-
-
Mugabe To Recieve Tough Sanctions From The E.U
According to Msnbc.com, European Union Foreign Ministers have agreed to "toughen sanctions" against the Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe pressuring him to share power with opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai. On Monday, the rivals signed an agreement to formal talks. This agreement includes a demand to end political violence which has 'killed dozens', injured thousands, and forced many cilvilans to flee their homes.
The E.U Foreign Minister made a decision to expand its 'blacklist', which consists of people who are connected to Mugabe and his government, up to 172 people including 37 others who are believed to have a financial connection to Mugabe and his party, ZANU-PF. The blacklist originally had about 131 people(Mugabe and his cabinet members included) in 2002.
An excerpt from the article:
"The ministers said in a statement they decided to expand sanctions "against those responsible for the campaign of violence that marked the elections," and vowed to take additional "appropriate measures" if Mugabe fails to hand over power to the opposition.
"We want there to be sanctions because sanctions have an effect," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told reporters after the decision.
The EU ministers also concluded that Mugabe's one-man June re-election in a presidential run-off vote was illegitimate. Tsvangirai withdrew because his supporters were being beaten and killed — was not legitimate. Mugabe insists he won the election but Tsvangirai says the only valid election was the March balloting in which he got the most votes.
"It is impossible to accept the second round of elections in Zimbabwe. With children being tortured, with barbarous acts being committed, with violation of basic democratic rules, we cannot allow this second round to be accepted," Kouchner said."
Read more at the link.
According to Msnbc.com, European Union Foreign Ministers have agreed to "toughen sanctions" against the Zimbabwean President, Robert M... more -
Zimbabwe: nuova banconota da 100 miliardi di dollari... locali
"La banca centrale dello Zimbabwe ha annunciato che introdurrà lunedì una nuova banconota da 100 miliardi di dollari del paese, nell'ambito della disperata lotta contro l'iperinflazione.
La popolazione dello Zimbabwe sta soffrendo una mancanza cronica di carne, mais, carburanti ed altri prodotti chiave a causa del collasso dell'economia, una volta prosperosa, di cui vengono ritenute responsabili le politiche del presidente Robert Mugabe.
Il governatore della banca centrale Gideon Gono ha annunciato mercoledì scorso che l'inflazione ha superato 2,2 milioni per cento, anche se alcuni economisti la fissano ancora più in alto.
Sul quotidiano ufficiale Herald oggi, Gono spiega che la Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe introdurrà una speciale banconota da 100 miliardi di dollari per aiutare i consumatori, che hanno bisogno di molto contante anche per le più semplici transazioni.
"Questa nuova banconota speciale da 100 miliardi di dollari sarà in circolazione da lunedì", spiega la nota sul giornale.
Finora, la banconota dal valore più alto in circolazione era da 50 miliardi di dollari.
Gono ha aggiunto che sta prendendo in considerazione l'ipotesi di aumentare il quantitativo di contanti che le persone possono ritirare quotidianamente dai loro conti correnti.
La banca centrale ha imposto un limite di 100 miliardi, che però bastano appena per due viaggi in autobus o due filoni di pane, ammesso di trovarli."
(Reuters, 19 luglio 2008)
"La banca centrale dello Zimbabwe ha annunciato che introdurrà lunedì una nuova banconota da 100 miliardi di dollari del paese, nell'a... more -
Zimbabwe: Mugabe succumbs to pressure and starts secret talks with opposition
The rival claimants to victory in Zimbabwe's widely criticised presidential elections - Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai - have agreed to immediately begin intensive talks aimed at establishing a "new government".
At their first meeting in more than a decade, Zimbabwe's president and the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change yesterday signed a five-page "memorandum of understanding" that envisages a fortnight of secret talks by representatives dealing with an array of issues from political violence against the opposition to constitutional reform.
Mugabe, who only a few weeks ago was ruling out any deal with Tsvangirai but has been forced to give ground under myriad pressures including an imploding economy, described the memorandum as a "serious matter". "We sit here in order for us to chart a new way, a new way of political interaction," he said.
But he added ominously that negotiators must act without influence from the US or Europe. He has repeatedly accused the opposition of being "puppets" of the west when it has demanded that he surrender power.
