Breaking News....Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai 'to declare Zimbabwe breakthrough'

Times Online
September 11, 2008

Times Online
Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai today said there was a
finally a deal on power-sharing in the crisis-hit country, as he emerged
from a meeting with President Robert Mugabe.

"We've got a deal," the leader of the main opposition Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) party told journalists.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, who is trying to mediate an end to
Zimbabwe's long-running political crisis, "is going to issue a statement,"
Mr Tsvangirai said, without giving details.

Mr Mbeki's spokesman, Mukoni Ratshitanga, told journalists the president was
to make a broadcast late today on the outcome of the four-day meeting
between Mugabe and MDC leaders.

The power sharing talks have long been deadlocked over the allocation of
executive power between President Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai. Mr Mugabe won a
controversial June presidential runoff unopposed after Mr Tsvangirai
withdrew, citing state-sponsored violence against his supporters which
killed more than 100 civilians. Mr Tsvangirai had won the first round of the
presidential election in March, but fell short of an absolute majority.
While the political crisis has dragged on, Zimbabwe's economy has continued
its freefall with the world's highest inflation rate - 11.2 million percent
in June, according to official figures.

Once hailed as Africa's breadbasket, Zimbabwe's economy has virtually
collapsed over the past decade with inflation out of control and chronic
shortages of foreign currency and food including the staples cornmeal, sugar
and cooking oil.

'We've got a deal' on power-sharing: Zimbabwe's Tsvangirai

11/09/2008 19h19
HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai Thursday said
there was a finally a "deal" on power-sharing, as he emerged from a meeting
with President Robert Mugabe.

"We've got a deal," the leader of the main opposition Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) party told journalists.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, who is trying to mediate an end to
Zimbabwe's long-running political crisis, "is going to issue a statement,"
Tsvangirai said, without giving details.

Mbeki's spokesman, Mukoni Ratshitanga, told journalists the president was to
make a broadcast late Thursday on the outcome of the four-day meeting
between Mugabe and MDC leaders.

The power sharing talks have long been deadlocked over the allocation of
executive power between Mugabe and Tsvangirai. Mugabe won a controversial
June presidential runoff unopposed after Tsvangirai withdrew, citing
state-sponsored violence against his supporters.

Tsvangirai had won the first round of the presidential election in March,
but fell short of an absolute majority.

Mugabe has led Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, but his
party lost its parliamentary majority to the MDC for the first time in
legislative elections in March.

While the political crisis has dragged on, Zimbabwe's economy has continued
its freefall with the world's highest inflation rate -- 11.2 million percent
in June, according to official figures.

Once hailed as Africa's breadbasket, Zimbabwe's economy has virtually
collapsed over the past decade with inflation out of control and chronic
shortages of foreign currency and food including the staples cornmeal, sugar
and cooking oil.

AU should have recognised opposition win in Zimbabwe: Annan

Yahoo News

2 hours, 36 minutes ago

BERLIN (AFP) - Former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan slammed
the African Union Thursday for not confirming the victory of the opposition
in Zimbabwe in the March elections.

"I am disappointed in the African Union," Annan said at a conference at the
German foreign ministry in Berlin.

"The African Union should have endorsed the results and said to Mugabe: you
are not a legally elected president."

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's party suffered a historic defeat in
legislative elections in March.

The veteran leader was re-elected in June in a one-man presidential run-off
boycotted by Morgan Tsvangirai, head of the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change party.

Annan, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 along with the UN, has offered
to mediate to resolve the standoff as he did earlier this year in Kenya
after an election that the opposition charged was rigged by President Mwai
Kibaki.

Tsvangirai said last week he would have liked more pressure from the African
Union and the Southern African Development Community to solve the power
struggle in Zimbabwe.

"There was a time when African leaders thought they can manage the problem,
because they were protecting Robert Mugabe," he said. "Now we have reached a
stage where Mugabe is part of the problem."

Recently appointed governors face the chop

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=3866

September 11, 2008

By Raymond Maingire

HARARE - Ten Zanu PF officials who were appointed as provincial governors by
President Robert Mugabe last month could face a humiliating exit from their
new posts if ongoing talks between Zanu PF and the MDC succeed.

Sources privy to the ongoing power sharing talks between the political
rivals revealed Wednesday that Mugabe was under growing pressure to reverse
the recent appointments.

Mugabe last month caused a hue and cry when he unilaterally appointed 10
loyalists to the influential positions at a time when there was a moratorium
on such appointments in terms of the recently signed Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU).

The veteran leader was immediately accused of working against the spirit of
the MoU which he signed and his rivals signed on July 21.

Article 9 of the four-page document forbids any of the parties from taking
any decisions or measures that may prove costly to ongoing power-sharing
talks supervised by SADC.

"Such decisions or measures include, but are not limited to, the convening
of parliament or the formation of a new government," reads the document.

It is reported Mugabe, 84, insists the appointment of the governors is the
fault of the MDC which delayed in signing the deal currently under
negotiation.

"The Zanu-PF argument is that the MDC refused to have this agreement
earlier," the source said, "As such they now say they can't appoint the
governors this week and fire them next week.

"But this is an unsustainable argument. They really have to reverse the
appointments. The issue is that this is a power sharing deal and you cannot
then have 10 governors' offices all going to Zanu PF. Otherwise it would no
longer be a power-sharing arrangement."

Mugabe last month appointed former Bindura mayor Advocate Martin Dinha to
the office of resident minister and governor for Mashonaland Central. Former
education minister Aeneas Chigwedere is the new governor for Mashonaland
East.

Mugabe also appointed Christopher Mushohwe and Faber Chidarikire in
Manicaland and Mashonaland West Provinces respectively.

He retained in their respective provinces Angeline Masuku (Matebeleland
South), Thokozile Mathuthu (Matebeleland North), Cain Mathema of Bulawayo
Metropolitan Province and David Karimanzira in Harare Metropolitan.

He subsequently appointed Titus Maluleke to be governor in Masvingo with
Jaison Machaya in the Midlands.

Their appointments coincided with the appointment of vice president Joseph
Msika, Zanu PF national chairman John Nkomo, and outgoing justice minister
Patrick Chinamasa as non constituency senators.

It has emerged that the unilateral appointment of the governors is one of
the issues that is still holding back the ongoing talks between the parties.

