The Zimbabwean government through the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has received an amount of over $400 000 from a United Kingdom based organization towards the resuscitation and support of the maternal and new born survival in the country. - Absolute Return for Kids (ARK) donated US$431 210 to the Ministry at a signing ceremony held at the UNICEF offices in Harare attended by senior officials from UNICEF, government and ARK. Addressing journalists and officials who gathered at the ceremony, UNICEF country representative Peter Salama said new born disorders is contributing to one third of the total infant mortality rate in the country while half of the total deaths happen w…

Zimbabwean Vice President John Nkomo has diplomatically admitted that his country does not have a property rights policy that is consistent and coherent, which is the source of investors' fears for investing in the country. Addressing delegates at the official opening of a two day Euromoney Investment Conference, Nkomo said there is need for the government to put in place measure to safeguard property of investors. - “Government needs to put in place mechanisms to protect the rights of property in Zimbabwe so that investor feel free to put their money in the country,” said Nkomo. Nkomo said the Southern African country was now ranked number three in Africa as a preferred …

Zimbabwe's much touted literacy rate of more than 90% has been disputed as having been outdated since the figures are based on data collected by UNESCO and the government more than a decade ago. - We roughly estimate that the literacy rate for those over 15 is dropping a half percent each year and that will accelerate to 1% each year as those who left school after 2005 reach age 15,” writes Zimbabwe Reads on its website. The same organization goes on to state that the Zimbabwean education situation is likely to worsen if the current conditions continue to prevail adding that Zimbabwe might not even be the continent’s highest literary country. “If current conditio…

Water supply is erratic, council's rubbish compacters are nowhere near sight, open market stalls are selling foodstuffs nearly everywhere, flies are roaming 'without boundaries' everywhere from the toilets to the open canteens to the open market stalls, that's what it is to be in Mbare, Harare (formerly Salisbury)'s oldest township. - The township was established as (Harare Township) in 1907 by colonial white regime for what they referred to as the natives as bachelors’ quarters and yet today each cubicle measuring approximately twenty five square meters in Mbare flats caries between three and five families. Can anyone figure this out? Since 1980, the flats…

While the Harare City council is busy engaging in running battles with city vendors, Health Minister has called for authorities to devise ways to formalize the vending sector so as to boost government coffers for efficient health service delivery. Due to the fact that there is donor fatigue, the government alone is not capable of financing the operations of the health sector due to the high unemployment rate currently in the country. - “Zimbabwe is struggling to finance health care, as government it is our responsibility to finance health care. In Zimbabwe about 10 to 13 percent of the population is formerly employed and so we have a bit of a challenge,” said Madzorera. …

Zimbabwe's 2008 political situation left most sectors of the country down to their knees with dilapidated infrastructure, a non-productive manufacturing sector and a non-provision of social services resulting in a catastrophic situation. While everything virtually came to a halt, the country was faced the biggest huddle of keeping its population alive in a hyper-inflationary society that saw inflation rising to as high as 6, 5 Quindecillion in January 2009 just before the formation of the coalition government. - The country now has a government that includes the Zimbabwe African National Union (Patriotic Front) ZANU (PF) and the two factions of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)…

In the African context, traditional leadership is a preserve of males while women are restricted to the kitchen and the house chores. It is not by design that women find themselves in such marginalized areas of everyday lives but the African society has socialised them into believing that they are subordinated to their male counterparts. - It was unheard of that in the African culture there can be a female traditional leader or even in the political sense and up to this day it still remains a taboo in some cultures to have a female leader while there is a slight appreciation of the dynamic nature of culture. Despite the marginalization of women in Africa and the world at large, Africa has…

Zimbabwean Prime Minister and who is the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) President, Morgan Tsvangirai has expressed concern over the partisan manner in which government is implementing the indigenization programme saying the issue should not be politicized. - Responding to questions raised during the inaugural Prime Minister’s Question Time in parliament, on Wednesday, Tsvangirai who is the leader of government business in parliament said there is need for government to come up with a broader based indigenization policy which does not bring unnecessary shivers among investors. He said government should rather look at creating more wealth which can be shared equitably among citizen…

