Zimbabwe: Cracks grow in Coalition gov`t
Zimbabwe's Coalition Government is on the brink of collapse as serious fissures stalked by the re-arrest of Roy Bennett - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's top aide. Tsvangirai cancelled a Council of Ministers meeting in protest over President Mugabe's refusal to meet him to resolve the matter. - All moves by Tsvangirai to meet Mugabe, Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa and Attorney General Johannes Tomana failed.
The spokesperson of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) James Maridadi confirmed that the minister’s meeting - which Tsvangirai chairs and sits on Thursdays - had been suspended because “the Prime Minister (Tsvangirai) will be meeting the top …Food situation in Zimbabwe remains critical
Growing up at a farm in Zimbabwe's Mashonaland West province, Taitos Kanhu, had never imagined that one day he would be scrounging for food in rubbish bins largely covered by paper and plastic, in central Harare, as throwing away even crumbs has become taboo. Not like the old days when Kanhu and a few other street-kid felonious friends enjoyed freebies from the dump sites, food has become a major problem. - “I think this year has been very difficult for us because very few people throw away food. We are going hungry many times,” he said.
Kanhu’s father Tito, was for many years a farm labourer at one of the most productive farms in Karoi, before ZANU PF mobs led by rogue …$500m for Zimbabwe economy
Two major African banks have extended lines of credit worth more than US$500 million to re-capitalize Zimbabwe's battered economy. The Eastern and Southern Trade and Development Bank of Africa (also known as PTA Bank) announced that it had provided US$265 million towards the re-capitalization of mining and agro-based industries and for Zimbabwe's commercial banks. - “The minister has the vision (to take Zimbabwe out of the woods) we believe in his tragedy of eat what you kill,” Micheal Gondwe, the PTA Bank president told journalists in Harare on Thursday referring to Tendai Biti the Zimbabwe’s minister of finance. “We have noted some positive changes (in Zimbabwe).…Zimbabwe journalist granted bail but…
A Zimbabwean High Court has granted bail to a freelance journalist and two opposition activists but they will remain in custody after the State said it was appealing against the order. - Freelance journalist Andrison Manyere, Chris Dhlamini, MDC head of security and Gandhi Mudzingwa, who is a former personal aide to Tsvangirai, successfully petitioned the High Court for bail after three failed attempts including an appeal in the Supreme Court.
They are facing charges of banditry, sabotage and terrorism.
In granting bail, Judge Charles Hungwe said: “I see no reason not to grant the applicants bail. The presumption of innocence weighs in the favour of the applicants. The offense t…Zimbabwe: US warns of new sanctions
The US ambassador to Zimbabwe, James McGee, has warned of new targeted sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and senior members of his party unless they show "absolute ability" to change. - Speaking to journalists on various issues, Ambassador McGee said sanctions against Mugabe and senior members of his party will remain in place until they have shown positive movement.
McGee said the Zimbabwe Democracy and Recovery Act (Zidera), passed by the American congress in 2001, will remain effective until there was ‘positive’ movement by the inclusive government.
“Zidera and the individual sanctions are in place and they are going to remain in place until we see some pos…Zim: Fresh cholera outbreak looms
Zimbabwe faces a fresh cholera epidemic given that water and sewage systems have not been repaired, visiting Oxfam chief executive Barbara Stocking said Monday. - Stocking who is on a three-day visit to Zimbabwe was speaking after touring a cholera treatment centre in Harare’s high density suburb of Budiriro, which was the hardest hit area. Stocking officially commissioned a borehole drilling programme at a primary school in the area.
“We have to expect a cholera epidemic and outbreak to happen again at the end of this year given that the water and sewage system is not working well. It is not going to be quick and easy to get an efficient water and sewage system fully working…Zimbabwe: Security legislation passed
Zimbabwe parliament on Tuesday passed legislation that seeks to regularize the operations of security forces in line with the formulation of an inclusive government in the troubled southern African country. - Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) demanded during the party’s negotiation process that the Zimbabwe National Security Council Bill be passed into law as a pre-condition to joining the inclusive government with Robert Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara’s smaller MDC faction.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in on Wednesday as Prime Minister in line with the global political agreement signed in September last year.
The Zimbabwe National Security Council Bill which was …Zim: UN promises US$5m to fight cholera
The United Nations will avail US$5 million for Zimbabwe's health sector as the country is battling a cholera outbreak which is still not under control, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said Saturday. - Veneman, the first head of a UN agency to visit Zimbabwe in three years, visited a cholera treatment center and a program that helps support over 250,000 orphans and vulnerable children. Her findings were at variance with claims by President Robert Mugabe that the outbreak had been “arrested.”
