Zimbabwe’s Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa on Friday said the country
could be forced to revert to the old constitution to hold elections due
later this year.
Such a move would infuriate the opposition as it would mean ignoring an
amendment that brought about the power-sharing government two years ago
It is exactly two years since President Robert Mugabe swore in Morgan
Tsvangirai as Prime Minister.
The Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) appears
anxious to hold fresh elections as soon as possible.
Chinamasa hinted that ZANU-PF intended to ignore changes to the constitution
brought about by the signing of the coalition deal.
He said the ideal position would be to hold the elections under the old
constitution if drawing up a new one takes too much time.
In comments in Friday’s Herald, Chinamasa said people might not like a
proposed new constitution.
Saturday, 12 February 2011
Intensified propaganda signals impending polls
HARARE - When a green file cobra flies over your homestead, it portends a
dreadful mishap; when an owl perches near your home in broad daylight,you
better seek the services of a traditional medicine man. These are beliefs
that the superstitious among us live with.
But a phenomenon more precise than scientific meteorological forecasts and
that has guided peasants in predicting freak droughts or bountiful seasons
merely requires checking how high the raucous weaver birds have built their
nests above the river’s normal water level.
Peasants can deduce the chances of the river breaching its banks from the
height of the nest and make contingent evacuation plans.
When a weaver bird constructs a nest at a low height, there is bound to be a
drought.
Just as the height a weaver bird’s nest is a precise barometer, so is the
trite con-trick of parading opposition party supporters defecting to Zanu PF
ominous of impending national polls.
These stage-managed defections, involving people of little or dubious
political virtue being “born again” portend an election in the offing,
particularly when abetted by a state media blindly retailing a ruse long
past its sale-by date.
When Zanu PF abuses the sole broadcaster to parade people that have revised
their political preference, publicly reciting reasons cloned from a
prototype for their change of heart, “to join the only revolutionary party
that has the people at heart,” Zimbabweans have concluded, without much
persuasion that elections are round the corner.
Greater wisdom dictates that an angler needs fresh bait to catch bigger
fish. Zimbabwe boasts of one of the highest literacy rates in Africa,
second only to Tunisia where the poverty-stricken and jobless citizens
recently hounded enduring leader, Ben Ali, into exile.
The high literacy rate means the majority of Zimbabweans can easily notice
counterfeit reports on events in the state media.
They see and read reports that do not bear any relation to facts, not even
the relationship which is implied in an ordinary lie.
They also see the state media publishing untruths and eager “political
analysts” building emotional super structures over events not likely to
happen, although these intellectuals would want them to happen the way they
portray them.
As polls loom on the horizon, the only propaganda line open to Zanu PF is to
present itself as a victim of Western imperialism which has become a perfect
scapegoat for its legendary failures. The party sees the electorate as
biddable and unable to withstand “tushuga netumasweets from the British” to
make rational political choices of their own.
Post-independent Zimbabwe has witnessed defections from the late Ndabaningi
Sithole led Zanu Ndonga; from Edgar Tekere’s Zimbabwe Unity Movement, (Zum)
from the late Joshua Nkomo’s PF Zapu and from Margaret Dongo’s Zimbabwe
Union for Democrats (Zud).
Currently, there are defections from the Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) although we have yet to witness abandonments from Simba Makoni’s
Mavambo/Dawn/ Kusile (MDK) fringe party.
Zimbabwe is yet to witness Zanu PF’s cherished pipedream of a one party
state despite all these defections, libraries of songs clamouring for its
establishment along with the ineffectual million men and women marches.
One cannot help but snigger when a party cleaves to the old-hat claims that
it is the only revolutionary party that built school, clinics, hospitals so
on and so forth.
One cannot fail to notice politicians struggling to remind a seemingly
ungrateful electorate of their benevolence and agonise over its reluctance
to appreciate all that has been done for their benefit.
The signal for polls becomes more ticklish when the Head of State and
Government and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed forces offers a whooping
US$33 million in the form of agricultural inputs to rural peasants
dreadful mishap; when an owl perches near your home in broad daylight,you
better seek the services of a traditional medicine man. These are beliefs
that the superstitious among us live with.
But a phenomenon more precise than scientific meteorological forecasts and
that has guided peasants in predicting freak droughts or bountiful seasons
merely requires checking how high the raucous weaver birds have built their
nests above the river’s normal water level.