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched a water harvesting program in Southern African country of Zimbabwe in response to the recent cholera outbreak that left more than 4 000 people dead in 2008. Cholera has been one of the main health issues bedevilling the country that is struggling with its economy. - Speaking at the launch of the program in Chitungwiza, a town 30km outside the capital Harare on Wednesday, the International Relief and Development country director Themos Ntasis said the program was being implemented through a Memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of health and Child Welfare. “International Relief and development (IRD) w…

Zimbabwe's Maternal Health delivery system has been dealt a major blow after the Japanese government through its embassy re-scheduled the US$5.6 million grant signing ceremony that was due to take place on Friday at the UNICEF offices in Harare. - The Japanese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Koichi Morita was openly in tears as he addressed the guests that had gathered to witness the ceremony moaning the tragic developments taking place in his Asian country where thousands of people have lost their lives due to the devastating earthquake and Tsunami that wrecked the country. “I have not received communication from my Minister in Tokyo, so we have decided to suspend all international com…

At the age of 14 Tichaona does not even know how it feels to be a family neither does he knows how it feels to be home, for the streets of Harare are his home with or without warmth and comfort. Tichaona is born to Marry Mapoto who herself is a member of the street society and does not even know who her son's father is as he was fathered also on the streets, neither does she know Tich's surname. - However, Tich, as he is called by fellow street children, finally found a home at a certain non-governmental organization in Harare where he is now receiving literary lessons to know how to read and write as he has never been to a formal school. “I was born here and my brothers a…

At seventy nine years of age Angella Mutomba of Chitungwiza, a town 30km West of the Zimbabwean capital Harare, has to wake up at mid-night to check if her water taps are producing any water, and in most of the cases she finds nothing before she can walk the next five kilometers in search of the commodity of life. - Mutomba, who looks after four grandchildren orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS disease, is partially blind and sometimes her eyes can be totally blind but has to face the reality of having to look for her grandchildren. The eldest of the four is a girl aged 9 who despite her tender age take it upon herself to help her grandmother with some household chores among them, fetchi…

Martin Kalembo and his family migrated to Zimbabwe in 1986 from Malawi when his country's economy was not doing well and hoped for a better life there, they later found work on the farm of one white commercial farmer where they became farm labourers. - Most of Kalembo’s kinsmen later joined him after his communication with them that he was now living a better life, as compared to their lives back home. However, Kalembo was not the first from Malawi to migrate to Zimbabwe but other foreign nationals from other neighbouring countries had also settled in the Southern African country. “I came here in 1986 after realizing that life was now unbearable back home where we had to …

The Global Fund, an international financing institution to Fight HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria will not be financing Zimbabwe's Round 10 application for unspecified reasons. The National Aids Council (NAC) Chief Executive Officer Dr Tapiwa Magure has described the news as shocking. - "This has come as a shock especially to NAC because we are almost at the end of preparing the Zimbabwe National Strategic Plan. It means we have to reprioritise and focus on a few issues because the budget has now been limited. This will make it difficult to attain the Millennium Development Goal of universal access to treatment.” "It’s unfortunate that they have not yet given us…

South African President Jacob Zuma who flew to Zimbabwe Friday said his visit was successful following the three GPA principal's agreement to resume the Monday meetings that had been boycotted by the two ZANU (PF) rivals. The three meet every Monday to discuss government business. - Zuma, as the SADC appointed mediator of Zimbabwe’s in talks between the three political rivals sharing power in the current Inclusive government was previously supposed to have met the three at the SADC troika on politics, defence and security, a meeting which failed to take part in Botswana after its Chairman Rupiah Banda of Zambia and Deputy Aemando Guebuzza of Mozambique failed turn up for the meeti…