The move was construed as an attempt by Mugabe to spite Tsvangirai, who has
consistently refused to sign the deal.

Sources say the demand that Mugabe reverses the gubernatorial appointments,
a demand which Mugabe fiercely resisted, contributed to the standoff at the
talks on Wednesday night.

Mixed signals from Mugabe on prospects for Zimbabwe deal

http://www.monstersandcritics.com

Africa News
Sep 11, 2008, 17:02 GMT

Harare/Johannesburg - Zimbabwe's political leaders haggled over the details
of a power-sharing agreement for a fourth day running in Harare on Thursday
amid mixed signals from President Robert Mugabe about the likelihood a deal
would be signed this week.

Mugabe returned to talks with Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader
Morgan Tsvangirai, and Arthur Mutambara, leader of a breakaway MDC faction,
in a Harare hotel after a quick trip to the second city of Bulawayo for a
meeting with traditional leaders.

At the meeting in Bulawayo, Mugabe was reported to have insisted he had a
mandate to rule and complained about excessive demands from Tsvangirai.

Asked about whether he expected to sign a deal on Thursday as he had
intimated at the end of Wednesday's session, Mugabe said he would wait to
hear first what had been discussed today in his absence.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, the Southern African Development
Community's mediator in Zimbabwe, has been in Zimbabwe since Monday trying
to nudge Mugabe and Tsvangirai the final mile towards a deal.

Mbeki aborted a trip to Swaziland to stay in Zimbabwe. He had been due to
brief SADC's defence troika - Swaziland, Angola and Mozambique - on his
progress.

Though Mugabe and Tsvangirai both said there had been further progress when
they left the meeting on Wednesday night - Tsvangirai said there was 'very
little work left' and Mugabe said 'hopefully we'll sign tomorrow' - sources
close to the talks and state media said prospects of clinching a deal
Thursday were 'slim.'

'Despite public pronouncements by the leaders that a deal was on the
horizon, insiders revealed that little progress was made yesterday and the
prospects of a settlement this week now appeared slim,' the state-run daily
The Herald said.

Mugabe was cited by the paper as telling Mbeki he would appoint a cabinet
this week regardless of the outcome of the talks on Thursday.

'He (Mugabe) apparently indicated (to Mbeki) that the country had gone too
long without a substantive government and the situation was now untenable,'
the report said.

The MDC has said such a move would end the talks.

Mugabe and Tsvangirai have been at loggerheads over how to share executive
powers if, as proposed, Mugabe remains president and Tsvangirai becomes
prime minister in a unity government. The question of who would chair the
cabinet has been particularly fraught.

Sources from both sides said a compromise had been put forward, which would
see Mugabe chair cabinet and Tsvangirai chair a council of ministers. The
sources said there was agreement on the proposal. It was not possible to get
official confirmation.

Other issues yet to be resolved were the positions of deputy prime ministers
and the MDC's objection to Mugabe's appointment of regional governors last
week - a move the MDC says contravenes the ground rules for the talks.

It was also not clear whether they had reached agreement on the duration of
the new government. The MDC was originally calling for a 2.5-year
transitional authority.

'Mugabe's argument is that he cannot dismiss the governors he appointed just
last week, but given that this is a power-sharing arrangement, we can't
allow Zanu PF to have all 10 governors,' an MDC source said.

The MDC took the most votes in March legislative and presidential elections.
Mugabe won a later presidential run-off that only he contested and that was
widely denounced as a sham.

Mugabe fumes at MDC, says talks are 'stuck'

http://www.mg.co.za

HARARE, ZIMBABWE Sep 11 2008 17:46

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe cast fresh doubt on Thursday on
expectations of a power-sharing agreement with the opposition, saying that
talks to end a ruinous political crisis were "stuck".

"We have not gone anywhere. We are still stuck at the same point where those
from the MDC still want to govern," Mugabe said, referring to his opposition
rival Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change.

"They want Mugabe to go," the veteran president said during a meeting with
tribal chiefs in the southern town of Bulawayo.

"Where should I go? I can't go anywhere. It is humiliating to be negotiating
with a party sponsored by countries pushing for regime change," Mugabe
added, reiterating claims that Tsvangirai is a puppet of the West,
especially of former colonial ruler Britain.

The 84-year-old leader vented his frustration shortly before the deadlocked
rivals entered a fourth day of talks in Harare.

Mugabe arrived about 90 minutes late for the talks in Harare which were due
to resume at 2pm GMT.

Twelve hours of negotiations chaired by South African President Thabo Mbeki
on Wednesday brought the sides closer to a power-sharing deal, with Mugabe
at that point saying a deal would "hopefully" be signed on Thursday.

Tsvangirai said earlier that "very little is left" to be agreed, but gave no
details of the sticking points.

Business Day reported that Mugabe was refusing to sign a deal which would
curtail his presidential powers.

The paper quoted sources as saying the veteran president was refusing to
sign a proposal that would entail an equal share of executive powers with
Tsvangirai.

The daily said some of the issues to be thrashed out on Thursday include how
many ministers each party will have and how long a transitional government
would rule.

Rebuke from Annan
Meanwhile, former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan slammed the
African Union on Thursday for not endorsing the opposition victory in March
elections.

He told a conference in Berlin he was "disappointed in the African Union.
The African Union should have endorsed the results and said to Mugabe: you
are not a legally elected president."

In London, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said any power-sharing deal
should reflect the outcome of the first set of elections this year which
were won by the opposition.

"We want an outcome that reflects the democratic will of the Zimbabwe
people," Brown told his monthly news conference.

"We want an outcome particularly that reflects the election that was the
first election when obviously the MDC party showed that it had popular
support," he said, referring to the first round poll won by the MDC leader.

Amid signs that the months-long talks process was reaching a conclusion,
Mbeki cancelled a planned visit to Swaziland on Thursday so he could remain
in Harare to press for a deal.

The talks have long been deadlocked over the allocation of executive power
between Mugabe and Tsvangirai. Mugabe won controversial June elections
unopposed after Tsvangirai withdrew, citing state-sponsored violence against
his supporters.

Tsvangirai had won the first round of the presidential election in March,
but fell short of an absolute majority.
Mugabe has led Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, but his
party lost its parliamentary majority to the MDC for the first time in
legislative elections in March.

