The Zimbabwe people say "Enough is enough"
Open dissent in Zimbabwe gathered momentum in 2016 and was buoyed by real time posts on social media. Two activists were mentioned in the early stages as their legacies provided inspiration and they are referred to as "Itai" and "Tondarai".
Itai Dzamara, journalist-turned-democracy campaigner, was abducted in broad daylight in Glen View on 9th March 2015. It is alleged that five men dragged him into an unmarked 
car. His wife approached the High Court in a bid to force the police and the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) to search for her husband but failed. His younger brother, Dr Paston Dzamara, continues defiantly. Itai Dzamara had led a group petitioning President Mugabe to resign from office on 7th November, 2014. They staged a peaceful protest, dubbed 'Occupy Africa Unity Square.' A squadron of anti-riot policemen swooped onto the park and beat up the group, who were armed with nothing but a petition. By the time the beating stopped, Dzamara lay unconscious and a lawyer who tried to intervene was thrashed with batons too. This may be the last photograph that was taken of Itai.
Tondarai Ndira, ex newsreader and head of the human rights group, Zimbabwe Peace Project, allegedly had to be identified by DNA in 2008 after his body was located a month after an abduction at the height of Zimbabwe's bloodiest election campaign.
The history of enforced disappearances in Zimbabwe goes back. In 1975 Edson Sithole and his secretary Miriam Mhlanga were abducted and never found, Army Captain Edwin Nleya disappeared in Hwange in 1989 while investigating the involvement of senior officials in ivory poaching and his body was only found two months later, CIO secretary Rashiwe Guzha disappeared after breaking up an affair with Deputy Director Edwin Shinhuru in 1990 and has not been found. MDC activist Patrick Nabanjama was abducted in the 2000 election and never found. Human rights activist Jestina Mukoko was abducted from her home in 2008 and appeared in a police station days later and spent three months in detention then was cleared of the charges the following year. Prominent human rights activist Paul Chizuze was last seen on 8th February 2012.
The people rise in anger and desperation
An oppressive regime can keep its people under its knuckles for only so long, before - with nothing more to lose - the “povo” rise in anger and desperation. 
At first, the demonstrations in Zimbabwe were peaceful, ignoring the odd savage beating or two by police. Then more people just disappeared.
When the names Itai and Tonderai are mentioned, Zimbabweans nod with miserable resignation.
Zimbabwe is rallying behind #thisflag — started a few weeks ago by Pastor Evan Mawarire, who said “enough is enough” in a YouTube clip that went viral within hours. July 6 was labelled a day of civil disobedience, but this time one of the slogans among many was “burn Zimbabwe burn”.
Already, social media is full of photographs of burning tyres and the black shells of cars, but a week ago there was a new dimension.
Photographs of a policeman manacled by his own handcuffs and a video of police with their dogs running for their lives to the jubilant cheers of demonstrators have been viewed.
In London, a crowd that was demanding the British government reject the Mugabe regime laid siege to visiting Zimbabwean Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa at Westminster’s Chatham House. He needed to be rescued by British police.
Unless things are managed with care, Zimbabwe is on the brink of civil war.
Thirty-six years of rigged elections, the deliberate starvation of those who did not support Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF with absolute media control and the final coup d’etat was the destruction of the jewel of Africa in 2000 by the takeover of productive farms that has led to an unemployment rate of 96 per cent. Most people survive by selling whatever they can at informal wayside stalls.
This combined with looting of the diamond fields by Mugabe’s cronies, the President’s regrettable report that his regime had “lost” $US15 billion ($20bn), the banks running out of cash and delayed or non-existent salaries to the civil service and teachers has left the landscape ripe for revolt.
Two specific events triggered the civil disobedience that took place on the July 6.
First, the increasing number of road blocks, sometimes every few kilometres, manned by so-called police extorting “fines” for arbitrary infringements such as a “messy” windscreen wiper. Young mini-bus drivers had secured a source of slim revenue: picking up random passengers on the roadside. The continuous road blocks have made this service impossible.
Second, the government passed legislation two weeks ago banning the informal importation of goods. Zimbabweans, largely women, had crossed the border into South Africa for years buying bargain-priced foodstuffs and other necessities before returning to sell them wherever they could.
Mr Chinamasa will likely come home from Europe with his begging bowl empty. So Zimbabweans will have no hope of getting enough to eat and, as 
more than 200 businesses have closed down this quarter, no hope of work.
The demonstrators are essentially seeking a peaceful solution, but the bottom line is they want Mugabe and ZANU-PF out as soon as possible. With the unpredictable nature of demonstrators once they’re really angry, despite the huge arsenal of anti-riot machinery Mugabe has built up for just such an eventuality, there are worrying times ahead.
We can only pray this will not turn into a genocide similar to the 20,000 Matebele murdered in the Gukurahundi (Shona for “the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains”) of 1983-87. Mugabe tried to recruit the veterans of the Bush War that led to independence in 1980, his willing enablers in the seizure of white farms, but they have now endorsed the protesters.
Will Mugabe take any notice of his people? Who will replace him? He has made sure the succession plan is as muddied as it could possibly be. It can only be hoped the international community, for years all too aware of what has been happening, will be there to help pick up the pieces and restore stable government to this once glorious country.
Zimbabwe activist Evan Mawarire freed
Hundreds of citizens who had mounted a 12-hour vigil at the magistrate's court erupted 
into song and dance, honking vehicles and flying the Zimbabwean flag.
The scene resembled independence celebrations or a parade of a hero who had just returned from exile as a crowd of nearly a thousand people sang, danced, prayed and shared solidarity messages.
Citizens from across the racial divide, and with diverse political, religious and social beliefs gathered at the Harare magistrate court in show of support for Evan Mawarire's citizen activism.
About 100 lawyers from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights group were at the court to offer legal assistance.
The public gallery at the court was packed to the brim and police maintained a heavy presence in and around the courthouse.
Observers said the turnout of citizens to the courts was a clear message to the state that what Evan is advocating for are issues affecting Zimbabweans from all walks of life.
All charges against "This Flag" movement leader Mawarire have been dropped
One of the citizens present at Wednesday's court vigil, 49-year-old Claudia Mutasa told DW that authorities are failing to understand that Evan is not a politician who wants to form a government.
“Pastor Evan is not coming from a political standpoint. There is no denial that things are not well in the country. Arresting Evan is not fair. Government is violating fundamentals of democracy,” Mutasa said.
Musician Willis Wataffi said it was high time government stop shifting the blame and pointing fingers at western forces who it always accuses of plotting to effect regime change.
“We are here not for a man, but for a cause. I am affected as an artist. If the ordinary citizen does not have money to spend, I am affected. They will not come to our shows,” Willis said.
