Select Committee Co-Chairman Edward Mkhosi of the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Industry Minister Welshman Ncube said his panel has not yet deliberated on that question but will make sure the will of the Zimbabwean people is respected.

Recent media reports said the new constitution will bar those over 70 and those who have served two terms from seeking the office of president, which of course would disqualify incumbent President Robert Mugabe, 87, from seeking another five-year term.

Mr. Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara met on Wednesday and agreed that they would now monitor the constitution-making process closely. Presentation of a final draft, expected in the next week or two, would set in motion planning for review by parliament and a referendum.

Mkhosi told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that drafters have now completed work on 18 out of 19 chapters of the new constitution and the committee is now reviewing the draft.

Parliamentarians and government officials said the commission will hand over names of suspects including GMB officials and ZANU-PF party provincial officials to the police after completing its investigations within the next few days.

Commission officials were tight-lipped over the issue. But Deputy Agriculture Minister Seiso Moyo said police should arrest anyone linked to the theft of ammonium nitrate fertilizer and maize seed intended to go to struggling farmers earlier this year.

At least seven GMB officials, including Hwange depot manager Magugu Ndebele, were arrested recently in Matabeleland region following the looting of 30 tonnes of agricultural inputs and 81 tonnes of processed grain in Bulawayo and Binga, Matabeleland North.

Moyo said the government is worried about the high rate of corruption at GMB, which is linked to some officials of ZANU-PF, party of President Robert Mugabe.

“I hope everyone involved in this scam will be arrested because it has derailed most if not all of our agricultural targets this year,” Moyo said.

Development worker Liberty Bhebhe said the Anti-Corruption Commission should arrest any politicians linked to the abuse of the state-backed GMB farming input scheme.

GMB Acting Chief Executive Albert Mandizha, who appeared last week before the agriculture parliamentary committee which interrogated him over the abuse of the farming inputs and grain loan programs, did not rule out rampant corruption in the state entity largely controlled by ZANU-PF functionaries.

The GMB is among 10 loss-making state-controlled enterprises targeted for privatization by the cash-strapped Zimbabwean government.

Deteriorating infrastructure, disintegrating roads and broken-down water and sewer systems are increasingly hampering normal municipal operations.

The MDC formation led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has accused Chombo of meddling in council business in many municipalities, and of attempting to replace elected councilors with ZANU-PF officials under the guise of special interest advocates.

Chombo says he is doing his job by firing errant councilors from the former MDC, citing alleged poor performance and corruption.

He suspended scores of councilors last year including mayors of Bindura and Chinhoyi. In January he suspended one of his most outspoken adversaries, Mutare Mayor Brian James, alleging misconduct, an accusation that James has rejected.

In Parliament, a motion has been tabled proposing to amend the Urban Councils Act to reduce the powers of the controversial minister.

Deputy Local Government Minister Cecil Zvidzai of the MDC told VOA’s Violet Gonda that local government has improved greatly since the MDC came to power in most cities, while Chombo of ZANU-PF has abused his executive powers in harassing them.

Zvidzai accused his boss of having an “agenda to cause the councils to fail so that he can blame the problems on the MDC.”

But Gerry Gotora, a former president of the Association of Rural District Councils of Zimbabwe, said the biggest problem is that corruption is surging with elected officials focused on amassing wealth instead of delivering services to their citizens.

“The councilors need guidance so that they can perform better,” Gotora said.

But Zvidzai disagreed that corruption is rampant in municipal councils, saying only 20 percent of councilors may be corrupt, which he called “fairly normal.”

The deputy minister said Chombo uses the “unfairest measures against these councilors and to date he has suspended 12 out of 800 MDC councilors.”

Zvidzai noted that the High Court only convicted six of those 12.

But Gotora rejected Zvidzai's acceptance of a 20 percent corruption rate.

"I don't know which world he lives in," Gotora said. "As Zimbabweans we don’t even entertain 0.02 percent of corrupt practices.”

This followed the release Monday of Rushwaya on bail after police arrested her on charges of bribery, corruption and match-fixing. She is accused of sending the Warriors national soccer team to play unsanctioned friendly matches in Thailand and Malaysia, where a betting syndicate paid players and officials to fix games.

Last week ZIFA said it had suspended 82 players implicated in the scandal. Zimbabwe is also being probed by the International Federation of Association Football.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter warned last year that players and officials found guilty in the ongoing probe would face life bans.

Meanwhile, wild scenes rocked Harare late Wednesday as Zimbabwe fans celebrated victory by Zambia’s Chipolopolo at the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.

VOA Studio 7 sports correspondent Michael Kariati reported that the celebrations followed Zambia’s unexpected 1-0 win over the favored Ghana Black Stars in the semi-finals of the Cup of Nations in Bata, Equatorial Guinea.

Substitute Emmanuel Mayuka scored 12 minutes from time to give Zambia a shock 1-0 win over four-time champions Ghana and book a place in Sunday's final.

Zambia now faces Cote d'Ivoire, which defeated Mali 1-0, in Libreville, Gabon.

This makes for an emotional final as it was off Gabon's coast that a plane with Zambia's 1993 squad plunged into the Atlantic killing all 25 players and officials on board.

It will be the third final appearance by Zambia's Copper Bullets in the Africa Cup of Nations after losing to Zaire following a replay in 1974, and to Nigeria 20 years later with a makeshift team brought together soon after the plane crash.

South African President Jacob Zuma is set to deliver his annual state of the nation speech in which he is expected to outline his government’s job creation initiatives and infrastructure development at the cost of more than $100 billion over the next three years. What is different about this year, however, is Zuma asked South Africans to tell him this week what they hope and expect from his government using social media platforms Facebook and Twitter. 