While the political crisis has dragged on, Zimbabwe's economy has continued
its freefall with the world's highest inflation rate - 11,2-million percent
in June, according to official figures. - AFP

Collusion claims as Zimbabwe parties near deal

http://www.rte.ie

Thursday, 11 September 2008 15:00
Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party has accused the main opposition MDC of
plotting with Western countries.

The two parties are involved in post-election negotiations and the
accusation comes despite the clearest signs yet that the two sides could
soon sign a power-sharing deal.

'We are facing the same problems in these talks that we have been facing
with the MDC - they are trying to advance the interests of Western forces,
particularly of Britain and the US,' said a ZANU-PF official.

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'In respect of these talks, they are directly taking orders and advice from
British and American diplomats here, orders to get a deal that strips
President Mugabe of all power and makes him a ceremonial head of state.'

The negotiations started after President Robert Mugabe was re-elected
unopposed in a June presidential poll that was boycotted by Movement for
Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

The election was condemned around the world.

Mr Mugabe said yesterday he was hopeful that a power-sharing deal could be
signed on today.

'Little work' needed for deal: Mbeki

Mr Tsvangirai also sounded an optimistic note, saying he had been told by
South African President Thabo Mbeki that 'very little work' was needed to
finalise the deal.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa dismissed the ZANU-PF charges of collusion with
the Western countries, which have imposed sanctions on Mr Mugabe and his
inner circle to try to force change.

'I am not going to get into details of the talks except to say we are
negotiating in good faith and with an open mind. You cannot say the same
about ZANU-PF.'

Zimbabweans hope a deal can pave the way for the rehabilitation of an
economy in meltdown.

Inflation is over 11 million percent and severe food and fuel shortages have
driven millions across the country's borders, straining regional economies.

More details emerge of Wednesday deadlock

http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com/?p=3869

September 11, 2008

By Raymond Maingire

HARARE - Zimbabwe's ongoing power-sharing talks adjourned Wednesday night
after the political rivals reached a deadlock on how to coordinate the
operations of a proposed Council of Ministers with Cabinet.

Sharp differences also emerged when the opposition MDC led by Morgan
Tsvangirai demanded the exclusion of a Zanu-PF official from a proposed
arrangement entailing rotating deputy prime ministers.

It has also emerged that President Robert Mugabe had accepted the position
of ceremonial President while the centre of power revolves around the Prime
Minister, who shall be Tsvangirai.

Highly placed sources revealed Wednesday night that the political rivals
came close to signing the so far elusive power-sharing deal the same evening
if it were not for both Zanu PF and the mainstream MDC negotiating teams
that were backtracking on their earlier pledges.

"Very little work is left," said one source.

"The biggest problem is that negotiators are going back on issues that would
have been agreed and even cleared by their principals. They are still going
round and round in circles."

South African President Thabo Mbeki flew into Harare Monday afternoon armed
with a document that spelt out a new proposal for breaking the deadlock.

Talks between Zanu-PF and the two MDC stalled two weeks ago after Tsvangirai
refused to sign a document he said subordinated him to Mugabe. Meanwhile

Mbeki is anxious to help thrash out a power sharing deal between the feuding
parties.

Under the new formula, said the source, parties had successfully agreed that
Mugabe becomes a ceremonial President while chairing the Cabinet.

Mugabe would retain his two deputies Joseph Msika and Joice Mujuru, also in
purely ceremonial roles. The new arrangement also creates a council of
ministers comprising 31 ministers. The council of ministers will meet
weekly, chaired by the Prime Minister who will receive reports and
coordinate the work of ministers.  All the ministers will, therefore, report
to the prime minister who is responsible for the formulation of government
policies for presentation to cabinet. The Prime Minister will only report to
the President on how he would be running the government.

Sources say Zanu-PF had consented to this arrangement until the issue of
rotational deputy prime ministers was tabled by Mbeki.

"Mbeki had proposed that there should be four deputy prime ministers on a
rotational basis," one source said, "two from the MDC, one from Zanu-PF and
one from Mutambara.

"Things came to a head when the MDC demanded both the posts of deputy prime
minister in order to match Zanu-PF which would have two vice presidents. The
MDC was adamant that if Zanu-PF was going to have two deputy presidents,
there was no need for Zanu-PF to also have a deputy prime minister. This
resulted in Zanu-PF now rejecting the issue of the council of ministers
while pushing for that of deputy prime minister."

On the other hand, the source said, Zanu-PF saw it would have conceded too
much power if it was not going to field a deputy prime minister. This
complicated matters as Zanu-PF resisted the proposal.

"Zanu PF was ready to sign if MDC had not made its demands on the deputy
prime ministers."

Talks adjourned shortly after 9pm on Wednesday without a deal having been
achieved. Negotiations resume today (Thursday) at 10 am, with Mugabe,
Tsvangirai and Mutambara joining in at 4 pm.

Among some of the key concessions reportedly made by the parties is the 18
month period to be allowed for the drafting of a new constitution after
which parties would reconvene to map the way forward.

An automatic election thereafter was fiercely resisted by Zanu PF, said the
source.

MDC rejects Herald's Lionel Dyck claims

Politicsweb

Nelson Chamisa
11 September 2008

Statement issued by the Movement for Democratic Change September 11 2008

The Herald in sinister plot to foment divisions in Zimbabwe

The State-controlled Herald newspaper has once again gone overboard in
seeking to scuttle the on-going dialogue process by maligning and soiling
the image of President Morgan Tsvangirai.

Today's issue of The Herald makes ridiculous, incredible and outrageous
claims that President Tsvangirai sought to drag Retired Colonel Lionel Dyck
out of retirement to become commander of the Zimbabwe National Army in an
all-inclusive government.

There has been a systematic but sinister plot over the last 10 years to link
President Tsvangirai to non-existent plots and conspiracies in a vain hope
to paint him the villain among Zimbabweans. The people of Zimbabwe have seen
through this naked propaganda and that is why on 29 March, the whole nation
united to vote for change regardless of a concerted onslaught by the public
media on the MDC and its leadership.

Today's fiction in The Herald represents a well-calculated plot to direct
attention from bread and butter issues by peddling lies about President
Tsvangirai. This is the height of irresponsible journalism at a time when we
need to focus on addressing the humanitarian crisis and the people's
expectations for food, jobs, better health and education.

