Top news items in major Zimbabwean media outlets

HARARE, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The following are news highlights in Zimbabwe's major media outlets on Thursday.

-- Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said his state visit to China has been very successful and has given momentum to Zimbabwe's thrust of rebuilding the economy.

In an interview with the China Global Television Network Wednesday, Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe had laid bare its challenges in reviving the economy before China and the Asian giant had given positive responses. Mnangagwa's five-day state visit to China ends on Friday. (The Herald)

-- The three political parties represented in Zimbabwe's parliament have agreed on an electoral code of conduct to deal with political violence which they want incorporated into the Electoral Act.

ZANU-PF Secretary for Legal Affairs Paul Mangwana said the code of conduct had been submitted to the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs for consideration. (The Herald)

-- Former President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace are refusing to remove their property, including furniture and other valuables, from State House, meaning that his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa still has no official residence, more than four months after the nonagenarian resigned after 37 years in power. (Daily News)

-- Various teachers' unions falling under the newly-formed Federation of Zimbabwe Educators' Unions have snubbed a consultative meeting organized by the government to address their grievances, saying they would only attend if the invite was sent directly to their new mother body and not through the "State-linked" Apex Council.

This came as teachers petitioned President Emmerson Mnangagwa last week, threatening to go on strike if the government fails to improve their working conditions by schools opening day in early May. (NewsDay)

-- Zimbabwe could lose approximately 1.1 billion U.S. dollars in annual revenue if it ratifies the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) inked by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Rwanda about two weeks ago, experts have warned.

This comes as nearly a fifth of continental member states, including economic powerhouses South Africa and Nigeria, have refused to sign the deal.

Calls are growing louder for Harare to exercise caution as it could expose local industries to external attacks. (The Financial Gazette) Enditem