Zimbabwe Cabinet to Have a Retreat at Victoria Falls

Zimbabwe's entire cabinet would this weekend retreat for a three-day workshop in the resort town of Victoria Falls starting Friday with the view of coming up with a clear plan of action for the first 100 days of the power sharing government.

James Maridadi, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said the workshop was “a working retreat”. President Mugabe will officially open the gathering which will also attract the participation of deputy ministers and permanent secretaries.


The workshop which ends on Sunday follows the launch of the Short Term Emergency Recovery Programme (STERP) – an ambitious action plan by the inclusive government which seeks to address the key issues of economic stabilization, food security, restoration of social services and re-engaging the international community.

“The 100-day plan will be a results driven plan with clear measurable achievements to be accomplished in that period. The Prime Minister’s task therefore will be to ensure that the ministers, deputies and permanent secretaries, working as a team, outline actions and activities and commit their execution before mid July 2009,” Maridadi said.

At the retreat, Finance Minister Tendai Biti is expected to fully explain why on Monday in Swaziland the government begged for US$8 million instead of the initial US$5m.

In the clearest sign yet that international donors were again loosening the purse for Zimbabwe, the World Bank and Denmark on Monday announced a combined donation of US$18.7 million to the country to help it grapple with its social and economic challenges.

After carrying out separate fact-finding missions to Zimbabwe two weeks ago, Denmark and the World Bank said they would provide the country with US$18.7 million, much of it devoted to providing clean and safe water for the capital, Harare.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) said it would chip in with Euro 2 million for the same purpose. Zimbabwe was hit by a devastating cholera outbreak at the beginning of the year, which was widely blamed on use of unclean water.

* Africa News

Poll: Obama Well Respected by G20 Leaders

WASHINGTON (UPI) -- More than 8-in-10 Americans said they think Barack Obama will represent the country well in his first overseas trip as president, a CNN poll indicated.

The CNN-Opinion Research Corp. poll released Tuesday also indicated 7-in-10 respondents said they thought leaders of other countries respect Obama, a difference from survey results concerning former President George W. Bush's standing in the world, when 49 percent said they believed foreign leaders respected Bush.

"Except for the period following the (Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist) attacks, that number never got any better for Bush," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Even among Republicans, a majority believes that other world leaders respect Obama."

Obama left Tuesday for a multi-nation visit to Europe, including a meeting of leaders of the Group of 20 industrialized countries Thursday in London.

The CNN-Opinion Research Corp. telephone poll was conducted March 12-15 with 1,019 adults. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.

Unhospitable Zimbabwe Prisons in the Spotlight

Johannesburg - Zimbabwe's prisons have long been notorious for being dirty, disease-ridden places of despair, where opponents of President Robert Mugabe languish for months, usually on murky charges of plotting against him.

But just how bad conditions have become within prison walls, while the economy collapses without, is only beginning to come to light.
A documentary to be screened on South African state SABC television on Tuesday evening shows emaciated prisoners teetering at death's door for lack of food and medication.


The documentary, which is based on secret footage obtained by officials and prisoners, also tells of how relatives coming to collect their loved ones' remains are forced to rummage through mounds of dead bodies.

The Zimbabwean Association for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation of the Offender (ZACRO) estimates that at least 20 prisoners die each day in the country's 55 prisons.

According to Edison Chiota, ZACRO national director, most die of HIV/AIDS or associated diseases such as tuberculosis, which thrive in unhygienic conditions.

* DPA

Further Zuma Details Could be Available by Friday

The National Prosecution Authority (NPA) should be able to say by Friday when it intends to announce whether charges against African National Congress (ANC) president Jacob Zuma would be dropped, NPA spokesperson Tlali Tlali said on Tuesday.

"The meeting has been concluded for the day, however, we are in a position to indicate that on Friday we should be standing on a solid or firm footing to give an indication to the media and South Africa as to when the actual decision will be communicated in this regard," Tlali said.


There were certain "pieces of the puzzle" that the NPA needed to work through before reaching a final decision, Tlali told reporters at OR Tambo International Airport outside Johannesburg.He would not elaborate, saying the matter was "confidential".

This comes after a marathon two-day meeting on whether to continue with the case or not, following representations made to the NPA by Zuma's lawyers. Zuma's lawyers hoped the representations would help reverse the decision to take him to court in August.

Zuma faced 16 criminal charges, including one of racketeering, one of money-laundering, two of corruption and 12 of fraud.

Earlier, Zuma was waiting, like the rest of South Africa, to hear whether the NPA would drop charges."... the fact that I submitted or made submissions to the NPA is a well-known fact and the fact they will review my submissions is a well-known fact," he told a business breakfast in Auckland Park, Johannesburg.

* M & G

Malema: Drop Charges Against Jacob Zuma Now!

Johannesburg - ANC Youth League president Julius Malema has reaffirmed the league's belief that the corruption charges against ANC president Jacob Zuma were the result of a political conspiracy and should be dropped.

Speaking on SAFM, he said the league had made its own submissions on why the charges against Zuma should be dismissed.

"Like the racist uZille [DA leader Helen] we did the same," he said of the Democratic Alliance's submissions to the National Prosecuting Authority that the charges should not be dropped.

He suggested that a group aligned with former president Thabo Mbeki had met "on a farm" outside Durban and decided on the charges against Zuma.

He said these claims, of a conspiratorial nature, could not be proved, referring to an allegation he made earlier in the interview when he said that no notes or minutes were taken at meetings where conspiracies were formulated.

He reiterated the league's belief that Zuma would not get a fair trial.
Talks resume
The NPA confirmed that it would go into its second day of talks on Tuesday over whether to carry on with or drop Zuma's corruption case.

"Yes, it resumes today," spokesperson Tlali Tlali said amid a flurry of mostly unsourced reports on various possible outcomes.

The meeting was assessing progress made so far on the information the NPA had received from Zuma's legal team on the representations they had made in the hopes of having the case against him dropped.

* News 24

Zimbabwe PM Tsvangirai Calls for Unity in National Interests

HARARE (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai urged all Zimbabweans to put aside their differences and unite for the benefit of the country, The Chronicle reported on Monday.

He was addressing hundreds of mourners from all walks of life and the political divide that converged on Lady Stanley Cemetery in Bulawayo on Sunday to bid farewell to the mother of Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe, Ms Catherine Mabhiza.

Mabhiza died in Pretoria, South Africa, on Thursday.
Mabhiza succumbed to injuries she sustained in an accident on her way to Harare for the swearing-in ceremony of her daughter Khupe as deputy prime minister.

The funeral started with a church service at Kennilworth at 8 a.m. before the midday burial.

The only way for Zimbabwe to move forward is to unite, Tsvangirai was quoted as saying when mourning over the recent deaths of his wife Susan Tsvangirai, national hero and retired general Vitalis Zvinavashe and now the death of Ms Mabhiza.

"The death of my wife, Rtd Gen Zvinavashe and that of Ms Mabhiza today, have made me realize that they were all making us unite as a people. If I am made to choose between division and unity, definitely I will choose unity," Tsvangirai said.

To Khupe's family, he said, "Her mother wanted her (Deputy PM Khupe) to continue with her work. Her death will spur her to work with vigor to unite the people of this country."

President Robert Mugabe's wreath was laid by Minister of Regional Integration and International Co-operation Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga. Vice-Presidents Joseph Msika and Joice Mujuru also presented wreaths.

Zimbabweans Express Optimism After SADC Approves Reconstruction Plan

Zimbabweans have welcomed news that the Southern African Development Community's (SADC) approval of Harare's reconstruction plan, amounting to $8.5 billion.

