Terrence Mawawa |Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa has predicted total economic revival in the country by March 2018.

Speaking in Parliament today, Chinamasa said the Government had put in place measures to enable private and government controlled companies to operate at full throttle by March 2018.

Chinamasa conceded warped policies led to the closure of companies in the country.

He cited harsh and stringent requirements set by former President Robert Mugabe as the major contributory factors to the current economic quagmire.

“We have tabled strategic measures to ensure total economic recovery by March 2018.

Government will cede 80% of its shares in the Cold Storage Commission to NSSA as part of measures to revive the country’s defunct industrial sector.

We also have a grand plan to revive other government entities. Our major thrust is to create employment,” said Chinamasa.

He added, “We will root out bureaucratic elements, lazy and corrupt individuals.Ghost workers will also be fired because we cannot continue to pay them while they are idle. “

Senior judges who sit in the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission have told the President to live by his word and by the constitution to among other things, allow diasporans to vote from where-ever they live. Other issues were on stopping the invasion of white owned farms and also compensating those who lost their properties, and the last matter being the one of the Gukurahundi matter.

FULL TEXT:

ZHRC Statement on the New Political Dispensation and Prospects of a Zimbabwe
Where Human Rights are Protected, Promoted and Enforced.

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) acknowledges the position taken by the Second Executive President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, His Excellency Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa in his inauguration speech delivered on the 24^th of November 2017 to focus on Unity, Peace and the Development of our Nation. In particular the ZHRC is encouraged by the President’s declaration that he intends to serve Zimbabwe “as the President of all citizens regardless of colour, creed, religion, tribe, totem or political affiliation.” This is a critical declaration as it resonates with the core principles of human rights, premised on the tenets of equality and non-discrimination as provided for in Section 56 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (Number 20) Act, 2013.

In line with this positive trajectory, the ZHRC expectantly looks forward to the President and his new administration tackling some of the critical human rights issues that the country has been grappling with over the years as detailed below:

1)    The ZHRC applauds the President for recognising the need to compensate all those who lost their land during the implementation of the country’s Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP). In the same vein, the ZHRC encourages the President and the new Government of Zimbabwe to consider ending the eviction of the few remaining white farmers in recognition of their citizenship status and to ensure that they are treated like any other Zimbabwean in the allocation of land.

2)    The President in his speech encouraged the many Zimbabweans who have left the country over the years to come back home and help in the rebuilding of our Nation. This is a bold acknowledgment of the fact that these Zimbabweans remain citizens of our country regardless of where they may be currently resident. As a first step towards embracing these citizens, and accepting the immense contributions they have made towards sustaining our country through diaspora remittances, the Government is encouraged to put in place measures to ensure that they are able to vote from their current locations during the 2018 general elections as provided for in Section 67 (3) (a) of the Constitution which gives every Zimbabwean citizen above the age of eighteen (18) years the right to vote. In line with the same provision, prisoners should in our view also be allowed to exercise their right to vote.

3)    The ZHRC has noted the call by the President for Zimbabweans who externalized foreign currency and other assets to repatriate such resources by the end of February 2018 or face prosecution. This is an important call in that if heeded, the repatriation of these resources will go a long way in kick-starting the growth of our economy and easing the cash shortages which the country has been struggling with for over a year. The cash crisis has had a negative impact on the enjoyment of human rights by Zimbabweans including the right to dignity, as citizens including the elderly and persons with disabilities have been forced to sleep in bank queues as they seek to access their money.

4)    Whilst acknowledging that building peace and reconciliation falls within the mandate of our sister commission, the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC), the ZHRC encourages the New Government to address the issue of the Gukurahundi disturbances that took place in the Matabeleland Region and parts of the Midlands Province in the early to mid- 1980s. Addressing this issue of national concern will help in ensuring closure on the part of the affected families, whilst at the same time ensuring that Zimbabweans are able to move forward together in the spirit of forgiveness and oneness.

The ZHRC acknowledges that there are many other human rights issues that require the attention of the President and his new administration. However, the Commission expresses the view that addressing the above issues will play a critical role in setting the country on a positive path and this in turn will help in progressively addressing the other myriad human rights challenges that require attention.

Issued by the ZHRC in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on 1 December 2017

Staff Reporter| The humiliated former Zanu-PF national youth leader, Kudzanai Chipanga has won his bail appeal.

Chipanga was today granted $500 bail.

He was ordered to reside at 826 Jarcana Close in Greystone Park. Other conditions are that he must report to the local police twice a week between 6am-12 noon & 3pm- 6pm.

He was also ordered not to interfere with state witnesses.

Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| A lecturer at Great Zimbabwe University has been implicated in a sexual relationship with a ZRP Cop’ s wife.

The lecturer, Botman Nyasha Ebson was allegedly involved in a sexual relationship with Nyaradzo Nyoni who was a student at Great Zimbabwe University. Nyaradzo is married to Detective James Nyoni.

The matter was heard before Magistrate Sibongiso Mkandla last week.

The court heard that James became suspicious when he read some text messages in his wife’ s mobile phone.

He then carried out some investigations and discovered that Ebson had a sexual relationship with his wife.

The court further heard that Ebson demanded sex from Nyaradzo in return for high marks.

Ebson told the court that James allegedly threatened to kill him when he tried to clarify the matter.

He vehemently denied he had a relationship with Nyaradzo.

Ebson was fined $ 100 for making false reports against James.

The Harare man accused of taking advantage of his neighbour’s absence to sneak into his bedroom and become intimate with his wife has maintained that he did not rape the woman. He says he only kissed and fondled her, with her consent.

Nkosilathi Sibanda (27) is alleged to have tiptoed into his neighbour’s bedroom while naked in the wee hours and got into the woman’s blankets. It is the State’s case that the accused started caressing and kissing the woman before raping her.
Sibanda, who is denying the rape allegations, appeared in court last week before Mr Hosiah Mujaya for commencement of the defence case following the dismissal of his application for discharge at the close of the State’s case.

Sibanda, through his lawyer Mr Tapiwa Makanza, successfully made an application to recall State witnesses, saying they had audio recordings they intended to play in court and recross-examine the witnesses.