Tsvangirai, who won the first round of presidential elections in March but pulled out of the run-off last month after a state-orchestrated campaign of killings, torture and abductions against his supporters, said "not finding a solution is not an option".
However, the obstacles to an agreement remain formidable, with Mugabe looking to legitimise the ballot that returned him to office, in which he claimed to have won 90% of the valid votes, while the opposition says any deal must strip him of power.
South Africa's president, Thabo Mbeki, oversaw the signing of the agreement at a Harare hotel after Tsvangirai refused to meet Mugabe at the presidential offices because it would infer recognition of his claim to power.
Mbeki, who is likely to claim the agreement as a vindication of his mediation by "quiet diplomacy", said all parties wanted a rapid resolution of the political crisis. "It commits the negotiating parties to an intense programme of work to try and finalise the negotiations as quickly as possible," he said. "All the Zimbabwean parties recognise the urgency of the matters they are discussing and all are committed to trying to complete this process as quickly as possible."
Mbeki has previously proposed what amounts to a transitional government with Mugabe as a titular president and real power in the hands of Tsvangirai as an executive prime minister while a coalition draws up a new constitution and holds fresh elections.
The MDC says it can live with that so long as Mugabe is stripped of power. But Zimbabwe's leader says that any agreement must recognise his claim to have won last month's presidential election run-off, even though few foreign governments have done so. He wants a government of national unity in which the MDC serves under his leadership.
Although the military-led campaign of violence against the opposition has greatly weakened the MDC on the ground, yesterday's signing is a reflection of the pressures on Mugabe.
The economy is imploding under the weight of hyperinflation, the Zimbabwe dollar loses half its value every day and the country is facing a looming famine after the failure of this year's harvest. The government is struggling to find the cash to pay public employees and, more importantly, soldiers at the end of this month.
Mugabe is also under growing pressure to install the new parliament which has yet to sit nearly four months after the election in which his Zanu-PF party lost its majority for the first time since independence in 1980. The ruling party's violence has targeted opposition MPs in recent weeks in what seems to be a strategy to prevent them from taking their seats by beating them up, forcing them in to hiding or arresting them on trumped-up charges.
The rival claimants to victory in Zimbabwe's widely criticised presidential elections - Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai - have agr... more -
Zimbabweans use blogs, text messages for info
The photographs of the tortured body of an opposition official are blurry but chilling.
Posted on the "This is Zimbabwe" blog, they show charred, lacerated limbs and blank eyes staring out from the face of the official, Gift Mutsvungunu, frozen in a death grimace. A note accompanying the pictures says the picture quality is bad because the photographer was shaking with fear.
Increasingly, Zimbabweans are going online and using cell phone text messages to share stories of life and death in a country where independent traditional media have been all but silenced, and from which reporters from most international media have been barred.
"Any organization or NGO working in the area of promotion of free expression is at risk," Bev Clark, one of the founders of the Kubatana blogging forum, said via e-mail. "Zimbabwe is encased in fear."
Bloggers are mostly opposition activists
Harare-based Kubatana is a network of nonprofit organizations that runs a blogging forum. The forum relies on 13 bloggers in Zimbabwe, who e-mail submissions to an administrator who posts them to the site. The network also reaches beyond the Web by sending text messages to 3,800 subscribers.
Zimbabwe's bloggers are mainly opposition activists whose themes range from HIV/AIDS to the country's economic meltdown to President Robert Mugabe's thuggery. The underground networks can be forums for unsubstantiated rumor, but they also provide valuable independent information and can even make news.
***article continues, click link to read*** The photographs of the tortured body of an opposition official are blurry but chilling. ... more -
Mugabe, Tsvangirai sign Zimbabwe framework deal
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Monday signed a deal laying down the framework for formal talks on forming a power sharing government to end a deep political crisis.
It was the first meeting in 10 years between the two rival leaders, who are widely believed to detest each other. They sat at a conference table separated by South African President Thabo Mbeki who mediated the deal.
The preliminary agreement was signed in Harare's Rainbow Towers Hotel after weeks of deadlock since Mugabe was re-elected on June 27 in a widely condemned poll boycotted by Tsvangirai because of violence against his supporters.
Mbeki said the agreement committed both sides to an intense process to try to complete substantive negotiations as quickly as possible. "All parties recognize the urgency," he said.
