Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

OATH OF OFFICE: Despite promises and announcements from the MDC-T that their Governors and Resident Ministers would be sworn in by the end of August, the Zimbawean dictator, Robert "The Solution" Mugabe has now run away to Libya, where he is today, the last day of August. MDC Governors and Resident Ministers are still to be sworn in, as is Roy Bennett. MDC Ambassadors are still twiddling their thumbs here in Harare, waiting for the Almight Robert to make his mind up about posting them to their stations. Now we have impeccable information on what Mugabe is giving as the excuse for his failure to do any of the things agreed to with Tsvangirai. And the Prime Minister is swallowing it hook, line and sinker, as are his supporters. Like I have said before, the "Outstanding Issues" will remain outstanding for some time to come. Harare, Zimbabwe 31 August 2009 Only moments ago, I got information about why exactly Robert "The Solution" Mugabe refuses to swear-in MD...

I quite liked the look of the multi-coloured canopy used to cover the huge car park at Avondale which is now used as the Flea Market This lady was busy packing goldfish at the Avondale Flea Market for a client when I showed up. The client was not too keen about being photographed, but I found her display of the fish and her tanks for sale delightful The Market is quite busy at weekends and remains the most well-known and best established Flea Market in Harare. The other markets that had cropped up were disbanded during Operation Murambatsvina, when "illegal businesses" were demolished by Mugabe's government in an effort o arrest the black market in foreign currency and also disperse opposition supporters in the urban areas Harare, Zimbabwe, 31 August 2009 Someone in the diaspora asked me on Facebook if I could show him what Harare is like now, so I took these photos at Avondale Flea Market and Shopping Centre at the weekend. The Flea Market is as vibrant as ever and it c...

This dying woman at Parirenyatwa hospital earlier this month had to lie out in the sun because doctors were on strike. It now emerges that the doctors' salaries had been topped up by donors but the extra money topped up did not appear in their accounts - it vanished into thin air, apparently misused by the Inclusive Government Harare, Zimbabwe 31 August 2009 It is emerging now that the strike by doctors this month was brought about because the Inclusive government of Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe misappropriated funds meant to pay these health workers. It is reliably understood that donors paid money to top-up doctors' and nurses salaries, and that the donors, who are understood to be British, had based their payments on doctors getting a minimum of US$400 each on top of the US$100 "allowance" that was being paid by the broke and moribund Inclusive Government. The leadership of health workers, who preferred to remain anonymous, revealed that, instead of getting ...

The Mugabe Family at the Harare Showgrounds on Friday: from left is Robert Mugabe Jnr, Bona Mugabe, who is at University in Hong Kong and whose house there was the subject of international attention when it was photographed by the Sunday Times of London, then Chatunga Mugabe, the last born and Grace Mugabe, the First Lady. Harare, Zimbabwe, 31 August 2009 It appears Robert "The Solution" Mugabe's daughter, Bona, flew back with her father from Dubai last week and the whole family was at the Showgrounds for the opening of the Harare Agricultural Show by Jacob Zuma. I just wonder what the deal is with Robert Junior and Chatunga straightening their hair! I thought you may enjoy this photograph, published over the weekend here in Zimbabwe.

Trudy Stevenson is going to Senegal as ambassador, it has now been confirmed today. Mutambara faced the humiliation of his first choice, Siyabonga Ncube, running away from the training. The media caught up with him as he ran around to try and buy a car in the city under the MPs Car Loan Scheme, which he considered a better way to spend his time than training to be an ambassador. The confusion in the Mutambara MDC is being fuelled by the machinations of Morgan Tsvangirai, who is courting Mutambara's MPs openly and even using the Speaker of parliament in some of his dirty tricks. Harare, Zimbabwe, 30 August 2009 Today the Sunday Mail finally caught up with the scoop I gave you last week regarding Trudy Stevenson being an ambassador by the smaller MDC led by Arthur Mutambara, also one of the Deputy Prime Ministers of Zimbabwe. It turns out Stevenson is not going to Sudan as I had announced. A friend on Facebook did point out when I posted the article that we have no embassy in Sudan....

