US sanctions don’t affect loans to Zimbabwe
A diplomat at the United States Embassy in Harare has said sanctions imposed by his country on the Mugabe regime do not affect Zimbabwe’s relations with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. During a roundtable discussion with journalists on Wednesday, James Garry the Economic Officer at the US Embassy said there is a widespread misunderstanding that the U.S. has some kind of veto at the IMF and yet this was not true.

ZANU PF attempts to block millions of exiles from voting
Millions of Zimbabweans living in exile could still be denied their voting rights under the proposed ZANU PF nationality programme. The former ruling party’s position paper on the new constitution proposes that on issues of citizenship and the bill of rights only children born in the Diaspora would be allowed duel citizenship. This paper is being distributed to party supporters in readiness for the constitutional outreach programme.

Diamond industry lashes out at KP over Zim blood diamonds
Leaders in the global diamond industry have lashed out at the international trade watchdog, the Kimberley Process, for allowing Zimbabwe’s blood diamonds to reach the consumer market. The diamond trade monitor is now being accused of misleading consumers in saying that the diamonds are conflict free, despite evidence proving that diamonds from Zimbabwe are mined under violent conditions.

Union leader back in hiding after police raid
The Secretary General of the General Agriculture and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe is back in hiding this week after police raided the union’s offices on Wednesday. Gertrude Hambira fled to safety after five men and one woman, who identified themselves as officers from the Criminal Investigation Department, raided the union’s office in Harare apparently looking for her.

Ruling on ‘unlawful’ land reform to be enforced in SA
A landmark regional ruling declaring Robert Mugabe’s land ‘reform’ programme unlawful will now be enforced in South Africa, after the High Court in Pretoria ruled that the ruling should be honoured. Judge Garth Rabie ruled in favour of the South African commercial farmers who have been victims of Mugabe’s land grab campaign in Zimbabwe.

ZANU PF sanctions demo youths were ‘drugged’
Hundreds of ZANU PF youths were bussed in from militia training camps in Mashonaland Central to demonstrate against targeted sanctions in Harare after being ‘drugged with mbanje and hot stuff’ a youth group has claimed. On Wednesday ZANU PF youths marched through the streets of Harare waving placards denouncing the targeted measures imposed on nearly 200 officials linked to the Mugabe regime and about 31 companies accused of aiding and abetting the repression under the party.

Mines Minister splashes US$40 000 on gardening equipment
Mines Minister Obert Mpofu brought business to a standstill at Halsted Brothers in Bulawayo last Friday when he splashed out US$40 000 in cash to buy ‘gardening equipment and other hardware.’ Our correspondent Lionel Saungweme reports that everyone inside the shop was shocked to see the Minister bring out such huge sums of money.

ZANU PF youths protest against sanctions & ‘pirate’ radio
Exiled radio stations, labelled pirates by the Robert Mugabe regime have once again come under attack from ZANU PF during a protest march by hundreds of youth members through the streets of Harare on Wednesday.

Harare voters demand fixed election dates
Harare residents are advocating for fixed dates for elections in a new constitution according to information obtained from the MDC. Constituents in Metropolitan Harare, where the MDC holds all 29 parliamentary seats, said the inclusive government should priorities the reformation of the electoral management system.

Civil service strike losing steam
A strike by civil servants appeared to be losing steam Tuesday with most government workers interviewed by Newsreel admitting they had gone back to work. Civil servants have been on strike for over two weeks now with government insisting it does not have the money to pay the US$630 a month salaries they are demanding. Several teachers interviewed said most of them had gone back to work with no progress being reported during the strike.

Government criticised for failing media reform
The unity government has been criticised for failing to fulfill its promise of media reform in a press report that has detailed how Zimbabwe has the most exiled journalists in Africa over the past decade. The report from the Committee to Protect Journalists said most of Zimbabwe’s journalists left the country as a result of sustained harassment by the ZANU PF government.