Evan Mawarire was initially arrested on public violence charges Tuesday before the state changed the charges to subversion and unseating a constitutional government in court on Wednesday.
Had the treason charge stuck, he could have faced up to 20 years in prison.
Mawarire has been calling the Zimbabwe government to deal with corruption, injustices and abuse of state funds since April.
Mawarire supporters rejoiced upon hearing news he would not face charges
No case to answer
The sitting magistrate Vakai Chikwekwe could not approve of it and dismissed the case on procedural inconsistencies.
Changing or placing a new charge on an accused person in a court session is not permissible under the Zimbabwe constitution.
Speaking to DW after the release of Evan, the legal counsellor Dzimbahwe Chimbga from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, said the judgment was a restoration of the law to protect citizens.
“We agree with the magistrate's ruling. It is consistent with the provisions of the Zimbabwe constitution. People have the freedom to express themselves,” Chimbga said.
Evan Mawarire attracted the wrath of the state after mobilizing last week's protests that closed down businesses and schools across the country.
Last week's protests by public transport operators also fueled nationwide demonstrations. Taxi operators accused police officers of using roadblocks to extort money from motorists.
Mawarire still defiant
After emerging from the court, Mawarire addressed the crowd and thanked them for being united.
He remains defiant and says citizens must keep the momentum to press President Mugabe's government to address socio-economic issues that are affecting the country.
“We are not backing down anymore. This is our chance to speak to our government, and we won't get robbed of that chance,” Evan said.
“We have not broken down any laws. The government intimidates us, they arrest us, and they scare us into keeping quiet and we are saying we are done with that. If you touch one of us, you are touching all of us.”
Growing disgruntlement is sweeping across the country with various groups expressing themselves against government policies.
Some have called it the era of hashtags that has seen Zimbabweans speaking out in an exceptional way.
War veterans remain defiant
War veterans have thrown down the gauntlet at President Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF, 
scoffing at the government’s savage crackdown on their leadership which they say is akin to what the late Rhodesian prime minister Ian Smith and his minority government did to blacks before Zimbabwe’s independence.
The restless freedom fighters’ defiance comes as their secretary-general, Victor Matemadanda, as well as three other officials, were given bail yesterday after being charged on Monday with undermining and insulting Mugabe.
To date, police have all in all arrested five senior war veterans, including the spokesperson of the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA), Douglas Mahiya, in a crackdown which came in the aftermath of the freedom fighters serving divorce papers on Mugabe in a stunning development two weeks ago.
“It is sad that these fighters, the best that Africa has ever produced in modern times, four decades down the line they are being persecuted by those who were war deserters, war cowards,” ZNLWVA chairperson Christopher Mutsvangwa told an online television channel this week.
“It is an attempt at intimidating us but if Smith couldn’t intimidate us then no one will intimidate us. It is very sad that these people abuse the most powerful office in the land … a whole rally of pseudo war veterans is called up to be addressed,” Mutsvangwa added, also criticising last week’s gathering in Harare of Zanu PF supporters to ostensibly show solidarity with Mugabe.
Characteristically shooting from the hip, Mutsvangwa said there was an attempt by those in power to “politicise the criminal laws of this country” in a desperate endeavour to silence war veterans.
“Arrests and any other attempts to derail us is a useless thing. We want the nation to know that we are behind the leadership of Mutsvangwa. Any other moves are just as good as what Smith did when we were in the struggle,” Mahiya told the Daily News yesterday.
“Smith wanted to rope in Africans and set up a puppet government which was led by Muzorewa. In this case, there is going to be a puppet war veterans' leadership that is not a true representative of the people because it is not elected by the people under the constitution of the war veterans. So, their operations are illegal,” he added.
Analysts also said yesterday that the war veterans had at last found their voices despite the crackdown, and this was indicative of their resolve to take on Mugabe and the rest of the Zanu PF leadership despite the government’s vicious response to their communiqué last week.
Speaking in Harare during his hastily-convened meeting with Zanu PF supporters last week, Mugabe said the former freedom fighters who had denounced him would be punished severely, in similar fashion to the punishment that was meted out to delinquent war veterans who were thrown into dungeons during the country’s liberation struggle.
Political analysts also said the government had miscalculated the mood among both the war veterans and the general populace when it decided to descend heavily on the ex-combatants.
“The statement by the war veterans’ chairperson Mutsvangwa puts down the gauntlet and it will be interesting to see how the regime responds to that.
“Clearly, where they expected the war veterans to scurry and cower, they have not. However, it is unlikely that the establishment will take this lying down. So, an escalation of sorts is likely and the war veterans and the country need to brace for that,” said civic leader and political analyst McDonald Lewanika.
Another analyst Maxwell Saungweme said the war veterans were clearly fed up with Mugabe and his government.
“Those handing over themselves to authorities are just telling the regime that we have had enough. Indeed, they cannot arrest all of us. We have to defy this regime that is leaving the affairs of the country on auto pilot,” he said.
War veterans have been one of Mugabe and Zanu PF’s strongest pillars of support over the past five decades, playing particularly significant roles to keep the nonagenarian in power in the hotly-disputed 2000 and 2008 elections which were both marred by serious violence and the murder of hundreds of opposition supporters.
The fall-out between Mugabe and the war veterans also comes as the 92-year-old is battling swelling public anger against him and Zanu PF, which has seen strikes and riots hurting the already dying economy further.
Yesterday, unemployed college and university graduates and pro-democracy groups held successful demonstrations against Zimbabwe’s untenably high unemployment and the government’s plans to introduce bond notes.
In the meantime, Mahiya also said yesterday that he was unfazed by the crackdown on war veterans as the meeting that produced the communiqué that authorities took exception to was attended by provincial and district leaders of ex-combatants who wanted to discuss problems besetting the country.
“We were arrested because of the meeting that we had at Raylton Sports Club where we 
met with district and provincial officials. It was a follow-up to the meeting we had with the president where we gave him our grievances and the problems that people are faced with.
“We thought that they could respond to that but they did not, and so we called the leadership to map a way forward and that is what we were discussing at the meeting,” Mahiya said.
Elaborating on his arrest, Mahiya — who was held at the infamous Matapi cells in the Harare high density suburb of Mbare which have been condemned by the country’s courts — said the place is “a hellhole that is unsuitable for human beings”.
“That place is so bad so much that you cannot put an animal there. There is complete darkness and the blankets are lice-infested. The blankets are those that are used to cover the dead. The toilets are so bad,” he said.
Protests rock Harare
More protests are taking place in Harare today with hundreds marching in the central business district over the failure of President Robert Mugabe’s regime to provide the 2,2 million jobs it promised at the last election.
