To clarify one contentious point regarding the Zimbabwe Republic Police and roadblocks, you Do Not have to carry money with you, and according to the law, you can insist on paying at the nearest police station if you cannot pay the fine on the spot.

According to Bill Watch 33/2012 from Veritas, in Parliament last month The Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs was asked about the way the police deal with spot fines and gave an impromptu reply outlining in some detail what the law says on the subject. Points he made included the following:

• spot fines are legal and constitutional
• the maximum spot fine per offence is $20 [a level 3 fine]
• spot fines are for use only for petty crimes where guilt is admitted by the offender – a crime warranting a fine of more than $20 should be taken to court
• if the offender cannot pay on the spot, he or she can insist on paying at the nearest police station
• records of all spot fines imposed are submitted to a magistrate to be reviewed, as a check to ensure police are acting within the law
• the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs supports the proper use of the spot fine system because it helps to counter congestion of the court system by large numbers of petty cases in which guilt is admitted.

With a huge thanks to our colleagues at Veritas – The much disputed and discussed Zanu PF amendments to the draft Constitution are available here.

“I’ve always had the tendency to cause trouble,” says Maryam Keshavarz. The 36-year-old is speaking down the line from an idyllic-sounding writers’ retreat in Portugal, but with the release of Circumstance in the UK this week, the first-time director is not far from controversy. More from the Guardian

Yesterday the Herald headline read ‘ZANU PF popularity surges: Poll’.

I was shocked to see how the Herald, which is a state controlled paper, was quick to praise this survey titled “Change and ‘New’ Politics in Zimbabwe” done by a US based NGO Freedom House. The survey like any survey poses challenges to its findings due to its delimitations and as noted in the report it mostly concentrated in the rural areas. Honestly in Zimbabwe where freedom of speech is non-existent who would answer saying that they support or belong to opposition parties? According to the survey 47% of the respondents refused to indicate who they would vote for. Of the 53% who declared their preference 31% chose ZANU PF and 20 the MDC. My point of fear of disclosure is brought to light as shown that many people feared disclosing their political affiliation.

It’s so easy to say I support ZANU PF because you know you are not stepping on anyone’s toes. But when one publicly says they are for the MDC you are mostly likely to irk a few people and place your life at great risk in your community especially in rural communities. I was enlightened in the other findings of the survey, which somehow newspapers reporting on this story ignored.
-85% are ‘sure’ or ‘very sure’ that they will be casting their ballots in the next elections
-47% of those who said they would vote in the next elections stated ‘this is the election that will make the difference’.
-A total of 35% respondents in this survey (compared with 16% in 2010) now believe that the next round of elections will be free and fair.

These are among other findings summarised on the Freedom House website.

The last time such a report was published saying MDC was the most popular ZANU PF quickly rubbished this report and Herald did not even report on it. And because this year’s report shows ZANU PF as the most popular party, the Herald took the story to their front page and the MDC was quick to rubbish this report. I believe the ballot in a free and fair election will show who the most popular party is. May the best party win in the next elections!

As funny as it may sound donkeys at a tourist attraction park in Israel have now been equipped with routers around their necks for Internet connectivity. Visitors to the park can now upload pictures, videos and chat whilst enjoying the tour of the biblical park on the back of a donkey. Recently technology has allowed people Internet access from buildings to cars, and now animals, what next?

Amid reports that Zanu PF has sent amendments to the draft Zimbabwe Constitution to the principals, that the MDC has rejected them, and that Zanu PF will be debating this further this weekend, here is a very sensible suggestion from a subscriber about the way forward:

Can we please push for a balanced panel on national television whenever there are issues concerning a discussion of the draft constitution. So far we are tired of Mahoso and Chivaura’s consistently negative views on the draft constitution. Is this to mean that everything about that constitution draft is bad. Also my reading of the same did not show any providing guaranteeing sexual orientation rights and yet it is being used to stir away people from liking the draft. National television is one of the most effective tools reaching even the most remote areas. Should we sit back and let these guys feed lies to the people? Its high time the correct information be disseminated and people be given an opportunity to make their choice.  Lets push for a balanced panel that does not praise-worship and boot-lick Mugabe at the expense of national interest causes. -    JC

While you’re at it, read the draft Constitution for yourself and decide what you think.

Also read this comprehensive interview with Studio 7 and Alex Magaisa about the provisions in the draft Constitution.