Denford Magora's Latest Zimbabwe News Blog

Reserve Bank Governor today issued a 20 page tabloid mini-newspaper taking the fight directly to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Finance Minister Tendai Biti, who are vehemently opposed to his issuing of cars to Members of Parliament, especially those from the MDC. The document also includes the following statements towards the very end: " The RBZ would like to advise Hon Members of Parliament that the Governor is under instruction from the Minister of Finance Hon. T.L. Biti to ask all Hon. Members of Parliament to return the second hand vehicles recently issued to them at their request by the Reserve Bank." Gono says in the announcement that although Biti wanted the cars returned by end of today, 20 April 2009, he, Gono is "appealing to the Honourable Minister that this deadline be extended to Friday, 24 April 2009." The cars are to parked at the Biti's offices and the keys handed over to Biti. However, it is the other announcements in the same document th...

Zimbabwe's dictator, Robert Mugabe, is flanked by a saluting Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, General Chiwengwa, during the singing of the national anthem at the National Sports Stadium on Saturday as Zimbabwe celebrated Independence Day Somebody calling themselves "Anonymous" (how unimaginative!) left a message overnight on this blog saying that I would be lucky to get to the end of the year alive. I don't publish comments from Anonymous contributors because anyone without the guts to identify themselves loses their right to be heard on this blog. I consider this desperation which is coming from an MDC-T supporter who misguidedly believes that democracy means agreeing with everything the MDC-T does no matter what. But on a more general note, there are things that I feel I should, just this once, address. It is the first and last time I will devote a post to anything other than the examination of the goings on in Zimbabwean society and government. So here it ...

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai welcomes dictator Robert Mugabe to the VIP tent at the beginning of Independence Day Celebrations in Harare today . He looks too jovial considering the bruising battles and humiliations he and his ministers have been suffering at the hands of Mugabe in the last couple of weeks, do you not think? Dictator Robert Mugabe gave the shortest speech of his career at the Independence Celebrations in Harare earlier today and his characteristic attacks on Britain and the West were missing. Sources close to the dictator say he wanted it "over and one with quickly" because of the presence of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, and other MDC officials, which ZANU PF felt "sullied" the event. Besides Morgan Tsvangirai, others in attendance included Mavambo.Kusile.Dawn president Dr Simba Makoni, the vice presidents and deputy prime ministers and ministers from all the parties in the coalition government. Mugabe, together with his wife (who was dresse...

The Party Formation Steering Committee of the Mavambo Kusile Dawn met on Tuesday this week in Harare and settled on May 13 as the date on which the party is going to be officially launched. The meeting, which was Chaired by Mavambo Interim Chairman, Mr Godfrey Chanetsa, has already finalised a draft constitution and now has an interim structure in place, with Dr Simba Makoni as Interim President until the elections for substantive office holders on the launch date. Meanwhile, I can reveal that most civic organisations have now started consultations with the Mavambo leadership in order to put together a united front and take on the moribund Inclusive Government. So far, Dr Simba Makoni and the MKD leadership have met with Dr Lovemore Madhuku of the National Constitutional Assembly, Mr Wellington Chibhebhe of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and others. There are also three "smaller" parties that have effectively dissolved themselves and joined Makoni's movement. I am ...

MDC-Tsvangirai MPs have now collected RBZ cars, some of which were loaned to ZANU PF during the June 2008 Presidential run-of election and used to murder MDC-T activists MDC-T MPs have humiliated Morgan Tsvangirai by going ahead and accepting the cars that were offered to them by Gideon Gono, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor, defying the Prime Minister's express wishes (and orders).  Some of the vehicles that are now being driven by these  MDC-T MPs are the very same vehicles in which MDC-T activists were murdered. If the MPs look carefully, they may actually be able to see faint bloodstains in the load bays of their newly-acquired Nissan Navaras (pictured above), Rhino CAMS and BT-50s. A Navara loaned to ZANU PF by the RBZ, for instance, was seen on Nyaguwe Bridge in the Chikwaka Communal Areas where blood was being washed off its loadbay. A day later, the body of Beta Chokururuma was discovered under the same bridge. Prime Minister Tsvangirai had ordered his MPs not to accep...

Dr Simba Makoni revealed on Thursday last week that he had confronted Mugabe and questioned the decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth in a Politburo meeting. Dr Makoni was addressing Commonwealth Ambassadors at a luncheon in Harare, at a luncheon event to which the ambassador grouping had invited him to hear his thoughts on the current situation in Zimbabwe, the prospects of the Coalition Government and his plans for the future of Zimbabwe. Makoni started off by saying, "We welcomed the commencement of negotiations between ZANU (PF and MDC, though we believed that a truly national negotiating forum, involving leader from constituencies broader than just politics, was more appropriate. Such a national forum would not only canvas the full range of national concerns, but also provide a firm and sustainable foundation for national re-engagement and reconciliation. We are happy that accommodation was reached for cooperation within an inclusive government and extend our support to ...

Death to The Zimbabwe Dollar! Elton Mangoma, minister of Economic Planning from the MDC, announced on Sunday that the Zimbabwe dollar (such as the FIFTY BILLION DOLLAR NOTE pictured here)  has been "suspended" for a year. A lot of commuters are going to be mad as hell, because they had been using these to board commuter omnibuses. But in confirms the timeline I gave in December in my article, Zimbabwe Approaches South Africa to Officially Use The Rand So, you woke up on Sunday morning to hear that what I revealed to you here in my article in December last year (Zimbabwe Approaches South Africa To Officially Use The Rand) has been proved correct. Yet again. As I explained it back then, Gono had met with Mboweni to discuss the adoption of the Rand and the conditions laid down by the South Africans were daunting. Zimbabwe, I told you back then, was required to suspend its own currency for at least six months. (They have done better, with Elton Mangoma, the minister of economic p...