A subdued Mugabe said after the signing that the agreement was "to chart a new way of political interaction."
Tsvangirai called the ceremony "a very historic occasion" and stressed that a solution must be found.
"If we put our heads together, I am sure we can find a solution. In fact, not finding a solution is not an option," he said.
Officials from both sides said the framework agreement sets a two-week deadline for the government and two factions of the opposition MDC to discuss key issues including a unity government and how to hold new elections.
A government of national unity has been pushed as a solution to the crisis by the African Union and the regional body SADC (Southern African Development Community), both deeply concerned by Zimbabwe's political violence and an economic crisis that has flooded neighboring states with millions of refugees.
Tsvangirai's MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) and Mugabe's ZANU-PF are also committed under the agreement to ease political tension within the two-week deadline, officials said. Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Monday signed a deal laying down the framework for forma... more -
Zimbabwe Rivals Sign Agreement
Zimbabwe’s feuding political leaders appeared jointly for the first time in years on Monday to sign a preliminary agreement laying out terms for negotiations to wrest their land out of political chaos.
The ceremony brought together President Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. News reports said the two men had not met for a decade, when Mr. Tsvangirai was a labor union leader before he emerged as the head of the main opposition group in 1999.
While the so-called Memorandum of Understanding was a modest step in light of Zimbabwe’s chaos and collapse, the sight of Mr. Mugabe in the same room as Mr. Tsvangirai seemed a dramatic departure from their land’s more usual images of political bloodletting, electoral rigging and economic ruin.
The two men did not shake hands, according to news reports.
The ceremony in a Harare hotel was overseen by Thabo Mbeki, the president of neighboring South Africa who labored for months as a mediator, defying critics who said his efforts merely gave Mr. Mugabe time to outwit his opponents. Mr. Mbeki sat between the two men as they signed, Reuters reported from Harare.
The agreement “commits the negotiating parties to an intense program of work to try and finalize negotiations as quickly as possible,” Mr. Mbeki said, without giving details.
Mr. Tsvangirai said the accord was “the first tentative step towards searching for a solution for a country that is in crisis.”
Mr. Tsvangirai had grown increasingly hostile to Mr. Mbeki’s mediation, saying the South African leader was biased in favor of Mr. Mugabe. But the mood shifted last week when Mr. Mbeki agreed to a role for the African Union, the United Nations and a 14-nation grouping of southern African nations.
The ceremony on Monday offered Mr. Mbeki some vindication for his efforts and provided ammunition to justify his resistance to demands by the United States and Britain for punitive sanctions against Mr. Mugabe and his close supporters.
Mr. Mbeki flew to Harare on Monday as word emerged of the agreement to sign a preliminary agreement setting out the framework for negotiating a substantive agreement.
In a telephone interview, Ronnie Mamoepa, the South African Foreign Ministry spokesman, called the occasion a “positive step forward in the ongoing dialogue.”
Analysts in Zimbabwe said the toughest issues would not be addressed until full negotiations got underway between deeply opposed and mutually hostile political figures seen by many analysts as unlikely partners in a power-sharing agreement of the kind that emerged earlier this year from Kenya’s post-election bloodletting.
Under that power-sharing arrangement the authorities created a post of prime minister for Raila Odinga, the main challenger to President Mwai Kibaki.
... Zimbabwe’s feuding political leaders appeared jointly for the first time in years on Monday to sign a preliminary agreement laying out... more -
Zimbabwe leaders close to signing 'deal'
After the catastrophic and extremely violent Zimbabwe elections which saw Robert Mugabe re-elected as the country's leader in a somewhat one-sided vote, the BBC is reporting that Zimbabwean leaders are 'close to a deal outlining a framework for talks on the country's political crisis.'
A UN envoy spokesperson has said that Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe are believed to have agreed a draft memorandum that could see the start of much needed crisis negotiations. The opposing leaders were due to sign the deal last week but Tsvangirai pulled out, due to continuing discrepancies about who rightfully won the country's elections. After the catastrophic and extremely violent Zimbabwe elections which saw Robert Mugabe re-elected as the country's leader in a somewh... more -
A small step towards 'Zimbabwean crisis' solution?