Zuma and his government need to create an environment in which job creation can flourish.  Last year he promised his African National Congress government would deliver five million new jobs by 2020.

But in the past year job losses in the private sector have continued, and most new jobs have been temporary opportunities in public works programs.

The South African economy’s recovery from the global recession has been very slow with growth still below three percent.  December’s unemployment figure of 24 percent is likely to increase this quarter as a consequence of new school and university graduates coming into the job market.

Even before the start of the 2008 recession - during two decades of uninterrupted growth - the economy did not create enough jobs to significantly reduce unemployment nor did it keep pace with new job seekers which have increased exponentially since the end of apartheid.

Many South Africans are frustrated and angry at the apparent inability of the government to create an environment for job growth.  In addition they feel that corruption has become endemic at all levels of government, and many believe that Zuma’s government is characterized by profligate spending and self-enrichment.

It seems unsurprising therefore that hundreds responded to Zuma’s call to share their feelings on Twitter and Facebook. Here is a sampling of what South Africans want their president to know.

Innocentia Mkhize of KwaZulu-Natal wrote" “Mr. President, please address the issue of job creations for people with disabilities, I'm a qualified Chemical Engineer but sitting at home for years not employed. It seems as if both public and private sector are still discriminating against us.”

Nkosingiphile Cofu of Durban wants Mr. Zuma do something about what he described as the appalling and dysfunctional state of education, particularly in traditionally black schools, which produce high school graduates who cannot read and write.  Cofu said to Mr. Zuma. “If we cannot arrest this divide where one [is] very poor and other is opulent we are running a risk of a class revolution. We can avoid that by bridging that divide. Our education is in a mess you can save our future by acting now Msholozi  [Zuma’s clan name - use demonstrates respect]."

Ntlatlapa Bokang is particularly angry with Mr. Zuma telling him: “What do you pride yourself with? corruption, nepotism, undermining the courts and off course protection of information bill.  I always honestly ask myself what do you say to God when you pray! how do you sleep at night when you know too well that your government is failin south africans.”

Thato Nteso pleaded for Mr. Zuma to turn words into actions saying: “We hear of the ways for job creation and skills development in the speech but we see little being done about the matters in regards to youth especially new graduates out of institutions with no experience and still struggling to get employment no matter how many qualifications they have its heartbreaking, having to spend time and money only to come back sit at home with multiple degrees. If something more could be done to tackle that.”

But some people were complimentary and encouraging.

Zolani Ndlela of East London wrote: “We are proud of you as the nation, our father. We wish you a good luck on your speech, qina sizwe [isiXhosa: strength to the people].”

And enthusiastic supporter Sheila Raphunga wrote: “This is one of the million reasons that makes me to be a proudly South African. am an ANC member for life no matter what! Well done Mr. President.”

Photographs on Zuma’s Facebook page show that he keeps up-to-date with his Twitter and Facebook accounts using an iPad.

The prime minister told reporters he and Mr. Mugabe had agreed that Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri, whose recent reappointment by Mr. Mugabe drew fire from Mr. Tsvangirai's MDC, would serve in an "acting" capacity until such time as the unity government principals reach agreement on his full appointment.

Mr. Tsvangirai said he and Mr. Mugabe agreed to expedite the constitutional revision process to pave the way for elections in 2012 or next year.

He said they also agreed to reshuffle the staff of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission before elections - the MDC says the commission is packed with ZANU-PF loyalists.

Program director Joy Mabenge of the Institute for a Democratic Alternative for Zimbabwe told reporter Violet Gonda that without a time line all of these resolutions are meaningless.

“Commissioner Chihuri can act for as long as he wishes, he can act until the next election," Mabenge said. "So for as long as there is no time frame up to when he is going to be acting it’s a non-issue."

Election timing continues to stoke tensions between the parties in government with ZANU-PF Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa saying this week that Zimbabwe will hold elections under the present dispensation – not under rules set by a new constitution.

Others in ZANU-PF argued that a confidential letter from Mr. Tsvangirai to Mr. Mugabe that were leaked to the pro-ZANU-PF Sunday Mail suggested that Mr. Tsvangirai agrees with Mr. Mugabe on holding the next elections this year.

But Tsvangirai spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka, castigating the Sunday Mail for violating the Official Secrets Act, said the excerpts from the letters merely express the prime minister’s growing frustration with the long-strained governing partnership.

Tamborinyoka said Mr. Tsvangirai in the letter to Mr. Mugabe was in no way calling for or agreeing to elections this year without broad electoral, media and other reforms.

Tsvangirai pleaded with Mr. Mugabe to establish “an enabling environment for our people to exercise their right to choose their leaders freely and fairly”.

ZANU-PF hardliners led by former information minister Jonathan Moyo seized on the letter to demand quick elections, saying Mr. Tsvangirai’s comments on a “dysfunctional” government indicated that he was fed up and wanted to go to the country.

Mugabe spokesman George Charamba said the letter had not been leaked, suggesting one of Mr. Tsvangirai’s staff may have done so.

ZANU-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo told reporter Blessing Zulu the MDC is stalling reforms and that ZANU-PF might be forced to call elections without reforms.

MDC spokesman Douglas Mwonzora accused ZANU-PF of stalling reforms.

Elsewhere, the Tsvangirai MDC formation said violence is on the rise again in Magunje district of Mashonaland West province, as ZANU-PF gears up for elections.

