Economists slam Mugabe endorsed salary & price freeze
The so-called Social Contract outlined by Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono in his last policy review has received approval from Robert Mugabe. Due to go into effect from March 1 st this year, the plan basically calls for a salary and price freezing trial period of four months in an attempt to rein in inflation which is the currently the highest in the world at just under 1600%. But top economists have already slammed the idea saying it needs approval from employers and business and will not likely have any effect on inflation....

Majongwe released but vows to continue teachers strike
The Secretary General of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe Raymond Majongwe and the group’s treasurer McDonald Mangauzana were finally released by police at Harare Central Law and Order Section on Thursday. The 2 had been arrested on Tuesday while addressing striking teachers at Haig Primary school in Harare . Police said they would proceed by way of summons. Majongwe said despite his ordeal the teachers will not end the strike.

Soldiers & youth militia harass teachers to end strike
The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe has alleged that the government is using army personnel and youth militia to intimidate teachers who have been on strike for two weeks. Harare province chairman of the PTUZ Jacob Rukweza said reports came from other provinces that soldiers and youth had been deployed to force them to go back to work. Meanwhile, the PTUZ administrator Abigail Machokera confirmed police in Masvingo released their president Takavafirei Zhou Wednesday after failing to charge him.

Zimbabweans brace themselves for drastic maize meal increases
There are fears retailers in the country would be forced to increase the price of maize meal to consumers following the Grain Marketing Board’s decision on Thursday to raise the price of maize to Millers from Z$6 000 a tonne to Z$58 000 a tonne. Eddie Cross, a Bulawayo businessman and opposition MDC official said the new GMB price will push maize meal prices in stores to over Z$200 000 a tonne.

Police block Shamuyarira thugs from evicting commercial farmer
The ZANU PF Secretary for information & Publicity Nathan Shamuyarira has been implicated in the attempted illegal takeover of a farm belonging to commercial farmer Ben Freeth, who is a former executive of the Commercial Farmers Union and has the biggest mango producing farm in the country. Freeth said there was a chaotic situation at his farm last Friday when the lands officer for the district arrived with a rented mob to occupy his farm on behalf of the ruling party official.

Students arrested at Harare Polytechnic
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights confirmed that at least 35 students were arrested at Harare Polytechnic on Tuesday. The arrested include the President of the Zimbabwe National Students Union, Promise Mkwananzi. Student activists from colleges around the country were holding a general meeting to discuss the educational crisis when armed police officers stormed the institution.

Wave of protests anticipated in Zimbabwe this week
A wave of protest marches by disgruntled workers, students and pressure groups are in the planning stages. The increasing price of basic commodities caused by runaway inflation has made daily life impossible. Already doctors and teachers are taking industrial action. The Zimbabwe National Students Union has given 13th February as their deadline for a class boycott over recently introduced unaffordable tuition fees.

Highlanders to meet defending champions
Zimbabwe soccer champions Highlanders will met Egyptian giants Al Ahly in the second round of the African champions league after scrapeing through on penalties against Pamplemousses of Mauritius.
Highlanders lost the return leg one-nil but because Pamplemousses failed to overturn a 1-0 deficit from the first-leg the match was decided on penalties after both sides failed to score in extra-time, according to reports from Mauritius.

Journalist arrested in Marange diamond area
Peter Moyo, a Zimbabwean journalist who works in South Africa for e-TV was arrested Monday in Marange & charged with working without accreditation. Moyo said contrary to state media reports, he was not filming illegal diamond dealings to discredit Zimbabwe but was on holiday. He denied reports that he had hired William Gumbo, a cameraman for ZBC TV and a Zimbabwean named Trymore.

Bus fares go up again!
Local and long distance bus fares have gone up again, barely three weeks after the last increase. Our correspondent who travelled from Harare to Mutare on Friday, said the bus fare went up with no warning from Z$15 000 to Z$20 000 and from Harare to Bulawayo from Z$30 000 TO Z$40 000. He said the local fares in Harare went up from Z$1 500 to Z$2 000 making it very difficult for workers.

Residents of Kambuzuma without any power since Dec 16th
Willas Madzimure, Member of Parliament for Kambuzuma in Harare, said more than 400 homes in his constituency have been without power for over a month. He said he has gone to ZESA many times but is always told there is a shortage of forex to replace a burnt transformer. But he blames the crisis on mismanagement, corruption and theft.

