Zimbabwe MDC celebrates 9th anniversary (Canada Free Press)
MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai said to the gathering at the rally that the delay in the signing of the talks between his party and Zanu PF is because Mugabe does not want to cede “sufficient” powers to him. ‘We would rather have no deal than a bad deal. It’s simple. They should do what people want. Mugabe should be head of state and I head of government. If he does not accept that, let it be. We have time and people on our side.” Tsvangirai said that on March 29 the people of Zimbabwe voted for change and that change can’t be “betrayed” by a signature. “Tsvangirai signature is not his. It is for the people of Zimbabwe. On March 29 you spoke that you want change and not cosmetic change.”

Mbeki bids to save Zimbabwe talks (BBC)
South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki is due in Harare to revive Zimbabwe’s deadlocked power-sharing talks. [...] South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said Mr Mbeki would meet both men, as well as Arthur Mutambara, the leader of a smaller opposition faction.

Tsvangirai criticises President Mbeki, again (Zimbabwe Guardian)
In fresh criticism of the Southern African Development Community’s appointed mediator, Tsvangirai said he would not change his position in power-sharing negotiations if pressured by President Mbeki. “President Mbeki is coming but don’t worry about him. He is not the one who is going to sign the agreement,” he told a crowd gathered to commemorate the MDC party’s ninth anniversary in Gweru this weekend. “He is going to have to persuade me to shift my position. But don’t worry. One thing I will not do is to sell you out,” continued. (more…)

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Mugabe Ready to Engage West (RadioVop)
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe is ready to engage the Western community over the country’s political crisis, Deputy Information Minister, Bright Matonga revealed to RadioVOP Saturday. This follows mounting international pressure on Mugabe after power sharing talks stalled, owing to his refusal to cede power to Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Royal bash a contrast to poverty of nation (JournalNowcom)
[...] Visiting heads of state were whisked into the stadium in a long convoy of luxury cars, bought specially for the occasion. The loudest cheer was reserved for Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, who climbed out of a car with a “Zimbabwe” license plate to a standing ovation. The 84-year-old autocrat is popular in the region because he is seen as standing up to the West. [...] Mswati [the Swazi King] is Africa’s last absolute monarch. He is widely revered, but there is anger about the luxurious lifestyle practiced by him and his 13 wives.

Tsvangirai misses meeting in Mbabane (The Zimbabwe Times)
Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai failed to attend a preparatory discussion held on Saturday in Mbabane, Swaziland, ahead of the final round of inter-party power-sharing talks scheduled for Monday in Harare. Zanu-PF leader Robert Mugabe in Mbabane to witness King Mswati’s 40th birthday bash, attended. MDC officials said Tsvangirai had not attended Saturday’s meeting believing it would only be of a technical nature to appraise the newly sworn-in chair of the SADC troika on Politics, Defence and Security, Mswati III, on the status of the Zimbabwean talks. (more…)

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MDC to celebrate 9th anniversary (ZimOnline)
Zimbabwe’s opposition MDC party will tomorrow celebrate its ninth anniversary with insiders saying leader Morgan Tsvangirai could use the occasion to tell members that power-sharing talks with the ruling ZANU PF party have virtually collapsed.  The anniversary celebrations under the theme ‘Together to the end – Celebrating the people’s victory’ are scheduled to take place in Gweru, the capital city of the Midlands province. MDC officials speaking on condition they were not named said Tsvangirai will tell thousands of supporters expected to gather for the occasion that the opposition party has lost faith in the talks that have stalled over who between him and President Robert Mugabe should control a government of national unity.

Zimbabwe: No Action on a Threat (New York Times)
President Robert Mugabe has apparently postponed carrying out his threat to unilaterally appoint a cabinet, a step that would effectively end power-sharing talks with the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mugabe Cabinet Threat In Abeyance Pending Zimbabwe Talks Monday (VOA News)
[...]The sources said Mr. Mugabe issued that ultimatum in the belief that the talks would pick up again Thursday, and that Tsvangirai would again be presented with the draft agreement he has declined to sign saying that it does not give him sufficient powers as vice president. Thursday’s negotiations were canceled after Tsvangirai sent word to South African President Thabo Mbeki, mediator in the power-sharing talks under way since late July, that he would not be available to participate. Mr. Mbeki accordingly put off traveling to Harare until Monday. (more…)

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Zimbabwe opposition appeals for talks to be ‘unlocked’ (Africasia)
Zimbabwe’s main opposition party appealed Friday for help from regional bloc SADC to unlock stalled power-sharing talks as President Robert Mugabe threatened to form a new cabinet. “It is very clear that the deadlock in the current dialogue has to be unlocked,” Nelson Chamisa, spokesman for Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change, told SA FM radio. “And to be unlocked we need the help of SADC (Southern African Development Community) and the helping hand of the mediator, (South African) President Thabo Mbeki,” he said. “It is better to be talking than fighting. Our country is so important, so precious. We need to resolve all our differences through dialogue for prosperity and stability in the country,” he added.

