Kenyan President Raila Odinga has said the late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe was not immune to making mistakes hence he was a liberation war hero who during his reign had also made mistakes.

He said:

“I wish to pass my condolences to the people of Zimbabwe following the death of their founding Father, H.E. Robert Mugabe. We join the country in praying for peace and stability at this moment of national grief.

Mugabe was a liberation hero who like others, made mistakes during his reign.”

By A Correspondent- The late former President Robert Mugabe reportedly informed his close relatives that he does not want to be buried at the National Heroes Acre, a few weeks before he died.

Mugabe died on Friday, 6 September 2019, at the age of 95 at a hospital in Singapore where he had been unwell for an extended period of time.

Last month, a local publication reported that Mugabe did not want the current Zanu PF government to preside over his funeral.

Unnamed family members disclosed that Mugabe made it clear that he would not want President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his allies to perform his last rites having overthrown him in a military coup in November 2017.

Here are some pictures of his beautiful rural homestead:

Prosecutor-General (PG) Kumbirai Hodzi yesterday told a Harare magistrate that he wanted to investigate complaints brought by a client of Zanu PF politburo member Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana when he tried to stop proceedings of an ongoing trial.

Hodzi reportedly asked the court to stop for three weeks the trial of Leon Gomani, who is facing more than 20 counts of fraud after he allegedly used high-profile people’s names to swindle Lilian Gonga of more than US$100 000.

The matter is already on defence before magistrate Morgan Nemadire after he dismissed Gomani’s application for discharge.

But in a turn of events, Hodzi denied that he wanted the trial proceedings to stop for three weeks, saying it was a miscommunication as he only wanted a few hours to investigate complaints raised by Gonga.

In a letter gleaned by NewsDay, Mangwana asked Hodzi to deal with the complaints raised by his client, who is the complainant in the matter.

“The prosecutor is refusing to take instructions from our lawyer (watch and brief) such that she never objects to anything the accused says. The accused, Gomani, lied to Court 6 magistrate that he does not have a passport on initial bail hearing and as a result was not asked to surrender his passport. We were informed that the magistrate had not noted that fact in her notes,” read the letter.

However, according to the watch and brief, the complainant is being represented by Norman Ndomene from Ndomene and Maposa Law Chambers, which is a different law firm.

On appearing before magistrate Nemadire, Hodzi said he respected the Constitution.

“I appear in this court for a number of reasons, more so because I respect the Constitution of Zimbabwe. After yesterday’s submissions, everything is very much in order. There is nothing amiss as far as this case is concerned.
I gave an order as PG. If you understand, my duty is to protect the integrity of the prosecution. I act where I believe the integrity of the prosecution might be at risk,” Hodzi said.

But Nemadire interjected, saying the State had asked for three weeks and not hours, to which Hodzi replied that it was a miscommunication.

Nemadire said he did not expect instructions from the PG by phone to stop trial proceedings without good reason.

But Hodzi hastily replied that it was not an instruction and asked the court to go to the chambers.

After coming out of the chambers, Hodzi told the court that it was unfortunate that some publications insinuated that there were irregularities.

“I wish to state that all I wanted was to protect the integrity of the prosecution and judiciary,” he said.

Nemadire, however, stood his ground, saying there was no need to stop the trial without due process, saying he only wanted clarification from the PG and thanked him for co-operating.

The magistrate postponed the matter to today for trial continuation.

The matter has seen high-profile people testifying, including Zanu PF politburo member Patrick Chinamasa and Judicial Service Commission secretary Walter Chikwana. Former Cabinet minister Saviour Kasukuwere and Chief Justice Luke Malaba were also mentioned in the mater.

NewsDay

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared his late predecessor Robert Mugabe a National Hero.

Mnangagwa made the announcement late this evening.

Mnangagwa also declared days of national mourning until Mugabe is buried.

No burial arrangements were hinted by Mnangagwa.

Speaker of parliament Jacob Mudenda has written a letter to the President Emmerson Mnangagwa requesting him to intervene on the cabinet ministers who are boycotting parliament where the MPS would want to ask then question on various portfolios they lead.

Norton Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa said, “For the umpteenth time, the Speaker was unhappy with the absenteeism of many Ministers. Whilst Ziyambi Ziyambi as the Head of government  Business tries to hold fort, he’ll end up as the “Chief Liar” (lawyer) without on the ground specific info.

“Where are these Ministers though? In their constituencies? In Ministries, there’s no traction. Policies aren’t being implemented. How do we expect Zim to move forward with such attitudes? The Speaker has written to Mnangagwa in this regard; we look forward to a response.”

Mliswa added that ZANU PF members had a tendency to wait for party instruction before they take any decision in government.

“As an observation, an obstacle for ZANU PF party leaders has been hardliners that await Party decisions before acting at the expense of National interest. Sadly they’re the same ones who were instrumental in the downfall of the previous regime and contributed to Zim’s woes.”

Major General Trust Mugoba the former Zimbabwe National Army Chief of Staff has passed away a few hours after the demise of former President Robert Mugabe.

The former Army Chief of Staff died at a private hospital in Harare, a week after he was placed on admission for coming down with an undisclosed illness. Nick Mangwana, the government spokesman, said, “He passed away early this morning.”

Mugoba left his post in March 2017 after he assumed the position of the Chief of Staff of the Stand-by Force of the African Union. It was only months after Mugoba’s departure that the military in Zimbabwe made a move against Robert Mugabe as they overthrew his government via a coup in November 2017.

Mugoba passed away on the same day as Mugabe who died in a Singapore hospital where he had been on admission since April. According to a family friend, Mugoba’s health broke down in August, which forced him to return to Zimbabwe from the African Union headquarters in Ethiopia.

Robert Mugabe’s last born child Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe is yet to come to terms with the death of his dad.

Mugabe died today in Singapore, where he has been receiving treatment.

Chatunga has been affected deeply by his father’s death and shared an emotional post which read,

I just wanna die.

The lad, who’s in his early twenties had earlier on shared a photo of his mother Grace and father and captioned it with a love heart.

He also mourned his father’s death on Facebook

His friends have condoled with his family and below are their messages

Philip Mugadza May his legacy live on. Stay strong lil bro I love you infinity

Nomfundo Khay Sorry for your loss fam. Prayers to you and your family

Lumi A legend was born. A legend lived. A legend is gone and a legend will always be. Rest in eternal power Baba

Tanya Ntungwa RIP tata. Keeping your family in prayers. Be strong brother. Let the legacy live on.

The late former President Robert Mugabe had the following degrees

VIDEO LOADING BELOW. ..

By A Correspondent- In the video, the woman can be heard accusing her husband’s lover of making the family suffer.

She is captured live on video beating up the younger woman as she accuses her of getting her hair done while as the man’s wife, she has no capacity to fix her hair.

“You are making me and my children suffer,” said the woman before she takes a hammer and starts hammering the defenceless young lady.

She then invites her own daughter to come and beat up the woman saying that she is behind the family’s financial woes because the husband is spending all his money on the woman.

