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Zimbabwean voters are casting their ballots in the country&#8217;s general elections today but some based in South Africa did not make the journey to vote back home.

Why this SA based Zimbabwean did not make the journey to vote

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Wilf Mbanga, Editor The Zimbabwean joins CNBC Africa to give an update on the ongoing #Zimbabwe elections amid reports of voting delays in some urban areas.

Zimbabwean opposition raise alarm over voting delays

HARARE (Reuters) &#8211; Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa cast his vote on Monday in the first election since the removal of Robert Mugabe, rejecting claims made by his former mentor a day earlier that the election would not be free.
Mnangagwa, a 75-year-old former intelligence chief, is facing off against Nelson Chamisa, a 40-year-old lawyer and preacher who is vying to become Zimbabwe’s youngest head of state.
Reporting by Joe Brock; Editing by Angus MacSwan

Zimbabwe’s Mnangagwa rejects claims by Mugabe that elections will not be free

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Former Zimbabwean President and founding member of Zanu Pf Robert Mugabe revealed to the media his preferred candidate of the historic elections, first without his name on the ballot paper.

Mugabe reveals his preferred candidate

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Zimbabweans head to the polls today, with the two main contenders, ZANU Pf’s Emmerson Mangagwa and MDC’s Nelson Chamisa each confident of a victory. These will be the first elections with-ought Robert Mugabe. To find out the views of Zimbabweans living in diaspora CNBC Africa went out into the streets of Johannesburg.

Zimbabweans in SA speak out on first post-Mugabe election

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CNBC Africa is joined by Wilf Mbanga, Editor of The Zimbabwean to speak about Zimbabwe’s 2018 elections, the first withought the ousted long-time leader Robert Mugabe.

Zimbabwean voters ready for a possible change

HARARE (Reuters) &#8211; Former President Robert Mugabe said he would vote for Zimbabwe’s opposition in Monday’s election, turning on one-time allies in the government ahead of the first vote since they ousted him in a de facto coup.
The election will see 75-year-old President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a long-time Mugabe ally, face 40-year-old Nelson Chamisa, a lawyer and pastor who is vying to become Zimbabwe’s youngest head of state.
Polls, which are unreliable, give former intelligence chief Mnangagwa only a slim lead over Chamisa, making a runoff on September 8 a possibility.
Mugabe, whose 37-year rule came to an end when he was forced to resign in November, told reporters at his mansion in Harare on Sunday that Mnangagwa’s government was unconstitutional and ruled by the gun.
“I hope the choice of voting tomorrow will throw, thrust away the military government and bring us back to constitutionality,” said a frail looking Mugabe, in a rambling off the cuff speech that lasted almost an hour.
“I said I can’t vote for those who have caused me to be in this situation &#8230; so there is Chamisa left.”
Mugabe, one of the last “Big Men” of African politics, still looms large over Zimbabwean politics and he may yet influence the first vote without his name on the ballot paper since the country gained independence from Britain in 1980.
Though he became increasingly unpopular with most Zimbabweans as mismanagement and corruption sent the economy into decline, he retains support in his rural heartland where supporters remain bitter about the manner of his removal.
Mnangagwa, known as “the crocodile”, an animal famed in Zimbabwean lore for its stealth and ruthlessness, was removed as vice president by Mugabe last November to make way for his wife, Grace, to seize power, analysts say.
This was too much for army generals who rolled military vehicles through the streets of Harare and kept Mugabe under house arrest until he resigned facing imminent impeachment.
VIOLENCE FEARS 
Mugabe on Sunday said it was “total nonsense” that he wanted his wife to succeed him and claimed that he was preparing to resign at a ZANU-PF congress in December.
Such is the draw Mugabe retains even seven months after stepping aside, he became the focus of questions at a parallel press conference held by Chamisa.
“Mr. Mugabe’s wishes are his wishes. I am going to accept any voter with open hands. The more the merrier,” Chamisa said in response to a question about Mugabe’s endorsement.
Elections under Mugabe were often undermined by violence, rigging and voter intimidation.
Chamisa’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has already cast doubt on the election process, accusing the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) of bias.
There have been reports of intimidation and coercion, and state media is biased towards the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF). But there is consensus that the process has been better than before.
Mnangagwa has welcomed in foreign media and international observers from the EU, United States and the Commonwealth, while opposition parties have been freely allowed to campaign.
If Chamisa disputes the result or no one candidate gets more than 50 percent and there is a runoff, there are fears of street protests and possible violence.
Dozens of people were killed in the lead up to a runoff in 2008 between Mugabe and MDC founder Morgan Tsvangirai, who died in February. Tsvangirai pulled out of the contest before the vote in an effort to end the bloodshed.
“A run-off election is becoming more probable, which also increases the risk of violence as it has in previous election cycles,” said Robert Besseling, analyst at EXX Africa.
“Although an outbreak of widespread violence as in 2008 is not expected &#8230; incidents of localised violence are increasing in frequency and intensity.”
Reporting by Macdonald Dzirutwe; Writing by Joe Brock; editing by Mark Heinrich, William Maclean

