Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Webster Shamu, seen here in parliament with President Mnangagwa, was fired by the President toady and Minister of Provincial Affairs for Mashonaland West. The move marks the end of his political career, especially after the "natural justice" process followed by ED. This post will also explain why Shamu decided to cheat during the primary elections in ZANU PF. Robert Mugabe once stated during a rally, describing then VP Mnangagwa, "Igweta ka uyu..." (He is a lawyer, this one." Mugabe said it admiringly, as he explained how the VP escaped censure and action on the Tshlotsho issue that saw Jonathan Moyo fired from the party. The lawyerly approach by President Mnangagwa is the reason why you have seen it take some time for the firing of Shamu to take place. Mnangagwa is obsessed with the concept of "natural justice" (ensuring that both sides are heard).  I know some people are already pointing fingers at Christopher Mustvangwa as the power behi...

Zimbabwe's current leaders would like to see Dumiso Dabengwa (centre), back in government as a Vice President (something we first reported on here in August 2009). The dynamics this time around may be different enough to make this a reality, although Dabengwa still insists that his party, ZAPU, will not be disbanded. This time round, Madame Khupe and her outfit, likely to win significant support in Matabeleland in the 2018 polls, is in the mix. If all goes to plan, in a few weeks time, you are almost certainly going to see Dumiso Dabengwa and Thokozani Khupe campaigning together in the Southern Region of Zimbabwe. This issue, but the way, is also linked to why you are probably going to see the courts rule against Khupe in her quest to retain the MDC-T name. At law and technically, she would have been guaranteed to win that battle, but the dynamics changed in the last two weeks of April this year (2018).  This move is directly linked to the fact that Kembo Mohadi will not be...

President Emmerson Mnangagwa is going to win the 2018 Harmonised election by a margin of between 218 000 and 392 000 individual votes. It will be a margin big enough to make calls of a recount moot. It will be small enough to give credibility to the masses that attend Nelson Chamisa's rallies these days. Most importantly, it will be enough margin to render the elections credible, free and fair. Where this margin, already guaranteed to President Mnangagwa, will come from, is the blind spot that the MDC Alliance has failed to locate. They have failed even to sniff it. The MDC Alliance and Nelson Chamisa have absolutely no clue how the President and the ruling party are going to win. But they know that they will win. So, the flailing pointing out of issues around the ballot paper printing, transportation and security is serving only to dig a deeper hole for the opposition alliance. Nelson Chamisa, who claims that, without him and without the Alliance, there will be no ...

Not one person has actually seen the psychology behind the type of handshake displayed by VP Chiwenga against Nelson Chamisa here. Even Chamisa does not realise he is being pulled down and forced to bow. Those who underestimate the General do so at their own peril. He staged probably the smartest dethronement of a leader anywhere in the world in the last 45 years.  The biggest advantage the MDC ever had was that people believed that they and only they would be acceptable to the West and international community. It led people to believe that only by supporting and voting for the MDC could they see economic improvement in Zimbabwe. That argument and that advantage has been spectacularly demolished by President Emmerson Mnangagwa since November 2017. The president is flying high right now. Very high. The international community is embracing him, much to the consternation of the opposition, especially the MDC-T. The MDC Alliance of Nelson Chamisa has been hoist ...

Gideon Gono and Robert "The Solution" Mugabe inspect some of the equipment on display at the height of Gono's farm mechanisation programme. He also sourced seed maize and fertiliser to give to farmers in order to encourage productivity, justifying the move by saying even the colonial regime gave assistance to white farmers after World War 2. It is these inputs that have now put a large number of MDC-T MPs in court. Harare, Zimbabwe, 20 August 2009 The trial of MDC-Tsvangirai Member of Parliament for Bikita East, Edmore Marima opened yesterday at the Harare Magistrates' Court. Brigadier-General Nyikayaramba (which means "the country says no") testified against the legislator who faces a lengthy prison sentence like the one handed down to another MDC-T MP, Ernest Mudavanhu of Zaka East in Masvingo Pronvince, who was sentenced last month to two years in prison for the same offence. He automatically lost his seat as a result. The Brigadier General testified that...

