GOVERNMENT’S SECOND HAND POLICY ANTI-POOR, REACTIONARY

UK Company registration no 6248305

The World Office, Communities Point, 108 St Thomas Road, Derby, DE23 8SW, United Kingdom phone

0044 7988292795 email: ethnicrecords@yahoo.co.uk

______________________________________________________________________________



GOVERNMENT’S SECOND HAND POLICY ANTI-POOR, REACTIONARY

PRESS STATEMENT: 24 SEPTEMBER 2011



Communities Point registers its disappointment with the Government of Zimbabwe’s policy on second hand vehicles that are being sourced from other countries.

THE PROTECTION OF LOCAL INDUSTRIES

Communities Point is aware of the government’s responsibility towards the protection of local industries in general and the Willowvale Motor Industries in particular. However inasmuch as we are seized of this huge responsibility on the shoulders of the Government we are not satisfied that a blanket block on the importation of vehicles will serve any meaningful purpose in the current economic outlook. We believe policies to protect infant industries must not just be thrown willy-nilly but must seek justification and therefore strike a balance between genuine protection, availability of local options including local supply capabilities and the economic burden of the opportunity cost of the competing options.



Willowvale Motor Industries has not been producing meaningfully for quite a long time but this was due to the then pertaining economic environment. We have welcomed the fact that they are now producing again but we are still not convinced that they can satisfy the local market by even the full utilisation of their current production capacity. They cannot meet local demand. The evidence on the ground has failed to demonstrate that justification as we cannot in our aim to protect one industry fail to see the possibilities available elsewhere. The availability of variety empowers consumers through competitive pricing and also aids our industries through the pressing need to invest in innovation and surpassing the standards of competitors.



ANTI-POOR



We further submit that the Government has also missed the point in seeing that in fact the imported vehicles are capital goods. In times of transport shortages they provide public transport users with the much needed transport and help keep fares low. They also serve as alternative employment and thus provide poor families with the incomes they need to keep their children in school and keep participating meaningfully in the economy. By its actions government is taking away that income alternative at a time when they cannot create jobs for the urban poor and there is no real investment in rural areas to increase production there.



REACTIONARY



Government’s policy speaks of sad reactionary policies. They are moving their own failure to come up with clear growth strategies to the poor. Willowvale Motor Industry will not be protected by Statism. That will surely ensure its further demise. A clear strategy that aims at investing in local competitiveness is required to enable us to compete meaningfully on the global platform. It is much cheaper to train an engineer in Zimbabwe than it is to train one in the Western world but it seems we are not seeing that. Our priorities must be moved away from wasting our young talent in the wilderness of the National Youth Training Services where we are imparting hate on them and move those resources and that young talent back to colleges and universities where we will impart them with the new patriotism of serving their country through participation in the economy not through killing and maiming their fathers and brothers and raping their mothers and sisters.



Government should be aware that the era of consumer patriotism is over and it is irresponsible for Government to force consumers to buy from Willowvale Motor Industries when even they themselves are sourcing their cars from Germany and other countries rather than our own. We therefore urge a rethink on the policy as that is the fairest and reasonable thing to do.



CHAIRMAN: JULIUS SAI MUTYAMBIZI-DEWA

mutyambizidewa@yahoo.co.uk or 07529705413 or 07401182271

Madzimai Bernadett: I am humbled but not yet defeated mum!

Mrs Bernadett Mutyambizi[nee Mugoboza]; the woman I lost on Sunday 05 June 2011 was not only my mother but the very beacon of my life. Our family was not a matriarch, far from that, like every other family of my generation my father still had the last word. But my father and my mother loved each other, there was mutual respect between them. For 46years they were married and never broke up, something that I personally have continued to try and do but which try as I may I must agree I am failing.



My mother had nothing but support for my father and I can say this was so mutual. When my mum gave birth to my three sisters before me tongues started wagging, there is this talk that always came at that time that a son should have been born to the family instead. But my father stuck with the one and only woman that he has ever loved and of course the fourth born was a boy, me. But my humble mum married into the "wrong" family, "wrong" because my paternal family has been part of the Zimbabwean political story since the emergence of its direct ancestor, Changamire Dombo to the political scene in Southern Africa. It was inescapable that my father became a central member of ZAPU and with it ZHANDA and later on made a complete about turn and became a member of ZANU. His mother was part of the Chirumhanzu Chieftaincy and the late Leopold Takawira was therefore an uncle of my father's, and he found himself following his uncle. Needless to say my mother was part of the story and as early as i became knowledgeable, the youth I remember is listening to Voice of Zimbabwe in the 1970s, and songs such as "Huya uwone zvaita mwana" whenever a massacre was unleashed or a leader of the struggle was assassinated. My recollection of that period is also of the injured ZANLA cadres, kept away from the surveillance of the RF and my family putting themselves in the line of fire.



My mum was patient, yet could rise to the occassion if anyone dared her for too long a trait most say I possess and which those close to my family always say is inherited from my mum. She trained as a Montessori Teacher and worked in that capacity for some time in the early 1980s [should be 1980-1981]. During that time ZANU PF offered her a job in the newly created Zimbabwe National Army and my father was also offered a job in the Central Intelligence Organisation. They both refused because there really was no money in government at the time and even the excitement of working for one's own independent government did not really persuade many people then. It was at this time that we relocated to Gokwe, a place my father says his own dad had always said he wished one if not all his sons to live in. My father tells me that his father said to him "One of you should go and live in our ancestral homeland in Matabeleland". Although we did not relocate to Matebeleland South, Gokwe is closer to my grandfather's dream. Again my mother decided to accept what my father was saying and she would go and live the country life. Although she was a skilful knit-artist she quickly developed a new knack; cotton growing. There she and my late sister Barbra were the real masters, she could wake us up at 0200am to work the fields and obvious we did not really enjoy it.



Every year she remembered to buy us Christmas presents, clothes and she had an equally generous sister my aunt Cathrine who could do something that I have failed to understand to this day, buy every person in her family a present and ship it from Germany where she was working as a doctor. My mum had a big heart, our house in Gokwe is close to the main road and whenever a bus or lorry broke down stranded people would come to our house to eat and sleep. Even people in the neighbourhood used to live off my family and that was really the doing of my mum. I remember even when we relocated to the UK, she was paying fees and literally feeding and clothing a family in the neighbourhood in Gokwe whose father and mother had made a reputation of stealing from her. She lived in the same household as my paternal grandmother for more than 27years to the extent that when my grandmum died many people in Gokwe wanted to bury her in my father's absence because they wrongly thought she was my mother's mum not my father's.



When I started working in the early 1990s I would make sure that each month I went to see my mum with groceries and some money. Whatever it was that I brought her she would make sure that she took some of it to people she thought were in need. At that time she was employed as a nursery-in-charge at a local nursery in NeMangwe, in Gokwe under an EU Project. My mother was a devoted member of the Johane Masowe weChishanu Faith and was given the holy ordainment in 1994 at Nyatsime, something she would cherish to her death. Yet she too was a woman of conviction and one thing I could not convince her to leave was ZANU PF. Yet when I became a member of ZUM and later DP in 1990 and 1991, with all other family members completely disappointed with me because they all loved it in ZANU including my father, it was my mother who encouraged me to support the party of my choice.



When MDC was formed and when I was being arrested she never cried for me a single day. Instead she always told me that what I was going through was normal as she would tell me: "Remember even we had to endure the same during the liberation struggle and especially your father". That would remind me of two other incidents; the day I came home crying when I was 4 and had been beaten by older boys. She beat me and told me to go and fight back. From that day onwards I would not be bullied again regardless of age. The other incident was when she was pregnant with my brother Tendai, I was 3 and I asked her for money, she gave me half cent thinking that I wouldn't do anything but I was too clever and I walked all the way to Tangawabayiwa which was about a mile from where our Chitungwiza house was. And that time she cried thinking I would get lost and be sacrificed in the ritual killings as was the norm then. Surprisingly I managed to buy myself sweeties and traced all the way back home.



In 2005 during the elections I called home and my mum was in a celebratory mood: "We are winning and this is very clean. The good thing is that even the President has said there should be no violence" and again "We" referred to ZANU PF. And even when I protested to her that her party was not the party of my choice all she could say was that "Your party is full of amateurs Moyo so you cannever beat an experienced political establishment". Yet when was provoked by one of her nieces and that niece said of me: "That's why your son Julius ran away from Zimbabwe, he has a murder case waiting for him in the courts" My mother told her: "No, my son is not a murderer. He is a politician and will one day be the President of Zimbabwe". My mum was polite but stubborn. Like me her respect was on condition; she respected those who were prepared to respect her in return. In 2007 we lost my first son Taboka, and she came to the UK to console us during that time. When she saw me talking on TV she was really thrilled, just as she was thrilled seeing my first book. In 1998 I recorded my first [and only musical album] one of the songs was Bherita. My mother put 50% of the lyrics there. My friend Last Chiyangwa sometimes plays that song in his gigs. When I sneaked into Zimbabwe in 2009, Memory was pregnant and my mum said "So what will be the name of your child if she is a girl" I said Sithembile [my sister's name] and she protested: "So you guys its me you don't want to name your children after]. I complied and we named my daughter Bernadett after my mother. Little did I know she was on her way and had I not done so, I would have been able to do so ever because Johane Masowe doctrine does not allow naming children after their dead relatives.



