South Africa's main agriculture and farming union has expressed concern about the bilateral investment treaty agreed with Zimbabwe, which is set to exclude South African owned farms that were expropriated by the Robert Mugabe regime during the chaotic land 'reform' programme.

South African refugee rights group, PASSOP, has slammed local government officials for their handling of this week's outbreak of xenophobic violence near Cape Town, which saw more than 3000 foreigners, mainly Zimbabweans, flee their homes.

The MDC has accused ZANU PF of mobilizing its militia to re-open torture bases countrywide, to intimidate the electorate into accepting the controversial Kariba Draft constitution. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party says it has unearthed evidence that meetings are being convened to revive terror squads to harass, intimidate and torture people to endorse the draft constitutional document, which leaves sweeping presidential powers largely intact.

The mainstream MDC on Friday launched a stinging attack on negotiators from the MDC-M, branding their counterparts as 'mischievious and insincere' for delaying talks to resolve the outstanding issues in the unity government.

THE intrigues and simmering tensions that played out last weekend over the nominations to the presidium exposed yet again the political shenanigans within the various factions in ZANU-PF that are repositioning themselves to influence the party's succession.

The Labour Court in Harare has heard stunning allegations of corruption against Mashonaland Central Governor and Resident Minister Martin Dinha that have stalked him from the time he was the executive mayor of Bindura, a position he relinquished following his appointment last year.

CABINET will soon decide on the course of action to take against ministers who looted State assets before the formation of the inclusive government in February amid indications that there is convergence in the thinking of the three principals in the transitional arrangement to wield the axe on those caught on the wrong side of the law.

The strong rally witnessed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange in the previous week immediately came under a check during the week ended yesterday, as investors descended on the high yielding investment market to pocket gains reaped in the preceding week that saw the market awarding the highest weekly return to investors since the beginning of the year.

DELTA Corporation Limited, Zimbabwe's prime producer and distributor of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, has suffered a US$2 million impairment from the disposal of its 30 percent stake in Ariston Holdings Limited at US$4 million.

ONE of the key roles of Parliament, according to the Constitution of Zimbabwe, is that of making laws for the peace, order and good of the country.

WORLD opinion remains sharply divided over the United States of America's role in global politics given its partiality, hypocrisy and double-standards in its dealings with other nations.

HE has made headlines in the United Kingdom and has amassed several trophies and medals for his exploits as a rugby player in the English National Division Two league and even received the "Royal Seal of Approval" from the British media, yet he is unknown to his fellow countrymen.

THE Unity Accord survived its sternest test ever on Monday when all but one of the ZANU-PF provinces that were still to select their preferred candidates to the presidium upheld a decision by the politburo to reserve the chairmanship of the party for the former PF-ZAPU to avert cracks that were threatening to further split the party.

Fresh negotiations to deal with the so-called outstanding issues in the unity government are expected to begin in earnest this weekend nearly two weeks after the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Troika directed at its meeting in Mozambique that Zimbabwe resolves its niggling issues within 30 days.

HAPPYMORE Mapara, the group chief executive officer (CEO) of AICO Africa Limited was this week sent on suspension pending investigations into the operations of the company after falling out with key shareholders at the Zimbabwe Stock Exch-ange (ZSE)-listed conglomerate.

THE country's first ever civil service payroll and skills audit will start on Monday at an estimated cost of US$4 million.

Chromex Mining Plc, which is listed on the London bourse's Alternative Investment Market (AIM), has sealed a purchase deal for a 49 percent stake in Zimbabwean chrome miners Falvect Mining, for what it described as "a nominal consideration".

WITHIN days of introducing toll fees on the country's major highways in August this year, more than US$500 000 had been raised from motorists, specifically to rehabilitate Zimbabwe's deplorable roads.

Farmers in De Doorns have rejected allegations that they are paying Zimbabwean immigrants lower than the minimum wage and are therefore responsible for the xenophobic attacks that erupted in the region this week.

The United Nations refugee agency today condemned the latest xenophobic attacks that have driven some 3,000 foreigners, including refugees and asylum-seekers from Zimbabwe, from a community in South Africa.