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Zimonline

We facilitated unity govt: China envoy

Wed, Jun 24, 2009

HARARE – Last year’s decision by China and Russia to block United Nations (UN) sanctions against Zimbabwe paved way for power-sharing negotiations to continue leading to formation of a unity government in the African country, Beijing’s top diplomat in Harare said on Tuesday.

MDC-M charges suspended MPs

Tue, Jun 30, 2009

BULAWAYO – Zimbabwean Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambara’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-M) formation has finally laid out charges against five legislators who are part of seven officials suspended by the party two months ago.

Mugabe grabs Airzim planes for foreign jaunts

Sun, Aug 23, 2009

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe this week commandeered an Air Zimbabwe plane to Namibia, keeping it overnight before grabbing another jet for a private visit to Dubai, making the airline lose critical income at a time when it is battling to meet its financial obligations reports Zimonline.

Rule of law key to attract investors: Tsvangirai

Tue, Aug 25, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s coalition government must uphold the rule of law to attract investors key to any effort to rebuild the country’s shattered economy, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said on Monday.

I won’t testify against Bennett: Ex-soldier

Fri, Jul 03, 2009

MUTARE – A former soldier who was jailed for possessing an arms cache, was released on Thursday and vowed not to be a state witness in the trial of MDC Deputy Minister of Agriculture designate Roy Bennett in October.

ZANU PF official’s farm guard commits suicide

Mon, Jul 06, 2009

CHEGUTU – A guard, who was being accused of killing a man at Senate President Edna Madzongwe’s newly acquired Stockdale Farm, this week shot and killed himself in a toilet at the farm.

Service providers switch off central bank phones

Mon, Jul 06, 2009

HARARE – Mobile airtime services providers NetOne and Zellco have switched off more than 1 000 contract lines that had been leased to Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe employees as a result of failure to settle bills.

Teachers threaten strike action

Tue, Jul 07, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s teachers have threatened to go on strike if they do not get a pay rise by month-end, accusing the country’s power-sharing government of duping them in the past with false promises to review their salaries

SA, Zim set to sign trade pact

Tue, Jul 14, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe and South Africa are set to sign a long delayed bilateral investment protection agreement by end of next month, Zimbabwe’s Economic Planning Minister Elton Mangoma has said.

MDC-M MPs challenge disciplinary hearing

Tue, Jul 14, 2009

BULAWAYO – Three legislators from Zimbabwean Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambara’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-M) formation have filed papers with the High Court in Bulawayo seeking an order setting aside the outcome of their disciplinary hearing, their lawyer said at the weekend.

NCA, ZCTU in parallel constitutional process

Thu, Jul 16, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s largest political pressure group, the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), said on Wednesday it was embarking on a parallel process to produce a draft constitution for the country after disagreeing with the government on who should lead the writing of the charter.

Teachers take demos to PM, Mugabe’s offices

Thu, Jul 16, 2009

HARARE – The militant Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) yesterday declared it would take its demonstrations over salary increments to President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s offices after an attempt by protesting members to meet Public Service Minister Eliphas Mukonoweshuro failed on Monday.

ZANU PF official in court over tribal slur

Fri, Jul 17, 2009

BULAWAYO – ZANU PF politburo member and former Mayor of Bulawayo Joshua Malinga on Thursday appeared in a Bulawayo magistrate court facing charges of undermining the authority of the police.

Activists file US$19m suit over abductions

Fri, Jul 17, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwean political activists and a journalist abducted last year by state agents have sued two Cabinet ministers and the agents for a combined US$19.2 million in damages for the unlawful abduction, detention and deprivation of liberty.

ZAPU to contest for former MDC-M seats

Wed, Jul 22, 2009

BULAWAYO – Former ZANU PF stalwart Dumiso Dabengwa’s Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) party on Tuesday said it will contest by-elections to fill parliamentary posts left vacant following the dismissal of three legislators from Deputy Premier Arthur Mutambara’s MDC faction.

ZCTU slams decision to import cars for MPs

Wed, Jul 22, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s largest labour movement yesterday criticised the government for approving a scheme to import vehicles for parliamentarians instead of buying locally assembled vehicles.