"South African President Thabo Mbeki announced plans Friday to work closely with the United Nations and the African Union as he attempts to mediate a settlement in Zimbabwe.
The plan was applauded by Zimbabwe's opposition, which has criticized Mbeki as biased in favor of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, and called for him to be replaced or work with a second mediator.
Mbeki proposed that a special group of representatives from the U.N., AU and the Southern African Development Community be formed with which he would talk "on an ongoing basis."
Mbeki would remain the main mediator trying to find a solution to Zimbabwe's deadly political crisis.
In a statement released late Friday, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai welcomed the effort "to find a peaceful negotiated solution to the Zimbabwean crisis." "South African President Thabo Mbeki announced plans Friday to work closely with the United Nations and the African Union as he attemp... more -
Zimbabwe introduces 100-billion-dollar note
Zimbabwe, grappling with a record 2.2 million percent inflation, has introduced a new 100-billion-dollar bank note in a bid to tackle rampant cash shortages, the central bank said Saturday. The new note will go into circulation on Monday, the bank said in a statement cited by state media, joining about half a dozen new high denomination notes already issued this year.
This is just beyond extreme! Zimbabwe, grappling with a record 2.2 million percent inflation, has introduced a new 100-billion-dollar bank note in a bid to tackle ... more -
Zimbabwe introduces $100bn note
Zimbabwe is to introduce a bank-note worth Z$100bn in response to rampant inflation - but the note will barely cover the cost of a loaf of bread.
Some Zimbabweans are already calling for higher denominations in a country where the official annual inflation rate has exceeded 2,200,000%.
Independent economists believe the real rate is many times higher. Zimbabwe's meltdown has left at least 80% of the population in poverty, facing mass shortages of basic goods.
The country's central bank has introduced several new notes already this year in response to the hyperinflation.
In January, a Z$10 million note was issued, followed by a Z$50 million. By June the denominations had reached tens of billions.
Zimbabwe is to introduce a bank-note worth Z$100bn in response to rampant inflation - but the note will barely cover the cost of a loa... more -
Zimbabwe: Inflation 'highest in the world'
Official inflation soared to 2.2 million percent in Zimbabwe -- by far the highest in the world -- and has shot as high as 70 million percent in the past year for some basic goods sold on the black market, the state central bank said Thursday.
Worsening shortages of basic goods, and the deadly political and economic turmoil surrounding the national elections March 29 and a disputed presidential runoff vote June 27, helped spur the spike in inflation in recent months.
The last announcement of official annual inflation, in February, put the rate at 165,000 percent.
Zimbabwe Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono announced the new figure at the launch of a program to sell subsidized food through selected shops and a system of coupons issued to the needy, state radio reported Thursday.
The central bank also released a schedule showing what it called distortions in prices caused by black market trading and profiteering by businesses.
It said laundry soap on the black market went up by 70 million percent, cooking oil by 60 million percent and sugar by 36 million percent -- far higher than the official inflation rate of 2.2 million percent calculated by the Central Statistical Office on basic goods subject to price regulation and price increases approved by state National Prices and Incomes Commission.
It acknowledged that private consultants calculated overall real inflation closer to 12.5 million percent. The bank attributed black market inflation to shortages of hard currency that pushed the black market exchange rate to at least 90 billion Zimbabwe dollars for a single U.S. dollar, compared to the official bank exchange of 20 billion to US$1.
It said a 4-pound (2-kilogram) bag of sugar cost about 20 billion Zimbabwe dollars ($1) at the government's fixed price, and 90 billion on the black market ($1 at the black market exchange or $4.50 at the bank exchange rate.)
In the economic meltdown, unemployment has reached 80 percent and unskilled workers still in jobs earn up to $10 a month.
The price of scarce gasoline has soared, along with commuter bus fares that often exceed monthly earnings, forcing workers to walk to their jobs, or sell vegetables and other goods on the streets to make up the shortfall.
The economy was a key concern in the first round of presidential voting March 29, when opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai beat longtime leader Robert Mugabe and two other candidates but did not win the 50 percent plus one vote necessary to avoid a runoff.
Tsvangirai later pulled out of the runoff because of a campaign of violence against his supporters. Mugabe went ahead with a June 27 vote widely denounced as a sham. Tsvangirai's name was kept on the ballot and Mugabe was declared the overwhelming winner.
