Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Morgan Tsvangirai meets with the SADC Troika Ministerial Team (and Secretay-General Tomaz Salamao) in his offices at the Presidential Office Building, Munhumutapa in Harare on 30 October. Tsvangirai's close relative and an MDC-T intelligence department worker, Pascal Gwezere, has now appeared in court after being "abducted" on 29 October from his home by armed men. As we explained in a previous article on this blog, he now faces charges of stealing weapons and training to overthrow "The Solution". Harare, Zimbabwe, 03 November 2009 As we revealed on 28 October as reports of the abduction of Pascal Gwezere echoed across Zimbabwe, the man indeed now stands accused of plotting to overthrow Mugabe and stealing arms of war from Pomona Barracks, a military camp from where weapons disappeared a couple of weeks back. Even though some remained skeptical, what we revealed in the story, published on this blog on 28 October has now been proved correct. Gwezere yesterday su...

The wave of abductions from last year has started again, signalling to the MDC-T what awaits them if they walk out of the Inclusive Government. The effort is being led by the security establishment, which even Mugabe allegedly has a hard time controlling. It explains a lot of the behaviour from Morgan Tsvangirai right now, insisting on remaining in government to try and minimise the impact of the inevitable assault on his party by ZANU PF as elections approach, whenever that may be. Harare, Zimbabwe, 28 October 2009 The MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai has confirmed reports that started reaching us last night that one of their employees and activist, Pascal Gwezere was "abducted" last night by armed men in a double cab vehicle. The abduction took place in the township of Mufakose in Harare. Gwezere is a very close relative of MDC-T Morgan Tsvangirai, his mother is a sister to Morgan Tsvangirai's own mother. Gwezere works in the intelligence department of the MDC. This "a...

"Well, don't look at me, Morgan, I am just as helpless as you are." (Which means  there actually is no one in charge!) Robert "The Solution" Mugabe is at it again. This time, the "fantastic" ministry of Home Affairs (Tsvangirai's words), sent some of its policemen to "abduct" some MDC-T activists in order to get them to implicate the ones already awaiting trial for plotting to overthrow The Solution. They claim nasty things were done to them and think it all unfair and unacceptable and all that. Are these people deaf? Did they not hear the Prime Minister? "If it's victimisation, let it be proved in a court of law." Jestina Mukoko was abducted, was she not? Did the police not claim for a whole month that they had no idea where she was, only to produce her poste haste when Tsvangirai signed on the dotted line? The Prime Minister says it's OK, it's "due process" when these sorts of things happen. He'd rath...

While Tsvangirai is busy defending Mugabe and saying he is not the problem but the solution, that solution is harassing Tsvangirai supporters and arresting his spiritual adviser. But MDC-T supporter say Tsvangirai must stay on, like an abused wife sticking around for "her children". He should walk. He paralysed Mugabe last year and this year, for seven months. Yet he thinks he has no option? Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's pastor has been abducted and disappeared, according to an MDC press release published by SW Radio. It must be those hardliners and "residual elements" that we keep being told about. Almost certainly, MDC-T supporters will defend all this, asking the world what they expect Tsvangirai to do. Do we not know that there is 30 years of entrenched rule to fight against and so on. Of course, this marriage is on the rocks. But we are told time and again that the groom has been a bachelor for thirty years and is not used to having a wife lounging aro...

This Is Zimbabwe has several suggestions for action you can take regarding the abductees. The one I have picked on is the AVAAZ Speak Out For Zimbabwe campaign. It is certainly better to get involved with this than do nothing. It is unlikely that Motlanthe will listen to any petitions There is a deeper problem with the intractable Zimbabwe problem. I used to argue with people who, in the days of Thabo Mbeki's problems with Zuma at Polokwane, spoke with such authority about how Zuma would read the riot Act to Mugabe  and tell him where to get off. They "reasoned" that because Zuma had the support of COSATU, he would be pressured into action by that body. Well, I have met some of these people after Zuma's ascendancy. Typically, their response now was what it was when Mbeki was in power: " All these African leaders are the same. Zuma is afraid of COPE challenge so does not want an opposition to succeed in Zimbabwe.." People, please! I think we are running out o...