The SADC leaders currently meeting in Swaziland Monday approved Zimbabwe's reconstruction plan that would initially need about $2 billion to jumpstart the faltering economy. Under the reconstruction plan, SADC included $2 billion in short term aid to kick start the collapsed economy, comprising $1 billion in loans and another $1 billion in aid.

Political analyst George Mkwananzi tells reporter Peter Clottey that Zimbabweans are expressing optimism about the reconstruction plan put forward by the new unity government.

"Obviously, Zimbabweans are going to be ecstatic about this news, which is quite good to the ears. No Zimbabwean is happy to be scattered around the globe. They would want to come back home and live meaningful lives. So I am very sure that they are very happy with this news," Mkwananzi pointed out.

He said the regional body has a herculean task in its bold attempt in supporting Harare's reconstruction plan.

"I'm sure you will appreciate the fact that SADC took a pivotal role in bringing together the parties that were in conflict. And this they regard as an egg that is laid by them, and they have duty to make sure that they incubate the egg until it hatches. And this is a demonstration of that willingness by SADC to make sure that the arrangement in Zimbabwe not only succeeds, but also flourishes. I'm aware that they are limited in terms of resources within their member countries, but they will obviously look to the international community to assist Zimbabwe by way of financial aid," he said.

* VoA

SADC Leaders Suspend Madagascar, Pledge Economic Support for Zimbabwe

Southern African leaders suspended Madagascar on Monday for what they call an unconstitutional change of government earlier this month. And they have pledged financial support for Zimbabwe's economic recovery plan.

VOA reports from the site of the summit in Ezulwini, outside Mbanane.Leaders of the Southern African Development Community, or SADC, said they were suspending Madagascar from of their organization's institutions and called on its new president, Andry Rajoelina, to step down.

Marc Ravalomanana resigned under pressure two weeks ago and the military handed power to opposition leader Andry Rajoelina who was then installed as head of a transitional authority.

The African Union said the transfer was unconstitutional and western governments agreed. Many of them have suspended non-humanitarian aid to the island nation.

The SADC leaders also expressed support for an economic recovery plan drafted by Zimbabwe's new government of national unity.Zimbabwe's Finance Minister, Tendai Biti, expressed satisfaction with the meeting.

"SADC, we are very happy. SADC does not have the economies that can sustain a $1 billion budget. But it is the quality of the giving vis-à-vis the size of their economies. If the bigger economies were to do so [i.e. do the same] in percentage terms, then we wouldn't have a problem."

Biti said his government needs $2 billion in emergency funds to jump start Zimbabwe's ailing economy and revive social services.He said the government has made great strides in its few weeks of existence, but acknowledged that SADC leaders are demanding more.

"The key benchmark is around issues, around the rule of law and governance, around liberalizing the media," he said. "We accepted that and, of course, full implementation of the global political agreement. We still have a number of issues still outstanding. So those are issues we need to deal with and the SADC summit was very clear on those." But Biti said his government must also deal with immediate needs, such as feeding its people.

The summit was opened by Swaziland's King Mswati III who told delegates that the new power sharing government in Zimbabwe had eased political tensions and that its greatest challenge now was economic recovery.

"We continue to be happily impressed by the progress made in the formation and operationalization of the inclusive government," said Mswati III. "We are already witnessing the first fruits of Zimbabwean unity."

But the king said Zimbabwe's economic recovery plan cannot be implemented successfully as long as economic sanctions continue against the country.

* VoA

SA Authorities to Move Zimbabwean Refugees to Soweto

JOHANNESBURG – Some of the nearly 4 000 refugees crowded at the Johannesburg Central Methodist church will be moved to alternative accommodation in the city and in Soweto township, the church’s Bishop Paul Verryn told ZimOnline.

Verryn said a building in the Johannesburg central business district and two sites in Diepkloof in Soweto could accommodate only 700 people and the bishop called on the South African authorities, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and civic groups to assist in finding accommodation for the remainder of the refugees.

"Accommodation has been found in Soweto, and we are still hoping to move to the new place soon. But the problem is that the two buildings which are readily available to the refugees can only cater for 700 people,” said Verryn.

"I am also worried that it would be difficult for the refugees and asylum seekers to gain entry into the city centre due to prohibitive transport costs. They do not have money for transport from Soweto into the city centre where they will be looking for employment opportunities and markets," he added.

Most of the refugees are Zimbabweans who fled their country because of political violence and economic hardships.

They have stayed at the church for years but are facing eviction after a private law firm housed near the church sought a court order for their removal.

* Zimonline

Zuma Defends his Representations to the NPA

ANC President Jacob Zuma has defended what he called his Constitutional right to make representation to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) on charges against him. Zuma was speaking at different venues during his two day electioneering campaign in the North West.

Addressing thousands of the ruling party’s faithful, Zuma took a swipe at opposition parties for challenging a possible decision by the NPA to drop charges against him before the matter is finalised.

Zuma is facing several criminal charged relating to the controversial arms deal. His lawyers have since made representations to the NPA relating to these charges. It's been widely reported that in the representation Zuma's legal team has presented damning evidence of wrong doing by some leading politicians in the arms procurement.

The evidence is reportedly contained in tapes of alleged conversations between politicians and the Scorpions. The NPA is still considering whether or not to proceed with the charges against Zuma but opposition parties are not happy.

Turning to matters of government Zuma committed to introducing legislation to deal harshly with corrupt state officials. Earlier today it was revealed that South Africa is facing mass job losses, Cosatu General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has pleaded with the ANC to intervene in possible job losses.

Among those who came to pledge their support was billionaire mining magnate Patrice Motsepe and former President Nelson Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela.

Zuma who is widely tipped to take over as the country's next president has committed to a government with a different style. He says under his administration emphasis will be on clean government, accountability and high performance.

* SABC

'Rights Violations Surge After Formation of Unity Govt'

HARARE – The Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum said it recorded more than 430 cases of rights violations in February and warned of simmering political tensions waiting to explode unless a thorough national healing and cleansing process is undertaken.

In a report that casts a pale shadow over the sustainability of Zimbabwe's fragile coalition government formed last month, the forum said there was a 457 percent surge in the total number of violations against government critics between January and February this year.

There were only 78 violations reported in January compared to 435 cases last month.
"The formation of the inclusive government did not bring an end to civic repression as witnessed by the continued heavy-handedness with which the police handled the protests that took place in the month of February," the Forum said in its Political Violence Report for February 2009 released last week.

Attacks on freedoms of expression and movement registered the largest single increase during the month at 460 percent.

There were 94 arrests in February after the police broke up peaceful marches by students or members of the Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) pressure group.
Only two arrests were made in January, according to the Forum which is a coalition of 17 rights groups operating in Zimbabwe.

There were 105 unlawful arrests and detentions in February compared to 21 the previous month, according to the human rights forum.

The forum also reported an upsurge in cases of political discrimination, intimidation and victimisation since the formation of the unity government between President Robert Mugabe and former opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in February.

At least 110 incidences of political intimidation and victimisation were recorded compared to just 26 in January.
The Forum blamed most of the violations on the police, the army and militant supporters of Mugabe's ZANU PF party.

* reliefweb

IMF Offers Assistance to Improve Payments System

HARARE – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has offered technical support to improve Zimbabwe’s payments system to enable banks to disburse foreign currency allowances to thousands of civil servants more efficiently.

Banks have faced difficulties in making payments to public workers who started receiving allowances in hard cash last month.

