MALABA CIRCULAR ON ELECTION -RELATED CASES RAISES STINK

CHIEF Justice Luke Malaba and opposition political parties
could be headed for a bruising showdown after he reportedly ordered court
registrars to furnish his office with information on all election-related cases
prior to them being filed at the courts…

CHIEF Justice Luke Malaba and opposition political parties could be headed for a bruising showdown after he reportedly ordered court registrars to furnish his office with information on all election-related cases prior to them being filed at the courts. A circular seen by NewsDay written by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to registrars stipulates the procedures to be followed in managing

Mthuli Ncube: Zimbabwe shock as finance minister named Africa’s best

Mthuli Ncube was named “Best African Finance Minister of the Year” despite the country’s economic turmoil. Source: Mthuli Ncube: Zimbabwe shock as finance minister named Africa’s best – BBC News IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube says the award was recognition of his good economic management Many Zimbabweans have reacted with astonishment after Mthuli […]

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Mthuli Ncube was named “Best African Finance Minister of the Year” despite the country’s economic turmoil.

Source: Mthuli Ncube: Zimbabwe shock as finance minister named Africa’s best – BBC News

Zimbabwe's Finance Minister Mthuli NcubeIMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube says the award was recognition of his good economic management

Many Zimbabweans have reacted with astonishment after Mthuli Ncube was named “Best African Finance Minister of the Year” despite the country’s economic turmoil.

One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, said the award was “akin to applauding a captain for steering a ship straight into an iceberg”.

Another user called it “the greatest joke of the decade”.

Zimbabwe’s unemployment rate is as high as 85%, economists say.

Up to 80% of transactions are carried out in US dollars because of a lack of confidence in the local currency, according to the Reuters news agency.

Reputation Poll International – an organisation that says it “manages reputations” – gave Mr Ncube the award on Sunday.

The minister, who was appointed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in 2018, told the state-controlled Herald newspaper that he was delighted to receive the honour.

He said it was recognition of the work he and the Treasury team had done that has “spearheaded the transformation of the economy”.

However, activist Hopewell Chin’ono said on X that the award was an “insult” to Zimbabweans.

He expressed incredulity especially after Mr Ncube’s recent budget, that Mr Chin’ono dubbed “the most anti-people national budget that Zimbabwe has ever had”.

This will see an increase in taxes, and hike passport fees to $200 (£160), up from $120, making it the most expensive in the region.

Mr Chin’ono added that Mr Ncube was “presiding over the worst economy in the world” brought about by his “misguided and corrupt policies”.

Zimbabwe’s economy has been struggling for decades. The Zimbabwe dollar was withdrawn in 2009 after inflation reached a staggering 231 million per cent, meaning prices were changing by the hour.

Critics blame mismanagement by the ruling Zanu-PF party, first under Robert Mugabe and then Mr Mnangagwa. They have in turn blamed sanctions imposed by Western countries.

Over the weekend Zimbabwe held controversial by-elections after MPs from the main opposition party, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), were recalled.

Zanu-PF candidates won seven of the nine by-elections but remains three seats short of the two-thirds parliamentary majority required to change the constitution.

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Eight conversations about sustainable livelihoods and rural development

Source: Eight conversations about sustainable livelihoods and rural development | zimbabweland   Prompted by some new translations, I have discussed my short book Sustainable Livelihoods and Rural Development at eight different sessions over the past few months. Coming on the back of a podcast recorded in South Africa that was released earlier in the year, it has been […]

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Source: Eight conversations about sustainable livelihoods and rural development | zimbabweland

 

Prompted by some new translations, I have discussed my short book Sustainable Livelihoods and Rural Development at eight different sessions over the past few months. Coming on the back of a podcast recorded in South Africa that was released earlier in the year, it has been interesting to compare responses from quite different audiences in Brazil (online), Germany and Italy and as part of a podcast discussion in Indonesia.

The sustainable livelihoods approach is now over 30 years old, emerging around the time of the classic IDS Discussion Paper by Robert Chambers in Gordon Conway in 1992. But the appeal of the approach as an integrative framework going beyond sectoral siloes for thinking about how people make a living remains. There have been many critiques of course, some of which I addressed in the 2015 book, as I tried to link the original thinking to debates in agrarian studies and political economy. But I think the core ideas remain important, useful to students, academic researchers, activists and policymakers alike. This feeling was most definitely reinforced by all the conversations in different ways.

