Resources

• Idasa Partner Report: RAU: Bucking the Trends: Africa, Zimbabwe, Demand for Democracy, and Elections
  [Research Reports]

  17 May 2012Across sub-Saharan Africa, formal institutional rules are coming to matter much more than they used to, and have displaced violence as the primary source of ...

• Idasa Democracy Index: Namibia Report
  [News]

  03 May 2012Idasa publishes its first Democracy Index for Botswana: ‘Unfinished Business: democracy in Namibia.' It provides an important analysis of the status of Namibia’s democracy based on ...

• Zimbabwe Election Watch: April 2012
  [News]

  03 May 2012Idasa's Sito project looks at what is happening in Zimbabwe as the country moves towards inevitbale elections. As a member of SADC, Zimbabwe was a ...

• Idasa Democracy Index: Botswana Report
  [News]

  02 May 2012Idasa publishes its first Democracy Index for Botswana: ‘A Fine Balance: Assessing the Quality of Governance in Botswana’. It provides an important analysis of the ...

• Idasa Partner Report: RAU: digging up the truth
  [Research Reports]

  23 Apr 2012In a revealing paper Derek Matyszak of the Research and Advocacy Unity of Zimbabwe analyses the legal and political realities of what he calls the ZIMPLATS saga. ...

• Idasa Invitation: Namibia & Botswana Democracy Index launch
  [News]

  23 Apr 2012Idasa launches its Democracy Index for Namibia and Botswana on 25 and 26 April 2012. The Namibia launch will be held on the 25th in ...

• Madagascar Election Watch: January-March 2012
  [News]

  20 Apr 2012Idasa's Sito project looks at what is happening in Madagascar as the country moves towards inevitbale elections. As a member of SADC, Madagascar was a signatory to ...

• Zimbabwe Election Watch: March 2012
  [News]

  16 Apr 2012Idasa's Sito project looks at what is happening in Zimbabwe as the country moves towards inevitbale elections.   As a member of SADC, Zimbabwe was ...

• Idasa Statement: Mali
  [News]

  10 Apr 2012Idasa issues a statement raising concerns about the continued rebellion in the North of the country and declaring its optimism about the African led drive ...

• Idasa Statement: Malawi
  [News]

  10 Apr 2012Idasa releases a statement to convey its condolences on the passing of the late President wa Mutarika and congratulates Malawi with its swift transition to ...

• Zimbabwe Election Watch: February 2012
  [News]

  29 Mar 2012Idasa's Sito project looks at what is happening in Zimbabwe as the country moves towards inevitbale elections. As a member of SADC, Zimbabwe was a ...

• Zimbabwe Election Watch - January 2012
  [News]

  27 Mar 2012Idasa's Sito project looks at what's happening in Zimbabwe as it moves towards inevitable elections. Please download the full report below.

• Idasa Opinion: Inclusiveness obligatory for Liberian stability
  [Articles]

  22 Feb 2012Bryan Sims, political analyst with Idasa's States in Transition Observatory, provides an insightful appeal for inclusiveness in the new government in Liberia in order to ...

• Zimbabwe Election Watch - November, December 2011
  [News]

  20 Feb 2012Idasa's Sito project looks at what's happening in Zimbabwe as it moves towards inevitable elections. Please download the full report below.

• Zimbabwe gender analysis
  [News]

  07 Dec 2011This publication seeks to provide a gender analysis of Zimbabwe’s Global Political Agreement from the perspective of the participation of women in peace building and ...

• Working for reform in Swaziland
  [News]

  06 Dec 2011Idasa’s States in Transition Observatory (SITO) facilitated a diplomatic briefing where representatives of Swaziland’s Civil Society Convention discussed their objectives and plans.

• Madagascar Election Watch
  [News]

  28 Nov 2011This baseline election watch, by Idasa’s States in Transition Observatory (SITO), measures Madagascar’s electoral environment according to the SADC guidelines governing democratic elections.

• Madagascar Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  28 Nov 2011Country Synopsis Madagascar was declared an autonomous state within the French community in 1958 and gained full independence in 1960. A history of successive government ...

• DRC Election Watch
  [Research Reports]

  24 Nov 2011With elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo set to go ahead on 28 November 2011, Idasa’s States in Transition Observatory (SITO) measures the country’s ...

• Service delivery and transition in South Sudan
  [Articles]

  22 Nov 2011A sustainable transition in Africa’s newest country will require efficient service delivery, says Francis Tuhaise, a Ugandan intern with Idasa’s States in Transition Observatory.

• Promoting inclusive electoral governance in South Sudan
  [Articles]

  21 Nov 2011Francis Tuhaise, a Ugandan intern with Idasa’s States in Transition Observatory, argues that an electoral system that promotes both accountability and representation will be key ...

• Zimbabwe Election Watch – October 2011
  [Research Reports]

  07 Nov 2011Idasa’s SITO project looks at what’s happening in Zimbabwe as it heads towards inevitable elections. Download the full report below.

• Democratic Republic of Congo – Election Watch
  [Monitoring Tools]

  20 Oct 2011Idasa’s States in Transition Observatory tracks the DRC’s progress towards or divergence from SADC standards as it heads towards November elections. Download the full report ...

• Zimbabwe Election Watch – September 2011
  [Monitoring Tools]

  13 Oct 2011Idasa’s SITO project looks at what’s happening in Zimbabwe as it heads towards inevitable elections. Download the full report below.

• Crucial elections in Liberia
  [Research Reports]

  10 Oct 2011Idasa analyst Bryan Sims notes that, if successful, the 11 October 2011 elections will further entrench democracy in Liberia and the region. Download the full ...

• The Commonwealth and Zimbabwe: Who got disengaged and why should we re-engage?
  [Research Reports]

  06 Oct 2011Read a report by the Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU) outlining issues the Commonwealth of Nations should take into account as they consider re-engagement with ...

• SITO's Zimbabwe Election Watch, August 2011
  [Monitoring Tools]

  06 Sep 2011Idasa's States in Transition Observatory (SITO) keeps its eye on Zimbabwe as it heads towards inevitable elections. Download the full election watch for more information.

• The dissolution of the SADC Tribunal
  [Research Reports]

  31 Aug 2011This report by the Harare-based Research and Advocacy Unit discussed key legal issues relating to the suspension of the SADC Tribunal. Download the full report ...

• Violence against women in Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  29 Aug 2011This report, by the Harare-based Research and Advocacy Unit, examines politically motivated violence against women in Zimbabwe between 2000 and 2010. Download the report below ...

• Zimbabwe Election Watch – July 2011
  [Monitoring Tools]

  24 Aug 2011Idasa’s SITO project looks at what’s happening in Zimbabwe as it heads towards inevitable elections. Download the full report below.

• Election Watch – DRC January-July 2011
  [Monitoring Tools]

  23 Aug 2011Idasa’s SITO project keeps watch on developments in the Democratic Republic of Congo as it heads towards elections expected to be held in November 2011. ...

• Election Watch – Democratic Republic of Congo (baseline)
  [Monitoring Tools]

  23 Aug 2011SITO’s researchers measure the DRC’s electoral environment according to the SADC guidelines governing democratic elections. Download the full report for more information.

• Where to now for the youth who led South Sudan’s struggle?
  [Articles]

  19 Aug 2011The youth of South Sudan played a major role in the independence struggle, bringing new technology and modern ideas to rally support for succession. Yet ...