Zimbabwe divided over national healing

Thu, Jul 30, 2009

BULAWAYO – Zimbabwe’s political parties are divided over who should lead a national healing process with President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party opposing plans by the former opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party to let the church and civic society steer the sensitive process, it has been learnt.

SADC Tribunal refers Zim case to leaders’ summit

Thu, Sep 03, 2009

HARARE – The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Tribunal will refer Zimbabwe’s land dispute to a summit of regional leaders scheduled for next week after Harare said it no longer recognised the court’s authority to hear the matter.

Gono backtracks on SMM advice to Mugabe

Thu, Sep 03, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe central bank governor Gideon Gono has withdrawn recommendations to President Robert Mugabe that the veteran leader reverses the seizure of private firm, SMM Holdings, by the government.

Tsvangirai fires security agents

Tsvangirai fires security agents

Fri, Sep 04, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwean Prime Minister (PM) Morgan Tsvangirai has ordered the removal of 15 agents from his close security team following a misunderstanding among the guards which sources said could have compromised the Premier security reports Zimonline.

MDC considers cutting contact with ZANU PF

Fri, Oct 16, 2009

HARARE – Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party will today hold a crisis meeting to consider suspending “nearly all contact” with President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party, sources said yesterday, as Zimbabwe’s coalition government looked headed for more choppy waters.

NGOs name commanders behind political violence

Tue, Sep 08, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwean non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have named top military commanders accused of masterminding a ruthless campaign to keep President Robert Mugabe in power in a second round presidential election in June last year that left scores of villagers dead and thousands others displaced from their homes.

Mugabe diplomatic victory short lived: analysts

Mugabe diplomatic victory short lived: analysts

Thu, Sep 10, 2009

HARARE -- Southern African leaders have urged the West to lift sanctions on Zimbabwe, angering Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai while emboldening President Robert Mugabe who is likely to frustrate key reforms but analysts say the fragile coalition will hold and regional leaders anxious of a failed neighbour will eventually rein in the veteran leader writes Edith Kaseke for Zimonline.

Zim police ban union march

Mon, Sep 14, 2009

HARARE – Heavily armed police backed by water cannons cordoned off a Harare shopping centre to block a public march by workers at the weekend, in yet another example of how little the country’s security forces have changed despite formation of a power-sharing government six months ago.

Tsvangirai wants top army officer reined in

Fri, Oct 16, 2009

HARARE – Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has written to Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa asking him to stop a brigadier general from unlawfully using national army soldiers to invade a white-owned farm, in a sign of growing discord within Zimbabwe’s coalition government writes the Zimonline.

Zuma urges Zim to implement unity govt pact

Tue, Sep 22, 2009

JOHANNESBURG – South African President Jacob Zuma on Monday said Zimbabwe's inclusive government should fully implement last year’s Global Political Agreement (GPA) to end squabbles threatening viability of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) brokered political settlement.

Confusion grips Zim constitutional reforms

Tue, Sep 22, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s constitutional reforms were on Monday plunged deeper into confusion with President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party rejecting reports that the governing coalition had finally agreed not to base the new supreme law on the controversial Kariba draft constitution.

PM dispatches delegation to London

Fri, Sep 25, 2009

HARARE – Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has sent a special delegation to London to appeal to Zimbabweans domiciled in the United Kingdom to invest back home.The delegation, led by Minister of State in the Prime Minister's office Gorden Moyo, left Harare on Wednesday night and is expected to address Zimbabweans and other prospective investors on Saturday.

Tsvangirai denies backing Harare pullout from SADC court

Thu, Oct 01, 2009

HARARE – Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Wednesday denied state media reports that the Council of Ministers has endorsed Zimbabwe’s pull out from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Tribunal.

Politicised military threaten Zim stability: RUSI

Wed, Sep 30, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s politicised security forces remain a threat to efforts to stabilise the country, a British defence and security think-tank said, urging the Harare coalition government to prioritise restructuring and transformation of a security establishment that has already spread tentacles into several key non-military institutions of state.