On Friday 3 June 2011, I spoke to my mother. She warned me never to depart from my faith and asked me to tell all the family members to do the same. I just didn't know those were her last words. On Sunday 5 June 2011, at 1100hrs, in the presence of Bernadett Junior and her mother, my father and my sister-in-law Madzimai Bernadett, passed away. Although she had not been sick for a long time she fulfilled another Johane Masowe weChishanu doctrine that those who live in Christ should not struggle to die, if they become so sick their sickness should be cured. My mother's death which was not after a long struggle and in which she managed to reinforce the faith on us was a holy death in accordance to our common faith. I am in no doubt that if we remain in the same path we will one day meet. I have been singing ever since: "KANA NDAENDA VAPOSITORI SARAYI MURUMBIDZE MBIRI YABABA: WHEN I AM GONE YOU MUST CONTINUE PRAISING GOD!"



REST IN PEACE MADZIMAI BERNADETT, A MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER WHO WILL ALWAYS BE MISSED! SHE WAS BOTH MY OWN HERO AND A LIBERATION HERO.

BE JUDGE!

JULIUS SAI MUTYAMBIZI-DEWA

COMMUNITIES POINT CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT ON POLICE DEATH30052011

BY THE CHAIRMAN: JULIUS MUTYAMBIZI-DEWA

The death of the ZRP detail to violence is regrettable but this is not new. When I was detained at Central in 2002 I remember police coming and assaulting us as they pleased even though we were harmless and in detention. One of the guys who just seemed to be “in police uniform” said to us when we confronted him “I am a war vet and you guys are in for a fix”. When Temba Temba , a young member of the MDC Youth in Mashonaland East Province had his academic certificates confiscated in 2002 I called police in Marondera and I was told by someone who identified himself as Mudzinganyama that “Iye Themba wenyu iyeye anombodenhereyi: Why does Temba Temba provoke people” and when I let him know that that had nothing to do with police and Temba’s academic certificates he told me that “Ko imimi vaMutyambizi ndimi musingatitye here? And why are you not afraid of us” and when I said I did not fear them because they were not and would never be God he then told me “VaMutyambizi vaMugabe ndisekuru vangu and we will die “tongaring”. Temba Temba wenyu iyeye achagara achirohwa and we don’t need your ZimRights. Edu maRights akakanywa toenda kuMALRIGHTS yekuMalaysia. Mr Mutyambizi I am President Mugabe’s nephew and we will always be in power since death. Temba Temba will always be assaulted and we don’t care about ZimRights because if our own rights are violated we complain to Malaysia Rights”.



It is that attitude which separates the police from the people. It is not a professional force anymore but has become a willing instrument of repression. Yes there are good people serving in the ZRP now. I don’t expect the test for one to be a professional member of the police force to say he supports MDC instead of ZANU PF, no. The police must stay out of politics, they should neither be ZANU PF nor MDC nor ZAPU, MLF nor any political party. The ZRP has not shown that professionalism as an institution. Tonderai Machiridza {Peace be Upon Him] died to police brutality. He was assaulted in Police Custody. Grace Kwinjeh, Sekai Holland, Morgan Tsvangirayi, Tendai Biti, Abel Siwela, Job Sikhala, Lucia Matibenga, Raymond Majongwe, Lovemore Madhuku, Lookout Masuku, Dumiso Dabengwa etc the list is endless of people who are victims of police brutality.

I said it that ZANU PF will one day count their dead. It is no surprise therefore that today a family is again deprived of their loved one in a death that could easily have been avoided. This calls all Zimbabweans to one agenda; the Respect Agenda. The same violence that ZANU PF and the police expose people to can also come to their doorstep. Obvious it is not the ideal situation, it is not the Zimbabwe we want but MDC Youths have the right to defend themselves against police brutality. Already we know it was a disproportionate use of force. Riot Police don't investigate anything they go to a situation to defuse it by the use of force. My experience is that they attend a scene with assault rifles and the history of the ZRP makes people nervous and act as the youth did. MDC has denied that it is their youth who did it but whoever it was THE ACTIONS WERE VERY PROPORTIONATE given the circumstances as it was a legitimate survival tactic that aimed at protecting oneself from a killer police whose sole aim in the past has been to brutally assault and kill ZANU PF opponents. As long as our police behaves like hired rogues and undisciplined party militia propagating an agenda of violence it is regrettable but blood will continue to be shed. Over the years the police have failed to connect with the people. As an institution the police is yet to convince people of their impartiality in politics.

Zimbabwe is a country full of victims of repression whose quest for justice continues to be denied. This is dangerous given that denying people the formal justice will lead them towards the informal path to obtain justice which will be the retributive path. We are creating a country where so many are developing insatiable appetites for revenge. We have created a general populace that views the Security Apparatus with mistrust. During the liberation struggle our two liberation armies relied upon the masses for cover. Is it still the same? Will our security rely on the masses in any event now? This calls for the reform of the Security Apparatus and politicians should be responsible enough to ask for it. The fact that ZANU PF, which benefits from the brutality of the police is not willing to see them reformed shows how determined politicians are to shift the blame of their own deeds on members of the Security in the future.



Every politician in ZANU PF is aware of the accountability of the individual for crimes against humanity in the current legal discourse and therefore their insistence that the Security continues to behave the same way is to block their own culpability which will never arise as long as they can say: “Well if it was the security ask them why they did it, have you ever seen me carrying any weapons? “ Yet to the naive men who are members of our security they mislead them by saying: “Do it in my name, the trouble is mine not yours!” I am challenging politicians to act responsibly and ensure that the Police becomes a police for the people. It is irresponsible that ZANU PF has over the years forced leaders of our security to first shout allegiance to them so that they propelled them to ranks they would have deserved anywhere.

Why did it have to be a precondition that they would serve the interests of the party when most of them had already served during the liberation struggle? ZANU PF politicians continue to demean and humiliate the same liberation fighters and their leaders who they immediately abandoned in 1980 and did not fight their cause to get good ZNA and Air Force jobs preferring the few who “qualified” to only join the infantry despite that they had already fought to bring independence. Others such as ZRP Commissioner Chihuri were totally abandoned and had to join ZRP on their own merit. It is the same ZANU PF leadership that also systematically refused to give them ministerial appointments and it took an “error” for them to even be considered for burial at Heroes Acre. Chihombe Madala “Peace Be Upon Him” was denied such honour as politicians thought the place was for them only. As if that is not enough ZANU PF politicians are telling people who never enjoyed their youth as they gave up their adolescence, teen life and young adulthood to fighting Ian Smith and UDI in the Bush the lie that the same adversary who made lose that precious part of their life is returning when they know too well that those are pure lies. With that in mind anyone who has fought in a war becomes paranoid and all this is the deed of unscrupulous ZANU PF politicians.

Let this be an eye opener. This is the legacy that ZANU PF will leave on Zimbabwe, a legacy of death and murder. As a party that has in the past contributed immensely and selflessly to the independence cause they should be acting responsibly and leading the way in ensuring reforms of the security rather than being the organisation that does the gate-keeping. Institutional Reform should lead the way in directing Zimbabwe on a permanent path to progress. It will be backed by Justice Before Reconciliation to end this culture of violence and the inherent collateral of retribution and immerse us permanently into sustainable growth. As a pressure group Communities Point will continue to engage and will be happy to be involved in any processes that brings a better Zimbabwe to our current and future generations.



Thank you and May GOD BLESS ZIMBABWE!





.www.communitiespoint.com or mutyambizidewa@yahoo.co.uk or Julius.mutyambizidewa@yahoo.co.uk or 00447529705413 OR 07401182271

AFRICA DAY: DECODING THE DECOY BEYOND AFRICANNESS IN CONTEMPORARY AFRICA

AFRICA DAY: DECODING THE DECOY BEYOND AFRICANNESS IN CONTEMPORARY AFRICA



I am usually cautious when it comes to commenting on issues to do with Africa. I know the sensitivity that surrounds the matter. Some have been called traitors for speaking out and others have been labelled puppets before Christopher Dell's assessment actually confirmed what we have said before, that in fact the person who has been passed on as a puppet for a very long time is the opposite of that and "he will need handling once he is in power" which actually says that he is not being handled at the moment and therefore he is not a "puppet" whatever the meaning of the word.