• Globalisation poses questions on Africa’s contribution to the human rights debate
  [Articles]

  19 Aug 2011Some say Africa has a long history of its own understanding of human rights and brings important nuances to the debate. They are up against ...

• Re-Imagining Zimbabwe: Restoring National Institutions
  [Research Reports]

  19 Aug 2011Five advocacy groups emphasise the need for breaking the deadlock between Zimbabwe’s political parties over the details of a Road Map towards elections. Research and ...

• Keeping secrets is not the way to make friends
  [Articles]

  12 Aug 2011South Africa’s proposed Protection of Information Bill, now back with the adhoc parliamentary committee for redrafting, is chillingly similar to Zimbabwe’s Access to Information and ...

• Speech by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Zimbabwe, at the burial of the Minister of Public Service, Prof. Eliphas Mukonoweshuro
  [Speeches]

  11 Aug 2011Harare 8 August 2011It is with deep sorrow and grief that I stand before you on the occasion of the burial of one of Zimbabwe’s ...

• Elections Roadmap
  [Research Reports]

  04 Aug 2011Zimbabwe Liberator's Platform Election Roadmap focuses its attention on laying a sound framework for credible elections whose outcome would be incontestable. View the full Roadmap ...

• Women and Political Violence: An Update
  [Research Reports]

  04 Aug 2011This report was produced by the Women’s Programme, Research and Advocacy Unit

• South Africa Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  27 Jul 2011Country Synopsis         After nearly 50 years of state-institutionalized racial separation, the Republic of South Africa underwent a remarkable transformation that was ...

• Botswana Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  27 Jul 2011Country Synopsis                   The Republic of Botswana, formerly known as Bechuanaland, has made substantial developmental progress since ...

• Namibia's Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  27 Jul 2011Country Synopsis             The conclusion of the Cold War paved the way for serious negotiations among South Africa, the front-line ...

• Ivory Coast Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  27 Jul 2011Country Synopsis           Côte d’Ivoire gained independence from France in August 1960, and due to its success as an exporter of ...

• Kenya Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  26 Jul 2011Country Synopsis         Kenya gained independence from Britain in December 1963 and, until late 2007, was considered one of the more stable ...

• Idasa sets up US talks for Zimbabwe Law Society
  [Articles]

  21 Jul 2011On July 2, 2011, eight members of the Law Society of Zimbabwe arrived in the USA for a six day programme arranged by the Center ...

• Analysis: South Sudan's inauguration a starting point
  [Articles]

  08 Jul 2011African democracy institute Idasa celebrates the birth of Africa's newest state, but with some reservations. Experience on our continent has shown that the raising of ...

• Zimbabwe Election Watch May-June 2011
  [Monitoring Tools]

  07 Jul 2011Idasa’s SITO project keeps watch on developments in Zimbabwe, as it heads towards inevitable elections.

• SADC and Zimbabwe: Can they guarantee a Free and Fair Election?
  [Research Reports]

  26 Jun 2011As Zimbabwe’s political arrangement continues to be tested and in the wake of a strong SADC stand in Livingstone, this briefing focuses on Zimbabwean reactions ...

• The Politics of Land in Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  26 Jun 2011In Zimbabwe, land is a highly emotive and political issue, one that has been seriously abused. Zanu PF has politicised and racialised the land issue ...

• Liberia Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  24 May 2011A look at Liberia This country report examines the political and economic environment in Africa’s oldest republic. Read the full brief below.   Country Synopsis ...

• Swaziland Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  17 May 2011Country Synopsis         Swaziland is the last remaining absolute monarchy in Africa. The 1973 King’s Proclamation suspended the constitution, assuming all executive ...

• Watching Zimbabwe January–April 2011
  [Monitoring Tools]

  10 May 2011As SADC and the three signatories to the Global Political Agreement continue to seek consensus on a "road map" for fresh elections, it is worth ...

• SITO’s first Election Watch for Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  10 May 2011The Election Watch is based on the SADC principles and guidelines for conducting elections. It holds countries to the standards that they originated and agreed ...

• What is Zimbabwe's Global Political Agreement?
  [Articles]

  08 May 2011If intended as a ceasefire agreement, Zimbabwe's global political agreement (GPA) has failed to deliver, but as a power-sharing mechanism it could well be guaranteed ...

• Idasa calls on SADC to 'put teeth' into Zimbabwe election plans
  [News]

  12 Apr 2011African democracy institute Idasa warns that the elections road-map being drafted by negotiators for the pending Zimbabwe election will be no more effective than the ...

• Articles of Faith: Assessing Zimbabwe's "GAP" as a Mechanism for Change - A Legal Perspective
  [Articles]

  10 Apr 2011By Derek Matyszak and Tony Reeler, Research and Advocacy Unit, Harare.Zimbabwe?s current Inclusive Government, more commonly referred to as a Government of National Unity (GNU), ...

• Future of the Inclusive Government
  [Research Reports]

  04 Apr 2011The Inclusive Government has been described as dysfunctional and is closer to collapse today than at any other time during its existence. Violence and intimidation ...

• Legislation and Agreements
  [Legislation]

  22 Mar 2011Find here all Zimbabwe's Legislation and Agreement information.

• Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Country Brief
  [Research Reports]

  22 Mar 2011Country Synopsis    Of the countries in Africa living with the so-called resource curse the DRC’s people have suffered some of the worst devastation. King ...

• Zimbabwe Country Brief 2011
  [Research Reports]

  28 Feb 2011Country Synopsis          Zimbabwe won its independence from Britain in 1980. With a relatively industrialized economy and a firm agricultural base, it ...

• 74% of women In Zimbabwe study believe there ‘’is no respect for the law’
  [Research Reports]

  28 Feb 2011While police have been responsible for some of the most serious human rights and rule of law violations in Zimbabwe today, women in particular have ...

• The world can make a difference in Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  23 Feb 2011The African Union, Southern African Development Community and the international community have the potential to shape Zimbabwe’s pending election. Idasa’s States in Transition Observatory considers ...

• Declaration by the High Representative Catherine Ashton on behalf of the European Union on Zimbabwe
  [News]

  17 Feb 2011The European Union announced mid-February that it has decided to remove 35 people from its visa ban and asset freeze list and to extend the ...

• GNU Watch January 2010
  [Monitoring Tools]

  16 Feb 2011The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• ZANU PF approaching election with unseemly haste
  [Articles]

  15 Feb 2011Our States in Transition Observatory’s (SITO’s) latest political briefing, held in Pretoria earlier this month, identified the political and social factors affecting Zanu PF’s “rushed” ...

• Imagine this – SITO does some crystal ball gazing
  [News]

  10 Feb 2011Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (Copac) will complete the drafting of the new foundation law for Zimbabwe in mid-2011. A referendum on the new law will ...

• Zim Newsflash Flash 03 February 2011
  [News]

  07 Feb 201127 January 2011 SABC Manipulated News on Zimbabwe, Court RuledA High Court judge in Johannesburg ruled that the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) was guilty ...

• Watching Zimbabwe - December 2010
  [Monitoring Tools]

  20 Jan 2011The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• Watching Zimbabwe
  [Monitoring Tools]

  19 Jan 2011The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• Zimbabwe: Sanctions, Elections and Security
  [Research Reports]

  03 Jan 2011The Real Outstanding Issues: Restrictive Measures, Elections and the Security Sector 1. PRESENT ENVIRONMENT Key players within Zanu PF are currently hedging their political bets ...

