The latest report from Human Rights Watch, Race against time: The need for legal and institutional reforms ahead of Zimbabwe’s elections, paints a sobering picture of the absence of reforms during the past four years of Zimbabwe’s Government of National Unity.

The report discusses a range of reforms which would be needed for there to be genuinely free and fair elections in Zimbabwe, and highlights the consistent absence of a willingness by Zanu PF to engage in any of these reforms.

Paragraphs like this are telling:

Genuine and comprehensive institutional reform to end the pro-Zanu PF partisanship of key state institutions such as the security forces, electoral management bodies and public broadcasters are necessary to level the playing field and create an environment conducive to the holding of credible elections. Zanu PF has not embraced such reforms in the name of promoting a more democratic Zimbabwe, but has actively resisted them.

The absence of meaningful institutional reforms to facilitate full restoration of the rule of law increases concern for human rights protections ahead of Zimbabwe’s next elections. The GPA noted that state organs and institutions do not belong to any political party and should be impartial in the discharge of their duties. This declaration remains wholly unimplemented.

With or without a new Constitution, Zimbabwe needs to hold new Presidential and Parliamentary elections by the end of October this year, if it is to respect the term length of the current office holders. But in an environment of continued harassment of human rights workers, there is no prospect of meaningful reforms. To change the environment of fear, intimidation and harassment, these changes would need to have happened already. They would need to be demonstrated through actions on the ground, not just paper laws and policies. International attention will hopefully mean that the 2013 election is less overtly violent than the 2008 one was. But there is little to suggest it will be any more free and fair, or that Zimbabweans themselves will feel any more confident in the electoral conditions and human rights environment than we were five years ago.

Zimbabwe government continues harassment of NGOs. The new year hasn’t brought a new attitude to the Zimbabwe government about human rights and freedom of expression, if the recent harassment of ZimRights is anything to go by. Read this statement from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR):

Police charge Machisa with publishing falsehoods as government steps up onslaught against NGOs

Zimbabwean police on Monday 14 January 2013 charged Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) Director, Okay Machisa with publishing falsehoods, fraud and forgery as authorities intensify the onslaught against non-governmental organisations.

Machisa will be a guest in the police cells of the coalition government of President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai after detectives at the Law and Order Section at Harare Central Police Station detained him at Rhodesville Police Station following the recording of a warned and cautioned statement from him.

The police charged Machisa with contravening Section 31 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act for allegedly publishing or communicating false statements prejudicial to the State. The ZimRights director was also charged with committing fraud and forgery in contravention of Section 136 and 137 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. Faith Mamutse, who is employed as a secretary at ZimRights was released after the police interrogated and recorded a statement from her.

Machisa, who is also the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition chairperson handed himself to the police on Monday morning, accompanied by his lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, who is a member of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR). The police also raided and searched the ZimRights head office in Harare, where Mtetwa and Gift Mtisi, another ZLHR member lawyer were present during the search.

Meanwhile, ZimRights programme manager Leo Chamahwinya and three others, who were arrested in a raid on the ZimRights offices last year, remain in police custody, with their bail appeal having been denied last week.

I am standing at the checkout at TM. My groceries waiting for someone else’s groceries to go through the till. And someone in the queue behind us is talking on his cell phone. As they will do. Loud and strong, as if they were in the privacy of their office. But we can all hear! The conversation is about that “den of iniquity”, the CMED, (he used to work there), where he has a ‘deal’ going on to get a part for a vehicle, which is hard to get, but through them he can get it at a ‘good’ price.

He continues that what is good for him is what counts. He used to work there, they used him, he deserves, and they are his contacts. What is more, every body does it anyways. He has got to – to survive. Compete in this world. Feed his family.

Corruption is a system. He knows this. If no one bought the stolen goods, they would not be stolen.

So next time you hit a pot hole (easily done since it has rained every day since Christmas,  and the storm drains have not been cleaned since…, so the water stays on the road), think of this man. It is his fault. He is a major player in the corruption system. Open and honest (enough to tell all of TM!). And it is the corruption system that ensures that CMED cannot service vehicles, which means than no one gets to the site to repair potholes.

In it’s simplest form.

In the larger form – by loudly, brazenly, with all the excuses in the world – he is the disease that is corruption. Perhaps not it’s only face, but as guilty as anyone else involved, and therefore he is the reason, the filth, the evilness, the scum, that keeps the potholes on our roads (and many other evils).

