MDC-T and ZANU PF rule out elections this year
Both the MDC-T and ZANU PF have now ruled out the holding of fresh elections this year to break the political deadlock in the country. Speaking at his party congress in Bulawayo, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said elections can only take place in 12 months time after democratic reforms have been completed.

African rights commission urged to investigate torture in Zim
A leading regional NGO has called on the African Commission on Human Rights to investigate torture and other human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, in a bid to end impunity in the Southern African region.

High Court clears ZCTU May Day events
The Harare High Court has granted permission to the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions to conduct their traditional May Day celebrations over the weekend, overruling an earlier ban by the police.

Exiled Roy Bennett re-elected MDC-T Treasurer-General
The third national congress of the MDC-T kicked off in Bulawayo Thursday with the accreditation of delegates in the morning and elections of the Women’s Assembly and Youth wing in the afternoon. Elections for the senior positions will take place Saturday. But it was the re-election of Roy Bennett that was making news in Bulawayo.

Pardoned rapist celebrates with Attorney General
A self-proclaimed prophet, convicted of rape and later pardoned by Mugabe, has celebrated his early release by partying with the Attorney General Johannes Tomana.

Rights group calls for Mpofu to step down over diamonds
A human rights group has demanded the resignation of Mines Minister Obert Mpofu, because of his failure to ensure the security and transparency of Zimbabwe’s diamond trade.

Sensitive data stolen in raid on NewsDay offices
NewsDay has reported that its offices were broken into Monday evening and a laptop belonging to its editor and several hard drives from computers had been stolen.

Mugabe elite again exposed in new list of land seizures
Robert Mugabe and his cronies have again been exposed as the top beneficiaries of the unlawful land grab campaign, in a new report published last week by the Daily News.

Siwela still in jail 3 weeks after receiving bail
Paul Siwela, one of the leaders of the Mthwakazi Liberation Front, is still in police detention, 3 weeks after he was granted bail by the High Court. The Supreme Court has delayed setting a date for his bail appeal and no explanation has been given.

ZANU PF and MDC formations agree on election road map
Party negotiators to the Global Political Agreement have agreed on an election road map, but are still deadlocked over security sector reform and staffing in the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. These two critical issues will now be dealt with by the SADC regional mediator President Jacob Zuma of South Africa.

‘Jittery’ police bar May Day marches
The police have moved to block the annual May Day marches organised by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, which the union federation says is a sign that the security forces are ‘jittery’. Three marches, organised to take place along with numerous others countrywide over the weekend, have been banned, with the police apparently citing ‘security concerns’.

MDC Minister ‘traumatised’ by Lupane detention horror
The Co-Minister of National Healing, Moses Mzila-Ndlovu, says his time spent this month at Lupane Police Station is one of the most horrific and unimaginable experiences for a human being. Mzila-Ndlovu, who said he underwent intense interrogation and was also denied basic necessities such as food or water.

Despite SADC rebuke ZANU PF violence continues
The Southern African Development Community Troika summit in Zambia at the end of last month demanded an end to violence, intimidation, hate speech and any action that contradicts the spirit of the GPA.

Hwedza villagers under threat from war vets
Villagers in Hwedza have come under siege from war vets. According to the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition war vets went on the rampage in Rukweza on Monday, and forced people to march to an Independence Day celebration.

ZANU PF supporters invade MDC plots in Epworth
Residents of Harare’s Epworth township, suspected of being MDC supporters, on Tuesday lost plots of land to a gang of ZANU PF supporters who threatened them with death.

Thugs who assaulted elderly headman taunt villagers
On Monday we reported how 82 year old headman Rwisai Nyakauru (who was arrested and tortured by ZANU PF youth militia and war vets) died from his injuries on Saturday. The militants targeted him because he had attended an MDC rally addressed by Nyanga North MP Douglas Mwonzora.

SADC Tribunal review upholds unlawful land grab judgement
A review of the role and functions of the regional human rights Tribunal has defended the court’s findings in the legal battle against land seizures in Zimbabwe.

Police detain MDC members trying to visit Mzila Ndlovu
Four members of the MDC faction loyal to Welshman Ncube were arrested on Tuesday on their way to see their imprisoned deputy Secretary General, Moses Mzila Ndlovu in Lupane. Mzila Ndlovu is also the National Healing Minister.

82 year old headman dies after ZANU PF torture
Rwisai Nyakauru, the 82 year old headman who was arrested and tortured by ZANU PF youth militia and war vets, died from his injuries Saturday morning.

