Appearances can deceive big-time.

Perusing the South African media before that country’s general elections in May this year, one would have concluded that the ruling ANC was finished and would face annihilation and pulverisation at the polls. But, alas, no such funeral rites were administered as the ANC won again, albeit with a slightly reduced majority.

Although not on a similar scale, the outcome of two by-elections held in Zimbabwe last week was similarly instructive after the pulverisation of the ruling

Zanu PF forecast by some sections of the media did not happen, but, in fact, the complete opposite emerged.

Before the by-elections, MDC secretary for elections Jacob Mafume was cocksure that the polls would be a walkover for his party; that they were merely going

through the motions because victory was certain.

Mafume, in his typical boastful manner, blurted: “It is now clear to all and sundry that Zanu PF has failed. They no longer allow those in rural areas to sell their maize. There are no jobs. There is no education, and there is no electricity. There is also no good

healthcare. With all this, no person in their right mind can vote for Zanu PF.”

But independent opposition politician Margaret Dongo might have identified one of the factors as to why the MDC got it so monumentally wrong, pointing out how

the main opposition party’s allies in the non-governmental organisation (NGO) sector, who have been tacitly doing the political groundwork for the MDC, are now

a force on their own, with competing and rival interests even against the MDC itself.

In an interview conducted by celebrated author, archivist and documentary film-maker Joyce Jenje-Makwenda, published this week, Dongo observed that NGOs had become a self-perpetuating lucrative business; that they now exist for their own sake.More in Home

Dongo said: “You will find that they (NGOs) have money for salaries, travel allowances and posh cars, but they do not have money for projects or to

finish projects despite the fact that the donor has spent millions on women empowerment in every aspect, be it political, maternal health or domestic violence.

They (donors) do not evaluate on the ground to see if they are making any progress. There is a syndicate or a cartel which speaks donor language, and these are

used to write reports. The donors just evaluate the written reports.” Precisely.

As one can see, it’s not a coincidence that these NGOs are double-dipping and carefully navigating between donors and the MDC to maximise from both. To keep

donor funding flowing in, they have to point out that they are filling the gap caused by failings of the government.

But the paradox of it all is that it’s not in their greedy interest for the opposition to replace the government. Victory for the opposition is an existential threat to them; it is a threat to their very existence. The day the government fully delivers, these NGOs are out of a job.

That is why after decades with NGOs on the ground, poverty still rules in rural areas.

The complete eradication of poverty in rural areas, which the MDC has been promising to do, is an existential threat to NGOs.

It is the same operative manipulative logic and business model, so to speak, used by global pharmaceutical cartels to corner the market for some medicines.

For instance, cheaply available insulin, used in the treatment of diabetes, is a big threat to pharmaceutical firms’ profits to the extent that these pharmaceuticals ignore their responsibility to humanity at large in order to make money for their shareholders.

That is why more than a century after its discovery, insulin is still expensive despite the fact that its price should have gone down because

it’s inexpensively made and hundreds of millions use it. Likewise, NGOs have taken the space in rural areas, but want to keep on monopolising it because there

is a lot of money to be made.

Not to mention that the intensity and virulence of attacks on the ruling party by the largely anti-Zanu PF private media has, in the long run, had the

unintended opposite and positive effect of keeping Zanu PF on its toes to quickly rectify whenever it is exposed as falling short. Indeed, the private media

has served as the best adviser to Zanu PF while making the opposition fall into complacency by not similarly admonishing it as and when necessary.

The by-election results also show the folly of linear thinking in politics. People vote for many and varied reasons. Americans who considered themselves to be

non-racist voted for Donald Trump, who has made racist statements, in the 2016 presidential election.

And loyalty does not just evaporate like dew with sunrise. We saw it in South Africa where voters largely stuck by the ruling ANC in the general election held

this year.

Interviewed shortly before the elections, some residents in Marikana in South Africa’s North West province indicated that they would vote for the ANC despite some leaders being “corrupt”.

One of them, Mzwandile Ngqothwana, said although the party had been embroiled in corruption allegations, he would still vote for it. He said: “I am ready to vote for the ANC, although it is a corrupt party. I am ready to give them my vote again.

I am still going to vote for the same government because some of us are employed because of this government… Better the devil you know than the one you don’t know. They are corrupt, but what can we say?”

That’s realism, if you ask me. Tangibles have been delivered to rural folk in Zimbabwe — not that the arrest of MDC MP Job Sikhala had a knock-on effect on the rural voters, resulting in the Bikita loss, as lamely claimed by Masvingo provincial chairperson James Gumbi. We are talking of real sustained deliverables, not the token, piecemeal contributions by corrupt NGOs to keep donor funds rolling in at the expense of the suffering people.

Just like Ngqothwana, Peter Mathonzi said he would vote for the ANC because of its history. Mathonzi joined the ANC in 1994.

“I am a member of the ANC; I am very active,” he said. “I vote for the ANC, no matter what. The leaders are the ones who disappoint us, but I won’t abandon my organisation just because of certain leaders ruining it. The ANC has not failed me; only certain groups within the party have failed me.”

It’s not me who said it, but that is how people, whose collective vote decides election results, see it. And it’s their democratic right to see things the way they want — which is exactly what happened in the just-ended by-elections.

So, Mafume is the one who is completely lost to say “no person in their right mind can vote for Zanu PF”.

That misguided utterance alone, which rubs voters the wrong way – not rigging or corruption — is why the MDC loses to Zanu PF much of the time.

It has been reported that the late former President Robert Mugabe’s widow Grace and daughter, Bona have received title deeds for the land on which the Blue Roof Mansion and Bona’s residence were built.

Last month the Mugabe family embarrassed ZANU PF after snubbing a heroes acre burial opting instead to bury the Late Robert Mugabe in his rural home of Kutama.

The Former President was laid to rest in a private ceremony, comprising of only close family members.

Many speculated that Mnangagwa would exact revenge but recent events have proved otherwise. Speaking to The Daily News Publication, ZANU PF Secretary For Administration Obert Mpofu confirmed the development.

Obert Mpofu, however, said that the dispute between the Mugabes and property owners who wanted part of the Blue Roof back was a private matter.

Said Mpofu:

We have done the process of transferring the properties.

The Mugabes are being persued through Zimbabwe courts by aggrieved parties who where left in the cold when Grace siezed Mazowe farms and Blue Roof property.

Labour Economists and Afrikan Democrats joined that fight against sanctions because we are cognizant of the fact that sanctions are a form of economic warfare in Zimbabwe that has brought immense suffering on the masses in Zimbabwe.

As LEAD we are engaging with local communities and grassroots citizens having meetings discussing the effects of sanctions and the importance of speaking with one voice to push for sanctions to be lifted.

The most important ways to fight these sanctions are:

1. Create a national campaign to educate our people that sanctions are warfare that is destroying our nation. We are currently doing this at party level and have seen CSCJF also doing door to door campaigns educating citizens on sanctions.
2. Inform people and make it clear that the sanctions which were deployed by a national emergency by the American President are war and defense measures that can be escalated to a military invasion by an instruction by the same President if the Americans do not neutralize that threat that they believe Zimbabwe poses to their national, economic and security interest.

This already happened a number of times in South America, Serbia, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Somalia.

1. Teaching them to love the nation and each other to be willing to die for the nation as the first step to fight sanctions.
2. Getting them to unite as countrymen who understand that they need each other to progress. We can’t fix Zimbabwe’s problems if we are divided.
3. We are organizing people into community and social organizations to address the problems we have that allow the sanctions to be effective.
4. We are calling on all progressive political parties and civic organisations to work with us as we seek to define, establish and build a national interest, identity and common interest to galvanize us to work towards a transformative developmental state.
5. Addressing previous pains and divisions that polarized us to build reconciliation through traditional and spiritual means using our traditional leaders, elders and not politicians.
6. Creating trust, responsibility and accountability for each other and our nation.
7. Getting us to collectively invest, innovate, export, import substitute, solve problems, build, mine, farm, save and produce together to build the nation.
8. Lobbying Govt to call a national emergency against sanctions.
9. With that we must stand together as a nation to create noise and inform the world that the US, her European allies, Australia and Canada (our colonizers) have imposed economic war, sabotage and destabilization that is killing people, displacing millions, destroying the economy and making people suffer to change government undemocratically to force the country to give its resources to the sanctions senders.
10. We are lobbying and conducting public engagements to create enough global awareness about these sanctions and the fact that they are violating 16mil Zimbabwean social, cultural and economic human rights for American and western economic interests. If push comes to shove we shall go and camp outside US Embassy.
11. As a concerned alternative party in Zimbabwe we are on the process of forming partnerships with other countries who are sanctioned by the west.
12. We are forging a drive for African political, economic and social unity because sanctions will be used to continue to subjugate African countries for strategic resources as they run out across the world and Africa increases control.

If we succeed in doing this. We will have the glue to make every Zimbabwean feel like they are a part of building Zimbabwe and a part of each other.

Each Zimbabwean from the civil servant, man on the street, worker, business man would feel like a contributor to building our home, Zimbabwe.

That way we create a new value system, sense of belonging and ownership that makes it difficult for people to steal, corrupt or sabotage what they have built together.

And for those who don’t have the sense of ownership, they will be pressured by the cultural change of collective common weal to toe the line by those who feel like owners.

United we stand, divided we fall.

Linda Masarira-Kaingidza
LEAD President

CHIEF Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda has advised Cabinet members that the next Cabinet meeting will be held tomorrow, at the usual venue.

Cabinet traditionally sits on Tuesday at Munhumutapa Government Offices in Harare.

In a statement, Dr Sibanda advised members to report for the meeting at the usual time.

“The Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda, hereby advises all Cabinet members that the next (this) week’s Cabinet meeting shall be held on Monday 21 October 2019 (tomorrow) at the usual time and venue. Members should, therefore, take note of this change and plan accordingly,” read the statement.

The reschedule is to allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to leave for Russia on Tuesday.

Farai Dziva|Government has claimed that the cause of vendor Tafadzwa Tamangani’s death will be ascertained after a postmortem.

“Govt would like to inform the public of the death in custody of an individual who was on remand in the custody of Prisons and Correctional Services.

