PRESIDENT MUGABE

Tendai Mugabe Harare Bureau
President Mugabe has called for an emergency Politburo meeting this week to deal with reports of vote buying and intimidation among other irregularities that characterised the party’s women and youth league conferences held last month.
The President also took a swipe at the party’s Harare provincial leadership for causing divisions and making clandestine manoeuvres to push the First Lady Amai Mugabe out of the province and seek a “political home” in Mashonaland West.

President Mugabe said this while addressing thousands of Zanu-PF supporters who braved the chilly morning weather at the Harare International Airport yesterday to welcome him from his week-long State visit to China.

“Recently, we were saying the youths were ill-treated,” said the President amid wild cheers from the crowd.
“We are saying, yes, we cannot discuss the matter here with Cde Mutasa but we have a meeting this week to discuss how things are going on. How did things go at the two conferences for youths and women? Is the path we are moving the same or we have gone separate ways?”

The President’s remarks followed the disorderly manner in which the youths and women’s conferences were organised and the unbecoming behaviour that was being exuded by party members, especially in Harare Province.

Zanu-PF Harare provincial youth chairman Cde Godwin Gomwe last week had indicated that the youths would brief the President on political developments that transpired in the party while he was in China.

However, President Mugabe said the Harare International Airport was not the ideal platform to deal with party matters.
The President chided some senior officials who were abusing the name of the party for their selfish and personal gains ahead of the December congress.

He said he was duty bound to address all issues affecting the party including challenges in the Youth League and other organs.
“I was not chosen by one person, I was chosen by the party. I am not a President concerned only with the main wing of the party leaving youths and women.

“I don’t want people who use the party for their own ends. You were elected by the people, but you now want to elevate yourselves without their support, we don’t want that.

“We say down with you.  We shall discuss this matter,” he said.
Things reached boiling point in Zanu-PF a fortnight ago after Harare Youth League deputy chair Cde Edison Takataka, was reportedly beaten up in the presence of Politburo member Cde Tendai Savanhu in Mbare.

This prompted another Politburo member Cde Cleveria Chizema, to call for the dissolution of the Cde Amos Midzi led executive in Harare on allegations of fomenting divisions in the province.

Cde Chizema accused Cde Midzi and Cde Savanhu of using money to divide the party in Harare.
However, President Mugabe said Harare was the country’s capital city and no one should claim its ownership.

“We want the party to be strong and Harare, Harare, Harare is notorious for disunity,” he said.
“Harare, Harare, Harare is our capital. It’s the nation’s capital, that’s where the party’s headquarters are.

“So Harare is obliged to regain the constituencies we lost to the MDC. We must be proud of our capital which is the mainstay of the party. Now there is confusion and divisions, with some saying Harare is ours, you are not from Harare, move out, aaah.

“We don’t want Harare like that. We are all united in Harare. It does not belong to one person. I am saying so because I heard someone sent my nephew (Cde Patrick Zhuwawo) to go and tell Amai Mugabe to leave Harare. Where will she go?”

The President said he would get to the bottom of that matter and check where those powers were coming from. “I said I wanted to hear why she is being removed? And where will she go? But I also want to hear where this person who calls himself emperor of Harare gets his powers. We don’t want that kind of behaviour.

“Even myself, I will never say Harare is mine. It will never happen.  So let us all                                                                                                        have a sense of belonging. We all belong to each other and there has to be that understanding.

“We are one person in Zanu-PF. It does not matter you are in Harare, Bulawayo, kwaMutare or kuGweru you should feel free. Each part of the country is your part. Zimbabwe is ours together. This is the leadership we must demonstrate.”

President Mugabe said party members should feel free to express their grievances but that should be done using formal party channels.
“We heard kunze uko kuti people were being refused to speak out. No.

“We speak out but the way we speak out must be the way we have in the party. We have our channels in the party, we report what we have as grievances through the channels we have in the party, but I will assure you that we will listen to your grievances all of you.”
President Mugabe briefed the gathering which was in high mood that his visit to China was a success.

Among other things, the President said, the visit sought to cement the historical relationship between the two countries. “Once again I want to inform you that our visit to China was a very productive visit indeed,” he said.

“We went to China firstly, to cement the relationship that we built during our liberation struggle and on that basis to seek cooperation from the people of China, their support as we move ahead especially with our new socio economic programme, which we call Zim-Asset.
“To seek assistance from them, assistance financial, assistance political and diplomatic.

“President Xi Jinping said China will continue to stand by us and continue to be as friendly to us as it was before — that the support we have asked for in various areas — area by area China will provide to the best of its ability — that China is grateful to Zimbabwe for what Zimbabwe has done to turn those countries which had their back to China so they could be friends of China and for the support we continue to give them internationally.

“Support we give them for One China Policy and they said in as much as we expect them to support us internationally, they also expect us to support them internationally. That is the reciprocal bond that is between them and ourselves.”

President Mugabe said Beijing condemned the illegal sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by some Western countries.
He described the sanctions as “meaningless”, adding that China was seeking equal friendship with Africa. “They condemned the sanctions, meaningless, illegal sanctions that have been imposed by the Europeans and Americans and say this is not the policy of China.

When China comes to Africa, it does not intend to impose itself, nor does it countenance the sanctions that are imposed by countries outside Africa.

“It supports the freedom and national sovereignty of each and every country in Africa and I do hope that those outside Africa who have made hegemony and neo imperialism their policies will learn a bit from Chinese policy.”

He said Zimbabwe would always remember the revolutionary contribution China made by way of supporting the guerilla movement materially during the liberation struggle.

The President thanked Zanu-PF supporters for their unwavering stance against factionalism and tribalism.
President Mugabe was welcomed by Vice-President Joice Mujuru, Senior Minister in the Office of the President and Cabinet Cde Simon Khaya Moyo, Presidential Affairs Minister Cde Didymus Mutasa, senior government officials and party members.

Antineliah Matope shows where she is now sleeping with her children

Charity Ruzvidzo Chronicle Reporter
A health disaster is looming at the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) owned Westgate compound where about 50 families that were evicted last week are still stranded and sleeping in the open.
The parastatal obtained a court order and with the help of anti-riot police and vicious dogs, evicted the tenants after a four-hour stand-off on Thursday.

A number of the families yesterday said they feared that there could be a cholera outbreak as they were relieving themselves in the bush.
Others said they feared their children would catch pneumonia due to the cold weather.

Chronicle visited the families yesterday and found them – including babies who are still suckling – camped in the open with sacks to shield them from the cold weather.

