Only 3% of farmers received some form of compensation from govt
A government report has revealed that since the land reform programme began in 2000, only 203 farms out of the gazetted 6,571 farms have been compensated. John Worsley Worswick from Justice for Agriculture said that 200 farmers had received very minimal compensation and in many of the cases had been left destitute after being forced to accept ‘ridiculous offers from the government.”

Remaining GPA issues to dominate principals’ meeting next week
The three principals to the Global Political Agreement will meet Monday to push for the conclusion of all outstanding issues in the Global Political Agreement.

Bennett says MDC have no power in government
Roy Bennett, the MDC-T Deputy Minister of Agriculture nominee, says the security situation in the country is of concern, eight months after the formation of the inclusive government. The MDC official, who is still waiting to be sworn into office by Mugabe, said it’s ‘rule by the gun’ and the MDC has no means of dealing with the problems facing the unity government, because ZANU PF is in control.

UK firm wins court claim to Marange diamond fields
Last Thursday the High Court ruled that the UK based African Consolidated Resources is the legal owner of the Marange diamond fields, controversially taken over by the army. In October 2006 the company was kicked out by the state-owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation and it soon became clear the military was in charge when they began an operation to crack down on illegal diamond miners.

Terror charges against Mukoko & 8 others dropped
The Supreme Court on Monday quashed terror charges against prominent human rights activist Jestina Mukoko and 8 others, illegally abducted and tortured by the country’s security forces last year. The court ruled that Mukoko and her co-accused could not be tried now, or in the future, because their constitutional rights had been violated.

New daily newspaper to start publishing in November
Zimbabwe’s newest independent daily newspaper, Newsday, will start publishing on 1st November, five years after the last daily was forced to close. Publisher Trevor Ncube said the NewsDay project will create 100 jobs with an investment totaling US$4 million. Veteran journalist Barnabas Thondlana has been appointed editor.

MDC insist Gono and Tomana must go, despite Mugabe refusal
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said that Mugabe’s defiant statement that he would ‘never’ remove Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Johannes Tomana ‘was nothing new’ and represented the usual intransigence. Responding to questions on Mugabe’s interviews with the Reuters and CNN news agencies Chamisa accused the ZANU PF leader of sounding like a ‘broken record.’

Chanakira’s Meikles job saved by riot police
The specification of Kingdom Meikles Africa took a new twist on Thursday when riot police blocked the company’s shareholders from meeting to decide the future of the group’s CEO, Nigel Chanakira. The shareholders arrived at the Meikles Hotel at 10am but found the doors of the conference room locked and guarded by riot police.

28 applicants shortlisted for electoral commission interviews
Twenty-eight applicants out of 143 have been shortlisted for interviews to sit on the newly constituted Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. The interviews will be conducted in parliament on Monday. From the list of 28, parliament will send 12 names to Mugabe who will appoint 8 commissioners from that list.

Crisis group warns that ZANU PF violence is on the rise
ZANU PF militia have begun a fresh wave of violence, especially in the rural areas, according to the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition. The pressure group said those being targeted include members of civil society and MDC supporters. Activist Kudzai Mutarangi was beaten up Saturday by ZANU PF militia in Harare, for wearing a Crisis Coalition t-shirt, which said - SAY NO TO KARIBA DRAFT.

Gono accuses Biti of ‘stalling’ on IMF loan
The power struggle over control of a recent multi million dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund came to a head Wednesday, when Central Bank Governor Gideon Gono accused Finance Minister Tendai Biti of stalling the distribution of the funds. Biti, who aims to use the money to rebuild the country’s crumbling infrastructure, has insisted the loan will only be distributed after the national budget is approved by parliament in November.

Top army official grabs wildlife conservancy
A top army official has become the latest in a string of high-level ZANU PF members who have grabbed wildlife conservancies in Masvingo, in a new exercise that could soon see the total destruction of the private conservancy sector. Major General Engelbert Rugeje, the army’s chief of staff, has reportedly seized control of Wanezi Block Ranch in Mwenezi.

