New Constitution: Women lobby for dual citizenship
By Phyllis Kachere
Zimbabwe Sunday Mail
WHAT was expected to be an everlasting union has turned into a nightmare for young Alice Ndare (not her real name) who married her Yugoslav boyfriend and relocated to his country in 2004.
As per tradition, Alice immediately assumed her husband’s citizenship.
Dual citizenship is prohibited in her new domicile and this meant renouncing her Zimbabwean citizenship.
One child and four years later, the marriage hit rocky times, resulting in her husband filing for divorce.
Recently, Alice approached the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers’ Association (ZWLA) to seek assistance in the divorce case and in reclaiming her Zimbabwean citizenship.
Without an income and social support in Yugoslavia, life has become a challenge for her. “The husband for whom I renounced my Zimbabwean citizenship has ditched me,” she said.
“All the friends I made in Yugoslavia were through him. Sadly, most of them have now abandoned me because of the fallout I had with my husband.
“Now I am stuck with his citizenship but without him and without social support.”
ZWLA advocacy manager Ms Thoko Thabete said Zimbabwean women were lobbying for dual citizenship to be incorporated under the new constitution.
“Ms Ndare is not alone in this situation. Because of the economic challenges that forced most young Zimbabweans into the Diaspora, many of our young women have found love outside Zimbabwe and some have married foreigners,” said Ms Thabete.
“We all know situations change. When things go wrong, it is usually women and children who become victims.
“That is why there is this strong lobby by women for dual citizenship and the right for them to pass on their citizenship to their children and spouses.”
In reference to Ms Ndare’s case she said:
“In such a situation, Ms Ndare no longer has the previous strong ties with Yugoslavia because her marriage is on the rocks and divorce is likely to be granted,” she said.
“The tragedy of the matter is Ms Ndare is regarded as a citizen of Yugoslavia, a country to which her husband was the only one binding her to it.
“With the husband gone, Ms Ndare’s ties to Yugoslavia have weakened. But had she been allowed to keep her Zimbabwean citizenship, she simply would have come home.”
Ms Thabete said citizenship allowed one to enjoy consular protection when in a foreign country.
“Ms Ndare cannot seek consular protection from the Zimbabwean embassy in Yugoslavia because she is regarded a local, but at the same time she is failing to access social programmes because of a language barrier,” she said.
She added that while politicians disapprove of dual citizenship, the positives on the social side outweigh the political negatives.
In terms of the current Zimbabwean Constitution, a person who is married to a Zimbabwean and has been ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe for at least five years since the marriage is entitled on application to become a Zimbabwean citizen by registration.
This amendment was effected by Act number 1/2009.
Prior to this amendment, a woman married to a Zimbabwean citizen was entitled to apply for citizenship by registration.
However, a man married to a Zimbabwean woman did not have the same entitlements. This issue was brought to court in the Rattigan citizenship case.
According to the Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA) the old position meant women did not have to wait for five years.
It seems as if when women challenged this position vis-a-vis their foreign husbands, the law in its “majestic neutrality” decided to create similar conditions.
There have been these allegations that some foreign men marry Zimbabwean women just to get citizenship and they go on to dump them after attaining it.
WLSA has also recommended that: “Women must have the same right to acquire and pass on Zimbabwean citizenship as men.
“Article 9 of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw) recommends that women and men should have equal rights in terms of citizenship.”
Ms Thabete said spouses of Zimbabwean women should have the same rights of residence and/or citizenship as those of Zimbabwean men.
Article 8 (5) of the Sadc Protocol on Gender and Development states that parties shall put in place legislative provisions that ensure married women and men have the right to choose whether to retain their nationality or acquire that of their spouse.
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Du Toit, the rhino messiah
Rhino messiah . . . 2011 recipient of the Goldman Environment Prize for Africa, Raoul du Toit.
“CONSERVING rhinos saves much more than the rhino themselves — they are flagships for biodiversity and for national development based upon sustainable wildlife management in Africa,” says Raoul du Toit
Recently awarded the Goldman Environment Prize for Africa for 2011 in recognition of his rhino conservation activities in Zimbabwe, Du Toit strongly believes in community involvement and awareness for effective rhino conservation.
Du Toit, director of the Lowveld Rhino Trust, received US$150 000 as prize money that will be channelled towards supporting his vision and conservation activities.
Five other such prizes were awarded, during two recent ceremonies in the United States, to environmentalists from other regions of the world.
One of the ceremonies was held at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington on April 13 and attended by Zimbabwe’s representative in Washington, Ambassador Machivenyika Mapuranga, who congratulated Du Toit on behalf of the Government.
