Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Harare, Zimbabwe, 16 September 2009 The Royal Commonwealth Society in the United Kingdom recently launched The Commonwealth Conversation. The findings of this Conversation will be presented to the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Trinidad in November this year. This project is basically an online consultation and conversation about the future of the Commonwealth, the grouping of former British colonies to which Zimbabwe once belonged before Mugabe abruptly pulled out after being suspended for human rights violations. The conveners of the Conversation say that Zimbabwe is an issue they would definitely want to discuss and they would like the input of Zimbabweans from home and abroad in how this can be achieved. The Conversation Project itself recently conducted a short interview with Morgan Tsvangirai on how the Commonwealth can help Zimbabwe, a transcript of which is as follows: Zimbabwe is emerging from a serious political conflict and an economic meltdown. In those circums...

Dr Simba Makoni revealed on Thursday last week that he had confronted Mugabe and questioned the decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth in a Politburo meeting. Dr Makoni was addressing Commonwealth Ambassadors at a luncheon in Harare, at a luncheon event to which the ambassador grouping had invited him to hear his thoughts on the current situation in Zimbabwe, the prospects of the Coalition Government and his plans for the future of Zimbabwe. Makoni started off by saying, "We welcomed the commencement of negotiations between ZANU (PF and MDC, though we believed that a truly national negotiating forum, involving leader from constituencies broader than just politics, was more appropriate. Such a national forum would not only canvas the full range of national concerns, but also provide a firm and sustainable foundation for national re-engagement and reconciliation. We are happy that accommodation was reached for cooperation within an inclusive government and extend our support to ...

Mugabe and Tsvangirai are looking in different directions on everything except the need to get money from the West to revive Zimbabwe's economy Dictator Robert Mugabe has told Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai that he should forget about repairing relations with the British Commonwealth, from which Zimbabwe withdrew after it had been suspended for violation of human rights. I am reliably told that Mugabe reminded Tsvangirai that according to the Constitution of Zimbabwe, he, as Head of State, had sole authority when it comes to international agreements. Effectively, Mugabe was telling Tsvangirai to mind his own business and leave the matter of the membership of Zimbabwe in the Commonwealth to the Head of State. The dictator vowed that Zimbabwe will not return to the Commonwealth as long as he is still leading the country. Tsvangirai had brought up the subject in the context of "reintegrating" Zimbabwe into the international community, pointing out that there would be mater...