Morgan Tsvangirai in Senegal

Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai attended a meeting with Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade in Dakar, Thursday. Tsvangirai said he was "fairly satisfied" with talks with President Mugabe's party to end the political crisis in the country, adding that a Monday, August 4 deadline was not "inflexible".

"I am fairly satisfied, but there are, like in any negotiations, sticking points that need to be unravelled," Tsvangirai told reporters in Dakar after meeting Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade.

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Zimbabwe slashes 10 zeros from currency

Zimbabwe's central bank governor announced that he is removing 10 zeros from the country's currency with effect from the 1st of August.

This did not come as a surprise at all, it was just a matter of when Reserve bank governor Mr Gono was going to remove these zeros from our now useless Zimbabwe Dollar. Exchanging at 1 British pound(£1) to 1.3 Trillion Zimbabwe dollars.....it was becoming very embarrassing even to mention these figures.

"The Zimbabwe dollar will be re-denominated by a factor of one to 10, which means we are removing 10 zeros from our monetary value.
Ten Billion(Zimbabwean) dollars today will be reduced to one dollar with effect from August 1," Gono said in a television broadcast.

A new 500 dollar note will be introduced and the new currency will co-circulate together with the family of bearer cheques......which shall cease to be legal tender on the 31st of December.

Meanwhile President Mugabe has warned the country's business sector to stop profiteering or face emergency measures.

"If you drive us more than you have done we will impose emergency measures, and we don't want to place our country in a situation of emergency rules, they can be tough rules you know," Mugabe said.

But will Gono's policy of removing zeros from the currency solve the country's cash problems? Gono has been introducing new bank notes about every month since last year in an effort to solve the cash problems affecting the country.

Just last week Zimbabwe introduced a new 100 billion note (not enough to buy a loaf of bread) which will now be equivalent to 100 dollars of the new currency.

The current government of Robert Mugabe is not capable of solving the current economic problems in Zimbabwe. The country suffers from the highest inflation rate in the world......estimated to be more than two million percent.
Critics blame these economic problems, food shortages and the current political crisis on Mugabe and his government's economic mismanagement.

What's your opinion on the current problems in Zimbabwe. Feel free to have your say by posting your comments.

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Hope for a new start in Zimbabwe as Mugabe meets Tsvangirai

There is hope in millions of Zimbabweans that there maybe an end to the crisis and suffering in the country after all. It is early days, but who could have thought Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai could actually shake hands and agree to talk.

Could this be the beginning of a new era, a new road towards political and economic recovery in Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai signed a deal on Monday that committed the ruling Zanu PF party and the two factions of the Movement for Democratic Change to two weeks of negotiations with South Africa mediators.
The rivals agreed to to hold talks about sharing power to bring an end to the crisis in Zimbabwe.

"There was convergence among all the parties that the dialogue had to start as soon as the MOA(Memorandum of Understanding) was done, hence the resumption of that process today," an MDC official said.

"This is just the first step on a journey whose duration and success is dependent on the sincerity and good faith of all parties involved," Morgan Tsvangirai said in a statement.

The welfare and life of the citizens of Zimbabwe is far more important than the political leaders in the country. For the benefit of the long suffering Zimbabweans, we hope the talks will be held in good faith by both parties and hopefully a solution will be found soon.

As the economic crisis in Zimbabwe worsens everyday, is a power sharing government the answer to the problems in the country? Feel free to share your views on the talks between Mugabe and Tsvangirai by posting your comments.

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New $100 billion bank note introduced in Zimbabwe

Does the Zimbabwe central bank know any other way of controlling the cash shortage other than printing more valueless higher denomination bank notes? In a desperate effort to control the recurrent cash shortages plaguing the inflation ravaged economy, the Zimbabwe central bank has introduced a new $100 billion bank note.

The reserve bank governor's first initiative was to remove the zeros from the currency, when that did not work he resorted to printing more useless bank notes.

How on earth can they manage the monetary situation in the country by printing more of these worthless notes. Every month the central bank is introducing higher denomination notes.

Gideon Gono, governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, said the new notes are for "the convenience of the banking public and corporate sector" in light of price hikes.

"The RBZ has noted with concern the unjustifiable and incessant general increases in prices of goods and services. It is therefore appealing to the business community to follow ethical business practices as well as take an interest in the plight of the general public," Gono said in a statement dated Friday.

The new note officially comes into circulation on Monday.

Is it time for the central bank governor to admit he has failed? His track record shows how bad the current government has managed the economy and they should just leave for the sake of the lives of innocent Zimbabweans.

The highest denomination bank note in the country can not even buy you a loaf of bread? Gives us a break Mr Gono.....is it real money?