Watch the video below and help us identify the woman:

VIDEO LOADING BELOW…

Farai Dziva|The MDC has said former President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe played a significant role in the liberation struggle.

See the full statement below :
The MDC notes with sadness the passing on of Zimbabwe’s founding leader, Mr. Robert Mugabe.

As a party that advances the ideals of the liberation struggle, we acknowledge Mr. Mugabe’s important role in laying the foundation of an independent Africa and an independent Zimbabwe.

Mr. Mugabe missed an opportunity of leading and leaving. He could have bowed out earlier and left the political scene in a more dignified manner than being stampeded out.

In 2008, Mr. Mugabe lost the election but he stayed on, through the influence of his sidekicks, some of whom have today become an albatross to the country.

We had our differences with him, particularly on the issue of respecting human rights and his failure to create a truly inclusive society that failed to place the country on a positive trajectory for growth.

In the true African value of ubuntu, we pay our condolences to the Mugabe family as we join the nation in mourning a founding African statesman.

May his soul rest in peace.

MDC Communications

Obituary: Robert Mugabe 06 September 2019

As independent Zimbabwe’s first prime minister, and later its president, Robert Mugabe promised democracy and reconciliation.

But the hope that accompanied independence in 1980 dissolved into violence, corruption and economic disaster.

President Mugabe became an outspoken critic of the West, most notably the United Kingdom, the former colonial power, which he denounced as an “enemy country”.

Despite his brutal treatment of political opponents, and his economic mismanagement of a once prosperous country, he continued to attract the support of other African leaders.

Robert Gabriel Mugabe was born in what was then Rhodesia on 21 February 1924, the son of a carpenter and one of the majority Shona-speaking people. Educated at Roman Catholic mission schools, he qualified as a teacher.

Winning a scholarship to Fort Hare University in South Africa, he took the first of his seven academic degrees before teaching in Ghana, where he was greatly influenced by the pan-Africanist ideas of Ghana’s post-independence leader Kwame Nkrumah. His first wife Sally was Ghanaian.

In 1960, Mugabe returned to Rhodesia. At first he worked for the African nationalist cause with Joshua Nkomo, before breaking away to become a founder member of the Zimbabwe African National Union (Zanu).

In 1964, after making a speech in which he called Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith and his government “cowboys”, Mugabe was arrested and detained without trial for a decade.

His baby son died while he was still in prison and he was refused permission to attend the funeral.

In 1973, while still in detention, he was chosen as president of Zanu. After his release, he went to Mozambique and directed guerrilla raids into Rhodesia. His Zanu organisation formed a loose alliance with Nkomo’s Zimbabwe African People’s Union (Zapu).

During the tortuous negotiations on independence for Rhodesia, he was seen as the most militant of the black leaders, and the most uncompromising in his demands.

On a 1976 visit to London, he declared that the only solution to the Rhodesian problem would come out of the barrel of a gun.

Conciliatory
But his negotiating skills earned him the respect of many of his former critics. The press hailed him as “the thinking man’s guerrilla”.

The Lancaster House agreement of 1979 set up a constitution for the new Republic of Zimbabwe, as Rhodesia was to be called, and set February 1980 for the first elections to the new government.

Fighting the election on a separate platform from Nkomo, Mugabe scored an overwhelming and, to most outside observers, unexpected victory. Zanu secured a comfortable majority, although the polls were marred by accusations of vote-rigging and intimidation from both sides

A self-confessed Marxist, Mugabe’s victory initially had many white people packing their bags ready to leave Rhodesia, while his supporters danced in the streets.

However, the moderate, conciliatory tone of his early statements reassured many of his opponents. He promised a broad-based government, with no victimisation and no nationalisation of private property. His theme, he told them, would be reconciliation.

With the prime minister frequently advocating one-party rule, the rift between Mugabe and Nkomo widened.

After the discovery of a huge cache of arms at Zapu-owned properties, Nkomo, recently demoted in a cabinet reshuffle, was dismissed from government.

While paying lip service to democracy, Mugabe gradually stifled political opposition. The mid-1980s saw the massacre of thousands of ethnic Ndebeles seen as Nkomo’s supporters in his home region of Matabeleland.

Confiscation
Mugabe was implicated in the killings, committed by the Zimbabwean army’s North Korean-trained 5th Brigade, but never brought to trial.

Under intense pressure, Nkomo agreed for his Zapu to be merged with – or taken over by – Zanu to become the virtually unchallenged Zanu-PF.

After abolishing the office of prime minister, Mugabe became president in 1987 and was elected for a third term in 1996.

The same year, he married Grace Marufu, after his first wife had died from cancer. Mugabe already had two children with Grace, 40 years his junior. A third was born when the president was 73.

He did have some success in building a non-racial society, but in 1992 introduced the Land Acquisition Act, permitting the confiscation of land without appeal.

The plan was to redistribute land at the expense of more than 4,500 white farmers, who still owned the bulk of the country’s best land.

In early 2000, with his presidency under serious threat from the newly formed Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), led by former trade union leader Morgan Tsvangirai, Mugabe lashed out against the farmers, seen as MDC backers.

His supporters, the so-called “war veterans”, occupied white-owned farms and a number of farmers and their black workers were killed.

Foreign aid
The action served to undermine the already battered economy as Zimbabwe’s once valuable agricultural industry fell into ruin. Mugabe’s critics accused him of distributing farms to his cronies, rather than the intended rural poor.

Zimbabwe moved rapidly from being one of Africa’s biggest food producers to having to rely on foreign aid to feed its population.

In the 2000 elections for the House of Assembly, the MDC won 57 out of the 120 seats elected by popular vote, although a further 20 seats were filled by Mugabe’s nominees, securing Zanu-PF’s hold on power

Two years later, in the presidential elections, Mugabe achieved 56.2% of the vote compared with Mr Tsvangirai’s 41.9% against a background of intimidation of MDC supporters. Large numbers of people in rural areas were prevented from voting by the closure of polling stations.

With the MDC, the US, UK and the European Union not recognising the election result because of the violence and allegations of fraud, Mugabe – and Zimbabwe – became increasingly isolated.

The Commonwealth also suspended Zimbabwe from participating in its meetings until it improved its record as a democracy.

In May 2005, Mugabe presided over Operation Restore Order, a crackdown on the black market and what was said to be “general lawlessness”.

Some 30,000 street vendors were arrested and whole shanty towns demolished, eventually leaving an estimated 700,000 Zimbabweans homeless.

Squabbling
In March 2008, Mugabe lost the first round of the presidential elections but won the run-off in June after Mr Tsvangirai pulled out.

In the wake of sustained attacks against his supporters across the country, Mr Tsvangirai maintained that a free and fair election was not possible.

Zimbabwe’s economic decline accelerated, with inflation rates reaching stratospheric levels.

After hundreds of people died from cholera, partly because the government could not afford to import water treatment chemicals, Mugabe agreed to negotiate with his long-time rival about sharing power.

After months of talks, in February 2009 Mugabe swore in Mr Tsvangirai as prime minister.