Luckily I didn't have to participate in the Second Chimurenga as my birth in 1973 coincided with the decisive phase of the Second Chimurenga and my father and mother and others in my circle including my brother gave themselves to the liberation cause as has been the tradition in my family. We have fought selflessly in every war that mattered since 1684. So no-one can accuse me of being anyone's puppet. And I was still 6years in 1980 when independence came, still too young to hold a kitchen knife unsupervised let alone an assault rifle.

Africa Day is still relevant as is the unity of Africa. But the question that boggles the mind is what unity; because there are several unities; Unity of Purpose; Unity behind Evil, Partners in Crime, Union in Nobility, Unity for Sinister Motives; Joint Enterprise for Criminal Purposes. Africa must identify her unity as a continent and it is that identity that has seen competing definitions and an emerging split in regional relations. Unlike the OAU which was united in its effort to end all forms of colonialism on the continent, the African Union seems to struggle on what brings them together.

The Organisation of African Unity was really principled on the aspect of fighting colonisation and colonialism. They rejected Ian Smith's Unilateral Declaration of Independence and rejected the lies that South Africa became independent in 1910. But the most significant stance taken by the OAU which separates it from its successor, the African Union, was its insistence that Morocco was a colonial power in the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic and their open, united and vigorous support of the POLISARIO Front which was fighting for the freedom of the Saharawi and which they gave liberation movement status and therefore recognised only them as the legitimate voice on the Saharawi Republic, prompting Morocco to have stormy relationships with the OAU. In a similar principled stance was the OAU's recognition of the SPLM as a legitimate liberation movement in South Sudan prompting countries such as Zimbabwe to have diplomatic relations with the organisation.

The significance of this is that an African organisation was recognising that it was possible for an African to oppress another African and here the OAU was doing better than what had happened in Europe in the 1930s when the whole of that continent including the United Kingdom had problems accepting that a European could oppress another European and therefore allowed the rise of Hitler and Nazism and Musolinni and Fascism. The OAU was one better, even though it concentrated mainly on colonialism but left the rise of dictators during its tenure. At least they succeeded in the primary role they sought to address; dismantling colonialism on the continent; all forms, all colours of vice; including black on black vice.



THE STREET CASINO

There was a game they played on the streets in Harare. It was played with a deck of cards and it was illegal gambling. The main player would assimilate a foreign accent and each time they saw a potential "client" they would bait him or her by pretending to play and win but in actual fact they were playing among themselves. Many people fell prey to the street casino. But there is this day we went to town and I was with my brother Robert. We took one of the cards and put a mark on it such that we could also trick the trickster. So we won the first round and when he noticed what had happened he asked to change the cards and therefore the rules. Unfortunately they found me in one of my rare moments and I would not take that. Rules should not be changed and I insisted with a stony face. It was the previous week which made me behave like that. In one of the "casino" a young mother had lost money in my eyes and when she cried I demanded that the thugs give her back her money which they complied to but with grumbles. But we thought that should not have been the end as they also had to feel the pain of loss. Yet they wanted to change the rules.



A CONTINENT SHY OF SUCCESS

I will never accept any criticism of Africans as shy of thinking. Or even that we lag behind Europe in terms of innovation. That is so untrue. But one thing I always praise Europe for and which we should copy is the continent's propensity to improve. Europe takes everything as a raw material and improves on it. And Europe is the master of borrowing ideas, they copy almost everyone and then improve on that. And they have weaknesses which they are so keen to expose through trial and error. Yet most of the things they do so well all started in Africa. We have heard how writing started in Africa, oh yes that's true but I am not going to talk of the ancient, I am going to talk about the contemporary.

The concept of continental unity started in Africa, the first monetary union was in Africa through the UAPTA which

h was a currency for everyone and in football the African Nations Cup came before the European Nations Cup. But just how we have been surpassed says a lot about our seriousness as a people. The blame game we have which is based on a rhetoric that is constructed on blaming Europe for almost everyone of our failures is our undoing. We have created an astronomic West that is only Utopian, it simply doesn't exist and then we fail to deal with it. People in Europe sleep and dream, they wake up and go to work, they too fall ill and get treated but if they can't be treated they too die and get buried. In their countries white Europeans also do menial jobs, they also pick bins and clean toilets, its just as normal. Most don't even know there is a country called Zimbabwe, some are barely educated but they have geniuses too. They blunder and fire their ministers and change their governments. They recruit workers and dismiss others just as we also have the punishment and reward model in our own systems.

We have a problem of improving, we start things that we cannot pick on. We also destroy the good things that we may have had; the near collapse of Zimbabwe made Smith die a satisfied man saying "I told you didn't I, that you cannot give blacks a country like Rhodesia; and look what they done". Our problem is when we fail we don't want to acknowledge we still want to put the blame on others and I simply can't understand how we became infallible.

UNITY OR GANGSTERISM



There seems to be a total failure to understand the responsibilities of the African Union. Is it to Governments or to nations? This seems to influence the debate on whether South Africa, Guinea and Nigeria were correct to vote for UNSC Resolution 1973/2011 which led to the Western-led attack on Libya. What should the African Union do when governments turn against their own. Since its inception the AU has seen Operation Murambatsvina and the post-2008 Election Violence in Zimbabwe and the post-2007 election violence in Kenya. Clearly an organisation of that significance on the continent derilicts on its duty to act if they fail to interfere as they have done. For governments to say when a foreign actor under the auspices of the UN interferes to help the hopeless and defenceless victims the AU should side with them, is an act of sticking to a secret code.

The AU has protected decoys at the expense of victims and clearly the emerging split between the progressive nations led by Jacob Zuma's South Africa and the antithesis led by Libya, is a test on the principlehoodness of the AU. The ghost must surely be exorcised. The post-2008 deaths in Zimbabwe were unnecessary deaths and that followed the Gukurahundi deaths which should never have been allowed. Africa, led by the AU should strike an ethical code that is based on protecting Africans and not African governments. It should not be an open room that anyone can enter or leave. It should have house rules that have to be adhered to and those who cannot conform to the house rules must not be members of the fraternity. Not every country in Europe is a member of the EU. Not every country in Africa should be a member of the AU. Only those who conform to its house rules should be. Governments that are not accountable to their people, that kill their own are existing in very adversarial and counter-productive world. They don't deserve friendship. AU must not shake bloody hands and hug laden chests. It is leading a great and principled continent. The governments of Kenya, Nigeria, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe have questions to answer for the unnecessary deaths in their countries every time there are elections. Africa can easily lead the world, we are gifted with everything. God favoured us but it will be for us to now say enough is enough and the AU must lead the singing of that verse and the perfect, melodious pitch!

BE JUDGE!

JULIUS SAI MUTYAMBIZI-DEWA

CHAIRMAN OF COMMUNITIES POINT

contact: 07401182271, 07529705413, mutyambizidewa@yahoo.co.uk

COMMUNITIES POINT WELCOMES SADC TROIKA AND SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA ‘S STANCE ON ZIMBABWE

BY THE CHAIRMAN: JULIUS MUTYAMBIZI-DEWA




Communities Point wishes to welcome and congratulate SADC and South Africa’s stance on Zimbabwe especially their stance on the inertia and bullying that has been displayed by ZANU PF in the Government of National Unity. The duty of South Africa and SADC remains to the people of Zimbabwe and not to any particular political persuasion. Yes ZANU PF fought for the liberation of Zimbabwe and won but it is an open secret that that ZANU PF of old has long gone and the current crop of ZANU PF save for a few progressive people, has largely abandoned the principles of the liberation struggle and now they are actually fighting to reverse them.



It was those principles that endeared them to other liberation movements such as ANC and PAC in South Africa, CCM in Tanzania, FRELIMO in Mozambique and ZAPU in Zimbabwe with the later actually moving out of the Unity Accord they had signed in 1987. We are left with a ZANU PF that forces people to attend its meetings by beating them and that does not have even the slightest regard for their property rights that views opposition parties as an enemy invasion on the territory that is Zimbabwe even though the liberation struggle was also for democracy. The Zimbabwean Defence Forces with the exception of the Perence Shiri-led Air Force of Zimbabwe now behaves like the Koevet Units of the apartheid-era South African Defence Forces.



Communities Point has previously castigated ANC for appearing to tow the same redundant line that is being towed by ZANU PF in Zimbabwe and we communicated our then disappointment to ANC which we reminded that their duty where it comes to foreign policy is to Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans. At every opportunity we have also reminded Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe of the special relationship that exists between those countries. The ties among those countries transcend the mere neighbour assumption that ZANU PF seems to be talking of. The ties are blood ties and historical and they are not even for good neighbourliness but good fraternity. It is therefore very untrue and an affront to our history that ZANU PF can say that the intervention of any of those countries in our affairs is anathema to our relations.



