POLITICAL SITUATION IN ZIMBABWE

Army officers from the 2.1 Infantry Battalion are force-marching villagers to Zanu PF meetings in the constituencies, according to villagers. The terrified villagers, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of harassment, said the soldiers were using black Loncin motorbikes, which are also being used by Zanu PF youths, ordering villagers to attend party meetings. Loncin is a leading Chinese manufacturer of motorcycles, scooters and engines. The party recently acquired 550 vehicles — an assortment of single and double cab 4X4 vehicles including Toyota Hilux, Nissan NP300, Ford Ranger and Mazda BT50s valued at US$14 million — and motorbikes for 68 districts to ensure its campaign managers and foot soldiers reach all areas including remote districts to mobilise voters. The soldiers, names supplied, have been addressing meetings at Mukombwe and Tsiga primary schools in Ward 26 where they are openly campaigning for Zanu PF. “They come and address villagers who would have been ordere

POLITICAL SITUATION IN ZIMBABWE: MUGABE CANNOT WIN A VIOLENCE-FREE ELECTION!!! : The failure by the coalition government to implement agreed reforms has not helped the situation. The MDC parties and others cannot affo...

The failure by the coalition government to implement agreed reforms has not helped the situation. The MDC parties and others cannot afford to boycott the coming elections in protest as much is at stake. It means that political parties opposed to Mugabe and Zanu PF have to squeeze the most out of this hostile environment that favours the incumbent if at all they wish to defeat him at the ballot box. How then can the MDC parties overcome this monumental obstacle and enhance their chances of winning? There is no single answer to this question, but without doubt, the strategy they will use will play a significant part in determining the outcome of the elections. Many analysts have dwelt on this subject before and it is thus familiar among readers. However, in as much as analysts have criticised the MDC parties for their failure to come up with a credible, clear and coherent strategy to win at the polls, it is unfortunate that few of them have come up with ideas as to what is to be d

POLITICAL SITUATION IN ZIMBABWE: IMF considers staff-monitored programme for Zim (G... : HARARE The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is considering introducing a staff-monitored programme (MTP) for Zimbabwe as it warns of de...

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. The IMF executive board, which concluded an Article IV Consultation with Zimbabwe on May 17, said strict adherence to sound policies would help Harares cause in its quest to have its foreign debt cancelled and lure much-needed economic assistance from donors. Many directors were of the view that a Staff Monitored Programme (SMP) could help establish a track record of sound policies, the Fund said in a statement last week. An SMP would see Harare surrendering to the Bretton Woods institution some of its independence in economic formulation and implementation. Similar programmes have been introduced in other crisis-torn countries, including Sudan, Togo, Liberia, Republic of Congo and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. A more recent case is Chad w

POLITICAL SITUATION IN ZIMBABWE: PAST & FUTURE OF ZIMBABWE : Made said critics are ignoring Zimbabwe’s reality. “We were a conquered people and our land was taken,” he stated. “Naturally, we had to...

Made said critics are ignoring Zimbabwe’s reality. “We were a conquered people and our land was taken,” he stated. “Naturally, we had to fight and we won an armed struggle to the right to reoccupy our land.” Initially, Britain and the U.S. had agreed to compensate displaced white farmers as part of the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement that brought independence to what would later become Zimbabwe. Once the farmers were not paid, the blame was shifted to the Mugabe government, not the countries that reneged on their pledges. “We will not compensate for land that was never paid for,” Made said. “That land was taken by virtue of conquest – our forefathers were not given money. That [compensation] is the responsibility of the British.” Made said most of the world minimizes the suffering Blacks experiences under White minority rule. He said:“There’s all the talk about democracy, but we are the people who were denied the right to vote. We are the people who were told, ‘You don’t come t