Sources say villagers now live in fear as every conversation and meeting turns political. They said two men linked to the Tsvangirai MDC were arrested on Wednesday following a violent episode over agricultural inputs including seed and fertilizer, which the MDC says are being handed out to ZANU-PF supporters only.

Local organizing secretary Wilson Makanyaire of the Tsvangirai MDC told VOA's Sandra Nyaira the situation is getting worse as calls for elections grow louder.

Makanyaire added that inputs being passed out by the ZANU-PF-controlled Grain Marketing Board are no longer useful for this farming season.

The state-controlled Herald newspaper said the Public Service Commission audit report dismisses the 2010 Ernst & Young led report which found 70,000 ghost workers on state payrolls, saying its own research found only minor irregularities.

The paper quoted the Public Service Commission report as saying those irregularities occurred in the recruitment of 6,000 youth officers by the Ministry of Youth.

The Public Service Commission disputed the findings of the 2010 Ernst & Young survey of state workers on its release. The Cabinet told the commission to check the findings.

An official reached at the commission refused to confirm the report in the Herald.

Public Service Minister Lucia Matibenga said she does not know of any completed report, telling VOA reporter Tatenda Gumbo that any reports - including the original audit of state payrolls by Ernst & Young - must first go to the Cabinet.

Secretary General Raymond Majongwe of the Progressive Teachers Union said ghost workers cannot be disputed and the commission is trying to cover up.

"Our board is implementing recommendations put forward by the Asigate investigation to suspend all those implicated in the scandal despite their affiliation or position," he said.

Mashingaize said the suspensions would remain in effect until those implicated were cleared by the ZIFA ethics committee, expected to meet soon.

In an unrelated development, former Warriors striker Peter Ndlovu has been named Under 23 national team coach, Mashingaidze said.

"Ndlovu now has his coaching certification and he is familiar with grooming junior players whom we urgently need in our future national team," the executive said.

Ndlovu, all-time leading scorer for Zimbabwe, also played for Sheffield United from 2001 to 2004 and South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns from 2004-2008.

As Warriors captain he led the team to qualification for its first African Cup of Nations in 2004 in Tunisia, and its second appearance at the 2006 tournament in Egypt.

Mashingaidze told VOA reporter Marvellous Mhlanga-Nyahuye that Ndlovu’s appointment is in keeping with giving younger players the best possible coaching.

In a new report called Zimbabwe’s Sanctions Standoff, the Crisis Group said the next elections could be as undemocratic and violent as the 2008 ballot which led to the Global Political Agreement for power sharing and today's unity government.

The International Crisis Group called for a more nuanced approach on sanctions imposed by the West. It said the Western position that reforms must be put in place before sanctions can be lifted has stymied exploration of innovative approaches.

It called on the West to engage Zimbabwe’s "securocrats" and the Southern African Development Community to resolve Harare's protracted political crisis.

"A bold approach to the sanctions issue is necessary to refocus efforts on the actions needed to break the political stalemate ... before elections are held that otherwise threaten to be as violent and undemocratic as the 2008 round," the ICG said.

It also urged ZANU-PF to desist from posturing and the Movement for Democratic Change, especially the formation led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, to present a coherent plan of action for the relaxation and eventual removal of sanctions.

Crisis Group Southern Africa Project Director Pius Pigou told VOA reporter Blessing Zulu that the situation in Harare is volatile and has the potential to explode.

"There is deep concern ... that the infrastructure of repression that was put in place in the 2008 period of violence has never really been dismantled," he said.

Tsvangirai MDC spokeswoman Thabitha Khumalo said her party has done all it can to lobby for sanctions to be lifted. "We have done our part as the MDC," Khumalo said. "the ball is now in the ZANU-PF's court."

Political analyst Joy Mabenge of the Institute for Democratic Alternatives for Zimbabwe argued that sanctions must remain intact until all reforms are implemented.

Milovanovic told journalists this week that the U.S. will use its chairmanship to lead the diamond watchdog group to review its goals, successes and weaknesses.

One particular focus will be to revise historical definitions that do not address situations in which diamonds are linked to human rights abuses. The existing definition of “conflict diamonds” fails to encompass many problematic situations, in particular those in which states rather than rebel groups may be committing such human rights abuses.

"We have an ambitious agenda. It's one whose goals are very much in line with what the KP itself has already determined needs to be looked at," Milovanovic said.

"I would say that consensus and seeking consensus is going to be the biggest part of the job... in order to move the Kimberley Process forward."

Asked about Zimbabwe's Marange diamond field and Kimberley's decision last year to authorize exports of its gems, she said the Marange case "showed that there was need to look at systems, to look at definitions, to look at ways to ensure that [the Kimberley Process] could determine best ways to become efficient and to remain relevant."

Ambassador Milovanovic said that only Cote d’Ivoire diamonds now match the conflict diamond definition which takes in less than 1 percent of world production.

Senior researcher Allan Martin of Partnership Africa Canada said the U.S. has a great responsibility in re-defining the Kimberley role and making sure it stays relevant.

Regional Coordinator Dewa Mavhinga of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition said problems in the Kimberley Process may continue to block efforts to revitalize the organization, especially given Zimbabwe’s prominent position in the debate.

Health Ministry officials were reporting 106 new cases in 41 high density suburbs. No deaths have been reported in the outbreaks to date. The new cases bring the total to nearly 2000 since the onset of the outbreaks. The ministry says typhoid is contained, but warned that the disease could surge again in a few weeks.

Health officials are urging residents to practice prevention to ward off the disease - but residents say they face a difficult task locating water that is not contaminated.

