Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Birds of a feather? Whoever advised Nelson Chamisa to declare open support for Mugabe today at his crossover rally is evil. If it was Chamisa's own idea, well, then he has authored the burial of his own political career. People who marched in November last year to celebrate the fall of Mugabe are apparently supposed to cheer and be happy that Nelson Chamisa has decided that Mugabe is a good guy after all, his policies were spot on and should play a role in the future of the country if Nelson Chamisa wins the elections. Addressing the crowd at his rally earlier today, the last day of political campaigning as mandated by law, Chamisa directly said, Mugabe, "who was spurned and rejected is the one I will take and start a love affair with." In Shona, so that we have no doubt at all about his intent or his meaning, he said, " Wacho anenge arambwa iyeye ndiye wandinotora ndodanana naye." Ok. This level of lack of judgement has us stumped. For the longest...

Former President Robert Mugabe has sent communication to the current ZANU PF government demanding that he be given an undertaking that he would not be buried at Heroes Acre when he does eventually pass away. Both President Mnangagwa and Vice President Chiwenga have ignored the communication. In a 5 page document, the former President also complains that he has not yet been given his gazetted benefits. He also complains that, since the departure of Dr Mariyawanda Nzuwa, the new government Paymaster will not take his calls or heed his complaints. The former President, who the recent Afrobarometer survey revealed is still "trusted" by about 30% of registered voters, states that the terminal benefits and gratuities that President Mnangagwa gazetted are yet to be implemented. The provision of an office and staff are yet to be implemented. The number of staff he is entitled to, according to his letter, is also being ignored. Of all the benefits gazetted for an ex-pres...

Saviour Kasukuwere, Mugabe's former Minister of Public Government and former G40 faction kingpin, arriving at Rotten Row Magistrate Court earlier today to face charges of border jumping Saviour Kasukuwere, the former Minister in Mugabe's government accused of being a G40 faction kingpin, has been arrested on border jumping charges. He appeared in Court 9 at Rotten Row today in Harare, where he was granted $300 bail and asked to report to Borrowdale Police Station once a week. He will also have to surrender his passport. Kasukuwere is charged with the same offence that his brother, Dickson Mafios, was jailed 11 months for earlier this week. The former Minister, who has refused even now to properly narrate to the authorities how exactly he left Zimbabwe, is being hauled into court precisely because the authorities would like to identify not only how exactly he left the country, but also who assisted him in doing so. The issue of who assisted Kasukuwere and Jonathan...

For refusing to buy milk from Robert Mugabe's Gushungo Farm (whose dairy cows are shown on display at an Agricultural Show above), Nestle has been hounded out of Zimbabwe, forced to cease operations, throwing hundreds and perhaps ultimately thousands of people out of work. Not a squeak from those who should have a conscience in this Inclusive Government as we export jobs (Nestle products will now mostly likely be imported for our shops from South Africa) Harare, Zimbabwe, 23 December 2009 Nestle Zimbabwe, by far the biggest and most dominant supplier of processed dairy products in Zimbabwe, has been forced by the Mugabe family and its supporters to shut down. The company only says it has "suspended" operations and does not give reasons. It does not take much to figure out what is happening. Nestle were buying milk from Gushungo Farm, owned and operated by the First Lady of Zimbabwe, Grace Mugabe until protests about their propping Mugabe up financially and profiting from ...

The IMF has called on Tendai Biti to budget for the Reserve Bank after the Bretton Woods Institution uncovered scandalous theft of statutory reserve money by the Central Bank to continue funding quasi-fiscal operations this year. Books at the Central bank have also been cooked to allow for the dispersal of money belonging to banks to fund foreign trips by government officials and certain well-known shoppers at taxpayers' expense. Gono did not seek or get approval from Biti for this shady behaviour. He acted like he was the Finance Minister Harare, Zimbabwe, 30 October 2009 We revealed on this blog a little while back that Mugabe had given Gideon Gono widespread ministerial powers and that the MDC-T were aware of this fact. The IMF, after an audit of the Reserve Bank, has effectively confirmed our story, revealing that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe continues to steal funds its custody and using these to continue quasi-fiscal operations. The Central has been taking money belonging to...

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...

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.

After causing havoc at the Chiadzwa diamond fields (above) in Eastern Zimbabwe, the country's authorities have now announced that they are going after "illegal gold panners" in such areas as Shamva and Bindura in Mashonaland Central. The announcement, made by police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena today, is being justified on the basis of looking out for the safety of these "illegal" miners as well as "environmental degradation". We all know what the true reason for this operation is, of course Harare, Zimbabwe, 25 August 2009 Zimbabwe police have revealed that twelve small-scale miners (gold panners) have died across the country as they sought to justify the announcement today of the launch of a crackdown on gold panners in Mashonaland Central Province. Wayne Bvudzijena, the Zimbabwe police spokesman, told reporters: "We have launched operations to stop this vice. Illegal gold panning is resurfacing in areas such as Shamva, Bindura and Concession in M...

Zimbabwe's diamonds are safe, for now, with the Certification team currently in the country saying those calling for a ban of the diamonds from Zimbabwe are talking nonsense and "we will not entertain them." It means Grace, Gono and their runners can continue smuggling loose diamonds in handbags from Zimbabwe to be polished and sold off in China. Mugabe's government is might pleased with this and the state media will be crowing about it tomorrow. Harare, Zimbabwe, 19 August 2009 Tomorrow the state media will be crowing louder than usual with regards to the proposed banning of diamonds from Zimbabwe by a Kimberley Process Team that was in the country more than a month ago. None other than the Chairman of the Kimberley Certification Process Scheme, Benhard Esau, is leading a team currently visiting Zimbabwe and he held a press conference here in Harare today. During the press conference, he said: "There are members of the Kimberley Process trying to convince other ...

Robert Mugabe's birthday television interview, a tradition every year since the days of Jonathan Moyo, is being broadcast here in Zimbabwe as I write this. Notably, Mugabe frankly admitted that his daughter, Bona, is staying at the house in Hong Kong (pictured above), "with a friend." "It's for our girl," said Mugabe, "and her friend, another girl. Then we had to have enough room for, masecurity people, you know." Mugabe denies that he bought the house, however. He says he is renting it only "for our girl, while she is studying there. When they finish their degrees, then they come back home." The house was exposed by the London Sunday Times, whose photographer, Richard Jones, had a run-in with Grace Mugabe at the Shangri-La Hotel in Hong Kong, where the Firt Lady had gone to fetch Bona for her holidays back in Zimbabwe. She is reported to have puched him repeatedly in the face and head, wit her diamond ring causing bleeding and injuries t...

Grace Mugabe apparently flew into a rage when she saw a British photographer waiting outside her five-star hotel in Hong Kong. So incensed was she that she beat the photographer black and blue, causing abrasions and cuts to his face and head with her diamond rings. Richard Jones, the British photographer who was assaulted by Mugabe yesterday , says when she saw him standing outside the Kow Loon Shangri-La Hotel in Hong Kong and snapping away at her, she told one of her bodyguards to deal with him. The bodyguard approached Jones and wrestled with him, trying to take away his camera. Grace Mugabe then walked over and while the bodyguard held Jones, Grace slapped him and punched him repeatedly in the face.  "She was completely deranged, absolutely raging with anger." After the fight was broken up by Hotel security, Mr Jones says another group of "African bodyguards" came after him. But they were prevented from coming near him by security at a near-by building. Jones wa...