Why Zimbabwe’s Mugabe is endorsing Chamisa

Justina Crabtree
Source: <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/12/zimbabwe-launches-space-agency-to-modernize-economy.html">Zimbabwe launches a space agency to modernize and revive its economy</a>
<ul>
<li>Zimbabwe has launched a space agency as part of its effort to industrialize and modernize.</li>
<li>The Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency will contribute to areas including agriculture, disease surveillance and infrastructure management, among others.</li>
<li>The southern African country is preparing for its first election in nearly four decades without former President Robert Mugabe on the ticket.</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cdn.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/14080223/105173405-GettyImages-948122764.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Jekesai Njikizana | AFP | Getty Images"/>
Zimbabwe has launched a space agency as part of a trifecta of new schemes announced this week, aimed at helping the southern African country industrialize and modernize itself.
The Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency is intended to contribute to the country’s capabilities in agriculture, disease surveillance, infrastructure management, mineral exploration and wildlife conservation, according to state-run newspaper The Herald.
Alongside the space agency, Zimbabwe also inaugurated a National Critical Skills Audit, aimed at identifying skills deficits and surpluses in different sections of the economy, as well as a National Qualifications Framework, which will regulate educational qualifications in the country.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Monday that the initiatives would “serve as a catalyst for our country’s international competitiveness and growth.” He added that the government would set aside 1 percent of its gross domestic product to support research and development.
Mnangagwa’s administration aims to transform Zimbabwe, whose economy has been left in tatters after decades of mismanagement, into a middle-income country by 2030.
The latest plans are intended to “leapfrog our economy in line with local, regional and global trends,” he said.
The country is preparing for an 
historic vote on July 30 
 as it holds its first general election in nearly four decades without former President Robert Mugabe on the ticket.
Mnangagwa 
took power in November 2017 
 after Mugabe was ousted in a coup, and has trumpeted the mantra that Zimbabwe is open for business as he attempts to resurrect the country’s basket case economy.

Zimbabwe launches a space agency to modernize and revive its economy

Both Zimbabwe&#8217;s President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Ethiopia’s new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed are safe after explosions rocked rallies where they were present in their respective countries.
Mnangagwa escaped unhurt after an explosion rocked a stadium where he was addressing a political rally on Saturday, a month before the country is due to hold its presidential elections.
However, vice presidents Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi and a minister sustained minor injuries following the blast at the White City Stadium in the second city of Bulawayo.
Ahmed escaped a grenade attack on Saturday at a rally in the capital that killed one person and left scores wounded, officials and witnesses said.
The attack was launched by an unidentified assailant moments after 41-year-old prime minister, a former soldier who took office in April, finished his speech to tens of thousands of people gathered in the centre of Addis Ababa.
A witness saw Abiy whisked away by guards. Another witness told Reuters the assailant with the grenade had been wrestled to the ground by police before it exploded.
Health Minister Amir Aman said one person was killed and 154 were wounded, with 10 of them in critical condition.
Zimbabwe 
“There has been an incident at Bulawayo where the president was addressing a rally. This is now a police issue but the president is safe at Bulawayo State House,” spokesman George Charamba told Reuters.
“We are still to get information on what exactly happened as we understand that some people could have been injured as this happened in the VIP tent.”
National Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said she did not have details on the incident.
Several security personnel were also injured, the state-owned Herald newspaper said.
Footage from Zimbabwe state television showed the explosion took place near Mnangagwa as he waved to supporters. He was later seen in pictures circulating on social media visiting Chiwenga’s wife in hospital.
Mnangagwa was speaking at his first rally in Bulawayo, an opposition stronghold where the ruling ZANU-PF has not won in national elections since 2000.
Zimbabwe holds its presidential election on July 30, with 75-year-old Mnangagwa and 40-year-old Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, the main contenders.
The vote next month is the first since Robert Mugabe’s downfall after a de facto military coup last November.
Unlike previous elections which were marred by violence, mostly against opposition members by ZANU-PF supporters, the run up to this year’s vote has been relatively peaceful.
Mnangagwa has promised a free and fair vote and if it is endorsed by international observers who are in the country for the first time since 2000, it could help Zimbabwe secure funding from international institutions for the first time in two decades.
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<div class="container_2dHIN dp-slot-inline_eUPBt">Mnangagwa said last August, then the vice president, that he had been poisoned at a rally outside Bulawayo and spent weeks receiving medical treatment in neighbouring South Africa.</div>
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Zimbabwe last had blasts at rallies in the 1980s, which had targeted Mugabe.
Ethiopia 