Launching the subsidized food program on Wednesday, Mugabe said basic commodities subsidized by the central bank were to be distributed across the country, enabling an average family to pay just 100 billion Zimbabwe dollars (US$5) for a basket of items -- including cooking oil, the cornmeal staple, flour and soap -- that would last a month.
At present, a single loaf of bread costs nearly 100 billion Zimbabwe dollars.
It was not immediately clear how the central bank would finance the subsidies, with health and other public services already facing collapse because of lack of state funding. Official inflation soared to 2.2 million percent in Zimbabwe -- by far the highest in the world -- and has shot as high as 70 million ... more -
Zimbabwe introduces 100 billion $ banknotes
"Zimbabwe's troubled central bank introduced new $100 billion banknotes Saturday in a desperate bid to ease the recurrent cash shortages plaguing the inflation-ravaged economy.
The new bills officially come into circulation Monday, although they were already on the foreign currency dealers market Saturday.
As high as they are, though, the new bills still aren't enough to buy a loaf of bread. They can only buy four oranges.
The new note is equal to just one U.S. dollar
Once-prosperous Zimbabwe has seen an unprecedented economic meltdown since it gained independence in 1980, with the official inflation rate now at 2.2 million percent.
Gideon Gono, governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, said the new notes are for "the convenience of the banking public and corporate sector" in light of price hikes.
"The RBZ has noted with concern the unjustifiable and incessant general increases in prices of goods and services. It is therefore appealing to the business community to follow ethical business practices as well as take an interest in the plight of the general public," Gono said in a statement dated Friday.
Zimbabwe started issuing large banknotes in December, starting with denominations of $250,000.
In January, the government issued bills in denominations of $1 million, $5 million, and $10 million -- and in May, it issued bills from $25 million and $50 million up to $25 billion and $50 billion.
The new bills are actually bearer checks and have an expiration date of December 31. Zimbabwe has not had formal currency since the introduction of bearer checks as a temporary measure in 2003.
"The RBZ is fighting a losing battle," said economist John Robertson in Harare. "As long as the inflation remains high, cash shortages will persist. There is need to address the inflation by increasing production so that too goods do not (cost) a lot of money."
DAMN! 100 billion bucks buys you FOUR ORANGES in Zimbabwe? Insanity! "Zimbabwe's troubled central bank introduced new $100 billion banknotes Saturday in a desperate bid to ease the recurrent cash shortag... more -
Diplomats aid Mbeki with Zimbabwe
A group of senior diplomats are to help South African President Thabo Mbeki in his efforts to solve Zimbabwe's political crisis.
Envoys will be drawn from the UN, African Union (AU) and the Southern African Development Community (Sadc).
The move was welcomed by Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who has been critical of Mr Mbeki.
Mr Tsvangirai is currently considering entering power-sharing talks with President Robert Mugabe.
Sydney Mufamadi, a close aide of Mr Mbeki, announced the creation of a "reference group" consisting of AU head Jean Ping, the UN's Zimbabwe envoy Haile Menkerios, and Sadc official George Chikoti. A group of senior diplomats are to help South African President Thabo Mbeki in his efforts to solve Zimbabwe's political crisis. ... more -
Zimbabwe introduces $100 billion banknotes
Zimbabwe's troubled central bank introduced new $100 billion banknotes Saturday in a desperate bid to ease the recurrent cash shortages plaguing the inflation-ravaged economy.
The new bills officially come into circulation Monday, although they were already on the foreign currency dealers market Saturday.
As high as they are, though, the new bills still aren't enough to buy a loaf of bread. They can only buy four oranges.
Once-prosperous Zimbabwe has seen an unprecedented economic meltdown since it gained independence in 1980, with the official inflation rate now at 2.2 million percent.
Gideon Gono, governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, said the new notes are for "the convenience of the banking public and corporate sector" in light of price hikes.
"The RBZ has noted with concern the unjustifiable and incessant general increases in prices of goods and services. It is therefore appealing to the business community to follow ethical business practices as well as take an interest in the plight of the general public," Gono said in a statement dated Friday.
Zimbabwe started issuing large banknotes in December, starting with denominations of $250,000.
