Zimbabwe

HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe’s president Monday said he was “appalled” by a televised report showing abuses by security forces in a continuing crackdown. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, on his official Twitter account, said was unhappy at the video, broadcast by Sky News, showing security forces hitting a man who had been arrested. Mnangagwa said he “instructed that the individuals behind this be arrested.” Angry protests against the government’s drastic fuel price hikes provoked a harsh crackdown…

Oliver Mtukudzi, one of Zimbabwe’s most renowned musicians, has died aged 66 after a four-decade career. He came to prominence in the 1970s as one of voices of the revolution fighting white-minority rule. His lyrics often carried social messages about HIV/Aids and coded political commentary. His 2001 song Wasakara, meaning “You Are Too Old”, was banned as it was seen as a reference to leader Robert Mugabe, who was ousted 16 years later aged 93….

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to address the inaugural edition of the Peace Starts with Me (Peace and Family) Festival scheduled for next Wednesday. He will deliver a congratulatory message at the fiesta where music superstar Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi and mbira songbird Hope Masike will be among the rich line-up of music stars scheduled to provide entertainment. Family Federation and World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) group regional chairman Bakare Camara of Nigeria confirmed the development…

The High Court yesterday issued a warrant of arrest for former Higher and Tertiary Education deputy minister Godfrey Gandawa, who is facing allegations of swindling the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef) of $400 000, failed to turn up for the trial. Gandawa’s lawyer Advocate Bernard Chidziva told Justice Tawanda Chitapi that he did not know where his client was. He said Gandawa, who was on $500 bail, did not even communicate with him with a…

Zimbabwean President, Emerson Mnangagwa, has described parallel market currency dealers as a national security threat, warning that his administration will take drastic measures against such traders as the country’s economy takes a knock from rising prices occasioned by a spike in exchange rates. This comes against the backdrop of economic challenges that have seen shops such as KFC close shop. However, the quasi-currency bond notes Zimbabwe uses alongside other multiple currencies appeared to gain some…

Zimbabwean President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has approved 64 million dollars budget for immediate fight against cholera outbreak that killed at least 30 people in the capital Harare, a cabinet minister said. The funds will also be used to fight typhoid which has also hit the city and other parts of the country, Chairperson of the Cabinet Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management, July Moyo, said. It is anticipated that well-wishers will donate to the fund,…

Zimbabwe’s main opposition said on Monday security forces were abducting its members in night raids to intimidate the party and stop it challenging President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s win in national elections. Six people were killed in an army clampdown last week after violent protests and amid opposition claims of vote-rigging, in scenes reminiscent of the long rule of Robert Mugabe, when the security forces became a byword for heavy-handedness. Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has rejected Mnangagwa’s…

A government crackdown in Zimbabwe after Monday’s elections has prompted international calls for restraint. The UN and former colonial power the UK both expressed concern about the violence, in which three people were killed after troops opened fire. Parliamentary results gave victory to the ruling Zanu-PF party in the first vote since the ouster of former ruler Robert Mugabe. But the opposition says Zanu-PF igged the election. The result of the presidential election has yet…