ICSAZ holds Virtual Winter School with international participation – The Zimbabwean

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Mildred Chiri

Speakers included Corporate Governance Institute (CGI) global president Peter Turnbull and director general Tim Sheehy, who made a joint presentation from Australia, and Corporate Secretaries International Association (CSIA) president Karyn Southgate, who made her presentation from South Africa. ICSAZ is the CGI’s Zimbabwe division and a member of CSIA.

Speaking on the Changing Role of the Governance Professional and Governance in the Digital Age Post Covid, Mr Turnbull and Mr Sheehy both pointed out that, while Covid-19 had caused chaos worldwide, within any crisis there were opportunities.

“Remember the renaissance followed the plague: There are always opportunities to be found, so never waste a good crisis,” Mr Turnbull said.

“If we are smart and we’re involved and we’re flexible, this can add opportunities for us as well,” Mr Sheehy said.

He said many company secretaries and governance professionals had found that in the Covid-19 environment their role as advisor to the board had come to the fore. They had also spent much more time working with the executive part of the business than ever before. They had had to embrace technology options quickly and help others learn how to use them.

They had found the scope of advice they were being asked to give had broadened and that, while advice to the board had been a normal part of their job, they were now being asked by a wider part of the organisation for advice on governance matters and a range of matters they had not previously had to deal with.

“In a way that describes what a chartered secretary is as opposed to a company secretary,” he said.

Responses to the sudden and unexpected Covid-19 lockdowns had had to be fast, with constant adaptation and the use of technology becoming the norm.

Mr Turnbull said that while virtual meetings had worked well, they were not the same as physical meetings. Some of the things that were missing, he said, were “the nuances, the body language, the interactions, the direct negotiations, the ability to have really difficult conversations, the emotions which are suppressed and therefore we do not really know what some people are thinking”.

He said the new normal after Covid-19 was likely to see some people working from home for some of the week. There would probably be a mixture of working from home and going to work.

Mangers would need to increase their skills in maintaining creativity, innovation and performance without constant face to face interaction. Technology would increase in importance and so would cyber risks.

Mergers and acquisition activity was likely to increase as profit margins came under pressure.

If remote working gained traction, job locations might move to countries with lower labour costs. There would probably also be more local manufacturing to shorten supply chains and guarantee supply.

Dandemutande chief executive Never Ncube addressed the virtual winter school on digital transformation.

He said that when the Covid-19 crisis arrived, there was already a clear case for shifting to a more digitally focussed economy.

“The new normal,” he said, “is about delivering services and products online, serving customers from anywhere, managing a remote workforce and our existence in a digital global village.”

He said the main benefits of digital transformation included long-term gains in efficiency and productivity, opening new markets and driving economic growth, more effective logistics and global supply chains and a drop in transportation and communication costs.

He listed some of frontier technologies associated with digital transformation as blockchain technology, data analytics, artificial intelligence, the internet of things, 3D printing, automation, robotics and cloud computing.

He said Zimbabwe’s currency crisis had forced it to adopt online, internet and mobile banking and cashless payment systems. It was behind in adopting e-commerce platforms but the coronavirus pandemic and associated business disruptions had resulted in a rise in online purchases.

Social media presence in Zimbabwe was chiefly limited to Facebook, Twitter and Linked-In. There was limited use of search engine optimisation and limited skills in digital marketing.

The adoption of frontier technologies such as the internet of things, data analytics and blockchain technology was in its infancy across all industries.

Covid-19 had forced business to adopt digital collaborations such as virtual meetings.

“The new normal is about connectivity as a human right, digital platforms, virtual collaboration, smart cities, smart manufacturing, smart agriculture, Fin-techs and robots. The new normal is about how we can rebuild a more equitable and inclusive global economy,” he said.

Ms Southgate told winter school participants about the CSIA toolkit for company secretaries, while Auditor General Mildred Chiri outlined the public sector financial management dynamics.

All the presentations were well received by Winter School participants, who indicated their appreciation through comments posted online during the presentations.

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Zimbabwe Evangelicals Defend Catholics from Government’s ‘Genocide’ Accusations – The Zimbabwean

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The pentecostal leader explains 90 days of prayer for “the Zimbabwe God wants” as Christians lament problems under Mugabe’s successor, President Mnangagwa.

And as the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ) stands in solidarity this week with maligned Catholic bishops accused of fomenting genocide, its president, Never Muparutsa, told CT the Southern African government is failing to honor its biblical responsibility.

There are too many poor, amid official repression.

The problems predate the presidency of Emmerson Mnangagwa. In 1965, white apartheid settlers declared the independent nation of Rhodesia; however, it was not until 1980 when Robert Mugabe’s violent revolutionary movement achieved universal suffrage.

But failures in economic integration, anti-white racism, and political corruption plagued the renamed nation of Zimbabwe. After nearly three decades in power, an aged Mugabe was overthrown by the military following sustained popular protests in 2017.

Initially lauded across the continent as a pioneering African nationalist, by the end Archbishop Desmond Tutu called Mugabe “a cartoon figure of an archetypal African dictator.”