Antineliah Matope told of the hardship of sleeping out in the cold with children.
“I have four children who are doing grades Three, Seven and two others in secondary school. We have been sleeping outside since the eviction on Thursday. Toilets are also a problem, we are resorting to nearby bushes. NRZ should give us our money if they want us to leave,” she said, wiping tears with her hand.

Matope said the eviction was also affecting her daughter, a Lower Sixth pupil, who has since stopped attending extra lessons.
Her daughter, with tears rolling down her cheeks, said: “I am a Lower Sixth pupil at Methodist Vocational Training Centre, the eviction has greatly affected my studies I cannot read outside in the dark and cold. It’s also hard to concentrate with my mother crying as she struggles to find us somewhere else to stay.”

Pauline Chacha, another evicted resident, said NRZ was treating them unfairly after 35 years of serving the parastatal.
“New tenants have already started moving into the houses we were evicted from. The system is not fair, they are evicting families that served NRZ for 35-40 years, replacing them with people who have served the company for only 4 years and have one or two children to occupy a full house while we are out in the cold,” she said.

Chacha said a lot of property was lost or damaged during the eviction.
“Property was roughly thrown outside by the messenger of court who did not bother to carefully lift it in order to avoid damages. As you can see, I no longer have sofas and chairs,” she said pointing to broken chairs and sofa pieces.

She, however, said even with the harsh conditions they were facing, they were not going to leave the compound.
“We don’t care about the houses, we are more worried about the money the company owes us. As long as we are not given what we duly deserve then we will not leave this place because we have nowhere to go,” she said.

Efforts to speak to NRZ spokesperson Fanuel Masikati were fruitless as his mobile was not reachable.
The rail company handed its houses to its serving and former employees in areas such as Sizinda and Queens Park suburbs, but retained ownership of the Westgate properties, because they fall under a protected area as they are near some fuel tanks and other NRZ facilities.

As part of its efforts to improve access to quality health services, the government, through central and provincial hospitals, runs several schools of nursing which churn out dozens of nurses a year. Some church-run hospitals also train nurses which are supposed to be absorbed into the health care system.
The health sector, apart from education, is one of the areas where the government has scored notable successes which are recognised the world over. These successes are due in no small measure to the fact that most health facilities are now staffed by qualified staff.

Since independence, the government has made deliberate efforts to train nurses all of whom were assured of employment on successful completion of their courses.

Despite the inroads made in improving access to health, challenges remain, such as the continued dire shortage of personnel, especially at health institutions in remote areas which are usually shunned by qualified personnel.

The economic challenges leading to the adoption of the multiple currencies in 2009 saw experienced and qualified health personnel, including nurses, leaving the country in hordes for better opportunities.

But despite this desperate need for qualified nursing staff who have potential to save lives, some nursing graduates  are still roaming the streets jobless.

This is in spite of the government lifting a freeze on recruitment of new nurses.
The freeze was introduced when government was trying to contain its wage bill faced with a scarcity of resources. However, because of the importance of the health sector, the government resolved to allow the Health Services Board to recruit nurses. This news must have been received with relief by the unemployed nurses.

The decision to employ the nurses made sense. Not least because the government had invested a lot in training them and allowing them to roam the streets was like pouring water down the drain.

The other reason why it was important to employ the nurses was that under-staffed clinics would now be manned by qualified personnel.
However, despite the government decision to lift the freeze, the majority of nurses have not been engaged. According to a story carried in our sister paper Sunday News, the jobless nurses will have to wait a bit longer before they can start work. Although no official comment was obtained from the HSB, a source said the board first has to identify which institutions needed staff.

This, according to us, is the height of bureaucratic bungling.
One wonders why the board is not even aware of the staff requirements at institutions that fall under its ambit.

The lifting of the freeze was done some time ago and recruitment was supposed to start on September 1, but from what sources in the board are intimating, nothing was done in the intervening period.

Recently, Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa blamed delays in recruitment of new nurses on bureaucracy because as far as he was concerned, government had done its part and the onus was now on bureaucrats to implement government policy.

It seems the minister is right and someone, somewhere is sleeping on the job. Dr Parirenyatwa must crack the whip so that whoever is stalling the process to recruit nurses is held accountable.

The government has made big strides in improving the country’s health sector and employing more nurses will only add to the betterment of the sector.

Taxpayers are paying a lot to have nurses trained and they expect a return on this investment.

Charity Ruzvidzo Business Reporter
THE percentage of consumers purchasing clothes on credit has increased from 26 last year to 37 this year, while mobile money transfers have increased from 49 to 59 percent according to the Zimbabwe All Media Product Survey.
Consumer Council of Zimbabwe director Rosemary Siyachitema said low disposable incomes were the reason for increased credit purchases.

“Purchasing of goods on credit is because of the low income that consumers have, buying on credit enables consumers to cover other necessities like rentals and school fees whilst the money owed is paid bit by bit,” she said.

Siyachitema encouraged consumers to pay their debts in order to remain in good books with credit stores.
“Failure to pay credit leads to people being dragged to courts. I would like to encourage people to pay their credits on time,” she said.
The survey showed that those who did not purchase clothing on credit purchase from flea markets.

Forty nine percent of the urban population purchases most of its clothing from flea markets whilst 25 percent of rural population also purchase from flea markets.

The survey goes on to show that 56 percent of the nation’s population shop  bulk  grocery per month. 42 percent of the groceries are purchased from general stores with 23 percent  of the population buying there. 22 percent purchases from OK which is the second place from general stores where groceries are frequently procured.

Econet’s Ecocash has increased usage from 47 percent to 56 this year. Telecash, which was introduced this year has 6 percent usage. Econet is the widely used network provider followed by Telecel.

Women according to the survey purchase more clothing and shoes with a total purchase of 36 percent this year from 32 last year. The total purchase of shoes for men is 2 percent.

ZAMPS shows that there is high consumption of clear beer. Sweets are the highly consumed snacks with 55 percent of the population.
It also shows Facebook has the highest users at 15.1 percent, followed by Gmail for sending messages. Nokia is the highly used mobile with 60 percent of the nation’s population using it followed by Samsung at 24 and Blackberry at 2 percent.

The number of people with insurance policies increased by 6 percent in both rural and urban areas.
CABS is the largely used building society with a population usage of 86 percentt followed by FBC which has 6 and Commercial Bank Zimbabwe at 3.

ZB Bank has the highest population of bank users at 11% ,Barclays at 9% ,FBC and Standard Chartered  at 8% and Agribank at 7%.

