Chitungwiza Central Hospital staff yesterday demonstrated against management citing poor working conditions and shortage of resources needed for providing proper health care services.
The placard-wielding staff, who directed their message to the health institution’s chief executive officer Dr Obadiah Moyo, also demanded the disbandment of unproductive partnerships with private entities.
A matron from the hospital, who spoke to The Herald on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, said they wanted the hospital to address their grievances.
“We are working without proper medical resources and the authorities are failing to heed our call to resource the institution in order to help us discharge our duties,” said the irate matron.
“Besides, we want to know the purpose being served by the private public partnerships (PPP) which the hospital entered into because as far as we are concerned, they (the partners) are nothing but a liability.
“Their services are too expensive to be afforded by the community. Patients are being ordered to go and purchase everything from this pharmacy from sterile gloves, needles and syringes, among other items.”
In a memorandum dated November 29, 2017 addressed to the hospital’s CEO, director of clinical services, director of finance, principal nursing officer, human resources officer and administration officer, the striking nurses said conditions at the institution are now untenable.
“Of late we have noted with great concern the downfall of our hospital due to lack of resources. There are no surgical and stores resources like oxygen, drugs (operating drugs), food, fuel sterile gloves and mattresses.
“This has been too much on us as nurses and we are stressed. We watch patients dying yet we cannot offer any help. We wish you could also give us clarity on how the private partnership is helping us; their services are extremely expensive for our community and staff,” reads part of the memo.
In response, Dr Moyo said they were attending to the issues raised by the unhappy staff.
“They wanted to be addressed on the issues to do with shortage of resources and we did exactly that after they wrote to us seeking dialogue. On the issue of resources, indeed we are facing financial constraints and today (Friday) trucks were off-loading some of the resources they claimed.
“We have even sourced cash from the Ministry of Finance. However, it looks like these issues have nothing to do with the shortages because even after addressing them yesterday (Thursday), they were not convinced. They had their own agenda, which needs to be investigated, since a few only took to the picket, which is not a reflection of what is happening on the ground,” he said.- state media
Government says there is need to academically train members of the security service on how to respond to asymmetrical measures being deployed by hostile superpowers aimed at undermining the security systems of sovereign countries such as Zimbabwe.
Addressing 55 graduates who were conferred diplomas in Defence and Security Studies and Adult Education at Zimbabwe Staff College yesterday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Security and War Veterans Mr Martin Rushwaya said the programmes trained officers to reason strategically in dealing with security challenges.
The diplomas are affiliated to the University of Zimbabwe and drew participants from Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Office of the President and Cabinet, Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services, including defence force members from the sadc region.
“The Diploma in Defence and Security Studies is unique in its thrust as it equips the graduands with the skills to enable them to discharge their duties professionally in an environment where asymmetrical measures are being deployed by hostile super powers to undermine the security systems of sovereign countries, Zimbabwe included,” he said.
“The strategic and defence concepts and applications covered in the programme provide students with valuable skills to assess and evaluate the effects of the same concepts on national and international military, political, economic and social systems pertaining to national security in particular and global security in general.”
Mr Rushwaya said inclusion of other non-Zimbabwe Defence Force members was aimed at en- abling a cross-pollination of ideas, which will enhance security cooperation and socio-economic transformation in the region and beyond.
Blending of academic modules into the military training programmes, he said, has indeed enriched the military curriculum in line with international military training trends the world over.
“The academic platform availed to students from both local and regional security forces by the Zimbabwe Staff College in association with the University of Zimbabwe is a crucial pedestal for enhancing professional and academic training and development that will lead to a vibrant regional force,” he said.
He also applauded University of Zimbabwe Vice Chancellor Professor Levy Nyagura and the deans from the faculties of Arts and Education for partnering with the Staff College.
“I wish to implore the Vice Chancellor and his dedicated team to maintain this fruitful, strategic and professional union into the future and be the guiding beacon in the college’s desire to be a critical factor in its mission to serve society,” he said.
In his remarks, Professor Nyagura pledged to continue working hand-in-hand with the Staff College.
“We will continue to offer the college the necessary professional guidance in all its academic endeavours as part of our efforts to develop high skilled human resources for the nation,” he said.
“Our vision is to assist the Staff College to become a world-class training centre offering several degrees relevant to the defence and security sector.”
He added that the Diploma in Adult Education enabled officers to understand the philosophical base, guiding principles and socio factors that guide the provision of adult education programmes in the defence forces.
Among the dignitaries that attended the event were ZDF Commander General Constantino Chiwenga, Ministers Air Marshal Perrance Shiri and Major-General Sibusiso Moyo.- state media
Germany has joined other world powers in congratulating President Emmerson Mnangagwa following his inauguration last Friday as Zimbabwe’s Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.
President Mnangagwa becomes the country’s second Executive President since independence in 1980.
He took over from President Mugabe, who resigned after being in charge for 37 years.
Other world powers such as Russia, China and the United States have sent their congratulatory messages.
In her congratulatory message, Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to support Zimbabwe as it opened “a new chapter.”
“Please accept my sincere congratulations on taking office as the new President of the Republic of Zimbabwe,” she said in a letter to President Mnangagwa.
“Germany will support you as a partner in your endeavours to start a new chapter in the history of Zimbabwe — one characterised by democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights.”
Dr Merkel said the joy exhibited by Zimbabweans last week was an indication that they had high hopes.
“The images of the people in Zimbabwe, who have responded with great joy and relief to the events of the past days are a clear reflection of the hopes and expectations in this area,” she said.
“I wish you strength, perseverance and every success for the great challenges ahead of you.”
The Indigenous Business Development Centre (IBDC) — a black economic empowerment organisation — also congratulated President Mnangagwa.
“The national IBDC leadership and all members of the indigenous business community would like to congratulate Cde E D Mnangagwa on your appointment as the President and the First Secretary of the revolutionary party Zanu-PF and President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces,” read their congratulatory message.
IBDC said it was happy with President Mnangagwa’s pledge to fight corruption.
The organisation said an end to corruption would see more investors flocking into the country.
“We would also like to congratulate you on your inauguration and on your inauguration speech where you promised to fight corruption, which issue we raised in 2013 at the Zanu-PF National People’s Conference in Chinhoyi and nothing was done about it,” IBDC said.
“This will open the doors for foreign investment which will lead to the opening of once closed industries and the creation of employment for the thousands of jobless people in our society.”