Mnangagwa, Mugabe’s vice president, was installed as his replacement by the military, and ushered in a new period of hope after he won election in 2018. He passed the National Peace and Reconciliation Act to address the 1983–85 massacres in which up to 20,000 civilians were killed.

But worsening economic conditions led to sometimes riotous protests in January 2019, which were forcibly suppressed by Mnangagwa’s administration, with hundreds arrested. One month later, the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHCD) launched the nation’s first National Leadership Prayer Breakfast to appeal for dialogue.

Zimbabwe’s population of 14 million is 86 percent Christian, and the ZHCD is the umbrella organization uniting the four primary expressions of the faith.

The EFZ, comprising Baptist and Pentecostal churches, is the nation’s oldest, founded in 1962. The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), representing the missionary-era efforts of Methodists, Lutherans, some Baptists, and others, was founded in 1964 and affiliates with the World Council of Churches. The Zimbabwe Catholic Bishop’s Conference, recognized by the Vatican, was founded in 1969.

In 1993, the ZHCD helped organize the nation’s indigenous churches, many of which are syncretistic in practice, into its fourth member body, the Union for the Development of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe.

In October 2019, the four groups collectively called for a “seven-year political sabbath” to reset the nation and address its polarization and economic decline.

But as inflation soared over 800 percent, protests scheduled for July 31 last month were also squashed, with a prominent journalist and opposition leader put in prison. The EFZ warned the moment was a crossroads for the country, endorsing the “Zimbabwean Lives Matter” hashtag.

And last Sunday, the Catholic bishops authorized the nationwide reading of a definitive statement.

“Fear runs down the spines of many of our people today,” it said. “The crackdown on dissent is unprecedented … Our government automatically labels anyone thinking differently as an enemy of the country: That is an abuse.”

The government responded immediately by calling the bishops “evil-minded,” seeking to lead the nation into the “darkest dungeons of Rwanda-type genocide” in pursuit of a Western agenda of regime change.

The next day, the EFZ responded.

“We stand with the truth that the Catholic bishops so ably articulated,” read its statement, “the truth of a multi-layered crisis of … economic collapse, deepening poverty, food insecurity, corruption, and human rights abuses.

“We stand with the truth that the government is focused on things other than national democratic priorities.”

CT spoke with EFZ president Never Muparutsa, presiding bishop of the Pentecostal Assembly of Zimbabwe, about ecumenical cooperation, the focus on accountability, and his hope in launching 90 days of prayer and fasting:

Image: Image Courtesy of EFZ

Never Muparutsa, president of Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ)

With such Christian diversity in Zimbabwe, why did you pursue unity?

It came from necessity. There are theological differences between us over speaking in tongues, church authority, and syncretistic practices. But for the purposes of moving our mission forward, since all claim to be Christians, at the ecumenical level we have to come together.

We realized that when we are divided, politicians take advantage. We have not eradicated this completely; politicians still divide us for particular agendas. But we have all agreed that in national matters we must be united, in order to move society in a positive direction.

What are your essential national issues?

The church must be nonpartisan, but at the same time be concerned about the well-being of the general population. We must be the voice of the weak and the voiceless. We must hold our government accountable when it comes to looking after the vulnerable.

Sometimes this makes us look like we are pro-opposition. But we have nothing to do with the opposition, because they are not in power. Our interactions instead are with those in power, because they bear the responsibility.

But we must also come together to hold ourselves accountable, to prevent our members from working against the government—or benefitting from it.

How do you accomplish this?

Within its jurisdiction, each umbrella organization is expected to intervene in areas of dispute, but with limited authority. We go not to discipline, but to persuade. We approach the most senior leaders, relying on our relationships.

Where there is a good relationship, there is a better chance to achieve reconciliation or rebuke.

How does it work within the ecumenical umbrella?

We make decisions based on consensus, after each grouping has gone back to its membership for feedback and support. It can be cumbersome.

But with all that is going on now, we have to make sure we are on the same page. Then we can ask together: Where is the nation going, and how can we help our politicians and hold them accountable?

Each group is encouraged to act where it is strong. Catholics are good in issues of peace and justice. We are understood to be people of prayer. The ZCC is known as being active in civil society. Then we bring it all together, to forge our common path.

Politicians come from society, so I imagine most are members of one church or another. How do you navigate the affiliation of a politician, who might want to leverage support from his church, even if to do something good?

It is not easy. When we meet, we separate the issue from the person. There have been casualties. We have individuals who have been compromised by political prizes here and there. As leaders, even when things are going well, you have to be above board, because tomorrow your stance might compromise you, even if you did not intend it at first.

We feel sorry for them, because we have to approach them at the level of conscience, asking them to do what is right.

What has it been like through the political upheaval of the past several years? Is ecumenical cooperation increasing, or is it increasingly difficult to manage?

From 2004–2006, when our economy first came under pressure, our cohesion and unity became more pronounced. As churches we produced a document called, “The Zimbabwe We Want.” It was not easy, amid many differences. But it produced a very powerful statement, and was launched by the former president himself. And our new constitution borrowed from it as well.

