Iranian president on controversial visit to Zimbabwe

The week following Zimbabwe’s 30th anniversary of Independence started with some controversy as the visit of Iranian president Ahmadinejad further divided the parties in the Inclusive Government. The MDC-T criticised the visit and posed questions on Ahmadinejad’s human rights record. They further stated the visit would send the wrong message to the world as Zimbabwe was trying to show the world it is working to restore democracy.

In that light the report issued this week by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) on the new Electoral Commission shows there is still a long way to go in that respect. Another report published by Human Rights Watch this week further shows how the media repression in Zimbabwe continues.

On a more positive note; the Harare International Festival of the Arts has started this week, attracting people and journalists from around the world.