Mugabe needs help
The week's news at a glance.
Harare, Zimbabwe
With his country virtually in a state of collapse, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe this week asked South Africa for a huge aid package. Zimbabwe is in the throes of a deadly famine, and there are virtually no functioning farms. The government recently began demolishing shantytowns, creating a huge population of homeless people, many of them children and all of them desperately poor. South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki is willing to help, South African newspapers reported, but only if Mugabe ends the housing demolitions and makes “substantial” reforms.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 explosively funny cartoons about the 4th of July
Cartoons Artists take on liberty and justice for all, a terrifying firework, and more
-
Jeff in Venice: a "triumph of tackiness"?
In the Spotlight Locals protest as Bezos uses the city as a 'private amusement park' for his wedding celebrations
-
Crossword: July 5, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle