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/ 17 January 2006
Feuding factions of Zimbabwe’s main opposition are to hold separate congresses in coming weeks to elect new leaders, officials said on Tuesday, in a move that would confirm the split within the party. The Movement for Democratic Change has become mired in infighting over leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s decision to boycott Senate elections last November.
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/ 28 December 2005
Zimbabweans are heading for a dismal new year, with food shortages and an economic crisis expected to worsen while prospects for political change appear dimmer than ever, analysts say. While President Robert Mugabe’s government is forecasting growth of up to 3,5% in 2006, economists and ordinary Zimbabweans are bracing for more hardship.
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/ 24 November 2005
As Zimbabweans go to the ballot on Saturday to elect members to a new and controversial Upper House of Parliament, the buzz is not about the polls but rather on chronic food shortages and the economic meltdown. The country’s major labour movement said the Senate is a waste of scarce money.
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/ 1 November 2005
Zimbabwe on Tuesday launched its strongest criticism of black farmers who benefited from its controversial land reforms, saying their apathy was responsible for a serious food crisis. ”We have a few people that are really committed to production while many others are doing nothing on the farms,” said Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sylvester Nguni.
Zimbabwe’s Parliament on Tuesday approved a widely condemned Bill that stops white farmers from challenging land grabs in court and curtails the travel and voting rights of those without full citizenship. The Bill was passed by 103 votes against 29 in the 150-member house where President Robert Mugabe’s party has 107 parliamentarians.
After the Chinese herb mocrea in the 1990s and the African potato five years ago, moringa powder is the latest craze for Zimbabweans battling one of the world’s highest HIV/Aids infection rates. ”Do you want to feel well, have a healthy appetite and live longer?” a pamphlet on a supermarket noticeboard screams in bold print.
Prospects of a respite are dim for Zimbabweans as the southern African country’s currency continues to tumble and runaway inflation sends prices of basic goods soaring. The council says the food basket for a family of six has increased by more than 200% since January.
Simbarashe Muchemwa points at a heap of broken asbestos and charred metal sheets — remnants of his makeshift furniture shop in Harare’s Glen View township — and shakes his head. ”This was my means of livelihood. It’s a loss that will take me years to recover from,” says the 30-year-old father of three.
Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai walked out of court a free man on Tuesday after prosecutors scrapped treason charges that had been hanging over his head since 2003. Prosecutor Florence Ziyambi told the court that the state was ”withdrawing the charges before plea” without stating any reasons for the about-turn.
Porta Farm, a well-known slum west of Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, resembled a village hit by an aerial attack as it was visited late on Thursday by United Nations special envoy Anna Tibaijuka. Mounds of brick rubble, plastic sheeting, broken asbestos and smashed furniture were all that remained of the homes of 1Â 500 families.