Understanding the Zimbabwean crisis: A first step in planning its recovery
By David Coltart The sudden and dramatic collapse of Zimbabwe in the last decade has perplexed many in the international community. Furthermore the seemingly intractable nature of the crisis has caused some to believe that Zimbabwe is doomed to become a failed state in Africa. How can it be that a country, which in the
Statement re Professor Kader Asmal’s statement in Cape Town 4 October 2007
Statement by David Coltart Professor Asmal’s statement (attached below)is one of the most important to come out of South Africa in the last decade since Zimbabwe began its slide into chaos. It gives the lie once and for all to the notion that there is no crisis or that it is the result of western
Bulawayo could shut down soon
Independent Online 29 September 2007 Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second city and a stronghold of the political opposition, is literally drying up. If the summer rains don’t come early, it may do so. One million people there only have water once every three days – at best. Some are going for more than a week without water
Mugabe was meant to be a saviour
Sunday Telegraph 23 September 2007 By Graham Boynton I spoke to old friends in Zimbabwe this weekend. They sounded pleased with themselves, mainly because they’d managed to scavenge 25 chickens and a bottle of Teacher’s whisky from some unnamed connection.They’d shared the chickens among friends and, having had a few shots of Scotch, were barbecuing
Opposition split over Brown’s boycott
The Sunday Telegraph 23rd September 2007 By Stephen Bevan Zimbabwe’s already fractured opposition is further divided over the wisdom of Gordon Brown’s threat to boycott the forthcoming European Union Africa summit if Robert Mugabe attends. Some said it played into the hands of the Zimbabwean president, as he would portray himself as standing up to
Protesters take on Mugabe’s thugs
The Sunday Times September 23, 2007 Christina Lamb A Harare taxi driver, Tafadzwa Nyatsanga, was negotiating fares with passengers outside an agricultural show when a policeman arrived and demanded to be taken somewhere for a fare of just Z$50,000, about 10p. When Nyatsanga refused, pointing out that other people had been queuing for hours, the
A Matter for Debate – Has Britain failed Zimbabwe?
The Spectator LLOYD EVANS WEDNESDAY, 19TH SEPTEMBER 2007 Lloyd Evans reports from the inaugural Spectator / Intelligence Squared debate and finds that he is still undecided on the question of whether or not Britain has failed Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe – last in the dictionary and too often last on the agenda. The new season of Intelligence
Zimbabwe ‘close to collapse’
ABC By Desmond Kwande of AFP 18th September 2007 With inflation at 7,500 per cent, Zimbabwe’s supermarkets have run out of food. The latest report from the International Crisis Group has found Zimbabwe is close to complete collapse with four out of five people living below the poverty line and inflation running at 7,500 per
Zimbabwe humanitarian crisis is world’s worst
By Jeremy Lovell LONDON, Sept 17 (Reuters) The humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe has become the world’s worst but is still largely ignored by the international community, a member of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said on Monday. David Coltart, one of Zimbabwe’s leading white politicians and member of parliament for a mainly black
David Coltart’s Blog 16 September 2007
I have decided that I need to write a short blog periodically which will be designed to convey some of my more personal thoughts. To that extent it will not be confined solely to political issues. I hope you enjoy it and give me feedback. David Bulawayo 16 September 2007