Since when have we started ignoring people we have such strong blood ties with? Since when have we folded our arms? As the Mwene Mutapas were becoming corrupt and they were selling the Empire to the Portuguese, Tjanga/Changa a MoPedi from South Africa revolted and defeated the Portuguese and the Mwene Mutapa. His people were given the name “Rozvi” by the Portuguese who also gave him the title "Mire" the Master. That was in 1684. That is the tradition, to this day we celebrate the heroics of Changamire and his people have earned the title as the "leaders of Zimbabwe" why because they gave themselves to the cause of a neighbour who was having it all wrong.



In 1995 Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana interfered militarily and reinstated the Monarch there. The 3 countries could not fold their arms and wait the next hour as a neighbour Lesotho burnt. As Ian Smith imposed apartheid in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique stood firm with the people of Zimbabwe against a rabid leader and a rabid regime. They could not wait a minute. As the DRC burnt ZIMBABWE embarked on Operation Sovereign Legitimacy, we could not allow disorder in our neighbourhood.



A neighbour who marvels as the house of his neighbour burns is not a only a bad neighbour but he is very sick and lacks vision because the fire that is burning his neighbours house or filed will surely gut his own fields and house next. SADC has two choices to make being a responsible neighbour and live in the same tradition as Changamire Dombo in 1684, the Frontline States in the 1970s and 1980s, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana in Lesotho in 1996 and Zimbabwe in the DRC in 1998-2002 or fold their arms and see their own houses burn next.



.www.communitiespoint.com or mutyambizidewa@yahoo.co.uk or 00447401182271 or 00447529705413

FSA confirms final rules for auditors’ client assets reports

FSA/PN/034/2011
25 March 2011



The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has today confirmed rules to improve the quality and consistency of auditors’ client assets reports.

The policy statement sets out ten new requirements for firms and their external auditors. In summary, these new rules will:



•Confirm and clarify the standards required for auditors’ client assets reports in order to provide clear focus of accountability;

•Increase the quality and consistency of information provided in the report so the FSA can better use it to undertake both firm and thematic reviews; and

•Improve firms’ governance oversight of their auditors and their compliance with the client assets rules.

Richard Sutcliffe, leader of the FSA’s client assets unit, said:



“We have seen serious failings in relation to auditors’ client assets reports. As a result we have referred a number of auditors to their relevant auditing bodies over the past year and are currently considering referring several other cases.



“Ultimately it is a firm’s responsibility to ensure they have adequate systems in place, but we rely on their auditors to provide some of the necessary independent assurance. These new rules make it crystal clear for firms what we require of their external auditors when it comes to producing high quality and consistent client assets reports.



“The rules confirm and strengthen our requirements in this area and also mean that should we fail to see improvements we will be able to take action more easily.”



This policy statement follows a review by the FSA’s specialist client asset unit into the quality and consistency of auditors’ client assets reports. A number of serious failings were identified including: auditors providing ‘clean’ reports despite firms committing serious breaches of client asset rules; auditors’ reports covering the wrong chapters of the client asset sourcebook; and auditors failing to provide adequate details on issues and exceptions identified in their report.



The failings indicated a general deficiency by auditors in applying the FSA requirements on client assets, prompting the steps the FSA has taken to improve the quality of auditors’ client assets reports.


This article is published courtesy of the Financial Services Authority

Contemporary challenges to African perspectives

Abstract

This article was in response to a friend's thread on facebook. The main debate was mainly premised on the issue of inheritance and succession and how they play in the narrow context to Zimbabwe but in the wider context to Africa. A contributor then talked about "modernity" and she seemed to be foisting the whole debate on that culture should liaise and be absorbed in the dictates of modernit and that reminded me of the debate that rages on in my own mind. I personally don't think "modernity" has anything to do with our value systems.


Our main problem as Africa has been our propensity to copy and paste other people's thoughts even when they are completely irrelevant to our own values. The issue of modernity is part of a long and very involving debate that also seeks answers about our own pride as a people. One of the arguments that I have proffered have been why we have failed for instance to codify our customary law and have a system that seeks to regulate even our marriages, issues such as “amalobolo” or “pfuma” are exceptional to us and somehow we need to have them regulated through a system that takes cognisance of the existence of the modern law for example and how it fits into our own systems. Modernity is a long debate but like any other philosophies, it is not the end itself.



All these thoughts are what other people’s thoughts and a true and modern African will question them rather than take them aboard. They need riveting, challenging and it is only when we start questioning existing knowledge that we will be able to move and thereby contribute positively to progressive thought. The debate between Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein must serve as the correct guide to why we must never accept anything said at face value.



I am not persuaded by scholars who push ideologies and quote ideologues without really looking at the aspects of how the ideologues seek to contribute to our own perspective. I think that limits the thought process by resigning it to templates by making preconceived ideas manuals that need to be followed rather than expose them to critique and therefore being open to change. This has been the dilemma of the African thought process; we are resigned to conformity and adherence. We are host to ideologues and their ideologies and we have never offered ourselves even to putting a different perspective and context to interpretation. We have taken aboard western ideas and western interpretations which has limited our own development.



The western hegemony



True we have been exposed to two western or Caucasian hegemonies in succession in the previous 4 centuries namely the British and American hegemonies. It is therefore conceivable that their values may have to proliferate into our own ways and that also partly explains how we have accepted their scholars and “thinkers” as our own heroes. I have surprised many people by saying that I don’t read Shakespeare, I have never read him and I also don’t want to ever read him. And as a politician people expect me to know something about the one that is quoted most I think it is Machiavelli. There is nothing wrong with that but my departure point is when we treat them as having the last word. We should try and push the boundaries of our knowledge to the next page and open a new chapter. We cannot be automated to clicking yes to everything we read.



That was how Japan, China and India developed. They have taken western knowledge and contextualised it. They have meaning yes, but they have Japanese, Indian and Chinese meaning. We don’t challenge western knowledge. When I was growing up I knew that a lion is a “big dog”, it is in the dog family. Yet western knowledge says a lion is a cat and we all agree. We fail to stand up and say “no a lion is a dog because......”Africa has more lions in the wild and surely they should know more yet we always play second fiddle. This is why African knowledge systems are not respected, in this era of globalisation we remain the ultimate consumer, we have nothing to offer the world and even our culture can still be defined by other people and refined to their standards. We are a client college consistently churning client scholars and leaders. Compare that with China, the world loves Chinese dishes, they respect both Mandarin and Cantonese dialects of Chinese which are growing in leaps and bounds, and they respect Buddhism as a religion. Similarly they have respect for Indian herbs and Yoga as a world system of meditation. A good example of how Transnational Corporations are conforming to Indian culture can be found in a recent Bloomberg article I stumbled across: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-08/google-infosys-fight-daughterly-guilt-to-lure-indian-women.html






Seeking space, pushing our perspective into the sphere



I am now burying the modernity and diversity argument with regards to the epistemological and astrological debate as a basis for the African finding an identity in contemporary terms. I think the argument that all aspects of African value systems will not fit the modernity bill is a moribund argument. It is an antithesis that fails to conceptualise two complexes namely the modernity complex and the relativity complex. Modernity itself is not universally accepted and so many aspects of it are being questioned with a lot of reversion in so many cases. It is neither a template nor or an alternative to a value system but it retains one thing; the period connotation. Modernity is clearly time phased and therefore has generational relevance. It is in fact the best example of dynamism and each generation has had its own version of modernity. Thus during the Victorian times they had their own modernity. Similarly Changamire Dombo’s generation had their own modernity and this is why Changamire Dombo was able to turn against the Mwene Mutapa and the Portuguese.


Something was wrong that did conform to the older generation but which certainly did not conform with the Changamire Dombos of that time. The same can be said of Tshaka, who stood by his mum against Senzangakhona, his father and completely disobeyed him. So was Mkabayi, Senzangakhona’s sister who defied her brother and was the real kingmaker among the Zulu. So is Ndimilwa, the great Rozvi daughter who refused to marry the chief of the Seke Vhuramayi people unless he agreed to accept her father’s name Zuruvi as his own praise line. Mzilikazi, answering the call of the modernity of his own time, saw no reason why all the cattle should be given to Tshaka and all soldiers be servants who lived only at Tshaka’s behest. Had we lived during their time we would have seen that those acts they performed were acts of people conforming to the shifting demands of their own era. So we must agree therefore that modernity is in a way a pegged to a periodical and not a fact of truth. But just like any dynamic, even if it is so robust it must still retain the properties from the past. This is where the relativity complex must come. Is the change we require really relative to us? And even when the answer to that is affirmative, we still must remember that even the relativism must have a scope. We cannot change all aspects of our culture just because those are the dictates of a periodical called modernity.