Mbeki now due next week (The Herald - state controlled media)
South African President Thabo Mbeki is now scheduled to visit Zimbabwe next week as he tries to make MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai sign a power-sharing deal agreed to by the other main political parties, Zanu-PF principal negotiator Cde Patrick Chinamasa said yesterday. He said the Sadc-appointed facilitator in the dialogue between Zanu-PF, MDC-T and MDC had rescheduled the trip after failing to make it to Harare yesterday. [...] A Sadc summit in South Africa last month endorsed the power-sharing agreement, but Tsvangirai refused to sign it before embarking on a 10-nation tour of the region as part of his “consultations”. However, the regional summit gave President Mugabe the green light to convene Parliament, which he did last Tuesday. (more…)

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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. (more…)

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Zimbabwe’s Tsvangirai says new talks unlikely soon (Reuters)
Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has said power-sharing negotiations have broken down and are unlikely to resume soon [...] Tsvangirai has protested against a proposed deal, saying it did not give him enough executive powers in government. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader said he refused to sign a deal with Mugabe because the proposal would have given the veteran leader control of security forces.

MDC MPs ejected from swearing-in ceremony as ZANU PF appoints ‘unelected’ councillors (SWRA)
ZANU PF once again proved it does not play by the rules when on Tuesday it unilaterally appointed non-elected councillors at a swearing-in ceremony in Makoni, Manicaland province. There was a commotion between ZANU PF and MDC officials when the District Administrator announced that ‘Minister’ Ignatius Chombo had appointed eight non-elected councillors. This move riled MDC officials who charged that the appointments were made by someone who is ‘no longer Minister,’ and that the major stakeholders, the MDC were not consulted. There is no new ‘government’ at present due to the stalemate between the main political parties, although Robert Mugabe is threatening to announce a cabinet without the main MDC formation. (more…)

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Mbeki again fails to secure Zim agreement (The Star)
imbabwean negotiators returned to Harare at the weekend after another unsuccessful attempt by President Thabo Mbeki to achieve an agreement on a power-sharing unity government. But Mbeki has succeeded in persuading President Robert Mugabe to postpone - at least for a week - his plans to appoint a cabinet unilaterally while he drafts a new compromise proposal.

Zanu militia, war vets seal off Matobo ahead of by-election (The Zimbabwean)
In a desperate bid to reverse Zanu (PF)’ s defeat at the March 29 election and its further defeat in parliament this week, the military junta has sealed off Matobo constituency in Matabeleland South which fell vacant following the election of MDC national chairman, Lovemore Moyo, as the Speaker of Parliament. [...] just 24 hours after the seat became vacant, Zanu (PF) youths from Bulawayo and government secret intelligence services had been deployed in the constituency, just 50km from Bulawayo, to campaign for the party by-election. No candidates have been selected for the election and the date is not yet known. Militias had already started harassing and raiding homes belonging to MDC supporters and they declared the area no-go for MDC. Some MDC supporters speaking to The Zimbabwean from Maphisa growth point in Matobo said war veterans had set up bases by the evening of August 25 when news that Moyo had been elected the Speaker of Parliament. They said Zanu (PF) youths spent the night singing liberation songs at the growth point. (more…)

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Zimbabwe Lifts Ban on Aid Groups, but Its Effects Linger (New York Times)

Zimbabwe lifted an almost three-month-old ban on the work of aid groups on Friday. [...] The effects of the aid restrictions will linger. The United Nations World Food Program had planned to feed 1.7 million Zimbabweans next month, but was unable to deploy its partners on the ground, the suspended aid groups, to identify and register the needy this month. “We will not be able to reach most of those 1.7 million people,” said Richard Lee, a spokesman for the World Food Program. “We will try to reach as many as possible, but we haven’t even begun to do the essential preparatory work.”

