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Source: Chivayo failed to deliver, court told | The Herald February 27, 2019

Chivayo

Geraldine Zaranyika Herald Reporter
Wicknell Chivayo did not carry out any meaningful work on the Gwanda solar project despite being paid US$5 million in advance, State witness and Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) financial director Mr Eubert Chiwara told the court yesterday.

Chivayo stands accused of defrauding ZPC of the money and his trial started on Monday. The prosecution, led by Mr Zivanai Macharaga, invited Mr Chiwara, who is the first State witness in the case, to testify.

“I cannot comment that he breached the contract because there is a project team that can be answerable to that,” he told magistrate Mr Lazini Ncube.

“All I can say is that what we expected from the contract was not fully done.

“The accused has done some work, but the work is not of value to ZPC since it is not complete. When we pay in advance, we expect the work to be done.”

Mr Chiwara said it was important for Chivayo to fulfil provisions of the contract.

“The contract is important to ZPC and the nation as a whole because we need to power the nation, preserve foreign currency and utilise renewable energy,” he said.

“The nation and industries are the ones to benefit from this.”

Chivayo’s Intratrek was awarded the tender for the Gwanda solar power project, but allegedly failed to deliver, despite receiving the US$5 million. Chivayo is being charged in his personal capacity, while Intratrek is cited as the second accused.

He is denying the charges.

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Source: Editorial Comment: Mnangagwa’s Botswana deal stinks – NewsDay Zimbabwe February 27, 2019

Editorial Comment

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa, in his inaugural speech following the November 2017 coup that thrust him to power, promised to make State institutions work, unlike his predecessor former President Robert Mugabe, whose centralisation of authority had rendered even Parliament ineffective.

The announcement this week that Zimbabwe had “mortgaged” $500 million worth of diamonds to neighbouring Botswana as part of Mnangagwa’s efforts to fund his monetary policy raises a red flag, if not a stink.

That authorities have announced the signing of the deal, with Mnangagwa and his Motswana counterpart Mokgweetsi Mosisi set to rubberstamp the decision later this week, means Parliament has been overlooked.

This is outright illegal and flies in the face of Mnangagwa’s pledge of being “a listening President” and his commitment to a more constitutional government that is ready to respect the rule of law and allow institutions of good governance to exercise their authority.

Less than two years into Mnangagwa’s government, the military has been deployed twice on civilians, with gruesome consequences and this with no parliamentary approval, even as an afterthought.

No less than 20 people have been killed by the army. Mnangagwa has become a law unto himself and while Mugabe is the wrong person to talk about the role of the army in ordinary governance systems, the former Zanu PF leader is right that the “military should go back where it belongs” — the barracks.

Mnangagwa’s deal with Botswana could actually help Zimbabwe since the neighbouring country has acquired expertise in beneficiation around the diamond sector, but that does not give government carte blanche to auction our gems without due regard to the dictates of the law.

How does he justify the mortgaging of future generations’ heritage for short-term economic gains?

Zimbabweans must sit up and take notice, and question Mnangagwa’s sincerity in riding roughshod over other arms of the State, particularly Parliament. The Legislature must also wake up and demand its space.

These are individuals elected by the people to represent their interests against a parasitic elite that has since forgotten its connection to citizens.

Mnangagwa thinks he owes nobody an explanation, but it is important that someone reminds him that his administration does not operate in a vacuum.

Our problems might not be Mnangagwa, after all. It’s a sleeping population and an equally docile legislature that only wakes up when it comes to allowances and off-road cars.

 

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Source: Indian firm to build specialist hospital in Zim | The Herald February 27, 2019

Bulawayo Bureau
KIRAN Hospital, one of India’s top specialist and health research centres, is seeking to construct a 550-bed sanatorium in Zimbabwe, which will serve local patients and those from other African countries.

In an interview, Australian-Indian foreign investment consultant Mr Satishkumar Gandhi said the hospital will bring convenience to patients who have had to fly to India for specialist and quality healthcare.

Representatives from Samast Patidar Aarogya Trust, the owners of Kiran Hospital, which specialises on cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, endocrinology, laparoscopic surgery, nuclear medicine, neurosurgery, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, nephrology and bariatric surgery are expected in the country next month.

