Links ~ 21 October 2008

MDC seeks new Zimbabwe election ~ BBC
Zimbabwe’s main opposition party has called for new elections, after regional talks on the power-sharing deal were postponed for a week. New polls are the “only way forward”, Movement for Democratic Change spokesman Nelson Chamisa told the BBC. Neighbouring Botswana has also called for new elections.

Mutambara wants global isolation of the regime if Zimbabwean government is not inclusive ~ SWRA
[...] Arthur Mutambara, the leader of the other MDC formation, blasted the regime saying denying Tsvangirai a passport was a complete violation of his rights and showed “a total disregard and disrespect for the dialogue process.” He said it is a travesty of justice that the person who is going to be Prime Minister of Zimbabwe continues to be denied a passport. Mutambara refused to attend the talks at the summit saying there will be no Troika in Swaziland without Tsvangirai. He told SW Radio Africa: “I have told Swaziland, the King and the Heads of government who are here that there will be no Troika, the meeting won’t start, there will be no discussion and no debates on Zimbabwe without Mr Tsvangirai.”

Zimbabwe talks delayed for a week ~ BBC
Regional negotiations on power sharing in Zimbabwe have been postponed for a week, officials have said. The news came as Zimbabwe’s main opposition party snubbed the talks in Swaziland after its leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, did not get a passport. Leaders had been due to meet after talks in Zimbabwe failed to produce a deal on assigning cabinet jobs. Meanwhile, Botswana suggested the only way to break the deadlock in Zimbabwe might be to hold fresh elections.

Zimbabwe’s Bitter End ~ Editorial ~ Washington Post (USA)
When Zimbabwean strongman Robert Mugabe signed a deal to share power with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai last month, we were skeptical that it would end the country’s crisis. At best, we hoped, it would stop Mr. Mugabe’s murderous campaign against opposition activists and permit international relief agencies to deliver food to the starving. As it turns out, even those modest gains have not been realized.

Cholera outbreak threatens to become endemic ~ IRIN
A cholera outbreak that has bridged Zimbabwe’s dry season is proving difficult to contain and has spread from the cities to rural areas. There are fears that the onset of the rainy season could make the waterborne disease endemic if the authorities fail to address the water and sanitation crisis plaguing the county. Cholera is an intestinal infection causing acute diarrhoea and vomiting and, if left untreated, can cause death from dehydration within 24 hours. It is easily treatable with rehydration salts.

School’s really out ~ IRIN
The collapse of Zimbabwe’s education system, once heralded as sub-Saharan Africa’s finest, is being compared to a situation usually experienced by countries at war. “It is difficult to imagine the meltdown in the education sector happening in a country that is at peace. You only see this kind of degeneration in countries that are experiencing civil strife or a full-fledged war,” Raymond Majongwe, secretary-general of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), told IRIN.

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