Links ~ 22 October 2008
October 22nd, 2008
Zimbabwe is ‘the best investment opportunity in Africa’ say financiers ~ The Telegraph
Inflation is somewhere in the millions – or perhaps the billions – and the economy is the fastest shrinking on Earth. But Zimbabwe is the “best investment opportunity” in Africa, financiers at a seminar in South Africa have heard.
Zimbabwe war veterans threaten Tsvangirai over deal ~ Reuters
Zimbabwe’s militant war veterans threatened on Wednesday to take action against opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and urged President Robert Mugabe to form a government without him. Jabulani Sibanda, who chairs the militant grouping of the veterans of Zimbabwe’s war of independence, said the Movement for Democratic Change leader was stalling a power-sharing deal, which has hit deadlock over cabinet posts. “He is leaving the people of Zimbabwe with one option: to take action,” he told the official Herald newspaper. “If he behaves the way he is behaving, this nation will take action to defend itself from him.”
Mugabe’s supporters call for state of emergency in Zimbabwe ~ APA
President Robert Mugabe’s supporters urged the Zimbabwe leader on Wednesday to declare a state of emergency to end a power-sharing impasse with the opposition, state media has reported here. A pro-government legal group, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Justice (ZLJ), said Mugabe should withdraw from power-sharing talks with the Movement for Democratic Change, urging him to immediately form a government and declare a state of emergency in the country. The state-run Herald newspaper said the ZLJ was outraged by the refusal by MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai to travel to Swaziland on Monday for a regional summit that was meant to discuss deadlocked talks on Zimbabwe’s unity government.
Manuel allocates R300mln for Zimbabwe
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel says that in the Adjusted Appropriation Bill, Zimbabwe is to get a R300 million allocation to assist in the country’s food requirements. Manuel made the announcement in his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement in the National Assembly this afternoon.
Media lash Tsvangirai ~ IOL
Zimbabwe state media on Tuesday condemned opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai for boycotting a regional summit aimed at rescuing a power-sharing deal, accusing him of bad faith in the negotiations. The government-mouthpiece Herald newspaper accused him “of working towards state paralysis” by stonewalling efforts to form a unity government under a five-week-old agreement. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and four other African leaders met in Swaziland on Monday for a summit meant to clear the deadlock, but Tsvangirai refused to attend, citing delays in receiving his travel documents from the government. “The demands he has been making are unreasonable, and seasoned leaders were on hand to make him see the error of his ways,” the paper said in an editorial.
October 22nd, 2008 13:17
Re: Zimbabwe war veterans threaten Tsvangirai over deal -
Ladies and gentlemen of the world, There is one big difference between Tsvangirai and Mugabe, and that is this:-
Tsvangirai would give his life for Zimbabwe, but countless Zimbabweans have got to give their lives for Mugabe.
October 22nd, 2008 13:28
Surprise, surprise! As I’ve said – entirely predictable.
Therefore everyone knows practically how Bob will behave – yet he can’t be outwitted.
Sad.
I s’pose we can hope Bob is “hoist by his own petard” – but how much patience have we all, or do we need?
October 22nd, 2008 13:51
Jabulani Sibanda is a raving lunatic. Whatever he and his band of war mongering veterans have eaten lately, it sure hasn’t done much good to their brains.
October 22nd, 2008 17:48
“The prevailing situation of endless talks bodes well for Tsvangirai’s agenda of working towards state paralysis. This fits well with the West’s long-desired collapse that would see them install a puppet regime to serve their interest,” the Herald said.
My God, Mugabe & the Herald! Anybody’s interests are orders of magnitude better than your evil, sinister, debauched, thieving & downright stupid mismanagement.
But you give West too much credit. Frankly I doubt they want anything more than to just stop having to feed & support the rich little country which you stuffed up so completely.
October 22nd, 2008 19:28
Ah! At long last, the first moves after the stalling process.
The government press and the so called ‘war vets’ (funny how lots of war vets seem to be about 15 years old!) have started to stir up the ‘need’ for emergency rule and Mugabe to form a government directly.
All because the nasty MDC won’t play ball with Zanu-pf and give them the ministries they demand.
It had to come to this some time because the Mbeki plan was always total nonsense.
Martial law and dictatorship next (under whatever title Mugabe cares to give it) and the country sinks even further into oblivion.
The combined might of SADC might just be able to rescue Zimbabwe, but do the members of SADC have the desire or character to do it? Of course they don’t; self interest is all they are interested in apart from the good leaders of Botswana and (God willing) Zambia.
It makes me want to cry; not just for Zimbabwe, but for Africa as a whole.
October 23rd, 2008 09:56
This is crazy. How can this be allowed. The RBZ will just skim millions from these funds, straight into Gono’s pockets. This needs massive protests. They need another way to get aid to the people.
story in brief below.
Zimbabwe is set to receive almost $500 million (£307 million) of aid for its health system, with the money going through President Robert Mugabe’s Reserve Bank, raising fears that his regime will benefit.
link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/zimbabwe/3243469/Zimbabwe-Corruption-fears-over-300m-UN-aid.html