ZANU PF supporters disrupt MDC rally in Epworth
There was complete mayhem in Epworth on Sunday during an MDC rally, when ZANU PF supporters in a three-vehicle convoy allegedly drove at the crowd forcing them to scatter, resulting in a mass brawl that left many injured. The provocation has been condemned by the MDC who insisted on Tuesday that the violence was sparked by the ZANU PF supporters who tried to disrupt their rally.

Bennett says Russians & ZANU PF mining diamonds on his farm
Roy Bennett, the MDC treasurer General and Deputy Minister of Agriculture designate, confirmed reports that diamonds have been found on his former farm, Charleswood Estate, seized by the ZANU PF regime in 2004.

Power cuts worsen after Hwange shuts down
ZESA on Saturday issued a statement warning customers to expect extended power cuts following the complete shut down of the Hwange thermal plant. For the past two weeks the country has faced severe power cuts which have affected even Harare’s business district. In the last 45 days ZESA said Hwange had experienced 25 ‘instant shut downs’ which caused damage to equipment.

Zuma says sanctions hurting efforts for free and fair poll in Zim
President Jacob Zuma of South Africa has said efforts to create a conducive environment for free and fair elections are being hampered by targeted sanctions against Mugabe and his allies.

Biti says talks have reached deadlock
Tendai Biti, the secretary-general of the MDC-T and also the chief negotiator for the party, has said dialogue between the three parties is ‘going nowhere’. Biti, who is the Finance Minister in the inclusive government, told journalists on the eve of his trip to Washington in the USA, that SADC and South Africa should move in to help break the deadlock.

Angry civil servants vow to intensify strike action
More than two thousand angry civil servants who gathered in Harare on Friday have vowed to intensify their strike action if government does not meet their demands for a wage increase.

Confusion as police officer is removed from EU sanctions list
There is confusion surrounding the removal of a serving senior police officer from the EU sanctions list, who three years ago allegedly led a brutal assault on Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in Highfields, Harare.

Harare residents present their grievances to parliament
On Friday Harare residents and other stakeholders made submissions on the appalling service delivery in the capital city, to the Parliament Committee on Local Government, Rural and Urban Development.

Court orders government to stop mining in Chiadzwa
The Supreme Court has ordered the government to stop mining operations at the controversial Chiadzwa diamond fields, amid an ongoing ownership wrangle over the claim. Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku ordered the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation and the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe to cease operations at the claim, which legally belongs to the UK based mining firm Africa Consolidated Resources.

Govt’s mixed messages over status of indigenisation regulation
The latest newsletter from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says the government has decided that the controversial indigenisation legislation should be ‘dropped’. The newsletter said ministers had agreed to go back to the drawing board to revise it, following an unprecedented outcry from the business community.

Pressure mounts on Mugabe to fully implement GPA
Seventeen months after the signing of the GPA between ZANU PF and the MDC formations, Zimbabweans and the international community in general have accused Mugabe and his party of not demonstrating their commitment to reform and democratic freedoms.

Mugabe threatens to defy diamond trade standards
Robert Mugabe has threatened to defy the diamond trade standards laid out by the international trade watchdog the Kimberley Process, saying the country’s gems can be sold ‘elsewhere’. Mugabe was speaking at the Tourism and Infrastructure Investment conference which is underway in Harare, at which the country has been trying to market itself as a safe tourism and investment zone.

Mugabe finally appoints five MDC ambassadors
Five new ambassadors and high commissioners from the MDC were on Wednesday officially appointed by Mugabe, to represent Zimbabwe in different countries. The envoys are Hebson Makuvise who goes to Germany, Hilda Suka-Mafudze (Sudan), Jacqueline Nomhla Zwambila (Australia), Mabed Khumbulani (Nigeria).

WOZA activists arrested in Mutare
The pressure group Women of Zimbabwe Arise have accused the police in Mutare of going on a door to door campaign in Sakubva Township, to sift out activists who participated in Tuesday’s peaceful protests. Sibongile Matupe and Rose Rukwewo were arrested in Mutare on Wednesday and WOZA Coordinator Jenni Williams said the police behavior was pure harassment.