“As IBDC and knowing you as we do as a man of action we are confident that the promises that you have made will be achieved. Corruption kills the economy and must be tackled with vigour.”
IBDC added: “We as the indigenous businesspeople are greatly honoured that at last we have someone with the aspirations of the black person at heart. We wish you all the best as you embark on your journey of steering the Zimbabwe ship to economic prosperity.”- state media
Is this really former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko being deported to Zimbabwe? The below footage has been submitted to ZimEye.com and it comes as professor Jonathan Moyo stated that Mphoko has been handed over to the Zimbabwe National Army. CONTINUE READING…
https://youtu.be/jtrx6dveRmw
…….
Prof Moyo says Mphoko has been repatriated from Botswana back into Zimbabwe and handed to military personnel at the border.
“Impeccable sources in Plumtree say that the Botswana Immigration authorities have today handed over former VP Phelekezela Mphoko to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces who are said to be holding him,” wrote Moyo.
ZimEye.com has been trying to confirm Moyo’s allegations which police in Plumtree have refused to comment about referring all questions to police spokeswoman Charity Charamba in Harare.
If the allegation is true it will come as a shock after Botswana Foreign Affairs and International Relations Minister early this week said that her government was not going to repatriate Mphoko who is on the military wanted persons list.
ZimEye.com is following on the reports by Moyo and will make details available as they unfold.
England have been drawn with Belgium in Group G for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The groupings for next year’s competition were finally revealed on Friday during a ceremony in Moscow.
And the big news for the Three Lions is their meeting with the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois in the first round.
Defending champions Germany were drawn with Mexico, Sweden and South Korea in Group F. Brazil, meanwhile, find themselves pitted against Switzerland, Serbia and Costa Rica in Group E.
European title winners Portugal have been handed a tough group that includes top seeds Spain, Morocco and Iran.
Terrence Mawawa| MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai has said President Robert Mugabe, deserves immunity because of his role in the liberation struggle.
Tsvangirai who had a long standing political rivalry with Mugabe said there was no need to prosecute the 93- year- old former President.
Speaking in an interview with a South African television channel, Tsvangirai said the people of Zimbabwe should concentrate on viable policies to augment nation building.
“I do not think anyone can ever think of prosecuting Mugabe.
You cannot drag a 93-year- old man to court.
I think the old man deserves to rest. He played a pivotal role in the liberation struggle,” said Tsvangirai.
He however said Grace Mugabe was an overzealous and carefree lady who looted State resources.
“As for Grace Mugabe, I think she has a case to answer and she owes the people of Zimbabwe some explanations.
I do not know whether Grace Mugabe will also be granted immunity but personally I think she must be grilled over her actions,” said Tsvangirai.
The former Prime Minister did not say anything about the formation of a transitional government.
A Crowborough woman was grisly murdered by her boyfriend in unclear circumstances before the suspect took his life.
Crowborough phase 3 residents were on Monday left shell-shocked when Stanley Maunde, 25, murdered his girlfriend Sibongile Mapondera, 21, after a nasty breakup.
The two lived at houses opposite each other and on the day in question had a war of words before the fatal act.
According to sources privy to the development Stanley started acting strangely after the breakup.
“Everything happened so fast we heard screams from outside our house and quickly rushed out only for our eyes to meet a strange thing as Stanley was stabbing Sibongile with a knife.
“People tried stopping him but he continued acting like a possessed person.
“He even chased away people with a knife in his hand,” said the eye-witness.
The source said Stanley demanded to see Sibongile’s mobile phone of which she declined leading to the gruesome murder in the eyes of onlookers.
After the barbaric act Stanley left his girlfriend’s body soaked in blood and locked himself in his room where he stabbed himself before the police intervened and handcuffed him.
Both Stanley and Sibongile later died on their way to nearby hospitals.
After the two’s deaths both their familes have been involved in talks with the Maponderas demanding US$5000 and 12 beasts as compensation for the death of their child.
After the demands were made known, Stanley’s relatives shifted the funeral to an unknown location.
When H-Metro visited the site yesterday, the Maponderas were already making their own arrangements to bury their relative but said they will not rest until they get their compensation.- state media
Grace Mugabe is now liable for prosecution in South Africa over the assault of model Gabriella Engels in August, legal experts have said.
They told journalists yesterday that the mere fact that Grace is no longer the country’s first lady creates the risk of having the immunity granted by the South African government in August revoked.
Grace and her husband, Robert Mugabe, were dethroned as Zimbabwe’s first couple last month.
Their cathartic fall came as South African civil rights lobby group AfriForum was in the midst of pursuing a court application challenging the decision by Pretoria to grant Grace diplomatic immunity.
If the application to review Pretoria’s position is successful, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) will go ahead and prosecute Grace, and if the NPA refuses, AfriForum could proceed by way of a private prosecution on behalf of Engels.
Harare lawyer Tonderai Bhatasara said Grace’s immunity could be set aside in view of recent developments in Zimbabwe.
“Now chances of that happening are good for AfriForum. Immunity is lifted, warrant of arrest is issued, (the) South African government will ask Zimbabwean authorities to arrest Grace. She is put in custody. Prosecutors in Zimbabwe will ask court here to issue an order for extradition,” Bhatasara said.
Grace is denying that she assaulted Engels, 20, after she allegedly found her with one of her two sons, Chatunga Bellarmine, in a hotel room in Sandton.
South Africa’s International Relations and Co-operation minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane granted the immunity in a notice published at the time.
The notice recognised “the immunities and privileges of the First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe, (Dr) Grace Mugabe”.
Writing on his blog, legal expert Alex Magaisa, said once a president leaves office, he no longer enjoys immunity, which by extension applies to the former first lady.
“This means legal action or criminal charges can be brought against a former president for whatever he or she did before or during the presidency. This means as a former president, … Mugabe is no longer protected by presidential immunity. He can be sued in his personal capacity,” Magaisa said.
Another lawyer, Obert Gutu, said that Grace’s immunity fell away the day that her husband left power and is now liable to prosecution for whatever offences she allegedly committed.
“Grace’s … immunity automatically fell away the moment that she ceased to be Zimbabwe’s first lady. She is now just an ordinary person. If she travels to South Africa today, she will be lynched. Make no mistake about that,” Gutu said.
Harare lawyer Jacob Mafume said Grace never had immunity in the first place because she was in South Africa on private business at the time of the commission of the alleged offence.