He and the woman’s house mate, identified as Miriam, recorded a conversations between the victim and her relatives as she was informing them of what had transpired. In the recordings, the woman is heard crying while making a phone call to her cousin, asking her to rush to her house, saying Sibanda had fondled her in the dark.

She is also heard informing her relatives that she felt that the person fondling her was heavier and his skin’s scent was different from that of her husband. Mr Makanza questioned why the woman did not tell her relatives that Sibanda had raped her, but instead told them that he fondled her.

“In your evidence, you told the court that you became aware that it was not your husband when Sibanda penetrated you, adding that his manhood was different from that of your husband,” he said.

“But in the audio clip, you are telling a different story. You told your cousin that you felt that the person fondling you was heavier and his skin’s scent was different from that of your husband before switching on the light. So, at what point did he rape you?
“Why did you not give your relatives all the details of what had transpired if indeed he had raped you?”

In another recording, one of the woman’s relatives was heard shouting at Sibanda, asking him why he attempted to rape the woman.
“Why did you do this?,” said Mr Makanza.

“Do you know that at law it is an offence? So, after fondling her what did you want to do next? You wanted to rape her, right?”

Mr Makanza then said: “This is a clear indication that you were not raped, but only fondled and kissed by my client with your consent.
“You fabricated the rape allegations and lied in your evidence to suit the court proceedings.”

In response, the woman said when her relatives came to the house, she was still in a state of shock, hence she could not give them all the details. She said she later confided in one of her cousins, whom she took to another room and told her she had been raped. The woman insisted that Sibanda raped her, but the accused insists the two had an affair. The trial continues on Saturday. – state media

Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| Vendors here have pointed out that President Emmerson Mnangagwa should be given time to prove his mettle as the President of the country.

Mnangagwa who was sworn in two weeks ago following the resignation of his long time boss, Robert Mugabe, said his priority was economic recovery and employment creation.

However, analysts have remained deeply cynical about Mnangagwa’ s potential to revive the comatose economy due to his lengthy association with Mugabe.

Speaking at a ward meeting here today, Masvingo Association of Flea Market Trades Chairperson, Tenson Mukapa, said Mnangagwa had the potential to revive the country’ s waning economy.

“Why are we using the past to condemn Mnangagwa? He must be given the chance to prove his potential to revive the economy.

People are too cynical about the President’ s ability,” said Mukapa.

Members of the association also said it was too early to castigate Mnangagwa.

“Let us stay positive, we are vigilant and watchful, if he fails to deliver, we will tell him straight away,” said a member of the association.

Pandamonium, gunshots and blaze at Chihuri’s home

Staff Reporter| Police boss Augustine Chihuri’s house endured over 3 hours of gunshots, the state media (Herald) claims.

They however say the attacker, a well known uniformed police officer just wanted to loot. ZimEye.com today explore the reasons why Chihuri was targeted and in the first program, ZimEye revealed that there has been a build up of anger among junior officers against their boss over several violations which include institutionalised corruption.

ZimEye ealier on reported that Chihuri’s house went into flames following over 15 minutes of gunshots exchange from inside the house. The matter of the 15 minute duration was submitted by neighbours (check the program starting at 5pm.) However the state media reports from security sources that the gunshots were actually for a long 3 hour duration.

Chihuri’s mansion was at the time of writing still barricaded by heavily armed members of the Zimbabwe National Army and the Airforce of Zimbabwe.

The sources told ZimEye.com that heavy gun fire exchanges emanated from inside the house and some civilian employees at the house were seen jumping out of the premises over a three metre high perimeter wall.

The sporadic gun exchanges continued on before a large burst was heard and the house went up in a huge blaze.It is believed it was actually bombed.

City of Harare Emergency Services personnel and the fire brigade immediately arrived at the house followed by a huge contingent of the Zimbabwe National Army and Airforce.

Besides commotion in the police force, Chihuri has been in trouble with the military since the take over from former President Robert Mugabe.

ZimEye.com is keeping watch of information and events from the house and details will be made available as they unfold. – the program will start at 5pm.

https://youtu.be/IOfvdtkvzhQ

By Dorrothy Moyo| A wild rumour continued to swell early Wednesday morning that there has been gunfire near Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri’s house, against an atmosphere of silence by the country’s police spokesperons.

The report also claimed there is a fire at his Greystone Park house.

But Chihuri was today listed on the schedule of delegates at the official ceremony for the renaming of KGVI Barracks.

The phones of Police Spokesman Commissioner Charity Charamba and her colleague Paul Nyathi were both not reachable. Further attempts to get details from other officers were neither fruitful. ZimEye.com will continue to investigate while we check with Commissioner Chihuri himself – ZimEye

….

SPEECH LOADING – refresh to listen

1030: The state media updates have ended

1023: President Mnangagwa is now being accompanied by Commander Defence Forces General Constantino Chiwenga to the Saluting Dais where he will take his last salute.

1020: Amai Tongogara is now on the podium and says today is the biggest day of her life. She speaks of her gratitude at having the barracks renamed in honour of her late husband.

“As Zimbabweans, we hold our heads high in pride of our nation, its government and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces who guard this history,”

She says a momentous occasion like this cannot happen overnight and has been in the pipeline for a long time.

She finishes her address.

1015: “In concluding my remarks I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the nation, the Tongogara family and other families as well as my apologies for the delay in recognising our heroes,”

He ends by calling for unity in enabling the regeneration of Zimbabwe.

1012: His Excellency asks the children to stand up and says “as you can see the names show that they were given by a man at war,”

1011: President Mnangagwa says there’s no doubt that the name Tongogara is associated with Zimbabwe’s liberation. He displayed true resistance against the Rhodesian forces and showed commitment to the liberation cause.

1008: ”It not possible to exhaust all the good works the late general did. The Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) is now introducing public lectures through which they’ll share the history of the country’s road to liberation so as to avoid the pitfalls of yesterday,”

1007: ”The renaming of our institutions goes a long way in preserving our nation’s history that we will bequeath to future generations. We should never ever forget the role played by the rest of the late gallant sons and daughters in liberating the country and as such the renaming of these containments should not appear as if it’s erasing the exploits of other cadres who are too many to mention,”

1001: President Mnangagwa says Tongarara was one of the greatest military strategists who went for his initial training in 1965 before going for further training in 1967 in China. He was heavily involved in the recruitment of ZANLA cadres in Zambia.

