Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

These are the Chimanimani Mountains in Eastern Zimbabwe, where some more diamonds have been found and a new rush has started. Lebanese buyers are said to be the most active and persistent as they deal with the new illegal diamond miners, called panners because of the rudimentary equipment they traditionally use to extract the precious stones and minerals. Now that the government of Zimbabwe has publicly said it will intervene, it will not be long before we see another bloodbath like the one witnessed at Chiadzwa in Marange, at the original diamond fields of Zimbabwe Harare, Zimbabwe, 01 February 2010 As more and more of the Zimbabwe's Manicaland Province area is discovered to contain even more diamonds than previously thought, Lebanese citizens have emerged as the major driving force behind the new surge in informal mining of the precious stones in the area. The area that had been previously identified as rich in diamond deposits in Eastern Zimbabwe's Manicaland Province (Mara...

Patrick Chinamasa, seen here arriving to present the Budget that dollarised Zimbabwe's economy on 29 January 2009, is one of two senior ministers from Manicaland who are unhappy that the politics of tribal balance have kept the people from that Province from the top leadership of ZANU PF. There is now open rebellion in the province, with the leadership there convinced that Mugabe has something against people from the area. Hence those anti-Mugabe SMS messages at the last ZANU PF Congress in Harare. Harare, Zimbabwe, 05 January 2010 You all know about the Manicaland Province Chairman for ZANU PF, Basil Nyabadza, who was forced out of his job by the ZANU PF leadership, ostensibly for threatening to nominate Didymus Mutasa for National Chairman from the floor at the December ZANU PF Congress. Mugabe has previously and publicly (during the last election) stated that the Manicaland province is a reactionary and rebellious province that has thrown up "traitors" like Tekere, Mak...

Robert Mugabe drew blood today at the ongoing ZANU PF Congress in Harare. He pushed for the Manicaland Province Chairman, Basil Nyabadza, to fall in line with other provinces or quit. He quit. Mugabe characterised what Nyabadza was doing as divisive and designed to destroy his cherished unity. Any thoughts of nominating Didymus Mutasa as National Chairman from the floor have thus died. Mugabe has brought the party back into his grip once more. Harare, Zimbabwe, 10 December 2009 So, this blog remains the only medium to have told you about the outburst from Basil Nyabadza, the ZANU PF Manicaland Province chairman, at the church funeral of Didymus Mutasa' son. Yesterday, he got his comeuppance, when the ZANU PF Politburo forced him to either retract his statement or leave his post. He chose to leave his post. Mugabe had been shocked two days ago in Harare by the strength of voices being raised in opposition to Simon Khaya Moyo, especially, as Chairman of Zimbabwe's ruling party. Y...

Joseph Chinotimba (above), the so-called Commander of Farm Invasions and his band of Ware Veterans have now come out in opposition to God and Fate, declaring that Mugabe should be president of Zimbabwe "forever and ever", basically declaring the Zimbabwean dictator immortal. This shaking of spears comes ahead of ZANU PF's Congress in December this year, at which Mugabe is already guaranteed continued leadership.  Harare, Zimbabwe 24 November 2009 The Zimbabwe War Veterans Association, a mainstay of Mugabe's support base, has come out in support of him and other leaders nominated by ZANU PF provinces to the party's so-called Presidium. Joseph Chinotimba, he of straw suits and hats, self-styled Commander of Farm Invasions, issued a statement yesterday  saying he and his fellow "freedom fighters" are behind Mugabe "forever and ever." We will have to see what God says about that. The semi-literate statement from Chinotimba says: "As war vetera...

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...

Members of the MKD National Steering Committee sing the Zimbabwe National Anthem at the launch of the party at Stoddart Hall in Mbare on July 01 2009. Interim provincial structures are now being elected all over Zimbabwe, starting with Mashonaland West and Manicaland tomorrow. Tomorrow, Saturday 25 July 2009, members of Mavambo.Kusile.Dawn will gather at Orange Grove Motel and at the Mavambo Provincial offices in Mutare to elect the Interim Provincial Executives for Mashonaland West Province and Manicaland Province respectively. These are the first grassroots elections to be held by the new party, led by Dr Makoni as interim president and Mr Godfrey Chanetsa as interim chairman. On Tuesday, Harare Province will also meet to elect a Provincial interim team. It is expected that once this is done, the interim provincial structures will then roll out the rest of the process, overseeing the election of interim structures at ward, district and village levels across Zimbabwe. By the end of A...