The marchers are also resisting the pending introduction of bond notes in Zimbabwe.
There is a heavy deployment of anti-riot police in the city centre.
Remember this protest only went ahead after the intervention of the courts following attempts by the regime to ban it.
Tajamuka/Sesjikile member, Slyvanos Mudzvova, said “You can’t pick up a bond paper and print it and put it on the same value with the US dollar. That is why I am saying on August 3, let’s meet at corner Julius Nyerere and Jason Moyo and march to the ministry of Finance and tell Patrick Chinamasa’s office that we reject his bond tissues.
“He must use them himself in the toilet. To you retailers, have you forgotten that your shops were once left empty and you had no business to do, while vendors could not buy staff to sell and commuter omnibus conductors and drivers had nothing to show for their daily works as the bearer cheques we were using had become worthless?
On this day greatness was born
Today, I would love for you to join me in celebrating the life of a contemporary hero, Itai Dzamara.
On this day Itai Peace Kadiki Dzamara was born.
I spent the last couple of hours in the Itai Dzamara Square
(Africa Unity Square) praying and reminiscing about our childhood and how time has processed us to where we are. My mind travelled far and wide and I can only thank God for allowing me to share the same womb and life with this level of greatness.
Whatever they did to Itai, we choose to celebrate his life even though a lot of unanswered questions and anger engulf our minds. We thank God for Itai's life and what He has allowed him to accomplish.
The history of Zimbabwe will never be complete without Itai's name. He inscribed an indelible footprint on the sand of this great nation. He laid a foundation for the new Zimbabwe we are all yearning for.
Itai blazed a trail and ushered in a new dispensation of citizens' activism and participation. We salute him for that. A quintessential hero, he is.
As we celebrate his life, we make a commitment to finish what he started and we hope he will also greet the new Zimbabwe he sacrificed for.
Ladies and gentlemen, help me celebrate this gift in time.
Happy birthday Itai.
#BBID #TheEndgame #Occupy
Dr Patson Dzamara, 7th August, 2016
Police break up "Mega-demonstration" in defiance of Court order
A court-approved protest staged by Zimbabwe's opposition supporters seeking electoral 
reforms turned violent Friday in Harare when it was broken up by police.
In Zimbabwe's capital city, police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse a demonstration that the country's top court had ruled could proceed.
Opposition leaders termed Friday's march in Harare a "mega-demonstration." It marked "the first time that Zimbabwe's fractured opposition joined in a single action to confront President Robert Mugabe's government since 2007," as The Associated Press reports.
Former Vice President Joice Mujuru, who is now at odds with Mugabe, told reporters that 50 people were injured and admitted to the hospital. And Didymus Mutasa, a senior official from Mujuru's party, told Reuters, "Today has been for me the worst day that I have lived in this country, where I have observed with my own eyes, the state breaking its own laws and the state starting violence by attacking people who were just gathered together."
The protest was organized by at least 18 opposition parties, as the BBC reports, and demonstrators were "calling for electoral reform ahead of polls in 2018." Mugabe has ruled the country since 1980 and plans to run again.
"Clashes spread through the streets of the capital Harare as riot police fought running battles with protesters who hurled rocks at officers, set tyres ablaze and burned a popular market to the ground," according to Reuters.
"I was beaten by the police here exercising my constitutional right, beaten with baton sticks by a horde of around 10 police officers," Jonathan Malindati told The New York Times. He was "bleeding from his head and displaying baton marks on his back," according to the newspaper.
Ahead of today's demonstration, police had "warned that unauthorized demonstrations would not be tolerated," NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton tells our Newscast unit. "Public protests have become a rare occurrence in Zimbabwe, but there have been a spate of demonstrations in recent months demanding that President Mugabe stands down over economic mismanagement, non-payment of salaries and a chronic shortage of cash."
A woman carrying groceries on her head runs away as Zimbabwe's opposition supporters set up a burning barricade.
As NPR has reported, Zimbabwean clergyman Evan Mawarire has been at the center of many of those recent protests. He set off a wave of strikes and demonstrations when he appeared on YouTube draped in a flag, calling for change. "This flag, every day that it flies, is begging for you to get involved, to say something, to cry out and say, 'Why must we be 
in this situation?" he said in the video, which sparked a movement called #ThisFlag.
Mawarire was arrested for inciting violence, and fled the country after his release. Speaking on Weekend All Things Considered, he described a sense of growing momentum to the protest movement:
"It was amazing to see and so humbling to see Zimbabweans come to a place where they were bold enough to say to a government that is known to be harsh, 'Enough is enough and we won't let you treat citizens the way that you are treating them.' That added to the momentum of the citizens' movement that we now have on our hands."
The leaders behind Friday's demonstration have vowed to continue taking to the streets.
"If that was intended to cow us from demonstrating, I want to say the opposite has been the case. We are going next Friday to do exactly the same as we have done today," Mutasa said, according to Reuters.
Precipice
Yesterday was a bizarre experience. In the morning I planned to take part in a march that 
was due to be led by 18 political parties to the Headquarters of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission where a petition on electoral reform was to be handed over. All previous MDC marches had been peaceful, happy events, virtually no Police presence and not a hint of violence or trouble.
Well before I got to the rallying point, I saw people running and vehicles turning around and going back the way they had come. This was two hours before the event was due to start. When I got to about a kilometre from the point we were meant to start from, I saw the first tear gas and water cannons.
I saw a group of young people looking down the road and stopped to ask what was happening. They said “we got clearance from the Courts to march and were going to Freedom Square (Zanu PF calls it Robert Mugabe Square) when we were tear gassed by the Police”. They advised me it was dangerous to go any further. I proceeded to the collection point through rock strewn roads, burning tyres and saw running battles between young people and the Police. I saw water cannons in action with blue dye in the water and one machine putting out a fire.
The main road through the City was totally deserted, the Agricultural Show grounds, normally packed with visitors and opened officially the previous day by the Vice President of Sierra Leone, was also abandoned – not a vehicle in sight, the only people were the Police and the small running groups of protestors. There was drifting clouds of tear gas and smoke everywhere.
I left the area and drove to Parliament to wash my face and get the tear gas out of my eyes. Then I tried to go back but was completely blocked by cars fleeing the battles in the CBD. Subsequently the street battles raged over much of the City, business closed down and the streets deserted. The army was deployed and helicopters were put up to monitor the people.
Was there any need for this? Absolutely not! I had participated in four previous marches and had not felt for one instance, any threat or danger. Just cheerful thousands celebrating their right to protest the state of crisis through which we are all living. The violence was instigated by the Police who were totally responsible for what followed. I had previously warned colleagues in Parliament that the tension on the streets was palpable and that everyone needed to be careful when handling any protests.
