Another student leader abducted in Goromonzi
A day after two student leaders were abducted in Bulawayo another one Tellington Kwashira, was abducted by suspected ruling party thugs in the Goromonzi farming area on Wednedsay. Kwashira is the ZINASU Education and Research secretary and was serving his industrial attachment with the General Agricultural and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe (GAPWUZ) in the area.

Mugabe says no to new constitution ahead of elections
In an exclusive interview with a London-based magazine, Robert Mugabe is reported to have strongly rejected opposition demands for a new constitution ahead of next year’s joint presidential & parliamentary elections. Both factions of the MDC insist they will not participate in the 2008 elections under the current constitution. But Mugabe has refused, saying the opposition has no mandate, especially after they voted against a draft version back in 2000.

Save Zimbabwe Campaign lobbies Mbeki to broaden talks
The Save Zimbabwe Campaign has written a letter to South African President Thabo Mbeki with a specific request to include civic groups in the current political negotiations between the government and the opposition MDC. Spokesman of the grouping Dr Lovemore Madhuku told Newsreel any mediation worth its salt in Zimbabwe should involve all stakeholders.

Govt raises salaries for civil servants more than 100% as teachers threaten strike
Teachers had just begun a sit in strike to protest against poor salaries and working conditions when government agreed to hike salaries for its workers by more than 100% on Wednesday. According to a circular from the Zimbabwe Teachers Association, the lowest paid teacher will be earning $2 586 000 per month, up from only $456 000. The highest paid will be earning $4 267 000, up from $723 000.

http://www.2bctnd.net/swradioafrica/podcasts/05/newsreel300507.mp3

 This week, on Different Points of View, Duane Udd evaluates the continuing madness of the Mugabe regime with its apparent intent to grab controlling interests in foreign owned companies in Zimbabwe. If the agricultural disaster that is the Land Reform Programme is any sign, many more businesses are bound to leave the country and corruption will increase as production declines. In a new poem called “Company halt”, Duane says “Having crippled agriculture in the name of ‘Land Deform’, He now hovers like a vulture as his spokesmen misinform”. Enjoy the entire poem and more on Different Points of View.

http://www.2bctnd.net/swradioafrica/podcasts/05/dpv290507.mp3

 The ‘Amazing Matabele Ride’ is scheduled to take place on the 6th of June and will involve 6 dedicated Zimbabweans cycling from Victoria Falls to Bulawayo in one day to raise money for pensioners. Brent Williams spoke to Mandisa about the event, and as proof of his commitment to the task he spoke to her as he was training on his bike.
Ben has been just been back from a visit to Zimbabwe after a period of nine months. He says the scale of change and depreciation of people’s way of life defies text book explanation. He voices his concerns to John on callback.

http://www.2bctnd.net/swradioafrica/podcasts/05/callback290507.mp3

Are the targeted sanctions having an economic impact as claimed by the government? Is it proper to target family members when they individually are not responsible for the actions of their parents? How can the sanctions issue be used in aid of the SADC initiative to resolve the political crisis?

http://www.2bctnd.net/swradioafrica/podcasts/05/hotseat290507.mp3
Violet Gonda: On Today’s Hot Seat programme we bring you the last discussion about whether the sanctions are having an economic impact, as claimed by the government. My guests are Brian Kagoro, a lawyer and political commentator, NCA Co-ordinator Tapera Kapuya, and Ralph Black the MDC Deputy Representative in North America. US legislation prevents their representative to the Breton Woods Institutions from lending to Zimbabwe or re-scheduling debts that are due. I started by asking Brian Kagoro if these measures can be described as economic sanctions on the country. 
 
Brian Kagoro : Hardly, hardly because the power to grant or with-hold a loan to cancel a debt is discretionarily, it’s not obligatory. So for that reason they’re not strictly speaking economic sanctions. But, do they have an effect economically? Well, I mean there are factors that you have to consider. The with-holding of debt cancellation is on conditions of governance and because the cancelling country is not responsible for inducing a situation of risk, you cannot, strictly speaking, uh, sorry, let me just put it simply. We’ve not seem them fully applied so whilst there does exist a potential to fully apply, there’s been continued engagement between Harare and the IMF and the World Bank. So, if you wanted a strict and simple answer that would be it. If they were to be applied in the spirit of that particular piece of legislation, then they would have an effect that might qualify them to be called ‘economic sanctions’. But, in their current form, no. The problems that Harare is facing are anything else other than economic sanctions.

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Zim Alive this week features top economist John Robertson talking about Cabinet’s approval of a proposal for government to takeover private firms. The proposed Bill seeks to force foreign-owned companies to give 51% of their shares to black Zimbabweans.

http://www.2bctnd.net/swradioafrica/podcasts/05/zimalive280507.mp3

In the Hidden Story Tichaona speaks to Makusha Mugabe about the MDC UK strategic planning workshop that was held in Birmingham over the weekend. According to Makusha the workshop unanimously resolved to reject any negotiations between Zanu (PF) and the MDC while opposition activists are incarcerated while their party is subjected to systematic violence.

http://www.2bctnd.net/swradioafrica/podcasts/05/hs280507.mp3

On Monday’s Letter from America with Professor Stanford Mukasa he once again focuses on mass action. In the second of the three-part series on prospects and strategies for mass action in Zimbabwe, he addresses the BIG question – when will Zimbabweans stage a mass demonstration, if ever at all?

www.zimaction.com/LFAMAY2807.htm

http://www.2bctnd.net/swradioafrica/podcasts/05/lfa280507.mp3

Following the storming of Harvest House and the arrest of hundreds of MDC party members, Hebson Makuvise, says this is just the nature of the beast, and the world should not be surprised by such behaviour at all.
Tendai is in the UK and he works for a project in Derby that has been set up to cater for the needs of Zimbabwean women who are victims of politically motivated sexual abuse.

http://www.2bctnd.net/swradioafrica/podcasts/05/callback280507.mp3

More than 250 arrested as police raid Harvest House
The MDC reports that more than 250 youths and provincial leaders were arrested when the police raided the opposition’s headquarters around lunchtime on Saturday. Nelson Chamisa the spokesperson for the Tsvangirai MDC said three truckloads of riot police raided the offices in Harare were the opposition members were attending a forum at Harvest House. He said several people were beaten and taken to CID Law and Order at Harare Central.

http://www.2bctnd.net/swradioafrica/podcasts/05/nr270507.mp3

http://www.2bctnd.net/swradioafrica/podcasts/05/positive270507.mp3