HON. NDUNA:  I stand on a matter of privilege Mr Speaker Sir, Section 68 of the Standing Rules and Orders, as read with Section 86 of the Constitution, if you indulge me Mr. Speaker Sir.  I will make reference to some notes on my phone, otherwise it is premised on an incident that occurred on 11^thFebruary 2019, in the Mines and Minerals Committee where an altercation occurred between myself and my brother Hon. Mliswa.  Mr. Speaker Sir, when you are in a fight there is no formula, you use a hoe, a pick, a shovel, a wheelbarrow or anything that is at your disposal.  Notwithstanding, I want to profusely apologise for the words that I uttered.  I did not mean anything that I said to Hon. Mliswa and I take back my words.  I want to be treated in the same way that I am presenting this apology so that the decorum of Parliament can be upheld.  My statement goes as follows:-

          I make reference to the unfortunate and regrettable incident that occurred during the meeting of the Portfolio Committee of Mines and Minerals Development on Monday, 11^th February, 2019.

          Mr. Speaker Sir, I stand here to tender my …

          THE HON. SPEAKER:  Order, order, Hon. Mudarikwa.  I thought your seat was up there. – [HON. MUDARIKWA:  I am sorry Mr. Speaker Sir!] – Please take your seat.  Thank you, please carry on.

          HON. NDUNA:  Yes, I rise to tender my unreserved apology to you Hon. Speaker Sir as the head of Parliament and Chairperson of the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders and also to all members of your Committee on Standing Rules and Orders, the institution of Parliament and to my party, ZANU PF.

          On my part, the fracas which had the unintended effect of undermining the integrity of Parliament as a whole, I make no excuse for the dishonourable behaviour I displayed on the day in question and the unpalatable utterances that I made in the heat of the moment, save to say that I unconditionally apologise for my behaviour.

          On hindsight, it is clear to me that I could have reacted differently even in the face of brazen provocation which had the effect of maligning my character and reputation.  I could have chosen a more dignified response to the aspersions cast on my character and standing that would ultimately protect my reputation, the name of my party ZANU PF and integrity of the institution of Parliament.  As it is, I am fully aware that my behaviour was injurious not only to my person but also to my party and Parliament …

          HON. SIKHALA:  On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir.  My point of order concerns a very important legal principle and also on a technical aspect.

          A confession, nowhere at law can it be withdrawn.  He confessed that he murdered people and he must rather tell us the number of people whom he killed.  He said that he murdered people and it is a confession… – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –   Mr. Speaker, it is a confession that we would humbly ask this House to investigate. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –  

          THE HON. SPEAKER:  Order, order, this is not open for debate.  Can the Hon. Member conclude his story?

          HON. NDUNA:  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. As I conclude, I am fully aware that my behaviour was injurious not only to my person but also to my party ZANU PF and Parliament as a whole.  The behaviour that I displayed on the day in question is not in tandem with the sacred title of ‘Honourable’ that I carry and flies in the face of the people who elected me into office.

          Pursuant to this, I have since issued a public apology on the matter and I intend Mr. Speaker Sir, as I am showing right now, to sincerely show contrition and regret by apologising to members of the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development and to members of this august House.

          Mr. Speaker Sir, please unreservedly accept my apology over my part in the matter.  I have also sincerely tendered my apology to His Excellency the President Hon. E. D. Mnangagwa in person on the same matter.

          Mr. Speaker Sir, your forgiveness is highly sought after my humble submission.  I thank you.

Hansard Extract

HON. T. MLISWA: A very good afternoon to you Mr. Speaker Sir.  I felt that I should prepare a statement for this so that I do not lose my train of thought.  Today being the 5^th March my reference is. Statement of apology to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Advocate Jacob Mudenda.  The statement begins:

Mr Speaker, Hon. Advocate Jacob Mudenda and Hon Members of Parliament here present.  During a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee Meeting on Mines and Mining Development in the Senate Chamber on Monday 11^th February 2019, an incident erupted between Hon. Dexter Nduna and me.  During the debacle, I inadvertently included the name of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Advocate Jacob Mudenda in the furore, mistakenly linking him with the nefarious actions attributed to Hon. Nduna.  The erroneous accusation was premised on misinformation emanating from Hon. Nduna who fabricated a false association with the Hon. Speaker in an attempt to shield and seek protection from the underhand dealings he was associated with to make them appear above board.

It was unfortunate that the exchange with Hon. Nduna and myself occurred at a time that I was personally labouring with extreme sentiments of dissatisfaction and frustration with the Mines Committee.  The alleged corruption cases, politicisation of the Committee, the seeming neglect to resolve matters as raised and recommended as well as interference from those members co-opted to protect self-interest cultivated extreme feelings of dejection which unfortunately caused me to lash out.  I subsequently warn all my esteemed colleagues who use the names of those in higher offices to hide behind or as some form of protection to immediately desist from the practice, the name of the Speaker must not be held in disrepute. I therefore sincerely apologise to the Hon. Speaker, Advocate Jacob Mudenda for the attack on his person and credibility and regret the outburst thereof. 

Hon. Advocate Jacob Mudenda is a person that I hold in high regard and have a great sense of esteem for the dogmatic, professional and ethical manner in which he executes his duties, which affectionately earned him the nickname, “the headmaster”.  So great is the respect and confidence I have for his professionalism and efficiency that I seconded Hon. Mudenda as Speaker of the National Assembly for the 9^th Parliament of Zimbabwe, a vote of confidence that I do not take lightly.  I look up to Hon. Mudenda as a father figure and as a son; I bow down my head for forgiveness for my transgression.

Mr. Speaker Sir, I appeal to you to address matters brought to your attention to avoid those involved from the perception that they are untouchable or are afforded any protection by you.  A matter in point, as an example is the issue brought up by Hon Lynette Karenyi who spoke out against the alleged abuse of women by Hon. Members, Paradza and Zhou which to date remains pending.  These are the very same Hon. Members who continue to cause havoc in Parliamentary Committees, as I indicated in my quarterly report.  They are the very same Hon. Members who are yet to engage in meaningful debate in Parliament and at best are recorded in the Hansard for their heckling which leaves a lot to be desired.

The Ninth Parliament of Zimbabwe will cause a challenge for you Mr. Speaker Sir, if Hon. Members of Parliament cannot maintain the decorum and integrity of the august House.  The important role of scrutiny and oversight cannot continue to be trivialised by those serving selfish interests, we are here to serve national interest.

However, whilst I apologise for Hon. Mudenda’s inclusion, I do not take back my words regarding the fight against corruption.  My stance against those involved remains consistent and I will ensure that I re-double my efforts to see that justice is served and that the double and triple thieves are brought to book.  As a nation, we will struggle to implement any meaningful policies to move the country forward if we do not tackle and remove the disease of corruption from our society.  Corruption is the cancer that will thwart any attempts at economic resuscitation from thriving, and it is with that in mind that I continue to advocate for the panacea of Zero Tolerance to Corruption.  Statement ends.

Hansard Extract

MDC Alliance MP for Harare West, Joana Mamombe has been charged with treason and appeared in court twice in as many days this week. She becomes the THIRD woman to be charged with treason since the Pioneer Column drove across the Limpopo River in the 1890s.

MDC Alliance deputy treasurer-general Chalton Hwende and political analyst Dr. Pedzisayi Ruhanya erroneously both said Joana Mamombe was the only none after Mbuya Nehanda to be charged with treason. As this report shows, she is the second woman in post-independent Zimbabwe to be so charged. That makes them three women in the history of modern-day Zimbabwe.

Of these three women, one was charged by the colonial administration, one by the Robert Mugabe administration, and the third is Joana Mamombe, charged by the current Mnangagwa administration.

Here is a brief about each woman:

1. Mbuya Nehanda

Mbuya Nehanda Charwe Nyakasikana was the spirit medium that was the inspiration behind the 1896-97 first Chimurenga war. She was based in the northern plateau of Mashonaland and was influential in resisting colonial encroachment and she used her religious authority to mobilise the masses against the Europeans. She was born around 1863 and she died in 1898 after being executed by the colonial authorities in Salisbury.

She was a Hera of the Hwata Mufakose Dynasty.

Due to close links between early political structures and religion, Mbuya Nehanda found her influence in the mainstream politics of her time. She was influential in warning the people against accepting the entry of the Europeans in the Mashonaland region.

Mbuya Nehanda was hunted down by the colonial regime of the British South Africa Company due to her widespread influence and her denunciation of colonisation. It is alleged that she was arrested and was brought to Salisbury for the judgment. She was convicted without a trial and was executed in 1898 in Salisbury.

She was hanged on a tree along her neck until she breathed her last.The tree fell in December 2011, leading many to speculate that it was a bad omen signifying that the death of Robert Mugabe was imminent.

2. Jestina Mukoko

Jestina Mukoko is a 52-years old Zimbabwean human rights activist and the director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project. She is a journalist by training and a former newsreader with the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.

She was born in 1967 in Gweru, Midlands Province.

On 3 December 2008 Jestina Mukoko was abducted during the night from her home in Norton, 40 km west of Harare, by suspected state agents for allegedly being involved in plans for anti government demonstrations.

She was taken away for interrogation after her NGO, the Zimbabwe Peace Project, was accused of recruiting youths for military training with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

The Zimbabwe  Peace Project had reportedly compiled one of the most detailed records of thousands of incidents of murder, assault, torture, arson and so on, and who the perpetrators were, following the violence unleashed on MDC supporters by the Mugabe regime in 2008.

She was beaten on the soles of her feet with rubber truncheons (allegedly a favourite torture instrument of the regime in Zimbabwe because they leave no marks likely to be visible at later court appearances).

After three days she was handed over to another group of interrogators who claimed they were “law and order” officials. She was threatened with “extinction” if she chose not to be a witness to the alleged cases of military training.

Prominent world figures including Gordon Brown and Condoleezza Rice demanded her release. The so-called “Group of Elders”, including Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan and Graça Machel, who at the time were being refused admission to Zimbabwe, made an appeal for Mukoko’s release at a news conference in South Africa.

The Zimbabwe High Court ordered the Zimbabwe Republic Police to look for Mukoko. The order was ignored by the police who denied knowledge of her whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Mukoko had been forced to kneel on gravel for hours while being interrogated in an attempt to force her to sign a statement that she had recruited an ex-policeman to the supposed plot. Her medical condition deteriorated and she was eventually given medicine to treat serious allergies. She was forced to read statements to camera and pressurised to admit links to the former policeman Fidelis Mudimu. She overheard someone say they were at the King George VI Barracks outside Harare.

She was eventually told that she and another abductee, her colleague, Broderick Takawera, were in police custody. She was moved around between different police stations and forced to accompany police on searches of her home and office.