US President Barack Obama also congratulated Du Toit and the five other award winners when they met him at the White House on the same day.
In an interview with Sunday In-Depth at his offices in Harare, Du Toit said the award would bring international attention to the rhino conservation movement in Zimbabwe.
“It is a mixed situation because on the one hand there are now more rhinos in the Lowveld region than there has been for over a century, but on the other hand the poaching onslaught is intensifying and there can be no room for complacency,” he said.
According to figures recently released by the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Zimbabwe has a national total of nearly 430 black rhinos and about 290 white rhinos.
There is still a long way to go before the black rhino population can recover to its previous total of about 1 500 in the late 1980s.
“In the Lowveld region of Zimbabwe, despite major poaching pressures, there are now more rhinos than at any other time over the past 100 years,” said Du Toit.
“This shows that it is worth fighting the battle to save rhinos because we really can win it, and we need some species success stories to encourage us in the broader campaign to conserve biodiversity.”
The award given to Du Toit was in recognition of the efforts of his team in the Lowveld Rhino Trust, which is supported by international conservation groups such as the International Rhino Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund, Save Foundation and Save the Rhino International.
Private rhino custodians have also been bearing high costs of rhino protection.
Asked why he focused on rhino conservation, Du Toit explained:
“Rhinos are as modern in evolutionary terms as we are and are socially more complex than is generally believed,” he said.
“They are superbly adapted to a wide range of African habitats, from deserts to forests. They don’t carry diseases that can be transmitted to livestock, and they don’t eat farmers’ crops.
“They look after themselves and can double their population within 10 years if we just leave them alone.
“Rhinos are a true umbrella or flagship species, since the conservation of rhinos and their habitats ensures that a lot of other biodiversity is conserved at the same time.”
Survivor . . . The rhino that survived the crude hacksawing of its horn by poachers last month in the Lowveld.
During the early 1990s, the Lowveld Rhino Project was established with its funding coming initially from the Beit Trust. At that stage, the Lowveld held only 4 percent of Zimbabwe’s rhinos, whereas it now holds 80 percent of the national population of rhinos.
This is equivalent to over 7 percent of the global population of the critically endangered black rhino species.
Much of the conservation efforts in recent years have involved moving rhinos from less secure areas to more secure areas within the Lowveld, and taking aggressive action against poachers.
Du Toit said credit for the action against poachers is largely due to the efforts of the police and other law enforcement agencies.
“Poachers operate in syndicates like hard-core, well-armed bank robbers,” he said.
“They mount hit-and-run attacks and fight back with their firearms if they are tackled by anti-poaching patrols.”
An upsurge in rhino poaching was seen from 2007, with at least 300 rhinos being poached in Zimbabwe since then.
Du Toit and other conservationists believe that this upsurge in poaching is directly linked to a greater Asian presence in Africa, since the main market for the horns is within Asian countries whose communities believe that the horns have medicinal properties.
Vietnam has been identified by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) as the Asian country importing most of the horn, even though that is illegal in that country.
A number of Vietnamese took advantage of weak controls on the safari hunting of white rhinos in South Africa and pretended to be hunting rhinos for sport, but instead of taking the horns as hunting trophies they were taking them to sell on the illegal market. This created new market demand, which in turn helped drive the poaching of rhinos.
South Africa has been losing approximately one rhino a day to poaching gangs.
Since the national rhino population in South Africa is over 20 000, this rate of loss is sustainable at present, unlike in Zimbabwe where every poached rhino adds to the decline of the national population.
“We have good cops and bad cops,” said Du Toit. “Some of them are working tirelessly and professionally to hunt down poachers whereas some other policemen and soldiers, in the minority, have actually been poaching rhinos.”
Even when the poachers are arrested, conservationists like Du Toit complain that the courts have been dealing with them sternly at times and at other times have been letting them off on technicalities or for other questionable reasons.
“These discrepancies cause great international concern about Zimbabwe’s conservation effort and its obligations under treaties such as Cites,” he said.
As an example of effective action, Du Toit cited the arrest of two rhino poachers in the Chipinge Safari Area on April 17.
“Within a week, these poachers were each sentenced by a Masvingo magistrate to 10 years in jail plus three years on weapon charges for possession of an AK rifle,” said Du Toit.
“But in another case, poachers who have been caught with heavy calibre firearms fitted with illegal silencers have not been sentenced on the same weapons charges.”