It came as no surprise that the arrangement was far from perfect, with constant squabbling and accusations by some human rights organisations that Mugabe’s political opponents were still being detained and tortured.

Mr Tsvangirai’s reputation also suffered by his association with the Mugabe regime, despite the fact that he had no influence over the increasingly irascible president.

The 2013 election, in which Mugabe won 61% of the vote, ended the power-sharing agreement and Mr Tsvangirai went into the political wilderness.

While there were the usual accusations of electoral fraud – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked that these be investigated – there was not the widespread violence that had marked previous polls in Zimbabwe.

Successors
It was an election that saw Robert Mugabe, at the age of 89, confirm his position as the undisputed power in the country.

His advancing years, and increasing health problems, saw much speculation as to who might replace him.

But the manoeuvring among possible successors revealed how fragmented Zimbabwe’s administration was and underlined the fact that it was only held together by Mugabe’s dominance.

Mugabe himself seemed to delight in playing off his subordinates against each other in a deliberate attempt to dilute whatever opposition might arise.

With speculation that his wife, Grace, was poised to take control in the event of his death in office, Mugabe announced in 2015 that he fully intended to fight the 2018 elections, by which time he would be 94.

Mugabe in 2008
He was the undisputed power in Zimbabwe
And, to allay any doubt remaining among possible successors, he announced in February 2016 that he would remain in power “until God says ‘come'”.

In the event it wasn’t God but units of the Zimbabwe National Army which came for Robert Mugabe. On 15 November 2017 he was placed under house arrest and, four days later, replaced as the leader of Zanu-PF by his former vice-president, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Defiant to the end Mugabe refused to resign, But, on 21 November, as a motion to impeach him was being debated in the Zimbabwean parliament, the speaker of the House of Assembly announced that Robert Mugabe had finally resigned.

Mugabe negotiated a deal which protected him and his family from the risk of future prosecution and enabled him to retain his various business interests. He was also granted a house, servants, vehicles and full diplomatic status.

Ascetic in manner, Robert Mugabe dressed conservatively and drank no alcohol. He viewed both friend and foe with a scepticism verging on the paranoid.

The man who had been hailed as the hero of Africa’s struggle to throw off colonialism had turned into a dictator, trampling over human rights and turning a once prosperous country into an economic basket case.

MDC supporter.

On the eve of the July 30 2018 elections, Nugabe came out to support the same party he persecuted, the MDC. He voiced that his choice for successor is the same man he once nearly got killed, Nelson Chamisa. His choice unsettled Emmerson Mnangagwa. 3 weeks before his death, Mnangagwa sent emisaries to his hospital bedside in Singapore. The mission was to reconcile him with Mnangagwa. It never worked.

He died an MDC supporter. – BBC/Additional reporting

By A Correspondent- The UK shadow foreign secretary criticised Mr Mugabe’s presidency. 

Emily Thornberry, the UK’s shadow foreign secretary, told BBC’s Today Programme: “I’m not going to shed any tears for the death of Mugabe.

“He took over a country when it had such promise, and we were all so hopeful… but he completely lost his way and I think helped to ruin the chance of a country that did have a great future.”

The UK’s relations with Zimbabwe deteriorated when Labour came to power in 1997 with Tony Blair as prime minister. When asked what Mr Blair’s government policies achieved on Zimbabwe, Ms Thornberry said: “I am not going to pretend that it was anything other than a manifest failure.

“It was very difficult to shift a man who managed to gather power completely to himself and was not going to listen and increasingly didn’t listen, and who was simply interested in entrenching himself and didn’t care about the poorest in his country.

“When he first came to power [in 1980], many of us genuinely believed that he did, and that he would make a difference to Zimbabwe.”

Farai Dziva|Evan Mawarire has said nobody can stop his or her sun from setting.

Mawarire of #Thisflag was commenting on former President Robert Mugabe’s death.

He said:”In 2016 Mugabe threatened to have me killed-my response-“There are many things you have the power to do to us Mr President, but there are 2 things you have no power to stop.

You cannot stop your sun from setting & you cannot stop mine from rising” Your sun has set Robert. Goodbye.”

By A Correspondent- Vice President Constantino Chiwenga underwent a life-saving yet risky operation at a top Beijing hospital over the weekend, it has emerged.

Chiwenga was flown to China several weeks ago from a South African hospital with some reports alleging that he was poisoned.

Citing unnamed officials, a local publication claimed that Chiwenga remains in a stable, but critical condition.

He reportedly experienced a blocked oesophagus, making it difficult for him to eat. As a result, he became thin due to illness and undernourishment.

For some time, the VP was fed intravenously while admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of a state-of-the-art hospital. He was later on moved to a private ward. A security official is quoted as saying:

He has improved a lot, but because he is still critical, the medical team had to delay the operation. The operation was done over the weekend and it was successful. He is now recovering from the procedure.

He is still scheduled to go undergo more operations, but this will be done after he has fully recovered from the first operation.

He is still in a serious condition, but the fact that he had an operation is an indication that he is improving. He was initially too weak and vulnerable for the procedure, so it’s encouraging that it was finally done.

The Chinese government reportedly provides regular updates on Chiwenga to the government of Zimbabwe through direct communication between President Xi Jinping and President Mnangagwa as well as through the Chinese embassy.-ZimbabweIndependent

By A Correspondent- Several vendors were injured when a Jacaranda tree fell at the intersection of Mazowe street and Josiah Chinamano aavenue in Harare.

It could however not be immediately established how many vendors were injured.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.

By A Correspondent- Former Zimbabwe National Army Chief of Staff Major General Trust Mugoba has died.

Mugoba died at a local private hospital in Harare today.

He had been admitted at the health institution for close to a week due to an undisclosed ailment.

Confirmed Nick Mangwana:

“He passed away this morning.”

Mugoba left his post in March 2017 after he was seconded to a post at the African Union where he became the Chief of Staff of the continent’s Stand By Force.

He returned home in August this year from Ethiopia where he was based due to ill health.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for latest updates.

Jane Mlambo| African leaders have joined Zimbabweans in mourning the late Robert Mugabe who passed on in Singapore this morning.

President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta was the first to send out his condolences saying Mugabe will be remembered as a man of courage who was never afraid to fight for what he believed in even when it not popular.

“On behalf of the Government and the People of the Republic of Kenya and on my own behalf, I wish to convey our deepest sympathies and condolences to the Government and the People of the Republic of Zimbabwe following the death of former President Robert Gabriel Mugabe,” said Kenyatta in a statement this morning.

Kenyatta’s deputy William Ruto also posted on Twitter labeling Mugabe a revolutionary freedom fighter and a liberation hero.

Condolences to the people of Zimbabwe following the passing on of former President Robert Mugabe. Mugabe was a revolutionary freedom fighter and a liberation hero. He fought for the emancipation of his people and Zimbabwe's independence with courage, resolve and dedication.

— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) September 6, 2019

President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa has also issued a statement mourning the death of Mugabe.

“South Africans join the people and government of Zimbabwe in mourning the passing of a liberation fighter and champion of Africa’s cause against colonialism,” reads Ramaphosa’s statement.