The previous Wednesday, a tiny demonstration by 200 MDC Youth in the CBD had also been attacked by the Police – perhaps more justified because they were defying a decision to turn down their request to demonstrate. But what then happened should have taught the authorities a lesson – the general population joined in and mayhem reined for the next 4 hours eventually shutting down the whole City. Cars were burned, shops looted and a great deal of damage was done.
Yesterday, I drove away from the mayhem in the CBD and went to my next meeting which was a lunch with the Centenary Club – now over 120 years old and located in the Royal Harare Golf Club. I ordered a coke and sat on the balcony and watched the golfers and their caddies on the freeways. It must be one of the finest golf courses in the world, certainly one of the most beautiful.
The Club was busy, the car park full of expensive cars, the waiters courteous and well trained, the weather perfect. It was a world away from the harsh realities just 4 kilometres away.
Zimbabwe always confuses visitors – they stay in our expensive hotels and resorts, enjoy the friendly people and the near complete safety on the streets. See our packed Churches on Sundays and play golf or watch cricket in circumstances that rival the very best.
An inch away from all of that is another reality – 5 million people on the edge of starvation and being fed by the international community, 90 per cent unemployment, banks with their doors closed because they have no cash, one third of all children are orphans, 
the lowest per capita incomes in the world. Corruption that takes a third of all we produce out of our mouths and is then used to feed the appetites of a tiny minority who are wealthy by any standard. A President who drives in a cavalcade that would do Obama proud and flies to Singapore once a month for a medical check-up in one of the most expensive clinics in the world.
But it cannot go on for much longer, the disparities are just too great, the suffering of the great majority has gone on for too long and the people’s legendary patience is running out. Zimbabwe is on the edge of a precipice and its own leadership has not got a clue about what to do. Certainly what they did yesterday was not the sensible thing to do in any way.
This week the Elders – a grouping that includes Tutu, Mrs Mandela and Annan, called on the SADC leadership, meeting this weekend in Swaziland, to recognise that the crisis in Zimbabwe must be addressed. They noted that a peaceful, dignified, legal and democratic transition is possible, but only if leadership is exercised. Left to our own devices with a paralysed leadership, we can only commit suicide.
In Tolstoy’s play “The Cherry Orchard”, a scarecrow in a wheat field plays a key, if symbolic role. In Zimbabwe, the Old Man of the country was taken from his bed, given a shot of something by his doctors and then trundled out in public to show that he was alive. He nearly fell as he climbed out of his car, had to be helped to walk in slippers at the Show Grounds and then sat silent and half asleep while the Vice President of Sierra Leone 
opened the Show. This is the leadership that is supposed to guide Zimbabwe away from the precipice. It is just not possible and everyone can now see that.
Like the scarecrow in Tolstoy’s play, he is not going anywhere and this shameful farce in terms of leadership continues while Zimbabwe burns. Our national debt is now approaching 3 times our GDP; interest on the debt alone is equal to one third of all State revenues. The budget deficit has spiralled out of control. The Civil Service is being paid with virtual money by electronic means but they cannot draw their salaries out of the banks. Even a child can sense that this state of affairs simply cannot go on.
South Africa has suddenly woken up as a result of a massive collapse of the trade with Zimbabwe. Tens of thousands of South African industrial jobs are at stake. Suddenly they appreciate that there is a leadership crisis in the country and that the crazies in the G40 and the Presidents bedroom are trying to take power from the scarecrow’s hands. That would toss us out of the frying pan into the fire.
The international Community agrees with the Elders that an orderly rescue mission is possible and could result in a legal, democratic transition. But it is not going to happen by itself. Leadership of a high order is required and quickly, or else this country is going to plunge over the edge of the precipice and will in turn drag the dual worlds represented by our smoking streets and the Harare Golf Clubs down together into the abyss.
Mugabe returns home amid health rumours
After speculation about the President's health - which was sparked by an unannounced flight to Dubai after leaving the SADCC conference prematurely - Robert Mugabe returned to Harare.
“I had gone on a family matter to Dubai concerning one of my children,” he told reporters in the local Shona language, without giving details. He appears to be oblivious that Harare and Bulawayo are smouldering as the UM carrier is commandeered for family matters as though it is a Rixi Taxi.
“Yes, I was dead, it’s true I was dead. I resurrected as I always do. Once I get back to my country I am real,” Mugabe added tongue-in-cheek in English, referring to speculation on some online news websites that he had succumbed to illness.
Reports that Mugabe’s health is declining have become common but he has often referred to himself as “fit as a fiddle.”
Mugabe rejects accusations by his political opponents that he has brought one of Africa’s most promising economies to its knees since coming to power at independence from Britain in 1980.
Zimbabwe is struggling to pay salaries to soldiers, police and other public workers, fuelling political tensions including within his ruling ZANU-PF party.
The MDC political party revealed the following thirteen farms which are owned by the President - Gushungo Estates 4046ha Mazowe,
Gushungo Dairies 1000ha Mazowe,
Iron Mask Estate 1046ha Mazowe,
Sigaru Farm 873ha Mazowe,
Gwebi Wood 1200ha Mazowe,
Gwina Farm 1445ha Banket,
Leverdale Farm 1488ha Banket,
Highfield Farm 445ha Norton,
Cressydale Estate 676ha Norton,
Tankatara Farm 575ha Norton,
John O’Groat Farm 760ha Norton,
Clifford Farm 1050ha Norton and
Bassiville 1200ha Norton.
In addition, members of his family own the following farms: Reward Marufu (Grace Mugabe’s late brother) -
Leopards Vlei 1294ha Glendale,
Kachere Farm 880ha Mazowe;
Sabina Mugabe (Robert Mugabe’s late sister) -
Mlembwe Farm 1037ha Makonde,
Longwood Farm 924ha Makonde and
Gowrie Farm 430ha Norton;
Leo Mugabe (Robert Mugabe’s nephew) -
Diandra 815ha Darwandale,
Nangadza 1200ha Mhangura and
Journey's End Farm Makonde
Abduction and detention of Stuart Gilmour
Away from the glare of protests, the oppression by stealth continues. At 10:00 a.m. on Friday morning 9th September 2016 in Harare, Stuart Gilmour was bundled into a car by three plain clothes men. They then drove him 116 km north to Chinoyi and put him in cells. His lawyers were not allowed access to him at the police station.
He is being prosecuted for being in his home and on his farm - which was subject to jambanja in May this year and is living in Harare and not on the farm or his home. The case is still in process and no judgment or eviction order has been given.
