Charles Rukuni

Nathan Shamuyarira, the ZANU-PF secretary for information, was a renowned journalist in the 1960s. He was the editor-in-chief of the Daily News . The paper was the voice of the black oppressed and was banned in 1964 soon after the ban of the black political parties, ZAPU and ZANU.

Zimbabwe's battered currency, the Zimbabwe Gold, which was under attack until the central bank devalued it from ZiG14 to ZiG25 to the United States dollar on 27 September, last week rallied against the United States dollar strengthening from 28.6829 to the greenback on 1 November to 25.5893 on Friday, 8 November.

Zimbabwe's new currency, the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG), firmed against the United States dollars for 10 days running from 4 November but people still do not have confidence in the local currency.

Trans Zambezi Industries (TZI) listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange in February and on the Lusaka Stock Exchange in April has produced remarkable results with turnover more than doubling from US$48.7 million to US$99.5 million, profit attributable to shareholders increasing 61 percent from US$10.6 million to US$17 million and headline earnings up 21 percent from 6.5 US cents to 7.9 US cents.

An Indian think tank has described Starlink, a satellite internet service provider which recently entered the Zimbabwean market, as a “wolf in sheep's clothing” because its biggest customer is the American government intelligence and military.

The Zimbabwe Gold fell against the United States dollar for five consecutive days from Monday to Friday dropping from 25.2836 last Friday to 25.2842 on Monday and down to 25.3326 today.

Perks for chefs from the rank of deputy minister and above were substantially increased when the government raised the salaries of all members of the legislature from Member of Parliament to the President.

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has repeatedly stated that he is not going to contest a third term because he is a constitutionalist. But jingles on the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation television seem to tell a different story. They are all in praise of Baba Mnangagwa and his achievements. Nothing to really worry about at face value, but the underlying tone is that he should stay on to finish the development projects that he started.

Rumours about the death of Finance Minister Bernard Chidzero sparked more debate about his successor than whether they were true or not.

Between one and three million Zimbabweans are said to have left the country to look for greener pastures, most of them settling in neighbouring South Africa.