“Under President Mugabe’s leadership, Zimbabwe’s sustained and valiant struggle against colonialism inspired our own struggle against apartheid and built in us the hope that one day South Africa too would be free,” added Ramaphosa.

Not to be outdone was Julius Malema who described Mugabe as a martyr and a giant of African revolution.

“I’m saddened by the passing of our martyr & giant of the African Revolution Cde President Robert Mugabe. Let’s continue the fight & protect his legacy. We must not allow our enemies to tell us how to remember him; we know our heroes,” said Malema.

Nimepokea kwa masikitiko makubwa taarifa za kifo cha Rais Mstaafu na Baba wa Taifa la Zimbabwe Mzee Robert Mugabe. Afrika imepoteza mmoja wa viongozi Jasiri, Shupavu, Mwanamajumui wa Afrika na aliyekataa ukoloni kwa vitendo. Mungu aiweke roho yake mahali pema peponi, Amina.

— Dr John Magufuli (@MagufuliJP) September 6, 2019

Adbeel Makumbi: Hahaha!!! He destroyed his local health facility and died in foreign health facility.
What a shame!!!
African leaders will never learn.

By A Correspondent- The government has been criticised for its decision to ban doctors from embarking on job action.

Earlier this week, the Minister of Health and Child Care said that the government will amend the Health Services Act to ban doctors from going on strike indefinitely.

Research and Advocacy Unit consultant senior researcher Antony Reeler opines that the challenges being faced by doctors are numerous and no single law will make them disappear.

He said:

“Generally workers use strikes to force their employers to address their grievances, but now that government is proposing a bill which will hinder doctors and nurses from embarking on long term strikes it means that the power to bargain has been given to the government which can simply say that this is what we have on the table take it or leave it and the healthcare workers will not have a way of expressing their dissatisfaction.

If you look at the issues that doctors have been complaining about it’s not only the issue on their salaries but also the lack of medical equipment and drugs that has left them incapacitated and introducing a new law will not make those issues disappear.

The Zimbabwe Association for Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) said such a law will result in demotivated health personnel and possible brain drain.

ZADHR board treasurer Norman Matara had this to say:

“This proposed bill will not solve any problems but will result in health workers who are underpaid, grumpy, demotivated and brain drained.

This will kill our health sector as some medical practitioners will move out of the country to seek better opportunities.”-DailyNews

Jane Mlambo|President is reportedly on his way back to Zimbabwe from the World Economic Forum in Cape Town to make funeral arrangements for the late former head of state Robert Mugabe who died this morning in Singapore.

Mnangagwa will miss the closing ceremony and is expected to touch down at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport around lunchtime, said a source in Cape Town.

Mugabe (95) died early this morning after battling a long illness that saw him spend over five months in Singapore.

A few weeks ago, Mnangagwa informed the nation that Mugabe was recovering and would be back home shortly.

By A Correspondent- Citizens here have said former President Robert Mugabe will be mostly remembered for all the atrocities he inflicted on Zimbabweans.

Said activist Salani Mutseyani:

“He shackled us. He put us in prison despite his liberation credentials. Did he free Zimbabweans to shackle them? Let us be honest to ourselves, the Mugabe chapter has closed but the book is still open. You cannot live forever. Even tyrants die. Let us liberate our nation and let us continue to support each other.”

Watch the video below…

1/3 My condolences to the Mugabe family and Africa for the passing on of Zimbabwe’s founding President.This is a dark moment for the family because a giant among them has fallen. May the Lord comfort them.

— nelson chamisa (@nelsonchamisa) September 6, 2019

2/3 Even though I and our party, the MDC, and the Zimbabwean people had great political differences with the late former President during his tenure in office, and disagreed for decades, we recognise his contribution made during his lifetime as a nation’s founding President.

— nelson chamisa (@nelsonchamisa)

3/3 There’s so much to say for a life of 95 years and national leadership spanning over 37 years but in the true spirit of Ubuntu, we would like to give this moment to mourning but there will be time for greater reflection.

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The current bank exchange rates for the ZWL$ today are as follows

• USD to ZWL$: 11.1722
• ZWL$ to RAND: 1.3312

Data according to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe

Black Market Rates:

• USD to ZWL$ zimrates.com 13.80
• USD to ZWL$  zwl365.com 14.00
• USD to ZWL$ bluemari.info 14.20
• USD to BOND: zimrates.com 9.80

More: marketwatch.co.zw

President Uhuru Kenyatta describes former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe as “a man of courage who was never afraid to fight for what he believed in even when it was not popular.”

In a statement, Mr. Kenyatta conveyed a message of condolence to the people of Zimbabwe following the death of their former leader whom he said served the South African nation with commitment and dedication.

“Words cannot convey the magnitude of the loss as former President Mugabe was an elder statesman, a freedom fighter and a Pan-Africanist who played a major role in shaping the interests of the African continent,” he said.

Mugabe, 95, has been ailing for several years and officials say his condition deteriorated after he was ousted from office in November 2017.

During his 37 years reign, Mugabe was accused of ruling with an iron fist – using repression and fear to hang on to power.

In 2017, he was disgracefully ousted from power in November 2017 and after that, his condition according to officials deteriorated.

Mugabe stormed into the limelight as a liberator who fought away the former British Colony in Rhodesia but years of his controversial rule eroded that and he will instead be remembered a despot who crushed political dissent and ruined the national economy.

-KASS FM

Our African culture is very strict when it comes to respecting declared wishes of a departed person.

In that regard, President Emmerson Mnangagwa will not be attending former President Robert Mugabe’s burial at his rural home in Kutama next to his mother’s grave as per his wishes.

In his last days, Mugabe, told his family members that he does not want to be buried at the North Korean-styled National Heroes Acre Warren Park Harare.

Family sources further revealed that Mugabe, who died in Singapore this nothing, said he does not want the current Zanu-PF government to preside over his funeral.

The family told media in confidence that Mugabe specifically made it clear that he would not want President Emmerson Mnangagwa — who seized power from him in a military coup in November 2017 — and his allies to attend his burial nor hold forth and pontificate over his dead body.

Mugabe remained bitter with Mnangagwa for toppling him despite their decades of close relations said he wants to be buried next to his mother Bona at his rural home in Zvimba, Mashonaland West province and not the National Heroes Acre where his first wife Sally is buried.

In the regard, it is now an open secret that MDC President Nelson Chamisa who found favour with Mugabe over Mnangagwa will be accorded a VVIP status at Mugabe’s burial which Mnangagwa will not attend.

Mugabe worked with Mnangagwa for over 50 years. Mnangagwa became his right-hand man and enforcer of his authoritarian rule which destroyed the country and economy through repression, mismanagement and corruption.

Mnangagwa reacted by sending to Singapore — where Mugabe was receiving treatment for years — a delegation headed by Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Misheck Sibanda. The team also included Central Intelligence Organisation Director-General Isaac Moyo and Mugabe’s former personal doctor Professor Jonathan Matenga.

Sources said Mnangagwa’s delegation was mainly there to try to fix broken relations with the Muagbe family which unfortunately never materialised until Mugabe’s death.