During this time, the church became very strong, and we are getting stronger, especially when there is a crisis. When things are calm, we tend to go back to our individual groupings. But since that time, there is a more comprehensive cohesion, through which we developed our values and vision.

So why is the situation so difficult now?

The former president left us with a system of misgovernance, human rights issues, and international sanctions. We were all very happy when [Mnangagwa] was elected, hearing that he would turn over a new leaf. There was so much hope. Having been part of the system, we expected he would learn the lessons of the past and bring us back into the family of nations.

But with the COVID-19 pandemic, problems began to multiply. We were already suffering, and our health situation became dire. The majority of our people live hand-to-mouth. But as workplaces closed due to the lockdown, there was civic upheaval because people were hungry.

On June 1, we called for 90 days of prayer. On the 15th day, the president called for a national day of prayer, and we supported him. We don’t necessarily blame the president for all the problems, but there is a lack of leadership to bring everyone to the table.

And this is why you stood with the Catholics?

The Catholic letter was trying to provoke discussion, not give an insult. It pointed out problems like all of us were doing. But it received such a strong backlash.

We felt that given the situation in the country, if we just stand by and watch, we don’t know what will happen. We have journalists and activists in prison. There have been abductions with perpetrators unidentified, making us all vulnerable.

So this prompted us to stand with the Catholics, because an insult to one is an insult to all.

The 90 days of prayer will end on August 29. What are your hopes for Zimbabwe, in how God might move on behalf of the church and country?

We need a better future. We have suffered enough over 40 years, having never really enjoyed life. Zimbabwe has been given many natural resources and riches, and if our leaders are gifted enough, they can exploit these for the benefit of the people.

We are praying that the church will raise up disciples, who in the future will be good politicians. We blame ourselves. We have what we deserve, because we have not done a good job.

We want God to help us achieve the Zimbabwe we want, with freedom of speech, access to the wealth of the nation, and an uprooting of corruption.

This is the Zimbabwe we believe God wants, too.

Fight for your rights: Chamisa – The Zimbabwean

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MDC leader Nelson Chamisa 

In a virtual address to his supporters last night where he accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa of presiding over gross human rights abuses, Chamisa also pleaded with the international community to stand with the people of Zimbabwe “in their hour of need” as they were now under siege from the Zanu PF regime.

He started his address by quoting from Nobel Peace Prize winner and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who once said: “If you are neutral in the time of injustices, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

Said Chamisa: “I come to you in circumstances of unprecedented national crisis. Zimbabwe has been turned into a banana republic, a pariah State and the epicentre of evil and outpost of terrorism against innocent civilians.

“It has become so apparent that if we are all going to wait for others to do it, it will never be done.”

He said Mnangagwa must stop labelling citizens as terrorists and bad apples to justify the clampdown by State security agents.

Several people have been arrested while others are in hiding following a government crackdown that began in the run-up to the foiled July 31 protests.

“This business of branding, labelling and condemning citizens as bad apples and terrorists to be flushed out is unacceptable. It is the leader who sets the pace for unity, peace and harmony, heal not kill, treat and not injure, love and not hate, encourage and not victimise,” Chamisa said.

He said Mnangagwa must not be vindictive, but apologise when he makes mistakes, insisting that there was need for Zimbabweans to have their voices heard and that protesting was their right.

“A leader apologises when they make mistakes, forgives and not revenge, love and not hate. Only bad leaders point fingers, blame anyone but themselves, seek to explain problems not to solve them. Bad leaders opt to bury their heads in the sand,” Chamisa said.

He said he was heartened that the church had spoken out as the “moral campus” of the country adding it was now time for Zimbabweans to act and speak against the social ills choking their lives.

The opposition leader bemoaned the abuse of State institutions by government to silence opposing voices.

“Only when Zimbabwe goes through leadership renewal shall we witness a completely new crop of leaders who are accountable. I call upon you not to allow fear mongers, terrorists, to stop you from opening up and demanding accountability. Enough is enough, Zimbabwean lives matter and we can’t breathe,” he said.

“Protest is a God-given right, a fundamental right. Stand up, speak out and fight for your rights. Your voices matter. Let’s not allow threats to force us into silence.”

“Everyone can’t be wrong except the government, it can’t be possible. It is government against the world. Journalists are wrong, lawyers are wrong, doctors are wrong, nurses are wrong, opposition is wrong, churches are wrong, bishops are wrong, prophets are wrong, (South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius) Malema is wrong, AU is wrong, UN is wrong, (Mmusi) Maimane is wrong, (Ugandan opposition leader) Bobi Wine is wrong, Europe is wrong, the region is wrong and only government is correct. It can’t be so,” Chamisa said adding it was now clear that government had become incapacitated to deal with the national crisis.

Meanwhile, the MDC Alliance has demanded an independent investigation into the death of its Hurungwe councillor Lovender Chiwaya, describing claims by the police that he could have died of alcohol abuse as disrespectful to the deceased’s family.

Chiwaya was on Friday found dead a short distance from his home after going into hiding last month as State security agents clamped down on opposition activists.