“The memo by the ministry was an abuse of the immunity process. She was not there as a diplomat or on official duties. The spouse she was supposed to accompany was home,” Mafume said.- Daily News
By Farai D Hove| As President Emmerson Mnangagwa concluded his Day 8 in office, the new ZANU PF leader promoted more officers from the security sector.
249 gun wielding ZPCS (Zimbabwe Prisons Service) officers were today promoted at a function Mnangagwa presided. He can be seen below conducting the ceremony:
Two days ago, Mnangagwa promoted 24 senior Air Force of Zimbabwe officers.
pic – state media
The promotion was done in terms of section 15(3b) of the Defence Act.
The four of Group Captain A. Viyano, Group Captain E.F Masakadza, Group Captain A. Gwata and Group Captain P.T Moyo have been elevated to the rank of Air Commodore.
10 wing commanders; Wing Commander S. Dube, Wing Commander N.C. Nyamwanza, Wing Commander F.C. Manhanga, Wing Commander M. Dhliwayo, Wing Commander P.P. Maketo, Wing Commander E. Kujinga, Wing Commander S.B Bere, Wing Commander E. Garwe, Wing Commander M. Mukarakate and Wing Commander P. Ndou were promoted to the rank of Group Captain.
Former first lady Grace Mugabe has a couple of questions to answer to the authorities over how she amassed assets in foreign lands as the net closes in on individuals and corporates who stashed their wealth in foreign lands.
On Tuesday, President Emmerson Mnangagwa gave a three-month deadline to individuals and corporates that externalised foreign currency to return the loot or face arrest.
In a statement, Mnangagwa said it had been brought to his attention that huge sums of money and other assets were externalised, thus prejudicing the hard currency-starved economy of the much-needed liquidity.
Highly-placed sources told the Daily News yesterday that the net will spare no one — big and small, as the new government puts its foot down to restore financial discipline that had become an anathema under former president Robert Mugabe’s spendthrift administration.
It is being alleged that the powers-that-be already have the list of people involved in the externalisation of foreign currency and want to give them the leeway to return the loot in the spirit of letting bygones be bygones before the law takes its course.
Without suggesting any wrongdoing on her part, they said it would be interesting for the authorities to see if the former first lady could account for some of the assets acquired by the first family in foreign lands.
Grace projects herself as a shrewd businesswoman whose interests span across farming, education, property and dairy production.
Notwithstanding the economic meltdown that has led to local businesses haemorrhaging to the point of closure and massive, Grace is said to have made considerable acquisitions beyond Zimbabwe’s borders.
What is not clear is whether she had the requisite approvals for the foreign purchases and if there was no undue influence on the part of the bureaucrats that presided over the approvals.
The then powerful Grace recently spent a cool R45 million rand on a 9 249 square metre property in Sandhurst — a leafy suburb where the affluent in South Africa live large.
She also reportedly brought a Rolls Royce Ghost model worth half a million dollars around the same time in September, again in South Africa.
Known for wearing diamond studded spectacles, gold crusted watches and a ring that was bought for over a million dollars, Grace is also said to own properties in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.
While details about the Mugabes’ wealth are sketchy, Grace has led a life of opulence, and shopping, an ingrained habit that earned the former first lady the moniker “Gucci Grace”.
Mugabe’s sons have openly paraded their wealth through purchases of Rolls Royce vehicles, expensive watches and choice champagnes.
Some estimates put the Mugabes’ net worth at $1 billion dollars and according to WikiLeaks, the former president’s assets “include everything from secret accounts in Switzerland, the Channel Islands and the Bahamas to castles in Scotland”.
A snapshot of the Mugabes’ wealth came to the fore in 2015 over an ownership dispute of a $7,6 million Hong Kong home with an Asian tycoon.
Legal experts said with Mnangagwa having thrown the gauntlet by giving citizens who externalised foreign currency and brought assets in foreign land three months to return the loot, the deal that Mugabe signed with the generals granting him immunity may not insulate him or his families from accounting for their wealth outside the country’s borders.
Constitutional law expert and one of the authors of the current Constitution Alex Magaisa said as things stand, the Mugabes are exposed to legal action.
“It is presumably on this basis that the exit deal includes provision for immunity from lawsuits. The question is whether the exit deal takes precedence over the Constitution. It is axiomatic that the Constitution is the supreme law of the country. Section 2(1) of the Constitution states that: ‘This Constitution is the supreme law of Zimbabwe and any law, practice, custom or conduct inconsistent with it is invalid to the extent of the inconsistency,’” he said.
“This means if, as it appears, the deal is inconsistent with the Constitution, it is invalid. If sued, the courts should give precedence to the Constitution and he would have to prove that his acts were done in good faith. As for members of his family, the immunity would not hold. They never had immunity during his presidency and they cannot claim immunity now,” added Magaisa.
Roman Catholic cleric — Father Fidelis Mukonori — who played a key role in persuading 93-year-old Mugabe to step down after pressure from the military and the populace, told the Daily News that “Grace’s immunity” was not part of the deal.
“We did not discuss her immunity with the generals,” said Father Mukonori.
Former Finance minister Tendai Biti, who clashed several times with Zanu PF officials during the inclusive government era, told the Daily News that over $3 billion left the country between 2009 and 2013 when he was still in charge.
“There are people who took out money; there are lot of things that happened. At least $3 billion left this country when I was the minister of Finance between 2009 and 2011 due to illicit financial inflows,” said Biti, without mentioning individuals or companies involved.
The MDC this week said the net should not just target small fish.
Obert Gutu, the MDC’s spokesperson and a former deputy Justice minister, claimed this week that it was a public secret that top politicians and other well-connected individuals illegally externalised huge amounts of money over the years.
“Some of these criminals have actually gone ahead to buy and/or construct expensive mansions in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Dubai and Hong Kong, using the proceeds from these externalised funds,” said Gutu.
“Billions of United States dollars, particularly arising from the illicit sale of diamonds from the Marange and Chiadzwa diamond fields, were illegally externalised by these criminals. All this money should be brought back to Zimbabwe sooner rather than later,” said.- Daily News
By Own Correspondent| There are many people President Emmerson Mnangagwa could have appointed who are young and have strong public credits.
They include Mnangagwa’s own former deputy, the man who was first victimised by former First Lady, Grace Mugabe, Fortune Chasi.