Suspected copper smugglers Winston Nkoma, Orderly Mpofu, Muzarabani Tapfumaneyi and Mthulisi Dube

Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
FOUR men suspected to be part of a nine- member smuggling syndicate were arrested at the Plumtree Border Post while trying to smuggle 915 kilogrammes of copper worth $18,300 out of the country.
The men were reportedly bound for South Africa to sell the copper when they were intercepted at the border.
Smugglers have been cashing on the mineral which they have been stealing from electric and phone cables and selling illegally in the neighbouring country at a street value of R55 per kilogramme.

The mineral, which is reportedly in great demand in the neighbouring country, is used for the manufacturing of bullets and coffin handles in South Africa.

The four suspects – Orderly Mpofu, 37, Muzarabani Tapfumaneyi, 38, Mthulisi Dube, 39, and Winston Nkoma, 27, all from Bulawayo, appeared before Plumtree magistrate Gideon Ruvetsa facing charges of dealing in copper without a licence.

Detectives who were manning the exit gate at the border found the copper stashed inside four tyres.
Prosecuting, Jane Phiri told how the four men, who were travelling in a Toyota Hilux truck, were arrested on Thursday evening.

“The four accused persons were intercepted by detectives at the Plumtree border exit gate on their way into Botswana in a South Africa registered vehicle at around 10PM.

“After surrendering their gate pass to the security guards, their vehicle was searched leading to the recovery of 915kgs of copper. Some of the copper rolls were stashed in four spare wheel tyres and other rolls were tied underneath the vehicle chassis,” said Phiri.

She said the detectives then ordered the four men to produce a licence but they had none which resulted in their immediate arrest.
Upon their arrest, the accused persons implicated two other men Fanuel Muzamba and Nelson Mangena whom they alleged to be the suppliers of the copper. They also implicated three other men who are still at large.

The suspects also revealed that they had more copper which was in the possession of their suspected accomplices.
The police are still to ascertain where the copper cables were stolen from.

Ruvetsa remanded the accused persons in custody to September 12 pending further investigations.
Mpofu and Nkoma, however, told the magistrate that they were not part of the smuggling gang.

“I was just given a lift in the car Your Worship since I was also on my way to South Africa but I have no idea about the copper, these other men can also attest to that. Can we be shown what  the police have compiled in the docket because our statements have not been recorded,” said Mpofu.

Nkoma also begged to be released after pointing out that he was also a passenger.
Ruvetsa dismissed their appeals indicating that they would come back on the specified date for trial.

Copper cable theft is rife in Zimbabwe with parastatals like Zesa and the National Railways of Zimbabwe often being forced to suspend operations due to the thefts.

Stealing of copper cables has been blamed as one of the factors that derail economic growth.
A number of people have been electrocuted while trying to steal copper from live electricity installations, with the latest being a Bulawayo man who died last week.

In April, Zesa said it lost 30,000km of copper cables valued at nearly $180,000 in the southern region of the country through theft.
Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company, a subsidiary of Zesa, has moved to replace copper cables with aluminum ones as a way of curbing vandalism of its infrastructure in a project that started in January.

Minister Andrew Langa

Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
THE government has congratulated the Zimbabwe cricket team for their three wicket win over the mighty Australia at Harare Sports Club yesterday.
The win by the brave Zimbabweans was their first against the Aussies since 1983 and it came against all odds as few gave the boys a chance against the tourists.

In the 30th ODI meeting between these sides, Zimbabwe did what they had not for 31 years and beat Australia.
The captain, Elton Chigumbura, engineered the chase that changed 11,406 days of history, after his spinners had applied a stranglehold that kept Australia to their lowest total against Zimbabwe, and achieved only their second win against these opponents.

Chigumbura’s opposite number, Michael Clarke, battled a hamstring niggle that ruled him out of the rest of the tri-series, and held his side together on a spin-friendly surface on which none of the other Australian batsmen settled.

But Zimbabwe’s challenge was always going to be chasing a total over 200 – they were dismissed for less in their last four ODIs – and when Nathan Lyon picked up career-best figures and they were reduced to 156 for 7, another collapse seemed likely. A 55-run stand between Chigumbura and Prosper Utseya for the eighth wicket ensured Zimbabwe did not fold and sent Harare Sports Club into frenzied celebration.

An elated Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Andrew Langa last night told Chronicle Sport that the boys have made the country proud while also sending a clear message to the cricket world that the sport is still very much alive in the country.

“This is indeed a huge achievement by our cricket team. I want to send my hearty congratulations to them and indeed the entire country for this feat. They did  us proud as a nation. I am aware that they have not beaten the Aussies for quite a while but that is all history now,” said Minister Langa.

He said the win was only the beginning of better things to come and was proof enough that Zimbabwe can still be counted among the great sporting nations of the world.

“Despite the criticism that we have been getting from some quarters, we still managed to stop the Australians and for us to continue posting such results we need unity, discipline and to be well organised in our approach to sporting issues. I am aware that the patron of this team is none other than His Excellency, President Mugabe and I know for certain that he is a happy man today, very happy in fact,” said Minister Langa.

Zimbabwe have not managed a score of over 200 in their last four ODIs and have been bowled out in all of their last six matches.
Meanwhile, cricket stars from around the world took to their twitter accounts to post congratulatory messages to the Zimbabwe cricket squad.

Afghanistan’s right handed batsman Mohammed Shahzad said Zimbabwe played some fantastic game and his sentiments were echoed by the legendary South African cricketer  AB de Villiers.

Also sending her message of congratulations was Zimbabwe’s golden girl Kirsty Coventry.

MS Shahzad
I was watching #AusvZim  and there is no doubt Zimbabwe played fantastic game congrats to @ZimCricketv @BrendanTaylor86 & co.

AB de Villiers
Our neighbours playing a good game of Cricket today. Well done Elton @BrendanTaylor86 and co.
Sanath Jayasuriya @sanath07
Well played Zimbabwe
Alan Butcher @abutch58
Great win for Zimbabwe. HSC will be buzzing tonight!

Elliott Siamonga
The Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim-Asset) remains a vital beneficiation tool for community based tourism as well as unlocking the value of natural resources under the Value Addition and Beneficiation Cluster. The value addition and beneficiation strategy is anchored on the private sector and communities themselves taking a key role in the execution of the activities around their communities.

Among some of the strategies of the cluster that should be developed are tourism products and diversification, improved product development and diversification.

The key in the beneficiation of this strategy is the capacity building of communities such as women, youth and the physically challenged who will act as key drivers to the revival of Community Based Tourism Enterprises (CBTEs). Implementation of training programmes for communities through Sustainable Tourism Eliminating Poverty Programme will help in the nutritional balance of families and communities.

