Precolonial era
There is wide-spread evidence of the presence of Stone Age hunters in Zimbabwe from about 5000 years ago or even earlier. These peoples were related to today's Khoisan peoples and were displaced by Bantu peoples. They painted scenes of life in hundreds of caves across Zimbabwe, the so-called Bushman paintings.[2] Iron Age Bantu-speaking peoples began migrating into the area about 2,000 years ago, including the ancestors of the Shona, who account for roughly four-fifths of the country's population today. By the Middle Ages, there was a Bantu civilization in the region, as evidenced by ruins at Great Zimbabwe, a Shona-speaking state. Around the early 10th century, trade developed with Muslim merchants on the Indian Ocean coast, helping to develop Great Zimbabwe in the 11th century. The state traded gold, ivory, and copper for cloth and glass. It ceased to be the leading Shona state in the mid-15th century.
In 1836 the Shona were conquered in southern Zimbabwe by the Ndebele, who forced them to pay tribute and concentrate in northern Zimbabwe.[3]
Rhodesian era
In 1888 British imperialist Cecil Rhodes extracted mining rights from King Lobengula of the Ndebele.[4] He used this concession to persuade the British government to grant a royal charter to his British South Africa Company (BSAC) over Matabeleland and its subject states such as Mashonaland, and to negotiate similar concessions covering all territory between the Limpopo River and Lake Tanganyika, referred to as 'Zambesia'. Through such concessions and treaties, many of which were deceitful,[5] he promoted the colonization of the region's land, labor, and precious metal and mineral resources.[6] In 1895 the BSAC adopted the name 'Rhodesia' for Zambesia, after Cecil Rhodes, and in 1898 'Southern Rhodesia' was officially adopted for the part south of the Zambezi,[7] which later became Zimbabwe, while the part to the north was administered separately by the BSAC and was later named Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia.
Natives staged unsuccessful revolts against the encroachment on their native lands in 1896 and 1897.[8] Both the Ndebele and Shona became subject to the Rhodes administration. This was the beginning of a larger settlement of white settlers, that also led to the land distribution favouring whites and displacing both the Shona and Ndebele and other black people. The land issue in Zimbabwe remains a controversial issue to this day.[citation needed]
Southern Rhodesia became a self-governing British colony in 1922. In 1953, in the face of African opposition,[9] Britain joined the two parts of Rhodesia with Nyasaland (now Malawi) in the ill-fated Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland which was dominated by Southern Rhodesian settlers. Growing African nationalism and unrest particularly in Nyasaland forced Britain to dissolve it in 1963, and each of the three countries went their separate ways. In 1965, Ian Smith's regime declared Unilateral Independence from Britain and Southern Rhodesia dropped the designation 'Southern', becoming the Republic of Rhodesia in 1970.[10]
Settler rule and civil war
The white-minority government led by Ian Smith declared Rhodesia's unilateral independence on November 11, 1965.[11]
The British government requested United Nations economic sanctions against Rhodesia as negotiations with the Smith administration in 1966 and 1968 stalemated. The Smith administration declared itself a republic in 1970, recognized only by the apartheid government of South Africa.[12]
Guerrilla fighting against the white minority intensified, and the Smith regime opened negotiations with the leaders of the Patriotic Fronts Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU), led by Robert Mugabe, and the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), led by Joshua Nkomo. With his regime near the brink of collapse, in March 1978 Smith signed a desperate accord with three black leaders, led by Bishop Abel Muzorewa, who offered safeguards for white civilians.
In 1979 all parties met in London and signed the Lancaster House Agreement, ending the civil war.
Independence
Britain's Lord Soames was appointed governor to oversee the disarming of revolutionary guerrillas, the holding of elections, and the granting of independence to an uneasy coalition government with Joshua Nkomo, head of ZAPU. In the free elections of February 1980, Mugabe and his ZANU won a landslide victory. Mugabe has won re-election ever since.