‘UZ lecturer leading candidate from commission interviews’

Wed, Sep 30, 2009

HARARE – University of Zimbabwe law lecturer Geoff Feltoe has emerged as the leading candidate from 25 applicants following interviews of prospective commissioners to the Independent Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (IZEC) by Parliament on Monday, Reports ZimOnline.

ZANU PF denies villagers food: report

Mon, Oct 05, 2009

HARARE – Hundreds of hungry Zimbabwean villagers are being denied food handouts and forced to denounce their own parties in return for assistance as marauding ZANU PF militants continue to wage war of attrition against perceived political enemies, a leading human rights group has said.

Mugabe to open Parly tomorrow

Mon, Oct 05, 2009

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe will on Tuesday officially open the second session of the 7th Parliament of Zimbabwe, where he is expected to highlight the performance of the inclusive government.

Govt should prioritise health, education: Tsvangirai

Tue, Oct 06, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s unity government should prioritise health and education sectors that had collapsed after years of neglect and under-funding, Prime Minister (PM) Morgan Tsvangirai said on Monday.

Parly conducts rights commission interviews

Tue, Oct 13, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s Parliament on Monday interviewed candidates to serve on the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) that is one of several key commissions the Harare coalition government must establish as part of a drive to reshape and democratise the country’s politics.

Tsvangirai urges West to reward unity govt

Tue, Oct 13, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has appealed to Western donor countries to reward the good work of his unity government with President Robert Mugabe by widening support to include development assistance.

Tsvangirai tackles Mugabe, coalition in crisis

Thu, Oct 15, 2009

HARARE – Prime Minister (PM) Morgan Tsvangirai cancelled a weekly Council of Ministers meeting and will not be coming to office to protest Wednesday’s detention of his top ally Roy Bennett, in the biggest test yet for Zimbabwe’s fragile coalition government reports Zimonline.

UN expert on torture visits Zim next week

Tue, Oct 20, 2009

HARARE – United Nations (UN) special rapporteur on torture Manfred Nowak will next week visit Zimbabwe to gather “first-hand information about torture” in the African country where police are often accused of torturing political opponents of President Robert Mugabe.

Zim black farmer evicted despite Tribunal ruling

Tue, Oct 20, 2009

HARARE – A pioneering black Zimbabwean commercial farmer has been evicted from his farm in defiance of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) Tribunal ruling barring his eviction.

High Court upholds prosecutor’s jail sentence

Wed, Oct 28, 2009

HARARE – The High Court on Tuesday upheld the conviction and sentencing of prosecutor Andrew Kumire by a Harare magistrate for contempt of court during the trial of prominent human rights lawyer Alec Muchadehama, but it was not immediately clear whether the state had complied with the order to send Kumire to prison.

Zim faces hunger, farmers unable to plant

Mon, Nov 02, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe faces another lean agricultural season with the majority of the country’s large-scale producing white commercial farmers saying they are unable to plant crops due to ongoing disturbances on farms according to a Zimonline report.

Zimbabwe leaders expected to meet today

Mon, Oct 26, 2009

HARARE –Zimonline: A senior official of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party said on Sunday that they were indications the Premier could meet President Robert Mugabe today to try to resolve a power-sharing dispute that has plunged Zimbabwe’s coalition government into its worst crisis.

Ban Zim diamonds: KP final report

Thu, Oct 29, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe should be banned from the world diamond market because of human rights violations and other irregularities at the country’s notorious Marange diamond field, a Kimberley Process (KP) review mission has recommended in its final report.

Troika team meets Mugabe, Tsvangirai today

Fri, Oct 30, 2009

HARARE – A Southern African Development Community (SADC) security organ delegation currently reviewing implementation of Zimbabwe’s fragile power-sharing agreement is on Friday scheduled to meet the country’s feuding political leaders, President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

MDC official accused of stealing army weapons

Tue, Nov 03, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwean prosecutors have charged a senior official of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party with stealing weapons from an army barrack, in a case certain to stoke up tensions in the country’s shaky power-sharing government.

