LATEST NEWS FROM ZIMBABWE
Zim loses US$124m Border Timbers appeal case
The UK Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by the Zimbabwe government to set aside the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) award in the Border Timbers expropriation case claiming the government was immune from the Court’s adjudicative jurisdiction. Both justices found that sovereign immunity was displaced. The UK courts in January dismissed Zimbabwe’s application to set aside the order of October 2021. By an ICSID award dated 28 July 2015, Zimbabwe was ordered to pay the Claimants US$124 million plus interest, and a further US$1 million in moral damages and costs.
Cathy Buckle’s latest newsletter: Of comets, five dollar notes and tea bags
As always, in a country in crisis, there was much to think about as I sat waiting and watching [for Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (also known as Comet 2023 A3) to be visible in the night sky] and as usual my thoughts were about our economic absurdity. Out shopping earlier in the week I had handed over a five US dollar note, the exact price of the teabags I wanted to buy. The teller refused to accept my money saying it had a one-millimetre tear on the top right of the bank note and that I should change it at the bank. First you have to have an account at that bank. Second the bank charges a 10% fee to change a bank note….
Business community urges government to abandon failing ZiG Currency
Business leaders have urged the Zimbabwean government to ditch the local currency the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) from the basket of currencies as it is increasingly losing its value, reports Business Times. They argue that this devaluation is hurting businesses and threatening the viability of local companies. The value of ZiG plummeted in September this year, from ZWG13:US$1 dropping to ZWG27.44 to the US dollar on Thursday, 24 October. On the parallel market, ZiG is currently trading between ZWG40 and ZWG50 to the US dollar.
For better or worse, the Commonwealth and Zimbabwe’s fates align
The Commonwealth’s biennial summit – the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting – in Samoa (21-26 October) is a pivotal moment for Africa, notes the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa, pointing out that “defending the Commonwealth Charter’s values of democracy, human rights, the rule of law and good governance should be fundamental to member states’ success.” However, with respect to Zimbabwe’s possible readmission, The Times (UK) comments that “The club of 2.5 billion citizens is at a crossroads “and asks “Should it readmit a country that has rigged elections and persecuted opponents?
The sanctions lie: How Zimbabwe’s ruling elite is misleading the nation
As Zimbabwe moves towards the so-called "SADC Anti-Sanctions Day" on the 25th of October, the need arises again to unpack the shameful lies spread by the ruling establishment about these measures. There are no sanctions barring [the U.S.] from doing business with Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans. The only financial restrictions are on a few individuals and entities named under the US Global Magnitsky Act of 2016, namely President Emmerson Mnangagwa, his wife Auxillia, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, politician Owen Ncube, businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei, and six others. These have a very minimal direct impact on the economy.
The real story behind Britain’s withdrawal from Zimbabwe’s land reform: Exposing corruption and mismanagement
The real reasons for Britain’s decision to withdraw from funding Zimbabwe’s land reform lie not in an arbitrary betrayal but in serious concerns over corruption, mismanagement, and human rights abuses within Zimbabwe’s government,” writes Zimbabwean commentator Tendai Ruben Mbofana. “These issues are rarely, if ever, acknowledged by the Zimbabwean leadership when explaining the breakdown of the land reform process.” This article aims to demystify the propaganda surrounding the UK’s withdrawal from land reform funding and highlight the corruption that characterized the program during the time Britain was involved.
Zimbabwe’s moral conscience has gone
In Cathy Buckle’s latest newsletter from Zimbabwe she writes: “I can’t stop thinking about the most unbelievable news that has shaken Zimbabwe in the last week. Twenty-four and a half years after the Zanu PF government sanctioned the violent seizure of privately owned commercial farms, they have just announced that the people who got free farms as a result of the land seizures, would now be allowed to sell those farms to other black Zimbabweans who did not receive farms for free. How bizarre, talk about how to make money in Zimbabwe….” Terrorised and threatened with death, Cathy was forced to leave her farm.
Remembering Dr Jackie Stone – 1965-2024
Zimbabweans were shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the untimely death of Dr Jackie Stone on 3rd October 2024. Dr Stone devoted her life and career to patients. She will be remembered as a dedicated doctor facing the intense pressures of censorship because of saving lives during Covid. Her use of Ivermectin for prophylaxis and the treatment of Covid-19 resulted in a 10-fold reduction in mortality. Despite her achievements and the fact that Ivermectin had been used very successfully for a long time and was proven to be safe, she was disciplined by the Zimbabwean Medical Board and stripped of her licence to practice.