PLEASE NOTE DUE TO NETWORK CHALLENGES ONSITE WE WILL BE POSTING IMAGES WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE

0949: President Mnangagwa is now on the podium

0940: President Mnangagwa has unveiled the plaque.

0937: Minister Mohadi has now invited President Mnangagwa to unveil the plaque.  Tongogara’s widow Amai Angeline Tongogara and children who include Hondo, Conrad, Tichafa, Bvumai, Granger and Nyaradzo are in attendance.

0932: He says he is humbled by an occasion which was long overdue and that breaks from the shackles that tied them to the country’s colonial past. Minister Mohadi says Tongogara was his commander and friend whom he met and worked with in Zambia when Mohadi joined the struggle in 1971. He says Tongarara was above party politics who didn’t know of Zanu or Zapu. Mohadi says this is one of the most important days of his life and feels humbled to be part of the Tongogara family. He says he felt he had been in the wilderness and is now home. He says it is his singular privilege and honour, which he has never been given before, to invite President Mnangagwa to come unveil the plaque.

0929: Minister of Defence, Security and War Veterans Kembo Mohadi is now on the podium.

0915: Major General Douglas Nyikayaramba spoke of the immense role played by the  Tongogara in the liberation of the country.

0900: Army barracks countrywide will officially be renamed today, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa presiding over the main event at King George VI Barracks in Harare, which has since been renamed after late national Hero Josiah Magama Tongogara. All other army barracks will now bear the names of national heroes.

State Media – Eight Nyanga farmers perished in a road accident on their way from collecting agricultural inputs last Friday. The accident happened barely 100 metres from the collection point at Kute Business Centre.

A 28-months-old baby, Rosemary Ropafadzo died on the spot, the driver, Samuel Aaron Mandikuwadza, who died on admission at Nyanga District Hospital. Six others, whose conditions were critical died at Mutare Provincial Hospital. They were all from Ward 14, under Chief Saunyama’s area.

They were aboard a Toyo-Ace truck, belonging to the late Mandikuwadza. The farmers had collected seed maize and fertiliser under the Presidential Inputs Scheme at Kute Business Centre (Dodzo). The accident occurred at the 60km peg along the Nyanga-Ruwangwe Road.

Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Tavhiringwa Kakohwa, confirmed the accident. He revealed the names of five deceased person from the eight — Rosemary Ropafadzo (28 months), of Nyamukupe Village, Aaron Samuel Mandikuwadza (56), of Hamunakwadi Village, Aquiline Mafuwo (62), of Samvenge Village, Annatoria Maritinya and Joyce Mumhanyi — all under Chief Saunyama’s area.

Insp Kakohwa could not release the names of the three others who died on Monday at Mutare Provincial Hospital as their next of kin had not been notified. The eight succumbed to head, chest and neck injuries. Seven others survived with minor to moderate injuries.

“The truck was travelling towards Ruwangwe and was involved in an accident at the 60km peg when Mandikuwadza lost control of the vehicle and veered off the road to the left, overturned once and landed on its left side.

“A 28-months-old baby Rosemary died on the spot, and Mandikuwadza died on admission at Nyanga District Hospital. The other victims were later transferred to Mutare Provincial Hospital for further treatment and later died,” Insp Kakohwa.

Nyanga Rural District Council chairperson, Councillor Moses Gutu, said the tragedy had plunged the district into mourning. Cllr Gutu said most of the victims were breadwinners.

“All the deceased were from Ward 14 and you can imagine the extent of the pain. These people were farmers who met their fate while trying to fend for their families. Their families have lost breadwinners, and it is unfortunate,” said Cllr Gutu.

“We buried the first five in their respective villages on Sunday, and sadly on Monday we received sad news from Cllr Mutsiwawo (Ward 14) that three other victims had died at Mutare Provincial Hospital. This exacerbated our pain.

“We do not know if the accident was caused by a defect on the vehicle or was just a design by God. I visited the scene and the accident happened on a straight and clear stretch that is less than 100m from the collection point (Kute Business Centre). You would not expect such an impact just after take-off,” said Cllr Gutu.

He thanked Nyanga South legislator, Cde Supa Mandiwanzira, for assisting the bereaved families. – state media

Terrence Mawawa, Buhera| A self styled prophet who inserted his manhood into a minor’s private parts under the guise of exorcising demons, was last week dragged to court for the offence.

Victor Chiminya(33), appeared before Magistrate Livingstone Chipadza facing rape charges.

He allegedly raped the minor on two different occasions.

Chiminya is a self confessed prophet at Sangano RaJehova Apostolic Church.

The 15- year- old girl was doing Form Two at Ndongwe Secondary School at the time she was raped.

According to facts of the State Case, Chiminya went to the place where the minor stayed with her guardians and claimed she was being tormented by demons.

He further said the demons would be exorcised through sexual intercourse. He then raped her. The incident happened on March 12, 2017.

On May 14, 2017, Chiminya raped the minor at Chimanye Homestead where he was conducting healing sessions.

Chiminya however accused his detractors of framing him.

Trial will continue next week.

By Acie Lumumba| Effective December 1, 2017 I, Acie Lumumba W.G. Mutumanje, returned to ZANU PF as an active member.

The reasons for my resignation on May 19, 2016, no longer apply: the party has forcefully and credibly begun the process of reforming itself, and the ruling party is now in the unique position to drive positive change in Zimbabwe, as enunciated by its new leader.
As before, I will remain focused on youth empowerment, and will continue to promote political participation of the young people in the political and reform processes.
There is no greater task before our generation than waging a war against self induced poverty. True empowerment is in removing barriers of entry for all Zimbabwean people as they pursue their various versions of prosperity.

The events of the recent weeks have united the country in a common purpose. We have a chance to overcome our differences and focus on critical reforms that deliver prosperity to our nation. In my lifetime I have never experienced a moment when the world gave us so much good will to hold our hand as we pick ourselves up to join the global community. I am motivated by window of opportunity to set our country on a pathway to recovery, I wish to be a part of that process. I recognize with great honor the comradery extended to me by opposition movements in our quest for a ZIMBABWE fir for all who live in it. I have a new and deep found r espect for the work they all do. I will continue to fight for that sacred idea.

