2012 Annual Budget has been presented: no money for elections.

After a few weekly updates on precious stones in Zimbabwe it is time to turn our heads towards politics and the annual budget. Minister of Finance Tendai Biti has presented the Annual Budget for 2012 which relies mostly on political stability, performance of the mining sector, high agricultural productivity and various macro-economic fundamentals, Biti says. A good part of the income is based on donor partners and diamond sector revenue. Although welcomed as a strong and balanced budget, the constraints of Zimbabwe's economic and political situation remain an issue.

Solomon Madzore's case, who has been arrested on October 4 together with 28 other MDC members, is again postponed. According to the Zimbabwean he faces “trumped-up of charges of murdering a police officer in Glen View in May”.

Meanwhile Zimbabwe has two new radio stations as the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) released their permission: the first national commercial radio stations since independence. The new stations are: Zimpapers Talk Radio and AB Communications. There is critique from different sources that argue that these voices will not contribute to a diverse media landscape because they are 'state-run'.