The original book in English is now available as an open access edition, along with many others in the amazing small books for big ideas book series on agrarian change and peasant studies from Practical Action Publishing. The books are short, accessible and now are being translated into many languages thanks to the tireless efforts of the lead series editor, Jun Borras. As well as in English, Sustainable Livelihoods and Rural Development is now available in Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Bahasa Indonesian (see links below), and soon in Arabic, Chinese, Burmese, Russian and Turkish I understand.

Some of the core concepts – like sustainability and livelihoods for instance – can be challenges for translators as there are so many competing meanings. But the translators have done a valiant job, and the discussions about key terms along the way have been extremely illuminating for me as the author in English. Translators I think should get much more credit as it is such a creative and difficult task.

It has been exciting to present the book again, more or less with the same talk, to such different audiences, with diverse experiences and backgrounds. New perspectives and debates emerged at each event, showing how relevant the basic arguments remain. This blog gives a very quick overview of the different sessions, identifying some key themes that emerged.

Book launches: reflections on the book from different perspectives

First at the online session in Brazil (organised by Lidia Cabral and Sergio Sauer), where we launched the Portuguese version of the book (soon also to be open access). Thanks go to Bernardo Mancano Fernandes and Sergio Schneider for coordinating publication across two presses and Regina Beatriz Vargas for the translation. The discussion centred on the role of livelihoods thinking for activists and social movements. It was interesting to learn that some in Brazil had run with the idea and adapted the approach to think about the political strategies required for transforming livelihoods, rethinking the original ‘organisations, institutions and policies’ element first presented in the 1988 framework.

Next in Germany at the Tropentag conference at Humboldt university in Berlin, there was an enthusiastic group of postgrad students together with some ‘old hands’ from the German aid agencies assembled for a pre-conference workshop on the book. Here the discussion focused on whether the challenge to sectoral thinking offered by livelihoods perspectives in the late 90s and early 2000s had stuck or whether approaches had reverted to type through bureaucratic defaults and declining funds and capacity within the aid system. Different views were offered, but the resonances of the livelihoods approach, it was felt, were still evident, even if framed by different buzzwords. The Sustainable Development Goals, for example, were seen (ideally, although not always in practice) to be an example of where an integrative, poverty-oriented livelihoods approach could be seen.

On to Italy and a fantastic tour from Turin to Florence to Rome to Cosenza and finally to Messina in Sicily was organised by the network of academics and activists involved in the book’s translation into Italian, and published by Rosenberg and Sellier. My ‘book tour’ was coordinated by Alessandra Corrado from Calabria University, together with the Italian PASTRES crew (thanks to Greta Semplici, Giulia Simula, Michele Nori and Matteo Caravani).

In Turin, the presentation was as part of a ‘Area and Global Studies for International Cooperation’ seminar series, linked to a new Masters’ associated with the Department of Cultures, Politics and Society. The discussions, chaired by Filippo Barbera and with roundtable contributions from Elisa Bignante, Alessandro Gusman and Paola Minoia, emphasised the importance of participatory methods in helping to define what livelihoods are and how livelihood and sustainability outcomes are defined by different people. Moving beyond an instrumental aid-focused framework, the opportunities of thinking about livelihoods from the bottom up were emphasised.

Next stop was Florence where the talk was hosted by the Department of Economics at the University of Firenze and was chaired by Giorgia Giovannetti, and with discussant commentaries from Luca Tiberti (UniFI) and Francesco Torrigiani (Oxfam). Sustainable livelihoods approaches were being taught in the department – which is more than can be said of many UK universities, where ‘livelihoods’ are seen as last year’s (or decade’s) thing such is the faddishness of development studies. The assembled economists offered interesting perspectives on the framework as a ‘model’ and we debated whether it could have ‘external validity’ or could be used to predict outcomes. Or, as was the original intention, whether it was only a simple heuristic aimed at asking open-ended questions and encouraging interdisciplinary conversations, including with and amongst economists.

The Rome discussions were once again hosted by another economics department (actually the Department of Statistical Sciences), this time at Sapienza University, and thanks to Carlo D’Ippoliti hosting. But not surprisingly, given the presence of many UN agencies in Rome, the audience included those who were interested in how the approach could be used in rethinking humanitarian approaches, food security, agricultural development and so on. Much debate centred on how difficult it was for large agencies to engage with a complex (if not complicated) interdisciplinary framework and how standard, old-style approaches too often prevailed.

As I moved further south, the conversations shifted to more sociological, anthropological and political science approaches, reflecting my departmental hosts rather than any geographic bias I think. The University of Calabria session, chaired by Alessandra Corrado, included a fascinating discussant’s commentary by the book’s translator, Marco Fama now from the University of Bergamo, which focused on philosophies of ‘development’ and the many challenges of decolonisation. We also discussed how the approach could apply in Calabria, where many of the challenges of out-migration, fragile agricultural livelihoods and state interventions affecting incentives were very similar to applications in the global south.