We need to build bridges and extend the hand of love and harmony to one
another. In any case, in the Memorandum of Understanding, both parties
pledged to uphold the integrity of national institutions and at no time has
the MDC deviated from this commitment. The Herald's lies are a sign of
desperation by forces that are working against the people.

We remain disturbed over the role played by the public media in entrenching
the pillars of acrimony and fomenting murder, assault and other brutal acts
against the MDC membership over the years. In the new Zimbabwe that we
envision, there will be no place for this kind of gutter journalism where
people are defamed without being granted an opportunity to respond.

Since the onset of the dialogue process, The Herald has not only become an
assassin of the will of the people as expressed on 29 March, but also a
factory of falsehoods and evil machinations. The State-controlled media have
become catalysts of anarchy, hostility and polarization. They have failed to
reflect the new era of national engagement and national healing. They have
basically sought to undermine the SADC-brokered dialogue by soiling the
image of the MDC and President Tsvangirai, who is a key figure in this
important national process.

For the record, at no time has President Tsvangirai met with Mr Dyck in
order to appoint him head of the Zimbabwe National Army. This is senseless
and futile propaganda by a public media that is still in denial about the
people's victory on 29 March.

Zimbabwe is in an irreversible transition and no amount of propaganda can
stop that. The people are tired of State-sponsored lies and hate speech. The
nation wants an expedient conclusion of the dialogue process so that a new
government can begin to address the business of the people who are
struggling to feed their families.

Zimbabwe deserves prosperity and stability.

Statement issued by Nelson Chamisa, MP, Secretary for Information and
Publicity, Movement for Democratic Change, September 11 2008

MDC MPs Languish In Remand Prison

http://www.radiovop.com

HARARE - Two opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)
legislators are still languishing in remand prison after the State appealed
against a ruling Wednesday that they be granted bail.

Several MDC Mps were arrested outside Parliament when they had come
for the swearing in and the official opening ceremonies.

Highfied East MP Pearson Mungofa and Bindura South MP Bednock Nyaunde
are still in remand since their arrests on August 25.

MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said out of the six that were arrested
last month four have since been granted bail.

Chamisa said the arrests of the MPs on trumped up charges for inciting
political violence was meant to frustrate "the people's project" after the
MDC won more seats in Parliament compared to the ruling Zanu PF.

The four who are out on bail are Mutare West MP Shua Mudiwa, Mathias
Mlambo of Chipinge East, Eliah Jembere of Epworth and Trevor Saruwaka MP for
Mutasa Central.

Mungofa was arrested for allegedly causing disaffection among the
security forces while Nyaude is up for attempted murder.

Chamisa however said the party's lawyers have since applied to the
High Court to have the two MPs released.

The MDC views this continued harassment and arrest of MDC legislators
by the state security agents as a direct affront to the will of the people
of Zimbabwe who voted for change on March 29.

Is there a Deal?

I have been in Harare for a few days and therefore been away from my desk.
However just back in paradise and thought I should pen a short note to you
all to bring you up to date with all that is going on in our Capital City. I
expect this will be public knowledge shortly and that you will hear via the
media what has now been agreed.

First, it looks as if a deal might actually emerge from the present round of
negotiations. They have been tough - I saw Tendai Biti yesterday and he
looked as if an entire herd of buffalo had run over him! President
Tsvangirai looked as fresh as a daisy despite the pressure - his resilience
is legendary. They told me that a deal was possible and said they had put
forward proposals the previous day that might break the deadlock.

I cannot disclose the details for obvious reasons but I would just say that
while we have conceded some ground, the fundamentals have been protected and
are in place - can we make the agreement work? That depends on everyone.

We should hear today that a deal is in place - perhaps on Friday and a
signing ceremony will take place shortly thereafter. Then we have a mountain
to climb it terms of putting the country back together. I can also say,
without disclosing anything that I should not disclose, that we have been
hard at work for many months preparing for this moment. I think we are just
about ready and I think the situation is very exciting.

Certainly this time round the commitment of President Mbeki has been total
and he has said he is here until this deal is closed. I have had a bottle of
the bubbly stuff since 2000; I think its time to put it on ice.

Eddie Cross
Bulawayo, 11th September 2008

------ End of Forwarded Message

Hungry Bulawayans scavenge for food

Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR)

Date: 10 Sep 2008

As aid agencies complain of continuing restrictions, desperate families live
on maize dropped from passing state delivery trucks

By Joseph Nhlanhla in Bulawayo (ZCR No. 162, 10-Sep-08)

Dawn breaks in Bulawayo. A trail of squatting silhouettes can be seen lining
a stretch of the road that runs through a poor township. Men and women
scramble to pick up barely visible grains of maize and toss them into pots,
buckets - all sorts of containers.

The people scavenging along the road are not bothered by the flashing lights
of oncoming traffic. They carry on, knowing that their lives depend on what
little food they can salvage.

They have come out to gather the grains dropped by huge haulage trucks on
their way to delivering maize to state depots. The huge vehicles regularly
pass through Bulawayo's impoverished neighbourhoods on their way to the
local Grain Marketing Board, GMB, silos.

The silos are the largest in the country, and outside the perimeter fence of
the depot, children can be found in the daylight hours picking up grain from
the tarmac.

It is this scavenging that has come to feed whole families at a time when
humanitarian agencies say more than a third of the population needs food
assistance.

That number is believed to be growing by the day. Despite the claim by
Zimbabwean authorities that they have lifted the ban on aid agencies, which
was imposed in June this year, frontline workers say activists of the ruling
ZANU-PF are refusing them permission to carry out their work.

In the poor working-class townships in western Bulawayo, which lies in
Matabeleland, some 440 kilometres south-west of Harare, the haulage trucks
now offer a lifeline. The grains they shed provide many here a chance to
feed their families on maize meal, the country's staple diet.

This week, Fortunate Chuma, a housewife and mother of three, heard the truck
pass by her home in the early hours of the morning and was one of many
residents who rushed to fill buckets with the precious grain.

"I don't care what people think or say," she said, holding a traditional
broom which she uses to sweep up the grain. "Everybody is starving and we
cannot afford to buy maize."

Other men and women who had come out to collect the maize grain nodded; they
have made sure they master the trucks' timetables.

Urban residents in Zimbabwe continue to suffer the economic hardships and
food shortages which have blighted the country in recent months, and which
were previously thought to be confined to rural communities.

