Charles Rukuni

The Zimbabwe government's insatiable demand for money to satisfy its own needs, which has exceeded tax revenues receipts since 2014, is responsible for the collapse of the local currency including the recently introduced Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG).

In one of the most closely guarded secrets the state is planning to bring to book people who shot former Gweru Mayor and national organising secretary of the Zimbabwe Unity Movement, Patrick Kombayi. Apparently all those being investigated are members of the Central Intelligence Organisation who were based in Gweru.

Plans by the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front to push President Emmerson Mnangagwa to contest a third term are not only unconstitutional but are against the trend in the region where most leaders are now serving only two terms.

It is very rare that we hear our local MPs talking about development and democracy, especially since most of them belong to the ruling party and some believe that there can be democracy under a one-party state. However, Murehwa North MP, Alois Mangwende, had the opportunity to express his views when he addressed the 86th Inter-Parliamentary Conference in Chile last year on the topic:

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.