Ian Makone formally appointed Secretary in Tsvangirai’s office
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Chief of Staff, Ian Makone, was last week Friday formally appointed by Mugabe as Secretary in the PM’s office after months of ZANU PF resistance. Although a statement from the Office of the President said Makone was a ‘Permanent Secretary’ Tsvangirai’s spokesman James Maridadi told Newsreel the correct title was ‘Secretary in the Prime Ministers Office and Council of Ministers’.

ZIMTA calls off teachers’ strike
The Zimbabwe Teachers Association has called off a work boycott, having begun the strike at the start of the new school term more than three weeks ago. Although ZIMTA said it called of the strike after some positive negotiations with the government, the teachers went back without their grievances being met, because the government has no money.

Government secretly recommends increased farm invasions
A secret document, made public this weekend by a South African newspaper, details the plans the government has sanctioned to intensify the forcible seizure of commercial land. According to the Sunday Times the recommendations for intensified farm attacks were authored by Lands Minister Herbert Murerwa, who presented the document to cabinet last month.

1000 WOZA activists demonstrate in Harare
The pressure group Women and Men of Zimbabwe Arise held six simultaneous peaceful protests, heading to the United Nations offices in Harare on Monday. There were no arrests. WOZA leader Jennie Williams said the group decided to march to the UN offices to send a strong message, in the wake of Mugabe’s trip to the UN summit in New York, that there is no peace in Zimbabwe and there is ‘no peace of mind’.

MDC to begin consultations on pulling out of unity government
The MDC says it will begin a series of consultations and feedback rallies this weekend to assess whether to remain in the shaky power sharing government with ZANU PF. The party said it would consult its supporters and ‘the people of Zimbabwe on the progress and the challenges facing the inclusive government.

‘Catastrophic’ teachers strike will hamper education recovery
Education Minister and MDC Senator David Coltart has said that the current ‘catastrophic’ teachers’ strike will mar education recovery efforts, following a multimillion-dollar investment in the country’s education sector.

Tsvangirai calls for ‘transparent’ probe into diamond field abuses
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Thursday called for a ‘transparent’ investigation into the widespread abuses and deaths at the Chiadzwa diamond fields, two weeks after yet another person died at the hands of soldiers there. The Prime Minister was speaking at a mining conference in Harare and said that innocent people at the diamond fields had been victimised for their proximity to ‘enormous natural wealth’.

Conflicting political messages hamper investment drive
On Wednesday Robert Mugabe told businessmen at a mining investment forum that potential investments would be safe in the country. He claimed this was because his government respected ‘the sanctity of property rights and the rule of law in all its dimensions’. Meanwhile 115 kilometres from where Mugabe was delivering his speech South African farmer Louis Fick was watching his 4 000 pigs, 14 000 crocodiles and several hundreds of beef cattle starve to death in Chinhoyi, as he tries to fight of a Reserve Bank official trying to grab the farm.

Soldiers assault teacher for not going on strike
Pressure group the Youth Alliance for Democracy report that Duncan Mapasure, a teacher at Mtasa Primary School, was assaulted by ZANU PF militia last Friday for not heeding a call for teachers to strike. The normally pro-government Zimbabwe Teachers Association has called for its members to remain on strike, while the more militant Progressive Teachers Union has urged its members to report for duty.

MDC MP Pishai Muchauraya arrested
Pishai Muchauraya, the MDC-T MP for Makoni South and Manicaland provincial spokesperson, spent Tuesday night in police custody on charges of assaulting someone inside a police station. He was arrested when he went to Mutare Central Police Station with his lawyer, Chris Ndlovu, after the police issued a man-hunt for his arrest, in connection with an alleged assault on August 14th.

Government in controversial grab of Meikles Group
A government gazette published last Friday has effectively seized the assets of the Meikles group of companies using a controversial anti-corruption law. The companies, Kingdom Meikles, Tanganda Tea Company, Thomas Meikles Centre and Murlis Investments were all listed as ‘specified,’ allowing the government to place them under administration. Reports claim Home Affairs Ministers Kembo Mohadi and Giles Mutsekwa authorised the seizure.