Peasants can deduce the chances of the river breaching its banks from the
height of the nest and make contingent evacuation plans.
When a weaver bird constructs a nest at a low height, there is bound to be a
drought.
Just as the height a weaver bird’s nest is a precise barometer, so is the
trite con-trick of parading opposition party supporters defecting to Zanu PF
ominous of impending national polls.
These stage-managed defections, involving people of little or dubious
political virtue being “born again” portend an election in the offing,
particularly when abetted by a state media blindly retailing a ruse long
past its sale-by date.
When Zanu PF abuses the sole broadcaster to parade people that have revised
their political preference, publicly reciting reasons cloned from a
prototype for their change of heart, “to join the only revolutionary party
that has the people at heart,” Zimbabweans have concluded, without much
persuasion that elections are round the corner.
Greater wisdom dictates that an angler needs fresh bait to catch bigger
fish. Zimbabwe boasts of one of the highest literacy rates in Africa,
second only to Tunisia where the poverty-stricken and jobless citizens
recently hounded enduring leader, Ben Ali, into exile.
The high literacy rate means the majority of Zimbabweans can easily notice
counterfeit reports on events in the state media.
They see and read reports that do not bear any relation to facts, not even
the relationship which is implied in an ordinary lie.
They also see the state media publishing untruths and eager “political
analysts” building emotional super structures over events not likely to
happen, although these intellectuals would want them to happen the way they
portray them.
As polls loom on the horizon, the only propaganda line open to Zanu PF is to
present itself as a victim of Western imperialism which has become a perfect
scapegoat for its legendary failures. The party sees the electorate as
biddable and unable to withstand “tushuga netumasweets from the British” to
make rational political choices of their own.
Post-independent Zimbabwe has witnessed defections from the late Ndabaningi
Sithole led Zanu Ndonga; from Edgar Tekere’s Zimbabwe Unity Movement, (Zum)
from the late Joshua Nkomo’s PF Zapu and from Margaret Dongo’s Zimbabwe
Union for Democrats (Zud).
Currently, there are defections from the Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) although we have yet to witness abandonments from Simba Makoni’s
Mavambo/Dawn/ Kusile (MDK) fringe party.
Zimbabwe is yet to witness Zanu PF’s cherished pipedream of a one party
state despite all these defections, libraries of songs clamouring for its
establishment along with the ineffectual million men and women marches.
One cannot help but snigger when a party cleaves to the old-hat claims that
it is the only revolutionary party that built school, clinics, hospitals so
on and so forth.
One cannot fail to notice politicians struggling to remind a seemingly
ungrateful electorate of their benevolence and agonise over its reluctance
to appreciate all that has been done for their benefit.
The signal for polls becomes more ticklish when the Head of State and
Government and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed forces offers a whooping
US$33 million in the form of agricultural inputs to rural peasants
Zim Leaders Meet Ahead Of Unity Govt Expiry
Harare, February 11, 2011 - THE three Principals who signed the Global
Political Agreement (GPA), President Robert Mugabe of Zanu (PF), Prime
Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai from the MDC-T and Deputy Prime Minister, Arthur
Mutambara of MDC were expected to meet on Friday to discuss, among other
items, Zimbabwe's explosive security situation and to review the GPA.
The GPA brought about the new unity government which was put in place in
February 2009. However, it has not been fully implemented due to
disagreements mainly between Mugabe and Tsvangirai over appointments of
governors and ambassadors among other issues.
Meanwhile there have been wide spread demonstrations in Harare by rowdy Zanu
(PF) youths in the city centre. The youths, many of them who were visibly
intoxicated" came mainly from the populous Mbare High Density suburb.
"We are meeting later today to discuss the security situation in Zimbabwe,"
said Deputy Prime Minister Mutambara."We will also discuss the GPA since it
is expected to expire today (Friday). We will have to renew it."
He said international investors were worried that property rights in
Zimbabwe were not being adhered to or respected.
Many commercial farms have been grabed from white commercial farms and
distributed to black farmers mainly from the former ruling party, Zanu (PF).
This week the Minister of Indigenisation and Employment Creation, Saviour
Kasukuwere, threatened that the government of President Mugabe would also
grab firms belonging to whites if they continued to destroy the economy or
engage in illegal deals.
He said the new Indigenisation Act would deal with the white culprits.
Mutambara said it was very important that property rights be respected by
Zimbabwe in order for it to receive support and financial aid at a time whe
when the economy is on its knees.