Finance minister Mthuli Ncube, the law, and unchecked budget indiscipline
In each successive year since 2015, the government has exceeded its approved expenditure without seeking approval from Parliament as is required by the Constitution. The levels of unauthorised expenditure that have been declared so far in the abandoned Financial Adjustment Bills calling for condonation to 2022 are US$13.8 billion over the eight years that Parliament has not been fully apprised of and approved. The 2023 final figures aren’t available yet, but the trend of over-expenditure is likely to continue. The Minister had 60 days from the date that he knew he had gone over budget to approach Parliament for forgiveness.
Cathy Buckle’s latest newsletter: The Time Before the Rain
“In the blistering September heat in the midst of a devastating drought in Zimbabwe, I thought it was going to be hard to find the beauty in our country on a recent visit to the wild, but it just needed a bit more patience and a closer look,” writes Cathy Buckle in her latest newsletter from Zimbabwe. “Suddenly three towering giraffes appear from nowhere, their camouflage hiding them until the last minute and then they are gone again, slipping away between stunted, blackened, droughted trees. Again and again, we cross huge river beds which are dry, vast, sandy stretches littered with big balls of fibrous, brown elephant droppings.
Zimbabwe’s Water Crisis: Boreholes will cause more harm than good
“Just how sustainable is the drilling of boreholes all over the country as a way of resolving our country's water shortages?” asks Zimbabwean commentator Tendai Ruben Mbofana in one of his latest opinion pieces. He points out that, “As we grapple with the effects of climate change, outdated infrastructure, and unsustainable practices, it is clear that our reliance on borehole drilling alone is no longer tenable…. Over-extraction has led to groundwater depletion, land subsidence, and water quality degradation.” Given that the government has no solutions, “it is time Zimbabwe privatized its water management system.”
Centre for Natural Resources Governance – elephant cull statement
The Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) has learned with shock and deep concern a decision made by the Zimbabwean government to slaughter 200 elephants ostensibly to feed hungry citizens and reduce the elephant population, said to be way over the country’s carrying capacity. We argue that the decision is unsustainable and does very little to address the drought effects or the conservation cause. The move has the potential to open floodgates for poaching, especially bearing in mind that the poisoning of elephants and smuggling of ivory has been a continuous challenge over the years.
Do the Chinese come to Zimbabwe to invest or to pillage our resources?
President Mnangagwa has returned from China, where he attended the Forum for China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). In a statement, he said: “This is the best time to invest in Zimbabwe.” However, commentator Tendai Ruben Mbofana questions the value of China’s investments given that their mining operations have resulted in displacement and appalling hardship to local communities, massive pollution of the environment which is causing cancer, cholera, typhoid, dental and skeletal fluorosis, as well as killing livestock, while the wealth generated flows into the coffers of foreign entities, notably China.
Newsletter from Cathy Buckle: “Come with me to the hand pump”
Come along with me to the borehole on the side of the road in urban Zimbabwe, a new part of my everyday life. Up soon after 03:30am I am getting ready to go to the nearest ‘hand pump’ long before dawn. Water hasn’t come out of my taps for many weeks and so I have to go and get it at the ‘hand pump’ on the roadside…. As I get my breath back, I think of the YouTube video of Zimbabwe’s grandiose new parliament and its long rectangular pool near the entrance to the building. Fountains and water overflowing down a wide stone stairway. The extravagance of it all [a gift from China costingUS$200 million] is an absurd.
White farmers reject ‘bad deal’
Representatives of white commercial farmers whose land was expropriated by the government have rejected a Treasury Bonds (TBs) deal offered by the government as compensation in which the TBs mature over a period of 10 years. The Global Compensation Deed (GCD) of July 2020 stipulated that half of the settlement (US$3,5bn for improvements only, not for the land), would be paid within a year, with the remaining half distributed over five years. Liam Philp, president of the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU), said that the new deal proposed by the government falls short of the initial agreement.
Mnangagwa, Zimbabwe, not fit to lead SADC
Writing for The Namibian newspaper in Windhoek, the former seat of the SADC Tribunal Court of Justice, which was closed down at the instigation of Zimbabwe’s then president Robert Mugabe in 2012, social political commentator Vitalio Angula warns that “having [Zimbabwean president Emmerson] Mnangagwa as the [incoming] chair is an affront to the values of human rights and democracy that SADC nations believe in…. For heads of state of the 16-member regional bloc to agree to be led by a tyrant is an affront to the principles SADC leaders swore to uphold when they signed the treaty that created the regional bloc.
Exposing Mnangagwa Sadc façade
In this hard-hitting letter to the Southern African Development Community heads of state ahead of the SADC Summit in Zimbabwe mid August, Zimbabwean political scientist Luke Tamborinyoka exposes the façade of a successful country created by President Mnangagwa as a ruse to impress them while, hidden from their view, ordinary citizens scrounge to eke out a living. He also summarises the arrests, torture and other gross human rights abuses taking place ahead of the Summit to quell any potential activism. He reminds them of the stolen 2023 elections, about which the SADC leaders continue to remain silent.