Addressing the nation on television shortly after the blast and still wearing a green t-shirt he was handed at the rally, Abiy said the attack was an “attempt by forces who do not want to see Ethiopia united.”
Abiy had promised the crowd in his speech in Addis Ababa’s Meskel Square that he would bring more transparency to government and reconciliation to a nation of 100 million people that has been torn by protests since 2015.
Eritrea, which has long been at loggerheads with Ethiopia over a border row that Abiy has sought to resolve, condemned the incident, as did the European Union and the United States.
Abiy took office after his predecessor, Hailemariam Desalegn, resigned in February following protests in which hundreds of people were killed between 2015 and 2017.
Emergency law was temporarily imposed to quell the unrest and was lifted this month.
Despite boasting one of Africa’s fastest growing economies, opponents say the benefits have not been shared fairly between ethnic groups and regions in the country, which has been run by the same ruling coalition for more than quarter of a century.
Abiy has travelled around the nation, promising to address grievances and address political and civil rights.
After Saturday’s blast, the prime minister’s chief of staff wrote on Twitter: “Some whose heart is filled with hate attempted a grenade attack.”
“All the casualties are martyrs of love &amp; peace. HE PM sends his condolences to the victims. The perpetrators will be brought to justice,” Fitsum Arega wrote.
The U.S. embassy in Addis Ababa said: “Violence has no place as Ethiopia pursues meaningful political and economic reforms.”
<h3>PEACE INITIATIVE</h3>
Rally organiser Seyoum Teshome told Reuters he saw five people injured in the blast. “It was a grenade. Someone tried to hurl it to the stage where the prime minister was,” Seyoum said.
As well as promising economic reforms, Abiy stunned Ethiopians this month by saying he was ready to fully implement a peace deal with Eritrea that was signed in 2000 after a two-year war. For years, Ethiopia refused to implement the deal, saying it wanted more talks.
The stalemate led to a military build up and sporadic clashes on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which seceded from Ethiopia in 1991 after a long war of independence.
Under the 2000 peace deal, Ethiopia is required to cede the border town of Badme to Eritrea. But war veterans in Badme and ethnic Tigrayans along the border oppose the peace initiative, with some town residents saying they will not leave the town.
Eritrea’s ambassador to Japan, Estifanos Afeworki, wrote on Twitter that his nation “strongly condemns the attempt to incite violence” in Addis Ababa, calling the rally a “demonstration for peace”.
Ethiopia’s ruling EPRDF is made up of parties representing the country’s four major ethnic groups. Abiy hails from the Oromo ethnic group, making up roughly a third of the population.
Oromos, along with the Amhara ethnic group, led street demonstrations against the government since 2015 that began as protests against a development plan around the capital and which opponents said the state was using to grab land. Protests broadened to cover other political and economic demands.
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In another of Abiy’s major policy shifts, the prime minister has said Ethiopia would open its state-run telecoms monopoly and state-owned Ethiopian Airlines to private domestic and foreign investment, both moves would loosen the state’s grip.

Zimbabwe’s President Mnangagwa, Ethiopian prime minister escape unhurt after blasts at rallies

Justina Crabtree
Source: <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/15/zimbabwe-election-23-candidates-including-mnangagwa-chamisa.html">A record-breaking 23 people want to be the next president of Zimbabwe</a>
<ul>
<li>23 candidates have put themselves forward to contest Zimbabwe&#8217;s election on July 30.</li>
<li>Among those who will be on the ticket is incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took power last November after long-term leader Robert Mugabe was ousted in a coup.</li>
<li>Mnangagwa has pledged that the vote will be free and fair. A delegation from the European Union will be present.</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cdn.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/15150232/105275679-GettyImages-968434492.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Jekesai Njikizana | AFP | Getty Images"/>
A record-breaking 23 people have put themselves forward to lead the southern African country of Zimbabwe in the country&#8217;s historic election next month, the highest number of candidates since the country gained independence from the U.K. in 1980.
Among those signed up to contest the presidency is incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took power in November last year after long-term leader Robert Mugabe was 
ousted in a coup 
. Mnangagwa is Mugabe&#8217;s former deputy, and represents Zimbabwe&#8217;s ZANU PF party.
Also with his name on the ticket is Nelson Chamisa, the young leader of Zimbabwe&#8217;s main opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change.
The large number of candidates &#8220;is likely to work in Mnangagwa&#8217;s favor by splitting the opposition vote,&#8221; William Atwell, practice leader for Sub-Saharan Africa at emerging markets advisory firm Frontier Strategy Group, told CNBC via e-mail.
The election, to be held on July 30, is momentous because it will be the first without Mugabe on the ticket in nearly four decades. Mnangagwa has pledged that the vote will be free and fair, and has invited western observers. 
A delegation from the European Union 
 will be present.
Attwell added that he expected Mnangagwa to be re-elected, &#8220;albeit not with a thumping majority.&#8221; The sitting president could benefit from his incumbency, and has sought to present himself as a reformer.
Mnangagawa has pushed reform in Zimbabwe in an attempt to heal the economic wounds left from previous decades of mismanagement, which resulted in hyperinflation. He has 
courted foreign investors 
, and when launching the ZANU PF manifesto in early May, said that $11 billion had been committed.
Zimbabwe has also applied to re-join the Commonwealth, a bloc of former U.K. colonies which could bear economic fruit.
Earlier this week Mnangagwa hosted the China-Zimbabwe Business Forum in the capital Harare, at which he presented Chinese investors with an array of areas in which to put their money.
&#8220;The fact that we have 23 presidential hopefuls indicates that there is an opening of political space following the fall of former autocrat Robert Mugabe,&#8221; Attwell added.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cdn.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/15150240/105275726-GettyImages-969073530.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Jekesai Njikizana | AFP | Getty Images"/>