SADC must push Mugabe harder: Analysts

Tue, Nov 03, 2009

HARARE – The SADC troika will hold a summit this week, in a sign of growing pressure against President Robert Mugabe but analysts said regional leaders would need to press hard the obstinate octogenarian to fully implement terms of last year’s Global Political Agreement (GPA) and save a fragile unity government from collapse.

Zim has no money for food production

Wed, Nov 04, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s cash strapped government has managed to raise only US$5.7 million out of $48 million it had planned to use to fund agricultural production this season, the ministry of agriculture said on Tuesday.

Nobody wants to assist us: White farmers

Tue, Nov 10, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s few remaining white farmers said on Monday that they had sought without success help from Agriculture Minister Joseph Made and his lands counterpart Herbert Murerwa to end fresh farm invasions by military officers and supporters of President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party.

Mugabe, Tsvangirai parties to hold talks

Wed, Nov 11, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s three governing parties are expected to begin negotiations before weekend in line with a SADC recommendation to tackle a power-sharing dispute threatening to tear apart their shaky coalition government.

‘ZANU PF won’t yield to MDC ahead of congress’

Thu, Nov 12, 2009

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU PF party will resist calls by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to fully implement last year’s power-sharing agreement until at least after the party’s congress next month, a top official told ZimOnline Wednesday.

Resign, ZCTU tells home affairs ministers

Fri, Nov 13, 2009

Wellington Chibebe, the ZCTU secretary-general, in a hard-hitting statement after the release of Matombo and the staffers said there was urgent need to reform the police for the force to work independently.

Harare embarks on civil service audit

Wed, Nov 18, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s coalition government will this month audit the civil service to establish the number of genuine public workers in a workforce that some say is packed with thousands of supporters of President Robert Mugabe who draw salaries every month without providing any actual service to the state.

Agents tortured gun-dealer till he passed out: Lawyer

Wed, Nov 25, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe state agents tortured a gun-dealer until he passed out in a bid to make him confess to working with a top ally of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in a plot to assassinate President Robert Mugabe, the High Court heard on Tuesday.

Let’s prevent election violence repeat: ZANU PF

Thu, Nov 26, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s political parties should act now to prevent recurrence of election violence that last year left at least 200 supporters of the then opposition MDC party dead, a senior official of President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party said on Wednesday.

Harare willing to engage firm over diamond field

Fri, Nov 27, 2009

HARARE – The Zimbabwean government is willing to engage British mining firm African Consolidated Resources (ACR) in negotiations to resolve an ownership dispute over the controversial Marange diamond field, a top government official said Thursday.

PM welcomes SA's intervention

Sun, Nov 29, 2009

Harare - Zimbabwe's prime minister says he is thankful for South African efforts to rescue his coalition government.

Parly must hold ministers in check: Tsvangirai

Wed, Dec 02, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Tuesday said Parliament should hold government ministers in check and ensure those who abuse state funds are brought to book.

CITES chief to meet Mugabe over poaching

Wed, Dec 16, 2009

HARARE – CITES secretary general Willem Wijnstekers is expected in Zimbabwe next month for talks with President Robert Mugabe over rampant poaching decimating wildlife in the southern African country and said to involve top politicians and army officials.

New Zimbabwe constitution ready in 2011

Thu, Dec 03, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga on Wednesday said the country would by this time next year have a new and democratic constitution.

Harare coalition parties resume talks

Fri, Dec 04, 2009

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s three governing political parties on Thursday resumed talks to try to resolve a power-sharing dispute threatening their shaky coalition government after taking a break to meet a team of facilitators appointed by South Africa leader Jacob Zuma.

Zim healing organ to look into army killings

Fri, Dec 04, 2009

HARARE – A government organ for national reconciliation will look into human violations before and after Zimbabwe’s independence including an 80s army crackdown in the south of the country that killed thousands of innocent civilians from the Ndebele ethnic group.

ZANU congress: ‘Mugabe to showcase defiance’

Wed, Dec 09, 2009

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe will likely use this week’s congress of his ZANU PF party to harden his stance against MDC demands to resolve a power-sharing dispute so he can appease party hawks opposed to the coalition government and show the party faithful that he is in complete control of the new administration, analysts said.