Zim Independence Day protest in UK
150 Zimbabweans in the UK marked the country’s 31st Independence Day with a protest outside the Zim Embassy in London.

UK, US relent on Zim ‘blood diamond’ ban
Western calls for a ban on trading in Zimbabwe’s controversial Chiadzwa diamonds appear to have been silenced, after an agreement on the country’s trade future was made in Dubai last week.

Catholic priest and healing Minister arrested after prayer service
Authorities continue to enforce an illegal ban on public and private meetings in the country, and have filed criminal charges against Father Marko Mkandla.

ZDF Commander Chiwenga flown to China for treatment
The Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, General Constantine Chiwenga has been flown to China for medical treatment after he recently fell ill in Harare.

Detained activist fired by employer
One of the six activists charged with treason after attending a meeting where video footage of protests in Egypt and Tunisia was screened, has been fired from his job with a workers union, for being absent from work.

COPAC to appoint principle drafters to write new constitution
The Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (COPAC) is spearheading the drafting of a new constitution and has identified the three people responsible for putting the final document together.

Siwela still in detention as MLF takes Mugabe to AU Commission
The leaders of the Mthwakazi Liberation Front have decided to take their recent illegal arrests and harassment by the Mugabe regime to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

ZimVigil plan “Stop the Violence” Independence Day Demo
Members of the Zimbabwe Vigil in the UK will use Independence Day on Monday 18th April to protest at the Zim Embassy in London against increasing political violence back home.

Badly beaten MDC-T Vice Chair finally released
Shakespeare Mukoyi was released on free bail on Tuesday. The MDC Harare Province Vice Chairperson was arrested and beaten by police, who crushed a prayer for peace church service on Saturday in Glen Norah.

Zim urged to boycott early election if called by ZANU PF
Zimbabweans are being urged to boycott any early election called by ZANU PF, if the party goes ahead and ignores recent resolutions by leaders in SADC.

ZANU PF snubs EU and UN funding for elections
The Mugabe regime is reported to have turned down an offer by the United Nations to fund and supervise elections, accusing the UN of siding with Alassane Outtara in the Ivory Coast presidential elections, instead of Laurent Gbagbo, whom they credited with fighting “the imperialist West.”

Zim authorities continue exhumations, despite court order
The unprofessional and chaotic exhumation of bodies from a disused mine in Mt. Darwin have continued, despite the ruling by a Bulawayo High Court which last week ordered them to stop.

MDC-T MP charged with insulting Mugabe, again
MDC-T Nyanga North MP Douglas Mwonzora, was on Friday charged for the second time with insulting Mugabe. The co-chair of the Constitutional Parliamentary Committee was summoned to Mutare Central Police Station and told he would be facing a new charge of undermining the president.

Hundreds arrested as Swazi govt cracks down on protests
Hundreds of people were arrestedTuesday as the government in Swaziland cracked down on planned public protests against the regime of King Mswati III, Robert Mugabe’s ally.

Manicaland & Mash East nominate Tsvangirai for re-election
The Manicaland provincial executive of the MDC-T has said it will nominate Morgan Tsvangirai for re-election as party president at its third national congress, set for the end of this month in Bulawayo.

Tekere says Zimbabwe now a dictatorship
Former ZANU PF Secretary General Edgar Tekere has said Zimbabwe is now a dictatorship and that his party has gone against the ideas that shaped the liberation war as greed has set in.

Arrested pastors & church goers still detained after violent raid
A group of pastors leading a prayer meeting, plus members of their congregation, are still being held in detention after the meeting was violently disrupted by police in Harare on Saturday.

Mugabe’s back in Singapore for medical treatment
Reports say that Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace flew urgently to Singapore on Friday. It’s alleged that Grace is there to receive medical treatment.

Mugabe’s top spymaster Menard Muzariri dies
The deputy director-general of the CIO, Menard Muzariri, has died at the age of 57. The spymaster, who reportedly died of a liver ailment on Sunday night, directed the country’s intelligence network for nearly three decades.

Human Rights Commission still has no power
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission has revealed that it still has no power or legal mandate to operate, saying the government is reluctant to finance its work.

Bennett denies chasing away investors from Zimbabwe
Exiled MDC Treasurer General Roy Bennett has denied reports that he is chasing away investors from Zimbabwe. Bennett ruffled a few top feathers last month when he used an investment conference in Cape Town to tell the London listed company, Old Mutual, to withdraw it’s controversial shareholding in a company involved in the “illicit” diamond mining at Marange.

