Zimbabwe - The African Mirror

Jul

2020

Zimbabwe‌ ‌court‌ ‌suspends‌ ‌ police‌ ‌search‌ ‌warrant‌ ‌against‌ ‌ Econet‌

ZIMBABWE's High Court has suspended a police search warrant against mobile telecoms firm Econet Wireless which sought to force it to turn over details of subscribers and transactions as part of a money-laundering probe. Econet, the country's biggest operator, had argued in an urgent application that the information sought by the police covering six months was too broad in scope, and would violate its privacy and that of its clients. High Court Judge Edith Mushore granted an interim order sought by Econet to revoke the warrant, whose legality will be determined at a full hearing in future. A media freedom…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

Zimbabwe activist, journalist charged in court over planned protests

NEWS

A Zimbabwean rights activist and a journalist were charged in court on Wednesday with promoting public violence ahead of planned anti-government protests next week and will be kept in jail until a bail ruling on Thursday. Jacob Ngarivhume, an activist and opposition politician behind the July 31 demonstrations, and freelance journalist and government critic Hopewell Chin'ono were arrested at their homes on Monday. Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin'ono. Photo: Twitter In court, state prosecutors accused the two of using their Twitter accounts to mobilise Zimbabweans to commit public violence by encouraging citizens to demonstrate. Activists have called for street demonstrations on…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

Zimbabwe police arrest critics ahead of anti-government protests

NEWS

ZIMBABWEAN police have arrested an opposition official and a journalist, accusing them of inciting violence ahead of street demonstrations planned for next week by activists who charge government corruption has exacerbated economic hardship. The main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said it feared the arrests were the start of a crackdown and intimidation of government opponents to stop the July 31 protests. Many citizens say their economic prospects have worsened since President Emmerson Mnangagwa took over from the late Robert Mugabe following a coup in 2017. Mnangagwa says the economy is being sabotaged by local and foreign opponents. Police…

Jul

2020

By The African Mirror

Zimbabwe economy to shrink by 4.5%

BUSINESS

ZIMBABWE's economy is expected to shrink by 4.5% this year owing to the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and a brutal climate change-related drought, the finance minister said on Thursday. The crucial mining sector will contract by 4%, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube added in a mid-term budget speech, although he projected that GDP would rebound to 7.4% growth in 2021. Ncube added that inflation was expected to gradually decline to 300% by December, compared with 737.36% currently. Zimbabwe's economy was in a mess even before COVID-19 struck, with rampant inflation, chronic shortages of food, foreign currency and medicines, all worsened…