Conservation NGOs were horrified by a poaching case in Save Valley Conservancy in early April, when a black rhino bull was shot four times and had its horns hacked off its face, while it was still alive, leaving a bloody wound.
The rhino has miraculously survived despite these injuries.
In co-operation with the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, the Lowveld Rhino Trust has ensured that it receives veterinary treatment.
At the time of this incident, four men were arrested in Chiredzi, with a silencer-fitted heavy-calibre rifle, far from their home area of Beitbridge.
The two men were subsequently released and are yet to be charged.
“Cases such as this are now watched closely by the conservation NGOs,” said Du Toit.
“We cannot tolerate any lack of effort or suspicion of corruption when the war against poachers has to be fought on all fronts, by everyone.”
To bring local communities onto the side of those who are protecting rhinos, the Lowveld Rhino Trust intends to use its cash award from the Goldman Environmental Prize to expand a scheme through which local communities can become shareholders in rhino breeding projects, through public-private-community partnerships.
“Returns from rhino breeding for the communities would be provided in the form of direct support for local schools, in proportion to the growth of rhino populations in wildlife areas that they live next to,” said Du Toit.
“This will include a major environmental education effort. This scheme was launched in the Lowveld by Minister Nhema in 2006 but we have lacked resources to fully implement it.
“Now, with the Goldman award funding, we can give full emphasis to this need to make rhinos relevant to rural people and to give the incentives for these people to help us fight poachers.”-The Sunday Mail
Chikombedzi's child brides
Catch them young . . . Primary schoolchildren in class at Alpha Mphapha Primary School in Chikombedzi.
POVERTY and the Shangaan cultural practice of “kudzanira”, which initiates girls into womanhood, is driving parents in areas around Hlengwe, Gezani and Chikombedzi that border Mozambique and South Africa, to marry off girls as young as 13.
Chiredzi district, situated in the southeastern part of Zimbabwe, is home to the majority of the Shangaan people in Zimbabwe.
So severe are the school dropouts that also coincide with the Shangaan girls’ graduation from the “chikomba” (woman initiation) in July or August that some schools are left with a few or no girls in their Grade Seven classes when they open for the third term.
Although lobola is not fixed, the brides fetch as much as 20 000 rand and six head of cattle.
Mr Benedict Mawire, headmaster of Phahlela Primary School in Matibi, had astonishing figures of girls who drop out of school to get married.
“In 2007, the Grade Seven class had 13 girls but by the third term only one girl was attending school. In 2008 we had 26 girls doing Grade Seven but after the initiation ceremony only two came back to school.
The year 2009 was no different. We had 23 girls before kudzanira and only three girls came back to school after the graduation,” he said.
Headman Hanyani Zava Mphapha explained that according to the Shangaan tradition, the initiation process for the girls is done at the onset of puberty, which usually starts around 12 years old.
“Shangaan girls have to be initiated at the onset of puberty. This is usually done during June/July. I cannot go into details about the curriculum but I can confirm that it involves sex education and the duties and responsibilities that come with womanhood. This is where they are prepared for marriage,” said Headman Mphapha.
Although school heads at Muhlekwani and Makhanani primary schools in Matibi II could not provide statistics, they confirmed that they had also suffered similar haemorrhages with regard to Grade Seven girls soon after “they became women”.
“The pattern is the same every year. Soon after kudzanira, we expect to lose Grade Seven girls as most get married soon after the ceremony. Most of them get married to majonijoni, a term used to describe local Shangaan men who work in nearby South Africa and Mozambique.
“Because of the proximity of both Mozambique and South Africa to our school some men from these countries also come and marry these young girls. We have watched painfully as the girls leave school for marriage,” said Mr Felex Ndlovu, who heads Muhlekweni School.
Makhanani and other schools in the area have also not been spared as confirmed by school head Mr Wilson Dheimani.
“It is difficult to separate the girls’ flight from school from kudzanira. Soon after the initiation of girls, classes are emptied of girls,” said Mr Dheimani.
The situation at Chiumburu Primary School near Triangle is dire, forcing the school head to appeal to both the police and education authorities to conduct joint awareness campaigns.
“I had to appeal to the police and senior education authorities to conduct joint awareness campaigns to force parents to allow their children to come to school. The girls have just stopped coming to school,” said the school head who declined to be named.
According to the Shangaan tradition, the headman said, soon after graduation, the girls are required to tie red bandanas around their heads to make them recognisable as the “new women”.
The red bandanas distinguish and show they are ready for womanhood and marriage but it is this “advertisement” that has become the girls’ curse for they become easy targets for early marriage.