• Governance indicators – comparative study
  [Research Reports]

  15 Dec 2010Commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme Oslo Governance Centre (UNDP OGC), this is a comparative study on the development and use of governance indicators ...

• Watching Zimbabwe - November 2010
  [Monitoring Tools]

  09 Dec 2010The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• The Experience of Violence by Zimbabwean Women
  [Research Reports]

  06 Dec 2010African democracy institute Idasa, with the Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU), the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) and the Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) ...

• Zimbabwe - Idasa addresses U.S. Foreign Affairs
  [Speeches]

  03 Dec 2010Sydney Masamvu, Senior Political Analyst at Idasa's States in Transition Observatory (SITO), was invited to address the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health of the U.S. ...

• Watching Zimbabwe - October 2010
  [Monitoring Tools]

  12 Nov 2010The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• Restrictive measures in Zimbabwe: the way forward
  [Research Reports]

  12 Nov 2010The situation in Zimbabwe has changed since restrictive measures by many Western countries came into effect in the early 2000s. The signing of the Global Political ...

• Watching Zimbabwe - September 2010
  [Monitoring Tools]

  27 Oct 2010The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• Watching Zimbabwe - August 2010
  [Monitoring Tools]

  23 Sep 2010The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• Watching Zimbabwe - July 2010
  [Monitoring Tools]

  20 Aug 2010The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• Challenges we face working in fragile states
  [Podcasts]

  02 Aug 2010Listen to Idasa’s Oupa Makamelele talking about the challenges of working in fragile states in conflict. Click here for his podcast.

• Watching Zimbabwe - May/June 2010
  [Monitoring Tools]

  30 Jun 2010 The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• From power sharing to democracy? Facing the forces of change in Burundi’s upcoming elections
  [Articles]

  15 Jun 2010After 16 years of violence, Burundi now has a chance to install democracy. As the four-month poll process gets underway, with the last rebel group, ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for June 2010
  [News]

  14 Jun 2010These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Women, Politics and the Zimbabwe Crisis
  [Research Reports]

  28 May 2010In late 2009, the Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU) partnered with IDASA (An African Democracy Institute), the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) and the ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for May 2010
  [News]

  26 May 2010These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Assessing whether the reforms aimed at integrating institutions of traditional leadership
  [Articles]

  14 May 2010A paper presented at The Traditional Councils, Local Government & Rural Local Governance Summit 2010: Building sustainable partnerships between traditional councils & local government to ...

• Zimbabwe GNU Watch - April 2010
  [Monitoring Tools]

  14 May 2010The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• Still looking for change after 30 years of Zimbabwean independence
  [Research Reports]

  07 May 2010On the 18th April Zimbabwe celebrated 30 years of independence. The last few years have been fraught with tension, as the Interim Government (IG) continues ...

• What are the options for Zimbabwe? Dealing with the obvious!
  [Articles]

  04 May 2010Report produced by the Governance Programme, RAU. It should be evident from this analysis that the major problem is not whether or not the personal ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for April 2010
  [News]

  29 Apr 2010These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Zimbabwe GNU Watch - March 2010
  [Monitoring Tools]

  14 Apr 2010The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• Zimbabwe's Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Legislation
  [Research Reports]

  07 Apr 2010Everything you ever wanted to know (and then some) about Zimbabwe's Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Legislation but (quite rightly) were to Afraid to Ask. By ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for March 2010
  [News]

  31 Mar 2010These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Fighting for a New Constitution
  [Research Reports]

  24 Mar 2010Human Rights Violations experienced by Female Members of the National Constitutional Assembly. Report prepared by: Research and Advocacy Unit Since its inception, the National Constitutional ...

• What Women need from the Reform Agenda in the DRC
  [Articles]

  17 Mar 2010By Oupa Makhalemele The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is now regarded as the most dangerous place in the world for women to live ...

• GNU Watch - A Year in Review
  [Monitoring Tools]

  17 Mar 2010The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• Zimbabwe GNU Watch - February 2010
  [Monitoring Tools]

  03 Mar 2010The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• The Grand Inga Dam: A promise to light up Africa that could still leave poorer citizens in the dark
  [Articles]

  02 Mar 2010By Charlotte Johnson The proposed Grand Inga Dam, which is to be constructed in western Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is set to dwarf all ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for February 2010
  [News]

  26 Feb 2010These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Problems of democratic transition and consolidation in the Democratic Republic of Congo
  [Articles]

  12 Feb 2010By: Sylvester Bongani Maphosa (PhD) When independent states emerged from colonial rule in the 1960s, the Central African region had never had an established democratic ...

• Zimbabwe GNU Watch - January 2010
  [Monitoring Tools]

  11 Feb 2010The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for January 2010
  [News]

  28 Jan 2010These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Zimbabwe GNU Watch - December 2009
  [Monitoring Tools]

  15 Dec 2009The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• Zimbabwe GNU Watch - November 2009
  [Monitoring Tools]

  07 Dec 2009The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for December 2009
  [News]

  07 Dec 2009These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• SITO Eastern DRC Trip Report
  [Research Reports]

  04 Dec 2009(31 October – 8 November 2009) Idasa staff involved: Oupa Makhalemele and Alain Fedjou During the first week of November 2009, SITO undertook a second ...

• Archbishop Tutu Awarded First Fetzer Prize for His Work to Advance Love, Forgiveness
  [Press Releases]

  03 Dec 2009Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu will be awarded the Fetzer Institute’s Prize for Love and Forgiveness this evening at “Beyond Reconciliation,” a conference on the campus ...

• Roundtable on the inclusive government of Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  30 Nov 2009Amanzi Lodge, 30th September, 2009 Summary of Discussion The meeting was convened with a view to obtaining an informed and nuanced view, from the perspective ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for November 2009
  [News]

  30 Nov 2009These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Swaziland News flashes for November 2009
  [News]

  27 Nov 2009SITO now offers a twice weekly Swaziland News Flash. If you would like to register for this service, please contact Emily. Swazi News Flash 27 ...

• Swaziland Country Brief
  [Articles]

  26 Nov 2009Swaziland remains the only absolute monarchy on the continent. Although it has made efforts to embrace modern forms of governance in the last few years, ...

• Roundtable discussion on Traditional Leaders
  [Articles]

  25 Nov 2009The Political Governance Programme (PGP) of Idasa agreed at its May 2009 Annual Strategy Review to further explore how existing customs and practices on the ...

• Regional Solidarity with Zimbabwe: has it made a difference?
  [Articles]

  23 Nov 2009A Perspective by Emily Wellman Solidarity is the unity of the human spirit, the act of support and empathy for another without the need for ...

• If something is wrong... The invisible suffering of commercial farm workers and their families due to “Land Reform”
  [Research Reports]

  10 Nov 2009Report produced for the General Agricultural & Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe [GAPWUZ] by the Research and Advocacy Unit [RAU] and the Justice For Agriculture ...

• Zimbabwe GNU Watch - October 2009
  [Monitoring Tools]

  10 Nov 2009The Zimbabwe GNU Watch provides an overview, month by month, of political developments under the terms set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). The ...

• COMMUNIQUÉ - Summit of the Troika of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation
  [Articles]

  06 Nov 200905 NOVEMBER 2009 MAPUTO, REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE 1. Summit of the Troika of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation met in Maputo, Republic ...

• Appointments under Zimbabwe's Inclusive Government
  [Research Reports]

  03 Nov 2009By Derek Matyszak, Senior Researcher Research and Advocacy Unit, Zimbabwe November 2009 This paper considers the general appointment of persons by the President of Zimbabwe ...