A record-breaking 23 people want to be the next president of Zimbabwe

Justina Crabtree
Source: <a href="http://https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/24/zimbabwe-mugabe-misses-diamond-loss-parliament-hearing.html">Mugabe misses Zimbabwean parliamentary hearing on $15 billion diamond loss</a>
<ul>
<li>Former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe did not attend a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday investigating a claim that he made in 2016 that the country had lost $15 billion in diamond revenue.</li>
<li>At the time, Mugabe blamed corruption and foreign involvement for the missing billions, but has since dismissed the figure as &#8220;urban legend.&#8221;</li>
<li>The lawmaker leading the inquiry tweeted that Mugabe has now been summoned to appear on May 28.</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cdn.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/24220230/105228529-GettyImages-141692761.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Jekesai Njikizana | AFP | Getty Images"/>
Former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe failed to attend a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday that is investigating his claim that $15 billion of the country&#8217;s diamond wealth is missing.
Temba Mliswa, the Zimbabwean lawmaker leading the inquiry, tweeted later on Wednesday that, &#8220;We&#8217;ve considered that 9 a.m. may be rather early for Mr. Mugabe to appear,&#8221; adding that the investigatory body had written to the former leader asking him to appear on May 28 at 2 p.m. instead.
Mugabe&#8217;s appearance in front of lawmakers has been postponed multiple times, and would mark his first public appearance since losing power in a coup in November last year. His then-deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa has since become president of Zimbabwe. Mugabe, 94, is understood to be in frail health.
&#8220;This isn&#8217;t a witch hunt or to seek to cause embarrassment,&#8221; Mlisawa wrote. He described the summons as a &#8220;quest for answers,&#8221; adding that &#8220;We remain respectful whilst we exhaust all options.&#8221;
The inquiry reflects a claim made by Mugabe in 2016 that Zimbabwe has lost $15 billion in diamond revenue. Mugabe blamed corruption and foreign involvement for this. But, he has since dismissed the figure as &#8220;urban legend.&#8221;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://cdn.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/24220235/105228564-GettyImages-954653724.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Jekesai Njikizana | AFP | Getty Images"/>
In March 2016, Mugabe announced that the Zimbabwean state would take control of all diamond operations in the country. &#8220;Companies that have been mining diamonds have robbed us of our wealth. That is why we have now said the state must have a monopoly,&#8221; Mugabe said at the time, as reported by Reuters.
<h4>Mnangagwa&#8217;s &#8216;no-brainer populist strategy&#8217;</h4>
The investigation is part of Mnangagwa&#8217;s broader political strategy, Charles Laurie, director and head of politics at consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, told CNBC via email.
&#8220;Mnangagwa&#8217;s efforts to reign in off-the-books practices are another strong signal to Western governments that he is serious about engendering a credible and plausible investment environment,&#8221; Laurie said. &#8220;The move is also a risk-free political objective supported by all Zimbabweans and international observers, a no-brainer populist strategy in the run-up to the election.&#8221;
Laurie also noted that Mnangagwa stood to gain should Mugabe&#8217;s authority be further discredited. This important for the current president, &#8220;who wants to snuff out lingering claims by Mugabe that he was removed from power improperly.&#8221;
Zimbabwe&#8217;s Marange diamond fields, located in the east of the country, are thought to be among the biggest reserves in the world. But their discovery has served as a poisoned chalice for the nation.
In 2006, upwards of 20,000 illegal diamond diggers descended on the Marange fields. Reports have since surfaced of atrocities committed by the army and police in their crackdown on the smuggling.
Ahead of elections expected in July or August of this year, Mugabe has backed a splinter group of his original ZANU PF party. The New Patriotic Front was formed in March, and represents lawmakers and voters &#8220;outraged by the unconstitutional and humiliating manner in which President Mugabe was criminally ousted from leadership.&#8221;
Mnangagwa&#8217;s tenure so far has been characterized by his promotion of a pro-business agenda in an attempt to resurrect Zimbabwe&#8217;s basket case economy.
Following months of speculation, it was announced earlier this week that Zimbabwe had applied to rejoin the Commonwealth, a 53-nation bloc comprising of the U.K. and its former colonies. Mugabe withdrew Zimbabwe from the group in 2003 in a row over sanctions.
At the ZANU PF manifesto launch on May 4, Mnangagwa said that Zimbabwe had secured $11 billion in investment commitments. &#8220;We need FDI (foreign direct investment) to catapult our economy. We will continue to create a conducive environment for investors in our country,&#8221; he said.