Writes former Mujuru spokesman Jelousy Mawarire, “while there are arguments that President Mnangagwa had a limited pool of younger parliamentarians to choose ministers from, here is a random list of current Zanu-PF or Zanu-PF linked MPs he could have chosen…
While there are arguments that President Mnangagwa had a limited pool of younger parliamentarians to choose ministers from, here is a random list of current Zanu-PF or Zanu-PF linked MPs he could have chosen pic.twitter.com/k7rc6bFYg0
By Farai D Hove| The exiled former Higher Education Minister, Jonathan Moyo has claimed that the military junta has dispatched mjiba scribes for his mother.
Moyo announced in writing claiming there is a “Gukurahundi Cabal in General Constantine Chiwenga’s Junta” which today dispatched Tendai Mugabe of The Herald, to go to Buhera to instill fear in his mother.
Jonathan Moyo’s late father
“The Gukurahundi Cabal in Chiwenga’s Junta has today dispatched one of its media puppets, Tendai Mugabe of the #Herald, to go to Buhera to instil fear in the widow of this 1983 victim of Gukurahundi in Tsholotsho, Melusi Job Mlevu. He was butchered in #Tsholotsho, not in #Buhera!,” Moyo stated on his microblogging portal.
There was however at the time of writing no evidence to verify Prof Moyo’s claims.
The Gukurahundi Cabal in Chiwenga’s Junta has today dispatched one of its media puppets, Tendai Mugabe of the #Herald, to go to Buhera to instill fear in the widow of this 1983 victim of Gukurahundi in Tsholotsho, Melusi Job Mlevu. He was butchered in #Tsholotsho, not in #Buhera! pic.twitter.com/T8RVydnccv
Ray Nkosi | Botswana authorities have handed former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces who are now holding him.
“Impeccable sources in Plumtree say that the Botswana Immigration authorities have today handed over former VP Phelekezela Mphoko to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces who are said to be holding him. Why this is happening after assurances that he was free to return is mind boggling!” Professor Jonathan Moyo has just tweeted.
Mr Mphoko, a member of the G40 cabal targeted by the ZDF’s Operation Restore Legacy, left Zimbabwe on an official visit to Japan on November 14, a day before the army stepped in.
The Botswana government had given Mphoko up to 1 December to leave their country and return to Zimbabwe but the former VP had been reluctant to do so fearing arrest for corruption-related crimes.
The state Media reported Mphoko who has been living in a State residence in Gaborone but will now return home after reaching out to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and getting the necessary assurances that he was free to come back to Zimbabwe.
Stanley Goreraza | I am now more convinced than ever that this country will only move forward in 30 to 40 years time when all War Veterans have been wiped out by natural death. Only when nature has deleted this entitled and parasitic group, will we stop hearing about the liberation war and the right to rule by those who fought in it. Then can Zimbabwe have a real chance and shot at prosperity and economic transformation.
War Veterans are very much the people who have looted and ruined Zimbabwe and the lives of her people. Mr Mugabe is a War Veteran right? So is Obert Mpofu and others who have been running this country. Since 1980 to this day it is War Veterans who have been in charge as the country has descended downhill for decades. In the nineties it was them who were responsible for the sudden crash of the Zimbabwean dollar after demanding to be paid for their participation in the liberation war.
https://youtu.be/h8FXOMdyqvY?t=859
Until we are free of War Veterans we will never know peace, we will never have freedom because they are always demanding something from us. If it’s not 20% of the land, it’s school fees. If it’s not this it’s that. They always have their hands out for something.
They have put it on record that they will never ever allow anyone who did not go to war to lead Zimbabwe. It’s like they fought to rule and not for freedom.
It’s almost 40 years after the war and they are still making demands. They don’t intend on handing over to the next generation, no.
So we will have to wait for God to press the delete button on them to be free of their nagging and constant irritation.
Personally I thank fallen War Veterans, who died during the war for their sacrifice which was almost in vain because of their living Comrades who became the new oppressors.
Zimbabwe’s newly installed President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed senior military officials to top posts in his 22-man Cabinet, in an announcement made late Thursday on state-run television.
Ha also appointed six deputy ministers and 10 ministers of state for provincial affairs. Some of the appointees were new faces in government.
There was no opposition member in the cabinet, foreclosing hopes that he will create a government of national unity.
The appointments were announced by the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda, Mnangagwa did not actually live up to his promise to create a slim cabinet. Former President Robert Mugabe had appointed 26 ministers and 12 deputy ministers.
The new president succeeded 93-year-old Mugabe, who ruled the southern African country for 37 years. Mugabe resigned under pressure last week after he was removed from power by the military and lost support of lawmakers in his ruling ZANU-PF party.
Mnangagwa, a former vice-president, sacked by Mugabe at the prodding of his ambitious wife, Grace, was sworn-in last Friday.
Sibusio Moyo, the army general who went on state television to announce the military takeover of the government and Mugabe’s house arrest, is the new foreign affairs minister.
Air Force Chief Perence Shiri is the Lands and Agriculture minister. He is associated with carrying out the mass murders of Mugabe’s reign of terror against the Ndebele people in Matabeleland in western Zimbabwe, where 20,000 civilians were killed.
Chris Mutsvangwa, the leader of the influential war veterans association whose members include freedom fighters who fought alongside Mugabe in the country’s liberation struggle, is the information minister.
Former National University of Science and Technology (NUST) pro-vice chancellor Professor Clever Nyathi is the new Minister of Labour and Social Welfare. Mimosa Mining Company executive chairman Mr Winston Chitando is the new Minister of Mines and Mining Development,
Many of the other Cabinet members are holdovers from Mugabe’s government, starting from the first cabinet member appointed as finance minister.
Patrick Chinamasa is now the substantive Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, while Obert Mpofu was appointed Minister of Home Affairs and Culture. The latter retained his position under Mugabe.
Dr Lazarus Dokora remains in charge of the Primary and Secondary Education portfolio. Dr Joram Gumbo remains Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister.
Dr David Parirenyatwa remains Health and Child Care Minister. Supa Mandiwanzira retained his portfolio which has been merged with cyber security. He is now the Minister of Information Communication Technology and Cyber Security.