On 24 December 2008, the state-run Herald newspaper reported that Mukoko had appeared in court in Harare on charges of attempting to recruit people for military training to try to overthrow the government. She had not been able to consult with lawyers. She appeared in court with seven other abductees, including a 72-year-old man and a two-year-old boy whose father and mother, Violet Mupfuranhehwe and Collen Mutemagawo, were also in detention.

In March 2009, three months after her abduction, Jestina Mukoko was released on bail. Her bail conditions required her to report to her local police station in Norton on a weekly basis and surrender her passport.

On 21 September 2009 the Zimbabwe Supreme Court ordered a permanent stay of criminal proceedings against Jestina Mukoko. Amnesty International welcomed the decision, commenting that the charges were widely believed to have been trumped up by the Mugabe government as part of a wider strategy to silence perceived political opponents.

In October 2018, the High Court ordered the State to pay $150 000 to Jestina Mukoko as compensation for her abduction and torture which she suffered at the hands of State Security agents in that December 2008 ordeal.

Mukoko said the compensation could not atone for the trauma and suffering she went through at the hands of the agents who had been “ruthless, merciless and very evil.”

“It will not make up for lost time as my liberty and all other human rights accorded to me by virtue of being human were unjustifiably curtailed nor will it provide solace for my traumatised family — my mother, son, brothers, sisters-in-law, extended family, friends and other peace-loving citizens,” Mukoko lamented.

She also stated that this ruling sent a clear and strong signal to Zimbabwean authorities who must guarantee impartial justice to victims and put an end to impunity.

3. Joana Mamombe

MDC Alliance member of the House of Assembly for Harare West, Joana Mamombe, was arrested on Saturday, 2 March 2019 in Nyanga. Mamombe (25) had been on the police wanted since mid-January, with police saying she was suspected of inciting protesters who went on to loot private businesses and destroy property worth millions of dollars.

Detectives swooped on the youngest member of the current session of Parliament on Saturday morning as she was rounding up a Parliamentary workshop in Nyanga. Detectives swooped on her as she was about to board a staff vehicle back to Harare, and bundled her onto the back of a Toyota Fortuner for the 270km journey to Harare.

Charges against Mamombe stem from a press conference she held at the Marlborough Civic Center in Harare on January 14 after President Emmerson Mnangagwa increased fuel prices by 300% on January 12.

At that Marborough press conference, the brave MDC Alliance MP called for a peaceful protest march in Harare West which was to be held on January 17 (Ward 16-41) from Pamusasa in Westlea to Mabelreign shops.

She also made seven demands to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, and these were:

1. Reversal of the 300% fuel increase by President Mnangagwa
2. A robust economic policy based on wide consultation with labour, business and citizens
3. Abandonment of the 1:1 rate between bond note and USD
4. Zimbabwe to join the Rand Monetary Union.
5. Upward review of civil servant salaries
6. Central government to provide adequate financial resources to the City of Harare to enable them ensure basic social services
7. President Mnangagwa to initiate dialogue with MDC leader Nelson Chamisa

She was charged with treason and appeared in court on Monday and Tuesday this week, whereupon the magistrate remanded her in custody to 19 March. Her lawyers have since approached the High Court for bail.

— Zoom Zim

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, pictured, is expected in the country next week on Monday for the third session of the Zimbabwe-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC), which will among other things enhance business relations between the two countries.

Deputy Information minister Energy Mutodi confirmed yesterday that Ramaphosa will be in the country on Monday next week. “The South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected in the country 11 March 2019 and will be on a two-day working visit. The two heads of State and government are scheduled to discuss bilateral issues agreed earlier on during the inaugural BNC meeting and the subsequent meetings.

“President Emmerson Mnangagwa is geared to revive the economy through enforcing regional and international cooperation following many years of isolation. South Africa is our biggest trading partner in Africa and we expect discussions to focus around how the two countries can improve their trade ties and grow their economies,” Mutodi said.

According to the Foreign Affairs and International Trade ministry, a team of senior government officials from South Africa will be in the country this week ahead of Ramaphosa’s visit.

“The Third Session of the Zimbabwe-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) will be held on 12 March 2019 at Meikles Hotel in Harare. The meeting will be headed by the two countries’ heads of State and Government…Mnangagwa, and his South African counterpart…Ramaphosa.

“The BNC is the highest bilateral framework of cooperation between Zimbabwe and South Africa. It will be preceded by a Ministerial Meeting on 11 March 2019, and a Senior Officials meeting on 7 and 8 March 2019,” the ministry said.

South Africa has been a crucial business partner to Zimbabwe following years of economic meltdown. Millions of Zimbabweans fleeing the economic pressures at home are living in South Africa where they are working in various sectors of that country’s economy.

World leaders have been pressuring South Africa, which is Africa’s second largest economy, to assist Zimbabwe politically and economically.

Calls for such intervention increased in January following protests that led to the death of at least 17 people at the hands of alleged State security agents. There are claims the opposition leader Nelson Chamisa will likely use Ramaphosa’s visit to approach him over the country’s political environment, which has immensely affected economic growth and the country’s efforts to engage with other countries around the globe.

Chamisa, who challenged Mnangagwa’s last year presidential win, recently rejected the Zanu PF leader’s call for a meeting to discuss the framework for possible dialogue among political actors in the country. He, however, set conditions for that dialogue, which include the release of activists arrested following deadly protests in January and the need for a neutral convener. — DailyNews

Farai Dziva|Zanu PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa is not yet serious about dialogue, MDC A president Nelson Chamisa has said.

Chamisa said efforts by the MDC A’ s detractors to cause havoc in the opposition party would not materialise.

“ED is not yet serious about genuine dialogue.

The people’s project will never be split by selfish motives.Individuals may from time to time elect and choose to get lost but along the way, often sooner, they will either find themselves or be found,” said Chamisa.

OPPOSITION legislator for Harare West constituency Hon. Joana Mamombe
will remain in prison custody after a Zimbabwean court dismissed her
application challenging the lawfulness of her arrest and detention.

Hon. Mamombe was arrested on Saturday 2 March 2019 and charged with
subverting constitutional government as defined in section 22 of the
Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

Prosecutors alleged that Hon. Mamombe convened a press conference on
Monday 14 January 2019 in her constituency where she urged people to
overthrow President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government and encouraged
them to engage in civil disobedience and demonstrations in order to
shut down the country over the unilateral hiking of fuel and the high
cost of living.

The prosecutors charged that members of the public engaged in protests
from 14 January 2019 to 16 January 2019 after taking heed of Hon.
Mamombe’s address to the media.

On Tuesday 5 March 2019, Harare Magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa
dismissed applications which had been filed on Monday 4 March 2019 by
Hon. Mamombe’s lawyers Jeremiah Bamu and Obey Shava of Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), challenging the legality of the
arrest of the Harare West constituency legislator.

In their applications, Shava and Bamu had argued that Hon. Mamombe had
been over-detained by Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers before
they brought her to appear in court and that she had not been lawfully
advised of the charges she faced upon her arrest in Nyanga, where she
was attending to parliamentary business.

But Magistrate Mugwagwa dismissed Hon. Mamombe’s applications and
ruled that ZRP officers had brought the legislator to court on time
but proceedings against her were delayed as the court was seized with
other matters which it couldn’t drop in preference for her matter.

Magistrate Mugwagwa ruled that the other issues which Hon. Mamombe’s
lawyers had raised could be ironed out during her trial.

Hon. Mamombe returns to court on Tuesday 19 March 2019 after
Magistrate Mugwagwa remanded her in custody.

Meanwhile, Chitungwiza North constituency legislator Hon. Godfrey
Sithole was charged with inciting and committing public violence after
he was arrested by ZRP officers on Friday 1 March 2019.

According to the State, Hon. Sithole, who is represented by Alec
Muchadehama of ZLHR, allegedly incited MDC Alliance party supporters
in his constituency when he addressed them on Monday 14 January 2019
urging them to demonstrate against the government.

The arrest of Hon. Mamombe and Hon. Sithole brings to five the number
of MDC Alliance legislators, who have been arrested in connection with
the anti-government protests held in January over the country’s
worsening economic crisis.

Farai Dziva|The country’ s main opposition party, MDC A has said former President Robert Mugabe is not in any way involved in the operations of the party.

MDC A spokesperson Jacob Mafume has denied Mugabe is funding the opposition party or its leader Nelson Chamisa.

“I think the old man must be left in peace. We as the MDC-Alliance and President Chamisa are engaged with the issues of the suffering of the people. We are trying to resolve the political and economic crisis which is affecting the people of Zimbabwe.

We have not received any funding from the former President and neither are we expecting any assistance,” said Mafume.

By Vivid Gwede| With the formation of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in September 1999, and its inaugural congress held at Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex in January 2000, the political landscape of Zimbabwe reached a positive point of no return.

The ruling party Zanu-PF, the complacent and degenerate liberation party, had almost succeeded in its long-held unholy ambition to establish a de facto one-party state by manipulating the Unity Accord of 22 December 1987 and more attempts at a de jure one-party state in 1989.

The one-party state idea held the fancy of former president Robert Mugabe, who entertained the dream of enjoying unlimited power and of being a life president.

Opposition to these plans from the Morgan Tsvangirai-led Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU), the Arthur Mutambara-led students and the Edgar Tekere-led revolt against his former party’s idea saved the day.
This is despite that Mugabe still forced his way into 38 years of disastrous rule.

After the rejection of a constitutional one-party state, multi-party democracy remained under siege from the state, which easily subdued ZUM and UANC parties throughout the 1990’s through sheer electoral violence and chicanery, retaining total political control and falling into worse corruption and economic mismanagement.

But it was in September 1999 with the emergence of the MDC that Zanu-PF’s attempt to drag Zimbabwe into a Soviet-style one-party state and the era of unaccountability and impunity typical of banana republics was effectively challenged.

Since that historic moment of its formation, the MDC has taken serious reactionary blows to its body from the State apparatus, but remains firmly on its two feet.

The seed of a new vision for the country, captured in the New Zimbabwe dream that Tsvangirai and his fellow founders sow refuses to die.

Zanu-PF has been displaced from the cities through consistent electoral victories and confined to rural areas for the better part of the last 20 years across most of the country.

Even in the rural areas the Zanu-PF stranglehold has been challenged, only surviving through a cocktail of undemocratic strategies.

As the MDC goes for its Congress, the first without its founding president Tsvangirai, who passed on in February 2018, it will be a consolidation of a new era and an era of consolidation.

The showing of the party in the 2018 elections reaffirmed its character as a party that is here to stay and one for posterity.

Most of the cadres who were elected into the top leadership at the inaugural congress in Chitungwiza have gone, save for new dynamic president Nelson Chamisa, then a boyish student leader who became national youth chairperson, and then secretary general, Welshman Ncube, who was part of the top six.

