Sanctions on eight Zim officials lifted

The European Union yesterday suspended illegal sanctions on eight officials - among them service chiefs, politicians and war veterans - but kept President Mugabe and the First Lady Amai Grace Mugabe on the embargoed list. This comes as a visiting EU parliamentary delegation yesterday said it felt embarrassed to be part of the bloc that imposed illegal sanctions on a sovereign nation.

Zimbabwe's head of delegation to the African-Caribbean-Pacific and EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, Cde Makhosini Hlongwane, also described any claims by the EU that it was lifting travel bans as deceptive because what the country needed was an end to economic sanctions. The five-member EU delegation was in Zimbabwe on a fact-finding mission on the impact of sanctions.

Led by European People's Party vice president Dr Mario David of Portugal, they met senior Government officials, business leaders, farmers and health officials. Other legislators were from Italy, Romania and Spain. As the delegation wound up its mission, the 28-nation EU announced it was removing travel bans on all individuals except the First Family.

Those removed from the travel ban list are Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Constantine Chiwenga, Army Commander Lieutenant-Gen Phillip Valerio Sibanda, Air Force Commander Air Marshal Perrance Shiri, intelligence supremo Brigadier-Gen (Retired) Happyton Bonyongwe, police boss Commissioner-Gen Augustine Chihuri, Zimbabwe Prisons boss Major-Gen Paradzai Zimondi, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Cde Didymus Mutasa, and war veterans leader Cde Jabulani Sibanda.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201402180344.html

Protests against Botswana President over bushmen issue

Loud protests at an anti-poaching conference in London February 13 highlighted the devastating impact of a hunting ban on Africa's last hunting Bushmen in Botswana. Ian Khama, President of Botswana, was reported to be attending alongside Prince Charles and Prince William. Protesters outside the 'London Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade 2014', chanted slogans and carried placards reading 'Botswana: Bushmen hunters are not poachers'.

Botswana is persecuting the Bushmen of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in the name of wildlife conservation by stopping them from hunting game. But the Bushmen pose no threat to the wildlife of the CKGR, alongside which they have lived sustainably for centuries. The Botswana government's hypocrisy was recently exposed by revelations that large parts of the CKGR have been leased out for fracking, and a mine by Gem Diamonds is projected to start operations inside the CKGR in October 2014.

A 2006 high court ruling confirmed the Bushmen's right to live and hunt in the CKGR, but the government continues to intimidate, torture and arrest Bushmen for hunting. The majority of Bushmen are forced to apply for restrictive permits to enter their ancestral land in the CKGR - a policy which has been likened to the hated Pass Laws under apartheid South Africa.

The Bushmen are prevented from hunting game on their ancestral land in the name of conservation, which a judge likened to condemning the tribe to death by starvation. A high court judge involved in the 2006 court case said that the government's refusal to allow the Bushmen to hunt 'was tantamount to condemning the [Bushmen] to death by starvation.'

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201402171076.html

Malawi electoral body to receive nomination papers

Malawi's Electoral Commission (MEC) will begin receiving nomination papers for presidential, parliamentary and local level elections beginning on Monday, ahead of the May 20 vote, says Sangwani Mwafulirwa, spokesman for the electoral commission. On January 15, Mwafulirwa says, the MEC gave all political parties their nomination papers -- to give them ample time to gather supporting materials before submitting the documents to the electoral body for screening and possible acceptance.

He also says for the first time, prospective voters will witness three debates, among the presidential candidates which will be broadcast on radio, television and social media platforms. "Starting May 10th the Malawi Electoral Commission will start receiving nomination papers for candidates," said Mwafulirwa. "For presidential candidates they are going to submit it to the Malawi Electoral Commission in Blantyre, but for candidates who are competing for local government and also parliamentary elections, they will be submitting their nomination papers to their district commissioners in their areas," he said.

He says the MEC will scrutinize all documents to determine whether the candidates meet requirements that will allow them participate in the May general election.

"After receiving the nomination papers we are going to screen them... a nomination paper needs to be supported by at least 10 people from the constituency and also 10 people from the district that is in case of local government, parliamentary and presidential election respectively, said Mwafulirwa. "We need to verify that these people who supported the nomination papers are registered voters or not."

The MEC, Mwafulirwa says, will release a list of qualified candidates before March 20, well ahead of the general election. The electoral body has almost completed the first part of the process of compiling a final voters list for the elections. "We are compiling the voters role at the moment, and we are optimistic that come early March or thereabout we should be able to display this voters role for people to go and inspect how their details appear on the register," said Mwafulirwa.

