By Michelle Gavin | cfr.org FOLLOWING Zimbabwe’s shambolic August elections, even the normally accommodating Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) observation mission acknowledged that the process “fell short of the requirements of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the Electoral Act, and the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.” So, what did Southern African leaders do at
The Star Zimbabwe stands as a beacon of hope for all countries trying to escape the Western hegemony of power. The history of Western power play in Africa is a complex and controversial discourse spanning centuries. The 19th century marked the beginning of a profound colonial history whose repercussions would be felt decades and probably
By Tsitsi Masiyiwa | project-syndicate.org LONDON: The African diaspora is the biggest funder of change on the continent. Since remittances are informal, often unreported, and narrowly targeted, they tend to be overlooked. But their scale is large, sustained by diasporic Africans’ powerful commitment to improve the lot of family members and communities they love. Formal
By Cathy Buckle The first rain in seven months came from a dark black sky with strong wind and hail pinging off the windows, rattling on the roof, and bouncing on the dusty ground. In 20 minutes, it had come and gone, leaving a carpet of white hailstones, tree branches strewn on the ground, and
By Michael Walsh and Charles Ray The United States’ Integrated Country Strategy (ICS) for Zimbabwe opens with, “Zimbabwe presents a more challenging environment for US interests today than it did three years ago.” In the 18 months since the ICS was published, the situation has not improved. It has, in fact, got worse. This is not surprising given
By Leopold Munhende recently in China I TRIED showering unparalleled praises on Zimbabwe, exaggerated our beauty, and even made efforts to ignore all the obvious negatives. If there is any one of the 26 African media practitioners I was with on the Chinese Young Journalists programme who believed me, then to them Zimbabwe is just
By Gwinyai Taruvinga IN August, Zimbabwe held its harmonised elections which are a combination of the presidential, legislative and council elections. Of particular interest to citizens were two things: the presidential race which pitted the incumbent, President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the ruling Zimbabwe African Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) and Nelson Chamisa of the opposition Citizens Coalition
By Siphosami Malunga | The Africa Report The recent Zimbabwe election impasse was predicted – manifestly unfair process, uneven playing field, contested outcome. Resolving this stalemate is key to moving the nation forward constructively. What can be done to change this? What stands in the way? What are the opportunities? Broken politics Zimbabwe’s politics has always
By Tendai Biti, Ray Hartley and Greg Mills THE Zimbabwe Harmonised Elections, held on 23 August, has come and gone. The reports of the main international observer missions generally agree that the elections were flawed. The SADC Election Observer Mission Statement is particularly damning, pointing out a series of serious problems with the conduct of the
By Cathy Buckle I am writing today in recognition of you, the people out there who care about Zimbabwe and what happens here and who are as stunned as we are about what went on in the August election. A quietness has descended over our dust-swept country. The September winds and whirlwinds are here; do
By Ibbo Mandaza and Tony Reeler | Daily Maverick SINCE continued polarisation within Zimbabwe, and the possibility of polarisation within the SADC, will continue in the absence of a substantive dialogue, the Platform for Concerned Citizens has launched a petition which outlines steps towards resolving the crisis. As with all elections since 2000, the 2023 Zimbabwe’s
By Jonathan Moakes, George Chichester and Emily Osborne AS the crowds of press-ganged supporters spilt into Zimbabwe’s National Sports Stadium for President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s inauguration ceremony on Monday 4 September 2023, one group of guests was conspicuous by its absence. Of the 16 presidents of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), only three — South
BRICS gave South Africa a seat among formidable company and has arguably become the most prominent reference point in its foreign engagements, writes Terence Corrigan. President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government are no doubtless enjoying a rare moment of afterglow satisfaction. The recent BRICS Summit went off successfully with the announcement of the accession of
By Pride Mkono Zimbabwe held a shambolic poll on 23 and 24 August 2023 whose outcome of the presidential vote has been outrightly rejected by the mainstream opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC). Domestic, regional, and international observer groups, particularly the Southern African Development Community (SADC) condemned the election as falling short of the Zimbabwean
By Musa Kika RECENT incidents in Zimbabwe’s 2022 by-elections, including the improper use of police forces, have amplified concerns of a systemic misuse of power. Recent repressive legal reforms, such as the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment Act (popularly known as the Patriotic Act), further criminalise opposition and dissident opinions – all under the guise
By Tose Gava When it comes to personal/family protection a lot of factors need to be considered but ultimately, it’s about the outcome one wants to achieve. For most burial society members, the ‘elusive’ desired outcome is having peace of mind from knowing that when your day finally comes, you are guaranteed of a dignified
ASPI The world has forgotten about Zimbabwe. Few outsiders know, or would care, that the country is due to hold elections this month. And that’s among those who could point to it on a map. For decades, Zimbabwe excited an interest that exceeded its geostrategic importance, but—in the West at least—that has faded as the
By Robert Rotberg ELECTORAL autocracy has replaced democracy’s standard free and fair election method in much of the troubled world. In Cambodia, an “election” took place last Sunday in which many opposition parties were dissolved or barred from competing against Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party; in Guatemala, the government suspended one of the two parties standing in August’s
By Kuda Manjonjo IN 1960, British prime minister Harold Macmillan famously declared, “The wind of change is blowing through this continent. Whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.” This quote captured a time that later became known as the period of African nations attaining majority rule —
By Hedda Schensema & Taryn York | News24 JOHANNESBURG – It is now well known that on 29 November 2021, a directive was issued by the director-general of the Department of Home Affairs (DHO) confirming the Minister’s decision that no further extensions would be granted to approximately 178 000 Zimbabwean nationals who are holders of
