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,

When I told my father I wanted to be a journalist he looked at me in shock and said, ‘But women journalists are loose…are you telling me that this is what you want for yourself?’ Never one to back down from a fight, that conversation ended in a fierce argument. My mother knew better than to intervene. I couldn’t understand how my father, with whom I watched Christiane Amanpour on CNN and Haru Mutasa on Al Jazeera, and who would sit with me and critique interview and reporting styles could possibly believe that journalism amounted to prostitution.

Having been in the field for a while now, I understand his position. Zimbabwe’s women journalists, more than women in any other profession, I think, suffer intolerable harassment and discrimination. It comes with the job. It really doesn’t matter which medium or establishment a woman works for, sexual harassment appears to be an industry standard. Scant attention is drawn to the sexual scandals that plague Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings; I suppose it’s a case of the pot calling the kettle black. In 2009 numerous interns and women journalists filed harassment complaints against the then News and Current Affairs Manager Tarzen Mandizvidza and Reporters Manager O Brian Rwafa. A female respondent to a Gender Links survey regarding women in Zimbabwe’s media observed, ‘Where issues of sexual harassment or sexist language are concerned, women who raise these issues are often not taken seriously and in particular case of harassment, male bosses sympathise with those accused of harassment and at times try to underplay the charge at hand.’

This is aptly demonstrated by ZBH CEO, Happison Muchechetere who, at the time threatened to fire the women and labelled them ‘prostitutes’. ZBH sexual harassment issues are ongoing. This month the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists Secretary General, Foster Dongozi, told The Zimbabwean that there were escalating reports of female journalists being harassed on the job, especially at the state broadcaster where bosses were allegedly sexually harassing female reporters for roles as news readers.

New players in the media industry have also adopted the practice of objectifying and discriminating against women. Recently, Sokwanele reported that young female college graduates have lodged complaints that they are being asked on dates by some of the editors of the newly licensed media houses if they want to be employed.

The issues plaguing women in media are not confined to sexual harassment. A 2009 study conducted by Gender Links as part of the Glass Ceilings: Women and Men in Southern African Media Survey found that although half of Zimbabwe’s media houses had gender parity targets, there were six times as many men as women in Zimbabwe media houses surveyed. This is surprising considering that women constitute the majority of media and communication studies students. The survey also found that men were more likely to be given higher remuneration and better working conditions than women.

Moreover, while women in Zimbabwean media houses are under-represented in most areas of work, (constituting 17% of editorial departments), they are found in higher proportions in support roles in areas considered “women’s work”. These include advertising and marketing (40%) and human resources (58%).

Fed up with this state of affairs, female media practitioners issued a statement this year in March, demanding an end to these unfair practices. Again very little notice was paid to it by the media in general, almost as if in collusion. The media is very quick to point out the failings of the government, but is selectively shortsighted when its own practices are corrupt and degrading.

Sexual harassment is one of the world’s greatest bugs, that has overstayed its welcome. Sexual harassment and rape is a crime, which is perpetrated worldwide, on young and old women, decently or indecently dressed. Stories of rape cases of minors are being reported in the media and the most recent in Zimbabwe is of a 69 year-old man who raped a 14 year-old girl. This was not his first offence.

Women in the US have taken to the streets to protest verbal and physical violence against women. These protests were stirred by an insensitive statement made by Toronto police constable Michael Sanguinetti who remarked that women should avoid dressing “like sluts” in order to prevent themselves from being raped or otherwise victimised.

Termed Slut Walks, the protests began in Canada and have spread to Australia and other parts of the world. The theme of the protests is women castigating the sexual harassment they face as a result of their type of clothing.

With women across the world staging protests against sexual harassment, reportedly perpetrated by what they wear and how they behave, are Zimbabwean women going to join in the campaign?

On Thursday 26 May 2011 I was really shocked to read an article in the Daily News entitled  “Anti-piracy board resigns“.

I really want to commend the Anti-Piracy Organisation of Zimbabwe (APOZ) board for taking such a brave move to show their discontent over the letter, which was written by the board director Innocent Matsengarwodzi to the police commissioner-general pleading to allow the sale of pirate movies. Such kind of action deserves to be applauded and it shows that the board was made up of professional people.

In trying to justify his actions APOZ director said,  “There are no original works of such films in our country and that 100% films can be downloaded from the internet showing that the creators of such films have already benefited from the sales and also prohibitive costs to acquire the exclusive rights by local companies to reproduce the works from the right holders who are mostly Western countries who gave us illegal sanctions,”

I believe when the Anti-Piracy Organisation of Zimbabwe was formed it had the mandate to protect artists from piracy regardless of origin of the artist or his/her work. It’s very unfortunate that we still have people who want to watch western films for free and promote piracy in the name of sanctions. Imagine how it feels if Macheso walks in the streets of London and sees some guy selling pirated copies of his latest album. Lets learn to respect other people’s work and give back what’s due to them.

Listen to excerpts from this interview here

Zimbabwe stands on the brink of change. Much has been made of the winds of the Arab Spring possibly being blown across Southern Africa, and in particular, in Zimbabwe. While there have been attempts at seeding civil disobedience via social media like Facebook by the born free tech savvy generation, this has failed, largely in part because those who wished to start the revolution were Zimbabweans living in the Diaspora. That is not to say that Zimbabwe’s young adults have given up.

