Clifford Chitupa suggests that our MPs blundered by ratifying US$98m loan for a spy centre:

Zimbabwe’s Members of Parliament blundered by ratifying the US$98m for a spy centre on Wednesday 1st June 2011. They should have known better that the country cannot afford the multi million dollar Chinese loan nor does Zimbabwe need a defence college before rubber-stamping Zanu-pf’s suspicious project. Although, the ratification was preceded by a ‘heated debate’, it is ironic that the MPs lost sight of an appeal on the same day by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for US$6 million to continue treating Zimbabwe’s water.

It seems the MPs are not keeping their eyes on the ball because UNICEF has already given $40 million of support to water and sanitation programmes in Zimbabwe a vital necessity for everyone regardless of political affiliation, unlike the spy centre. One would have thought that Bill Gates’ advice to African countries to work harder to get life-saving vaccines to children in order to save millions of lives was heeded (AFP, 17/05/11). The founder of Microsoft and philanthropist Mr Gates puts his money where his mouth is.

The Chinese loan is far from Zimbabwe’s national priorities, which we know to be food security, efficient electricity supply (or refurbishment of ZESA), road construction and maintenance, housing, railways, health and education which are all critical for the industrialisation of the country and employment creation. There are two key issues here: Do we need a foreign loan at this juncture? Secondly: Do we need a spy centre?

Zimbabwe is least advised to take any loan at the moment because the country’s total domestic and foreign debt was US$7.1 billion as at March 31, 2011. At
105% of the Gross Domestic Product, it means every Zimbabwean owes US$500 million! It appears the country’s leaders momentarily forgot the advice given by the African Development Bank vice-president for operations, Aloysius Uche Ordu when he said:

“Arrears clearance is so important because it’s the only way to re-engage the multilateral finance institutions” (AFP, Jan 18, 2010).

MPs should be reminded that voters will be more likely to be influenced by day to day problems like ZESA blackouts and its excessive tariffs, unemployment, hunger, erratic water supplies, a potholed road network, sub-standard health and other essential services than the number of spies produced by the Chinese college. The MPs should have declined to ratify the loan agreement for the simple reason that the country cannot afford it.

It’s very distressing to note that the loan will be repaid from proceeds to be brought in by Chinese mining firm Anjin Investments which is mining diamonds at Chiadzwa and would be repaid over 20 years at an interest rate of 2% per annum. You don’t have to be an economist to tell that such terms are unacceptable, at least for two reasons – mortgaging our diamonds for a non-essential like a spy college and the high interest rate due to Zimbabwe’s current poor credit worthiness. What happens if Anjin goes bust? Next: Do we need a defence college at the moment? Did the MPs benefit from an independent Value for Money audit let alone a Risk Assessment before endorsing the setting up of the spy centre? Do they know the full implications of a spy centre in the country?  Do the MPs fully know what is going to be done at/by the centre?

Zanu-pf Defence Minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa reportedly said the college will provide senior military officers with intellectual tools to address complex defence and national security challenges which in turn will contribute to national security. At least the MPs should have asked the Minister to explain how Zimbabwe has been meeting those needs since 1980 when it managed to fight in the Democratic Republic of Congo and before that against the Renamo in Mozambique.

The spy centre is expected to produce Cryptologic Linguists, Signals Intelligence Analysts, Human Intelligence Collectors, Military Intelligence
(MI) Systsms Maintaners and Integrators, Counterintelligence Agents, Imagery Analysts, Common Ground Station (CGS) Analysts, Intelligence Analysts, Signals Collectors or Analysts.  ‘All this expertise will be provided by the Chinese’(The Zimbabwean, 15/05/11).

It is further claimed the college will offer a Bachelor of Science degree in Intelligence and Master of Science degree in Strategic Intelligence working closely with the University of Zimbabwe. The likelihood of non-Zanu-pf candidates being recruited on a non-partisan basis into these sensitive programmes ranges from slim to zero.

