Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Jacob Zuma (above) thoroughly enjoying himself day before yesterday in Mozambique for the swearing-in ceremony of Mozambique's president Amando Guebuza for a second term. The SADc Troika also met in the Mozambique capital on the same day and issued a statement praising Zuma for his involvement in the Zimbabwe talks. Zuma now says Morgan Tsvangirai should compromise and forget about Gideon Gono and Johannes Tomana, despite misleading local press reports last year that Zuma wanted Gono and Tomana to go. Harare, Zimbabwe, 16 January 2010 President Jacob Zuma of South Africa has effectively told Morgan Tsvangirai to zip it,accept that Gideon Gono and Johannes Tomana, the MDC-persecuting Attorney-General of Zimbabwe, are not going anywhere and concentrate on satisfying Mugabe's demands instead. Zuma was speaking on South African radio when he advised Tsvangirai to "park" the disputed appointments that form part of the "outstanding issues" for the MDC. Jacob Zuma ...

After agreeing to be sowrn in by Mugabe like any other Minister (as opposed to insisting on being sworn in by the Chief Justice), Tsvangirai remains very much in Mugabe's shadow despite winning elections in March 2008. Confirmation of my story a couple of weeks back about Tsvangirai giving in to Mugabe on most of his "disengagement" issues has now been provided by a report compiled by the South Africans on the progress of the ongoing talks in Harare . Harare, Zimbabwe, 20 December 2009 The Zimind has in its possession the report compiled by a SADC Facilitation Team appointed by Jacob Zuma, the South African president, which confirms what I told you last week about Tsvangirai losing out heavily to Mugabe in the ongoing talks in Harare. (See my article "Tsvangirai Loses Out Heavily To Mugabe In Ongoing Talks " ) The talks talks are a result of Tsvangirai's temporary "disengagement" from ZANU PF, Cabinet and Council of Ministers. Back in October, when...

This is urban Harare, the poor area of Epworth on the outskirts of the city. ZANU PF considered this a stronghold until last year, when the residents fled to the MDC-Tsvangirai. But Mugabe's party is busy threatening and cajoling, in an effort to win back the constituency in the next election. The ZANU PF Congress going on in Harare at the moment is designed to "revitalise" the party and get everyone united behind Mugabe. It looks like the old dictator has been able to carry it off Harare, Zimbabwe, 09 December 2009 ZANU PF, the party of Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe, started its Congress in Harare today with little or no scope for surprises at all. Mugabe and his deputy, Joice Mujuru, have been confirmed in their posts and will be the ZANU PF ticket in the next election, whenever that may be. John Nkomo, whom Mugabe had been intially reluctant to back for the post of 2nd Vice-president, has now been confirmed as well in that post. There was a short-lived rebellion ag...

Morgan Tsvangirai adresses party supportersin Harare on Sunday during an MDC-T 10th Anniversary rally. Tsvangirai publicly gave Mugabe until 30 November to resolve all outstanding issues but the deadline has now passed with the Prime Minister quiet as a mouse. The talks themselves are in disarray, as the two parties keep piling on new issues that were never mentioned in the GPA or the SADC Communique of January this year. These talks will go on for another six months! Harare, Zimbabwe, 01 December 2009 The talks in Zimbabwe amongst the three parties to the country's Inclusive Government have degenerated into so much disarray that a South African mediation team yesterday threw its hands into the air in frustration. The talks, which were supposed to focus only on the Global Political Agreement (GPA) signed by the parties on September 2008 and a subsequent Southern African Development Community (SADC) Communique, now encompass issues outside of these documents. The ill-disciplined app...