44th SADC Summit: SA’s Mmusi Maimane condemns human rights abuse in Zimbabwe
Mmusi Maimane, the leader of opposition party Build One South Africa (BOSA), has decried the failure of South Africa’s African National Congress party (ANC) to condemn the human rights abuses and brutal crackdown in Zimbabwe by its long-time ally, the ruling ZANU-PF party, headed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa. This is ahead of the upcoming 44th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit set to be held in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, on Saturday 17 August. Maimane stresses that: “We must play no part in enabling evil and make no mistake the Mnangagwa regime is evil. They lie, kill and destroy.”
ZLHR advocates for suing perpetrators of human rights violations
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) is calling on victims of human rights violations to sue perpetrators directly, particularly those in the uniformed forces. They argue that legal accountability will force violators to face the financial consequences of their actions. “When such awards have been secured, applications for garnishee orders have been granted by the courts. The monetary award is deducted monthly from the salary of the police officer,” Hanzi explained. “Ministers should also be hit in the pocket,” Hanzi said, emphasising that accountability should extend beyond lower-ranking officials.
STATEMENT: ALARMING ESCALATION OF STATE REPRESSION IN ZIMBABWE AHEAD OF 44TH SADC SUMMIT
Human rights and civil society organisations across the African continent are deeply concerned about the severe restriction of civic space and the systematic erosion of fundamental freedoms in Zimbabwe. The recent escalation in state-sponsored repression, characterised by abductions, arbitrary arrests and unjust denial of bail, torture, and harassment of human rights activists and opposition political members, represents a profoundly disturbing trend. This repressive environment is particularly concerning ahead of the 44th session of the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government scheduled for 17 August 2024.
Elections, Civic Space and Political Violence in SADC: Trends from 2013 to 2023
In the past decade, the SADC electoral environment has been tumultuous. In all the member states, the civic space has been shrinking, and populism took over. The South Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) reports on this shrinking of civic space, whilst CIVICUS in its 2024 report points to this development as an existential threat to independent civil society, “under attack amid deepening and intensifying conflict.” In the SADC region, political violence, particularly against female political actors has spiked over the decade. This report has been produced by the Research & Advocacy Unit (RAU) in Zimbabwe.
Newsletter from Cathy Buckle: For the love of an elephant
A young bull elephant with a very swollen lower leg was standing in the hot, dry bush. From photos taken, it looked like there were two snares – set relentlessly by poachers - on one of its lower legs. The veterinary team headed by Blake Muil of the Rukuru Conservation Unit, was summoned urgently. They got to work immediately, tracking and darting the elephant, then extracting the twisted wires, cleaning and sterilizing the wounds, injecting antibiotics and then administering the reversal drug. After a few anxious minutes, the elephant slowly rocked itself and managed to sit up …..
Students’ union says 40 beaten, arrested while attending general council meeting
Members of Zimbabwe National Students’ Union (ZINASU) were holding their general council when riot police officers disrupted the gathering. During the raid, more than 60 students were reportedly beaten before being taken into police custody. Numerous students suffered severe injuries and cracked bones. These actions have sparked outrage from the opposition supporters who accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration of cracking down on dissenting voices. ZINASU spokesperson Tatenda Kutsirayi said the arrest of the ZINASU members points to the shrinking of the democratic space in the country.
The Zimbabwean government’s struggle to whitewash its image while unleashing violence on civilians
Despite the Mnangagwa government’s efforts to beautify Harare and impress SADC heads of state due to attend the SADC Summit in mid August, its latest human rights abuses have severely damaged its reputation, bringing the international spotlight back on Zimbabwe. In the latest incident, four individuals headed to Victoria Falls for the 5th African Philanthropy Conference were ordered off the plane and held incommunicado for more than eight hours. When they were finally released, they told of unimaginable and shocking torture: waterboarding, beatings with iron bars, psychological torment and threats.
CCC’s Job Sikhala acquitted of publishing falsehoods, inciting public violence charges
The High Court has finally exonerated lawyer and former Citizens Coalition for Change legislator Hon. Job Sikhala who was arrested by the police in January 2021 for allegedly communicating falsehoods on social media. Sikhala, who suffers from various chronic health issues, was kept in pre-trial detention for more than 595 days. It was alleged that he incited the public to revolt against the death of opposition activist Moreblessing Ali who was murdered in cold blood by a Zanu PF supporter. The State also accused him of publishing falsehoods after posting that a police officer struck a baby dead with a baton.