"We must negotiate better deals with our partners," Mutambara said at a
discussion about investing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). "We must just
not send rough diamonds to foreign nations but we must sell them jewellery
made here in Zimbabwe."
He said it was unfortunate that the Chinese were taking over many Zimbabwean
firms but said they were simply helping out.
"This is the reason why we are meeting today to discuss how we can increase
our investment levels because the situatiion is just not good enough right
now and I am the first person to admit it," he told the investors.
Mutambara left the discussion early in order to attend to the "important"
meeting with the two other principals, Mugabe and Tsvangirai.
"There might be some passengers too who will be joining us in the
discussion," Mutambara jokingly said, referring to his new boss, Professor
Welshman Ncube, now MDC President. Ncube was also expected to attend the
meeting on security at Cabinet Offices.
Political Agreement (GPA), President Robert Mugabe of Zanu (PF), Prime
Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai from the MDC-T and Deputy Prime Minister, Arthur
Mutambara of MDC were expected to meet on Friday to discuss, among other
items, Zimbabwe's explosive security situation and to review the GPA.
The GPA brought about the new unity government which was put in place in
February 2009. However, it has not been fully implemented due to
disagreements mainly between Mugabe and Tsvangirai over appointments of
governors and ambassadors among other issues.
Meanwhile there have been wide spread demonstrations in Harare by rowdy Zanu
(PF) youths in the city centre. The youths, many of them who were visibly
intoxicated" came mainly from the populous Mbare High Density suburb.
"We are meeting later today to discuss the security situation in Zimbabwe,"
said Deputy Prime Minister Mutambara."We will also discuss the GPA since it
is expected to expire today (Friday). We will have to renew it."
He said international investors were worried that property rights in
Zimbabwe were not being adhered to or respected.
Many commercial farms have been grabed from white commercial farms and
distributed to black farmers mainly from the former ruling party, Zanu (PF).
This week the Minister of Indigenisation and Employment Creation, Saviour
Kasukuwere, threatened that the government of President Mugabe would also
grab firms belonging to whites if they continued to destroy the economy or
engage in illegal deals.
He said the new Indigenisation Act would deal with the white culprits.
Mutambara said it was very important that property rights be respected by
Zimbabwe in order for it to receive support and financial aid at a time whe
when the economy is on its knees.
"We must negotiate better deals with our partners," Mutambara said at a
discussion about investing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). "We must just
not send rough diamonds to foreign nations but we must sell them jewellery
made here in Zimbabwe."
He said it was unfortunate that the Chinese were taking over many Zimbabwean
firms but said they were simply helping out.
"This is the reason why we are meeting today to discuss how we can increase
our investment levels because the situatiion is just not good enough right
now and I am the first person to admit it," he told the investors.
Mutambara left the discussion early in order to attend to the "important"
meeting with the two other principals, Mugabe and Tsvangirai.
"There might be some passengers too who will be joining us in the
discussion," Mutambara jokingly said, referring to his new boss, Professor
Welshman Ncube, now MDC President. Ncube was also expected to attend the
meeting on security at Cabinet Offices.
Fear as govt marks 2 yrs in office
HARARE – Zimbabwe’s troubled coalition government marks its second
anniversary today and although it is credited with mending a broken economy,
talk of it winding down to allow elections sometime this year has stoked
fears of a resurgence in violence that swept the last poll in 2008.
The troubled southern African country has witnessed a spate of politically
motivated violence in suburbs in the capital Harare and President Robert
Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s parties are exchanging blame
for the skirmishes.
The unity government, which was brokered by former South African president
Thabo Mbeki, was meant to heal political wounds after a cycle of electoral
violence, which critics say mostly targeted Mugabe’s rivals in the
opposition and civil society.
Ordinary Zimbabweans who had seen their country return to normal in the last
24 months, including GDP growth and an end to shortages of food, fuel and
foreign exchange, now dread that another election will roll back the
economic gains brought about by the coalition and return the country to
violence.
They may not be wrong, after ZANU-PF supporters attacked their MDC opponents
in the last two weeks, which culminated in looting of a downtown shopping
complex in Harare by youths supporting Mugabe’s controversial empowerment
programme on Tuesday.
“All the two years of peace we had enjoyed will go to waste if we have
another election and already with these reports of violence in the suburbs
it doesn’t look good,” said Tawanda Makarau, a 36-year-old who operates a
flea market stall in downtown Harare.