Epidemiology and Disease Control Chief Dr. Portia Manangazira of the Ministry of Health said Zimbabwean and international health authorities are monitoring the situation in Harare. She told VOA reporter Tatenda Gumbo that the focus remains on prevention and assisting residents of the capital who are at most risk of contracting typhoid.

Political analyst and local governance consultant Rejoice Ngwenya told VOA's Sithandekile Mhlanga that the Urban Councils Act should be amended so local authorities have the power to access resources to deal with outbreaks.

The Sunday News reported on Sunday that Aldo Dell'Ariccia, EU mission chief, had told delegates at a Bulawayo conference that the Gukurahundi period of the 1980s in which thousands in the region died amid fighting between rival liberation forces, "has become so much of a tired song in Matabeleland," scene of many massacres.

The paper quoted him as saying it was now time for people to focus on developing the region instead of continuing to nurse an abiding anger at the 1980s atrocities.

Dell’Ariccia denied making these “insulting” and “absolutely inaccurate" statements.

“Absolutely not," Dell'Ariccia told reporter Violet Gonda. "I have never ever in my life used those words. On top of it it’s not even in my vocabulary."

He said the EU delegation had moved its senior staff to Bulawayo as part of a week-long program to engage with the local political, economic and social actors.

Dell’Ariccia said the visit was to give the EU envoys and staff an opportunity to have a first-hand impression on how present and painful the memory of Gukurahundi is in the mind and spirit of the people of Matabeleland.

“What I did say is that the people of Matabeleland have an installed capacity in terms of manpower and again with confidence look at the future and their contributions in the overall development of the region," Dell'Ariccia said. He said this message was repeated during the four roundtable discussions with members of the civil society, business community and politicians in Bulawayo.

More than 20,000 civilians died during the Gukurahundi purge of ZANU-PF opponents in Matabeleland and Midlands regions shortly after independence. ZANU-PF has in the past called the issue a closed chapter, much to the chagrin of the victims’ families.

Asked for his thoughts on this sensitive topic, Dell'Ariccia said Gukurahundi is an internal matter of the country that has to be solved nationally. But he said: “We indeed got the sensation of how present the memory is, and I think that just to forget about it is something that is, in my view, not healthy.”

The envoy said he has been misquoted before in his career but this is the first time that “something has absolutely been invented and twisted.”

“This is an intent to instrumentalize the European Union and an intent of creating disturbance between us and the people of Matabeleland, while the purpose of our visit was exactly the contrary,” Dell’Ariccia added.

Political analyst Nkululeko Sibanda, lecturer of Global and African Politics at the UK-based University of Huddersfield said the newspaper report was deliberate ZANU-PF propaganda as the reported statements were out of character for the European Union and for someone who as a career diplomat is by nature chooses his words.

Sources said the families, which had settled on the Arnold and Mbuya Nehanda farms at the height of the land reform program launched by Mr. Mugabe in 2001, were dumped in Concession in the same province, leaving their crops unharvested in the fields.

Mazowe West lawmaker Margaret Zinyemba of ZANU-PF, Mr. Mugabe's party, told VOA she was not in a position to comment as she had not been to the area to confirm the incident. She said a reporter should call back next Monday.

Police spokesman Oliver Mandipaka said he was on leave and referred a reporter to his deputy, Superintendent Andrew Phiri, who could not be reached.

But losing local House candidate Gilbert Kagodora of the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told VOA reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that the families were given eviction orders in November but had resisted moving.

"I don't want to end up doing that in an economy largely influenced by free market processes," the minister said.

Some real estate agents and home owners increased rents by as much as 100 percent in Bulawayo, Gweru, Kwekwe, Harare and Masvingo early this year.

Coroner Walter Chikwanha said he could not grant the request by Mujuru family lawyer Thakor Kewada to exhume his remains because he had not had enough time to review the entirety of the evidence presented by 38 witnesses, including the widow of the late ZANU-PF power broker, Vice President Joice Mujuru, who testified Monday.

The family wanted the remains to be re-examined by a South African pathologist, Dr. Reggie Perumel, citing failures by local pathologist Gabriel Aguero Gonzalez.

Chikwanha said he needs more time to study the evidence submitted by Gonzales and the entire testimonies given in court before making his recommendations. Those, he said, he would direct to the Office of Attorney General Johannes Tomana.

Magistrate Chikwanha did not say when he would issue findings in the inquest.

Chikwanha said his hands were also tied by the Inquest Act, which bars him as coroner from ordering exhumations. The Home Affairs Ministry issues such orders.

Vice President Mujuru was the last to give evidence in the three week-long inquest. This was in the form of an affidavit - Kewada said she could not take the witness stand due to her emotional state, and state attorney Clemence Chimbari read the affidavit.

The vice president said the remains of her husband were still engulfed in fire when she arrived at Ruzambo Alamein farm in Beatrice last August 16. Like other witnesses before her, she said the fire brigade arrived at the accident scene with no water, commenting that the fire-fighters were “totally ineffective”.

Kewada said the family’s next move would be determined by the coroner's findings.

The closure of the inquest left more questions than answers as testimony did not appear to establish the cause of the fire that destroyed the farmhouse and left charred remains.

Former freedom fighter Wilfred Mhanda, who once worked with the late general Mujuru, said the way the inquest has been conducted smacks of a “cover up”.

He said that for the magistrate to say his recommendations would be directed to the Office of the Attorney General and the Ministry of Home Affairs ministers was a way of setting up obstacles for the family in its quest to establish the truth.

