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Chronicle
By Busani Ncube and Discent Bajila
27 March 2010

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai recently made an interesting revelation about the status of our political leadership.

Addressing his party supporters at Glamis Stadium in Harare in his capacity as the president of MDC-T, he said about his councillors: “Vamwe venyu makange musina kana boots, nhasi makufamba nemota six six (some of you could not afford shoes, now you are driving six cars each). This is indeed an informative statement on the calibre of people that the elections make us entrust with our future and our unborn children.

Failure to possess a pair of shoes is a reasonable symbol that you are completely incapable of managing your own affairs.

The outcome of the municipal elections was, according to the Prime Minister, such that people who are supposed to be in charge of housing, health, environment, road construction and other local governance issues are men and women who cannot even manage their individual affairs.

This is disaster but at a smaller magnitude compared to what could have happened if such people were deployed into Parliament. The final sad outcome of such an issue is that these people become candidates for selection into Cabinet.   »Click here to continue reading

Zim Telegraph
By Getrude Gumede
March 20, 2010

The political stalemate in the coalition is blocking reforms and economic recovery and may force a snap election – if South Africa can’t forge a deal

President Jacob Zuma’s suggestion that fresh elections might offer a way out of the current impasse has sparked off a complex game of ‘call my bluff’ amongst the parties to the power-sharing government. It seems clear that Zuma and his advisors would prefer some form of power-sharing to continue in Zimbabwe, even after polls.

The timing will depend on whether Zuma’s 16-18 March mission to Harare can secure a deal on the key battles between the parties: appointing provincial premiers, the Reserve Bank Governor and the Attorney General, and President Robert Mugabe’s unilateral decision to strip four ministers from rival parties of any effective powers. Otherwise, it will be back to the election gambit. None of the parties really wants elections now but they are happy to pretend that they do, in the hope of extracting concessions from their rivals.   »Click here to continue reading

NRC Handelsblad
8 March 2010
By Peter Vermaas in Harare

The sanctions against Zimbabwe are supposed to hurt the clique surrounding president Mugabe. They may be having the opposite effect.

Two young men with dreadlocks hung around idly near a mall in Eastlea, one of the better suburbs in the Zimbabwean capital of Harare, waiting for a potential employer to pick them up. They had folders filled with references and resumés with them and approached every car that rolled onto the parking lot, hoping to find work. “But there is no work,” Jason Chivunga sighed. “Because of the sanctions.” His former classmate Blessing Kwaramba nodded in agreement. “We are suffering for it. If there was no boycott, Zimbabwe would reach for the stars. Why are we still being punished?” he asked.

The two were no fans of President Robert Mugabe – who was elected to Zimbabwe’s highest office exactly thirty years ago last week. Like almost everybody else here, they support opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who became prime minister in February last year as a member of a government of national unity. But the two unemployed Tsvangirai aficionados were anything but immune to Mugabe’s political propaganda. Like many of their compatriots throughout the country, they believe the European Union and the United States are leaving Zimbabwe little breathing room. “We want to trade internationally again,” Kwaramba said. “Then we will be able to get back to work.”   »Click here to continue reading

VOA
8th March 2010
By Peta Thornycroft in Harare

Zimbabwe’s president strips power from three MDC ministries; move seen as deliberate attempt to provoke party into leaving power-sharing deal

Zimbabwe’s unity government has suffered its worst blow since its formation a year ago, according to the Movement for Democratic Change and several Zimbabwean political analysts and commentators. President Robert Mugabe has stripped effective power from three ministries, and assigned them to ZANU-PF ministers.

University of Zimbabwe political scientist Eldred Masungure says the move stripping power from three MDC ministries was a “unilateralist” action and deliberate effort to tempt the party to quit the unity government.

He said there was no rational basis for the new law announced by the government on Friday. He said the move was a violation of the political agreement which brought the unity government into power and is designed “to induce the MDC to walk out as they did in October last year.”

The MDC disengaged from the unity government when its treasurer, Roy Bennett was arrested.   »Click here to continue reading

Zimbabwe Times
27 February 2010
By Our Correspondent

HARARE – The Zanu PF-dominated Senate has forestalled the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Amendment Bill through proposed amendments apparently meant to water it down further.

Zanu-PF on Wednesday adjourned debate on the bill – which seeks to curtail the Reserve Bank governor’s wide-sweeping powers – to March to allow themselves time to further study it.

This is despite last year’s adjournment ostensibly to give the legislators in the Upper House, again, time to study the same bill.

The latest adjournment on Wednesday was caused by Chimanimani Zanu-PF Senator, Monica Mutsvangwa, who tabled proposals to amend 10 clauses. The aim is, apparently, to water the bill down, analyst said.

RBZ governor Gideo Gono has been accused of overstepping his mandate. The MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai wants him removed from the post.
Mutsvangwa alleged the bill sought to settle personal scores. She alleged, in its present form, the bill was a “law of the jungle.”