SADC should respond to intensified crackdown on opponents
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) should speak out against the Zimbabwean authorities’ intensified crackdown on the opposition and civil society organizations ahead of its summit in Harare, Human Rights Watch says. For example, on June 16, the Zimbabwe Republic Police raided a private home in a suburb of Harare, the capital, and arrested over 70 people, most of them young, in what can be considered an attack on the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of association. [More than 20 activists sustained serious injuries after being beaten, with at least five suffering from fractured hands​.]
Zimbabwe’s total debt soars to US$20,5 billion as govt resorts to local borrowing
Total debt has soared to US$20,5 billion with government resorting to local borrowing in a development likely to see the debt situation worsening. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said in the Mid Term Budget Review Statement in Parliament on 25 July that external debt made up US$12 billion and domestic debt US$8,47 billion. The previous week, the recently appointed U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, Pamela Tremont also shot down government’s participation in a process to resolve its official debt and clear its arrears with international creditors, including the African Development Bank. without implementation of reforms.
UNICEF calls for urgent funding to scale-up programmes for children
In Zimbabwe, 580,000 young children are living in severe food poverty, a number that is likely to rise with the current El Nino-induced drought. UNICEF is working with the Government and national partners to protect diet diversity and child feeding practices and to avert a rise in child wasting, by expanding and strengthening the national multi-system community-based model for the prevention of all forms of malnutrition, with Care Groups as the delivery platform. Care Groups, comprised and led by mothers, deliver a holistic package of counseling and support including for health, nutrition and child development.
Newsletter from Cathy Buckle in Zimbabwe: Prisoners and the full moon
In three weeks time the annual SADC Summit is taking place in Harare and our government is on a massive spending spree to paper over the visible, palpable crisis in our country. Media reports say the government has spent over US$200 million in preparations for the Summit which takes place on the 17th and 18th of August. It is tragically ironic that our government has spent 200 million dollars on just preparing for a two-day Summit at a time when more than half of our population is going to bed hungry and lining up for international food aid. Will SADC leaders see through this window dressing?
Zimbabwe has splurged over US$200 million on preparations to host the SADC Summit
Zimbabwe has so far spent more than US$200 million on preparations to host the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit in mid August. It includes extensive road revamps across Harare and a palm tree lined 8-lane boulevard from Bindura Road to the New Parliament Building built by the Chinese at Mount Hampden. A team of 500 experts from Switzerland has been flown in to finalise the construction of 18 state-of-the-art villas in Mt Hampden in time for the event. This is despite the fact that the government has extended a begging bowl forUS$3 billion and avert hunger after an El Nino-induced drought.
Zimbabwe army chief Lieutenant General Anselem Sanyatwe threatens forced voting
The Commander of the Zimbabwe National Army, Lieutenant General Anselem Sanyatwe, told a largely Zanu PF crowd on Saturday 29 June 2024 that the country would have "command voting". He was speaking in the Nyanga North constituency. While "speaking as the army commander", Sanyatwe said that people would be marched to voting stations to cast ballots "whether you like it or not." Zimbabwe is due for a next general election in 2028. However, there's a push by one section of Zanu-PF to have elections in 2030, giving President Emmerson Mnangagwa an extra two years in office.
PETITION: Demand For Justice and Immediate Release of Detained CCC members – Zimbabwe
Please sign this petition on Change.org regarding the unlawful detention of 79 members of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party in Zimbabwe. These individuals, including minors and women who were brutalised by the police, are currently held at remand prison and Chikurubi Female Prison. Their only “crime” was gathering peacefully at Senator Timba’s private residence. The activists were repeatedly beaten with baton sticks and open hands. Many of them arrived at court barely able to walk, with visibly swollen feet and other signs of physical trauma​. To sign, please click HERE and pass it on to others.
Visible scars of torture – newsletter from Cathy Buckle in Zimbabwe
Utterly heartbreaking scenes were shown in a short video clip during June of former Senator and Cabinet Minister, Jameson Timba, and 77 youngsters disembarking from a police bus which was taking them to the Harare Magistrate’s Court. It was almost too painful to watch as they hobbled, limped and staggered towards the Court watched by police in riot gear, wearing helmets and holding rubber truncheons. Many of those arrested were young women. One young woman had her leg bandaged and wrapped in blue plastic from her knee to her toes; she had been beaten so badly by police that her leg was broken.
After the Bell: Solar panels to adorn Lake Kariba — a potential game-changer with pros and cons
Zimbabwe has announced that it plans to install floating solar panels (FPVs) early next year on Lake Kariba in a bid to address chronic power shortages stemming from falling dam levels. According to news reports, the aim is to have 150MW installed on Kariba’s surface in early 2025. FPVs are reported to be more efficient than land-based systems. This is because water has a cooling effect on the panels, which boosts the performance of photovoltaic cells, leading to increased power generation. See summary here. But floating solar can also have negative consequences, and with Kariba specifically, there are red flags.