Mr Gandhi said: “The owners of Kiran Hospital are sending people to Zimbabwe in March. The purpose of the trip is to see if they can build a specialist hospital in the country. Kiran Hospital is one of the biggest hospitals in India, it is a 550-bed hospital. It has everything, all the facilities needed to meet all types of health emergencies are there. The idea of building a specialist hospital in Zimbabwe came about after the realisation that many people from Africa seek specialist healthcare such as heart surgery and kidney transplant in India. So the plan is to bring that facility to Africa and Zimbabwe has been identified as the ideal location of the hospital. So they will be here in March, let them come and explore and ask questions.”

Mr Gandhi also revealed that the Samast Patidar Aarogya Trust representatives will also be accompanied by potential investors who are interested in mining and buying Zimbabwe’s diamonds.

“The same delegation will include investors who are interested in diamonds, some want to mine, others want to be buyers.

“The invitation has already been sent to all of them. In that invitation, I made it clear that contrary to what the international media reports, Zimbabwe is a safe destination for investment and for visit.

“There are very nice people here, I have been here for a week and I have not faced any challenges. The people are very educated and peaceful. I have been taking walks at night and I have not been mugged or harassed, not even once. Yes, something happened in January, but that happens now and then in every country. It’s nothing to worry about,” he said.

The Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce Cde Raj Modi said he extended an invitation to Kiran Hospital last year when he was in India on official duty.

“They are coming to Zimbabwe because one of the briefs I had from the Government was to tell India that Zimbabwe is open for all forms of investment.

“An invitation was sent to them and they are looking forward to landing in Zimbabwe. They have indicated that they are willing build a specialist hospital that will be the best in Southern Africa, if not Africa. This hospital will see patients no longer going to India for complex surgeries,” said Cde Modi.

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Source: Zim keen to export more to Botswana | Herald (Business)

Africa Moyo Senior Business Reporter
Government is planning to exploit the warm relations prevailing between Harare and Gaborone to ramp up exports and generate more foreign currency for the country. This was said by Industry and Commerce Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu in an interview with The Herald Business yesterday.

Minister Ndlovu’s remarks come at a time when Zimbabwe and Botswana are enjoying cordial relations since the coming into office of President Mnangagwa.

Minister Ndlovu said due to the “improving relations between ourselves and Botswana”, Government wants to explore possibilities of boosting trade volumes between the two countries.

“. . . our discussions (ministers from Botswana and Zimbabwe) will also include possible trade issues because we believe we can do much more than our current levels of trade,” said Minister Ndlovu.

Representatives from the countries’ Governments have been locked up in preparatory meetings for the inaugural Zimbabwe – Botswana Bi-National Commission (BNC), which will culminate in Presidents Emmerson Mnangagwa and Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana, signing several deals tomorrow.

On Monday, Foreign Affairs and International Trade permanent secretary Ambassador James Manzou, said the preparatory meetings would finalise the operationalisation of almost US$600 million in facilities for the country’s private sector and diamond industry.

The preparatory meetings started Monday and ended yesterday. Minister Ndlovu believes it is high time Zimbabwe took advantage of the good relations between the two neighbours and increase exports.

Trade statistics have largely favoured Botswana, despite the fact that Zimbabwe was more industrialised compared to its neighbour.

Minister Ndlovu said he did not have the trade statistics “off-hand”, but said, “I can tell you that there has always been a trade deficit”.

“We always import more than we sell to them (Botswana). It doesn’t make sense because we are more industrialised than them. So it means they have been using South Africa as their preferred provider (of products) but we are working on those issues. I do have the (trade) figures but I don’t have them off-hand.

“But the trade volumes in the last year improved compared to the last four years or so, and it’s a reflection of the improved relationship between the two countries.

“When we were looking at it, 2018 was really quite good and we hope to specifically improve on our exports to Botswana markets,” said Minister Ndlovu.

The relations between Zimbabwe and Botswana were literally non-existent during former President Robert Mugabe as he traded barbs with former President Seretse Khama Ian Khama.

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Source: Sadc Council of Ministers to strategise on regional integration | Herald (Opinion)

Correspondent
The SADC Council of Ministers set for Windhoek, Namibia will deliberate on a wide range of issues, including progress towards implementation of priority regional initiatives, as well as the approval of the budget to coordinate the implementation of identified action plans.

Allocation of adequate financial resources to coordinate the implementation of agreed regional activities, programmes and projects is critical in ensuring that the integration agenda of southern Africa is a success. The SADC Council of Ministers meeting will run from March 15 to 16.

This is in light of the fact that more than 70 percent of the SADC budget comes from international cooperating partners — a situation which compromises the ownership and sustainability of the regional agenda.