Zimbabwe on Monday reportedly boycotted a Kimberley Process Certification Scheme meeting in Belgium, as the Southern African country's protest against the denial by the KP to allow it to unconditionally sell its gems. - The Country’s diamonds which are being mined in the Eastern parts of the country in Marange have been a centre of contention between government and the civil society with the later claiming that they are blood diamonds. According to the Herald newspaper, Mines and Mining Development Minister Obert Mpofu confirmed the KP was meeting in Brussels. "They have been begging us to attend the meeting but we are not attending. "We have nothing to discuss …

Zimbabwe's annual inflation has dropped to 3.6 percent for the month of October, a 0.6 percent decline from September's 4.2 percent, the government statistics agency has said. According to data released by the agency the month-on-month inflation rate in October was up 0.2 percent after gaining 0.1 percent on the September rate of 0.1 percent. - "The year-on-year inflation rate for the month of October 2010 as measured by the all-items consumer price index (CPI) stood at 3.6 percent," the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstats) said in a statement. The agency said the rise in the monthly inflation was a result of higher prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages…

Zimbabwe will by end of the year launch a fibre optic cable that will link the country to the undersea high-speed cable in Mozambique, a cabinet Minister has said. The high-speed cable is expected to boost the countr's internet connectivity speed, in a development that will see the country enjoying high-speed internet connectivity. - Information and Communication Technology Minister Nelson Chamisa told a local paper that work was now in progress to lay and fill the cable. “Trenching of the fibre optic cable between Harare and Mutare has now been completed. We still hope that the cable will be launched before the end of the year if all goes according to plan,” he told The…

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who is also the MDC party president has indicated that his party is ready for early polls next year to bring to an end the "unhappy marriage" his party is in with ZANU (PF) in the inclusive government. - Tsvangirai told party supporters that he did not see eye to eye with President Mugabe because of the latter’s continuous violation of the GPA. "Mugabe is a crook. Mugabe is a dishonest person. We do not see eye to eye in cabinet. We don't look at each other. The MDC has given up on Mugabe because of his continued violation of the GPA and early elections are the best option," Tsvangirai said to a loud applause from…

Zimbabwean Vice President John Landa Nkomo has described the Global Political Agreement signed in September 2008 establishing the current coalition government in the country as a 'grave political mistake' citing wide differences between the party ideologies. - Speaking at the Zanu-PF Matabeleland South Provincial Conference Nkomo said there was no unity among the three political parties and that he did not expect any such with a party they so disagree with. “The GPA was a mistake. We never thought we would sit down in Cabinet with the MDC and map the way forward as there are wide differences in the way we view development. Let me put it on record that there is no unity bet…

A Zimbabwean High Court has given an aggrieved 200 Air Zimbabwe employees permission to attach and sell the struggling parastatal's movable properties to recover close to US$500 000 they are owed in unpaid salaries and bonuses. - The airliner had paid the workers part of the estimated $1.5 million and owed US$477 310,62 as the balance which its workers through their union, National Air Workers and Air Transport Union sought the assistance of the High Court to compel their employer to pay them their 2009 November and December salaries and bonuses. The High Court order read: “To the Sheriff for Zimbabwe or his lawful deputy: “You are required and directed to attach and tak…

Political temperature in Zimbabwe is heating up after the announcement by President Robert Mugabe that the Southern African country could go for polls next year. Mugabe said the country's two year coalition government's life could no longer be extended. - This is because of some sharp differences among the government officials who are from the country’s three political parties that are signatory to the Global Political Agreement which is the basis on which the country’s coalition government was formed. Mugabe only indicated his willingness for elections after his party and its affiliates (War veterans) indicated that they wanted him as the country’s life presid…

