From The Zimbabwean - By Gift Phiri, 30th November 2009

HARARE -- Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Gideon Gono only agreed to change his position on bring back the Zimbabwe dollar after a stormy meeting last week with President Robert Mugabe and Finance Minister Tendai Biti, according to sources.

In an embarrassing climb-down, Gono now says Zimbabwe will continue using foreign the US dollar and other hard currencies introduced at the beginning of the year until the economy has reached annual growth rates of at "least seven percent" with foreign currency reserves of at least US$1.5 billion dollars.

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From Foreign Policy - By Laura Wells,  23rd November 2009

The white archnemesis of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe speaks out about the terrorism charges against him, the country’s flailing power-sharing government, Mugabe’s misdeeds, and why he may well have to die for his cause.

(Pictured: Senior Zimbabwean MDC opposition official Roy Bennett, right and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.)

You’re dealing with total, total thugs and mafia-type people. They don’t care. Right now it’s the looting of the Marange diamonds. It’s Robert Mugabe’s wife together with [Reserve Bank Governor] Gideon Gono that are taking the gold, the diamonds — it’s all about money.

One man stands at the heart of a power struggle for the future of Zimbabwe. His name is Roy Bennett, and he is literally fighting for his life. The white former landowner and member of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is standing trial for trumped-up terrorism and treason charges — proceedings that began Nov. 9. Zimbabwe’s attorney general, Johannes Tomana, is leading the prosecution himself.

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From Reuters - By MacDonald Dzirutwe, 18th November 2009

Critics blame Gideon Gono for policies that helped cripple the economy -- stoking inflation by printing money and taking over functions of the national treasury, including buying farming inputs and extending financial support to government departments.

HARARE, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Zimbabwe's parliament on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill to reform the central bank, including reducing the powers of the bank governor accused by critics of policies that ruined the economy.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti said last week the government had failed to attract funding from foreign donors for next year's budget because they feared the money could be misused by the Reserve Bank.

The bill is the first major law to be passed by parliament since the formation of a unity government between Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and rival President Robert Mugabe in February.

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From The Zimbabwe Standard - By Sandra Mandizvidza, 14th November 2009

“He is not going to be put anywhere near finance, actually he must not even be seen in a tuckshop,”

A SOUTHERN African Development Community (Sadc) ministerial team that assessed the implementation of Zimbabwe’s troubled power-sharing arrangement recommended that Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono should be reassigned to save the coalition government from collapse.

The recommendations by the brokers of last year’s Global Political Agreement (GPA) were given to the members of the Sadc troika on politics, defence and security who met in Mozambique on November 5 to deal with the Zimbabwe crisis.

They also set the tone for the negotiations between the three coalition partners, Zanu PF and the two MDC formations due to start this week as directed by the mini Sadc summit.

The ministers from Swaziland, Zambia and Mozambique who met separately with President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara and several other stakeholders between October 29 and 30 identified Gono’s continued stay at the RBZ as one of the biggest threats to the unity government.

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From VOA - By Patience Rusere. 11th November 2009

Zimbabwean Finance Minister Tendai Biti has told Parliament that he is unable to persuade international donors to provide "a single cent" for the country's 2010 budget - as opposed to food aid or other humanitarian assistance - out of fear funds could be diverted.

He made the comment in parliamentary debate on legislation to reform the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, according to the Web news agency ZimOnline, which quoted Biti as saying donors' first question was whether their funds would be in RBZ hands. RBZ Governor Gideon Gono has acknowledged that he diverted donor and other funds to government uses.

Biti said the solution is reform of the central bank. Biti, who is also secretary general of the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, has urged that Gono be replaced. The issue is among those deeply dividing the Tsvangirai MDC and the long-ruling ZANU-PF party of President Robert Mugabe, who has defended Gono.

VOA could not immediately reach Biti for confirmation of the attributed remarks.

Economist Nhlanhla Nyathi told VOA Studio 7 reporter Patience Rusere that he agrees with Biti, as donors must have confidence the central bank will properly handle funds.