Head Bowed

A.L.W.G.M Citizen

MDC-T legislator Eddie Cross who almost got into trouble with his party after stating that party leader Morgan Tsvangirai will not be able to contest next year’s elections because of his failing health now says the MDC-T leader is the best candidate to beat Emmerson Mnangagwa in next year’s elections.

Cross says the honeymoon is over for Mnangagwa because he made a tactical error in appointing a cabinet which is “just a collection of the old, corrupt and incompetent people who created the present economic shambles in the first place”.

By doing so, Cross says, Mnangagwa has thrown the opposition a lifeline.

“For me, the even bigger question is, can we get our act together and pick up this rope and pull ourselves into our real future?

“We need to sort out our leadership, only Morgan Tsvangirai has the national support required to defeat Zanu-PF, he needs support and help to do so, and he needs it NOW.

“People have got to get off the fences they are sitting on and help us finish what we started in the past fortnight.”- The Zimbabwean

A Zambian haulage truck driver whose vehicle was burnt to a shell on Saturday night has said he narrowly cheated death as the truck caught fire soon after he retired to bed in it.

Mr Siachamba Kantini (25), who is employed by Shaan Carriers, a Zambian company, is one of the scores of truck drivers who had parked along the Victoria Falls-Bulawayo road near Victoria Falls Truck Stop waiting for clearance to cross the border.

Mr Kantini refuted claims making rounds on social media that the truck horse caught fire due to a gas stove he was using to cook his supper.

“I went to Hwange during the day to collect some documents which they wanted at the border. It’s not true that I was cooking when the fire broke out. Instead I had my supper in Hwange and when I came back I went into the horse to sleep. Suddenly I smelt smoke and as I was trying to figure out what was happening the whole horse was on fire,” he said.

Mr Kantini, who lost all his belongings including travel documents and paperwork for the truck and clearance for the load he was carrying, said he suspects that the truck had an electrical fault.

The fire brigade attended to the scene although they could not give details about findings from the scene.

Officer Commanding Victoria Falls District, Chief Superintendent Jairos Chiwona said: “I can confirm there is a truck that caught fire on Saturday. We are not sure what caused it. No foul play is suspected for now and we stand guided by the fire experts on what could have caused the accident.”

Other drivers who spoke to a Chronicle news crew at the scene on Sunday morning expressed concern about delays by border officials to clear them.

“Such incidents are bound to happen especially when we camp for a week. As it is we’ve been here for the past three days waiting for clearance but nothing seems to be happening. We end up spending all our pocket money,” said one driver on condition of anonymity.

Zimbabwe and Zambia governments launched a joint Kaza Uni visa where travellers and truckers have to be cleared at one point to reduce time spent at the border.

However, there have been concerns that border authorities on the Zimbabwean side are generally slow in clearing travellers and as such travellers are not enjoying the benefits of the Uni visa.- state media

Former War Veterans minister Tshinga Dube has sensationally claimed that he personally mobilised disgruntled Zanu PF youths and war veterans to boo former First Lady Grace Mugabe during the ill-fated Bulawayo Presidential youth interface rally last month, where ex-President Robert Mugabe lost his temper and publicly announced plans to drop the axe on his then deputy, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

He was on his way to the Gombakomba area in Mutare South constituency, where an unnamed war veteran had passed on.

“I want to tell you this for the first time. I was the one who organised that booing on the First Lady. I organised some war veterans and youths in Bulawayo and agreed that if she starts to insult the party leadership and members, they would then boo her. And it worked,” Dube said.

“I had not seen him (Mugabe) angry like that. He was very angry about that (booing). But I must say this heckling gave an insight of what was to come. She lacked respect for the party elders and her verbal insults were now becoming uncontrollable and we thought that should end. She lacked respect for the party’s core values and we said no to that and, as you can see, now she has fallen down.”

During the rally, a group of ruling party youths led by Magura Charumbira disrupted Grace’s speech, as they continuously heckled her, denouncing her as “too junior” before breaking into a mocking song Into Oyenzayo Siyayizonda (We don’t like what you are doing).

A visibly incensed Mugabe later took to the podium and unleashed venom at Mnangagwa, accusing him of engineering the heckling.

“We are denigrated and insulted in the name of Mnangagwa. Did I make a mistake in appointing him as my deputy? If I made a mistake by appointing Mnangagwa, tell me. I will drop him as early as tomorrow,” he threatened.

Two days later, Mnangagwa was sacked from the party and government, before Mugabe succumbed to military and public pressure and resigned two weeks later, as Parliament also moved in to impeach him.- Newsday

The fall of Zimbabwe’s long-serving president, Robert Mugabe, appears to have given hope to sacked former Zanu PF stalwarts who are now retracing their footsteps back to the former liberation movement.

There is renewed hope among the former Zanu PF senior officials since the appointment of  Emmerson Mnangagwa as first secretary.

Barely a week after former Masvingo provincial affairs minister Kudakwashe Bhasikiti signalled his intention to rejoin Zanu PF, another ex –official, Claudius Makova, has written a letter seeking re-admission into the party.

And this is at the expense of the troubled Zimbabwe People First which was formed after Mugabe hounded several officials from Zanu PF on untested allegations of wanting to topple him in the run-up to the party’s December 2014 congress.

In a letter addressed to Zanu PF’s deputy secretary for administration July Moyo, Makova said now that Mugabe is out of the picture he feels at ease to rejoin the ruling party that is now led by Mnangagwa.

“The removal of the G40 cabal and the removal of one centre of power from Zanu PF give me enough confidence to revert to my party and continue to fight for the total emancipation of our people in our people-driven party Zanu PF.

“My motivation is to remain a servant of the people in a party that I have served for the greater part of my life,” said Makova.

The outspoken politician along with Bhasikiti attended a Zanu PF Masvingo provincial coordinating committee (PCC) meeting over the weekend.

The two politicians have stood together in the last three years jumping from one political party to another, but never really fitting in.

Zanu PF Masvingo province spokesperson Ronald Ndava confirmed that Makova and Bhasikiti attended a PCC meeting.