The six deputy ministers appointed by President Mnangagwa are: Cdes Terrence Mukupe (Finance and Economic Development), David Marapira (Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement), Paul Mavima (Primary and Secondary Education), Victor Matemadanda (War Veterans), Pupurai Togarepi (Youth Affairs) and Joshua Malinga (Social Welfare). – agencies
Controversy surrounding struggling national flag carrier Air Zimbabwe (AirZim) is deepening, while its fate remains uncertain. This comes against the backdrop of the unexpected exit of AirZim’s chief operating officer Simba Chikore who had been the main architect in spearheading the formation of a new company that would have taken over the state airline through the back door, signalling its demise, it has been established.
https://youtu.be/h8FXOMdyqvY?t=859
AirZim chief executive Ripton Muzenda has been elbowed out following his fallout with the board and former president Robert Mugabe’s son-in-law, Chikore who was second in charge. Just last week, Chikore, who is married to Mugabe’s daughter Bona, threw in the towel at AirZim when the military pressured the long-time leader out of office.
It is understood that Muzenda was forced out after refusing to approve a board decision for a retrenchment plan that was meant to reduce the troubled carrier’s high employment costs, which had reportedly undermined turnaround efforts.
The AirZim board had decided to cut 300 jobs, including some of its longest serving executives, as part of efforts to turn around the struggling airline.
Chikore’s exit comes at a time the airline had been discretely winding down its operations to pave way for another company with an opaque shareholding structure.
Sources at AirZim said the airline has in recent months been on a massive retrenchment exercise. Three AirZim employees, sources further said, are currently stranded in Malaysia after they had travelled to the Asian country to collect planes before the deal collapsed with Mugabe’s downfall.
“The chairperson is currently running the airline and has been hiring new people to plug gaps left by experienced staff,” a source familiar with the developments said. Some of the key staff recruited recently include Gilfern Moyo (human resources), Tafadzwa Mazonde (corporate services), Adam Siyachamwaika (strategy planning) and Louisa Muparuri (IT).
AirZim chairperson Chipo Dyanda could not be reached for comment as she was said to be in a meeting.
The new managers, sources said, will be earning more than those retrenched, further piling pressure on the struggling airline.
It is also understood that US$45 million that had been advanced to purchase two new planes from Brazil had been diverted to the new Zimbabwe Airlines project.
The project to establish Zimbabwe Airways, whose relationship with flag carrier Air Zimbabwe (AirZim) is murky, was, until Chikore’s exit, moving towards finality, amid revelations that Transport minister Joram Gumbo and Mugabe’s son-in-law were be caught in a massive conflict of interest storm.
Last month, the Zimbabwe Independent reported that Gumbo and Chikore had been assisting in the setting up of what is supposed to be a privately-owned airline at the expense of the flag carrier, AirZim, which fell under their purview and supervision, raising a serious and damaging conflict of interest on their part.
Information gathered shows that Zimbabwe Airways is owned by a local firm, Zimbabwe Aviation Leasing Company
(ZALC).
The company was formed by an identified group of Zimbabwean investors, among them lawyers and businesspersons with interests in the aviation industry. Some of the ZALC shareholders are said to be based in the diaspora.
An enquiry with the Deeds Office in Harare indicated ZALC was registered under file number 3015/12. The file was, however, missing from the office, meaning the directors could not be immediately ascertained.
But information obtained shows that Zim Airways was initially set to take to the skies on November 9 after acquiring four long-haul Boeing 777 aircraft from Malaysia Airlines.
There have been widespread reports Mugabe’s family or Chikore is a stakeholder in Zim Airways. The Independent has established Chikore assisted in setting up the company, purportedly as a consultant at a time when he was still serving as AirZim chief operating officer.- The Independent
ZANU PF will donate thousands of dollars worth of campaign regalia and posters bearing the image of former president Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace to orphanages, it has emerged.
Zanu PF had reportedly ordered at least 12 000 paraphernalia including T-shirts, mugs and hats for the over 12 000 delegates that were set to attend the Zanu PF extraordinary congress in December.
The other consignments were meant for the thousands who were expected to attend the presidential youth interface rally with students in Harare on November 18 and the Harare province presidential youth interface rally, whose date was still to be set when political uncertainty unravelled.
Former president and former first lady – Robert and Grace Mugabe
However, that material has been rendered useless after President Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in yesterday as the second executive president of Zimbabwe following the resignation of Mugabe after days of sustained pressure.
“We will honour our promise to all our suppliers and we will still pay what we agreed as per our contracts,” said a source in the department of regalia procurement at Zanu PF who declined to be named.
“What has happened will not change anything. I can’t obviously give you figures of how much was ordered but I can tell you that we will donate the regalia to orphanages.”
Zanu PF secretary of finance Obert Mpofu could not be drawn to comment on the matter and directed the Daily News on Sunday to party spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo saying his department was responsible for party regalia.
Khaya Moyo said the party will honour their agreements with all suppliers but declined to shed light on what they would do with the material.
Findings by the Daily News on Sundayshowed that the storeroom at the Zanu PF headquarters is full to the brim with paraphernalia emblazoned with the face of Mugabe and his wife.
“That is an internal party matter,” he insisted, adding: “We have not discussed what we will do with it next.”
Elsewhere, the Daily News on Sunday understands that Zanu PF provincial executive committees have instructed party members to stop wearing regalia emblazoned with embattled former first lady’s face.
The former liberation movement had made orders of regalia from various suppliers for the presidential youth interface rally with students and the proposed December Zanu PF extraordinary congress.
One of the main beneficiaries of the proceeds of the regalia was Grace whom Zanu PF had awarded the job to design the party’s new regalia following the Masvingo annual conference in December 2016.
The first lady has always bragged that she is a fashionista, with her husband claiming she even makes her own clothes.
Grace had maintained after that meeting that proceeds from the regalia sales will go to Zanu PF women’s league, which she headed before her husband was unceremoniously ousted.
“We decided to come up with this design as the women’s league so that we can fundraise for our activities. The philosophy behind the fabric design is that we wanted to do away with the razor on our cloth and replace it with the map of Zimbabwe, which represents a tea pot from which we all drink,” said Grace explaining the fabric’s print design and the philosophy behind it — which includes Mugabe’s face.
She went on to say that “inside the map is a mealie cob because we are an agrarian economy and there is also the country’s flower, the Flame Lily”, adding that “if you are not properly dressed in these garments, then you must be prepared to pay a $100 fine…”- Daily News
Lest the Junta & its running dogs have dead memory, here’s a reminder that the so-called G40 preferred Sekeremayi as successor to former President Mugabe & why. It’s in black & white in the public record & I said it on 1 June 2017!#GenerationalRenewalhttps://t.co/WX1ntJY20h
Ray Nkosi | Former Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi was set to replace Robert Mugabe if plans by the G-40 faction had come to fruition.