“If people have axes to grind with a sitting governor, let us leave that to the executive, GPA negotiators and principals or courts for that matter,” Ms Mutsvangwa said.
“Arguments on whether Gono did right or wrong can be handled through other avenues not the bill,” she said.   »Click here to continue reading

The Chronicle
By Qhubani Moyo
22nd February 2010

THERE has been a lot of hullaballoo and noise emanating from the MDC-T circles regarding what they term a deadlock in the Global Political Agreement negotiations.
The noise arises from their belief that Zanu-PF is being insincere in the talks as it is said to be dodging the fulfilment of some issues that have already been agreed on.
Part of the key demands that form the basis of the alleged deadlock are around the delayed appointment of provincial governors, the continued occupation of office by the Reserve Bank Governor Dr Gideon Gono, the Attorney General Mr Johannes Tomana and what they term the alleged persecution of their treasurer-general Mr Roy Bennett.

In the MDC-T circles these issues are so important that if they are not resolved all the gains made in the GPA so far can be kicked out of the window and a fresh election called in the shortest possible time. But given the current Zanu-PF position that there would be no further concessions until the sanctions are removed and the current extension of the sanctions by the European Union for another year, it is apparently becoming clearer that the negotiations will indeed be protracted.
The Zanu-PF loud calls that the MDC-T should take the lead in the calling for the removal of sanctions seem to be falling on deaf ears as the MDC-T has chosen to conveniently call these restrictive measures.   »Click here to continue reading

Guardian.co.uk
David Smith in Johannesburg
Tuesday 16 February

Opponents condemn proposals to mark Zimbabwean president’s 86th birthday as unemployment reaches nine in 10

Plans to hold a lavish all-night birthday party for the Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, were today condemned as insensitive to the suffering of the country’s people.

Mugabe’s 86th birthday will be celebrated next week with an “extravagant overnight gala” starring local and international musicians, the Zimbabwe Times reported.
The paper said Anywhere Mutambudzi, a retired army major who is an official with the information ministry, would organise the event – being held in Bulawayo – which would run from 6pm on 26 February until 6am the following day.

It quoted Mutambudzi as telling state television: “The gala will feature all major local, as well as some foreign, musicians from the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa.”

Mugabe, whose birthday is on 21 February, shows no signs of slowing down or willingness to relinquish power to Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), his rival in Zimbabwe’s unity government.

Opponents criticised the party plans at a time when Zimbabwe’s teachers are on strike over pay and around nine in 10 people are unemployed.   »Click here to continue reading

The Zimbabwean
9 Feb 2010
Written by Frazer Muzondo

When President Robert Mugabe allocated the ministries between his party and the MDC upon formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU), he had only one thing on his mind. He wanted Zanu (PF) to maintain its grip on power so that it could continue to abuse its position for self gain. He gave the MDC those portfolios that were as good as dead and tasked them with clearing up the mess made by his incompetent ministers. He expected the MDC to fail to deliver so that people would blame them. In this new series, FRAZER MUZONDO analyses just what has happened during the first year.

Health   »Click here to continue reading

Zimbabwe Guardian
Friday 22 January 2010

ONE year on, Zimbabwe’s inclusive Government Ministers are more interested in amassing wealth, perks and political posturing and have so far neglected their ministries to the detriment of ordinary Zimbabweans. More often than not, Ministers are traveling abroad on supposedly government business and yet results of all this shuttling are at a near nil.

Many of the ministers are also involved in political squabbles within their parties or with opposing party members.

What have Zimbabwe’s ministers yielded during this part year?

Morgan Tsvangirai – Prime Minister
As the Chief Minister in President Mugabe’s cabinet, Tsvangirai leads his Ministers in failure. He spent more time engaging in political squabbles with Zanu PF, and travelling abroad on party business. His promise to pay civil servants a decent salary still remains a promise. His official tour yielded nothing and many believe he is sabotaging the recovery process in order to come up on top come election time. He is yet to say the word sanctions and denounce them.
Verdict 0/10   »Click here to continue reading

Amnesty International US
By Sarah Hager
January 21, 2010

Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) took to the streets recently demanding education reform in Zimbabwe. In areport published by the organization, WOZA calls for teachers to quit demanding extra money from parents to supplement their income, the Education Ministry must improve the quality of the curriculum including the addition of human rights education, the examination system must be re-vamped and no increase in school fees in 2010.

Over 800 WOZA members marched in Bulawayo on January 13th, singing and chanting the WOZA MOYA! slogan. The demonstration proceeded without violence or arrests but they were not able to deliver their report at the government complex as police dispersed the demonstrators upon arrival. On January 18th-MLK Day, the members of WOZA marched to the Education Ministry offices in Harare and were dispersed, this time by riot police. One WOZA member, a journalist and a bystander were arrested. The demonstration was broken up before WOZA members were able to deliver the report to education minister David Coltart.   »Click here to continue reading