European Union extends targeted sanctions on Zimbabwe
The European Union has extended targeted sanctions for a further period of 12 months, but has removed six individuals and nine companies from the list. The European Union said on Tuesday it chose to extend the measures because of ‘lack of progress in the implementation of the Global Political Agreement in September 2008’.

GPA talks doomed because of widening differences
The SADC mediated Global Political Agreement talks between ZANU PF and the two MDC formations appear to be on the brink of collapse again, according to sources. The talks failed to take off once again on Monday but resumed Tuesday evening, according to a senior MDC official who confirmed talks had began at a Harare hotel.

Indigenisation bill threatens investment conference
The controversial indigenisation bill which was published last week is threatening an investment conference currently underway in Harare, with sceptical delegates questioning Zimbabwe as a safe investment zone.

ZANU PF accused of politicising civil servants strike
State security agents and youth militia have been accused of interfering with the current industrial action by civil servants. Takavafira Zhou the President of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe says Central Intelligence Officers, soldiers and the militia descended on some schools threatening headmasters and teachers who had not yet joined the strike, and forcing them to leave the schools.

WOZA ‘Valentine’ protests attracts hundreds
Hundreds of men and women from the pressure group Women and Men of Zimbabwe Arise took to the streets of Harare and Bulawayo to mark Valentine’s Day, in what the group called tests of civic and media freedom under the year-old unity government. About 700 WOZA members marched through the capital city on Saturday to the offices of the state’s mouthpiece newspaper, the Herald, handing out Valentine cards, and red roses...

EU to endorse extending targeted sanctions by another year
The European Union’s council of ministers will meet in Brussels, Belgium on Tuesday to endorse a proposal to extend the sanctions against Zimbabwe until 20 February 2011.The Committee of permanent representatives from the EU met last week and decided to extend the targeted sanctions against Robert Mugabe and his cronies.

Indigenisation Minister says new regulation will not be reversed
Saviour Kasukuwere, the Minister of Indigenisation, in charge of the new regulation that requires businesses to hand over at least 51 per cent ownership to indigenous Zimbabweans, has said the regulation will not be reversed. This follows statements by the MDC on Thursday calling upon the coalition government to reverse what it said were ‘destructive policies.’ Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is also quoted in the media saying the gazette had been made without his knowledge.

Minister refuses to fire corrupt Chitungwiza council
Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo has moved to protect 23 MDC-T councillors in Chitungwiza who were sacked by their party on Thursday over corruption allegations. Chombo reacted to the dismissal by saying he will continue to work with the councillors because internal differences did not matter, and as far as he was concerned it remained a party affair and not a local government issue.

Fresh elections ‘only way out’ for Zimbabwe says Tsvangirai
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has given the clearest indication that his party is preparing for fresh elections when he hinted they were prepared to ‘park’ outstanding issues in the GPA and go for a poll. The MDC leader told the Zimbabwe Independent that outstanding issues should not inhibit progress and that they were waiting for a report from the negotiators to brief them on the status of the talks.

One year on and little to celebrate under GNU
Zimbabwe’s troubled coalition government turned one year old on Thursday, but there was no sign of celebration amid political upheaval, a civil servants strike and ongoing human rights abuses. Thursday marked exactly one year since MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in as Prime Minister under a unity agreement with ZANU PF.

MDC-T dismiss entire Chitungwiza council
The National Executive of the MDC-T on Wednesday endorsed a decision to fire the entire Chitungwiza council over corruption allegations. Party spokesman Nelson Chamisa told Newsreel that after the executive made the decision on Wednesday, party President Morgan Tsvangirai and other leaders on Thursday took the matter to over 3000 supporters and members of the residents associations.

MDC calls on GNU to reverse controversial Indigenisation Bill
A showdown is looming between ZANU PF and the MDC-T over the passing of a controversial bill that requires all foreign investors to cede 51 percent of their investment to ‘indigenous’ people. In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday, the MDC-T called upon the inclusive government to reverse all such destructive policies and withdraw the gazette in the national interest.