There are quite a few however who constituted the inaugural National Executive.

In May 2019, the MDC will continue its passage to a new era.

The Congress will be a consolidation of a new era as much as it will be an era of consolidation of the ideas that originated Zimbabwe’s truly popular post-independence democratic party.

With this development, the long-held dream by nationalist remnants of a one party-state, which desire is still evident today, recedes further into defeat.

Even without a formal power-sharing arrangement, like during the Global Political Agreement (GPA), the MDC has forced Zanu-PF to share power in terms of its control of the majority of urban councils and presence in parliament.

No doubt, the MDC, like any other organisation that needs improvement, will continue perfecting its art in aspects such as internal democracy, ideological refinement and rural strategy, but it is emerging as Zimbabwe’s true party of posterity.

While the state apparatus works through the witching hours to see the upcoming MDC Congress somehow thrown into disarray, like many such previous attempts, the sweat will be wasted.

The true MDC lives in the millions who vote for it.

The MDC did not only give Zimbabweans the platform dream again, but dared Zimbabweans to work hard together and make the new Zimbabwe dream come true in their lifetime.

Thus, the men and women, who will assemble for the 2019 MDC congress will know that the future is at stake.

But they also know that the past has to be honoured and in that past lies immortal symbols of the people’s struggle such as Tsvangirai, whose struggle inspires and fuels them.

Jane Mlambo| Chegutu West MP Dexter Nduna has told parliamentarians that he apologized to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and all the people offended by his remarks in the transport committee when he made startling revelations that he killed a lot of people some he do not know.

Speaking in parliament today, Nduna said When in a war there is no formula, you use pick or shovel, I did not mean anything that I said on that when during the incident in the Mines Committee between myself and @TembaMliswa

WATCH PARLIAMENT IN SESSION FOR MORE….

WATCH VIDEO…

Jane Mlambo| MDC Deputy Treasurer General and MP for Kuwadzana East constituency, Charlton Hwende has been arrested at Robert Mugabe International Airport on his way back from Namibia.

Hwende was on the police wanted list together with 54 others including Harare West MP Joanah Mamombe who was arrested in Nyanga over the weekend.

Details on where Hwende was taken to have not been availed to ZimEye.

More to follow…

Jane Mlambo| Harare West MP Joanah Mamombe is set to remain behind bars after Magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa trashed her application for immediate release.

Mamombe is yet to apply for bail at the High court.

She is facing an alleged subverting a constitutionally elected government.

More to follow…

Jane Mlambo| The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe has distanced itself from Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries founder Walter Magaya’s HIV Cure named Aguma which grabbed headlines early this year saying the medicine came through the back door.

Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Gugu Mahlangu said Magaya’s Aguma came through the back door.

“Aguma did not come through us .it came through the back door,” said Mahlangu.

She added that they are aware that drugs have flooded the streets saying they have no mandate to go there and chase vendors.

“We cannot go there because it is not mandate, but we do at times go on blitz with the police,” added Mahlangu.

The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe as raised alarm over what they said is an increasing number of applications for authorisation of the importation of unregistered medicines.

Watch video below for more details …

WATCH VIDEO BELOW…

Government is working on establishing a Teaching Profession Council (TPC) under which teachers will apply for registration before being issued with a teaching practice certificate. The proposed changes are contained in the Teaching Profession Council Bill which is expected to provide for the regulation of the educators, their practice and professional conduct.

Public hearings to solicit views on the Bill started yesterday.

According to a schedule provided to teachers’ unions by Government, the hearings started yesterday in Hwange, Matabeleland North Province and will end on March 14 after the canvassing of input from all the 10 provinces.

Representatives from teachers unions, officials from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and Public Service Commission (PSC) are conducting the hearings.

Reads the Bill: “A person shall apply to the Council for registration as a teacher in the prescribed manner and form upon payment of the prescribed fee. The Council may, within thirty days of receipt of an application under subsection (I) grant or reject the application. The Council shall, where it rejects an application under subsection (2), inform the applicant, in writing, and give the reasons for the rejection. A person aggrieved with a decision of the Council may, appeals within thirty days of service of the decision, appeal to the Minister. A person aggrieved with a decision of the Minister may, within thirty days of service of the decision, appeal to the High Court.

“The Council shall, where an applicant meets the requirements of this Act, issue the applicant with a certificate of registration if the applicant—(a) possesses such knowledge, and training and experience as may be prescribed; (b) holds a qualification from a training institution recognised by the Council; (c) is resident in Zimbabwe, or has an established office or appointment in Zimbabwe in the teaching profession; (d) is of good character and good professional standing; and meets such other requirements as the Council may determine.”

On disqualification from registration, a person shall not qualify for registration as a teacher “if he or she does not possess the prescribed qualifications; has, for any reason, ceased to practise as a teacher or been de-registered; has been convicted of an offence involving fraud or dishonesty under this Act or any other written law; has been declared to be of unsound mind under the Mental Health Act; has been found, by the Disciplinary Committee, to be guilty of professional misconduct.”

Apex Council organising secretary Mr Charles Chinosengwa yesterday welcomed the proposed changes.

“The Bill is good for us teachers as it is safe to guard our profession, like nursing,” he said.

“You cannot pick someone from the street to come and teach. It was long overdue. It is not coming to replace unions but its unions working towards that. We will be doing the same as nurses that you have to be registered to practice on yearly basis. As unions we have five members in the working group so in other words we have total ownership of this initiative.”

The function of the council shall be to register teachers, regulate their professional conduct, develop, maintain and improve appropriate standards of qualification in the teaching profession and promote continuing professional development amongst teachers.

“The functions of the Teaching Profession Council shall be to develop, promote and enforce internationally comparable teaching profession practice standards so as to improve the quality of education in Zimbabwe and promote an understanding of professional ethics amongst the teachers; create awareness of the importance of protecting the public against unsound teaching practices and ensure that the rules and guidelines for professional ethics are responsive to the expectations of the public; investigate allegations of professional misconduct and impose such sanctions as may be necessary,” reads the Bill.

The TPC shall also advise Government on matters relating to the teaching profession and facilitate the acquisition of knowledge by teachers through the emphasis on the need for teacher continuous professional development.

-State Media

The bail application for Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition Chairperson Rashid Mahiya which was postponed to today the 5th of March 2019 has once again been postponed after the state applied for yet another postponement. 

More to follow…

By Own Correspondent| MDC officials have reavealed that severalķ party provinces had already endorsed their youthful leader Nelson Chamisa as their 2023 presidential election candidate ahead of the opposition’s May congress.

The MDC stalwarts are reportedly arguing that there is no need to “change the commander in the middle of a battle”.

This was revealed by MDC vice-president Morgen Komichi, deputy chair Tendai Biti and national organising secretary Amos Chibaya following a consultative rally held in Chinhoyi yesterday.

In his address, Biti accused the ruling Zanu PF of infiltrating the opposition structures and sponsoring some top executives to challenge Chamisa at the opposition party’s elective congress.

Said Biti:

“Zanu PF is trying to influence the MDC congress in May, but we are not fools who can change the commander in the middle of a battle.”-Newsday

By Own Correspondent| MDC secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora said that party president Nelson Chamisa failed to reach a target of $4,5 million votes set by the party before the 2018 elections.

Mwonzora’s comments came after some MDC bigwigs, Tendai Biti, Amos Chibaya and Morgen Komichi on Saturday said that it was unwise to change leadership before the 2023 elections.

Said Mwonzora:

The MDC targeted 4,5 million votes, that was what was in our strategic plan, we did not achieve that, we did a very handsome score, but maybe those who are going to challenge him (Chamisa), if I get to challenge him, I have to prove that I can score more, that I can score better and I have my own opinions about myself and that is a question for another day.

… The fact that in this election we won so many votes, it’s attributed to many factors; the brand of the party itself, the candidate and so on. I have heard people say that people must not contest because the president scored so many votes. Well, my answer to that is that’s not the basis under the constitution why a contest cannot be done.

A person who is contesting is, in fact, holding himself or herself to be saying that they can score more and there is no reason to underestimate them because you have never seen them in a presidential election. So how do we judge them that they cannot score more than that, or score like what Advocate Chamisa scored?

But it’s not to undervalue what he did. He performed very well as a candidate in that election even in spite of what the Zec went on to do. This is what the challengers have to convince people that they will get 4,5 million votes.

By Own Correspondent| The Tobacco Industries and Marketing Board (TIMB) parliamentary portfolio committee hearing has been postponed to next week, ZimEye has learnt.

The TIMB was supposed to present oral evidence to the parliamentary portfolio committee on Lands and Agriculture on the country’s state of preparedness for the tobacco marketing season.

This is a developing story.

Refresh this page for updates

A Beitbridge socialite was allegedly stabbed at top musician Jah Prayzah’s gig in the border town at the weekend following scenes of violence as fans protested against the late start of the show.

The fans were unhappy about the delayed start of the show.

Although no official police comment could be obtained, police sources and Jah Prayzah’s manager Keen Mushapaidze confirmed the death of Tinashe Hove, a well-known socialite and cross-border dealer in Beitbridge, who was reportedly stabbed within the proximity of the venue.

A police officer in the town said Hove’s body was taken to the government-run Beitbridge Hospital after he was stabbed twice in the chest and had his details entered in police records as “Sudden Death”.

Mushapaidze said the band regretted the death and the violent aftermath.

“We had been warned before the show that some people had threatened to attack us although we do not know why. The owners of the venue warned us, but seeing the crowd, Jah Prayzah said his followers came first and he would play,” Mushapaidze said.

“He played for longer than normal and when he bade the crowd farewell, trouble started. Band members sought refuge in a room at the venue, but some were hit by the missiles. We regret the violence.”

Riot police were called to quell the violence after fans complained of being short-changed when Jah Prayzah reportedly played for only two hours.

“We paid R50 for the show and we expected it to last longer but it was too short. We felt it was not fair because he came on stage late,” one reveller said.

Mashapaidze said Jah Prayzah went off stage at 3:30 am which, by their standards, was extended.

NewsDay

A 42-YEAR-OLD polygamous Mudzi woman and her daughter are battling for life in hospital after they were allegedly axed by a jealous rival suitor who accused them of receiving much attention.

Mashonaland East provincial police spokesperson Inspector Tendai Mwanza yesterday confirmed the arrest of Patuma Mahiyo (39) of Mafuta village, under Chief Goronga, over the matter.

“I confirm the arrest of a Mudzi woman who allegedly axed a rival wife and her daughter following a dispute concerning their husband. The victims were rushed to Kotwa District Hospital before one of them was transferred to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare due to her condition. The police are still investigating the matter. As police, we urge members of the public to desist from violence when solving disputes,” Mwanza said.

