South Africa blocks UN from sending envoy to Zimbabwe
South Africa has once again shown that it is in bed with the regime in Harare. On Tuesday it blocked attempts by the UN Security Council to send an envoy to investigate atrocities against MDC supporters. Other nations who spoke up against any action on Zimbabwe were China, Russia, Libya and Vietnam.. MDC secretary general Tendai Biti briefed the UN on the post-poll crisis, but said the meeting was disappointing.

Over 200 MDC supporters released without charge
Most of the MDC supporters arrested by the regime last week have been released without charge. However, police are still holding 3 people on allegations of engaging in political violence. Heavily armed police officers last week Friday raided the MDC headquarters and took away about 215 party supporters who had sought sanctuary from the Zanu PF campaign of violence.

Leaked memo suggests crackdown set for Matabeleland
A crackdown on opposition activists primarily targeting Mashonaland, Masvingo and Manicaland areas will soon be extended to Matabeleland, according to a leaked document. Although there have been cases of political violence in Matabeleland areas like Nkayi, Newsreel understands the International Trade Fair that ended over the weekend in Bulawayo was the reason for government holding back on a full scale operation.

Riot police displace students in Harare Polytechnic hostels
Students at the Harare Polytechnic on Thursday were shocked to see riot police living in their hostels, on the day the college opened for the new term. Two police vehicles, fitted with water cannons, were stationed just outside the hostels in anticipation of opening day demos that have characterised other universities and colleges around the country.

Government uses ivory to finance purchase of Chinese arms
The Zimbabwean newspaper claims that Mugabe’s regime illegally sold US$1 million of ivory as part payment for the ship full of arms that was turned away from South Africa, and is now heading back to China.

Cash crisis returns as loaf of bread hits Z$100 million-dollar mark
Cash shortages and queues are back again, as the dithering over the presidential result shows little sign of ending. Our Harare correspondent said because of the high inflation the cash crisis has come back to haunt the country, despite the Reserve Bank introducing a Z$50 million denomination note in February.

Former Malawi president condemns violence and pledges to assist
Doctor Bakili Muluzi, the former president of Malawi and currently the National Chairman of the United Democratic Front (UDF), has added his voice to the long list of foreign and African leaders who have condemned the situation in Zimbabwe.

Church leaders support arms embargo
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and the Anglican Primate of Southern Africa have all added their voices to the call for an arms embargo on Zimbabwe.

Growing pressure for arms embargo on Zimbabwe
There is growing regional and international pressure for an arms embargo to be in place until there is a legitimate government. This initiative has been called for because of the publicity around the Chinese ship carrying arms for Zimbabwe. On Wednesday the new Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, called on the United Nations Security Council to impose an arms embargo.

Regime floats idea of government of national unity
Zanu-PF on Wednesday floated an idea that it wanted to form a government of national unity led by Mugabe. In an opinion piece published in the Herald it was suggested that a unity government may be the only way out of the current political impasse. The article called for the Southern African Development Community to help create a new constitution for Zimbabwe, which would be adopted after a national referendum.

Winning local government Councillors still not sworn in
While all eyes have been focused on the recounts and the delay by the electoral commission in announcing Presidential results, the fate of local government councillors who were has been forgotten. Mike Davies from the Combined Harare Residents Association reminded Newsreel that the winning candidates in the council elections were announced by ZEC the day after elections.

Church leaders urge action to stop the violence
Zimbabwe’s church leaders have called for urgent international intervention following reports that MDC activists are being tortured and murdered by the Zanu-PF regime. The leaders of all church denominations issued a joint statement that Tuesday describing the violence as a deliberate campaign that could reach ‘genocidal’ proportions.

China recalls arms ship after pressure from African countries?
The controversial shipment of arms from China might have been recalled back to China, following pressure from African countries that refused to allow it to dock at their ports. On Tuesday the China Ocean Shipping Company announced their vessel was coming back home. Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa led the chorus of disapproval urging other African countries not to allow the ship to unload its deadly wares.

NCA warns perpetrators of violence and offers advice on safety
The National Constitutional Assembly have issued a strongly worded statement condemning members of the police and security forces for their failure to protect opposition supporters who are being targeted and indiscriminately brutalised in the aftermath of the elections.

MDC say 10 people killed so far in post election violence
The opposition says 4 of their members were killed within a week of each other. No details are available yet on the other 6 activists killed. The MDC also says the number of activists arrested by police since Tuesday last week when they called for a stayaway has risen from 150 to 300. They report that Zanu PF militia have burnt down at least 800 homes and in Murehwa war vets and youth militia have set up detention centres to ‘torture opposition and human rights activists.’