EU, UK pledge support for SADC’s election roadmap plans
The European Union and the United Kingdom have this week both pledged to support plans for an election roadmap for Zimbabwe, drafted by SADC.

Air Zim pilots defiant after court rules strike illegal
Pilots and flight crews at the ailing Air Zimbabwe have decided to continue their strike over unpaid salaries, despite a Labour Court ruling that their industrial action is illegal. The court said the pilots and crew did not follow procedures before embarking on the industrial action.

Well wishers raise bail for Mthwakazi leader Thomas
A group of friends and well-wishers have raised the US$2,000 bail for Charles Thomas, one of the 3 Mthwakazi Liberation Front (MLF) leaders who were arrested March 3rd, on trumped-up treason charges.

At least 14 MDC hospitalized after cemetery attacks by ZPF
Details have been revealed of how ZANU PF youths and “armed men in riot gear” attacked innocent civilians Wednesday, at a memorial service for five MDC members who were murdered during the 2008 election period.

GPA parties begin formal talks on electoral roadmap
The three political parties in the Global Political Agreement on Thursday began formal talks to draw up an electoral roadmap. The talks between ZANU PF and the two MDC’s are being attended by SA President Zuma’s facilitation team.

Farming community mourns ‘White African’ Mike Campbell
Former Chegutu farmer, Mike Campbell, passed away in Harare on Wednesday. He gained international recognition when he led a landmark case against Mugabe, in the regional human rights Tribunal, which in 2008 ruled that land ‘reform’ was unlawful.

Kasukuwere’s company has not paid staff since January 2010
The Minister of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment, Saviour Kasukuwere, has not paid staff at his United Touring Company (UTC) since January last year.

Mugabe back peddles over verbal attacks against Zuma & SADC
During the SADC meeting in Zambia last week Zuma and other leaders cornered Mugabe over his refusal to fully implement the coalition agreement that kept him in power. Furious at the unexpected rebuke Mugabe launched a scathing attack, accusing SADC of trying to interfere in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs.

Zuma’s team back in Harare for more talks on roadmap
The South African facilitation team is back in Harare, to push for the drafting and implementation of a roadmap for elections, now likely to be held early next year. Lindiwe Zulu, President Zuma’s international relations advisor, confirmed the team was in Harare for talks with the negotiators to the GPA.

Zim passport ‘threat’ dismissed by SA refugee rights group
The Zimbabwean consulate’s announcement that all available passports must be collected from its Johannesburg office by Friday, has been dismissed as an empty threat by a South African refugee rights group.

Arms shipment destined for Zimbabwe docks in Beira
Pro-democracy activists have launched an investigation into reports that an arms shipment destined for the Zimbabwe Defences Forces docked in Beira Sunday.

SA government not liable in Zim land grab cases
South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal has let the country’s government off the financial hook, after ruling it is not liable in cases related to the unlawful land grab in Zimbabwe.

South Africa to start finalising Zim permit applications
South African authorities have started contacting thousands of Zimbabweans who have applied for permits to stay in the country, as part of efforts to finalise the ongoing documentation project.

Mugabe’s poor health dominates SADC summit talk
Onlookers at the Zambezi Sun Hotel where Mugabe was staying during the SADC Summit said there was no doubt his health is failing. He was struggling to walk and was helped onto a golf cart which took him to his room. He had a 60 man team of officials and medical personnel around him at all times.

SADC leaders cited in landmark Zim legal case
All 15 SADC leaders have been cited as respondents in a landmark legal case, launched by Zimbabwean farmers. The application made to the SADC Tribunal last week, is the first time in legal history that a group of heads of state is being cited by an individual in an application to an international court.

Beatrice Mtetwa awarded international Ethics prize
Human rights attorney Beatrice Mtetwa has been awarded another international prize, for her work defending Zimbabwean rights activists and other victims of human rights abuses.

Bulawayo facebook user granted bail
A Bulawayo man arrested for posting a message on Prime Minister Tsvangirai’s Facebook wall was granted bail by the Bulawayo High Court on Thursday.

Kenyan Prime Minister to address MDC-T congress
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has been invited to be the guest of honour at the MDC-T’s annual congress, which begins on April 30th in Bulawayo.

Diamond Trade Chief insists Zim diamonds can be exported
The head of the diamond trade watchdog, the Kimberley Process (KP), has insisted that Zimbabwe can export diamonds from the controversial Chiadzwa diamond fields, despite international protest over the decision.