Efforts should be put to link tourism to rural development and conservation through Zim-Asset and other stakeholders such as the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, so that local people can benefit from visitors, while the visitors also learn something about the local environment and culture.

There are a lot of cultural and historical sites and other places that can unlock tourism revenues for rural communities, but failure to market the places has led to the deterioration of such places, which if managed carefully can bring advantages to local communities through generation of income for locals through jobs in tour companies and the selling of souvenirs and local delicacies to tourists.

Although there are several challenges faced by many communal areas such as the remoteness and inaccessibility, the lack of sufficient funding for the high quality infrastructure demanded by the luxury tourism sector has become a major hindrance.

In addition, some areas are not suitable for game viewing or the lack of secure land tenure and prohibitive costs of building basic infrastructure for tourism such as roads, accommodation, and telecommunications. These challenges can be overcome by the rural communities hosting the tourists themselves. This is far more challenging than simply allowing a professional tour operator to set up in the area, as it can mean rural residents are responsible for the entire tourism process from marketing through to hosting the tourists, sometimes in their own villages.

On the whole, community based tourism is a new field of tourism, and since each project will need to be tailored to local priorities and tourist attractions, various systems are being tried out in different parts of the Southern African Development Community.

Communal lands have many attractions to offer and tourists already enjoy nature tourism, white water rafting and canoeing, viewing rock paintings, rock climbing and bathing in natural hot springs. Some other forms of tourism include trophy hunting which is considered the ultimate eco-tourism in Southern Africa, and is especially important for rural communities in Zimbabwe, which earn significant revenues from foreign hunters.

Hunters tend to travel in smaller numbers, and are usually satisfied with more basic amenities than other tourists, so they have less damaging impact on the environment, while paying higher fees. The hunters are strictly monitored and have to work within government approved quotas; they are accompanied by local licensed trophy hunters, who are trained in wildlife biology, weapon use and maintenance, motor mechanics and camp maintenance.

Leasing hunting concessions to professional safari operators is the most common and successful way that rural communities can gain immediate profit from sharing their land with dangerous wild animals. This also helps in minimizing human and animal conflicts in communal areas.

Rural communities could also benefit from bird watching, there are over 600 species of birds in Zimbabwe and most of these are in rural areas, these range from paradise fly catchers to fish eagles and ostriches. This could be an innovative project which can emphasises the spiritual and cultural significance of certain bird species and rural communities would greatly benefit from offering bird watching tours.

Cultural tourism is another area that could be greatly exploited; Zimbabwe has a rich diversity in culture that ranges from the BaTonga, the Kalangas, the Shangani, the Venda and many other minority groups that are not benefitting any thing from culture tourists.

Cultural tourism benefits tourists who would experience the local cultures of different tribes through sharing traditional foods, music and lifestyle.

The more adventurous version involves tourists staying in mud and rondavel huts, eating local dishes, and trying their hand at traditional tasks such as grinding millet, farming, fishing and mat making.

Storytellers entertain visitors with local tales and visitors can enjoy tribal dancing, drink millet beer and partake in local festivities.
However in order to achieve this, rural communities will need clearly defined secure access to their natural resources, as well as technical assistance to successfully design and manage community based tourism. The introduction of the Township Tourism Initiative last year  where old homes of prominent pre-independence nationalists by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) is another commendable initiative and should open other avenues for the dormant community rural tourism in Zimbabwe.

The concept is modelled around the South African model in Soweto where there is booming township tourism.
The properties targeted under the initiative are houses used by the late Vice President Cde Joshua Nkomo, former Zanu leader Hebert Chitepo and Zanu founder Enos Nkala. Highfield, where President Robert Mugabe has a house was chosen as the location of the tourism project because of its historical significance in the struggle for independence in Zimbabwe, just like Soweto’s historical role in South Africa’s struggle against apartheid.

The beginning of this initiative should be used as a benchmark to develop rural based tourism which has proven to be also common in some rural communities in Southern Africa where communities are managing lucrative tourism ventures.

Port Harcourt – The widow of a doctor who died from Ebola in Nigeria’s oil city of Port Harcourt has also tested positive for the virus, the state government said yesterday.
Rivers State health commissioner Sampson Parker said test results showed the woman had the disease, which claimed the life of her husband, Ike Enemuo, on 22 August.

Enemuo fell ill and died after treating an official from the Ecowas regional bloc who travelled to Port Harcourt after having contact with a Liberian man who brought the virus into Nigeria.

The doctor was the sixth to die from the virus in Nigeria and the first outside Lagos, raising fears about the spread of the haemorrhagic fever just as it was thought to have been contained.

Sampson said three patients – another doctor, a pharmacist and a woman who had contact with Enemuo at the hospital where he died – had been taken to a specialist treatment centre outside the city.

Enemuo’s widow was at an isolation unit in Lagos, he added.
“They have not been confirmed (as having Ebola) and we are waiting for the result of the investigation,” he told a news conference.

Some 200 primary and secondary contacts have been traced, although about 60 had yet to be spoken to, he added. None of them had shown symptoms, he said.

“We are concentrating on the names we have to capture in our (monitoring) activities but the good news is that we have been making good progress in checking the spread of Ebola,” he said.

Parker said early detection and treatment was vital, appealing for anyone who had contact with Enemuo, his clinic, the Ecowas official or the hotel where he stayed to contact them immediately.

Of the 15 confirmed cases in Ebola, seven of the patients recovered, the government in Abuja has said.
The Ecowas official is also thought to have recovered.

Nigeria is one of five countries in West Africa hit by Ebola, although the majority of the more than 1,500 deaths since the start of the year have been in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. – AFP.

Thembelani Vundla, assisted by his father Josphat Phiri (left) shows his trophy

Sports Reporter
ABOUT 100 amateur and professional golfers teed off at the Elephant Hills Golf Course in Victoria Falls on Thursday for the Elephant Hills Open Golf 2014 Championship.
Twenty-one year-old Thembelani Vundla, a product of Victoria Falls Golf Club but currently playing in Harare, won the tournament. Vundla is ranked second on the national order of merit.

Participants were drawn from across the country and as far as Botswana and Zambia and had three professional Zimbabwe golfers Peter Banda, Phillip Tshuma and Brian Gondo also playing.

Zimbabwe Golfers Association Development Officer Boniface Chigorimbo said the tournament will have a bearing on ranking of amateur golfers as points would be used in the order of merit.

