February 2017

HARARE – A respected local think tank has warned the country’s quarrelling opposition to get its act together now, or risk being humiliated by Zanu PF in the 2018 national elections, despite the ruling party’s worsening tribal, factional and succession wars. The Zimbabwe Democracy Institute (ZDI) also warned in its latest political economy review, that…

HARARE – Rural teachers, who form a large part of long-suffering civil servants, have formally given notice to strike after growing disillusioned with President Robert Mugabe’s stone-broke government, which is failing to pay them on time. This comes as the government has recently offered civil servants residential stands after it announced that it had no…

HARARE – Another dogfight is brewing in the warring Zanu PF as aspiring MPs are already campaigning, even in constituencies held by their colleagues, despite calls by party bigwigs to wait for primary elections. While under normal circumstances aspiring parliamentary and local government candidates are supposed to start canvassing for votes after a directive from…

HARARE – State universities have been forced to cut staff salaries by half after Treasury drastically reduced funding for grant-aided institutions in the 2017 National Budget. According to the Higher and Tertiary Education ministry, government slashed allocations on salaries for grant-aided institutions from $221 601 000 to $125 178 000. The poor budget allocation has…

HARARE – A Harare court yesterday ordered ex-war veterans leader Jabulani Sibanda, who is being charged with undermining the authority of President Robert Mugabe, to return to court on May 31. Sibanda was arrested in November 2014 after accusing the soon-to-be 93 years old leader of plotting “a bedroom coup” by propping his wife, Grace,…

HARARE – Harare residents are mulling legal action against Wellcash (Pvt) (Ltd) — aggressive debt collectors engaged by the Harare City Council (HCC). The debt collectors have been demanding that residents owing council pay 10 percent of their liability to them. In consultative meetings held between residents and residents associations, Harare Water Alliance and Combined…

HARARE – The Borrowdale flooding case has taken a new twist, with the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) saying the privately-owned dam that led to the disaster after it spilled was illegally constructed. This comes as the Environmental Management Authority (Ema) has also said that the affected houses, including Lands minister Douglas Mombeshora’s mansion, were illicitly…