By Kumbirai Mafunda Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) joined the rest of Africa to commemorate the Day of the African Child, set aside by the African Union (AU) with a call for the government of Zimbabwe to put children’s rights first in order to alleviate the devastating impact of humanitarian situations. Commemorated every year…
By Dumisani O. Nkomo This article seeks to explore the efficacy of elections as a tool of democratic governance in Zimbabwe since 1980 . It is by no means exhaustive but in a brief and cursory manner looks at the merits and demerits of elections in their current form in Zimbabwe. I would like to…
by KOREY MATTHEWS The challenges of mis- and disinformation in the media have emerged as primary concerns for readers and journalists alike in today’s world, but they’re still widely misunderstood by many people around the world. Organizations and fellowships have emerged in an effort to help media professionals of all levels better understand the phenomenon,…
By John Wilson We in Africa are fighting for Agro-ecology as the modern way of farming for Africa in the 21st century. One of the main arguments against Agro-ecology has been that, as good as it may be for some farmers to improve nutrition and to deal with climate change, it’s not going to feed…
By Elvis Dzvene Some Zimbabwean youths are jewels to the nation, the likes of James Chidakwa, Happymore Chidziva, Keith Charumbira, Clifford Hlatywayo, Costa Machingauta and the late Chikadaya among others. They served well under the Presidency of the late Dr Richard Morgan Tsvangirai and transitioned well to the anointed presidency of Adv. Nelson Chamisa. They…
I was approached by a fellow executive on how he could legally pursue and remove malicious information that is online. For years, Zimbabwe high profile individuals, executives and business owners have fallen victim to cyber bullying, Cyber Harassment and revenge porn. The internet has had a massive impact on many areas of personal and professional…
Zimbabwe has a mobile penetration rate of 102.7 percent (according to PORTAZ January 2018) meaning over 100 percent of the Zimbabwean population has access to the internet, which is the biggest source of information. There is now a need for every sector of our government to have a web presence. The flagship ministry of our…
By Farai Chirimumimba The world is used to trailing behind Zimbabwean political drama. The Government of National Unity (GNU) helped bring Zimbabwe the best years since the the turn of the century, when it was the breadbasket of Africa. Those heydays had been followed by nearly two decades of decline and political instability. Between 2000…
By Jacob Mafume (MDC Spokesperson) The proposed International Monetary Fund (IMF) Staff Monitored Program is an entry point for full support of the regime and it ignores the factors arresting the Zimbabwean economy. Zimbabwe has had a stolen election; it was disputed by most players including the biggest political party, the MDC. More importantly, the…
By Farai Chirimumimba Nature abhors a vacuum, and MDC has become a giant vacuum machine, sucking the air out of opposition politics and leaving the government to roam the centre ground at will. One obvious consequence is that ZANU-PF is not being constantly challenged and made to justify their decisions at such a crucial time…
The Zimbabwe Information and Communication Technology (ZICT), a division of the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers, has been leading from the front in the growth of ICT and responsible internet use in Zimbabwe. Chairman of the Zimbabwe Information and Communication Technology, Engineer Jacob Kudzayi Mutisi reiterated that they have always supported the responsible use of Facebook,…
Zimbabwe’s financial system is still in a disarray despite the measures unpacked in the monetary policy statement of the first half of year 2019 articulated by Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr Mangudya on 19 February. The economy is continuously gradually deteriorating thereby putting insurance companies’ funds and people’s savings at danger. If we are…
Spiked Online Media correspondent, Henry Madiro, shares his views on the prospects of Hon. Douglas Mwonzora who is the leading contender to square up against incumbent MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa for the presidency of the party at the congress slated for May 2019. Below are our correspondent’s views: Douglas is an advocate who studied…
By Henry Madiro Veteran politician, Felix Magalela Mafa Sibanda has notified all provincial structures of his intention to seek nomination as the MDC Vice-President during the oncoming congress. “Dear party members, I am seeking your support to be elected as MDC Vice President at our Congress in May. Currently, I am the member of the…
By Mbizo Chirasha Time is the healer and Time is also the killer. Seconds grow fat into minutes. Minutes wax into hours. Hours melt into days , days lay their eggs into weeks. Weeks hatch themselves into months. Months bark into dog’s years. Today, we remember the departed literary giant, Charles Mungoshi. Ndiko Kupindana Kwamazuva…