Government was helping Mugabe out with payment of medical bills despite the sour relations between him and Mnangagwa.

After nearly two years of stripping former President Robert Mugabe of the traditional ZANU PF salutation of “comrade” to a less revolutionary and less ZANU PF “Mr,” State Media and President Emmerson Mnangagwa himself this morning bestowed the title back to the founding leader of independent Zimbabwe.

Mugabe was stripped of the “Comrade” title in 2017 shortly after he was removed from power by Mnangagwa in a military coup.

The title was further thrown away from the liberation war leader later in the same year when he openly declared that he was going to back opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa in the 2018 elections against Mnangagwa.

He was immediately called a sellout with the War Veterans taking the lead in the regard and demanding that Harare International Airport be relieved of Mugabe’s name.

The war veterans denounced Mugabe and his wife, former first lady Grace Mugabe for allegedly working with opposition leaders Chamisa and Tendai Biti to cause chaos in the country. The former freedom fighters said they would rather have the airport named after late hero Herbert Chitepo.

Speaking at a press conference at the time, ZNLWVA secretary-general Victor Matemadanda said

“We are going to demand the removal of Robert Mugabe’s name from the international airport in Harare. Tomorrow we are going to Harare international airport to demand the removal of Mugabe’s dirty name. Mugabe has failed. We cannot have the face of Zimbabwe to the world – given the name of a last minute traitor. We don’t want.”

Announcing the death of Mugabe all state media outlets on Friday morning reinstated Mugabe with the title.

Government has made its first official comments on the death of former President Robert following President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s announcement of the man he has described as an icon.

Government information official Nick Mangwana has issued the first official comments to South African media ENCA, saying Mugabe is a hero and made mistakes like everyone else.

Watch video downloading below:

Africa has responded with huge grief and touching condolences on the death of Zimbabwe’s former President Robert Mugabe.

The problem for pan-Africanist historians who rush to praise Mugabe is that they will need to repudiate the contrary view of the millions of Zimbabweans who have suffered under his rule or have fled the country to escape it.

He contributed no political ideas that have lasted.

He inherited the benefits as well as the costs of settler rule but reduced his country to penury. He destroyed the best of its institutional inheritance, notably an efficient civil service, which could have been put to good use for all.

Many who would say that Mugabe simply lived too long, and his life was one of Greek tragedy: his early promise and virtue marked him out as popular hero, but he died a monster whom history will condemn.

The official mantra of the Zimbabwe government and its Zimbabwe African National Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) will emphasise his leadership of the struggle to overthrow Ian Smith’s racist settler regime in what was then Rhodesia. It will also extol his subsequent championing of the seizure of white-owned farms and the return of land into African hands.

In contrast, critics will highlight how – after initially preaching racial reconciliation after the liberation war in December 1979 – Mugabe threw away the promise of the early independence years. He did this in several ways, among them a brutal clampdown on political opposition in Matabeleland in the 1980s, and Zanu-PF’s systematic rigging of elections to keep he and his cronies in power.

They’ll also mention the massive corruption over which he presided, and the economy’s disastrous downward plunge during his presidency.

Inevitably, the focus will primarily be on his domestic record. Yet many of those who will sing his praises as a hero of African nationalism will be from elsewhere on the continent. So where should we place Mugabe among the pantheon of African nationalists who led their countries to independence?

Former President Robert Mugabe, has died. Mugabe was 95, and had been struggling with ill health for some time.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced Mugabe’s death on Twitter on 6 September:

The responses to Mnangagwa’s announcement have been immediate and widely varied. Some hailed Mugabe as a liberation hero. Others dismissed him as a “monster”.

This suggests that Mugabe will be as divisive a figure in death as he was in life.

Independent|TEAM of International Monetary Fund (IMF) officials will jet into the country next week for the first review of the Staff-Monitored Programme (SMP) at a time government finances are in a shambles with a number of set targets having being missed.

The SMP is an informal arrangement between the government and the IMF to monitor the implementation of key economic programmes in the country.

The SMP is designed to support the government’s reform agenda. It will be monitored on a quarterly basis, and is intended to assist authorities in building a track record of implementation of a coherent set of economic and social policies that can facilitate a return to macroeconomic stability and help government’s international re-engagement effort.

The team from the Washington DC-headquartered Bretton Woods institution, which will be in the country from September 14 to 18, will assess progress made on the SMP for the period between May and June 2019.

Economic policies under the SMP emphasise the restoration of macroeconomic and financial sector stability through: implementing a large fiscal adjustment, elimination of central bank financing of the fiscal deficit, and adoption of reforms to allow the effective functioning of market-based foreign exchange and debt markets.

Structural reforms include steps to reform and privatise state-owned enterprises, enhance governance, including in procurement and revenue administration, and improving the business environment. The SMP also includes important safeguards to protect the country’s most vulnerable people.

However, the visit comes at a time government finances are in a chaotic state. Parliament has summoned Finance minister Mthuli Ncube — as a matter of urgency — to regularise a series of unauthorised expenditures which are contrary to the letter and spirit of the SMP.

For instance, MPs say government spent ZW$2,7 billion — which was then equivalent to US$2,7 billion in 2017; ZW$3,2 billion in 2018 and recently announced plans to spend ZW$10,85 billion — all without parliamentary authorisation — on top of the ZW$8 billion 2019 budget.

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Parliament’s demands and recommendations are contained in a report by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee (Pac) on Public Accounts titled First Report of the Public Accounts Committee on Compliance Issues for the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development: First Session — Ninth Parliament.

The first review of the SMP also comes at a time the legislators have queried the exact quantum of Zimbabwe’s total debt stock.

When Ncube presented his 2019 national budget in November last year, he said the country’s domestic debt stood at US$9,6 billion, while the total debt was US$17,6 billion. This meant external debt was US$8 billion — which it remains as now.

The dramatic change, though, has been on the domestic debt. From US$9,6 billion, it is now a mere ZWL$8,8 billion (US$880 million) which is a staggering US$7 billion grand heist by government on domestic creditors.

The SMP will come at a time the National Assembly is demanding accountability on a series of violations of the constitution and the law — at least 17 breaches — on public spending, resulting in a substantial waste of public funds.

The report of the Pac committee — chaired by former Finance minister Tendai Biti — cites examples of 17 actions of non-compliance with the constitution and the law on public spending.

Among the 17 actions are non-compliance with provisions of Section 300(3) of the constitution in that Ncube failed to publish, in the Government Gazette, loans contracted and guarantees issued by government within 60 days of their conclusion.

The report also says Ncube did not comply with Section 300(4) of the constitution in that he failed to present to parliament a report on loans raised and guarantees issued by the state and a comprehensive report on public debt.

Ncube also failed to comply with Section 305(5) of the constitution in that he failed to present in the National Assembly additional or supplementary estimates of expenditure and additional or supplementary Bills.

Other acts of non-compliance noted by the report include non-compliance with provisions of Section 23(1) of the Public Finances Management Act (Chapter 22:19) in that since 2014, the Accountant-General has failed to issue warrants under his hand, authorising accounting officers to incur expenditure up to the limits and for the purposes and subjects to conditions contained therein.