General Sibanda of the Army shakes Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's hand during Defence Forces Day ceremonies at Harare stadium on Tuesday. Air Marshal Perance Shiri can be seen behind the General saluting General Mujuru. Notice how Tsvangirai half-rises in his seat in respect as he shakes General Sibanda's hand. Harare, Zimbabwe, 13 August 2009 I did promise you that I would give you an update on the raging issue of Tsvangirai and the Defence Forces Commanders. Unfortunately, Blogger went down some time ago and has only just returned, so I could not post anything at all. Anyway. The Service Chiefs themselves have confirmed to people who asked them that they did not salute Morgan Tsvangirai. It was alleged that Air Marshal Perance Shiri and General Philip Sibanda of the Army had saluted the Prime Minister. According to sources close to one of the two, here is the true story: Tsvangirai was seated next to ZANU PF Kingmaker Retired General Solomon Mujuru at the start of proceed...

Emmerson Mnangagwa, Minister of Defence and Mugabe's now-certain heir, seen here with PM Morgan Tsvangirai in parliament, answered questions in the House yesterday after a delay of some months during which parliamentarians complained to the Speaker and the media that the Minister was not availing himself to answer their questions. He was asked about the failure or reluctance by the Service Chiefs to salute the Prime Minister and he fobbed them all off with a flimsy explanation. Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Minister of Defence and Mugabe heir-apparent yesterday told parliament why the service chiefs will not salute Tsvangirai in an explanation that was clearly lacking in sincerity, as I will explain. Mnangagwa was shown on Newshour on ZTV last night explaining that the Service Chiefs only salute the president of the country as the Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. He pointed out that the Service Chiefs were also absent at the very low-key swearing-in of Vice-Presidents ...

"Oh my God!", Tsvangirai seems to be saying as he watches Mnangagwa being sworn in as Minister of Defence in February this year. Mnangagwa has just announced that Mugabe has been declared "Supreme Leader." Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Midlands Province Executive of ZANU PF have declared Mugabe "Supreme Leader" of ZANU PF, the current ruling party. The story is carried by SW Radio (link to their site is my right hand sidebar). There is an explanation for this. This is Mnagagwa showing Mugabe loyalty. It is designed to tell Mugabe, "Look how loyal I am, I have no plans to unseat you and I recognise you as the ultimate and perpetual leader of ZANU PF. I will only take over when YOU want me to and I will be loyal to you even after you leave office." It is part of succession politics within ZANU PF, then, but not as read by many. It is also a message to Mugabe that Mnangagwa, should he take over, will not go after Mugabe as has happened in Zambia, where...

Most of you reading this blog know that you can not mistake a call from "The President's Office". Yes, it is that unique number, the one with five zeroes in it (and it is a land line). The presidential switchboard numbers, as you will know, have 7 digits where most others in Harare have six. Well, I was extremely surprised at about 3 p.m. today to get a call from that number and even more surprised that the caller seemed keen to "clear the air" about the meetings I reported on yesterday between Tsvangirai and Mnangagwa. To start with, I was surprised that the caller referred to "the article you wrote in the Zimbabwean". I did not. I have never written for The Zimbabwean in my life, ever. I checked it out later and it turns out the article was taken from this blog by an online newspaper called The Zimbabwe Mail. The Zimbabwean then took the same article from the Zimbabwe Mail. This is now a familiar story with my articles. I must say that I have persona...

President Robert Mugabe "went ballistic" on Saturday when he found out Morgan Tsvangirai and Emmerson Mnangagwa have secretly  met up to six times since the MDC leader became Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is said to have met with the ZANU PF heavyweight, who has been confirmed already by Mugabe as his preferred choice for President, in Harare and at a farm in the Kwekwe area. Mugabe, told Saturday in a briefing about the meetings, is reported to have threatened to send the Minister of Defence back into the "wilderness" ( gwenga, was the Shona word Mugabe used, apparently). Although not immediately clear whether Mugabe was told what the mettings were about, he immediately saw this as a threat to his continued grip on power. Mugabe, although he has told Mnangagwa that he will most certainly now take over as head of ZANU PF and eventually President of Zimbabwe, likes things done his way. He believes Mnagagwa and Tsvangirai may be planning to sideline him, now that...

All the President's Men: (from right to left - Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri, Defence Forces Commander Constantine Chiwengwa, Air Marshal Perence Shiri of the Air Force of Zimbabwe and General Sibanda, Commander of the Army) Last weekend, I told you about Mugabe's speech at the burial of Vitalis Zvinavashe, the former Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. Mugabe described those engaged in continuing violence that they were "enemies of Zimbabwe". Of course, the state media had prepared the ground by telling us over and over again that MDC supporters were torching the huts of ZANU PF supporters and beating them up. Prior to this, General Chiwengwa, the current head of the Armed Forces of Zimbabwe, had also issued a "warning" to these people. Which was itself disturbing because we have never had an army commander issuing such orders, leaving it to politicians. Now, however, my warnings are being borne out. Police in Buhera have arrested more...