“We were with them. As an executive we are going to sit down and discuss the way forward, but we are a big family. A committee will sit down and decide what we can do. It will be a collective decision,” Ndava told the Daily News.

One of the founding elders of the ZPF and former Cabinet minister in Mugabe’s government — Didymus Mutasa who was also sacked from Zanu PF in the run up to December 2014 congress — said it was time that both Makova and Bhasikiti found  a permanent home.

“Now that there is freedom in Zimbabwe let them do as they please, but let them not jump from one party to another. They jumped from (the then ZPF led by Joice) Mujuru and then came to us and they jumped from us to join the (Zimbabwe People First led by Agrippa) Mutambara, now they are going back to Zanu PF. It’s very funny,” said Mutasa.

Makova and Bhasikiti’s days in the political wilderness were largely because they had fallen out of favour with Mugabe, whose long political career came to an end on November 21 when he resigned ahead of an impeachment by Parliament.

Along with Bhasikiti, Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo, Makova parted ways with Mujuru early this year and retained the name of the party that they formed after a bitter expulsion from Zanu PF.

It was not long before ZPF split again in the middle and Makova and Bhasikiti dumped Mutasa and Gumbo to follow retired brigadier general Mutambara, who kept the name ZPF.

History repeated itself again as the two politicians crossed swords with Mutambara over a leadership raw.

“I have already resigned from ZPF where I was now serving as the secretary-general of the party. I find no reason to be serving in any other party when Zanu PF has reverted to its original ideals by the “operation restore legacy,” said Bhasikiti as he seeks to rejoin longtime comrades at Zanu PF.

Just like Bhasikiti, Makova in his letter to Mutasa and Gumbo said the two co-leaders of ZPF should seriously consider closing shop and returning home to Zanu PF.

“It was my great expectation that we should have collectively closed shop or disbanded our party ZPF and go back to Zanu PF where we originally all belong,” said Makova.- Daily News

HARARE – The two former army chiefs who landed Cabinet appointments last week have promised fireworks in President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s new government.

In what came as surprise appointments for many, Air Marshal Perrance Shiri of the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) and Zimbabwe National Army Major General Sibusiso Moyo were part of the 22-member Cabinet unveiled on Thursday by Mnangagwa.

Shiri is the new minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement while Moyo was appointed minister of Foreign Affairs.

Both generals played an instrumental role in the deposal of Mugabe in an operation launched by the military last month.

In separate interviews after taking oath of office at State House yesterday, the former military top dogs said they would take radical departures in their respective portfolios from that of the previous administration overseen by ex-president, Robert Mugabe.

Shiri said he would introduce a fresh land audit to weed out incompetent farmers as a precursor to bringing stability in the agriculture sector.

He would also ensure farmers have security to their land to make the resource bankable.

“It is not going to be business as usual. I know there are some land disputes and we want to make sure that we end disputes on land,” said Shiri.

“We also have the land tenure issue. It has to be resolved and clearly defined. We are also going to have another land audit to establish who is on which land. All land has to be fully utilised,” he said.

Shiri also vowed to press on with the Command Agriculture programme, which he oversaw as chairperson of the implementation taskforce during his tenure as the AFZ boss.

“The programme will actually be increased. We realise that we contribute immensely towards the country’s GDP, wealth creation and foreign currency earnings. We will just have to live up to the expectation of the nation in that respect.

“There is a slight difference in that last year, I was leading the technical implementation team, but now I am the minister responsible for Command Agriculture and all other aspects to do with agriculture,” he said.

GDP is an acronym for Gross Domestic Product, which refers to the total value of goods produced and services provided in a country during one year.

Shiri’s views resonate with those of Mnangagwa who, during his swearing-in ceremony about two weeks ago, promised to reform the agriculture sector.

While Shiri was more open and spoke freely, Moyo appeared a little averse and gave a terse response when asked what would be his main objectives as Foreign Affairs minister.

Also appearing to read from the same script as Mnangagwa, who has promised to open Zimbabwe for business and re-engage with the Western countries from which Zimbabwe has been alienated for close to 20 years, Moyo simply said: “My thrust will be economic diplomacy and transitional diplomacy.”

When asked to clarify what he meant, he said: “It’s a win-win situation,” and refused to entertain further questions.

Meanwhile Shiri, who was Moyo’s senior in military rankings, said there was nothing wrong with former military chiefs participating in politics.

“Who said military people should never be politicians? When I was in the military, I was under the ministry of Defence which is part of government. I am a Zimbabwean, I have got every right to participate in the country’s politics,” he charged.

Mnangagwa has been under fire from critics, who questioned the inclusion of army generals in his Cabinet.

The fiercest criticism came from exiled former Higher and Tertiary Education minister Jonathan Moyo — an unapologetic Mnangagwa faultfinder — who claimed recently that Mnangagwa was a puppet president of the army.

In one of his tweets, Moyo said while Mnangagwa was Zimbabwe’s de jure (rightful) president, commander of the defence forces, Constantino Chiwenga was the de facto (not necessarily by legal right) president.

Chiwenga is the commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

A total of 22 newly-appointed Cabinet ministers took their oath of office before Mnangagwa, followed by 10 provincial affairs ministers, most of whom were retained from the Mugabe era.

A total of 11 deputy ministers were also sworn in.

Reinstated Prosecutor-General Ray Goba also took oath of office.

Goba was initially fired by Mugabe before he could be sworn in but was brought back by Mnangagwa last week after the High Court had given him reprieve.- Daily News

Former Primary and Education minister Lazarus Dokora has said he gave it his best despite public distrust while his predecessor Paul Mavima believes Dokora was “hugely misunderstood.”

Dokora along with Christopher Mutsvangwa and Clever Nyathi had made it into Cabinet last week only for their appointments to be rescinded two days later.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa quickly moved to drop them from his Cabinet upon realising that he had overlooked the number of non-constituency legislators he could appoint to be ministers.

Had Dokora not been chopped, it would have been a continuation of his tenure which begun in 2013.

Dokora had previously told the Daily News that “the name calling, the attention drawing by persons or even the agenda setting by media,” had not left him dismayed.

“In itself it has actually assisted the education sector in making sure that everybody pays attention to the processes that are underway in the ministry,” he said.