Long queues have become common at banking halls across the country on days civil servants receive allowances.

A senior official at the Ministry of Finance said the IMF agreed to assist Zimbabwe after noticing serious shortcomings during their two-week stay in the country for Article IV consultations meetings.

"The IMF has offered to help us and our banks in the disbursements of foreign currency to clients from their banks," said the official, who spoke on condition he was not named.

"They realised that most of banks were having problems in disbursing the civil servants allowances and it was also noticed that problems mostly arise towards month ends when most civil servants get paid their US$ 100 allowances," he added.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti was not immediately available for comment on the matter while it was also not possible to obtain comment from the Bankers Association of Zimbabwe (BAZ) and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ).

However, our source said the BAZ and the RBZ were already reviewing the payments system and prepared blueprints on how best to address the problems associated with currency distribution.

Last week, the IMF completed its two-week assessment mission to Zimbabwe although it made no commitment on future financial support its final statement offered a glimmer of hope as it praised some of the policies that have been adopted by Harare. – ZimOnline

IMF: Zimbabwe Won't Get Money Without New Policies, Settling Debt

HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwe will get no financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund until it moves ahead with sound policies and settles its outstanding debt, the IMF said Wednesday.

The Zimbabwean government had been hoping the international financial organization would be willing to resume aid now that the country has established a coalition government and brought some stability to its economy.

But at the end of a 15-day visit to the country, an IMF team issued a statement saying "technical and financial assistance from the IMF will depend on establishing a track record of sound policy implementation, donor support, and a resolution of overdue financial obligations to official creditors, including the IMF."

It noted, however, that "IMF staff stand ready to continue to assist the authorities through policy advice."

The ability to gain support from international donors was one thing the Zimbabwean government had been hoping a good report from the IMF would facilitate.

Last month, Morgan Tsvangirai, the former opposition leader and new prime minister, said the country needs about $5 billion to kick-start the economy, of which $2 billion is required immediately.

SADC Leaders Get Ready For Special Summit

Johannesburg - Political unrest in Madagascar will take centre stage at a special regional summit on Monday in Swaziland where leaders are also set to finalise an economic recovery package for Zimbabwe.

The 15-nation Southern African Development Community is expected to condemn the ouster of Madagascan President Marc Ravalomanana earlier this month which saw the country's membership of the African Union suspended.

Analysts say however the regional body, traditionally loath to take serious action against members who step out of line, would likely issue a statement urging the return of power to the legitimately elected president.

"Apart from that, they do not have much they can do to enforce their objection to the coup," said Siphamandla Zondi, an analyst at the Institute for Global Dialogue.

* News 24

Southern African Leaders to Discuss Zimbabwe, Madagascar Crises

(Bloomberg) -- Government ministers from the Southern African Development Community’s 15-member states will meet today to discuss how to help Zimbabwe recover from a decade of recession and resolve a political crisis in Madagascar.

The talks near Swaziland’s capital Mbabane will be followed by a heads-of-state summit tomorrow chaired by South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, the current chairman of the trading bloc.

The leaders will discuss a “proposed economic recovery plan and chart the way forward” for Zimbabwe, South Africa’s foreign affairs ministry said in a March 27 e-mail.

They will also discuss proposals “to assist Madagascar to return to democracy.”

Zimbabwe’s economy has collapsed, with at least 6.9 million people, or more than half the population, needing food aid and 94 percent with no formal employment, according to the United Nations. A meeting of SADC ministers over the crises in Zimbabwe and Madagascar ended inconclusively last month in Cape Town.

A unity government was established last month in Zimbabwe comprising President Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. Newly appointed Finance Minister Tendai Biti is seeking $2 billion in emergency aid over the next 10 months.

On March 25, the International Monetary Fund said it wouldn’t release aid to Zimbabwe until the southern African nation cleared its arrears of about $130 million.

Biti: STERP Key to Zimbabwe's Stability

Harare — ZIMBABWE'S Finance Minister Tendai Biti on Wednesday told visiting Norwegian Environment and International Development Minister Erik Solheim that the international community should give Zimbabwe some breathing space so that Government could deal with pressing issues.

He challenged the West to remove the benchmarks for aid extended to Zimbabwe as they stood in the way of Zimbabwe's development.

Zimbabwe, which has been ravaged by a serious economic decline attributed to both internal and extraneous factors, requires, according to Hon Biti, up to US$8 billion for reconstruction and developmental purposes.

But European Union countries and America, which had been presumed ready to assist Zimbabwe in the wake of a new government in Zimbabwe have been literally tying strings to their re-engagement with Zimbabwe after they severed ties with the country early this decade.

Norway, which had appeared to follow suit in isolating Zimbabwe, has however shown willingness to close ranks with Zimbabwe, becoming the second European country after Denmark recently announced its willingness to engage Zimbabwe, to show an urge to work with this nation.

* Herald

Zuma Slams West Over Zimbabwe Sanctions

Johannesburg - ANC president Jacob Zuma on Friday criticised Western powers for holding back aid to Zimbabwe while President Robert Mugabe was still in power.

"This is very unfair to the Zimbabwean people. Because here is Mugabe, he is a factor. He is there. He leads a party that has been in government for over 20 years," Zuma told Reuters in an interview.

Zuma said the creation of a unity government where Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai share power had begun Zimbabwe's stabilisation, but it was only a starting point.

"You cannot say it has stabilised but it has entered a phase of stabilisation politically," Zuma said.

He added that the unity government agreement, pushed by southern African leaders, "was the only option. There was nothing else".

Western powers, who accuse Mugabe of ruining the country and violating human rights, are reluctant to begin pouring in aid to repair the devastated economy while the veteran leader remains as head of state.

In the highest-level African criticism of this stance, Zuma said it was wrong to hold back aid.
"When there was an election, it is not as if not a single human being voted for Mugabe in Zimbabwe. He had a very big percentage himself. He has a sizeable support."

Western donors have made clear they will only provide a large aid package to help rebuild the country once economic reforms are in place.

Much will depend on whether Mugabe and Tsvangirai can work together after years of animosity.

Any new power struggle that divides the new government could undermine efforts to win the confidence of donors and foreign investors.

- Reuters

Madisha Likens COSATU to Apartheid Regime

Pretoria - Taking away workers' rights to choose their own political affiliation was a tactic used by the apartheid government, former Cosatu boss Willie Madisha said on Saturday.

"We must never allow any workers organisations to oppress and take away what we believe in... Cosatu does that, and it is equated to what the apartheid government used to do," Madisha told delegates at the launch of a new trade federation in Pretoria.

"If we are told who to vote for... we are taken back to pre-1994," he said.

Madisha said the new union would put an end to workers being viewed and treated as "objects". He called on workers to hold their unions accountable.

He charged that the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union had used R20m of money collected from the workers to pay SA Communist Party salaries and to hire venues for ANC rallies.

"Workers resources should be used to build and grow unions," he said.

* News 24

Tsvangirai: Govt Will Arrest Fresh Farm Invaders

Harare - Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Friday warned people invading commercial farms that they were committing theft and would be arrested and prosecuted, appearing to challenge a key feature of President Robert Mugabe's land policies.

The seizure of white-owned farms to give to poor black Zimbabweans has become a controversial but important Mugabe strategy, and his opponents say this has helped to destroy the agriculture sector that was once the backbone of the economy.

Tsvangirai did not say when the arrests would be made but the invasions are coming at a time when farmers are preparing to harvest their summer crops, raising fears of further loss of food in a country where millions rely on humanitarian aid.