Prisons force inmates to buy uniforms
Prisoners on remand in Zimbabwe have been ordered to acquire their own uniforms, while relatives are having to bring them blankets during the harsh winter months, underlining government’s dire financial straits. Prisoners who cannot afford the price of prison garb are forced to wear tattered and worn-out clothing. Some wear hand-me-downs from fellow inmates or relatives, while others are left to suffer the cold and indignity of threadbare clothes. The quality of prison meals has deteriorated drastically, with inmates being served meagre, poor quality and poorly cooked rations that are difficult to digest.
Zimbabwe: 24,000 inmates in jail – ZimStat
More than 24 000 people aged between 15 and 60 were in jail countrywide during the first quarter of 2024, Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) has reported, with almost a quarter being remanded in custody awaiting bail or finalisation of trial, and the rest serving set terms. The 46 prisons, which reportedly have the capacity to hold only 17,000 inmates, are now severely overcrowded. On 4 August 2023, Al Jazeera reported that former inmates said the conditions were inhumane as jails were infested with lice, meals were only fit for pigs, and the toilets – often infrequently emptied buckets – were a disgrace.
With 9 million now facing hunger, Zim increases appeal for aid to US$3.3 billion
Zimbabwe launched an appeal on 27 May for a staggering US$3.3 billion to feed an estimated 9 million people who require food aid until March 2025 out of a population of 16 million. Initially, the figure of food insecure people stood at 7.7 million in both urban and rural areas and aid was estimated at US$2.2 billion but government says the numbers have increased. More than 1.4 million cattle risk facing deteriorating body conditions or starving due to lack of food, pasture and water. A joint US$429.3 million flash appeal was also announced by the government with the United Nations to cater for close to 3.1 million people.
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China serves as important tobacco market for Zimbabwe: official
China remains an important destination for Zimbabwean tobacco, accounting for more than 60 percent of the country's leaf exports worldwide. Tobacco is an important economic activity for the smallholder sector. [However, Associated Press reported in June 2023 that although Zimbabwe has reestablished itself as one of the leading growers in the world, the small-scale Black farmers now selling their crop mostly to China are “heavily indebted” and seeing “minimal” benefits, according to an association that represents their interests. Critics say the contract system locks them into unfavorable loans and prices.]
U.N. Instrument can protect small-scale farmers from eviction
The Zimbabwe Smallholder and Organic Farmers’ Forum (Zimsoff) has urged farmers to use the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants (UNDROP), adopted in 2018, to push back against ongoing injustices that include displacement from ancestral land and discrimination. Small-scale farmers across the country are facing displacement to pave way for national projects, with no clear plan on compensation. For example, since 2021, more than 100 families from Manhize’s Mushenjere Village in the Mvuma district have lost their land to Chinese subsidiary Dison Iron and Steel Company (Disco)’s operations.
Orange eyes at night and the ZiG currency chaos
As darkness falls over the wilderness the noises of the day gradually slip away…. How much we need this distraction of the wild for a brief moment in time as we try and make sense of events in Zimbabwe. At the moment our story here is still all about the ZiG, our new but largely elusive currency because of the very limited number of bank notes that have been released … But it’s not just the lack of bank notes that’scausing a crisis, it’s also the ZiG denominations. For millions of Zimbabweans who rely on public transport, the ZiG has caused a massive crisis. Commuting costs …have effectively doubled in a fortnight.
Crisis as half of Zim needs food aid
Agriculture minister Anxious Masuka has admitted that close to 8 million people (half the population), will need food aid and has revised the government’s appeal from US$2 billion last month to US$3 billion. This excludes a further 4.5 million who will require school meals. The government recently admitted that the El Niño-induced drought caught it offguard, despite projections last year of imminent disaster. Government officials spend the first quarter of this year claiming that the country has enough grain, despite revelations by the Grain Marketing Board that available stocks would not go beyond June.
Worst Drought in Four Decades.
Maize output in Zimbabwe will drop by 72 percent this year as the country experiences its worst El Niño-triggered drought in four decades, according to the government’s latest crop assessment. It also reports a 77 percent decrease in overall food crop production, compared to last year. "Statistically, the season had the latest and driest start to a summer season in 40 years," the government said in its Second Round of Crops, Livestock and Fisheries Assessment report. Zimbabwe consumes 2.2 million tons of maize annually, with 1.8 million tons used for food and 400 000 tons used for livestock feed.
Thoughts on my “Long Ride for Justice”.