“At the beginning I kept saying ‘no I am not changing (anything), we need to tweak, we are good at knowledge form but we need skills and value…so ultimately everyone appreciates that you can’t continue to produce kids who are dysfunctional in their own economy. It doesn’t make logical or rational sense.”

Dokora is fully aware that many of his pronouncements have set him on a collision course with stakeholders in the education sector but his successor would like to see him being remembered in good light.

“He was a hard worker, that work ethic is what I learnt from him. A lot of people misunderstood him. He was a visionary. He knew where he wanted to take the new curriculum,” Mavima told the Daily News yesterday.

The introduction of the national pledge which critics said was an attempt to indoctrinate children set Dokora on a collision course with many.

His pronouncements on condoms and scripture union did little to instil trust in the masses who failed to understand his methods.

And when he scraped off monetary incentives for teachers and banned extra lessons, his subordinates were quick to call him Dofora  (daft one) which did not appear to extinguish the passion with which he went about his business.

However, Mavima said yesterday that there is no going back on the new curriculum and the national pledge.

Mavima said his ministry would soon carry out an assessment of the new curriculum with a view to improve the strategy of its implementation.

“We are going to do a process evaluation, see where we are going wrong and alter where it’s needed change course. We are not going to go back and say we don’t want to do Stem, we can’t go back and say we don’t want to promote entrepreneurship, promote critical thinking, patriotism.

“We can’t go back and say we don’t want to promote nationalism and national identity among our learners. We want learners who come out proud to be Zimbabwean. So all these issues are not a matter of discussion. What is matter of discussion is that is this syllabus offering exactly what we want? And these are matters we are going to evaluate before the end of the year.”- Daily News

Home Affairs and Culture Minister Obert Mpofu has pledged to address the large number of roadblocks and corruption in the police force.

In an interview with the state-controlled Herald newspaper soon after he was sworn in on Monday, Mpofu noted that many people are complaining about roadblocks and corruption in the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

He is quoted as saying he will deal with these issues that have been raised by motorists over the years.

“This is the first assignment I want to deal with. I have received a lot of complaints about the behaviour of some of our officers and I am going to address that. This is a people’s police force and it has to abide by the expectations of the people, at the same time maintaining law and order.”

Some people claim that police normally ask for bribes at various roadblocks, a situation that has compromised their status in modern Zimbabwe.

At times the ZRP officers manning roadblocks, some of them not sanctioned by the police force, demand spot fines even if this was outlawed.

Police are currently patrolling the streets in Zimbabwe in conjunction with members of the Zimbabwe Defence Force in what has been termed Operation Restore Order.

The Zimbabwe Defence Force staged a coup resulting in the removal of Robert Mugabe from power.

He has been replaced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.- VOA

A Gokwe man has been slapped with an 18 month jail sentence for faking his son’s death and attempting to defraud Ecosure Funeral Cover of $12 000 in accident insurance cover.

Nicholas Madziva (47) of Magama Village under Chief Nemangwe in Gokwe South was convicted on his own plea of guilty to one count of fraud by Gokwe resident magistrate Mr Christopher Maturure.

He was sentenced to 18 months in prison but six months were suspended for five years on condition he is not within the period convicted of a similar offence.

The remaining 12 months were further suspended on condition Madziva performs 420 hours of community service at Sunganai Secondary School in Gokwe South.

For the State, Mr Tineyi Tirigo told the court that on April 4 Madziva, who is a policy holder on Ecosure funeral cover, hatched a plan to defraud the company and claimed funeral assistance alleging that his son had died in a road traffic accident.

Mr Tirigo said Madziva claimed normal cover assured of $ 2 000 and an extra $10 000 of accidental cover.

The court heard that as a matter of procedure, Ecosure commenced the verification process after Madziva submitted his claim forms.

Mr Tirigo said it was discovered that Madziva’s son whom he had claimed to have died in an accident was alive. The matter was then reported to the police leading to Madziva’s arrest.
The claim made by Madziva was potentially prejudicial to the complainant to the sum of $12 000.

In a related incident, a 31 –year- old man from Gokwe has been sentenced to eight months in prison after he was convicted of attempting to defraud Ecosure Funeral Cover of $1000 after faking his mother’s death.

Knowledge Mponderi of Mponderi Village under Chief Chireya in Gokwe North was also convicted by Mr Maturure and was sentenced to eight months of which three months were
suspended on condition of good behaviour.

Another five months were suspended on condition Mponderi performs 175 hours of community service at Gwebo Primary School in his area.

Mr Tirigo told the court that on September 17 Mponderi, who is a policy holder on Ecosure Funeral Cover, hatched a plan to defraud the company and claimed funeral assistance alleging that his mother had died.

Mponderi claimed funeral assistance of $1 000. When Ecosure conducted their own investigations, they discovered that Mponderi’s mother was alive.

The matter was reported to the police leading to Mponderi’s arrest.- state media

Mnangagwa Is God Given / Or Army Given, WHAT'S THE TRUTH?

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) December 4, 2017

“Why are the mistakes coming up now when Mnangagwa has taken over?”

Outcry as media repeatedly fails to spell an IsiNdebele word (SEE PICTURES)

By Paul Nyathi| A huge outcry has come up in Matabeleland after various media houses and government departments failed to correctly spell the IsiNdebele word “Amhlophe” in messages congratulating President Emerson Mnangagwa on his inauguration.

A ZimEye.com reader from Bulawayo Nkululeko Moyo expressed unhappiness at the number of times the various media houses continued on wrongly spelling the word which he described as an act of deliberate negligence.

“Mistakes do happen and people spell words wrongly maybe as a misprint but if the error is repeated up to ten times and more it can no longer be taken as a typing error,” he said.

Moyo said they had been discussing the continuous wrongly spelling of what he called the simplest and most used IsiNdebele word in Zimbabwe and they all concluded that it was arrogance on the part of the publishers.

According to Moyo, incorrect spelling of the word is having a huge impact on President Mnangagwa’s brand among the people of the region.

“It’s not the first time congratulatory messages are being made in the newspapers, during Mugabe’s era there was never such a mistake,” he said.

“Why are the mistakes coming up now when Mnangagwa has taken over? Is he instructing them to incorrectly spell the word?” he fumed.