The individual was remanded in a condition of unwellness and immediate medical care was sought for him and he was hospitalised.

He was attended to by doctors. All deaths in custody are thoroughly investigated. We now await the result of a postmortem to ascertain cause of death.

We wish to convey our condolences to the bereaved family and friends of the deceased. May his soul rest in peace,” the Ministry of Information said in a statement.

VIDEO LOADING BELOW…

Farai Dziva|In a statement clearly meant to dilute the impact of MDC leader Nelson Chamisa’s visits to hospitals, government has claimed that “some politicians are violating patients’ rights.”

Chamisa paid impromptu visits to Harare and Parirenyatwa Hospitals where he described the situation at the country’s major health centres as pathetic.Chamisa also visited popular actor Gringo, real name Lazarus Boora in hospital last week.

In a statement the Ministry of Health and Child Care “warned politicians against unwarranted visits to hospitals.

See below an article that was published by a state run weekly publication:

GOVERNMENT has warned politicians, activists and media practitioners against unwarranted visits to hospitals, adding that such action violates the rights of patients.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said Section 57 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution provides the right to privacy.

“There has been a recent increase in the number of political actors, activists and the media making unauthorised visits to hospitals under different guises and pretexts,” noted the ministry in the statement.
“These invasions of patients’ privacy are unwarranted and are unacceptable.

When in hospitals, patients expect to have therapeutic encounters with doctors, nurses and other caregivers and not political actors leading media crews to record their most private and vulnerable moments…

“We urge all stakeholders including politicians and members of the media to respect the right of others to privacy as enshrined in Section 57 of our constitution,” reads part of the statement.

The Ministry called those intending to visit patients in hospitals to adhere to stipulated visiting times. Hospitals, the statement further reads, should not be used as venues for political grandstanding.

“Hospitals have stipulated visiting hours and limits the number of visitors to two at a time for the reason of controlling possible cross infections as well as compromising care and security of patients,” read the statement.
“Hospitals need to get authorisation from each and every patient before allowing strangers to have access to patients and their medical information.
“This is an international norm which Zimbabwe upholds.

Hospitals are not and should not be used as a venue for rallies.”State media

Olinda Chapel-Nkomo, the wife of Njabulo “Tytan Skhokho” Nkomo has been convicted of driving without a licence or insurance on 3 October this year and has been fined £760 and docked 6 penalty points by the Oxford Magistrates’ Court.

This development was revealed by the Oxford Mail website whilst giving updates of Scales of Justice: latest results from Oxfordshire’s courts. The website said:

OLINDA NKOMO, 35, of Pontefract Road, Bicester, admitted driving without a licence or insurance on the B4030, Weston-on-the-Green on October 3. Fined £760, must pay a victim surcharge of £66 and court costs of £85. Six penalty points.

By A Correspondent- Former Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Prisca Mupfumira is set to lose her Senate seat in Parliament and Central Committee position in the ruling Zanu-PF party after Mashonaland West province — where she comes from — recommended the party to recall her.

In an interview, party provincial chairman Cde Ziyambi Ziyambi said the province resolved to recall Mupfumira from being a Central Committee member and Senator.

 “We have already met as PCC and wrote a letter to the Secretary of Administration Dr Obert Mpofu, Legal Affairs Cde Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana as well as the National chairperson Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri advising them of our decision to recall Mupfumira as a Central Committee member and from being a Senator,” said Ziyambi.

He said this was in line with Section 129 (I) (k) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

The section states that: “A seat of a Member of Parliament becomes vacant if the member has ceased to belong to the political party of which he or she was a member when elected to Parliament and the political party concerned, by written notice to the Speaker or the President of the Senate, as the case may be, has declared that the member has ceased to belong to it.”

Mupfumira’s criminal abuse of office charges date back to her time as Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister. 

The Mashonaland West provincial Coordinating Committee is expected to meet tomorrow to discuss her fate and the anti-sanctions programme. 

Mupfumira was recently granted bail after spending nearly two months in custody. She is facing seven counts of criminal abuse of office involving US$95 million.

President Mnangagwa relieved Mupfumira of her duties in early August on the basis that her conduct was not in line with that expected of a Government Minister.

The President has made it clear that he does not tolerate corruption, and those engaging in it risked punishment despite their standing and positions.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Rusape villagers allegedly ganged up and fatally assaulted a 14-year-old boy accused of stealing a hen from one of their colleague, last week.

Three of them – Jonathan Elias (43), Michael Bhunu (47), of Kasvosve Village and Ambrose Gogo (42), of Mugadza village, under Chief Makoni – have since been arrested in connection with the offence.

The other two – Christopher and Abel Nyatoro – have been declared fugitives from justice.

Police are appealing for information leading to their arrest.

Elias, Bhunu and Gogo on Tuesday appeared before Rusape magistrate Mr Gift Manyika facing murder charges.

The three were not asked to plead.

They were remanded in custody and advised to apply for bail at the High Court.

The lower court does not have jurisdiction over murder cases.

The Nyatoros allegedly fled the village upon realising that they had committed murder.

Prosecutor Miss Theresa Mangwende told the court that the five allegedly caught the victim, who was in Grade 7 at a local school, in possession of Jonathan Elias’s hen in a nearby mountain.

The suspects allegedly took turns to assault the victim with sticks all over the body.

The boy died two days later as a result of the assault.

“On October 11, 2019, at Mupfumi village at about 0500hrs, the deceased, Watson Gogo was alleged to have stolen a hen from Jonathan Elias the previous night. Elias together with Christopher and Abel Nyatoro, who are at large, followed the boy’s footprints from the fowl run into the bush where they allegedly discovered him with the stolen hen.

“They (allegedly) apprehended the boy and took him to Ambrose Gogo’s homestead.

“Michael Bhunu arrived while the boy was at Gogo’s homestead.

“The accused persons, including those on run, assaulted the deceased with sticks all over the body.

“On October 13, 2019 the victim died, before being taken to hospital, as a result of the injuries,” said Miss Mangwende.

-ManicaPost

By A Correspondent- Power utility Zesa recently cut power supplies to Mutare City Council and Chipinge Town Council in a bid to recover several millions of dollars owed by the two local authorities.

Mutare City and Chipinge Town Council owe Zesa over $2 million and $1 million, respectively.

The local authorities’ representatives confirmed the disconnections which led to erratic water supplies in their respective areas of jurisdiction. Mutare city council spokesperson Mr Spren Mutiwi said they have since submitted a payment plan to the power utility.

“It is true that ZESA had disconnected us due to a debt worth $2,1 million. It was a legacy debt that was accumulated from 2017 going backwards.

“Our electricity was disconnected for two days, on Saturday and Sunday, but the situation returned to normalcy after engaging Zesa on Monday.

“We had a fruitful meeting with them and we agreed on a payment plan. The payment plan allows us to pay our debt as well as the current amount,” said Mr Mutiwi.

He admitted that their operations were disrupted during the power blackout.

“As council we are one of Zesa’s big clients, and we depend on them for power because most of our operations need electricity. Some operations were affected as a result of the power shut down,” said Mr Mutiwi.

He said going forward council will stop paying electricity bills for those renting council properties to cut costs.

“One of the things that increased our debt was the issue of tenants whose electricity bills council was responsible for, but going forward we will not be responsible for the payment.

“They will pay directly to Zesa as we can no longer afford to subsidise them,” said Mr Mutiwi.

“We cannot blame Zesa for disconnecting us, it is their mandate to generate revenue. As an authority we are also collecting revenue from our clients, including Zesa.”

Zesa last week also disconnected the cash-strapped Chipinge Town Council main water station at Bangazani Dam in a bid to compel them to settle the $1 million debt.

Chipinge went dry for three days without water. Water was only restored after Zesa and the council hammered a deal yesterday.

The council attributed the ballooning debt to Zesa’s recent tariff hike by over 400 percent and failure by the residents to pay rates.

Previously, the council was paying $24,000 per month, which has sharply risen to $84 000 a month. Council chairperson Mr Zivanai Nyakuchena said revenue collection was dwindling with only 30 percent of residents paying on time.

“ZESA disconnected Chipinge Town Council’s Bangazani pump house because we owe them over $1 million. We are only receipting $44 000 per month, a figure which is low to generate water. We are facing challenges in buying chemicals.  The chemicals are being charged using the parallel market rate.

“Council has engaged Zesa and it has been agreed that the current monthly bill of $80 000 be paid to enable re-connection. Therefore, those owing council rates must pay,” he said.

In another development, the council has lost newly installed solar streets lights worth thousands of dollars due to vandalism and theft.

Each solar street light costs $14,000. Chipinge town engineer Mr Paul Mlauzi said no arrests have been made.

“The council is in the process of installing solar street lights in town and suburbs but the efforts are being militated by vandalism and theft. We had installed 30 solar street lights, but six were vandalised and stolen on October 14,” he said.-

-Manicapost

By A Correspondent- President Mnangagwa has rejected proposals by the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) to have a seven-year moratorium on elections saying secular systems are run on laws which are bound by constitutions and statutes.

In a 19-page response to ZHOCD delivered yesterday, the President expressed gratitude to the church leaders’ willingness to search for solutions that can take the nation forward, but emphasised that all ideas, proposals and practices should be in compliance with the laws of the land.

“Expectedly, my Government’s response to the ZHOCD document is shaped by, and has to be understood in the context of legal imperatives arising from Zimbabwe’s own laws, principally the Constitution which is the supreme law of the Land.

“Let me emphatically state, at the outset, that my office is a creature of the Constitution and laws of Zimbabwe, both which I am sworn to uphold, defend, obey and respect to their letter and spirit,” he said.

He said the principles of good governance, which bind the State and all institutions and agencies of Government at every level, include a multiparty democratic political system, universal adult suffrage and equality of votes; free, fair and regular elections, orderly transfer of power following election, respect to the rights of all political parties; observance of the separation of powers and respect for the people of Zimbabwe, from whom the authority to govern is derived.

“Chapter 5 of our Constitution provides for the Executive Authority of Zimbabwe which I lead as President. Section 88 (1) provides as follows:

“Executive authority derives from the people of Zimbabwe and must be exercised in accordance with this Constitution,” Mnangagwa said.