Based on Mugabe’s reluctance to reform the security sector, this may be another Zanu-pf top secret project with help from the Chinese since radio jamming. In my view, the MPs will soon rather than later regret their big mistake. The spy college is likely to have short and medium-term implications for the economic revival in addition to the damage caused by the implementation of indigenisation laws – harshly, haphazardly and selectively.

Notwithstanding the generous Chinese assistance during the struggle against colonialism, however, it appears Zimbabwe is undergoing colonisation by the Chinese with the way things are. For example for the next 20 years the Chinese will be guaranteed of jobs at Anjin diamond mine in Marange, thanks to that loan agreement. Furthermore, there are concerns that project’s sensitivity might impact on the conduct of the forthcoming referendum and
2011 elections in the wake of the ongoing militarization of the state.

Another factor arising from globalisation is the discovery of a vast Chinese cyber-espionage network codenamed GhostNet that is designed to infiltrate sensitive ministries and embassies and has allegedly penetrated 103 countries and infects at least a dozen new computers every week, according to UK’s Daily Telegraph on 29 March 2009. However, the paper says, it remains unclear whether GhostNet was built by the Chinese government, or by independent hackers inside the country. Hopefully there will be no regrets.

©Clifford Clifford Mashiri, Political Analyst, London,

We have heard it all before about artists attempting to justify touring despotic regimes claiming their art seeks to bridge differences – sometimes if not always  very bitter and inviting international disapprobation – and all that crap.

From Olympians participating in Hitler’s Nazi Germany, Vorster’s apartheid South Africa and other international sporting events, examples come aplenty, and imagine men and women of conscience claiming “well, sport is a uniting force among nations, this is our contribution to bringing different peoples together!”

For local sportsmen, artists, musicians and other kosher cosmopolitans, they no doubt have a hell of a time time explaining themselves about being part of any event from Olonga and Streak’s cricket to Mtukudzi’s Swazi jaunt “boycotted” by other “big names”.

Mutukudzi claims he is a man just doing his job by going to perform in despotic Swaziland. Well, indeed he is. Africa’s remaining absolute monarch also claims he is also just doing his job cracking down on unionists!

But for many artists and ordinary people alike, the question appears to be: “do these boycotts change anything?” And it is that logic that no doubt informs the indifference of many artists and sportspeople despite these prominent people this time wearing the hat as conscientious objectors being able to keep up the heat bad presidents.

Only a while ago, a group of yuppie South African girls were debating among themselves whether they should hit the road and visit Swaziland and have a real weekend blast. However, as one of them wrote, their consciences were burdened  by the awareness that where they were destined to enjoy their “girlie outing,”  the natives [the Swazi] themselves were being clubbed for staying away from work, opposition politicians being hounded, their universal human rights being generally trampled upon by the increasingly despotic monarch. Thus it was, ” can we dance the night away well knowing outside these walls a mother is missing her son, a wife her husband, an activist denied her right to speak her mind?”

It then obviously is a question of conscience if a “respected” chap like Tuku [once referred by some with a twisted sense of humour as Zimbabwe's own Michael Jackson] is to be understood by his determination to be part of a crowd that only soon harps – as much as our own – “see, international artists are coming here to shame the lies and lies of the western press about the alleged despotism of our dear leader.”

Is he [Tuku] not the same guy who has – unlike Mapfumo – refused to say there is something wrong with the men and women he lionised and penned many a liberation war soundtrack back in the halcyon days of nationalist fervency? But it sure looks like it’s about the bread and the butter first and human rights concerns later, and he could well be retorting, “fuck you, I don’t eat human rights.”

Only a few nights ago, Tuku Supastar was on the telly courtesy of some ZTA shindig telling the nation that journos must not obsess with the negative! Looks like he knew what was coming!

Surely his PR people should know better.

Here’s a press statement from the Youth Forum:

Harare – The police have descended heavily on Glen View 3 residents and business people. Many residents and vendors have run away from their residences and businesses as the police are said to be picking up everyone and anyone they come across at and near the shopping centre.