“This is an open tournament sponsored by people of Victoria Falls but attracting national team players who are vying to get points and professionalism to raise their standards. There are also amateurs who want to have a feel of national status,” said Chigorimbo, who was recently elected into the post.

He said the tournament was bringing development in Matabeleland North as well as giving players an opportunity to earn national points.

“These points affect national selection in the World Amateur Golf ranking as we will send results to the top body. At the moment we have 25 players in the world rankings through tournaments as this one,” added Chigorimbo.

After collecting a number of prizes for the individual points accumulated since Thursday when the tournament started, Vundla attributed his success to Elephant Hills Club and his father Josphat Phiri, also a golfer.

“I am very humbled and would want to thank my club and father. It feels good to win,” he said after receiving a trophy.
ZGA vice president Mufaro Chivonivoni, who is also Matabeleland North Golfers president, said golf was growing in Zimbabwe.

“It is pleasing to see that a product of Victoria Falls won such a competition. It shows the standards of golf is growing as new blood is being groomed unlike in previous years when Bulawayo and Harare would dominate,” he said.

“One of our major goals is development and we are happy Elephant Hills and Hwange are grooming young stars. It is possible to grow top golfers from small towns like this. I want to urge those with old equipment at home to please donate to the little boys so they can develop themselves.”

Elephant Hills captain Elvis Mulenga urged players to be disciplined to realise their goals.
“Golf is about how you carry yourself in the course and how you behave after winning,” he said.

Acy Zerf of Bulawayo Country Club became the female champion.

Family Voices

Bongani Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
MELODIOUS, exquisite, well co-ordinated and superbly choreographed are some of the words that describe the Family Voices’ performance during their album launch held at the Family of God auditorium on Saturday evening.
Performing to a full house, Family Voices went through their 14-track album Time for Breaking Through in an hour and the audience would sing and dance with the group.

The audience which included Minister of State for Bulawayo Metropolitan province Nomthandazo Moyo, local businessman Sonny Phiri and wife Lorraine Maphala, South African soapie Muvhango cast, church leadership and other distinguished guests were left mesmerised and ran out of superlatives to describe the breathtaking performance by the eight member group.

The group sang renditions of Regakusarira by Amabhubesi and Homeless by Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the cast comprised of Chief Azwindini Mukhwevo (Gabriel Temudzani), Mulimisi (Humbulani Tsharani) and Kgomotso (Desano Ledwaba), could not contain themselves as they danced and sang with the group.

The South Africans who jetted into the city yesterday were returning the favour to the Bulawayo-based acapella group who in May this year were afforded the opportunity to travel to South Africa to join them in celebrating the 2,000 episode of Muvhango.

The group started with their well known track Ahh (Wowuya Jesu) and ended their performance with the title track of the album Time for Breaking Through.

East Africa Idols 2008 winner Eric Moyo, who is the director of the group, made a cameo appearance when he sang Qobolwani that is found on the album. When he entered the stage he was greeted by a resounding row from the crowd and he did not disappoint with his performance.

Other songs on the album include, Crown, Shelter, Ahh (Wowuya Jesu) and Mzalwane.
One of the major highlights during the night was when Reverend Paul Bayethe Damasane showed off his linguistic prowess as he spoke in Venda to the chief Azwindini and Sesotho to Kgomosto of Muvhango.

His message to the two was Zimbabweans were a God fearing nation that cherished going to church and Godly principles.
Kgomosto said when they were ion the Muvhango set and heard Family Voices sing they were awestruck and could not contain themselves as they cheered and shouted during the recording.

She said the group was talented and they should be supported in all possible ways.
“When we are on set in the studio we are supposed to be quiet when recording an episode.  As soon as Family Voices opened their mouths and began to sing we were astounded and shocked that such as group could sing so well.

These men can sing, we were thanking the Lord for bringing us such people who can sing so well,” she said.
Minister Nomthandazo Moyo described the group’s singing as a taste of excellence.

She said Family Voices were utilising their talents as in the Bible, there was a parable in Matthew 25 verses 14 to 30 about the three men who were given  talents by their master.

“Family Voices have utilised and shared their talent with us in Zimbabwe. When someone is born they are born holding a fist, in that fist there is a talent that God gave you that is supposed to be utilised,” said Moyo.

Cde Gumbo

Tendai Mugabe Harare Bureau
THE Zanu-PF politburo meets in Harare today for an emergency session called by President Mugabe to discuss challenges afflicting the revolutionary party ahead of its elective Sixth National People’s Congress in December.
Today’s meeting comes at a time political analysts have called on Zanu-PF to thrash out all the problems facing the party to give it time to focus on the implementation of Zim-Asset and the operationalisation of the mega deals signed during President Mugabe’s state visit to China.

Although the agenda of the meeting was not made public by last night, President Mugabe hinted on his arrival from China early Sunday morning that the meeting would, among other things, look at reports of vote buying, intimidation and other irregularities that characterised the Women’s and Youth League conferences last month where several senior politburo and central committee members as well as six of the party’s 10 provincial chairpersons were implicated in vote manipulation and vote buying that marred, particularly, the Youth League conference.

All those implicated in vote buying, the analysts said, should face the music otherwise Zanu-PF would keep going around in circles.
Some analysts even suggested that the party should annul the results of the Youth League conference, which they argued was fraught with glaring irregularities.
Zanu-PF spokesperson Cde Rugare Gumbo confirmed the meeting yesterday although he refused to disclose its agenda.

“Yes, we are having a politburo meeting tomorrow (today),” he said.
“The agenda is prepared by Secretary for Administration Cde Didymus Mutasa so I am not aware of it,” he said though a source close to developments said the minute had one agenda item, a post-mortem of developments in the party.

Dr Nhamo Mhiripiri, a Media and Society Studies lecturer at the Midlands State University, said Zanu-PF should urgently address the internecine problems.
He said the party should set up a commission of inquiry to look into the challenges encountered during the two conferences.

“They (Zanu-PF) should set a commission of inquiry to look into that and stamp out that rot. We should not blame MDC and not accuse Zanu-PF when they go below our expectations,” he said.

Dr Mhiripiri said although the agenda of the meeting was not known, President Mugabe hinted on issues such as divisions in Harare province and factionalism, which should be dealt with decisively.

“That rot should be stamped out early,” he said.
Dr Mhiripiri said the meeting should also map a trajectory on how the party should pull together.

Political commentator Alexander Kanengoni, said today’s meeting should crucially deal with those implicated in vote buying and intimidating members of the two leagues.