He was among several MDC Alliance activists

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RBZ permanently bans mobile money operators over allegations of money laundering – The Zimbabwean

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In its mid-term monetary policy statement just released, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has announced a permanent ban of mobile money agents in the country, stating that it is making efforts to proscribe unlawful trading of foreign currency as part of its new monetary policy measures.

Excerpt from the RBZ’s Monetary Policy Statement

The ban comes barely two months after the Zimbabwean government, through a press release, suspended mobile money agents from processing mobile financial transactions in June. The government accused them of producing a quasi currency which was weakening the Zimbabwean dollar (ZW$).

According to the RBZ monetary policy statement, “following the suspension and freezing of agent and bulk-payer wallets on 27 June 2020, mobile money operators have allowed illegal foreign currency dealers to use multiple individual wallets as a means to bypass the transaction limits and continue with their illicit transactions. Mobile money operators shall, with immediate effect, close all multiple wallets, and allow just one wallet per individual.”

The statement also read, “agent wallets are no longer serving any legitimate purpose and were now being used primarily for illegal foreign exchange transactions. Agents’ mobile money wallets are therefore abolished, with immediate effect.”

See the full RBZ monetary policy statement here.

Mobile Money Operators Affected by the Ban

Ecocash, run by Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, is the biggest mobile money operator in Zimbabwe. It offers phone-based financial transactions to 7 million people, which is an overwhelming 93.3% of the entire mobile money subscriber base in the country.

Of the 14.86 million people in Zimbabwe, about 7.5 million (50.4%) are actively subscribed to at least one mobile money platform, mainly Ecocash.

Econet Wireless generated revenues of up to $1.25 billion at year-end 2019 and is yet to release its financial report this year. The company has a current market capitalisation of $11.91 billion, according to Reuters.

If the ban by RBZ is fully effected, Ecocash will not be able to store mobile money or dispense cash via its agents, which will subsequently cut off a large number of subscribers and significantly lessen its generated revenue.

State-owned NetOne’s OneMoney is another mobile money platform which will feel the impact of the ban by RBZ, although in much less terms than Ecocash.

The mobile money service has just 5.9% market share of Zimbabwe’s mobile money, despite being launched before Ecocash. NetOne recorded a huge $10.2 million profit in FY 2018 and has only just gained 18.4% more subscribers in Q1 2020. The ban means OneMoney loses its subscribers and has to rebuild.

Telecell’s Telecash electronic wallet service controls a meagre 0.8% market share of the mobile money subscriber base in Zimbabwe, having about 60,000 subscribers. It posted big losses from $55 million to $1 million last year due to dwindling revenues and zero profits.

Already lagging heavily behind Ecocash and OneMoney before now, Telecash will find it hard to bounce back under the RBZ ban.

How are the people affected?

According to the RBZ policy statement, “transactions by individuals shall be pegged at ZW$5,000 per day. Individuals shall be allowed to undertake Person to Person transfers, Person to Merchant payments for goods and services, settlement of bills and purchase of airtime.”

This means that Zimbabweans now have a daily spending limit of ZW$5000 ($13.81) for all transactions that will be processed via the mobile money apps. They will also not be able to withdraw cash from any mobile money agents whose activities have been shut down.

The RBZ is short on cash and foreign exchange due to inflation and economic instability, therefore it comes as no surprise that it has insisted that people execute their transactions via their mobile devices.

Majority of the mobile money users in Zimbabwe do not have or operate a bank account, especially those living in rural areas. The implication is that they have to open a bank account for them to be able to carry out transfers, withdrawals and deposits, as the policy statement states that such transactions can only be processed through banking channels on the mobile money platforms.

Even for corporations, bulk payment transactions including payment of salaries and wages, must be done through the banking system.

Regulation vs Ban

The role of the RBZ is to act as the sole regulator of all financial institutions in Zimbabwe. This questions the decision by the bank to permanently ban all mobile money operators in the country.

Was a ban the best way for the RBZ to tackle the fraudulent cases associated with mobile operators? The bank could have put out a policy restricting the range of services offered by the platforms to tackle such vices and fix penalties for any defaulters, rather than banning them outrightly in the country.

Mobile money operators were an alternative for the unbanked and underbanked citizens in Zimbabwe. That will no longer be the case following the ban.

South African envoys criticised over Zimbabwe crisis – Biti on eNCA – The Zimbabwean

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25.8.2020 8:19

by Nehanda TV

While the Zimbabwe crisis continues to escalate with the ZANU PF government adamant that there is no crisis, MDC Alliance vice president Tendai Biti criticises the South African envoys for being a political smokescreen with no genuine mandate to remedy the ongoing crisis.

ANC’s head of international relations Lindiwe Zulu and Biti discuss how SADC should resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe before it becomes a full blown catastrophe that spills over the whole region.

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John Deere deal revives Zimbabwe mechanisation hopes – The Zimbabwean

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Deliveries of tractors and generous loan arrangements have raised cautious hopes among Zimbabwe’s farmers, but will the new arrangements make a significant difference to the country’s ailing agricultural sector? Tendai Marima reports

Dozens of yellow four-wheel tractors, along with eight combine harvesters and other pieces of agricultural equipment were delivered to Zimbabwe in April as part of an audacious attempt to mechanise and modernise a farming industry currently reckoned to have a shortage of over 30,000 tractors.