• Agreement Between the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patronic Front (ZANU-PF) and the two Movement for Democtractic Change (MDC) Foundation, on Resolving the Challenges Facing Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  02 Nov 2009THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL SUMMARY - TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THE NEW AGREEMENT – READ IT AND SHARE IT ARTICLE II : DECLARATION OF COMMITMENT  ...

• Ibrahim Index of African Governance - Country Reports
  [Research Reports]

  21 Oct 2009This is a publication by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation The Ibrahim Index of African Governance is a comprehensive ranking of sub-Saharan African nations according to ...

• Traditional Leadership and Democracy in Africa - The Experience of Botswana
  [Speeches]

  21 Oct 2009By Professor K. C. Sharma University of Botswana Is traditional leadership a system frozen in time? PGP started a dialogue within Idasa to deepen our ...

• GNU Watch Zimbabwe September 2009
  [Monitoring Tools]

  19 Oct 2009This document is not meant to be a comprehensive report on the state of the Interim Government (IG) of Zimbabwe. Rather it is aimed at ...

• Swaziland News flashes for October 2009
  [News]

  16 Oct 2009SITO now offers a twice weekly Swaziland News Flash. If you would like to register for this service, please contact Emily. Swazi News Flash 16 ...

• 2013 Vision – Seeing Double and the Dead
  [Research Reports]

  12 Oct 2009A Preliminary Audit of Zimbabwe's Voters' Roll By Derek Matyszak, Research and Advocacy Unit. The registration of voters and the compilation and maintenance of an ...

• The Security – Development Nexus: An analysis of the potential impact of Security Sector Reform on the Reconstruction process in Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  08 Oct 2009By: Theophilous Chiviru This paper will use Zimbabwe as a case study to illustrate how reforming the security sector and demilitarizing the state will be ...

• GNU Watch Zimbabwe 6 Month Review
  [Monitoring Tools]

  02 Oct 2009Last September the Global Political Agreement (GPA) was signed, and 6 months ago the Government of National Unity (GNU) began functioning under the parameters of ...

• Constitution making process moves on despite teething problems
  [News]

  27 Sep 2009Speaker of Parliament Lovemore Moyo making slow progress with the Constitution making agenda That the current Constitution making process has been dogged with numerous teething ...

• Power Dynamics In Zimbabwes Inclusive Government
  [Research Reports]

  22 Sep 2009By Derek Matyszak, Senior Researcher Research and Advocacy Unit, Zimbabwe Introduction The elections of March 2008 yielded an astounding victory for Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic ...

• Strategies to encourage Diaspora return to Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  22 Sep 2009By: Aquilina Mawadza Recent research by the Centre for Global Development suggests that immigrants can be more useful to their countries of origin if they ...

• Communique of the 29th Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government
  [Press Releases]

  10 Sep 2009Southern African Development Community (SADC) press release Kinshasa — The 29th Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government was held in Kinshasa on the ...

• GNU Watch Zimbabwe August 2009
  [Monitoring Tools]

  07 Sep 2009This document is not meant to be a comprehensive report on the state of the interim government of Zimbabwe. Rather it is aimed at giving ...

• Swaziland News flashes for August 2009
  [News]

  28 Aug 2009SITO now offers a twice weekly Swaziland News Flash. If you would like to register for this service, please contact Emily. Swazi News flash 28 ...

• The Role of Traditional Leaders in a Post-Tinkhundla Swaziland
  [Articles]

  28 Aug 2009By: Xolani Simelane The majority of African countries are predominantly rural and the authority of modern government often does not extend to these rural areas. ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for August 2009
  [News]

  27 Aug 2009These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Challenges of Democracy – Countries in Transition
  [News]

  24 Aug 2009Idasa States in Transition Observatory (SITO) provides analysis, information and briefings on Zimbabwe to policy-makers in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African ...

• Zimbabwe GNU Watch July 2009
  [Monitoring Tools]

  11 Aug 2009Discuss this on our blog here. As Zimbabwe extracts itself from years of turbulence, the Global Political Agreement (GPA) provides the map for the way ...

• Human Rights Violations Against Women in Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  31 Jul 2009This report looks at how African countries have dealt with violations against women in post-conflict situations. Particular attention is paid to the processes in South ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for July 2009
  [News]

  27 Jul 2009These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Swaziland News flashes for July 2009
  [News]

  17 Jul 2009SITO now offers a twice weekly Swaziland News Flash. If you would like to register for this service, please contact Emily. Swazi News Flash 17 ...

• Zimbabwe has a long way to go before sanctions are lifted
  [Articles]

  09 Jul 2009Article by Tichafara Rhys, Zimbabwe Exiles Forum The African Union (AU), SADC and the Zimbabwean Government of National Unity (GNU), have recently begun to take it ...

• Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil: A Critique of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Report on the 2008 General Elections
  [Research Reports]

  09 Jul 2009By: Derek Matyszak Senior Researcher Research & Advocacy Unit [RAU] On the 29th March 2008 Zimbabwe simultaneously held elections for the presidency, two houses of ...

• Zimbabwe GNU Watch June 2009
  [Monitoring Tools]

  06 Jul 2009This document is not meant to be a comprehensive report on the state of the interim government of Zimbabwe. Rather it is aimed at giving ...

• Walking a Thin Line - Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  02 Jul 2009The political and humanitarian challenges facing Zimbabwe’s GPA leadership – and its ordinary citizens.  After four months, hurdles remain for the GPA, and it is ...

• Gone to Egoli: Economic Survival Strategies in Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  02 Jul 2009Zimbabweans have been battered by the collapsed economy and have limited access to forex. The Solidarity Peace Trust interviewed families in five rural districts and ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for June 2009
  [News]

  30 Jun 2009These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Swaziland News flashes for June 2009
  [News]

  29 Jun 2009SITO now offers a twice weekly Swaziland News Flash. If you would like to register for this service, please contact Emily. Swazi News Flash 29 ...

• Challenges Facing Education in Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  26 Jun 2009A report by Aquilina Mawadza, with research assistance from Theophilous Chiviru Discuss this on our blog here. When Robert Mugabe became the president of the ...

• Subtle Repression Silences Opposition in Swaziland
  [Articles]

  25 Jun 2009Rather than the combination of rule by law and violent physical oppression that has characterized Robert Mugabe’s regime in Zimbabwe, Swaziland’s political leadership is using ...

• SADC Neighbours Ignore Human Rights in Swaziland
  [Articles]

  25 Jun 2009By: Oupa Makhalemele Any publicity, convention has it, is good publicity. For those following events in Zimbabwe and Swaziland, this was demonstrated during the inauguration ...

• Latest from Idasa - Developing a Transformation Agenda for Zimbabwe
  [News]

  12 Jun 2009By Shari Eppel and Brian Raftopoulos This book, which emerged out of a series of roundtable discussions between shareholders in Zimbabwe and the broader South ...

• Zimbabwe GNU Watch May 2009
  [Monitoring Tools]

  08 Jun 2009This document is not meant to be a comprehensive report on the state of the interim government of Zimbabwe. Rather it is aimed at giving ...

• Updates on Human Rights in Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  05 Jun 2009Below are a range of documents relating to human rights in Zimbabwe in May and June 2009.

