Although the messages coming across seem to conflicting depending on who is saying what, it is encourageing to note that there is a certain amount of willingness within the members of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) to meet and discuss the way forward following the MDC-T temporary disengagement from government recently. Many people following what is happening in Zimbabwe will agree with South African president Jacob Zuma's most recent comment that Zimbabwe "should not be allowed to slide back into instability". Continue...

It is Henry Alfred Kissinger who once remarked; "Any fact that needs to be disclosed should be put out now or as quickly as possible, because otherwise this bleeding will not end." Of course, he was not speaking of Zimbabwe but he might as well hav been! After news broke that the Monday meeting between president Robert Mugabe (ZANU-PF), Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC-T) and Arthur Mutambara (MDC-M) had yielded nothing in terms of breaking the prevailing political impasse, the tone was set for a depressing week ahead - on the political field at least! Continue...

The following is a summary of the recommendations the Open Society Institute for Southern Africa (OSISA) is making to SADC ahead of a Maputo meeting which seeks to resolve the political impasse in Zimbabwe.

ZIMBABWE: A WAY FORWARD 

  Executive Summary

The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) makes the following recommendations: Continue...

So SADC has met and made recommendations again. To the scores of people who were hoping for an amicable solution to thepolitical impasse in Zimbabwe, Maputo has been a huge disappointment to dsay the least. But what else could have happened? It was clear that SADC was never going to take a hardl stance on Mugabe. After all, he is a democratically elected president and is duly recognized as such. As for Tsvangirai and the MDC, their 30-day ultimatum is all they to hang on to for now. Whether that will materialize is still a matter of debate. Continue...

The People Against Suffering, Suppression, Oppression and Poverty (PASSOP), a South African refugee rights group has claimed that South African insurance firm, Old Mutual is the second largest shareholder in the Zimbabwe government-controlled Zimbabwe Newspapers (ZimPapers), publishers of government mouthpieces The Herald a Continue...

[The Media Monitoring Project, Zimbabwe] (MMPZ) condemns the authorities’ relentless attempts to emasculate professional journalistic activity at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH) in their efforts to retain control of the national public broadcaster as the unbridled mouthpiece of ZANU PF. Continue...