-Newsday

By Own Correspondent| The Tobacco Industries and Marketing Board will this morning appear before the parliamentary portfolio committee on Agriculture to clarify on their preparedness for the 2019 tobacco marketing season.

ZimEye will be livestreaming the hearing.

Follow live updates on our page.

Jane Mlambo| Media mogul Trevor Ncube has continued his unpopular rants against the youthful MDC leader Nelson Chamisa saying the party’s forthcoming congress is an opportunity for the movement to chose between a mature leader and a young man whose supporters think violence is the only way of supporting their political ambition.

Writing on Twitter, Ncube said the forthcoming congress will result in a split which will mark the end of the MDC as a political force.

MDC supporters have a choice between a mature leader and a young man whose supporters think violence, insults and abuse are the only way of supporting their political ambitions. I see another MDC split after this and the end of MDC as a political force. ?? pic.twitter.com/Mp6reI4gjK

— Trevor Ncube (@TrevorNcube) March 5, 2019

Ncube has openly showed his dislike for Chamisa whom he has often described as immature.

The MDC congress is slated for May and Mwonzora has been on an offensive campaigning for his candidature amid revelations that party structures are solidly behind Chamisa.

As the MDC elective congress heats up, MDC Secretary General, Douglas Mwonzora has sold his Curriculum Vitae describing his style as difficult to handle Zanu PF.

In an interview on ZiFM, Mwonzora said every leader has his own style but singled out his as difficult for the opponent.

Mwonzora: “Every leader has his own style. Tsvangirai had his own style. President Chamisa has his style. Biti and Hwende have their style. I have my own style. I believe my style is difficult for the opponent”

— Zim Media Review (@ZimMediaReview) March 4, 2019

Mwonzora’s remarks are likely not go down well with Chamisa loyalists who have closed the door for any opponent saying the youthful politician has an unfinished task.

Chamisa sympathisers have also described Mwonzora as a Zanu PF project bend on derailing the opposition party’s quest to grab power from the ruling party.

Top human rights lawyer Obey Shava was on fire yesterday when he exposed a soldier deployed to work in police Central Investigation Department (CID) Law and Order during the trial of Harare West legislator Joanah Mamombe.

The soldier-cum-police officer, Denis Muroyiwa had a torrid time before the courts as he ended up stammering while giving evidence of his testimony before Harare magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa.

After being asked why he had arrested Mamombe without a warrant, Muroyiwa said a warrant is only presented after the accused person had been brought to court, forcing Shava to question if he is aware of the operation of the police.

“Mr Muroyiwa you do not know what you are saying. How do you not know how police officers operate because you are not a police officer.

“You are soldier and you are being ordered to masqueraded as a police officer. Tell the court and being honest when you are going back to the barracks?” questioned Shava.

Muroyiwa insisted that they introduced themselves to Mamombe when they arrested him.

“Yes i was among the crew which went to arrest MP Mamombe in Nyanga but we introduced ourselves to Mamombe,” he said, a testimony which is contrary to what Mamombe told the court.

Muroyiwa could not answer the questions on whether he know the names of his bosses and hierarchy at the CID Law and Order.

He also failed tell the court, the exact words which Mamombe uttered to back the allegations.

Mamombe is facing allegations of subverting a constitutionally elected government after she addressed a press conference in Harare before the January shutdown.

-263Chat

GENDER activists have expressed concern over the high price of sanitary wear despite the removal of exercise duty last year.

Announcing the 2019 national budget last November, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube removed duty on sanitary pads.

Activists had over the years pleaded with Government for duty free and subsidised sanitary pads to no avail.

Speaking in an interview, Emthonjeni Women’s Forum (EWF) programmes manager, Ms Mellisa Ndlovu, said despite the removal of duty, many cannot afford the price of sanitary wear.

“Despite the government removing duty on sanitary wear, it is still not affordable. The government should subside sanitary pads and consider giving them for free to all girls of school going age,” said Ms Ndlovu.

She said young women are using rags because they cannot afford pads.

“Most young women and girls are forced to use torn cloths because they can not afford pads and we found that some of the girls end up not going to school because they do not have sanitary wear,” said Ms Ndlovu.

Matabeleland Widows and Single Parents Trust Director, Ms Sipho Nsimbi, said sanitary wear is not available at rural schools and urged the government to donate pads to the schools.

“Getting sanitary wear is a challenge for schools girls in rural areas and there are many needy girls who are failing to buy pads. I urge the government to do something about it,” Ms Nsimbi.

She said her organisation managed to educate five primary schools on how to re-use pads.

“As Widows group, we managed to teach five primary schools on how to make pads using reusable ones. The Ministry of Health tested and approved them in 2014,” said Ms Nsimbi.

Recently, the chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development, Ms Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, said girls aged from nine to 14 years resort to contraceptives to avoid their periods because they have no access to resources.

Ms Misihairabwi-Mushonga said there were new products on the market that could save girls from the dilemma.

State Media

Two MDC Alliance legislators, Joanah Mamombe and Godfrey Sithole, have appeared in court charged with subverting a constitutional Government and inciting public violence.

Mamombe (25), who is the legislator for Harare West, appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Rumbidzai Mugwagwa yesterday.

Sithole appeared before Chitungwiza magistrate, Mrs Winfilder Tiatara, same day.

He is the MDC-A legislator for Chitungwiza North.

They were both remanded in custody.

Mamombe challenged her placement on remand.

She was remanded in custody to today pending the court’s determination.

Sithole case was also rolled over to today for bail ruling.

Through her lawyers Messrs Obey Shava and Jeremiah Bhamu, Mamombe argued that there was no reasonable suspicion that an offence was committed.

She also indicated that her detention, which exceeded the mandatory 48 hours without being brought to court, was a violation of her Constitutional rights.

Mr Shava said his client was arrested on Saturday in Nyanga at around 8:30AM and was brought before a magistrate at around 10AM yesterday.

He said the police officers who arrested Mamombe did not immediately advise her of the charge she was facing.

The prosecutor Mr Charles Muchemwa opposed the application saying the facts outlined by the prosecution disclosed an offence.

“The facts disclose a reasonable suspicion that indeed an offence was committed hence she should be placed on remand.”

On the issue of the 48 hour period, the prosecution called to the witness stand the detective who arrested Mamombe and the investigating officer, who both testified that her rights were not violated.

Detective Constable Dennis Muroiwa told the court that he identified himself when he arrested Mamombe and advised her of the charge she was facing.

Another detective, Rafel Chakama submitted to the court that he brought Mamombe to court yesterday at round 7:45AM hence was still within the 48 hour period since she was arrested at around 8:30AM.

At the Chitungwiza magistrates’ court, Sithole through his lawyer, Mr Alec Muchadehama, pleaded not guilty and applied for bail.

The prosecutor Mr Edmond Ndambakuwa opposed the application arguing that he was a flight risk.

It is the State’s case that on January 14, Mamombe held a presser at Civic Centre, Marlbrough in Harare and urged people to overthrow the Government.

Mamombe together with members of her constituency planned to join hands with other trade unions to coerce and invite them to overthrow a constitutionally elected Government.

She allegedly urged members of her constituency to resort to civil disobedience and demonstrations to shut down Zimbabwe in response to public outcry over fuel price hikes and high cost of living.

The court heard that between January 14 and 16, and in response to Mamombe’s presser, there were violent protests in the country, it is alleged.

Sithole, the State alleged, incited people to break into shops and steal goods during the protests.

State Media

POLICE have arrested two men who shot a video while brutally assaulting a girl (15) for allegedly having love affairs with both of them at Phumuza village in Plumtree.

Sources said the men would be charged with assault and having sex with a minor. It is alleged that the love triangle turned sour when the men, aged 25 and 28 discovered they shared the same girl.

The video which has gone viral has angered women rights activists and a majority of netizens on social media who have demanded justice for the under-age girl. The abusers were only identified on social media as Peter and Lija.

Matabeleland South police spokesperson Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident yesterday but declined to name the suspects saying the matter was being handled by the courts.

“They were arrested but I cannot comment as they have already appeared in court,” said Chief Inspector Ndebele.

Court officials, however, yesterday said the matter was not yet in court and the pair is expected to appear today.

The pair is seen ordering the girl to lie on the ground while they take turns to assault her with big sticks.

“I want to give you 10 strokes but if you move, we’ll start back at one,” one of the men says.

The pair repeatedly tell the victim they want to teach her a lesson and stop her from being a prostitute.

Sources said the victim was taken to hospital and a medical report to ascertain the extent of the injury is pending.

Gender activist and MDC-T proportional representative for Bulawayo South, Ms Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, said the video was appalling.

“I could not stand the video. That was very cruel. Something is just wrong in our society. It is because of the upbringing and partly a matter of choice. Girls must be taught at an early age about their worth and that they must not take such kind of treatment from anyone,” she said.

“Men must be taught as boys to respect women as they may have observed such treatment of women in the home. It is so bad because we have normalised something that is abnormal. It is so bad that the girl was beaten, but it is quite appalling that someone had the nerve to film the act. You wonder what has become of the human race.”

She urged women and girls not to fear anyone and to report all forms of abuse.

“If it was not for the recording, we would not have known that she went through this. So many things go unreported and women must not take this treatment. It is not only the poor, it happens to the rich as well as I have witnessed some women in fancy places being assaulted by partners in public, especially at bars. It’s wrong,” said Ms Misihairabwi-Mushonga.

Members of the public took to Twitter and Facebook to express their distaste at the men’s conduct and the trauma that the victim of the beating must have experienced.

“These men are evil. They deserve the same kind of beating and worse. Hopefully, they will be caught and justice gets served. How can they hit with all their might on human flesh (sic). What has this world come to?” asked Ms Sibonakele Nhliziyo on Facebook.

“Men need better role models. This is bad. We cannot afford to have this kind of behaviour. My thoughts are with the child,” said Mr Simba Moyo on Twitter.

ZESA Holdings says it is experiencing technical challenges on its prepaid system countrywide.

Scores of people throughout the country experienced difficulties in buying electricity tokens through different platforms offered by the power utility for pre-paid meters.

“It’s countrywide. We are working to fix the challenge, which has affected Econet’s EcoCash (mobile money transfer facility) and we are investigating whether it is our side of the system or EcoCash,” Zesa spokesperson Fullard Gwasira said yesterday.

Yesterday, Econet Wireless, the country’s largest telecoms operator, experienced technical faults yesterday, bringing business to a standstill.

With more than 10 million subscribers on its network, the company dominates the telecoms sector. It also operates Zimbabwe’s largest mobile payment platform, EcoCash, which forms the backbone of the country’s payment system in the face of pressing bank note shortages, which has forced the adaption of mobile money.

“We sincerely apologise for the intermittent service you have been experiencing on EcoCash, voice and data services. Our engineers are working flat out to restore normal services,” the company said in statement, without giving further details.