Born in the late1970s and early 80s, the ‘born-free’ generation grew up in a Zimbabwe that had just attained her independence. The country was prosperous, and many black families became socially mobile moving into formerly white only neighbourhoods, schools and spheres of business, creating what became Zimbabwe’s black middle class. Economic opportunities in the new Zimbabwe were numerous, but this came to change after years of poor economic policies, mismanagement and corruption, culminating in the political and economic upheavals of the 2000s. 20 years after Independence, millions of young adults were migrating annually for tertiary education or economic opportunity. It is estimated that up to a quarter of Zimbabwe’s population lives outside of the country.

Lawyer and Human Rights Defender Tafadzwa Mugabe graduated from the University of Zimbabwe in 2002. Having worked with Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, he has been at the forefront of the post independence struggle for democracy.

‘I strongly believe that the past decade has been really sad for our country to the extent that most of our families have been decimated by death or immigration and displacement for one reason or another. And the national psyche is very unstable, characterised by a lot of fear of the government, and I for one do not like that.’

The Zimbabwean state after 2000 became very repressive in an effort to stem criticism. This has resulted in the closing of democratic spaces, traditionally occupied by young adults, who have the energy to bring renewal to the country.  Despite the dire situation many young people find themselves in, they are not without hope for a change in Zimbabwe’s fortunes.

Dzikamai Bere, a social reformist and writer says,

“Now is the time for hope. There are times when you feel that things are hopeless. When you look at the political front you become quite hopeless. I will be blunt: when you look at the church you will also be hopeless because politicians have taken it over. When you look at civil society as well you can despair because the same evils that have befallen the politics of this country are also there. When you look at the media it’s the same. So sometimes you ask yourself where our salvation will come from. In the middle of all this, we the young people of Zimbabwe should not lose hope. We must believe that there is always space for transformation and there is always an opportunity for transformation. Here, now, it will have an effect in the future.”

Like the liberation struggle generation before them, the born free generation has a deep desire to contribute to the fruition of the dream that is Zimbabwe. For Rutendo Mudzamiri, who works with an organisation that encourages the active participation of women in political processes, there is no doubt about what is needed for Zimbabwe to move forward.

“It’s not about party politics anymore. Politicians will be there and politicians will not be there tomorrow, as citizens, as a people we need to be able to unite, we need to be able to speak with one voice on what we want regardless of political affiliation. We are Zimbabweans first. We need to be sure of what we want, we want better education, we want better health. As a nation the things that bring us together are more than the things that really divide us.”

She goes on to say, “as long as we have breath, as a young generation I believe that we can speak with one voice, we can come together, we can join forces, whether you’re in civic society or political parties. Like Ghandi said: ‘be the change that you want to see’. We are the change. The future is in our hands.”

Tafadzwa is also a firm but realistic believer in the future.

“There is great potential. I haven’t realised all my dreams yet, but I remain confident that this is the place for me. I don’t really think about going anywhere else. There are a lot of things I wish I could improve, about myself, about my situation, about my surroundings, but I’m still very optimistic that our time is coming. It’s on the horizon, and we will change what we will be able to change.”

Tafadzwa insists on holding Zimbabwe’s politicians accountable.

“I think there must be a change of mindset. The people that call themselves our leaders are there because of us. It is not a privilege for us to be led by them. As a Zimbabwean there are certain things that I expect from the people that are in a leadership position. There are certain things I should be able to go and freely claim as a right.”

Zimbabwe’s revolution is not going to take the form of those in Egypt and Tunisia. It is going to be a quiet one that involves a change in attitude, the engagement of compassion and small acts of resistance. Young adults are at the forefront of this movement; refusing to let a generation that is past it’s time to continue to renege on the promise of Independence.

Whether it is the love of the motherland or our hard-earned American dollar is the question that still needs answering.

In a scenario typical of the scramble for Chiadzwa diamonds, this time it’s not for the precious gems but for the American dollar. Barely 2 months after poor performances by hip-hop artist Sean Kingstone, another group of American artists are on the way to Zimbabwe for another rip off show.

Last year’s performance by Akon and Sean Paul at the National Sports Stadium left many Zimbabweans, including the promoter, counting their losses. Imagine parting ways with $100 for a show, which only lasted 60 minutes. All for someone coming from America to do lip-syncing in front of you. Our local music artists, who are always used as supporting artists, generally end up stealing the show from the much-hyped international artists.

Some people say Zimbabweans deserve it because after several times of being ripped off, we still allow these artists to come back again on the pretext of the love for the motherland. Or is it for the love of the money? Some say music is business and one has to make profit at the end of each day so sometimes it’s the music promoters who are fleecing the poor. It’s no wonder that most of these hip-hop artists are always singing about getting rich, or die trying. The recent HIFA event is a clear testimony of what good performances should be like. Zimbabweans are prepared to pay for a good show, but not disappointments.

This time its Timberland, Lil Kim and Ciara who are on their way to give us another performance, which will leave us, complaining again. I say “complaining” because if you remember the way Akon, Sean Kingstone and Sean Paul performed, little will change in terms of performance from Timberland and company. The only change will be the personality.

I hope this time we are not going to hear them talk about love of the motherland in an interview because we now know that its strictly business when they come to Zimbabwe.