Exiled Professor Jonathan took to twitter to write, “Lest the Junta & its running dogs have dead memory, here’s a reminder that the so-called G40 preferred Sekeremayi as successor to former President Mugabe & why. It’s in black & white in the public record & I said it on 1 June 2017!” It seems Moyo is also dealing with speculation that a “bedroom coup” had taken place and Grace Mugabe was to replace her husband in leading the ruling Zanu PF party.
Moyo pulls out a presentation he made during the SAPES Policy Dialogue dubbed “Third Pan African Lecture – Wither the Nationalist project in Zimbabwe”, in which he says Mnangagwa would not advance the nationalist project, accusing him of fronting a faction in Zanu-PF.
Said Moyo at the of Sekeramayi who was last night dropped from Mnangagwa’s new cabinet, “He is senior and this example is an interesting one because you know Dr Sekeramayi’s loyalty to the President, President Mugabe, and to the party, to the country is beyond question and so are his liberation credentials, beyond question.
“So is his political experience, beyond question. So is his consensus style of leadership, quite engaging. So is his stature, unquestionable. So is his commitment to the nationalistic project and above all in my estimation, his humility.
Prof Moyo added: “He is not arrogant. He doesn’t say ‘ndezvedu izvi’ or ‘chinhu chedu ichi’. He is accommodating. He is a true nationalist. In the vein we have seen them from the tradition of President Mugabe, the late Vice President (Joshua) Nkomo or the late Vice President Simon Muzenda, the late Vice President Msika, the late Vice President John Nkomo. You don’t say ‘akabva nekupi uyo?’ You can tell kuti akabva nekupi through the engagement-grounded and I am giving this as an example remember.”
Almost 15 years after Henry Olonga wore a black armband, Mugabe’s rule in Zimbabwe is finally over. “I’m stunned,” he says. “Here we are in a country that is Mugabe-less for the first time in 37 years. It’s extraordinary.”
Henry Olonga had long assumed that Mugabe – who “held 15 million people ransom to the weird machinations of some depraved mind” – would die in power. “I hope that Zimbabwe will get leadership that is worthy of the people. The Zimbabwean people should say never again to someone like Mugabe. We can’t have a despot like that again.”
And yet what replaces Mugabe’s regime in Zimbabwe remains uncertain. Mugabe’s successor, his former vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa, “is cut from the same cloth,” Olonga acknowledges. “You could argue that this man was there when a lot of the nonsense happened in Zimbabwe – human rights abuses in the 1980s in Matabeleland, farm invasions, the bulldozing of hundreds of thousands of people’s homes, corruption.”
Still, Henry Olonga cannot help but be optimistic. “You want to give someone the benefit of the doubt. If there’s the opportunity for them to bring effective change in a country – well, you give them a chance.”
The germ of one of the most famous protests in sport came a month before the 2003 World Cup, over a cup of coffee with Andy Flower. He was surprised by the invitation. On a tour of England in 2000, which took place against the backdrop of land seizures by the Mugabe regime, principally against white farmers, Olonga criticised how white players treated their black staff on their estates in Zimbabwe.
“They treated me differently to the way they would treat their own workers. I challenged them. Is that right, you know? Is it right to look down on people?”
He and Flower “weren’t that close,” Olonga recalls. Yet over coffee the two found a shared cause. “Although we had a strained professional relationship we found ourselves on the same side of a coin, of the idea of protesting against Mugabe. And so we found common ground, and then put our differences behind us.”
Flower initially proposed that that the entire squad boycott the World Cup. Olonga considered this impractical. Eventually the two, together with David Coltart, a lawyer and MP from the Movement for Democratic Change, hit upon a more subtle protest.
Flower and Olonga, the leading white and black players in the team – Olonga, indeed, was Zimbabwe’s first ever black cricketer – would wear armbands in protest against Mugabe. The night before Zimbabwe’s opening game, Olonga watched Gladiator for inspiration. When he and Flower took to the field, they wore black adhesive tape, and released a 450-word statement “mourning the death of democracy in our beloved Zimbabwe” under Mugabe.
Olonga had worn the armband expecting it to receive international attention. What he had not expected, as he details in his absorbing autobiography Blood, Sweat and Treason, was the depth of hatred he now faced in Zimbabwe.
“We were standing up against that kind of inequality between the rich and the poor, the extravagance of the Mugabe family. And the poor guy who doesn’t have enough money to buy a new pair of shoes or fresh shirt hated me more than Mugabe, the man who was the cause of his misery. Go figure. The guy with nothing says: ‘Olonga, you’re a sell-out!’”
Olonga was immediately dropped from the team, for clearly non-cricketing reasons, and was derided as an Uncle Tom. “You’ve got the first black player for Zimbabwe as a mentor to a mainly black side, standing up against the government of Robert Mugabe, a liberation war hero. They didn’t like it. So they vilified me.”
He was followed. His phone was bugged. He received death threats by email. During one match, Olonga was abused by Mugabe’s youth militia. Most ominous of all was a message his father received from a contact at the central intelligence organisation just before the game against Pakistan: ‘Tell your son that he needs to get out of Zimbabwe before the World Cup ends.’
“I aware of the fact that I could meet an ugly end,” Olonga says. “There was definitely moments of fear.”
Olonga was lucky. After a few nervous weeks in South Africa, David Folb, the chairman of the Lashings World XI, helped him move to the UK. Yet Mugabe’s regime still afflicted Olonga: his Zimbabwe passport expired in 2006, and he was told that he could only renew it by returning there.
And so, for a decade he was a citizen of nowhere. He remained in the UK, in Taunton, but, until he gained a UK passport in 2015, could not leave the country. A few months after getting his passport, he emigrated to Adelaide, the home town of his wife Tara, with their two children.
Cricket gave Olonga much joy – crucial contributions in consecutive Test victories against India and Pakistan; a match-clinching spell of reverse swing against India in the 1999 World Cup; 6-19 in an ODI thrashing of England – and yet it also burdened him. Olonga was given “label after label after label” – everything from ‘erratic’ bowler to tail-end ‘rabbit’ and then, most unwanted of all, the ‘Uncle Tom’ moniker. He likens his departure from the game, aged just 26, to “a bad divorce” and considers cricket “very insular and inward-looking”.
Charity work, mentoring children and helping prisoners, are altogether more fulfilling. He also hopes to release an album next year, and is working on producing short films.
“I’m in a place where I’m much happier, because I don’t have the constant scrutiny of selectors coming to watch games,” he says.
