The situation in Zimbabwe continues to deteriorate, both for the food and drink industry and for the country as a whole. In what could be a major turning point for the industry, in September 2007 American food company HJ Heinz sold its 49% stake in leading cooking oil producer Olivine to Cotton Company

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Zimbabwe's central bank governor and the country's attorney general are among 37 people linked to President Robert Mugabe's ruling party who have been targeted with new European Union sanctions.

EU foreign ministers agreed yesterday to freeze the assets and deny travel visas to Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono and Attorney General Bharat Patel, according to a statement posted on the EU's Web site today. Several serving and retired military and police chiefs, as well as reporters working for state-controlled media, are on the banned list.

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Where in the world could you be a multi-billionaire and still go hungry? The answer is, of course, Zimbabwe.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has fixed the daily withdrawal limit at Z$100 billion (roughly US$1.25) a day for individuals, but that comes nowhere near to covering the day-to-day costs of people living in the most inflationary environment in the world.

A loaf of bread costs Z$100 billion at the official rate, a kilogramme of meat Z$450 billion, (around US$5.60) and a half-litre sachet of milk sells for Z$200 billion (about US$2.50). On the parallel market, where most people shop, prices are far higher.

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Outspoken civil leader Dr Lovemore Madhuku regards the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding by the main political parties in the country as "illegitimate," saying it does not take an all stakeholders approach. The leaders of ZANU PF and the two MDC formations on Monday signed an agreement on a framework for negotiations leading towards a political settlement.

Madhuku said: "I think as civil society our reaction is very clear. We believe that the approach taken by the political parties is illegitimate. It is illegitimate because they believe that as political parties on their own they have the responsibility to resolve the crisis and they are excluding the rest of society generally, and not just civil society."

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Incidents of political discrimination continue in Zimbabwe despite the signature this week of a memorandum of understanding laying the groundwork for power-sharing talks, according to sources in the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

They pointed to efforts by a traditional leader in the Mazowe Central and South constituencies in Mashonaland Central province who is moving to expel opposition supporters from his area.

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A few weeks ago our attention was diverted to the African Union summit taking place in Egypt. In the town of Sharm El-Sheikh men who came into power through serious vote rigging, honest elections, coups and men who are destined to be presidents for life converged to discuss the continents problems and the way forward.

But one man stole the whole show....Robert Mugabe.
Mugabe attended as the President of Zimbabwe yet all the members attending knew the truth and knew the situation in Zimbabwe. But they all chose not to speak about it and it takes the silence of a good people for evil to flourish.

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Tickets for next year's World Twenty20 Championship in England were almost sold out last night, but the future of the tournament hangs in the balance while the England and Wales Cricket Board and their Indian counterparts try to hammer out a compromise over the Zimbabwe crisis.

Just 24 hours after being hopeful of having Zimbabwe expelled from the International Cricket Council, the English delegation, led by ECB chairman Giles Clarke, were left clinging on to the hope that the African nation may be suspended temporarily on cricketing grounds.

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President Robert Mugabe launched new "cheap food hampers" Wednesday while maintaining a total ban on famine relief by aid agencies in a year in which the country is expected to undergo its worst famine since independence in 1980.

State radio said the "basic commodities accessibility programme" would sell hampers of basic goods like maize meal, cooking oil, flour and soap "to all households around the country at affordable prices."

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MILLIONS of Zimbabweans face starvation after the widespread failure of the latest harvest brought on by the Government's mishandling of land redistribution, and shortages in the shops caused by hyperinflation.

The United Nations said hundreds of thousands of people required food aid immediately because they had harvested little or nothing in recent weeks.

It has warned that up to 5 million will need help in coming months - and 2 million within weeks - as their food stocks run out.

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Robert Mugabe warned British firms in Zimbabwe today that they could be taken over by local people or investors from 'friendly' countries.

Some of Britain's biggest companies, such as banking giant Standard Chartered and mining group Anglo American, have branches or subsidiaries in Zimbabwe.

A Zimbabwean government spokesman told the country's Sunday Mail newspaper: 'In the context of growing hostility, the government is planning to invite companies from friendly countries to take over companies that will close down.'

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