A new company (M.C Meats) has bought his abattoir and butchery (Carswell) where over 500 people stand to lose their livelihoods if the jambanja continues.
Meanwhile this is an illegal arrest and Stu is treated as a criminal despite having committed no crime.
On Friday afternoon his lawyers managed to get food to him but he would be spending the night in the cells. Mr Pienaar at the South African Embassy was asked if he could attend the court as Stuart is a South African citizen.
After the night in detention, the prosecutor agreed there was not enough evidence to bring him before the magistrate. Even the police shook hands and said: "He is free! We are all free!" There was palpable relief that they did not have to continue the charade of an unlawful arrest and detention.
"I was a freedom fighter and now I am a freedom fighter again" were the words of the War Veteran supporting the former white farmer in his bid to be freed from jail and is pictured with Stuart’s lawyer with his legal assistant at his release.
Ben Freeth picks up: “What we want though is our country to be set free. We want freedom for everyone in Zimbabwe. Stuart goes back to the same fears of jail, of having his business stolen by the likes of Chombo, of being robbed of his freedom to do business by grasping and corrupt politicians who grab what does not belong to them simply because they can.
“The vital ingredient we have lost in Zimbabwe that brings freedom, is the rule of law - and individual property rights. Freedom under law is what we have lost. It has been replaced by bondage under patronage.
“If a white farmer wants to farm on his farm he has to pay. Huge demands are being made by our increasingly desperate mafia politicians to allow farmers to continue to produce food. Tens of thousands of dollars are being demanded on the sly for the Minister to sign an 'offer letter' - which he can revoke at any moment and periodically does. That is not freedom!
“Let's all join the liberation struggle of our country. We need freedom under law. We need freedom from corruption. We need freedom from having our homes and property taken from us. We need freedom from harassment by police and government parasites. We need freedom from fear. We need freedom from noxious decrees and laws. We need freedom from torture and unjust arrests. We need freedom from state disappearances. We need freedom from racism. We need freedom from state murder.
“Let's fight for freedom under law by exposing corruption and lawlessness and standing by those that are being persecuted. Zimbabwe will never be free unless we do. Let's all become freedom fighters!”
"We are coming for you" says Mugabe (Warning - graphic images)
President Robert Mugabe yesterday, while addressing ZANU PF party Central Committee, said he was fast running out of patience with MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai and other opposition parties and pressure groups protesting against his government, threatening to deal with them decisively. Mugabe said MDC-T and the other opposition parties under the National Electoral Reform Agenda (NERA) should be sternly cautioned of grave consequences, warning them they will not win the war.
In response, NERA believes ongoing threats by the Ruling Party leadership and attacks from ZANU PF Youth who are being encouraged and funded by ZANU PF are undermining the political process and jeopardizing the country’s security and stability.
NERA asserts that the solution to the continued protests by citizens and opposition is through a peaceful, inclusive, transparent orderly election process which NERA continues to advocate for. NERA is calling Robert Mugabe or Heir Apparent Vice President Mnangagwa to recognise that Zimbabwe Citizens and Opposition parties have legitimate demands which should not be dismissed, ignored or teargassed into irrelevance.
NERA calls for Robert Mugabe, Vice President Mnangagwa and the ZANU PF government to remember that they serve at the pleasure of Zimbabwean people and that the Zimbabwe People have a right to exercise their displeasure at the continued oppression and mismanagement of Zimbabwe. NERA would like to also remind Robert Mugabe, Vice President Mnangagwa and the ZANU PF government that under the Constitution and Electoral Act Zimbabwe is a democracy where opposition politics is a right.
NERA is neither moved nor afraid of the politics of aggression and violence exercised by Robert Mugabe, Vice President Mnangagwa and the ZANU PF government. Although Violence and Aggression are standard operating practice for the Ruling party, NERA will not tolerate this type of aggression and will NEVER cower or back down in the face of the ZANU PF oppressors.
NERA would like to also remind Robert Mugabe, Vice President Mnangagwa and the ZANU 
PF government that the Zimbabwean people are not Western Sponsored and that the assertion that protests or dissension by Zimbabwean People are sponsored by a foreign entity belittles the problems faced by the Zimbabwean People which include
• 95% unemployment
• Cash shortages
• Delays in Civil Servants
• Missing $15 billion
• Unwarranted abductions and Arrests
• Unfair Judiciary Systems which continues to imprison and abuse Citizens and Political Activists
• Continued government spending on leisurely items and unnecessary travel
• Rampant corruption
• General fiscal irresponsibility
• Continued aggression by ZANU PF Youth on those who oppose ZANU PF
• Continued purchase of tools of oppression during a difficult economic period, such as more police cars, more guns and teargas
• Refusal by the government to ensure Free and Transparent elections by bolding refusing to enact electoral reform
These are all real issues faced by the Zimbabwean Citizens which do not need a Western sponsor.
Jacob Ngarivhume of NERA made the following statement:
"On Saturday 17 September, we are going to demonstrate nationwide, calling for electoral reforms. The demonstrations will be in 210 constituencies across the country.
"I will participate in the demonstration in my own constituency. Let us come together and clearly send a message to the government that we are serious in our demand for electoral reforms. There is no going back.
"We encourage you all to organize yourselves in your small units and demonstrate. PLEASE note that these demos are non-violent. Let us not damage or destroy property, let us not attack people’s markets and let us protect our infrastructure.
"Should the police provoke our peaceful demonstrations, let us ensure our safety by gathering in huge numbers which they cannot break. Please note that we are nationwide this time, surely they will not be able to unleash terror at a national scale. Our safety is in our numbers and resolve.
"Spread this message about the demonstration and invite others to participate. It is now or never."
A heavy police presence in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare stopped the planned mass demonstration, as activists claimed police used live ammunition to disperse small protests.
Reports from around the country are:
Number of Arrests 87 - Mabvuku 4, Dzivarasekwa 6, Kuwadzana 2, Hatfield 12, Macheke 5, Mutare Central 1, Kambuzuma 5, Gwanda 15, Zvishavane 16, Bindura 2, Glenview 4 and Zaka 15 (including Tatenda Chitagu). The arrests include Hons Trevor Saruwaka MP Mutare Central, Nomathemba Ndlovu MP PR Mat South,Lilian Timveous Senator Midlands, Fani Munenge Glen View North and MP PR Harare Ronia Bunjira.
Abductions 10 from Kuwadzana
Injured and Assaults 125 - Marondera 30, Mutare Central 10, Makoni South 4, Bindura 50, Zaka 1 and Epworth 30
Raids 3 - Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe 1, Mudzi 1 and Marondera Central 1
We can't retreat
Despite losing a brother to an abduction, Dr Patson Dzamara continues on his crusade:
"Good to be back home!
