Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Harare, Zimbabwe, 04 September 2009 The IMF, apparently buckling to pressure from Mugabe and the continued insistence of ZANU PF that they must give him money to revive the economy or he will not stay the course on reforms in Zimbabwe, has deposited US$400 million into the coffers of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. Another US$110 million will be deposited into the Reserve Bank next wee, bringing the total to half a billion US Dollars. Gideon Gono was ecstatic this morning, telling the media: "Yes, I can confirm that the Reserve Bank did indeed receive the funds as responsible advisors, we are consulting widely before anu utilisation." "We have been in constant delicate discussions with the IMF technical teams over the past few months abd I am pleased to now say we have gotten somewhere." It is significant that the the announcement today is made by Gideon Gono, who is taking credit for the windfall in the state media, relegating Tendai Biti to the role of a sidekick. G...

Families in rural Masvingo, Zimbabwe ancient and famous city of the Great Zimbabwe, are seen here sweeping up maize (corn) spilled by trucks ferrying aid from South Africa in December. It's encore this year, apparently, with USAID and FAO predicting "widespread shortages" going into 2010. The United Stated Aid Agency, USAID, warns of widespread food shortages in Zimbabwe this season in a just published. The reports are corroborated by the United Nations, with FAO estimating a deficit in cereals for 2009/2010 of about 180 000 metric tonnes. Says the USAID situation report: "Although food security in Zimbabwe has improved in 2009, relief agencies predict the need for a large-scale food assistance programme starting in August or September, when food stores from the April 2009 harvest will likely be exhausted." Already, the reports are receiving short shrift from members of the Inclusive government, who accuse the NGO of trying to justify their existence and "e...

A Rare Sight: I could not resist this image of Mugabe on bended knee at the Mwanawasa household! These days, it's Tsvangirai doing all the apologising. You have by now heard about Morgan Tsvangirai's apology to dictator Robert "The Solution" Mugabe over the boycott of last Monday's Cabinet meeting by Tsvangirai's ministers. It was the dictator himself who let the cat out of the bag, telling journalists in Libya that the PM had apologised and labelling the boycotting ministers' move " abject ignorance". But this should not surprise anyone who reads this blog. I told you a few days ago that Tsvangirai is now to the MDC-T what Mugabe is to ZANU PF: they can not go against his wishes, even if those wishes are against the wishes of the people. And they will never be able to get rid of him. Tsvangirai who, according to people I spoke to in Kuwadzana at the weekend, has "sold out", has decided that Mugabe is the solution and everyone must agre...

Morgan Tsvangirai is asked to turn around by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the Prime Minister's welcoming ceremony in Berlin. And he got a salute! James Maridadi and other members of the Prime Minister's entourage snap away as the two leaders walk into the Chancellery in Berlin With his bearings right aagin, the Prime Minister inspects the Guard of Honour In a move calculated to incense Robert Mugabe, the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, welcomed Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai with full military honours, a treatment usually reserved for visiting Heads of State and Government. A beaming Tsvangirai emerged with Merkel from the Chancellery in Berlin as his entourage looked on with evident joy and pride. In one of the photos above, you can clearly see James Maridadi, the Prime Minister's spokesman, recording the event on camera. Tsvangirai later met with the German Development Minister, who announced afterwards that the German Government would give Zimbab...

Morgan Tsvangirai met with President Obama yesterday in the Oval Office at the White House. The US president has maintained sanctions against Mugabe (The Solution, according to Tsvangirai) and his cronies. The only money that has been pledged is money for NGOs, humanitarian aid. Tsvangirai's government gets nothing. Obama pledged US$73 million for humanitarian assistance, which money will be given directly to non-governmental organisations. The Prime Minister of Zimbabwe has been urging the world to extend lines of credit and lift sanctions against Zimbabwe and Mugabe, saying that the inclusive government can not function without that aid. As I told you a couple of days ago, the real power behind Mugabe, JOC, have now decided that they will treat the Prime Minister and the MDC even more shoddily, since all they ever wanted from them was reversal of sanctions. Clearly, Tsvangirai can not deliver on this, and JOC will now go all out to make government inhospitable for the MDC-T and i...