Category Archives: Zimbabwe

Botswana says it has solved mystery of mass elephant die-off

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Elephants may have ingested toxins produced by bacteria found in waterholes

Hundreds of elephants died in Botswana earlier this year from ingesting toxins produced by cyanobacteria, according to government officials who say they will be testing waterholes for algal blooms next rainy season to reduce the risk of another mass die-off.

The mysterious death of 350 elephants in the Okavango delta between May and June baffled conservationists, with leading theories suggesting they were killed by a rodent virus known as EMC (encephalomyocarditis) or toxins from algal blooms.

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Mugabe sets his sights on an executive style presidency – archive, 1987

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17 September 1987: the proposal is virtually assured passage through Parliament which is controlled by Mr Robert Mugabe’s Zanu party

The Zimbabwe government has introduced a parliamentary Bill aimed at creating a stronger presidency and doing away with the post of Prime Minister.

The move came soon after the parliamentary vote to eliminate the special seats reserved for the country’s white minority. Both measures were seen yesterday as part of a government drive to restructure the British-drafted Lancaster House constitution approved in 1979.

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More than 25 apes trafficked from Congo recovered in Zimbabwe

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Large seizure of pangolin scales also carried out, government says, as four suspects are arrested

At least 26 great apes illegally removed from the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been seized in Zimbabwe, where four suspected traffickers have been arrested.

Congo’s environment minister, Claude Nyamugabo Bazibuhe, also announced a large seizure of pangolin scales from the country’s north-east.

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Chinese mining firms in Zimbabwe pose threat to endangered species, say experts

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Two companies granted permission to clear land at Hwange national park, home to cheetahs, elephants and rhinos

Rhinos, giraffes, cheetahs and other endangered species face a new threat in Zimbabwe’s Hwange national park: Chinese mining companies.

Zhongxin Coal Mining Group and Afrochine Smelting have received permission from the government to begin environmental impact assessments for drilling, land clearance, road building and geological surveys at two proposed sites inside the park, which is home to almost 10% of Africa’s remaining wild elephants.

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Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono is freed on bail

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Filmmaker was held in Harare for six weeks after carrying out investigations into corruption

Hopewell Chin’ono, the Zimbabwean journalist held in a high-security prison for almost six weeks pending trial on charges of inciting violence, has been freed on bail.

Chin’ono was arrested at his home in Harare in July after publishing a series of investigations into corruption in Zimbabwe. He has since been held in an overcrowded cell in Chikurubi jail on the outskirts of the capital, Harare.

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Zimbabwe investigates mysterious death of 11 elephants

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National park authorities rule out poaching and cyanide poisoning

Parks authorities in Zimbabwe are investigating the mysterious death of 11 elephants in a forest in the west of the country after ruling out cyanide poisoning and poaching.

The carcasses of the elephants were discovered on Friday in Pandamasue forest, located between Hwange national park and Victoria Falls.

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Catholic bishops in Zimbabwe speak out for first time on human rights abuses

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Government calls Vatican representative for talks after scathing letter accuses Mnangagwa of corruption and abuse of power

The Zimbabwean government has summoned the Vatican representative in Harare over growing criticism by Catholic bishops of the country’s human rights record.

The move follows a scathing letter send by local clergy accusing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime of abusing power in its crackdown on political activists, and of rampant corruption.

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#ZimbabweanLivesMatter: celebrities join campaign against human rights abuses

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Stars and politicians including Ice Cube and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf have spoken out adding to pressure on President Emmerson Mnanagwa’s regime

A campaign drawing attention to human rights abuses in Zimbabwe is attracting international celebrities and politicians as pressure mounts on President Emmerson Mnanagwa’s government to act.

The #ZimbabweanLivesMatter campaign, which originated in South Africa this week, is currently No 1 on the list of trending topics on Twitter and prominent on other social media platforms.

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Booker-longlisted author Tsitsi Dangarembga freed on bail in Zimbabwe

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The novelist, whose book This Mournable Body was named as a finalist last week, had been arrested while taking part in anti-corruption protests

The Booker-longlisted author Tsitsi Dangarembga has been freed on bail after her arrest during anti-corruption protests in Zimbabwe last week.

The acclaimed writer, who was longlisted for the 2020 Booker prize for her novel This Mournable Body, documented her arrest on Friday with another protester, Julie Barnes, in the Harare suburb of Borrowdale. The author was carrying placards calling for reform in Zimbabwe president Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government, and for the release of Hopewell Chin’ono, a journalist arrested recently during a nationwide crackdown on protesters.

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Booker prize-longlisted author Tsitsi Dangarembga arrested in Zimbabwe

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Author of This Mournable Body detained as part of sweeping crackdown by security agencies

Tsitsi Dangarembga, the award-winning Zimbabwean novelist who was nominated for the Booker prize longlist earlier this week, was arrested on Friday amid a sweeping crackdown by security agencies ahead of planned anti-corruption demonstrations.

Hundreds of police and soldiers remained on the streets of Harare, the capital, and others cities late into the evening, ordering inhabitants to go home and stay indoors.

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Soldiers and police deployed at anti-corruption demonstrations in Zimbabwe

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As the economy falters, President Emmerson Mnangagwa blames foreign interference, issues warnings to ‘rogue Zimbabweans’

Hundreds of police and soldiers have been deployed on the streets of cities across Zimbabwe ahead of planned anti-corruption demonstrations on Friday.