“After graduation the girls are eager to find suitors and the red bandanas provide easy identification. And once on the market, there is stiff competition, resulting in the youngsters marrying off at those early ages.
“Within a year after graduation, a traditional Shangaan girl should be able to find a suitor and get married. Because of competition, one cannot afford to stay for too long on the market. That’s our tradition,” said 76-year-old Mrs Ketsiya Randalani from Chief Chilonga’s area.
Masvingo Provincial Education Director Mrs Clara Dube confirmed that Chiredzi district, home to the majority of the Shangaan people, has suffered worrying school dropouts during the transition from primary to secondary school.
“There are worrying trends of school dropouts of both boys and girls during the transition from primary to secondary in Chiredzi district. For example, in 2009 there were 2 660 girls who sat for Grade Seven examinations but only 1 440 proceeded to secondary school the following year.
“Of the 2 455 boys doing Grade Seven in 2009, only 1 252 proceeded to Form One. We are not sure where the dropouts have gone to,” said Mrs Dube in an interview with The Sunday Mail.
Some educationists have suggested engaging the traditional leadership in the hope of delaying the initiation of schoolgirls until at least they reach 18 years.-The Sunday Mail
Sunday, 29 May 2011
Who is Chibhebhi?
| Phyllis Kachere |
 |
 Phyllis Kachere is deputy news editor at the The Sunday Mail in Zimbabwe, which she joined in 2001 as a junior reporter and later served as senior reporter before reaching her present position. She began her mainstream media career as an HIV/AIDS junior reporter in the late 1990s. For Phyllis, after losing two sisters to AIDS, reporting on the subject has stopped being just a news story. Armed with a social science degree, she started out as an information officer in the Zimbabwean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and moved on to mainstream media where she briefly worked for the then Zimbabwe Inter Africa News Agency in 1999. Phyllis was the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists HIV/AIDS Reporter for the years 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006. She has also been awarded the Union of Catholic Press International Award for HIV/AIDS Reporting for 2007 |
Lobola, curse or blessing?
By Phyllis Kachere
LOBOLA, arguably the most cantankerous subject among the old, read in-laws, sons about to pay it, and daughters who could get someone to pay it in a jiffy.Before it became this highly commercialised, lobola was a system of cementing relationships within families. The amounts paid were nominal, almost symbolic. Of course, ridiculous heads of cattle (danga) paid were unheard of. The Bantu people living in what is now known as Zimbabwe revered cattle, but their lobola cattle demands (I am informed) remained consistent, depending on how many children the woman would give the man. The more children, the more cattle!The results showed in our mothers and grandmothers "spewing" children, some as many as 13, translating to 13 heads of cattle. The women would not have any say on how many children they would have or at what interval, and sometimes to their health’s risk. This is notwithstanding the quality of the bride! Virgins, non-virgins, one-child mothers, the more children, the more cattle paid! Talk of paying for the reproductive rights of women, while they remain onlookers while trading in their body parts (literally) takes centre stage.Those who advocate for lobola have maintained that it was a token of showing appreciation to the in-laws for a wonderful bride. But I maintain it was and still is a form of subjugation of women as payment of lobola would ensure that the woman would never be consulted on any family matter, including her sexual and reproductive rights. The man would simply issue instructions for the weaning of a toddler and subsequent pregnancy. She had and still has no say on the number of children she will bear.The very nature of lobola has ensured the exclusion of women to vital debates concerning their very core. Lobola negotiations are carried out by the male members of the family, while the women, including the bride and her mother, are just commodities and onlookers. The bride is only there to be paraded as a prized trophy.With the advent of multiple currencies and the suggested commercialisation of lobola, young men and women about to transact in lobola are crying foul.Not even the liquidity crunch facing Zimbabwe has stopped lobola transactions, payments of which are being done in the adopted multi-currencies.But what and who determines lobola? Some have argued it is the quality of the goods that determine the price. But in this highly patriarchal system we live in, are damaged goods spared? I am saying this at the risk of getting a backlash from avowed feminists whose fury I smell now!How much a "maiden" (read a virgin who has aborted three or four times and has been on oral contraception since 16) is worth, is determined by her clan.In some clans, the more educated she is, the more she will fetch on the market. More like bidding done at a cattle sales auction! For some, the bride price is determined by how much the groom is worth. A deep-pocketed groom is likely to be charged a high lobola, commensurate with his pockets, even when the bride carries no added value. Not even degreed!A mini survey on how