunities that your current job presents.

- Every part of Zimbabwe is important and deserves to enjoy development through decentralised investment initiatives. Next time you have some spare cash, consider purchasing a stand or two in Chirundu, Katanga Township or maybe even Binga.

- Just because you are a civil servant, doesn’t mean that you must remain as poor as a church mouse. You will find that there are substantial perks that come with your job.

- Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. She will make public your private affairs, expose to all-and-sundry what hard earned assets you have, demand half of these and still expect you to pay her maintenance ’til death do you part’.

·    Next time you see a car with the popular bumper stick “My other car is a Mercedes Benz and I also have Land Cruisers, Nissan Wolfs and Hard-bodies”, don’t laugh; believe.

- If for three years your husband does not live in the matrimonial home because he is sorting out some personal issues, know that he is not coming back.

- Don’t be limited by your schooling. You may have doctorates in adult and higher education, but that doesn’t stop you from pursuing interests in mining, hospitality, farming, retail, real estate etc.

- With a large percentage of Zimbabweans with no access to clean drinking water, it is clear that work performance has no correlation in achieving success. You definitely don’t have to work hard at your job to amass great wealth.

I was shocked that The Herald, that non-partisan, balanced missive, would report in such detail the extent of Minister Chombo’s wealth. Interesting that the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and Rural Development would own (according to The Herald):

2 Glen View houses
2 flats in Queensdale, A property in Katanga Township, Stand Number 1037 Mount Pleasant Heights
4 Norton business stands
3 Chinhoyi business stands,
4 Banket business stands,
1 commercial stand in Epworth,
2 residential stands in Chirundu
4 commercial stands in Kariba
1 stand in Ruwa
1 stand in Chinhoyi,
2 stands in Mutare
2 stands in Binga.
4 stands in Victoria Falls
1 stand in Zvimba Rural Chitungwiza (two residential and two commercial stands) Beitbridge (four stands),
20 stands in Crow Hill, Borrowdale
10 stands in Glen Lorne,
2 flats at Eastview Gardens (B319 and B320)
1 flat at San Sebastian Flats in the Avenues, Harare Number 79 West Road, Avondale. Greendale house Number 36 Cleveland Road, Milton Park Number 135 Port Road, Norton,
2 Bulawayo houses. Number 18 Cuba Rd, Mount Pleasant Number 45 Basset Crescent, Alexandra Park,
2 Chegutu houses
1 Glen Lorne house (Harare)
2 houses (Victoria Falls). Stand along Simon Mazorodze Road, Norton (one stand) Avondale (two stands)
365 Beverly House (one stand) Bulawayo (three stands), Mica Point Kariba (one stand)

Clearly this is a man who has taken the President’s third Chimurenga seriously. You have to admire such industriousness: Chombo has been a full time Minister for fifteen years and a civil servant his entire career. This surely is an example to all those civil servants who have been protesting their paltry salaries for decades that ‘yes they too can’.

To add to his assets the minister has a Facebook page. It’s a shame Facebook doesn’t have a dislike button.