The deteriorating economic situation coupled with a decline in cereal production is jeopardizing food security in Zimbabwe. Hardest hit will be the urban poor and households in the southern and eastern parts of the country, where a January dry spell was followed by incessant rains in February and March, which resulted in localized flooding. A Special Report issued jointly by FAO and WFP, following a crop and food supply assessment mission to the country, forecasts a drop in cereal production for the current marketing year (April 2001-March 2002) to about 1.82 million tonnes -- down 24 percent from last year. This decline reflects reduced plantings and lower yields.

COSATU condemns the attempt by the so-called war veterans to render unions ineffective. This is basically an attack on the trade union movement and human rights. The ZANU PF and the war veterans approach which shows the extent of their desperations to make themselves relevant after dismally failing the poor and the working class, now has taken an extremely shorted sighted and self destructive approach in trying to win back the working class back to the ZANU PF. Factory invasion and extortion can only lead to more and more potential investors staying away and those with factories packing their bags and heed to somewhere else where there is stability.

COVERAGE of events in the week highlighted the extent to which the state-controlled print and electronic media are now co-ordinating their output. They provided extensive coverage of the funeral of Defence Minister Moven Mahachi, and also similarly distorted interpretations of remarks by South African president, Thabo Mbeki, on the need for land reform. They both also censored his revelation that he and other senior ANC officials had met MDC officials. In the private Press during the week, The Daily News also attracted considerable attention, this time for exposing its own bias and professional incompetence.