Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Minister Fidelis Mhashu of the MDC-Tsvangirai. He is more than happy with the way the Inclusive Government is working! Harare, Zimbabwe, 30 September 2009 And what is this, then? Fidelis Mhashu, MDC Tsvangirai minister of something to do with rural houses and social amenities told a gathering of villagers at Rukuma School in Mhondoro that the Inclusive government is "healthy, intact" and working well together. He claimed that there was a spirit of togetherness in the Government, which should be emulated by the people. I suppose this togetherness does not apply to Roy Bennett, the promised Governors and all the other "outstanding issues?" Or perhaps he was scared that there were two ZANU PF ministers present at the function and did not want to appear ungrateful for being allowed to serve in Government despite the fact that Morgan Tsvangirai actually won the election. Then again, it could have something to do with that blow to the head that he got when he was robbed a

This is an example of some of the potholes to be found in Zimbabwe now, this one I photographed a few weeks ago in the city centre in Harare and it was on a main road near Miekles Hotel and Parliament. Ironically, the name of the road on which this very pothole appears is: Robert Mugabe Avenue Harare, Zimbabwe, 29 September 2009 Eight people have been killed in Headlands, in the Manicaland Province of Zimbabwe as a result of an accident whose description still leaves a lot of questions. The eight were travelling in a mini-bus, the most common mode of public transport in Zimbabwe. Twelve people were also injured in the accident, including a two-month old baby. It has not yet been announced whether the infant's parents survived the accident. The circumstances, as far as has been established so far are that the Commuter Omnibus, tried to avoid a "splash of water" from a haulage truck and veered into the opposite lane, resulting in a head-on collision with a Nissan Hardbody t

CABINET SWEARING IN: Results of a survey conducted in May this year were released at a seminar in Harare today and they reflect the euphoria that engulfed the nation at that time, when the Inclusive Government had just been formed and people were certain that Morgan Tsvangirai would unlock foreign aid for the country and improve their living conditions Harare, Zimbabwe, 29 September 2009 I attended a Mass Opinion Public Institute dissemination seminar today in Harare. The body was presenting the results of the Afro Barometer survey conducted in May this year, barely three months after the formation of the Inclusive Government. Morgan Tsvangirai swept the board in this survey. Dollarisation had been introduced in January, a few weeks before Tsvangirai was sworn in as Prime Minister and things had become immediately available in the shops. With Tsvangirai in the Inclusive Government, there was a palpable air of optimism in the air and it shows in the results: 71% of the people interviewe

Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday told residents of Mabvuku and Tafara in Harare that they will have to pay for services they never get. Whether they like it or not. Harare, Zimbabwe, 29 September 2009 Residents of Mabvuku and Tafara, who have gone for months and in some cases, more than a year, without water or electricity have been ordered by Morgan Tsvangirai to pay for the water they never got. Tsvangirai was touring the area to see the allegedly new pipes being put down for the crumbling sewage system. He revealed that Council will now enforce payment of fixed rate bills. Fixed rate. That means, you pay whether you get the service or not. Whether you get water or not. And now, Tsvangirai says they will not be asking nicely, but "enforcing" this new measure. Previously, they would come to your house and lock up your taps for not paying. But with no water flowing in the taps anywhere and boreholes around the residential areas of Harare doing brisk business still, what could they

Banks in Zimbabwe (Barclays pictured above), have set up a confrontation with Mugabe and his Inclusive Government by effectively telling the government to buzz off on the issue of loans to farmers for inputs. It rained in Harare and as far as the border with Mozambique (Nyamapanda), signalling the arrival of the ploughing and planting season. And Mugabe has warned the banks before, saying they were "sabotaging" the Land Reform Programme. Harare, Zimbabwe, 29 September 2009 Here's a shocker. Well, not really. Banks in Zimbabwe are telling "new" farmers, beneficiaries of Mugabe's Land Reform Programme, that they do not recognise offer letters and 99 year leases given by Mugabe's government as security for loans being advanced to them for farming inputs. This comes barely a month after the Inclusive Government made much noise about all this, as it emerged that we are woefully unprepared for this year's farming season. They announced earlier this month

Jestina Mukoko soon after she was given bail while getting treatment for torture at the Avenues Clinic. She has now been freed totally by the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe, which found that her arrest and detention were illegal and violated her rights Harare, Zimbabwe 29 September 2009 Jestina Mukoko has been freed by the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe. Mukoko was freed yesterday and the case against her quashed in the grounds that her arrest and detention were unconstitutional. The surprising verdict, granting what is known in legal parlance as "permanent stay of execution", means that Mukoko will not be brought to trial in the case where she and others were facing banditry charges. Mukoko told the media that she "could not believe" that people could charge her with such a serious crime. The Zimbabwe Peace Project Director was abducted from her home in Norton at Dawn in December last year and disappeared for weeks, with the police saying they did not know where she was. She