Be judge!

STATEMENT OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

Media centre




Zimbabwe: Pillay concerned about civil society crackdown after mass arrest



GENEVA (1 March 2011) – The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay expressed deep concern Tuesday about the continuing illegal detention and reported ill-treatment of 45 members of civil society in Zimbabwe, who have allegedly been charged with treason for discussing events in Egypt and Tunisia. She also called for their speedy release.



“As many people in North Africa have been pointing out increasingly loudly and clearly, there is no true democracy without freedom of expression and assembly,” Pillay said. “It is therefore both deeply ironic and disturbing that, in Zimbabwe, activists are being arrested and mistreated simply for discussing North Africans’ efforts to bring about change through largely peaceful protests.”



On 19 February, police arrested the coordinator of the International Socialist Organisation and 44 other social justice and human rights activists who were attending a roundtable focused on recent events in Egypt and Tunisia. The activists have reportedly been charged with treason under the Criminal Law Act of Zimbabwe, and several of them claim to have been beaten since being taken into detention.



“These arrests appear to be part of a growing crackdown on civil society and members of the political opposition, and are a clear sign that the establishment of a consolidated democracy in Zimbabwe is still very far from assured,” Pillay said. “All those who are being illegally held in detention should be released without delay. Freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are rights guaranteed under Zimbabwean and international law.”



The High Commissioner noted that respect for diversity of political opinion is described as ‘the bedrock of democracy and good governance’ in the 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA), which was the document that established the framework for the current Government of National Unity in Zimbabwe.



Continuing to refer to the text of the GPA, she called on the Government of Zimbabwe “to fulfil its promise to ‘put an end to the polarization, divisions, conflict and intolerance’ that have caused so much damage to the fundamental fabric of what could and should be a peaceful, prosperous and democratic nation.”



“I see these unwarranted arrests as a serious step backwards, especially with elections possibly taking place later this year,” she said. “The Government needs to take measures, beginning with the release of these activists, to restore some faith in the country’s political processes.”



ENDS

Una n'landu Mubarak, yes the fault is his.

Una n'landu Mubarak, yes the fault is his.

He knew how Ian Smith met his demise in Zimbabwe,

the mighty Rhodesia fell when he was Egypt's Deputy President

He was there when Julius Nyerere decided to quit in 1985,

He was there when Milton Obote fled Uganda in 1984,

He was there to see Tito Okello, Binasai and Lulle fail

only for the NRM and Museveni to take over.

He was there when Ali Hassan Mwinyi quit in Tanzania,

He was as Kenneth Kaunda humbled himself to the will of Zambians

And left after his defeat in elections and gave way to Fredrick Chiluba

who gave way to Mwanawasa.



Una n'landu Mubarak, yes the fault is his,

He was the President of Egypt when Mwanawasa died,

He sent his condolences and welcomed Ruppiah Banda

He saw Chissano take over and leave voluntarily,

He was there when Mandela became the President of South Africa and left in 1998,

And even as Thabo Mbeki replaced him only to leave Mubarak welcoming Zuma.



Una n'landu Mubarak, yes the fault is his

Mubarak witnessed the fall of Kamuzu Banda to Bakili Muluzi

And he was even there to welcome Bingu wa Mutharika.

Jerry Rawlings bade farewell to him, so did John Kuffour of Ghana.

Mubarak waved farewell to Ketumile Masire

and welcomed Festus Mogae in Botswana

only to wave farewell to Festus Mogae and welcome Ian Khama

And as Nujoma became the first President of Namibia he was there,

let alone to remain welcoming Pohamba.

He was there when Houmphoet Boigny died

And left Ivory Coast to Conan Bedi, Robert Gwe

and the political circus it has become.



Una n'landu Mubarak, yes the fault is his

Wasn't he there when Jimmy Carter was serving his first term?

And when he was defeated by Ronald Reagan?

And when George Bush Senior became President he shook his hands

And he was there with Bill Clinton, George Bush Junior and now Barack Obama.



Una n'landu Mubarak, yes the fault is his


He became President 2years into Margaret Thatcher's tenure as British PM,

she left him there as she handed the keys of No10 to John Major

John Major left him there as he handed the keys of No10 to Tony Blair

Mubarak is at fault, he waved his hand to bid farewell to Tony Blair

and it was in his eyes as Gordon Brown took over.

And as Gordon Brown left the keys to David Cameron

he officially welcomed him on behalf of the Egyptian people.



Una n'landu Mubarak, yes the fault is his


Didn't he see Babangida and Abacha depart in Nigeria?

Didn't he see Olusegun Obassanjo come and go?

He was there during the days of Shehu Shagari and

He was there during the days of Slobodan Milosevic.

Let the sky above him explode, for why must it implode?

Hosni Mubarak is at fault and

the lungs and ribs of the world laugh at him louder

The ticklish laughs at the sight of his political epitaph,

The undertaker laughs at the sight of his political coffin.



Una n'landu Mubarak, yes the fault is his

Nothing can be as shaming for a man who could not read the end of his time.

Yet Mubarak also laughs at those he has left behind

How they cannot even read his own mistakes,

How they remain clinging to power

Even as they see the ribs and lungs of the world laugh at him

Even as they see even political vultures avoiding his political carcass

Even as their intellect avoid reading the bold writing on his epitaph

Mubarak laughs in his heart,

At the ignorants who forget that they can close everything else

but not the people's anger

He too laughs at their failure to see their shameful demise!



Julius Sai MUTYAMBIZI-DEWA

Una n'landu Mubarak, yes the fault is his

Una n'landu Mubarak, yes the fault is his.










He knew how Ian Smith met his demise in Zimbabwe,










the mighty Rhodesia fell when he was Egypt's Deputy President










He was there when Julius Nyerere decided to quit in 1985,










He was there when Milton Obote fled Uganda in 1984,










He was there to see Tito Okello, Binasai and Lulle fail










only for the NRM and Museveni to take over.










He was there when Ali Hassan Mwinyi quit in Tanzania,










He was as Kenneth Kaunda humbled himself to the will of Zambians










And left after his defeat in elections and gave way to Fredrick Chiluba










who gave way to Mwanawasa.






















Una n'landu Mubarak, yes the fault is his,










He was the President of Egypt when Mwanawasa died,










He sent his condolences and welcomed Ruppiah Banda










He saw Chissano take over and leave voluntarily,










He was there when Mandela became the President of South Africa and left in 1998,










And even as Thabo Mbeki replaced him only to leave Mubarak welcoming Zuma.






















Una n'landu Mubarak, yes the fault is his










Mubarak witnessed the fall of Kamuzu Banda to Bakili Muluzi










And he was even there to welcome Bingu wa Mutharika.










Jerry Rawlings bade farewell to him, so did John Kuffour of Ghana.










Mubarak waved farewell to Ketumile Masire










and welcomed Festus Mogae in Botswana










only to wave farewell to Festus Mogae and welcome Ian Khama










And as Nujoma became the first President of Namibia he was there,










let alone to remain welcoming Pohamba.










He was there when Houmphoet Boigny died










And left Ivory Coast to Conan Bedi, Robert Gwe










and the political circus it has become.






















Una n'landu Mubarak, yes the fault is his










Wasn't he there when Jimmy Carter was serving his first term?










And when he was defeated by Ronald Reagan?










And when George Bush Senior became President he shook his hands










And he was there with Bill Clinton, George Bush Junior and now Barack Obama.






















Una n'landu Mubarak, yes the fault is his










He became President 2years into Margaret Thatcher's tenure as British PM,










she left him there as she handed the keys of No10 to John Major










John Major left him there as he handed the keys of No10 to Tony Blair










Mubarak is at fault, he waved his hand to bid farewell to Tony Blair










and it was in his eyes as Gordon Brown took over.










And as Gordon Brown left the keys to David Cameron










he officially welcomed him on behalf of the Egyptian people.






















Una n'landu Mubarak, yes the fault is his










Didn't he see Babangida and Abacha depart in Nigeria?










Didn't he see Olusegun Obassanjo come and go?










He was there during the days of Shehu Shagari and










He was there during the days of Slobodan Milosevic.










Let the sky above him explode, for why must it implode?










Hosni Mubarak is at fault and










the lungs and ribs of the world laugh at him louder










The ticklish laughs at the sight of his political epitaph,










The undertaker laughs at the sight of his political coffin.






















Una n'landu Mubarak, yes the fault is his










Nothing can be as shaming for a man who could not read the end of his time.










Yet Mubarak also laughs at those he has left behind










How they cannot even read his own mistakes,










How they remain clinging to power










Even as they see the ribs and lungs of the world laugh at him










Even as they see even political vultures avoiding his political carcass










Even as their intellect avoid reading the bold writing on his epitaph










Mubarak laughs in his heart,










At the ignorants who forget that they can close everything else










but not the people's anger










He too laughs at their failure to see their shameful demise!






