425-member constitutional reform team named

Thu, Dec 17, 2009

HARARE – A special parliamentary committee leading Zimbabwe's constitutional reform process has named a 425-member team drawn from lawmakers, politicians and civic society members that will make up thematic committees to lead drafting of the country's new governance charter.

Zim to review death penalty, executive powers

Tue, Jan 05, 2010

HARARE -- Whether the president should wield more power than the prime minister or whether capital punishment should stay, are some of the issues Zimbabweans will be asked about during a 65-day public consultation exercise on a proposed new constitution, top officials said Tuesday.

ZESA ordered to stop energy exports to Namibia

Tue, Jan 12, 2010

HARARE – Energy Minister Elias Mudzuri on Monday said he ordered the country’s power utility – Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) – to stop exporting power to Namibia since the Hwange power station was not working properly.

Serious fertilizer shortage hits Zim

Wed, Jan 13, 2010

BULAWAYO – A serious shortage of fertilizer has hit Zimbabwe’s farming sector sparking fears of another poor harvest in a country that has experienced acute food shortages for most of the past decade, a farmers’ organisation said on Monday.

Public strike to test Zim's fragile coalition

Fri, Jan 15, 2010

HARARE – A planned national strike by Zimbabwean state workers in February would cripple public services and exert pressure on Harare's fragile coalition which has a huge task of rebuilding a devastated economy, analysts said.

'Police blocking Bennett from getting his farm equipment'

Tue, Jun 22, 2010

HARARE -- Zimbabwean police are blocking Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's key aide Roy Bennett from removing agricultural equipment from his former property, Charleswood estate, lawyers said last week.

SA protests Zim farm invasions

Thu, Jan 21, 2010

HARARE – South Africa’s government has sent a written protest to Harare over the invasion of South African-owned farms in Zimbabwe, a development that suggests Pretoria could be hardening its stance towards President Robert Mugabe’s controversial land reforms.

Sanctions motion raises commotion in Parly

Thu, Feb 04, 2010

HARARE - Chaotic scenes erupted in Zimbabwe's Parliament yesterday forcing the House to adjourn prematurely after a legislator proposed a motion to urge Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to call on Western nations to lift sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and his top allies

No outreach without police backing: Reforms body

Fri, Feb 05, 2010

Zimbabwe's constitutional committee says a key exercise to consult citizens on the proposed new governance charter cannot go ahead without police backing, in the latest obstruction to the crucial reforms that are already behind schedule.

Zuma team due in Harare today

Mon, Feb 08, 2010

BULAWAYO -- South African mediators are expected to meet negotiators from Zimbabwe’s squabbling coalition partners on Monday ahead of resumption of talks to resolve a raft of differences and outstanding issues threatening the stability of the Harare unity government.

EU split over Mugabe sanctions

Tue, Feb 09, 2010

Divisions have rocked the European Union about whether to renew targeted measures against Robert Mugabe and his regime cronies or heed Morgan Tsvangirai’s plea to end them to try and coax the geriatric Zimbabwean leader into fulfilling outstanding issues in the Global Political Agreement which ushered in Zimbabwe’s unity government early last year.

CITES boss arrives in Zimbabwe

Tue, Feb 09, 2010

HARARE – CITES secretary general Willem Wijnstekers has arrived in Zimbabwe on four-day working visit which will see him meeting Prime Minister (PM) Morgan Tsvangirai and Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa over rampant poaching decimating wildlife in the southern African country and said to involve top politicians and army officials.

Elections chief to operate from Namibia

Fri, Feb 12, 2010

JOHANNESBURG - The new chairman of Zimbabwe's electoral commission will oversee his Herculean task to overhaul the country's skewed electoral system from his Namibian base, he told ZimOnline this week.

Minister urges dialogue on empowerment laws

Wed, Feb 17, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s Tourism Minister Walter Muzembi on Tuesday urged Harare coalition partners to engage constructively on the country’s controversial empowerment laws announced last week compelling foreign-owned firms to cede controlling stake to locals.

Drug dealers on Zim diamond boards: MPs

Wed, Feb 17, 2010

HARARE – Some members of the boards of two firms mining diamonds at Zimbabwe’s controversial Marange diamond field were once illegal drug and diamond dealers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Sierra Leone, parliamentarians have said.