“Politburo should deal with such people because that is a mockery of the revolution,” he said. “Why should one buy people? It means you want to buy the eventual outcome of the elections.

“This is not the Zanu-PF that the living and departed heroes fought for.”
University of Zimbabwe lecturer Dr Charity Manyeruke, said it was fundamental for the meeting to do a thorough audit of what transpired during the Women and Youth League conferences.

“The party should do a review of the election process of the Youths and Women’s League conferences with a view to bringing sanity in the party because sometimes there are justified allegations that need to be addressed,” she said.

Dr Manyeruke added that although it was not desirable to announce some punitive measures, it was important to be truthful on the happenings in the party.
She said the meeting should look at challenges affecting the party at all levels to avoid a delink with grassroots structures.

Analyst Margaret Dongo said Zanu-PF should be open to discuss succession issues.
She said reports of factionalism in Zanu-PF were inevitable in view of the coming congress.

“The issue of factions in Zanu-PF cannot be resolved before resolving the issue of succession. The factions are normal because they test the strength of democracy in the party,” she said.

“Zanu-PF should go back to the drawing board and see where they have gone wrong.”
Trevor Chikomo of Chitungwiza said Zanu-PF as a party that informs the government should put its house in order or risk going the way of the MDC-T.

“It is unfortunate that after a highly successful visit to China, the President returns to the intra-party problems we have been reading in the media. Who will implememt the mega deals if people are busy fighting for positions,’’ he said.

Following the Youth and Women’s League conferences, infighting escalated in the party with Harare’s deputy youth chair Cde Edison Takataka, being reportedly assaulted in the presence of politburo member Cde Tendai Savanhu.

This prompted another politburo member Cde Cleveria Chizema to call for the dissolution of the Cde Amos Midzi-led executive in Harare, which she accused of working with Cde Savanhu to divide the party.

Auxilia Katongomara Chronicle Reporter
AN elderly Tsholotsho woman was burnt beyond recognition after a hut she was sleeping in caught fire suspected to have been caused by a paraffin lamp.
The incident happened around 7PM on Saturday and the woman was buried on Monday in Mlevu, Tsholotsho.
A brave villager dragged her husband who was sleeping in another hut that was also engulfed by flames.
Mandisa Sibanda, who is believed to be in her late 70s, had most of her body reduced to ashes in an inferno that razed three huts and a granary in Mlevu Line.
Only her torso was salvaged from the ashes.

Villagers collected her remains in a sack for burial.
Sibanda lived with her husband Qolisani Sibanda and her two grandchildren who had gone to attend an all-night church vigil when the fire broke out.
Although details of how the fire started remain a mystery, there is strong suspicion that it was caused by a paraffin lamp.

A sombre atmosphere engulfed the homestead as family members milled around the burnt huts after the burial.
Chronicle visited the homestead, but some family members were hostile and force marched the news crew out of their homestead.

“We are very sorry, if you had wanted to assist us you could have helped us bury our mother, please just leave us alone,” said Mandi Sibanda, the late woman’s son.
A villager who spoke to Chronicle said they rushed to the Sibanda homestead after seeing a ball of flame flaring from a hut.

“We saw an orange ball of flames reflected against the night sky. We quickly rushed there to try and put it out, but everything was happening so fast.
A brave neighbour Welcome Ndlovu managed to save khulu Sibanda from his hut which had also caught fire,” the villager said.

He said by the time they arrived at the homestead, the roof on Mandisa’s hut had already collapsed and they could not do anything to save her.
It also emerged that Sibanda, who recently suffered a mild stroke, slept in a separate bedroom from his late wife.

The villager said the situation at the homestead was desperate as Sibanda was only left with the clothes he was wearing and all the grain in the granary was reduced to ashes.

Village headman Nkosana Mlevu said the incident was tragic.
“I cannot describe what happened here, she died a very painful death, we are all still trying to come to terms with it,” he said.

Mlevu said from the explanation that he had heard, the late Sibanda sent her grandchildren to ask for paraffin from their grandfather’s hut for her lamp and that was the last time they saw her.

Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu

Nduduzo Tshuma Senior Political Reporter
ZANU-PF politburo member Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu could be interested in the party’s national chairperson position as the race for the post hots up ahead of the party’s elective congress in December.
Dr Ndlovu could neither deny nor confirm interest yesterday with the veteran politician saying he will comment when the right time comes.
He said there was no need to rush to make announcements in the media over party processes.

Dr Ndlovu joins war veterans’ leader Cde Jabulani Sibanda and Zanu-PF secretary for administration Cde Didymus Mutasa who have already indicated interest in the post.

“I do not want to talk about party processes in the media. There are certain ways in which such things are handled so we will cross the bridge when we get there. I cannot make pronouncements now before the party has said anything on the matter.

“I do not want to comment on that. I will comment when the right time comes, I will let you know,” said Dr Ndlovu.
“In PF Zapu with Joshua Nkomo, we never advertised for positions. We were told by the people that they wanted us to serve. I was a cabinet minister, I never advertised for it, I went to the war, I never advertised for it.”

Cde Sibanda last week said the decision for him to land the chairmanship post would come from the people and leaders should not impose themselves.
There has been raging debate on the eligibility to contest the national chairperson post with some members saying it should be reserved for former PF Zapu members while some argue that it should be open to everyone.

Former PF Zapu secretary general and Zanu-PF politburo member Cde Cephas Msipa is on record as saying he believed the position should be reserved for former PF Zapu members.

Dr Ndlovu shares similar sentiments.
Zanu-PF politburo member Professor Jonathan Moyo at the weekend said the 1987 National Unity Accord does not reserve the Zanu-PF National Chairmanship for a former PF Zapu member in as much as the President’s post is not solely for ex-Zanu stalwarts.

Prof Moyo said the Unity Accord did not cater for transient personal ambitions adding that while the President’s post was similarly not reserved, it was “folly” to think President Mugabe would be unseated at congress as the electorate had just given him an overwhelming mandate to lead Zimbabwe until 2018.

Prof Moyo said late national heroes Cdes Joseph Msika and Landa John Nkomo rose to national chair, and later to VP, on merit not because they were ex-PF Zapu.

Tendai Rupapa Harare Bureau
A HARARE magistrate yesterday dismissed an application for refusal of further remand by Sunday Mail editor Edmund Kudzayi and his brother Philip who are accused of subversion and undermining the authority of the President through the Baba Jukwa Facebook account.
Both Edmund, 28, and Philip, 29, are suspected to be the administrators of the Baba Jukwa account.
The pair yesterday appeared before magistrate Milton Serima who ruled that they should remain on remand pending their trial at the High Court.