JOMIC starts tour of farms amid intensified land seizures
Members of the tripartite committee responsible for ensuring the full implementation of the GPA have this week started a tour of threatened farms, months after a renewed offensive to drive the remaining commercial farmers from their land began in earnest earlier this year. The Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee said it was touring farms to validate information compiled by Lands Minister Herbert Murerwa regarding violence and lawlessness on farms.

Ben Freeth and journalists arrested in Chegutu
Chegutu farmer Ben Freeth, whose Mount Carmel farm has been under siege by land invaders for several months, was arrested on Monday morning along with a group of international journalists. Freeth and the crew from news service Al Jazeera were eventually released after being hauled into custody by police now stationed on the farm.

EU delegation says targeted sanctions will not be lifted
A delegation from the European Union, which was in Zimbabwe this weekend for a landmark meeting with the principals of the unity government, on Sunday said that targeted sanctions against Robert Mugabe and his cronies will not be lifted. The visit by European Commissioner Karel de Gucht and Swedish Minister Gunilla Carlson was the first to the country since the targeted sanctions by the EU were imposed seven years ago.

Teachers strike enters third week
The strike action led by the Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association is going into its third week, with no solution in sight. ZIMTA embarked on a nationwide strike for better salaries and working conditions, to coincide with the start of the new term on September 3rd. ZIMTA acting Chief Executive Officer, Sifiso Ndlovu, said the strike action will continue until the authorities prioritise education. However he said the union is waiting for a number of crises meetings with the authorities next week.

Jonathan Moyo set to rejoin ZANU PF
Former Information Minister and notorious media ‘hangman’, Jonathan Moyo, has reportedly written to ZANU PF asking to rejoin the party. Party chairperson John Nkomo has confirmed that Moyo submitted the letter to Didymus Mutasa three weeks ago.

MDC will not backtrack on calls to remove Gono and Tomana
A senior MDC party aide has said the MDC will not drop its demands to have the central bank governor and attorney general removed from office, as their appointments were done outside the Global Political Agreement. The aide said the issue of the two officials was referred to SADC for arbitration and as far as they were concerned it is still outstanding.

MDC say SADC is reluctant to approach Zim issue head-on
Reacting to the outcome of the Kinshasa summit, MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said there are a number of issues still outstanding and not implanted in the unity government, but there is reluctance by SADC to approach things head-on. Chamisa said it is disheartening, discouraging and disappointing that ‘kid gloving’ is fast becoming the conduct of leaders in Africa.

Army & police chiefs behind political violence, named in report
A damning report released by the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition names well known senior army and police officials who were at the forefront of last year’s election violence. The report entitled: “Can apples be reaped from a thorn tree – Zimbabwe’s road to transition,” names Air Vice Marshal Abu Basutu, Air Vice Marshal Henry Muchena, Air Commodore Mike Karakadzai, Major General Engelbert Rugeje and Brigadier General Douglas Nyikayaramba, among 77 security chefs who spearheaded the terror campaign.

Outrage as new state-sponsored daily newspaper hits the streets
Media rights groups, independent newspaper publishers and other observers have reacted with outrage to the release of a new state-sponsored daily paper in Harare, a release which again highlights the undemocratic and politically skewed media environment in the country. The new daily tabloid, H-Metro, which is published by the state’s ZimPapers, hit the streets of Harare on Monday.

SADC agrees to convene special summit on Zimbabwe
A special summit on Zimbabwe to review the progress of the power-sharing government will be held in Maputo, Mozambique, eight months after such a move was first suggested by an earlier SADC summit. A source in Kinshasa said that this extraordinary summit on Zimbabwe will be held in three weeks’ time. The decision to remove Zimbabwe from the agenda at the current SADC summit in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was received as ‘good news’ by an MDC delegation led by Morgan Tsvangirai.

Gono declares he has control of IMF loan
Concern over the state of Zimbabwe’s economic recovery was high Monday, after Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono declared that he is in control of the five hundred million dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund. Gono confessed earlier this year to unscrupulously diverting funds to prop up the Mugabe regime and there are real concerns about the way this loan will be used.