Efforts by ZimEye.com to speak to the editor of one of the publishers were unsuccessful but a junior member of staff at the media house indicated that the advertisements came from the companies sending the message as written and the paper could not be in a position to edit them.

It was not possible to obtain a comment from the President’s office.

As a standing committee member, Mr Job Sikhala confirmed there were of a truth overtures from the army to MDC members last month – that the military run government approached some of his colleagues in the middle of the night with the intention of isolating Tsvangirai by offering some MDC-T cabinet positions, Presidential adviser Christopher Mutsvangwa yesterday hit back at suggestions by MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai that he was never approached to form a coalition Cabinet. Mutsvangwa reiterated that Mr Tsvangirai blocked his deputies and Mr Tendai Biti from joining the Cabinet because of their disloyalty to the embattled opposition leader. He was responding to Mr Tsvangirai’s spokesman Mr Luke Tamborinyoka’s outburst, denying assertions his boss was approached to allow his legislators take up Cabinet posts in the new dispensation.

“One cannot run away from the fact that the fate that befell Tendai Biti and a clutch of MDC deputies is a salutary reminder to the peril of disloyalty to Morgan Tsvangirai,” said Mutsvangwa. Only a public disowning of this menacing sword of Damocles by MT himself would have helped the process of inclusivity forward.” Mutsvangwa said a golden opportunity availed itself at the two million march when the war veterans invited him (Tsvangirai) at the Zimbabwe Grounds which he attended.

https://youtu.be/9C2gaTBMcaQ?t=7m31s

“For political safety of prospective Cabinet candidates from the opposition, President Mnangagwa had to be prudent in testing the waters of inclusivity in an atmosphere where opposition stalwarts sought a national unity government instead,” said Mutsvangwa. After all enough deputies of the Eighth Parliament had paid the high prices of breaching the draconian provisions that militate against perceived party discipline. You can also count myself and the spiteful loss of the Norton constituency seat. That is why it was that much easier for the new President to reach out to the politically unencumbered figures from academia and business.”

Mr Tamborinyoka was quoted in privately owned media scoffing at Mutsvangwa’s claims that the MDC-T leader turned down an offer to form a coalition Cabinet, demanding that he be included in the presidium. He described Mutsvangwa’s statement as “dales and typical of a government used to misrepresent facts”.

Mr Tamborinyoka said President Mnangagwa never approached Mr Tsvangirai who was open to such an arrangement, hoping it would create an environment for implementing reforms which could lead to credible elections next year. – state media/additional reporting

The driver of the Vic Falls truck which was burnt down and whose images circulated Sunday morning, is safe.

The truck went into flames on Saturday night.

Mr Siachamba Kantini (25), who is employed by Shaan Carriers, a Zambian company, is one of the scores of truck drivers who had parked along the Victoria Falls-Bulawayo road near Victoria Falls Truck Stop waiting for clearance to cross the border.

The truck was loaded with coal and only the horse was burnt.

Mr Kantini refuted claims making rounds on social media that the truck horse caught fire due to a gas stove he was using to cook his supper.

“I went to Hwange during the day to collect some documents which they wanted at the border. It’s not true that I was cooking when the fire broke out. Instead I had my supper in Hwange and when I came back I went into the horse to sleep. Suddenly I smelt smoke and as I was trying to figure out what was happening the whole horse was on fire,” he said.

Mr Kantini, who lost all his belongings including travel documents and paperwork for the truck and clearance for the load he was carrying, said he suspects that the truck had an electrical fault.

The fire brigade attended to the scene although they could not give details about findings from the scene.

Officer Commanding Victoria Falls District, Chief Superintendent Jairos Chiwona said: “I can confirm there is a truck that caught fire on Saturday. We are not sure what caused it. No foul play is suspected for now and we stand guided by the fire experts on what could have caused the accident.” – state media

Harare City Council has urged residents to avoid drinking borehole water as it may be contaminated. This came out at last week’s full council meeting.

Councillors are however, split with some complaining that borehole water is dirty, while others say it meets World Health Organisation standards. Acting town clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube said residents needed to stop relying on borehole water as it has not been tested.

“We assure residents that our water is safe. Residents should desist from going to boreholes because some of them have contaminated water. We had to decommission some boreholes, especially at Matapi flats,” she said.

She said the city had taken measures to ensure the supply of clean water to residents.

“We have about $8 million in our budget for pipe replacement next year. This year work has started and is progressing well. We start in areas that are really bad and we need to replace three-quarters. We expect the pace to increase next year,” she said.

According to Mrs Ncube, the city was losing a lot of money buying chemicals to purify water, and this was unsustainable.

“The cost of treating water is very high because the water is contaminated. We should reduce the rate of water contamination. There is also contamination from industries, urban agriculture and we are looking at new chemicals that can be used to clean the water. We are carrying out trials and may reduce the number of chemicals from eight to three,” she said.

Some councillors urged urban farmers to produce crops organically to reduce contamination of ground water with chemical residue. Director of Water Engineer Hosiah Chisango said there were complaints over the quality of water, but tests and investigations at the treatment works and at various taps indicated that the water was within WHO guidelines, with the exception of colour in some areas.

“We had to increase dosage of chemicals to deal with algae. Our water remains safe; monitoring and testing has increased to ensure it remains safe,” he said.

This year, council embarked on reservoir cleaning to ensure supply of clean water. Marimba, Kambanji, Kopje and Bluff Hill reservoirs have been cleaned, while work is in progress on Mutiny and Ridge Road reservoirs. The exercise is expected to continue into 2018 and beyond.

Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| Despite being tormented continually by former President Robert Mugabe and his wife, Grace, Zanu PF Masvingo Provincial Chairperson, Ezra Chadzamira reflected fervent passion for the deposed nonagenarian.

Chadzamira made an embarrassing blunder yesterday when he told party members to rally behind Mugabe in next year’s crucial elections. He openly declared that Robert Mugabe is contesting in the upcoming 2018 elections, shortly before correcting himself – AUDIO STREAMING shortly – refresh to listen.

Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) commander, Gen. Constantino Chiwenga, is seen standing a good chance of being elevated straight from the barracks to become one of the two vice presidents at Zanu PF’s extraordinary congress scheduled for this month, the Daily News claims.