Zimbabwe's largest telecommunications company, Econet, has connected more than 100 000 customers to its broadband (Internet) facility just a week after its launch. "Within just one week, Econet Broadband has expanded to more than 100 000 connected customers and the company is bracing itself for continued rapid growth well into the coming year." - Ecolife is also seeing subscriber numbers double every week. “The number of Zimbabweans on ecolife has now gone past 300 000 within a month of launch,” said the firm’s chief executive Mr Douglas Mboweni in a statement. The company last month widened its horizons and launched the high-speed broadband Internet s…

- The Harare International Festival of Arts (HIFA) will this year host a high profile Senegalese artist at its 13th edition of the six day annual arts festival. HIFA will enjoy the stage prowess of Ismael Lô, who performs a distinctive fusion of M’balax, folk and blues a beat which has earned him a place in his worldwide network of fans including in Zimbabwe. The internationally recognised musician who is billed to perform at this year’s HIFA main stage has been written of as “The harmonica-playing guitarist Ismael Lô, better known to world music fans as the “African Bob Dylan”, has revolutionised the traditional sound of Senegalese M’balax, melding it w…

- Murambatsvina victims in Harare’s Hatcliff suburb just like their counterparts elsewhere in the country have decried the exclusion subjected to them by financial institutions as they require documents not accessible to them as proof of residence or surety. Speaking at a launch of a manifesto by a local youth orgnisation, one local youth who fell victim to the Zanu (PF) government initiated operation Murambatsvina (flush out filth) seven years ago, Brave Lifa (22) said the youths in their shanty suburb where faced with so many difficulties among them failure to open bank accounts let alone secure small loans because the financial institutions where demanding utility bills yet they ar…

- The killing of an elephant by a US billionaire tourist in Zimbabwe two months ago has sparked outrage across the globe with animal rights groups petitioning the GoDaddy.com boss Bob Parsons to stop the killings and urging people to stop using his company’s services. A petition page was created by Elephants in Crisis, an elephant rights group on thepetitionsite.com website denouncing Parson’s cruelty to animals saying his actions should never be allowed to go unchecked. The petition entitled “Tell Go Daddy Boss Bob Parsons: I Am Appalled By Your Gleeful Murder of an African Elephant” urged people to take action against Parsons’ behavior on elephants. …

- The Movement for Democratic Change led by Professor Welshman Ncube has indicated that it will support the other faction of Movement for Democratic Change led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in the election of the speaker of Parliament, in a bid to defeat the Zanu (PF) cause. Addressing journalists at a media conference the party’s secretary General Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga said the continued arrest and persecution of the MDC party legislators was enough for their party to draw the inference that Zanu (PF) wanted to gain an unfair advantage on the election of the speaker. “The events of last week have merited this position. In particular, the re-arrest of Honorable…

The Zimbabwean government through its immigration department has indicated that it will fine airline operators US$2 000 for every passenger brought into the country without the necessary papers in a bid to curb criminal activities. - A notice published recently in the Government Gazette, signed by the two Home Affairs Co-Ministers Theresa Makone and Kembo Mohadi, in terms of the country’s Immigration (Amendment) Regulations 2010 (No.2) states that: "a non-complying passenger means a person who enters Zimbabwe without a valid travelling document on board an aircraft operated by an air carrier, in terms of section 38A of the Act." Before the regulations came into effect, the…

- A South African High court has allowed a German bank KFW Bankengruppe to attach the Zimbabwean government property in South Africa to recover a debt in excess of 40 million Euro, which the country has failed to pay since December of 2002. The bank had applied for the attachment of six Zimbabwean government properties situated at 53 and 55 Kuyper Street Zonneblom, 28 Salisbury Road Wynberg, 179 Beryl Street Bruma Gauteng and 48 Klip Street Gauteng but the Gauteng High Court only allowed it to attach number 28 Salisbury property saying the rest was protected under the diplomatic immunity. The loan was advanced to Zimbabwe iron and Steel Co Ltd in January 1998 and ever since Zimbabwe ha…