Mugabe misses Zimbabwean parliamentary hearing on $15 billion diamond loss

Justina Crabtree
Source: <a href="http://https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/03/zimbabwe-opposition-leader-wants-to-give-china-investors-the-boot.html">Zimbabwe opposition leader reportedly wants to give Chinese investors the boot</a>
<ul>
<li>Nelson Chamisa, Zimbabwe&#8217;s main opposition leader, has reportedly vowed to tell Chinese investors in Zimbabwe that their deals are &#8220;unacceptable,&#8221; should he win the country&#8217;s July election.</li>
<li>Chamisa&#8217;s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said in a statement on Wednesday that it &#8220;will audit all business deals and those that fail the national interest will be reviewed.&#8221;</li>
<li>Anti-China sentiment speaks to the MDC&#8217;s political base, an expert said.</li>
<li>Zimbabwe&#8217;s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has pledged &#8220;free and fair&#8221; elections this summer, the first in decades without ousted former leader Robert Mugabe on the ticket.</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://media.cnbc.com/i/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2018/05/03/105180673-GettyImages-953359776.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Jekesai Njikizana | AFP | Getty Images"/>
Chinese investors are &#8220;busy asset-stripping&#8221; Zimbabwe&#8217;s resources, the country&#8217;s main opposition leader said in a speech this week, according to reports.
&#8220;I have seen the deals that (Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa) has entered into with China and others, they are busy asset-stripping the resources of the country,&#8221; Nelson Chamisa said at a May Day rally on Tuesday, as reported by the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-43973908">BBC</a> and <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/ill-boot-out-chinese-chamisa/">local press</a>.
Chamisa is leader of Zimbabwe&#8217;s main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
&#8220;I have said (that) beginning September when I assume office I will call the Chinese and tell them the deals they signed are unacceptable and they should return to their country,&#8221; he added.
CNBC was not able to independently translate Chamisa&#8217;s speech.
On Wednesday, the MDC published a <a href="http://www.mdc.co.zw/index.php/meda/news/373-correction-of-the-herald-story">statement</a> on its website addressed to Zimbabwean state-owned newspaper The Herald. The statement accused the newspaper of publishing &#8220;malicious falsehoods&#8221; about Chamisa, although it did not specify what these were.
The &#8220;gist and essence&#8221; of Chamisa&#8217;s May Day speech was that his party &#8220;will not allow the mortgaging of this country for political expedience,&#8221; it said, attributed to Luke Tamborinyoka, presidential spokesperson and director of communications.
An MDC government &#8220;will audit all business deals and those that fail the national interest will be reviewed,&#8221; it said.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://media.cnbc.com/i/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2018/04/03/105105656-GettyImages-941323932.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name=""/>
&#8220;Chamisa&#8217;s comments will play well with the MDC&#8217;s political base, who see Chinese loans as being fundamental for helping keep the former Mugabe regime afloat,&#8221; William Attwell, practice leader for Sub-Saharan Africa at emerging markets advisory firm Frontier Strategy Group, told CNBC on Thursday. &#8220;His comments seek to tap into growing frustration in Zimbabwe that Chinese investment has brought very little in terms of material benefits for locals.&#8221;
Mnangagwa&#8217;s nascent presidency has been characterized by his intention to revive the country&#8217;s economic fortunes through building bridges with both the East and the West. He initially came to power after former leader Robert Mugabe, under whom Mnangagwa served as vice president, was ousted in a military coup in November.
Mnangagwa&#8217;s first visit outside the African continent was to China last month, with attracting foreign investment high on the agenda. China has described itself as an &#8220;<a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-04/18/c_136217738.htm">all-weather friend</a>&#8221; of Zimbabwe.
Zanu-PF, the party of Mnangagwa and Mugabe, is to release its election manifesto on Friday.
Mnangagwa has pledged &#8220;free and fair&#8221; elections to be held in July of this year, and has said that he will invite international observers.
Attwell said that it was unlikely that Chamisa would be able to deliver on his pledge, should he win the upcoming vote.
&#8220;The raw fact is the Zimbabwe needs Chinese investment,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Whoever wins the July election is going to need as much funding as possible — from China and the West — to rebuild the country&#8217;s decaying infrastructure.&#8221;