Morgan Tsvangirai in his office on Monday, just before he left for a tour of Southern African countries to try and get support in his confrontation with Mugabe. Indications are that, as was to be expected, he has had no joy and will be back home to sit down again with Mugabe - so that he can be outwitted yet again. Harare, Zimbabwe, 22 October 2009 South African President Jacob Zuma has said through his spokesman that he is too busy to meet with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. He has a tight schedule "which does not accommodate the MDC President, Mr Tsvangirai," said Zuma's spokesman, Mr Zizi Kodwa. Apparently Tsvangirai tried to meet Zuma in Cape Town yesterday but failed. Zuma, indicating the truth of what we have always said on this blog that SADC washed its hands of Zimbabwe in January this year, told the South African parliament that "issues to do with Zimbabwe had been dealt with comprehensively at the SADC Summit in the DRC in September." Basically, th...

Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC-T Deputy, Thokozani Khupe, working as usual on Monday, 19 October 2009 (day before yesterday) in Tsvangirai's government office at the Presidential Office Building, Munhumutapa in Harare. Tsvangirai later left the same day to tour Southern African countries to drum up support for his pull-out from "engagement" with ZANU PF in Cabinet and the Council of Ministers. This was to demonstrate that he has not left government and is still reporting for work as Prime Minister, although he and Mugabe are no longer talking to each other. I thought he said Mugabe was "The Solution"? Harare, Zimbabwe, 21 October 2009 Robert "The Solution" Mugabe yesterday convened cabinet despite the absence of MDC-Tsvangirai ministers. The Tsvangirai camp ministers, however, reported for work at their offices before proceeding to hold their own "cabinet" meeting at Harvest House in Harare. The move by Tsvangirai's ministers to hold a ca...

Harare, Zimbabwe, 27 September 2009

It now turns out that when Jacob Zuma came to Zimbabwe last month, the Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, told him the Inclusive Government was working well. This informed Zuma's report to the Heads of State gathered for the SADC Summit in Kinshasa. This was a point on which the MDC National Council and Executive Council confronted Tsvangirai Harare, Zimbabwe, 18 September 2009 As the Zimbabwe Independent (still one of the best reads around, by the way) reveals today, Jacob Zuma says his report to SADC was premised primarily on the fact that both Mugabe and Tsvangirai told him that the Inclusive Government was "working well." Tsvangirai, yes, repeated his statement that the problems facing the Inclusive Government now were not "insurmountable." By doing this, he relegated his own "outstanding issues" to the back burner. The MDC National Council confronted him with this, but it appears the Prime Minister had no answer to it. After all, this is the man ...

Zimbabweans are indeed lucky to have a man of the Right Honourable Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's calibre as a leader. A man of wisdom and foresight unequalled in all the world, a giant that stands above all other human beings on earth, an infallible man. Even the Pope wants to be Morgan Tsvangirai when he grows up. Harare, Zimbabwe, 18 September 2009 There is no man on this earth wiser than Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. Since 2005, this has been proved to be true. He was right and Welshman Ncube, Gibson Sibanda, Priscilla Misihairabiwi Mushonga et al were wrong. He was right and Thabo Mbeki was wrong. The Prime Minister made no mistakes, diplomatic or otherwise, in his dealings with the SADC mediator. It was all Thabo Mbeki in the wrong because of his love for Robert Mugabe. The Americans were wrong when they told him not to sign the deal with Mugabe. "Mugabe is genuine," he repeatedly said. The Botswana president Ian Khama was wrong when he told Tsvangirai to ta...

Morgan Tsvangirai, seen here with his Spokesman James Maridadi in the DRC earlier today, has failed to get the SADC Heads of State to deal with the issue of Zimbabwe at the Summit. He was not part of the Summit, telling journalists that he had come there as head of his political party and not as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. In the end, there was no opportunity for him to address the presidents. Zuma disappointed and gave his own version of quiet diplomacy, praising the two parties in Zimbabwe and urging both of them to remove obstacles to the full implementation of the Agreement upon which the Agreement is based. Harare, Zimbabwe 08 September 2009 Morgan Tsvangirai's plans are in disarray at the SADC Summit in the DRC today. The Heads of State, under intense pressure from Mugabe, have taken Zimbabwe off the Agenda and insisted that the Zimbabwe issue remains the child of the SADC Troika.  This is despite confusing statements issued by Tsvangirai's party in South Africa yesterday...