During the first decade of independence Mugabe used the North Korean trained Fifth Brigade to silence any opposition from the Ndebele nation in an operation against dissidents referred to as Gukurahundi. Several thousand civilians, mostly Ndebele, were killed or disappeared[13] and have not been accounted for to this date. Allegations of genocide and ethnic cleansing have resulted in calls for Mugabe's arrest and prosecution for crimes against humanity.[14]
Land issues, which the liberation movement promised to solve, re-emerged as the vital issue for the ruling party beginning in 1999. Despite majority-rule, and the existence of a "willing buyer-willing seller" land reform programme since the 1980s, ZANU (PF) claimed that whites made up less than 1% of the population but held 70% of the country's commercially viable arable land (though these figures are disputed by many outside of the Government of Zimbabwe). Mugabe began to redistribute land to blacks in 2000 with a compulsory land redistribution; charges that the programme as a whole is designed to reward loyal deputies have persisted in Zimbabwe since the beginning of the process. Despite claims by both the opposition and the government that land reform of one kind or another must take place, the Mugabe lead process has been seen as a diversion away from an ill conceived war in the DRC and economic maladministration. The legality and constitutionality of the process has regularly been challenged in the Zimbabwean High and Supreme Courts, however the policing agencies have rarely acted in accordance with courts' rulings on these matters. The chaotic implementation of the land reform lead to a sharp decline in agricultural exports, traditionally the country's leading export producing sector. Mining and tourism have surpassed agriculture. As a result, Zimbabwe is currently experiencing a severe hard currency shortage, which has led to hyperinflation and chronic shortages in imported fuel and consumer goods. In 2002 Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations on charges of human rights abuses during the land redistribution and of election tampering.[15]
Following elections in 2005, the government initiated "Operation Murambatsvina," a supposed effort to crack down on illegal markets and homes that had seen slums unfit for human habitation emerge in towns and cities. This action has been widely condemned by opposition and international figures, who charge that it has left a large section of the urban poor homeless. The Zimbabwe government has described the operation as an attempt to provide decent housing to the population although they have yet to deliver any new housing for the forcefully removed people.[16]
Zimbabwe's current economic and food crisis, described by some observers as the country's worst humanitarian crisis since independence, has been attributed, in varying degrees, to a drought affecting the entire region, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the government's price controls and land reforms.[17]
Life expectancy at birth for males in Zimbabwe has dramatically declined, from 60 to 37 since 1990 (life expectancy for females is even lower, at 34 years), making it the lowest in the world.[18] Concurrently, the infant mortality rate has climbed from 53 to 81 deaths per 1,000 live births in the same period. 5.5 million Zimbabweans currently live with the HIV.[19]
Politics
Main article: Politics of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe has a parliamentary government. Under constitutional changes in 2005, an upper chamber, the Senate, was reinstated.[20] The House of Assembly is the lower chamber of Parliament.
In 1987 Mugabe, then the Prime Minister, revised the constitution and made himself President. His ZANU party has won every election since independence on April 18, 1980. In some quarters corruption and rigging of elections have been alleged. In particular, the elections of 1990 were nationally and internationally condemned as being rigged, with the second-placed party, Edgar Tekere's Zimbabwe Unity Movement, winning only 20% of the vote. Presidential elections were last held in 2002 amid allegations of vote-rigging, intimidation and fraud.[21] The next Presidential elections are to be held in 2008, although Mugabe is currently trying to amend the constitution in an attempt to stay in power until 2010.[22]
The Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai is the largest opposition party. The MDC is currently split into two factions. One faction, led by Arthur Mutambara is contesting the elections to the Senate, while the other led by Morgan Tsvangirai is opposed to contesting the elections, stating that participation in a rigged election is tantamount to endorsing Mugabe's claim that past elections were free and fair. However, the opposition parties have resumed participation in national and local elections as recently as 2006. The two MDC camps had their congresses in 2005 with Morgan Tsvangirai being elected to lead the main splinter group which has become more popular than the other group. Professor Arthur G.O Mutambara, a Robotics Professor and former NASA robotics specialist has replaced Welshman Ncube who was the interim leader after the split. Morgan Tsvangirai did not participate in the Senate elections, while the Mutambara faction participated and won some seats in the senate. The Mutambara faction has however been weakened by defections from MPs and individuals who are disillusioned by their manifesto. As of 2007, the Tsvangirai-led MDC has become the most popular, with crowds as large as 20,000 attending their rallies as compared to between 500–5,000 for the other splinter group. There is wide disagreement in Zimbabwe and neighbouring states as to whether a divided MDC can win presidential elections against a disciplined ruling party. The opposition continues to be weak in rural areas, where a large number of the population of Zimbabwe resides.