The delivery was part of a deal with John Deere, the world’s largest manufacturer of agricultural equipment. Under a $51m facility Zimbabwe will eventually receive 1300 tractors, 80 combine harvesters and many other pieces of vital agricultural equipment, which will be offered to farmers under a new model for equipment sourcing.

Since the fast-track land reform programme in the 2000s, government efforts to mechanise agriculture have been characterised by financial challenges, corruption and limited repayment of loans. The deal, facilitated by local distributor AFGRI, which will initially train government staff and regional engineers on the equipment, is intended to benefit up to 5,000 farmers via loan arrangements with local banks which require a 20% down payment and repayment over three to five years with a low interest rate of up to 8%.

Zimbabwe previously signed mechanisation deals with manufacturers in Brazil, Belarus, China and India, which exported farming machinery at subsidised prices. With the Zimbabwean government as guarantor, equipment was bought through concessional loans that sought to promote South-South cooperation. However, forex shortages stalled plans announced in 2018 to establish a machinery assembly plant by India’s Mahindra.

In an attempt to learn from those failures, which were usually managed by a wholly state-owned asset finance company, the responsibility for assessing creditworthiness and loans issuance for the John Deere equipment will be with two local and one foreign-owned bank in the hope of improving repayment transparency and efficiency.

According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, Africa has less than two tractors per 1,000 hectares of cropland compared to 10 tractors per 1,000 hectares in South Asia and Latin America. Under the African Union’s 2014 Malabo Declaration, African Union member states explicitly committed themselves to making investments in “suitable, reliable, and affordable mechanisation and energy supplies” in order to double productivity by 2025.

Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector performance has been severely hampered by a lack of agricultural inputs and finance, high input costs, and recurrent droughts, and experts say that mechanisation will improve yields, land management, the quality of produce and boost employment.

While some farmers see the facility as a milestone for Zimbabwe’s agricultural recovery and development after two decades of policy drift, others remain pessimistic as the country endures its worst economic crisis in a decade. Paul Zakariya, head of the Zimbabwe Farmers Union, says that spiralling annual inflation of over 730% has left many farmers financially incapacitated, leaving John Deere equipment “way out of the reach of many farmers” even with generous loan terms.

“Input prices are increasing at a rate that has never been seen before, and with that it leaves a category of farmers with decisions to downsize or not to grow anything at all. It’s not only the inputs, but it’s also the fuels. There are availability issues and the price is also going up, so if you want to run a tractor you need to think twice; how many hectares am I going to do, what is within my means? These are some of the challenges farmers are facing,” he says.

Meeting the needs of smallholders

Toendepi Shonhe, a researcher with Agricultural Policy Research in Africa, says that the “tractorisation” of agriculture has largely focused on middle-scale farmers, but the needs of smallholder farmers are different. With limited collateral security to support a tractor loan application and a high cost of borrowing, smallholders have to resort to finding cheaper alternatives like seasonal tractor loans. Shonhe argues that high-powered tractors are not the only solution to improved productivity for this class of farmer.

“I think there is a need to combine tractorisation and irrigation, and if you do that you will then be able to address problems like water supply and to infuse two-wheel tractors that are able to till smaller lands that are available and affordable to many smallholder farmers,” he says.

Nelson Mudzingwa, an agronomist and resettled farmer who lives on an apportioned 10-hectare farm that was previously part of a 2,000 hectare cattle ranch in Mashava, southeastern Zimbabwe, says farmers in his community would benefit from shared equipment if the financial terms were affordable. One tractor and a combine harvester could support over 400 farmers living in the Shashi block of farms, he says.

“We have a good irrigation system, because the boreholes weren’t destroyed when we occupied this ranch in 2000, but the community here could use one tractor and a combine harvester that we could share on a rotation basis,” he explains. “Most of the work we do is with our hands, but a communal tractor, although it would be expensive, would really help cut the costs of extra labour. A harvester for those who are starting to grow wheat might be a good investment, but finding the money is the challenge.”

More financial support required

Agriculture is the bedrock of Zimbabwe’s livelihood with more than 70% of the population of 14.4m directly or indirectly dependent on the sector. With the country under a coronavirus lockdown for more than three months, farmers face challenges in transporting produce to market arising from a strict 12-hour curfew, restrictions on public gatherings and a ban on inter-city travel via public transport.

With some open-air markets closed in Zimbabwe’s main cities, Harare and Bulawayo vegetable sellers have resorted to selling produce from car boots while fruit and vegetable delivery services have grown as a new avenue for sale. Zakariya says the Covid-19 virus has highlighted the inadequacies of the current farming system.

“Coronavirus has just exposed a lot of gaps in our production and marketing systems… running our operations as strictly business entities will require a total mindset shift,” he says.

Even with a farming community used to hasty improvisation and tough economic conditions, Zimbabwe requires agricultural policies that can deliver a sustainable recovery from the lasting shocks of the land reform programme. While mechanisation facilities offer hope for some farmers, further financial support from government and banks to enable the sustainable sourcing and maintenance of equipment will be essential if John Deere’s machines are to have an optimal impact and boost national productivity.

