We write as an international development NGO with a long history of commitment to working in Southern Africa. Our work to overcome poverty and injustice necessarily leads to an involvement with many civil society organisations in the region, including in Zimbabwe. As a northern partner to these organisations, we are keen to give voice to their demands and needs.

We have chosen this day to write to you as March 21st is Human Rights Day in South Africa. We urge you to consider the sufferings of ordinary Zimbabweans who are now being subjected to violent and repressive human rights abuses by their government.

Zimbabwe today is a divided country, characterised by police brutality, political repression and a ruling elite which systematically denies the basic rights of the majority of citizens. In spite of this, South Africa’s government has repeatedly voiced its support for the ZANU-PF government. The solidarity shown by the government with other African nations is admirable; but our partners consider that in the case of Zimbabwe it is misplaced. True solidarity should be with the oppressed citizens of Zimbabwe, and not with their undemocratic government.

* Please click on the link for the full letter.

Zimbabwe State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa has warned opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his supporters that the government will crush any mass protests against President Robert Mugabe. "We are watching them closely. We heard his [Tsvangirai's] threats and we hope they will just end as threats, but if they start destroying things then they will see us," Mutasa told independent news service ZimOnline, adding that if Tsvangirai and the MDC want war with the government, then it is more than ready for them, reports the Mail and Guardian.

Zimbabwe's local authorities and health experts have warned that the erection of ventilated pit latrines by the small number of beneficiaries of the country's urban renewal housing project could pose a serious health hazard. Government has encouraged the occupants of the 150 new houses hastily constructed after the controversial Operation Murambatsvina (Clean out Garbage), which affected hundreds of thousands of people last year, to build the toilets while they await the installation of formal ablution facilities.

This is Zimbabwe (http://zimpundit.blogspot.com/2006/03/arm-cache-political-faux-pas.html) comments on the latest conspiracy theory that the Harare government is “falling apart”. This time it is the release of one of the eight arrested on suspicion of plotting to kill Mugabe. “MDC's Brian James, a treasurer for the party's Manicaland structure was released yesterday, but gagged from spewing details about how porous the investigation still is.” The investigators are busy weaving more spin on the assassination plot:

“…alleging that the suspects planned to pour oil on the highway connecting Harare and Mutare shortly before Mugabe was to drive on the road on his way to his birthday celebration in the Eastern town. This would, the cops allege, cause the presidential motorcade to slip which would kill the president.”

Adefunke on Adefunke (http://adefunke.blogspot.com/2006/03/blogging-perhaps-in-my-mother-tong…) discovers a blog in Yoruba and writes on the exciting possibility of blogging in her mother tongue, Yoruba, and recalls her great excitement at finding Yoruba google:

“I remember the first time I used Yoruba Google, I saw the link in the bottom of an email I got from a friend and rushed right over in my browser. Of course I immediately IM’ed PC (my 'Partner' in 'Criminal') and we had a lengthy discussion about the site and its usefulness. Once the initial wow effect wore off, it became obvious that Yoruba Google for now would be a bit limited in the help it could render to anyone wishing to do more than search for common Yoruba words on the Internet.”

Jangbalajugbu – Homeland Stories - (http://www.edwardpopoola.com/blog/?p=60) comments on the two week closure of his university, Obafemi Awolowo University in Ife, in the middle of term exams. The closure was deemed necessary, supposedly to avert developing the unrest amongst students that had started as a result of one Muslim student breaking up the watching of pornographic videos in the student hall.

“Things degenerated from being an ordinary explanation into a big fight. The fight continued till early in the morning and the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Rogers Makanjuola had to intervene. He spent hours trying to settle the grudges. With the fear that the fight could escalate, the university authorities decided to close down the school…Students are to leave the University before 4pm on Sunday. Mobile policemen have already been positioned at the University gate to ensure that students comply with the instruction. By the time you read this, I should be out of the campus too. So sad.”

Agarthon Rwasi (http://agathonrwasa.blogspot.com/2006/03/tanzania-leads-pr-offensive-on…) a blog devoted to exposing the war crimes of Burundi’s FNL leader Agarthon Rwasi, comments on the Tanzanian government’s support of Rwasi in providing him with the platform to speak and promote his agenda.

“A few days ago Rwasa held a press conference in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Once again, no attempt was made by the Tanzanian authorities to arrest him over his involvement in the August 2004 Gatumba massacre, and the hundreds of other atrocities for which he is responsible. Once again, the FNL leader made hollow promises about a purported willingness to end the killings and seek the path of peace. And again, Reuters and other news agencies have failed to make any mention of the FNL's ongoing atrocities, presenting Rwasa simply as a political leader.”

