Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

A soldier lies dead in the DRC last year when fighting erupted again. Zimbabwe had since left and the United Nations had moved in peace keepers. But there are still some Zimbabwean skeletons in the DRC, those of soldiers who died there and were never recovered. Their widows have been denied the allowances due to those soldiers by the directive of the top brass of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. The Fingaz interviewed the woman who is making noise on behalf of others. Harare, Zimbabwe, 27 November 2009 Any army widow whose husband went missing in action in the Democratic Republic of Congo during Zimbabwe's intervention in that country is demanding U$26 000 from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces and has taken them to court. It is basically a test case, designed to establish precedent, because the woman is not alone. There are many others who could not pitch in and launch a class action. This particular case will determine whether not they all get their dues. Stunningly, the case, although ori...

The Zimbabwe Defence Forces remain opposed in principle to Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC, whom they accuse of trying to sell Zimbabwe's birthright to the West in return for money. They are also especially bitter about Tsvangirai's call for Zimbabwe to be put under sanctions when he was still an opposition leader (he said South Africa should cut off fuel and electricity supplies). Now, one of their new MPs has had to grovel in front of a Major General in the army, who threatened to kill him and make him "disappear without a trace" for "disrespecting generals and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces." Harare, Zimbabwe, 12 October 2009 MDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Masvingo West, Tichaona Mharadze, went on his knees to beg forgiveness from Major General Englelbert Rugeje after the army Major-General took out his service pistol at a Masvingo and threatened to kill him. Rugeje told those who were with him that he had threatened to kill Mharadze because he had "de...

General Philip Sibanda, the Commander of the Zimbabwe National Army, seen here shaking hands with Morgan Tsvangirai on Defence Forces Day in Harare last month, has accused Zimbabwe's foreign-based media, and especially the Radio Stations, of waging war on Zimbabwe. It goes to show what I have been saying all along that actions speak louder than words. What good is it to have the Generals being nice to your face but working feverishly to sabotage your agenda? That is what Morgan Tsvangirai is going through. Harare, Zimbabwe, 15 September 2009 Zimbabwe's National Army Commander, Lieutenant-General Philip Sibanda told a Study Seminar at 2 Brigade Headquarters yesterday that foreign-based radio stations beaming into Zimbabwe were "at war" with the state and warned his soldiers to remain on guard against such things. Sibanda, who was speaking in Harare, said: Our country is undergoing asymmetric type of war where all means are used to achieve set objectives by our detracto...

Chiyadzwa Diamond Fields, where small-scale miners (Makorokoza) made fortunes in the confusion of 2006/7 and into last year. There was a brutal clampdown at the Fields and it is sad some 80 or so people died at the hands of soldiers, the story is denied by both the MDC and ZANU PF since they got into government together. The Kimberley Process Team which was here earlier this month, has recommended a ban on Diamonds from Zimbabwe for at least six months So. Despite the Herald shrilling propaganda from their pages during the recent visit of the Kimberley Process Team to Zimbabwe, that very team has now announced that it is recommending a ban on Zimbabwe trading in diamonds through the process for "at least six months". It is a big deal because the Process is literally the only legitimate way in which diamonds can be sold on the world market. It was set up to certify diamonds as free of blood ( diamonds funded and fuelled the horrific conflicts of Sierra Leone, DRC and Liberia, ...