Finally, in Messina discussions chaired by Domenica Farinella took a more political turn with political scientists and sociologists interrogating how the approach can be situated within a wider political economy framing. My presentation emphasised the core arguments of the book, highlighting the importance of asking critical questions about agrarian dynamics, including the structuring forces of wider political economy. Italian political science it seems still takes Marx and of course Gramsci seriously and we had an engaged discussion about how such framings intersect, along with perspectives from Polanyi, Chayanov and others.

It was amazing how a similar short talk provoked such diverse debates, but in each location the book generated really interesting responses and I learned a lot.

An exciting Indonesian podcast experience

Stimulating discussion was also my experience in a podcast that I recorded with Gita Wirjawan, the former investment banker, past Minister of Trade of Indonesia, and well-known public intellectual and podcast host as part of his (rather embarrassingly titled) ‘Luminaries’ series of the well-known Endgame podcast. I hadn’t realised until the recording how popular the podcast was (it has tens of thousands of listeners) and I hadn’t quite gauged the format – a free-flowing and long conversation with Gita, who is a superb interviewer and excellent host. From my side, I was simply keen to share my appreciation and excitement about the publication of the Indonesian translation of the book by INSIST Press (translated by Nurhady Sirimorok, with publication coordinated by Lakshmi Savitri). This incidentally has the best cover of any edition, a superbly evocative image produced by Ucup, a member of Taring Padi artist collective in Yogyakarta.

Anyway, you can listen to the podcast yourself on youtubeSpotifyApple Podcasts. Slightly awkwardly, it covers many topics beyond the book from my childhood and student inspirations to my views on climate transitions and politics (for this reason I haven’t listened to it again, but I am told it’s OK!). It was interesting how all the angles pursued by Gita connected to questions of livelihoods and sustainability – he and his team had done their homework in preparation – and I enjoyed the experience of situating the book in both my personal story and wider geopolitical debates. If you want more, there are youtube shorts and Instagram reels planned. It clearly is a very professional operation, very different to my other podcast experiences!

Overall, these eight very different conversations have been stimulating, challenging and educative. As one of my favourites, I think I like the book even more now!

Englishhttps://practicalactionpublishing.com/book/2123/sustainable-livelihoods-and-rural-development (including OPEN ACCESS)

Spanishhttps://icariaeditorial.com/perspectivas-agroecologicas/4549-medios-de-vida-sostenible-y-desarrollo-rural.html

Italianhttp://www.rosenbergesellier.it/ita/scheda-libro?aaref=1495

Portuguesehttp://livraria.ufrgs.br/produto/15300/meios-de-vida-sustentaveis-e-desenvolvimento-rural

Japanesehttps://akashi.co.jp/smp/book/b420384.html

Indonesianhttps://insistpress.com/katalog/penghidupan-berkelanjutan-pembangunan-pedesaan/

This blog was written by Ian Scoones and first appeared on Zimbabweland

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Zimbabwe’s CCC vows to challenge ‘judicial coup’ that promises Zanu-PF a supermajority

Source: Zimbabwe’s CCC vows to challenge ‘judicial coup’ that promises Zanu-PF a supermajority | News24 Zanu-PF distributed food parcels in Harare on 7 December, ahead of by-elections. (Photo by Jekesai NJIKIZANA / AFP) Zanu-PF is on the verge of a supermajority, after a weekend by-election. The Citizens Coalition for Change described the election as a […]

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Source: Zimbabwe’s CCC vows to challenge ‘judicial coup’ that promises Zanu-PF a supermajority | News24

Zanu-PF distributes food parcels in Harare on 7 December, ahead of by-elections. (Photo by Jekesai NJIKIZANA / AFP)

Zanu-PF distributed food parcels in Harare on 7 December, ahead of by-elections. (Photo by Jekesai NJIKIZANA / AFP)
  • Zanu-PF is on the verge of a supermajority, after a weekend by-election.
  • The Citizens Coalition for Change described the election as a “sham” and a “judicial coup”.
  • The CCC held 104 seats after the election – but then 14 of its lawmakers were booted.

Zimbabwe opposition on Sunday said it would challenge the results of “sham” weekend by-elections, which could give the ruling party enough of a majority to change the constitution.

The south African country was due to hold nine by-elections on Saturday, but most opposition candidates were taken off electoral lists by courts in a chaotic runup to the vote.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s party, ZANU-PF, is just 10 seats away from securing a two-thirds majority in parliament that would allow it to change the constitution.

