Links ~ 8 – 9 August 2008

Mbeki heads to Zimbabwe for talks (BBC)
South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki is due in Harare for talks with his Zimbabwean counterpart Robert Mugabe and the opposition Morgan Tsvangirai. Despite a news blackout imposed on the discussions, reports suggest a power-sharing deal may be close.

Army says it is rebuilding destroyed homes (The Zimbabwe Times)
The Zimbabwe National Army says it has embarked on an ambitious programme to rebuild rural homes that were destroyed by elements of the army, working hand-in-hand with Zanu-PF militants in a bid to shore up support for President Robert Mugabe in the run-up to the June 27 presidential election re-run. A pilot project has reportedly been launched in the Gokwe District of the Midlands before the programme spreads to other provinces where families suffered the consequences of state-sponsored retribution after they voted for the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) on March 29.

Defence ministry permanent secretary, Trust Maposa, said it was time to bury the hatchet. “Its time to concentrate on nation building,” Maposa said on State television. “We should stop killing each other, or burning other people’s homes. We need to live together as brothers and sisters. It’s time to rebuild our country.”

Crisis offices raided & activists deported despite “progress” in talks (SWRA)
Despite reports of progress at the talks, police in Harare raided the offices of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition on Thursday, under the pretence of investigating an illegal mining company. At the same time, about 10 activists from various groups were deported from Zambia after immigration officials there claimed the group were trying to disrupt the power-sharing talks. Macdonald Lewanika, a spokesman for the Crisis Coalition, told Newsreel on Friday that the police raid was “tantamount to harassment” and “completely unexpected in context of the dialogue taking place”. He said the police officers used an excuse to conduct the raid and added that the group has since been ordered to “provide an explanation for operating under the government’s directive for NGO’s to cease operations”.

MDC sticks to its guns (Zimbabwe Metro)
As talks resume today,the MDC leadership has repeated that power sharing talks in South Africa should not usurp the will of the people and they will not accept any deal that does not give its President Morgan Tsvangirai a substantive position. Presumptive Parliament Majority Leader and MDC Deputy president Thokozani Khupe,MDC-Makokoba., said Tsvangirai’s leadership of a transitional government was “non-negotiable”.

Botswana deports top Mugabe propagandist (The Zimbabwe Times)
Botswana on Friday deported the former political editor of the State-run Herald newspaper, Caesar Zvayi, who had taken up a post as a lecturer at a State university in Gaborone. Zvayi, who was appointed less than two months ago to the post of lecturer in media studies at the State University of Botswana, was sacked from his job Thursday, declared an illegal immigrant Friday and immediately driven about 500 kilometres to the Plumtree border post where he was ejected from the country and told he was not welcome to return.

Zimbabwe Auctions Cars for Fuel as Inflation Surges (Bloomberg)
Zimbabwe will hold its first auction by barter, enabling cash-strapped consumers to purchase cars, household appliances and furniture using fuel coupons. The sale yesterday was managed by Hammer and Tongues Auctioneers, according to a statement on the Harare-based company’s Web site. Assets will be valued in liters of fuel. “Hammer and Tongues is encouraging you to take this opportunity to convert your assets into something that will assist you survive these very trying times,” the company said.

UNICEF Works to Immunize Children in Zimbabwe (UN Briefing)
While continuing its work in Zimbabwe, UNICEF remains seriously concerned about the impact on children of the current ban prohibiting non-governmental organizations from operating in communities. The ban, imposed on 4 June, has now been in effect for over two months, posing serious problems for the humanitarian community working in Zimbabwe.

This entry was posted by Link Round-up on Saturday, August 9th, 2008 at 11:15 am. You can follow any comments on this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.