Development Outreach and Communications Specialist: USAID/Zimbabwe
Deadline: 23 January 2013 (5pm)

(DOC) Position
Grade: FSN-11
(US$42,311 – US$61,351 basic salary grade range)

The US Mission in Zimbabwe provides equal opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status, or sexual orientation.

USAID/Zimbabwe (hereafter the Mission) manages the USG development program in Zimbabwe, with an annual program budget of approximately $130 million.  The Mission portfolio includes a broad range of program activities.  The DOC supports the Mission to achieve its objectives by strategically producing and disseminating public information about USAID activities and by supporting the Communication Specialists of Implementing Partners (IPs) to define and achieve their communication goals. The DOC is responsible for collecting, investigating, and distributing information associated with USAID programs in Zimbabwe, and serves as the primary Mission point of contact for information requests.  The DOC reports to the Program Officer and/or his/her designee, and collaborates closely with the Mission Director, DO Team Leaders, and IPs to develop and implement the overall Mission communications strategy.  The DOC facilitates information access and sharing within the Mission, amongst USAID partners, as well as collaborates with other Mission agencies to ensure that personnel are properly apprised of USAID public activities and projects.  The DOC serves as principal liaison with the USAID/Washington Bureau of Legislative and Public Affairs (LPA) and remains in close communication with other USAID/Washington stakeholders.

For more information and details on how to apply, please click here

Regional WASH Coordinator: Oxfam GB
Deadline: 15 January 2013

Oxfam is a global movement of people who share the belief that, in a world rich in resources, poverty isn’t inevitable.

Public health (water and sanitation hygiene or WASH) plays a central role in the poverty continuum of Southern Africa. WASH is key in addressing issues of HIV, food security, livelihoods and emergencies. Oxfam in Southern Africa through its public health programmes in the region has an opportunity to increase the scale of our public health work, and more importantly to increase the impact of the programme, by ensuring that it is structured to most appropriately respond to the real underlying problems and to ensure that it integrates more effectively with other existing programmes and complements the implementation of WASH related policies in the countries and the region..

Oxfam GB seeks to appoint a Regional WASH Coordinator, based in Harare, Zimbabwe, to play a pivotal role in cementing water and sanitation as a core component of the region’s programme and will ensure that Oxfam continues to maintain key competencies in access to public health and emergency WASH preparedness and response.

The Regional WASH Coordinator will be responsible for leading regional WASH programme development and implementation support and regional WASH emergency preparedness and response.

This is an exciting opportunity to undertake pioneering work and innovation in humanitarian as well as development contexts working in both urban and rural settings. This is also an opportunity to inform and influence Oxfam’s regional and global WASH priorities in areas such as risk reduction, resilience and integrating and aligning WASH with Oxfam’s livelihood and gender work. Oxfam in Southern Africa has upgraded this position to reflect the importance and commitment to these expectations.

Requirements
-Master’s degree in water engineering (or similar) and / or equivalent technical experience and training in the design and implementation of water hygiene systems in Africa
-Demonstrate sound experience in leading public health programmes, programme policy and strategy development as well as the monitoring and management of large budgets
-Experience in assessing and responding to emergencies is essential
-Willing to travel up to 50% of the time.

Click here for a detailed job description and information on how to apply for this position (quote ref: INT5881).

Oxfam is an equal opportunities employer. It particularly encourages applications from people living with HIV and AIDS, people with disabilities, women and previously disadvantaged people.

Oxfam GB can only accept applications from qualified candidates with the right to live and work in Zimbabwe.

Rob Burrell Unplugged / Mann Friday: A night of acoustic tunes

In Zimbabwe for a couple of weeks Rob Burrell surfaces to host a night of acoustic tunes of Mann Friday music, including tracks of their new album Trainrides and Radio Play.

All proceeds from this event go to the Harare Children’s Home.

When: Friday, 11 January 2013
Time: 6:30pm … show starts at 7pm
Where: Tristan’s Bar, 14 Aintree Road, Highlands, Harare

Entrance: $10, and we encourage you to bring some clothes to donate

Special Feature! A cap signed by the members of Cold Play will be auctioned.

Food and drink available.

Come, listen and support a good cause.