Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Dr and Mrs Makoni arriving at Stoddart Hall in Mbare for the launch of MKD. Members of the audience reading up on MKD literature . Part of the guests at the launch of MKD Members of the National Steering Committee of MKD chat to a diplomat who had attended the launch The MKD choir in full flight Dr Makoni listen to the Welcoming Speech given by the party's Interim Chairman, Mr Godfrey Chanetsa. A diplomat who attended the event congratulates Dr Makoni at the end of proceedings MKD Interim Chairman, Mr Godfrey Chanetsa delivering his Welcoming Speech at Stoddart Hall in Mbare

I have never experienced the sort of difficulties I am experiencing with internet yesterday and today and the photos from the launch simply refuse to load onto the blog. I am not sure if it is Blogger themselves or the internet connection in Zimbabwe. So, fo now, you will have to make do with the above photo, showing Dr and Mrs Makoni being welcomed to the launch ceremony by the interim leadership of MKD The vitriol that is already being directed by the MDC-PF state media (Herald, ZBC, ZTV etc) is working wonders for Makoni. People know that whatever is criticised by the state media is in the interests of the people. It would have been fatal if the state media has started praising the new party and Makoni!! More photos will follow.

A strong contingent of diplomats, media and activists of Mavambo.Kusile.Dawn turned out at Stoddart Hall in Mbare today to witness the official launch of MKD as a political party. This was an "invitation-only" affair and consisted of invited diplomats, media and registered delegates of MKD Interim Provincial Structures. The launch was held under the theme of "Real Change". The theme was informed by the fact that, although the MDC campaigned on a platform of "Change you Can Trust", it turns out now that there is no change after all. People are still being arrested, media is still restricted, there is still no freedom of assembly unless you get police clearance, cholera looms large still, unemployment still hovers around 90% and capacity in industry is still well below 50%..... People are still afraid (three video production companies refused to take on the assignment of filming the launch, saying they were afraid of reprisals, that their companies could be ...

A Simba Makoni supporter holds a poster with the presidential candidate's line: Let's Get Zimbabwe Working Again during the presidential elections in March 2008. The candidate launches a new political party in Zimbabwe in a few moments today It is just after 9 in the morning in Zimbabwe and there is quite a crowd, according to our people on he ground. Most can not fit inside the hall, so some have gathered outside, where two flags are flying: the Zimbabwe flag and the Mavambo flag. Dr Makoni will be arriving after 10 this morning at the hall to deliver his launch speech. At the office, it is a hive of activity (you will have to excuse that particular cliche - very bad, I know, but that is how it is), with the phones ringing off the hook and people confirming their attendance. And would you know it, after word got out yesterday that Dr Makoni and MKD will be launching the party at 10:30a.m. today, the Prime Minister immediately announced that he would be holding a briefing of hi...

Simba Makoni, who will head the interim leadership of the new political party, to be called Mavambo.Kusile.Dawn (MKD)., which officially launches tomorrow. Tomorrow, Wednesday 1 July 2009, Dr Simba Makoni finally launches the Mavambo.Kusile.Dawn party. Yes, the party will be known as Mavambo.Kusile.Dawn The launch will be held at Stoddart Hall in Mbare, a teeming high-density suburb of Harare, the capital city. The function starts at 10:30a.m. The party launches with an interim leadership to be headed by Dr Makoni and will start rolling out formal structures all over the country soon after that. Already, I understand delegates from all the provinces of Zimbabwe have registered for the event, the most exciting political development in the country since the launch of the Inclusive Government of Robert Mugabe (The Solution) and Morgan Tsvangirai. In a sign of just how little things have changed, the new party had to seek police clearance to hold the launch meeting, and the clearance was d...

Dr Simba Makoni is seen here at the World Economic Forum, addressing the "Reconstructing Zimbabwe" Session The launch of Mavambo as a political party, which had been agreed by the Party Formation Steering Committee to be set for today, 13 April 2009, has now been put back. At a meeting of Conveners (Heads of Department) last Saturday, held at the Mavambo offices in Harare, the Conveners asked for more time to finalise plans for the launch ceremony in their own areas. Because the launch ceremony can only be held once and the new party wants to launch with a huge bang, they felt that they would rather delay than rush headlong into the whole affair. So, later this month, detailed plans for the launch ceremony itself, as well as the logistics, will be finalised at a retreat of the Party Formation Steering Committee, which will also be attended by what Mavambo structures are there in the Diaspora (South Africa and Botswana are particularly active at the moment), at a secret locati...