The IMF’s representative to Zimbabwe, Patrick Imam, told businessdigest last week that the team will revise downwards the projected annual gross domestic product growth rate as a result of a number of factors which include the drought and the prolonged power outages.

“The team will also update the economic forecasts. While I do not want to prejudge the findings of the mission, it is clear, compared to the projections of the original SMP, which did not foresee the severity of the drought and its secondary impact, nor the electricity shock, that growth is almost certainly going to be revised downwards and inflation upwards compared to the original SMP forecasts,” Imam said.

“The original 2019 budget has already been superseded by the supplementary budget that was voted on a few weeks ago, so the review mission will have to recalibrate government spending forecast for year-end accordingly.”

In his mid-term fiscal review last month, Ncube revealed that the country’s GDP growth will be even less than the -2% projected under the SMP.

Independent|VICE-PRESIDENT Constantino Chiwenga, who was airlifted to China from South Africa in July — sparking intense jostling for his position — underwent a life-saving yet risky operation at a top Beijing hospital recently amid revelations by his close associates that he could have been poisoned.

Top government and security officials told the Zimbabwe Independent this week Chiwenga underwent an operation to clear part of his oesophagus which was blocked, although he remains in a stable, but critical condition.

The oesophagus is a muscular tube which connects the mouth to the stomach. When swallowing food, the walls of the oesophagus contract, enabling food to be move down to the stomach.

Because of the blockage, officials revealed, Chiwenga was unable to eat, resulting in him becoming emaciated due to illness and lack of food.

He was flown to Beijing in a bad condition and was rushed to hospital on landing. Chiwenga was admitted in the Intensive Care Unit of a state-of-the-art hospital in a high security area before being moved to a private ward, security sources said.

Officials said that after intensive tests and intensive intravenous feeding — getting nutrition into the body through veins — Chiwenga was deemed strong enough to undergo an initial operation to clear his oesophagus.

“He has improved a lot, but because he is still critical, the medical team had to delay the operation. The operation was done over the weekend and it was successful. He is now recovering from the procedure,” a security official said.

“He is still scheduled to go undergo more operations, but this will be done after he has fully recovered from the first operation. He is still in a serious condition, but the fact that he had an operation is an indication that he is improving. He was initially too weak and vulnerable for the procedure, so it’s encouraging that it was finally done.”

Officials said by the time Chiwenga underwent the operation he was able to walk, having been bed-ridden when he was flown to China.

Chiwenga’s close associates say he was poisoned by his political rivals, although the vice-president has not himself revealed the cause of his ailment.

However, in May last year, while speaking at the burial of his sister, Margaret Machekabuwe in Marondera, Chiwenga said he fell ill during Operation Restore Legacy.

Operation Restore Legacy was the code name for the military coup which toppled former president Robert Mugabe from power in November 2017, resulting in President Emmerson Mnangagwa rising to the presidency.

In its initial stages, the illness caused Chiwenga’s skin to turn lighter in complexion, resulting in speculation that he was using skin-lightening creams and might have skin cancer.

Chiwenga, however, said his new light complexion was a result of a rare disease that attacked him.

“Let me say this since the media are here. During Operation Restore Legacy, I was with General (Phillip Valerio) Sibanda (Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) commander), he is a great man as you see him, I also called (Police Commissioner-General Godwin) Matanga (to the meeting). Unfortunately, I fell very sick, while in their company,” he said. “This is what caused my sickness to the extent of having a light skin. I was affected all over the body, and the papers said I am applying a skin-lightening cream.”

Chiwenga was flown to China at the request of the Government of Zimbabwe. He was accompanied by some aides and members of his security team.

The Chinese government is regularly updating the government of Zimbabwe through direct communication between President Xi Jinping and President Mnangagwa as well as through the Chinese embassy.

Officials say the Chinese government has told Mnangagwa that Beijing will do its best to ensure Chiwenga recovers, without giving any assurances.

Zanu PF insiders told the Independent a fortnight ago that Chiwenga’s health woes have ignited frenzied jostling for his seat, with Zanu PF national chairperson Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri emerging as the front-runner. Muchinguri-Kashiri appears to be the overwhelming favourite for the position as she reportedly enjoys support from President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Mnangagwa wanted to appoint Muchinguri-Kashiri as one of his deputies soon after the coup which ended Mugabe’s 37-year rule, but the military demanded that the position be given to Chiwenga, who also at the time insisted on being in charge of the influential Defence and War Veterans portfolios.

“She is trusted by Mnangagwa because of her unwavering loyalty. She has been in cabinet for a long time. She also has impeccable liberation war credentials which make her the ultimate favourite. Her other advantage seems to be that women in the party have been clamouring for a position in the top three and, being in the presidium already, she is very much set for it,” a Zanu PF official said.

However, Muchinguri-Kashiri is facing fierce competition from Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa, who is also thought to be interested in the top job and is being propped up by her belligerent husband, Chris.

Mutsvangwa also boasts of the same liberation war credentials as Muchinguri-Kashiri and fits perfectly into the emerging gender narrative.

Before her arrest on corruption allegations, former tourism minister Prisca Mupfumira was also in the race.

ZDF commander Lieutenant-General Valerio Sibanda’s name has also been mentioned, although he is considered a rank outsider. His biggest challenge is that he has Zapu/Zipra roots along with the other Vice-President Kembo Mohadi.

Sibanda’s other challenge, according to senior Zanu PF officials, is that he comes from Midlands province like Mnangagwa and his appointment would thus upset the delicate ethnic balancing imperative, a big factor in Zanu PF politics.

MDC National Executive Committee member Fadzai Mahere announced the death of former President Robert Mugabe about an hour before President Emmerson Mnangagwa could confirm the rumour that hit the country in the early hours of Friday morning.

We’ll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story, keep following ZimEye.com.

Before the Zimbabwean government has issued a formal statement, multiple sources close to the Robert Mugabe family have confirmed that former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has died in Singapore aged 95.

This led to an outpouring of tributes to the former Prime Minister and President, who was said to have passed away in a Singapore hospital after battling ill health.

MDC Zimbabwe secretary for education Fadzayi Mahere tweeted: “Rest In Peace, Robert Mugabe.

“My response to your passing is complicated. I’m going to write a long piece.

“However, for now, deepest condolences to his family.”

Human Rights Watch Southern African director Dewa Mavhinga then revealed that credible family sources say the former leaders is ‘no more’.

Controversial Mugabe was booted out from power in 2017 in a military coup after 37 years in power.

SOUTHERN Africa’s liberation movements will meet in Victoria Falls next week to deliberate on challenges facing the region.

Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration, Cde Obert Mpofu, said preparations for the convention which will start on Sunday and end on Thursday, are at an advanced stage.

“Preparations are now at an advanced level. An advance team will be leaving for Victoria Falls tomorrow to make sure everything is in order ahead of the convention,” said Mpofu in a telephone interview.