One foreign journalist observed in March this year that the MDC seem to be "in awe" of Mugabe after he observed the way they behaved at the swearing in and the subsequent meeting he attending, including the one above, at the launch of Finance Minister Tendai Biti's STERP, which has failed completely, with not a single thing wished for in it being realised . Now Biti says the West is not going to help after all and that he and Tsvangirai will take the Mugabe route and try to use whatever resources are in Zimbabwe to bring about recovery!!!! Harare, Zimbabwe, 30 August 2009 Zimbabwe;s Finance and Secretary-General of the MDC-Tsvangirai has effectively announced the death of Zimbabwe by telling the media today that the moribund Inclusive MisGovernment has given up all hope of getting aid from outsiders and will now instead seek to find the money it needs locally. He says the idea of expecting anything from the West "is a joke" . Of course, you will recall me being ...

Robert "The Solution" Mugabe with Jacob Zuma at the Harare Agricultural Show yesterday. Mugabe made Zuma's job extremely difficult by heaping the blame for the impasse on Tsvangirai and the MDC, whom he accused of doing nothing about holding up their end of the bargain. Harare, Zimbabwe, August 29 2009 Sorry for the late update, but internet connectivity for me today was a nightmare. I was briefly able to log onto the net in the morning and then it all went haywire. I understand an upgrade is being done by the useless government-owned company that sees to things like this. I am now using an alternative route to post this and it is to be expected that the Government company in charge will fail to finish their upgrade until sometime after Mugabe dies!!! It will be a long wait, either way. Enough of that. I now have information on the case that Mugabe presented to Jacob Zuma, which informed teh South African leader's stance yesterday as he met with the political "le...

Robert "The Solution" Mugabe rides again: Seen here with Zuma as they toured exhibition stands at the Harare Agricultural Show earlier today, Mugabe sat quietly and nodded effusively when Zuma called for sanctions against Zimbabwe to be lifted and not so effusively when he called on all parties to the Inclusive Government to remove impediments to the full implementation of the Global Political Agreement that gave birth to this limping Mugabe-Tsvangirai regime. Nothing was solved by Zuma today in Harare. Absolutely nothing. He leaves behind the same mess he found when he landed yesterday. Harare, Zimbabwe, 28 August 2009 An American president once said in politics, one should speak softly and carry a large stick. Today, Jacob Zuma did the opposite. While addressing thousands of people at the official opening of the Harare Agricultural Show as it approaches its traditionally busy last weekend, Zuma praised the Inclusive Government and said he is happy about the progress made so...

Harare, Zimbabwe, 28 August 2009 In this last photo, Morgan Tsvangirai is seen leaving the Rainbow Towers (Sheraton Hotel) earlier today after meeting with Jacob Zuma to cry on his shoulders about Mugabe's transgressions and sins. It does not appear as if anything was solved, but it is early days yet. We will see.

There is a good reason why Robert "The Solution" Mugabe is looking smug and self-satisfied these days. Morgan Tsvangirai has now managed the unique feat of turning victory into defeat. Now on the back foot, he is having to play Mugabe's game, leaving him with no upper hand at all. The more insists that Mugabe's deviant behaviour will not result in him walking away from this deal, the more firmly impales himself on the horns of a dilemma. Harare, Zimbabwe, 28 August 2009 It emerged this morning that Morgan Tsvangirai is now definitely on the back foot in dealings with Mugabe, as the dictator gains more and more confidence. Morgan Tsvangirai, two Mondays ago, was reduced to begging Mugabe to give him breathing room, citing pressure from "hardliners" within the MDC, whom he told Mugabe were pressuring him to quit the Coalition. The biggest bargaining chip Mugabe now hold is that of by-elections and two Mondays ago, Tsvangirai brought up the subject in his weekl...