The 2005 Zimbabwe parliamentary elections were held on March 31 and multiple claims of vote rigging, election fraud and intimidation were made by the MDC and Jonathan Moyo, calling for investigations into 32 of the 120 constituencies.[23] Despite the allegations Jonathan Moyo participated in the elections and won a seat, enabling him to serve as an independent member of Parliament.
Education
Zimbabwe has an adult literacy rate of approximately 90% (average of[24][25],.[26]). For comparison, rates for other SADC countries in 2004 were: South Africa, 86%, Zambia, 79.9%, Swaziland, 80.9%, Namibia, 83.3%, Lesotho, 81.4%, Botswana, 78.9%, Tanzania, 77.1%, Malawi, 61.8%, Mozambique, 46.5%. Zimbabweans generally value and pursue academic achievement, for example, Robert Mugabe, the president, has four non-honorary degrees and the cabinet has several graduates at PhD level.
Universities
* University of Zimbabwe, the first, largest and most complete
* National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe (NUST), the second state university
* Africa University, in Mutare
* Midlands State University
* Bindura University of Science Education
* Chinhoyi University of Technology
* Masvingo State University
* Catholic University in Zimbabwe
* Zimbabwe Open University
* Women's University in Africa
* Solusi University
* Lupane State University
* University Without Walls
* Theological College of Zimbabwe (TCZ)
The highest professional board for accountants is the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Zimbabwe, (ICAZ) with direct relationships with similar bodies in South Africa, Canada, UK and Australia, meaning if you are a qualified Chartered Accountant from Zimbabwe, you are also a member of similar bodies in these countries after writing a conversion paper which is normally easier than the normal qualifying examination papers. In addition, Zimbabwean-trained Doctors only require one year of residence to be fully-licensed doctors in the USA
Media
The current Zimbabwean government suppresses freedom of the press and has repeatedly been accused of using the public broadcaster (ZBC) as a propaganda tool.[27] Newspapers critical of the government, such as the Daily News, were forced to close after bombs exploded at their offices[28] and the government refused to renew their license.[29]
The British Broadcasting Corporation and CNN have also been banned from filming or reporting from Zimbabwe.[30].
Administrative divisions
Administrative divisions of Zimbabwe
Administrative divisions of Zimbabwe
Main articles: Provinces of Zimbabwe, Districts of Zimbabwe, and Municipalities of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is divided into eight provinces and two cities with provincial status. The provinces are subdivided into 59 districts and 1,200 municipalities.
The provinces include:
* Bulawayo (city)
* Harare (city)
* Manicaland
* Mashonaland Central
* Mashonaland East
* Mashonaland West
* Masvingo
* Matabeleland North
* Matabeleland South
* Midlands
Districts: see Districts of Zimbabwe
Municipalities: see Municipalities of Zimbabwe
Geography
Main article: Geography of Zimbabwe
Satellite image of Zimbabwe, generated from raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library
Satellite image of Zimbabwe, generated from raster graphics data supplied by The Map Library
Bridal Veil Falls, Eastern Highlands
Bridal Veil Falls, Eastern Highlands
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country, surrounded by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the west, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east and northeast. Inyangani is the highest mountain in Zimbabwe at 2,592 m (8,504 ft). The north-western border is defined by the Zambezi River. Victoria Falls is a popular tourist destination on the Zambezi. To the south, Zimbabwe is separated from South Africa by the Limpopo River. Zimbabwe also shares a border with Namibia to the west via a narrow land corridor.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Zimbabwe
The government of Zimbabwe faces a wide variety of difficult economic problems after having abandoned earlier efforts in developing a market-oriented economy. Current problems include a shortage of foreign exchange, soaring inflation, and supply shortages. Zimbabwe's involvement from 1998 to 2002 in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo drained hundreds of millions of dollars from the economy.[31]
Mineral exports, agriculture, and tourism are the main foreign currency earners of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is the biggest trading partner of South Africa south of the equator. Since land redistribution began, agricultural exports, especially tobacco, have declined sharply.