He added that Section 90 (1) obliges the President to: “…. uphold, defend, obey and respect this Constitution as the supreme law of the nation” and to “ensure that this Constitution and all the other laws are faithfully observed.”

The President said the proposals by leaders of the ZHOCD ought to be consistent and compatible with the letter and spirit of the land- the Constitution. Anything ultra vires the Constitution, would not pass the overarching test of constitutionality.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Only 32 percent of all children between the ages of four and five are currently accessing Early Childhood Development Education (ECD), which was made mandatory by Government in 2014, as parents and guardians are being increasingly spooked by exorbitant fees charged by private institutions.

Most of the affected children are in urban areas. Public schools are currently unable to absorb all children that intend to enrol for ECD.

Director responsible for Learner Welfare, Psychological Services and Special Needs Education in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Ms Kwadzanai Nyanungo said the 2018 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee Report indicated that only 628 826 learners had managed to enrol for both ECD A and ECD B, which translated to a net enrolment rate of 31,9 percent.

Chitungwiza is the most affected, with half of the four- and five-year-olds failing to access ECD.

Speaking at a workshop organised by the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development and the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), Ms Nyanungo said Government’s aim was neither to encourage privatisation nor commercialisation of a basic right — education.

“You will be surprised that some of them (private institutions) charge a box of tiles, groceries that the young child cannot eat and toiletries for a family of ten. Private players charge so much, so that is why people are not taking their children there,” she said.

“For us, the long-term solution as Government is to take away the demand by offering affordable, standard, quality early childhood development, supervised by qualified school heads and provided by qualified personnel in registered schools.”

The decision to make it mandatory for every child to undergo nine years of basic education came out of the Nziramasanga commission of inquiry set up in 1998 to recommend an ideal educational curriculum needed to drive Zimbabwe into the 21st century.

However, public schools have been overwhelmed, and private players — most of whom insist on payment in US dollars — are now taking advantage.

The Sunday Mail made a random survey of some of the standard requirements by private institutions.

An ECD centre in Glen View recently sent a circular to parents advising that school fees from September had been pegged at US$20 per month.

In addition, the monthly transport fare was set between US$12 and US$15 per child, depending on location.

The grocery list per term included 2kg sugar, 2 litres cooking oil, 2kg Red Seal or Mahatma Rice, 500 grammes of powdered milk and two packets of Fattis and Moni’s spaghetti or four packets for Bella-branded spaghetti.

There are also mandatory trips, which attract US$20 for visits in and around Harare.

Mr Taurai Taonezvi from Glen View said it was now more expensive to send a child for ECD than for secondary education.

“You are charged fuel to ferry a child who lives a stone-throw away from school. And, we pay for these educational tours pegged in US dollars all because we do not want our children to be left out,” he said.

Another parent, Ms Chenai Masamvi, said the grocery list was suspicious.

“We buy groceries per term and in addition to that, you have to pack food and a drinking bottle for your child. Then, you wonder where and when those groceries are being consumed.”

According to World Bank, ECD refers to the physical, cognitive, linguistic and socio-emotional development of a child from the prenatal stage up to age eight. The development happens in a variety of settings for instance homes, schools, health facilities, community based centres and involves a wide range of activities from child care to nutrition to parent education. Providers of services can include public, private and non governmental agencies.

-StateMedia

A Harare bound Silverstone bus has been involved in a road accident near Masvingo from Johannesburg. No casualty has been reported.

More details to follow….

View pictures below….

By A Correspondent- Local Bus manufacturer AVM has been roped in, to manufacture assemble 300 Buses, the state media reports.

The 300 out of the 500 busses from Belarus will be designed for the local terrain especially for the rural areas In Zimbabwe.

This was revealed by the Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo who spoke to the publication and said:

I requested that of the 500 that are being procured, some have to be assembled here because my view was that the type of the body of the bus was not suitable for rural areas. We wanted to modify the body so that it can suit our terrain.

The remaining 200 buses will come from Belarus where the president made the deal earlier this year to have 500 buses from Belarus in a bid to revamp mass public transportation in Zimbabwe.

-StateMedia

BREAST cancer survivor and politician, Dr Thokozani Khupe says the Government through the Ministry of Health and Child Care should build more cancer treatment facilities in all wards so as to increase accessibility and save lives.

Dr Khupe, through the Thokozani Khupe Cancer Foundation (TKCF) said increasing the number of facilities for screening and treatment would change the fortunes of many women in need of the vital services.

“As the TKCF we would like to implore the Government to build cancer treatment centres in all the 1 958 wards in order for cancer treatment facilities to be accessible. Currently in Zimbabwe there are two cancer treatment facilities which are at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo and Parirenyatwa in Harare,” she said.

Dr Khupe, who is also the president of MDC said the centres are supposed to service every citizen but there were challenges because they have not been established.

Breast and cervical cancer which are the most common in Zimbabwe are screened throughout the country with United Bulawayo Hospitals having a dedicated Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIAC) unit where women can be screened for cancers.

Dr Khupe said many women were succumbing to cancers due to lack of knowledge and late detection.

“Cancer is indisputably a rising epidemic which is now worse than HIV. The sad reality is, women in Africa only discover that they have breast cancer when their cancer is at stage three or four, due to lack of awareness and barriers to health services. Stages three and four are advanced stages such that very little can be done,” she said.

Dr Khupe said early detection was vital in that treatment can be sought and can be effective.

She said as part of the initiative to raise awareness of breast cancer which is commemorated every year in October there was a need to ensure that both men and women were screened.

“We are calling on all women and men to do self-breast examination every month and to get cancer screening because breast cancer does not only affect women. It affects men as well. Once cancer is detected early it can be treated,” she said.

Dr Khupe said she was a living testimony that one can be treated successfully for cancer.

“I am a living testimony as I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 and here I am today totally cured. I discovered my cancer early and I went through treatment and this is my eighth year now,” she said.

TKCF joins other major breast cancer charities and organisations across the world to increase awareness on breast cancer and other cancers which include cervical cancer, as early detection saves lives. 

The foundation was started in October 2012 after the former Deputy Prime Minister was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2011. 

For the past seven years since its inception, the TKCF has conducted cancer awareness programmes not only in October but throughout the whole year especially in rural areas. 

She said the foundation will continue to do awareness programmes, advocate for cancer treatment so that it is accessible, available and affordable. 

The Breast Cancer Awareness Month, marked in countries across the world every October, helps to increase attention and support for the awareness, early detection and treatment as well as palliative care of the disease.

According to the World Health Organisation there is insufficient knowledge on the cause of breast cancer, therefore early detection of the disease remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control.

-State Media

WORK on the expansion of the Hwange Power Station Stage 7 and 8 expansion is on track with 26 percent ground work having been covered so far, Sunday Business has learnt.

The Government contracted Chinese company, Sinohydro for the thermal project expected to inject an additional 600MW thermal power plant at a cost of US$1,5 billion and set to be commissioned by 2022.

Speaking during a briefing with the Minister of Energy and Power Development Advocate Fortune Chasi before a tour of the expansion project on Thursday, project site manager Engineer Edmund Mukahandira said although they had missed the 27 percent target this time they were on track as measures were in place to recoup lost time. “Though we had targeted to have covered 27,8 percent we have, however, managed 26,7 percent of the project. We  are putting measures in place to recoup lost time so that we meet our December target of 30 percent. While the power station is being built, work is also underway for the transmission line where 95 percent of the land-clearing phase has been covered. While we have existing infrastructure there is going to be new one which will comprise 1 Line 400kV and two sub-stations will be added to the grid for stability to enable transmission of additional power from the new plant,” said Eng Mukahandira.

He said they were working on foundations of Unit 7 boiler and chimney construction while Sherwood B site levelling was underway. “We are currently working on the foundation works of Unit 7 boiler while the construction of the 140m chimney has begun after its foundation was completed. Site levelling of Sherwood B is also underway while the project offices have since been completed.” 

The scope of works to be covered will include construction of boilers, turbines and generators while civil works will involve building of Turbine house, Boiler house, Cooling tower, Chimney, Raw water reservoir, Power station roads, Workshops and Plant control building among others. The plant will also make use of the latest technology in terms of pollution and emission control measures since combustion of coal is a source of air pollution. Outside of a coal handling plant including stacker reclaimer, ash handling plant, the plant will also boost a limestone handling and water treatment plant.

Eng Mukahandira called on the Government to assist in the foreign currency challenges as well as availing diesel, which was also affecting operations at the plant.

“ZPC requires forex for example for payment of consultancy services, counterparty funding and Escrow fund maintenance. The Exim-Import Bank of China, raised serious concern on the transformation of the escrow account from USD account to Zimbabwean dollar as a result of SI 142 of 2019. Delayed IPC 2 & 3 payments No 4 to 8. We are also facing availability of diesel for construction works in which initial projection was 3 million litres. The supplier is not willing to import citing challenges with duty reimbursement hence we are now buying from the  local market for which there is no entitlement to duty refund. We call upon the Government to waiver of duty on diesel or refund in ZWL using spot rate on date of reimbursement.”

Speaking after the tour of the project, Minister Chasi said he was impressed with work done so far and expressed confidence that completion of the power station will be an economic enabler.

“I’m deeply excited by the amount of work done, so far I’m very proud of ZPC and the contractor working here. This is my first time since my appointment that I have come here. There is significant work being done here, this is a very important project for this country that is going to assure us of power.

“The new units done here at the end of it will give us 600MW from 2021 and that will make a huge difference to the power in the country. This is just one of the investments, work is also being done on the other units so all that should give us as a country real confidence, trust and faith that our country is going high.”

The project is set to employ over 4 000 people with 114 housing units earned for construction for some of the workers. 

-State media

By A Correspondent- Kwekwe -based prophet, Clever Kudzanai Mugambiwa, has said his picture circulating on social media wearing a dress is a teaser for an event at his church on Sunday.

The Covenant Family International Church (CFIC) founder’s poster in a dress and make up has set tounges wagging in the religious circles.

Prophet Mugambiwa said it is more of a comedy Sunday as they seek to raise funds to build their church.