In January, the government issued bills in denominations of $1 million, $5 million, and $10 million -- and in May, it issued bills from $25 million and $50 million up to $25 billion and $50 billion.
The new bills are actually bearer checks and have an expiration date of December 31. Zimbabwe has not had formal currency since the introduction of bearer checks as a temporary measure in 2003.
"The RBZ is fighting a losing battle," said economist John Robertson in Harare. "As long as the inflation remains high, cash shortages will persist. There is need to address the inflation by increasing production so that too goods do not (cost) a lot of money." Zimbabwe's troubled central bank introduced new $100 billion banknotes Saturday in a desperate bid to ease the recurrent cash shortage... more -
Zimbabwe inflation at 2,200,000%
Zimbabwe's annual rate of inflation has surged to 2,200,000%, official figures have shown.
The figure is the first official assessment of prices in the troubled African nation since February, when the rate of inflation stood at 165,000%.
Zimbabwe, once one of the richest countries in Africa, has descended into economic chaos largely blamed on the policies of President Robert Mugabe.
Mr Mugabe was re-elected last month in a controversial one-man race.
The opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), pulled out of the run-off election, saying its supporters were being attacked and killed. Zimbabwe's annual rate of inflation has surged to 2,200,000%, official figures have shown. ... more -
Zimbabwe churches criticise poll
Church leaders in Zimbabwe have for the first time raised serious concerns about presidential election results.
The heads of all Zimbabwe's Christian denominations said the poll was not an expression of the will of the people.
In a statement, they said people were subjected to violence that included torture, murder, abductions, displacement and psychological trauma.
The church leaders urged a transitional authority be set up, and said the churches could play a role in talks.
President Robert Mugabe, a Catholic, won the 29 June run-off election unopposed after his rival, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai, pulled out citing state-sponsored violence.
Zimbabwean journalist Brian Hungwe says the ruling Zanu-PF and MDC negotiating teams are back from South Africa after four days of closed door negotiations in Pretoria.
Last week, Russia and China vetoed a resolution at the UN Security Council to impose targeted sanctions on Mr Mugabe and 13 of his allies.
South Africa, which is mediating talks between the two sides in Zimbabwe, said sanctions would interfere with attempts to form a national unity government.
'Spirit of forgiveness'
The statement from the Heads of the Christian Denominations in Zimbabwe comes after a meeting of church leaders.
They said that based on the reality of conditions on the ground, their conclusion was that the will of the people of Zimbabwe was not given authentic expression in the elections last month.
They called on God to have mercy on Zimbabwe and to give the nation "the spirit of forgiveness".
Father Fredrick Chiromba, the group's executive secretary, says a culture of tolerance no longer exists in Zimbabwe.
"People up to now are perhaps failing to realise the need for unity and diversity... sometimes people think of that unity in terms of uniformity whereas we can be united by being diverse," he said.
He added that the churches wanted to help in the current crisis.
"We the churches of Zimbabwe stand ready and committed to partner with all efforts that will result in a transitional authority and subsequently a government of national unity to bring peace, stability and reconciliation within the nation."
Mr Tsvangirai won the first round of Zimbabwe's presidential elections on 29 March, but official results gave him less than the 50% share needed to avoid a run-off.
The MDC says 113 of its supporters have been killed, some 5,000 are missing and more than 200,000 have been forced from their homes since March.
The majority of Zimbabweans are practising Christians. Church leaders in Zimbabwe have for the first time raised serious concerns about presidential election results. ... more -
Mugabe recruiting vicious mercenaries: campaign of terror steps up
Opposition supporters in Zimbabwe now face even more danger of abuse and persecution: "vicious" mercenaries, from nearby countries such as Kenya and Uganda, have been recruited by Mugabe to step up the pressure on MDC supporters.
Eyewitnesses report that the men are more bloodthirsty even than the Zimbabwean militiamen, routinely "cutting out the tongue, removing eyes and genital parts.": not normally local 'practices'. These new groups incite even more fear against defying the Mugabe regime, as they reportedly "know no bounds": with other sickening reports of gang-rape and abduction of young women also common.