Gwasira said his organisation had also fixed problems that resulted in power outages in Beitbridge during rains.

Beitbridge town, which is home to the region’s busiest inland port, had been experiencing power outages blamed on poor maintenance.

A faulty switch at one of Zesa’s Beitbridge sub-terminals resulted in the shipping town failing to connect to the South African grid in the event of power outage on the Zimbabwean grid.

“Please can someone from @econet_support tell us what’s happening? Are you holding us to ransom? No lunch, no transactions, you now control our cash. Or your system doesn’t understand RTGS DOLLARS,” @arambanepasi commented on Twitter.

Another Twitter user @Arumlily92 posted that: “Today was yet another reminder of how unhealthy and dangerous to national security the Econet monopoly is”.

User, @Quinch19 also vented his anger, saying: “The @EcoCashZW monopoly needs to be broken. Sadly, Econet, in @NetOneCellular and @Telecel_Zim, has clueless competitors!”

NewsDay

Own Correspondent|The Matabeleland South provincial council of the oppositon MDC has unanimously declared that they will back incumbent President Nelson Chamisa at the upcoming elective party congress.

According to a statement issued by provincial spokesperson Ekem Moyo, the provincial council with all wings represented resolved that the province will back Chamisa to lead the opposition party and be the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections.

According to Moyo, the province ruled that there is no vacancy for President in the party and Chamisa must not be contested.

“It was resolved that MDC presidency is uncontested in congress scheduled for 24-25 May 2019.

All structures resolved that President Adv Nelson Chamisa is our man of the moment .His capacity to lead the party was loud enough when he gannered 2.6 votes in the rigged July 2018 elections.

Mat South declared there is no vacancy for President. Chamisa was nominated unopposed. All our structures will support President Chamisa in the coming congress. We are not going to be wood honked into diverting our clear vision. We believe our president is a visionary leader who will lead us in defeating Zanu.”

Paul Nyathi|The MDC has dismissed state media claims that party President Nelson Chamisa is getting funding from former President Robert Mugabe to contest any challenge in the upcoming party elections.

In a sensational clear smear campaign on Chamisa, State Media reports that Chamisa who is set for a resounding victory in the internal elections is being funded by Mugabe as he holds rallies around the country.

The media further claims that Chamisa’s recent trip to Ghana was also part of a fundraising initiative from some of his college mates there.

The state run media quotes unnamed MDC senior officials as their sources in claiming that Chamisa is being bankrolled by the former president to stave off any potential challenge ahead of the congress.

Responding to the media, MDC National Spokesperson Jacob Mafume dismissed the allegations indicating that the party has no time to engage with Mugabe as it is engaged on important issues affecting the people of Zimbabwe.

“I think the old man must be left in peace. We as the MDC-Alliance and President Chamisa are engaged with the issues of the suffering of the people,” said Mafume.

“We are trying to resolve the political and economic crisis which is affecting the people of Zimbabwe. We have not received any funding from the former President and neither are we expecting any funding,” he said.

On the Ghana trip, he said Chamisa sought solidarity for Zimbabwe and assistance to resolve the economic and political challenges facing the country.

Contrary to the State Media claims that Mugabe was funding the on-going “Thank You Rallies” being held by Chamisa country wide, ZimEye.com managed to establish that provincial structures within the opposition party are running independent fundraising drives for the rallies in their areas.

While the media also claims that the rallies are Chamisa campaign rallies, ZimEye.com noted that all suspected contestants for party positions have been getting opportunities to speak to the crowds at the rallies and all has been strictly party business not individual campaigns.

Chamisa’s next rally is set for Bulawayo’s White City Stadium on the 17th of March.

Government is working on establishing a Teaching Profession Council (TPC) under which teachers will apply for registration before being issued with a teaching practice certificate. The proposed changes are contained in the Teaching Profession Council Bill which is expected to provide for the regulation of the educators, their practice and professional conduct.

Public hearings to solicit views on the Bill started yesterday.

According to a schedule provided to teachers’ unions by Government, the hearings started yesterday in Hwange, Matabeleland North Province and will end on March 14 after the canvassing of input from all the 10 provinces.

Representatives from teachers unions, officials from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and Public Service Commission (PSC) are conducting the hearings.

Reads the Bill: “A person shall apply to the Council for registration as a teacher in the prescribed manner and form upon payment of the prescribed fee. The Council may, within thirty days of receipt of an application under subsection (I) grant or reject the application. The Council shall, where it rejects an application under subsection (2), inform the applicant, in writing, and give the reasons for the rejection. A person aggrieved with a decision of the Council may, appeals within thirty days of service of the decision, appeal to the Minister. A person aggrieved with a decision of the Minister may, within thirty days of service of the decision, appeal to the High Court.

“The Council shall, where an applicant meets the requirements of this Act, issue the applicant with a certificate of registration if the applicant—(a) possesses such knowledge, and training and experience as may be prescribed; (b) holds a qualification from a training institution recognised by the Council; (c) is resident in Zimbabwe, or has an established office or appointment in Zimbabwe in the teaching profession; (d) is of good character and good professional standing; and meets such other requirements as the Council may determine.”

On disqualification from registration, a person shall not qualify for registration as a teacher “if he or she does not possess the prescribed qualifications; has, for any reason, ceased to practise as a teacher or been de-registered; has been convicted of an offence involving fraud or dishonesty under this Act or any other written law; has been declared to be of unsound mind under the Mental Health Act; has been found, by the Disciplinary Committee, to be guilty of professional misconduct.”

Apex Council organising secretary Mr Charles Chinosengwa yesterday welcomed the proposed changes.

“The Bill is good for us teachers as it is safe to guard our profession, like nursing,” he said.

“You cannot pick someone from the street to come and teach. It was long overdue. It is not coming to replace unions but its unions working towards that. We will be doing the same as nurses that you have to be registered to practice on yearly basis. As unions we have five members in the working group so in other words we have total ownership of this initiative.”

The function of the council shall be to register teachers, regulate their professional conduct, develop, maintain and improve appropriate standards of qualification in the teaching profession and promote continuing professional development amongst teachers.

“The functions of the Teaching Profession Council shall be to develop, promote and enforce internationally comparable teaching profession practice standards so as to improve the quality of education in Zimbabwe and promote an understanding of professional ethics amongst the teachers; create awareness of the importance of protecting the public against unsound teaching practices and ensure that the rules and guidelines for professional ethics are responsive to the expectations of the public; investigate allegations of professional misconduct and impose such sanctions as may be necessary,” reads the Bill.

The TPC shall also advise Government on matters relating to the teaching profession and facilitate the acquisition of knowledge by teachers through the emphasis on the need for teacher continuous professional development.

State Media

By Own Correspondent| Self exiled former cabinet minister Professor Jonathan Moyo has challenged the current administration to “bring it on” and extradite him legally.

Moyo, who is believed to be holed up in Kenya said it would be interesting to tell the world how he fled the country during the November 2017 coup, suggesting that the extradition process will expose how the former president Robert Mugabe was removed in a coup.

Said Moyo:

"Jonathan Moyo faces possible RENDITION & seizure of property". What JUNGLE law will the junta use for the RENDITION or EXTRADITION of a legal REFUGE it calls a FUGITIVE? There was no CRIMINAL or CIVIL court process against me in #Zim when I FLED the COUP!https://t.co/O0LoT7SNYr pic.twitter.com/x1mAIuwiB4

— Prof Jonathan Moyo (@ProfJNMoyo) March 3, 2019

By Own Correspondent| Government is working on establishing a Teaching Profession Council (TPC).

The stablishment of the TPC will see teachers applying for registration and being issued with a teaching practice certificate.

The proposed changes are contained in the Teaching Profession Council Bill.

Representatives from teachers’ unions, officials from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and Public Service Commission are conducting public hearings.

The public hearings began yesterday.  Part of the Bill reads:

A person shall apply to the Council for registration as a teacher in the prescribed manner and form upon payment of the prescribed fee. The Council may, within thirty days of receipt of an application under subsection (I) grant or reject the application. The Council shall, where it rejects an application under subsection (2), inform the applicant, in writing, and give the reasons for the rejection. A person aggrieved with a decision of the Council may, appeals within thirty days of service of the decision, appeal to the Minister. A person aggrieved with a decision of the Minister may, within thirty days of service of the decision, appeal to the High Court. The Council shall, where an applicant meets the requirements of this Act, issue the applicant with a certificate of registration if the applicant — (a) possesses such knowledge, and training and experience as may be prescribed; (b) holds a qualification from a training institution recognised by the Council; (c) is resident in Zimbabwe, or has an established office or appointment in Zimbabwe in the teaching profession; (d) is of good character and good professional standing; and meets such other requirements as the Council may determine.

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MANGUDYA REVEALS BITI BORROWED WITHOUT PARLIAMENT’S APPROVALCHAMISA DENIES RECEIVING FUNDING FROM MUGABEMUGABE FUNDING CHAMISA AHEAD OF MDC CONGRESS- REPORTLUPANE STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ARRESTED FOR STAGING DEMONSTRATIONI CAN GET MORE VOTES THAN CHAMISA DID AGAINST MNANGAGWA- MWONZORAPublic Service CommissionMinistry of Primary and Secondary Education

The Public Service Commission (PSC) is an arm of the Executive, created in terms of Section 202 of the Constitution of the Republic of Zimbabwe. Section 203 provides for the functions of the Commission including the appointment of qualified and competent persons to hold posts… Read More About Public Service Commission

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is a government organ which administers the country’s Primary and Secondary education sector in Zimbabwe. It has various organs administered by different personnel and this includes the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council. The ministry is overseen by Cabinet of… Read More About Ministry of Primary and Secondary EducationCATEGORIES

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Mangudya Reveals Biti Borrowed Without Parliament’s Approval

Xaxa (Shasha)March 5, 2019

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor John Mangudya revealed Tendai Biti failed to seek Parliament’s approval during his tenure as Minister of Finance.

Mangudya said Biti did not seek Parliament’s approval when Treasury borrowed some money to fund activities related to the former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. This was after Biti asked Mangudya why he had failed to seek Parliament’s approval when Government borrowed over $2 billion to fund several projects aimed at reviving the economy. Said Mangudya:

What we did was within the Reserve Bank Act, what we did had Ministerial consent, had a legal opinion from the Attorney General and had national interest of the country. Let us not forget history. When you were Minister of Finance, I have got the files, the loans that you also contracted according to the RBZ Act, such loans they never went to Parliament and today to tell me that… I will tell you one loan that we did myself (as then CBZ Bank chief executive officer), yourself and the former Prime Minister of the country.