"Upon my return to Zimbabwe, I was engulfed with a multitude of emotions. In the quest for a new and better Zimbabwe, I travelled to four countries during the past month and I am glad to inform you that we are making headway.
"As I actively participate in the pursuit of a new and better Zimbabwe, my eyes are constantly opened to new realities. Chief among those is that wherever God leads us, his grace is always available and sufficient.
"As soon as I got my passport stamped at the Harare International Airport a certain man (from the system of course) approached me. In under a minute he told me that Mugabe 
was about to arrive and ZANU PF supporters were milling around the airport, waiting to welcome him. Not only that, he also told me that some actually intended to harm me.
With his help, I was able to expedite the process of clearing my bags before he whisked me away. I quickly got onto a cab to a point where my arranged transport picked me. God is amazing, I don't know this person but He used him to protect me.
"Never again shall we the citizens of Zimbabwe lounge back in indifference while politicians urinate on our heads telling us that its rain.
Cognizant of the fact that we carry the responsibility to redeem ourselves out of the despicable hands of ZANU PF, we can't retreat until we are free.
"The road to our freedom is not only long and winding, it is inundated with nefarious detours. It will cost us tears, blood, sweat and even lives but we must stick it out until we welcome a new and better Zimbabwe.
"This is a watershed moment for our nation. We can't lose this moment. As such, I make a commitment to continue doing my best to do my duty to God and my country. I can't run away from my country despite the omnipresence of danger as a result of my resolute stand against Mugabe and his minions' misrule.
"I know no other home than Zimbabwe and I will never run away from Mugabe. I am prepared to die for my convictions and what I believe to be right, if need be.
A new and better Zimbabwe is possible in our lifetime. We shall come face to with it. I pray that God's grace will continue to sustain and lead me so that I may witness the new and better Zimbabwe too.
"We will NOT give Mugabe any money" World Bank
Evan Mawarire posted on Facebook: “They laughed at citizens and said we amounted to nothing, they called us wishful thinkers and even sell-outs but we soldier on. Everyday we are making progress in holding our government accountable and building a better Zimbabwe than the one we have.”
The World Bank has officially responded to the petition delivered by pro-Democracy activist Dr Patson Dzamara earlier this morning. According to documents exclusively revealed to The Southern Daily, the World Bank is not considering Zimbabwe any sort of emergency funding because of outstanding arrears, and this position will not change anytime soon.
In the detailed letter, the institution reiterated that it was only assisting Zimbabwe with funding aimed at assisting things like water, and sanitation, while stressing that it maintained deep care for the welfare of the Zimbabwean people.
The development resembles a huge win for the activists in Zimbabwe, who were worried that, with Mugabe backed in a corner, and Bretton Woods institutions expressing an interest in bring stability by bailing out the cash strapped government, the funds would ‘prop up the oppressor’.
Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa had been working all around the clock to re-engage international finance institutions to bail out Zimbabwe’s government which has run out of cash, resulting in a massive economic collapse that has led to widespread protests and an internal revolt against Mugabe.
The developments will be a huge blow to the current government. Its Chinese partners have developed fatigue and will not bail out the country without clear and stable financial policies and security on investments. Japan is not willing to bail out the country, and western countries, mainly the UK turned down proposals by the finance minister for a bail out earlier this year.
With the World Bank now out of the picture, the government has run out of options. The economy is in free fall, and an implosion looks certain.
It’s the second time Dzamara has proved a thorn in the tender belly for Robert Mugabe’s regime.
Former Mugabe ally Mujuru leads Zimbabwe succession charge. Questions about her past.
At 18, she left school to fight in the liberation struggle under the nom de guerre “Spill Blood”. At 24, she became the youngest minister in Robert Mugabe’s first post-independence cabinet. By 50, she was vice-president and a favourite to succeed Mr Mugabe as leader of Zimbabwe, the once-wealthy southern African nation.
Now, at 61, cast out of the ruling party, she is hoping to lead a rebellion against the ageing autocrat, a man she called “father” for four decades.
The passage of Joice Mujuru from revolutionary hero and life-long Mugabe comrade to opposition leader encapsulates the political turmoil shaking the country. As the world’s oldest president, now 92, approaches the end of his life, a thinly veiled succession battle is taking place both within the ruling Zanu-PF party and outside.
Officially, Ms Mujuru, the tough talking leader of the newly formed Zimbabwe People First party, is preparing for elections in 2018 for which Mr Mugabe has pledged to stand again.
“Zimbabwe’s people want to change the government through the rightful constitutional process,” she said in an interview.
Unofficially, with signs that Mr Mugabe is increasingly frail and a surge in protests despite police brutality, it is not certain whether the centre can hold that long.
“One wouldn’t really be sure whether we’ll get to 2018 because some of it goes with nature,” is how Ms Mujuru puts it delicately. “Because our man is quite old, he is quite sick and the situation is very volatile.”
It is far from certain whether Ms Mujuru will be the one to benefit from Mr Mugabe’s eventual demise.
She may be associated too closely with the man in whose image Zimbabwe has been shaped. Asked why she stuck with him — even as his tactics turned divisive, violent and ultimately ruinous — she says: “It was respect. When I joined I was a young girl. I grew up looking up to these people.”
Working with Mr Mugabe, she says, was “hard”. “He is a headmaster. And you know what a headmaster does? He does his things by a whip.”
Joice Mujuru is set to visit the UK at the invitation of Chatham House to drum up support for her new political party. She will be entering the UK for the first time since a blanket travel ban on the Mujurus (as part of President Robert Mugabe’s inner circle) was quietly dropped.
This visit will take place against the backdrop of two different Zimbabwean High Court orders against her, most recently in 2015, citing theft of the moveable assets of Hanagwe P/L. These assets – worth some US$1.47-million plus compound interest – were forcibly left behind on Alamein Farm in Beatrice, Zimbabwe, when it was seized from the legal owner, his wife and young children in 2001 at gunpoint. The seizure of one of the most productive tobacco farms in Zimbabwe was orchestrated by her now late husband, Solomon Mujuru, under the auspices of the violent Land Reform Programme. Joice Mujuru inherited the farm, on which she lives, together with all the stolen assets.
Mujuru is scheduled to meet with representatives of Chatham House and to attend open meetings of the Zimbabwean Diaspora in the UK in a series of Q&As, of which one will take place in Leicester on Saturday 8 October. She aims to drum up support and raise finance for her new political party, the ZPF (Zimbabwe Peoples First party).