“It was established that the pathologist did a very shoddy work, that the police did a very shoddy work. How on earth could they present samples to forensic experts almost 10 days after the death? And taking blood samples almost 10 days after the death?’ Mhanda asked.

Lawyer Lovemore Madhuku said the request by the Mujuru family for the exhumation of the remains was premature. He says the magistrate must be given an opportunity to assess all of the evidence presented before recommending such a step.

“The reason being given by the Mujuru family to exhume the body is that they want another opinion,” Madhuku said. “So you can get many opinions but at the end the decision as to which opinion to take will be made by the magistrate, and if bodies were to be exhumed jut to deal with opinions it might do a lot of violence to our own beliefs about how we should treat dead bodies.”

Madhuku said that if the inquest finds that the cause of the general’s death was not natural, "that is not the end of the matter as it leads to a further set of investigations, depending on whether the authorities decide if they are going to investigate."

The meeting closely followed President Mugabe’s reappointment of Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri over the objections of Prime Minister Tsvangirai and his formation of the Movement for Democratic Change.

The MDC considers Chihuri to be a loyalist of President Mugabe, and argues that that this has led the police to behave as an adjunct to Mr. Mugabe's ZANU-PF party.

Tsvangirai spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka said the two leaders discussed other issues including the state of the government, elections, related reforms and leaks of correspondence between the leaders to the pro-Mugabe state media.

Tamborinyoka said Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara - the third signatory to the 2008 Global Political Agreement for power sharing and thereby considered a principal - was absent but would attend a follow-up meeting Wednesday to revisit key issues.

Political analyst Charles Mangongera said he does not think that the meetings between the two principals will yield anything positive given their history and the environment.

Deputy Health Minister Douglas Mombeshora, speaking to reporters in the Mashonaland West provincial capital of Chinhoyi, said those infected can go for up to three weeks without showing symptoms – spreading the disease to others during that period.

Mombeshora criticized the measures taken by the Harare City Council to curb typhoid, such as the mass closure of food stands across the city.

The deputy minister said said the council should have taken more useful steps such as cleaning up the streets of the densely populated suburbs affected, and enforcing sanitary by-laws. He added that the council did not promptly notify the government.

As of late last week, more than 1,500 people had been treated for typhoid. An updated figure could not be obtained as calls to the Ministry of Health were not picked up.

Kuwadzana Councillor Gilford Mandere said the local government is taking measures to curb the spread of the disease and create conditions for healthy living and commerce.

In other health news, the global financial and economic crisis has raised concerns of donor fatigue amid turmoil in the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, whose director was recently replaced amid dire funding projections.

In Zimbabwe, the National Aids Council says it collected about US$25 million last year, a 20 percent gain over 2010. But activists say they still wonder if the National Aids Council is being creative enough when reaching out to potential donors.

But economists said only 10 percent of the US$6.6 billion trickled into the country due to fears over the indigenization program.

The independent Newsday newspaper quoted Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Minister Tapuwa Mashakada as saying projects worth US$3.68 billion were targeted for mining, US$1.58 billion in tourism and US$445 million in agriculture.

Business plans worth US$250 million were approved for the construction and manufacturing sectors.

Mashakada said most foreign investors were discouraged by policy inconsistencies in Zimbabwe, especially the indigenization or economic empowerment program which obliges foreign firms to put a 51 percent stake in black local hands.

Mashakada said the government should repackage the indigenization regulations and implement key political and electoral reforms to boost investor confidence.

Independent economist Eric Bloch said the approvals numbers are misleading. “People have applied for approval and now they are waiting to see what is going to happen with indigenization and political instability before sending the funds in,” Bloch said.

Projects worth US$2.2 billion were approved in 2010 but only US$250 million came in.

Bloch said Zimbabwe is unlikely to record significant economic growth before the country holds general and presidential elections which have not been scheduled.

Mujuru family attorney Thakor Kewada told the coroner presiding over the inquest into the death of the former Defense Forces commander that the local pathologist who examined Mujuru's remains did not carry out his work professionally.

Consequently, he told the inquest, the remains should be exhumed from the National Heroes Acre in Harare to allow for a second post-mortem.

Kewada told the court that pathologist Dr Gabriel Aguero Gonzalez, a Cuban doctor who gave his evidence in Spanish through an interpreter, was not a registered medical practitioner in Zimbabwe.

He argued that Gonzalez failed to meet internationally accepted standards of conduct of a post-mortem in examining Mujuru's remains.

The attorney said a South African pathologist hired by the Mujuru family, Dr. Reggie Perumel wanted to examine the remains before testifying in the inquest.

Gonzalez earlier testified that he could not conclusively say what had caused Mujuru’s death as he did not have the right professional tools for such an autopsy.

Gonzalez told the inquest his examination of Mujuru’s remains revealed the deceased had inhaled carbon monoxide that was discovered on the trachea.

Under questioning by Kewada, Gonzalez said he did not conduct an X-ray test of the charred remains of Mujuru. He confirmed seeing a wedding ring on Mujuru’s finger when he carried out his autopsy but said he did not know how that ring had disappeared.

Gonzalez testified that he could not collect blood samples for DNA tests because Mujuru's body had none remaining after the blaze. He added that the deceased's teeth were so fragile he could not take any for analysis.

Mujuru's widow, Vice President Joice Mujuru, was scheduled to testify Monday.

Independent newspapers have reported that the term of office of Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri has expired and the former opposition Movement for Democratic Change has urged Mr. Mugabe to replace the often controversial police chief.

Attorney General Tomana said the 2008 Global Political Agreement for power sharing has expired, so Mr. Mugabe is solely responsible for such appointments.