much should be adequate for a first time lobola transaction, showed that any figure between US$2 500 and US$5 000 was acceptable."At least US$4 000 shows a sign for preparation for the big day for a childless woman. If it’s damaged goods with a string of offspring, then US$1 000 or so would be in order. This is taking into consideration that the groom will have the extra responsibility of looking after the woman’s children. But the main issue is that the groom has to pay the full price for purity, a full virgin should attract a higher lobola compared to a used womb."A customary lobola ceremony is not a thing you just wake up and say you are doing. There has to be evidence of planning to illustrate how serious the groom is. It takes time and resources to prepare for the day," said 25-year-old Martin Chishava, who himself is preparing to pay lobola in June. But for 50-year-old Dr Rudolf Chinganga, lobola should not be determined by whether the woman has children or not but should be determined by the value added to her."You surely don’t expect me to charge the same lobola for my doctorate daughter as a failed Ordinary Level candidate. The failed Ordinary Level candidate, like the name suggests, should attract a few hundred US dollars. She has no value added to her and she is worth those few hundreds of dollars. You cannot compare an engineer woman with a marry-me-and-feed-me. No ways," argued Dr Chinganga.From buying the reproductive rights of a woman to value addition, the things women have to endure!"I will not get someone to pay lobola for me. Why must someone, including my parents, be paid for me to get married? Am I a commodity to be traded to the highest bidder? This lobola business is responsible for all the woes befalling women. They are victims of domestic violence because their husbands claim that they hold exclusive rights to the behaviour and discipline of their women," said a defiant 21-year-old university student, Tariro Mushaninga.Indeed, payment of lobola has led to women enslavement as the men claim they paid for her subservience. So much about women's rights!l Feel you have something to add to this debate, get in touch on phyllis.kachere@zimpapers.co.zw or The Sunday Mail, PO Box 396, Harare or 04-795771 ext 1371, Tuesday to Saturdays.
LOBOLA, arguably the most cantankerous subject among the old, read in-laws, sons about to pay it, and daughters who could get someone to pay it in a jiffy.Before it became this highly commercialised, lobola was a system of cementing relationships within families. The amounts paid were nominal, almost symbolic. Of course, ridiculous heads of cattle (danga) paid were unheard of. The Bantu people living in what is now known as Zimbabwe revered cattle, but their lobola cattle demands (I am informed) remained consistent, depending on how many children the woman would give the man. The more children, the more cattle!The results showed in our mothers and grandmothers "spewing" children, some as many as 13, translating to 13 heads of cattle. The women would not have any say on how many children they would have or at what interval, and sometimes to their health’s risk. This is notwithstanding the quality of the bride! Virgins, non-virgins, one-child mothers, the more children, the more cattle paid! Talk of paying for the reproductive rights of women, while they remain onlookers while trading in their body parts (literally) takes centre stage.Those who advocate for lobola have maintained that it was a token of showing appreciation to the in-laws for a wonderful bride. But I maintain it was and still is a form of subjugation of women as payment of lobola would ensure that the woman would never be consulted on any family matter, including her sexual and reproductive rights. The man would simply issue instructions for the weaning of a toddler and subsequent pregnancy. She had and still has no say on the number of children she will bear.The very nature of lobola has ensured the exclusion of women to vital debates concerning their very core. Lobola negotiations are carried out by the male members of the family, while the women, including the bride and her mother, are just commodities and onlookers. The bride is only there to be paraded as a prized trophy.With the advent of multiple currencies and the suggested commercialisation of lobola, young men and women about to transact in lobola are crying foul.Not even the liquidity crunch facing Zimbabwe has stopped lobola transactions, payments of which are being done in the adopted multi-currencies.But what and who determines lobola? Some have argued it is the quality of the goods that determine the price. But in this highly patriarchal system we live in, are damaged goods spared? I am saying this at the risk of getting a backlash from avowed feminists whose fury I smell now!How much a "maiden" (read a virgin who has aborted three or four times and has been on oral contraception since 16) is worth, is determined by her clan.In some clans, the more educated she is, the more she will fetch on the market. More like bidding done at a cattle sales auction! For some, the bride price is determined by how much the groom is worth. A deep-pocketed groom is likely to be charged a high lobola, commensurate with his pockets, even when the bride carries no added value. Not even degreed!A mini survey on how much should be adequate for a first time lobola transaction, showed that any figure between US$2 500 and