For many here, the high prices of basic commodities - which are mainly sold
on the black market for foreign currency - has meant whole families face a
silent famine.

A 20-litre bucket of maize is sold for the equivalent of around 20 US
dollars, an amount Chuma and many others say is beyond their reach.

"Where are we supposed to get that kind of money?" asked Chuma, who sells
vegetables outside a local beer garden.

Even though her husband is in formal employment, his salary is barely enough
to feed the family.

For Kurai Sibanda, who said he was pensioned off last year after having
worked all his life as a driver, times have been particularly hard.

He had to return to work this year because he could not survive on his
pension.

Though he has to go for days without maize meal, and his diet had been
reduced to boiled green vegetables and little else, Sibanda said at least he
has a job.

"My pantry is empty. I have no cooking oil, no maize meal. Nothing," Sibanda
told IWPR.

"I don't think this is how people should live," said a local authority
councillor representing the opposition Movement for Democratic Change
faction led by Morgan Tsvangirai.

"People have lost their dignity and they don't know what to do any more,
even though they voted for a party they thought would bring them much needed
relief from years of economic mismanagement."

In March parliamentary elections, the MDC won 99 of the seats, while ZANU-PF
won 97, according to official results.

A few years ago, Tsvangirai provoked the ire of the authorities when he said
President Robert Mugabe's regime had reduced the people to scavengers.

However, the sight of desperate locals picking maize grain from along the
roadsides would appear to vindicate him.

The food shortages stalking the country have been particularly felt by old
people who, alongside orphans and people living with HIV/AIDS, form one of
the most vulnerable groups.

Social and health workers in the city say they are witnessing an increase in
the number of people who complain of ailments they attribute to the
hardships they are having to endure.

"A lot of people are depressed and they tell you it is because of the tough
times they are going through. But what therapy can you give amid such
circumstances?" asked Filbert Buzwani, a social worker with a faith-based
organisation in Bulawayo.

"We are getting so many cases where people come expecting that we might help
with securing food for them, and the desperation in their faces is
heart-rending."

As talks between the country's political parties drag on, analysts and
critics have called on negotiators to put the poor people first.

According to the latest reports, Zimbabwe's ruling and opposition leaders
have said they are making progress in a new round of power-sharing talks.
The negotiations, which began in July, have previously stalled because of a
failure to agree on who should get the most power.

In a recent newspaper contribution, Zimbabwe's former education minister,
the respected Fay Chung, wrote that any agreement should ensure that there
are enough "seeds, especially for maize, which is the staple food", calling
this "an absolute priority".

However, for many people like Chuma, it is the roaring haulage truck that
drops maize grain by the roadside - and not the talks - that remains their
only hope for a meal.

Joseph Nhlanhla is the pseudonym of an IWPR reporter in Bulawayo.

Cholera outbreak claims 11 in Zimbabwe slum

http://www.monstersandcritics.com

Health News
Sep 11, 2008, 11:58 GMT

Harare - The death toll in a cholera outbreak in a crowded township in
crisis-hit Zimbabwe has risen to 11 since the beginning of the month, state
media reported Thursday.

The state-controlled daily Herald newspaper quoted Health Minister David
Parirenyatwa as confirming the death toll and saying that 10 more people
were sick in hospital with the highly contagious bacteria.

'We are still looking at all these community deaths in a bid to contain the
situation,' he said.

All the deaths occurred in the sprawling dormitory township of Chitungwiza
on Harare's outskirts with a population of about a million.

Like nearly all of the capital's poor townships, water supplies break down
constantly, sometimes for months on end, causing sewerage drains to explode.

The lack of water also forces people to defecate in the open. The sanitation
breakdown is compounded by the collapse of the refuse collection system,
leaving huge heaps of garbage in the streets.

'My biggest worry is that we must get safe water and sanitation,'
Parirenyatwa said.

Health experts say the situation is a direct result of an economic crisis
that has left President Robert Mugabe's regime effectively bankrupt.

Inflation is officially put at 11.2 million per cent, although independent
economists estimate it at 30 million per cent, and gross domestic product is
forecast to shrink 10 per cent this year, the fastest contract since the
crisis began in earnest in 2000, triggered by Mugabe's seizure of
white-owned farms.

Dirty water blamed for Zim cholera outbreak

IOL

     September 11 2008 at 04:03PM

Harare - A cholera outbreak in a Harare suburb has killed at least 11
people, Zimbabwe's health minister said on Thursday.

"We had nine deaths in Chitungwiza," minister David Parirenyatwa told
the state-owned Herald, bringing to 11 the number of dead in the densely
populated suburb since last week.

"My biggest worry is that we must get safe water and sanitation. If we
don't get that, then we will have disease outbreaks like cholera."

Cholera, a water-borne disease which thrives in unhygienic conditions
is common in Zimbabwe during the rainy season from November to March, but
rare during the current dry season.

The outbreak was blamed on a lack of clean water in Chitungwiza as
some parts of the neighbourhood have not had access to clean water in days.

The local authority has also failed to upgrade the sewer system to
match the growing population of the suburb, which was built for 30 000
people but now has a population estimated at nearly one million.

The national water authority said last week that it could not import
enough water treatment chemicals because the country's economic crisis meant
it did not have enough foreign currency.

Once hailed as Africa's breadbasket, Zimbabwe's economy has virtually
collapsed over the past decade with inflation out of control and chronic
shortages of foreign currency and food. - Sapa-AFP

Local currency becomes an endangered species

Photo: IRIN

Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono

HARARE, 11 September 2008 (IRIN) - The Zimbabwe dollar moved one step closer to extinction after the central bank authorised the use of foreign currency as legal tender in the country on 10 September.

This announcement by Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono does little more than catch up with realities on the ground; the use of foreign currency has been widespread since the elections earlier this year.

Depending on location, there are usually about three types of foreign money in circulation, as well as two local currencies (original and "revalued"), which compete for the title of the world's most worthless unit.

The US dollar and South African rand are in use across the country, while Botswana's pula is favoured in Bulawayo and the west of the country, the Zambian Kwacha in northern areas and the Mozambican metical in Mutare and the country's eastern regions.

