Zimbabwe – 31 Oct 2014

EU, Zim Smoke Peace Pipe
THE European Union has finally lifted economic sanctions against Zimbabwe, ending more than a decade of sour relations with Harare.
Addressing the media in the capital Harare on Thursday, the EU Head of Mission, Philippe Van Damme, said the latest development to remove its trade sanctions against Zimbabwe would see the 28-nation EU member bloc re-engage with Harare on bilateral economic agreements. allAfrica.com

From wife-beaters to peace-preachers: tackling domestic abuse in Zimbabwe’s hinterland
A third of Zimbabwean women have experienced physical violence at the hands of their spouse or partner
MARONDERA, 21 October 2014 (IRIN) – Jairos Maruwe used to beat up his wife so badly he once knocked her unconscious and broke her arm. It landed him in jail at least once, but it was the way he was raised.
“We grew up thinking that women are our tools and we can do whatever we want with them,” the 34-year-old farmer in northeastern Zimbabwe’s Marondera region told IRIN. IRIN News

Top SA court orders Zimbabwe torture probe
SOUTH Africa’s highest court on Thursday ruled that the country’s police have a duty to investigate Zimbabwean officials accused of torturing opposition supporters seven years ago.
The landmark judgement by the Constitutional Court is likely to strain ties with the neighbouring country, whose President Robert Mugabe responded angrily to a similar order by a lower court, describing it as a “direct assault” on Zimbabwe’s sovereignty. New Zimbabwe.com

MDC-T congress kicks off
ENFEEBLED by its electoral loss to veteran leader Robert Mugabe and a post-vote split, Zimbabwe’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change meets on Friday to elect new leaders and forge a new plan against Mugabe’s 34-year rule.
MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the two-day party congress, expected to attract 7,000 delegates, was likely to retain Morgan Tsvangirai as leader and, MDC members hope, see the embattled party emerge stronger. The Zimbabwe Mail