Hundreds of white commercial farmers who had survived often violent land seizures by Mugabe's government since 2000 and some black resettled farmers have in the past month reported a rise in incidences of invasions.

* Reuters

Molokele Visits Zimbabwe

Please kindly note that i am in Zimbabwe till next week. Unfortunately i will not be able to update my blog regularly since i am having limited access to the internet. Daniel

Tsvangirai: She Would Want us to Continue

Harare - Zimbabwe's prime minister said a car crash that killed his wife was an accident and that there was "no foul play" in the collision, despite at least three previous assassination attempts against him.

Wearing dark glasses over a swollen eye after undergoing treatment for his injuries, Morgan Tsvangirai told supporters on Monday that he would overcome the loss of his wife, Susan, and continue moving ahead with Zimbabwe's unity government.
Zimbabwe's long history of political violence blamed on President Robert Mugabe's forces fuelled speculation that the Friday crash was not accidental. A number of Mugabe's opponents have been killed in suspicious car accidents.


But Tsvangirai said: "In this case I want to say there is no foul play. It was an accident that unfortunately took away her life."

Tsvangirai returned to Zimbabwe's capital on Monday after receiving medical treatment in neighboring Botswana.

The couple's Toyota Land Cruiser collided with a truck carrying US aid on the outskirts of the capital on a notoriously dangerous road.

State television said the truck swerved on an uneven stretch of the road that is poorly maintained, like many in Zimbabwe. Tsvangirai's spokesperson said the car sideswiped the truck and rolled at least three times.

A rally in honor of Susan Tsvangirai will be held on Tuesday on the prime minister's 57th birthday. The funeral will take place on Wednesday.

Tsvangirai said he and his wife of 31 years had gone through "trials and tribulations together." He said he returned to resume his duties because that is what his wife would have wanted.

"It is painful for us, but we have to look forward ... because she would have wanted us to continue moving on," he said.

Thousands of mourners were keeping vigil outside the house where Susan Tsvangirai's body is to lie in state.

The US ambassador to Zimbabwe, James McGee, was among the many dignitaries who came to pay their condolences.

"I am very sorry for Tsvangirai and his family," McGee said. "I hope that he can get through this, be strong and go forward."

The death of Tsvangirai's wife has triggered an outpouring of grief across the country in a show of the couple's popularity.

This is in comparison with the open dislike for Mugabe's wife, Grace, who recently punched a British photographer in the face with her diamond-encrusted rings while in Hong Kong.
"I am saddened by the death of Susan," said Mike Garikai, one mourner gathered outside Tsvangirai's house. "Tsvangirai must remain steadfast."

Tsvangirai travelled to Botswana on Saturday after spending one night in a Zimbabwean hospital following the crash.

Last year he spent months in Botswana, fearing for his life at the height of a standoff with Mugabe - the man with whom he formed a joint government in February.

Tsvangirai's party has called for an investigation into Friday's crash and has questioned the security measures for the prime minister.

* News 24

Zimbabwe's Tsvangirai to Return Home for Wife's Funeral

HARARE (AFP) — Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was expected back in Zimbabwe on Monday to prepare his wife's funeral after undergoing treatment in Botswana as controversy swirled over the car crash that took her life.

Tsvangirai's party insisted it would carry out its own investigation into the collision with a truck carrying aid paid for by Britain and the United States which the British government called a "genuine accident".

The prime minister was expected to be back in Harare Monday to organise the funeral for Susan Tsvangirai, who is to be buried on Wednesday, an official from his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said Sunday.


"The prime minister will come back from Botswana to be part of the arrangements," said the official, who did not want to be named. "All the preparations are being handled by the family."
She will be buried at the Tsvangirais' rural hometown of Buhera, the official said.

A decision to fly Tsvangirai out of Zimbabwe was taken after Botswana's President Ian Khama sent Foreign Minister Phandu Skelemani and other officials to visit him in hospital in Harare on Saturday.

Skelemani said Tsvangirai would get a second opinion on his condition at a private clinic in Gaborone.

Tsvangirai, who suffered neck and head injuries, was seen walking out of the Avenues Clinic in Harare on Saturday accompanied by members of his party.

"We went there because Tsvangirai had lost his wife. The president (Khama) sent us there to deliver condolences, and went to see him at the clinic," said Skelemani.

Khama is a strong supporter of Tsvangirai and has openly criticised Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe. Before joining a unity government with Mugabe, Tsvangirai stayed in Botswana for two months, returning on January 17 to resume power sharing talks.

SACP Demands Probe on Tsvangirai Road Tragedy

Johannesburg - A full investigation must be conducted into Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's car accident, the SA Communist Party said on Sunday.

"A full investigation into the circumstances of the tragic accident is both necessary and fundamental," said the party in a statement.

Tsvangirai's wife, Susan, was killed in the car crash on Friday near Harare, while he was injured and admitted to hospital.

The couple were headed to their hometown of Buhera where Tsvangirai was to hold a rally, when their car was hit by a truck.

SACP spokesperson Malesela Maleka said Susan Tsvangirai's death was a great loss.

"Like all mothers, Mrs Tsvangarai was the greatest pillar of strength and support to her husband, more so in the last decade of political upheaval she described as "an endurance test".
Maleka said the party also wished the prime minister a speedy recovery.

* SAPA

Bennett Offers Condolences to Tsvangirai's Family

JOHANNESBURG – Jailed MDC top official Roy Bennett, whose bail case will be heard in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, has offered his condolences to MDC leader and Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister over the death of his wife in a car accident on Friday.

In a statement released on Sunday the MDC said; “Roy Bennett has learnt with great sadness the tragic passing-on of Mrs Susan Tsvangirai,” adding; “Roy Bennett is gravely saddened and has conveyed his condolences to president of the MDC, and Prime Minister of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai, his family, the MDC and to the people of Zimbabwe.”

Tsvangirai’s wife died on the spot and he was injured last Friday evening when a truck that was coming from the opposite direction hit the vehicle the couple was traveling in about 100km south of Harare, along the highway to Masvingo town.

The Prime Minister and his wife were travelling to his rural home in Buhera in the south east of Zimbabwe where he was due to address a rally on Saturday.

“In his message Roy Bennett emphasised the need for all to remain true to the dreams of the democratic Zimbabwe and to ‘strive to achieve the Zimbabwe Mai Tsvangirai (Mrs Tsvangirai) wanted to see’,” said the statement.

A top ally of Tsvangirai and his pick for deputy minister of agriculture, Bennett was arrested on February 13 at a small airport outside Harare as he was leaving the country for South Africa and faces charges of terrorism, insurgency, sabotage or banditry.

He denies the charges as politically motivated and the MDC said on Sunday the Supreme Court bail application will be heard on Tuesday.

“The Supreme Court bail hearing for MDC treasurer general and deputy minister of agriculture designate, Hon Roy Bennett will be heard on Tuesday 10, March 2009, at 1130hrs.”

Bennett was granted a US$2 000 bail last week by a High Court judge but the state is appealing against the ruling.

The hugely popular Bennett is the most senior of several MDC members languishing in jail on charges that the party says are trumped up.

* Zimonline

Time to Refocus Zimbabwe Aid Efforts, Smith Says

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has flagged a change in the Federal Government's approach to Zimbabwe.

Mr Smith says the Government's focus has largely been on providing humanitarian assistance.

He told ABC1's Insiders program that it is time to become more involved in dealing with the country's issues including offering political help to the country's Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai.