• Zimbabwe's 100 Day Plan
  [News]

  03 Jun 2009See the Government of Zimbabwe's plan for 100 days from 29 April 2009. The 100 Day Plan represents the practical implementation of the Government’s commitment ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for May 2009
  [News]

  30 May 2009These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Swaziland News flashes for May 2009
  [News]

  29 May 2009SITO now offers a twice weekly Swaziland News Flash. If you would like to register for this service, please contact Emily. Swazi News Flash 29 ...

• Zimbabwe GNU Watch April 2009
  [Monitoring Tools]

  20 May 2009Discuss this on our blog here. As Zimbabwe extracts itself from years of turbulence, the Global Political Agreement (GPA) provides the map for the way ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for April 2009
  [News]

  29 Apr 2009These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Human Rights and Prisoners
  [Articles]

  17 Apr 2009Shouldn’t human rights apply to all humans, even prisoners? By Emily Wellman Should the crime of stealing a piece of meat be punishable by death? ...

• Know Your Ministers - Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  14 Apr 2009This is a very useful document on who the new cabinet ministers are within Zimbabwe. It is based on the research done by the Zimbabwe ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for March 2009
  [News]

  31 Mar 2009These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Swaziland News flashes for March 2009
  [News]

  31 Mar 2009SITO now offers a twice weekly Swaziland News Flash. If you would like to register for this service, please contact Emily. Swazi News Flash 31 ...

• Swaziland News flashes for March 2009
  [News]

  31 Mar 2009SITO now offers a twice weekly Swaziland News Flash. If you would like to register for this service, please contact Emily. Swazi News Flash 31 ...

• Is how a country treats the most vulnerable of its people not a test of its humanity?
  [Articles]

  25 Mar 2009By: Emily Wellman The small town of Musina on the border between Zimbabwe and South Africa is the first stop for new arrivals and their ...

• Assessing Transitional Justice in Zimbabwe
  [Research Reports]

  24 Mar 2009An assessment mission to Zimbabwe was part of a broader enquiry into the transitional justice landscape in the Southern African region. This was driven by ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for February 2009
  [News]

  27 Feb 2009These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• The Global Political Agreement and the Unity Accord in Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  25 Feb 2009By: Shari Eppel, Solidarity Peace Trust, February 2009 In Zimbabwe in 2008, the March Presidential election failed to produce an outright winner, although Morgan Tsvangirai ...

• Zimbabwe Moves Forward
  [Press Releases]

  12 Feb 2009For immediate release Morgan Tsvangirai, inaugurated as Prime Minister of Zimbabwe on Wednesday, has clearly signalled that the new Unity Government will be a people-focused ...

• Swaziland News flashes for February 2009
  [News]

  04 Feb 2009SITO now offers a twice weekly Swaziland News Flash. If you would like to register for this service, please contact Emily. Swazi News Flash 4 ...

• Education in Zimbabwe: The latest victim of the Economic Collapse
  [Articles]

  02 Feb 2009  When Zimbabwe gained its independence in 1980, the majority of the population was illiterate. In the next 15 years, Zimbabweans witnessed incredible strides in ...

• The Crisis in Zimbabwe - A Case for "root and branch" Security Sector Reform?
  [Articles]

  02 Feb 2009By: Martin Rupiya In this article, Martin Rupiya discusses the crisis in Zimbabwe as a case for "root and branch" security sector reform.  He says ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for January 2009
  [News]

  30 Jan 2009These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Swaziland News flashes for January 2009
  [News]

  30 Jan 2009SITO now offers a twice weekly Swaziland News Flash. If you would like to register for this service, please contact Emily. Swazi News Flash 30 ...

• Save Zimbabwe Now
  [Articles]

  29 Jan 2009Save Zimbabwe Now is an initiative aimed at galvanizing and building the solidarity movement for Zimbabwe in South Africa. The initiative is supported by several high ...

• Zimbabwe Continues to Deteriorate
  [Articles]

  29 Jan 2009The Zimbabwean situation continues to deteriorate.  For ordinary citizens, life has become a struggle on many fronts.  For some, it is the daily hope that ...

• Cell phone charges in foreign currency: Implications for communication and information dissemination
  [Articles]

  29 Jan 2009By Aqualina Mawadza The government of Zimbabwe has granted cell phone networks permission to bill subscribers in foreign currency. Although Zimbabwe’s economy has virtually been ...

• Developing a Transformation Agenda
  [Research Reports]

  26 Jan 2009Compiled by Dr Martin Rupiya Directort of Research, Africa, Cranfield University Key Issues for Zimbabwe's Security Sector Reform This report is a summary of a ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for December 2008
  [News]

  12 Dec 2008These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Of Women and Votes - The Struggle for Gender Equity in Swaziland
  [Articles]

  10 Dec 2008By:  Xolani Simelane So a vote for women in Swaziland is not only unSwazi but it is also evil! That is, if the chiefs from ...

• Equal Income Distribution would make Swazis Millionaires
  [Articles]

  10 Dec 2008By: Theophilous Chiviru Swaziland is currently facing a serious socio-economic situation characterized by high levels of poverty primarily as a result of an unequal distribution ...

• Looking for keys under street lights
  [Articles]

  08 Dec 2008By: A P Reeler Any successful mediation or negotiation depends on the creation of trust, which is no easy task when the political stakes are ...

• Key Issues for Zimbabwe's Economic Reconstruction
  [Research Reports]

  08 Dec 2008Compiled by: Daniel B. Ndlela, ZIMCONSULT In terms of economic reconstruction, a recent roundtable sought to discuss a comprehensive plan to reconstruct the economy of Zimbabwe with ...

• A joint statement calling for the immediate release of ZPP Director, Jestina Mukoko
  [Press Releases]

  04 Dec 2008We, the undersigned organizations, register our serious distress and concern on the news received this morning concerning the abduction of Zimbabwe Peace Project Director, Jestina ...

• Developing a Transformation Agenda
  [Research Reports]

  01 Dec 2008Political Crisis, Mediation and the Prospects for Transitional Justice in Zimbabwe. By: Shari Eppel and Brian Raftopoulos. Solidarity Peace Trust, South Africa. The major purpose ...

• Key Moments in Swaziland
  [Articles]

  01 Dec 2008Please download the below fact sheet of historical moments within Swaziland from Independence from Britain-1968 until present day.

• Swaziland News flashes for December 2008
  [News]

  01 Dec 2008SITO now offers a twice weekly Swaziland News Flash. If you would like to register for this service, please contact Emily. Swazi News Flash 1 ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for November 2008
  [News]

  25 Nov 2008These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on the deepening crisis in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that ...

• Safety & Security in Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  24 Nov 2008In partnership with the Zimbabwe Institute, Idasa hosted a roundtable in South Africa, focussing on security sector reform in Zimbabwe. The event gathered regional and ...

• Cholera outbreak continues in Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  21 Nov 2008By: Theophilous Chiviru As the world puts more focus on the political stalemate between ZANU PF and the MDC, a new humanitarian  crisis has hit ...

• Suppression of Terrorism Act
  [News]

  21 Nov 2008The object of this Bill is to provide a legal regime that would prevent, fight and suppress terrorists activities in compliance with the United Nations ...

• Zimbabwe Country Brief
  [Articles]

  19 Nov 2008Zimbabwe attained its independence from Britain in 1980. With a relatively industrialized economy and a firm agricultural base, it was labeled the ‘bread basket’ of ...

• SADC versus the people of Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  19 Nov 2008By: A. P. Reeler When two-thirds of SADC Presidents, sending proxies instead, fail to turn up for a Summit that includes both the endless Zimbabwe ...