“We have organised our Crazy and Fundraising Sunday. So those pictures are teasers. There is a poster with me just like that, we are trying to come up with activities that congregants participate while we raise funds to build our church,” he said.

He said apart from raising funds, the event would also help in cementing social interaction between their members.

“We also preach about love and I believe this will also go a long way in making people love each other.

By A Correspondent- The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage says the Registrar-General’s office will not renew expired passports that still have blank pages as it was against the International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations.

This follows complaints over the delays in passport processing with the Registrar-General’s office passport backlog now surpassing 370 000.

Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Ambassador Cain Mathema told the state media in an interview that the Government will not consider renewing expired passports.

Said Mathema:

“All passports in the world belong to IATA, no passport belongs to any country, we work according to the rules and laws of that organisation. So, if you have a passport that was not used and has expired, in any case why would one have a passport that they are not using, you cannot use it again. You apply for a new one.”

Mathema said Zimbabwe is part of the international community and passports are part of the international community where rules are standard.

“People who do not use their passports until they have expired are simply showing us that they do not need the passports. You cannot apply for a passport and not use it for years and it expires and you expect my office to grant you the permission to use an expired passport because it still has a lot of blank pages, it does not work.

If a passport has expired that’s it, it does not matter how many blank pages it has, it will not work and that is the rule in countries all over the world. We cannot change the international laws because we have a challenge in Zimbabwe of passports.”

-statemedia

WORK on the country’s first state-of-the-art mopani worm (amacimbi) processing plant in Beitbridge is nearing completion, a Cabinet Minister has said.

In a telephone interview with Sunday News Business last Friday, Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Dr Sithembiso Nyoni said the Matshiloni Mopani Women Processing Centre was expected to start operations during the first harvest of the edible caterpillars, which usually is between November and January.

The process centre has a solar-powered borehole, solar-powered dryer for the worms, overheard reservoir tanks and a packing factory.

“Construction of the processing centre is nearing completion, only final touches are being undertaken. We are only waiting for the harvesting time to start, thereafter the processing of amacimbi will start,” said Dr Nyoni.

The African Development Bank channelled US$100 000 into the project, which is wholly owned by Rovhona Raita Co-operative with a membership of 106 people, a majority being women. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is providing the technical support for the project in which the two organisations are partnering Government. The project, which is expected to spin thousands of dollars when fully operational, is in line with ILO’s Decent Work Agenda promoting creation of opportunities for productive work.

“This is basically a wholly-owned womens’ project spearhead by a co-operative and we have since facilitated the formation of a company to make sure that it’s run professionally by directors and managers with the traditional leadership and local authority officials having a buy-in,” said Dr Nyoni.

Amacimbi are found in abundance in Matabeleland South Province especially in Gwanda, Insiza, Kezi, Mangwe, Beitbridge and Bulilima districts and are mostly collected from the wild. In Zimbabwe, amacimbi are a staple part of the diet and are considered a delicacy. They can be eaten dry, as crunchy as potato chips, or cooked and drenched in sauce and pack a serious nutritional punch, consisting 60 percent protein and high levels of iron and calcium.

“Scientific studies have proved that consumption of junk food (pre-prepared or packaged food that has low nutritional value) leads to a number of health complications. Thus, we are encouraging people to consume traditional meals such as ulude and amacimbi, which don’t have any side effects. Amacimbi are high in protein and roughage,” said Dr Nyoni.

The processing of the edible caterpillar is expected to play a huge role in empowering women through the income generated from the project.

“The centre will play a big part in improving issues do with hygiene when processing the worms because the traditional way of processing them has been more of a health hazard. Women are also expected to generate income from the project,” said Dr Nyoni.

-State Media

A Rondebosch youth leader facing 47 sex abuse charges could face a 10-year prison sentence if a plea bargain he agreed to with the State on Friday is accepted by the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court, the Weekend Argus reported on Saturday.

Nicknamed “Porn Pastor”, who had worked at Common Ground Church, reportedly three weeks ago did an about turn when he declared that he intended to stand trial in hopes of a lesser sentence than the 15-year imprisonment and five years suspended which he had agreed to after almost a year of negotiations with the State.

He faces 47 charges relating to seven male victims aged between 12 and 17. According to the publication, these include encouraging, enabling, instructing or persuading a child to perform a sexual act; compelled self-sexual assault; sexual grooming of children; and possession of child pornography.

News24 in September last year reported on the man’s arrest on the church premises after he was reported to police by the parents of one of his alleged victims. The child was 14 years old.

The youth leader allegedly pretended to be a girl and exchanged naked photos with the boys via social media.

Police after his arrest said the suspect threatened the boys with “online exposure” when they decided to stop sending photos.

The children would seek advice from him on how to handle the online bullying, and the youth leader would advise them to continue doing what the individual wanted, SAPS said at the time.

The police’s Serial and Electronic Crimes Investigation section of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit arrested the pastor following a joint investigation with the Hawks and the US’s Homeland Security.

Authorities also seized several electronic items including cellphones, a laptop, a tablet and memory cards.

Six months later, while out on R1 000 bail, he was again arrested, this time for charges related to the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act.

The man cannot be identified as his plea has not yet been heard and accepted in court.

-News24

By A Correspondent- Government has warned politicians, activists and media practitioners against random visits to hospitals citing that it’s a violation of the patient’s right. 

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said Section 57 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution provides the right to privacy.

“There has been a recent increase in the number of political actors, activists and the media making unauthorised visits to hospitals under different guises and pretexts,” noted the ministry in the statement.

“These invasions of patients’ privacy are unwarranted and are unacceptable.

The Ministry called those intending to visit patients in hospitals to adhere to stipulated visiting times and not use hospital as venues for making thinly veiled political statements.

“Hospitals need to get authorisation from each and every patient before allowing strangers to have access to patients and their medical information.

Hospitals are not and should not be used as a venue for rallies.”

Jane Mlambo| Under fire from the public over his endless trips in and out of the country, President Emmerson Mnangagwa could be flying again if the announcement to move the cabinet meeting from Tuesday to Monday is anything to go by.

Many times when cabinet meetings are moved to Monday, Mnangagwa will be travelling out of the country.

Cabinet traditionally sits on Tuesday at Munhumutapa Government Offices in Harare.

In a statement, Chief Secretary to The President and cabinet Misheck Sibanda advised cabinet ministers to report for the meeting at the usual time.

“The Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda, hereby advises all Cabinet members that the next (this) week’s Cabinet meeting shall be held on Monday 21 October 2019 (tomorrow) at the usual time and venue. Members should, therefore, take note of this change and plan accordingly,” read the statement.

THE Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage says the Registrar-General’s office will not renew expired passports that still have blank pages as it was against the International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations.

This comes following concerns from the public over the continued delays in the processing of passports in the country. The Registrar-General’s office has reported that the passport backlog has now surpassed 370 000. 

Most people who are applying for new passports say they have old passports with many blank pages, resulting in calls for the Government to consider extending the lifespan of such documents.

However, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Ambassador Cain Mathema told Sunday News in an interview that the Government will not consider extending the lifespan of expired passports.

“All passports in the world belong to IATA, no passport belongs to any country, we work according to the rules and laws of that organisation. So, if you have a passport that was not used and has expired, in any case why would one have a passport that they are not using, you cannot use it again. You apply for a new one,” he said.

Minister Mathema said Zimbabwe is part of the international community and passports are part of the international community where rules are standard. 

“People who do not use their passports until they have expired are simply showing us that they do not need the passports. You cannot apply for a passport and not use it for years and it expires and you expect my office to grant you the permission to use an expired passport because it still has a lot of blank pages, it does not work. If a passport has expired that’s it, it does not matter how many blank pages it has, it will not work and that is the rule in countries all over the world. We cannot change the international laws because we have a challenge in Zimbabwe of passports.”

He said the situation concerning access to passports was not yet desperate and efforts were being made to ensure that people have travel documents. Minister Mathema said people should be patient as Government has not failed to issue passports but the process was being hindered by the shortage of foreign currency to procure booklets and paper to print the documents.

He encouraged members of the public to continue applying for passports despite the challenges which he said would be rectified as a matter of time. He said it was a Constitutional right to access the vital documents that enable people to travel outside the country. The Registrar-Generals office says it is able to process 750 urgent passports per day.

The country also stopped issuing Emergency Travel Documents more than four years ago after most countries in the region turned them down.

-State Media

Government will ‘thoroughly’ investigate the death in custody of one of the 11 suspects that were arrested in the capital last week for allegedly assaulting a police officer.

The Ministry Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services announced the death of Hilton Tamangani (29) on its twitter handle yesterday.

“Government would like to inform the public of the death in custody of an individual who was on remand in the custody of (Zimbabwe) Prisons and Correctional Services,” it said.

“The individual was remanded in a condition of unwellness and immediate medical care was sought for him and he was hospitalised.

“He was attended to by doctors. All deaths in custody are thoroughly investigated. We now await the result of a post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death. We wish to convey our condolences to the bereaved family and friends of the deceased. May his soul rest in peace.”

The deceased lawyer, Kudzayi Kadzere of Kadzere, Hungwe and Mandevere Legal Practitioners, claims his client succumbed to injuries sustained after he was assaulted by police. He, however, indicated that he had not seen the post-mortem results.

“The information that we have is that he was heavily assaulted by police with button sticks and booted feet at the time of arrest, and he succumbed to those injuries.

“The official report of his death is yet to come out and its not clear if he was receiving treatment while in custody,” he said.

Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said he could not comment as the matter was subjudice.

“The case is before the courts and we cannot comment. Those allegations were also raised in court and the court directed us to investigate, so to comment on that issue will be contempt because its subjudice.”

Efforts to get a comment from Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) were fruitless yesterday.

Tamangani was arrested along with Evans Chinyanga (39), Tichaona Maziya (22), Petros Kaesa (44), Tafadzwa Madziwa (23), Lovemore Chitengo(42), Robson Mutseta (31), Hillary Nyawasha (29), Denford Mlambo (41), Blessing Chirodza (41) and David Tawanda Tekere (35).

The State alleges that the suspects pounced on a police officer , Tatenda Sibiya, who was standing at the intersection of Julius Nyerere Way and Kwame Nkrumah Avenue.