"I'm now giving very serious consideration to whether we can do more, whether we can start to try and help rebuild Zimbabwe - particulary in the health area, on the agricultural area, in the education area," he said.

"There are some risks of course associated with that given Mr Mugabe's ongoing presence."
Mr Smith also said Australia has offered its condolences to Mr Tsvangirai after a car crash in which his wife was killed on Friday (local time).

Mr Tsvangirai was also in the car and suffered minor neck and head injuries.

He has been flown to neighbouring Botswana for a thorough medical check-up.

Mr Smith has told ABC1's Insiders he hopes there will now be a transparent inquiry into what caused the crash.

"I yesterday asked our High Commissioner to Zimbabwe to personally relay to Mr Tsvangirai's key personal staff our condolences at the terrible accident that saw the death of his wife," he said.

* ABC

Mugabe Visits Tsvangirai at Harare Hospital

Harare - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace visited the hospital where Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was being treated for injuries following a car crash on Friday.

The couple did not speak to reporters as they entered the private hospital where Tsvangirai was taken after the crash that killed his wife Susan.

"The leadership of MDC in South Africa is receiving confirmed reports from our Harvest House headquarters in Harare that MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai was involved in a head on collision accident," Sapa reported party spokesperson Sibanengi Dube as saying.

"His wife Susan Tsvangirai died in Harare's Avenues Clinic."

Dube said the couple was driving along Harare-Masvingo road on their way home.

He said details of the accident were still sketchy, "but we understand that they were hit from the front by a truck".

"We hope it is just a genuine accident and we appeal to Zimbabweans in South Africa to remain calm as facts continue to surface.

"We are however alive to the fact that a lot of Robert Mugabe's opponents died in suspicious road accidents involving army trucks."

On Friday night, Agence France Presse reported that the couple was headed to the Buhera district where Morgan was to hold a rally on Saturday, but their car was hit by a freight truck and Susan Tsvangirai died at the scene.

An MDC minister told AFP that the driver of the truck appeared to be sleeping.

* SAPA/AFP

IEC's Bam Ducks Questions Over Her Expats Vote Outburst

Cape Town - Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chairperson Brigalia Bam on Friday ducked questions about DA leader Helen Zille's claim that she said South Africans abroad should not be allowed to vote because they had deserted the country.

"You know, I can barely hear you. I am driving," Bam told Sapa.

"Have you called my office? Speak to Lydia Young," she added, and gave the number for the IEC liaison officer.

When told that reporters had persistently but fruitlessly sought comment from Young for three days, Bam said: "Go back to her. She is the one who will deal with all of this," and hung up.

Young and other IEC staffers have maintained since Wednesday that they were unable to reach Bam to verify whether she had indeed made the statement and whether this reflected the IEC's views.

"We are working on this. We will get back to you but we have not been able to reach her," Young told Sapa on Friday morning.

Sapa eventually succeeded to get through to Bam on her cellphone on Friday morning.

* SAPA

Magistrate Arrested for Allowing Bennett to Pay Bail Money

MUTARE – Zimbabwe police have arrested a senior magistrate in the eastern border city of Mutare for ordering the release of a jailed senior official of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party.

Provincial magistrate Livingstone Chipadze is being charged with criminal abuse of office after he permitted MDC treasurer Roy Bennett to pay bail money and comply with other bail conditions which would have allowed him to be freed.

Chipadze, who was arrested Thursday night, is being detained at Mutare Central police station. It was not clear when he might be brought to court.

Human rights lawyer Trust Maanda criticised the arrest of Chipadze which he said was illegal and a serious blow to the administration of justice.

“It’s illegal to arrest a magistrate for doing his job,” Maanda said on Friday. “If they (state) are not happy with his ruling they are supposed to appeal to a higher court instead of arresting a magistrate. It is frightening if a magistrate is arrested because he has passed a judgment that is not popular with the state.”

After Chipadze gave Bennett permission to deposit the bail sum as well as his passport with the clerk of court, a warrant for the MDC politician’s liberty was issued.

But a senior prison official, Zondai Nyatsanza, took away the warrant before Bennett could be released from jail.

* Zimonline

Zimbabwe Mourns Death of Susan Tsvangirai, PM's Wife, In Highway Crash

Zimbabweans expressed sorrow and shock late Friday at the death of Susan Tsvangirai, wife of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, in a highway crash in which Mr. Tsvangirai was injured, some voicing the suspicion that the collision between the car in which the Tsvangirais were traveling and a tractor-trailer combination might not have been an accident.

There was no immediate statement from Mr. Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change party on the crash and party officials said there were no plans to issue one.

Sources within the party who declined to speak on the record expressed suspicions about the incident in which the articulated truck swerved from the oncoming lane into the three-car convoy in which the Tsvangirais were traveling, clipping their middle vehicle.

Elections Director Dennis Murira of Mr. Tsvangirai's MDC formation gave an account of the crash to reporter Ntungamili Nkomo of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe.

Differences between Mr. Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe over the detention of MDC officials among issues have sharpened just three weeks after the formation of the national unity government formed as a solution to the country's post-election crisis.

Hard-liners in Mr. Mugabe's long-ruling ZANU-PF party are believed to have opposed the formation of the unity government and to be intent upon bringing it down.

Spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, an assistant commissioner, said the crash occurred around 5 p.m. on the highway from Harare to Masvingo.

Bvudzijena confirmed that a truck headed for Harare veered into the lane in which the prime minister's vehicle was traveling and sideswiped the Toyota Land Cruiser. According to Bvudzijena and others the vehicle rolled over three times before coming to rest.

Murira said Susan Tsvangirai was declared dead on arrival at a hospital in Beatrice, south of Harare. He said Tsvangirai sustained only minor scratches and bruises.

But, said Murira, "the devastating news is that he has lost his beloved wife, a woman who was of immense significance to the party, a woman who on several occasions managed to comfort a number of us who were victims of this struggle."

Mr. Tsvangirai was traveling to Buhera, Manicaland province, where he had planned to spend the night and attend a party meeting Saturday at the Murambinda Business Center.

A statement issued by the MDC formation led by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara said the party was "shocked and deeply sorry" at Susan Tsvangirai's death, describing her as a "wonderful, warm, down-to-earth mother of the nation."

* VoA

High Court Orders the Release of Three More Activists

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s High Court on Friday ordered the immediate release of three men held under protective custody in a case of banditry and terrorism involving some members of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party and human rights activist Jestina Mukoko.
“I order the immediate release of Fannie Tembo, Lloyd Tarumbwa and Terry Musona from police custody or the custody of any other state agent,” said Justice Ben Hlatshwayo delivering judgment.

“This order stands enforceable notwithstanding the noting or filing of an appeal.”

The three MDC activists have been missing since October last year after they and other party activists were abducted by state agents from their respective homes and accused of plotting to overthrow President Robert Mugabe.

They have been held incommunicado until this week when the High Court allowed relatives to visit them as police insisted they were being kept in custody for their own safety after they betrayed their colleagues by agreeing to cooperate with the state.

Human rights lawyers Chris Mhike and Innocent Chagonda took the state to the High Court to release the trio arguing that the three were bread winners for their families and the state had not provided their families with assistance while they were in custody.

The state represented by Nelson Mutsonziwa had opposed the application saying the three would be state witnesses when Mukoko’s trial starts.

Top Zimbabwe human rights campaigner Mukoko was released on bail this week in what analysts said was an encouraging sign that Tsvangirai’s calls for political prisoners to be freed were finally being heeded.

