Overview

The fortunes of Zimbabwe have for more than two decades been tied to President Robert Mugabe. He presides over political and social strife and an economy which is in tatters. Zimbabwe's problematical relationship with the Commonwealth - it was suspended from the organization after President Mugabe's controversial re-election in 2002 and in December 2003 announced it was pulling out for good - has been a source of great embarrassment for the country's neighbors.

 

Zimbabwe is home to the Victoria Falls, regarded as one of the natural wonders of the world, the stone enclosures of Great Zimbabwe - remnants of a past empire - and to herds of elephant and other game roaming vast stretches of wilderness.

 

 

 

For years it has been the world's third biggest source of tobacco and is potentially a bread basket for surrounding countries which often depend on food imports, but the seizure of almost all commercial agricultural land, with the stated aim of benefiting black farmers, led to sharp falls in production. By 2003 millions of Zimbabweans were thought to be at risk of famine. Aid agencies and critics partly blamed food shortages on the land reform programme; the government blamed a long-running drought.

 

The former Rhodesia has been the scene of much conflict, including the post-independence leadership committing atrocities in southern areas where it lacked the support of the Matabele people. The country's current challenges include the need to address political stalemate, the economic crisis and one of the world's highest rates of HIV/Aids infection.

 

Facts

Population: 12.9 million (UN, 2003)

Capital: Harare

Major language: English (official), Shona, Sindebele

Major religions: Christianity, indigenous beliefs

Life expectancy: 34 years (men), 33 years (women) (UN)

Monetary unit: 1 Zimbabwe dollar = 100 cents

Main exports: Tobacco, cotton, agricultural products, gold, minerals

Average annual income: US $480 (World Bank, 2001)

Internet domain: .zw

International dialing code: +263

Leader
President Robert Mugabe: Robert Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party have dominated Zimbabwe's politics since independence in 1980. He has only recently faced any serious challenge to his authority, in the form of popular protest and substantial gains for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The MDC has refused to recognize Mr. Mugabe as head of state.

Mr. Mugabe was declared winner of the 2002 presidential elections, considered seriously flawed by the opposition and foreign observers. Ideologically, he belongs to the African liberationist tradition of the 1960s - strong and ruthless leadership, anti-Western, suspicious of capitalism and deeply intolerant of dissent and opposition. His economic policies are widely seen as being geared to short-term political expediency and the maintenance of power for himself.

Media
All broadcasters transmitting from Zimbabwean soil and the main newspapers are state-controlled and tow the government line. The private press, relatively vigorous in its criticism of the government, has come under severe pressure. Self-censorship is common, with journalists facing harassment as well as a host of anti-defamation laws and colonial-era laws restricting access to information. Ahead of presidential elections the government passed a restrictive media law in January 2002 which was condemned by the EU, the US and media advocacy organizations. A further restrictive law was passed in March 2002 and led to the arrests of many journalists, some of them accused of reporting "false news".

State-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) has two TV channels. The second channel was leased to private station Joy TV until the agreement was cancelled in May 2002. Some of Joy TV's programming was said to have ruffled government feathers. Its demise left ZBC as the sole TV and radio broadcaster.

No private radio stations transmit from within Zimbabwe, but the Voice of the People, set up by former ZBC staff with funding from the Soros Foundation and the Dutch NGO HIVOS, operates using a leased shortwave transmitter in Madagascar. Another station, SW Radio Africa, began broadcasting to Zimbabwe via shortwave and the internet in December 2001. It aimed to "give listeners unbiased information so they can make informed choices...". The Harare government accused the US and Britain of financing the station.

The Press
The Herald - government-owned daily
The Daily News - private daily; persistently critical of government
The Financial Gazette - private
The Standard - private
The Sunday Mirror - Harare
The Insider - Bulawayo, business-oriented news site

Television
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) - state-run

Radio
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) - state-run radio, operates four networks
SW Radio Africa - studio in London, broadcasts to Zimbabwe via overseas shortwave transmitter
Voice of the People - studio in Harare, broadcasts to Zimbabwe from hired shortwave transmitter on Madagascar

News agency
Zimbabwe Inter-Africa News Agency