Redeem Ethiopia (http://redeemethiopia.blogspot.com/2006/03/ethiopias-oil-curse.html) comments on the commencement of oil exploration in Ethiopia, warning of the developing “marriage of convenience developing between the present illegitimate Ethiopian government and Asian oil interests”. He makes comparisons between this discovery, the discovery and curse oil has brought to Nigeria and the situation in the Sudan where the power of oil is located in a few elite unscrupulous leaders.

“The Ethiopian government is still a few years away from raking in oil revenues to the extent where it can decline international financial support thus neutralizing the efforts of the democracy oriented Ethiopian Diaspora and other concerned governments that are urging it to stop the bloodshed and leave power.”

“The comparison with Sudan is not being made in vain. Bashir and Meles’ close friendship is a long sighted partnership in pursuit of a common goal – namely the extortion of national wealth for the benefit of a few with the protection of global powers that find this arrangement only too convenient from the perspective of controlling these weak governments. China’s protection of Bashir’s government in the UN Security Council as well as in various other international political mediums is being carried out in the interest of fueling China’s tremendous economic growth but has left the majority of Sudanese punished beyond reprieve.”

Black Looks (http://okrasoup.typepad.com/black_looks/2006/03/193_immigrants_.html) reports on the recent deaths of West African migrants hoping to reach Europe via the Canaries. Some 48 men died just off the coast of Mauritania which has now become the new staging port for migrants as Morocco closes off it’s borders. The numbers of migrants reaching Spain has gone up by a staggering 200% in the past 12 months despite the risk of death and the unknown. According to Spanish newspaper El Pais there are presently some 10,000 people waiting to make the crossing from Mauritania to Grand Canaria and Tarifa in Andalucia on the Spanish mainland.

Le Blog du Congolais (http://congomania.afrikblog.com/archives/2006/03/14/1520610.html) calls on possible presidential candidate Mr Tshisekedi to run in the forthcoming elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He writes that there is only 9 days left to register and hopes Tshisekedi will do so for the sake of the country.

“À vous Monsieur qui représentez tant d’espoirs pour tout un peuple, et à tous vos conseillés, je vous pose cette question que nous sommes, udépeistes et non membres de l’UDPS, congolais résidents et congolais de la diaspora, nombreux à poser : Monsieur Tshisekedi, alors que la Nation vous attend, vous, qu’attendez-vous donc » (the nation waits on you – but for what do you wait?)

* Sokari Ekine produces the blog Black Looks,

* Please send comments to [email protected]

Life is never easy for people afflicted by leprosy, but Zimbabwe's fast deteriorating socioeconomic conditions have made it even more challenging. At the Mutemwa Leprosy Settlement in Zimbabwe's northeastern Mutoko communal lands, 90 km east of the capital, Harare, the patients are desperately in need of food, clothing and financial assistance as the centre's coffers are empty. The centre also urgently needs money for bedding, repairs and maintenance of the facilities.

The Zimbabwean aims to produce and distribute a newspaper dedicated to freedom of expression and access to information for all the peoples of Zimbabwe, founded on the sacred principles of journalism - fairness and honesty.

Eight people, including an opposition MP, have been charged in Zimbabwe over an alleged plot to assassinate President Robert Mugabe. The accused were arrested last week after an arms cache was allegedly discovered at the home of one of them. Four of those charged are reportedly police officers. Zimbabwe authorities say the group planned to ambush Mr Mugabe after his 82nd birthday party, which took place last month.

Zimbabwe police Wednesday arrested several student leaders in the city of Bulawayo to thwart plans by students at a state university and three other institutions in the city to stage street protests against the government's decision to hike fees at state tertiary colleges. ZimOnline was unable to confirm the exact number of students that were being held by the police by late last night but other sources indicated as many as 25 students could have been arrested as they attempted to march through the city.

Zimbabwean authorities have warned that more arrests will follow as it unravels an alleged plot by opposition members to overthrow the government following the discovery of an arms cache in the east of the country. Minister of Security Didymus Mutasa confirmed on Tuesday that security forces had arrested Peter Hitschmann, a former member of the pre-independence Rhodesian army, after police found weapons and communication equipment at his home last week in Mutare, 260 km east of the capital, Harare.

Journalists from Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH) have taken the state broadcaster to court over low salaries, writes Gugu Ziyaphapha on the website The journalists and other ZBH workers decided to seek the intervention of the courts after their employer refused to award them the increase they want. The management is offering 30% yet the reporters are asking for an 800% increment. According to court papers filed at the labour court, a junior reporter gets Z$1.6 million (R45) and senior journalists get Z$7 million (R200).

A staggering response by ordinary South Africans to an appeal for sanitary pads for Zimbabwean women, hit by shortages and rocketing prices, has floored activists. "The appeal was made by South African 5FM radio at the beginning of the year. “When we went to collect the pads this week - we found every empty corner and space in their studio was crammed with sanitary pad packets with little notes from families, mothers and even school girls," said an emotional Lucia Matabenga, the first vice-president of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU). "We found notes which said this was an attempt to 'restore the dignity of Zimbabwean women - we are with you'. We are grateful; we are really grateful," she added.