By Philip Mataranyika On the south-western side of the capital city Harare, lies one of Zimbabwe’s oldest suburbs, Highfield, whose name was derived from Highfield Farm on which it stands. The sprawling high- density suburb which was established way back in 1935, is endowed with a rich history that stretches from arts, sport and politics…
After it was confirmed that the Government of Zimbabwe ordered mobile network operators (MNOs) to shut down the internet and social media communication platforms, including WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook, which are widely used by Zimbabweans, the Zimbabwe’s High Court then ordered internet operators to restore service to people in the country after access had been shut…
By Cllr Jacob Mafume (MDC National Spokesperson) The past few days have been an indictment to Zanu PF, its politics of falsehoods and the habit of stealing elections. Developments have exposed the pretenders in Zanu PF, that the talk of reform is a lie, their promises are fake and that the talk of forex deals…
By Elvis Dzvene (Economy, Banking and Financial Analyst (EBFA) Monetary and fiscal policy measures are not only irrelevant but also invalid in curbing Zimbabwe’s current economic problems. Actually, they worsen the situation and make the “Zimbabwe is open for business” mantra a toothless dog. Allow me to express unbiased economic facts which are for the…
Yes, Zimbabwe deserves immediate attention on currency adoption before worsening economic deterioration. But, is the adoption of the foreign currency a sustainable panacea to the Zimbabwean economy? By Elvis Dzvene It’s not that obvious. The first step towards reviving our economy is to sort out the currency issue. To be precise, the economy should…
By Dumisani Nkomo The results of the elections and the outcome of the Constitutional Court did not go in favour of the youthful M.D.C Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa and his party but there remain numerous avenues and options for both Chamisa and his party in the next five years. It is important for the M.D.C…
By Charles Dhewa People who co-exist with Kombi drivers in Zimbabwe, Matatu drivers in Nairobi’s traffic jammed roads, boda-boda motorcyclists in Kampala and similar situations in African cities have always wondered if those drivers are from the same mother. This is due to their character which is exactly the same. ‘Informal’ traders and MSMEs also…
The Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) has urged the New Government to prioritise strengthening of Primary Health Care (PHC) to achieve Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals SDGs). “Now that the elections are over, the people of Zimbabwe expect the fulfilment of the election manifesto, in which you promised massive improvement in…
By Dumisani Ncube The recent developments in Zimbabwean Elections have once again demonstrated the important role that the peasantry plays in determining the country’s future. Zimbabwe has 63 Districts of which 58 are rural districts thus giving a percentage figure of 92 % .Given the statistics it is evident that the rural vote has…
By Dumisani O. Nkomo The results of the 2018 Harmonised elections provide an insight into voting trends and patterns which are useful for understanding Voter Psychology and the factors that influence how and who the electorate vote for. There are useful lessons for the contestants as well as other players such as the electoral management…
By Amnesty International The Zimbabwean authorities must immediately stop arresting and harassing protesters and bystanders following post-election violence that has killed at least six people, Amnesty International said today. More than 60 people have been arbitrarily arrested in the past seven days in a government crackdown on supporters of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change…
Regional solidarity platform, the Zimbabwe Solidarity Forum (ZSF) which is based in South Africa, has warned the relatively peaceful environment ahead of the 2018 harmonised elections in the country could be a “shallow cover” for democratic deficits. The ZSF is made of South African trade unions, church groups and civil society organisations, eminent academics and…
Dumisani O Nkomo Zimbabwe is for the first time experiencing an interesting phenomenon of an incredible number of candidates especially for the Presidential and House of Assembly elections. It is critical for the electorate to make informed decisions about the kind of leaders that they elect. It has been quite a comic spectacle to witness…
By Farai Chirimumimba Zimbabwe’s presidential race is tightening in its final 10 days with opposition MDC Alliance candidate Nelson Chamisa narrowing the gap on front runner incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a final poll showed on Friday. An Afrobarometer poll showed 40 percent of the voters are set to back Mnangagwa in the July 30 first…
The Director of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Affairs in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Mrs. Gülfem Veziroğlu Sevgili has urged the United Nations (UN) to consider bringing new methodology and substance in negotiating a breakthrough to the Cyprus question. Addressing journalists fro around the globe in Lefkoşa ahead of the 20th July…