• Burning bank notes to make money
  [Articles]

  19 Nov 2008Zimbabwe is currently experiencing one of the worst cases of hyperinflation in history, with annual inflation exceeding 230 million percent. Hyperinflation, defined, constitutes extreme long ...

• Swaziland News flashes for November 2008
  [News]

  18 Nov 2008SITO now offers a twice weekly Swaziland News Flash. If you would like to register for this service, please contact Emily. Swazi News Flash 18 ...

• Summit on the Zimbabwe dialogue
  [News]

  18 Nov 2008The Extraordinary Summit of the SADC leadership, held on the 9th November 2008, has just concluded with the resolution that a Government of National Unity ...

• Idasa statement on Swaziland
  [Press Releases]

  18 Nov 2008Mr Mario Masuku, President of the banned Pudemo political party in Swaziland, was detained three days ago under newly minted anti-terrorism legislation in the Kingdom ...

• Statement released by SUDF
  [Press Releases]

  18 Nov 2008FIRST THEY CAME FOR THE JEWS When the news started coming through that the Prime Minister was going to announce the banning of some four ...

• SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections
  [Articles]

  17 Nov 2008On the 17th of August 2004, in Mauritius, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders adopted the "SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections”. As ...

• Transitional Justice for Villagers in Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  14 Nov 2008In this article, Shari Eppel argues that Zimbabwe urgently needs to consider how best to begin some process of healing rifts among villagers, before we ...

• Dollarization in Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  12 Nov 2008By Daniel B. Ndlela The economic circumstances of Zimbabwe are deteriorating by the day and the situation for both households and businesses has become dire. ...

• Prospects for Transitional Justice in Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  12 Nov 2008By Brian Raftopoulos The democratic movement in Zimbabwe is faced with a strategic dilemma about how to advance the struggle for change in the country. ...

• Short Briefing Note 2 - Zimbabwe’s Budget Fundings Options
  [Articles]

  06 Nov 2008By: Daniel B. Ndlela BUDGET FUNDINGS OPTIONS Fiscal consolidation and Monetary Stabilization The full extent of Zimbabwe’s fiscal crisis is unknown partly because of the ...

• The "Real Deal" or another walk down the garden path in Zimbabwe?
  [Articles]

  06 Nov 2008Research & Advocacy Unit [RAU] It seems in Zimbabwe that the more things change the more they stay the same, and we are all wondering ...

• Losing Focus: Zimbabwe's "Power-sharing" Agreement
  [Articles]

  04 Nov 2008By: Derek Matyszak Research and Advocacy Unit, Zimbabwe The brutal campaign instigated by Mugabe's supporters to reverse his electoral defeat in the 29th March 2008 ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for October 2008
  [News]

  30 Oct 2008These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Swaziland News flashes for October 2008
  [News]

  29 Oct 2008SITO now offers a twice weekly Swaziland News Flash. If you would like to register for this service, please contact Emily. Swazi News Flash 29 ...

• SADC Must Find Equitable Solution to Zimbabwean Crisis
  [Articles]

  27 Oct 2008By: Emily Wellman The financial and humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe is now so grave that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mediators meeting in Harare ...

• Ensuring Good Governance in Zimbabwe
  [Speeches]

  22 Oct 2008On 14th October the Africa Dialogue Lecture Series (run by the Centre for International Political Studies (CiPS) at the University of Pretoria) held a session ...

• HIV and nutrition in Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  20 Oct 2008By: Emily Wellman The media in South Africa has had extensive coverage of the unfolding political and humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe. One story that is ...

• What is the state of education in Zimbabwe today?
  [Articles]

  20 Oct 2008By: Emily Wellman From the middle of the 1980’s Zimbabwe had one of the best education systems that has been built with generous support from ...

• Zimbabwe: Comments on the Power Sharing Agreement
  [Articles]

  17 Oct 2008Whilst the Agreement marks a shift in the politics of Zimbabwe, it is not evident that the Agreement on its own will be sufficient to ...

• Swaziland News flashes for September 2008
  [News]

  25 Sep 2008SITO now offers a twice weekly Swaziland News Flash. If you would like to register for this service, please contact Emily. Swazi News Flash 25 ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for September 2008
  [News]

  25 Sep 2008These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Tsvangirai and Mugabe Sign New Deal
  [Articles]

  16 Sep 2008On Monday 15th September, Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe signed a power sharing agreement on the way forward in Zimbabwe.  See the details of this ...

• Agreement signed between both MDC’s and Zanu PF
  [News]

  15 Sep 2008Here is the full text of the Agreement between the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-Pf) and the two Movement For Democratic Change (MDC) Formations, ...

• Kariba Draft Constitution
  [News]

  15 Sep 2008BILL To provide for a new Constitution for Zimbabwe and to provide for related matters. PREAMBLE Acknowledging the supremacy of God, and recognising our diversity, ...

• Global Political Agreement - 15 September 2008
  [Monitoring Tools]

  15 Sep 2008Agreement between the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) and the two Movement For Democratic Change (MDC) Formations, on resolving the challenges facing Zimbabwe PREAMBLE ...

• Women's Rights in Conflict in Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  03 Sep 2008By: Kudakwashe Chitsike The treatment of women during times of conflict led to the development of the Nairobi Declaration on Women's and Girls' Rights to Remedy ...

• My Rights, My Struggle - Torture in Zimbabwe
  [News]

  28 Aug 2008Idasa's States in Transition Observatory (SITO) project and Amnesty International hosted a photographic exhibition at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg during the week of the 23rd - ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for August 2008
  [News]

  11 Aug 2008These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on the deepening crisis in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that ...

• (JOC) keying for Power - The Joint Operations Command and the viability of a transitional arrangement in Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  07 Aug 2008By: Colin Felsman With the signing of the Lancaster House Agreement of 1979, inaugural President Robert Mugabe and his partners in the liberation struggle promised ...

• The Presidential Run-Off: Mostly Business as Usual for ZANU-PF
  [Articles]

  25 Jul 2008Please be advised that this is not an Idasa employee, Norma Kriger is a consultant specializing in Zimbabwe. She is author of Guerrilla Veterans in ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for July 2008
  [News]

  23 Jul 2008These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Zim leaders sign MOU, Mbeki urges urgency on talks
  [News]

  21 Jul 2008Please download the signed Memorandum of Understanding between Zanu PF and the MDC. It opens in Adobe Reader. Both President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader ...

• The Electoral Process in Swaziland: Are Boycotts Effective?
  [Articles]

  17 Jul 2008By: Hamilton Simelani Since 1973 the issue of elections in Swaziland has been contested.  Various political formations argue that elections have been, at best, a ...

• Haiti’s Transitional Government: Lessons for Zimbabwe?
  [Articles]

  09 Jul 2008Opinion piece by: Colin Felsman Zimbabwe is currently at a political impasse. Although the dynamics of the current political and economic malaise in Zimbabwe are ...

• Zimbabwe News flashes for June 2008
  [News]

  30 Jun 2008These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on current issues in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that country. ...

• Press Statement on the Implications of the Presidential Run-off in Zimbabwe
  [Press Releases]

  30 Jun 2008Issued June 30, 2008 In the wake of the March 29 Harmonised Elections in Zimbabwe, Idasa expressed concern at the increasing militarization of the situation ...

• How to lose an election and stay in power
  [Research Reports]

  20 Jun 2008In April 2008, President Robert Mugabe officiated at ceremonies commemorating Zimbabwe's 28th year of independence.  He gave not so much as a flicker of acknowledgement ...