The downward spiral of the economy has been attributed mainly to mismanagement, corruption and Zimbabwe's inability to feed itself after evicting more than 4000 white farmers in the controversial land redistribution of 2000.[32]
Inflation rose from an annual rate of 32% in 1998 to a high of 3,713.9% [3] in April 2007, a state of hyperinflation. In August 2006 a new revalued Zimbabwean dollar was introduced, equal to 1000 old Zimbabwean dollars. The exchange rate fell from 24 old Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar in 1998 to 250,000 old or 250 new Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar at the official rate [4], and an estimated 40,000,000 old or 40,000 new Zimbabwean dollars per US dollar on the parallel market [5], in May 2007.
Mugabe points to foreign governments and alleged "sabotage" as the cause of this, as well as the country's 80% formal unemployment rate. Critics of Mugabe's administration, however, immediately indicate the main cause of some of these issues stems from Mugabe's controversial program which sought to seize land from white commercial farmers.
Robert Mugabe has repeatedly blamed sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the EU and the USA for the state of the Zimbabwean economy. Governments that imposed the sanctions have however argued that the sanctions are only meant to target government officials and not ordinary citizens.[33]. In a recent meeting of the Southern African Development Community, a call was issued for the sanctions to be removed.[34]. In addition, the SADC called on UK to fund the land reform in Zimbabwe, as promised in the Lancaster meeting leading to Zimbabwe's independence.
Demographics and ethnicity
Main article: Demographics of Zimbabwe
According to the United Nations World Health Organization, the life expectancy for men is 37 years and the life expectancy for women is 34 years of age, the lowest in the world in 2006.[35] An association of doctors in Zimbabwe have made calls for President Mugabe to make moves to assist the ailing health service.[36] Zimbabwe has a very high HIV infection rate. In 2001, it was measured at its highest level ever of 33.7% for people aged 15–49.
On 3 October 2006, Zimbabwe launched the world's first official HIV/AIDS Toolkit, which forms the basis for a global AIDS prevention, treatment and support plan. The country was chosen to test it because of its excellence in initiating different strategies on home based care.[37]
Ethnic groups (2005 est.)
Black ethnic groups total 98% of the population:
* Shona 80–84%. The ruling party is linked to the Shona majority ethnic group and a small Ndebele group from Joshua Khomo's ZAPU, although there is also considerable opposition support among the Shona.
* Ndebele 8–10%. The Ndebele are descended from Zulu migrations in the nineteenth century and the other tribes with which they mixed. Support for the opposition is particularly strong both from the Ndebele and the Shona majority. Up to 1 million Ndebele may have left the country over the last five years, mainly for South Africa.
* Bantus of other ethnicity 8–10%.
Other Zimbabwean ethnic groups:
* White Zimbabweans 1.5%. These are mostly of British origin, but some are of Afrikaner, Portuguese, Dutch and even Armenian origin. [6] The white population dropped from a peak of 275,000 in 1970 to possibly 120,000 in 1999, and was estimated at no more than 60,000 in 2006, possibly much less. Most emigration has been to the UK, South Africa, Zambia and Australia.
* Mixed race 0.5%.
* Asian ethnic groups (various) 0.5%. Mostly Indian and Chinese. Zimbabwe is now experiencing a surge of Asian immigrants who run some businesses. If the trend continues, they will surpass whites as the largest non-African minority group in Zimbabwe.
