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• September 19, 2012
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Cabinet rejects Referendum Amendment Bill

Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter
DATES for Copac’s second all stakehold­ers’ conference have been set though Cabinet has rejected the Refer­endum Amendment Bill whose pro­posed changes are reportedly not con­sistent with the Constitution and the Global Political Agreement.

Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba said President Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Professor Arthur Mutambara met yesterday and agreed that the Constitution-making process be expedited.

“Principals met today (yesterday) to dis­cuss possible dates for the sec­ond all stake­holders’ conference.
“Given the President’s UN commit­ments, it might be held early next month.”
Mr Charamba said it was agreed that the Copac draft should be taken to the second all stakeholders’ confer­ence together with the national report.

This would afford people an oppor­tunity to comment on the draft and read its authen­ticity against the national report.

Copac kept the national report under wraps after the outreach pro­gramme.
This raised scepticism that the Constitu­tion-making body deviated from the views of the people as raised during the outreach pro­gramme.
Mr Charamba said it was agreed at the principals’ meeting that after the second all stakeholders’ conference, the leaders would meet to get its out­come.

They would then chart the way for­ward.
Due to budgetary constraints, Mr Charamba said, there might be a revi­sion on the number of delegates to the conference.
Mr Charamba did not give the exact num­ber of delegates that would attend the event.

However, Copac has said it expects         2 000 delegates at the event, with each political party in the inclusive Gov­ernment seconding 600 delegates.
The second all stakeholders’ confer­ence was facing another knock after MDC-T spokesperson Mr Dou­glas Mwonzora insisted that the national report would only be made public after the completion of the Constitu­tion-making process.

Commenting on claims by the PM’s spokesperson Mr Luke Tam­borinyoka that President Mugabe failed to pitch up for two consecutive meetings of political

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Mandatory blending of fuel soon

Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT has resolved to change the ownership structure of Green Fuel from the initial Build-Oper­ate-and-Transfer arrangement to a joint venture between Government through Arda and its investment part­ners.

Green Fuel — which owns the Chisumbanje ethanol plant — is a joint venture between Arda, Macdom Invest­ments and Rating.
Addressing journalists in Harare yes­terday, Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara — who is leading an inter-ministerial committee on the Chisum­banje Ethanol Project — said after the ownership changes,

Govern­ment would introduce mandatory blending starting with E-5.
He said there would be a gradual adoption of mandatory blending from E-5 to E-10 up E-20 by 2015.
“The Cabinet decision to convert the project from a BOT to a JV must be upheld and implemented within the proposed timeline of two months.

“In doing the BOT conversion to JV due diligence and investment valua­tion, there is a need for rigour and cre­ativity.
“There must be robust and creative valuation of the State’s asset contribu­tions to the project, such as the land (40 000 ha), equipment, intellectual prop­erty, institutional memory, other state assets usable as security for loans, the partnership with Government as an asset and value enhancing instru­ments such as mandatory blending,” he said.

DPM Mutambara said it was not pos­sible for Government to introduce mandatory blending for one private company. He said mandatory blending could only be considered within the context of a JV.
“As a starting point, the mandatory blending should be at five percent level. This should be implemented immedi­ately on the assumption that the conver­sion from the BOT to a JV is now irre­versible.”

He said E-10 would continue as vol­untary and optional until there was a mechanism to mitigate adverse impact on non-compatible vehicles.
DPM Mutambara said blending facilities needed to be developed quickly while car manufacturers and assemblers needed to start importing vehicles that take ethanol

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President granted nod to contest High Court ruling

Daniel Nemukuyu Senior Court Reporter
PRESIDENT Mugabe has been granted permission to challenge a High Court decision allowing Prime Minister Mor­gan Tsvangirai to sue him over the appointment of provincial governors.
Judge President George Chiweshe in July ruled that the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces could be sued under the circumstances.

The President’s lawyer Mr Terrence Hussein of Ranchod and Hussein law firm unsuccessfully sought leave to con­test the decision before the judge presi­dent.
That prompted Mr Hussein to directly approach the Supreme Court with an application for leave to appeal.

Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku yesterday granted the application with the consent of PM Tsvangirai’s lawyers.

Advocate Thabani Mpofu, instructed by Mr Selby Hwacha of Dube Manikai and Hwacha, are representing the PM.
The ruling by the Chief Justice gave the green light for the President to pros­ecute his appeal against the lower court’s decision.

Adv Mpofu confirmed the outcome, saying the order was granted by con­sent.
“We did not argue the matter. We agreed that the President should be allowed to file his appeal with the Supreme Court. That is when we will argue,” said Adv Mpofu.

Mr Hussein also confirmed the out­come.
“The PM’s lawyers had filed opposing papers, but when we were about to argue, they made a U-turn and agreed to the granting of the order.”