Julius Sai MUTYAMBIZI-DEWA

THE WEST: JUST A COINCIDENTAL ALLY OF ZIMBABWE’S OPPOSITION

The West is just a coincidental ally of Zimbabwe's opposition. They are its admirers just as the East is also becoming admirers. In politics you only turn away your admirers at your own peril. Their admiration of Zimbabwe's opposition is consistent with the overwhelming admiration of the same opposition by Zimbabweans in Zimbabwe who in 2008 gave the two MDCs and an Independent candidate a convincing overall majority. The opposition in Zimbabwe has nothing do with western double standards as shown in Egypt.



It is a myth that opposition politics in Zimbabwe are a creation of the West. In fact it is an insult on the intelligence of Zimbabweans as being capable of chatting their own way forward. What the ZANU PF government did in Zimbabwe affected Zimbabweans who despite the "land reform" and "indigenisation" which both have been passed as success stories and the majority as the benefactor voted overwhelmingly against the party of their liberation and the party of their "empowerment", ZANU PF. It is against this political reality that ZANU PF must seriously question its performance and review its policies because it seems they have promoted a falsehood that has failed to see that they, not the West, have become the liability in Zimbabwe.



The friend I will never Forget



Like everyone else I have friends. But there is this outstanding friend that I will never forget even though we don’t always agree on matters. Sometimes I even feel my friend messes me up big time but surprisingly I am always prepared to reconcile with my friend because of the solidness of what we went through in our past. There was a true symbiosis and it was my good friend who during times of need stood up with me, walked with me and made sure I was fed and attended to me in my hospital bed. Such are the people who touch our lives in a big way and if I simply cannot forget the acts of camaraderie that I received at such a localised scale, I am not forgetting someone because we were together what I don't understand is how the people of Zimbabwe can so easily forget about a ZANU PF that sacrificed their time in the bush with some of them dying for the liberation of their compatriots.



Put in perspective those who went to war together with their leaders were complicit to the commission of treason against their own country and they did so with very inferior weapons and basic military training. They completely stood no real chance against a well-equipped and well-trained Rhodesia National Army. In a way participation in the liberation struggle was sentencing oneself to death; a real non-believer's journey where it made better sense to think you would not survive than you would come back alive. And then the same ZANU PF "gave us land" and "indigenisation", such a good friend, why then do Zimbabweans frown at them and are prepared to slam the door even and leave them in the rain. I have tussled with fellow countrymen who won't care a thing if there is an Iraq-style military invasion in our country. Reason, they are fed up with ZANU PF. Why have Zimbabweans become so "ungrateful"? Why can't we remember our "Saints"?



Oh back to my friend it is interesting to note that not even a single day has my friend ever reminded me that at some point we were together. I remember on my own and deep down my heart I remain conscionable and reflecting on the unforgettable sacrifices. Why then is it in the case of ZANU PF, they have to remind Zimbabweans that they stood by them and even though, people still frown at them and are prepared to slam the door? Are Zimbabweans that mean?





Gentle Persuasion



I have heard a story of how a couple came to be. There is this man who was really fierce; he was a bully even. He developed an eye for a very beautiful girl, but his main problem was that he was known as a ruffian and thus he really doubted it if he could be able to convince his potential suitor and ask for her hand in marriage. But slowly he started the process, without telling her that he loved her, he would stand up for her against the bullies in the neighbourhood, and whenever he could he could buy her one or two goodies just as a gesture to show he loved her. All the while he did not attempt to ask her for her hand in marriage, he silently studied her reaction and planned the correct strategy.



And when the time came he did not seek to subjugate her. Slowly, one day, he said the good words to her, in soft verbatim, word by word with a flow; he told her how beautiful she was and how he could mistaken her for an angel. Going through the persuasive paces he then said he loved her and at that point the girl told her she didn't love him. The man did not tell her that he had stood with her against bullies or that he had bought her goodies, no. He continued again, asking her why she thought he was not the right man for her and this time he asked her not to tell him the answer but gave her the time to think through his proposition.



When they met again he avoided reminding her of the good things that he had done for her. He bought romantic flowers and handed them to her. He didn't even say he loved her, just the flowers and they talked about other completely unrelated stories as he walked her to her flat. And then one day he received first a card from her that talked about how he could be blessed if he was to marry a Christian wife and then, there was the phone call, the voice of his prized woman asking him how he was and why he had not been phoning her lately. Like the street-wise ghetto bred man he was he told her how he was confused particularly on that day, and how she had been his angel possibly by premonition, that he was stranded because he had lost his keys and he had nowhere to go. He told her that at that moment both his physical body and his love needed accommodation and that nowhere else could he get that except from her. He asked if he could join her at her flat that night and she agreed. The next day he asked to leave but she too found out that she could no longer let go and the rest was history.



Like love politics is about gentle persuasion. ZANU and ZAPU as parties had the least to do. The votes were theirs to take and the fact that they are threatened by MDC, just a small child born yesterday shows how dysfunctional they have become. I will be kinder to ZAPU because it is yet to be tested in its new form and unlike ZANU PF it does not have to its hold, the advantages of incumbency. I can say I grew up a formidable street fighter in my own right [well when I was very young but I think I still am a fighter though], but I don’t remember any day that I ever used muscles or force to earn friendship, that sounds very unique. How ZANU PF thinks that they can beat up people, including beating up innocent and defenceless women and old people and then still manage to get their love is something that needs examination.



Hhamba inonyila wakaisenga [ a tortoise that messes the one carrying it]

ZANU PF has itself to blame. A tortoise is very slow and if someone decides to be merciful and carry it, it will have no one to blame if it messes the person carrying it and ends up being dropped abruptly. The glasnost ZANU PF has done; their land reform and empowerment will remain in vain as their benefactors abandon them at their hour of need. In 2008 they were abandoned by the same people they had taken all the bashing for, those they had given farms just as they have been abandoned by the people they sacrificed to liberate and the white farmers in whose name they committed atrocities during Gukurahundi in Matabeleland. The same white farmers they said they were protecting abandoned them and it now seems a very familiar story given that they arrested Phillip Chiyangwa, yes the same man who has benefitted from Affirmative Action, for espionage against ZANU PF. The question is why does this happen to ZANU PF? What contribution do they make to their own downfall?

And it took being shunned for ZANU during the liberation struggle to remember that the West would not be help them in any practical way in the removal of UDI. Against all pointers it was to the West that they first went, that they were in a way fighting Britain’s war to reign in the rogue Ian Smith only for Kambarage Mwalimu Julius Nyerere to tell them that if they thought the British would help them they were dreaming. And it is ZANU that quickly dropped its Eastern bloc and Scandinavian liberation war allies for the West soon after independence only to remember after being dropped that their friends were not exactly like my treasured friend: tjokukumbula kanyi ngoswunugwa: you remember your roots only when trouble knocks on your door!



European Union, the Commonwealth and continuing ZANU PF hypocrisy



And right now a new wave of terror is going on, led by Jabulani Sibanda and rooted in hypocrisy. Why is ZANU-PF collecting 2 million signatures to petition the European Union if they are not puppets? Why should we petition the European Union and not SADC or the African Union? Are we now not saying that the EU is in fact our master, our principals and where exactly does such a completely confused cadre derive his liberation credentials from? They are assaulting innocent civilians to collect 2 million signatures, for what? To petition the European Union? Who is the EU to Zimbabwe, it is just a trading bloc that would come rushing if Zimbabwe were to manufacture or produce quality products at competitive prices. The EU buys from Russia even though they are not exactly good friends.

It took them ZANU PF 23 years to leave the Commonwealth [and they reluctantly left], the same organisation that reminds them that they were a colony at a time when they were clamouring that Zimbabwe would never be a colony again. One thing is true, our country is being led by people who cannot think strategically, they lack any vision to be able to take us into the future at best they offer tactical thinking that in their case is also fraught by wrong tactics. At any given time they don’t know who their friend or enemy is and then those they wrongly think are their allies are abnormally rewarded by overtures that then backfire leaving their own support base dwindling.



In 1980 Ken Flower and Peter Walls were their allies. They advised them that ZIPRA had weapons and was planning to overrun them. They arrested Dabengwa and Lookout Masuku and wanted to assassinate Joshua Nkomo. They deployed Gukurahundi into Matabeleland where it committed genocide. But the same Ken Flower would sabotage their air defence capability. And even as we speak their perceived enemy are the people of Zimbabwe whose main crimes are their demand for freedom, jobs, health, education and dignity. They are not worried about the real enemies which are the former RENAMO in Mozambique, the former UNITA in Angola, Rwanda, Ethiopia [for our part in accommodating Mengistu], the DRC and Uganda who we have fought in the past and who may in the future have a real reason for blow-back on Zimbabwe.