How important is ethnicity in the election? Zimbabwe’s political landscape as largely been devoid from backing on grounds of ethnic group, however, there is always a tendency to believe that, to win a presidential race a candidate needs to forge ethnic alliances to get a majority of that vote. In other words, there is always…
By Harry Ruka Mazhindu The two main political parties ruling ZANU-PF and MDC Alliance a few weeks ago released their manifestos after months of agonising over what to put, what to prioritise and what to leave. But do manifestos matter anymore? In an era of broken promises and an electorate that count. Here are three…
By Dumisani O. Nkomo In last week’s instalment, I analysed the chances of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Nelson Chamisa’s prospects in the 30 July Presidential race. In this instalment I will focus on the chances of four other contenders for the presidency but more importantly assess the extent to which they will have an impact…
By Harry Ruka Mazhindu How Zimbabweans are going to vote is not clear. But the result will matter both to the future of their country and the region. A casual visitor to Harare will notice that Zimbabwe is holding a general election on 30 July. Along the main streets and in the central Business district…
By Farai Chirimumimba Most countries rarely undertake independent voters’ roll audits to correct any irregularities noted, and when they do there are always disagreements on the terms of reference of the auditing company. For instance last year, Kenya appointed international auditing firm KPMG to audit its 19.6 million Register of Voters months ahead of the…
By Dumisani O. Nkomo The new government administration has adopted the term “Zimbabwe is open for business “ as its official policy statement . I would like to argue that whilst in terms of rhetoric Zimbabwe may be open for business a lot needs to be done in order to really make Zimbabwe open for…
The current ruling ZANU-PF government has in recent years been accused of rigging elections or unfair conduct. This is not a phenomenon unique to Zimbabwe, across the world; there are many countries where elections are taking place with a cloud of rigging allegations. In major democracies like the United States, there are reports that political…
By Farai Chirimumimba Once again, Zimbabwe is witnessing an intense period stemming from the availability of the voters’ roll that has been a subject of debate in recent weeks with different interpretations of section 21 (4) by several legal minds. Whether one supports President Emmerson Mnangagwa or his main rival Nelson Chamisa, one thing is…
By Harry Ruka Mazhindu Ever since the 1990s, international observation of elections has become widespread that refusing observers is an indirect admission of fraud as was the case in Zimbabwe between 2002-2013 presidential, parliamentary and subsequent general elections. However, observers opinions despite usually varied can almost do nothing to impact on the outcome of an…
By Byron Mutingwende I write this piece to acknowledge one of those unsung heroes in the diplomatic, humanitarian and development field in Zimbabwe. I must hasten to note that he was recognised as the diplomat of the year in 2016 by the Diplomat Trust of Zimbabwe. His energetic and engaging personality precedes him….
By Institute for Young Women Development We write with a heavy heart in such devastating times being witnessed in the country. Recent and ongoing developments in our political sphere has set us 10 years back where representation and leadership of women was less than 10% in elective politics in Zimbabwe. Owing to women’s rights…
By Farai Chirimumimba Promising rejuvenation of the economy, MDC Alliance made its case on Thursday for voters to back its move to the left and throw out ZANU-PF out at next month’s election. Nelson Chamisa, the leader of Zimbabwe’s opposition MDC Alliance, a grouping of seven political parties, said the manifesto was “what the people…
By Byron Mutingwende The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) should improve on transparency and accountability in order for it to pass the test of a credible, fair and transparent electoral management body. This emerged at the launch of the fourth edition of the Election Reform Barometer produced by the Election Resource Centre (ERC) in…
By Dumisani O. Nkomo It has been widely and wildly postulated that devolution of power is divisive, unviable economically and impractical in small countries. In this instalment I would like to argue that devolution of power is a system of government which has been implemented successfully in African, European and Asian countries big and small…
By Farai Chirimumimba Introduction As the MDC Alliance today, 05 June 2018 presses on with electoral reforms demand, they probably survived a counter onslaught after the police refused to clear a counter ZANU-PF march which was rescheduled for tomorrow. As noted by Sachikonye (2011), violence has been woven through the intricate fabric of Zimbabwe’s political…
