Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Morgan Tsvangirai, who, it turns out has lied to Zimbabwe three times now in the last two months, is seen here leaving No 20 Downing Sreet after meeting Gordon Brown. It is now clear that the Prime Minister also wishes to be a dictator: "You'd better listen to me," as he said to Zimbabweans who booed him last weekend On three seperate occasions this year, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told the media, the nation (at the May Day Rally at Gwanzura stadium, in the presence of Dr Simba Makoni and thousands others) and in a meeting with the leadership of the National Constitutional Assembly, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai stated that the Kariba Draft Constitution would NOT be used as the basis for a new Constitution. He lied. Last week, his party, the MDC-T, as well as MDC and ZANU PF, published the Kariba Draft as an insert in the State media. The draft is now officially the basis for any new Constitution. It may look like thePrime Minister and his party have capitulated ...

Morgan Tsvangirai chats to clients at Stanbic Bank during last year's cash shortages. Stanbic appears now to be one of the worst banks in Zimbabwe, destroying confidence in the banking system by taking more than three days to do an electronic transfer that should be instant, according to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. For three days now, Stanbic Bank in Zimbabwe (part of the Standard Bank of South Africa Group) has been failing to make an electronic transfer of funds from a funded account at their bank to the payee at Barclays Bank. An electronic transfer is supposed to be instant or at worst to be effected overnight. But three days later, Stanbic are still to make the payment. There is no explanation about why this is so. The acount from which they should transfer the money is funded, they accepted the order and stamped it. Which begs the question: What is Stanbic doing with people's money held by them? It also raises other questions. Such as: With a banking system so utterly u...

A farmer in Chegutu walks past an armed man guarding a confiscated farm in the area. These men are not defence force members but have no problems with the law when they openly carry their weapons like this. It is things like this, constituting the subversion of the rule of law. The contemptuous attitude towards the coalition was displayed again yesterday by ZANU PF which adopted a draft constitution that has been rejected by civil society and disowned by the Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, on at least two occasions since the formation of the Unity Government. In a direct challenge to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and civil society, the ZANU PF Politburo, which met yesterday, has adopted the widely condemned Kariba Draft Constitution as the basis of any new constitution. Morgan Tsvangirai said quite unequivocally on May 1 this year that the Kariba Draft Constitution would not be considered when the process of drafting a new constitution gets under way. He gave the same assurance t...

Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Coordinator, McDonald Lewanika (to your far left as you look at the screen), Vice-Secretary General of ZCTU, Gideon Shoko and Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum Director, Abel Nkomo in Brussels last week, where they are urging the European Union to maintain pressure on the Inclusive Government in order to ensure that real reforms are implemented. Their presence here has angered Mugabe, who is now responding by cracking down openly and brutally on protesters. More is yet to come, undoubtedly. Robert The Solution Mugabe has abandoned all pretence of tolerance towards freedom of assembly and freedom of speech. Police today dealt roughly with members of the WOZA group, led by Jenni Williams, when they tried to protest in Bulawayo. Three protesters were hospitalised as a result of the police action. According to Woza, the protesters were "attacked" and beaten by police at the Chronicle offices as well as en route to the protest focal point. Members of Wom...