Some of the parties expected at the conference are the African National Congress of South Africa, Chama Cha Mapinduzi of Tanzania, South West Africa People’s Organisation (Swapo) of Namibia, Frelimo of Mozambique and the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA).

Secretary Generals from the respective parties’ Main wings, Women’s League, Youth League and war veterans will attend the conference on behalf of their constituencies.

Some of the expected items on the agenda include involvement of youths in mainstream politics and the economy, collective efforts in fighting corruption as well as the latest wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

Zanu-PF Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs Cde Lewis Matutu said as youths they are confident of a prosperous future because of the trust bestowed on them by the current crop of political leaders across the region.

He said the convention is a platform for youths to interact with their counterparts.

“This time the meeting is unlike before as it will decide on the future of Africa. What is happening in Africa now is that there is much involvement of young people. The continent has a lot of work to do to teach young people to be patriotic and to work hard.

“No country can say it has no background of the liberation struggle. Among other things we have to address issues of corruption in Africa especially with regards to accountability and transparency and it is our generation that should lead the way to correct this regardless of who is involved,” said Matutu.

He said as Youth Leagues they will also use the platform to follow up on the China-Africa relationship which is key to the continent’s development.

“We also cannot afford to ignore what’s happening in South Africa hence we will engage our counterparts from the neighbouring country so that we hear an update from their country and help each other come up with solutions,” Matutu added.

Jane Mlambo| Former President Robert Mugabe has died.

He was 95.

Mugabe died in Singapore where he was seeking medical attention.

A close family source confirmed the development revealing that his family had left the country Friday morning to Singapore.

Mugabe’s spokesperson, Jealousy Mawarire posted on Twitter:

Mugabe had been in Singapore since April battling ill-health.

Addressing a cabinet meeting two weeks ago, President Emmerson Mnangagwa revealed that doctors had discontinued treatment on the country’s former leader but they were just keeping him under observation.

Ousted through a military coup that placed him under house arrest, Mugabe resigned in November 2017 after parliament had threatened to impeach him after accusing him of allowing his wife, Grace, to “usurp constitutional power”.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for latest updates.

COMMEMORATIONS to mark the 151st anniversary of the death of the founder of the Ndebele nation, King Mzilikazi, will be held tomorrow at the Mhlahlandlela memorial site.
The place is known to have been Mzilikazi’s capital which is just off Old Gwanda road, about 22 kilometres outside Bulawayo.

It is believed that King Mzilikazi died on September 5, 1868, and is remembered every year.
Rodgers Mthethwa, spokesperson for the Mthwakazi “Ka” Mzilikazi Cultural Association, the organisers of the commemorations, said everything was set for the celebrations.

He said their organisation was apolitical.
“We aren’t a party or any grouping of people who want to divide the nation. Our association is holding these commemorations to celebrate the life of King Mzilikazi and how he built the nation,” said Mthethwa.

He said there would be a procession from Mzilikazi Post Office to the Large City Hall at 8.30AM in the morning. From there, transport will be provided to take people to the Mhlahlandlela memorial site.

“There’ll be a lot of traditional groups dancing and singing all throughout the procession. We’ve sought clearance from the police. We leave the City Hall at 10AM and return to the city at 5PM,” said Mthethwa.

When people arrive to the memorial site, Mthethwa said, traditional beer in the form of Ingwebu would be served with an assortment of meat.

“We want everything to be traditional so the beer will be the Royal Brew, Ingwebu. Unfortunately we shall not be serving clear beer. Buffaloes and cows will be slaughtered for people to eat,” said Mthethwa.
The celebrations have over the years been attended by King Zwelonke Sigcawu — the 28th King in the Xhosa dynasty and Princess Patricia Zulu — sister to Zulu

King Goodwill Zwelithini, both from South Africa.
Mthethwa said the guest of honour would be Prince Isolengwe Tshawe from the Xhosa tribe found in Mbembesi.

“Tshawe comes from the house of Sigcawu and he will be the guest of honour at the commemorations. He is the direct link between King Zwelonke Sigcawu and the Xhosa people in Zimbabwe,” said Mthethwa.

King Mzilikazi, the son of Matshobana, was born near Mkuze, Zululand in 1790. In 1823 he crossed the Limpopo River during the Umfecane after having a fall-out with Zulu King Tshaka and finally settled in Matabeleland in the 1830s, establishing his capital at Mhlahlandlela. King Mzilikazi died in 1868 and was buried in a cave in the Matopo Hills.

CHITUNGWIZA Mayor Lovemore Maiko was yesterday arrested on allegations of torching a Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) vehicle during violent demonstrations that occurred in Harare in 2016.

Councillor for Ward 21 in Chitungwiza Kudakwashe John was also arrested in connection with the August 2016 scenes captured on video.

Maiko and John are already on remand over illegal land sales in the city.

Video footage made available recently showed a man, believed to be Maiko, committing the offence outside Town House.

The video was taken during a violent demonstration organised by the opposition-linked Tajamuka pressure group on August 16, 2016.

Several vehicles and property were torched in the demonstration. In the video footage violent scenes are witnessed wherein a mob burns a ZBC vehicle.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi yesterday confirmed the pair’s arrest.

“We can confirm that Chitungwiza Mayor Lovemore Maiko and Kudakwashe John have been arrested in connection with the video footage. They are currently in police custody.

“They are expected to appear in court tomorrow (today),” he said.

State Media|CMED (Private) Limited has unveiled a mobile driver training simulator, modern technology aimed at enhancing efficiency for learner drivers through computerised and objective assessment, expected to match the Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID)’s electronic testing for provisional driver’s licences.

The system, to be introduced as a syllabus in driver training, applies an advanced “virtual instructor” and student assessment system which generates a detailed assessment report about the performance of a learner driver.

The system is expected to go a long way in reducing road carnage which has become a thorn in the flesh of policymakers and road users.

CMED flighted a tender in a Government Gazette published last Friday inviting bidders to supply the equipment.

“CMED (Private) Limited is inviting bidders for the supply and delivery of the following CMED 08/DOM/2019. Supply and delivery of Mobile Driver Training Simulator,” said the notice published in a Government Gazette.

In an interview on Wednesday, CMED managing director Mr Davison Mhaka said the system, which will be implemented at the State entity’s driving school arm, Easy Go, was consistent with the initial training for pilots before they fly aircraft.

He said the system will officially be launched once the adjudication and award of successful bidders have been made.

“This will be a new phenomenon in Zimbabwe as no conventional driving school has used simulators in its programmes. However, the use of simulators is very common in developed countries such as Australia, China, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany and United States of America. In some countries mentioned above, the simulators are being used to test learner drivers for competency tests,” said Mr Mhaka.

Outlining its advantages, Mr Mhaka said the system exposed a learner to a wide variety of traffic situations, unlimited repetition of educational moments, computerised and objective assessment.

“In a driving simulator, a learner’s performance can be measured very accurately and objectively. In a practical learning environment one has to more or less rely on the driving instructor’s ‘clinical observations’,” said Mr Mhaka.

He said simulator lessons will be subdivided into several modules such as vehicle control, intersections, and motorways.

