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Ex-Zimbabwe MP seeks asylum in SA
Former Zimbabwe opposition MP Roy Bennett is seeking political asylum in South Africa, his party says.

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A Zimbabwean minister said there was no reason for him to be given asylum.

"We have never persecuted anybody in Zimbabwe," Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi told the AFP news agency.

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Zimbabwe has announced a huge increase (333,200%) in the cost of health care at public hospitals, as it grapples with the world's highest inflation rate.

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Deputy Health Minister Dr Edwin Muguti told The Herald that people were going to hospitals if they had colds because the fees were so low.

"These increases should lead to a decongestion of casualty departments in our hospitals, leaving specialised personnel to deal with emergency cases only," he said.

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