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"We have disturbing evidence of motorised gangs trained and equipped by the MDC and of returning white commercial farmers who have been visiting terror on villages and party supporters."
Robert Mugabe lying through his teeth after his forces killed 33 and displaced 40,000 in rural areas since the elections.

News stories for Saturday 17 May

'Plot' delays Tsvangirai return
Mr Tsvangirai had planned to address a major MDC rally in Bulawayo
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has postponed a return to Zimbabwe because of concerns about a plot to kill him.
"We have received information from a credible source concerning a planned assassination attempt," his spokesman George Sibotshiwe said. Read more on this story from the BBC

Tsvangirai delays his return home
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai is unlikely to return home on Saturday to resume his presidential election campaign, his party has said.

MDC rally in Bulawayo Sunday
Morgan Tsvangirai will attend the MDC victory rally scheduled for Sunday at White City Stadium in Bulawayo and will launch his run off campaign. The rally starts at 10.00 am and will go on to 14.00pm when there will be food and something to drink.

MDC gets permission to hold rally in Bulawayo
Police in Bulawayo have given the MDC permission to hold their celebration rally on Sunday at White City Stadium.
Bulawayo South MDC MP elect Eddie Cross said the High court ruled that the party should not be denied the chance to launch its campaign programme.

Chinese arms arrive in Zimbabwe
The weapons destined for Zimbabwe have arrived in Harare, The Weekender reported today. The report said the Zimbabwean government confirmed that 3-million rounds of assault rifle ammunition, 3000 mortar rounds and 1500 rocket-propelled grenades - ordered from the Chinese government - had arrived in Harare.

News stories for Friday 16 May

ZEC sets Presidential runoff date for June 27th
The electoral commission on Friday finally announced the date for the presidential runoff election between MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and ZANU-PF’s Robert Mugabe. The announcement of the poll date comes while a brutal state-sponsored campaign against the MDC and its supporters continues, and the police are making it difficult for them to hold rallies.

Tsvangirai flying back home Saturday
MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai is set to fly back to Harare on Saturday, and is due to address his parliamentary caucus in the capital to map the way forward for the impending second round of the presidential poll. His spokesman George Sibotshiwe said the MDC leader has several engagements lined up in the country this weekend, including a rally at White City Stadium in Bulawayo on Sunday, that the police had tried to block.

MDC forms defence units to protect themselves from attack
The MDC in Manicaland province has formed ward based defence units to protect themselves from attacks led by Zanu-PF militias, war vets and members of the armed forces. David Chimhini, the MDC MP elect for Mutasa North, said traditional leaders, headmen and councillors are leading the units.

Amnesty International to investigate abduction of Pfebve parents
Human rights group Amnesty International is to send field officers to the Mt Darwin area to investigate the abduction of the elderly parents of exiled MDC official Elliot Pfebve. On Tuesday Pfebve received a message from his brother Fireson, narrating how a Zanu PF mob stormed their Nyakatondo village in the evening and tied up their 79-year old father and 76-year old mother using wire and took them, and several other family members, to a torture camp at Nyakatondo Primary School.

Bulawayo court overturns police ban of MDC rally
A police ban on an MDC victory rally set for White City Stadium on Sunday has been overturned by the High Court in Bulawayo. The party had notified police they were going to hold the rally - as required by the country’s repressive laws - but the officer commanding Bulawayo province, R.M Masina, sought to scuttle their plans.

Mugabe fires Attorney General Gula-Ndebele
Robert Mugabe axed one of the country’s last remaining independent figures in the judiciary on Friday. Suspended Attorney General Sobusa Gula-Ndebele was formally dismissed on trumped up charges of misconduct following a meeting he allegedly had with ‘wanted’ banker James Mushore.

Name & Shame
The violence in Zimbabwe is being perpetrated by people who are known and can often be named.

Harare Residents Association reports 5 members abducted
The state-sponsored violence that has gripped the country is not limited to remote rural areas only. The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) have reported that their members are experiencing death threats and intimidation at the hands of ZANU-PF activists and state security agents.

