- Zimbabwe Judge Chinembiri Bhunu Neglect Farm By John Cassim: Harare A skinny and sickly brown dog greeted us with howls of help. The dog limped as it ran around the car and that’s when I noticed one of its limbs was broken. I threw pieces of food and the dog devoured with such excitement that one could easily tell, the owner had abandoned it for a long time, so was the entire farm. The 350 hectare Daskop farm is yet to been prepared for the 2010 – 2011 season and all the fields are exhibiting total neglect with grass grown up to knee level. An apple plantation was burnt and the plants are struggling to shoot due to massive under growth. Although the farm is blessed w…

- Constitutional Crisis Rocks Zimbabwe Government A war of words has erupted between President Robert Mugabe and his Prime Minister, the MDC-T president Morgan Tsvangirai, over the constitutional crisis resulting from the unilateral reappointment of 10 Zanu PF provincial governors last Sunday, without consultation. “The MDC utterly rejects the notion of one party or one man rule. The MDC utterly rejects any suggestions that power is an entitlement through historical legacy, or that power is a God-given right of an individual or individuals,” Prime Minister Tsvangirai charged. The Prime Minister is accusing President Mugabe of flouting the Global Political Agreement sig…

- Violence at COPAC Meetings A Result Of Zanu PF Factionalism The bloody constitutional outreach meetings witnessed in Harare over the weekend had nothing to do with the opposition MDC but a succession battle and factionalism in Zanu PF, a political expert working in COPAC has said. “It was a game of numbers for both Zanu PF factions as they fought for supremacy, however MDC’s views could have spoiled the dish for either factions hence the violence,” he said Emerson Mnangagwa’s faction mobilised for devolution of power and a hybrid type of elections whereas the Mujuru faction is advocating for a unitary type of government and first past the post as the type o…

Zimbabwe's opposition has been warned to wary of contributions by President Mugabe's Zanu PF in the ongoing constitutional revision exercise. If taken serious, then Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC-T should trade carefully and possibly not rush into elections. - Despite having full knowledge of the atrocities they have committed so far in their 30 year plunder of the nation, Zanu PF are strongly advocating for the return of the death sentence. Obviously the sentence is not meant to work against their own but MDC-T or Arthur Mutambara’s MDC officials during the run up to the next coming elections. The three parties are in agreement that elections should be conducted soon aft…

- Pual Madzore, an MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) MP, was arrested on Tuesday the 4th of May, for allegedly failing to appear in court on the 27th May 2007, the time he was in remand at Harare Remand Prison. Madzore was dragged to Harare Magistrate Court to have his warrant of arrest dealt with only for the court to throw his case out after it was discovered that the opposition MP was at prison then. “We had to go to the Harare Magistrates’ court’s administration to verify that the case had been thrown away as I was in prison as from the 28 April 2007 to June 2007,” Madzore said. Paul Madzore, who is Harare province Organising Secretary and Glen South Memb…

- Zimbabwe Press Freedom Not Enough Press freedom is yet to be guaranteed in Zimbabwe despite the formation of a government of national unity, which has ruled for the past fourteen months, it was noted during the World Press Freedom commemorations, in Harare on the 2nd of May. Although the Government replaced the controversial and harsh Media and Information Commission with the Zimbabwe Media Commission early this year, the changes have been described as cosmetic. To mark the World Press Freedom day, journalists in Harare marched to the Zimbabwe Media Commission offices at Rainbow Towers this Monday in protest. MISA (Media Institute of Southern Africa) and Zimbabwe Union of Journal…

- Woman Political Leaders Join Hands The former Irish President, Mary Robinson officiated at the signing ceremony of the Zimbabwean women political leaders in Harare last night as they sought to deal with issues of the constitution making and political violence. Mary Robinson was accompanied by a high profiled delegation of known rights activist such as Dr Brigalia Bam of South Africa, Dr Achola Pala of Kenya, Dr Thelma Awori, Liberian Ambassador to South Africa Counsellor Lois Bruthus, YWCA General Secretary Mrs Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, Ms Elizabeth Lule of Uganda. “Effective participatory constitution making has to provide for women’s equal representation in the proces…

- Harare – EU talks fails The Brussels talks which were earlier scheduled for the 20th of April have been postponed again indefinitely following a volcanic ash flight ban and delays in the processing of the visa application for Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, a senior Zanu PF member reeling under EU travel sanctions. A cloud of volcanic ash, covered European skies two weeks ago, following an eruption in Iceland resulting in the grounding of all airlines. Zimbabwe inter- ministerial team which comprises Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Minister, Elton Mangoma of MDC-T, Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa of Zanu PF and Priscilla Misihairambwi Mushonga a minister wit…

- HIFA ROLLS INTO LIFE The annual Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) opens its doors to the public today, giving an array of exciting, thrilling and creative delights through cultural exchanges, diverse and innovative mind provoking scenes meant to influence Zimbabwe’s future. HIFA 2010 is running under a theme “About Face” which means so many things to different people and inspiring to artists and the Zimbabwean community as a whole. This theme also represents an attempt to seek new solutions to challenges and the pride in celebrating the face of so many Zimbabweans whose struggle, courage and belief in their nation is truly amazing. Despite having a c…

The International Monetary Fund has downwardly revised Zimbabwe's economic growth forecast, from 6 to 2.2 percent for year 2010 and nil percent for year 2011 due to uncertainty over the Indigenization and Economic Empowerment Act, a law that seeks to empower black locals by 51percent in all foreign owned entities, the Finance Minister Tendai Biti has revealed. - The reviewed projections are contained in the IMF World Economic Outlook report which was released in April. Biti revised his own GDP growth forecast to 4.8 percent from an earlier forecast of 7.7 percent this year citing political uncertainty due to prolonged differences in the implementation of certain policies including th…

- The International Monetary Fund has downwardly revised, Zimbabwe’s economic growth forecast, from 6 percent to 2.2 percent for year 2010 and nil percent for year 2011 due to uncertainty over the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act, a law that seeks to empower black locals by 51percent in all foreign owned entities, the Finance Minister Tendai Biti has revealed. The reviewed projections are contained in the IMF World Economic Outlook report which was released mid April. Finance Minister Tendai Biti revised his own GDP growth forecast to 4.8percent from an earlier forecast of 7.7percent this year citing political uncertainty due to prolonged differences in the implementat…

- The International Monetary Fund has downwardly revised, Zimbabwe’s economic growth forecast, from 6 percent to 2.2 percent for year 2010 and nil percent for year 2011 due to uncertainty over the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act, a law that seeks to empower black locals by 51percent in all foreign owned entities, the Finance Minister Tendai Biti has revealed. The reviewed projections are contained in the IMF World Economic Outlook report which was released mid April. Finance Minister Tendai Biti revised his own GDP growth forecast to 4.8percent from an earlier forecast of 7.7percent this year citing political uncertainty due to prolonged differences in the implementat…

- By John Cassim: Harare Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, appeared at the ZAOGA 50 Golden Jubilee celebrations held at Rainbow Towers on Tuesday the 20th of April, in the company of an unknown lady, much to the surprise of many observers, raising suspicion that he could have remarried. “The lady in my company is my daughter,” Tsvangirai said in Shona to Apostle Ezekiel Guti upon arrival. However following the inheritance ceremony held in Buhera during the second week of March 2010, it is believed Prime Minister Tsvangirai was given another wife from the Mhundwa family in accordance with Zimbabwean Shona culture. The Prime Minister’s spokesperson confirmed the…