“The ill fated by-elections are a sham,” the main opposition party, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), said in a statement on Sunday, describing it as “a judicial coup” and “an undeniable affront against the constitution of Zimbabwe”.

“Accordingly, we will be filing a formal complaint to the judicial service commission,” it said.

A nationwide election in August saw the 81-year-old Mnangagwa seal a new term and his ZANU-PF secure 177 of the 280 national assembly seats, with the CCC taking 104.

But two months later, 14 CCC lawmakers were kicked out of parliament and nine by-elections ordered. The other five seats are decided by proportional representation.

An obscure political figure, Sengezo Tshabangu, declared himself the CCC’s “interim secretary general” and said that the 14 were no longer party members and could not keep their seats.

CCC leader Nelson Chamisa, a former preacher, protested that Tshabangu was not a party member and that no expulsions had been agreed.

But the parliament speaker from ZANU-PF still ordered new elections.

Courts ruled last week, confirmed by the Harare High Court on Saturday, that the opposition candidates could not stand again in their old seats.

The CCC has accused ZANU-PF of using Tshabangu in a “nefarious” campaign to remove opposition candidates from ballot papers. The ruling party has denied any role in Tshabangu’s activities.

Results of the vote are due to be announced in the coming days.

Observers say ZANU-PF wants to scrap a limit on presidents serving more than two terms, that would allow 81-year-old Mnangagwa to extend his rule.

Mnangagwa came to power on the back of a 2017 coup that toppled the country’s longtime ruler Robert Mugabe.

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WHO Boosts Cholera Response in Zimbabwe with 22 Metric Tonnes of Supplies

Source: WHO Boosts Cholera Response in Zimbabwe with 22 Metric Tonnes of Supplies | WHO | Regional Office for Africa Harare, Zimbabwe – In a pivotal move to fortify cholera response efforts in Zimbabwe, the World Health Organization (WHO) has delivered a substantial consignment of crucial supplies, totaling 22 metric tonnes. This timely contribution underscores the […]

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Source: WHO Boosts Cholera Response in Zimbabwe with 22 Metric Tonnes of Supplies | WHO | Regional Office for Africa

Minister Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora, WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Representative to Zimbabwe Professor Jean-Marie Dangou

Harare, Zimbabwe – In a pivotal move to fortify cholera response efforts in Zimbabwe, the World Health Organization (WHO) has delivered a substantial consignment of crucial supplies, totaling 22 metric tonnes. This timely contribution underscores the WHO’s steadfast dedication to safeguarding public health and mitigating the impact of the devastating cholera outbreak.

The cholera supplies were funded through the contributions from Health Resilience Fund, a pool of funding from the European Union, Embassy of Ireland, Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance and the UK Aid (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office). The consignment comprises cholera kits, medical supplies, and personal protective equipment. These resources are poised to play a pivotal role in augmenting the capacity of health facilities to manage and treat cholera cases effectively. Moreover, they will support the implementation of vital prevention measures, including water purification and sanitation initiatives, crucial for stemming the spread of cholera. The supplies are expected to empower healthcare workers to administer timely and effective treatment, potentially saving numerous lives.

The handover ceremony, attended by dignitaries such as Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora, WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Representative to Zimbabwe Professor Jean-Marie Dangou, and other senior government officials and WHO staff, marked a significant moment in the ongoing efforts to combat cholera.

Dr Moeti expressed gratitude for the generosity of donors and emphasized the necessity of addressing the root causes of cholera outbreaks. “We must focus on improving access to clean water and appropriate sanitation and hygiene, intensive awareness-raising, community engagement, and strengthening early warning surveillance to detect cases quickly and respond effectively,” remarked Dr Moeti.

Zimbabwe has been grappling with a cholera outbreak exacerbated by challenges in water supply, sanitation, and hygiene, compounded by climate change-induced prolonged dry seasons. Limited global supply of oral cholera vaccines has further complicated response efforts.

Accepting the donation, Dr Mombeshora highlighted the impact on critical response gaps. “This consignment will help us cover those critical gaps,” said Dr Mombeshora, acknowledging the decrease in cases but emphasizing the need for sustained efforts.

Dr Aspect Maunganidze, the Permanent Secretary, appreciated the WHO’s consultative approach in engaging the Ministry before procurement, ensuring a targeted response to the population’s actual needs.

Beyond immediate relief, WHO’s commitment extends to long-term capacity building. The organization actively engages in training healthcare workers, strengthening surveillance systems, and promoting public awareness campaigns. This consignment is not only a practical response to the current crisis but a testament to WHO’s unwavering commitment to global public health.

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