Zanu-PF manipulating figures through vote recount
The MDC claimed Monday that the vote recount exercise was being used by the regime to ‘doctor’ figures to allow Mugabe to qualify for a run-off with Tsvangirai. Eddie Cross, the party’s policy co-ordinator and MP for Bulawayo South, said that in practical terms all the Electoral Commission needed to if it was a genuine recount, was to verify the votes through official documentation that all parties signed at the end of the electoral process.

Regional efforts to block Chinese arms from reaching Zimbabwe
The Chinese ship carrying small arms for the Mugabe regime left the port of Durban on Friday, reportedly heading for Mozambique. But there is no record of an application to dock there. The International Transport Federation has now launched a campaign to ensure that the arms shipment is not off-loaded in any African country. The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa called for urgent intervention by the UN, AU and SADC.

Zim sees fresh vote delay as violence rises
Zimbabwe announced a delay in the partial recount of its disputed March 29 election on Sunday, extending a political deadlock in which the opposition says 10 of its members have been killed and hundreds arrested.

Arrest Zimbabwe arms ship: alliance
Should the Chinese ship carrying arms destined for Zimbabwe re-enter South African waters, the vessel should be arrested by the navy, the Justice Alliance of South Africa said on Sunday.

Zimbabwe: UN Chief Raises Polls Crisis With Africa
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced in Ghana that he is to raise the Zimbabwe crisis with African leaders during his current visit to West Africa.

MDC says it rejects March 29 poll recount
The MDC said it rejected the partial recount of votes from March 29 elections, which began on Saturday, and said it would not accept the outcome. The recount in 23 of 210 constituencies, which is due to take three days, could overturn the results of the parliamentary election, which showed Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF losing its majority to the MDC for the first time.

President of journo union assaulted; freelance journo abducted
IFJ Calls on Zimbabwe Government to End Harassment of Media after Attack on Journalists Union leader

MDC chief elections agent for Chivi disappears
A manhunt has been launched in Chivi, Masvingo province for a 35 year-old election agent from the MDC whose disappearance has raised fears that he may have been abducted by state security agents. Farai Zavidze, a well-known figure in the district and an outspoken critic of Mugabe’s regime, vanished from his Chivi north home on Wednesday evening.

Mugabe sidesteps election defeat during independence speech
Robert Mugabe used his Independence Day speech to attack the Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC and the British Government. The 84 year-old leader, still eager to cling on to power despite his electoral defeat to the MDC, described the British Government as ‘thieves trying to steal our country.’ The MDC were ‘British puppets’ and he vowed once again that ‘Zimbabwe will never be a colony again.’ So there was absolutely nothing new in his speech.

‘War Vets’ unleash orgy of violence in Umguza, Mat North
Gangs of Zanu-PF youths, labeling themselves war veterans, have unleashed a reign of terror in Umguza on the outskirts of Bulawayo. The youths are believed to be loyal to Obert Mpofu, the Zanu-PF MP for the area and they also attacked and injured the MDC senatorial candidate there, Moses Sivalo. They beat up anyone they came across, from the young to the elderly.

Global wave of protests to demand election results
Members of the MDC-UK demonstrated at the Zimbabwe Embassy in London on Thursday, beginning three days of protests that are planned at the Embassy this week. Friday, April 18 is Zimbabwe’s Independence Day and there will be protests at the Embassy in London, at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and also one in Vancouver, Canada.

Court delays vote recount hearing - yet again
The high court in Harare has deferred until Friday, hearing a legal bid by the MDC to stop a recount of election ballots, set for this weekend.

Over 50 arrested in stayaway crackdown
The MDC say that over 50 opposition supporters have been arrested in a clampdown by security forces, targeting those who participated in Tuesday’s stayaway. Although police have only confirmed the arrest of 30 opposition activists the MDC insists the figure is much higher. According to MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa most of the arrested are MDC staff members.

China ships arms of war to Zimbabwe
China has secretly shipped tens of thousands of small arms to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, raising fears the consignment has been bought in to crush any attempts to unseat Mugabe from power. An investigative journalist in South Africa has revealed that the consignment docked at Durban harbour on a Chinese registered ship.

Students riot at Bulawayo’s NUST University
Students at the National University of Science and Technology in Bulawayo rioted on campus Wednesday, demanding that Robert Mugabe step down as Chancellor of the University.