Zimbabwe opposition leader reportedly wants to give Chinese investors the boot

HARARE (Reuters) &#8211; Zimbabwe has bought two Boeing 777 aircraft and an Embraer plane from Malaysia, the finance minister said on Wednesday, adding the planes would be leased to a new local airline until national carrier Air Zimbabwe returned to profitability.
Patrick Chinamasa said Harare had agreed with an unidentified Malaysian firm to buy four Boeing 777 planes for $70 million but had so far paid for two.
The government had also paid for a small Embraer plane and plans to add five more such aircraft.
The new planes are owned by a state-owned special purpose vehicle called Zimbabwe Aviation Leasing Company.
During a ceremony to receive the first Boeing 777 in Harare, Chinamasa said the aircraft would be used by Zimbabwe Airways, a new carrier whose ownership was not immediately disclosed.
Local media reports had linked Zimbabwe Airways and the new planes to former president Robert Mugabe’s family, but Chinamasa said that was false.
Chinamasa would also not comment on speculation the government could be the owner of the new airline and would ultimately dissolve the troubled Air Zimbabwe.
He said, however, the government could not continue supporting loss-making Air Zimbabwe because it was like “putting resources into a bottomless pit.” Air Zimbabwe has debts of more than $300 million.
“Air Zimbabwe must put their house in order and as long as they don’t put their house in order, these planes I can lease to any third party who can pay treasury the lease fees for the utilisations of the aeroplanes,” Chinamasa said.
Chinamasa said the Boeing planes had a lifespan of 15 to 20 years.
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Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Mark Potter
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Why Zimbabwe just bought two new planes, and plans to buy two more…

HARARE (Reuters) &#8211; Zimbabwe will invite Western powers to monitor its national elections for the first time in more than 15 years, official papers showed on Tuesday, ending a ban imposed by veteran former leader Robert Mugabe.
The vote, scheduled for July, is seen is a major test for President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s democratic credentials since he came to power in November after a de facto army coup ousted 94-year-old Mugabe.
Zimbabwe will invite the United States, the European Union’s Commission and parliament, Australia and the Commonwealth among 46 countries and 15 organisations, a list released by the foreign affairs ministry showed.
The countries and groups on the list were all previously banned from watching elections in 2002 after Mugabe accused them of favouring his opponents.
The West slapped sanctions on Mugabe and members of his inner circle, accusing them of rigging a series of votes &#8211; charges they denied.
Joey Bimha, permanent secretary at the foreign ministry, said the invitations would be sent out soon but declined to give more details.
The election will pit Mnangagwa against a clutch of opponents including 40-year-old Nelson Chamisa from the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change. It will be the first time that Mugabe has not been on the ballot since independence from Britain in 1980.
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Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by James Macharia and Andrew Heavens
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Zimbabwe invites Western powers to observe elections

Justina Crabtree
Source: <a href="http://https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/09/zimbabwe-us-could-lift-sanctions-if-mnangagwa-holds-fair-elections.html">The US could lift sanctions on Zimbabwe — but only if the new president holds fair elections</a>
<ul>
<li>U.S. Senators Christopher Coons and Jeff Flake met with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Harare over the weekend to &#8220;explore ways of strengthening the bilateral relationship,&#8221; according to the U.S. embassy in Zimbabwe.</li>
<li>Coons and Flake are behind a proposed amendment to the U.S.&#8217; Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act which outlines the steps the African country must fulfill for U.S.-imposed sanctions to be lifted, namely the holding of &#8220;free and fair&#8221; elections.</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://media.cnbc.com/i/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2018/03/19/105073957-GettyImages-878420096.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Wilfred Kajese | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images"/>
Two U.S. senators have met with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa as part of an exploratory trip which could lead to the U.S. lifting sanctions on the once-pariah African state.
U.S. Senators Christopher Coons and Jeff Flake&#8217;s visit to the Zimbabwean capital of Harare over the weekend was to &#8220;explore ways of strengthening the bilateral relationship,&#8221; said a tweet by the U.S. embassy there. The two politicians met with the new president, as well as members of the opposition and civil society.
Coons and Flake, both on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, are behind a proposed amendment to the U.S.&#8217; Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZDERA). The bill details the steps which Zimbabwe must take for U.S. sanctions to be lifted, namely the holding of free and fair elections.
&#8220;The president (Mnangagwa) has made a commitment to take action, but some of the important actions required for progress towards the conditions for free and fair and credible elections have not yet happened,&#8221; Coons told the media, <a href="http://www.thezimbabwemail.com/main/trump-opens-window-for-mnangagwa/">as reported by the Zimbabwe Mail</a>.
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Mnangagwa has said that he is committed to holding open elections in July of this year and has invited external observers to the expected event.
It is hoped that such elections could lead to the removal of U.S.-imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe, which has seen its economy crippled by decades of mismanagement under former President Robert Mugabe.
But, &#8220;Lifting U.S. sanctions is time consuming and not straightforward,&#8221; Alex Vines, head of the Africa program at think tank Chatham House, told CNBC via e-mail. &#8220;The easiest way would be for the Zimbabwean government to prove that it&#8217;s fulfilled the requirements of ZDERA.&#8221;
Nonetheless, Coons and Flake&#8217;s visit could symbolize the latest in a warming of relations between the U.S. and Zimbabwe. In March, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/11/opinion/zimbabwe-emmerson-mnangagwa.html">Mnangagwa penned a column in the New York Times</a> which highlighted Zimbabwe&#8217;s newfound openness.
In February this year, U.S. chain Pizza Hut opened its first branch in Harare. The move, according to the <a href="https://zw.usembassy.gov/american-franchise-pizza-hut-opens-zimbabwe/">U.S. embassy&#8217;s website</a>, &#8220;is a demonstration that American companies see attractive business prospects in Zimbabwe.&#8221;
&#8220;We would hope to expand the people to people relationships, relationships between companies, hospitals, researchers, but also much more investment from the United States to reviving the economy to rebuilding infrastructure and advancing the country,&#8221; Coons <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2018/04/us-sets-terms-to-revive-zim-business-ties/">told Zimbabwean news outlet NewsDay</a>.
The U.S. has imposed financial sanctions on Zimbabwe since 2001, in response to human rights abuses by Mugabe. The sanctions include financial and travel restrictions, as well as banning the transfer of defense items or services.
Last week <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/105105579?__source=cnbcafrica|inline|story|&amp;par=cnbcafrica &amp;doc="> 
Mnangagwa was in China 
</a> on a five-day state visit, his first outside of Africa since coming to power in November last year. He met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Chinese officials.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://media.cnbc.com/i/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2018/04/03/105105670-GettyImages-941280668.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Greg Baker | AFP | Getty Images"/>
&#8220;The new president (of Zimbabwe) can expect to get both financial aid, more help with infrastructure (including the expansion of Harare airport) and technological assistance, as well as Chinese participation in agricultural projects,&#8221; Jonathan Fenby, China chairman at research firm TS Lombard, told CNBC last week of the visit.
In what could signify further rapprochement with the West, it has been reported that Zimbabwe is in talks to re-join the Commonwealth, a 53-nation bloc consisting of the U.K. and its former colonial territories. But, a spokesperson confirmed to CNBC on Friday that the organization has not received a formal application from Zimbabwe to do so.
Mugabe withdrew Zimbabwe from the group in 2003 following a dispute over sanctions.
Zimbabwe is a former British colony, previously known as Rhodesia, and was declared independent in 1980.

