While the world focuses on elections in South Africa, the terrible plight of people in Zimbabwe continues, says Oskar Wempter. He describes the stranglehold on the country and the impact on its starving population.

A UK service will be held in memory of Susan Tsvangirai, the wife of Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, on Saturday 14 March 2009 at Coventry Methodist Central Hall at 1.30 pm.

The only known functioning ecumenical church grouping in Zimbabwe says Mugabe's Zanu-PF party is showing "bad faith" in relation to a unity government formed with the Movement for Democratic Change party earlier in February 2009.

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York launched a Lent appeal for Zimbabwe on Ash Wednesday, as Christians in Britain and beyond joined in a day of prayer and fasting for the troubled country.

The Zimbabwe Christian Alliance hopes the proposed government of national unity will see the rule of law established in the country immediately and that it will release all political prisoners.

Africa's heads of state meeting on Sunday 1 February were greeted by hunger strikers calling for justice and democracy in Zimbabwe as the political leaders continue to seek an accommodation to end the country's crisis.

A forum of South African church leaders has said former president Thabo Mbeki must step down as mediator of the process to solve the political crisis in Zimbabwe after years of failure.

Human rights activist Jestina Mukoko has denounced the abuse and violence she suffered at the hands of Zimbabwean secret service agents. Jestina Mukoko was held in solitary confinement for 19 days.

Two clerics have joined Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu, the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, in fasting in solidarity with the suffering people of Zimbabwe.

Anglican bishops and other church leaders in Southern African have been maintaining pressure on dictator Robert Mugabe over the past week, calling for action against the Zimbabwean president.