As the Zimbabwe government slowly begins to face the reality that in six months time the country could run out of food, UNDP told IRIN that donors might support a UN-administered food aid initiative.

Southern Africa's first women-only university will open in Zimbabwe next year. It will be one of only two women-only universities in Africa, the first being in Sudan, northern Africa.

The banning of a live current affairs radio phone-in discussion forum in the week served to underline government’s apparent determination to stifle all independent sources of information and opinion in the media and reinforced fears that renewed threats to curb “unprofessional practices and misconduct by the oppositional Press” will see the introduction of further repressive media legislation.

Zimbabwean Labour Minister July Moyo on Thursday said he hoped that the next round of negotiations between the government, labour and business would avert another national strike in the country.

The Southern African training (SAT Programme) is seeking to recruit a professional officer for the remainder of its current funding phase until December 31, 2001) with a view of a five year appointment for the next phase from January 2002 to December 2006. The position is based in Harare, Zimbabwe and covers the countries of Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. We are looking for an African national and will give priority consideration to female applicants.

A personal account of the armed siege at the home of Sekai Holland, MDC Secretary for International Affairs.

Morgan Tsvangirai, the Zimbabwean opposition leader, appears in the Supreme Court today to defend himself against prosecution for terrorism. The Zimbabwean government is seeking foreign aid because of a shortage of food, following violent disruption of the country's farming. The Organisation of African Unity, which yesterday concluded its summit in the Zambian capital, Lusaka, backed off at the last moment from wholehearted support for the Zimbabwean leader, Robert Mugabe – but the statement that Zimbabwe and Britain should "get together" on land ownership also managed to avoid full-scale condemnation of the violence that Mr Mugabe has unleashed.

An annual summit of African leaders expunged criticism of Britain's policy over Zimbabwe from its final declaration yesterday in a face-saving move that also served to humiliate President Robert Mugabe.

Lawyers representing ZANU (PF) parliamentary candidate for Seke, Mr. Phineas Chihota, in ZANU (PF)’s only election petition, finished inspecting the voters’ role on Monday, in a verification process ordered by Judge Vernanda Ziyambi last week. Chihota alleges that his supporters were barred from voting as their names did not appear on the voters’ roll despite having properly registered. He alleges that as a result, they were unduly turned away on the polling day. The petition is scheduled to resume on Monday, July 2, 2001.

COSATU takes serious exception to the behaviour of the Zimbabwe police in arresting and questioning the Secretary General of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), Wellington Chibebe. We note with utter dismay this unbecoming conduct by the security forces and believe that the police are attempting to intimidate the Secretary General.

In Zimbabwe journalism is in crisis, and journalists are in danger: The last year or so has seen illegal arrests and torture of reporters, a proposed ban on foreign investment in media, the bombing of a newspaper's printing presses in the capital, Harare, and the Law and Order Maintenance Act, which makes it a criminal offense to publish anything "likely to cause alarm or despondency" (and carries a prison sentence of up to seven years).

The state owned media took advantage of the ZCTU’s decision to postpone the two-day national strike to make unsubstantiated claims that the stay-away had been delayed due to a lack of consensus within the labour movement. While the private Press did not cover the impending strike extensively, the state media went to great lengths to portray the ZCTU as a discredited labour organization whose threat was aimed at “destroying the economy”. It also provided extensive publicity to the ZANU PF-affiliated ZFTU run by Harare municipality driver Joseph Chinotimba. Surprisingly however, none of the media has investigated the credentials of the ZFTU to find out which unions comprise its membership and how many workers they represent.

The recent results of the annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) by Transparency International are no good news for anti-corruption campaigners in Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) was in a quandary after its two-day stayaway on Wednesday, over its next move to force the government to scrap sharp fuel price increases. At the same time, its leadership faced pressure from its members to plan indefinite mass action, including demonstrations against President Robert Mugabe, the 'Financial Gazette' has reported.

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe’s government has arbitrarily increased by 2000 the number of white-owned commercial farms targeted for confiscation under the fast-track land resettlement programme, further jeopardising the country’s food security, it was established this week.

The demand for 100% cancellation of Third World debt is being advanced by progressive civil society groups like Jubilee South and the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd). Zimbabwe is officially considered only “moderately” indebted by the World Bank. Yet the burden of repayment is so brutal that government finally said no to foreign debt repayment around a year ago, and drove the interest rate down to at least 45% below inflation earlier this year so as to lower domestic debt repayment.

The government played down the effects of a national strike that paralyzed the economy for a second day Wednesday as union leaders proclaimed success, insisting 90 percent of workers stayed away from their jobs. The strike was organized by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions to protest President Robert Mugabe's economic policies and a 70 percent gasoline price increase that was imposed by the government on June 12.

Zimbabwe has admitted for the first time that it is running out of food and needs foreign aid to help it to buy grain from abroad. Finance Minister Simba Makoni said there was no provision in the budget for such purchases. He said he hoped that, where human life was concerned, the government and the donor community could find common cause.

Entire villages in Zimbabwe's Mashonaland Central Province have been deserted by peasants fearing political violence ahead of seven crucial parliamentary by-elections. Johannesburg's 'The Star' newspaper reported on Tuesday that villagers in the Bindura constituency had fled their homes and sought refuge elsewhere. A by-election is to be held in Bindura on 28 and 29 July to replace Youth Affairs Minister Border Gezi who died in a car crash about one month ago.

The government raised the price of fuel two weeks ago. This means our already meagre incomes will become even less. They-ve raised the price of fuel because their corruption and mismanagement has put them in huge debt. Why must we pay for their mistakes? It's time to remind the government that the power is in the hands of the people. The ZCTU has announced that the dates for the stayaway are: Tuesday 3rd July and Wednesday 4th July. The ZCTU strongly request that Zimbabweans do not engage in any violent action. Please stay peaceful.