Robert "The Solution" Mugabe listens to President Barack Obama speaking during a UN luncheon on Wednesday last week. So Mugabe did indeed get to see Obama!! Harare, Zimbabwe, 28 September 2009 It is an update on my previous post on the subject. Mugabe attended a UN luncheon at the General Assembly in New York on Wednesday. Also in attendance was Barack Obama, who addressed the luncheon. So, Mugabe got to set eyes on Obama as president in the flesh for the first time. The American president, however, was careful to avoid all contact with the Zimbabwean dictator. Mugabe had to be content with being in the same room as the man. Those who watched the video I posted here of Mugabe's CNN interview will recall that during that interview, Mugabe was conciliatory towards Obama, saying "he inherited the sanctions from Bush, we are giving him time..." He said he did not think it possible for the American president to lift them immediately and he would, therefore, wait. Thi

Mugabe and Grace arrive at Margarita Island in Venezuela for Africa-South America Summit. Back home, the president appears in no hurry to see to things like the Media Commission and even the Electoral Commission Harare, Zimbabwe, 28 September 2009 I got the emails. Fungi and Paul were especially irate that I had not bothered to update you at all through the day!! By way of explanation: I attended a Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) workshop all day today and then had to go out of town after that. The ZESN workshop was basically an attempt by the NGO to inform intelligent input into the Constitution-making process. Focus was on the various forms of governance, the variety of voting methods around the world and pros as well as cons of all of them. Most parties were represented, but the ZANU PF delegation only arrived ten minutes before lunch. After lunch, one of them took strong exception to one of the presenters calling POSA and AIPPA "draconian". He said his party did

THE FARMER: Mugabe's landholding is extensive, under various names and it is all managed by Joseph Made, who used to head Agriculture Rural Development Agency, ARDA. Even as Mugabe lambasted ARDA as "totally rotten, hopeless", he took their head and made him minister of Agriculture, although he spends most his time tending the President's gardens. No wonder the Agriculture sector is in a state: the Minister is too busy with other things Harare, Zimbabwe, 28 September 2009 So the Telegraph says an international organisation has discovered that Robert "The Solution" Mugabe took five farms near his Highfield Farm in Norton between 2002 and 2008. I did not think this was news. This stuff is quite well-known and there are more farms than the ones the Telegraph report on. Highfield is a farm that Mugabe bought on the open market before the Land Reform Programme. When the programme started in earnest, Mugabe decided that his family should also benefit from this. So

Harare, Zimbabwe, 27 September 2009

Harare, Zimbabwe, 27 September 2009 Robert Mugabe was noticeably uncomfortable during his interview with CNN last Thursday. The Zimbabwean dictator is used to sycophantic State media interviewers, that is one thing. But what obviously added to Mugabe's discomfort is the fact that he was taking out of his element, like a crocodile that proves less than powerless out of water. Normally, Mugabe likes to hold interviews in environments that he controls. At State House, for instance, where he met with Heidi Holland for her book, Dinner With Mugabe. There, sitting in his own office, with his own guards and staff standing about by the door, he tried to intimidate her by staring at her silently, intently, directly in the eye for what seemed like an inordinate amount of time to Holland. Overseas, he prefers to call the journalists to his flat or suite and there hold court. Again, he will be on his turf and the journalist will be the outsider intruding into this private space. But the CNN in

Sitting Pretty: The Speaker of Parliament (pictured in the Speakers Chair in Parliament) has been splashing out on suites at the Miekles, a 5 Star hotel in Harare, to tune of US$6 000 per month for bed and breakfast only since August last year. No wonder they all want this to last another four or so years. Harare, Zimbabwe, 27 September 2009 While Parliament and government plead poverty and refuse to pay doctors even just a paltry US$300 per month, it has been revealed today that the Speaker of Parliament has had a permanent suite at the Miekles at a cost of more than US$6 000 per month since he was sworn in. This is happening as MPs have also gone for a year without their allowances, making it difficult for the most dedicated to see to their constituencies and giving the crooks an excuse to steal the people blind. The story dominates the Sunday Mail front page today. It simply goes to prove that the best form of leadership is leadership by example. Why should doctors and teachers not