He threatened to invoke the Official Secrets Act against newspapers reporting about the expiration of Chihuri's term of office.

Mr. Tsvangirai and leader of the smaller formation of the MDC, Welshman Ncube, have said President Mugabe cannot re-appoint Chihuri without their consent.

But Tomana told VOA reporter Blessing Zulu that Mr. Mugabe has a sole mandate in this case, and that journalists have no right to discuss Chihuri’s term of office.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights Director Irene Petras said Tomana’s declaration that the troubled unity government has expired is a cause for concern.

National Constitutional Assembly Chairman Lovemore Madhuku said Tomana speaks for most ZANU-PF hardliners.

Lawyer Jonathan Samkange confirmed the arrest, telling VOA he is negotiating with the police anti-corruption unit to have her released into his custody. But she was likely to spend the weekend in lockup to appear in court Monday for initial remand.

Rushwaya is alleged to have been a central figure in a multi-million dollar match-fixing scandal between 2007 and 2009 in which players and coaches of Zimbabwe’s national football team, the Warriors, were paid by bookies to lose matches in Asia.

Betting syndicate mastermind Wilson Raj Perumal, a Singaporean national, is in jail in Finland after being convicted of match fixing there.

Rushwaya was being detained at Avondale police station and she faces charges of corruption, bribery and match fixing, according to Samkange.

"Although she is in custody my client is being looked after well by Avondale police staff and I am still awaiting a call from the anti-corruption unit following a warned and cautioned statement that I filed this evening," said Samkange.

A ZIFA investigation into match fixing found that Rushwaya had cleared the national team to make unsanctioned trips to Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia between 2007 and 2009.

Players were paid thousands of dollars to throw matches, an investigation found.

Some players admitted involvement in the scam, but said they feared being killed if they refused to comply. Rushwaya was eventually sacked from ZIFA last year.

Earlier this week, ZIFA said it was suspending 80 players named by an internal report from playing for the national team. But a subsequent new statement said that only three players had been suspended over the so-called Asiagate scandal.

The Zimbabwe Media Commission says a number of foreign newspapers continue to circulate in the country though they failed to comply with a 2010 directive to register.

Such papers include the Zimbabwean, produced by exiles in the United Kingdom, the Sunday Times, The Mail&Guardian and Business Day - all South African newspapers.

In a statement, the media commission said it will appeal to relevant law-enforcement authorities to block these publications from entering Zimbabwe until they abide by the law.

Under Zimbabwe's high-handed Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, foreign newspapers must register with the commission, and also set up local bureaux for distribution purposes.

Andrew Moyse, director of the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe told VOA the move by the media commission is a clear attack on press freedom and the Global Political Agreement underpinning the inclusive government.

Moyse accused the government using a loophole in the protection of privacy legislation to crackdown on media houses that have been critical of President Robert Mugabe's rule.

Meanwhile, KISS-FM, an unsuccessful applicant for one of two commercial radio licenses issued last year by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe has since withdrawn its appeal of the decision in the Administrative Court.

Officials of the aspiring station say with the media landscape changing and "the innovation of new broadcasting outlets in the digital platform, KISS-FM made a calculated decision, and instead, will position itself to launch through a different medium."

WFP deputy country director Simon Camelbeeck cautioned though that the food program, set to run through March and already benefiting at least 150,000 people nationwide, may be hampered by a funding gap of $12 million.

Camelbeeck said the beneficiaries are currently receiving a food basket which includes maize meal, cooking oil and beans.

Crops in regions such as Matabeleland South, parts of Manicaland, Masvingo and Midlands have not recorded significant rains since last December due to the ripple effects of tropical cyclone Funso which has been dumping heavy rains in Mozambique and Swaziland.

Camelbeeck said indigenous farmers should be encouraged to plant small-grain crops in order to tackle perennial droughts. Aid relief worker Everson Ndlovu urged drought-prone regions to venture into cattle ranching.

Last month a man was hounded from a Bulawayo neighborhood over claims he possessed goblins that were raping his wife and his neighbors’ wives, and otherwise wreaking havoc in the suburban community.

This week Water Resources Minister Sam Sipepa Nkomo told a senate committee that mermaids have been hounding government workers off dam sites in Mutare, Manicaland, and Gokwe, Midlands.

The minister’s stunning revelations add to the many sensational stories that Zimbabweans have over the years passed on about supernatural manifestations in their communities.

Though many are skeptical, some do firmly believe that mermaids exist in Zimbabwe.

Nkomo told a senate oversight committee that traditional chiefs are going to perform rituals to exorcise mermaids believed to inhabit reservoirs in Gokwe and Mutare where workers are afraid to tread.

Mermaids are supposedly mythological water creatures with a female body and the tail of a fish. Those tales were mostly in circulation hundreds of years ago – but stories continue to make their rounds in Zimbabwe.

One version says mermaids carry humans underwater and if there is a public outcry their relatives might never see them again. But it is also said that victims can return as spirit mediums if their disappearance is not mourned.

Such creatures are said to be terrifying workers at the Gokwe dam in Midlands and the Osborne dam in Manicaland.

Nkomo said all the workers he sent to work on the dam sites to install water pumps had dumped the project vowing not to return to the areas because of the mythical water creatures.

Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo, who also appeared before the senate committee, backed the call for traditional rites to be performed at the dams to allay workers’ fears.

Nkomo said the government is prepared to give the population the water it needs, but is unable to do so until the rituals are performed and necessary repairs can be carried out.