At the flea market, a huge campaign poster of Mugabe adorns the entrance and
Makarau said ZANU-PF youths had forcibly put it there.
The unity government has hobbled along, with tensions between Mugabe and
Tsvangirai over how to equally share executive power.
Mugabe has rejected MDC demands to swear-in its treasurer general Roy Bennet
and five of its members as provincial governors and has refused to fire
central bank chief and financial adviser Gideon Gono and attorney general
Johannes Tomana, who has publicly said he is a ZANU-PF card carrying member.
Mugabe, on his part accuses the MDC of not doing enough to convince Western
countries to remove a European Union travel ban and financial freeze on his
close allies and United States sanctions and that he would not yield to the
MDC demands until the sanctions are removed.
Police Complicit
Critics say the unity government has failed to end human rights abuses and
to reform the security services, whose top brass has vowed that it will only
recognize Mugabe as president.
The MDC accuses police of complicit in the recent spate of violence that has
gripped the capital but the law enforcement agents have hit back, saying the
former opposition party is responsible for the violence but rushes to play
victim.
“Such unlawful actions (political violence) violate the Global Political
Agreement and demonstrate that the undermining of the rule of law has not
changed fundamentally,” the United States embassy in Harare said in a
statement yesterday, in which it said it was alarmed by the violence.
State-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and other government-owned
media, which are pro-Mugabe, have said the unity government expires today
and that Tsvangirai, Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara (who represents a splinter
MDC faction but has been rejected by that formation) will meet to decide
whether to extend its life.
Mugabe has previously said he was reluctant to prolong the tenure of the
coalition and wants elections this year even before a referendum on a new
constitution but the process is nearly a year behind.
Under the global political agreement, which was signed in September 2008,
the leaders of the three political parties in the unity government will meet
after a new constitution has been adopted to decide whether to continue or
call elections.
Under the original timeline a referendum would have been held last month.
"If we start talking about elections the first thing that comes to people's
minds is the trauma they went through in 2008," said Okay Machisa, director
of Zimbabwe Human Rights Association.
"We should (instead) be talking about reforms in the security sector, the
media and electoral systems," he added.
Military Deploys
Already the MDC says hundreds of its members have fled their homes after
attacks from ZANU-PF supporters in urban centres, the party’s stronghold and
are being put in safe houses.
Investigations by ZimOnline have shown the military deploying in the rural
areas in large numbers ahead of elections and last week senior military
officers, including Air Force Vice Air Marshal Henry Muchena, a staunch
Mugabe ally who is now heading the executive in the ZANU-PF commissariat,
resigned from their posts, to lead Mugabe’s re-election campaign.
Mugabe lost to Tsvangirai in the March 2008 presidential vote after his
ZANU-PF party surrendered its parliamentary majority to the MDC for the
first time in a parallel election but the veteran leader, who turns 87 in
two weeks, managed to cling on after a violent campaign during a run-off,
which Tsvangirai withdrew from.
With the economy in turmoil, marked by inflation of more than 500 billion
percent and refugees flooding into big neighbour South Africa, Mugabe was
forced by his peers in the Southern African Development Community into a
coalition with Tsvangirai.
Now ZANU-PF, which during the power-sharing talks wanted the unity
government to last five years, says the marriage cannot be allowed to
continue and elections should be held this year.
“Any election that is held before a new constitution or security and
electoral reforms will be just another sham and will be more violent than
what we saw in 2008,” John Makumbe, a political science lecturer at the
University of Zimbabwe said.
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network said in a report last month that
almost a third of the names appearing on Zimbabwe's voters roll were of
people who had died.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has previously said it was not ready for
an election this year. -- ZimOnline
anniversary today and although it is credited with mending a broken economy,
talk of it winding down to allow elections sometime this year has stoked
fears of a resurgence in violence that swept the last poll in 2008.
The troubled southern African country has witnessed a spate of politically
motivated violence in suburbs in the capital Harare and President Robert
Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s parties are exchanging blame
for the skirmishes.
The unity government, which was brokered by former South African president
Thabo Mbeki, was meant to heal political wounds after a cycle of electoral
violence, which critics say mostly targeted Mugabe’s rivals in the
opposition and civil society.
Ordinary Zimbabweans who had seen their country return to normal in the last
24 months, including GDP growth and an end to shortages of food, fuel and
foreign exchange, now dread that another election will roll back the
economic gains brought about by the coalition and return the country to
violence.
