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Source: Zim revels in global oil sector crisis | Newsday (News)

FINANCE minister Mthuli Ncube has conceded that Zimbabwe will come out of the COVID-19 pandemic heavily bruised and with a negative economic growth, but said there were positives to be drawn from the crisis

BY MOSES MATENGA

In an interview last week, Ncube said the global pandemic had affected economies, particularly in the energy sector, but for Zimbabwe, at least there was a positive since it has led to a reduction in fuel prices.

“But we have benefited when it comes to the oil sector because oil prices have come down and we are a net oil importer, so that is a positive. But generally, if you look at the global supply chain in terms of raw materials from China and everywhere, that has been impacted and that has contributed to the economic slowdown,” Ncube said.

His comments came as global oil players have been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 345 000 globally and infected more than 5,44 million people.

Coronavirus travel bans, according to the World Bank, have led to an unprecedented drop in demand for oil and demand is expected to fall by 9,3 million barrels a day.

Prices have fallen sharply, below zero in some cases because of lack of demand and observers said the world would again see a drastic fall in global crude oil prices.

The demand for the commodity is so low at the moment that oil-producing countries are running out of space to store crude oil and may have to look at further cuts if demand outlook does not improve.

Ncube said COVID-19 has impacted all economies globally and the situation was not unique to Zimbabwe.

“So, globally we are being impacted because we are a commodity price producer so it has impacted that on that side. The other channel is through the tourism sector, where we have seen the sector slowing down because the tourists’ arrivals have been impacted (as there are no commercial flights) around the world,” he said.

Though oil prices have gone down globally, the fuel crisis has refused to go away in Zimbabwe as the commodity continues to be in short supply.

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Source: Will the MDC Alliance recover from ‘this sickness’? | Newsday (News)

THE MDC Alliance is probably on its deathbed, suffering from a ‘sickness’ which threatens to take away its life, temporarily or permanently. The question is whether it will recover from “this sickness”. The “sickness” largely derives from greed and political expediency, particularly the manner in which the party handled its leadership issues.

The main issues are: the unconstitutional elevation of Nelson Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri as deputy presidents; Morgan Tsvangirai’s continued hold on to power when it was clear that doing so was eroding his contribution to the struggle and that his health was in such a bad shape that would not allow him to continue; and the shrewd and politically strategic, but opaque manner in which Chamisa assumed the party presidency after Tsvangirai’s death. The bitter Thokozani Khupe limped away, but she is back with a fight which undoubtedly presents an existential threat to the party.

Zanu PF is brutally taking advantage of the rare opportunity to annihilate the MDC Alliance. As this drama unfolds, it is clear that the future of the MDC Alliance is now more in the hands of Zanu PF than it is in the hands of the MDC Alliance and its supporters. The only question is whether Zanu PF will go halfway or the full distance in seizing the opportunity to crush an opposition which has persistently remained a thorn in its flesh. I want to believe that a bitter Zanu PF, working with bitter MDC “rebels”, will definitely go the full distance. It is likely to utilise one of Robert Green’s 48 Laws of Power: “Crush your enemy totally”. Green warns that “more is lost through stopping halfway than through total annihilation. The enemy will recover, and will seek revenge. Crush him, not only in body but in spirit”.

There are three decapitating steps which Zanu PF can take. First, it can use its majority advantage in Parliament to ‘delete’ the holding of by-elections from the electoral script. It is now clear that Khupe wields the machete to recall the majority of the parliamentarians who constitute the MDC Alliance. If by-elections are suspended, Khupe’s MDC-T will nominate the candidates who will fill the positions of the recalled or resigned parliamentarian. It means that MDC-T will become the main opposition party by virtue of the number of parliamentarians it will have. Zanu PF wants an official opposition which is pliant and does not pose an existential threat. Second, Zanu PF can use the Political Actors Dialogue to form a Government of National Unity [GNU]. It will take steps to give the GNU a veneer of inclusivity and credibility. One key step would be to include the church in the GNU. A ministry or some other arrangement which represents the interests of churches will be created. Land will be given to churches. There is no shortage of influential church leaders who are keen to be included in the GNU. Since the curse of the “new dispensation” arrived, some churches have been conducting “prayer meetings” which were attended by President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other senior Zanu PF leaders. These churches used this platform to make demands on the government.