Botswana police implicated in death of Zimbabweans
The family of a Zimbabwean man who left Matabeleland last week and was discovered dead by a river over the weekend has said they suspect foul play by Botswana police. Cleophas Ntimeni intended to make it to greener pastures in South Africa via Botswana. His brother in law Addmore Ncube became suspicious when a call came from Botswana police on Saturday saying Cleophas was dead. According to Ncube the police facts did not add up.

Mugabe reshuffles cabinet but deadwood remains
A cabinet reshuffle Tuesday deepened confusion over whether finance minister Herbert Murerwa had resigned or was fired by Mugabe. Online publication Zim Daily reported that Murerwa was last seen in his office last year and had already resigned his post because the Reserve Bank was usurping his powers as finance minister.

Mutasa extends eviction deadline for white farmers
The land reform minister is in the headlines again with conflicting comments about the remaining white farmers. According to the BBC news site Didymus Mutasa has said the last white farmers whose eviction deadline passed can stay on their land until they harvest their crops. He was referring to a group of 24 farmers in Chiredzi who received 45-day notices & were due to leave last Saturday.

Military and police desertions could spell end for Robert Mugabe
ZANU-PF and its leader Mugabe have limped from one crisis to another for years, relying on stop-gap measures to sustain a deteriorating economy. But the rate of inflation has reached the point where Mugabe can no longer sustain the institutions that have helped him violently hold on to power.

Prices shoot up 400 percent in one week
The price of basic goods and services is reported to have gone up by 400% in one week, according to a central bank survey. The survey was conducted in chain stores, retail outlets and wholesalers and looked at foodstuffs, rent, furniture, clothes and alcohol. The Reserve Bank is blaming the anticipated devaluation of the dollar during Gono’s new monetary policy.

Teachers go on strike
A three-day go-slow by teachers has turned into a full-blown strike after government ignored demands by the teachers unions for an increase in salaries. Raymond Majongwe, Secretary General of the Progressive Teachers Union, said some areas recorded a 100 percent adherence to the strike while other teachers resorted to a sit in.

Deadline passes with one farmer evicted in Chiredzi
24 commercial farmers in Chiredzi who were given 45-day eviction notices last month were expected to vacate their properties Saturday. The deadline passed peacefully as the majority heeded advice from farmers’ organisations and went away for the weekend. But reports say one farmer was forced to pack and leave immediately.

Protestors try to block Zim government invite to French summit
At least 50 protestors demonstrated outside the French Embassy in London Friday to demand that France should not invite members of the Mugabe regime to the Franco-Africa Summit in two weeks time. There has been an outcry from human rights campaigners in Europe after France refused to rule out inviting Mugabe or other members of the government to the summit in Cannes.

Board of inquiry to investigate near mutiny at military academy
The Zimbabwe National Army commander has reportedly ordered a board of inquiry to investigate circumstances surrounding last week’s disturbances at the Gweru based Zimbabwe Military Academy. On Tuesday we revealed that the Academy had been sealed off last week, after a standoff between army cadets and their instructors over salaries.

Police raid Majongwe's house as teacher’s strike enters 2nd day
Law and order officers launched a dawn raid on the Harare home of Raymond Majongwe, Secretary General of the Progressive Teachers Union, as a go-slow strike by teachers entered its second day. According to Majongwe police officers arrived at his Cranborne home at 5am Thursday but only found his wife and children sleeping.

Head of chief’s council accused of inciting genocide
The Tsvangirai MDC has accused chief Fortune Charumbira, President of the Chiefs Council, of actively campaigning for the ruling party ahead of a by-election due in Chiredzi South in February. A statement from the MDC Secretary for Information Nelson Chamisa said Charumbira told all chiefs in the area to make sure MDC supporters do not get food aid because they are "sell-outs." By doing so in a nation plagued by starvation Chamisa said the traditional leader is actively inciting genocide.

Municipality operations grind to a halt in Marondera
The municipality of Marondera has been forced to cancel all its services to the town’s ratepayers following a serious shortage of cash flow, newsreel learned on Wednesday. The town has also gone for several weeks without water after equipment at the water pump station broke down. Piniel Denga, the MDC’s provincial secretary for Mashonaland East said the city fathers have failed to secure foreign currency to buy new parts for the plant.

Campaigners urge France to exclude Zimbabwe from summit
Human rights campaigners, civic groups and labour bodies throughout Europe are expected to demonstrate outside French embassies on Friday, to urge the French government to stop representatives of the Zimbabwean government attending an international summit in mid- February.