• A vote for life
  [Articles]

  18 Jun 2008By: Emily Wellman See this video of current treatment of MDC Supporters in Zimbabwe In 10 days, Zimbabweans are expected to go back to the ...

• Political Violence or Crimes Against Humanity?
  [Research Reports]

  17 Jun 2008By Piers Pigou Commissioned by SITO There is dispute over whether the violence of the past nine years in Zimbabwe is a reflection of political violence, ...

• Idasa Statement on detention of Mr Tendai Biti, MDC
  [Press Releases]

  13 Jun 200813 June 2008 For Immediate Release Statement by IDASA on the arrest and continuing detention of Mr Tendai Biti, General Secretary of the Movement for ...

• Zimbabwe's Presidential Elections: A Prognosis
  [Research Reports]

  06 Jun 2008This paper is based on an ealier presentation given to the Coghena Workshop in Harare The result of the election (although it ought not to ...

• Third Force Speculations in Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  04 Jun 2008By: Judith Todd Bearing in mind  Zanu (PF)'s propensity to attribute their crimes to their opponents, Bright Matonga's recent statements make riveting reading. In a ...

• Zim News flashes for May 2008
  [News]

  30 May 2008These news flashes aim to shed light and provide analysis on the deepening crisis in Zimbabwe, by considering the situation, actors, and dynamics in that ...

• Why Flotation?
  [Articles]

  20 May 2008In an unprecedented move in early May 2008, the central bank eased foreign exchange rules by allowing banks to buy and set the currency rate. ...

• Zimbabwe’s Run-off?
  [Articles]

  20 May 2008Opinion piece by: Christopher Gevers Following weeks of uncertainty regarding the outcome of Zimbabwe’s Presidential election, there is now both an official result as well ...

• Rural electorate ditches rabid ZANU PF
  [Articles]

  19 May 2008Despite being given free food, grain, farming implements and fertilizer by the incumbent regime in the March 2008 elections, Zimbabwe's rural areas, once viewed as ...

• Zimbabwe: What happened in the Presidential Election?
  [Research Reports]

  12 May 2008When the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission finally announced the results of the Presidential election, quite apart from the relief that they were finally announced, there were ...

• The Inconvenient Truth
  [Research Reports]

  09 May 2008The media and several political analysts seem to be confused as what precisely ought to have happened after people went to the polls in Zimbabwe ...

• Destruction of Zimbabwe's Backbone Industry in Pursuit of Political Power
  [Press Releases]

  08 May 2008Please come to a press launch of two reports with the Justice for Agriculture Trust (JAG), the General Agricultural and Plantation Workers Union of Zimbabwe ...

• Destruction of Industry in Pursuit of Political Power
  [Press Releases]

  07 May 2008PRESS RELEASE: INVITATION Date: Thursday 8th May 2008 Time: 10:00am Place: Devonshire Hotel, Jorrissen Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg. Chair: John Worsley-Worswick – Justice for Agriculture Trust ...

• Post Election Violence on Zimbabwe's remaining farms 2008
  [Research Reports]

  05 May 2008Report prepared by the Justice for Agriculture Trust (JAG) & the Research and Advocacy Unit It must be noted that compiling this report was complicated ...

• Gordon Brown - an agent of regime change?
  [Articles]

  02 May 2008Several weeks ago the new UK Prime Minister threatened not to come to the Lisbon EU-AU special summit if President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe would ...

• Destruction on Zimbabwe's Backbone Industry in Pursuit of Political Power
  [Research Reports]

  30 Apr 2008A qualitative report on events in Zimbabwe's commercial farming sector since the year 2000. Report prepared by the Justice and Agriculture Trust (JAG) & the ...

• Idasa Statement on Zimbabwe Elections
  [Press Releases]

  10 Apr 2008Idasa Statement on the Implications of the Delay in Announcing the Presidential Results in Zimbabwe’s 2008 Harmonised Elections There is troubling information coming from observers ...

• Zimbabwe and Presidential Choices - What do the results tell us?
  [Research Reports]

  10 Apr 2008While the world waits anxiously for the announcement of the Presidential Elections in Zimbabwe, it seems to pay less and less attention to the results ...

• Opinion Piece - DEFENDING THE VICTORY
  [Articles]

  10 Apr 2008The MDC scored a surprising (it ought not to have been, but was) victory in the March 29th 2008 parliamentary election, smashing ZANU PF’s parliamentary ...

• Negotiations, Democratic Space, and Zimbabwe's 2008 Elections
  [Research Reports]

  12 Mar 2008The publicly proclaimed objective of the SADC-mandated mediation was to create the political conditions for the holding of free and fair elections in Zimbabwe. The ...

• Zimbabwe: What Will the 2008 Elections Bring?
  [Articles]

  12 Mar 2008The political terrain in Zimbabwe is shifting and the forthcoming elections are provoking considerable excitement, mainly over whether Robert Mugabe will survive the most serious ...

• SADC Dialogue in Zimbabwe - Documents
  [News]

  29 Feb 2008These are the bulk of documents produced during the Southern African Development Community (SADC) dialogue process between the ruling party Zanu PF and the two ...

• Too clever by half, or less than half?
  [Articles]

  19 Feb 2008Since Simba Makoni announced his candidature for the Presidential election in March, there have been a wide range of theories speculating as to why he ...

• Zimbabwe Electoral Laws Amendment Bill
  [News]

  20 Jan 2008For an election to be free and fair the entire process must be free and fair and the body running the election must perform its ...

• The Gorbachev Factor
  [Articles]

  23 Nov 2007By David Coltart The recent passage of Constitutional Amendment 18 through the Zimbabwean Parliament  with the consent of both Zanu PF and the opposition MDC ...

• The Effects of Migration on Zimbabwean Children
  [Articles]

  22 Nov 2007By: Annah Y. Moyo The current situation in Zimbabwe has led to the exodus of many Zimbabweans. A large proportion of them come to South ...

• Zimbabwe After Mugabe?
  [Articles]

  22 Nov 2007By: Jaco Roets Currently it is almost impossible to think of Zimbabwe without thinking of its leader of 27 years, Robert Mugabe.  For many he ...

• Food security in Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  22 Nov 2007Food security is a complex issue in Zimbabwe. But, is it really a case of mass starvation? Or, is it a selective view of what ...

• Come See Zimbabwe Ruins in South Africa - why SA wants to link Rand to ZimDollar
  [Articles]

  05 Nov 2007By: Justin G. Steyn On the 11th of July, 2007, the Business Report ran a front-page story that made an attempt to describe a monetary ...

• EU - AU summit - should Mugabe attend?
  [Articles]

  05 Nov 2007The writing in the sand is becoming clear. Mugabe will be invited to the AU-EU summit to be held in Lisbon, Portugal on the 8th ...

• Defending Women – Defending the Rights of a Nation
  [Research Reports]

  30 Oct 2007A Preliminary Report on Political Violence Against Members of Women of Zimbabwe Arise [WOZA] Over the past seven years, Zimbabweans have experienced the virtual total ...

• Sanction Zimbabwe? What the West can do
  [Articles]

  18 Oct 2007By: Trevor Ncube These are excerpts/extracts from the Second Oppenheimer Lecture delivered at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London in September SANCTIONS The ...

• Zimbabwe Crisis: Opportunities for Reform
  [Articles]

  18 Oct 2007By: Trevor Ncube These are excerpts/extracts from the Second Oppenheimer Lecture delivered at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London in September Although the ...