The local unit's demise is a consequence of Zimbabwe's hyperinflation - officially estimated at more than 11 million percent - and the tightening of sanctions by the European Union (EU) in the aftermath of the one-man presidential election in June that was widely condemned as undemocratic.

A German company discontinued its contract to supply paper for use as money after the EU reportedly exerted pressure on it, so the Zimbabwe dollar is not only increasingly worthless, it is becoming increasingly scarce.

Gono told IRIN that about 1,000 retail outlets and 250 wholesalers, known as Foreign Exchange Licensed Warehouses and Shops (FOLIWARS), as well as fuel stations, will be permitted to trade in foreign currency for an 18-month period until March 2010, "as an experiment as we gear ourselves up for the 2010 World Cup [soccer] games ... [to be] ready to cater for all visitors to our country."

Neighbouring South Africa is hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The central bank estimates that each month about 400,000 Zimbabweans cross to neighbouring countries to buy groceries and other goods, spending an average total of US$950 million. The foreign currency is accrued as remittances from friends and family in the "Zimbabwean diaspora", a euphemism for the more than three million people who have left the country in the past few years.

"Against this background it has become compellingly clear that innovations be invoked to increase internal capacity utilisation, as well as shoring up the availability of basic goods and services," Gono said.

He dismissed the notion that the recognition of foreign currency as legal tender amounted to dollarisation. "It is imperative to note that the current measures are neither a condonation of, nor a direct introduction of, the dollarisation of the economy," he maintained.

"These reforms are essentially a pragmatic response to the realities obtaining in the economy, in the interest of advancing smooth functionality of the economy's commercial wheels, in the interest of increasing the availability of foreign exchange in the formal market, as well as in the interest of promoting the general availability of basic commodities through greater capacity utilisation."

Reality check

However, companies trading in foreign currency will only be allowed to do so after paying the central bank an amount anywhere between US$20,000 and US$250,000; the bank will also be entitled to 15 percent of the earnings generated by those licensed to trade in foreign currency.

Tindo Mbare, a former banker, said Gono's actions were a sign of his detachment from reality. "I don't know what country Gono is living in, but Zimbabweans have been trading in foreign currency for more than a year. There are areas where firewood is sold in forex, while bridal prices are now being charged in foreign money.

I forsee a situation whereby the only shops with goods will be those trading in foreign currency, and that will create civil unrest, especially between members of the poorly paid security forces in the civil service and the ruling and upper classes

"In my opinion, the main reason for this experiment is to try and lay their hands on the remittances from Zimbabweans in the diaspora. Zimbabweans in the diaspora have refused to channel their money through official channels in retaliation for being deprived of the right to vote."

Willie Mhlophe, a serving police officer, described Gono's latest financial policy as "mad". "I think there are people in the ruling class who have unlimited access to foreign currency, and assume that we all can get foreign currency. They need to be told that they are creating something they won't be able to control.

"As civil servants, we are not paid in foreign currency, so where will we get that money? I foresee a situation whereby the only shops with goods will be those trading in foreign currency, and that will create civil unrest, especially between members of the poorly paid security forces in the civil service and the ruling and upper classes."

EU ministers set to broaden Zimbabwe sanctions

africasia

    11/09/2008 18:39 BRUSSELS, Sept 11 (AFP)

EU foreign ministers are set to beef up sanctions against Zimbabwe next
week, frustrated by the lack of political progress there, European diplomats
said Thursday.

The 27 foreign ministers are set to add another 10 names to their list of
Zimbabwean figures banned from entering the European Union, when they meet
in Brussels on Monday, one of the diplomats said.

The EU already widened its sanctions against the regime of President Robert
Mugabe and other figures in July, adding 37 names to the list of individuals
subject to a visa ban and whose assets have been frozen, and four companies.

Those were in addition to 131 Zimbabweans already on the banned list.

European leaders are set to take the action because they deem that talks on
power-sharing between Mugabe and opposition head Morgan Tsvangirai have not
made sufficient progress.

When they toughened up the sanctions in July, the European foreign ministers
stressed that they would take further measures if there was no progress in
the political talks, the EU diplomat said. "It's a progressive approach".

He gave no details as to the type of person who would be added to the
sanctions list.

Tsvangirai and Mugabe signed an accord on July 21 to begin talks on sharing
power after a lengthy election dispute.

Mugabe was re-elected in a run-off poll in June after Tsvangirai pulled out,
citing a campaign of intimidation and violence against his supporters that
had killed dozens and injured thousands.

Tsvangirai's supporters claimed their man had won the first round presidency
vote outright, and that a second round vote should not even be required.

Zimbabwe newspaper: Unity deal unlikely this week

Washington Times

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Originally published 11:21 a.m., September 11, 2008, updated 11:20 a.m.,
September 11, 2008

HARARE, ZIMBABWE (AP) - A power-sharing deal to resolve Zimbabwe's political
crisis is unlikely this week, a newspaper that acts as a mouthpiece for
President Robert Mugabe's government and party said Thursday.

The Herald's assessment came despite public expressions of optimism by
Mugabe and his main rival in recent days.

Mugabe said Wednesday that "hopefully a deal will be signed" Thursday.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai had said there was "very little work
left" to do.

The Herald cited people it called insiders as saying that little progress
was made during a round of talks mediated by South African President Thabo
Mbeki Wednesday, "and the prospects of a settlement this week now appeared
slim."

Another article in The Herald repeated ruling party accusations that
Tsvangirai is taking orders from the West and seeking to "reduce President
Mugabe to a ceremonial leader."

"That is obnoxious to the establishment here," it said.

The key stumbling block has been how Mugabe and Tsvangirai would divide
responsibilities, and who would have the most power. Tsvangirai insists on a
leading role, while Mugabe appears unwilling to surrender much of the
authority he had wielded since leading an insurgency against a
white-minority government that won independence from Britain in 1980.

Tsvangirai's party won the most votes in legislative and presidential
elections in March. Mugabe subsequently was the only candidate in a
presidential runoff that followed an onslaught of state-sponsored violence
against Tsvangirai's supporters and was widely denounced as a sham.

Citing the March results, Tsvangirai says he should be head of government
and preside over Cabinet meetings, while Mugabe should be relegated to a
largely ceremonial position.

Much of Mugabe's popularity at home and across the continent is linked to
his image as a proud African leader unafraid to defy the West. Tsvangirai,
who lacks Mugabe's anti-colonial credentials, has said Zimbabwe needs to
work with the West to overcome its economic and political crises.

