The beleaguered ZANU (PF) political party is at it again, now by trying to buy political mileage out of the discovery of bodies in the Mashonaland region, yet they continue to neglect the massacres carried out in Matabeleland in the 1980’s. It seems to me that ZANU (PF) leaders have known about these graves since Independence yet chose to do nothing about them.

Is this their latest sad election mode? Are they desperate in the hope that these cheap tactics will earn them votes? When ZANU PF launched its anti sanctions campaign we dismissed it with the contempt it deserves. Most of us thought that this must be their last project before the said elections, but alas it became clear that we are fooling ourselves. Just listen and read the news coming from the State controlled media, since the beginning of this week about the “mass graves” that have been found around the country. (more…)

The record of proceedings in prominent visual artist, Owen Maseko’s Constitutional challenge, is now ready for the Supreme Court after the Bulawayo Provincial Magistrates Court furnished the Supreme Court with five copies of the record including two DVD’s.

The Clerk of Court at the Bulawayo Provincial Magistrates Court recently wrote a letter to the Clerk of Court at the Supreme Court advising that the record of proceedings had been transcribed and was now complete and ready for use in Maseko’s Constitutional challenge.

The visual artist was arrested in March 2010 for staging an exhibition in Bulawayo depicting the 1980’s Matabeleland massacres carried out by troops loyal to President Robert Mugabe’s previous government.

Maseko was accused of undermining the authority of or insulting the President and causing offence to persons of a particular race or religion. (more…)

Written by Shari Eppel, via Solidarity Peace Trust: Over the last few days, I have watched, listened to, and read with growing horror and dismay, about events unfolding in Mount Darwin, Zimbabwe, where human remains are currently being hauled out of mine shafts by completely unqualified individuals. I have examined with great sadness, photographs of dishevelled piles of skulls, long bones and other indiscriminately exhumed human remains.

There are 206 bones in each human body – each hand has 27 bones and each foot has 26, meaning half of our bones are in our hands and feet – does the average war veteran currently hurling around the dead in Mount Darwin know this, or care? What is happening to all those delicate wrist and hand bones, in the chaos that is going on?

Does the average Mount Darwin exhumer understand that in order to age, or sex, a set of human remains, they need to be complete – an expert will consider various indicators on a human skull, pelvis, long bones and a particular rib, before drawing a probable conclusion on whether the deceased is male, or female, and 18 years or 65 years old. Knowing that the majority of people in a particular site are of a certain age and sex, for example, could help unravel the circumstances of their deaths. But this opportunity has already been largely taken away by the fact that it is not possible to be sure which bones make up which person at this stage. (more…)

Via MDC-T Press Release: For the past four days, I have been meeting fellow SADC leaders to appraise them on the dire situation in Zimbabwe, which has posed a serious threat to the GPA and the inclusive government.

In the past week, I have held discussions with President Rupiah Banda of Zambia, President Armando Guebbuza of Mozambique, King Mswati 111 of Swaziland and Botswana President Ian Khama about the need for urgent action on Zimbabwe to ensure the security of persons and a peaceful environment in the country. I will soon be meeting the facilitator, President Jacob Zuma, over the situation in the country.

I have told these fellow leaders that the time for SADC to act and deliver is now. And we are all agreed that Zimbabwe should not be allowed to decelerate into an implosion. I have told the SADC leaders of the renewed siege mood in Zimbabwe, the arbitrary arrests, the crackdown on democratic forces in the country and the culture of impunity that is seriously threatening the health and the life of the inclusive government. (more…)

Via Solidarity Peace Trust: Given the economic and political convulsions that have marked Zimbabwean politics for the last decade, it is not surprising that the momentous events in North Africa have been imported and constructed in contested ways by the major political players in Zimbabwe. With the Zimbabwean landscape torn by the polemical rupture between the redistributive language of the ruling party Zanu PF that has monopolized the legacy of the liberation struggle, and the opposition MDCs and civic movement that were formatively shaped by the politics of human rights and constitutionalism from the 1990′s, the complex events of the Maghreb have resonated differently within Zimbabwe.

Mugabe’s Zanu PF have responded with a combination of renewed coercion of opposition and civic leaders, and combined this with the launch of their campaign for the next election which could take place in either 2011 or 2012. Soon after the events in Tunisia and Egypt, Zanu PF organized a form of pre-emptive demonstrations and violence demanding a greater indigenization of the economy. (more…)

After a long day looking for breaking news on a quiet Monday, I boarded public transport back home. I was feeling so tired. My mind was pre-occupied with the unfolding events that are currently happening in the Arab world where in other countries some protesters are crushed in their motherland for demanding what is rightfully theirs.

But of course, when you take public transport, there are many distractions, as there are people with different things on their minds.

“Why do single mothers think it’s a right for a new husband to accept their children and a taboo for the new hubby to bring his children in the new relationship?” asked one middle aged man.

“Because as women we could have been let down by other men, so some of you should pay for your predecessors’ sins” fired back one woman who seemed equal to the chat. (more…)

Amnesty International action alert: Thirty-nine of the 45 activists arrested in Harare on 19 February were freed after the treason charges against them were dismissed by a magistrate court. However, six activists remain in custody facing treason charges.

Meanwhile, 24 activists arrested in Mutare, including a parliamentarian, had a hearing of the state’s appeal on bail postponed.

On 7 March, 39 social justice and human rights activists facing treason charges were freed after a magistrate in Harare dismissed the charges against them. They had spent more than two weeks in custody. The activists were part of a group of 45 activists arrested on 19 February after attending a lecture to discuss events in Egypt and Tunisia. However, Munyaradzi Gwisai, Hopewell Gumbo, Antonater Choto, Welcome Zimuto, Eddson Chakuma and Tatenda Mombeyarara were remanded in custody to 21 March because they were either directly linked to International Social Organisation which convened the meeting or were speakers at the meeting. (more…)

Select Committee Co-Chair’s Three-Week Incarceration Delays Process

Arrest of COPAC MDC-T Co-Chair Hon Douglas Mwonzora MP: On Tuesday 15th February Mr Mwonzora was arrested outside Parliament as he was leaving after that afternoon’s sitting. He was detained overnight in police cells at Rhodesville Police Station and removed to Nyanga the following day. There he was taken to the remote Nyamaropa police post and when his lawyers eventually traced him there, they were denied access to him. He and 22 co-accused were eventually taken before the Nyanga magistrate on Friday 18th February for remand on public violence charges. These charges were based on clashes between MDC-T and ZANU-PF members in Mr Mwonzora’s Nyanga North constituency the previous weekend, following a meeting addressed by Mr Mwonzora. Police took action against MDC-T supporters only. The magistrate granted Mr Mwonzora and all the other accused bail on Monday 21st February, but the State prosecutor immediately invoked the notorious section 121 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, giving notice that the State intended to appeal to the High Court against granting of bail and thereby suspending the magistrate’s bail order for seven days. (more…)