In this regard, the 2019 /2020 SADC budget to be discussed by the Council of Ministers is expected to consider alternative financing modalities that will allow the region to take full control of its development plan. These modalities include the operationalisation of the proposed SADC Regional Development Fund, as well as the finalisation of the development of the SADC Resource Mobilisation Framework (Alternative Sources of Funding SADC Regional Programmes).

The alternative sources of funding framework identifies a number of options such as the introduction of an export and import tax; a tourism levy; a financial transaction tax; a lottery system; philanthropy; and regional events.

It is estimated that SADC can earn in excess of US$1,2 billion annually from these alternative sources, a development expected to remove the current dependency on external funding, and thus improve the implementation of regional priority initiatives and strategies.

According to a statement released by the SADC Secretariat ahead of the Council of Ministers meeting scheduled for March 15-16, another key issue for discussion is progress made towards implementing decisions of the 38th SADC Summit.

Running under the theme “Promoting Infrastructure Development and Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Development,” the 38th SADC Summit urged member states to involve the youths in the integration agenda as well as to promote infrastructure development.

The focus on youth empowerment is aimed at ensuring that the region harnesses its human capital dividend through the youths, who make up the majority of the population in SADC. Furthermore, the youths are expected to reap the benefits of decisions made today, hence involving them in the regional integration agenda makes sense. Closely linked to youth empowerment, the council is expected to deliberate on the operationalisation of the SADC University of Transformation that was approved by the 38th SADC Summit held in August 2018.

A brainchild of King Mswati III of the Kingdom of Eswatini, the university will be “in the form of a virtual university, and will focus on entrepreneurship, innovation, commercialisation, technology transfer, enterprise development, digital and knowledge economy to support the industrialisation agenda.”

On the legislative front, the council is expected to focus on how to effectively establish a regional parliament after the political leadership offered high-level support for such an institution during the 38th SADC Summit. The establishment of a SADC regional parliament is an integral representative institution for the SADC citizenry.

Currently, the executive is the main driver of regional integration through intergovernmental institutions at senior officials, ministerial or heads of state and government levels. The judiciary was represented through the now suspended, but soon to be reconstituted SADC Tribunal, hence the establishment of a regional parliament will be a historic development for SADC. The SADC Council of Ministers will also “receive reports on the implementation of the priority areas of the Revised Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2015-2020 (RISDP).”

The RISDP is the blueprin t for regional integration and development. First approved in 2003, with strategic revision in 2015, the RISDP identifies four main priorities to be pursued by the region from 2015-2020. Priority A seeks to promote industrial development and market integration through, among other things, strengthening the productive competitiveness and supply side capacity of member states as well as improving movement of goods and facilitating financial market integration and monetary cooperation.

Priority B is on provision and improvement of infrastructure support for regional integration. Priority D is on promotion of special programmes of regional dimension under clusters such as education and human resource development; health, HIV and AIDS and other communicable diseases; food security and trans-boundary natural resources; environment; statistics; gender equality; and science, technology and innovation and research and development. The above three priorities will be underpinned by Priority C on the promotion of peace and security.

With one year left before the Revised RISDP comes to an end, the SADC Council of Ministers will thus review progress made in implementing the plan. The council is expected to discuss peace and security in the region as well as preparation for elections in some SADC countries. At least seven SADC member states are set to hold elections this year.

These are Botswana, the Union of Comoros, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa. Agriculture and food security remains a top priority for the council following low rainfall and drought conditions that affected most parts of the region during the 2018/ 2019 farming season.

The focus for the council will be on continued implementation of the Regional Agricultural Policy in order to improve production, productivity, competitiveness and trade in the agricultural sector, natural resources and environment.

With regard to trade, the council is expected to discuss how the region could work with other regional economic communities to conclude efforts to operationalise the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) as well as establish the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA). The TFTA and the CFTA aim to facilitate the smooth movement of goods and services across borders, as well as allowing member countries to harmonise regional trade policies to promote equal competition. The SADC Council of Ministers, which traditionally meets annually to review implementation of regional decisions and approve the SADC budget, will be preceded by various technical and senior officials meetings from 11-16 March.

The council consists of ministers from each member state, usually from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economic Planning, or Finance. It meets twice a year in February/March and immediately prior to the summit in August or September.

The Council of Ministers oversees the functioning and development of SADC, and ensures that policies and decisions are implemented. — sardc.net

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