HARARE, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The following are news highlights in Zimbabwe's major media outlets on Thursday.

-- Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has ruled out the formation of a government of national unity (GNU) with the opposition MDC-Alliance, saying the ruling ZANU-PF had won an overwhelming people's mandate in the July 30 harmonized elections.

The president, who is also the ruling party's first secretary, said this while opening the 110th Ordinary Session of the Central Committee at ZANU-PF headquarters in Harare on Wednesday.

"After the announcement of the election results by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), ZANU-PF got a two-thirds majority in Parliament which was two times more than what they (MDC-Alliance) got," he said.

"So when you hear them saying we want a GNU, you should ignore them. They are daydreaming. As ZANU-PF you should not even think that there would be a GNU. We don't have any plans for a GNU in our party as ZANU-PF," he said. (The Herald)

-- The 17th edition of the ZANU-PF annual people's conference will focus on laying a firm foundation to improve the country's economic fortunes and uplift citizens' livelihoods.

This was said by president Mnangagwa on Wednesday during an address to Central Committee members at the organ's 110th Ordinary Session. The president acknowledged the economic challenges the country is facing and said some of them are being fuelled by saboteurs.

The conference is running under the theme, "Zimbabwe is Open for Business: Peace, Unity toward an Upper Middle Income Economy by 2030" and begins in earnest in Esigodini, Matabeleland South, on Friday. (The Herald)

-- An inquiry into the illegal sale of state land in urban areas is now 60 percent complete and so far, 75 land barons have been arrested for fraud, theft of trust funds and other corruption-related offenses.

The Zimbabwe government appointed a commission to investigate the irregular sale of state land in and around urban areas in February this year.

It is chaired by Supreme Court Judge Justice Tendai Uchena. The commission's findings will be given to President Mnangagwa. (The Herald)

-- The Tendai Uchena-led commission of inquiry into the sale of state land in and around urban areas has said 50 cases of land fraud are currently under investigation countrywide.

Uchena on Wednesday told journalists in Harare that they are investigating and identifying state land acquired by the Lands and the Local Government ministries for urban development since 2005. (Newsday)

-- As the ZANU-PF conference gets off in earnest in Esigodini, security agents are stressing over the safety of President Mnangagwa and his top aides, as the ruling party converges there for its annual end-of-year get-together. (Daily News) Enditem

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