Mugabe party says it will not yield to new opposition demand: report (AfricAsia)
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s party has rejected new demands by the opposition following meetings with South African mediators to get power-sharing talks back on track, state media said Saturday. “The only new but absurd suggestion from the MDC was that the cabinet be co-chaired by President Mugabe and Tsvangirai,” state daily The Herald quoted a source by Mugabe’s ZANU-PF as saying, referring to MDC opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. “ZANU-PF dismissed the suggestion, not just as insolent, but also stunning ignorance on how government works.”

Mbeki urges Zimbabwe negotiators to end talks (SABC)
President Thabo Mbeki has told Zimbabwe’s negotiating parties that the continent is pinning its hopes on them to find a speedy resolution to the political crisis in their country. Talks to secure a power sharing deal continued in Tshwane yesterday.

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‘Nothing will stop Mugabe forming new govt’ (ZimOnline)
[Bright Matonga] told the media: “Nothing is going to stop us from forming a new government. We need to move forward, we need to make sure that Zimbabwe regains its status, we need to work on the economy. People are suffering.” The deputy information minister, who dismissed the MDC as “not serious at all”, claimed Mugabe was given permission by Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders to form a government after Tsvangirai refused to sign a power-sharing deal that was endorsed by the bloc’s leaders at a summit in South Africa.

Listening for the trucks that will bring the food in Zimbabwe (IRIN)
Hungry residents of a village in Masvingo Province, in southeastern Zimbabwe, have acquired an unusual skill: they have learnt to listen for trucks carrying food aid. Elijah Banguza, 69, has become the village expert and can now identify vehicles by their sound, long before they appear on the road used by government and non-governmental organisation (NGOs) trucks. The villagers are waiting for the grain the government promised them, but aid agency trucks have not come down the road since a ban was imposed on NGO operations in June. (more…)

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Opposition won’t join Mugabe’s government (ZimOnline)
Zimbabwe’s opposition said on Wednesday it will not join any government formed by President Robert Mugabe before conclusion of negotiations meant to bring the country’s feuding political parties into an all-inclusive government of national unity. [...] “It’s very clear that if he announces the new Cabinet it’s a declaration of war against the people. You can’t just have a Cabinet without a mandate,” said Nelson Chamisa, spokesperson of Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC, urging the 84-year-old Zimbabwean leader to wait for the conclusion of negotiations.

Mugabe to name Zimbabwe cabinet despite opposition: minister (AFP)
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe will defy the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and form a new government, deputy information minister Bright Matonga said Thursday. “Nothing is going to stop us from forming a new government,” Matonga said in an interview on public broadcaster SA FM. “We need to move forward, we need to make sure that Zimbabwe regains its status, we need to work on the economy,” he said.

Security strongmen put pressure on Mugabe (The Star)
President Robert Mugabe is under pressure from his top military and security advisers to form a government on his own, and ignore the power-sharing talks between his ruling Zanu-PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. Intelligence sources said on Wednesday that after Mugabe’s humiliation when he was heckled and harassed by MDC MPs while opening parliament on Tuesday, angry advisers had told the 84-year-old leader to immediately form a government without Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC.

(more…)

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Mugabe to name new cabinet, says last was ‘worst in history’ (NewZimbabwe.com)
Robert Mugabe will form a new government soon but he says the main opposition MDC does not want to join the new administration, state media reported on Wednesday.

“We shall soon be setting up a government. The MDC does not want to come in apparently,” the state-owned Herald newspaper quoted Mugabe as telling government officials on Tuesday after opening Parliament. [...]

Mugabe said: “The MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) does not want to come in apparently. This time they have been promised by the British that sanctions would be more devastating, that in six months’ time the government will collapse.

“I do not know when that day will come. I wish (MDC leader Morgan) Tsvangirai well on that day.”

Mugabe ‘to form government alone’ (BBC)
Our correspondent says Mr Mugabe was speaking in bullish mood about forming a government after being booed an jeered by at the opening of parliament by opposition MPs. He looked annoyed and raced through the final lines of his speech and it must have been humiliating for him, as the speech was broadcast live on national television, she says. (more…)

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Police in early morning raid on MDC in hotel (Zimbabwe Times)
The police besieged a central Harare hotel in the early hours of Tuesday morning and threatened to arrest a number of MDC legislators who are booked there. The police say the names of the targeted Members of Parliament appear on a list of persons wanted by the police. Officers from the Harare Central Police Station’s Law and Order section threatened to break down the door to hotel room number 512 at the Quality International Hotel around 4 am Tuesday. The MDC’s Chipinge East legislator Mateo Mlambo is booked in that room.