Lied to and abused, trafficked persons from Zimbabwe find some healing – The Zimbabwean

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Religious sisters attend the Regional Conference on Human Trafficking, March 18 at Arrupe Jesuit University in Harare, Zimbabwe. Center: Sr. Theresa Nyadombo of the Handmaids of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, education secretary for the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said a collaborative effort is needed to raise human trafficking awareness. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

HARARE, ZIMBABWE — Jane sat on a hard, wooden chair at a church in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, and stared into space for some minutes. Then, she began to croon in worship and, a few minutes later, the gates of her heart burst open, and she began to pour out her heart to her Lord, tears flowing freely like a fountain.

“Father, I forgive my abusers and the people who caused me pain,” prayed the 37-year-old mother of two, who asked that Global Sisters Report not use her real name. “They treated me like an animal, like I didn’t matter, like I was a dog, worse than a dog. God, please heal my pain and heal my broken heart.”

Jane’s journey of pain began in 2016, when she was enticed by a trafficking agent in Harare with promises of a salary of $1,400 per month at a hotel in Kuwait, more than 3,000 miles away. Life had become unbearable in Zimbabwe after her husband lost his job as a casual laborer in a local milk factory and they were evicted from their house for nonpayment of rent.

“Life was very difficult and we barely had something to eat, and if we ate, it was one meal per day,” she said.

It was at this difficult time that she met her trafficker, who was well acquainted with her mother. Everything was planned quickly, and within one week, all her travel documents were ready, including her passport. She was given a new Islamic name: Amina Ishmael.

Religious sisters display cloth promoting work against human trafficking at the Regional Conference on Human Trafficking, March 18 at Arrupe Jesuit University in Harare, Zimbabwe. The conference was organized by the African Forum for Catholic Social Teaching and brought together various activists in the area of human trafficking. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

Upon reaching Kuwait, she was picked up from the airport by a man who would be her boss. It was at his house that Jane realized she had been lied to and trafficked. Her host took away her travel documents and forcefully performed a medical procedure to check her overall health.

“I was raped every day, and I was helpless to do anything about it,” she said, weeping throughout the interview with GSR but insisting she wanted to tell her story. “I was forced to work day and night, beaten, restricted to go anywhere, threatened of arrest and deportation and unlawful withholding of my passport. I wasn’t even paid for the five months I worked at the home.”

When things became intolerable, she fled the home and took refuge in the Zimbabwe consulate. Jane was deported after a week, and upon arrival back in Zimbabwe, she was introduced to the religious sisters who run the African Forum for Catholic Social Teaching (AFCAST), an association of justice and peace practitioners throughout Africa, and who chaired the Counseling Services Unit, a group of doctors and counselors who assist the victims of human trafficking in Zimbabwe.

“As AFCAST, we deal with social problems that affect the people,” said Sr. Janice McLaughlin of the Maryknoll Sisters, who is one of the forum’s founders. “We focus our attention mainly on human trafficking and abuse of children and vulnerable adults. We always do our research and then we try to reach out to those affected or those we feel need help. All this is done by following Catholic social teaching and mission.”

Maryknoll Sr. Janice McLaughlin, one of the founders of the African Forum for Catholic Social Teaching, leads dozens of sisters in denouncing trafficking during the Regional Conference on Human Trafficking, March 18 at Arrupe Jesuit University in Harare, Zimbabwe. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

‘There are no jobs here’

Jane is among the 40.3 million people who have been trafficked globally, including 24.9 million in forced labor and 15.4 million in forced marriage, according to 2016 estimates by the International Labor Organization, the most recent available data.

Human trafficking in Africa is an urgent crisis, and women and children are especially at risk. People can be trafficked within their own countries, to neighboring countries and to other continents for sexual exploitation, sexual slavery, forced marriage, domestic slavery and various forms of forced labor, according to the latest report by the United Nations.

Zimbabwe does not meet the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so, according to the 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report from the U.S. State Department. The report also notes that the southern African nation has been mapped as a source, destination and transit point for trafficking. In most of these cases, victims are vulnerable children and young adults.

In 2014, the Zimbabwe Parliament passed the Trafficking in Persons Act to identify those who have been trafficked, mitigate the illicit practice and prosecute trafficking offenders. However, it wasn’t until 2016 that the government launched the Trafficking in Persons National Plan of Action to enforce the law.

Since then, Zimbabwe’s government has made some headway in its efforts to end human trafficking. It investigated 72 potential cases of trafficking and prosecuted 42 cases in 2016, compared to none in the previous year. The government reported prosecuting 14 trafficking cases in 2017.

However, women and girls from Zimbabwean towns bordering South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia are still trafficked and subjected to forced labor and prostitution. In rural areas, men, women and children are also trafficked internally to farms for agricultural labor and to cities for forced domestic labor and commercial sexual exploitation, according to the U.S. State Department.