Previous days news stories

Interesting recent articles

ZESN statement on continued attacks on its observers

Mugabe warns the MDC

Zim attorney-general sacked for meeting James Mushore

Tsvangirai heading back to Zim

Bloodbath in Mash Central

Zimbabwe’s Rulers Unleash Police on Anglicans

Inflation hits 355,000%

Amnesty says violence in Zimbabwe has reached crisis levels

Humanitarian Statement on SA Xenophobia victims

Xenophobic attacks in SA + worsening situation in Zim

Take action HELP Zimbabwe

What the Zimbabwean crisis costs South Africa

MISA to the ACHPR on the state of freedom of expression in Zim

Local authority seats per political party, published by ZEC

Other things you should know

1,000 migrant refugees afterJhb township xenophobic violence

Challenges of democratic transition in Africa

Forgiveness in Rwanda

SA 'Travelgate' big fish off the hook

Declassified papers say UFO landed

Will Zuma dodge trial

Refugees flee SA attacks

Chad overwhelmed by Darfur refugees

Wildlife & environment in trouble articles

Wildlife populations plummeting

China's giant pandas survive earthquake

Animals predicted the China quake

Cannibal theory for locust swarms

Neil Young has new spider species named after him

SW Radio Africa can take no responsibility for views, opinions or web content outside of its control

Dear Family and Friends,
It's hard to believe that six weeks ago the MDC won a parliamentary majority and their leader Morgan Tsvangirai got more presidential votes than Mr Mugabe. It's even harder to believe that the parliamentary and presidential losers have managed to completely obfuscate the entire process and remain in positions of power and authority as if nothing had happened - as if we'd never had an election at all. Read more

Visit: www.thesouthernafrican.com, for a fresh look at southern African news.

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Zimbabwe's opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has delayed his return home after an assassination plot against him was uncovered, one of his spokesmen said today. "We have received information from a credible source concerning a planned assassination attempt against President Tsvangirai," George Sibotshiwe told Reuters. read the full story in the Guardian UK

Weekend Downloads

From 20:30 GMT, the following archives will be available. Mac users

News Roundup

HealthBeat

Callback

Through the Valley

Government in Waiting

Hot Seat

On the Pulse

Weekend Schedule

Saturday (pm) SW

News Roundup

HEALTH Beat - Mandisa Mundawarara

Reporter's Forum (r)
Road to Democracy (r)

Callback & Music

Sunday (pm) SW

Station Opening with Mandisa

Through the Valley - with Richard Allfrey
Government in Waiting with Tich Sibanda

Democracy 101 (repeat)
Hotseat (repeat)

Callback (repeat)

Programmes for the weekend are not broadcast live over the internet, but are available to download from Saturday.

Blogspot

Zimbabwe Talk
Bloggers for Human Rights
Di Mitchells blog
Daniel Molekele
Sokwanele blog
Zimbabwe Today
The Zimbabwean Pundit
The Bearded Man
The Zimbabwe Digest
Comrade Fatso

Programmes

On today's programme Andrew criticises the opposition ZANU-PF for continuing to uses delay tactics in order to delay the inevitable transfer of power; Manduwe describes how people in the rural areas are being beaten up daily, and Chihata talks about the dire economic hardships that people in Gokwe are enduring.

HEALTHbeat is the programme that takes a holistic view at issues of health and well-being. The programme has been on hold for the past few weeks because of the more pressing issues concerning the elections and the ensuing state of chaos. Most of us have veered between states of shock and dismay at what has happened since March 29th, and have seen disturbing parallels between what is happening in Zimbabwe and the violence and mayhem that took place in Kenya post elections. Sister Rahab Ngugi is the Patient Services Manager at Nairobi's Women's Hospital in Kenya's capital city where much of the violence took place, and she talks to Mandisa about how they coped with the hundreds of victims of physical assault and sexual violence.

Violet Gonda's guest on the Hot Seat programme is Dr Lovemore Madhuku the Chairmain of the National Constitutional Assembly. Be sure not to miss this interview where the civil leader gives us his analysis on the unfolding events in Zimbabwe. We will hear why he believes there is a leadership vacuum in the country and how people can protect themselves in the face of escalating political violence where at least 33 have been killed and thousands displaced.
Listen here

Join Lance Guma and Brilliant Pongo for another exciting look at the urban music world, celebrity news and general tidbits from in and outside Zimbabwe. Today’s selection is from Brilliant and my word what a salad bowl of music we have. Number 1 from Revolution, Brenda Fassie’s Sum’Bulala, Richard Mapfuwamhandu’s classic Dhora Rangu and many others. Listen here

This daily appeal from various individuals is aimed at the members of Zimbabwe's Defence Forces and Zanu PF supporters who are guilty of perpetrating the increasingly horrific acts of violence, intimidation and torture against the ordinary people of Zimbabwe. Today's appeal is from South African based political activist Reverend Mufaro Stig Hove.