Once again Mugabe was rubbing his hands in glee as his opponents wrung theirs in frustration. The prospect of Mugabe riding off into the sunset and leaving his benighted country in the hands of a government of national unity appeared to have evaporated like the mist .

The forensic probe into CAA boss Trevor Abrahams has confirmed the M&G’s investigative article led to his suspension. The exposé, headlined ”Aviation chief’s sweetheart connection” was the reason the CAA board decided to institute a forensic audit.

The ANC’s national task team has effectively disbanded the party’s Eastern Cape leadership structures, headed by Premier Makhenkesi Stofile. This is despite an undertaking that the provincial executive committee would remain in place until new leadership elections.

The government’s tough stance on land invasions will be put to the test by a recent court decision it fears may reward squatters. Land Affairs is worried that a ruling that it take care of evicted squatters will compel it to provide housing for anyone evicted from private property.

United Nations inspectors produced their most dramatic discovery in the hunt for Saddam Hussein’s arsenals of banned weapons yesterday, finding empty warheads designed to carry chemical weapons in a complex of military bunkers.