Smiling at each other while holding knives behind their backs, the parties to the Inclusive Government are engaged in shocking dereliction of duty. While the country is burning, they are piddling. Not everything that must be done requires donor funds and that is where we need to start. Let the new blood show that it is indeed new, instead of giving the same politics as ZANU PF and The Solution. Harare, Zimbabwe, 27 September 2009 It is now apparent to any thinking Zimbabwean that neither Robert Mugabe nor Morgan Tsvangirai are capable or even willing to bring real change to the people of Zimbabwe. There's proof. There is a stalemate as I write, between the two, over the so-called "outstanding issues." They are barely talking to each other now. Mugabe has set up his own guerilla cabinet whose sole purpose is to ensure that ZAU PF retains active control in all ministries and arms of government. Which leaves the MDC ministers mere shadows, puppets on a string, like what is h

The Party of confusion and expediency: Having signed the Kariba Draft Constitution, the MDC, in an effort to to pander to populist opinion, is now effectively campaigning against itself, as with this poster at a rally in Bulawayo. What were they thinking when they signed the Kariba Draft. Did they not know its draconian provision for presidential powers? They did. So have truly had a change of heart or are simply trying to sway with the wind. The party can not leader and now it thinks that jettisoning its own leader will make it more appealing against a resurgent threat from civil society and parties like Simba Makoni's Mavambo which, in terms of the numbers of paid-up members, is now the largest in Zimbabwe. Harare, Zimbabwe, 26 September 2009 In a shocking revelation, it has emerged that almost 95% of the two Councils of the MDC, The National Executive and the National Council, are now so anti-Morgan Tsvangirai that it is now virtually guaranteed the man will lose his job in the

This is the latest newspaper in Zimbabwe, produced by an MDC activist based in Johannesburg and distributed widely in Zimbabwe. This is only their second issue and they have already started getting threats from Tsvangirai thugs. The paper has taken a strong stance against Morgan Tsvangirai for his continued faith in Mugabe and the Inclusive Government Harare, Zimbabwe, 25 September 2009 The editor of a new Zimbabwean paper published out of Johannesburg and distributed all over Zimbabwe has already suffered threats and intimidation from MDC supporters in Harare, he says in his second issue. "..I say a big NO to threats and intimidation that came from some MDC-Tsvangirai activists last week after we published our first issue, " he writes in his current issue, which is only the second issue of the paper. "I met a group of them in Harare who accused me of being "bought" to attack Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai because of our assessment and reporting of the politi

"What pink elephant?" - Mugabe appeared to live in world all his own in a rare interview with CNN, whom he kicked out and banned from Zimbabwe for years. For the first time, he spoke about Roy Bennett and all but confirmed that he will run again for President. Harare, Zimbabwe, 25 September 2009 Robert "The Solution" Mugabe granted an extremely rare interview to Christiane Amanpour of CNN this week. It was aired last night and billed as one of the biggest story of the day by the network. Speaking to the same news organisation that he has banned from Zimbabwe, Mugabe essentially denied any knowledge of any hardships in Zimbabwe and insisted that his arrangement with Morgan Tsvangirai is working well. Although refusing to say whether he will run again for the elections he says should be conducted in 2011, he hinted that he will, saying: "You don't leave power when imperialists dictate that you leave." He expressed outrage at what he said was a "re

Harare, Zimbabwe, 24 September 2009 I was rather shocked today to be told that the MDC's Tendai Biti has decided to launch an investigation into allegations that Gideon Gono of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is printing fake US dollars! The allegations first surfaced after a man was arrested in Houghton Park, a middle-income suburb of Harare as he attempted to buy goods using the fake foreign currency. He told the till operators serving him that he believed the money to be genuine because he had got it from someone who works at the Reserve Bank. In fact, there have been four separate arrests, as far I hear, all of which resulted in the culprit just being let out of the jail with no charges preferred. Fake US Dollar and South African Rand notes are being presented all over Harare and other cities in Zimbabwe. The upsurge in fake notes has seen almost every denomination of the US dollar and especially the South African R500 (five hundred Rand) being faked and circulated widely. Zimbab

Mugabe blames every ill bedevilling Zimbabwe on sanctions. And now he is getting the help of MDC officials in "exposing" Tsvangirai and the MDC as the people who crafted those sanctions. There really is no Unity Government in Zimbabwe any more Harare, Zimbabwe, 24 September 2009 An MDC official has told the nation on television and radio that the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA) passed in the United States Congress some years ago was actually written by the MDC Executive at a hotel in Nyanga. Gabriel Chaibva, who subsequently broke away from the Tsvangirai MDC with Welshman Ncube and others, says some of the MDC officials present protested at the move. Munyaradzi Gwisai, a virulently anti-Mugabe member of the Socialist International and an MDC MP for Highfields at the time, is said to have walked out of the meeting in protest. "I was there when ZIDERA was crafted in Nyanga by the MDC. At that point, Munyaradzi Gwisai stood up in protest and told ev