There is even a sense that the new Zimbabwe might embrace Olonga. In 2001 he released a song, Our Zimbabwe, a collaborative venture with a vision of the inclusive and welcoming country he thought Zimbabwe could become. It was a number one hit in his home country but was effectively barred from the airwaves after Olonga’s black armband protest.
While the emblem of Olonga’s courage – that black adhesive tape – lies somewhere in his shed, his song is now being widely played again. Olonga himself will sing it at a concert in Zimbabwe later this month.
It will be his first trip back to Zimbabwe, where many of his family remain, since the 2003 World Cup. Only now Mugabe has been ousted does he deem it safe to return.
“It’s bittersweet. When I left Zimbabwe it was under a cloud and it was a traumatic separation. A lot of my friends have moved on and left. A lot of the things I planned and hoped to achieve in Zimbabwe effectively ended.
“But if we had the death of democracy in 2003, I would hope that in 10 years’ time democracy in Zimbabwe will be alive and well. It sounds cheesy but you’ve got to do cheese once in a while.”
He laughs, and then returns to his new life. -telegraph
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been installed as chancellor of the Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) where he is presiding over the institution’s graduation ceremony today.
The installation, conducted by CUT Vice Chancellor Professor David Simbi, marked the beginning of the university’s graduation ceremony.
In his acceptance speech, CUT Chancellor President Mnangagwa challenged higher education institutions to become cradles of new design concepts, research and new technologies and systems with a positive impact on industry and commerce.
“Such technologies and innovations should be bench-marked against the best practices in the world,” said President Mnangagwa.
Cde Mnangagwa added that Zimbabwe has to continue to produce quality graduands capable of producing finished products onto the market.
Political activist and aspiring MP, Vimbai Musvaburi, who made headlines for vandalizing the portrait of former President Robert Mugabe at Meikles Hotel, is being accused of snatching a boyfriend of a Canadian based woman.
The 35-year-old single parent was reportedly caught at Fidelis Mugari’s farm in Nyabiri by Fidelis’ Canadian based girlfriend Tendai Musarirwa. Tendai said she was shocked to see Vimbai half-naked, clad in Fidelis’ t-shirt.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes, I was in shock because I had travelled all the way from Canada only to find Vimbai half-naked in my boyfriend’s house.
“She was only wearing my boyfriend’s t-shirt and when I knocked she was the one who came to the door,” said Tendai.
The man in the centre of the matter Fidelis, could neither confirm nor deny the accusations but was quick to hang up the phone when contacted for comment.
Vimbai could neither confirm nor deny the incident but claimed to be married to Fidelis, a claim that Tendai denied.
“I did not snatch anybody’s man, I got married to a man who got divorced two years ago and his name is Fidelis Mugari, this woman you are referring to is a married woman in Canada.
“I got married to Fidelis on October 17 and if she saw me wearing my husband’s t-shirt what’s wrong with that?” she said.
However, Tendai said Vimbai is lying that she is married to Fidelis, she added that the incident that she claims she got married to him was way after the day she caught her at the house.
“This woman is not married to Fidelis, she has even said it on various public forums that she is single.
“How can she be married to him when she is staying at her parents’ house with her two kids from her first marriage?
“In any case, she is claiming to have got married to Fidelis on October 17 but I caught her at the farm on September 15 when I went to the farm.
“She has been sleeping with Fidelis from July last year whilst I was still in Canada that’s the reason why I had to come back and see it for myself,” she said. Speaking on her credentials for running for parliament, Tendai said Vimbai’s behaviour does not qualify her for such.
“When I heard she was aspiring for a seat in parliament I laughed and was shocked at the same time because her reputation and attitude does not deserve such an esteemed position.
“But it is not for us to judge but the constituency which she will be contesting for.”- state media
Staff Reporter| The people of Matabeleland will this weekend be holding a landmark people’s convention in Bulawayo to discuss issues affecting the region to engage President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Organised under the auspices of Western Region Collective an initiative of organisations and stakeholders of the region, the indaba will seek to present a collective position for Matabeleland in the transition after the departure of President Robert Mugabe.
A circular note presented by one of the organiser, Jennifer Williams of Women Of Zimbabwe Arise, indicates that the meeting will seek to build on a new life for the region after Robert Mugabe.
“The overall objective is building consensus and a social movement within Bulawayo, Matabeleland South and North amplifying people’s voices and perspectives around the transition focused on social inclusion, political participation, devolution, national healing woven within a foundation of equity, equalisation that bring economic recovery,” says the meeting agenda.
The agenda lists the topics to be discussed as follows:
1. Western Region – its contexts, trials and tribulations.
2. Unpacking Devolution – its mechanisms, financing and management of natural resources.
3. Social Inclusion and Equalisation.
4. Politics and Participation – more space for youth and women.
5.National Healing perspectives from Matabeleland.
6. Economic Justice and recovery.
7. Presentation of Declaration and Communique to Press
Sources close to the organisers said that thousands of people from the region are expected to attend the meeting to be held at the Large City Hall in Bulawayo.
“Civil Society organisations and political players have been invited to make presentations into the deliberations,” said the sources.
At the end of the meeting a position paper is expected to be drafted and presented to new President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Certainly high on the list of demands from Matabeleland is expected to be the issues to do with the Gukurahundi atrocities. It will also not be surprising to see sentiments throwing in the Mthwakazi cessation agenda.
ZimEye.com will endeavour to cover live some parts of the conference on the ZimEye Youtube channel.
The incidents, revealed by ZimEye.com today Friday have happened one after the other and filmed by the watchful CCTV cameras of the Nation’s Hardware shop, which also sells these quality CCTV cameras.
The shop’s Sales Manager, Dusty Jusip told ZimEye, the robot was likely to blame since it shows green while at the same being red.
The footage will be re-streamed by ZimEye.com Friday morning.
LIVEBLAST video loading
ZimEye continues to cover accidents around the country and these can be monitored on the LIVE satellite map – ….
Farai D Hove| Former First Lady Grace Mugabe on a single trip this year took away $3,5 million for her personal shopping splurge while at another bought a whole house in South Africa, using taxpayer money, a report in the weekly Independent says.
The report quotes a Finance Ministry source making these revelations which will serve to confirm former Finance Minister and PDP leader, Tendai Biti’s own expose’ which says Mugabe was taking over $4million on each foreign trip. Last year Mugabe and his enormous entourage blew $53 million state cash on foreign trips in 2016 alone and more in 2017.
The report says Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa who would always comply with her requests.