Recent weeks have seen rising tensions in the poor southern African country as security agencies have sought to stifle widespread anger at soaring prices, inadequate public services and allegations of graft at the highest levels of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government.

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‘Journalism has been criminalised’: Zimbabwean reporter denied bail

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Hopewell Chin’ono is in jail awaiting trial on charges he rejects of inciting violence

A prominent investigative journalist in Zimbabwe has said the struggle against corruption in the country must continue as he was sent back to prison to await trial on charges of incitement of public violence.

Hopewell Chin’ono, an internationally respected reporter, recently published documents raising concerns that powerful individuals in Zimbabwe were profiting from multimillion-dollar deals for essential supplies to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

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Lawyers protest as Zimbabwean journalist’s bail decision postponed

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Hopewell Chin’ono arrested after reporting on alleged profiteering in deals for coronavirus supplies

Lawyers for a prominent investigative journalist in Zimbabwe who was arrested this week have accused authorities of persecution after magistrates postponed a decision on bail for 24 hours, blaming a Covid-19 curfew.

Hopewell Chin’ono, an internationally respected reporter, recently published documents raising concerns that powerful individuals in Zimbabwe were profiting from multimillion-dollar deals for essential supplies to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

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Prominent Zimbabwe journalist detained in latest abduction of government critics

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Hopewell Chin’ono had reported on profiting in deals for coronavirus supplies

Authorities in Zimbabwe have detained a prominent journalist known for his reporting on the country’s endemic corruption in the latest in a series of abductions of government critics.

Hopewell Chin’ono was taken from his home in Harare on Monday by eight “state security agents” who broke windows to gain entry and did not produce any warrant, his lawyer said.

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Zimbabwe health minister facing coronavirus corruption charge sacked

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Obadiah Moyo has been charged with criminal abuse of office over the alleged awarding of a $60m contract for Covid-19 supplies

A Zimbabwean health minister charged with corruption in connection with the awarding of a multimillion dollar contract for Covid-19 medical supplies has been fired by the president.

Obadiah Moyo was sacked by Emmerson Mnangagwa this week for inappropriate conduct by a public official.

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Zimbabwe spends millions on officials’ luxury cars as country goes hungry

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Diplomatic staff given Range Rovers while ordinary people struggle amid inflation of 785%

The government of Zimbabwe has spent millions of dollars on luxury cars for senior officials despite a deepening economic collapse that has plunged its people into profound hardship.

The new cars, including dozens of Range Rovers and Toyota pick-up trucks worth more than $40,000, were distributed to ambassadors and senior civil servants. Analysts say the move constitutes a new effort to shore up support for the government of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took power after the military coup that ousted Robert Mugabe in 2017.

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‘My day starts at 3am’: coronavirus fuels gruelling Harare commutes – in pictures

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Lockdown measures have meant getting to work is fraught with risk for those manning essential services in Zimbabwe’s capital. Three frontline staff reveal how they are coping with erratic buses, exhaustion and danger

  • Words by Angela Jimu and photographs by Cynthia R Matonhodze

It’s a dark, nippy June morning before dawn and a queue is forming at Glen View 8 bus stop. A dozen or so people, mostly men, are there as 41-year-old Mairevei Mupombwi and her friend arrive at 4.43am carrying fleece blankets. The two women spread cloths on the ground to sit on and cover themselves with their blankets to keep warm. Mupombwi starts dozing.

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South Africa tobacco ban greeted with cigarette smuggling boom

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With tobacco sales banned in effort to curb coronavirus, illegal trade has surged on border with Zimbabwe

South Africa and Zimbabwe have stepped up border patrols in a bid to stop cigarette smuggling, which has boomed since Pretoria banned the sale of tobacco in March.

The country claimed smokers were more prone to Covid-19 – something that has been challenged by tobacco companies – but the illegal trade has increased, despite South Africa erecting a R37m (£1.7m) 25-mile fence across the border in April as part of its measures to curb the spread of coronavirus. Smugglers have been crawling through broken sections of the fence and taking advance of the particularly porous Beitbridge/Musina crossing point.

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Musicians hit hard by festival cancellations in southern Africa

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Coronavirus has forced events including AfrikaBurn and Bushfire to cancel, leaving performers without promotional platforms and income

In a region where live music is everything – both for audiences and for performers heavily reliant on live appearances to make a living – the widespread cancellation of festivals across southern Africa has hit the music business hard.

May should have seen the Bushfire festival in Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland), Zakifo and AfrikaBurn in South Africa, and Azgo in Mozambique. Next month would have been Zimfest in Zimbabwe. All have been cancelled – or replaced with online versions – along with dozens of smaller live events that have been growing in recent years, bringing in tourism, showcasing talent and culture, and boosting southern Africa’s music industry.

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Zimbabwe accuses MDC activists of made up state torture claims

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Women arrested in May went missing for two days before reappearing badly injured

Zimbabwe’s government has accused two opposition activists and an MP who described torture, humiliation and repeated sexual assaults after being abducted by suspected state security services of inventing the entire episode.

The three women, all leaders of the Movement for Democratic Change’s youth section, were arrested at a roadblock guarded by police and soldiers last month at a protest in Harare against the state’s failure to provide for the poor during the country’s Covid-19 lockdown last month.

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