Along Robert Mugabe Road in Harare earlier this year, hundreds of young female travelers stood in queue, holding luggage and waiting for their turn to enter into a bus. The driver of the Citiliner bus, a South African coach company offering services from Harare to Johannesburg, told GSR that many of them were heading to neighboring South Africa to look for greener pastures.

One of them, a young blond woman in a navy dress, told GSR she felt there was no future for her in her home of Bulawayo in southwest Zimbabwe, and she was seeking opportunities in South Africa to help educate her siblings. She said her friend living in the United States had put her into contact with a woman in Johannesburg who promised to use her connections to find her a well-paying job as a maid.

She blamed poverty and lack of jobs in the country as a reason of migration. The World Bank estimates that extreme poverty in Zimbabwe has risen over the past few years, from 33.4% of the population in 2017 to 40% in 2019. The bank predicts levels will continue to rise in 2020, to between 6.6 million and 7.6 million people. That is about half of the people in this country, who are living on less than $1.90 per day.

“I have no choice but to go and try my luck,” the woman said on condition of anonymity, noting that she doesn’t even have regular migration documents. “I’m told that one needs to have at least $30 to bribe border officials, then they will let you in. There are no jobs here, so I have to try elsewhere to earn a living and help my family.”

High school students attend the Regional Conference on Human Trafficking, March 18 at Arrupe Jesuit University in Harare, Zimbabwe. Public education and awareness campaigns were launched to help especially children, since they are the most vulnerable. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

How the sisters and AFCAST help

On the streets of Harare, people jostle for space to get a glimpse of some notice boards advertising jobs and vacancies in the Middle East, North Africa and in Italy, Spain and other European countries. The vacancies on the glass-sealed notice boards are for recruitment agents looking for saleswomen, housekeepers, hotel attendants, drivers, waitresses and chefs.

Such practices that lead to trafficking have prompted religious sisters in the country and elsewhere to stand up against it. They have been organizing workshops every month in schools and churches to create awareness and assist women and girls affected by trafficking.

McLaughlin said the African Forum for Catholic Social Teaching assists women and girls affected by human trafficking with counselling, reuniting them with their families and even helping them start self-help projects.

“I was really moved by the plight of young women and girls trafficked to Kuwait and other Gulf states when I met some of them through the migration office,” she said. “They are abused in foreign countries after being promised lucrative job offers. But it has been really rewarding to see some of them heal from trauma.”

While addressing a regional conference on human trafficking March 18 at the Arrupe Jesuit University in Harare, McLaughlin denounced human trafficking as dehumanizing.

“Human trafficking is destroying the lives of many people, especially young people and young women. Therefore, there is need for a collective effort to fight the vice,” she said.

The conference, which was organized by the African Forum for Catholic Social Teaching in partnership with the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, brought together various organizations involved in fighting human trafficking: the governments of Zimbabwe and the United States; survivors of trafficking; faith leaders, including Muslims; and members of civil society.

Sr. Mercy Shumbamhini of the Mary Ward Congregation of Jesus in Zimbabwe holds a Talitha Kum banner during the Regional Conference on Human Trafficking, March 18 in Harare, Zimbabwe. Talitha Kum is a Rome-based organization of Catholic women religious established by the International Union of Superiors General in 2009 to end human trafficking. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

Zimbabwe police officers were also in attendance. They encouraged people to come forward and report any trafficking incidences they notice.

“It is the responsibility of each one of us to fight human trafficking,” said Maria Phiri, a detective representing the Zimbabwe Republic Police. “I would like therefore to encourage everyone to collaborate in this fight by detecting any suspicious activities and also report cases of human trafficking to the authorities.”

Human trafficking has disturbing and long-lasting effects on mental health, including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, anger, guilt and shame.

Sr. Elizabeth Boroma, a psychologist, has been counseling women and girls who have been trafficked for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude and forced labor. Boroma told GSR she has helped hundreds of women to come to terms with their pasts and to face their futures with confidence and dignity.

“Most of them are always hesitant at first to talk about their experiences, but with time, they open up and release it,” said Boroma of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. “Some usually cry throughout the entire counseling session, and I let them do it because it’s their way of healing.”

Sarah is one the beneficiaries of Boroma’s counseling service. She recounts heartbreaking tales of desperation, rape, hunger, life on the streets and the suffering she endured in the hope of a better life four years ago in Saudi Arabia, where she thought opportunities were better.

“I wanted take away my life because of the bad experience I went through while in Saudi Arabia,” said the 28-year-old mother of one, who asked GSR not to use her real name. “I went through therapy with the help of the nun, and it helped me move on quickly. I’m now happily married and doing a grocery delivery business.”

The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has changed the nature of the sisters’ anti-trafficking work. Victims of human trafficking say they are not getting the personalized, face-to-face counseling and interaction they previously enjoyed with the sisters. They are also dealing with the loss of their livelihoods.

The sisters have adopted new ways of providing the needed follow-up counseling by communicating with the young women via WhatsApp, email, texting and phone calls.

Jane is still suffering from the sexual assault she went through while in Kuwait and hopes to attend several months of therapy to help her heal and move on.

“I want to move on, but it’s hard to forget what the man did to me,” she said. “He treated me like an animal, but I leave everything to God.”