He said he tried to hire white personnel to do the work at Osborne dam, supposedly because they had not been exposed to the mermaids reports, but they too refused to undertake the project alleging they had seen suspicious creatures.

According to the minister, workers report that people have disappeared mysteriously while some have been chased away by the legendary creatures.

Traditional leader chief Edison Chihota of Mashonaland East said there is no dispute about the existence of mermaids.

“As a custodian of the traditional I have no doubt," chief Chihota said. "For anyone to dispute this is also disputing him or herself.”

Cultural activist Prince Peter Zwide Khumalo, a descendant of King Lobengula, said mermaids play a central role in spiritual beliefs and they are thought to mainly inhabit the largest dams, such as Lake Kariba.

“They are said to exist in water particularly in big dams like Kariba. I haven’t heard of mermaids in small dams.”

But Khumalo said it is important to weigh reality against what people believe because development can be delayed wielding traditional beliefs that cannot easily be disproved.

“I do not believe that they need to be used to hinder development. This needs to be looked into very seriously by the minister because they might go and do cultural rituals but find that people still do not continue to work,” Khumalo added.

Minister Nkomo, a Seventh Day Adventist Christian, said that while he does not believe in mermaids in this part of the world, he would not meddle in the traditional beliefs of others, including witchcraft.

Witchcraft is a controversial subject in Zimbabwe: Some see it as a source of trouble, others believe it can bring good fortune.

It is so widespread that it is recognized by the law – for instance the Bulawayo goblin man sought police assistance after he admitted that the goblins he bought from a n’anga to bring him riches were allegedly raping his wife and those of neighbors.

Cultural experts and traditionalists note economic basis of some beliefs - poverty turns many to turn to witchcraft to gain riches or to hurt enemies.

Chief Chihota said he believes political opponents were killed and thrown into the reservoirs said to be inhabited by mermaids, hence the need to appease the spirits.

The traditional leader said: “I think let’s go back to the late 70s when the struggle was being waged and I understand a number of people were thrown in those dams and nothing was done and a continuation has been happening. So we have to start from somewhere.”

But Nkomo offered another theory: He suggested that unusual water pressures in the reservoirs could be creating hazardous currents and perhaps illusions.

“In Mutare what I think is happening is that there must be a sanction underneath there which creates a hole and the water will actually be swirling violently that if you fell in you will not come out, even if you had an oxygen mask.”

Nonetheless, the minister said this is no laughing matter so traditional rites will be performed to comfort some powerful African beliefs.

Celebrated Nigerian playwright and poet, Wole Soyinka says such leaders as Mr. Mugabe and Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal should relinquish power, arguing they are beyond their prime.

The 1986 Literature Nobel Price winner predicts an “African Spring” that he says will see the toppling of a number of African strongmen by angry citizens.

“Those who refuse to bow to popular will, who continue to treat their own people as inferior to themselves or their petty clans, I’m afraid will confront the same nature of violence as we witnessed in the Arab World,” Soyinka was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Mr. Mugabe and his military commanders have warned that any uprising in Zimbabwe will be quelled by the army. Youth Ministry adviser Psychology Maziwisa told VOA he disagrees with Soyinka’s analogy.

"President Mugabe is very safe," Maziwisa argued. "His party has policies that appeal to the generality of the people of Zimbabwe, policies that they can identify with. ZANU-PF has come up with very noble policies; take the indigenization policy for example."

Political analyst Nkululeko Sibanda, lecturer of Global and African Politics at the London-based University of Huddersfield argued the circumstances between the Arab World and Africa are vastly different.

As of Thursday, Harare had treated more than 1,500 people for the bacterial disease, with up to 50 new cases being reported every day.

In recent weeks typhoid was only centered in the Kuwadzana high density suburb, but the governmet's poorly response made it easy to spread to other residential areas.

Residents say the response by the government and the city council has been inadequate. Authorities blame the outbreak on unlicensed vendors who sell fresh fish and other perishables on the streets, but some residents disagree.

Angry city dwellers are now taking aim at the local council for failing to collect garbage and repairing burst sewer pipes saying these factors, coupled with the water crisis are the real reasons behind outbreak and escalation of typhoid.

Queues at borehole water sites erected by local humanitarian agencies in areas such as Budiriro, Kambuzuma, Mufakose and Kuwadzana are a stark reminder of the failure by the council to deal with the challenges that led to the 2008-2009 cholera outbreak that affected thousands.

Angelina Mureriwa, a resident of Kuwadzana Extension, told VOA that uncollected garbage in many residential areas may be a contributing factor. He said the poor service delivery by the council, even as it continues to collect rates from residents, was an indictment on the local authority.

Another resident, Stanley Chihota, of Budiro attacked city officials for allegedly lining their pockets at the expense of service delivery.

Health officials are urging residents to increase hygienic practices to curb the spread of the disease and other diarrheal ailments.

For perspective, VOA reporter Tatenda Gumbo turned to Itai Rusike, executive director of the Community Group on Health, and Dr. Douglas Gwatidzo, chairman of the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights.

Gwatidzo blamed the city’s poor water supply for the worsening crisis while Rusike urged residents to maintain strong hygienic practices.

Seomyatseng Jack Maine of the South Africa Police Service said poor packaging of exhibits from Mujuru's Ruzambo Farm in Beatrice, where the former army commander was found burnt beyond recognition last August, may have compromised the results of forensic tests.

Maine said he tested several items recovered from the scene and sent to South Africa by Zimbabwe police to see if any accelerants were used. He told the inquest that he had found no such evidence, but was cautious to say that did not conclusively mean none were used.