They allegedly took turns to punch and clap him, ordering him to leave ‘their’ area. Tamangani, the State alleged, stole a mobile phone, US$200 and $35 from the police officer during the scuffle.

-State Media

THE A-level pupil who had reported MDC-Alliance Member of Parliament for Magwegwe, Mr Anele Ndebele, for rape, has withdrawn the charges, but maintained that she was having an affair with the legislator.

She withdrew the charges last Thursday, after filing an affidavit at Kezi Police Station.

In the affidavit the girl (19) stated that she had made false charges against Mr Ndebele, saying she was under duress, as she feared a backlash from her parents.
The charges, are, however, yet to be formally dropped in a court of law in Kezi.

“I wish to withdraw a fake report I filed against Anele Ndebele on Monday 14 October. I claimed that he raped me when in actual fact I had an affair with Anele sometime during the festive season and I had consensual sex with him then (sic) the affair ended in February this year, after Anele discovered that I was still at school,” she wrote in the affidavit.

She said she framed him thinking that her parents would call Mr Ndebele to discuss the matter, since they were close.

“I framed him thinking that my parents would call him and discuss the whole matter since Anele worked with my father sometime back.

“Unfortunately, my father was terribly infuriated with the lie to the point that I ended up agreeing to file a police report on rape,” she said.

She said she decided to come clean, after she realised the gravity of the matter and felt guilty.

“On Tuesday 15 October I told my parents the truth, as I was feeling guilty about the lie. I last communicated with the person responsible for my pregnancy in June. My parents are willing to support me and we will handle it as a family,” she said.

Initially the girl had claimed that Mr Ndebele raped her on two occasions, with the first incident occurring in his car, after he had offered her a lift to school. The second incident allegedly occurred at his homestead near the school, where he reportedly raped her several times.

The alleged rape reportedly occurred from some time in April and May this year. A girl’s relative told SundayNews that the girl decided to come clean after realising the gravity of the case, after it was published in the newspapers.

“The case has been withdrawn but it is yet to be formally dropped in a court of law. She claimed she was raped yet she knew that she had a boyfriend who had impregnated her,” he said.

He said the girl revealed to them that she had lied to Mr Ndebele during the course of their alleged illicit relationship, where she would allegedly masquerade as a student teacher at the school she attends.

A prominent Bulawayo businessman has been dragged to court for allegedly defrauding a fellow businessman of US$290 000 before reportedly trying to swindle a couple of its house to cover up the theft.

Ismail Moosa Lunat was arrested last week in Bulawayo and appeared before Harare provincial magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa, who released him on $3 000 bail.

He was ordered to report thrice a week at Bulawayo Central Police Station.

It is the State’s case that sometime in October 2018, the complainant, Adam Houghton (36), approached his friend Steve Hahn seeking cash as he had money in his bank account.

Hahn was at that time out of the country and referred Houghton to Lunat, resulting in a meeting which culminated in an electronic transfer of US$290 000 into Miraculous Zhou’s Stanzim Investments bank account on October 28 2019.

The duo — Lunat and Zhou — then moved the US$290 000 within a day to various bank accounts, but failed to deliver on their promise to Houghton.

In a frantic bid to recover his money, Houghton made several futile attempts to engage Lunat.

Houghton then made a report to the police, resulting in the arrest of Lunat and Zhou.

Lunat promised to pay back the US$290 000 by January 14 2019, but reneged on his promise.

It is claimed that Lunat and Zhou subsequently approached Houghton on February 3 2019 with a surety of original title deeds of a Bulawayo house belonging to Caroline and Benjamin Ndachengedzwa. The meeting was arranged by Lunat’s acquaintance, Hahn. Houghton then verified the title deeds and discovered that they belonged to the Ndachengedzwa couple.

Police investigations revealed that the title deeds were reported as missing by the Deeds Office in Bulawayo and the Ndachengedzwa couple were actually seeking a replacement.

-State Media

The MDC Member of Parliament for Kambuzuma Hon. Willias Madzimure will today address a public meeting for all the thousands of stranded residents of Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Co-operative in Kambuzuma.

The big meeting is expected to start at around 1pm today.

The venue of the crucial meeting is at PamaGumtree, opposite the Kambuzuma electricity sub-station on your way towards Mereki from Kambuzuma.

The local residents are stuck up in a protracted battle with politically well connected business mogul Billy Rautenbach, who is claiming ownership of the land.

The local Residents Committee and the MP would like to invite both members of the general public and media to attend this crucial meeting

MDC @ 20: Celebrating Courage, Growth and the People’s Victories.

Daniel Molokele
MDC Spokesperson

State Media|President Mnangagwa will this week attend the Russia-Africa summit in Sochi, where he is expected to meet Russian investors including those behind the Darwendale Great Dyke Platinum and the world’s largest diamond company Alrosa.

The mission to Russia is expected to give a boost to the two projects which are key to economic revival as Great Dyke is firming up the platinum project while Alrosa is geared to transform the country’s diamond industry.

Several African Heads of States and Governments have confirmed attendance at the first-ever Russia-Africa summit, that is earmarked to enhance co-operation between Africa and the world’s largest country. The summit runs from Wednesday to Thursday with the first day dedicated exclusively to business.

Zimbabwe’s chief envoy to Russia Ambassador Mike Sango confirmed that President Mnangagwa will meet Great Dyke and Alrosa investors, in engagements expected to snowball other potential investments from Russia. 

“During the Summit H.E President E D Mnangagwa will meet with investors of Great Dyke Investments and Alrosa with a view to give impetus to the implementation of the two mega projects. Other meetings with the President in energy, mining and manufacturing sectors have been organised.

“The success of the two mega projects are critical in attracting other Russian investors. Where big business succeeds, smaller players follow. But if they fail no other business will enter that market. 

“It is, therefore, important that these two investors succeed, otherwise other businesses will shy away from the Zimbabwe market. The two projects, by virtue of their qualitative financial magnitude or complexity, take time to consummate. It is, therefore, critical that all due processes are meticulously done to avoid future conflict or misunderstandings.”

Ambassador Sango said President Mnangagwa would address a business forum where he is expected to sell the Zimbabwe is Open for Business mantra to a host of potential investors.  The President would also give a keynote address to the business round table organised in conjunction with “Business Russia”, an All Russia Public Organisation. 

According to Ambassador Sango, Zimbabwean companies will also take part at the summit where they are expected to open business networks.

“Russia has moved forward in terms of manufacturing and mining technologies. (They) are among global leaders of energy technologies. These are the areas that the Embassy (of Zimbabwe in Russia) has encouraged our sectors to look at more seriously,” he said. 

Zimbabwe’s chief diplomat to Russia said the recent establishment of the Russia-Zimbabwe Business Council has created a platform for continuous interaction between businesses from both countries. Russia has a strong bond with African countries that can be traced to the time the continent waged a struggle against colonisation.

ZANU PF MEMBERS SAY JACOB MUDENDA WAS HARASSED DURING SERBIA INTERVIEW | WAS HE HARASSED?

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) October 20, 2019

INTERVIEW OF ZIMBABWE’S SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT WITH SIMBA CHIKANZA AT THE IN-HOTEL IN SERBIA ON SUNDAY 13TH OCTOBER 2019.

The interview by Simba Chikanza (SC) with Adv Jacob Mudenda was recorded partly on audio and the rest on video. It began with Simba Chikanza showing Adv Mudenda his official name badge presenting himself as a journalist doing research over the Interparliamentary Union ( The Union of all parliaments around the world).

Adv Mudenda was happy doing the brief interview which later became heated.

Watch video below. ..

FULL VIDEO OF INTERVIEW (PLUS AUDIO) LOADING BELOW…

SC: Many of the things that are coming on Zimbabwe; right now, I have just met some Tanzanians who were criticising us, heavily, just here.

Well, we are being told that we are now 7 times worse, more, than when we were during Robert Mugabe times. I think that is one matter that I am going to need a short engagement with you Sir.

Mudenda: There are exigencies (sic)

SC: Excuse me?

Mudenda: There are exigencies (sic)

SC: Let me just, while we are, let me just get a picture with you if you don’t mind Sir.

SC: Right, where are we here? Right so, here. Meeting Advocate Mudenda.

Mudenda: Thank you.

SC: You seem to have forgotten me, I don’t know why.

Mudenda: Yeah, I am trying to recollect.

SC: Splendid. Looking forward, I will be with you shortly.

Mudenda: Yeah

SC: Thank you Sir.

Mudenda: Someone will be joining me soon.

SC: Oh, someone will be joining you?

Mudenda: Yes.

SC: Okay, so someone will be joining you. Okay. So what I will do maybe, once they come maybe, I will go away. I am just having a very light one.

Mudenda: Okay.

SC: Oh, thank you Sir. Yeah, the criticism against us is very scathing, it is very heavy, this gentleman from Tanzania who was saying he runs an NGO, and works between Uganda and Tanzania, and he says your country is now 7 times worse than when Robert Mugabe.

Mudenda: What reasons does he give?

SC: Err, we didn’t go into deep, we didn’t get deeper than that, other than him saying the conduct of both government and institutions. He alleges the judiciary as well, and parliament and he mentioned specifically the withdrawal of allowances. Sir.

Ndokutorerai (shall I get you a ) chair?

SC: Sir, the withdrawal of allowances Advocate Mudenda, that has extremely, extremely criticised yourself. On what basis. You have here a topic, local and international policy analysts here, they say you have caused the deterioration of parliament, and.

Mudenda: I have what?

SC: You have made parliament to deteriorate. The value of parliamentarianism is, should be.

Mudenda: Into what?

SC: You are now a spokesman of a military cartel rather than parliament. And in this case Advocate Mudenda, you have a discussion, a topic, that you yourself, you allowed into parliament, you brought this discussion, and that is the 1 August brutality. It is clear even ZBC broadcast this.

Mudenda: (nod and sound in affirmation).

SC: They broadcast this, announcement that the military would be used to change 2018 election results.

Mudenda: (nod and sound in affirmation).

Mudenda: Yes

SC: The same MPs who are meant to be part of your own parliament Advocate Mudenda, they are part of your parliament. And you are the one who allowed this discussion to get into. You allowed it to be discussed.

