Brian Warren

The Memorial Service for Brian Warren is to be held on Friday 18^th September at Highlands Presbyterian Church at 3.30pm. Pat, Phil, Debi, Austin, Lin and Gill would like to invite friends to join them in celebrating the life of a very special husband, father and grandfather. Followed by tea afterwards at the Church.

Duty on books

We would like to draw your attention to the new duties being imposed on ALL books imported into Zimbabwe from the 1^St September 2015.  Whilst we are aware that Zimbabwe did not sign the Florence Agreement, until recently as a country it has complied with the intent of the protocols contained. 

 

The inclusion of books was very unclear in SI92 of 2015, as a single line Tariff Code (covering books) was included in a long list of other goods (cooking oil, fertilizers, business stationery and furnishings).  The relevant Tariff Code of 4901.9900 is only shown as "other" and one needs to look up the Zimra Tariff Book to ascertain that books are subject to this large duty increase. 

 

From current feedback it seems that the public, schools and even Ministry of Education may be unaware of this, despite the negative impact it will have on schools, children and education.  There appears to have been no consultation with the education sector on the impact this will have.

 

Whilst we understand that many charities and NGOs are able to obtain exemptions from duties, the reality of such a high tax on essential school books and reading materials will have an extreme effect on prices for the general public.  The new tariff appears to include exercise books as well as text books and reading books. 

 

This change in tariff was Gazetted in Statutory Instrument 92 of 2015 in August and took effect on 1 September 2015.  Any book shipments that have been placed before this Gazetting are now to be subject to punitive duties.  The wording around books is unclear and as it is only now that the duty is taking effect.  Arriving consignments are being held up whilst clearing agents try to find a common consensus with ZIMRA on what is subject to the duty and levies.

 

If Zimbabwe is to realize and revive a Reading Culture, the availability of a wide range of affordable books is essential.

 

This new Duty charge will see all imported books increase in price by around 50 to 60% - books are already expensive, and this new duty will place books in the category of luxuries.

 

Schools who seek to buy textbooks will have to pay more money from their limited budgets - schools cannot increase fees and are struggling to raise funds - the School Improvement Grants are already small relative to what schools need in order to refurbish and restock.

 

The net effect will be a shortage of books for schools & children, constraining teachers' ability to teach and ultimately harming children's education.

 

Wide range reading, which is the key to developing literacy in children, will become a thing of the past for all but the children of the wealthy.

 

The reason for the change in duty has been explained as necessary to protect our local printing industry and local publishers.  However print costs in Zimbabwe are high due to the fact that all paper/ink/machinery need to be imported.  Zimbabwe does not have a competitive advantage in the printing industry, and protective measures such as these serve only the narrow interests of the locally owned printers, to the detriment of schools, children and the public at large.  This does not protect local publishers anyway, who could previously have their books printed outside the country if they deemed it more cost-effective- it is notable that the Longmans textbooks acquired for the ETF textbook provision were printed outside Zimbabwe.

 

The availability of imported books, or the ability of local publishers to print outside the country, is the only practical way to make books affordable for schools and the public. Local printers will now have no competitive pressures to contain their costs and prices.

 

It is ironic that we have just celebrated World Literacy Day as the new Duties place quality books out of the reach of the vast majority of the nation.

 

We are lobbying for an exemption on educational books and resources and would ask that if you feel this duty is unacceptable, that you make your views known to the Ministry of Education, or their representative.

 

Kind Regards, Emma O Beirne

 

 

JAG

COMMUNIQUE dated 15 SEPTEMBER 2015

===================================

 

Greetings to our JAG enthusiasts

 

The sudden death of John has necessitated the reassessment of the way forward for JAG.  However, nothing has changed other than a re-election of the Board of Trustees.

 

The current Trustees confirm  that all records and information are safely stored.

JAG was John’s  “life” for so many years, his enthusiasm, knowledge  and input immeasurable.

 

Please bear with us while we sort out the day to day issues that John was dealing with.  We have spent the last few months clearing outstanding issues and  benefiting  from the considerable and unquantifiable assistance by Lizette Nortier . We confirm we will be back in circulation on the 1 November 2015.