The US could lift sanctions on Zimbabwe — but only if the new president holds fair elections

Justina Crabtree 
Source: <a href="http://https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/19/zimbabwes-mnangagwa-struggles-to-repatriate-with-1-point-4-billion-in-offshore-cash.html">Zimbabwe vows to name and shame offshore cash holders as it struggles to repatriate $1.4 billion</a>
<ul>
<li>Zimbabwe&#8217;s new President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said that less than half of the $1.42 billion believed to be illegally kept abroad have been brought back onshore, despite the deadline for an amnesty period passing.</li>
<li>Zimbabwe is to hold elections in July, a move welcomed by the UN. These will be the first since 1980 without recently ousted President Robert Mugabe as a candidate.</li>
<li>South Africa&#8217;s President Cyril Ramaphosa visited neighboring Zimbabwe over the weekend, saying that the two countries&#8217; economies were &#8220;joined at the hip.&#8221;</li>
</ul>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://media.cnbc.com/i/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2018/03/19/105073957-GettyImages-878420096.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="Wilfred Kajese | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images"/>
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said that less than half of the country&#8217;s estimated $1.42 billion believed to be illegally kept abroad has been brought back onshore, as a 90-day amnesty period ended.
Mnangagwa announced shortly after his swearing in as president in November that the money was to be repatriated. On Monday, he said that only $591 million had returned to Zimbabwe, adding that the individuals and companies who had ignored the amnesty would be named, and he would &#8220;ensure that those responsible for such illicit financial flows are brought to justice,&#8221; Reuters reported.
But despite the difficulty in repatriating cash, Zimbabwe&#8217;s latest economic and political developments indicate renewal.
Mnangagwa announced on Saturday that former British colony is to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in July, the first since former President Robert Mugabe was forced to resign in November.
&#8220;We are looking forward to very peaceful, transparent and harmonized elections,&#8221; he told reporters.
The move was <a href="http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/news-centre/news/2018/Free-Fair-Credible-Election-Critical-Milestone-towards-Economic-Recovery.html">welcomed by the United Nations</a>, which, alongside the <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/10000049?__source=cnbcafrica|inline|story|&amp;par=cnbcafrica &amp;doc="> 
European Union 
</a> and Japan, is helping facilitate the voter registration process. Mnangagwa has said that he would invite foreign observers to the vote. According to local press, European Union officials are in Zimbabwe&#8217;s capital Harare Monday on an assessment mission ahead of the vote.
<h4>Zimbabwe and South Africa are &#8216;joined at the hip&#8217;</h4>
Meanwhile, South Africa&#8217;s new President Cyril Ramaphosa also visited neighboring Zimbabwe on Saturday. The meeting confirmed that the two countries are &#8220;joined at the hip&#8221; and will find &#8220;clever ways&#8221; of growing their economies, Ramaphosa was quoted as saying <a href="https://www.news24.com/Africa/Zimbabwe/pics-sa-zim-are-joined-on-the-hip-well-find-ways-to-grow-our-economies-says-ramaphosa-20180319">by South African media outlet News24</a>.
&#8220;As the leader of the region&#8217;s main power, Ramaphosa&#8217;s endorsement carries significant symbolic weight,&#8221; William Attwell, practice leader for sub-Saharan Africa at emerging market advisory firm Frontier Strategy Group, told CNBC Monday. He &#8220;paves the way for similar trips by other leaders, both from the region and from Western donors (who Mnangagwa is actively courting.)&#8221;
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://media.cnbc.com/i/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2018/03/19/105073979-GettyImages-933212336_1.1910x1000.jpg" alt="" height="1000" width="1910" data-licensor-name="John Cassim | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images"/>
Question marks remain over the circumstances in which then-Vice President Mnangagwa assumed power in November last year, ending former President Robert Mugabe&#8216;s nearly four decades-long rule. Mugabe himself, <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/105070333?__source=cnbcafrica|inline|story|&amp;par=cnbcafrica &amp;doc="> 
speaking on Thursday in his first televised comments since being ousted 
</a>, described the process as a &#8220;coup d&#8217;etat.&#8221;
Foreign investors are taking note of Zimbabwe&#8217;s recent upheaval. &#8220;Investors are bullish on Zimbabwe&#8217;s prospects going forward, attracted by the market&#8217;s resource endowments, large urban middle class and skilled talent pool,&#8221; Attwell said. &#8220;Senior executives from major local banks I spoke to say the upswing in inbound queries by prospective investors is the highest they&#8217;ve seen in many years.&#8221;
However, foreign investors from close to home could prove to be the biggest boon for Zimbabwe.
&#8220;South African investors will play a critical role in any turnaround of Zimbabwe&#8217;s economy, given the countries&#8217; close geographic proximity, long-standing business ties and historically amicable political relations,&#8221; Charles Laurie, director and head of politics at consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, told CNBC Monday.
&#8220;Infrastructure links, close banking ties and established working relationships mean that South African businesses recognize their unique first-mover advantage over Western competitors in capitalizing on early entry into Zimbabwe,&#8221; Laurie detailed.
A twinning of political events in Zimbabwe and South Africa has occurred in recent months, as <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/105010323?__source=cnbcafrica|inline|story|&amp;par=cnbcafrica &amp;doc="> 
Ramaphosa was appointed president of the latter country in February of this year 
</a>, ending the nine-year rule of scandal-ridden former President Jacob Zuma.
&#8220;Both countries are now led by successful businessmen and not by political dinosaurs. If both leaders can build on early progress towards a more pragmatic business-focused policy agenda, the stage is set for a significant uptick in cross-border trade,&#8221; Laurie said.