Mugabe appoints media commission

Sun, Feb 21, 2010

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe on Friday appointed the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC), one several commission meant to open democratic space and reform Zimbabwe’s politics.

Power cuts worsen as Hwange switches off

Mon, Feb 22, 2010

HARARE – Struggling Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) Holdings has extended electricity power cuts across the country following the complete loss of power from Hwange Thermal Power Station, the firm said.

ZCTU calls for probe into diamond field

Wed, Feb 24, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s labour movement has called for an investigation into mining of diamonds at the controversial Chiadzwa field, amid allegations that top officials from President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party and the military are looting the gemstones for sale on the international black-market for precious stones.

Indigenisation law comes into force Monday: Minister

Thu, Feb 25, 2010

HARARE – Indigenisation Minister Saviour Kasukuwere on Wednesday told ZimOnline that regulations to force foreign firms to offload controlling stake to local blacks will come into force next Monday, appearing to brush aside objections to the controversial rules by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Bennett’s defence unmasks state witness

Fri, Feb 26, 2010

HARARE – A key state witness – supposed to be an information technology (IT) expert – turned out to be just a cable layer after he was unmasked by defence lawyers of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s top aide Roy Bennett, who is facing terrorism charges.

45 days to draft share disposal plans

Mon, Mar 01, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s foreign-owned companies woke up on 45 days notice today to meet a government directive to draft plans on how they will sell majority stakes to blacks, leaving alarmed investors seriously considering their future and dampening the country’s recovery prospects reports Zimonline.

UK firm will never mine Zim diamonds: Minister

Thu, Mar 18, 2010

HARARE – Mines Minister Obert Mpofu has declared that London-based mining firm African Consolidated Resources (ACR), “controlled by one white man”, will never mine diamonds at Marange diamond field in eastern Zimbabwe as long as he is in charge of the ministry.

Mugabe to give back MDC ministers’ portfolios

Fri, Mar 19, 2010

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe has agreed during his two-day meetings with South African President Jacob Zuma to give back ministers from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party functions and responsibilities he had unilaterally stripped them of, a source close to the power-sharing talks told ZimOnline Thursday.

Zim launches new economic blue print next month

Fri, Mar 19, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe will next month launch a new blue print to succeed the Short Term Emergence Recovery Programme (STERP) hastily cobbled up in March 2009 following formation of a power sharing government between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Minister says diamond officials not clean

Mon, Mar 22, 2010

HARARE – Mines Minister Obert Mpofu has admitted that some officials of the two companies contracted to mine diamonds at the controversial Marange fields might be “crooks” but insisted during a parliamentary probe into irregularities in the mining sector that it was “virtually impossible” to get clean people in the industry.

Govt neglected schools to focus on politics: PM

Thu, Mar 25, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe drastically reduced funding for education from about US$6 per child in the first two decades of independence to a paltry $0.70 last year as political leaders diverted resources to consolidating power, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said on Wednesday.

Prominent academics dropped from constitutional body

Fri, Apr 09, 2010

HARARE – Two prominent Zimbabwean academics who had been appointed to represent the civil society on parliamentary committee leading the country’s constitutional reforms have been dropped at the request of rights activists.

Tsvangirai promises ‘progressive’ empowerment

Fri, Apr 09, 2010

HARARE – Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Thursday promised business leaders new and “more progressive” empowerment laws, as Zimbabwe’s ruling coalition continues to give conflicting signals over its controversial plan to place more of the economy in the hands of local blacks.

Tsvangirai too busy to travel to Europe: MDC

Wed, Apr 14, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s MDC party on Tuesday said its leader and the country’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was not planning to travel to Europe next week to call for lifting of sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and his inner circle.

Nkomo tours diamond field

Wed, Apr 14, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s Vice-President John Nkomo today visits the controversial Chiadzwa diamond field to assess operations by two mining firms – Mbada Investments and Canadile Miners – two weeks after police barred parliamentarians from touring the area.

