China indicates no change to Zimbabwe policy

Reports of a press conference in China between American and Chinese diplomats reveal China has no interest in changing their views toward Mugabe's government.

Matthew Lee, of the Associated Press, reports on June 29th, that

"After talks with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that also covered Taiwan, Tibet and North Korea, China's foreign minister said Beijing favors negotiations between Mugabe, who was sworn in for a new term Sunday, and the
opposition.

'The most pressing path is to stabilize the situation in Zimbabwe,' Yang Jiechi told reporters at a news conference with Rice. 'We hope the parties
concerned can engage in serious dialogue to find a proper solution.'

'China hopes the international community, African countries in particular, can a play a more constructive role in this regard,' he said. 'China
as a responsible country will also play a constructive role in this
process.'

After his swearing-in, Mugabe promised talks with the opposition. Yang stuck to a position that China, one of Zimbabwe's chief friends and trading partners, long has held. But his comments came just after
Rice had spent a significant amount of time making the case for the Bush
administration's new push to pressure Mugabe, officials said."

Lee also reports that Yang and Rice had a difference of opinion on a possible arms embargo against Zimbabwe:

"Although Yang indicated that Beijing's stance had not changed, Rice said
the U.S. would pursue the matter. She said that conditions in Zimbabwe had
'deteriorated to a grave level' and that 'the sham election there is likely to bring more violence.'

'We believe that it's time for the international community to act more strongly,' Rice said. 'Frankly, it makes sense to deny the government of Zimbabwe the means to use violence against its own people.'

At present, there is no international arms embargo against Zimbabwe.
China is one of its main suppliers of weapons and ammunition, although Yang said a recent shipment had been returned 'at the request of the receiving
party.'

That shipment made headlines this spring when some African countries
refused to allow the freighter to dock at their ports, partly at the urging of the United States and others."

One can only speculate how much more extensive the political violence would have been had the Chinese ship carrying ammunition unloaded its deadly cargo and delivered it to Zimbabwe.

See commentary by Desmond Tutu on the Chinese Arms Shipment and violence in Africa

Investigative Video of ZANU-PF Violence

An Australian journalist, Ginny Stein, and her Zimbabwean colleague created a video on June 20th, 2008, showing the extent of the violence against MDC supporters. It is a very graphic video, particularly after the 20 minute mark when two MDC supporters with 3rd degree burns are interviewed in their hospital beds.

The video is available in the middle of the page at the link below and can be enlarged to full screen:

Mugabe's Calling Card

Zimplats Reassures Investors on Zimbabwe Platinum Mines

As with Anglo American, Zimplats, the South African mining company with the largest platinum mining operation in Zimbabwe, reassured its investors that its holdings are secure and operating smoothly.

As the Guardian [UK] Business page reports today:

"Zimplats operations and the expansion project at Ngezi, Zimbabwe are operating satisfactorily," the firm said in a statement. The firm has open-cast and underground operations, located south-west of Harare.

"Zimplats has recently experienced limited political activities at its operations. These activities however, have not impacted on the safety of personnel nor have had a material effect on company operations."

Zimbabwe, which has the second-largest platinum reserves after the world's top producer South Africa, is mired in a political crisis over a presidential run-off on Friday.

President Robert Mugabe went ahead with the election even after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew, saying violence by Mugabe's supporters meant it could not be fair, and despite widespread international condemnation.
Zimplats said that in the short to medium term, its major challenges were retention of skills, reliable power supplies and the rebuilding of the local supplier network."

Zimplats and Anglo-American are in competition with Chinese mining interests in exploiting Zimbabwe's extensive platinum reserves. Platinum prices are extremely high at present, in part in anticipation of future demand for fuel-cell manufacturing.

As the US and the UK talk of expanding sanctions against Zimbabwe, it will be interesting to see if platinum mining enters the picture, or will it be excluded for its strategic importance?

Brings to mind the debate over chrome mining in Rhodesia during the sanctions debate of the 1970s.

Video from Harare, Day before vote

Good video from Harare by Haru Mutasa reporting for AlJazeera. (Al Jazeera is the only news service officially allowed to shot video in Zimbabwe, at present.) On Youtube. Shows different people's views about how they will vote, or not vote.