More: Chronicle

Chamisa Thanks Botswana’s President For Healthcare Assistance Donation

Xaxa (Shasha)March 5, 2019

MDC leader Nelson Chamisa thanked Botswana’s president Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi for the health assistance donation worth 2,1 Million Pula to the Government of Zimbabwe.

By Own Correspondent| Following his return from his diplomatic offensive, opposition leader Nelson Chamisa thanked Botswana’s president Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi for the health assistance donation worth 2,1 Million Pula to the Government of Zimbabwe.

Masisi handed over the donation last week Thursday when he was in the country for the inaugural Zimbabwe-Botswana Bi-National Commission (BNC).

Said Chamisa:

“Happy to be back in Zim!While I was away, I note that the President of Botswana H.E. Mokgweetsi Masisi paid our nation a visit and that he brought with him some gifts for us. I wish to thank him for his care and kindness by donating much needed healthcare assistance to Zimbabwe.”

By Own Correspondent|Spokeaperaon for the MDC led by Nelson Chamisa has denied that former President Robert Mugabe was funding the opposition party or its leader.

Jacob Mafume implored those peddling falsehoods that Mugabe was financing Chamisa and the MDC to leave Mugabe in peace.

Said Mafume:

“I think the old man must be left in peace. We as the MDC-Alliance and President Chamisa are engaged with the issues of the suffering of the people. We are trying to resolve the political and economic crisis which is affecting the people of Zimbabwe. We have not received any funding from the former President and neither are we expecting any funding.”

By Own Correspondent| A report in the state owned Herald has claimed that oppposition leader Nelson Chamisa is receiving funding from ousted leader former president Robert Mugabe.

According to the report, which quotes an unnamed source, the funding is being used for party activities including rallies.

Reported The Herald:

“One thing absurd fantasies being thrown around is that Zanu-PF is meddling in the opposition’s internal politics and has set aside US$6 million to ensure that Chamisa loses to whoever is going to challenge him at congress principally Mwonzora. Whilst they are trying hard to push this narrative, they are not telling the world that Chamisa is receiving funding from the Blue Roof. (Blue Roof is Mugabe’s private residence in Harare’ plush suburb of Borrowdale). So far, Chamisa has received a substantial amount that he is using to do rallies and other party activities meant at canvassing support ahead of the congress. Remember this is not the first time that Mugabe has shown support for Chamisa. During last year’s elections, he declared his open support for Chamisa on the eve of the polls hoping that his move was going to swing votes in favour of the opposition leader.”

Correspondent|The battle lines have been drawn ahead of the MDC -Alliances elective congress as two former party secretary generals, Tendai Biti and Welshman Ncube, are heading for a clash.

Ncube and Biti both left the MDC -T which was led by the late former Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, citing different reasons. Ncube left the MDC in 2005 just before the Senatorial elections while Biti left eight years later accusing the late Tsvangirai of being a dictator.

Biti and Ncube were later re-admitted into the MDC after the death of Tsvangirai together with their political parties.

Tsvangirai had previously been quoted in the mainstream media labelling Biti a coup plotter and deceiver.

“He (Biti) deceived us all.The man does not believe in anything except his power,” the late leader was qouted as saying.

This year, the two former defectors meet again and its a tightly contested battle as each one of them commands a large following in different provinces.

The vice-presidency post also has several names been thrown into the ring including the Women’s Assembly boss Karenyi Kore, Senator Lillian Timveos, Felix Magalela Mafa Sibanda, Paurina Mpariwa, Morgan Komichi, Theresa Makone and Elias Mudzuri.

Douglas Mwonzora’s intentions are not yet clear but he has at one time beaten party leader Nelson Chamisa for the secretary-general post back in 2014.

Sources close to Mwonzora said he is still weighing his options as any blunder and wrong choice of positions will bring him to the political cemetery.

“He (Mwonzora) is a schemer and he knows that if he runs for presidency, he stands a chance of sliding into political obscurity should he lose to Chamisa.

“So as of now he is making careful considerations,” revealed our source.

In a previous interview with this publication, Mwonzora made it clear that he is willing to contest for any party position but he respects the people’s will in the provincial nominations.

It is now the battle of getting nominations from provinces as tension mounts in the opposition party.

The MDC- A will hold its much awaited elective congress from May 24-May 26 2019.

It comes one year after the death of Tsvangirai and three months after Chamisa’s presidency expired in February.

Text of a Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Zimbabwe
Issued on: March 4, 2019

On March 6, 2003, by Executive Order 13288, the President declared a national emergency and blocked the property of certain persons, pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1706), to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States constituted by the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe’s democratic processes or institutions.

These actions and policies had contributed to the deliberate breakdown in the rule of law in Zimbabwe, to politically motivated violence and intimidation in that country, and to political and economic instability in the southern African region.

On November 22, 2005, the President issued Executive Order 13391 to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288 by ordering the blocking of the property of additional persons undermining democratic processes or institutions in Zimbabwe.

On July 25, 2008, the President issued Executive Order 13469, which expanded the scope of the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288 and authorized the blocking of the property of additional persons undermining democratic processes or institutions in Zimbabwe.

The actions and policies of these persons continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States. For this reason, the national emergency declared on March 6, 2003, and the measures adopted on that date, on November 22, 2005, and on July 25, 2008, to deal with that emergency, must continue in effect beyond March 6, 2019. Therefore, in accordance with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288.

This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.

DONALD J. TRUMP

THE WHITE HOUSE,
March 4, 2019.

FOREIGN investors on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange are likely to take a huge foreign exchange loss on their investments, but at least they can now have their money back following a new directive by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) for commercial banks to prioritise 15% of all foreign payments towards disinvestment by portfolio investors on the ZSE.

For years, foreign investors on the ZSE have been struggling to take out their investments – now amounting to more than $120m – out of Zimbabwe, but the latest move by the RBZ should come as a huge relief.

In an exchange control circular released on Friday, the RBZ said commercial banks must prioritise 15% of all foreign currency payments toward disinvestment by portfolio investors on the ZSE.

While the latest directive from the RBZ must come as welcome news from foreign investors whose funds were locked in Zimbabwe, they will, however, have to deal with foreign exchange losses, as their holdings are no longer at a 1:1 with the Zimbabwe currency, but at a new market rate as determined by the new market driven foreign currency trading system.

For investors who invested in Zimbabwe since October 2016, their US dollars where being converted at 1:1 with the local bond note, but now they will have to convert the local bond note, now called RTGS dollars, at a market driven rate, currently at US$1:RTGS$2.5.

An investor who invested US$1 000 will now only be able to repatriate approximately US$400, a 60% reduction.

Of late, investors have been using the fungible Old Mutual stock to repatriate locked funds from Zimbabwe.

An investor would buy the Old Mutual share on the ZSE and sell on the JSE. This was, however, still at a loss, as they had to buy the share on the ZSE at a 350% premium to the price on the JSE.

But this is now set to change as the RBZ has revised guidelines on utilisation of foreign exchange to accommodate remittance of disinvestment proceeds from sale of shares on the ZSE.

According to the central bank’s latest directive to banks, proceeds from the sale of shares done before 20 February, can now be processed through the interbank market, the official market for foreign currency trading.

According to the directive, those that seek to repatriate the full value of their investments, should first register such balances with their administering Authorised Dealers as part of the legacy debt and foreign liabilities, after which they will expunge their debts through the interbank market.

Authorised Dealers are also advised that new portfolio investment inflows received after 20 February 2019, should be liquidated at the prevailing market exchange rate to enable the purchase of the shares in RTGS dollars.

According to the directive, thereafter, proceeds from sale of such shares will be sourced from the interbank market at the prevailing exchange rate.

But because of the potential exchange losses, the RBZ has since directed Custodial Banks to first obtain the mandate from their clients to participate on the interbank foreign exchange market at prevailing rates which are no longer at par with when they invested. — Fin24

A Thank you from Lynette Karenyi, MDC Women’s Assembly Chairlady|Hello there, I thought I should thank my fellow MDCA members, Civic Organisations, Coleagues and friends for the support you have shown to me over a long period in the recent past. Your support when I go to MDCA rallies and functions, has been tremendous, also the support you’ve shown me when I campaign for the party, President Advocate Chamisa and any other parliamentarian I have campaigned for, it gives me a reason to believe that the MDCA family believes in my duties and responsibilities as ASSEMBLY OF WOMEN CHAIR.

In my position as Chair my wish has always been “UNITY” let me therefore give a special mention of thank you to the Women Assembly leaders who have stood by me the past five years. Without your support I would not be where I am today.

Thank you also all MDCA family for that support; it means a lot to me. I know you are always with me and I am always with you, also the support you give me on social media platforms is absolutely amazing and indeed humbling. Thank you very much indeed.

I can only describe your Support as “Unity of Purpose”.

I however in the recent weeks have been receiving inbox messages and questions from my respectable members with issues regarding the upcoming MDCA congress scheduled for May 24-26, 2019.

The main question being: “Which position am I contesting for, if any?”

I would like to throw the ball in your court my beloved MDCA family. What is your advice as leaders and supporters of our party?

I will be willing to take up a position of the people’s choice where supporters feel I can best represent the movement. I am more than willing to listen to your views.

In the meantime speaking on behalf of many women in the movement my wish is to see a balanced leadership that also puts the issue of Gender into consideration. I also wish to see a reasonable number of women in senior positions including the SC, NE, provincial executives, district executives, ward executives and branches executives.

Once again thank you all. My political journey have been a milestone with ups and downs but humbling cause of the support I have always received from you.

In politics you will always encounter some who say you have wronged me and if I have wronged anyone intentionally or unintentionally I say sorry. Let’s not live in the past. The time for unity is now and we want a unity of purpose

From the bottom of my ? heart I say thank you all. Freedom will come in our lifetime. It’s difficult to mention names because all of you are special to me..

Hint – My wish is to see all people united towards the common goal of ending poverty in our beautiful country “UNITY OF PURPOSE” Unity is the only solution to dislodging Zanu-PF from power.

Lynette Karenyi
Assembly of Women Chair

Correspondent|MDC president Nelson Chamisa said that he will support whoever is victorious in the much-anticipated Congress slated for May.

Responding to a follower on Twitter who had asked whether he will support the winner at Congress if he (Chamisa) loses, Chamisa responded:

I will support the winner. Hopefully, I will be able to support myself. Lol…A great leader is always a great follower. I pray to be a great good leader, I, therefore, follow others with humility.

According to various media reports, the MDC faces collapse at worst, or complete subjugation by ZANU PF if Chamisa loses the presidency as the former is said to be supporting the latter’s rivals.

Analysts consider negative State media coverage of Chamisa in the run-up to the elections, while at the same time propping up his supposed rivals, highly unusual.

Meanwhile, Chamisa has congratulated young Zimbabwean engineer Stephanie Travers, who was recently appointed the Track Side Fluid Engineer for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes-AMG.

