19-31 December 2015

Media Monitoring Report Zimbabwe

Posted on December 18, 2015

Compiled by – MIGS Desk Officer for Zimbabwe – Pierre Bussières

Misihairabwi defends baby stunts in parliament, December 2015 The Herald

Legislator Priscilla Misihairabwi made reference to the Gukurahundi when criticized for controversial stunts in Parliament, said she would do more stunts to get more attention. She said she was ready to bring more Gukurahundi victims to the parliament if needed.
Misihairabwi was found out of order by members of parliaments, who expressed doubt over the ethics of her dramatic fashion
critics say at this point, she might bring a herd of cattle to the parliament for the pleasure of attention.

Grace Mugabe now the force for violence in the country, December 21, 2015, Zimbabwe Daily

President’s wife, Grace Mugabe, has been accused this week of fueling most of the human rights violations in the country.
Ruling party contributed about 93% of violence cases tabulated by the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP)
The ZPP’s November human rights violations report, titled Fear as a tool of political manipulation said most clashes were recorded at Grace’s rallies, where she donated foodstuff, clothes and agricultural inputs. The report claimed that opposition parties were routinely denied access to precious goods.

Celebrating ‘Unity Day’ is Celebrating Genocide: PDP, December 22 2015, The Zimbabwean

28 years ago, the ZANU PF defeated PF ZAPU as a nationalist opposition party. What is called Unity Day in Zimbabwe is not so much a celebration of unity as a ‘cynical way of celebrating genocide’. The war for independence pitted three factions against each. One of the bloodiest episodes of the conflict occurred in Gukurahundi, with the suppression of civilians by the 5th bridage in Ndebele regions of Zimbabwe, with over 3750 reported dead.
‘The rest of the people of Zimbabwe are now enduring various forms of Gukurahundi such as destruction of their homes and disappearance of their loved ones who dare to speak against ZANU PF misrule’
‘For instance, Bulawayo, the citadel of resistance against ZANU PF rule continues to be punished by Government which practically sponsors disinvestment from that city.’
The fact that, after 28 years, silence still holds over the Gukurahundi issue has in fact encouraged more human rights violations in Zimbabwe.
For the country to heal from its open wounds, Robert Mugabe should take full responsibility for ZANU-PF’s Gukurahundi ideology

Zimbabwe: Zim Bank Workers Protest Over Sexual Harassment, December 17, News24Wire

Bank workers in Zimbabwe are demonstrating over alleged sexual harassment of a female journalist and subsequent dismissal of the workers' committee chairperson at the local unit of Standard Chartered Bank.
While foreign banks have remained untouched by the economic crisis in Zimbabwe, local banks have suffered from the recent collapse of financial institutions such as AfrAsia, Genesis Bank and Allied Bank. Analyst says most banks in Zimbabwe are struggling to meet daily cash demand from depositors

2015: A tough year for business, December 20, The Standard

Power cuts, shortage of capital, a debilitating labour crisis and antiquated machinery pretty much summarise the dismay of the Zimbabwean economy, which has suffered from drought, currency devaluation and low investment
Zimbabwe’s struggling economy owes part of its problem to a weakening regional economy, with a lower South African rand and the Zambian kwacha
‘"The elephant in the room” as Zimbabwe was 45% to 55% higher in terms of fuel costs, logistics costs, minimum wages, rentals, electricity charges and other business costs as compared to regional peers’’
Public Policy Research Institute of Zimbabwe policy analyst, Butler Tambo said competition from imports caused a serious loss in external competitiveness. In addition, Zimbabwe has shown higher production costs than its neighburs Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa. Tambo added the country was also becoming much more self-dependent on a growing basket of products.

Zimbabwe: VP Warns Divisive Elements, 21 decembre 2015, The Herald

Naysayers will be put aside, warns Zanu-PF's Second Secretary and Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa warned yesterday
"I don't believe that there is any split in the party at all. The President was giving a warning that we must continue cherishing and advocating for unity. If we do not do that, we will lead ourselves to divisions that will split the party.

Zimbabwe: Zanu-PF Remains Most Violent Party, ZPP Report, December 18, New Zimbabwean

The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) reported Friday that Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF party is still the most violent party in the country
"An overwhelming majority of perpetrators of violence for November were from Zanu PF at 93 %, compared to the October Zanu PF figure of 79.3 percent," says the ZPP.
According to the report, Zanu PF victims, chiefly because of party infighting, represented 24.2 % of total incidences, with the most type of violence being intimidation and harassment
ZPP’s report is based on 420 community based human rights monitors

Montreal Institute for Genocide and
Human Rights Studies