“There are a number of factors that could compromise quality of results," he said. "These include collection method of debris at the scene and also how it was packaged."

"The amount of heat is also critical in that if it is extreme, it could actually wipe out all traces of fire accelerants.”

The forensic expert said Zimbabwean police should have used oven bags instead of ordinary plastic bags to pack the debris collected from the farm or a metal box that was not corroded to secure the evidence before dispatching the material to Pretoria.

Responding to a question from family lawyer Thakor Kewada, Maine said the exposure of liquid to intense heat can affect analysis results, adding he would not have been able to detect any ignitable liquid if the evidence was collected from the wrong area.

This followed testimony by a Zimbabwe police forensic expert Birthwell Mutandiro that debris was not collected from the area close to where the deceased's body was found.

Mutandiro stunned the court Monday when he said that no collections were made at this point "for obvious reasons" that forensic scientists were concerned with areas that had high fire concentration.

Another South African expert, Lieutenant Colonel Kgotlakgomang Lenong testified that he did not detect any explosives from his analysis.

Another South African expert, Dzunisani Porcia Chauke, who did the DNA test of blood samples collected from Mujuru's daughter, Kumbirai, and the deceased's tissues, said the probability that Mujuru was Kumbirai's biological father was 99.90 percent.

Meanwhile, the South African pathologist hired by the Mujuru family, Reggie Perumel, fielded questions to witnesses through the family lawyer as the judge has not yet permitted him to give expert testimony. He can only do so after the local pathologist who carried out the post-mortem has testified.

Magistrate Walter Chikwanha adjourned the inquest to Friday when local pathologist Gabriel Alvero is set to testify.

Among those in court were Vice President Joice Mujuru and former Finance Minister Chris Kuruneri.

Harare expelled Libyan Ambassador Taher Elmagrahi last year after he declared his loyalty to the rebel movement at home.

This week, Mr. Mugabe slammed the African Union Peace and Security Council at the recently ended summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for embracing the new leadership, calling the diplomatic move “unprocedural.”

Mr. Mugabe said the decision should have been made by the collective African heads of state, arguing that embracing the National Transitional Council as Libya’s legitimate government was a mistake.

Observers took the president’s statements to mean that he is still not prepared to reestablish diplomatic ties with Libya.

But the former opposition Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai wants to re-establish ties immediately, according to party spokesman Douglas Mwonzora.

"The people of Libya made their choice and changed their government," said Mwonzora. "There is nothing that can be served with continuing who is long dead and who was rejected by his own people."

Nhlanhla Dube, spokesman for the MDC wing led by Industry Minister Welshman Ncube, said Harare as an AU member is bound to recognize the new Tripoli establishment.

"Libya is part of the African Union, Libya is in Africa, and there is certainly no reason why going forward we can't work towards having full diplomatic relations because the Libyan people are not at war with Zimbabwe," Dube said.

London-based political analyst Brilliant Mhlanga commented that the differences on Libya between the two parties reflect the ideological divide between them.

In other diplomatic news, Bulawayo Provincial Governor Cain Matema on Wednesday refused to receive a European Union delegation visiting the Matebeleland region, calling the mission a non-event and demanding that the EU remove targeted sanctions.

EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe Aldo Dell'Ariccia headed the delegation which consisted of most of his in-country staff from Harare.

The incident comes shortly before EU officials are to review travel and financial sanctions on Mr. Mugabe, many members of his ZANU-PF, and related firms.

It follows a somewhat similar incident last month in which Minister of Local Government Ignatius Chombo barred five mayors – all members of the MDC formation of Mr. Tsvangirai – from traveling to the United States for a training program.

That was seen frustrating an initiative by US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Charles Ray to normalize ties. Ambassador Dell'Ariccia told reporter Blessing Zulu that the current EU visit to Matabeleland aims to assess development and co-operation work.

ZANU-PF Parliamentary Whip Joram Gumbo said he supports Matema as his party sees no benefit in engaging the European Union. "The problem is that the EU continues to use sanctions to influence change and that is a very unfortunate situation," he said.

International relations expert Clifford Mashiri commented that ZANU-PF’s intransigence is forcing Western nations to harden their own stance on Zimbabwe.

City officials admitted they cannot guarantee a supply of clean water to residents. The city said new water sources are required in the capital and Greater Harare, which includes the towns of Norton, Chitungwiza and Ruwa.

Harare Town Clerk Tendai Mahachi said the city's water supply situation has been deteriorating rather than improving.

Mahachi said water treatment facilities at the Morton Jaffray Waterworks, just outside Harare, have not been refurbished since 1970.

The facility, installed in 1956 to cater for a population of only 250,000 is not sufficient to provide water for a city of more than a million people.

Mahachi said the aging water treatment facilities, a growing population and high water demand are all contributing to the scarcity of water in the city. The city requires at least 1,200 megalitres of water a day but is only managing to produce 705 megalitres.

Consequently, Harare is considering the construction of two new reservoirs to meet the demands of the capital and its satellite towns.

Harare Health Services Director Dr. Prosper Chonzi said city water is safe for drinking. But many residents go without city water for months, and tap unsafe sources.

Councilor Refias Masunda of Kuwadzana said the city fathers, with partner organizations like UNICEF, are working flat out to address the water crisis in the city.

Health Minister Henry Madzorera said he is worried about the situation in the city, but is confident the water problem can be addressed with more government assistance.

Biology lecturer Davison Saungweme of Pennsylvania State University said authorities are treating the wrong symptoms by closing market stalls across Harare, voicing the suspicion that this is intended to give residents a sense action is being taken.