“It is my great pleasure to congratulate Stephanie Travers, an intelligent Zimbabwean young lady who has been hired as a track side field engineer for @LewisHamilton & Mercedes-AMG. These are the Zimbabwean success stories that should be replicated into their thousands & millions,” said Chamisa.

24-year old Stephanie beat more than 7,000 other applicants to land the prestigious role.

Correspondent|MDC Alliance Secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora has confidently declared that he would have garnered more votes than what party leader Nelson Chamisa scored against President Mnangagwa in the July 2018 elections.

Appearing on Zi-FM Stereo’s The Platform anchored by Larry Kwirirayi on Monday evening, Mwonzora was asked if he could have won more votes than what Chamisa got.

“I think so,” said Mwonzora, with a chuckle.

Mwonzora however refused to stated expressly whether he was contesting against party leader Nelson Chamisa at the 24 May Congress.

“Let’s leave that to the MDC people to decide. If they feel that I am better as Secretary-General, so be it. If they want to elevate me, still that’s alright,” Mwonzora said.

He explained that the tradition in the MDC was that one does not declare their own candidature, but gets nominated by provincial congresses first. It is the nomination that he said will indicate where the party structures want him deployed.

On the same issue, Mwonzora described it as unfair that he was the only one being asked to declare his candidature prior to the sitting of the provinces and districts.

Regarding the outcome of the Congress, Mwonzora said he would accept the results of the vote and if he lost, he would congratulate the winner and work under them.

“The MDC was formed for a purpose. It has values, a Constitution and a system. It is those values that we must hold sacrosanct. The Congress time must never be a time for name-calling.

“This should be the time for re-uniting and having fun. Congress is not a matter of life-and-death issue like how some of my colleagues are taking it to be. But I am so happy that president Chamisa himself is not saying the things that some of the colleagues in the party are saying.”

By Own Correspondent| The Alliance for the People’s Agenda (APA) has announced that it is pulling out from the dialogue initiated by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

APA leader Nkosana Moyo was one for the losers in the 2018 presidential election who heeded the call to go to State House for talks with Mnangagwa.

Moyo pulled out citing insincerity on the part of Mnangagwa.

He joins Noah Manyika of Build Zimbabwe Alliance and Daniel Shumba of the United Democratic Alliance.

Below is the full text by Moyo:

The disclosure before Parliament by the Central Bank that it has borrowed US$ 990 m from foreign institutions wout Parliamentary approval in breach of s327 of the Constitution left us shocked . So too the disclosure that US$1.13 billion worth of TBs have financed ZAMCO s NPLs

— TENDAI BITI (@BitiTendai) March 4, 2019

By Own Correspondent| Information and Broadcasting Services Minister Energy Mutodi said that the country is experiencing an intermittent breakdown of internet services and mobile telephone access today, Monday.

Writing on Twitter on Monday late afternoon, Mutodi said:

“There is an intermittent breakdown of internet services and mobile telephone access today. Please take note that the government is equally disturbed by the breakdown and we hope normal services will be restored as a matter of urgency.”

By Own Correspondent- A meeting between the government and civil servants which was set to be held today has been moved to next week after the former requested for more time.

This was confirmed by Apex Council secretary David Dzatsunga.

Speaking to a local publication, Dzatsunga said:

“We received a communique from our chairperson Cecilia Alexander that the government had asked for time to a date next week to prepare for the meeting.

We want to discuss the cost of living adjustments with the government and the issue of the quantum of our salaries. We are demanding $3 000 and we want to know what the government is offering since the $300 million facility they gave us last time was to cover the period from April to December last year.”-Newsday

By Own Correspondent| Secretary general of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) Robson Chere has been found guilty of an assault charge by a Goromonzi court.

Chere was fined $100 or he faces 30 days behind bars.

His Lawyer Doug Coltart however dismissed the ruling arguing that the ruling was a travesty of justice.

Said Coltart:

“I disagree with the magistrate. We will certainly appeal. This is a travesty of justice, I disagree with both the sentence and the conviction. Its a clear case of self defence because the accused was attacked by a group of armed men with guns and guard dogs. In our law, the defence of self defence is an absolute defence, meaning that the verdict was wrong.”

ARTUZ President Obert Masaraure who attended the court in solidarity with Chere said:

“As a union, we view both the conviction and the sentence as grossly unfair. The state intends to destroy our union using the judiciary. The union will not be deterred by the state’s machinations, we will be appealing against both the conviction and sentence.”

Chere’s wife said she sat through her husband’s ordeal, feeling his pain.

She added that today was the culmination of her suffering as her husband reached his judgement day.

She said:

“I was worried but I knew it was a false accusation as the state tried to cook a story for my husband. I knew he was innocent. I feared for our three children though as I lied to them that their father had traveled to Tanzania. I didn’ t want them to know that he was in jail. It was during his first case of intimidation when he was incarcerated at Goromomzi prison..he was later acquitted and this time around he has been convicted.”

After paying the fine Chere said:

“The ruling did not take into consideration the circumstances of the imminent threats and danger I was facing at the time the alleged crime was committed.”

ARTUZ INFORMATION DEPARTMENT.

By Own Correspondent– The Harare City Council (HCC) is set to give its councilors residential stands in line with a 2011 ministerial directive.

According to the directive, sitting chairperson and mayors were to access residential stands in their or adjacent wards.

Minutes of the council’s housing committee read in part:

“The director of housing and community services reported that the circular provided that councillors shall access residential stands in the same local authority at 40 per cent of the cost of the price of the stand for those serving the first term irrespective of whether or not one owns such property prior to assuming public office.

Housing committee chairperson Hammy Madzingira said:

“The director of housing is supposed to have started the process last month. Councillors had also felt that city official without residential stands should also be considered for allocation of residential stands.”- DailyNews

By Own Correspondent- Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda has defended the manner in which MDC legislator for Harare West Joanna Mamombe was arrested during a parliamentary workshop in Nyanga at the weekend.

Mudenda denied that Mamombe was arrested while on parliamentary business and said she was arrested on her way back to Harare.

Said Mudenda:

“The people who arrested her were very civil…they actually approached me and I reminded them to observe the law which they did.”

However, Mamombe’s legal counsel, Jeremiah Bhamu told a  Harare magistrate on Monday that she was taken away by one Ernest Moyo while police officers claimed that the “arrest” had nothing to do with them.

Said Bhamu:

“Mamombe called me on 25 February and she advised me that they were people at her mother’s residence. She said I must attend to all legal issues arising. There wasn’t an arrest warrant and as an MP her address was known.

I then proceeded to Police Law and Order and I liaised with Detective Inspector Mariyapera and we agreed that the accused person was attending Parliament business. I also wanted to know why there are people at her mother’s place. He said they weren’t responsible for those people.

Mariyapera confirmed to me that they wanted to question Mamombe on allegations of public violence. While in the police station, I phoned the accused and told her the police had confirmed they wanted to charge her. I asked her when she would come to Harare and she said Saturday 2 March.

Subsequently, on Saturday, I received calls from Mamombe’s relative and fellow parliamentarian advising me that she had been picked by a large number of people. Before I made enquiry I talked to Innocent Gonese to check if any details of her being picked in Nyanga.

If the accused was arrested in Nyanga she was supposed to be taken to the nearest police station. I was told that Mamombe was arrested by one Ernest Moyo who claimed to be a member of Law and Order.

I then proceed to Law and order to look for the officer in charge. I narrated my case and I was told that they are aware of the case but he said there was no police officer at Law and Order Harare called Ernest Moyo. They also said they did not order anyone to arrest Mamombe.

I tried to make contact with Ernest Moyo and he told me that he would be in Harare after 3 hours. When I later went to Law and Order the police did not disclose to me the location of Mamombe.

It only happened by chance when I talked to an officer and I saw Mamombe seated in that office with one Runganga who said he didn’t know why she was in the office. The officer in charge also confirmed what happened to Mamombe was not from their orders.”

By Own Correspondent- A Zanu Pf youth league leader has claimed that the high levels of unemployment in the country has left most youths vulnerable to abuse by agents of regime.

Zanu Pf Deputy Secretary, Lewis Matutu last week claimed that the hordes of unemployed youths are being used as regime change agents.

Matutu, said this while speaking on the sidelines of a public lecture at Gweru Polytechnic:

He said:

“Unemployment levels obtaining in the country have left youths vulnerable to abuse by agents of regime change.

Some are recruited to destabilise the country through demonstrations and as such the youth league is all out to ensure an end to this. Idleness is very dangerous; we want to ensure that our young people feel accommodated.”

Matutu said that his party is inculculating the spirit of entrepreneurship in youth as part of the 2030 vision.-Newsday

Jane Mlambo| An angry Gokwe teacher was reportedly arrested during weekend after confronting the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Paul Mavima in a beer hall over poor working conditions.

Stephen Mangoma of Mateta in Gokwe South district confronted Mavima who was in a bar in Gokwe on Friday, charging that the education minister was responsible for his suffering.

“I hate you, and I hate ZANU PF because you are responsible for our suffering,” shouted Mangoma.

Sensing danger, Mavima took to his heels while the angry Mangoma allegedly chased him.

Mavima was on tour in his Gokwe South constituency, visiting various party structures and supervising some of his community projects.

Mangoma was later on tracked down by police resulting in his arrest on Saturday and charged with disorderly conduct.

Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) president Obert Masaraure condemned Mangoma’s arrest which he described as harassment.

Mangoma was expected to appear before Gokwe Magistrate court today.

Correspondent|THERE was a heated moment in Parliament on Monday when the Public Accounts Committee, chaired by MDC Alliance deputy chairperson Tendai Biti was hearing from Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor John Mangudya.

Biti started off by creating a friendly atmosphere when he told Mangudya: “This is not going to be an adversarial inquiry. You’re someone I know, you put your country first. We’re here to help you do your job.”

Top of the agenda was the issuance of bond notes and coins as well as the Zimbabwe Asset Management Corporation (ZAMCO) (Private) Limited, a subsidiary of the Reserve Bank.

The central bank established the Zimbabwe Asset Management Company (Zamco) a few years ago to absorb non-performing loans that had reached alarming levels at over US$750 million soon after the introduction of the multi-currency regime. Zamco has also bailed out some local companies and parastatals that were teetering on the brink of collapse.

Giving his testimony today, Mangudya said ZAMCO was created to remove non-performing loans from bank balance sheets.

“The asset manager has so far acquired 1,016 loans worth $1.13bn. Of that, $260m has been repaid,” Mangudya disclosed.

“Without ZAMCO, many companies would have folded, jobs would have been lost,” Mangudya added.

Hon. Biti then asked who issued the Treasury Bills which ZAMCO used to acquire bad loans, to which Mangudya replied the bills were issued by central government.