A political settlement would free the leaders to address the world's highest
inflation rate and chronic food and fuel shortages.

Bindura University Students to Boycott Mugabe

http://www.radiovop.com


Harare - Lecturers and students from the Bindura University of Science
Education (BUSE) have threatened to boycott the college's annual graduation
ceremony expected to be officially opened by President Robert Mugabe on
Friday.

Zinasu information secretary Blessing Vava said the students do not
feel that it is appropriate for Mugabe to officiate since he is not the
country's legitimate leader.

Mugabe by virtue of being head of state and governemnt is the
university chancellor but the students said he wants to illegally preside
over the ceremony in light with the ongoing power-sharing talks.

"Most lecturers and students at the college are questioning Mugabe's
legitimacy and are arguing that Mugabe lost the 29 March election to Morgan
Tsvangirai and a new chancellor is still to be installed," said Vava.

He Zinasu was deeply concerned about the deterioration and collapse of
the once vibrant education sector in Zimbabwe.

Most state universities have postponed opening because of lack of
funds to run these institutions. BUSE is the only state university currently
open but lecturers have been on a go slow since the college opened two weeks
ago.

Bill Watch Special [Lifting of Suspension on NGO Humanitarian Field Work]

Date: Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:48:14 +0200

BILL WATCH SPECIAL

[10th September 2008]

Lifting of Suspension on NGO Humanitarian Field Work

1.    Background on the Suspension

2.    Ministry Press Statement on 29th August Lifting Suspension

3.    Clarification Meeting with NGOs of 1st September

4.    2003 Policy Document which must be Observed

5.    Form to be filled in by ALL registered PVOs

6.    Ministry Letter of Guidance to Police on NGO activities

7.    NGOs not registered under the PVO Act

1.  Background to recent lifting of Suspension on NGO Humanitarian Field Work

Original Ban:  The Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare [PSLSW] wrote to PVOs/NGOs on 4th June 2008 suspending humanitarian field operations.

Clarification of the Suspension:  In response to queries about the suspension the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare sent a letter to all PVOs/NGOs on 12th June 2008 with an attached Clarification.

There were exemptions from the ban given in this clarification [ARV and home-based care programmes, community-based feeding programmes for children, operations at head, regional and district offices, churches].  But it was reported that, in practice, only some activities which should have been exempt were able to continue, while in many areas organisations were forced to stop even exempted activities.

The Clarification made it clear that the suspension of field operations did not imply banning or deregistration of PVOs/NGOs.  But reports came in that PVOs/NGOs whose work should not have been affected by suspension [i.e. they were not doing humanitarian field work] were also stopped doing their work by harassment and threats.

2.  Press Statement released by Ministry of  Public Service, Labour And Social Welfare on 29th August 2008

[Exact copy]

LIFTING OF THE SUSPENSION OF NGO/PVO FIELD OPERATIONS

Reference is made to the notice issued by the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare on June 4, 2008 suspending field operations of all PVO/NGOs.

This suspension is hereby lifted with immediate effect for all PVO/NGOs registered in terms of the PVO Act Chapter 17:05 and operating in the following areas;

1. Humanitarian assistance, food aid, relief, recovery and development

2. Family and Child Care and Protection

3. Care and Protection of Older Persons

4. Rights and empowerment of people with disabilities

5. HIV and AIDS treatment, Care and related support services.

The lifting of suspension only applies to NG0s/PV0s duly registered in terms of the PVO Act Chapter 17:05. A General meeting of NGOs/PVOs and other relevant stakeholders will be convened on Monday, 01 September, 2008 by the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to clarify operation modalities.

L.C. Museka

SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE

Comment

·                                       Nothing in this Ministry Press Statement introduces new legal obligations

·                         either for those organisations benefiting from the lifting of the suspension

·                         or for those organisations which were not affected by the suspension in the first place

·   The lifting of the suspension on humanitarian field operations applies only to organisations registered under the PVO Act.

·                                       Conversely, for organisations not obliged to register under the PVO Act, there is nothing in this document signalling any change in their position.

·                                       There is no comfort in this document for organisations which should have registered in terms of the PVO Act but have not done so - i.e., organisations presently operating in contravention of the PVO Act.  They are not given the go-ahead to operate without having registered.

3.  Meeting at the Ministry of PSLSW with PVOs on 1st September to Clarify Lifting of Suspension

No official record of this meeting is available and the Ministry of PSLSW has informed us that minutes of this meeting will not be made available - it was a Consultative Meeting and it was up to the organisations attending to take notes.

NGOs/PVOs at the meeting were informed that the lifting of the suspension was conditional on:

·   compliance with the Government's July 2003 "Policy on Operations of Non-Governmental Organisations in Humanitarian and Development Assistance" [See 4. below for details]

·   NGOs/PVOs displaying their registration certificates at national, provincial and district offices

·   submission of a detailed questionnaire to the Ministry [See 5 below for details].

NANGO [National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations has issued a press release summarising and commenting on the meeting.  [available on request from fambai@nango.org.zw]

4.  2003 Government Policy Document to be Observed

The Ministry have stipulated that all PVOs doing humanitarian field work must comply with the Government's July 2003 "Policy on Operations of Non-Governmental Organisations in Humanitarian and Development Assistance" the objectives of which are to:

·   define the registration process for NGOs in humanitarian and development assistance

·   define NGO interaction with local communities

·   outline the public works approach for food assistance to the able-bodied

·   outline the reporting structures to be used by NGOs to facilitate government monitoring of their activities.

5.  Questionnaire to be filled in by ALL registered PVOs

This became available today.  The Ministry have said that it will be posted on the Government of Zimbabwe Website www.gta.gov.zw.  And that it has been sent to OCHA for posting on their website ochaonline.un.org/zimbabwe.  

The Ministry have said they require organisations to hand in hard copies of the completed questionnaire, but will not make forms available because of a shortage of stationary; they expect organisations to download and print out the form from the Internet or approach NANGO and ask them for a copy.

Originally the Ministry set 21st September as the deadline for completing and handing in the form, but this has been changed - the new deadline will probably be mid October, although no exact date has yet been fixed. 

The form [several pages long] requires comprehensive details of activities for the year preceding the imposition of suspension and asks for details of management, programmes, information on budgets and donors, food purchases, stocks etc.

