• admin
• Herald
• July 16, 2012
• 29 views

Dlamini-Zuma elected AU commission chair

Caesar Zvayi in ADDISABABA, Ethiopia
SADC candidate, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma last night made history by landing the hotly contested AU Commission chairmanship after getting the backing of 37 countries ousting incumbent Jean Ping of Gabon.

So tight was the contest that the ad-hoc Committee of Eight Heads of State and Government that was tasked to break the impasse in January had recommended that new candidates be fielded when they failed to broker a deal on who between Dr Dlamini-Zuma and Ping should be at the helm of the AU secretariat after six months of trying.
To land the Commission chair, a candidate required two thirds of the votes from eligible member states. Only 51 of the AU’s 54 member states were allowed to vote this year as three members are under suspension after undergoing unconstitutional changes of governments. The three ineligible countries are Guinea-Bissau, Mali and Madagascar

Insiders said Dr Dlamini-Zuma had led Dr Ping throughout the three rounds of voting till the then incumbent dropped out after the third round in line with the rules of the contest.

Dr Dlamini-Zuma garnered 27 votes to Ping’s 24 in the first round; 29 votes to 22 in the second round and 33 votes to 18 in the third round of voting at which point Dr Ping was forced to drop out leaving Dr Dlamini-Zumato to vie for the two-thirds majority as a sole candidate in the fourth round.

• admin
• Herald
• July 16, 2012
• 32 views

Referendums Act valid: Chinamasa

Felex Share
Herald Reporter

JUSTICE and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa says the country will hold any future referendums using the Referendums Act that was promulgated in 2000.

In an interview at the weekend, Minister Chinamasa said there was no need for the country to come up with a new Referendums Act or to amend the current one because it was valid.
This is contrary to utterances by Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Chairman Retired judge Justice Simpson Mutambanengwe that there was no law governing the holding of elections in Zimbabwe.

Justice Mutambanengwe last week said a referendum would only be conducted after the country comes up with a new Referendums Act.
He said the current Referendums Act was promulgated in 2000 for the referendum held that year and was now invalid for future referendums.

“It is not true for one to say there is no law. The law is there and it gives the ZEC the responsibility to conduct referendums,” said Minister Chinamasa.

“The Referendums Act that is there is for all times and any impression that there is no law is wrong.”
The Minister said unlike in general elections, one does not require to be a registered voter to vote in a referendum.

• admin
• Herald
• July 16, 2012
• 37 views

Harare installs 45 000 tamper-proof water meters

Michael Chideme
Municipal Reporter
HARARE residents will now be billed for actual consumption after the water department started installing the first 45 000 new water tamper-proof meters across the city.

At least 8 400 new meters with a five-year lifespan have been installed across the city with 4 000 having been put in Mabvuku.
Only 2 841 households in the suburb remained as of June 30.

The new meters can show they have been tampered with. Tampering with the meters attracts a fine of US$150.
Harare Water director Engineer Christopher Zvobgo revealed that 5 000 of the new meters are pre-paid and would be installed in the avenues and on commercial properties.

A total of 800 pre-paid meters would be installed in the avenues areas on the area bounded by Sam Nujoma Avenue and Prince Edward Road.
The installation would be on a pilot basis as the city wants to gauge the system’s compatibility.
He said the advantages of the pre-paid system are that water supply would not be cut off to enforce payment of other bills.