David Coltart comments on GPA talks
“Zanu and the Mutambara group simply do not know what to do. If they agree to do what the region wants, they are dead in the water.” Eddie Cross writing on his blog on the 21st November 2009 asserting that the MDC M is deliberately delaying the finalisation of the GPA talks.
This is an outrageously false comment about the MDC M which bears no relation to the facts.
We all in MDC M want the GPA implemented urgently and fully. We fully supported what the region asked for. I personally had a lengthy discussion with President Kabila’s principal advisor Mr Ilunga Ngandu on the 3rd November 2009 impressing on him the need to attend to all of the outstanding issues. My colleagues have done the same. I have been present in Cabinet and know what has been said by all of us there. Arthur Mutambara’s statement made when the disengagement started is a matter of public record. Indeed it was Mutambara who clearly articulated for the first time that the SADC communiqué issued in the January 2009 could not be ignored, something Zanu PF was trying to do.
And as for the allegations that MDC M are responsible for the delays since Maputo consider the following: Read more
Tsvangirai’s visit to Spain
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, today received Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe, at the Viana Palace. During this bilateral encounter, which was followed by a working lunch, matters of common interest in politics, economics, and cultural issues were addressed, with the purpose of re-launching relations between Spain and this important Southern African country.
Minister Miguel Ángel Moratinos expressed Spain’s decisive support for the process of political stabilization that the Government of National Unity of Zimbabwe is undertaking, giving special mention to the political transition that Prime Minister Tsvangirai himself is leading, who, to quote the Minister, “represents a new Zimbabwe and the hopes of the people of this African country”. Read more
CNN’s Christiane Amanpour talks to Robert Mugabe
On Amanpour this Thursday, Christiane Amanpour sits down for an EXCLUSIVE live interview with the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe.
In President Mugabe’s first interview with a major Western media outlet in years, Christiane will explore the historic power-sharing agreement with the unity government there, and get the president’s thoughts on the highly-emotive issue of land redistribution.
As Mugabe prepares to take centre stage at the UN on Friday, Christiane will take the opportunity to ask if the power-sharing agreement is really working, if international sanctions are responsible for his country’s economic and political turmoil, and what kind of engagement he is looking for from the international community.
In this rare interview, Christiane will also address signs of optimism emerging in Zimbabwe; sky-rocketing inflation stabilising, basic goods returning to store shelves, and a loosening of restrictive media laws.
Amanpour is CNN International’s new live global interview programme, which launched on 21st September 2009 as the centrepiece of its new evening line up.
Tendai Biti on CNN’s African Voices
FYI:
This week on African Voices, Zimbabwean Finance Minister and human rights activist, Tendai Biti. http://edition.cnn.com/CNNI/Programs/africanvoices/
Tendai Biti, is a tough-talking, football-loving Zimbabwean politician, who rose to prominence as one of the public faces of the opposition party - the Movement for Democratic Change. Tendai Biti trained as a lawyer - and his fight against injustice has taken him out of the courtroom of Harare and onto the streets… and now into the hall of power. Read more
Going round in circles
We are going round in circles, pretending to be on the same team. Will these old men ever let go? Will Nehanda’s dream ever come true? Will this constitution ever get out? Are we just playing games to pass the time?
I have a feeling that we are being taken for a long painful ride…
The nightmare of peace and stability in Zimbabwe
I had this dream. I was running down Samora Machel Avenue in Harare. There was this big cloud of peace, stability, media freedom and democracy running behind me. The only thing was that I was not running towards it- I was running very fast from it.
Then all of a sudden I was no longer in Samora Machel Avenue. I was running through a train in London’s Subway.
In my mind I could hear loud screams. “Metropolitan Line! Circle Line! Piccadilly Line! Victoria Line!” Over and over again. I turned- and there it was again- peace, stability, democracy- and it had Morgan Tsvangirai’s face. Read more
Public meeting - Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA)
The public meeting will provide the residents with a platform to interrogate the state of service delivery in the City of Harare.
Date: 30 June, 2009
Time: 5:30pm
Place: New Ambassador Hotel, Harare
The following persons/officials have been invited to speak at this meeting;
- Deputy Minister of Local Government (Hon Sessel Zvidzai)
- His Worship Mayor Muchadei Masunda (City of Harare)
- Mr. Ben Rafemoyo (ZESA CEO) Read more
Morgan Tsvangirai to Feature on CNN’s African Voices
Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is speaking to ‘African Voices’ on CNN this weekend -
http://edition.cnn.com/CNNI/Programs/africanvoices/
African Voices airs on Saturday June 27th at 13.30 and 20.30 and on Sunday June 28th at 19.00.
Tsvangirai talks about his childhood in a small village and eight brothers and sisters, and what inspired his political consciousness. He describes the hard work in the mine and with the trade unions, to the romance of love at first sight when he met his wife, Susan. Read more
Defunct educational system
Three kindergarten kids
With pocket money
More than the teacher’s three month salary
Tease their sleeping teacher.
“Come on teacher,
Teach us some grammar and arithmetic
And we will give you
Bits of pocket our money
Then maybe you won’t always
Be so miserable.”
The teacher purrs softly
Unoffended by their noisy teasing
And when they persist
He raises his head and says
“Go teach your fathers
To change the government.”
By Lawrence Hoba
Spare a thought for Iran
As Zimbabweans we are all too familiar with the feeling having voted and then being left wondering, after seeing the results, if they are from the same election we just voted in or from some Sci-Fi flick made in a hellish combination of Hollywood, Bollywood, Nollywood, Zollywood and the Zimbabwean Registrar General’s Office. The people of Iran are going through a similar situation right now. Let us remember them.
While the Iranian Government has banned foreign news agencies from reporting on the current crisis, young tech-savvy Iranians have been getting the word out through pictures, videos, blogposts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and numerous other blogs.
See also: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwUMmMgIaeI&NR=1
You can also keep up to date with developments in Iran through the following up to the minute sources:
On The Zimbo Jam- Harare's Top Divas in Explosive Women's Day CollaborationA stunning lineup of some of Zimbabwe’s most beautiful voices come together this weekend for a scintillating display of divas uniting for a purpose - to celebrate and salute women of the world as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations that are taking place around the world this week.
- Culture Week 2010 Dates AnnouncedThe National Arts Council of Zimbabwe has released the dates for the celebration of Culture Week this year. The theme is Zimbabwe’s Cultural Diversity at 30 and events will look at how well we have preserved and embraced different cultures around the country.
- Music by Prudence, Zimbabwe's Oscar Fairy TaleWhen disabled Bulawayo girl Prudence Mabhena started singing all she wanted to do was just that- sing. When American filmmaker Roger Ross Williams heard about her and her band all he wanted to do was to make a film about them and share their story of courage with the world. None of them ever imagined that they both would attend the 82nd edition of the Oscars to receive a golden statue for the 32 minute documentary.
- Harare's Top Divas in Explosive Women's Day Collaboration