 

Thank you all for your condolences – many,  many - for your support and your  co-operation.

 

We will keep in touch and are still here to assist in any way we can.

Thank you, blessings to all -  JAG is here to stay.

 

THE JAG TEAM

Death Notices

Death Notice: It is with much sadness that Elaine Murray, beloved mother of Tony, Christopher and Ethan, made her final exit on Wednesday 16 September 2015.  A memorial service/wake will be held for her at Larmenier on Saturday 19 September 2015 at 3 pm.

 

Death Notice: Lynette Hervey, sister of Michael, sadly passed away on September 16^th.  Her memorial service will be held at St Mark’s in Ruwa on Wednesday 23^rd September at 11am.  All friends are warmly invited to come and share in the memories of Lynette. 

Serices offered by the British Consulate

Services offered in Consular Section

 

Emergency Travel Documents

Assistance/Support for vulnerable and distressed British nationals. The attached link Support for British nationals abroad: a guide https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/317474/FCO_Brits_Abroad_2014.pdf illustrates what we can and cannot do for British nationals overseas.

·         We have Vulnerability Checklists that we use to assess the degree of vulnerability then decide if someone needs more consular assistance than what we would normally provide e.g home visits

Consular support includes:

-          Victims of crime

-          Prison detentions

-          Hospital visits

-          Welfare cases, especially for the elderly and vulnerable

 

UK State Pension queries

 

Crisis Response - we regularly test the Embassy Crisis Management Plan for a co-ordinated response in a crisis/emergency situation in assisting British nationals

 

Home Office Citizenship Ceremonies (swearing the Oath of Allegiance)

 

Congratulatory messages from the Queen - 100^th birthday cards, 60^th wedding anniversary

 

Telephone Service - for British nationals wishing to contact HMPO, Pension Service or other UK Govt Depts

 

Warden Network - consular representatives who are a source of local knowledge and information in the community.  They also assist in a crisis/emergency situation.

 

 

Services no longer offered in Consular Section, and date when stopped

 

UK Visas                                                                                                                                               2005

 

Nationality & Citizenship Determinations                                                                              2009

 

Repatriation Scheme                                                                                                                      2010

 

LOCATE Registration                                                                                                                       2010

 

Obtaining duplicates of lost Zimbabwe birth/death/marriage certificates                               2011

on behalf of BNs

 

Home Office Renouncing, Reclaiming Citizenship including Citizenship                    2012

Applications      

                                                                                                                               

Witnessing Signatures on Proof of Life Certificates for UK Pensioners                     2013

 

Documentary services – certifying documents including British passports              2013                                                                                                                                                                                      

War Pension Claims                                                                                                                        2013

 

Renewing Diplomatic Passports                                                                                                 2013

 

Passports applications/renewals                                                                                               1 January 2014

 

Historically, FCO Consular Sections processed passport applications/renewals overseas on behalf of HM Passport Office (formerly Identity & Passport Service).

 

In 2006 the National Audit Office recommended that the FCO and HMPO look at ways of reducing costs, reducing the security risks associated with transporting large volumes of passport books internationally and merging of the UK and overseas passport services. 

 

With passport fraud and identity theft on the increase, the way passports are issued had to change to safeguard personal identity and ensure that UK passports continue to meet both international security and quality standards.  All passports produced now have more sophisticated security features designed to reduce the likelihood of identity theft and passport fraud.  It is therefore not affordable to print these new passports overseas.

 

Following the 2006 audit, all passport books were removed from Consular Sections around the world and the service repatriated back to HM Passport Office in the UK.  Zimbabwe applicants now apply directly to the UK.

 

Issuing Consular Birth/Death Certificates                                                                              14 December 2014

 

 

 

Tips from Birdlife Zimbabwe

Tips from BirdLife Zimbabwe                                                      www.birdlifezimbabwe.org

With the onset of summer, many birds are preparing themselves for the breeding season. Harare is currently alive with the sizzling sounds of weavers busy building their nests. The Village Weavers are already in their breeding finery. Some of you may have them in your garden? Other species will be nesting in your grass, shrubs and trees. Please check them before trimming. If you do find a nest, cultivate patience and let it be. It only takes a few weeks for chicks to develop before they leave the nest. And once they leave the nest….