Mukoko, a former state broadcaster and now director of human rights organisation Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), and the MDC activists are charged with attempting to recruit people for military training in neighbouring Botswana to overthrow Mugabe and his ZANU PF party.

* ZimOnline

Zimbabwe's New PM Tsvangirai Hurt in Car Accident

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) -- Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's spokesman says the premier was hurt in a car accident, and that the injuries are not life-threatening.

Spokesman James Maridadi says Tsvangirai, his wife and an aide all were injured in Friday's accident on the outskirts of Harare, the capital.

Maridadi says they were taken to a Harare hospital for treatment.

The party had been traveling to a weekend rally south of Harare when their car sideswiped a truck. Maridadi did not immediately have further information

Fate of Gono Holds Key to Zimbabwe Donor Response

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Western donors who see the removal of Zimbabwe's central bank governor as a key condition for resuming aid can expect a messy power struggle that could further delay moves to rescue the ruined country.

The new unity administration will depend heavily on foreign cash to rebuild an economy that critics says President Robert Mugabe and his central bank governor, Gideon Gono, have brought to its knees through reckless policies.

Western countries are looking for signs that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe's old foe, has managed to put control of the economy under new Finance Minister Tendai Biti, also from the opposition, before letting funds flow.

"A prior condition is of course Tendai Biti getting rid of Gideon Gono and creating economic space for this to happen," said one senior Western diplomat. "As and when it does happen we will help."

Gono's term has spanned the collapse of once-prosperous Zimbabwe, now short of basic goods and with an inflation rate of 231 million percent -- according to the last published figures but believed to be far higher.

Tsvangirai has said it would cost as much as $5 billion to repair the economy.

Mugabe's very close ally is unlikely to go without a fight, however, especially as the president manoeuvres to gain an upper hand for his ZANU-PF party in the new government. Mugabe re-appointed Gono last November for another five-year term.

"I think pushing Gono out will be difficult, as the move would significantly undermine a pillar of ZANU-PF's staying power," said Mark Schroeder, southern Africa analyst at global intelligence company Stratfor.

Bloem Ditches ANC and Officially Joins COPE

Johannesburg - ANC MP Dennis Bloem has joined the Congress of the People, he said on Friday.

Bloem said he felt he was not trusted in the ANC and his stay was becoming unbearable after his old friend, Cope president Mosiuoa Lekota left.

"I accepted Cope's nomination and subsequently signed the relevant IEC (Independent Electoral Commission) form," he said while wearing a Cope T-shirt still with its new shirt creases.

Bloem was speaking at a press briefing in Johannesburg.

Bloem was, from Friday, no longer the chair of Parliament's portfolio committee on correctional services, as the ruling party appointed that person.

Bloem said he knew nothing about the release of convicted fraudster Schabir Shaik, explaining that only the Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour, who was "not his best friend", had the report.

Shaik, ANC president Jacob Zuma's erstwhile financial adviser, was granted medical parole this week after serving 28 months of a 15-year jail term for fraud and corruption linked to the arms deal.

* news 24

Zimbabwean Magistrate Held Over MDC's Bennett Bail

Police in Zimbabwe have arrested a magistrate who allowed MDC ministerial nominee Roy Bennett to post bail.

Other magistrates in the town of Mutare have gone on strike in solidarity with Livingstone Chipadze, officials say.

"It is frightening if a magistrate is arrested because he has passed a judgment that is not popular with the state," Mr Bennett's lawyer said.

Mr Bennett remains in custody. He was seized on the day MDC ministers joined a power-sharing government.

He is accused of links to an alleged plot to kill President Robert Mugabe.

But the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says the arrest is a political manoeuvre by hard-line supporters of Mr Mugabe to destabilise the unity administration.

Zimbabwean journalist David Farira in Mutare, on Zimbabwe's eastern border, says Mr Chipadze faces charges of criminal abuse of office.

Magistrate Chipadze is accused of improperly allowing Mr Bennett's lawyers to deposit bail money and complying with other bail conditions on Tuesday.

* Reuters

South Africa Mulls Credit Line for Zimbabwe

South Africa is considering opening a credit line to help neighbour Zimbabwe rebuild its shattered economy after years of political and economic crisis, the Financial Mail reported on Friday.

It quoted Finance Minister Trevor Manuel as saying a credit line made sense given that most of the goods needed to restock bare stores in Zimbabwe would be bought in South Africa.



"We will look at the credit facility. There is an old (Reserve Bank) credit line from 1967 that goes back to (Rhodesia's) unilateral declaration of independence, and we are exploring using that," he said in an interview.

While a credit line will not solve the country's funding problems, it will allow private banks to lend money to wholesalers, retailers and producers to purchase goods using credit, and ultimately give millions of poor Zimbabweans easier access to essential products.

Zimbabwe has estimated it needs $1 billion now to get farms, schools and hospitals working, and another $5 billion later to fully rebuild the economy.

A new power-sharing government has raised hopes of an end to an economic meltdown in the once prosperous southern African country where inflation was last calculated in mid-2008 at 231 million percent, and a cholera epidemic has infected more than 80,000 people.

Food and fuel are scarce and the currency virtually worthless, leading to widespread use of the U.S. dollar and South African rand.

* reuters

IMF Delegation to Visit Zimbabwe Next week

HARARE – An International Monetary Fund (IMF) fact-finding mission is due to arrive in Zimbabwe next week, at the invitation of the Harare authorities. The fund was last in Harare in 2006.

"At the request of Zimbabwe's authorities, an International Monetary Fund staff team led by Vitaliy Kramarenko will visit Harare during March 9-24 to conduct the 2009 Article IV consultation discussions with Zimbabwe," IMF said Thursday.

"The IMF conducts such discussions, which focus on a country's economic prospects and policies, with all its members on a regular basis. The IMF mission will review Zimbabwe's economic situation and prospects and discuss with the authorities their policies to address the acute economic and humanitarian crisis facing the country.

"IMF staff plan to meet with Finance Minister (Tendai) Biti and other senior officials, as well as representatives of civil society and the financial, business, academic, and diplomatic communities. The IMF team will work closely with a parallel World Bank mission."

The IMF cut balance-of-payments support to Zimbabwe in 1999 following differences with President Robert Mugabe over fiscal policy and other governance issues.

But Zimbabwe is under a new power-sharing government between Mugabe and former opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who is the country’s new Prime Minister and has promised to restore relations with the IMF and other international institutions.

Winning IMF backing for its economic recovery programme is critical for Harare’s new government to convince skeptical Western governments to provide much needed financial assistance and other support. – ZimOnline

PM Tsvangirai Says Cholera Crisis Worse Than Reported

Harare - Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said on Thursday that cases of infections and deaths from the country's worst cholera epidemic were far higher than those reported.

More than 80 000 people have been infected since the outbreak six months ago with nearly 4 000 killed, according to the World Health Organisation.

"This is most likely a dramatic underestimate of the real figures given the unreported cases and deaths in communities,"

Tsvangirai told an emergency meeting of health officials and donors.

The deadliest cholera outbreak in Africa in 15 years has spread to neighbouring countries, including South Africa.

Zimbabwe's health system has all but collapsed with hospitals battling shortages of drugs, high cases of HIV/Aids and nurses and doctors frequently on strike for higher pay.

* Reuters

Bennet Loses Out Over Supreme Court Bail Judgment

Harare - A Zimbabwe judge says prosecutors can appeal a ruling granting bail to a jailed aide to the prime minister.

Roy Bennett's lawyer, Beatrice Mtetwa, says Supreme Court Judge Paddington Garwe ruled on Thursday the appeal could go ahead because prosecutors had a reasonable chance of success.

