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‘CHINA has pledged to support the ‘just position’ of African countries in various international forums saying it was opposed to the ‘big, strong and rich countries bullying the small, weak and poor’ of the world,” the Herald reported on Monday.
In a solidarity speech he delivered at the official opening of the 18th AU Summit, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Jia Qinglin, said China did not attach any political strings to its assistance.
“We will firmly support the just position of African countries at various international fora,” Jia said. “As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China will continue to actively participate in affairs concerning peace and security in Africa with a responsible attitude,” he said.
Is that so? We are sure the Dalai Lama and the people of Tibet would have a very different opinion to that.
The South African government refused to give the Dalai Lama a visa to attend Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s 80th birthday because the Foreign ministry feared his trip would jeopardise trade ties with China.
A senior South African Home Affairs official, Mkuseli Apleni, admitted that the Dalai Lama was blocked from attending Tutu’s 80th birthday celebrations last October to preserve vital trade ties with China.
According to the BBC the Chinese were helping Sudan’s government militarily in Darfur in which the UN estimates that about 300 000 people died. The BBC’s Panorama programme, in 2008, tracked down Chinese army lorries in Darfur that came from a batch exported from China to Sudan in 2005. China was also training fighter pilots who fly the Chinese A5 Fantan fighter jets in Darfur.
More than two million people are believed to have fled their villages in Darfur, destroyed by pro-government Arab Janjaweed militia.
So much for “just position”!
Zanu PF Secretary for Information and Publicity for Harare Province, Claudius Mutero, says the typhoid outbreak in the city is a result of illegal sanctions imposed on the country at the invitation of the MDC-T.
ZBC reports that Cde Mutero said they also suspect biological warfare by imperialists “who are using willing nationals worldwide as conduits”.
He however said the “sanctions-induced typhoid” does not discriminate whether one is MDC-T or Zanu PF as it attacks all people irrespective of their sex, ethnicity or religious background.
This would be hilarious if it wasn’t so tragic. Cde Mutero and those of his ilk would have us believe that their failure to provide clean water and to deal with burst sewers is as a result of the “illegal” embargo. The decay of service delivery infrastructure started off way before the sanctions. Zanu PF has to take the flak for the mess we find ourselves in.
This is not to excuse the city council which, despite demanding astonishingly high rates, is not collecting garbage. At Kuwadzana Four shopping centre, the epicentre of the outbreak, there was no tap water for vendors and the only available public toilet is not working.
This is the story in most, if not all, shopping centres in Harare. The city council should do more, they have no excuse.
Meanwhile the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara), says the country’s highways are in a poor state and require urgent attention. As if we didn’t already know that!
ZBC reports that Zinara Chief Executive Officer, Frank Chitukutuku, said his organisation is greatly concerned with the poor state of the country’s highways.
Finally!
According to ZBC last year Zinara collected US$3 million from tolling points which has been disbursed to the roads department though progress is yet to be realised as roads have become a danger owing to potholes.
“Questions have been raised over the disbursement of funds from tolling points and how they are used,” ZBC said.
Muckraker agrees with ZBC on this one.
“Since the launch of the tolling points in the country, motorists anticipated an improvement on the country’s highways but progress has been slow with the proposed dualisation of the Harare-Masvingo highway still in its infancy while progress on the Harare-Bulawayo road is not convincing.”
Preach on ZBC!
Youth “empowerment” pressure group, Upfumi Kuvadiki, has been rocked by internal squabbles. The Herald reports that divisions have been sparked by reports that dismissed spokesperson, Alson Darikayi, is claiming to be the organisation’s leader. Darikayi is also accused of causing despondency in the organisation. However, Darikayi maintains he still holds the post declaring he would continue to represent the organisation.
Upfumi Kuvadiki secretary general, Tatenda Maroodza, said Darikayi was booted out from the organisation on indiscipline charges.
Maroodza said Darikayi was “masquerading as chairman”, a post that does not exist. He said because of that, and other activities in the name of the association without executive approval, led to the decision to expel him.
We think the whole outfit is masquerading as an empowerment group.
According to the Herald their claim to fame is that they “temporarily disrupted parking business by EasiPark that led to a demonstration that resulted in looting and destruction of property at the Gulf complex”.
We were interested to note in reports from Addis Ababa that before the official opening of the new Chinese-built AU conference centre last weekend, President Mugabe had joined his counterparts in planting trees around the complex.
And what happened to the trees that were planted in Harare near the Chinese stadium? Visiting heads of state were invited to plant trees in a wetland area allocated for conservation purposes.
But the Chinese have chopped down many of those trees to make way for a hotel complex.
We wonder who gave permission for this appalling disregard for conservation values in the heart of Harare, not to mention the discourtesy shown to those late leaders such as Julius Nyerere and Rajiv Gandhi who were invited to plant the trees?