The House of Assembly has adopted amendments made by the Upper House to the Education Amendment Bill after a heated debate as parliamentarians were divided over the contentious issue of school fees. The Lower House was divided with 45 Zanu-PF lawmakers voting in favour of the adoption of the amendments and 25 MDC legislators opposing. The Bill was read for the third time and it now awaits Presidential assent for it to become law. It seeks to provide for the charging of fees and levies in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as published by the Central Statistical Office (CSO).

Seventeen years ago a militant University of Zimbabwe student leader, Arthur Mutambara, and the radical national trades union leader Morgan Tsvangirai openly criticised the way the country was being governed by President Robert Mugabe and his ZANU PF government. The two were among the first Zimbabweans to experience the wrath of Mugabe against his critics as popular discontent began to stir. They were arrested in October 1989 following a series of anti-corruption demonstrations which led to the first-ever closure of the Harare-based University of Zimbabwe. Today Mutambara, 39, and Tsvangirai, 53, are radical opponents, each leading rival factions of the badly split opposition Movement for Democratic Change, MDC, which for years was Zimbabweans' main hope of political change in their country. Whichever faction eventually triumphs will decide which man gets the chance to topple the ZANU PF government and become only Zimbabwe's second state president since independence in 1980.

Mthatheni Sibanda scribbles in an untidy notebook as he watches over his family's vegetable stand at a mini-market in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city. The 19-year-old is a final year advanced-level student trying to balance the needs of school work with finding the money for his transport to school. Like several Zimbabwean students, Sibanda can only afford to attend class twice a week. "I really would love to be at school with other children, especially since I am preparing for my final examinations," he said.

In this interview, Ambassador Boniface Chidyausiku of Zimbabwe discusses the progress that a new Human Rights Council would bring and points out the "sticking points" in the debate. Chidyausiku has concerns that the Council will contain double standards, where countries like the US are not called upon for activities in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, yet developing states are punished for "unsubstantiated and politicized issues." Chidyausiku believes Washington has been unable to control the Human Rights Commission, and hence seeks to change the body.

The Zimbabwean government has allocated about $830,000 to purchase antiretroviral drugs for people living with HIV/AIDS in the country, Owen Mugurungi, head of the AIDS and TB unit in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, said last Wednesday, Xinhuanet reports. Speaking during a Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination Service forum on universal access to treatment in Zimbabwe, Mugurungi said the drugs would benefit at least 25,000 HIV-positive people currently on antiretroviral therapy.

A well-received Zimbabwean play has challenged how a woman should react in situations of adultery. Despite a widely-held view in the country that wives should accept that their husbands will stray, expectations are beginning to change. Hot Water Bottle is a one-woman performance featuring Tinopona Katsande, a television soap opera star with a raunchy image. Twenty shows were held over two weeks at Harare's Theatre In The Park, and the content drew strong reactions from those who watched.

Reporters Without Borders has strongly condemned a brutal attack against freelance journalist Gift Phiri, former reporter for the weekly "Zimbabwe Independent", who was beaten up by men accusing him of working for media hostile to the government, according to a RSF release as reported on the www.journalism.co.za website. The attack came three weeks after threats were issued against those who contribute to foreign media by the minister in charge of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO). "Forced into unemployment, threatened with prison and now beaten up: the fate Robert Mugabe reserves for independent journalists is more and more vicious," said Reporters Without Borders.

President Robert Mugabe has called on neighbouring countries not to interfere in Zimbabwe's internal affairs, while signalling that constitutional reform was on the cards, possibly to smooth the way for a chosen successor. Speaking in a televised interview to commemorate his 82nd birthday over the weekend, Mugabe said: "We have tolerated some of them because they are our friends. We hope in future they will keep away." He was responding to a question on what he thought of diplomatic interventions by South Africa and Nigeria in Zimbabwe's political crisis. Mugabe sneered at his colleagues in the African Union, suggesting their interest in resolving Zimbabwe's problems was more to do with pressure from western governments deemed hostile to his ruling ZANU-PF.

After spending over 72 hours in custody, 63 Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) women, part of 242 arrested in Harare on Valentine's Day, who had braved deplorable conditions, intimidation, refusal of food and water, appeared before Magistrate Takavadiyi at 3:30pm, Friday 17 February 2006. They were granted free bail but will appear for a further remand hearing on 3rd March. One woman described their treatment by saying "we were treated worse than dogs - you do not make a dog sleep on human waste"! For full coverage of the events, including an interview with Jenni Williams, visit Kubatana.