MDC activists storm Zimbabwe Embassy in London
A group of MDC activists stormed their way into the Zimbabwe Embassy on the Strand in London on Tuesday, demanding that the staff vacate the premises because Mugabe lost the elections on March 29th. The activists were members of the MDC-UK women’s wing, led by Judith Ngwenya. She said they carried placards accusing South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki of helping Mugabe to rig the elections and to rape and murder Zimbabweans.

ANC say there is a crisis in Zimbabwe
The heat has intensified on South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki after he made comments over the weekend that there was no crisis in Zimbabwe. In direct contradiction, ANC national spokesperson Jessie Duarte said the party does regard the situation in Zimbabwe as a crisis, with negative consequences for the SADC region. She added that the electoral commission should announce the presidential results without any further delay.

Mukonoweshuro launches stinging attack on Mbeki
Professor Elphas Mukonoweshuro, a top aide of MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai, on Tuesday launched a powerful attack on Thabo Mbeki and questioned if the South African president was sober when he claimed there was no crisis in Zimbabwe.

MDC national strike to go ahead Tuesday
As the stalemate over presidential election results entered its 16th day MDC structures around the country were busy mobilising their members for a series of national strikes that begin Tuesday. MDC youths have been distributing fliers about the strike action. One flier reads; ‘Zimbabweans have been taken for granted for too long, we demand presidential results be announced now.’

High Court refuses to order release of results
The High Court on Monday dismissed an MDC application demanding the immediate release of presidential election results by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. Political pressure on the judiciary seems to have won the day for Zanu PF. ZEC lawyer George Chikumbire warned last week it would be ‘dangerous’ for the court to order his clients to release the results because ‘it might not be complied with’ and that there were ‘outside forces which ZEC could not control.

Mbeki and SADC discredited for denying Zimbabwe crisis
South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki and regional leaders who met in Zambia this weekend, took a position on the Zimbabwe electoral crisis that was a slap in the face for the voters who are being denied the outcome.

Brown's warning to Zimbabwe leader
Gordon Brown has issued a stark warning to Robert Mugabe that he is "appalled" at the latest developments in Zimbabwe and that the world's patience with him is fast running out.

Mbeki meets Mugabe before summit
As regional Southern Africa leaders were gathering in Zambia on Saturday for an emergency summit to discuss the election crisis in Zimbabwe, South African President Thabo Mbeki flew in to Harare to meet Robert Mugabe.

Tsvangirai meets regional leaders ahead of SADC meeting
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has met almost all the leaders of SADC ahead of Saturday’s urgent meeting of the regional bloc to discuss the Zimbabwe crisis. On Thursday Tsvangirai met with South African President Thabo Mbeki and Luke Tamborinyoka, the MDC’s director of information, told us from Johannesburg that the meeting went well but would not disclose details.

Health minister Parirenyatwa organising violence in Murehwa
Ruling party thugs under the direction of top officials shut down all the shops in Murehwa on Friday. They forced vendors and local residents to a meeting where they were threatened with violence. The meeting was addressed by Minister of Health David Parirenyatwa, who is also the MP for Murehwa North.

Zuma calls for release of presidential election results
The leader of South Africa’s governing ANC party, Jacob Zuma, has criticised the delay by the ZEC in announcing the results. Marking a departure from Mbeki’s ‘quiet diplomacy’ Zuma said he thought the commission should have announced the results by now. He added that it was not a good thing to keep the nation in suspense and the elections had now become an international issue.

Soldiers and Zanu PF supporters assault opposition members
Zanu-PF has sent it’s militias to areas where it lost to the MDC, to assault those who they suspect voted for the opposition. The Zimbabwe Peace Project said soldiers raided bars and a public market on Sunday, in Gweru’s Mkoba 6 surbub, assaulting people they accused of failing to vote correctly. Gweru, which houses two military bases, Thornhill and the Zimbabwe Military Academy, is a stronghold of the opposition.

WOZA protest at Bulawayo High Court over results delay
Women of Zimbabwe Arise were on the streets on Wednesday, marching through Bulawayo’s central business district to the High Court. Coordinator Jenni Williams said the protest march was a surprise for the police who arrived at the High Court after the women had dispersed. WOZA are demanding the immediate release of the Presidential results.

MDC describes Herald report on Tsvangirai as ‘illusionary’
The state controlled Herald reported on Wednesday that MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai asked Zanu-PF to accommodate him as one of the Vice Presidents in a government of national unity.