Constitutional committee goes on strike
Zimbabwe’s journey to a new constitution has hit a snag as the parliamentary select committee has gone on strike over payment of allowances and inadequate funding to complete the task of drafting a new constitution. This is in spite of having been given a grant of US$2 million dollars by the United Nations Development Programme.

IMF gives Zim multi million dollar cash boost
The International Monetary Fund has made a multi million-dollar loan available to Zimbabwe for the first time in a decade, despite the country still owing the IMF more than US$100 million. The IMF reportedly had told the government last month, in a letter obtained by Reuters news agency, that it would not receive its aid grant until it repaid arrears.

African Commission rules Zimbabwe’s AIPPA should be amended
The government is coming under fire after another Africa body ruled against it. News agencies this week focused on the government pull-out from the SADC Tribunal. But earlier the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights had ruled that the Zimbabwean government should repeal sections of the repressive Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Another MDC activist dies
The MDC on Friday said MDC activist Joseph Munyuki had died at Masvingo Hospital. They allege that he was attacked last month by a known ZANU PF youth. A relative of Munyuki’s said he was brutally assaulted by Bernard Nyangara on the night of August 8th. Nyangara accused him of being an MDC sympathizer.

ZAPU’s ‘illegal’ t-shirts seized at Beitbridge
The Zimbabwe African People’s Union and the Matabeleland Freedom Party have accused police and customs officials at Beitbridge border post of political harassment. Thulani Dhlamini from ZAPU said campaign materials were confiscated last week by police, state agents and custom officials at the border, who said the t-shirts were illegal.

South Africa want Mugabe and Tsvangirai to speed up talks on GPA
A senior member of the ruling ANC has said South Africa wants the long-running negotiations between Mugabe andTsvangirai to move ahead more quickly. Thandi Modise, deputy secretary-general of the ANC, told Reuters news agency in London that South Africa wanted to see a recovery in Zimbabwe that would allow millions of Zimbabweans who have fled the economic meltdown to return home.

ZCTU pulls out of NGO body over constitution differences
Irreconcilable differences between the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, the National Association of Non Governmental Organisations and the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, have escalated into a full-blown conflict. As a result labour body ZCTU has pulled out of NANGO and Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, after it accused the civic organisations of backing the government’s constitution making process, being spearheaded by a 25-member parliamentary committee.

Another house burned as campaign against farmers heats up
The renewed offensive to drive the remaining commercial farmers off their land stepped up a level this week, with yet another farm house on a besieged farm in Chegutu being burned to the ground on Wednesday morning. The home of Mike Campbell on Mount Carmel farm, burned to ashes on Wednesday, mere days after a fire wiped out his son-in-law Ben Freeth’s home on the farm.

Government wants 50 percent of all diamond mines
Mines Minister Obert Mpofu has said the inclusive government will insist on a 50 percent shareholding in all diamond mining ventures. Almost all diamond mine concessions in the country are held by top ZANU PF officials. Economic analyst Isaac Dziya said Zimbabwe was a country with potential to do well from mineral sales. But the mining sector needed to be strictly monitored to prevent the corrupt activities that are taking place.

Schools to remain shut as teachers’ strike goes ahead
Many schools across the country are expected to remain shut at the start of the new term this week, because of a nationwide teachers’ strike, set to go ahead Wednesday. The start of the new term has been in doubt after the country’s leading teacher’s union, ZIMTA, last week called for a mass strike over pay.

MDC-M expels Job Sikhala
Serious problems continue to appear in the MDC party led by Arthur Mutambara, which has been expelling various senior officials for alleged indiscipline. The latest casualties to be axed from the party are former St Mary’s legislator Job Sikhala and fellow National Executive member Edwin Dzambara. A defiant Sikhala blasted Mutambara, calling him ‘a visitor and an illegitimate child within the family of the progressive forces’.

Harare residents to fight ‘cash strapped’ council over luxury cars
Harare residents are set for another fight with the council, following recent reports that it has purchased two more luxury cars for top officials, not including the Mercedes authorised for Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda.