Economic woes plague Zimbabwe

Per the Zimbabwe Times, the Zimbabwean government is broke and unable to increase union workers' salaries. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said in a May Day rally speech that the government cannot pay its workers more than their current $100 per month salary.

The Twitterverse is talking about Zimbabwe's economic problems:

1. 
   macosta25 (Maputo, Mozambique) Retweet @gabgabgabby: Inflation in Zimbabwe hits 500 billion per cent .Unempoyment is 90% Source: Soource: Zimbabwe Finance Minister. 01 May 2009 from TweetDeck
2. 
   Shimswizzlewitz (Florida) We Need Moderators Tsvangirai: Zimbabwe is broke: Prime minister Tsvangirai says government un.. http://tinyurl.com/cvdhr3 01 May 2009 from twitterfeed
3. 
   TendaiJoe (Cape Town, South Africa) @RichardBPenn i stay in SA! But the average income in Zimbabwe is US$100 per month as per civil service salaries! 01 May 2009 from TweetDeck in reply to RichardBPenn
4. 
   aroseindacity (Hollywood, Calif.) duh, Tsvangirai. ugh. RT @VOA_News: Zimbabwe PM Says Gov't is Broke: Tsvangirai says country cannot meet union demands for higher wages. 02 May 2009 from TwitterFon
5. 
   camere1 (Johannesburg, South Africa) Departing now for Harare. Hoping to see more signs that Zimbabwe is on the way back to economic growth! 03 May 2009 from mobile web

Economic woes plague Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe PM calls crash 'accident'

Per The New York Times, Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai spoke publicly for the first time Monday about a recent car accident that killed his wife and injured him, stating it was an accident and the chance of foul play was "one in a thousand."

The report comes just two days after CNN published a report that Tsvangirai believed the crash was deliberate, citing an anonymous official in his political party.

His statement hardly cooled rampant speculation on Twitter, as many in neighboring South Africa have tweeted their thoughts that it was not an accident in the last several hours.

@clempkap (Mthata, South Africa): I' still puzzled by Tsvangirai's "accident". After all those negotiations, wouldn't it be nice for Bob if ZIM's new PM would be taken out?



@royblumenthal (Johannesburg, South Africa): I wonder when Mugabe has scheduled Tsvangirai's follow-up car accident?



Tsvangirai's wife will be buried on Wednesday, per United Press International. One tweeter in Johannesburg re-tweeted the development, while adding his opinion on the incident in parentheses.

@donpackett (Johannesburg, South Africa): RT @mailandguardian: Zimbabwe mourns Susan Tsvangirai http://tinyurl.com/crd8uo (I'm still not convinced it was an accident)


An ABC correspondent in Zimbabwe noted an ironic American connection to the crash.

@jimsciuttoABC (Zimbabwe): Tsvangirai to Botswana to recover from injuries & wife's death. How incredible is it that a USAID truck caused the crash?


An article in the U.K. Telegraph wrote further about the USAID truck link.

Zimbabwe PM calls crash 'accident'

Mugabe hosts $250,000 birthday party

Per Bloomberg, Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe threw a party Saturday to celebrate his 85th birthday with 3,000 of his closest friends that cost a reported $250,000, including a cake said to weigh 187 pounds (85kg).

Mugabe recently asked Zimbabwe's neighboring countries for more than $2 million in aid. His bash comes on the heels of a recent cholera epidemic that has taken the lives of nearly 4,000 Zimbabweans, and more than half of the population needs emergency food aid to prevent starvation.'

While The New York Times, called it "a modest affair" by Mugabe's standards, there was nothing modest about the response from Twiterers.

@paulakahumbu (Nairobi): Mugabe has lavish birthday while citizens starve and die of cholera - hope he chokes on cake http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7916312.stm

@mensah (Ghana): @ajmunn He needs to be axed out of power. Mugabe is the cause of Zimbabwe's woes. 

@StephanVR  (Potchefstroom, South Africa): Amid the hunger, a feast for Mugabe http://post.ly/3il

@AlisonRMauldin (Los Angeles): Mugabe should be ashamed

http://tinyurl.com/cdahex

@rewby (London): Really can't believe Mugabe is having week long birthday celebrations while his ppl starve and die of cholera. It's truly unfarhomable [sic].

Read more about the story from The Australian and The Christian Science Monitor.

Mugabe hosts $250,000 birthday party

Farms in Zimbabwe seized

Per United Press International, "Zimbabwe is stepping up the confiscation of white-owned farms before a new power-sharing unity government can begin to take the reins, critics say."

Within the last few weeks, 77 farms have been seized, according to BBC.

No tweets in Zimbabwe could be found about the news as of this post, but others are reacting on Twitter.

@ltec (Pretoria, South Africa): Hey Zim Bob! it's going to get harder to blame starvation on colonialism if you keep destroying your own farms.



@kerrymdavis (London, U.K.): Zimbabwe: Another 77 farms seized in the last fortnight. When will this madness end? http://tinyurl.com/ch6fwa



@etothen (Portland, Ore.): looking forward to the Zimbabwe update, it hasnt recieved much air, not supprising given the news it is competing against.



@digitaltoast: RT @BBC_HaveYourSay: Scores of Zimbabwe farms 'seized'. http://tinyurl.com/ch6fwa I really have to wonder why we don't take Mugabe out NOW!

Farms in Zimbabwe seized

Zimbabwe cholera cases on the rise

Per MSNBC, cases of the water-borne disease, cholera, are steadily rising in Zimbabwe. The World Health Organization (WHO) says the disease so far has killed 3,759 people and infected more than 80,000, according to the article.

While cholera is both preventable and treatable, health services have nearly collapsed because of a failing economy and political crisis in Zimbabwe according to MSNBC. As of Feb. 19, 2009, there have been 989 cases and 53 deaths recorded. These numbers have increased and the disease is also spreading to other southern parts of Africa like Kenya.

Some international twitter users are expressing their feelings about this preventable crisis.

@leoh1llary(Sydney, Australia): the vicious circle really is complete with zimbabwe# Yes preventable cholera deaths in garden of Africa are simply a tragedy


@IrisJumbe (Shanghai, China): Listening 2 @bbc5livetalking abt cholera in Zimbabwe & how fatalities keep skyrocketing.This day started out really well. Must ring parents


Health networking sites are reporting on the epidemic.

@snhaifa 10 Cholera cases hit Kenya’s overcrowded refugee camp: Cholera cases hit Kenya's overcrowded refugee..
http://tinyurl.com/dhh2wr


@Medindia Cholera Outbreak In Zimbabwe Exceeds 80,000 Mark: WHO: The number of cases in Zimbabwe's cholera outbreak has ex..http://tinyurl.com/b9oefj


As of today news is spreading about humanitarian teams going into Zimbabwe to figure out ways to manage this crisis.

@LotsaNews [YAHOO][world] UN humanitarian team visits cholera-hit Zimbabwe (AFP) : AFP - A UN humanitarian http://tinyurl.com/bw8bhd


@rnz_news A UN humanitarian team is in Zimbabwe to find ways of curbing a cholera epidemic and the food crisis.http://www.tinyurl.com/aufngu


@SOTTnet UN team visits cholera-hit Zimbabwe: A UN humanitarian team arrived in Zimbabwe on Saturday to confront deadly c.. http://www.tinyurl.com/b6ypzv


@HumanRightsNews Zimbabwe’s Cholera Crisis Worsens-http://is.gd/kjBt-Scoop New Zealand News



The Irish Red Cross doubled funding in hopes of preventing more deaths.

@zimbabwe247
Zimbabwe:Irish Red Cross doubles funds to curb Cholera deaths:
Source:Irish Red Cross-Ireland http://tinyurl.com/d4w4k3


To keep up with the staggering numbers, you can frequently check the World Health Organization website here.

Zimbabwe cholera cases on the rise

Zimbabwe swears in new PM

Per CNN, Zimbabwe swore in Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister.

"The post was specifically created for Tsvangirai as part of a unity government that Zimbabweans hope will signal an end to the political and economic crises that have gripped the nation for months," CNN reported.

Last year, violence broke out over political conflicts that accused the country's president, Robert Mugabe, of cheating to win the general election, CNN reported. Tsvangirai, of the Movement for Democratic Change party, and Mugabe, of the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front party, have been political rivals for years

Different news outlets are reporting on the swearing in.

@africanewsfeed: Zim: Tsvangirai assumes post as PM: Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai ass.. http://tinyurl.com/c5537k


@skynewsaust: Tsvagirai to be sworn in as PM: More evidence highlighting Zimbabwe's humanitarian crisis - where more than 3,00.. http://tinyurl.com/b6h9nz


@alertnetdotorg: Zimbabwe's Tsvangirai to take office as PM: Source: Reuters (Adds Zimbabwe refugee quotes) By MacDonald Dzirut.. http://tinyurl.com/ck6bnc


One source reports that there has been a "thorny start" for the new government, as police detained activists for handing out roses outside of parliament.

@earthtimes: EXTRA: Thorny start: Zimbabwe activists held for handing out roses http://tinyurl.com/b53q43


A Twitter user finds that Arabic news network Al Jazeera is covering the swearing in with a live feed.

@giantpandinha: "No, we can't" - Aljazeera is covering the swearing in of Zimbabwe's new government live http://tinyurl.com/584at3


Another Twitter-er notes that Mugabe may not be pleased with the ceremonies surrounding his former rival.

@teejayh (Cambridge, UK): Zimbabwe: Mugabe has lost his enthusiasm to attend today's ceremony making Tsvangirai the PM. He's discovered it's swearing in, not at.

Zimbabwe swears in new PM