Early this year, they used the “national day of prayer” to ask the government to provide them with land. Mnangagwa promised to instruct responsible government authorities to give churches State land for free. Other opportunistic leaders from civil society, the academia, and business sector will also be included in the GNU.

Zanu PF will implement bogus political reforms. The international community will not take the GNU seriously, but Sadc and the African Union will. Zanu PF will embark on a campaign for the lifting of sanctions, claiming that there is no more justification for maintaining them. Nonetheless, they will remain in place because those who imposed them are shrewd enough to see the hollowness of that envisaged GNU. But some superficial economic progress may be made under the GNU. Those who are weary of the antagonism between Zanu PF and the MDC Alliance may see the GNU as a reprieve.

Third, Zanu PF can take advantage of the October 2019 call by the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations for the country to take a Sabbath on all political contestations for a period of seven years to allow for the rebuilding of trust and confidence, reset our politics and chart a shared way forward towards a comprehensive economic recovery path in a non-competitive political environment.

It will claim that by establishing the GNU and taking the electoral Sabbath, it has listened to the voice of the people. It can even go as far as claiming that after the enforced resignation of former President Robert Mugabe, people wanted a GNU and a rest from elections but the conditions were not conducive. It will argue that elections causes polarisation, hence the need for the country to take a seven-year focus on economic reforms and national unity.

If Zanu PF decides to take these steps, the consequences will be dire for the MDC Alliance. There are many reasons to believe this. First, it will be difficult for the party to maintain internal cohesion, especially when it becomes clearer that Zanu PF intends to take these steps.

It will be difficult for MDC Alliance parliamentarians who can be recalled, especially those who do not have other meaningful sources of income, to imagine that they will be out of Parliament until 2028 or even beyond, when they may have another opportunity to contest again.

There is no guarantee that they will have this opportunity again after such a long time, let alone that they will win. It is naive to believe that they are in the party and Parliament solely to fight for the democratic transition of power. They are driven, in whole or in part, by the need to access the privileges which come with being a parliamentarian. The temptation to cross the floor cannot be easily discarded.

It is in the best interests of Zanu PF for some of the MDC Alliance parliamentarians to cross the floor and join MDC-T. This will enable it to promote the narratives that those who crossed the floor are law-compliant, that they understand the merits of the Supreme Court judgment and that it shows that the whole saga had to do with the failure of the MDC to uphold its own principles. Zanu PF will, therefore, present an assortment of baits to these parliamentarians. But this will not be a benevolence-inspired act. Zanu PF will be using Green’s other law of power: ‘It is always better to make your opponent come to you, abandoning his own plans in the process. Lure him with fabulous gains then attack. You hold the cards’. Zanu PF does not want to be seen as involved in the shenanigans, but it clearly is. If you are an opposition cadre and you find yourself receiving positive coverage from State media, then you must certainly know that you have crossed to the wrong side of history.

Second, the MDC Alliance will not be able to contest the legitimacy of Mnangagwa as tenaciously as it has been doing. Even if it decides to continue being represented in Parliament, it will be much weaker. The Parliament enables the opposition to access other areas of power and influence. It increases the circulation and visibility of the opposition on the political terrain. The MDC Alliance has already signalled that it will cut all forms of engagement and most probably focus on protests, stayaways and diplomatic offensives. These steps will definitely undermine the performance of Zanu PF, particularly on the economic front. But the major challenge is that the regime will respond with a brutal hand, making it difficult for the MDC Alliance to make use of these constitutional rights.

Third, Zanu PF is using State institutions to encircle the MDC Alliance.

 Moses Tofa holds a PhD in political studies from the University of Johannesburg and a PhD in peace studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He writes in his personal capacity. — moses.tofa@yahoo.co.uk

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Source: Byo records surge in diarrhoea cases | Newsday (News)

THERE are concerns over the quality of Bulawayo water as the city recorded an upsurge in diarrhoeal cases from 473 registered between July and September 2019 to 359 recorded in January 2020.

BY NQOBANI NDLOVU

In recent months, the local authority was forced to issue a statement to assure restive residents over the safety of its “foul smelling water” being pumped into residential homes.

In the latest case, council has been inundated with reports of residents, in particular from Luveve high-density suburb and surrounding areas, getting sick from tap water when supplies are restored.

