Tue 11 Nov 2008
Mon 10 Nov 2008
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe will form a unity government “as soon as possible” and a minister said he would invite opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to nominate members of a joint cabinet. Asked when a new cabinet will be announced, Mugabe told
(Source)
Sat 8 Nov 2008
Two Dead As ZANU PF Thugs Fight Each Other At Party Office
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In the Capital, there was pandemonium and deadly scenes only reminiscent to events in Eastern DRC war between Kabila’s forces versus CNDP rebels loyal to General Laurent Nkunda, when violence broke out amongst ZANU PF party faithful at the party’s Harare provincial offices near Harare’s Fourth Street bus terminus, late Friday afternoon leading to the death of two party supporters with scores injured, including police officers.
War Veterans, party militia, members of the Women’s League, ex-political detainees, war collaborators and Senior ZANU PF officials, fought running battles amongst each other leaving stunned onlookers at Harare Fourth Street Bus Station running for cover as guns, clubs, half bricks, machete wielding members of Robert Mugabe’s beleaguered ZANU PF fought for control of the party’s Harare provincial executive.
Robert Mugabe wants to oust the Amos Midzi led executive before the December party Congress.
A number of riot police officers tried to impose peace and tranquillity, but they were disarmed and ended up nursing injuries and some are reported to be having injuries threatening their lives.
Shots were fired in the air to calm down the violence, but other party faithful led by Elliot Manyika, the party’s political Commissar, not to be outdone, pulled out their own guns waved them in the air threatening to shoot police officers.
Some War veterens were seen rolling on the ground with sticks immitating guns, in war moves.
Members of the army in green barrets from the Commando Barracks and PG (Presidential Guard) were called in to help the hapless police officers and a man was fatally shot dead for refusing to disarm.
Our reporter who was having a drink at Raylton Sports club managed to speak with one ZANU PF official who had taken refuge in the Sports club toilet and he said the party provincial branch of Harare was planning a vote of no confidence in Robert Mugabe at the Congress, next month and he said there is growing disgruntlement in the party with all forces for change tilted against the embattled leader.
The violence follows a petition to the party President Robert Mugabe asking him to dismiss chairperson Amos Midzi for his alleged “history of counter-revolutionary activities” and failure to lead the party to victory in the March elections. In the petition, the ZANU PF activists pleaded with Mugabe to expel the ZANU PF provincial executive council led by Midzi whom they accused of incompetence and reducing the party to a laughing stock.
They asked Mugabe to appoint an interim provincial executive council. The activists also wanted Midzi and his council to be removed for failing to endorse Mugabe at the 2006 Goromonzi annual people’s conference as the party’s sole presidential candidate for the 2008 elections.Knives are out for Midzi, the Minister of Mines and Mining Development, for also failing to come up with a campaign programme for ZANU PF for the 2008 harmonised elections.
“(Midzi must be expelled for) failure to assist ZANU PF candidates during the campaign period leading up to the 29th March elections, despite being availed with motor vehicles and fuel for the party,” the petition read. It also said Midzi should be expelled “failure to support His Excellency the President during the opening of parliament leaving the opposition to embarrass and humiliate His Excellency the President and first secretary of ZANU PF.”
They said the
They said the Harare province was to blame for the heckling of Mugabe at the September 15 signing of an all-inclusive government agreement between Mugabe and leaders of two MDC formations — Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara — because it failed to mobilise ZANU PF members to attend the ceremony.
“The failure was deliberate and meant to ensure that the party remains weak and disorganised in Harare,” the petition read.The petitioners claimed that Harare province executives were buying votes to ensure their victory in November 30’s provincial elections.
The province was accused of failing to comply with the party’s constitution, regulations and guidelines. Instead “it was falsifying records of cells and branches of the party so as to ensure that the elections of the district executives scheduled for November 8 will be in their” favour.
The petition read: “Members of the party are being hoodwinked by the provincial executive committee which is dishing out money and goods to branch and district executive members under the false guise of poverty alleviation.
“The project is highly selective targeting those occupying the top six positions of each branch or district. The objective is to buy their votes. Party members are being exploited and abused because of the economic hardships in the country,” said the petitioners.
Sources in ZANU PF claimed the petition was signed at the behest of Harare South MP Hubert Nyanhongo and chairperson of the National Incomes and Pricing Commission chairperson Goodwills Masimirembwa.
Nyanhongo is eyeing the chairmanship while Masimirembwa reportedly wants to be a member of the provincial executive.