5 new publishers apply for licences: ZMC

Wed, May 05, 2010

HARARE – Five prospective mass media houses have submitted applications to operate new newspapers in Zimbabwe, among them NewsDay owned by media mogul Trevor Ncube, Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) officials said on Wednesday.

Empowerment law affects US$445m mining project

Thu, May 06, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s largest platinum producer Zimplats Holdings has said commencement of a US$445 million project to ramp up production to nearly 300 000 ounces annually was dependent on finalisation of “compliance issues” regarding the country’s controversial black economic empowerment laws.

Zim begins vital information gathering

Thu, May 13, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s unity government has begun surveys to gather vital information and statistics to guide state bureaucrats plotting the economy’s recovery from a decade of acute recession and hyperinflation.

Mugabe embarks on 5-day trip to Iran

Sat, May 15, 2010

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe will travel to Iran on Sunday in a bid to bolster economic ties and elicit investment from the Persian Gulf state as the West continues to withhold critical funding needed to fully restore the once vibrant economy reports ZimOnline.

Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara stalling talks: SA envoy

Sat, May 15, 2010

HARARE – President Jacob Zuma’s mediation effort in Zimbabwe is being thwarted by failure by the three principals in the Harare coalition to meet to discuss the final report submitted by their negotiators, a top South African official has said.

Zim miners want lower empowerment threshold

Thu, May 20, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s miners have asked the government to lower to 15 percent shareholding that foreign-owned mining firms must cede to local blacks under a controversial economic empowerment scheme that Harare has said will target the multi-billion dollar mining industry first.

KP monitor to visit Zimbabwe

KP monitor to visit Zimbabwe

Mon, May 24, 2010

KIMBERLY Process (KP) monitor for Zimbabwe Abbey Chikane is expected in the country on Wednesday, as government tries to comply with international regulations to trade in diamonds from the controversial Marange field.

UN rapporteur wants poll-related murders probed

Mon, Jun 07, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe and other countries affected by recurrent election violence should set up special police and prosecution taskforces to deal with poll-related murders, a senior UN official has said.

Mugabe, Tsvangirai fail to discuss talks report

Wed, Jun 02, 2010

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai finally met on Monday but failed to discuss the final report submitted almost two months ago by negotiators in the power-sharing talks, sources said Tuesday.

IMF mulls staff-monitored scheme for Zim

Wed, Jun 02, 2010

HARARE – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is considering introducing a staff-monitored programme (MTP) for Zimbabwe as it warns of “debt distress” in the southern African country burdened with arrears of more than US$4.5 billion.

Senator in court over Mugabe song

Mon, Jun 07, 2010

HARARE –The trial of a Zimbabwean lawmaker facing charges of allegedly singing a song that insulted President Robert Mugabe resumes today as Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s party warns of a plot to decimate its structures ahead of polls expected next year.

Squabbling Zim principals turn to Zuma

Thu, Jun 10, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s squabbling political leaders have agreed to call back South African President Jacob Zuma to mediate in a power-sharing dispute threatening to destabilise their already shaky coalition government,reports Zimonline a south African based online newspaper.

Zim says in ‘accelerated relationship’ with IMF

Thu, Jun 10, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe now enjoys “an accelerated relationship” with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a decade after the fund withdrew balance-of-payments support to the African nation, a top Harare official said on Thursday.

Confusion over security law as constitutional outreach starts

Mon, Jun 14, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s unity government this week begins an exercise to consult the public on the drafting of a new constitution amid confusion over whether police will enforce a tough security law that they have previously used to regulate or ban public meetings.

Lawyer says diamond activist’s life in danger

Thu, Jun 17, 2010

HARARE -- The life of Zimbabwean diamond rights researcher Farai Maguwu is in danger after police officers tampered with his medication, his lawyer told the High Court on Wednesday.

Trade pact violation endangers aid: Germany

Fri, Jun 18, 2010

HARARE – The German embassy in Harare has written to the Zimbabwe government protesting against continued violation of an investment protection agreement between the two countries and warned this could harm further aid from Berlin.