He also says the electoral body and the Presidential Debate Task Force Committee are working with political parties to agree on how the debates will be staged. "So far we have some clear picture about. We are planning for three debates which will be in all the three regions," said Mwafulirwa. "We are also planning to meet with the secretary generals of the presidential candidates just to agree on the final modalities of the debates. We are also finalizing and mobilizing to make sure that we give people the best." Mwafulirwa says the electoral commission has established a platform that includes all stakeholders to address concerns of political parties ahead of the elections to ensure a transparent and credible vote.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201402090127.html

Mugabe’s son ordered to pay $340,000 debt

First Lady Grace Mugabe's son, Russell Goreraza, who was involved in a hostile takeover of gold-rich Tolrose Investment Mine from businessman Jameson Rushwaya, now risks losing the mine over a salaries and wage debt estimated at nearly $340,000.

The mine's movable plant and equipment risk being attached after the High Court on January 24 granted an order allowing the 366 workers represented by Harare lawyer Alec Muchadehama to attach property to recover their wages. The order was registered under HC7622/13 following an arbitral award sought and granted on behalf of the workers by the Tinashe Mugwira-led National Mine Workers' Union of Zimbabwe (NMWUZ).

"The arbitration award made by arbitrator M T Magureyi be and is hereby registered as an order of this court. Respondent pays applicants $339 782," reads part of the order. Mugwira said his union was happy that the award had finally been registered and workers would now move to recover their salaries withheld by the employer for over a year.

"Our members had been reduced to mere paupers while some had been hounded out of work both by the previous owner (Rushwaya) and new owner (Goreraza). This order breathes life into their fight and we are optimistic that it will change their lives for the better," he said.

NMWUZ said it would immediately ask the deputy sheriff to enforce the order. Goreraza allegedly bought the shares from the troubled and disputed company from Patterson Timba before elbowing out Timba's former business partner Rushwaya.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201402100338.html

Mugabe attempts to force EU Summit invite

President Robert Mugabe has rallied the backing of fellow African leaders in his bid to force an invitation to the EU-African Union summit set for Brussels in April this year. Previous EU-AU summits have been rocked by controversy over the Zimbabwean leader who is banned from travelling to Europe under sanctions imposed to punish alleged human rights abuses and suspected electoral fraud.

The 2007 meeting in Portugal had to be deferred as Britain opposed Mugabe's invitation while African leaders said they would not attend if he wasn't welcome. In the end Mugabe travelled to Lisbon while Gordon Brown, then British premier, boycotted the summit.

African leaders agreed at an AU summit in Ethiopia last week that they would not travel to Brussels in April if the Zimbabwean strong-man was not invited. "The Africa Union has resolved to move as a united front on issues of governance and international policy," said Zambia foreign minister Wylbur Simuusa.

"We must now speak with one voice and make sure we act in the interest of Africa. That is why for the EU-Africa summit coming up, where Zimbabwe has been singled out with restrictions for President Robert Mugabe from attending, the position that the AU has taken is that if Zimbabwe won't go, then Africa will not go and that has been agreed upon. Zimbabwean foreign affairs minister, Simbarashe Mumbengewi, confirmed the development as Mugabe returned from Ethiopia on Saturday.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201402020189.html

Ramphele apologises to fans

Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele on Monday apologised for the unhappiness caused by her decision not to stand as the DA's presidential candidate, but said she made the right decision. "I believed that we had the opportunity to transcend party politics and engage South Africans in a conversation about the future," she told reporters in Johannesburg.

"The last week has demonstrated that, for some, this new way of thinking about our future will be hard to achieve right now." Ramphele said some people were not able to transcend party politics and the time for a partnership with the Democratic Alliance was not right.

"Some [people] cannot or will not transcend party politics. We see people trapped in old-style race-based politics." The DA announced on Sunday that Ramphele had reneged on her agreement with the party to be its presidential candidate. DA leader Helen Zille accused Ramphele of playing a game of cat and mouse.

Ramphele on Monday said although the DA remained an important party, both parties had made a mistake by believing that what so many people distrusted could magically disappear. Agang SA was formed to work towards a change in the political landscape, to offer people something other than the status quo.

"If I now have to be a DA member to see that dream and vision realised then I unfortunately cannot pursue the DA offer," she said. "There are millions of South Africans who will never vote for the DA, but they want a home, which Agang SA will give them."

Ramphele admitted that the decision to accept nomination to be the DA's presidential candidate was a rushed one.

Original article: http://allafrica.com/stories/201402030650.html