[Cincinatus' Wife]

Zimbabwe leadership hangs on hunger -Rumors of possible end to Mugabe reign***"There is no doubt that a power struggle is under way within the ranks of the party," says a former government official who lost his job after he was suspected of sympathizing with the opposition. "The hard men in the party can see the writing on the wall. They know the world wants Mugabe gone, and they don't want to go down with him." Zimbabweans have plenty of reasons to want to get rid of Mugabe. The country has been isolated internationally since his government carried out a land reform program that drove most white commercial farmers, who were responsible for much of the country's food production, from their land. Since then, drought in southern Africa, combined with the disruptions in farming, have pushed more than half of the population to the brink of starvation.

Now there are hints that after 22 years in power, Mugabe may be on shaky ground. Earlier this month, the government-owned newspaper, the Sunday Mirror, reported that two of Mugabe's closest aides, Defense chief Vitalis Zvinavashe and parliamentary speaker Emmerson Mnangagwa, were negotiating a deal with opposition politicians to allow Mugabe to retire in exile in return for immunity from prosecution for human rights violations during his long rule. In this scenario, Mugabe would settle in another country, probably Malaysia.

Back home, members of his ruling party would form a unity government with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, allowing several years for a return to stability before elections could be held. Since the plan was made public, however, Mugabe as well as Zvinavashe and Mnangagwa have vigorously denied that any such scheme exists. "This was a very tentative approach," says Paul Nyati, official spokesman for the MDC. "What is needed is a bold move by members of the ruling party," Zimbabweans are running out of patience with Mugabe. A recent survey by the Mass Public Opinion Institute, a Harare think tank, found that 65 percent of respondents wanted Mugabe to immediately announce his retirement plans.

International pressure is also increasing. The United States, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the European Union have proposed "smart sanctions," which target individuals rather than countries by freezing personal and business assets held by Zimbabwe's leadership. And Washington and the European Union have slapped an arms embargo on the country. ***

[Cincinatus' Wife]

BBC: Zimbabwe witness 'a fraudster' [Full Text] Tsvangirai says he is being framed Lawyers defending Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai on treason charges have accused the key prosecution witness of being a serial fraudster. They say that Canada-based political consultant Ari Ben-Menashe video-taped a meeting with Mr Tsvangirai as part of a government plot to stifle the opposition. Mr Tsvangirai and two colleagues from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) pleaded not guilty to treason charges when the trial began on Monday.

Mr Ben-Menashe, a former Israeli intelligence officer, says the three contracted him to assassinate President Robert Mugabe before last year's elections. Mr Mugabe won but international observers said the poll was marred by violence and fraud and Mr Tsvangirai is contesting the result in court.

Coincidence

South African anti-apartheid lawyer George Bizos said prosecutors would not give him any information on Mr Ben-Menashe's work for the government, though the consultant testified that he had been paid about $1m for his lobbying work. Prosecutors said Mr Ben Menashe's services to the government were unrelated to the treason charges, Mr Bizos told Judge Paddington Garwe.

"There is a similarity between the fraud we say was committed against the MDC and its office bearers and a number of other frauds that have been committed by the witness and his companies by interfering with high profile political matters, getting money and then turning the tables against the people to whom the fraudulent representations were made," Mr Bizos said.

The lawyer submitted documents of a London arbitration court ruling that one of Mr Ben-Menashe's companies had failed to deliver $7million-worth of promised corn to Zambia. Mr Ben-Menashe said that deal was altered by former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba and was still being contested by lawyers.

'Not elimination'

The court has also been watching the grainy video, which Mr Ben-Menashe recorded as evidence against Mr Tsvangirai. [End]