HARARE – During the Cold War era, a well-known Russian newspaper, Pravda, was renowned for its zealous support of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union — the same way that The Herald serves as an unashamed mouthpiece of Zanu PF, even though the local daily is supposedly a “listed” State-controlled paper. And just like…
HARARE – Govevrnment’s threats this week to cancel Essar Africa’s licence to establish a 600 megawatt (MW) thermal power plant after the company failed to commence the project shows government’s ineptitude. Essar, the African unit of India’s Essar Group in November 2010 agreed to buy 54 percent in the country’s collapsed steel giant, Ziscosteel (now…
HARARE – The greatest shame Zimbabwe’s sport has suffered from is lack of commitment from government. To be blunt, they just don’t care. They would rather pour thousands of dollars into a once-off football match than put up a budget to sustain the needs of a national team. They would rather promise the Zimbabwe national…
HARARE – Human rights discourse delineates rights into two categories: economic, social and cultural rights on one hand, and civil and political rights on the other. These rights are, however, indivisible; they should come as one package. But a look at Zanu PF politics shows that the regime has sought to divide these rights. Emphasis…
HARARE – Do last week’s deadly riots at Chikurubi Maximum Prison, Zimbabwe’s biggest correctional services centre, signify worse things to come for the country? And, is Zimbabwe fast degenerating into a feared police State, with anarchy set to become the order of the day? These are the questions that President Robert Mugabe, who is away…
HARARE – Often associated with seizure of control and violence, prison riots are extreme ways in which inmates voice their grievances against prison administrators and authorities. Prisoners resort to such measures when they believe that only a defiance or disorder can get their unfair condition noticed by the public and government. Last week’s riot in…
HARARE – It is high time the entire Zifa board chaired by Cuthbert Dube and the secretariat led by CEO Jonathan Mashingaidze resign from their posts. Since last year, Dube and his board have been under pressure to step down for some time now. The leadership vacuum at Zifa was laid bare on Thursday when…
HARARE – Zimbabwe is literally hanging by the thread as the ruling party Zanu PF seems to be clueless on how to bring relief to suffering citizens who are crippled by the effects of an acute liquidity crunch. As if that is not enough, the southern African nation, once referred to as the breadbasket of…
HARARE – What jogged my memory, for the first time, was the First Lady Grace Mugabe singling out reporters of the Daily News, during her “meet-the-people” jaunt around the country. She seemed determined to “dress them down” publicly, using pretty strong language to denounce the newspaper and what she considered to be its unpalatable content….
HARARE – About 10 armed riot police officers kicked open the door, barged into my office at Harvest House and indiscriminately began assaulting me with batons and fists, in the process asking me to give them their helmet and baton. They rounded 11 other party officials from different floors and offices who were still at…