Mudenda: No, you see the members of parliament have threatened to go to court, so that matter is subjudice.

SC: Sorry?

Mudenda: The matter is subjudice and I am not discussing that.

SC: Because they have threatened to go to court?

Mudenda: Yeah I’m not discussing that.

SC: But then, Sir, aren’t you concerned?

Mudenda: I am not discussing that.

SC: Aren’t you concerned?

Mudenda: I am not discussing that. I am not discussing that.

SC: That we have a clear matter.

Mudenda: I am not discussing that.

SC: You talked about a threat Sir, you talked about a threat advocate.

Mudenda: I am not discussing that.

SC: You talked about a threat.

Mudenda: Can you stop it. Alright?

SC: Advocate, Advocate, a crime is being committed right now. People are dying.

Mudenda: Go to court. Go to court.

SC: Go to court where? People are dying right now in Zimbabwe advocate.

Mudenda: I am not.

SC: I have got; I have got victims of 1 August.

Mudenda: Can you also respect my point of view. Alright?

SC: Do you also respect the people who are suffering, Sir? Do you respect the victims who still have bullets in their bodies, Sir…the victims who still have bullets in their bodies right now?

Mudenda: Can you stop it. Alright. Can you stop it.

SC: Advocate, Advocate, you are the highest you are the most respected person in Zimbabwe you are here to represent parliamentarianism. What parliamentarianism is. You are the person we refer to; we respect you sir. We respect you. And I’ve come to you to ask you about this thing which we are being criticised for; our nation is being criticised right here, Sir.

Mudenda: Can you still stop it. This is not the forum.

SC: Why is it not the forum Sir?

Mudenda: Can you stop it.

SC: But you are the Speaker of Parliament.

Mudenda: Can you stop it. Haaah.

SC: I have got people who are crying I have got victims. Are you concerned that you are no longer the Speaker of Parliament you are now the Speaker of a military cartel?

Mudenda: Can you stop it.

SC: Stop what advocate, stop what?

Mudenda: Can you stop it.

SC: Stop what?

Mudenda: Can you stop it.

SC: But you are destroying our country. You are destroying a whole community. You are right now, even the perception of our nation (sic) Advocate Mudenda.

Are you happy that parliamentarianism has been violated advocate Mudenda? Tell me.

Mudenda: [NO RESPONSE]

So you are not willing to address concerns about parliamentarianism, you are here to represent parliamentarianism and you are mentally torturing MDC MPs adding to the physical torture to victims of violence on 1 August which was done to change election results and this was broadcast on the ZBC. Advocate Mudenda, you are a respected man. You are the highest, the most respected person Sir.

Mudenda: Can you slow down so I can eat.

SC: I shall slow down, but I hope you realise here, that I have got people who are dying, there is a crime that is being committed.

Mudenda: Can I have my breakfast?

SC: You can sir, you can sir, I shall wait.

A crime is being committed Advocate.

Mudenda: Can you move off can you move off.

SC: I am not Sir.

I have got a legitimate criminal concern here, a legal concern sir;

I have got a legitimate legal concern.

UNKNOWN/ UNNAMED MAN – MUDENDA’S AIDE TRAVELED WITH HIM FROM ZIMBABWE:

Sorry sorry I thought I had given you enough time.

SC: No you can’t do this.

SC: Advocate Mudenda people are dying right now people are dying right now and you are mentally torturing MDC MPs. On what basis do you withdraw their allowances for 5-months merely because they are expressing what you brought before Parliament?

Mudenda: Can you move out.

SC: I am here I am not going to move out I am a guest here and I am also; I am very much here; I am very much here; but I will wait on you because this is important, because you are an employee; you are a civil servant Sir; you are a civil servant. This is your job. This is your job, to be accountable to members of the public; to the international community; to prove that you’re doing the job of a speaker of Parliament not a speaker of a military cartel advocate Mudenda.

ZANU PF MEMBERS SAY JACOB MUDENDA WAS HARASSED DURING SERBIA INTERVIEW | WAS HE HARASSED?

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) October 20, 2019

UNKNOWN/ UNNAMED MAN:

No you cannot shut me I’m going to slow down I will allow him to eat but I’m not going to leave here. I am here I am a guest here; I am an invitee to this conference where you are as well; Thank you.

Tine vanhu varikufa right now hamadzedu dzirikufa kuZimbabwe, akomana, varume, mauya kunoku imimi, saka ndanyarara ikozvino. Ndakumirirai. Ndakumirirai.

This is a legal matter, it is also a criminal matter; I am waiting here.

UNKNOWN/ UNNAMED MAN:

I think the honorable speaker has come here to have something to eat.

SC: Yes I will wait for him. I will wait for him Sir

As you can see I have withdrawn, I have withdrawn, I was sitting there when you are sitting so now I have moved away now so we will wait sir. I have got Zimbabweans who are waiting across inside Zimbabwe and around the world. They’re waiting; this is the most respected person; The highest person in the country in Zimbabwe next to Emmerson Mnangagwa.

UNKNOWN/ UNNAMED MAN:

So why are you shouting?

SC: I am not shouting I am waiting sir.

UNKNOWN/ UNNAMED MAN:

I think it is more about threatening than anything.

SC: What threat did you hear? What threat did you hear there?

UNKNOWN/ UNNAMED MAN:

I haven’t heard.

SC: No no no. Please don’t be unreasonable what threat did you hear here? What threat did you hear tell me, can you justify what you said.

UNKNOWN/ UNNAMED MAN:

Know what I am simply saying you know when you are talking on top of your voice if you really want to interview you the Speaker you should interview in a manner that is (sic).

ZANU PF MEMBERS SAY JACOB MUDENDA WAS HARASSED DURING SERBIA INTERVIEW | WAS HE HARASSED?

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) October 20, 2019

SC: According to your allegations I am quiet. Thank you.

UNKNOWN/ UNNAMED MAN:

Thank you.

POLICE ARE THEN SUMMONED IN AND DISRUPT THE INTERVIEW THEN THE BELOW HAPPENS….

BREAKING – JACOB MUDENDA HUMILIATED AFTER SENDING SERBIAN POLICE TO CHASE AWAY JOURNALIST AFTER BEING CONTRONTED OVER MENTALLY TORTURING MDC MPs AND 1 AUG VICTIMS, WHICH WAS DONE TO CHANGE 2018 ELECTION RESULTS | FULL STORY TO FOLLOW pic.twitter.com/RQwnMVX86m

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) October 13, 2019

LIVE: MUDENDA CONFESSES MNANGAGWA USED MILITARY TO KILL PEOPLE TO CHANGE 2018 ELECTION RESULTS https://www.zimeye.net/2019/10/15/live/ via @ZimEye

Business Times|The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) is probing Gloria Magombo, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Power Development on allegations that she has been drawing a salary from the Zimbabwe Regulatory Authority (ZERA) despite her permanent secretary appointment.

Until her appointment in September last year, Magombo was the CEO of ZERA. Information obtained by Business Times showed that ZACC last week interviewed the acting Zera chief executive, Eddington Mazambani, on why Magombo was withdrawing a salary from the energy regulator.

Insiders say Magombo has been receiving salaries from both the government and ZERA since her appointment as permanent secretary.

Magombo took over from Partson Mbiriri following a reshuffle of permanent secretaries by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Mazambani confirmed ZACC’s inquiry, though insisting that the continued payment of a salary to the former CEO was above board as it had the blessing of the government and the Public Services Commission (PSC).

“Last week I met ZACC officials who were working on that matter and we gave them all the paperwork which showed that the payment of a salary to the former chief executive was above board,” Mazambani said.

“They also spoke to the PSC chairperson who also told them that the salary payment was above board. The payment of a permanent secretary salary from the government is reversed every month, so she doesn’t pick that one up, but the arrangement ended in September and now she is going to get her salary from the government.”

He said ZERA would continue to contribute to a fund which was established by the government to pay salaries for permanent secretaries. There is a plan by the government, as spelt out in the 2019 mid-term fiscal policy review on skills retention, that aims to ensure better packages for permanent secretaries.

According to Mazambani, “the ZERA accountant is the one who was dealing with Magombo’s matter and he has all the paperwork regarding the request by the government through the PSC and our parent Ministry to come up with that arrangement. There was also a correspondence from the Office of the President and Cabinet which questioned the arrangement initially and was told why it was being done.

Explaining the rationale behind the arrangement, Mazambi said “when Magombo was still chief executive here, she had a contract that was lapsing in 2022, so she had taken some loans among other obligations based on the ZERA salary which was going to end in 2022. She then bargained with the government that though she wanted to serve as a permanent secretary, she had made some commitments based on the ZERA salary. She and the government then came to an understanding that ZERA would continue to support the salary of Permanent Secretary Magombo.”

When contacted, Magombo said contract details with her employer were confidential and referred all questions to the PSC chairman, Vincent Hungwe who confirmed that Magombo was drawing a salary from ZERA and that he was not aware whether Magombo was getting a salary from the government.

“The expectation was that ZERA would support the government by way of meeting her salary for a year, by which time the government would have put arrangements in place that would improve the condition of service for critical staff,” Hungwe said. ZACC has also been investigating ZERA’s award of a tender for the construction of its head office by a Chinese firm.

• businesstimes

Tags: Zacc,

State Media|THE Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage says the Registrar-General’s office will not renew expired passports that still have blank pages as it was against the International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations.

This comes following concerns from the public over the continued delays in the processing of passports in the country. The Registrar-General’s office has reported that the passport backlog has now surpassed 370 000. 

Most people who are applying for new passports say they have old passports with many blank pages, resulting in calls for the Government to consider extending the lifespan of such documents.

However, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Ambassador Cain Mathema told Sunday News in an interview that the Government will not consider extending the lifespan of expired passports.

“All passports in the world belong to IATA, no passport belongs to any country, we work according to the rules and laws of that organisation. So, if you have a passport that was not used and has expired, in any case why would one have a passport that they are not using, you cannot use it again. You apply for a new one,” he said.

Minister Mathema said Zimbabwe is part of the international community and passports are part of the international community where rules are standard. 