No court date was set. Bennett will remain jailed pending the appeal.

Bennett, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's nominee for deputy agriculture minister in the new unity government, has been jailed since February 13.

He faces weapons charges linked to long-discredited claims Tsvangirai's party was plotting to use force to overthrow President Robert Mugabe.

Bennett's lawyers had hoped he would be freed on Wednesday, after the High Court ruled the state had no right to oppose bail.

* AP

Triumpant ANC Says COPE's Eastern Cape Stronghold is a Myth

Johannesburg - The "myth" that the Eastern Cape was now a Congress of the People stronghold was debunked by the by-election results, the ruling party said on Thursday.

ANC spokesperson Jessie Duarte said the African National Congress won all the contested wards in the Port Elizabeth metro.

These wards were under contestation as the councillors had resigned and moved to the Congress of the People.

By-elections took place in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, North West, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape on Wednesday.

ANC head of elections Fikile Mbalula said the first myth about the Eastern Cape was debunked by an overwhelming turnout at the launch of the ANC's manifesto.

The second time the myth that the Eastern Cape was a Cope stronghold was debunked was when around 60 000 people turned up for an election rally, he said.

And the third time the myth was debunked was in the latest by-election.

* News 24

Obama Extends Zimbabwe Sanctions by Another Year

Washington - President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he was extending existing US sanctions on Zimbabwe for one year, on the grounds that the deep political crisis gripping the country remained unresolved.

"I am continuing for one year the national emergency with respect to the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe," Obama said in a statement.

Under US law, Obama was required to inform Congress by Friday that he intended to continue the sanctions regime targeting members of the Zimbabwe government, or they would lapse.

"The crisis constituted by the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe's democratic processes or institutions has not been resolved," he said in a separate message to Congress.

"These actions and policies pose a continuing unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States.

"For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue this national emergency and to maintain in force the sanctions to respond to this threat."

* AFP

SA's R300m Reached Zimbabwean Farmers

Cape Town - South Africa is satisfied that its R300m agricultural aid package to Zimbabwe has reached small-scale farmers in the poverty-stricken country, a government spokesperson said on Wednesday.

"We are satisfied that the South African aid was received by the targeted ordinary Zimbabweans," spokesperson Thabo Masebe told reporters at a briefing following the fortnightly Cabinet meeting.


Masebe said a task team led by the director-general in the presidency, Frank Chikane, visited Zimbabwe and reported back to Cabinet that the aid was handed out in accordance with guidelines set by the 15-nation Southern African Development Community.

"An interdepartmental task team that visited Zimbabwe over the past two weeks has also found that there was compliance with the SADC framework," he said.

The aid package consisted of seeds, fertiliser and fuel and was intended to help combat dire poverty and food shortages in Zimbabwe.

It was put together last year, but was held back by Pretoria in November in a bid to pile pressure on President Robert Mugabe and the opposition to form a unity government.

By late December, however, as the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe escalated South Africa began sending the farming aid to its northern neighbour.

Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai finally formed a power-sharing government in February.

Tsvangirai, now prime minister, has said that it would cost $5bn to put Zimbabwe back on its feet.

SADC is considering ploughing $2bn into the country's reconstruction.

* SAPA

Supreme Court to Decide on Bennet's Bail Case

HARARE – Supreme Court Judge Paddington Garwe will today decide whether to release on bail a jailed senior member of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party.

Garwe will make a ruling whether to allow the state to appeal against an earlier ruling by the High Court allowing MDC treasurer Roy Bennett to be released on bail.

“The judge will make his ruling tomorrow but has asked us to make more submissions,” said state counsel Chris Mutangadura on Wednesday.

Bennett who is being held in Mutare city about 300km east of Harare, is facing charges of terrorism, sabotage and banditry.

He was arrested on February 13 at a small airport outside Harare as he was leaving the country for South Africa. He was granted a US$2 000 bail last week by a High Court judge but the state appealed against the ruling.

If the Supreme Court, Zimbabwe’s highest court, today grants the state leave to appeal then the MDC politician will remain in custody pending outcome of the appeal. Bennett will be released immediately if the Supreme Court withholds permission to the state to appeal.

In the event the Supreme Court upholds the High Court ruling the state wants tougher bail conditions for Bennett, who is the MDC’s choice for deputy minister of agriculture in the unity government.

The state wants Bennett to pay US$5 000, surrender deeds to his home, report to police everyday. The state also wants Bennett restricted to within a 40km radius of Harare – conditions that his lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa has strongly criticized as tantamount to house arrest and impossible for someone whose job as a deputy minister will require him to travel frequently.
Mtetwa said: “He ought to be free by now. This is a political case and everybody needs to cover their backs.”

Meanwhile, in Mutare Trust Mhanda, another lawyer acting for Bennett said he had paid bail and complied with the other bail conditions for his client.

The state contends that Bennett is not a proper candidate for bail as he may flee the country.

* ZimOnline.

ANC and IFP Resolve Rallies Impasse

Durban - The African National Congress (ANC) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) reached an agreement to hold political rallies in Msinga, KwaZulu Natal, over the weekend, the SABC reported on Thursday.

Regional leaders of both the parties signed an agreement on Wednesday night in which they pledged not to disrupt each other's political events.

The agreement comes after the ANC approached the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Monday for a court interdict preventing the IFP from having a political event close to its rally on Saturday.

The IFP opposed the application and claimed that it would not be stopped from campaigning for the upcoming elections.

The court was expected to rule on the matter on Thursday. However, the ANC's court action will now fall away following the Wednesday night agreement.

* SAPA

PM Tsvangirai Calls For an End to Lawlessness

HARARE – Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Wednesday called for an end to lawlessness and human rights violations, warning that the international community would never provide much needed financial support to Zimbabwe until rule of law was restored.

Tsvangirai – who became Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister after agreeing to join a power-sharing government with President Robert Mugabe on February 11, said officials, including police – who violate human rights were damaging Zimbabwe’s prospects for recovery, adding that in future such officials could face arrest and prosecution.

The former opposition leader, who was addressing Parliament for the first time in his new role as Prime Minister, called on the international community to reciprocate moves by Zimbabwe to restore the rule of law, respect for human rights and democracy by moving to lift sanctions imposed on Mugabe and several top government officials.

“No donor country or institution is going to offer any meaningful assistance unless our new government projects a positive new image. Brutal suppression, wanton arrests and political persecution impede our ability to rebuild our economy,” said Tsvangirai.

“The days of the police wantonly and violently breaking up peaceful demonstrations and gatherings and needlessly imprisoning innocent Zimbabweans must now come to an end. In future such activities could bring the threat of prosecution,” he said.

* Zimonline

State in Desperate Bid to Block Bennet's Bail

Harare - A judge in Zimbabwe on Tuesday dismissed an application by the state to deny bail to would-be junior minister Roy Bennett, but prosecutors said they will apply to the Supreme Court to keep him behind bars.

State prosecutor Chris Mutangadura said the state will challenge the Harare High Court's decision to throw out its application to appeal an order given last week to grant Bennett bail.

Bennett, the treasurer of the Movement for Democratic Change, is Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's pick for deputy agriculture minister in the new unity government, but has yet to be sworn in.

"In terms of the law, nothing has changed," said Mutangadura after the ruling.

"Although the judge has dismissed our application for leave to appeal on the grounds that our chances of success are slim ... we will be filing to the Supreme Court against that decision."