This is a tale of four horses. Or rather, to be more exact, three horses and one mule. And it's also a tale of a long journey, both across Africa and also through time on a farm in Zimbabwe ̶ and in the aftermath of being on that farm.
The first horse that I rode was called Tsedeq. And the farm from which we rode together was called Mount Carmel Farm and it had been taken over. This farm was where I had built my house, where our children had grown up, and where my parents-in-law, Mike and Angela Campbell, had brought up their children. And suddenly we had the land invasions taking place, and we were no longer able to stay on the farm and all the animals had been killed, and all the crops stolen …. and all the 40,000 fruit trees had died through fire or neglect.
Harnessing Sub-Saharan Africa’s critical mineral wealth
With growing demand, proceeds from critical minerals are poised to rise significantly over the next two decades. Sub-Saharan Africa stands to reap over 10 percent of cumulated revenues from the extraction of just four key minerals—copper, nickel, cobalt, and lithium, which could correspond to an increase in the region’s GDP by 12 percent or more by 2050. Given the volatile nature of commodity prices and the unpredictability over the future direction of technological innovation, these estimates have a high degree of uncertainty—but the general direction is certainly encouraging.
Gold smuggling will sabotage new ZiG currency (please use attached pic)
The launch of the new Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency has raised concerns that the current rampant illicit gold trading, as reported by Al Jazeera’s Gold Mafia documentary, will militate against the accumulation of gold reserves. Zimbabwe has been losing an estimated US$100 million in monthly gold leakages. The Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd) has predicted that the expected increase in import bill is likely to render the ZiG worthless. “The ZiG concept will require frequent auditing of physical gold and United States dollar cash reserves backing the currency by reputable and independent audit institutions.”
Matabeleland concerned over army recruitment
President Mnangagwa has declared that Zimbabwe is at peace, but the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) has been recruiting soldiers in various parts of Matabeleland, including at high schools. In Mangwe, for example, the ZNA recruitment was conducted at St Francis High School, while in Matobo it took place at Shashane High School…. The army held similar exercises … in Lupane at Mabhikwa High School … and at Hlabangeza High School in Nkayi district. Political analyst Effie Ncube said government should prioritise education, health, roads, job creation, water and sanitation and food security.
Zim seeks US$2bn bridge finance for arrears
Zimbabwe is looking for US$2 billion bridge financing to clear its to the World Bank and African Development Bank (AfDB) arrears, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube has said as Harare seeks to normalise relations with international financial institutions. The government owes about US$1,5 billion and US$680 million to the World Bank and AfDB, respectively, which are locking the flow of cheap financing from the two institutions. Ncube said Zimbabwe needed two or more sponsors to be able to facilitate the loan. “A sponsor provides a bridging loan literally for 24 hours, and we need about US$2 billion…”
Mnangagwa govt lies about sanctions worsened Zimbabweans’ suffering!
“So Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube is begging the US government to inform banks that sanctions on Zimbabwe had been lifted….,” writes commentator Tendai Ruben Mbofana. “Are international banks barred under the US sanctions law, ZIDERA (Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act) from doing business with us? The answer is quite simple. It is a big NO. International banking institutions are free to process financial transactions with most Zimbabweans. Both Mugabe and Mnangagwa elected to exploit every opportunity on the global stage to peddle the shameful falsehood that the country was under economic sanctions.
CHINA has written off “substantial” interest free loans borrowed
China has written off “substantial” interest free loans borrowed by Zimbabwe during President Robert Mugabe’s final years in power, giving relief to a country that the IMF says is in ‘debt distress’. With Zimbabwe’s external debt standing at about US$14 billion, finance minister Mthuli Ncube told Parliament on 24 August 2022 that Zimbabwe had borrowed US$2,7 billion from China since Independence in 1980. He also disclosed that Zimbabwe had collateralised 26 million ounces of platinum in exchange for a US$200 million loan to finance the agriculture mechanisation programme in 2006.
Zimbabwe’s gold reserves allegedly stolen under Mugabe’s administration
In a startling revelation, Chris Mutsvangwa, Zanu PF spokesperson, on 15 April said Zimbabwe’s gold reserves were illicitly removed from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe during the tenure of late President Mugabe. Mutsvangwa, who played a key role in the de facto coup in 2017, said that an agreement was proposed with contacts in the Arab world wherein US dollars would be exchanged for Zimbabwe’s gold reserves. “The story gets murky after that….The gold reserves are gone, the US dollars don’t come,” Mutsvangwa lamented. However, Mnangagwa said that Zimbabwe has solid gold in offshore vaults.