Day before run-off election, Jan Raath explores emotions of victims and a city on edge

Jan Raath, writing for The Times, London, gives an honest impression of the tensions in Harare, even for those in Highlands and other privileged neighborhoods.

Raath writes:

We live in a country where nothing, not even our daily bread, can be taken
for granted as the economy slips into chaos and the streets are gripped by
anarchy. We live in fear of what's coming next.

I was driving for a meal with friends the other night and passed a mob
of about 30 youths, wearing T-shirts with Mr Mugabe's visage, long sticks at the
ready. Such scenes have not been uncommon in recent years, and especially recent weeks, but this time I was witnessing them in the comfortable, safe suburb of Highlands. You feel a silent whoosh as reality suddenly drops away inside you.

At dinner I mentioned that war “veterans” had occupied the bars at the
City Bowling Club and Reps Theatre. People stopped talking and fiddled with
their food."

Read the rest...

Anglo-American Platinum Investment: Bad Timing? or Strategic Timing?

The BBC Radio World Service interviews Sir Mark Moody-Stuart is Anglo American's chairman about AA plan to go forward with a large investment to develop a platinum discovery in Zimbabwe. It is worth a listen. The Moody-Stuart's logic is that if they don't proceed, the current regime will take back the rights to the platinum claim "and give it to someone else". With platinum prices at 3 times the price of gold, the competition between South Africa, China, and Anglo American has heated up. Talk of economic sanctions will likely not involve these big players.

Here is the article and link to the audio file:

Investment in Zimbabwe attracts criticism

Anglo American, the big London-based mining company, is planning to make probably the biggest foreign investment in Zimbabwe to date - 400 million dollars to build a platinum mine.

British politicians have criticised the decision but Anglo American is adamant that no sanctions have been breached and no laws broken.

Sir Mark Moody-Stuart is Anglo American's chairman. Newshour's Robin Lustig asked him whether, in light of recent events, he had misgivings about the decision:

Listen to the interview here

Who are the Green Bombers?

Jason Moyo, of the Mail and Guardian [South Africa], wrote an insightful story on May 21, 2008, "Green Bombers shore up Mugabe" describing the type of young man who decided to stay in Zimbabwe's National Youth Service, otherwise known as the "Green Bomber", and referred to as the "Taliban" by some members.
The Green Bombers, along with the ZANU-PF youth League, certain war veterans, and others, have been working with the security forces to beat, torture, and humiliate MDC supporters and alleged MDC supporters since the first election on March 29, 2008.

Moyo interviews a Green Bomber named "Howard" who explains:

"Howard now claims a higher calling. "As youths we are the leaders of tomorrow. But Zimbabwean youths want Western cultures and ideas. Some of us need to maintain our nationalist outlook."

Wearing the olive-green uniform that gave it its "Green Bomber" moniker, Howard says the NYC is something every "patriotic" Zimbabwean must go through.

"I support those of our leaders who say it [the NYC] must be compulsory," he says. "Look at me. I'm an example."

Is he willing to maim and kill to instil his brand of patriotism? "Do you think the [liberation] war would have been won if the comrades were soft with people who refused to support the struggle?"

But he insists: "We never kill. I've attacked only those who attacked me."

So what did Howard, and the 20Â 000 youths government has trained, learn in the camps? The programme's bible is a manual called Inside the Third Chimurenga, a reference to land reforms beginning in 2000.

Supposedly an account of Zimbabwe's history, it downplays the role of dozens of liberation war leaders, making way for an embellished image of Mugabe as the one true hero of the struggle.

Much of the manual comprises Mugabe's speeches, including addresses at party conferences and funeral eulogies for war comrades.

The manual refers to MDC members as "rough and violent high-density [township] lumpen elements" backed by "disgruntled former Rhodesians". The MDC is driven by "the repulsive ideology of a return to white settler rule".

And foreign governments are "enemies" using "their local lackeys to drive regime change".

Howard denies this is brainwashing, saying: "Youths that sit in front of the TV and read magazines all day are the brainwashed ones."

Howard is taking a break before his unit is deployed to eastern Manicaland, where police say the MDC is attacking Zanu-PF supporters.

"We are going there just to support the police and other security arms. Ours is only a supportive role."

For this mission he will receive a daily stipend of Z$1-billion -- only R30, but still more than the average worker earns in a day. "