Links ~ 4 September 2008

Mugabe will form government if no deal Thursday: state media (AFP)
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe will “certainly” form a new government if opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai does not sign a power-sharing deal on Thursday, state media reported. “If after tomorrow (Thursday), Tsvangirai does not want to sign. We will certainly put together a cabinet. We feel frozen at the moment”, Thursday’s edition of the The Herald quoted Mugabe as saying on his return from Zambia late Wednesday. “We are a government and we are government that is empowered by elections. We should form a cabinet. We would not allow a situation where we will not have a cabinet forever,” the Mugabe added.

Zimbabwe’s MDC says Mugabe should not force deal (Reuters)
Zimbabwe’s main opposition MDC said any attempt by President Robert Mugabe to pressure it to agree a power-sharing deal in talks expected on Thursday would fail. “Where on earth have you seen dialogue held on the basis of threats and ultimatum? They want to bully us into an agreement, but that’s completely unacceptable,” said MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa.

Mbeki in Harare with ‘new talks proposal’ (Business Day)
President Thabo Mbeki is expected in Harare today to make a renewed bid to break the deadlock in power-sharing talks between President Robert Mugabe and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Mbeki is understood to have held brief talks with Mugabe and Tsvangirai yesterday in Lusaka at the funeral of Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa. Sources said Mbeki was expected to propose that all Mugabe’s executive powers be discussed and ways be found of dividing them equally between Mugabe and Tsvangirai.

Tsvangirai embarks on diplomatic campaign (ZimOnline)
Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has shifted his effort to mobilising diplomatic pressure to force President Robert Mugabe to relinquish power after weeks of negotiations failed to yield an equitable power-sharing deal, sources told ZimOnline on Wednesday. [...] Senior MDC officials said that Tsvangirai had in fact lost faith in the negotiations held under the mediation of South African President Thabo Mbeki and had instead embarked on a campaign to mobilise some of Zimbabwe’s neighbours, several key African governments and major international powers to intensify pressure on Mugabe to give up power.

MDC to Forward Harassment Footage to Mbeki (RadioVOP)
The Tsvangirai led Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) will this week forward to South African President Thabo Mbeki, the Southern Africa Development Community appointed facilitator in the inter party talks, video clips of police arresting its Members of Parliament during the official opening of the 7th parliament of Zimbabwe last week, Radio VOP has learnt. The latest move by the MDC-T follows a similar move by Zanu PF, which submitted footage of the proceedings during the official opening of parliament by President Robert Mugabe to Mbeki this week. Mugabe was booed and heckled by MDC legislators during the historic event.

Child dies after eating meal of roots and leaves (SWRA)
A child has died in Binga, Matabeleland North province from food poisoning after eating a meal of roots and leaves. This comes at a time when reports state the country is facing the prospect of famine on an unprecedented scale. Villagers in Binga and Lupane are surviving on a diet of wild fruit and roots. Reporting the starvation and poverty in the region, MDC MP for Binga, Joel Gabuza described scenes of extreme deprivation in villages which have been cut off from the rest of the country for months. Last week the legislator picked up a small family on the side of a road 18 km south of his constituency. It was a mother and her three children, and she was carrying her youngest child who had just died in her arms.

New school term in Zimbabwe stumbles as teachers announce strike (ReliefWeb)
The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe confirmed Wednesday that its members have launched a strike as a new school term begins, demanding a minimum monthly salary of Z$150,000 in redenominated currency, up from Z$1,400 dollars last month. [...] Most schools were empty Tuesday as many students failed to show up amid confusion as to when classes were officially scheduled to resume, and as very few teachers showed up due in part to the inability of many instructors to pay soaring transport fees.

Zimbabwe official’s smuggling plan foiled by France and the Netherlands (The Zimbabwean)
Gideon Gono, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe boss has felt the sting on sanctions imposed on him by the European Union when his consignment of flowers destined for France and the Netherlands was returned. His attempt to evade the sanction by using some fronts failed. He is estimated to have lost about US200 000 when the flowers were barred from entering both France and the Netherlands. It is understood that some of the handlers of Gono’s business deals had tried to smuggle the flowers into Europe under the guise of using different people to claim their ownership.

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