Biti and Mangudya began sparring over over the status of funds the state uses to acquire debt through ZAMCO.

“If this is a charge on the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF), as a committee we are greatly concerned that this has happened without central government coming to us,” Biti said. “Parliament oversees the CRF, and you (ZAMCO) have received $1.13bn, but Parliament has not been told.”

Mangudya said all the amounts given to ZAMCO have been included in successive budget statements by Treasury, to which Biti insisted that was not the case.

Mangudya said: “In the last budget, Minister Ncube told Parliament that he was capping ZAMCO at $1bn, the asset manager will no longer acquire any further loans.

“ZAMCO is not our (RBZ) creation. This went through Cabinet and Parliament. The Minister took the numbers to Parliament and no one asked questions.”

The Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee was not amused. It demanded that because there are allegations of ZAMCO treasury bills being abused to the benefit of political elites, it will request a list of all the 1,016 borrowers whose loans were taken over by ZAMCO.

Cosmas Kanhai, the ZAMCO CEO, then said ZAMCO is governed by customer confidentiality rules and will not be able to share details of beneficiaries.

Biti countered him, saying ZAMCO is not a bank bound by confidentiality rules. “We have powers as Parliament to demand that list. We are demanding it,” Biti thundered.

Kanhai said $250m of the $1.13bn loans have been paid back, adding he was confident all the funds would be paid back by 2025, when ZAMCO is scheduled to be wound up.

Biti insisted that ZAMCO should hand over customer details to the Public Accounts Committee.
Biti then posed a question to RBZ chief John Mangudya: “What do you say to people who say ZAMCO is a toxic institution, acquiring toxic assets?”

Mangudya replied: “The RBZ position is that ZAMCO has done very well for this economy, without ZAMCO, this economy would have collapsed. Cites ZAMCO’s intervention to aid RioZim, as an example.

“ZAMCO has helped save companies such as RioZim, Windmill, StarAfrica, Ariston. Maybe one of your children is even employed by one of these companies. If these companies were not saved by ZAMCO, they would have collapsed.”

Biti then said: “Your Minister of Finance (Mthuli Ncube) thinks ZAMCO should be wound down. What do you say to that?”

“When you were Minister of Finance,” Mangudya replied, “we used to talk about this. When I was at the CBZ Bank. These are old loans, companies were chocking under the burden of high interest rates, something you know about.”

On the RBZ’s foreign loans, Mangudya said these amount to US$985m contracted by the central bank. The bulk of the funding has been sourced from: AfreximBank US$641m; PTA Bank US$152m; Banco de Mozambique US$25m; AfDB US$15m; PTA Reinsurance Corp US$9m.

Biti, citing the Constitution, asked why the RBZ has been contracting loans without Parliamentary approval.
Mangudya counters, citing the RBZ Act which says only ministerial consent is required.

Biti chipped in: “Are you saying the RBZ Act is above the Constitution?”
At that point, RBZ lawyer Webster Madera, weighed in, conceding that the RBZ Act is subservient to the Constitution, but said the central bank operates in terms of the RBZ Act.
Mangudya then said: “As the Reserve Bank, we cannot ask the Minister, upon receiving his consent, to go to Parliament. We are not accountable for that.”

Biti insisted: “Those loans are illegal, they are not binding,” he said, before turning to RBZ lawyer, and saying: “Webster, you know that, I taught you law.”
Mangudya: “Chairman (referring to Biti), I thought we were communicating. I don’t sit in Parliament.”

Biti: “Governor, with respect, you don’t have a casual interest in ensuring Parliament has approved or not.”

Mangudya: “We have taken note. What we did was in the national interest, within the RBZ Act. Going forward, we will ask the Minister to advise Parliament. Chairman, when you were Minister…”

Biti interjected: “No no no, we’re not going into history…”
Mangudya would not budge: “When you were Minister, you approved some loans without Parliament.”

Biti: “I’m ruling you out of order. We are not here to discuss my tenure. When I was Minister, you were not at the Reserve Bank.”
Mangudya: “But I have the records…”

Biti: “We have to answer this question: was this non-compliance willful or due to ignorance. We need to establish this because it has a bearing on the report we will make as a committee.”

Mangudya proceeded to say the nearly US$1bn foreign loans contracted by the RBZ are secured by future export proceeds for five year. Mangudya further said foreign loans are secured by gold exports for the next five years.

Mangudya also indicated the government’s overdraft at the RBZ stood at $2.9bn as of December 31, 2018.
Biti: “So, you’ve borrowed to lend government…”

Mangudya: “Mr Chairman, money is fungible. The world over, banks lend depositors’ funds. You imply we forced people to give us money for on-lending. We used the investment in the Bank, savings bonds.”

Biti: “Governors, are you saying, under oath and as a man of God, that the central bank has not taken people’s deposits to lend to government?”
Mangudya: “The answer is no.”

On govt abusing the RBZ overdraft facility by exceeding the statutory 20% of the previous year’s revenue,

Mangudya said: “We’re all culpable, why does Parly pass the budget knowing fully well about the government’s deficit? Where do you think the money comes from? As Parliament, you must also be meticulous when exercising budgetary oversight.”

Biti then asked if the RBZ had reserves as the central bank?
“We have three to four weeks’ import cover, some US$500m,” Mangudya responded.

On the issue of bond notes, Mangudya was asked about his oft-quoted vow to resign if bond notes fail.
Mangudya stuck to his guns. “Bond notes, as an export incentive scheme did not fail. Exports have gone up. Bond notes have only failed in the eyes of those who don’t understand the export incentive. The bond note did not fail.”

Biti then said: “By removing parity of the US dollar to the bond note, you admitted failure, why don’t you resign?”

To which Mangudya said: “What failed is the economy, due to excess govt expenditure. We now had excess funds in the economy and couldn’t maintain parity.”

The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee hearing with the RBZ has been adjourned to Monday, 11 March 2019.

Farai Dziva|Former Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation presenter Ezra Tshisa Sibanda has attacked MDC A deputy chairperson Tendai Biti for “causing disharmony in the opposition party.”

Sibanda argues there is no need to vilify Mwonzora who has expressed interest in challenging MDC A leader Nelson Chamisa at the Congress scheduled for May.

See Sibanda’s hypothesis below:
The culture of labelling any competitor Zanu PF is entrenched in the MDC.

Douglas Mwonzora is being abused, denigrated and called a Zanu PF project just like others before because he wants to challenge Chamisa for the presidency.

The smear campaign is being propelled by Tendai Biti, the same guy who dumped MDC before calling Tsvangirai all sorts of names and singing praises for Mugabe.

The same cabal is now conniving with Zanu PF’ s G40 to trample on the founding values of the MDC.

They are now ignoring the likes of Mwonzora, Khupe and others who have remained loyal to the party.

Mwonzora is a seasoned politician with more than 30 years experience in political activism. He is a seasoned legal practitioner who has been fighting for the respect of constitutionalism, reforms and democratic change in Zimbabwe . He has been tormented and arrested many times by Mugabe’s regime.

His crime now is challenging President Chamisa ahead of the Congress.

He is entitled to compete like anybody else who is a member of the party. Chamisa should not allow the Bitis and to divide the party even more. Everyone knows Biti wants Chamisa’s position though he behaves as if he is not interested.

Farai Dziva| Fiery political commentator Antony Taruvinga has claimed Douglas Mwonzora has literally written his political epitaph by challenging Nelson Chamisa for the MDC A presidency.

Taruvinga is of the view that Mwonzora will not even be nominated for the position.

Taruvinga argued: Douglas Mwonzora, you will not get a single nomination.

If you are tough, why cant you be tough to Zanu PF right now. The whole party administration is in a mess because we have a Zanu PF Secretary General.

Allow that to get into your skull.

The membership will not allow a Zanu PF puppet and a Johnny Come Late to derail the struggle.

We know why you have never been beaten, tortured or physically abused by Zanu PF. This is mainly because you are one of them.

There won’t be a presidential ballot paper. The nomination stage is the right time to deal with ninicompoopery and tomfoolery.

The First Lady, Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa has commended Harare Mayor, Councilor Hebert Gomba for supporting government programmes aimed at restoring Harare to its Sunshine City status.

This came out at the annual Green Valentine dinner held at the Mayors’ mansion in Harare last night.

The dinner brought together corporates and stakeholders to reaffirm their commitment to change the face of Harare City Council.

The First Lady said there is need for Zimbabweans to work together and help the local authority to realise its dream.

She commended Councilor Gomba for supporting government initiatives that include the national clean-up campaign, among others.

Amai Mnangagwa, who is the environment patron, reiterated on the need to turn litter into financial benefits through recycling.

Green Ambassador, Dereck Mpofu said Harare has the capacity to boast tourism if the city regains its Sunshine City status.

Councilor Kudzai Kadzombe said citizens should be educated on the need to beautify the city.

Different musical groups performed and the main song contained the ant-litter campaign message.

It was put across in different church traditions and culture.

A number of corporates participated and among them were the RBZ and Women’s Bank which has pledged to beautify Samora Machel Avenue near their bank.

Zbc News online

Correspondent|MDC Alliance Secretary-General Douglas Mwonzora has said he regrets the circumstances which led to former colleagues Dr. Thokozani Khupe and Mr. Obert Gutu leaving the party they helped found.

He said he used avenues within the party to protest against firing the colleagues, but his efforts were drowned by “people who did not care.”

Speaking at the weekend in a media interview, Mr. Mwonzora said: “I did not want the MDC to disintegrate, but some people did not just care. I still think that Ms Khupe, Mr. Abednico Bhebhe, Mr. Obert Gutu, Mr. Lovemore Moyo and others should not have left the party. But it became their choice; I also had a choice and my choice was to remain in the party.”

Khupe and Gutu are the president and vice president respectively of the rival opposition outfit, MDC-T.

Mr. Mwonzora was responding to allegations that as Secretary-General, he did nothing to protect members who were expelled without following party disciplinary procedures.

He said his options were limited as he was also a victim of the same circumstances that were facing Ms Khupe and Mr. Gutu.

“I did act (against their expulsion), and almost got expelled as well. You may know that I was also a victim, and almost got burnt in the hut as well. I protested within the party.”

The MDC Alliance heads towards an elective Congress on 24 May, with all the sixteen positions up for contest.

Speaking in the same interview, Mr. Mwonzora clarified the status of alliance principals at Congress.

“The position of the party is that those who have now been integrated into the MDC dissolved their parties and became MDC members with full rights, including the right to be voted into office.

“Presidents (Agrippa) Mutambara and (Jacob) Ngarivhume must be eligible to be voted if they are nominated, but on condition that they dissolved their parties. But i am not sure if they dissolved their parties; I will have to check. But if they did dissolve their parties, then they have full rights at Congress as MDC members.”