Probably the same people who have allowed car sales yards to proliferate around the city. The most recent is a fenced off area facing Prince Edward School on Tongogara Avenue. A section of Kaguvi which borders Samora Machel has suffered the same fate.
Outgoing AU chair Teodoro Obiang Nguema claimed Africa was being “manipulated by outside powers”.
Herald reporter Munyaradzi Huni felt Nguema’s speech “seemed to be an attack on the utterances by the Libyan PM who had earlier on attacked the former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and thanked African countries that voted for the wanton bombing of Libya by Nato under the guise of protecting civilians”.
Zimbabwe, we need to remind ourselves, was one of the states which opposed the bid by Libya’s people to liberate themselves from dictatorship. Huni wants to pretend civilians were not under threat. In fact Gaddafi’s gangsters had already embarked upon their murderous campaign before Nato intervened. But it is useful to see Zanu PF spokesmen endorsing a fellow tyrant who was trying to block his people from assuming their democratic rights.
As for Obiang talking about manipulation by outside powers, the AU should have reminded itself of the methods he used in his ascent to power. What an advertisement for the AU!
On the subject of advertisements, we enjoyed reading the praise-singing in the Sunday News on the occasion of Obert Mpofu’s birthday and degree award.
Our compliments to the Lupane State University information and public relations office. The degree Dr Obert Mpofu is being congratulated on so lavishly is called either a doctor of philosophy degree or a doctorate in philosophy, but not a doctorate of philosophy.
Staff and students joined Dr Mpofu, his family and the nation in celebrating his degree, we are told.
Was it the whole nation or just a part? And how did the university management go about assessing the views of the nation? Anyway, our congratulations to all.
Meanwhile, we would like to share with readers some of the headlines carried in the Sunday News supplement on the occasion of Mpofu’s birthday: “Dr Mpofu, The saviour of Zimbabwe’s diamond industry”; Dr Mpofu’s diamond touch”; “How Dr Mpofu tamed the Americans”; “Minister Mpofu restores sanity in mining sector”.
The Sunday News last weekend carried a picture of ZRP Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri, Judge-President George Chiweshe, Chief Neville Ndondo, Matabeleland North governor Sithokozile Mathuthu, and Acting Chief Ndiweni, Vincent Ndlovu Mbayiwa, who, we are told, are looking at the graves of “unknown people” buried at Ntabazinduna police training depot after a police passing out parade.
We were intrigued by this picture. Have the police just discovered the graves? Whose graves are they? Is nobody responsible for them? We don’t quite understand what the judge-president and provincial governor were doing there? Had they been invited to view “unknown” graves? Who is responsible for them?
We have in this country a whole history of human graves being uncovered. In a post-conflict society such as our own, should we not hold to account those responsible for causing their death?
And should we not also be asking how many are buried in each grave?
In the run up to the last elections, five bodies were found at a sports ground in Bulawayo. We still haven’t heard who they were and how they met their death. We have a plethora of human rights organisations including the Human Rights Commission. Why are they not demanding answers?
Jamaican dancehall artist, Mavado, who visited Zimbabwe last week was presented with a gift from the President Mugabe-inspired fashion label House of Gushungo.
Zimbojam.com reports that the gift, a white track top with the signature of President Mugabe just below the left collar, was presented by a representative of House of Gushungo to Miss Harare 2012, Emily Kachote, who handed it over to Mavado.
Commenting on the gift C&A Entertainment boss Clint Robinson, the company responsible for bringing Mavado to Zimbabwe, gushed that it was fitting that Zimbabwe’s “number one brand”, President Mugabe was getting associated with one of reggae’s number one brands of the moment.
The less said the better.
Finally a Julius Malema-inspired “JuJu” clothing label is also said to be flying off the shelves in South Africa.
Designer Obakeng Ramabodu, the Sowetan reports, believes the “JuJu” clothing label will take the fashion industry by storm, regardless of the outcome of the ANC youth wing leader’s appeal against his suspension.
Ramabodu said there had been much interest in his designs from neighbouring countries like Zimbabwe and Botswana.
The designer was aiming at the 10 to 36-year-old market and would include a “JuJu Babe” range for women, “JuJu Boy” for young men and “JuJu Kids”.
Ironically just like the House of Gushungo label, the “JuJu” will be produced in China. The House of Gushungo designs are created in Singapore and the clothing produced in China.
Allan Mapisa, the House of Gushungo marketing manager, argues that there is no Zimbabwe factory yet because the House of Gushungo wants to “maintain quality and guard against imitations”.
The high standards that the House of Gushungo wants to adhere to are the reason why they do not have a shop yet within the city, he said.
What a confidence booster for the local textile industry. Empowerment icons indeed!
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