Mujuru appears to have turned her back on Mugabe’s ruling Zanu PF party. However, she seems quite happy to remain a convenient beneficiary of the regime’s violent past, maintaining residence on and actively operating Alamein Farm. This farm gained further notoriety in 2011 with the death of her husband, retired General turned businessman, Solomon Mujuru, who died in what many commentators describe as mysterious circumstances in the farmhouse which was burnt to the ground on 15 August 15 2011.
Zimbabwean High Court Judgments dating from 2002, and again in 2015, ruled the seizure of the moveable assets on Alamein Farm to be illegal. The judgement of 2002 ordered the return of the assets to owner Guy Watson-Smith, but the Sherriff of the High Court and the agents who tried to retrieve said assets arrived at the farm and were violently evicted, never to return.
The judgment of 2015 ordered payment of compensation for damages, totalling US$1,469,440 plus compound interest to Hanagwe P/L.
Guy Watson-Smith, the owner of Alamein Farm, has invited Mrs Mujuru to attend a private meeting to discuss a settlement of the affair, which she has previously expressed interest in doing, and which would allow her to further her political aspirations with a cleaner slate. There have been reports that an agreement has been reached. If this unpalatable taint of theft and abuse of power is unsettled, she has little chance of convincing Zimbabweans that she’s fit to raise support or money, much less higher office.
Corruption and greed drive Zimbabwe to the cleaners
Obert Chaurura Gutu is the MDC-T national spokesperson. He is also a corporate lawyer and social justice activist based in Harare. He penned his comparison of the economy from the end of colonial rule to present day in an article posted by News Day:
“The state of infrastructural stagnation and decomposition that has taken place over the past three-and-a-half decades has hardly changed the skyline of the former Sunshine City.
“The colonial government in Rhodesia had less than 15 State-owned corporations or parastatals. Present day Zimbabwe has got 77 State-owned corporations. Virtually all the parastatals that existed before the attainment of independence from British colonial rule were on a sound financial footing on April 18, 1980 - the Independence Day in Zimbabwe.
“One can easily single out the then Air Rhodesia that had at least 14 aircraft at the time that we became independent. Fast forward to 36 years and you will realise that Air Zimbabwe (Pvt) Limited, the successor company to Air Rhodesia, has less than four functional aircraft! As if this is not enough, Air Zimbabwe is now saddled with a huge debt of $300 million and frantic moves are being made to have the State take over this chronic debt.
“Less than 24 months ago, the State assumed the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) debt to the sum of $1,3 billion. The RBZ debt was incurred as governor Gideon Gono led the central bank on very controversial and patently corrupt and illegal quasi-fiscal dealings wherein farming inputs and farm machinery were dished out to highly placed Zanu PF politicians and other politically well-connected individuals.
“The Cold Storage Commission (CSC), now the Cold Storage Company, was extremely vibrant at the time we attained our independence. The CSC depots in Harare, Bulawayo, Marondera and Masvingo were so technologically advanced then that this particular parastatal used to declare profits year in, year out. In addition, the CSC, even for about a decade after independence, was exporting quality beef products into the lucrative European markets and to other major overseas markets.
“At the time of our independence in April,1980, the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) was operating one of the most technologically advanced and sophisticated railway systems in Africa; comparable, perhaps, only to the South African railway system. The NRZ, headquartered in the second largest city, Bulawayo, was one of the biggest employers in that city, employing thousands of employees. The Dabuka railway marshalling yard in Gweru was the biggest in Africa.
”Today, Dabuka is a rundown, ramshackle, derelict and virtually abandoned railway marshalling yard. The NRZ has not paid its employees for more than 17 months and the country’s railway infrastructure has collapsed. The electric passenger train project that was started several years ago, amidst pomp and ceremony, has since crumbled.
“As Zimbabweans, we have to take a long, hard look at ourselves and interrogate the reasons behind the near-total collapse of the formal national economy. Bulawayo used to be an industrial hub with big employers such as the NRZ, the CSC, Dunlop Zimbabwe, Datlabs and Merlin Clothing (Pvt) Ltd, among other big companies.
“Present-day Bulawayo is nothing short of a ghost town, with most of the former factory shells and warehouses now having been converted into churches. The same scenario replicates itself in all the other major cities and towns such as Harare, Gweru, Mutare and Masvingo. Kadoma used to be home to one of southern Africa’s largest cheese-making factories run by the Dairy Marketing Board, now Dairibord Zimbabwe Ltd.
“Today, Kadoma is another ghost town that is more famous or rather, notorious, for makorokoza (artisanal miners). Ziscosteel and Lancashire Steel used to drive the industrial boom in the Midlands cities of Kwekwe and Redcliff. These two urban centres, today, look more like abandoned urban settlements.
“There’s a school of thought that the infrastructural decay and economic stagnation and retrogression that we experience in Zimbabwe is a direct result of so-called sanctions imposed on the country by Britain and her Western allies, especially after the Zanu PF government embarked on a violent and chaotic land reform programme in the year 2000. The thrust of this opinion is to debunk the myth that the so-called sanctions have been the main driver behind the near-collapse of the Zimbabwean economy.
“Corruption, coupled with rampant mismanagement and misrule, are at the very epicentre of the collapse of the formal economy in Zimbabwe. A recent study sanctioned by Transparency International - Zimbabwe has shockingly revealed that Zimbabwe has been losing at least $1 billion annually due to corruption. At a time when more than 75% of the population is living in abject poverty - because they are living on less than $1 per day - we have witnessed the emergence of a very small but extremely rapacious ruling elite that has managed to loot and externalise large sums of money from Zimbabwe.
“This ruling elite is notorious for flaunting its ill-gotten “wealth” by constructing huge multi-million dollar mansions in some of Harare’s trendy and upmarket neighbourhoods.
“One just wonders how a politician in the Zanu PF ruling elite can afford to build a $5 million mansion in Harare at a time when almost all established businesses and companies cannot even afford to pay their employees regular monthly salaries!
“Most companies have since closed down and/or retrenched thousands of employees, but we have some corrupt politicians and other well-connected wheeler dealers buying multi-million dollar holiday villas in Cape Town, Durban, Sandton, Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong. Something must be fundamentally wrong somewhere!
“At this juncture, each and every patriotic Zimbabwean, whether living in the country or in the Diaspora, should draw a line in the sand and say “enough is enough”. The numerous socio-economic and political challenges that our country is facing are, indeed, capable of being successfully addressed and dealt with. It is not the sole responsibility of politicians to extricate Zimbabwe from its present hellhole.
“Every Zimbabwean has a duty to roll up their sleeves and immediately start the hard work of re-constructing and retrieving our beloved motherland from the obtaining political and economic quagmire. Zimbabwe is endowed with incredible natural and human resources such that we don’t deserve to be the laughing stock of Africa.