Q. Why do birds leave the nest before they can fly?

A. It's to some young birds' advantage to leave the nest as soon as they can. People tend to think of nests as safe, cozy little homes. But predators have a pretty easy time finding a nest full of loud baby birds, and nests can be hotbeds of parasites. Parent birds work from sunrise to sunset every day to get their young grown and out of the nest as quickly as possible. After fledging, the young birds are more spread out, and the parents can lead them to different spots every night, enhancing each one's chances of survival. During this vulnerable time, you can help young birds by making sure your pets are indoors, or closely monitored when outside.

Other young birds may stay in their nests until they are capable of flight. Species such as swallows, woodpeckers, and other cavity nesters nest where there are no nearby branches for young to awkwardly grab onto when they first leave the nest. Unless startled by a predator, young of these species tend to remain in the nest until they are strong fliers.

If you have found a baby bird that you think may have left the nest prematurely, what do you do?

At some point, nearly everyone who spends time outdoors finds a baby bird—one that is unable to fly well and seems lost or abandoned. Your first impulse may be to help the young bird, but in the great majority of cases the young bird doesn't need help. In fact, intervening often makes the situation worse. Here’s how to determine whether to take action:

The first thing to do is to figure out if the baby bird is a nestling or a fledgling.

Most of the baby birds people find are fledglings. These are young birds that have just left the nest, are still under the care of their parents, and do not need our help. Fledglings are feathered and capable of hopping or flitting, with toes that can tightly grip your finger or a twig. These youngsters are generally adorable and fluffy, with a tiny stub of a tail.

When fledglings leave their nest they rarely return, so even if you see the nest it's not a good idea to put the bird back in—it will hop right back out. Usually there is no reason to intervene at all beyond putting the bird on a nearby perch out of harm's way and keeping pets indoors. The parents may be attending to four or five young scattered in different directions, but they will return to care for the one you have found. You can watch from a distance to make sure the parents are returning to care for the fledgling.

If the baby bird is sparsely feathered and not capable of hopping, walking, flitting, or gripping tightly to your finger, it's a nestling. If so, the nest is almost certainly nearby. If you can find the nest (it may be well hidden), put the bird back as quickly as possible. Don't worry—parent birds do not recognize their young by smell. They will not abandon a baby if it has been touched by humans.

If you have found both parents dead, the young bird is injured, you can't find the nest, or are absolutely certain that the bird was orphaned, then your best course of action is to bring it to a wildlife rehabilitator. A sick, injured or orphaned baby bird may need emergency care until you can get it to a wildlife rehabilitator.

 

 

 

Ethucal Hunting

From: Meryl Harrison merylharrison@gmail.com
 

In your recent email of CFU (Commercial Farmers Union) Calling (August 7th), under the column Executive News, your writer included  a lengthy list of all the people who would be subjected to loosing their jobs or have their business's closing if the ban on hunting went ahead.

However I was surprised that at the same time, there was not a word about the hunting industry in Zimbabwe perhaps cleaning up it's act?

 

Fundamental to ethical hunting is the idea of a fair chase - let those responsible put their house in order first.

This would mean the end of illegal hunts, canned lion hunts, the use of live animals for bait, the hunting of nocturnal animals using off-road vehicles and high powered lights, electronic "calling", and the hunting of leopards using packs of dogs.

The late well known conservationist Viv Wilson, was quoted as saying "the leopard doesn't stand a chance" - proven perhaps by the fact that leopard hunts using dogs, advertise them as being "100% successful".

 

The Confederation of Hunters Associations of South Africa policy on Ethical Hunting and Fair Chase states "A recreationally hunted animal should exist as a naturally interacting individual of a wild sustainable population - baiting is hardly a natural interaction, neither is setting packs of dogs on leopards.

 

Hunting of wild life in Zimbabwe is unlikely to be banned, but at all costs it must be ethical, transparent and free of corruption.

 

Meryl Harrison