Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Morgan Tsvangirai arrives at Chinhoyi Stadium on Saturday to address supporters who had gathered for the 10th anniversary of the formation of the MDC. Ten years: which also means, according to the MDC constitution, which restricts the president of the party to two five-year terms, Tsvangirai must now step down. But, like Mugabe, it appears the Prime Minister is refusing to go. Handiende ! Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told a gathering in Chinhoyi (which has gone for some weeks without water and is seeing an increase in the ancient, embarassing disease of cholera) that his and Mugabe's "Inclusive" government is working fine. "There is nothing Mugabe does without me approving," he said. Really? What about Gideon Gono? The appointment of permanent secretaries? The gutting and disembowelling of Nelson Chamisa's Information Communication Technology ministry? The continued prosecution of MDC activists including Tsvangirai's very close aide, Gandi Mudzingwa?...

Gideon Gono and Robert Mugabe in a warehouse where Gono had stashed basic commodities as part of his quasi-fiscal operations, which are now threatening his job. This was a couple weeks after the bloody June 27 presidential election run-off, during which Gono also provided cars and funds to ZANU PF for their murderous campaign Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono has thrown the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe staff into panic and despair. Earlier today, Gono ordered all RBZ staff to surrender their vehicles and park them at the Reserve Bank Sports Club along Sherwood Road in Malbereign in Harare. This directive applies to all staff except Directors and Senior Managers at the RBZ. Most of the staff are in despair because these were their only means of transport and, as Zimbabweans know very well now, staff at the Central Bank have also not been paid their salaries because Tendai Biti has managed to cut off all revenue-generating schemes that Gono had prior to the Inclusive Government's incepti...

Soon after Morgan Tsvangirai "nullified" the appointment of Permanent Secretaries, I told you on this very blog of the meeting between Mugabe and Tsvangirai at which the dictator informed the Prime Minister that he was not going to fire Gono or the Attorney General, that Tomana guy. I was right, my detractors were wrong. Yesterday, Morgan Tsvangirai and Tendai Biti ate humble pie. Because, yesterday, Tendai Biti was forced to hold a press conference at which he declared that he was best friends with the Reserve Bank governor. Online newspapers, Tendai Biti said, were "awash with falsehoods about my relationship with the Central Bank Governor". The truth of the matter is what I told you on this blog. You will recall that I did inform you that Mugabe had told Tsvangirai that there was no reason for the government to fire Gideon Gono. I also informed you that Mugabe had said the two men must first work together and, if Gono was found to be insubordinate, then, and only...

A change in monetary policy by Gideon Gono earlier this year has facilitated the externalisation of nearly US$45 million by mostly ZANU PF chefs and businessman connected to the crumbling party of Robert Mugabe. This rush to extrnalise has taken place in only the last month or so. Sources at teh Reserve Bank suspect that the policy shift that made this possible may have been crafted by Gono specifically to facilitate the externalisation of ill-gotten ZANU PF gains. Gono, in a barely noticed clause in his "dollarisation" monetary policy, liberalised the exchange regime extensively, allowing holders of foreign currency to take out a maximum of $250 000 out of Zimbabwe at a time, with no questions asked. Six former and reappointed ZANU PF ministers, two businessmen and three children of ZANU PF politubro members studying in an Asian country have all taken advantage of this relaxation to spirit out nearlt US$45million since then, according to a source at the Reserve Bank who says...