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Zim crisis to top SADC heads summit HUMPHREY NKONDE Correspondent The crisis in Zimbabwe is likely to be one of the top issues at the forthcoming Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) summit of heads of state and government leaders to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 16. Advertisement Advertise Here Political, economic and social happenings in Zimbabwe can be expected to take centre stage because they have the potential to impact negatively on SADC's march to the envisaged regional integration and South Africa's hosting of the FIFA 2010 World Cup finals. At the SADC meeting of heads of state held in August last year, it was anticipated that the economy of Zimbabwe would improve and pave the way for a Customs Union and Free Trade Area. To the contrary, Zimbabwe's economy has nose-dived while unemployment has reached the 80 percent mark. Hyperinflation and unemployment has forced Zimbabweans to migrate to neighbouring countries such as Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique and Zambia.It is only when problems in Zimbabwe are solved that it will be easy for the regional bloc to form a viable Customs Union and Free Trade Area. It will be difficult to trade with Zimbabwe as a result of hyperinflation. The Zimbabwe dollar has lost value since the price of bread has reached around Z$100 billion and newspapers are selling at Z$ 3billion a copy. The vision by SADC countries to integrate their economies will be hampered by shortage of supply and expensive energy. Except for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), all the SADC countries are load shedding, hence the decision to hike electricity tariffs. Just 11 days before the SADC meeting, there were protests by COSATU in Johannesburg and other places over the proposed increment of electricity tariffs by 27.5 percent. The surest way of assuring the region of reliable and affordable electricity is by harmonising power generation projects. On the ot

Zimbabwe Seen Topping Southern African Regional Summit Agenda Foreign ministers of the Southern African Development Community launched discussions on Thursday in Johannesburg amid speculation the crisis in Zimbabwe will top the SADC summit agenda in the light of recent political developments. South African Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dhlamini Zuma addressed the ministers at the Sandton Convention Center, saying SADC is pleased with the progress achieved to date in resolving the crisis. South African President Thabo Mbeki is mediator for SADC in the power-sharing talks between Zimbabwe's ruling party and opposition. Political analyst Oliver Saasa told reporter Carole Gombakomba of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that actions by President Mugabe and his government suggest his long-ruling ZANU-PF party is not negotiating in good faith, which could spell trouble for the region and lead to some divisions within the summit starting in earnest on Saturday. Meanwhile, non-governmental organizations headed by the Congress of South African Trade Unions were organizing demonstrations against the expected presence of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and King Mswati of Swaziland at the summit, characterizing them as illegitimate rulers who have committed or ordered human rights abuses. Sources in Johannesburg said Zimbabwean NGO members were trickling into the city to join their South African-based counterparts. Zimbabwean organizations expected to join the protests include the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum, and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions. Trade unionists from Swaziland are expected to turn out in force as well. Spokesman Patrick Craven of COSATU told reporter Patience Rusere of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that Saturday's event is likely to be more effective because international attention has been focused on the Zimbabwean crisis since the country's March 29 elections. Civil society organizations from Zimbabwe

Please discuss this issue on the talk page; if necessary, split the content into subarticles and keep this article in a summary style. ‹ 2002 Zimbabwean presidential election, 2008 March 29 and June 27, 2008 Candidate Robert Mugabe Morgan Tsvangirai Simba Makoni Party ZANU-PF MDC Independent Popular vote 1,079,730 (1st round) 2,150,269 (2nd round) 1,195,562 (1st round) 233,000 (2nd round) 207,470 (1st round) Percentage 43.2% (1st round) 85.5% (2nd round) 47.9% (1st round) 9.3% (2nd round) 8.3% (1st round) Incumbent President Robert Mugabe ZANU-PFPresident-Elect Robert Mugabe ZANU-PF Zimbabwe This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Zimbabwe -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- President Robert Mugabe Vice President Parliament Senate House of Assembly Constituencies List of Zimbabwean flags 2007 political crisis Political parties: ZANU-PF - MDC Elections:(Electoral Commission) Pres.: 2002 - 2008 (campaign) Parl.: 2005 - 2008 Provinces Districts Municipalities Human rights Foreign relations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Other countries · Atlas Politics Portal view * talk * edit The Republic of Zimbabwe held a presidential election along with a parliamentary election on March 29, 2008.[1] The three major candidates were incumbent President Robert Mugabe of the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), and Simba Makoni, an independent.[2] As no candidate received an outright majority in the first round, a second round was held on June 27, 2008 between Tsvangirai (with 47.9% of the first round vote) and Mugabe (43.2%). Tsvangirai withdrew from the second round a week before it was scheduled to take place, citing violence against his party