On Wednesday hordes of ZANU PF youths attempted to forcibly close the party’s provincial offices.
Nyanhongo recently said ZANU PF in
The legislator declined to comment on the matter.
Masimirembwa last month was reported to have said ZANU PF should flush out leaders who were not backing Mugabe, especially in
However, he denied singling out Midzi, but blamed the whole provincial executive.
Masimirembwa said: “I never singled out Amos Midzi. It was a complete lie. What I can confirm as to have said was that the general performance of
(Source)
Fri 7 Nov 2008
The leaders of the pressure group Women of Zimbabwe Arise, Magodonga Mahlangu and Jenni Williams, were finally released on bail on Thursday after spending three weeks at Mlondolozi Prison. However the two outspoken activists have been put under strict bail conditions. Speaking after her release Williams told SW Radio Africa: “Our freedom of movement has been curtailed. We cannot move more than 40km out of
SANTOC (South African No Torture Consortium) welcomed the release of the WOZA leaders but said it was “deeply concerned’ about the conditions under which prisoners are being held, especially women in
(Source)
Thu 6 Nov 2008
“In short ZANU PF has killed the dialogue despite the hopes, patience and expectations of the people of
(Source)
Wed 5 Nov 2008
President Robert Mugabe’s government on Wednesday accused Botswanan President Ian Khama of interference and said his call for fresh elections to solve
Khama, who has emerged as one of Mugabe’s staunchest critics in Africa, told Botswana’s parliament on Monday that an election was the only way out of the deadlock that threatens to derail a power-sharing deal between Mugabe and the opposition MDC.
“The statement he has made to his country is an act of extreme provocation to
“He has no right under international law as an individual or country to interfere in our domestic affairs.”
The diplomatic row occurred just days before the Southern African Development Community, a 15-nation regional bloc, was scheduled to hold an emergency summit in
A smaller SADC meeting in
Mugabe and the leaders of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change agreed on Sept. 15 to share power, but talks have stalled over control of ministries.
Setting up a unity government is seen as critical to reversing an economic meltdown in the southern African nation.
Zimbabweans are struggling to survive amid widespread shortages of meat, milk and other basic commodities as a result of the collapse of the agricultural sector. The country is dependent on food handouts and malnutrition is on the rise.
Tsvangirai, would would become prime minister under the power-sharing deal, has accused Mugabe’s ZANU-PF of trying to seize the lion’s share of important ministries to try to relegate the MDC to the role of junior partner.
The MDC won a March parliamentary election.
(Source)
Mon 3 Nov 2008
Sun 2 Nov 2008
Advisers to MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai want him to look past a planned SADC summit and prepare to take his stand-off with President Robert Mugabe to the African Union, and ultimately to the United Nations.
Advisers to MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai want him to look past a planned SADC summit and prepare to take his stand-off with President Robert Mugabe to the African Union, and ultimately to the United Nations.
(Source)
Fri 31 Oct 2008
After allegedly murdering a whistle blowing Zimbabwe Election Commission official, state agents last weekend forcibly took the body of Ignatius Mushangwe from his Waterfalls home and buried it in the Mukumba Village of Chihota. A report by the Zimbabwe Times website quotes a family member saying Mushangwe was meant to be buried at the
The CIO are said to have taken over the entire funeral with several agents present at the burial. Viewing of the body was confined to ‘very close family members.’ A source confirmed that the agents claimed they had orders from the Presidents Office to carry out a hasty burial. ‘By the time many people arrived in the village, he had already been buried. He was buried by strangers, with very few of his family members there to witness the burial. We are completely at a loss of words,’ a source told the website. More details are emerging on the murder of Mushangwe who allegedly spilled the beans on how Mugabe’s regime planned to print surplus ballot papers to rig the June 27 Presidential run-off. An intelligence source has claimed that the ZEC director of training and development was, ‘murdered by a hit-squad from the military intelligence, allegedly led by one Staff Sergeant Makwande, to silence him in an operation that was approved by the Joint Operations Command (JOC).’
The source described the assassination as, ‘a dry operation, a dry disposal’ because it was carried out in a hurry. After being kidnapped in June, Mushangwe’s partially charred body was found dumped in Norton last week. Liberty Mupakati, a former civil servant who worked with Mushangwe, told Newsreel on Thursday that the hasty burial was meant to keep the media away and prevent photographs and other forms of recording. He said the idea was to limit exposure of the issue as much as possible and so control levels of outrage. He gave an example of the body viewing being confined to close relatives as another attempt at diluting the impact of his brutal death.
(Source)


