I recently attended a press conference held in Grahamstown in which the topic was the proposed Protection of Information Bill and Media tribunal. The question being addressed “is  the media under siege?” There was a panel made up of various authorities including a member of the ANC  regional executive Mabhuti Matyunza.

Many people perceive that the ANC is putting a “squeeze on the media” and the introduction of the Protection of Information Bill would enable the government to prevent corruption from being exposed.

One of the panellists convincingly argued that that the things we want to keep secret are those things we are ashamed of, not the things we are proud of. He further argued that the government are in fact our employees. They are spending our money; they are elected by us to represent us. “I hope you like your ministers cars coz you pay for them!”

Many of the panellists agreed that the Protection of Information Bill would be taking South Africa back to the apartheid era. I completely agree with this argument as the Promotion of Information Act that was implemented post apartheid was put in place to prevent government from being corrupt. It was put in place in order to prevent and expose corruption. With the introduction of this Bill it will become almost impossible to expose corruption.

Another panellist commented that what you need for a “Healthy Public Sphere” is an opinionated society. We see the importance of this when we look at Zimbabwe where many ministers are able to get away with corruption because there is no freedom of expression. Does South Africa want to head down the same road as Zimbabwe where they will live under the complete control of government?

I was shocked at the attitudes of the ANC in response to the outcry against the proposed Protection Of Information Bill. President Jacob Zuma said something along the lines of we are the people who brought media freedom to this country you cannot tell us about media freedom. This statement sounds remarkably similar to the ideology Mugabe expresses when he argues that ZANU-PF liberated Zimbabwe and therefore they can do as they wish. Mabhuti Mtyunza the ANC regional executive seemed to avoid the issue being discussed and continued with his own agenda of how the ANC has done so much for the country. He argued that the media is “denting” and “destroying the country” and “working for the opposition” and as a result needs to be “monitored and guided”.

Does South Africa not realise that the platform of democracy is freedom of the press and freedom of expression. South Africa seems to have failed to learn from Zimbabwe’s mistakes, once there is no freedom of press corruption thrives and ministers are able to exploit resources as well as people.

I attended the Civil Society Monitoring Mechanism (CISOMM) meeting commemorating the second anniversary of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) yesterday. The meeting also launched the six month shadow report on the performance of the inclusive government of Zimbabwe – 2010

The event included a panel discussion with Prof Lloyd Sachikonye, Tabita Khumalo, Bulawayo East Member of Parliament and member of the Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee (JOMIC), and Member of Parliament Paul Madzore.

Prof Sachikonye started off the panel discussion by outlining the state of Zimbabwe two years after the signing of the GPA. He looked at five key performance areas for the GPA. His analysis was more balanced, but I made my own score card for these five areas:

• Economic: 0.5 (half a point for kerbing inflation, zero points for economic growth and job creation)
• Constitutional reform: 0 (How can we have a functionally consultative Constitution making process in an environment where citizens are still harassed and intimidated and public meetings are still cancelled by the police)
• Media reform: 0 (Sure, there’s now a daily version of the Zimbabwe Independent. But what about radio licensing? Independent television? Not to mention renewed jamming of SW Radio Africa)
• Security sector reform: 0 (Minister Makone: What New Leaf)
• Transitional justice and reconciliation: 0 (How can we even talk about justice when there is still violence?)

Total: 0.5/5

Sachikonye said “some things are happening,” as if this gave the GPA a positive score. But to me it felt more indicative of just how much we’ve been through. He spoke of the trauma of political violence in 2000, 2002 and 2008, but I think the trauma Zimbabweans have experienced goes beyond just political violence. It’s about our economy, our governance, and the myriad ways in which people have been disempowered over the past 10 years. We’re so traumatised that we are grateful that “some things are happening,” that there is fuel at the service station and bread in the shops. We view that as progress – rather than viewing that as normal, and demanding more from our government.

About JOMIC, the body specifically created to monitor compliance with the GPA, Khumalo said “we have no power to force signatories to observe or implement the GPA. We write them letters.”

Madzore spoke of the continued harassment by the police at political meetings, and how even MPs have been arrested for holding Constitution outreach meetings. He said “we have no cooperation at all.”