Through their lawyer Admire Rubaya, the two made an application for further remand refusal arguing that they have been on remand for a long time with the state failing to provide them with a trial date.

On the other hand prosecutor Sharon Mashavira opposed the application on the basis that the pair’s application was misplaced considering that they were only arrested on June 24, and they have been on remand for only two months.

After hearing submissions from both counsels, Serima concurred with the state and dismissed the application.
“The accused have been on remand for a reasonable period of time and considering the complexity of the matter, state should be afforded more time to complete its investigations,” he said.

Serima remanded the pair to October 3, for their routine remand and for purposes of trial, their docket is going to be married with that of a 20-year-old University of Zimbabwe student Romeo Musemburi.

Musemburi is facing similar charges.
On Monday the court heard that a team of detectives is expected to leave for the United States to meet social networks and search engine providers to aid the state case against the three.

It is the state’s case that sometime in April 2013, Edmund hatched a plan with Philip to overthrow the government through unconstitutional means.
It is alleged that he created a Gmail account, babajukwa2013@gmail.com using a mobile phone line registered in Philip’s name, but used by Edmund.

The two allegedly formed two separate groups called the Gunda Nleya Brigade and the Zimbabwe Revolutionary Army with the purpose of overthrowing the government.

Edmund is alleged to have posted articles on the Baba Jukwa Facebook page which encouraged rebellion against the government if the July 31 harmonised elections “were stolen”.

Tendai Mugabe Harare Bureau
SADC under the leadership of President Mugabe, has resolved a potentially explosive situation in Lesotho after an attempted coup by that country’s expelled army commander Lieutenant-General Kennedy Kamoli last week.
President Mugabe, who assumed reins of the regional body last month, dispatched a delegation led by Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi on Sunday to be part of the Troika meeting that resolved the matter in South Africa.

Other members of the Zimbabwe delegation included Commander of the Defence Forces General Constantine Chiwenga and Foreign Affairs Secretary Ambassador Joey Bimha.

The Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation (Troika) is chaired by South Africa and its other members are Namibia and Lesotho itself.
However, Lesotho was not part of the Troika because it was on the agenda of the meeting.

Impeccable sources who attended the Pretoria meeting said it was agreed that Lesotho Prime Minister Thomas Thabane and his delegation that included the police chief who had fled Maseru for South Africa should return home by today.

He said PM Thabane and his deputy Mothetjoa Metsing also met Troika Chair and South African President Jacob Zuma and committed to work together as a coalition.
“The Zimbabwean delegation and other Troika members met PM Thabane and his delegation to review the situation in Lesotho on Sunday,” said the source.

“The following day PM Thabane and his deputy met Troika chairperson President Zuma.”
It is understood that after the meeting, PM Thabane and DPM Metsing produced a joint statement where they said they were happy to work together as a coalition and expect King Letsie III to also issue a statement.

“It was further agreed that PM Thabane and his delegation should be in Maseru by September 3,” said the source.
PM Thabane and DPM Metsing agreed to come up with a roadmap to normalise the situation in their country.

In the statement, the source said, it was indicated that DPM Metsing was highly unlikely to call for a vote of no confidence in PM Thabane.
The source added that a team of defence chiefs was dispatched to review the situation in Lesotho on Tuesday.

The defence chiefs, the source said, reported that the situation was calm and Lt Gen Kamoli said he was willing to step down.
“The defence chiefs also reported that Lt Gen Kamoli said he was not contemplating any coup,” said the source.

Another source said a Sadc observer team would soon be dispatched to Lesotho to monitor the situation and the implementation of agreed issues.
The team would comprise members from defence, police, diplomats and a civilian component.

Minister Mumbengewi was expected to brief President Mugabe of the latest developments as Sadc chair and it was not clear whether he had done so by late yesterday.

Patrick Chitumba Senior Reporter
VETERAN broadcaster and former ZBC presenter Haile Velaphi Mlangeni has bought radio legend Ezra Tshisa Sibanda’s 30 percent shareholding in Bulawayo commercial radio licence hopefuls Skies FM for $30,000, it has been established.
Sibanda confirmed the sale yesterday saying he was no longer a director at the radio station, but would stay on as chief executive officer.
The development was revealed at the ongoing public hearings being conducted by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) in Bulawayo.

Commissioner Charity Moyo queried why Sibanda’s name was still included on the Skies FM application papers as a shareholder, director and CEO when in the new papers presented at the hearing, Mlangeni was cited as a 30 percent shareholder.

“There appears to be a change in the shareholding structure. In the applicant’s initial application papers, Sibanda has a 30 percent shareholding, now it’s being held by Mlangeni. Please clarify that point,” said Comm Moyo.

In response, June Khumalo – one of the directors of Skies FM – said indeed Mlangeni was the new shareholder who had bought shares from Sibanda.
She said Mlangeni now owns 30 percent while the other 30 percent is controlled by Mtandazo Khumalo and 40 percent is owned by Netsai Gumede.

“Sibanda is no longer a shareholder or a director. He resigned and is now the CEO. So may you please withdraw the letter of January 27, and we will forward the letter to that effect,” said Khumalo.

Sibanda told Chronicle members of the public could also buy shares at the radio station.
“Yes I sold my shares and I am now the CEO. In fact members of the public are also welcome to buy the shares if they want,” he said.

Sibanda and Mlangeni are former Radio 2 (now Radio Zimbabwe) DJs and are in the project that is being bankrolled by Transport Minister Dr Obert Mpofu.

Omar al-Bashir

CAIRO — Sudan has closed all Iranian cultural centres in the country and expelled the cultural attaché and other diplomats, a government source said yesterday, without giving an explanation for the move.
Sudanese media speculated that the expulsions were linked to government concerns that Iranian officials were promoting their Shi’ite brand of Islam in the largely Sunni country, but there was no confirmation from authorities.

Sudan, isolated by UN and Western sanctions partly linked to its conflict in Darfur, has sought allies and donors across the sectarian divides in the Middle East and further afield.

That has often left it balancing competing interests and loyalties in the complex web of regional rivalries. Sudan President Omar Hassan al Bashir came to power in 1989 in a bloodless coup backed by Sunni Islamists.

His country turned down an Iranian offer to set up air defences on its Red Sea coast after a 2012 air strike Khartoum blamed on Israel, fearing it would upset Tehran’s regional rival, the Sunni superpower Saudi Arabia, Sudan’s foreign minister said in May.