Human rights
Main article: Human rights in Zimbabwe
There have been widespread reports of various civil and political human rights abuses throughout Zimbabwe, in particular against opponents of the government. According to human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch the government of Zimbabwe violates the rights to shelter, food, freedom of movement and residence, freedom of assembly and the protection of the law. There are assaults on the media, the political opposition, civil society activists, and human rights defenders.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Zimbabwe
Football is the most popular sport in Zimbabwe, although rugby and cricket also have a following, traditionally among the white minority.
Zimbabwe celebrates its national holiday on April 18.
Arts
Traditional arts in Zimbabwe include pottery, basketry, textiles, jewelry, and carving. Among the distinctive qualities are symmetrically patterned woven baskets and stools carved out of a single piece of wood. Shona sculpture in essence has been a fusion of African folklore with European influences. Also, a recurring theme in Zimbabwean art is the metamorphosis of man into beast.
Zimbabwean musicians like Thomas Mapfumo,Oliver Mutukudzi and the Bhundu Boys have achieved international recognition.
Religion
There are various forms of spiritual practice in Zimbabwe. Forty to fifty percent of Zimbabweans attend Christian churches. Around ten percent are Roman Catholics, who have an Archbishop of Harare. However like most former European colonies, Christianity is often mixed with enduring traditional beliefs. Besides Christianity, Ancestral worship is the most practiced non-Christian religion which involves ancestor worship and spiritual intercession; the Mbira Dza Vadzimu, which means "Voice of the Ancestors", an instrument related to many lamellophones ubiquitous throughout Africa, is central to many ceremonial proceedings. Mwari simply means God the creator, musika vanhu. Around 1% of the population is Muslim.
Language
English is the official language of Zimbabwe, though less than 2% consider it their native language, mainly the white and Coloured (mixed race) minorities. The rest of the population speak Shona (76%) and Ndebele (18%). Shona has a rich oral tradition, which was incorporated into the first Shona novel, Feso by Solomon Mutswairo, published in 1957. English is spoken primarily in the cities, but less so in rural areas. Radio and Television news is now broadcast in three languages: Shona, Ndebele and English.
Food
As many other Africans, a majority of Zimbabweans depend on staple foods. "Mealie meal" (cornmeal) is used to prepare bota, a porridge made by mixing the cornmeal with water to produce a thick paste. This is usually flavoured with peanut butter, milk, butter, or, sometimes, jam. Bota is usually eaten for breakfast. Cornmeal is also used to make sadza, which is usually eaten for dinner, and by many for lunch too. Sadza is prepared similarly to bota; however, after the paste has been cooking for several minutes, more cornmeal is added to thicken the paste until it is hard. This meal is usually served with greens, (spinach, collard greens), etc., beans, and meat that is stewed, grilled, or roasted. Sadza is also commonly eaten with curdled milk, commonly known as lacto (mukaka wakakora), or a small dried fish called kapenta (matemba). On special occasions, rice and chicken with cabbage salad are often served as the main meal.
Graduations, weddings, and any other family gatherings will usually be celebrated with the killing of a goat or cow, which will be braaied (an Afrikaaner form of barbecue) for the family.
For Afrikaners (although a small group within the white minority group, their recipes are popular), meat is especially important, though often expensive and now rare in Zimbabwe. Biltong, a type of jerky, is a popular snack, prepared by hanging bits of raw meat to dry in the sun. Boerewors (pronounced /børÉvÉɾs/ - "Boo-ruh-vorse") is served alongside sadza. It is a long sausage, often well-spiced, composed of various meats and barbecued.
