Zimbabwe .. the country slides into chaos

Reuters report the tobacco crop in Zimbabwwe this year is in the range of approx 50 Million Kgs compared with 5 times that in 1999. Zimbabwe's fixed exchange rate will cut domestic producer earnings leading to another sharp decline in output of the key foreign currency earner next season.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Forum -- a coalition of 17 rights groups -- in a regular report on torture recorded two death threats, one kidnap, 32 assaults, 92 cases of unlawful arrests and detention by authorities, 57 infringements of freedom of association and movement, 19 of torture and 29 of political intimidation. Since January the number of cases of unlawful detentions and arrests have gone up to over 366 while infringements of free expression, association and related issues now stand at 474.said 19 cases of torture, 32 of general assaults and 46 cases of "unlawful arrests" had been recorded in March against the police, the army and agents of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).

This reflects aggressive policing as a result of calls by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) calling for anti-government protests.

Some 12 MDC senior people were detained over an alleged plot to kill Mugabe but later released.

The rights forum charged that in one case members of the Zimbabwe National Army and officials from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority raided a hotel in the eastern border city of Mutare and assaulted and tortured workers accused of hoarding sugar and the staple maize-meal.The soldiers and the ZIMRA officials could not find the allegedly hoarded mealie-meal - which is basically what we feed hens in organic food production.

In Bulawayo 100 women from Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA), marched to protest about school fee increases and were still in detention on Saturday after having been kept outside in rain , along with 65 children, they should appear in court on Monday for demonstrating without police permission.

In March, students at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) were protresting against the huge tuition fees increases in tertiary institutions and were arrested. At the University of Zimbabwe, three student leaders were expelled on reasons given as related to the fees increase demonstrations.

Read a report here on the increasing problem of malnutrition in children here by SW Africa Radio.


“Dignity Period”

Actors Anna Chancellor, Gillian Anderson, Prunella Scales and Jeremy Irons have joined Action for Southern Africa and other campaigners to raise money to buy sanitary products for struggling and long-suffering Zimbabwean women.

Action for Southern Africa will launch their campaign, “Dignity Period”, to buy sanitary towels for women in the country. The critical shortage of tampons and sanitary towels is one of the least talked about in the country and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union’s women’s section says the shortage has created massive problems for women. The number of infections caused by using old newspapers, pieces of cloth and other things has risen sharply due to the severe side-effects of using unclean products.

A benefit for the charity will be held at the 20th Century Theatre in Notting Hill on May 26, call 020-8991 2502

The annual official rate of inflation in Zimbabwe was 913.6 percent in March.

Jack Straw, apart from mistaking President Mugabe in the dark evinced not the slightest interest in Zimbabwe it's citizens or the rump of British citizens holding on... we'll see if la Beckett can improve on his performance... although to be fair David Treasman (AKA Lord Treasman the Trot) has been active in the case of Uganda.