High Court postpones decision on MDC presidential vote case
High Court judge Tendai Uchena postponed to Wednesday a ruling on an application by the MDC demanding the release of presidential election results from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

Analyst says Mugabe has staged a ‘coup by veto’
Briggs Bomba, a programme associate with the US based Africa Action advocacy group, says Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF are now running the country illegally and have staged what is known as a ‘coup by veto.’

100 farms invaded in 4 days
Illegal farm invasions have escalated dramatically in the past few days as the government continues to delay announcing the results of the presidential elections. The Commercial Farmers Union say there were about 500 white owned farms left before the current campaign, but now about 100 have been taken over in the last 4 days alone.

RIP Dr. Solomon Nkiwane
Death of a human rights activist: Dr Solomon Nkiwane

Tsvangirai in South Africa seeking pressure for election results
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai was in South Africa Monday, as the electoral crisis in Zimbabwe continued without the release of the presidential poll results. MDC secretary-general Tendai Biti said Tsvangirai was meeting with “important people in South Africa” but he gave no other details.

High Court postpones decision on presidential results again
The High Court postponed a decision on whether the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission should be forced into releasing presidential election results, until Tuesday. But Justice Tendai Uchena did rule that the court did had jurisdiction over the matter, although ZEC had argued the court had no authority over them. Nine days after a landmark election that saw the MDC hand Zanu PF it’s first electoral defeat in 28 years, the presidential results have still not been announced.

Electoral officials under 24-hour surveillance
There are reports that senior Zimbabwe Electoral Commission officials are under 24-hour surveillance by government, who fear they might leak information regarding the presidential poll, which the MDC claims to have won outright. The MDC are accusing Mugabe, now in opposition in parliament, of stalling to provide time to alter the results to show that Tsvangirai got less than 50 percent and that a run-off is required.

Botswana opposition urge SADC and AU to intervene in Zimbabwe
The head of the Botswana Peoples Party, Bernard Balikani has called on the Southern African Development Community and African Union leaders to intervene in Zimbabwe before the situation gets worse.

Judge defers ruling on MDC demand for election results
Lawyers representing the MDC urged the High Court on Sunday to force the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to release results for the presidential election that ended 8 days ago.

War veterans on ‘war path’ against white farmers
War veterans in Masvingo on Saturday temporarily invaded at least four white owned farms, as retaliation for the parliamentary defeat suffered by Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF to Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC, during last week’s general elections.

ZANU PF want election recount
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's ruling party has called on the country's electoral commission to recount all results from last weekend's presidential elections, state media reported on Sunday.

Stalemate deepens in Zim
Zimbabwe sunk deeper into political stalemate on Sunday, with the opposition going to court to get election results released and President Robert Mugabe's ruling party asking for a delay and recount.

Solo demonstrator invited inside Zim Embassy in Washington
A determined activist protesting outside the Zimbabwean Embassy in Washington DC, made so much noise that the officials there were forced to invite him inside for a chat. Charles Mutama, a coordinator with the Zimbabweans in Exile group, said he had invited Zimbabweans living in the Washington DC area to join him in protesting against the handling of election results.

Signs of a government crackdown begin to emerge
Signs that Mugabe might go down fighting, despite a humiliating electoral defeat, have begun to emerge. On Thursday two foreign journalists were arrested for allegedly working without accreditation.

Mbeki urged to pressure release of presidential results
South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki has been urged to make every effort to ensure that Zimbabwe does not descend into chaos. This was the message in a strongly worded statement released Thursday by the main opposition Democratic Alliance party. As Zimbabweans continue to anxiously await the results of the presidential poll, the DA said it’s reasonable to expect Mbeki to play an active part.

MDC says it has the support of the defence forces
The rank and file members of the country’s defence forces are fully behind the MDC forming a new government, according to a senior legislator in the party. Giles Mutsekwa, the MDC MP for Dangamvura-Chikanga in Mutare, said he has received assurances from several senior military officers that they would pledge their allegiance to the next commander-in-chief of the defence forces.

MDC UK to protest at embassy Thursday
The MDC United Kingdom and Ireland province says it plans to protest against what it perceives as an attempt by Zanu PF and Robert Mugabe to rig results of the just ended elections. On Tuesday Jaison Matewu, the organising secretary of the party, told Newsreel that MDC activists are meeting in Trafalgar Square London on Thursday before marching to the Zimbabwean embassy around lunchtime.