US$5 000 was acceptable."At least US$4 000 shows a sign for preparation for the big day for a childless woman. If it’s damaged goods with a string of offspring, then US$1 000 or so would be in order. This is taking into consideration that the groom will have the extra responsibility of looking after the woman’s children. But the main issue is that the groom has to pay the full price for purity, a full virgin should attract a higher lobola compared to a used womb."A customary lobola ceremony is not a thing you just wake up and say you are doing. There has to be evidence of planning to illustrate how serious the groom is. It takes time and resources to prepare for the day," said 25-year-old Martin Chishava, who himself is preparing to pay lobola in June. But for 50-year-old Dr Rudolf Chinganga, lobola should not be determined by whether the woman has children or not but should be determined by the value added to her."You surely don’t expect me to charge the same lobola for my doctorate daughter as a failed Ordinary Level candidate. The failed Ordinary Level candidate, like the name suggests, should attract a few hundred US dollars. She has no value added to her and she is worth those few hundreds of dollars. You cannot compare an engineer woman with a marry-me-and-feed-me. No ways," argued Dr Chinganga.From buying the reproductive rights of a woman to value addition, the things women have to endure!"I will not get someone to pay lobola for me. Why must someone, including my parents, be paid for me to get married? Am I a commodity to be traded to the highest bidder? This lobola business is responsible for all the woes befalling women. They are victims of domestic violence because their husbands claim that they hold exclusive rights to the behaviour and discipline of their women," said a defiant 21-year-old university student, Tariro Mushaninga.Indeed, payment of lobola has led to women enslavement as the men claim they paid for her subservience. So much about women's rights!l Feel you have something to add to this debate, get in touch on phyllis.kachere@zimpapers.co.zw or The Sunday Mail, PO Box 396, Harare or 04-795771 ext 1371, Tuesday to Saturdays.
How Canadile syphoned Marange diamonds
DIAMONDS worth over US$100 million are believed to have been smuggled out of the country by Canadile Miners and sold on the black market with part of the proceeds being pocketed by company officials under the guise of loans. The rest of the money was reportedly laundered back to Zimbabwe and used as working capital by Core Mining shareholders who went into partnership with the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation to form Canadile Miners.
Blacklisted gold and diamond smuggler Marco Chiotti, a South African of Italian descent based at Manica in Mozambique, has been fingered as the man behind the illegal sale of the diamonds and laundering of the proceeds.
The estimated US$100 million loss was a result of undeclared diamonds that were illegally sold on the black market plus another 29 000 carats of gem quality diamonds worth US$29 million which Core Mining shareholders failed to account for.
Related storyPart of a confidential report compiled by the ZMDC investigations committee seen by The Sunday Mail reads: "Core Mining has failed to discharge its obligations related to the foreign capital investment, which it undertook to make in the joint venture agreement. The committee reasonably believes that Core has funded the working capital requirements of Canadile through the illicit sale of diamonds, and has caused the proceeds of the illicit sale of diamonds to be recorded as shareholder loans and not as equity investment.”
Core Mining was being fronted by the incarcerated Lovemore Kurotwi, who is now facing trial for illegally selling diamonds.
It is understood that Chiotti would illegally sell diamonds mined at Chiadzwa on the black market and shuttle back to Harare to deposit various amounts into Canadile’s bank account.
Kurotwi would then withdraw those funds and distribute most of the funds amongst Core’s shareholders as loan repayments with the remainder being ploughed back into the mine as working capital.
“From September to December 2009 Chiotti endlessly shuttled between Harare and Mutare to raise capital injected into Canadile in figures of $4 000, $5 000 and $10 000 totalling $694 000 by December 31 2009 .
“The frequency of the shuttling and the values of the deposits suggest that the working capital of Canadile at this time was raised through the illicit sale of diamonds conducted by the shareholders of Core, a clear act of money laundering,” noted the report.
The report also states that given the active role that Chiotti had in making cash deposits into Canadile’s bank account and petty cash account, he was involved in the smuggling of diamonds mined by Canadile.
After selling the diamonds, the proceeds would be injected into Canadile’s account and later withdrawn as shareholder loans.
ARVs nightmare
The Sunday Mail
Sunday, March 12, 2006
By Phyllis Kachere
FOR the past two weeks, relatives of 36-year-old Mrs Sekesai Mukahiwa
(not her real name) have been taking her to a polyclinic in the
high-density suburb of Glen View where she lives.
Having been bed-ridden for the past three months, relatives of the
widowed mother of three children finally decided to have her tested for
HIV and with the hope of enrolling her for the Government's free
anti-retroviral therapy.