“Each module consists of a number of lessons and is concluded with a test. Before each simulator lesson the learner is instructed by the simulator with text and illustrations, and during the lessons there is instruction and feedback from what is called a ‘’virtual instructor’’. This is a computer voice that tells the learner what he must do and indicates how well he has done it. In this way the simulator lessons can be followed without a driving instructor actually being present,” said Mr Mhaka.

On the benefits of the system, Mr Mhaka said training is more effective compared to traditional in car training, lessons developed in a way that teaches required behaviour, simulator skills are trained in a way that avoids overloading the student.

“The consequences of committing an error in a simulator are much less serious than in a real car. This result in more relaxed learning: people learn better when they are more relaxed and feel safe.

“The simulators jelly in well with technological developments at VID where learner drivers are being e-tested for Provisional Licences,” said Mr Mhaka.

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa says Zimbabwe has one of the most democratic constitutions in the region, but indicated that it was important for every citizen to respect the rule of law.

He made the remarks during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa in Cape Town on Wednesday following an enquiry by a Washington Post journalist regarding how the country reacts to protesters.

The journalist’s question was motivated by the reaction of the security sector following the violent protests of August 1, 2018 and this year in January.

President Mnangagwa said he was acutely aware Zimbabwe will be respected by the global community if it showed that it is democratic and gives equal space to everyone.

“We have one of the best constitutions in the region, I think, which is very democratic and we respect it,” he said.

“However, the rule of law must be obeyed, the rule of law must take root in our country.

“Not everybody observes that, but I have no doubt that as we move on we shall continue to improve and deepen our democracy.”

Since coming into power through an unconstitutional coup, Mnangagwa has gone through massive violations of the constitution to an extent that the constitution he brags about is as good as non existent.

The first obvious point of reference of Mnangagwa’s arrogance on the constitution is his failure to uphold the independence of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) which he used to get himself back into power.

In terms of s155 of the Constitution, the State has an obligation to ensure that all parties are granted fair access to electronic and print media both public and private. Failure to ensure fair media coverage by the State broadcaster no doubt continuously cast doubt on the integrity of Mnangagwa and the electoral process.

In addition to the above, Mnangagwa needs to demilitarise the country, as there is no basis for deployment of the army across the country.

While the Constitution allows for the deployment of the army under the instructions of their Commander-in-Chief through s213, the basis of such deployment is clearly confined to instances where they assist the police to restore peace and when there is a need to defend the country. None of these grounds are present for the military to be as visible as it currently. It gives the appearance of a militarised State and this of course allows the argument of intimidation and militarised government.

In addition, the army cannot be seen to be partisan. This is, especially, relevant because in previous elections, the military was very vocal in indicating that they would not accept certain leaders, even if elected.

That cannot be repeated because s211 of the Constitution clearly states that the Defence Forces must be non-partisan and subordinate to civilian authority.

Speaking of nonpartisan conduct, traditional leaders are required by s281 of the Constitution to act in a non-partisan and fair manner. They are also required to act consistently with the Constitution.

Recently, we have seen a dangerous interaction between chiefs and Zanu PF, and victimisation of Chief Nhlanhla Ndiweni who is tagged with the opposition.

Some of chiefs aligned to Mnangagwa have gone as far as declaring that they would mobilise support for the ruling party. This was a response to the cars sourced by the Mnangagwa administration for chiefs across the country.

The unconstitutional remarks and conduct of the chiefs needs to be addressed, because their mandate is non-partisan.

The Constitution can not be good if the Public Order and Security Act (Posa) and the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act remain in place even after being combined into the replica MOPA Bill.

These have been extensively used by Mnangagwa to block the right to protest and the right to assemble for political purposes.

Posa criminalises public meetings that are not sanctioned. This violates not only the right to protest in s59, but the right to freely assemble in s58 of the Constitution.

Section 25 of Posa requires groups to give notice of a gathering subject to the approval of the police. Failure to provide such notice attracts a one-year jail sentence and or a fine.

Section 26(9) allows the police, as the regulating authority, to prohibit a protest or gathering on the grounds that it is likely to cause the disruption of traffic and public disorder amongst other things.

This provision basically makes it impossible to have a protest or gathering in Zimbabwe, since rallies inherently cause disruption of traffic. These additional grounds for limiting a protest are unconstitutional, hence, they have been overturned and ignored in judgments that allowed protests to take place after police had refused to grant permission.

The clause requiring permission or approval being sought or granted by the police is reminiscent of emergency laws created by Ian Smith to stifle gatherings and limit freedom of expression.

In a constitutional democracy where the Constitution simply requires that there be a peaceful gathering, further, limitations of the right in the manner set out in Posa are unlawful in that frustrates the enjoyment of fundamental rights.

Section 27(1) provides for blanket bans on protests, which can be made for up to one month at a time. This too is unconstitutional.

The Mnangagwa administration must ensure that ancillary rights like the right to protest, assemble and participate in politics are not frustrated by draconian legislation.

This calls for the amendment of such laws to bring them in alignment with the Constitution.

On more than two occasions Mnangagwa has ignored the constitution and failed to come up with a cabinet as prescribed by the constitution.

The few incidents highlighted above clearly tell that Mnangagwa would by the last person to speak about the constitution.

Farai Dziva|The
MDC has raised a complaint with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission over anomalies in the voting process.

The party indicated in a letter that that about 231 voters who appeared in the 2018 voters’ roll were removed from the current one.

“The party believes the development is likely to rob most voters of their right to choose their desired representatives.”

“A comparative analysis of the current by-elections voters’ rolls given to MDC candidates and the voters’ rolls used in the 2018 general elections reveals a significant pattern in variations which require clarity from your organisation at the highest level,”said the MDC in a statement.

By Own Correspondent | An MP today leaked what could be the whole secret on drug shortages in the country. Arguing before parliament, HON Mukhulani Tavengwa, Mhondoro Ngezi MP (ZANU PF) said over USD30million hard currency has been misappropriated by a cabal.

While the names of people in the cabal were not revealed, MP Tavengwa said:

“But Madam speaker maam, between March 2018 and August of 2018, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe did allocate an amount of 30 million US Dollars for the sole purpose of procurement of medicines for this country.

“It is interesting to note that you need around USD40 million to up the production of the 8 pharmaceutical companies in this country. So, USD30 million comes out of the reserve bank, which is almost the same amount that is needed to up the production services of this country and yet still at the time when this report was done, there were no medicines, regardless of the 30 million having been paid out.

“What has happened in Zimbabwe is a sad state in that we have technically converted Zimbabwe into one big pharmaceutical free market where a cabal, or a set of a few players who own the wholesale, control the procurement and distribution of medicines.

“Natpharm is supposed to be the sole procurer of medicines for the use within the public sector. The procurement, the storage, and the distribution.

“That position has been taken by big wholesalers who are accessing foreign currency from the reserve bank. That should stop. The ideal situation that should be in this country madam speaker ma’am, is that Natpharm should be the first priority in terms of allocation of forex so that they procure medicines for the country.”

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