The death toll stands at over 100, but it is as yet impossible to determine the number who have suffered a worse fate, with reports of brutal torture and rape commonplace. Opposition supporters in Zimbabwe now face even more danger of abuse and persecution: "vicious" mercenaries, from nearby countries suc... more -
Zimbabwean immigrants face Afro-phobia in South Africa
Editor's Note: A mother, from Zimbabwe, witnesses the horrific treatment of her fellow immigrants in South Africa -- while she remembers sharing her school and community with South African refugees fleeing apartheid years ago. Cynthia Chitongo is a writer and secretary for a company in Cape Town with legal refugee status in South Africa.
Never in Zimbabwe did we dream that our country would be in a situation like we have today.
We had the best of everything until one day, without expecting it, we found ourselves in an economic situation that is difficult to endure. After much deliberation we decided to come here to South Africa not because we had accommodated them before but because we needed help with our situation. Every person who left Zimbabwe left for reasons best known to them and why they chose wherever they went is a long story.
Most of us left because we did not agree with the policies in our home country, and there was nothing we could do to change them. Some of us even got into trouble for voicing concerns or disagreeing with those polices. All I know is that it is never easy for anyone to leave home without any plan or a thing to your name to go and start your life all over again. That is why it is called refuge. It’s not easy to start all over again and adapt to the changes that you come across in a foreign land.
It’s even harder when you are rejected because you are a foreigner. What foreigner? I am an African. From a distance I look like one of the black South Africans. Its only when the locals speak to me and I answer back either in the same language or in English that they pick it up that I am a “foreigner” and the reaction thereafter leaves one stunned to say the least.
The reaction ranges from a rude insult or mockery, to silence. Imagine you are on the train or taxi and the journey becomes quite unbearable. You are afraid to ask for directions because they will go out of their way to make you lose your way. This is not all of them. There are a few saints who love and respect other people and who are helpful and friendly. But it’s always a nine out of ten chance. They will make it worse for you if at work the employer prefers you because you are educated and you understand common sense. Because of where our nation has been, Zimbabweans will work anywhere, regardless of education, just to better our lives and for that fellow Africans here in South Africa get very jealous.
We have stuck it out here in South Africa with all the hostility that we have to tolerate. But never in my wildest imagination did I ever think that it would get to xenophobia/afro-phobia attacks. Blacks against blacks. As I am writing this I am very emotional. I cannot stop crying. I can’t believe it’s happening. I have been displaced, and I find it very hard to trust anyone.
All I want is to go back home but after three years where do I start? My whole life and those of my children is now part of South Africa, and through every trial and struggle, we had hoped that it would get better. I have never experienced this cruelty at home, and I am in a dilemma as to what to do. I am lucky because I am staying in an old flat that is being renovated, and I have had a lot of support from white friends here in Cape Town. What if it gets worse? And we are fortunate: what about those staying in relief tents at the moment? In the cold and rain. It’s very sad. And the emotional trauma makes one sick.
Maybe one day my black South African brothers will find themselves in a situation where they have to go and live in neighboring countries. They have done it before. What hurts is we have done nothing to them to warrant such persecution.
Editor's Note: A mother, from Zimbabwe, witnesses the horrific treatment of her fellow immigrants in South Africa -- while she remembe... more -
Mugabe sanctions hit UK media worker, same name = no wages
HSBC have taken the Zimbabwe sanctions a little far, freezing a London media workers wages, not once, but twice after they assumed she was related to Zimbabwe's dictator, Robert Mugabe.
Her company blamed a computer error for the first wage check getting frozen by the bank, so sent another, which was also frozen. Sam Mugabe explained that Mugabe is a popular name in Zimbabwe and that HSBC had apologised. HSBC have taken the Zimbabwe sanctions a little far, freezing a London media workers wages, not once, but twice after they assumed she... more -
No painkillers, no visitors and no way out
Ward B3 of Gokwe general hospital looks much like any other in Zimbabwe's decaying medical establishments, denuded of medicines, equipment and doctors by the country's dramatic economic collapse.
But many of its patients are prisoners in a "torture centre" for abducted opposition supporters who, on the orders of the army, are denied painkillers and treatment for terrible injuries sustained at the hands of Robert Mugabe's henchmen. Ward B3 of Gokwe general hospital looks much like any other in Zimbabwe's decaying medical establishments, denuded of medicines, equip... more
-
related topics
Zimbabwe
Contributors (408)
Zimbabwe