Sachikonye said the picture was mixed. But I’d say it’s downright gloomy. We’re only positive about the GPA because of how bad things were before.

Either Morgan Tsvangirai is short on brains by saying that he won’t contest the result of Zimbabwe’s 2011 poll, or he’s got a direct line to that famous World Cup winner predicting octopus from Germany. One of Kubatana’s SMS subscribers texted us this question recently: Did octopus predict tsvangirai victory in next polls?

The Union for Sustainable Democracy suggests that even if Robert Mugabe is in good health, its about time he stepped down. 30 years in power seems like a good innings:

President Robert Mugabe must step down now

President Robert Mugabe yesterday refuted rumours about his supposed ill-health. Gossip is always a dubious source of information and for that reason it was quite refreshing to hear from the horse’s mouth. Messages of his assumed deteriorating health had Zimbabwe extremely worried!

Accordingly, the Union for Sustainable Democracy wishes President Robert Mugabe continued good health and is pleased to note – as he said in his interview with Reuters yesterday – that he is, in fact, of sound body. Life is precious and must be celebrated. We wish him as many more years as God will grant him.

What better time to take a break!

The simple and plain facts are that President Mugabe has been in power for 30 years; his leadership is deplorable and he is now 86 years old.

Whether or not he continues to rule the country should not depend on the results of tests for cancer. That is not the issue. The issue in Zimbabwe is dictatorship. It has been for over two decades. Surely that is cancerous enough!

As our USD President wrote in an article recently: “The moment has come for Zimbabwe to attain its political maturity, with power changing hands and life going along. After all it is not the state of the leader that matters, but the state of the nation”.

If President Mugabe wishes to dedicate the remaining years of his life to Zimbabwean politics he is more than welcome to do so but merely in an advisory capacity. Nothing more!

We strongly call on President Robert Mugabe to pave way for the ‘resurrection’ of the country by stepping down and handing over power to an abler person within ZANU PF as the country gears up for democratic elections.

- Fiona Mudzongo, Communications Manager

The Union for Sustainable Democracy recently released this statement:

Prime Minister Tsvangirai must order Chombo’s investigation

The Union for Sustainable Democracy urges Zimbabwean Prime Minister Tsvangirai to act decisively by ordering a swift probe into minister Chombo’s alleged corruption and misconduct.

Yesterday the MDC issued a Press Release calling upon ‘… the inclusive government to urgently investigate Local Government, Rural and Urban Development minister, Ignatius Chombo.’

While USD shares the view that Chombo has become nothing short of a menace to local governance as he continually disrupts the free flow of competent services, we bemoan the fact that, despite being the majority party in the unity government, all the MDC does is call upon the unity government to investigate Chombo.

Of course Chombo should be arrested, tried and, if convicted, sacked. However, if the MDC itself does not move to implement the investigation of Chombo, who the hell will? Why Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai does not simply go ahead and order an investigation is baffling to everyone who has put their trust in the MDC.

It is this kind of timidity and stunning lack of clout that enables ZANU PF – supposedly the junior partner in the inclusive government – to trample on the MDC with arrogance and impunity. Progress has stalled on many fronts because of this seemingly political ineptitude on the part of the MDC.

It is a facile to suggest that the MDC as a party and the MDC as a partner in the inclusive government are two separate entities. Of course they are one and the same.

If instituting a mere investigation is too daunting a task, how much more frightening must it be for the MDC to approach President Mugabe on more fundamental political reforms? And what is the prospect of doing so successfully?

USD calls on the MDC to rethink its approach to dealing with issues in the so-called inclusive government.

Issued by the Information & Publicity Department Union for Sustainable Democracy www.usd.org.zw

South Africa has been putting pressure on Zimbabwe to adopt a democratic approach to running the country. One of the fundamental aspects of  a democracy is the freedom of press. Without this essential element a country cannot claim to be democratic and fair if its people’s ability to express their views is oppressed. South Africa is being somewhat hypocritical in their conduct, as government backs proposals for a new law aimed at muzzling the press. “If the protection of Information Bill becomes law South Africa will have crossed a dangerous threshold towards a corrupt, dysfunctional and impoverished autocracy.”