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Zimbabwe's economy in a mess as inflation rate reach 2.2 million percent

Already it's the highest inflation rate in the world, but today the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor, Mr Gideon Gono has announced that the annual inflation rate has hit a record level of 2.2 million percent. Gono announced during the opening ceremony of a goods warehouse in Harare.

Isn't it clear for everyone to see that Mr Gono has failed? Together with the Robert Mugabe that he helps to keep in office, they have all failed and something should be done to rid the country of this regime.

One thing Zimbabwe needs right now is a complete overhaul of all systems and to remove all these people responsible for messing up and destroying the once vibrant economy.

They will not admit it, but Mugabe and his fellow cabinet ministers have failed the country. Ever since that day Mugabe authorised those not budgeted payouts to those thugs and misguided elements who masquerade as war veterans, the country has never recovered.

The violent and chaotic land re-distribution that led to the distraction of the country's' agricultural base did not help the economy either.

Then there was the DRC war, did the country benefit from all the resources that was put in that misadventure? In fact sons and daughters of Zimbabwe were lost in a war which benefited those who were looting the resources of Congo.
Where did Mugabe get the funds to finance that war, at a time the country was experiencing serious economic problems?

Is it that he used funds from the IMF/World Bank, which were meant to support the economy?

Join the debate by posting your comments.

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Zimbabwe launches commodities hamper scheme to beat food shortages

Robert Mugabe and his government will not admit that they have destroyed the once vibrant economy of Zimbabwe, they would rather blame everyone else but themselves for the current economic crisis in the country. But in an effort to solve the current food and basic commodity shortages in the country, the government of Zimbabwe has introduced the Basic Commodities Accessebility programe.

But is this the answer to Zimbabwe's current food crisis?

President Robert Mugabe has launched the basic commodities accessibility programme under which basic commodities hampers will be sold directly to all households at affordable prices.
Mugabe said the government is embarking on the programme to bring relief to the people while measures are being undertaken to revitalise the economy.

But who in their right senses can trust this current government to get the country out of this mess? Today inflation stands at 2.2 million percent......the ZImbabwean dollar is now useless and the majority of the people would rather trade in foreign currency.

Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party may have used violence to remain in power, but economic problems will hit them hard. And will eventually bring down this unwanted government.

The basic commodities hamper is not a new thing to Zimbabweans, in fact many innovative Zimbabwean entreprenuers have been doing this for some years now.

But why should the government take over the function of supermarkets? People should be able to go and buy whatever they want from the shops. But this is Zimbabwe, Mugabe has destroyed the shops through his ill advised price controls.
Now he has come up with another policy which is bound to fail, most of these commodities will just end up at the black market. And the only people who will benefit, are the government officials.

Instead of blaming the current problems in Zimbabwe on sanctions, the government should look no further than their own policies of mass distraction. The economic crisis will bring this unwanted government to it's knees. Will the Chinese and Russian give them any financial support?

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Too much talk and no Action and the suffering continues

According to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) this photo shows the remains of polling agent Gift Mutsvungu, whose body was found in a suburb of Harare. The MDC says 113 of it's supporters have now been killed in Zimbabwe.

Probably the world could be a better place without the type of politicians we have today. A lot of noise has been made about the current crisis in Zimbabwe, but not much is seen in terms of action. Robert Mugabe is bound to remain in power through violence and intimidation. It's so sad because the whole world is watching and making a lot of noise yet nothing meaningful seems to be happening to rid Zimbabwe of the not so wanted Robert Mugabe.

Zimbabweans were expecting the United Nations to make a statement by imposing sanctions on Mugabe and his henchman....such as a freeze on assets and travel restrictions.

Thanks to Russia and China, we may be destined for five more years of Robert Mugabe rule in Zimbabwe. Can we really afford that Zimbabwe? Hell NO!!

If Mugabe is that good, maybe the Russians and the Chinese can have him......probably he can do to their countries and people what he has done to the citizens of Zimbabwe.

But did anyone expect the Chinese Government, which has been accused of human rights violations to support any pressure against Mugabe?

So, is the UN supporting what Mugabe is doing in Zimbabwe by it's failure to take action?

Join the debate by posting your comments.

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When your 'Marriage' leads to your parent's divorce

It's supposed to be one of the best days in one's life. It was supposed to be the best day for the Shumba family, finally their daughter who has been in London for some years was getting married. With everyone gathered for the traditional marriage of their daughter, this was supposed to be a happy day for the whole family, until the Jamaicans arrived in the village.

Culture is very dynamic, YES, but our traditions seem to have passed the test of time. With millions of Zimbabweans now living in different parts of the world, many are learning and taking up the values, moral and cultures of the communities in which they are no residing. But how much of these foreign cultures will be acceptable back in Zimbabwe?

But as Chenai(not her real name) found out, some things are not acceptable in our more traditional Zimbabwean culture. Chenai's parents divorced because of her choices of partner. Her mother is now living in Malawi after she was send away by her father.

Chenai's parents did not divorce because she was getting married to a Jamaican. IN fact it was because she was marrying a Jamaican woman. Since she came to England, Chenai has probably learnt that it's okay for a woman to marry another woman. But for her father that was a NO NO NO. Now Chenai has to live the rest of her life knowing she was responsible for the divorce of her parents.

From what we have heard, Chenai did not let her parents know that the would be 'husband' was in fact another woman. Instead the parents were left to find out on the day of the traditional ceremony, from the Jamaican go-between (munyayi/sadombo).

Chenai's mother was send away, because according to the father she knew all about her daughter's relationship for she had visited her in England the year before.

It seems some things will never be accepted no matter how much culture changes. But for the Shumba family, life will never be the same again since the day their daughter decided to get married to another woman.

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Brian Dzingai - Zimbabwe's hope for a medal in Beijing

Brian Dzingai, (left in the picture) finished third behind Usain Bolt of Jamaica and Christian Brendan of Antigua.

With the Beijing Olympics just days away, things are looking good for one of Zimbabwe's medal hopefuls, Brian Dzingai. He finished third in the man's 200m race at the Tsiklitiria Athens Grand Prix Meet in Greece.

Dzingai finished a credible third on a time of 20.45secs in a race won by Jamaican Usain Bolt in a blistering 19.75secs.

Hopefully our small group of athletes will give the country something to cheer about when the Olympic games start in Beijing, China.

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How are you sending money to Zimbabwe?

As the political and economic crisis deepens in Zimbabwe, things are getting tough and unbearable everyday for our relatives and friends back home. This is the time when they need the help of family members and friends in the diaspora. Given the cash shortages at banks in Zimbabwe and the continuous fall in the value of the Zimbabwean dollar, which is the best way to send money to our relatives in Zimbabwe?

There is no doubt this is the waste time to be in Zimbabwe. Things are not right, with the economic and political crisis in the country our relatives now rely on every little help we can give. Things are not easier in the diaspora either, what with the current credit crunch affecting global markets.

So how do you send your money to Zimbabwe and get more value for your money?

We tend to rely mostly on people who transfer money directly into bank accounts in Zimbabwe. Even though they may offer higher exchange rates, the problem is your relatives in Zimbabwe will struggle to withdraw the money from the bank. There are cash shortages in Zimbabwe and even though the maximum daily withdrawal limit was recently increased to $100 billion, this is far less than one(£1) British pound, which is exchanging at about $225 billion to £1. So, you can imagine how long it will take your family to withdraw the money you are sending.
And everyday your Zimbabwean dollars are in the bank, they continue to lose value because of the very high inflation in the country.

Add the costs of travelling to the bank, you can see sending Zimbabwean dollars is not the best option to help your family in Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwean dollar is now useless.....in fact most people prefer conducting business in foreign currency. So it makes sense, if you can send hard currency to your family in Zimbabwe. They can change the money to Zimbabwe dollars when ever they want to use it. That way, they are guarded against inflation and the continuous fall of the Zimbabwe dollar.

You can send money to your relatives in Zimbabwe via Western Union and they give your relatives foreign currency. There are also other money transfer agencies who are also giving foreign currency in Zimbabwe. But once again you need to be careful who you deal with to avoid losing your money.

If ever there was a time when people in Zimbabwe needed relatives in the diaspora, it is now.Join the debate on how you are helping your family and friends in Zimbabwe by posting your comments.

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Zimbabwe pulls out of World Twenty20

The big question is, Will sporting sanctions influence Mugabe?

With pressure mounting on Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe has finally agreed to withdraw from next year's Twenty20 World Cup to be held in England. The compromise allows Zimbabwe to retain it's International Cricket Council membership....and the funding that goes with it.

The announcement follows the England Cricket Board's decision last week to ban Zimbabwe from their scheduled one-day international tour next year.

The British government is likely to refuse visa for the Zimbabwe cricket team to take part in the ICC World Twenty20 as the international community steps up pressure on the Robert Mugabe regime in Zimbabwe.

There is no doubt the biggest losers are the cricket players. Banning Zimbabwe from the ICC Twenty20 will not influence Mugabe that much. But an pressure on the Mugabe regime is warranted.

Join the Debate: Have your say by posting your comments.

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Why do so many people hate Robert Mugabe?

Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe has tried to defend his government and his 'policies' of Mass Distraction. He blames everyone else but himself for the current political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe. He blames the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Britain, America, Australia and other Western countries.