The development comes after Mnangagwa’s special advisor, Chris Mutsvangwa stated that the Zimbabwean military is the best in the world.

The report states that Chiwenga is set to top Emmerson Mnangagwa’s list, which includes former Defence minister Sydney Sekeramayi, ex-War Veterans minister Tshinga Dube; Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo; minister of Defence, Security and War Veterans Kembo Mohadi and Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda.

Said Mutsvangwa at the weekend, “we condemn any fingerpointing at our illustrious army. Stay away from fingerpointing at our army. It is the best in the world…”

“We want to say we stand by our army. It is a competent and professional army. It intervened in a judicious and peaceful manner to arrest a situation which could have made this country go off the cliff.”

After Mnangagwa and his Team Lacoste faction made a dramatic comeback — riding on the military’s intervention in Zanu PF’s internal politics last month — Phelekezela Mphoko, who was the other vice president, became part of the collateral damage targeting key members of the rival Generation 40 faction.

The party’s constitution entitles Mnangagwa to appoint the two vice presidents, the national chairperson, heads of the politburo and its committee members and the deputies to the heads of departments.

Mnangagwa has found himself in a fix over who to appoint as his deputies.

Chiwenga is seen topping the list, which includes former Defence minister Sydney Sekeramayi, ex-War Veterans minister Tshinga Dube; Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo; minister of Defence, Security and War Veterans Kembo Mohadi and Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda.

Mnangagwa also finds himself with the need to appease the feminine folk displeased by his recent Cabinet appointments which only had four women out of 22 Cabinet ministers.

The ruling party’s women’s league has recently been clamouring for the restoration of the quota system in the presidium. It would therefore be interesting to see if Mnangagwa would budge, in which case he might have to pick from some of the seasoned female heavyweights such as Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, Edna Madzongwe, Eunice Sandi-Moyo and Angeline Masuku, among others.

Analysts told the Daily News that it will not be surprising that Chiwenga could secure one of the vice presidents’ post after the army chief played a pivotal role in a military operation, which toppled Mugabe and ushered in Mnangagwa.

The appointment of air marshal Perrance Shiri and Major General Sibusiso Moyo into Mnangagwa’s first Cabinet have largely been interpreted as his show of gratitude to the military for clearing his way to State House.

As such, he might reward Chiwenga with the vice presidency.

Social commentator, Rashweat Mukundu, believes there is a high possibility that Chiwenga will emerge as vice president at the congress.

“He is raising a wave of popularity not only in Zanu PF but nationally and Zanu PF may look at him as an asset come the 2018 elections,” said Mukundu.

Political analyst, Maxwell Saungweme, said with the inclusion of generals Moyo and Shiri as ministers, common sense can be that generals (Philip) Sibanda and Chiwenga will be VPs.

“They can’t have their juniors be ministers when they are out,” said Saungweme.

“As you know, ministers are senior to commanders in hierarchy and command structure. But it seems Ngwena wants these to be elected at their congress this month as opposed to appointing.

“He can appoint them as VPs anyway if he wants without any legal issues. By the way Chiwenga and Sibanda also meet the Zanu PF equation for VPs as they represent Zipra and Zanla as well as the Ndebele-Shona balance the party has always done for VPs.

“They can’t let others eat from their coup sweat. Mnangagwa’s Cabinet showed us that it was prize-giving season for the boys involved in a coup that include war vets, military and other Lacoste members.

“Chiwenga and Sibanda can’t lead a coup to let others eat or for them to remain stagnant. Chiwenga and Sibanda VPs is a possibility,” opined Saungweme.

Political analyst, McDonald Lewanika, said it was very possible that Chiwenga will be the vice president or one of them.

“To all intents and purposes, the post is the commander Defence Forces’ for the taking, and if he wants it there will be no dark horses. But if it’s not something he wants, then others who may be worth considering in the spirit of the Cabinet already set and bridging the divide in Zanu PF, would be colonel Tshinga Dube, and Sydney Sekeramayi.

“Madzongwe was once touted as potential VP but the fact that this was initially to replace ED this may make her consideration a tough sale, as is Sekeramayi’s.

“It is unlikely that ED will step out of Zanu PF for the VP pick, the only danger that is there is that if Congress is allowed to choose a VP for ED that vice president as a product of congress election rather Mnangagwa’s appointee will be a very powerful if not dangerous VP.

“On the bright side it would also assist in checking ED’s power as he will have as second in command, another popularly elected member,” said Lewanika.

Another analyst, Eldred Masunungure said it would be unwise for Mnangagwa to appoint Chiwenga to the position of vice president as it would endorse the notion that the military are effectively calling the shots.

“I think it will be imprudent for Chiwenga to be appointed VP at this stage. It will become abundantly evident that ZDF is being rewarded for the cardinal role it played in the ascendency of the incumbent president.

“We all know the president was fired from Zanu PF; he was in the wilderness politically and physically after he fled to South Africa. He was rehabilitated courtesy of the military intervention.

“(Now) the military has already been rewarded with two Cabinet posts which I think is adequate. He needs to ensure that the military is unified as an institution and is not unduly fractured… So if he is thinking about it (appointing Chiwenga as VP) it will be imprudent and unwise maybe in a new term,” said Masunungure.

Masunungure did not rule out the politics of ethnicity which remain a pivotal variable in the politics of Zimbabwe.

He said by this token Mnangagwa may not need to look to Mashonaland Central or Mashonaland East for a VP as many may think they already had their share.

“Frankly he would need to think about the traditional source in Matabeleland by virtue of the unity accord. Perhaps (Kembo) Mohadi could be a serious candidate for Matabeleland and then outside Matabeleland he would need to think of the women quota.

“As it is Muchinguri is a serious candidate. She is female, a war veteran and comes from province that has never had a VP. So he can kill several birds with one stone,” Masunungure said.

There have, however, been some voices that have been calling on Mnangagwa to appoint the most senior pre-Unity Accord Zapu official, Dumiso Dabengwa despite the fact that he now leads his own party.

These include Mnangagwa’s own special advisor, Chris Mutsvangwa, who recently told a press conference that Dabengwa should be one of the vice presidents.

Mutsvangwa argued that this would help the country’s liberation movement.- Daily News