According to reports from Glen View, police officers continue to descend upon Glen View in countless trucks picking up vendors and other ordinary citizens from around the shopping centre. Most vendors have left their wares at the shopping centre fearing arrest.

The Youth Forum condemns all forms of violence including the violence that led to the death of inspector Petros Mutedza. We urge the police to bring the culprits to book, this should, however, be done in a professional and ethical manner.

The Youth Forum takes this opportunity to convey its condolences to the Mutedza family, friends, the police force and the nation at large at this loss of a beloved family man, workmate and law enforcing agent. We urge the public to respect the lives of security officers and demand that the police do likewise, respect all lives. We also call upon the uniformed forces to restrain itself as it investigates this unwanted death of a fellow officer.

“What happened in Egypt is sending shock waves to all dictators around the world. No weapon but unity of purpose. Worth emulating hey.”

- Vikas Mavhudzi’s post on Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Facebook wall. Mavhudzi is facing charges of posting offensive messages (Source: Mail & Guardian)

At a OSISA brown bag discussion on the role of new media in the pro-democracy struggles in southern Africa on Friday, one participant discussed a current tactic in use by organisers in Swaziland.

He explained that they have launched a cultural boycott, along the lines of the one which deterred artists and athletes from travelling to South Africa during apartheid.

As he described it, a number of artists had already agreed to boycott the Bushfire Festival held over the weekend, including Baba Caiphus Semenya. However, he noted that Oliver Mtukudzi was billed to perform at the festival, and activists had been unable to get in touch with him to advise him not to come. He informed the meeting that Semenya had been tasked with appealing to Tuku directly to encourage him to join the boycott. However, he said, he knew Tuku was a democrat, and he had every confidence that he would heed the boycott call. He said a separate event in South Africa was being planned, to support the artists who had honoured the boycott with a different source of performance revenue.

But a statement released on Tuku’s website Friday afternoon shared that some Swazi activists had allegedly “threatened to harm Tuku with unspecified action” if he performed at the Bushfire Festival. On his website, Tuku said:

“Those who are threatening my life actually need healing themselves and I will ensure my music heals their anger and help them think properly. That is the purpose of art. Music must be a remedy in times of strife and artists must be given a chance to fulfill that obligation.”

He explained that he would be performing at Bushfire as planned, and that:

“The threats don’t deter me from doing my job as an artist. I have a responsibility to help heal where there is conflict. I must unite people where politicians are dividing us. It’s the business of politicians to separate people, as usual, and I am not surprised by the threats. All my life my music has promoted love, peace, tolerance and human rights and must be viewed as such. Thinking otherwise would be unfair.”

Radio VOP reported that Tuku performed on the weekend to around 15,000 people.

Whilst musicians may indeed be able to unite societies and create spaces for dialogue instead of conflict, I can understand the value of a cultural boycott. Amongst other things, it denies a government the revenue, and legitimacy, that international events can provide. The success of the South African example has inspired others to take a similar stance – for example in the Israeli / Palestinian conflict.

As Desmond Tutu said:

Just as we said during apartheid that it was inappropriate for international artists to perform in South Africa in a society founded on discriminatory laws and racial exclusivity, so it would be wrong for Cape Town Opera to perform in Israel.

In fairness to artists, it’s important that calls for a boycott be clear and consistent. In this case, there was some back-and-forth about whether the boycott was still on, which the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) dismissed as an attempt by the Festival organisers to misinform people that the boycott had been lifted.

Certainly, threatening someone’s safety should they come and perform falls more in the category of blackmail than persuasion.

But activist organisations like the Swaziland Solidarity Network insist the boycott is on, and will remain until Swaziland is democratised. For years, Zimbabweans have asked others in the region to support our efforts to democratise. With artists like Caiphus Semenya, Professor, L’Vovo Derrango, and Deep House DJ Black Coffee supporting the Swazi boycott, what will it take for artists like Tuku to follow suit?