Corruption-prone Mnangagwa caught up in yet another venality case
Barely before Al Jazeera’s 2023 astounding Gold Mafia exposé has subsided, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s association with dodgy characters is scaling new heights, with controversial tenderpreneur Wicknell Chivayo — a convicted criminal — linking him to underhand deals. In leaked audios that have left Zimbabweans bewildered, Chivayo made disclosures linking Mnangagwa to his deals amid the scandalous US$40 million Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) deal to supply election materials. In one of the audios, Chivayo reveals that he has Mnangagwa in his pockets and that Mnangagwa calls him “my son”.
Finance Minister drags feet on appointing independent auditors to check gold reserves backing ZiG
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube has dragged his feet in clarifying whether there are any independent auditors appointed to verify the reserves backing the just introduced ZiG [Zimbabwe Gold] currency.
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The nation’s sixth currency [since independence in 1980] was introduced on April 5, 2024 with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe claiming that it was backed by 2,5 tons of gold and US$100 million cash. The ZiG has advanced 1.6% on the official market but like its predecessor, it continues to face headwinds on the parallel market/black market where it has so far waned by 20% since inception.
SAPES Trust webinar: “Crisis in opposition parties”
Following the resignation of CCC leader Nelson Chamisa, the SAPES Trust has organised a crucial webinar titled: "The Crisis in Opposition Political Parties". Time: Thursday 1 February from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm Harare/Pretoria, or 3:30 pm UK time. The panel is still being finalised. The Trust’s director, Dr Ibbo Mandaza, has been calling for a paradigm shift to achieve reform in Zimbabwe and has previously proposed a national dialogue process and after the contentious 2023 elections, the creation of a transitional authority.
Ben Freeth approaches the SADC Tribunal in his quest for justice for Zim farmers
After an epic journey of around 2,000km on horseback and walking from central Zimbabwe to Windhoek in Namibia, Ben Freeth is joined by supporters to walk the last few kilometers to the SADC Tribunal building in central Windhoek. The joint initiative to call for the reinstatement of the SADC court of justice is spearheaded by Dr Theo de Jager of the Southern African Agri Initiative, Barend Uys of AfriForum, Mqondisi Moyo, President of the Mthwakazi Republic Party in Zimbabwe’s Matabeleland province and Kgosi Mogakolodi Masibi, Kgosi of the Batlharo Boo Tokwana Ba Ga Masibi Cultural Community in South Africa.
Zim farmer on horseback rides to Windhoek
When Ben Freeth headed west on horseback from the derelict Mount Carmel farm near Chegutu in Zimbabwe on 28 November, he had to lay low. For about 800km, Freeth avoided roads and stuck to the bush, following game paths where he could, while scouting the drought-stricken land for water and grazing for his horse, Tsedeq. It was only after he crossed the border into Namibia’s Caprivi Strip/Zambezi Region at the Kazungula border post that he could relax, stop fearing attack from forces despatched by the Zimbabwean government, and publicise the reason for his slow journey to Windhoek …
“Long Ride for Justice” – Ben Freeth’s latest press update from Namibia
Momentum is building rapidly for a new initiative to call for the reopening of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s regional court of justice, the SADC Tribunal, as Ben Freeth, a rights activist from Zimbabwe’s Chegutu farming district, continues his challenging, long ride and walk – initially across western Zimbabwe and now through Namibia to Windhoek - on an equally resolute farm horse called Johnny Depp. Ben is now less than 200km from Windhoek where the support he’s received from communities along the way has been exceptional. Sighting en route include a solitary leopard……
El Niño scorches southern Africa with driest February on record
A swathe of southern Africa suffered the driest February in decades that wiped out crops, precipitated power shortages and threatened to send already high food prices surging further. Last month, large parts of Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe had the least rainfall — or close to it — since records began in 1981. In Zimbabwe, some farmers have given up trying to grow and harvest their crops, allowing cattle to graze on what’s left. Water flows in the Zambezi River, which powers turbines that both nations rely on for electricity via Kariba Dam, are less than a quarter of what they were a year ago.
"Long Ride for Justice” - Namibians support Ben Freeth
Ben Freeth from Mike Campbell’s Mount Carmel farm in Zimbabwe, which was taken over violently by the Mugabe regime, is currently on a “Long Ride for Justice”, walking and riding from Ngoma Bridge Border Post at the eastern end of Namibia’s Caprivi Strip, to raise awareness of the need to reinstate the SADC Tribunal regional court of justice. "I am so grateful for the warmth and kindness of Namibians I have encountered so far - both in the communal and commercial areas. Thank you very much! My biggest need is to be able to give Stardust enough water." – Ben Freeth, Zimbabwean farmer
"Long Ride for Justice” - Ben Freeth letter to Namibian Farmers
My name is Ben Freeth from a farm called Mt Carmel Farm in Zimbabwe. You may see me with a horse walking along the road.