Bennett was arrested as Tsvangirai was being sworn in on February 13, and was charged last week with possession of arms for banditry, insurgency and terrorism.

"The judge has dismissed the application for leave to appeal but nothing has changed as the state has indicated that it wants to go to the Supreme Court," Bennett's lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa told reporters.

His case has raised doubts about the durability of Zimbabwe's unity government, which was formed this month after nearly a year of turmoil stemming from disputed elections last March.

* AFP

Report: Zimbabwe Cholera Cases Could Reach 123 000

Harare - Medical experts have forecast that a worst-case scenario in Zimbabwe's rampaging cholera epidemic could see earlier predictions double to 123 000 cases and go beyond May this year.

Just over a week ago, according to the Zimbabwean Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR), the epidemic passed Africa's worst, in Angola in 2007, when over 82 000 people were infected with the highly infectious water-borne disease and 3 204 died.

Late last year the World Health Organisation estimated that the worst-case figure could reach 60 000 cases, a level passed already in January.

By Friday last week the WHO had recorded 84 027 cases, with 3 894 deaths recorded in Zimbabwe. The rate of fatalities had reached 4.6%, nearly five times what the WHO regards as "acceptable".

The Cholera Command and Control Centre, comprising officials from the WHO, the Zimbabwe health ministry and aid agencies involved in combating the epidemic, early last month forecast up to 92 000 infections.

But, according to ZADHR, the continuing rapid increase in cases and still-collapsed state of the health, water and sanitation systems meant "the worst-case scenario of 122 945 seems likely to occur if drastic improvements ... are not made immediately".

Fighting the epidemic has become one of the most urgent tasks of the 18-day-old coalition government between President Robert Mugabe'a Zanu-PF party and new prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change.

The outbreak of the disease in August was triggered by the simultaneous breakdown of water supply, sanitation and refuse collection services in crowded townships.

* DPA

Tsvangirai Sworn in as a Zimbabwean MP

JOHANNESBURG – Zimbabwe's Prime Minister and leader of the country’s former main opposition MDC formation Morgan Tsvangirai was on Tuesday sworn in as a non-constituency member of Parliament (MP) in line with a constitutional amendment passed by the House last month.

Tsvangirai became the southern African country’s Prime Minister on February 11 after agreeing to join a power-sharing government with veteran President Robert Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara, who leads a smaller faction of the MDC.

Under the power-sharing deal, Mugabe retained his job and most of his executive powers while Tsvangirai as Prime Minister also enjoys some executive authority. Mutambara is a Deputy Prime Minister.

According to the country’s laws, Tsvangirai must be an MP in order to be eligible to occupy the office of Prime Minister.

"This is a culmination of the inclusive government by the political parties in our Parliament," said clerk of Parliament Austin Zvoma after the swearing in.

Tsvangirai is set to make his maiden address to Parliament today.

Attorney General Johannes Tomana – whose appointment by Mugabe is being contested by the MDC – Mutambara and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Gorden Moyo were also sworn in as non-constituency MPs.

Mugabe, who in the past had labelled Tsvangirai a Western puppet and vowed never to allow the MDC leader to rule Zimbabwe, agreed to share power after his ZANU PF party last year lost parliamentary elections to the two MDC formations.

* Zimonline

Mathale Chosen as Acting Limpopo Premier

Cape Town - Limpopo MEC Cassel Mathale has been appointed acting premier in Limpopo, the provincial government announced on Tuesday.

This follows the resignation of Sello Moloto on Monday, who will be the Congress of the People's (Cope) premier candidate for the province in the April 22 elections.

"The Executive Council of Limpopo Provincial Government convened a special meeting today [Tuesday] in which it appointed MEC for Roads and Transport, Mr Cassel Mathale as an acting Premier of Limpopo," it said in a statement.

The Constitution required that upon the resignation of the premier, the executive council of the province appoint an acting premier for a period not exceeding 30 days while the provincial legislature worked on the election of the new premier.

Mathale would continue to take charge of the provincial department of roads and transport, the Limpopo government said.

Earlier on Tuesday, ANC provincial secretary Joe Maswanganyi said the ANC had received a formal notice of resignation from Moloto.

"His resignation is hereby duly acknowledged and accepted. The ANC would like to thank him for the service.

"The ANC wishes him good luck in his new endeavour," he said.

* SAPA

ANC's Zuma Warns Against Xenophobia

JOHANNESBURG – South Africa ruling party president Jacob Zuma on Tuesday condemned xenophobic violence that swept across the country last year, saying such hostility towards foreigners could derail the country’s booming tourism industry.
Mobs of young South African men armed with guns, machetes and home-made weapons last year murdered at least 60 African immigrants and displaced more than 30 000 others in a wave of xenophobic violence that began in Johannesburg and quickly spread to other cities across the continent’s most prosperous country.

Zuma, widely tipped to takeover as South Africa’s president after elections this year, labelled the attacks un-African and inhuman, adding that the violence had left the country which is due to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup tournament with egg on the face.

“Xenophobic tendencies are not only un-African and inhumane, but are also counter-productive to tourism growth and people to people cooperation and linkages,” Zuma told a gathering of local business leaders, tourism executives and top FIFA officials in Johannesburg’s up-market Sandton City.

* Zimonline

Four More Zimbabwean Detainees Released After Mukoko

Harare - Leading Zimbabwean human rights campaigner Jestina Mukoko and four other activists were freed on bail on Monday, in cases seen as a test of the new unity government, their lawyers said on Monday.

The five were each ordered to pay $600 in bail and to surrender their passports, their lawyers said.

Mukoko's arrest in December sparked an international outcry, after state security agents took her from her home and kept her at a secret detention camp for weeks.

She was the most prominent among 31 jailed activists whose detention had raised concerns about the success of Zimbabwe's new unity government with long-time President Robert Mugabe and new Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

"It's good she has been released, but she is still restricted," her lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa said.
Mukoko is the head of the Zimbabwe Peace Project, which documented human rights abuses surrounding last year's controversial elections.

Another attorney, Alec Muchadehama said four supporters of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) were also granted $600 bail on Monday. Their release followed that of two other MDC activists granted bail on Friday.

Zimbabwe still has 24 activists behind bars, the lawyers said.

* AFP

Tsvangirai to be Sworn in as an MP Today

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai will today be sworn in as a Member of Parliament (MP), his office announced.

Tsvangirai's spokesman James Maridadi also said the Prime Minister will make his maiden speech to Parliament on Wednesday.

"Parliament will swear in the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Tuesday," Maridadi said. "He will make his maiden speech to Parliament on Wednesday."

Tsvangirai, the leader of the country’s former main opposition MDC formation, was sworn in as Prime Minister on February 11 after agreeing to join a power-sharing government with veteran President Robert Mugabe and Arthur Mutambara, who leads a smaller of the MDC.

Under the power-sharing deal, Mugabe retained his job and most of his executive powers while Tsvangirai as Prime Minister also enjoys some executive authority. Mutambara is a deputy prime minister.

According to the country’s laws, Tsvangirai must be an MP in order to be eligible to occupy the office of Prime Minister.

Tsvangirai, Mutambara and other top leaders in the unity government will join Parliament as non-constituency members under a constitutional amendment passed by the House last month.

Mugabe, who in the past had labelled Tsvangirai a Western puppet and vowed never to allow the MDC leader to rule Zimbabwe, agreed to share power after his ZANU PF party last year lost parliamentary elections to the two MDC formations.

He also lost a parallel presidential ballot to Tsvangirai but the MDC leader failed to secure the margin required to takeover the presidency.

* Zimonline