"All has been well for us as we have managed to convince Mrs Mukahiwa to
be tested for HIV with the hope that if she is positive, she will
automatically qualify for the Government's free anti-retroviral
programme. She has been ill and bed-ridden for a long time and we have
tried everything we can without her getting well," said Mrs
Mukahiwa's sister, Ms Erina Muzondo.
But she said after paying the $100 000 consultation fees at the
polyclinic and explaining to the sister in attendance that Mrs Mukahiwa
wanted to be tested for HIV and eventually enrol in the anti-retroviral
treatment programme, she was referred to Harare Central Hospital.
And that's when all hell broke loose for the family.
"At Harare Hospital, we were referred to the opportunistic infections
clinic where we made known our intentions. But, it was not to be.
"After undergoing another HIV test, my sister was sent for post-test
counselling. Not only that, she was informed that before she could be
taken in on the programme she had to undergo tests to determine her CD4
cell count, liver function and full blood count. As these tests could
not be done at the hospital but at private laboratories, and she was
expected to pay the costs," said a dejected Ms Muzondo.
Private laboratories in Harare charge anything between $10 million and
$20 million for the tests.
At one of the laboratories visited in the Avenues area, relatives of the
sick sat patiently as they waited their turn to have their blood drawn
for the tests.
Another relative, Mr Ngoni Kuvagonera, said they had to pool their
resources in order to raise the required $17 million for tests to
establish the CD4 cells and the full blood count.
He said they were still to raise $8 million needed for the liver
function test which their bed-ridden sick relative whom he declined to
identify had to go through before being accepted on the Government's
subsidised anti-retroviral programme.
For the duration of the interview, the frail and sick woman lay
motionless on the back seat of Mr Kuvagonera's car.
He said he was worried that valuable time to save her might be slipping
away as she went through numerous tests while they also struggled to put
together enough money for the tests.
"When we took my sick brother to Harare Hospital seeking to have him on
the anti-retroviral programme, little did we know we would be asked to
pay for these expensive tests.
"If Government is serious about treating people with Aids, these tests
should be conducted at all public hospitals. They are too expensive at
private laboratories," said Mrs Nyasha Gondongwe from Norton.
But the chief co-ordinator of the Aids and TB programme in the Ministry
of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Owen Mugurungi, said paying patients at
Government hospitals are not exempted unless they were covered under the
Social Dimensions Fund.
"The moment one pays for consultation, they are expected to pay for the
tests. If they cannot afford to pay, the onus rests with them to prove
that they can't pay so they have to get a letter from the Social
Welfare Department. Without that they will have to foot the bill," said
Dr Mugurungi.
Where patients have to pay at public health institutions, said Dr
Mugurungi, the amounts were as low as $50 000 for a month's supply,
which would cost about $7 million from private pharmacies.
He also explained that while it would appear valuable time was being
wasted as tests were being conducted, the tests were crucial before ARVs
were administered.
"We also have to screen for other opportunistic infections before we
commence treatment otherwise we would be worsening an already bad
situation. ARVs are not just administered before we have a CD4 cell
count, full blood test, liver function test and a host of other tests.
"Besides there is a certain level of the CD4 cell count which signals we
should commence treatment. A CD4 cell count of above 500 does not
warrant commencement. But anything between 500-300 will also be okay
unless the person has tuberculosis or any other opportunistic
infection," he said.
Dr Mugurungi said the hospital had to treat the tuberculosis or
opportunistic infection first before ARVs were administered.
He said that while Government may not have enough funds for new patients
on the programme, it had enough drugs for those that are already
registered.
"For the success of the ARV treatment and lessening development of
resistance to the drug, we encourage an adherence percentage of at least
98. We cannot afford to let patients miss a day's in- take of the
drugs," he said.
Both Unicef and WHO have pledged funds for the programmes and Dr
Mugurungi said the drugs were available.
He said it was important that people living with Aids reduce stress in
their lives and underscored the need to join support groups for
psycho-social support.
"Anti-retroviral therapy will become more beneficial if patients quickly
go to the opportunistic infection clinic should they have other
illnesses. Before they are enrolled for the programme, administering of
cotrimoxazole is also helpful in managing other illnesses," said Dr
Mugurungi.
HIV/AIDS|ZMBABWE CHARITY, INC.
http://www.hivaidszimbabwe.com <http://www.hivaidszimbabwe.com>
Sunday, March 12, 2006
By Phyllis Kachere
FOR the past two weeks, relatives of 36-year-old Mrs Sekesai Mukahiwa
(not her real name) have been taking her to a polyclinic in the
high-density suburb of Glen View where she lives.
