Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Lovemore Moyo, the Speaker of Zimbabwe's Parliament, is now engaged in an ugly and unprofessional turf war with the Clerk of Parliament, whom the MDC-Tsvangirai faction sees as a ZANU PF appointee. It is a continuation of the turf war between Mugabe and Tsvangirai, with the Prime Minister and his party trying to assert their authority as the largest party in parliament. This has led them to see conspiracies everywhere, including in the professional conduct of the Clerk. The Clerk stands his ground and it appears that there is nothing the MDC-T can do to him since he is playing it by the book, while Tsvangirai's party wants him to "get with the programme." Harare, Zimbabwe, 20 December 2009 The fight for political space and authority between ZANU PF and Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC has now spilled into parliament, with the Clerk of Parliament, the long-serving Austin Zvoma, threatening legal action against the MDC-Tsvangirai-appointed Speaker of Parliament Lovemore Moyo...

Sitting Pretty: The Speaker of Parliament (pictured in the Speakers Chair in Parliament) has been splashing out on suites at the Miekles, a 5 Star hotel in Harare, to tune of US$6 000 per month for bed and breakfast only since August last year. No wonder they all want this to last another four or so years. Harare, Zimbabwe, 27 September 2009 While Parliament and government plead poverty and refuse to pay doctors even just a paltry US$300 per month, it has been revealed today that the Speaker of Parliament has had a permanent suite at the Miekles at a cost of more than US$6 000 per month since he was sworn in. This is happening as MPs have also gone for a year without their allowances, making it difficult for the most dedicated to see to their constituencies and giving the crooks an excuse to steal the people blind. The story dominates the Sunday Mail front page today. It simply goes to prove that the best form of leadership is leadership by example. Why should doctors and teachers not ...

Harare, Zimbabwe, 23 September 2009 So yesterday, a full 18 days after I broke the story, the Times of South Africa has finally confirmed that Mugabe is refusing to open the Zimbabwe parliament. I told you all about this on 4 September in an article headlined "Mugabe Refuses To Open Parliament, New Parliamentary Elections Early Next Year" Originally Mugabe had been slated to open the legislature on September 1, but he ran away. Parliamentary officials had already announced that the president would open the new session of parliament on that date. They then had to send letters to newsrooms to say that parliament was going into recess and would instead be opened by Mugabe on September 29. Now Mugabe says he is "too busy". Yesterday, a parliamentary official, Deputy Clerk of Parliament Helen Dingani told the Times that Mugabe responded to the new date by saying it was not convenient for him. He did not offer alternatives or suggestions as to when would be convenient. Re...

Speaker of Parliament Lovemore Moyo of the MDC-Tsvangira now stands accused of corruption by the MDC Mutambara, who say he is failing to publish thier notice that the MPs expelled from MDC Mutambara are no longer MPs. The Speaker is accused of actually addressing meeting being held by the expelled MPs as they rally their constituencies behind them. This fight is part of Tsvangirai's strategy and is the reason why no noise is being made about the failure of Mugabe to call by-elections before 15 September, after which the parties will be allowed to contest against each other. Harare, Zimbabwe, 14 August 2009 Welshman Ncube, the Secretary General of the MDC led by Arthur Mutambara held a press conference yesterday at which they alleged that the MDC Tsvangirai Speaker of Parliament is engaged in corruption with regards the expelled MDC Mutambara MPs. MDC have given the Speaker until Tuesday to publish notification that the seats are now vacant, failing which they will have him charged ...

L ovemore Moyo, the MDC-T Speaker of Parliament, who was forced to abandon his Welcoming Address at the All Stakeholders Conference on a new Constitution in Harare today. Mugabe, at the burial of a former ZIPRA freedom fighter at Heroes Acre on Friday pleaded with Moyo in his speech, saying, "Please please Mr Speaker, let the process be Zimbabwean". Mugabe was in a heated meeting with Tsvangirai at State House at the time of writing this Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai are holed up at the State House in Harare, both of them refusing t come out to address the Constitutional Conference, which the organisers, especially the Members of Parliament from MDC-T, attempted to reopen about an hour ago. Mugabe and Tsvangirai, whose traditional Monday meeting at which the PM reports to the President on government business today turned into a fireworks display, are still refusing to show up at the venue. Riot police, who were called in to quell the disturbances between MDC-T and ZANU ...

ZANU PF supporters shout, jeer, sing and dance during Speaker of Parliament Lovemore Moyo's Welcoming Speech at the All Stakeholders Conference on the Constitution in Harare a couple of hours ago. The Conference was abandoned as MPs and delegates started walking out The Inclusive Impediment to People's Hopes, led by Mugabe and Tsvangirai was today forced to abandon the All-Stakeholders Conference in Harare after disruptions by members and supporters of Robert "The Solution" Mugabe. Lovemore Moyo, the Speaker of Parliament and Chairman of the MDC-T, could not finish his opening remarks as Mugabe's people started insulting him and singing War Songs. It got so bad that he had to go and sit back down. Soon after, as the crowd continued to sing and the dance the kongonya dance (a buttock-waving dance peculiar to female ZANU PF supporters), the Speaker and members of the MDCs started walking out. Mugabe was supposed to have attended, but I did not see him there at all. ...