Watchdog renews call for by-elections

Mon, Jun 21, 2010

HARARE – The Zimbabwe Electoral Support Network (ZESN) has renewed calls for by-elections in 20 constituencies where the Harare unity government has deferred polls apparently because of fears elections could plunge the country back into political violence as parties jockey for the vacant parliamentary seats.

Chaos marks start of constitutional outreach

Thu, Jun 24, 2010

BULAWAYO – Chaos marked the beginning of Zimbabwe’s exercise to consult the public on the drafting of a new constitution on Wednesday, while in the volatile province of Mashonaland East there were fears of an outbreak of political violence reports Zimonline.

Constitution commission withdraws NGO threats

Wed, Jul 07, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s constitutional reform commission has retracted calls for the arrest of NGO workers monitoring public consultations on the proposed new governance charter, saying it wanted to work with civil society on the reforms.

KP to meet over Zim gems next month

Wed, Jul 07, 2010

HARARE -- The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KP) will next month convene in Russia to determine the fate of diamonds from Zimbabwe's Marange fields after four-day a meeting in Tel Aviv closed Thursday with members failing to reach consensus on Zimbabwe's compliance with the diamond watchdog's requirements, the KP has announced.

Zim education in catastrophic state: Minister

Thu, Jul 08, 2010

HARARE -- Zimbabwe’s once vaunted public education sector remains in “catastrophic state” short of cash to revamp dilapidated schools or lure back experienced teaching staff, Education Minister David Coltart told ZimOnline on Wednesday.

Case gives glimpse into white farm looting

Thu, Jul 08, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe police have charged a ZANU PF politician with defrauding two white farmers of more than US$20 million worth of property including tractors, vehicles, cows and bulls in a case that gives a rare glimpse into how members of President Robert Mugabe’s party looted white farms.

30% of Zim under-fives malnourished: Survey

Sun, Jul 11, 2010

HARARE - More than a third of Zimbabwe’s children aged below five are malnourished, according to new data released by the government and the United Nations Food and Nutrition Council (FNC) on Friday.

Mugabe to open Parliament

Mon, Jul 12, 2010

HARARE -- President Robert Mugabe will officially open Zimbabwe’s Parliament tomorrow, with the veteran leader expected to use the occasion to outline the agenda for the remainder the year for his coalition government with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Zim union demands tax cuts

Tue, Jul 13, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s biggest labour movement has called on the government to slash income tax by 25 percentage points to help struggling workers and inspire confidence it is committed to tackling poverty affecting more than 70 percent of the population.

ZANU threatens to block constitution

Wed, Jul 14, 2010

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party will block any draft constitution that does not reflect the views and values of the party, a top official has said, signaling more problems ahead for Zimbabwe’s troubled constitutional reforms

US$30 million diamond cash missing

Thu, Jul 15, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwe cannot account for US$30 million earned from exports of its controversial Marange diamonds, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said on Wednesday, adding that future alluvial diamond mining would have to be done by or through the government to curb leakages.

Zimbabwe parties to talk reconciliation

Tue, Jul 20, 2010

HARARE -- The top leaders of Zimbabwe’s three ruling parties will tomorrow meet to discuss ways to end political violence and how to quicken national healing and reconciliation, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party said in a statement Monday.

Soldiers stealing our fish: Fishermen

Soldiers stealing our fish: Fishermen

Wed, Jul 21, 2010

HARARE – A group of Zimbabwean fishermen have written to President Robert Mugabe to intervene to stop soldiers from beating them and stealing their fish, in a bizarre case that highlights how members of security forces have become rogues that regularly terrorise civilians. ( Picture: Looting a favourite common past time for the army)

Zim minister to discuss US$70 million facility with Botswana

Zim minister to discuss US$70 million facility with Botswana

Wed, Jul 21, 2010

HARARE – Zimbabwean Finance Minister Tendai Biti will lead a joint government and business delegation to neighbouring Botswana to discuss the modalities of a 500-million pula (aboutUS$70 million) credit facility availed by Gaborone.

More confusion over Zim next polls

Mon, Jul 26, 2010

HARARE – The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has said it needs at least a year to clean up the existing voters’ roll, adding to the intrigue surrounding the holding of the country’s next general elections.