“People who do not use their passports until they have expired are simply showing us that they do not need the passports. You cannot apply for a passport and not use it for years and it expires and you expect my office to grant you the permission to use an expired passport because it still has a lot of blank pages, it does not work. If a passport has expired that’s it, it does not matter how many blank pages it has, it will not work and that is the rule in countries all over the world. We cannot change the international laws because we have a challenge in Zimbabwe of passports.”

He said the situation concerning access to passports was not yet desperate and efforts were being made to ensure that people have travel documents. Minister Mathema said people should be patient as Government has not failed to issue passports but the process was being hindered by the shortage of foreign currency to procure booklets and paper to print the documents.

He encouraged members of the public to continue applying for passports despite the challenges which he said would be rectified as a matter of time. He said it was a Constitutional right to access the vital documents that enable people to travel outside the country. The Registrar-Generals office says it is able to process 750 urgent passports per day.

The country also stopped issuing Emergency Travel Documents more than four years ago after most countries in the region turned them down.

State Media|Government will ‘thoroughly’ investigate the death in custody of one of the 11 suspects that were arrested in the capital last week for allegedly assaulting a police officer.

The Ministry Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services announced the death of Hilton Tamangani (29) on its twitter handle yesterday.

“Government would like to inform the public of the death in custody of an individual who was on remand in the custody of (Zimbabwe) Prisons and Correctional Services,” it said.

“The individual was remanded in a condition of unwellness and immediate medical care was sought for him and he was hospitalised.

“He was attended to by doctors. All deaths in custody are thoroughly investigated. We now await the result of a post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death. We wish to convey our condolences to the bereaved family and friends of the deceased. May his soul rest in peace.”

The deceased lawyer, Kudzayi Kadzere of Kadzere, Hungwe and Mandevere Legal Practitioners, claims his client succumbed to injuries sustained after he was assaulted by police. He, however, indicated that he had not seen the post-mortem results.

“The information that we have is that he was heavily assaulted by police with button sticks and booted feet at the time of arrest, and he succumbed to those injuries.

“The official report of his death is yet to come out and its not clear if he was receiving treatment while in custody,” he said.

Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said he could not comment as the matter was subjudice.

“The case is before the courts and we cannot comment. Those allegations were also raised in court and the court directed us to investigate, so to comment on that issue will be contempt because its subjudice.”

Efforts to get a comment from Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) were fruitless yesterday.

Tamangani was arrested along with Evans Chinyanga (39), Tichaona Maziya (22), Petros Kaesa (44), Tafadzwa Madziwa (23), Lovemore Chitengo(42), Robson Mutseta (31), Hillary Nyawasha (29), Denford Mlambo (41), Blessing Chirodza (41) and David Tawanda Tekere (35).

The State alleges that the suspects pounced on a police officer , Tatenda Sibiya, who was standing at the intersection of Julius Nyerere Way and Kwame Nkrumah Avenue.

They allegedly took turns to punch and clap him, ordering him to leave ‘their’ area. Tamangani, the State alleged, stole a mobile phone, US$200 and $35 from the police officer during the scuffle.

State Media|FORMER Zinara boss, Frank Chitukutuku, who this week changed his name to Frank Mandlamakhulu, has appeared in court facing six charges of criminal abuse of office after allegedly awarding road rehabilitation contracts worth US$20 million to a ‘colleague’ without following legal processes.

Chitukutuku appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Francis Mapfumo yesterday following his arrest in Harare on Friday.

The accused was remanded in custody to Tuesday, for bail hearing, after the prosecution raised an objection that Chitukutuku had changed his name.

Prosecutor Mr Clemence Chimbare told the court that the State wanted to verify information that Chitukutuku and his family had changed their name to Mandlamakhulu.

Allegations against the former Zinara boss are that between January 2009 and May 31 2016, he influenced awarding of contracts worth US$20 million for rehabilitation of roads in Zaka, Buhera, Mhondoro-Ngezi, Murewa and Goromonzi.

The contracts were awarded to Fremus Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd without following procurement procedures. According to the case outline, Chitukutuku had the power over disbursement of road rehabilitation funds.

“The accused, in connivance with former Zinara technical director Moses Julius Juma, corruptly imposed the awarding of contracts for rehabilitation of road works for Rural Districts Councils without following procurement procedures,” read the court papers in part.

“The accused acted contrary to his duties as a public officer for the purpose of showing favour to Fremus Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd, a company owned by his ZAOGA church associate, Freddy Chimbari.”

It is further alleged that Chitukutuku and Juma would threaten to withdraw road rehabilitation funds to Rural District Councils that sought to award road contracts to other contractors ahead of Fremus Enterprises.

According to the charge sheet, Chimbari purchased a US$30 000 residential stand in Glen Lorne for Chitukutuku as a ‘kick back’ for the alleged corrupt awarding of contracts.

Chimbari is also said to have, on different dates, deposited a total US$114 000 in Chitukutuku’s CBZ account, as a return of favour for the contracts.

Farai Dziva|In a statement clearly meant to dilute the impact of MDC leader Nelson Chamisa’s visits to hospitals, government has claimed that “some politicians are violating patients’ rights.”

Chamisa paid impromptu visits to Harare and Parirenyatwa Hospitals where he described the situation at the country’s major health centres as pathetic.Chamisa also visited popular actor Gringo, real name Lazarus Boora in hospital last week.

In a statement the Ministry of Health and Child Care “warned politicians against unwarranted visits to hospitals.

See below an article that was published by a state run weekly publication:

GOVERNMENT has warned politicians, activists and media practitioners against unwarranted visits to hospitals, adding that such action violates the rights of patients.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said Section 57 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution provides the right to privacy.

“There has been a recent increase in the number of political actors, activists and the media making unauthorised visits to hospitals under different guises and pretexts,” noted the ministry in the statement.
“These invasions of patients’ privacy are unwarranted and are unacceptable.

When in hospitals, patients expect to have therapeutic encounters with doctors, nurses and other caregivers and not political actors leading media crews to record their most private and vulnerable moments…

“We urge all stakeholders including politicians and members of the media to respect the right of others to privacy as enshrined in Section 57 of our constitution,” reads part of the statement.

The Ministry called those intending to visit patients in hospitals to adhere to stipulated visiting times. Hospitals, the statement further reads, should not be used as venues for political grandstanding.

“Hospitals have stipulated visiting hours and limits the number of visitors to two at a time for the reason of controlling possible cross infections as well as compromising care and security of patients,” read the statement.
“Hospitals need to get authorisation from each and every patient before allowing strangers to have access to patients and their medical information.
“This is an international norm which Zimbabwe upholds.

Hospitals are not and should not be used as a venue for rallies.”State media

GOVERNMENT has warned politicians, activists and media practitioners against unwarranted visits to hospitals, adding that such action violates the rights of patients.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said Section 57 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution provides the right to privacy.

“There has been a recent increase in the number of political actors, activists and the media making unauthorised visits to hospitals under different guises and pretexts,” noted the ministry in the statement.
“These invasions of patients’ privacy are unwarranted and are unacceptable.

When in hospitals, patients expect to have therapeutic encounters with doctors, nurses and other caregivers and not political actors leading media crews to record their most private and vulnerable moments…

“We urge all stakeholders including politicians and members of the media to respect the right of others to privacy as enshrined in Section 57 of our constitution,” reads part of the statement.

The Ministry called those intending to visit patients in hospitals to adhere to stipulated visiting times. Hospitals, the statement further reads, should not be used as venues for political grandstanding.

“Hospitals have stipulated visiting hours and limits the number of visitors to two at a time for the reason of controlling possible cross infections as well as compromising care and security of patients,” read the statement.
“Hospitals need to get authorisation from each and every patient before allowing strangers to have access to patients and their medical information.
“This is an international norm which Zimbabwe upholds.

Hospitals are not and should not be used as a venue for rallies.”State media

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has rejected proposals by the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) to have a seven-year moratorium on elections saying secular systems are run on laws which are bound by constitutions and statutes.

In a 19-page response to ZHOCD delivered yesterday, the President expressed gratitude to the church leaders’ willingness to search for solutions that can take the nation forward, but emphasised that all ideas, proposals and practices should be in compliance with the laws of the land.

“Expectedly, my Government’s response to the ZHOCD document is shaped by, and has to be understood in the context of legal imperatives arising from Zimbabwe’s own laws, principally the Constitution which is the supreme law of the Land.

“Let me emphatically state, at the outset, that my office is a creature of the Constitution and laws of Zimbabwe, both which I am sworn to uphold, defend, obey and respect to their letter and spirit,” the President said.

The President’s response follows a letter written to him by Dr Kenneth Mtata of ZHCOD, which requested that the nation “takes a sabbath period of seven years from all forms of political contestation.”

Dr Mtata’s letter, which was accompanied by a document titled “Call for national Sabbath for trust and confidence building,” proposed the suspension of the constitutional provisions on elections and the holding of a referendum on the structure of a new government.State media

AN 18-year-old Churchill Boys High School student (name withheld) on Friday committed suicide at the Julius Nyerere Parkade.

The boy jumped from third floor and died on the spot.

The tragedy occurred barely a month after Upper Room Ministries leader Reverend Berry Dambaza took his life in the same manner at the same parkade.
H-Metro was at the scene shortly after the tragedy occurred.

Some Churchill High School pupils were seen milling around the scene where different versions of what prompted the boy to commit suicide had already started circulating.H-Metro

Watch video below. ..

By A Correspondent- Fudu primary and secondary schools in Nkayi, Matabeleland North Province, have  been closed for three  weeks after teachers fled in terror when female teachers  woke up wearing their male counterparts’ trousers.

Goblins are said to be behind the bizarre incident which has disrupted public examinations at the institutions.

As if that was not enough, one  of the male teachers claimed that  whenever he was at the school grounds he would fall into a trance and see the shoes of a teacher who they suspected to have been killed by another teacher at the school.

He said since the last week of September they had faced a hellish time at the hands of the alleged spirit of the late teacher.

Now word doing the rounds is that the  spirit of the late is hovering at the school and tormenting teachers.

“ There are two teachers who  fought for the position of deputy head and subsequently one died mysteriously and we firmly believe that her spirit is the one that is hovering at the school and disrupting lessons,” he said.  