Residents go for six days without the precious liquid under the current water-rationing regime following the decommissioning of three supply dams.

Council spokesperson Nesisa Mpofu said investigations were underway to establish the cause of the diarrhoea.

“The council is investigating the issue after receiving complaints of people getting sick after drinking tap water. We will only know (the cause) after the teams have finished their investigations,” Mpofu told Southern Eye.

There have been complaints over the foul smelling water that the local authority has been pumping.

The increase in diarrhoeal cases was first reported in November 2019 when residents were being forced to fetch water from unsafe sources owing to the prolonged water-rationing programme.

“We still have to analyse our figures to find out the reasons and compare this with the previous years to see whether there is a trend where we can then say definitely we have an issue of diarrhoeal cases increasing or decreasing,” council health services director Edwin Sibanda said.

Bulawayo has largely been spared deaths related to water-borne diseases such as typhoid, cholera and diarrhoeal cases.

In 2008 to 2009, the city was also relatively unscathed by the cholera epidemic that swept across the country and left thousands dead, mostly in Harare.

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JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s rand raced to its highest in more than eight weeks [...]

Source: Kombis, pirate taxis defy lockdown order | Newsday (News)

PRIVATE commuter omnibus operators and small cars, popularly known as mushikashika, are back on the road in most cities and towns defying President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ban on their operations during national lockdown.

BY GARIKAI MAFIRAKUREVA/SILAS NKALA

Mnangagwa (pictured) declared Zupco the sole public transport operator during the indefinite lockdown. However, the parastatal is failing to cope with the increased number of commuters and is not plying intercity and rural routes.

It is now business as usual in the small sugar-producing town of Chiredzi with residents throwing parties at various night spots, sit-in restaurants and shebeens.

Private transporters are also taking advantage of the hive of activity in the town.
Chiredzi district development co-ordinator Lovemore Chisema, who is also the vice-chairperson of the COVID-19 taskforce, said various business entities and individuals were violating lockdown regulations.

“Yes, I can confirm that a lot of people are doing business as if everything is normal. I have received several reports that there was activity at various night spots including the popular Showground over the weekend and that private transport operators, especially those plying Chiredzi-Save or Chiredzi-Checheche routes, are back on the road,” he said.

“We are going to convene an emergency meeting as COVID-19 taskforce because Chiredzi is at risk of an outbreak because of its porous borders which are used by illegal immigrants from Mozambique and South Africa. This has to stop immediately until the President has declared that the lockdown has been lifted, and everyone is allowed to do business like before.”

Chipinge South legislator Enoch Porusingazi (Zanu PF) said he had noted with concern the growing number of private operators illegally plying the Chiredzi-Checheche route.

“I have noted that in those small cars there is no social distancing. People are packed like sardines in the small vehicles and the vehicles are not sanitised, but those operators are already on the road. I appeal to the government to immediately introduce Zupco buses along those routes,” Porusingazi said.

The Zimbabwe Passengers Association (ZPA) called on government to lift the ban on private commuter omnibus due to escalating public transport shortages following the eased lockdown regulations.
The President maintained the ban on commuter omnibuses, but called on private operators to join the Zupco franchise.

ZPA secretary-general Paul Makiwa said the ban should be reversed to ease transport problems.
“We do applaud the State on the measures in place, but the same State should consider all the sides of the coin in terms of public transportation in urban, rural, farms, settlements and the whole country,” he said.

“When we look at our own Constitution, it talks of freedoms. The International Transport Treaty Agreements and even the World Health Organisation do not talk of monopolising the transport industry. It is sad that in Zimbabwe every operator is forced to operate under the wings of Zupco.”

“What the government must be doing is to make sure that all public transporters comply with the laws set and the precautionary measures on prevention of COVID-19 such as not overloading, sanitising, and maintaining social distance, not to ban some from operating,” he said.

“Before the lockdown and now Zupco was failing and it is failing to meet the demand of the urban commuters and there are many places where Zupco does not ply. In rural areas, we do have war vets who need to go and collect their money in urban places, what mode of transport will they use?”

Zupco has since called for more players to join its government subsidised programme.

Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa said she was in a meeting and would call back later, while Information secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana was not picking calls.

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