“It is our generational challenge to engage a gear up and to start believing in our own ability to resolve our political differences on our own and also to chart a brand new way forward for the establishment of a progressive, democratic and peaceful nation State where Zimbabweans of different races, ethnic groups, colour and creed can live together in peace and harmony.
“We should now fervently embrace the doctrine of the pursuit of happiness. In the land of plenty, we don’t deserve to be this hungry and this poor. In the land of abundance, it is a shame for more than 75% of our population to lead a life of penury, degradation and deprivation.
“This should be the end of an era of misplaced national priorities, primitive accumulation, endemic and systematic corruption as well as State-sponsored banditry and terrorism. Zimbabwe, certainly, deserves better.”
Germany tells Mugabe: We won't give you a penny until you stop brutalizing Zimbabwe citizens and end corruption.
MEMBERS of the Germany Parliament on Tuesday said President Robert Mugabe's government should not expect 
financial aid from Berlin "any time soon" for as long as corruption and human rights violations persist. Head of the visiting Bundestag delegation, Frank Heinrich, said Germany had "doubts" about Harare's approach to governance.
He said: "We had our doubts and that has been so for some years now, about the democratic ways and the approach by the government that happens to be in power putting it down to the grass roots people."
Heinrich and his colleagues are in Zimbabwe for dialogue with President Mugabe's government. The five member Bundestag delegation which will also visit several other African countries for similar engagements, met with Zin1babwean government officials including the speaker of Parliament, Jacob Mudenda, and members of the civil society.
Germany is one of the western countries which slapped President Mugabe with sanctions for gross human and property rights violations in 2002 following political violence which was preceded by the land grab programme which displaced white commercial farmers from their land without compensation. The human rights situation continued to worsen after the sanctions regime was put in place but was to improve significantly between 2009 and 2013 when President Mugabe and the two MDC formations were in a Government of National Unity.
However, the situation was to change again after the tenure of the five year long fragile political coalition.
Of late, there have been fresh reports of abductions and the arresting of peaceful protesters throughout the country, forcing some EU member states and the US government to call for both calm and respect for human rights.
"So, we are saying we want to talk with you and we want to invest in relations, but as long as these points have not been clarified we are not giving any money because we want to be responsible to our tax payers for every cent we give and we want to be in control of that," said Heinrich.
He added: "We are not giving government any money as long as they do not show us that they have done what they promised in areas of corruption, human rights, freedom of speech and some democratic areas."
Mliswa’s win is ominous for Zanu PF
Before the Norton by-election, Zanu PF had all but taken polls, since 2013, as routine victories and this was aided by the opposition’s boycotts.
However, Norton was different as Zanu PF faced stiff opposition from Temba Mliswa who had the support of MDC-T and some war veterans.
Zanu PF went all out and they were accused of violence and vote buying, but all these stone age tactics came to naught.
Taking nothing away from Mliswa, Saturday’s election was a slap in the face for Zanu PF by an electorate that is weary of party policies.
The ruling party cannot expect to win an election in this environment, where the economy has all but tanked and joblessness is at an all-time high and continues to grow.
In simple terms, people no longer trust Zanu PF, as its electoral promises have proven to be as hollow as in the past.
Mangudya paints gloomy picture for local banks
Addressing guests at a luncheon hosted by the St Luke’s Anglican Church in Greendale, Harare, on the importance of the impending bond notes as a short-term measure to meeting the liquidity challenges on Sunday, RBZ Governor, Dr John Mangudya said the situation was dire.
He said one of the reasons why there was a liquidity crisis was that the country was double-dipping by using nostro accounts for foreign payments, and using the money for local cash demands.
“I want to be honest with you people. I should not be telling you this, but the banks are operating under difficult circumstances right now. As we speak, some of the foreign banks are closing our offshore accounts, with the Bank of China being an example. The reason why I do not tell you some of the things is that you would panic . . .
Mangudya said since 2009, Zimbabwe had experienced a $2.5 billion trading deficit per annum; meaning to date the country has lost $20 billion.
“Our situation is even worse because we are using a reserve currency for both local and foreign transactions, which is unsustainable. RBZ imports between $10 and $15 million cash weekly on top of what is imported by banks to meet the requirements of the market,” financial expert, Persistence Gwanyanya said.
“Ideally, this money should be used for foreign payments and that’s the reason why RBZ now wants to introduce bond notes, so that they take care of local payments, while minimising the occurrence of externalisation, as one cannot use the bond notes outside the borders of Zimbabwe.”
So dire is the situation that banks have been forced to dip into the nostro accounts to satisfy the United States dollar market on top of making foreign transactions.
A nostro account is an account that a local bank holds in foreign currency in another bank.
The money held within that account acts as a reserve for the local bank in case it runs out of cash.
The depleting nostros have jolted RBZ into action and is set to receive $545m in nostro stabilisation facilities.
Sources
Baker, Jill, 2016. "The people rise in anger and desperation". Facebook post by Noreen Welch.
DW.com, 14th July, 2016. "Zimbabwe pastor Evan Mawarire freed". Open here.
Dzamara, Patson, Dr. Facebook post, 7th August, 2016. "On this day greatness was born"
Dzamara, Patson, Dr. Facebook post, 25th September, 2016. "We can't retreat".
Eddie Cross, 27th August, 2016. Email from Harare, "Precipice"
Financial Times, David Pilling and Joseph Cotterill, October, 2016. "Former Mugabe ally Mujuru leads Zimbabwe succession charge". Open here.
Gutu, Obert, 7th October, 2016. News Day. "Corruption, greed drive Zim to the cleaners". Open here.
Mawarire, Evan, Mike Campbell Foundation, posts on Facebook, 9-11 September 2016.
Nehanda Radio, 3rd August, 2016. "Protests rock Harare". Open here.
Nehanda Radio, 4th August, 2016. "War veterans defiant". Open here.
Nehanda Radio, 3rd September, 2016. Mugabe returns home amid health rumours". Open here.
News Day, 24th October, 2016. "Mliswa's win ominous for Zanu PF". Open here.
News Day, 25th October, 2016. "Mangudya paints gloomy picture for local banks". Open here.
NPR breaking news, 27th August, 2016. "Police break up 'Mega-demonstration' in defiance of Court order". Open here.
Zimbabwe News, 11th September, 2016. "Full List farm Ownership in Zimbabwe". Open here.
Zimbabwe Situation, 5th October, 2016. "Questions for Joice Mujuru about her past". Open here.
Zimbabwe Today, 12th October, 2016. "Germany tells Mugabe: We won't give you a Penny until you stop brutalizing Zimbabwe citizens and end corruption". Open here