“The cholera outbreak is the tip of the iceberg. The economy is crumbling, with the highest inflation rate in the world at 231 million percent,” said Veneman.
She s…Zim: New $100tr note buys little bread
Zimbabwe's central bank has introduced $100 trillion notes, enough to buy only six dozens of bread, as inflation continues to erode the value of worthless Zimbabwe dollar. The Reserve Bank also introduced $10 trillion, $20 trillion and $20 trillion notes. The notes are already in circulation. - “In a move meant to ensure that the public access their money from banks, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has introduced a new family of notes,” The RBZ said.
Most Zimbabweans are no longer accepting the local currency as a form of payment preferring the South African rand and the United States dollar. Due to the worthlessness of the local currency, the RBZ, licensed about 1000 shops to se…Abducted activist breaks down in court
A prominent human rights activist who was abducted by state security agents early December broke down during cross examination as she narrated her "frightening" experiences at the hands of her abductors. - Jestina Mukoko wept bitterly when she told magistrate Archi Wochiunga that her home resembled a funeral when she was briefly taken there by state security agents to search for arms a month after her abduction.
“My brother from Gweru, my nephew from Chitungwiza, my mother and my mother-in-law were all there. I saw a pile of……” she broke down and continued “…it resembled a funeral because they all thought that I must have died,” said Mukoko.
Mu…Zim: Court throws out activist's application
A Zimbabwean court threw out an application seeking the release of jailed Zimbabwean human rights activist Jestina Mukoko on Friday. But the court ruled that she be admitted to the hospital for treatment for the torture she suffered at the hands of state security agents after days of kidnapping. - “The judge has ruled against us on virtually every matter. The judge refused to make a decision whether or not people who have been unlawfully kidnapped can be lawfully taken on remand and he said the remand court should deal with that. He has refused to order the police to bring before him evidence that they would have investigated what are admitted unlawful kidnappings,” said Beatrice…Zimbabwe to declare state of emergency
The opposition MDC has alleged that Zimbabwe government was preparing to declare a state of emergency in the troubled southern African country. MDC secretary general Tendai Biti said ZANU PF was forcibly extracting incriminating evidence from over 20 party activists abducted over two months. - Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa claimed in the Herald on Monday that the government had evidence that the Movement for Democratic Change was training bandits in neighbouring Botswana.
Biti said ZANU PF had prepared a colourful document in which the "evidence" forcibly extracted from the party activists was to justify the declaration of a state of emergency.
"We have no doubt as a party that t…Zim fingers Britain in cholera outbreak
British agents connived with SA police to plant cholera and anthrax bugs and more British agents were in the country to seed more cholera bugs, Zimbabwean minister of information, Ndlovu has asserted. Cholera has so far claimed more than 800 lives in the beleaguered southern African country. - Ndlovu told journalists at a media briefing in the capital Harare that the cholera outbreak that has been declared a national emergency was planted by the British more than 28 years ago and was also being re-planted to justify the regime change agenda in the southern African country.
"Cholera is a calculated racist terrorist attack on Zimbabwe by the unrepentant former Colonial power which has enlis…Mugabe: 'Tsvangirai is a political prostitute'
Zimbabwe's President Mugabe has called MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai a political prostitute and said that British premier Gordon Brown must undergo mental examination. He was addressing mourners gathered at the national burial shrine, for the burial of ZANU PF political commissar Eliot Manyika. - He died in a car accident on Saturday; Mugabe said Zimbabweans should solve their own problems.
"You find someone in Germany, in France, in Botswana and Senegal, what are you looking for? This is prostitution in politics. Stop this prostitution," he said, adding, "Let's settle things here."
Mugabe said the British could criticize Zimbabwe but for them to call for an invasion, was inviting the w…EU to address abductions in Zimbabwe
European Union foreign ministers are expected to deliberate on the increasing number of abductions of human rights activists in Zimbabwe, a top diplomat has said. - The diplomat who could not be named said that the Netherlands Embassy was expected to raise the issue when the foreign ministers meet in Brussels on Monday. He was speaking on the sidelines of a press conference called by Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) for an update on the abduction ZPP director Jestina Mukoko who was abducted on Wednesday last week.