But the more Mugabe talks, the longer he stays in power, the more people hate him. So why is this man who was once regarded as a Hero now the one everybody loves to hate?

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Zimbabwe Warriors up 3 places on FIFA World rankings

The Zimbabwe national football team, 'The Warriors' have moved up 3 places to position 82 on the FIFA world rankings released July 2008. European champions, Spain tops the world rankings after an unbeaten run to winning the European championships.

The Zimbabwe Warriors are number 18 in Africa, with Cameroon the best team in Africa, with Ghana second and Egypt third.

Africa Top 20:

1. Cameroon
2. Ghana
3. Egypt
4. Nigeria
5. Ivory Coast
6. Morocco
7. Guinea
8. Senegal
9. Tunisia
10. Mali
11. Angola
12. Burkina Faso
13. South Africa
14. Mali
15. Zambia
16. Gabon
17. Congo DR
18. Zimbabwe
19. Equatorial Guinea
20. Cape Verde Islands

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Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe increase daily cash withdrawal limit to ZW$100 Billion

Is there another country in the world which trades in trillions? Zimbabwe's $100 Billion is less than one British pound (1) at today's exchange rate.

The economic crisis in Zimbabwe is getting worse everyday. Even though Robert Mugabe gave himself the mandate to manage the country's economy for another five years, his government does not seem to have a clue on how to solve the economic problems affecting Zimbabwe.
Not even the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor, Mr Gideon Gono. Struggling to contain inflation estimated to be over 2 million percent, Mr Gono has announced that the daily cash withdrawal limit is going up from the current ZW$25 Billion to ZW$100 Billion.

The reserve bank governor is also expected to deal with the growing number of zeros soon. We expect him to remove some of the zeros from the currency probably in a few months to come or maybe weeks.

Meanwhile companies have started removing zeros for transacting purposes as their systems fail to compute figures now running into trillions.

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Can African leaders be trusted to resolve the Zimbabwe situation?

Is it blind faith? Or is it desperation?

After the failure by Africa leaders to pass a firm resolution on Zimbabwe at the just ended Africa Union summit in Egypt, can we really trust these African leaders to find a solution to the Zimbabwe crisis?
The people of Zimbabwe were denied their democratic right to freely choose whom they want to be president of the country and all the African Union summit did was to tighten Mugabe's grip on power.

Zimbabwean people have suffered and are likely to continue suffering under Robert Mugabe's rule. Within the country, Zimbabweans have no capacity to deal with the violence unleashed on them by Zanu PF thugs and those rogue elements who call themselves war veterans.
It is this suffering which led Zimbabweans to blindly believe that the African Union can solve the crisis in the country.

How could we expect leaders like, President Bongo of Gambia to say anything against Mugabe. Remember Mugabe said, "I want to see which African leader is going to point a finger at me, and we want to see if their hands are clean." How many African leaders showed their clean hands at the summit?
Save for a few, the rest showed they had dirty hands, (they have blood on their hands) by supporting Mugabe.

Robert Mugabe left the African Union summit with a firm grip on power in Zimbabwe:

At the just ended summit in Egypt, African leaders passed a resolution saying the AU was concerned with the situation in Zimbabwe and would encourage Mr Mugabe to initiate dialogue with Mr Tsvangirai "for the creation of a government of national unity."

How could we trust Robert Mugabe to initiate constructive negotiations without trying to bully the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)?

- the same Mugabe who declared war on the innocent citizens of Zimbabwe and declared himself president after his 'bloody' one-candidate election re-run.

- the same Robert Mugabe who said only 'God' can remove him from power.

- the same Robert Mugabe who said Morgan Tsvangirai will not be allowed to be president of Zimbabwe even if he wins the elections.

With the exception of a few like, Raila Odinga, Kenya Prime Minister, Mompati Merafhe, Botswana vice-President, President Koroma of Sierra Loene, African leaders can not be trusted with the future of Zimbabwe. They alone will not resolve this crisis as long as they continue to play the 'colonialism' card, neither can we trust Mugabe to negotiate in good faith.

In the meantime Zimbabweans continue to suffer.

Debate: Have your say by posting your comments.

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Zimbabwe President scuffles with journalist at African Union summit

It's a shame! It's an embarrassment! or maybe funny? Watch the video of the ranting Zimbabwe president.



A Channel 4 journalist, Julian Mannion nearly got a taste of the violence that Zimbabwe president, Robert Mugabe's thugs have been unleashing on innocent Zimbabweans.
Julian Mannion was man-handled by Mugabe's bodyguards as he attempted to question the under pressure Zimbabwe president.

Robert Mugabe declared himself president of Zimbabwe after his one-candidate presidential election run-off which has been condemned as being unfair and marred by violence.

Have your say by posting your comments, tell us what you think.

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