Talks adjourned to Monday
The negotiations between ZANU PF and the two MDC formations have been adjourned to Monday and there is still no official statement on the progress of the talks. MDC-M negotiator Welshman Ncube told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that the next meeting will be held on Monday because Finance Minister and MDC-T negotiator Tendai Biti has travelled to Tunisia.

Tsvangirai dismisses draconian indigenisation bill
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has dismissed a draconian indigenisation bill, published on Tuesday, declaring the 51% black ownership regulations ‘null and void’. The Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment regulations, passed under a two year old legislation adopted by the ZANU PF government, requires businesses to inform the government of the racial make-up of their shareholders by mid-April.

CIO splash out US$5 million on 200 vehicles
The country’s notorious Central Intelligence Organisation is reported to have purchased an unspecified number of Nissan twin cab trucks for as yet unexplained reasons. Lionel Saungweme our correspondent in Bulawayo reports that each CIO ‘district’ was given 5 vehicles to use in their operations. Initial estimates put the number of cars bought at around 200, meaning the agency splashed out approximately US$5 million at US$25 000 per car.

Talks remain deadlocked as negotiations enter day two
The negotiations between the political parties in the coalition government entered day two with still no progress. The talks resumed on Monday after a break of over two weeks. MDC-T Chief negotiator Tendai Biti is quoted saying: “You can’t call these ‘talks’ because there is no talking. We are moving nowhere. We can’t make any movement on the key issues so there are no talks to talk about.”

Civil service strike gathers steam
A strike by civil servants protesting poor wages continued to gather steam on Tuesday after a slow start Monday, unions have said. Tendai Chikowore who heads the APEX Council that represents teachers, college lecturers and other public sector workers said the majority of their members are now on strike. She said they wanted government to respond to their demands for improved wages and if this did not happen they would continue to enforce the strike.

Farmers to challenge High Court dismissal of SADC land ruling
Zimbabwe’s commercial farmers are once again set to approach the SADC Tribunal to challenge the High Court’s dismissal of its ruling that land ‘reform’ is illegal. The move has come as a shock to the country’s handful of remaining commercial farmers, many of whom are still fighting to keep their land from being taken over by ‘beneficiaries’ of Mugabe’s selective land reacquisition scheme.

Talks resume Monday as SA facilitation team arrive
The inter-party negotiations between the political partners in government over the implementation of outstanding issues re-started on Monday evening, after being adjourned on January 21st.

Diamonds missing after police ‘rob’ Central Bank
Almost 30kgs of diamonds from the controversial Chiadzwa diamond claim have reportedly disappeared after being removed from the Reserve Bank by police last week. The contested diamonds, which form part of the ongoing ownership wrangle of the Chiadzwa claim, had been moved to the central bank under Supreme Court orders.

Civil service strike paralyses government operations
Government operations came to a halt on Monday as the country’s civil servants went on strike demanding better wages. According to reports there were only limited services being offered at government hospitals in Harare while the trial of senior MDC official Roy Bennett had to be postponed with court staff also on strike.

Botswana recalls diplomats from Zimbabwe
Botswana is to recall two diplomats from Harare in protest against what it considers a ‘rebuff’ by Zimbabwe to engage them and find a ‘diplomatic’ solution to the continued detention of three wildlife officials. The wildlife officials were picked up two weeks ago after ‘inadvertently’ straying into Zimbabwe as they were tracking lions that had killed some cattle in Lesoma village in Botswana.

Civil servants back strike action during Harare rally
Angry civil servants in the capital on Friday used a rally in the Harare Gardens to give their backing to industrial action meant to force the government to improve their wages. Union leaders announced the breakdown of talks with the government on Tuesday and said they would use rallies in Harare and Bulawayo to gauge their members on what action to take.

ZINASU students arrested at Harare Polytechnic
Two student activists were arrested by police in Harare on Thursday for addressing their colleagues at the crisis ridden Harare Polytechnic. The Zimbabwe National Students Union spokesperson Kudakwashe Chakabva issued a statement on Friday saying the two had been assigned a fact-finding mission to collect data on the grievances and challenges facing students.