“We have brought the matter to the attention of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and we want to raise the matter at the meeting of European Union foreign …Zim: Judges reject human rights case
Three Zimbabwean High Court judges have declined to hear an application into the abduction of human rights activist Jestina Mukoko because "it was too hot," a lawyer working on the matter has said. - Beatrice Mtetwa said the file had been tossed from one judge to another who all declined to hear the matter after reading its contents. “The file was given to a judge yesterday. I went to the High Court this morning and that judge to whom the case had been allocated had still not come in by 10:00hrs so the file had to be re-allocated. It was then taken to another judge who after going through the file said that he could not hear the matter. It was then taken to another judge at about 11:00…Zim: Bank directors, top management fired
The Zimbabwean reserve bank has dissolved one of the country's commercial banks board of directors, fired top management and banned them from holding office in any bank in Zimbabwe as the central bank attempts to reign in on the parallel market activities. - The central bank governor Gideon Gono announced at a press conference the removal from office of the entire CFX bank board of directors and top management for offloading new notes onto the parallel market before their date of release.
Gono threatened “severe and swift remedial measures” to any bank found violating its regulations.
“The Reserve Bank has noted with grave concern the tendency by some banks to allow t…Zim: US calls for release of right activists
United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee has called for the release of prominent human rights activist and former broadcaster Jestina Mukoko who was on Wednesday abducted by 15 unidentified men from her home near Harare. - McGee was speaking at an annual Auxillia Chimusoro awards ceremony where Mukoko was supposed to be the master of ceremony. The organizers had to frantically look for a replacement following the abduction of Mukoko.
“We all know that Jestina Mukoko was supposed to be the master of ceremony but was abducted at 5 am this morning. I call upon whoever has abducted Mukoko, whether it is the government, the police or anyone to release her. We want Mukoko released…Zimbabwe: Opposition member weeps
MDC vice president wept bitterly when she saw the deteriorating medical condition of people infected with cholera. She wept as women of Budiriro in Harare gathered at the Polyclinic and told her of the problems they were facing due to the outbreak and failure by the city council to pump clean water. - Thokozani Khupe appealed for international support to fight the cholera outbreak saying that the outbreak was a national emergency.
The MDC vice president and deputy prime minister designate Khupe appealed for international aid, drugs, and manpower to help contain cholera which has now spread to Zimbabwe's neighbouring countries.
Khupe made the appeal after touring Budiriro and Harare's l…Zimbabwe: Central bank strikes
Zimbabwe central bank governor Gideon Gono has threatened to withdraw bank licenses of banks which he accused of indiscipline. He threatened stockbrokers he accused of perpetuating fraudulent activities on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange because they affect economic recovery. - Addressing bankers and journalists in Harare, Gono said the ugly head of indiscipline and corruption had threatened to wipe out the Zimbabwean economy. He accused banks of honouring fraudulently drawn cheques but warned that such banks would lose bank licenses.
“Any bank where bank cheques are fraudulently drawn with effect from 20 November 2008 will automatically lose its trading license and the chief executive …MDC sets conditions for unity government
The MDC has said that it will not participate in a government of national unity with ZANU PF unless a constitutional amendment upon which the agreement was based is enacted. The MDC vice president Thokozani Khupe has said the party will not be part of any authority unless its conditions have been met. - Key among the conditions is the enactment of Constitutional Amendment 19 agreed upon by the parties in a global political agreement. The amendment is set to create offices such as prime minister’s office, and many other important facets that will allow for the implementation of the government of national unity agreement.
Khupe said the party also wanted an equitable distribution of m…“Zimbabwe in a state of emergency”
Zimbabwe is in a state of emergency in the area of food security and the consequences could be disastrous, Tsvangirai said. He said an inclusive government must be formed to deal with the crisis. Uncertainty with the conclusion of the negotiations was causing unnecessary anxiety and agony, he added. - Tsvangirai met with food security experts, food manufacturing companies and farmers in order to ascertain the quantities of food available for this season. He also sought the capacity of food manufacturing industry to deliver the required quantities and the state of preparedness of the farmers. He said the deepening food insecurity will require significant amount of food for an estimated 5.1 mi…Zimbabweans sue Central Bank
Zimbabwe`s Central Bank has been taken to court for human rights violations. Four Zimbabwean workers accuse the Bank of economic terrorism, which was driving them to insanity by imposing cash withdrawal limits that are not based on sound economic considerations. - Lawyers from Mbidzo Muchadehama and Makoni representing the complainants through their representative, Restoration of Human Rights- Zimbabwe, cited the finance minister and the Reserve bank of Zimbabwe as first and second respondents. CABS building society, Metropolitan bank, and POSB have also been cited in the court papers. The three banks are commonly used by workers in the low income bracket.
The workers said that the maxim…