They may not be wrong, after ZANU-PF supporters attacked their MDC opponents
in the last two weeks, which culminated in looting of a downtown shopping
complex in Harare by youths supporting Mugabe’s controversial empowerment
programme on Tuesday.
“All the two years of peace we had enjoyed will go to waste if we have
another election and already with these reports of violence in the suburbs
it doesn’t look good,” said Tawanda Makarau, a 36-year-old who operates a
flea market stall in downtown Harare.
At the flea market, a huge campaign poster of Mugabe adorns the entrance and
Makarau said ZANU-PF youths had forcibly put it there.
The unity government has hobbled along, with tensions between Mugabe and
Tsvangirai over how to equally share executive power.
Mugabe has rejected MDC demands to swear-in its treasurer general Roy Bennet
and five of its members as provincial governors and has refused to fire
central bank chief and financial adviser Gideon Gono and attorney general
Johannes Tomana, who has publicly said he is a ZANU-PF card carrying member.
Mugabe, on his part accuses the MDC of not doing enough to convince Western
countries to remove a European Union travel ban and financial freeze on his
close allies and United States sanctions and that he would not yield to the
MDC demands until the sanctions are removed.
Police Complicit
Critics say the unity government has failed to end human rights abuses and
to reform the security services, whose top brass has vowed that it will only
recognize Mugabe as president.
The MDC accuses police of complicit in the recent spate of violence that has
gripped the capital but the law enforcement agents have hit back, saying the
former opposition party is responsible for the violence but rushes to play
victim.
“Such unlawful actions (political violence) violate the Global Political
Agreement and demonstrate that the undermining of the rule of law has not
changed fundamentally,” the United States embassy in Harare said in a
statement yesterday, in which it said it was alarmed by the violence.
State-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation and other government-owned
media, which are pro-Mugabe, have said the unity government expires today
and that Tsvangirai, Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara (who represents a splinter
MDC faction but has been rejected by that formation) will meet to decide
whether to extend its life.
Mugabe has previously said he was reluctant to prolong the tenure of the
coalition and wants elections this year even before a referendum on a new
constitution but the process is nearly a year behind.
Under the global political agreement, which was signed in September 2008,
the leaders of the three political parties in the unity government will meet
after a new constitution has been adopted to decide whether to continue or
call elections.
Under the original timeline a referendum would have been held last month.
"If we start talking about elections the first thing that comes to people's
minds is the trauma they went through in 2008," said Okay Machisa, director
of Zimbabwe Human Rights Association.
"We should (instead) be talking about reforms in the security sector, the
media and electoral systems," he added.
Military Deploys
Already the MDC says hundreds of its members have fled their homes after
attacks from ZANU-PF supporters in urban centres, the party’s stronghold and
are being put in safe houses.
Investigations by ZimOnline have shown the military deploying in the rural
areas in large numbers ahead of elections and last week senior military
officers, including Air Force Vice Air Marshal Henry Muchena, a staunch
Mugabe ally who is now heading the executive in the ZANU-PF commissariat,
resigned from their posts, to lead Mugabe’s re-election campaign.
Mugabe lost to Tsvangirai in the March 2008 presidential vote after his
ZANU-PF party surrendered its parliamentary majority to the MDC for the
first time in a parallel election but the veteran leader, who turns 87 in
two weeks, managed to cling on after a violent campaign during a run-off,
which Tsvangirai withdrew from.
With the economy in turmoil, marked by inflation of more than 500 billion
percent and refugees flooding into big neighbour South Africa, Mugabe was
forced by his peers in the Southern African Development Community into a
coalition with Tsvangirai.
Now ZANU-PF, which during the power-sharing talks wanted the unity
government to last five years, says the marriage cannot be allowed to
continue and elections should be held this year.
“Any election that is held before a new constitution or security and
electoral reforms will be just another sham and will be more violent than
what we saw in 2008,” John Makumbe, a political science lecturer at the
University of Zimbabwe said.
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network said in a report last month that
almost a third of the names appearing on Zimbabwe's voters roll were of
people who had died.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has previously said it was not ready for
an election this year. -- ZimOnline
Saturday, 1 January 2011
ZIMBABWEAN DISPENSATION PROJECT DEADLINE
PASSOP and the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum have over the past few months monitored the implementation of the Zimbabwean Dispensation Project- PASSOP based in Cape Town and Zimbabwe Exiles Forum is based in Pretoria.