ZANU PF tables motion to debate sanctions issue in parliament
Parliament was forced to adjourn prematurely on Wednesday after chaos broke out between the political rivals over the issue of the targeted sanctions. The commotion started when ZANU PF MP for Mwenezi East, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti moved a motion calling for the MDC formations to demand the lifting of sanctions. MDC legislators protested heavily and started heckling.

Kunonga thugs attempt to evict priest and his pregnant wife
Thugs loyal to the excommunicated Bishop Nolbert Kunonga on Wednesday raided the home of an Anglican priest in Harare’s Hatfield suburb and attempted to evict him and his pregnant wife. The resident priest Rev Matyatya was not home on the night when the invasion began, after earlier being admitted to Chitungwiza General Hospital following an attack by dogs during a morning jog.

Student beaten after arrest of 11 on UZ campus
The Zimbabwe National Students Union is demanding the arrest of a security guard from the University of Zimbabwe, after a student leader was ‘severely’ beaten in a crackdown by police and security guards on a public students meeting. Police arrested eleven students on Wednesday, including four ZINASU officials who were holding a meeting to address students’ grievances regarding tuition fees and accommodation problems.

Mugabe reduces Tsvangirai’s powers
Robert Mugabe is reported to be making moves to reduce the powers of Morgan Tsvangirai, his partner in the inclusive government, in gross violation of the Global Political Agreement.

Judge allows email evidence against Bennett
High Court judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu ruled on Wednesday that the disputed e-mails linking the MDC Treasurer General Roy Bennett to an alleged plot to destabilise the former ZANU PF government were admissible. The e-mails are allegedly between Bennett and the State’s key witness Peter Hitschmann.

Civil service strike looms as wage talks breakdown
A strike by civil servants is looming after a meeting between government representatives and union leaders to negotiate improved wages broke down on Tuesday. The government insists it has no money to meet any increase in the wage bill and has instead promised an improvement in April when funding is expected to increase.

WOZA and MDC activists arrested over constitution discussions
22 members of the pressure group Women of Zimbabwe Arise were arrested while holding a structural meeting on the constitutional reform process in a private home in Bulawayo on Tuesday. Three days before, 52 MDC activists were arrested in Mt Darwin, when police broke up an MDC meeting called to discuss the party’s position on the constitution.

Army involvement feared in land grab
Yet another South African farming family whose property has been targeted for forced takeover is seeking the help of its own government, with the Zimbabwean army reportedly being enlisted to drive the family off their land. The Du Toits from Excelsior Farm in the Nyazura district have this week informed the South African Ambassador to Zimbabwe in an urgent email that they will soon be forced off their land by soldiers.

Anglicans in protest prayer against police
Around 4000 Anglican parishioners thronged Africa Unity Square in Harare over the weekend to hold an open air protest prayer against police harassment. The church is locked in a bitter dispute over its property with the pro-Mugabe Bishop Nolbert Kunonga who was excommunicated in 2007 after attempting to unilaterally withdraw the Diocese of Harare from the Province.

Magistrate’s conflict of interest exposed in land case
Samuel Zuze, the Chipinge magistrate, who found four farmers guilty of refusing to leave their properties last Tuesday, has presided over a case in which he has a vested interest. He is the alleged beneficiary of a farm owned by one of the white commercial farmers he convicted last week.

Attorney-general admits judicial corruption rife in Zimbabwe
The Attorney-General Johannes Tomana on Monday admitted that some of the judicial officers in the country were corrupt and inefficient. The under fire Attorney-General was giving oral evidence in Harare before a Parliamentary portfolio committee on Justice, Legal and Constitutional affairs.

Constitutional process suffering from partisan media coverage
Deputy Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs Jessie Majome has said the country’s efforts to craft a new constitution are being hampered by negative and partisan media coverage from the state media. Speaking on our Rules for our Rulers constitutional programme Majome said the state media was failing to appreciate that a tripartite government was in place, and their coverage was not reflecting this.