Zimbabwe vows to name and shame offshore cash holders as it struggles to repatriate $1.4 billion

Zimbabwe’s former leader Robert Mugabe said he never thought new President Emmerson Mnangagwa would turn against him and denounced Mnangagwa’s move to oust him last year as a coup, in an interview broadcast on Thursday.
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Mugabe, 94, ruled Zimbabwe from independence in 1980 until he stepped down under pressure from Mnangagwa’s allies in the army in November.
Viewed by some as a liberation hero, others remember Mugabe for turning a promising country into an economic basket case and international pariah.
Mnangagwa, deputy president under Mugabe, has promised to open up Zimbabwe to foreign investment and mend ties with the West since assuming power.
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“I never thought he whom I had nurtured and brought into government and whose life I worked so hard in prison to save as he was threatened with hanging, that one day he would be the man who would turn against me,” Mugabe said in the interview with South African state broadcaster SABC from Harare.
Mnangagwa was convicted of sabotage under white minority rule and sentenced to death. But he was spared the noose because it was deemed that he was a minor when he had committed the crime.
Mugabe said he was ousted in a “military takeover” and that Mnangagwa had assumed the presidency illegally.
“I don’t hate Emmerson, I brought him into government. But he must be proper, he is improper where he is. Illegal,” Mugabe said. “We must undo this disgrace, which we have imposed on ourselves. We don’t deserve it.”
Since his fall from power, Mugabe has stayed at his Harare mansion with his wife Grace. His ousting was the culmination of a power struggle between Mnangagwa and Grace Mugabe, who was being groomed by her husband as his potential successor.
Mugabe was granted immunity from prosecution and assured that his safety will be protected in his home country under a deal that led to his resignation.
Mugabe quit as parliament began a process to impeach him, triggering wild celebrations in the streets.
Zimbabwe was once one of Africa’s most promising economies but suffered decades of decline as Mugabe pursued policies that included the violent seizure of white-owned commercial farms and money-printing that led to hyperinflation.
Mnangagwa has said Zimbabwe still wants to end discrimination between black and white farmers but will seek new ways to compensate those who have lost their properties. Former colonial ruler Britain said last month that Harare should press on with transparent and fair land reform.
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Writing by Alexander Winning; Editing by James Macharia and Andrew Heavens
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Zimbabwe vows to name and shame offshore cash holders as it struggles to repatriate $1.4 billion

Zimbabwe’s Mugabe says never thought Mnangagwa would turn against him

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