Top stories for December 21-25

ZANU-PF blacklist- The Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front was today reported to have blacklisted 19 foreign-owned companies for defying Zimbabwe’s indigenisation laws. Under the law, companies should be 51 percent-owned by indigenous Zimbabweans by 1 January 2014. The blacklisted companies allegedly include Standard Chartered Bank, Metallon Gold Zimbabwe, Murowa Diamonds, Zimasco, Tongaat Hulett, Pannar Seed and Pioneer Hybrid Zimbabwe. The indigenisation laws were passed five years ago but foreign-owners believed that they would be amended if there was a change of government. Their hopes for a softening up were also raised when President Robert Mugabe moved the portfolio from the militant Saviour Kasukuwere to the soft spoken Francis Nhema. Even new Mines Minister Walter Chidakwa gave mining companies a glimmer of hope when he said he might give some concessions to mining companies if they refined minerals like platinum in the country. But all these hopes were dashed by Mugabe when he said there would be no exception to indigenisation. The case was sealed by Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa when he confirmed there was no going back on indigenisation.

Mugabe invites Dabengwa back
President Robert Mugabe called on disgruntled war veterans to return to the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front fold in a move that seemed to be targetted at former politburo member Dumiso Dabengwa who broke away from the party to revive the Zimbabwe African People’s Union. Speaking at the unveiling of the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo’s statue in Bulawayo, Mugabe said:”Yesterday you were under his (Nkomo’s) command, yesterday he was telling you to go to that area, that area and you were saying yes sir. Now that he is gone do you think now that he is in the grave he can be disobeyed. To the war veterans I say you fought one war whether under ZANLA or ZIPRA, get back together. These are the ones, who really make me cry because they were under us, under our command, they should be united. You settle your contradictions through discussions and hear each other; so I make that appeal, come back I don’t say that to anaTsvangirai, they can go hang those ones.”

Britain funds Zimbabwe food security programme
Britain’s Department for International Development has set aside £30 million to address poverty and food security in Zimbabwe. The four-year programme will be managed by the Food and Agricultural Organisation and is expected to benefit 300 000 people. The programme will aim to: boost short-term employment opportunities through safety-net programmes that will help women and men improve nutrition and invest in their farms; improve irrigation infrastructure; link smallholder farmers with markets; provide enabling environments through policy support and encouraging public and private investments; and increase agricultural production and productivity of nutritious foods.

No progress
There was no progress at the pay talks between the government and civil servants today after the government sent junior officers who could not make any decisions. Civil servants want a minimum wage of US$543 which is in line with the poverty datum line set by the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe. The government did not have any figure. The talks are likely to resume in January. Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa said in his 2014 budget that the government will raise the salaries of civil servants to the current poverty datum line but this would be staggered to leave room for continued funding of government operations. The government will also improve the welfare of civil servants through the provision of non-monetary benefits in such areas as housing.

Tobacco a threat to food security
Peasant farmers are increasingly switching from the main staple maize to tobacco farming because of better returns but this has also turned into a major threat for food security, reports said today. Maize production has been on the decline over the past five years with farmers producing only 798 600 tonnes last season against a national requirement of 2.2 million tonnes. According to the World Food Programme some 1.7million Zimbabweans need food relief. Tobacco production has, on the other hand, seen a drastic increase from 58.6 tonnes in 2009 to 166.6 tonnes last season. This season some 91 278 farmers are growing tobacco an increase of 20 063 new farmers compared to last season.

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