Having been bed-ridden for the past three months, relatives of the
widowed mother of three children finally decided to have her tested for
HIV and with the hope of enrolling her for the Government's free
anti-retroviral therapy.
"All has been well for us as we have managed to convince Mrs Mukahiwa to
be tested for HIV with the hope that if she is positive, she will
automatically qualify for the Government's free anti-retroviral
programme. She has been ill and bed-ridden for a long time and we have
tried everything we can without her getting well," said Mrs
Mukahiwa's sister, Ms Erina Muzondo.
But she said after paying the $100 000 consultation fees at the
polyclinic and explaining to the sister in attendance that Mrs Mukahiwa
wanted to be tested for HIV and eventually enrol in the anti-retroviral
treatment programme, she was referred to Harare Central Hospital.
And that's when all hell broke loose for the family.
"At Harare Hospital, we were referred to the opportunistic infections
clinic where we made known our intentions. But, it was not to be.
"After undergoing another HIV test, my sister was sent for post-test
counselling. Not only that, she was informed that before she could be
taken in on the programme she had to undergo tests to determine her CD4
cell count, liver function and full blood count. As these tests could
not be done at the hospital but at private laboratories, and she was
expected to pay the costs," said a dejected Ms Muzondo.
Private laboratories in Harare charge anything between $10 million and
$20 million for the tests.
At one of the laboratories visited in the Avenues area, relatives of the
sick sat patiently as they waited their turn to have their blood drawn
for the tests.
Another relative, Mr Ngoni Kuvagonera, said they had to pool their
resources in order to raise the required $17 million for tests to
establish the CD4 cells and the full blood count.
He said they were still to raise $8 million needed for the liver
function test which their bed-ridden sick relative whom he declined to
identify had to go through before being accepted on the Government's
subsidised anti-retroviral programme.
For the duration of the interview, the frail and sick woman lay
motionless on the back seat of Mr Kuvagonera's car.
He said he was worried that valuable time to save her might be slipping
away as she went through numerous tests while they also struggled to put
together enough money for the tests.
"When we took my sick brother to Harare Hospital seeking to have him on
the anti-retroviral programme, little did we know we would be asked to
pay for these expensive tests.
"If Government is serious about treating people with Aids, these tests
should be conducted at all public hospitals. They are too expensive at
private laboratories," said Mrs Nyasha Gondongwe from Norton.
But the chief co-ordinator of the Aids and TB programme in the Ministry
of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Owen Mugurungi, said paying patients at
Government hospitals are not exempted unless they were covered under the
Social Dimensions Fund.
"The moment one pays for consultation, they are expected to pay for the
tests. If they cannot afford to pay, the onus rests with them to prove
that they can't pay so they have to get a letter from the Social
Welfare Department. Without that they will have to foot the bill," said
Dr Mugurungi.
Where patients have to pay at public health institutions, said Dr
Mugurungi, the amounts were as low as $50 000 for a month's supply,
which would cost about $7 million from private pharmacies.
He also explained that while it would appear valuable time was being
wasted as tests were being conducted, the tests were crucial before ARVs
were administered.
"We also have to screen for other opportunistic infections before we
commence treatment otherwise we would be worsening an already bad
situation. ARVs are not just administered before we have a CD4 cell
count, full blood test, liver function test and a host of other tests.
"Besides there is a certain level of the CD4 cell count which signals we
should commence treatment. A CD4 cell count of above 500 does not
warrant commencement. But anything between 500-300 will also be okay
unless the person has tuberculosis or any other opportunistic
infection," he said.
Dr Mugurungi said the hospital had to treat the tuberculosis or
opportunistic infection first before ARVs were administered.
He said that while Government may not have enough funds for new patients
on the programme, it had enough drugs for those that are already
registered.
"For the success of the ARV treatment and lessening development of
resistance to the drug, we encourage an adherence percentage of at least
98. We cannot afford to let patients miss a day's in- take of the
drugs," he said.
Both Unicef and WHO have pledged funds for the programmes and Dr
Mugurungi said the drugs were available.
He said it was important that people living with Aids reduce stress in
their lives and underscored the need to join support groups for
psycho-social support.
"Anti-retroviral therapy will become more beneficial if patients quickly
go to the opportunistic infection clinic should they have other
illnesses. Before they are enrolled for the programme, administering of
cotrimoxazole is also helpful in managing other illnesses," said Dr
Mugurungi.
HIV/AIDS|ZMBABWE CHARITY, INC.
http://www.hivaidszimbabwe.com <http://www.hivaidszimbabwe.com>
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