Looking in different directions: Mugabe has lost round one in the battle at the SADC Summit in the DRC before it has even begun. The two fighting parties in government will both be at the Summit, but it is also almost certain that Mugabe will refuse to excuse himself during the Heads of State meeting that deliberates on Zimbabwe. He will be at an advantage, because the Tsvangirai will not be allowed in that meeting, since he is not a Head of State. The result may well be same-same, no different to what we have come to expect from SADC in the presence of Mugabe Harare, Zimbabwe, 07 September 2009 Robert "The Solution" Mugabe has lost the battle to keep Zimbabwe off the agenda of the SADC Summit in Kinshasa this week. On Sunday, the Secretary General of SADC, Tomaz Solamao, told the media that there is "no option but to implement the Global Political Agreement." It is now understood that President Jacob Zuma of South Africa will definitely present a "report"...

Robert "The Solution" Mugabe with Jacob Zuma at the Harare Agricultural Show yesterday. Mugabe made Zuma's job extremely difficult by heaping the blame for the impasse on Tsvangirai and the MDC, whom he accused of doing nothing about holding up their end of the bargain. Harare, Zimbabwe, August 29 2009 Sorry for the late update, but internet connectivity for me today was a nightmare. I was briefly able to log onto the net in the morning and then it all went haywire. I understand an upgrade is being done by the useless government-owned company that sees to things like this. I am now using an alternative route to post this and it is to be expected that the Government company in charge will fail to finish their upgrade until sometime after Mugabe dies!!! It will be a long wait, either way. Enough of that. I now have information on the case that Mugabe presented to Jacob Zuma, which informed teh South African leader's stance yesterday as he met with the political "le...

Robert "The Solution" Mugabe rides again: Seen here with Zuma as they toured exhibition stands at the Harare Agricultural Show earlier today, Mugabe sat quietly and nodded effusively when Zuma called for sanctions against Zimbabwe to be lifted and not so effusively when he called on all parties to the Inclusive Government to remove impediments to the full implementation of the Global Political Agreement that gave birth to this limping Mugabe-Tsvangirai regime. Nothing was solved by Zuma today in Harare. Absolutely nothing. He leaves behind the same mess he found when he landed yesterday. Harare, Zimbabwe, 28 August 2009 An American president once said in politics, one should speak softly and carry a large stick. Today, Jacob Zuma did the opposite. While addressing thousands of people at the official opening of the Harare Agricultural Show as it approaches its traditionally busy last weekend, Zuma praised the Inclusive Government and said he is happy about the progress made so...

Harare, Zimbabwe, 28 August 2009 In this last photo, Morgan Tsvangirai is seen leaving the Rainbow Towers (Sheraton Hotel) earlier today after meeting with Jacob Zuma to cry on his shoulders about Mugabe's transgressions and sins. It does not appear as if anything was solved, but it is early days yet. We will see.

Robert "The Solution" Mugabe and Jacob Zuma are seen here last night at the State dinner hosted by the Zimbabwean dictator for the South African leader who is in the country to open the Harare Agricultural Show. Zuma will leave today for South Africa and it is unlikely that he will have resolved anything in the single day he is here, although he met both Mugabe and Tsvangirai separately last night. Harare, Zimbabwe, 28 August 2009 Morgan Tsvangirai was at the Harare Showgrounds yesterday where he backtracked, telling journalists that South African president Jacob Zuma was not in Zimbabwe to confront Mugabe about unfulfilled promises. Tsvangirai specifically said: "President Zuma is here to Open the Agricultural Show." This betrays the delusions of his misguided supporters and apologists who had started celebrating ahead of the arrival of the SA leader saying that he was going to read the riot act to Mugabe. Zuma himself, speaking at the State House last night where ...