• The Right To Know
  [Articles]

  01 Oct 2007By: Judith Todd                     Various entities, including  the International Crisis Group and the USA's Ambassador-Designate to Zimbabwe James D. McGee, have urged full support for SADC's ...

• Survey of Profile of Migrant Zimbabweans in South Africa: A Pilot Study
  [Research Reports]

  30 Sep 2007The political and economic meltdown in Zimbabwe has led to large numbers of Zimbabweans migrating to neighbouring countries and abroad. Unverified estimates put the population ...

• Zimbabwe mediation - lessons from the Lancaster House Negotiations
  [Articles]

  26 Sep 2007“Who are you, Mwanawasa? Who are you? Who do you think you are?” No, these are not words uttered by Zambian President Levy Mwananwasa’s psychologist ...

• A Survey of the Profile of Migrant Zimbabweans in South Africa
  [Articles]

  26 Sep 2007By: Daniel Makina, University of South Africa While the Zimbabwe crisis is well documented, the victims who have fled the country to neighbouring countries and ...

• Targeted Sanctions: For a Kinder and Gentler Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  19 Sep 2007The morality and effectiveness of sanctions has long been a debate in international human rights circles. It has generally been assumed that sanctions don’t work ...

• The Sanctions Debate on Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  19 Sep 2007By: Brian Raftopoulos, Director of Research, Solidarity Peace Trust. Since the explosive politics of the period of 2000 and beyond in Zimbabwe the issue of ...

• History repeating? – the danger of opposition cooptation in Zanu-Pf
  [Articles]

  12 Sep 2007By Olmo von Meijenfeldt During the weekend of 1 and 2 September 2007negotiations continued between Zanu-Pf, the Zimbabwe government and the two MDC formations in ...

• Fighting back
  [Articles]

  11 Sep 2007Eddie Cross Bulawayo 10th September 2007 We are now into our third month of the “neutron bomb” campaign or the Pol Pot strategy as I ...

• Trying to Understand South African Diplomacy in Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  06 Sep 2007The SADC initiative to facilitate talks between the divided opposition and the dominant Zanu-PF offers the South Africans an opportunity to be seen to be ...

• Thanks, but no Thanks - SA Quiet diplomacy
  [Articles]

  28 Aug 2007In response to increased pressure for action on Zimbabwe, following the life-threatening beatings of opposition leaders on 11th March, 2007, South Africa’s Deputy Minister of ...

• Economic Fundamentals
  [Articles]

  27 Aug 2007Eddie Cross Bulawayo, 24th August 2007 For most people the situation in Zimbabwe is quite bewildering. They find it very hard to work out what ...

• Zimbabwe Political & Dialogue Brief - no. 4
  [Research Reports]

  23 Aug 2007In the wake of the SADC Summit held in Lusaka on the 16th and 17th of August, and the July sparring between the two factions ...

• Play it again Thabo - Dejavu and Zimbabwean Elections
  [Articles]

  23 Aug 2007That Zimbabwe’s 2000 Parliamentary Elections and 2002 Presidential Elections were characterised by endemic violence is no longer disputed. The violations of the African Charter on ...

• Endgame Scenarios to the Zimbabwe Crisis
  [Articles]

  01 Aug 2007By: Daniel Makina Normally a crisis has to reach a certain threshold before a concerted effort is taken to achieve resolution at either a domestic ...

• The four hard choices for Zimbabwe
  [Articles]

  01 Aug 2007By: Prof Jonathan Moyo, MP As President Robert Mugabe delivered his televised address officially opening the third and apparently last session of the sixth parliament ...

• Endgame Scenarios to the Zimbabwe Crisis
  [Articles]

  30 Jul 2007By: Daniel Makina Normally a crisis has to reach a certain threshold before a concerted effort is taken for its resolution either at domestic or ...

• Price Controls - The Political Economy of Popularity and Poverty
  [Articles]

  27 Jul 2007The Zimbabwe government’s recent imposition of price controls has been billed by the state as an exercise in reminding the private sector about the tenets ...

• Scenario Mapping
  [Articles]

  27 Jul 2007With the recent development of the SADC initiative and the enforced nomination of Robert Mugabe as the Zanu PF candidate for “harmonised” elections in 2008, ...

• Justice in Zimbabwe - Can Atrocities be Punished Internationally?
  [Articles]

  22 Jul 2007A significant number of cases of crimes against humanity have been reported in Zimbabwe to date. It has become painfully clear that torture is state-sanctioned ...

• Mugabe thumbing his nose at mediation - what can SADC do?
  [Articles]

  18 Jul 2007It seems clear that Robert Mugabe and a coterie of his supporters have little intention in being bound by the current SADC mediation. Firstly, the ...

• Zimbabwe Scenario's
  [Articles]

  18 Jul 2007With the recent development of the SADC initiative on Zimbabwe, and the enforced nomination of Robert Mugabe as the ZanuPF candidate for “harmonised” elections in ...

• The Pros and Cons of a Negotiated Settlement to the ZIM Crisis
  [Articles]

  16 Jul 2007By: Daniel Makina Commitment to a mediated solution The violent crackdown on members of the opposition including their leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, which took energised form ...

• Zimbabwe’s Responsibility & failure to Protect - a call for UN intervention
  [Articles]

  12 Jul 2007Zimbabwe’s health services now resemble a country in a state of war according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. This is not surprising. ...

• Land and Zanu-PF Rhetoric
  [Articles]

  27 Jun 2007In all the confusion over what is at issue in the current Zimbabwe crisis, a few points seem to have been missed entirely. They seem ...

• Of Rumours and Coups - putting the Harare coup attempt into perspective
  [Articles]

  18 Jun 2007Again, perhaps more so than ever before, the air in Harare is heavy with rumours of coup d’états and Mugabe’s soon-to-be downfall. Several months ago ...

• MUGABE IS THE PROBLEM IN ZIMBABWE - a Pan - Africanist Perspective
  [Articles]

  16 Jun 2007John Kamau’s article (Business Daily 29th May 2007) on Zimbabwe calling on the world to give Mugabe a break was the most articulate article regarding ...

• The poisoned chalice - facilitating SADC political dialogue
  [Articles]

  15 Jun 2007There are 10 months left before the crisis in Zimbabwe lurches to new depths, and once again the regional and international community finds itself locked ...

• Zimbabwe Political & Dialogue Brief - no. 2
  [Research Reports]

  07 Jun 2007The failure by ZANU PF factions to force President Robert Mugabe to retire at the end of his term in March 2008 and the subsequent ...

• How Robert Mugabe plans to win the 2008 elections
  [Articles]

  24 May 2007With the recent development of the SADC initiative on Zimbabwe, and the enforced nomination of Robert Mugabe as the ZanuPF candidate for “harmonised” elections in ...

• Zimbabwe Political & Dialogue Brief - no. 3
  [Research Reports]

  17 May 2007SADC’s recent initiative to intervene in Zimbabwe through the agency of South Africa, ZANU-PF’s decision to combine parliamentary and presidential elections in March 2008, and ...

• Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act
  [News]

  15 Mar 2002(SHOWING AMENDMENTS MADE BY ACT 5/2003) ACT To provide members of the public with a right of access to records and information held by public ...

• Public Order and Security Act
  [News]

  22 Jan 2002To make provision for the maintenance of public order and security in Zimbabwe; to amend the Citizenship of Zimbabwe Act [Chapter 4:01], the Criminal Procedure ...