See also
* Zimbabwe News Blog Perspective of a Zimbabwean Abroad
* List of Zimbabweans
* Charities in Zimbabwe
* Doing Business in Zimbabwe, The World Bank's Guide to conducting businesses in Zimbabwe and other countries across the globe
* Communications in Zimbabwe — Fixed land lines are operated by Tel-One, a government parastatal. There are 3 Mobile network (cell phone) providers: Econet Wireless, Net*One and Telecel
* Politics of Zimbabwe
* Elias Fund, Nonprofit created to help children in Zimbabwe
* Foreign relations of Zimbabwe
* Gay rights in Zimbabwe
* Islam in Zimbabwe
* Land reform in Zimbabwe
* List of cities and towns in Zimbabwe:
o Harare, the capital city
o Bulawayo, the second largest city
o Masvingo
o Mutare
o Gweru
o Kwekwe
o Kadoma
* Military of Zimbabwe and Military history of Zimbabwe
* Place names in Zimbabwe
* Reporters without borders' worldwide press freedom index (2004): Rank 155 out of 167 countries
* The Interpreter, a 2005 film featuring a fictional African head of state, apparently based on Robert Mugabe, seeking to avoid being sent to the International Criminal Court by the UN Security Council for crimes against humanity
* Transportation in Zimbabwe
* The Boy Scouts Association of Zimbabwe
References
1. ^ Zimbabwe, History Department of UKZN, accessed April 3, 2006
2. ^ Chippindale, Christopher. Pictures in Place: Looking at Pictures in Place. Page 15.
3. ^ So Who Was Shaka Zulu- Really? Africa Stage
4. ^ Hensman, Howard. Cecil Rhodes: A Study of a Career. Page 106-107.
5. ^ Parsons, Neil (1993). A New History of Southern Africa, Second Edition. London: Macmillan. Pages 178-181.
6. ^ Bryce, James. Impressions of South Africa. Page 170.
7. ^ Gray, J. A. (1956). "A Country in Search of a Name". The Northern Rhodesia Journal III (1) (1956). Page 78.
8. ^ Palamarek, Ernie. Hatari. Page 132.
9. ^ Parsons, Neil (1993). A New History of Southern Africa, Second Edition. London: Macmillan. Page 292.
10. ^ Parsons, Neil (1993). A New History of Southern Africa, Second Edition. London: Macmillan. Pages 318–320.
11. '^ Judd, Denis. Empire: The British Imperial Experience from 1765 to the Present. Page 372.
12. ^ Malawi political background; Zambia political background NationsEncyclopedia.com, 2003
13. ^ "Breaking the Silence, Building True Peace. A report on the disturbances in Matabeleland and the Midlands 1980 – 1989"
14. ^ Genocide victims want Mugabe punished, Global Policy Forum, 6 January 2002
15. ^ Zimbabwe suspended indefinitely from Commonwealth, HumanRightsFirst.org, 8 December 2003
16. ^ Zimbabwe: Housing policy built on foundation of failures and lies, Amnesty International, 9 August 2006
17. ^ Crisis profile: Zimbabwe's humanitarian situation, Reuters Foundation AlertNet, 26 July 2005
18. ^ "Zimbabwe Life Expectancy Lowest In The World", Public Health News, 10 April, 2006
19. ^ Guardian article, The wasteland - inside Mugabe's crumbling state, March 17, 2007
20. ^ Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 17) Act, 2005 NGO Network Alliance Project
21. ^ Zimbabwe: Election Fraud Report, University of Pennsylvania, 18 April 2005
22. ^ Mugabe could stay on until 2010, South African Mail and Guardian, 21 January 2007
23. ^ Mugabe's former ally accuses him of foul play Independent Online Zimbabwe, March 12 2005
24. ^ Zimbabwe, CIA World Factbook
25. ^ Botswana Literacy Survey 2003, Central Statistics Office, Botswana, accessed 3 April 2006
26. ^ Zimbabwe Country Assistance EvaluationPDF (344 KiB), World Bank, accessed 3 April 2006
27. ^ ZIMBABWE Press, Media, TV, Radio, Newspapers Press Reference, 2006
28. ^ Zimbabwe newspaper bombed BBC News, 28 January 2001
29. ^ Zimbabwe: Newspaper Silenced NY Times, 7 February 2004
30. ^ Why did Zimbabwe ban the BBC? BBC News, April 1 2005
31. ^ Organised Violence and Torture in Zimbabwe in 1999, Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, 1999
32. ^ Brazilian economist urges Zimbabweans to pressure Mugabe, Zim Observer News, 17 October 2006
33. ^ [1], U.S. Department of State, 2004
34. ^ [2], The Jerusalem Post, 1 April 2007
35. ^ The World Health Organization. "Annex Table 1 - Basic indicators for all Member States", The World Health Report 2006 (PDF).