Speaking on condition of anonymity a female teacher  confirmed that she and her female  counterparts woke up wearing  trousers.

“I have not seen anything like that! It’s strange. Just imagine  about six of us strangely woke up wearing trousers of our male  colleagues,” said the female  teacher.

As a result teachers fled the school and pupils at both schools  have been left stranded.

A teacher said pupils who were sitting for examinations were affected.

“This thing has left pupils who are sitting for final public O-level  examinations greatly affected    because they have to walk more than 18 kilometres to Mpumelelo  High School where it has been arranged they sit for their examinations. 

“This has put the pupils’ preparations for end of year  examinations into disarray as it has disturbed their preparations and  it’s not known whether they will  write examinations or not,” said the teacher.      

Parents have been left worried  and with the aid of the local leadership have sought the  services of a witch-hunters. 

A villager from Ward 22, Robert Moyo, said each community member contributed $5 to pay the witch-hunters.

“The pupils who have been disturbed are from Ward 22 and Ward 23 and those wards have  more than 200 homesteads respectively. We divided ourselves into two groups. 

“Some slept at the  primary school while some slept at the secondary school. 

“We were  asked to sing for the whole night  and at around 3am they (witch-hunters) conducted cleansing  but they failed to get rid of the beings  which they claimed are goblins,” he said.

Village head Victor Mloyi said witch-hunters had failed to exorcise the school of the goblins.

“They have tried to root out the beings for a week but they  have failed. We are worried. After paying they tell us they cannot root it out. 

“Now we are want to engage Chief Sikhobokhobo to plan the way forward,” said Mloyi.

Provincial education director Matabeleland North province  Jabulani Mpofu confirmed the  incident: “I can confirm that   Fudu Primary School and Fudu  Secondary have been affected by beings suspected to be goblins.  The local leadership has engaged witch-hunters to exorcise the schools.”

He could not be drawn to explain how they would help pupils sitting for end of year examinations.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- The proposed Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) Bill has received huge criticism for certain clauses which seem to impinge upon the rights of journalists when it is supposed to be promoting such.

Speaking during a public hearing at the Parliament of Zimbabwe on the ZMC Bill conducted by the Prince Dubeko Sibanda-led Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Information and Media on this Friday, media practitioners called for the amendment of “repressive” clauses of the bill. Media lawyer,

Chris Mhike said:

Bills are supposed to ensure media reforms and higher standards in reforming media policy. Calling for stiffer penalties on journalists is wrong and we cannot have such laws in a democracy as they are draconian.

This is the 21st Century and not the 16th Century and if we criminalise journalism, people will be thrown into prison for minor crimes. The ZMC is not a law enforcement agency; it ought to be there to promote media freedom.

Practitioners also called for the amendment of clauses which give the Minister of Infomation and the ZMC excess powers thereby threatening corporate governance.

They also expressed dissent in the involvement of the police in commissions of inquiry saying this would be tantamount to criminalising journalism.

-Newsday

By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe senior netball team coach, Lloyd Makunde has said that the Zimbabwe Netball Association (Zina) did not sack him.

He told the Chronicle that he did not travel with the Gems to South Africa for the African Women’s Netball Championship on Thursday because he is attending a workshop in Harare.

He said:

I am still the head coach of our netball national team. The only reason why I am not part of the delegation that went to South Africa for the African Women’s Netball Championship is that I am attending a Zimbabwe Olympic Committee run workshop for elite coaches.

There were reports suggesting that Makunde had not travelled with the team because he had been suspended for unclear reasons with some saying that the move was taken following his media remarks about the money he is owed.

The Gems who are currently under the leadership of assistant coach, Ropafadzo Mutsauki were last night walked over by Uganda after they had failed to arrive in Cape Town in time for the 8 pm match. They also lost today’s match to hosts, South Africa.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent| Advisor to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Trevor Ncube has strongly condemned police brutality on News Day reporter, Ruvimbo Muchenje who was reportedly assaulted by six Zimbabwe Republic Police during the course of her duty in Harare this Saturday.

Reports suggest that she was later hospitalised as a result. Trevor Ncube who was clearly unhappy with the development posted on Twitter saying:

This is totally unacceptable. Are we back to the days of Robert Mugabe where the police and military treated journalists as the enemy of the state? I sincerely hope not. Independent and vibrant journalism is part of a noisy democracy.

I am totally appalled by this despicable conduct by the police against a journalist exercising her constitutional rights. Is the New Dispensation frightened by a young female journalist carrying a camera? I hope not.

Ncube is the chairman of Alpha Media Holdings, the publisher of several publications including News Day and The Independent.

The incident took place when only yesterday (Friday), media practitioners were debating on the Zimbabwe Media Commission Bill which they criticised for taking away reporters’ rights at the same time giving excess powers to the Minister of Information and the Zimbabwe Media Commission.

Zimbabwe’s energy regulator today said fuel prices will remain unchanged for next week, much to the relief of motorists used to weekly price increases.

This is the third week in a row that the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) has kept fuel prices unchanged.

From August, ZERA was increasing fuel prices weekly in tandem with the floating exchange rate, much to the chagrin of motorists.

The interbank rate has almost been static at 15:1 since the beginning of this month.

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said the aim was to increase the price of fuel until it reaches US$1.

The price is now about US$1 using the interbank rate but is US$1.10 for petrol and US$1.16 for diesel using the black market rate for bond notes against the US dollar.

But in spite of the price increase, the commodity has remained scarce, with long winding queues a common feature at all fuel stations.

In a statement today, ZERA said fuel prices for the week starting 21 October remain unchanged at $14.97 per litre of petrol and $15.64 for diesel.

“Please be advised that the fuel prices effective Monday 21 October 2019 are as follows: $15.64 per litre for diesel and $14.97 for petrol.

“Accordingly, prices have therefore not changed for both diesel and blend. Operators may however sell at prices below the cap depending on their trading advantages,” said ZERA.

While the regulator encourages fuel companies to sell at below the set prices depending on their trading advantages, the operators hardly do that. Instead, many actually charge above the set thresholds.-New Ziana/Own

Watch video below. ..

MDC Alliance vice president Tendai Biti has given Zimbabwe six months to collapse owing to the run away inflation in the country that has seen prices of goods sky-rocketing.

Biti, a former finance minister in the Government of National Unity, said President Mnangagwa and his government have no clue on how to avert the situation.

“The wheels have literally come off and the fan has hit the roof . There has basically been no power for the last 24 hours in many hoods including Harare s CBD.There has hardly been any drop of fuel in gas stations.Prices are at war in shops.This situation can’t last for 6 months,” said Biti.

Biti said at the rate at which things were going, inflation is expected to shoot up to 1000 percent by December.

“That the price of bread is now $16 a loaf and  unavailable when a year ago it  was a mere $1 is reflective of total failure . The illegitimate regime is clueless. With fuel and the exchange rate shooting cup every week , Zimstat figures are from Mars . Inflation will hit 1000% in December,” said Biti.

He said while Mnangagwa was blaming sanctions for the country’s economic misfortunes, it was actually Zanu-PF that is bringing Zimbabwe down.

” The power situation has gone completely out of hand.The so called level two load shedding is an absolute disaster.The little that remained of industry is suffocating. ZANU is the  sanction in this country and any other position is diversionary politicking and grandstanding,” Biti said.

By A Correspondent | Information Ministry Permanent Secretary Ndabaningi (Nick) Mangwana on Saturday afternoon deleted his tweet over the helmetgate scandal which has seen the police being exposed and furthermore killing an innocent vendor Tafadzwa Tamangani.

Following the deletion, Mangwana was handed the below question by another victim Tatenda Mombeyarara who said, “we heard that Tafadzwa Tamangani was murdered: he literally died while in police custody, did you hear about that?

Somewhat responding to the question, Mangwana ‘s tweet was deleted within the hour.

The tweet in question could neither be retrieved at the time of writing.

SEE BELOW

A 25-year-old woman from Entumbane suburb in Bulawayo was stabbed to death allegedly by her Zimbabwean husband in Cape Town, in South Africa, before he reportedly fled to Harare.

The incident happened on 23 September when Passmore Mugari (36), is alleged to have stabbed Nomakhosi Ntabeni after a domestic dispute in Dunoon, Cape Town, before the suspect fled to Zimbabwe with their four-year-old son. The couple reportedly met in Entumbane years ago when the husband’s family used to stay in Entumbane before they relocated to Harare.

According to the late Ntabeni’s mother, Sinikiwe Ncube (43), messages and pictures started circulating on social media on 24 September about Ntabeni’s death.

“I received a phone call from Nomakhosi’s friends that messages were circulating on WhatsApp and Facebook about Nomakhosi’s death. I contacted Passmore about the incident and he told me that Nomakhosi was well and messages on social media were all a hoax,” said Ms Ncube.

It is understood that Ntabeni was stabbed on the neck following a dispute with her husband.

“Nomakhosi was stabbed on the neck. I went to Cape Town immediately after her death and was told by their neighbours that Passmore was known for physically abusing my daughter in Dunoon,” said a weeping Ms Ncube.

Family sources said Nomakhosi’s passport, cellphone and her household property could not be accounted for amid suspicions that the suspect and his sister, who also stayed in Cape Town, disposed of the personal belongings.

The suspect is reported to have fled South Africa immediately after the death of his wife and was allegedly spotted in Harare on 26 September.

“Passmore arrived in Harare on 26 September and spoke to the family about Ntabeni’s death. We took him for counselling,” said a Mugari family member on condition of anonymity.

Back in South Africa a murder case was opened at Milnerton Police Station in Cape Town with the case number CR14/ 09 /19 and police said the suspect was still on the run.

“We are investigating a murder case which occurred in Dunoon on 23 September and the deceased was stabbed with a knife on the neck. The suspect is still at large,” said a police officer from the station.

The death of Nomakhosi resulted in a flurry of activity between the Ntabeni and Mugari families, with the dispute over the death of the woman delaying her burial as her family sought answers. It is understood that the two families finally came to an agreement over a penalty that the Mugari family had to pay before they could proceed with the burial. Nomakhosi’s body was finally buried on Saturday last week at Athlone Cemetery, after an undertaking was made to pay several head of cattle to the deceased woman’s family.

-Newsday