FEWS Southern Africa Food Security Update Aug 2008 - 8 million are at risk of food insecurity (Relief Web)
Recently concluded vulnerability assessments indicate that while a majority of households in southern Africa will have adequate food over this consumption season, widespread acute and chronic food insecurity remains a real concern in parts of most countries where these assessments have been conducted. Currently, over 8 million people in seven countries (Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) are at risk of food insecurity between now and March 2009 and require some kind of assistance. Numbers are expected to peak over the November to February hunger season. (more…)

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Mugabe challenges Zimbabwe opposition with parliament meeting (Africasia)
The Zimbabwe parliament meets Monday for the first time since elections that unleashed a major crisis and increased President Robert Mugabe’s international isolation. Mugabe will swear in newly elected members of parliament in a new challenge to opponents of his three decades in power. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) of Morgan Tsvangirai said it opposes the calling a parliamentary session but will attend the swearing-in on Monday. The meeting is also to elect a new speaker ahead of the official opening of parliament on Tuesday.

Themba-Nyathi Tipped For Speaker’s Post (The Zimbabwe Standard)
Paul Themba Nyathi of the Arthur Mutambara-led Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has emerged as the strongest candidate for the powerful post of Speaker in the Seventh Parliament which convenes tomorrow. Zanu PF has proposed John Nkomo for the post. Nyathi, who is a war veteran and former MP for Gwanda, is said to be more acceptable to Zanu PF because of his background in the liberation struggle and is also winning support from MPs from the rival MDC-T.

CIO plans to arrest MDC MPs en route to parliament (The Zimbabwe Metro)
The Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) has been instructed to arrest newly elected MDC Members of Parliament on their way to parliament to prevent the MPs from being sworn in and the MDC from winning the powerful speaker position,sources told Metro. State agents in Masvingo,Midlands and Manicaland are watching the newly elected parliamentarians round the clock to prevent them from leaving their constituencies bound for the capital. Three Members of parliament-elects in Manicaland and three in Masvingo have gone into hiding. (more…)

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Zimbabwe Parties Maneuver Before Reopening of Parliament (VOA Africa)
Zimbabwe’s main political parties are maneuvering for position and tension is on the rise in the run-up to the scheduled reopening of parliament next Tuesday. The Movement for Democratic Change formation of Morgan Tsvangirai warned that reopening parliament before a power-sharing deal is reached could scuttle the talks. But the formation is expected to see its members sworn in Monday and attend the reopening Tuesday. President Robert Mugabe’s hopes of forming a coalition government with the MDC grouping led by Arthur Mutambara appeared Friday to have been dashed – formation members were threatening to jump to the Tsvangirai formation if such an alliance were proposed.

No power for Tsvangirai - ZPF (The Zimbabwean)
The ZANU PF politburo has reportedly resolved that Robert Mugabe should not concede to MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s demands to become executive prime minister, even if the dialogue between the two party leaders collapses – a move that has seen the talks reach a dead end. [...] Mugabe’s army commanders and war veterans are now urging the dictator to dissolve parliament, soon after it resumes sitting next week, and order fresh elections in which Mugabe would win through a campaign of violence. South African based journalist Basildon Peta told Newsreel on Friday it is “unlikely that Mugabe will resort to that drastic step”, but he added it was far more likely that he will launch a campaign of “targeted assassinations” against Tsvangirai’s MDC MPs – at least seven of whom are still in hiding. (more…)

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Zimbabwe doctors go on strike, teachers next (Nehanda Radio)
All doctors at all the country’s referral hospitals are on strike, Amon Siveregi the chairman of the Zimbabwe Medical Doctors’ Association told Nehanda Radio on Thursday. ‘We are negotiating with government, but can’t yet disclose our demands because of a confidentiality clause in our dealings,’ Siveregi said. Meanwhile the militant Progressive Teachers Union (PTUZ) has warned that teachers will be next to strike if their working conditions are not improved. With inflation at over 50 million percent most civil servants earn only enough money to buy a couple of loaves of bread.

SADC under pressure as criticism grows (SWRA)
Zimbabwe’s National Association of NGOs has added its voice to the growing chorus of criticism aimed at the Southern African Development Community –for failing to facilitate an end to the Zimbabwean crisis at the weekend summit in South Africa. [...] The National Association of NGOs said in a statement that SADC had effectively endorsed Mugabe by inviting him, despite global pressure on SADC not to recognise the dictator as a legitimate leader. The statement said that SADC has contributed to the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe by failing “to uphold and enforce compliance with its stated commitments to democracy, rule of law and human rights”. (more…)

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