Ads by Google 10 Rules of Flat Stomach: Cut down 9 lbs of stomach fat every 11 Days by Obeying these 10 Rules. FatLoss4Idiots.comAir Zimbabwe Save with cheap flights on Air zimbabwe www.flightcentre.com.au For a country with such great and mounting problems as Zimbabwe, a general election should be an occasion for great excitement. This should be particularly so when the main opposing parties offer such starkly differently views of looking at the origins of the problems, and the solutions, as do ZANU-PF and the MDC. Yet there seems very little of that sense of excitement about the March general election. There seems less of a general sense of optimism than in recent votes that this election could be a turning point in the country's continuing plunge in every arena. The blasé attitude seems independent of whether one is supportive of the ruling ZANU-PF or either faction of the MDC. If it is going to be an election that represents a watershed in Zimbabwe's declining fortunes, I know few people on either side of the political divide who seem to think that this one is it. A win for President Mugabe and ZANU-PF represents "business as usual," which more of the hardships and decline of the past several years. Just weeks before the election, neither Mugabe as a presidential candidate nor his party even bother to pretend that there is a credible plan in place to reverse the mess the country is in. The MDC factions seem at their most indecisive and weakest. Within and between them, ego-politics seems to win over strategy against their common foe, the ruling party. The statements and actions of some of the leading lights of both factions make one wonder whether in power they would really represent a type of politics essentially different from that of ZANU-PF, or whether they would just be a new group of people doing the same things as before. They send out confusing signals about whether or not they will participate in the election.

people in zimbabwe are paying 200 billion dollars for a loaf of bread.Zimbabwe increases poverty datum line

show's the life of poverty in zimbabwe. How the homeless in zimbabwe access food and water and shelter

Last year, Justine Shaw was forced to flee her beloved Zimbabwe. Like millions of others, she had suffered years of threats, poverty and intimidation at the hands of Robert Mugabe's men. Here, she recounts how paradise turned to poverty - and her fears for the elderly parents she left behind

Zimbabwe Soldiers Struggle Against Poverty

Zimbabwe Organizations Oppose Convening of Parliament By Peter Clottey Washington, D.C. 21 August 2008 Clottey Interview With ICG'S Sydney Masamvu - Download (MP3) Clottey Interview With ICG'S Sydney Masamvu - Listen (MP3) Civil and non-governmental organizations in Zimbabwe are expressing their strong opposition to moves by President Robert Mugabe to open parliament officially next week. The organizations say the move would seriously jeopardize the recently signed memorandum of understanding between the ruling ZANU-PF party and main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The MDC reportedly said that convening Zimbabwe's parliament would break a framework agreement governing power-sharing talks to try to end Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis. But President Mugabe's government rejected the accusation, saying the plan to convene parliament will continue as planned. Sydney Masamvu is a Zimbabwean with the International Crisis Group. From the capital, Harare, he tells reporter Peter Clottey that the move is against the spirit of the recently signed memorandum of understanding. "I think given the spirit of the MOU (memorandum of understanding), which up front stated that within the spirit of the agreement, no party was going to convene parliament or formulate a cabinet before an agreement is signed. Moving to swear in parliament is in part a breach of the memorandum of understanding. However, we need to make a qualification there that the contestation in the talks right now is not about the swearing in of parliament is in dispute, but I think the most critical point, which ZANU-PF and President Robert Mugabe moves beyond that, he would be crossing the rules is assembling the cabinet," Masamvu noted. He said it would be an affront to the ongoing peace negotiations aimed at resolving Zimbabwe's problems if President Mugabe goes ahead to name a ZANU-PF led cabinet. "Assembling cabinet will actually be vesting authority in in

What is going on in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Billion-Dollar Poverty in Zimbabwe

This is info about poverty in zimbabwe and how it has increased since the 1990s

Information of poverty in zimbabwe

President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe is regarded as a former liberation hero in Africa, but now even some of his supporters say he must go - but when and how?

Film believed to be first footage of how Robert Mugabe's supporters rigged the elections in Zimbabwe has been smuggled out of the country by a prison officer

In late 2006 a plan was proposed that would have delayed the election to 2010, at the same time as the next parliamentary election, which was said to be a cost-saving measure. This would have lengthened President Mugabe's term by two years.[22] However, there was reportedly dissent within the ruling ZANU-PF regarding the proposal, and it was never approved. In March 2007, Mugabe said that he thought the feeling in the party favored having the presidential election in 2008, and moving the parliamentary election up by two years instead. He also said that he would be willing to stand for another term if chosen by the party.[23] On March 30, 2007, it was announced that the ZANU-PF Central Committee had chosen Mugabe as the party's candidate for another term in 2008, that presidential terms would be reduced to five years instead of six, and that the parliamentary election would also be held in 2008.[24] Later, information was leaked from the same meeting that ZANU-PF had adopted the position of making Mugabe president-for-life.[25] In 2006, ZANU-PF National Chairman John Nkomo was one of the first to announce he would be ready to contest the election for ZANU-PF if Mugabe chose to retire.[26] Abel Muzorewa, the only prime minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia, suggested on 21 June 2007 that he might run, claiming that people were urging him to do so.[27] Mugabe was chosen by acclamation as ZANU-PF's presidential candidate for the 2008 election by delegates at a December 2007 party congress. John Nkomo said that he "did not hear any dissenting voices" and that the congress had "fully and unreservedly" backed Mugabe.[28] On January 25, 2008, the date of the election was announced as March 29. A spokesperson for the faction of the MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai denounced this as "an act of madness and arrogance",[29][30] while the leader of the other MDC faction, Arthur Mutambara, said that a free and fair election could not be held under the existing conditions, calling for

The rise in Inflation in Zimbabwe

Poverty and inflation continuing in zimbabwe