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) will lay off about 74% of its staff in a restructuring exercise that will see it returning to its core business as the country's monetary authority, in a currency-less economy. - RBZ Governor Dr Gideon Gono who acknowledged that the retrenchment would be one of the biggest in the country to be carried out by a single institution said at least 1 600 employees will be laid off when he was meeting the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Investment Promotion on Tuesday.. "We are looking at retrenching 74 percent of the central bank’s staff and I would like to say it is not one of the easiest tasks as it is going to be one…

Former Mozambican President and top ZANU (PF) ally Joachim Chisano said politicking and not sanctions is the country's top drivers for the economic problems the southern African country has been going through. - Speaking at a public lecture he delivered at Midlands State University at the weekend, the African statesman said the country was suffering from costs of political conflict. “The ravages to the Zimbabwean economy wrought by the political crisis of the last 10 years have been documented by many economic and political analysts,” Chisano said. He however gave credit to the current inclusive Government formed between President Robert Mugabe (Zanu PF), Prime Ministe…

- The National Constitution Assembly (NCA) Chairperson Dr Lovemore Madhuku has castigated Zimbabwe’s political leaders for calling for elections before the crafting of a new people driven constitution in the Southern African country. Addressing members of his ogrganisation in the country's Masvingo province, Dr Madhuku said issues of electoral violence were a top priority than calling for elections and could only be dealt with in a new constitution which is people driven and not politicians driven. He bemoaned calls for the country to go for elections next year citing violence, intimidation and “unfavourable conditions that hinder a free and fair poll.” …

In a bid to impart climate change and global warming knowledge to all its citizens, the government of Zimbabwe through its Environment and Natural Resources Ministry wants climate change to be involved in the country's school curriculum. - Addressing delegates at recent National Climate Change Conference that ended in Harare on Sunday, acting Permanent Secretary for the Ministry Edward Samuriwo underscored the need to disseminate climate change information from the grassroots. "The ministry is working with the Ministry of Education, Sports, Arts and Culture to come up with modalities of including climate issues into the education curricular. "Let us all help in spreading…

- In a development that could see an end to the government monopoly in the country’s railways services sector, the government of Zimbabwe is planning to establish an independent body to own and operate the country’s railway infrastructure and open up railway services to independent players. The move could also see the recapitalization of the parastatal which has had the hassle of operating with obsolete equipment. Transport, Communications and Infrastructural Development Minister Mr Nicholas Goche told Parliamentarians recently that Government had an option to put on concession some sections of the tracks to restore viability. "As a policy measure, Government is l…

For the second consecutive day the Zimbabwean senate Thursday deferred proceedings to a later date after senators from the MDC-T party protested against the presence of what they termed 'intruders' in the upper house. - The presence of President Mugabe’s unilaterally appointed provincial governors resulted in the MDC-T senators engaging in song and dance in a bid to disrupt the proceedings after the President of the senate Edna Madzongwe refused to accept the objection. The MDC-T senator Tichaona Mudzingwa rose soon after the opening prayer to object the presence of Thokozile Mathuthu, David Karimanzira, Jason Machaya and Faber Chidarikire in the house. The MDC-T argues…

- SOUTH Africa’s Pick ‘n Pay, 49 percent owners of TM Zimbabwe have finally made an emphatic entry into the country’s retail market after years of speculation around when and by how much they would increase their stake in TM. For a variety of reasons, the retail chain delayed its entry, one of them being that TM was reeling under massive stocking shrinkage and obsolescence pressures. During this last quarter of the year, a number of things have changed at the retail chain and it seems they are turning the corner, under the leadership of chief executive, Mr Mark Vickery and chief operating officer, Mr Bisset Chimhini. Pick ‘n Pay’s investment will compri…

Zimbabwe's Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, has received an internationally recognized democracy medal from the International Association of Political Consultants (IAPC)'s 2010 edition. - PM Tsvangirai received the prestigious award on Monday at the IAPC 43rd world annual conference that was held in Paris, France, becoming the second African leader to win the award after Nelson Mandela of South Africa who won it in 1993. A statement from the IAPC said Tsvangirai won the award “in recognition of his unstinting effort and courageous leadership in the struggle for democracy and freedom in Zimbabwe.” IAPC awards organizations or individuals who courageously fight fo…

- Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has warned of a deadly viral livestock disease which broke out in Tanzania and could spread to Southern Africa posing threat to an estimated 50 million sheep and goats in 15 countries. The disease known as Peste des Petits Ruminants (Small Ruminants' Plague), or PPR, is considered as the most destructive viral disease affecting small ruminant flocks, the same way rinderpest does to cattle as it can cause death rates of up to 100% according to FAO. Though the disease does not infect humans, FAO warns that it can cause enormous socio-economic losses. FAO agency Crisis Management Centre - Animal Health (CMC-AH) went for an emergency missi…

A Switzerland based consultancy firm has been appointed by Southern Africa Development Committee (SADC) Justice Ministers to review the roles and responsibilities of the regional bloc's tribunal. - The tribunal had been suspended at the last SADC Heads of State and Government summit in August after Zimbabwe had raised concerns over the constitutionality of the body after it had ruled against the country’s favour in a land dispute with some white commercial farmers. The farmers are claiming compensation of their properties they allegedly lost during the government’s much controversial land reform program. The bloc’s Justice Ministers met in Swakopmund, Namibia, last …

The European Union office in Zimbabwe has dismissed claims previously made by the country's state controlled Herald newspaper that the European bloc had accepted President Mugabe's unilaterally appointed envoy. - The Herald reported that the EU ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Dell’Ariccia had told their reporter that the appointments were internal issues within the government of Zimbabwe, not of his organisation’s concern. “This is a reflection of internal matters, which must be dealt with internally,” quoted The Herald, from which statement the paper presumed the EU had accepted the Zimbabwean Ambassador. The appointment of senior government officials who i…

- ZIMBABWE- The United States of America Ambassador to Zimbabwe Charles Ray last week unveiled a new U.S President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Small Grants Program to support care and support projects for people infected and affected by HIV in the Southern African country. Speaking from the country’s Southern city of Masvingo during a handover of diesel powered grinding mills to a community based organization which caters for people living with HIV and AIDS Ambassador Ray said the donation was proof of America’s “commitment to a strong, healthy and prosperous Zimbabwe. “I am excited to share this news with you here today and hope that your proje…

- Zimbabwe and the world are not serious about the fight against Tuberculosis, a Zimbabwean doctor has said. According to Dr Charles Sandy, the deputy director responsible for AIDS and Tuberculosis programmes in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, over 45 000 people are diagnosed with TB in the country yearly and about 80 percent of them are infected with HIV. Addressing journalists in Kadoma last Friday at a conference organised by Southern Africa Aids Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS), Dr Sandy attributed the country’s failure to fully combat the disease to the sanctions imposed on the country’s leadership by western countries. He said about 80% of the…

- ZIMBABWE-Harare police have arrested two journalists who were covering the constitution outreach consultations as violence and chaos continued to mar the resumption of the process in the city's designated areas. Freelance journalists Andrison Manyere and Nkosana Dlamini were detained over night at Waterfalls Police Station after being arrested while covering a COPAC meeting at St John Retreat in Harare South while another journalist Joshua Manyere (32) was assaulted and seriously injured by suspected ZANU-PF supporters at the same venue. Manyere and Dlamini were arrested despite being accredited by the official Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) which is mandated to accredit journali…

- The cyber revolution is slowly taking shape in Zimbabwe with a number of internet service providers coming on board with different packages and broadening their geographical area coverage. One of the country’s leading telecommunications company, Econet Wireless recently launched an ‘ambitious’ mobile broadband package which it made available to its 4.5 million subscribers in the country. Econet Wireless introduced three broadband packages in the form of “On the Go” which is meant for mobile users using 3G mobile handsets and laptops, “@Home” package which for light businesses and domestic surfing while the “@Work” package is for corpo…