[Doreen Ajiambo is the Africa/Middle East correspondent for Global Sisters Report. Follow her on Twitter: @DoreenAjiambo.]

Your Favorite Gun-Toting Lawyers Are Back In The Spotlight — See Also

Posted on by TSA Press
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ILTA>ON Announcements Run Gamut From Tool For Combatting Racial Injustice To Long Expected Acquisition

Posted on by TSA Press

The annual ILTACON experience just doesn’t feel the same without a blowout party to close the first day. There’s just something missing about a tech show where we can’t casually tour the exhibit hall and check out the fun (and sometimes not so fun) legal tech costume party. In an homage to the conference experience that COVID has stolen from us this year, I showed up 20 minutes late for the opening keynote.

Not that it mattered! The upshot of an all online conference is that I was able to go back and catch up easily. Jia Jiang provided an insightful lecture called “The Power of Rejection.” Jiang explained how people can learn to be rejection-proof and the basic principles of turning a no into yes. Obviously this was eye-opening for me to learn that there are people out there who aren’t universally beloved and preternaturally persuasive and therefore face the sting of rejection. Truly tragic.

Getting back on track with news, this morning, Rocket Lawyer unveiled a new mobile video feature for capturing discriminatory experiences and sharing them directly with a lawyer. The new offering, RocketEvidence, provides more avenues to get legal help to people who could otherwise go without, allowing:

  • Anyone to easily share video documentation of an incident with a Rocket Lawyer On Call® attorney, in confidence, and ask questions or engage the lawyer to represent them

  • Landlords or personal property owners to ask a lawyer a question and attach visual evidence—for example, in the event of property damage or a fender bender

  • Tenants or buyers to get a lawyer’s feedback on submitted documentation—for example, in the event of pre-existing property damage or negligence

  • Motorists to capture video and/or photographic evidence of traffic stops, traffic tickets, and citations, for a confidential and privileged attorney consultation

Rocket Lawyer CEO Charley Moore, who recently opened up about being racially profiled late last year while driving in Vermont, credits his legal know-how and decision to film his encounter with changing the officer’s whole approach. Drawing upon that experience, Moore’s company now has a product that can give those without that training the same advantages. Moore explained:

In line with our mission of making the law affordable and simple for everyone, we are scaling our platform to meet the growing demand for digital tools of justice. From supporting businesses and families through the pandemic with the COVID-19 Legal Center to enabling remote agreements and digital signatures with RocketSign, we remain committed to expanding access to justice for all. That’s why we built RocketEvidence–to help more people capture, share, and remedy incidents of discrimination and other injustice with the help of privileged and confidential legal counsel.

Beyond product launches, we also learned yesterday about a major acquisition, with iManage acquiring Closing Folders, the legal transaction management software provider. It’s a tie-up that makes a lot of sense with the closing process an obvious candidate for the document management world — not that we should still be thinking of iManage in such narrow terms. With Closing Folders joining the iManage family, the company eyes significant advantages for clients:

  • A single source of truth for transaction documents that limits risk and streamlines processes

  • A single vendor solution that enhances security and governance, lowers cost of ownership, and delivers business agility

  • iManage RAVN’s artificial intelligence capabilities to enable in-depth analysis of transaction data and trends that drive actionable insights and smarter decisions

  • A global, integrated user engagement, training, and support network that extends expert resources across the full breadth of product offerings

  • Global availability as a cloud-based solution

That seems like an obvious marriage — indeed, it’s been foreshadowed in these pages before. I wasn’t able to check out a demo, but I’d be interested to see the RAVN feature in action because I can imagine some cool stuff there.

Remember when I said I miss the exhibit hall costume party? Well, not half as much as I’m going to miss the annual iManage party that usually comes later in the show.

I also got an opportunity to chat with Eli Nussbaum of Keno Kozie about the IT design and support industry in the age of COVID. “We’ve always been providing remote support and assistance to users not in office but the Help Desk has really shifted — it’s evolved from helping people 9 to 5 to facing potential morning and afternoon surges.” And quite the surge, Nussbaum reported 300 percent more volume in March and April.

If the work from home model changed whole concept of the help desk, it revolutionized the tech training effort. “Everything has to be redesigned… Focusing on the technical side of the job, how do you learn when you can’t ask your neighbor? So tech training has had to shift.”

On that note, I also got a chance to catch up with Will Norton of SimplyAgree about the updates to their platform which will offer more flexibility while maintaining the philosophy of a straightforward, simple product designed to maximize adoption. When I talked to Norton about training, he explained that the necessity of adapting to COVID has changed the company’s worldview. “We’ve moved to one-on-one training since the pandemic. We used to do live, group trainings — that allowed us to read the audience and get some interaction, but one-on-one trainings with Zoom get the same effect and produce better adoption. We never would have put the time in otherwise but since we did, the value is worth it.”

There are going to be a lot of interesting lessons coming out of this period but the reconceptualization of training and adoption on the tech side is going to be one of the most interesting to see shake out.

Earlier: ILTACON Becomes ITLA>ON As Legal Technology Show Goes Remote

HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.