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I have ridden and led a horse unsupported from the farm through Zimbabwe for 800 km. Here on the Namibian side I have ridden and led a mule for approximately 400 km - with the amazing back-up of Dr Telané Greyling.
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The mule is now back in Windhoek due to his intense dislike of being alone on the trail without a fellow equine. Megan from Grootfontein has come to the rescue with a wonderful horse called Stardust.
“LONG RIDE FOR JUSTICE” NEWSLETTER:
Join us on an incredible journey for justice which our executive director, Ben Freeth, has embarked on to raise the profile of the need to reinstate the regional court of justice, the SADC Tribunal, which was based in Windhoek, Namibia. To document Ben’s initiative, and keep you updated on his progress through a vast section of Namibia (having completed the Zimbabwean leg), we’d like to introduce our blog, "Long Ride for Justice”. Through it, you'll get exclusive insights, stories and updates directly from Ben as he rides and walks through remote landscapes, encounters remarkable individuals, and advocates for justice.
“LONG RIDE FOR JUSTICE” PRESS RELEASE:
Even for a life-long adventurer like Zimbabwe’s Ben Freeth (54), an 800km/500 mile journey west across Zimbabwe with his remarkable horse, then west along part of Namibia’s sparsely populated Caprivi Strip with a mule, and south to the Namibian capital, Windhoek is no mean feat! Ben is executive director of the Mike Campbell Foundation and his objective is to raise awareness of the closure of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s regional court of justice, the SADC Tribunal, which was located in Windhoek, and to campaign for its reinstatement.
ZANU PF kept Sikhala in prison for fear of losing 2023 elections
Job Sikhala, the former Zengeza West Member of Parliament for the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party, has claimed that ZANU PF abused State institutions to keep him in prison during the August 2023 general election to block him from participating in the polls. In an interview with Alpha Media Holdings chairman, Trevor Ncube, on the platform “In Conversation with Trevor”, Sikhala said ZANU PF was afraid he would cause “pandemonium” in the event of a rigged electoral outcome. After resigning from the CCC, Sikhala announced his intention to form a new political movement. He was in jail for a total of 595 days.
ZLHR Statement on world day of social justice
On World Day of Social Justice (20 February 2024), Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) issued a statement warning the government that forced evictions and the displacement of people are a gross violation of human rights, notably the right to shelter and freedom from arbitrary eviction, as enshrined in the Constitution. ZLHR also called on the government to stop the ongoing demolitions, evictions and displacement of people and to stop “the unquenchable penchant to perpetuate injustice in Zimbabwe”. ZLHR also said the government should alleviate poverty inequality and provide social safety nets.
Mass evictions and demolitions
Two decades after a disastrous attempt in Zimbabwe at “land reform”, which drove out more than 4,00O white commercial farmers, the government is fighting illegal settlers on “state land” handed out by traditional leaders, land barons and corrupt government officials. Mass evictions and demolitions have occurred. Almost 4 000 people have been arrested for illegal settlements on state and council land as well as former farms. The government has reacted by destroying houses and other structures erected on the illegally-acquired land. ZimRights warns that the evictions "are causing a wholesale violation of human rights".
High Court (UK) upholds Border Timbers ICSID award
The High Court in London has rejected the Zimbabwe government's attempt to evade paying a US$125 million arbitral award for grabbing land belonging to Border Timbers Ltd and Hangani Development (the von Pezold case). The two companies were awarded US$124m plus interest and a further US$1m in "moral damages and costs" in 2015 by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The German and Swiss owners should have been protected by Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (BIPPAs) signed by the Zimbabwe government with Germany and Switzerland.
Advocate Fadzayi Mahere resigns from CCC party
Advocate Fadzayi Mahere of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party, has resigned as MP for Mount Pleasant (Harare), in support of former leader Nelson Chamisa who on 22 January said he was dumping the “contaminated” CCC. Announcing her resignation and thanking her constituents, Mahere wrote: “Despite numerous odds, we fought hard to push back against unjust, anti-people pronouncements like the 2024 Budget, the fees crisis in higher education, the power crisis, the broken economy and the imposition of candidates following a series of fraudulent recalls. She said this was the beginning of a different journey.
Nelson Chamisa quits opposition CCC party
Zimbabwe’s opposition party leader, Advocate Nelson Chamisa, has been forced to quit the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) movement that he started last on 22 January 2022 after “an imposter”, Sengezo Tshabangu, managed to recall its legislators and local government. Chamisa said the CCC had been hijacked by proxies of President Mnangagwa’s ruling Zanu-PF party. Chamisa, who rose to prominence as a student leader and later as an activist in the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) led by Zimbabwe’s late former prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai, said he was not abandoning politics.