August 2015

HARARE – Long-suffering Zimbabweans yesterday united in criticising President Robert Mugabe’s State-of-the-Nation Address in Parliament, with the nonagenarian’s foes and supporters alike all variously describing the speech as “useless” and “hopeless” in light of the country’s accelerating economic meltdown. Unconvinced legislators from the opposition MDC heckled Mugabe throughout his uncharacteristically short 30-minute speech, going on…

HARARE – Zanu PF national political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere reportedly summoned all ruling party MPs for a “get together” at his farm in Mashonaland Central last weekend amid mounting concern the bellicose politician was consolidating his influence in the ruling party. With relations between Kasukuwere’s so-called Generation 40 faction and some Zanu PF hardliners aligned…

HARARE – Members of Parliament (MPs) from the main opposition party heckled and jeered President Robert Mugabe yesterday as he presented his State-of-the-Nation Address amid worsening economic hardships. Such scenes are unprecedented in Zimbabwe, which Mugabe has governed since 1980. MDC MPs continuously heckled and interjected as Mugabe presented his controversial and overly optimistic views…

HARARE – At least eight more Ordar Consotium “land barons”, accused of illegally selling residential stands on land owned by businessman Phillip Chiyangwa’s Pinnacle Property Holdings (Pinnacle) were arrested yesterday as the crackdown on land scandals continued. National police spokesperson Charity Charamba confirmed to the Daily News yesterday that the eight are expected to appear…

HARARE – Deputy chief secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Ray Ndhlukula, has appealed in the Supreme Court against a High Court order directing his 90-day imprisonment for contemptuously defying an order to stop evicting a Figtree farmer. Ndhlukula prodded ahead with efforts to evict David Connolly from his Centenary Farm despite…

HARARE – President Robert Mugabe’s government insists it still has “no answers” on what happened to an activist who has been missing since March, fending off accusations the authorities masterminded his disappearance. Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa claimed State security agents were looking for former journalist Itai Dzamara, who was abducted from a barber shop in…

HARARE – Zimbabweans have implored President Robert Mugabe, to at least commit himself to meaningful human rights and economic reforms if his State of the Nation address today is not to become a complete damp squib, and if the country is to be brought back from the edge of the precipice. The nonagenarian will address…