Note: The Ministry has said that all PVOs/NGOs registered under the PVO Act [not only those doing humanitarian field work] should complete and hand in this questionnaire.

Comment

Section 15 of the PVO Act and section 17 of the General Regulations cover reporting obligations.  They do not presently refer to the sort of details called for by the new questionnaire.  Section 15 of the Act does, however, permit the Registrar of PVOs to require registered PVOs to submit "additional information" as well as the annual reports and returns required by the regulations.  Failure to submit reports when legally obliged to do so is a ground for cancellation [PVO Act, section 10(1)(f)], but cancellation of registration is a function of the PVO Board, not of a single official.

6.  Ministry letter to the Commissioner-General of Police

[Exact copy]

02 September 2008

The Commissioner General Police Headquarters

Re: LIFTING OF THE NGO SUSPENSION OF FIELD OPERATIONS OF NGO/PVOS

I wish to inform you officially that the Government of Zimbabwe has lifted the suspension of field operation of NGOs/PVOs in the following categories:

1.  Humanitarian assistance, food aid, relief, recovery and development

2.  Family and Child Care and Protection

3.  Care and Protection of Older Persons

4.  Rights and empowerment of people with disabilities

5.  HIV and AIDS treatment; Care and related support service

May I also advise that only NGOs/PVOs duty registered in terms of the PVO Act (Chapter 17:05) are the only ones affected. As a condition for lifting the suspension, all NGOs/PVOs will be required to display a copy of their PVO Registration Certificate at their National, Provincial and District offices.

Additionally, all NGOs registered in terms of the said Act will now be required to deposit a copy of their Registration Certificate with the Provincial Governor's office, District Administrator's office and the District Police Station in the areas which they operate. These measures, it is hoped will allow for easier monitoring and enforcement of conditions of registration.

May you please note that any other organization purporting to be an NGO/PVO but not registered in terms of the NGO Act is not affected by this lifting of suspension. Such organizations have been advised to consult with their registering authority.

Thank you for your usual cooperation.

L.C Museka

SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE

Note

The depositing of Registration Certificates at the Provincial Governor's office, District Administrator's office and the District Police Station in the areas in which NGOs operate applies to all NGOs registered under the PVO Act.

7.  NGOs not registered under the PVO Act

The original ban as clarified was targeted at all NGOs/PVOs doing "field work" whether or not they were registered under the PVO Act.  [In fact if they were doing humanitarian aid or any field work involving welfare work they should have been registered according to the Act.].

The Act has a list of activities which necessitate registration - these are mostly welfare activities involving working with people [provision of funds for legal aid is included in this list]. 

NGO's that are registered as trusts are not necessarily exempt from registration under the PVO Act if they are carrying out the activities outlined in the PVO Act.  The only trusts that are excluded are trusts established directly by Act of Parliament and trusts registered with the High Court [these are usually trusts of deceased estates].  There is nothing in the PVO Act exempting trusts registered at the Deeds Office from registration under the PVO Act if they are carrying out work listed under the PVO Act as welfare work. 

A Herald report stated that organisations believed to be operating outside the law will be contacted and given an opportunity to explain their operations.

There are certain NGO's whose work has nothing to do with welfare work that do not at present have to register under the PVO Act.  [This was going to be changed if the NGO Bill had become an Act - all NGOs, whatever their work, would have had to register.]  Organisations in doubt about the need to register should read the list of activities specified in the PVO Act [section 2] and if necessary seek legal advice.

Comment

Legality vs. Political Reality  Despite the lifting of the ban on humanitarian aid the political situation on the ground may still make relief  work difficult/impossible in some areas.  A press report has come in that on Monday 8th September, well after the lifting of the ban, war veterans and state security agents blocked the distribution of relief aid in Gutu, Mwenezi and Bikita in Masvingo Province.

Lawyers have questioned the way that Ministerial statements in the state media are being used as an alternative to properly gazetted regulations or Acts of Parliament - this happens also in other spheres such as pricing, land issues, mining, etc.  Sometimes these statements are followed by the due legal requirements, sometimes not.  Whatever their legality they are acted on by either formal or "informal" law enforcement bodies or interested beneficiaries and, even when there is a Ministry retraction or a legal challenge, continue to enforced.  Unfortunately the political situation forces adherence to these Ministry "directives" and resorting to courts is often too drawn out to be worth pursuing or even if a court order is obtained, it may not be effectual..

Regarding the Ministry suspension of humanitarian field work, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights took the position that this was not legally valid as the Private Voluntary Organisations Act does not empower the Minister to suspend an NGO's operations.  Neither was the threat to close organisations.  As stated above, under the PVO Act it is only the PVO Board, for good cause and after due process and provisions for appeal, that can deregister an organisation.  Nevertheless the suspension was enforced and now the lifting of the suspension is hedged about with administrative hurdles.

Veritas makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot take legal responsibility for information supplied.

SA urged to invest in Zimbabwe once deal signed

SABC

September 11, 2008, 07:30

An economist with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) Lumkile Mondi
says South Africa should invest $2 billion in Zimbabwe if a political
settlement is reached. This comes as Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe,
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai and
President Thabo Mbeki continue talks in Harare with the hope of signing a
new agreement.

With an imminent break-through in the Zimbabwean negotiations, experts are
already recommending ways to tackle the economic situation in that country.
Executive Director at the South African Institute of International Affairs,
Elizabeth Sideropoulos says that even if an agreement is reached, sanctions
against Zimbabwe will still make it difficult for the country's economy to
rebuild itself.

Sideropoulos says should the international community view the deal as
legitimate the flow of international investment could open up again. She
says Zimbabwe can rebuild its economy like China did in the late 1970's by
opening up its economy and allowing investment in productive sectors to
build up employment and exports.

Mondi on the other end says the Zimbabwean economy has the ability to
surpass that of SA and that local business is very excited about the
prospect of an agreement being reached. He says if an agreement is reached
South Africa needs to follow up by supporting Zimbabwe with a $2 billion
package.

Meanwhile, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) says they
believe it is crucial that an agreement is reached but that it is more
crucial that it be an agreement that will bring about real change.
Spokesperson Patrick Craven says they hope the MDC will only sign an
agreement that will achieve this as things cannot carry on as usual.