36. ^ Peta Thornycroft. "In Zimbabwe, life ends before 40", Sydney Morning Herald, 2006-04-10. Retrieved on 2006-04-10.
37. ^ Mu Xuequan. "Zimbabwe launches world's first AIDS training package", Xinhua, 2006-10-03. Retrieved on 2006-10-03.
External links
Find more information on Zimbabwe by searching Wikipedia's sister projects
Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews
Learning resources from Wikiversity
Government
* Parliament of Zimbabwe — official government site
* Zimbabwe Government Online — official government site and mirror site
News
* ZimDaily — UK-based Zimbabwe Daily news website and forums
* TalkZimbabwe — UK-based Zimbabwe news website and forums
* The Great Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe news website and forums
* Zimbabwe destruction: One man's story, BBC News Online
* New Zimbabwe — UK-Based independent daily newspaper
* AllAfrica.com: Zimbabwe — news headline links
* IFEX: Zimbabwe — press freedom violations
* The Sunday Mirror — weekly newspaper
* Zimbabwe Independent — weekly newspaper
* The Zimbabwean — UK-based independent weekly newspaper
* The Herald — state-owned daily newspaper
* Zimbabwe Situation — a comprehensive collection of news stories concerning Zimbabwe from different sources
* Zim Observer — online news publication
* IRIN News — humanitarian news and analysis from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
* Mail & Guardian Online — South Africa-based news website
Protest movements
* Sokwanele
* Zvakwana
* Zimbabwe Movement
Directories
* Websites.co.zw — directory which ranks Zimbabwe's websites
* Columbia University Libraries — Zimbabwe directory category of the WWW-VL
* International Directory of "Design in Zimbabwe" directory of schools, associations & institutes
* Open Directory Project: Zimbabwe
* Stanford University: Africa South of the Sahara: Zimbabwe directory category
* Yahoo!: Zimbabwe
Tourism
* Zimbabwe travel guide from Wikitravel
* Travel Overview of Zimbabwe
* Facts about Zimbabwe
* Zimbabwe International Film Festival — Held every year in August
* Harare International Festival of the Arts — Voted one of the top ten arts festivals in the world; held annually in April
* Zimbabwe International Book Fair
Other
* A Self-help Assistance Program (ASAP Africa) Detailed information on community development in Zimbabwe
* Amnesty International (Zimbabwe)
* Elias Fund — Nonprofit providing educational scholarships to Zimbabwean youth
* Onebusiness Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe business news, advice for entrepreneurs and business directory
* Dariro — Zimbabwean search engine
* itsbho.com Leading Zimbabwean entertainment website
* RSF report on Zimbabwe from 2003
* Writers of Zimbabwe — a website for Zimbabwean Writers
* Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
* ZIMBABWE Information and Links
* "Dead Capital" in Zimbabwe
* Zimbabwe Crisis — newsletter published during the controversial 2000 parliamentary elections
* ZimFest — annual Zimbabwean music festival in North America
* Zimbabweb — Zimbabwe Information Portal
* zwnews — news portal for Zimbabwe
* Economic Development Bulletin — how the loss of property rights caused Zimbabwe's collapse
* Cato JournalPDF (115 KiB) — in-depth article on Zimbabwe's collapse
* Center for Global Development — costs and causes of Zimbabwe's crisis
* Voter turnout, Gender quotas, Electoral system design and Political party financing in Zimbabwe
* Zimbabwe: articles
* Solidarity Peace Trust
* History of the Zimbabwe Jewish Community
* Stone Sculptures from Zimbabwe
* Goffals Abroad Trust