But Sudan, where many people follow the traditional Sufi tradition of Islam, has also received delegations from senior Iranian politicians.
Saudi Arabia, a key regional ally of the United States, has been locked in a contest with non-Arab Shi’ite power Iran for influence in the Middle East.

The rivalry has effectively divided the region into two camps, with countries either allied to Saudi Arabia or to Iran.
“The Sudanese government ordered the closure of Iranian cultural centres in Sudan, and asked the Cultural Attaché and the diplomats working in the office of the Iranian cultural attaché to leave Sudan within 72 hours,” the government source told Reuters. — Reuters

Vladimir Putin

SYDNEY — Australia’s foreign minister will try to persuade G20 leaders to exclude Russian President Vladimir Putin from its summit in Brisbane over his actions in Ukraine.
Australia, which hosts the G20 summit in November, could not make the decision on Putin unilaterally, Trade Minister Andrew Robb told broadcaster ABC.
“So Julie Bishop and David Johnston, our defence minister, will be canvassing in Wales, at the Nato meeting at the end of this week with other members of the G20 countries,” Robb said.

“I think increasingly people are taking a very concerned view about his presence.”
Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Monday said Australia would expand its sanctions on Russia, in line with those imposed by the European Union.

The new measures include halting the export of mineral and energy services to Russia, financial transactions involving state banks and travel bans on 63 more officials and business owners with ties to Putin.

Robb told ABC the sanctions were intended to signal severe consequences “if Russia continues to violate international law and continues to aggressively put troops into Ukraine.”

Australia toughened its stance on Russia after a Malaysia Airlines plane carrying 298 people, including 38 Australians, was shot down in eastern Ukraine six weeks ago.

Australia sent experts and police to Ukraine as part of a Dutch-led mission to recover the remains of the victims, but the conflict hampered their work.
The Abbott government called for an international probe into the downing of flight MH17 and accused Putin of preventing access to the crash site.

On Friday, the first bodies of Australian victims that were recovered and identified were flown back for burial.
Nato will discuss its response to the Ukraine situation at the summit in the Welsh town of Newport on Thursday.

The 28-member military alliance is expected to grant Australia membership of its Enhanced Parnership Programme at the summit, The Australian reported yesterday.

The move would mean greater access to Nato planning and decision making for the Australian Defence Force, the newspaper said. — Sapa

MOGADISHU — An air strike by US military forces struck an area where leaders of Somalia’s al Qaeda-linked militants were meeting, intelligence sources said yesterday, but it was unclear whether any insurgent commanders were killed.
The strike prompted rumours among Somali government officials that it had targeted al Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane and other leaders who were suspected to have been at the location, but there was no confirmation they were hit.

If he were killed, it would be a major victory against the group.
Since taking charge in 2008, Godane has restyled the group as a global player in the al Qaeda franchise — a transformation that was highlighted when it killed at least 67 people in an attack on a Kenyan shopping mall in September.

The militants have also staged guerilla attacks in parts of the capital, as well as in neighbouring Kenya and Uganda.
Godane’s close associate, Ahmed Mohamed Amey, was killed by a US air strike in January.

After the Westgate assault, Navy SEALS stormed ashore into the al Shabaab stronghold of Barawe, where a regional official said the air strike was launched against, but failed to capture or kill their target.

The US Department of Defence said late on Monday that its forces had carried out the operation against al Shabaab and would provide more information “when appropriate”. The Somali government and al Shabaab officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

“There was an air strike at a base where senior members of al Shabaab had a meeting last night,” a senior intelligence official who gave his name as Ahmed told Reuters yesterday.

“So far Godane’s death is a strong rumour that may or may not turn to be true. What we know is that the militants were bombarded. However, it is difficult to know how many of them or who particularly died,” he added.

Abdiqadir Mohamed Sidii, governor of Lower Shabelle region in southern Somalia, where the strike occurred, some 245km  southwest of the capital Mogadishu, said he believed Godane and other senior al Shabaab members had been killed.

“We understand a US drone killed Ahmed Abdi Godane and other seven senior members last night near Hawaay area around Barawe town,” Sidii told Reuters by phone.

Sidii did not say how he got the information on the attack, given the location is in an area still under al Shabaab control.
Residents in Haaway said they heard loud explosions late on Monday in an area they described as densely forested.

Al Shabaab, which aims to impose its own strict version of Islam, controlled Mogadishu and the southern region of Somalia from 2006 to 2011. It was forced out of the capital by peacekeeping forces deployed by the African Union.

African Union forces launched a new offensive this year to drive the Islamists out of towns and other areas they still control, in response to a surge in gun and bomb attacks in Mogadishu by the militants whose fighters have targeted legislators and the presidential palace. — Reuters.

MOSCOW — Nato is ratcheting up tensions by boosting its military presence on Europe’s eastern flank and Moscow will adapt its defence policy accordingly, a senior Russian official said yesterday.
Nato’s planned action at this week’s summit “is evidence of the desire of US and Nato leaders to continue their policy of aggravating tensions with Russia”, Mikhail Popov, the deputy head of Russia’s National Security Council told RIA-Novosti news agency in an interview.

“I have no doubt that the question of the approach of Nato members’ military infrastructure to our border” will be taken into consideration as “one of the foreign military threats to Russia” when the country’s defence doctrine is updated later this year, he said.

At a summit in Wales on Thursday and Friday Nato leaders are expected to approve deployment of thousands of Nato troops and military equipment to Eastern Europe.
While that is intended to reassure Nato member states in the former Soviet bloc, it is angering the Kremlin as it challenges a key understanding that Nato would not station troops and weapons in new members.

This increased commitment in the east will involve the rotation of troops through member states at upgraded military facilities, with equipment pre-positioned to speed up the response time.

Since the troops would not be permanently based there, the alliance does not see it as breaching the terms of the 1997 Nato-Russia Founding Act which fixed Europe’s post-Cold War borders.

The idea of the expansion of Nato into former Soviet states, which started with the Baltic countries in 2004, continues to rankle with the Kremlin.
Popov said that US and Nato leaders reassured Moscow that they are not Russia’s enemy and would never attack Russia, “but is this so?”

“They reassured us of their good intentions, but their actions of recent years tell a completely different story,” he said.
Russia’s recent actions have been motivated by a desire to thwart Nato expansion.

President Vladmir Putin justified the seizure of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine earlier this year in order to prevent Nato from taking it over.
The barely covert support for proRussian rebels in Ukraine is also seen by analysts as being aimed at destabilising Ukraine and discouraging Nato from considering a membership bid from Kiev. — AFP.