Long Walk To Swearing-in: This is the only swearing in that Mugabe has done so far - that of cabinet ministers. Roy Bennett and governors are still not sworn in and the Zimbabwe Independent confirms what my regular readers knew more than a month ago: that Mugabe has gone back on his word and now refuses to swear in MDC governors. But the paper has it wrong on the reasons for the refusal to swear them in, as my regular readers will also know. Harare, Zimbabwe, 28 August 2009 About a month ago, I told you on this very blog that Mugabe was backtracking on the appointment of MDC governors as agreed with Tsvangirai and Mutambara. At the time, wide-eyed and clueless MDC-T apologists dismissed the scoop, insisting that Mugabe had "no choice." Today, the Zimbabwe Independent carries an article entitled: "Stalemate Beckons As ZANU PF Reneges on Governors". Of course, this is not news to readers pf this blog. But the Independent has it wrong in terms of the reasons it gives f...

Robert "The Solution" Mugabe and Jacob Zuma are seen here last night at the State dinner hosted by the Zimbabwean dictator for the South African leader who is in the country to open the Harare Agricultural Show. Zuma will leave today for South Africa and it is unlikely that he will have resolved anything in the single day he is here, although he met both Mugabe and Tsvangirai separately last night. Harare, Zimbabwe, 28 August 2009 Morgan Tsvangirai was at the Harare Showgrounds yesterday where he backtracked, telling journalists that South African president Jacob Zuma was not in Zimbabwe to confront Mugabe about unfulfilled promises. Tsvangirai specifically said: "President Zuma is here to Open the Agricultural Show." This betrays the delusions of his misguided supporters and apologists who had started celebrating ahead of the arrival of the SA leader saying that he was going to read the riot act to Mugabe. Zuma himself, speaking at the State House last night where ...

You may have noticed that I am having image problems with my articles starting yesterday and I am hoping to clear this up soon, even if it means I leave Blogger and host the Blog elsewhere. You can still click on the images to make them larger, though and view them in detail. The problem started when Blogger, who host this blog, changed their backend and there is now a fancy edit/compose interface when you post your articles. I suspect this is what the problem is and I will try and find a solution by the weekend. Rest assured things will be back to normal. UPDATE: I HAVE NOW SOLVED THIS AND YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE PHOTOS PROPER:Y ON THE BLOG NOW.

Jacob Zuma, the South African president, landed in Harare at 5:30p.m. A State dinner which stared at 7:00p.m.for him is still in progress as I write this. BUT notice what I told you about Mugabe? Have you noticed how his face has suddenly changed from the gaunt image we saw before he left the country to go to Dubai? That's botox for you! Harare, Zimbabwe, 27 August 2009 There has been much talk around my article on Mugabe's secret trip to Dubai, which most ordinary Zimbabweans are still in the dark about, although that story of mine was picked up by Reuters, The Times of South Africa and dozens of other publications around the world. What is emerging now is that Mugabe was "jittery" about his health even before the passing away of Vice-president Msika this month. I suppose at his age, this is to be expected. Those close to him say that he is now turning into a hypochondriac. He has always obsessed about his health and takes special care about what he eats (more of tha...

Nicholas Goche (above) is a senior minister in Mugabe's ZANU PF and has now come out openly to accuse the police of corruption. Perhaps he is unaware who it is that has encouraged that corruption in the police force. Next time he meets Mugabe or Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri, he should ask them and I am sure they will tell him. Tsvangirai also added his voice to that of Goche, which is just yet more proof that today's speeches were mere politicking and not informed by any principle or plan of action Harare, Zimbabwe, 27 August 2009 Yes, this is noteworthy and newsworthy in itself. One of Mugabe's most senior ministers and a ZANU PF negotiator in the process that led to the formation of the limping Coalition Government in Zimbabwe, Nicholas Goche, has publicly accused the police and vehicle inspection department (VID) of corruption at a Stakeholders' Conference held in Harare today. The conference was a Road Transport Stakeholders Conference on Disaster M...