We recognise and commend the ha...rd work, patience and dedication of Home Affairs officials who have worked long and hard hours under immense pressure over the holiday period to serve as many applicants as possible in the time provided. We observed the department serve queues, in which no persons were left standing outside the offices. We, therefore, congratulate them for receiving over 200 thousand applications and see this as no small achievement.
It is clear that the Zimbabwean Dispensation Project (ZDP) is a good first step towards regularising the stay of the many Zimbabweans currently living in South Africa. By legalizing their status, the ZDP gives Zimbabweans a clear set of rights that should reduce the discrimination and exploitation that they are often subjected to by employers, landlords or officials, as well as give them the chance to have basic access to services. Beyond this, the ZDP should also serve to clear up the currently seriously over-burdened and backlogged asylum-seeker process.
That being said, we note that the implementation of the ZDP was placed under immense pressure and we appeal to the department to exercise patience and leniency during the processing of applications. It is important that all applicants are provided with an opportunity to produce any documents that maybe missing in their applications and that all legitimate applicants are given permits. We will continue to monitor the appeals process closely in the coming months to ensure that it is fair, transparent and uniform across the board.
Our biggest concern for applicants is the Zimbabwean authorities. It is clear that passports will be needed for permits to be issued into and that, factoring in the new applicants the number of Zimbabweans needing new passports are extremely high. In the documentation project we feel that the Zimbabwean government have already failed the Diaspora. They seemed less committed to the process than South African authorities (despite charging exorbitant fees and being responsible to Zimbabweans) and have been weak partners in the ZDP project. We remain convinced that there is no justification for charging R750 a passport and that it in not acceptable that they have not delivered passports to thousands of applicants after several months.
Finally, we hope that the spirit of engagement that Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and her team have shown through the process will be sustained and set an example to fellow South Africans. We wish them, their Department, and all Africans a peaceful new year.
Issued by PASSOP (People Against Suffering, Oppression and Poverty) and Zimbabwe Exiles Forum on December 31st, 2010.
For further comment contact: Contact
ZEF Director Gabriel Shumba – (00 27) 726393795
PASSOP Director Braam Hanekom – (00 27) 843191764
We recognise and commend the ha...rd work, patience and dedication of Home Affairs officials who have worked long and hard hours under immense pressure over the holiday period to serve as many applicants as possible in the time provided. We observed the department serve queues, in which no persons were left standing outside the offices. We, therefore, congratulate them for receiving over 200 thousand applications and see this as no small achievement.
It is clear that the Zimbabwean Dispensation Project (ZDP) is a good first step towards regularising the stay of the many Zimbabweans currently living in South Africa. By legalizing their status, the ZDP gives Zimbabweans a clear set of rights that should reduce the discrimination and exploitation that they are often subjected to by employers, landlords or officials, as well as give them the chance to have basic access to services. Beyond this, the ZDP should also serve to clear up the currently seriously over-burdened and backlogged asylum-seeker process.
That being said, we note that the implementation of the ZDP was placed under immense pressure and we appeal to the department to exercise patience and leniency during the processing of applications. It is important that all applicants are provided with an opportunity to produce any documents that maybe missing in their applications and that all legitimate applicants are given permits. We will continue to monitor the appeals process closely in the coming months to ensure that it is fair, transparent and uniform across the board.
Our biggest concern for applicants is the Zimbabwean authorities. It is clear that passports will be needed for permits to be issued into and that, factoring in the new applicants the number of Zimbabweans needing new passports are extremely high. In the documentation project we feel that the Zimbabwean government have already failed the Diaspora. They seemed less committed to the process than South African authorities (despite charging exorbitant fees and being responsible to Zimbabweans) and have been weak partners in the ZDP project. We remain convinced that there is no justification for charging R750 a passport and that it in not acceptable that they have not delivered passports to thousands of applicants after several months.
Finally, we hope that the spirit of engagement that Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and her team have shown through the process will be sustained and set an example to fellow South Africans. We wish them, their Department, and all Africans a peaceful new year.
Issued by PASSOP (People Against Suffering, Oppression and Poverty) and Zimbabwe Exiles Forum on December 31st, 2010.
For further comment contact: Contact
ZEF Director Gabriel Shumba – (00 27) 726393795
PASSOP Director Braam Hanekom – (00 27) 843191764
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