The legacy of opposition

Opposition to ZANU PF have their roots in founding fathers of Zimbabwe such as Joshua Nkomo, Rev Ndabaningi Sithole, George Nyandoro, Edgar Tekere, James Chikerema, Welshman Mabhena, Enock Dumbutshena etc and founding mothers such as Ruth Chinamano, Jane Ngwenya etc. Yes western double standards are there for everyone to see but opposition parties in Zimbabwe have never said they are the standard bearers of their philosophies. The West is just friends by coincidence. When you quarrel with your spouse in public and if someone you think is a love rival exclaims to your waywardness, it will be folly to think that the “love rival” is the reason why you quarrel. Get your house in order and quarrel in your bedroom and you will discover that even your children will never know that there is something terrible going on between you. ZANU PF’s assault on citizens is in the public domain and it is very difficult for other people not to see. They end up saying the same things as the opposition but that does not make them the reason why there is disorder in Zimbabwe.

Be Judge!



Julius Sai MUTYAMBIZI-DEWA is the Chairman of Communities Point, he writes in his own capacity.



Contact: mutyambizidewa@yahoo.co.uk or 07529705413 or 07401182271

FSA bans five individuals and fines one, bringing the total number of mortgage intermediary prohibitions to 101

FSA/PN/012/2011

25 January 2011



The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has banned five mortgage intermediaries and fined one of them £104,000. This brings the total number of mortgage intermediaries banned since December 2006 to 101.

Most of the individuals have been banned because they are not fit and proper to work in regulated financial services through failings that led to mortgage fraud.



Mark Thorogood trading as Property Park Mortgages, Colwyn Bay, North Wales and Darren Button formerly of Property Park Mortgages, Colwyn Bay, North Wales



Thorogood, the owner of Property Park Mortgages, has been fined £104,294 and banned from working in regulated financial services.



The FSA found that Thorogood had knowingly submitted fraudulent mortgage applications for himself and his wife, inflating his income from £22,950 to £120,000 and her income from £8,832 to £95,000.



In addition, Thorogood submitted two mortgage applications containing fraudulent information on behalf of a family member. In the first application he stated the family member’s income was £85,000 and in the second he stated that it was £130,000; the actual income was £17,610.90.



Thorogood also failed to have a documented system for supervising the activities of advisors at the firm. Some of the files reviewed by the FSA showed record keeping failures and a lack of evidence to support the income stated on the mortgage applications.



The FSA has also prohibited Darren Button, a former advisor at the firm, for deliberately entering false income and employment information in mortgage applications which he then submitted to lenders.



Button also attempted to conceal a customer’s true income on a payslip with correction fluid because he knew the lender would reject the application if they saw the genuine income.



Button was also aware of other fraudulent applications but took no action to prevent this as he thought ''it didn’t seem to be a huge problem''.



Daniel Djaba trading as DPD Consultancy Services, London, and Adeolu Adeosun, formerly of DPD Consultancy Services , London



Daniel Djaba, trading as DPD Consultancy Services (DPD), has been banned from performing a significant influence function in regulated financial services. He failed to have appropriate systems and controls in place at DPD, and therefore failed to prevent the firm being used to commit mortgage fraud.



Specifically, Djaba failed to ensure that one of his advisors was properly monitored, effectively allowing the advisor to submit an inaccurate mortgage application for himself.



Djaba also failed to ensure DPD gathered robust documentary evidence to support income declared by customers and submitted two applications for customers that contained misleading information.



The FSA has also prohibited Adeolu Adeosun, a former advisor at DPD, for knowingly submitting fraudulent mortgage applications for himself and intentionally misleading the FSA during an interview.



Adeosun was a self-employed advisor who provided mortgage advice to DPD’s customers. However, he was not qualified to give advice, nor had he been assessed to be a competent advisor by DPD.



In a residential mortgage application for himself in April 2008 Adeosun inflated his income for 2006 by more than eight times from £7,826 to £66,022. In a buy-to-let application for himself in 2007 Adeosun again misleadingly used gross income figures rather than net. Adeosun also misled the FSA in an interview by not telling the truth about when he stopped working for an employer.



Waheed Hanif, trading as The Broker Group, Burton upon Trent



Waheed Hanif was a sole trader at The Broker Group, conducting mortgage mediation business. He has been banned for acting dishonestly and lacking integrity.



In November 2009 Hanif was convicted by Stafford Crown Court of one count of obtaining a pecuniary advantage for another by deception and one count of obtaining a money transfer by deception. Hanif had submitted false information in his application for FSA authorisation and a false mortgage application to a lender in his own name.



Margaret Cole, the FSA’s managing director of enforcement and financial crime, said:



''Mortgage intermediaries must adhere to our rules to ensure that consumers are treated fairly and protected from excessive risk, and reduces the possibility that lenders are exposed to fraud.



''For those that don’t follow the rules the consequences are very serious. Not only might they receive a fine and a ban, but - by no longer being able to work in regulated services - they also face losing their livelihood.''



Mortgage intermediaries banned



Since the FSA began investigating intermediaries in the mortgage sector in mid 2005, it has banned 101 intermediaries. Many of these operated in London and the South East, but the FSA has taken action against mortgage intermediaries all around the United Kingdom.



•London & South East – 53 prohibitions

•North West & Wales – 20 prohibitions

•North East - 10 prohibitions

•Midlands – six prohibitions

•South & South West – six prohibitions

•Northern Ireland – four prohibitions

•Scotland – two prohibitions

Ninety five of the 101 individuals were prohibited for failings in relation to mortgage fraud. The other six’s failings included: lying to the FSA, failing to take reasonable steps to prevent their businesses from being used to commit mortgage fraud, and a serious lack of competence and capability to run an FSA-authorised firm.



Many of the 101 were fined as well as banned, with total fines amounting to £2.5 million; the biggest single fine imposed was £294,500 for a combination of mortgage and life insurance fraud.



Over the last four years the FSA’s Information from Lenders scheme has generated more than 1,000 alerts about mortgage intermediaries. Mortgage lenders participate in the scheme on a voluntary basis and the information they supply is critical in helping the FSA clamp down on dishonesty and other misconduct in the mortgage sector.



As well as lenders, the FSA has also collaborated with numerous police forces across the UK. To date, the police have successfully prosecuted six intermediaries with the FSA’s help: Stephen Jones, Gordon Benville, Leo Kusi-Appiah, Omotayo Fawole, Isah Mohammed and Dele MacAulay. More trials are scheduled for 2011.



Margaret Cole added:



''This is a significant milestone in our efforts to stop dishonest people from working in regulated financial services. By working closely with lenders and police forces, the FSA has successfully targeted numerous dishonest mortgage intermediaries and we have taken decisive action against them.



''We will continue to gather intelligence and work with other agencies to deal with dishonest intermediaries. We will use all the tools available, including unannounced visits and search warrants, where appropriate, and we will report criminal activity to the police.



''Looking ahead, changes proposed in the Mortgage Market Review will help our fight against mortgage fraud, including making it the lenders’ ultimate responsibility for assessing affordability and requiring income verification.''

This article first appeared on the FSA website: http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Communication/PR/2011/012.shtml

KASUKUWERE'S MORIBUND DREAM IS A REFLECTION OF ZANU PF’S INEPTITUDE

Someone must tell Saviour Kasukuwere that "youth" and "children" are not the same words and therefore can never be used interchangeably. For him to have a dream if not a nightmare and wake-up thinking he can extend the national service to children doesn't only cross the boundary of common sense but it interferes with the role of the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare. In any case do children of ZANU PF bosses ever go for National Service as well or its for the poor? No, their children agree with all of us that everything in its entirety in Zimbabwe is dead and this is why they have been sending them to study outside Zimbabwe. They do not endorse Zimbabwe's education, health delivery and even the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.



With the exception of Ambrose Mutinhiri who else among the ZANU PF elite ever sent their children to the National Youth Service? Why? Because they too know that the programme is nothing but the academy of hooliganism and intolerance. So negative are they with Zimbabwe's education system that after their children's deportations from the West they made sure they did not stay in Zimbabwe any extra days and decided to send them to other centres; Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore etc. a resounding vote of no confidence on their own performance at the helm of our country. This has been the undoing of Zimbabwe, ZANU PF is not capable of thinking straight and they reduce our country to a laughing stock by giving us ministers who are comic characters who cannot sit down to think properly.



The National Service has been reduced to a circus of expectations and frustrations over the past 9 years and for a minister, with whom I share a liberation legacy bestowed upon us by our liberation war hero parents, to continue being used to further objectives that are countervailing to the liberation struggle is really painful to come to terms with. What has ZANU PF not done to marginalise the liberation struggle? They joined hands with Peter Walls and Ken Flower to discredit their ZIPRA comrades whom they later called dissidents as a precursor to massacre 22000 innocent Ndebele-speaking Zimbabweans, they dumped China, Scandinavian countries and the then USSR, our liberation time comrades, in order to please the West, they made Joshua Nkomo, a man they would later shower with praise as Father Zimbabwe in his death, an object of ridicule and humiliation, they stripped Dumiso Dabengwa and Lookout Masuku of their freedom, dignity and military ranks and forced ex-ZIPRA cadres out of the military. For 17years they made former veterans of the liberation struggle paupers and beggars in independent Zimbabwe while they dinned and wined with the likes of Chinamasa and Chidyausiku, both Senators in UDI times, Olivia Muchena; a member of Muzorewa's Zimbabwe-Rhodesia government and Phillip Chiyangwa, a member of the notorious BSAP that had terrorised the same ex-cadres for the independence of Zimbabwe.



They refused Augustine Chihuri, an ex-cadre, attestation into the Zimbabwe National Army and preferred to have Peter Walls instead. As we speak they beat the same mother and father who suffered for them just because they have decided to exercise their right to choose a party of their choice. They made Zimbabweans squatters in their own country and after being challenged to that they embarked on half-backed glasnost that later led to our fiscal colonisation by USA, South Africa and Botswana with our own currency, the symbol of our identity, disappearing into oblivion in the same way that our proud independence has now become host to regional, continental and international scrutiny. 31 years into our independence ZANU PF has betrayed us and we no longer have the fiscal symbol of our sovereignty, a national currency, and we are now the colony of SADC which made us a "Principality" governed by three people but with SADC's barometer. Indeed the current ZANU PF is a party of traitors who sold our souls.



JULIUS SAI MUTYAMBIZI-DEWA is the Chairman of Communities Point. He writes in his own capacity.



Contacts: mutyambizidewa@yahoo.co.uk or 00447529705413 or 07401182271

FSA fines RBS and NatWest £2.8m for poor complaint handling

11 January 2011



The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has fined Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and National Westminster Bank (NatWest) £2.8m for multiple failings in the way they handled customers’ complaints, responding inadequately to more than half the complaints reviewed by the FSA.

The FSA’s investigation found that there was an unacceptably high risk that customers may not have been treated fairly due to a number of failings within the banks’ approach to routine complaint handling, including:



•delays in responding to customers;



•poor quality investigations into complaints, with complaint handlers failing to obtain and consider all the appropriate information when making their decision;



•issuing correspondence that failed to fully address all of the concerns raised by customers and failed to explain why complaints had been upheld or rejected; and



•customers not receiving their Financial Ombudsman Service (Ombudsman) referral rights within the appropriate time period.

Of the complaint files reviewed by the FSA, 53% showed deficient complaint handling; 62% showed a failure to comply with FSA requirements on timeliness and disclosure of Ombudsman referral rights; and 31% failed to demonstrate fair outcomes for consumers.



The FSA’s investigation also found that:



•the banks did not give complaint handling staff adequate training and guidance on how to properly investigate a complaint;



•the monitoring of complaint handling in branches and the management information produced was ineffective in assessing whether customers were being treated fairly; and



•the banks failed to ensure that complaint handlers properly reviewed complaints taking account of all relevant factors.

Margaret Cole, the FSA’s managing director of enforcement and financial crime said:



“We expect firms to treat customers fairly and that consumers can be confident that their complaints will be dealt with properly. The failure of these two high street banks to deal adequately with complaints put consumers at unacceptable risk and the fine of £2.8m reflects this.



“The poor complaints procedure of RBS and NatWest came to light during our review of complaint handling in major banks. The review showed that banks need to make major changes to handle consumer complaints fairly and the FSA will continue to take appropriate action to ensure these changes are put in place.”



The failings in the complaints handling processes of RBS and NatWest were uncovered during the FSA’s review of complaints handling in the UK’s major retail banks. As a result of the thematic review, five banks have undertaken significant action to improve their complaint handling. The FSA subsequently published a consultation paper on 30 September 2010 on changes to complaint handling requirements, which aims to increase the quality of complaints handling across the industry and increase senior management accountability for complaints.



RBS and NatWest have co-operated fully with the investigation, accepting the findings at an early stage and have agreed to make significant changes to their complaints handling arrangements. The FSA has required RBS and NatWest to work with an independent skilled person to undertake an extensive review of all parts of their complaint handling arrangements. The FSA is also working closely with the banks to ensure that the changes will lead to effective improvements.



The firms agreed to settle at an early stage in the investigation and therefore qualify for a 30% reduction in penalty. Were it not for this discount the FSA would have sought to impose a financial penalty of £4m on the firms.





Notes to editors

1.The Final Notice for RBS and NatWest can be found on the FSA website.

2.RBS and NatWest are both part of the RBS Group and their UK retail bank branch networks operate under the umbrella of RBS UK Retail with standardised complaint handling arrangements.

3.The investigation into RBS and NatWest complaints handling arrangements related to routine and non-complex complaints received by the bank branch network. It did not concern complaints relating to payment protection insurance, bank charges, correspondence to the Ombudsman and complaints concerning life insurance, pensions and investments. The complaints files reviewed dated from H1 and H2 2009.

4.During the period covered by the review, RBS UK Retail was the second largest provider of retail banking products and services in the UK, with approximately 2,200 bank branches and 15 million customers.

5.Between September and December 2009, the FSA undertook a review of complaint handling at RBS UK Retail as a part of a wider review of complaint handling in major banks, the findings of which were set out in the FSA report entitled Review of complaint handling in banking groups published in April 2010.

6.The FSA has undertaken a programme of work to drive improvement in the quality of firms’ complaint handling and poor complaint handling has also been identified as a key conduct risk in the Financial Risk Outlook (FRO) 2009 and 2010. As a part of this programme the FSA published a Consultation Paper on 30 September last year on changes to complaint handling rules.

7.The FSA has also increased transparency on complaint handling through new rules requiring firms to publish their own complaints data every six months. Firms published their first complaints data summaries at the end of August 2010 and the FSA published consolidated firm-specific data at the end of September 2010 to enable firms' performance to be compared across their peer group.

8.The FSA regulates the financial services industry and has four objectives under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000: maintaining market confidence; securing the appropriate degree of protection for consumers; fighting financial crime; and contributing to the protection and enhancement of the stability of the UK financial system.



This article first appeared on the FSA website.

PPI complaints - Firms' customer response letters December 2010

If you have recently complained about how you were sold payment protection insurance (PPI), you may have received a letter from a firm stating that they have decided to put your complaint on hold.

The firms' response is likely to include the following statements:

•we have registered your complaint;

•we will keep you informed if there are material developments in the court case that affect your complaint;

•we will revert to you once the matter has been resolved through the court;

•we will not take account of the delay for the purposes of calculating any applicable time bar period either in relation to court proceedings of for calculating any period within which a complaint should be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

The reason you have received this letter is that some firms have decided that they are unable to provide a final response to the majority of PPI complaints due to ongoing legal proceedings. This refers to the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) legal challenge to our PPI complaint-handling measures published in August. These new measures are designed to ensure customers are treated fairly when complaining about the sale of PPI.



What does this mean for you?

In these cases you can still refer your complaint to the ombudsman service as normal. Here we provide some general questions and answers to help you with the next steps of your complaint.



I have received a letter from my firm telling me it is unable to provide a final response to my PPI complaint, what does this mean?

Firms should register and respond to each complaint within eight weeks of receiving it. If you are sent a holding letter – because a firm has decided it will not provide a final response to your complaint until the outcome of the BBA’s legal challenge is known – you can still refer your claim to the ombudsman service as normal.



The ombudsman service is a free, independent service for settling disputes between financial services firms and their customers. More information on how the ombudsman service is handling complaints can be found here



What information do I need to provide to the ombudsman service?

You should fill out the Ombudsman’s PPI questionnaire as well sending the firm’s response letter and any other evidence relating to your claim.



Are there specialist companies available to help with my complaint?

The ombudsman service is designed to be straightforward to deal with and, regardless of whether your PPI complaint is upheld, is a free service to you. Separately, there are specialist claims management companies that can help you submit your complaint to the ombudsman service. However these firms will charge you for using their services. The Ministry of Justice’s website provides information on claims management companies if you are considering using one.



What is the latest situation on the BBA’s legal challenge?

To try and ensure customers are treated fairly when complaining about the sale of a PPI policy, we developed a package of measures for firms to follow from 1 December 2010. These measures are designed to ensure firms handle complaints properly.



The BBA started legal proceedings on 8 October 2010 (known as a judicial review) challenging the lawfulness of these measures. We consider the measures to be a fair solution for consumers and the industry and are strongly contesting this challenge.


This article first appeared  on the Financial Services Authority Website