Meanwhile the source, an unnamed senior Treasury official is quoted by the Independent saying:
“On one occasion this year, for instance, his wife took about US$3,5 million during a foreign trip.
“There is also another example; the money used to buy their mansion in Sandhurst, Sandton, Johannesburg in South Africa came from public funds through local banks.
“At one point Grace also demanded that Patrick Chinamasa (who was Finance minister and still is) buys cars for her and he had to find the money, ” says the source.
MDC Spokesperson Obert Gutu also said: “Mugabe’s continued disregard of public opinion to travel non-stop shows the depth of State capture in Zimbabwe. His wife travels at State expense even though she is not a government official,” said Gutu.
By Fanuel Chinowaita |I came across a headline which says, President Mnangagwa has given 90 days ultimatum for the people who stole state money to return it and they will not be persecuted if they bring the money within 90 days.
It is a great move but honestly is 90 days not too much and what if they run away with that money? I believe that money also include 15 billion which was stolen from Chiyadzwa diamonds. It also includes USD which was trickly taken away from us in exchange of useless bond notes and coins.
I also believe that that money is in the houses of all the Ministers and top ZANU PF officials. I suggest that Mr President is supposed to send his investigation team to all ministers and government officials. The President used and is still dining with them. He knows them.
Houses and bank accounts of Chinamasa, Mpofu, Oppah Muchinguri and the rest of all Zanu Pf officials must be investigated now because 90 days is too much far away.
The new President of Zimbabwe must be aware that he only has less than a year before the next election. He should not take time in dealing with thieves, murderers and very corrupt government officials.
On the day of his inaugaration, his speech was and is still good for it is so promising. What the President should bear in mind is Zimbabweans have been and are still suffering. They don’t have patience anymore but need solutions now.
From the day of his swearing in, people were expecting cash in the banks the following week and jobs the following month. 90 days is far away.
Thieves must return money now for Zimbabwe need to be revamped now !!!
President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday appointed a 22-member Cabinet in a move that saw some line ministries with functional duplications being merged. He also brought in some new faces into Government.
Six new deputy ministers and 10 Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs were also appointed. The Cabinet that was announced after the 2013 harmonised elections had 33 members, who were later trimmed to 26. The appointments, announced by the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda, were made in terms of Section 104 (1) of the Constitution.
Patrick Chinamasa is now the substantive Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, while Cde Obert Mpofu was appointed Minister of Home Affairs and Culture. Mpofu was Home Affairs Minister in the last Cabinet.
Air Force of Zimbabwe Commander Air Marshal Perrance Shiri is the new Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, while Dr Lazarus Dokora remains in charge of the Primary and Secondary Education portfolio.
Dr David Parirenyatwa remains Health and Child Care Minister. Mr Kembo Mohadi is the new Minister of Defence, Security and War Veterans. Sydney Sekeramayi, the last Defence Minister, was dropped. Ziyambi Ziyambi takes over the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs from former Central Intelligence Organisation director-general Major-General (Retired) Happyton Bonyongwe, who superintended over the portfolio for less than two months.
Maj-Gen Bonyongwe was appointed a Cabinet minister in a reshuffle by former President Robert Mugabe in October. Major-General Sibusiso Moyo is the new Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, with Kazembe Kazembe coming in as the Minister of Sports, Arts and Recreation.
Cde Kazembe Kazembe takes over from Cde Makhosini Hlongwane. Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWA) chairperson Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa is now the Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services.
Dr Mike Bimha is the new Minister of Industry, Commerce and Enterprise Development, while Cde July Moyo comes in as the new Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing. Cde Sithembiso Nyoni is the new Minister of Women and Youth Affairs. Head of the University of Zimbabwe Geography and Environmental Science department Professor Amon Murwira replaces Professor Jonathan Moyo as the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Development.
Cde Supa Mandiwanzira retained his portfolio which has been merged with cyber security. He is now the Minister of Information Communication Technology and Cyber Security.
Former National University of Science and Technology (NUST) pro-vice chancellor Professor Clever Nyathi is the new Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, and Dr Joram Gumbo remains Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister. Mimosa Mining Company executive chairman Mr Winston Chitando is the new Minister of Mines and Mining Development, while Cde Simon Khaya Moyo now heads to the Ministry of Energy and Power Development.
Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri was appointed Environment, Water and Climate Minister. Prisca Mupfumira, who was dropped in the last Cabinet reshuffle, bounced back as Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister. Simbarashe Mumbengegwi is the new Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and Monitoring of Government Programmes.
The six deputy ministers appointed by President Mnangagwa are: Terrence Mukupe (Finance and Economic Development), David Marapira (Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement), Paul Mavima (Primary and Secondary Education), Victor Matemadanda (War Veterans), Pupurai Togarepi (Youth Affairs) and Joshua Malinga (Social Welfare).
Miriam Chikukwa (Harare), Martin Dinha (Mashonaland Central), Webster Shamu (Mashonaland West) have retained their positions as Provincial Affairs Ministers. The new Provincial Affairs Minister for Bulawayo is Angeline Masuku; Manicaland will be headed by Monica Mutsvangwa, while David Musabayana will be in charge of Mashonaland East.
Cain Mathema heads back to Matabeleland North as Provincial Affairs Minister, while Josiah Hungwe replaces Paul Chimedza in Masvingo. Owen Ncube replaces Jason Machaya as Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister. Abednico Ncube will superintend over Matabeleland South province. Dr Mushohwe, a long-serving director of the Presidential Scholarship Programme, remains the Minister of State for Government Scholarships in the President’s Office. – state media
A daring Victoria Falls man outpaced cops and took a suicidal dive into the deep gorges on the Zambezi River while in leg irons.
Stanley Muzamba (33) from Chisuma Village under Chief Mvuthu outside Victoria Falls town made the dramatic escape as he was being taken to crime scene indications on Friday last week.
Police officers assumed he had died, only for him to surrender himself at Victoria Falls Police Station on Tuesday.
The leg irons that he had failed to remove had started cutting into his swollen flesh.
Muzamba appeared in court yesterday facing one count each of unlawful entry, theft and escaping from lawful custody.
Victoria Falls magistrate, Ms Rangarirai Gakanje, did not ask him to plead and remanded him in custody to next week Thursday for trial.
The court heard Muzamba had been taken for indications at the gorges area in Chisuma where he had allegedly hidden a TV set he had allegedly stolen from a local hotel where he was once employed.
He denied stealing the television set in his warned and cautioned statement.
“I went to the police station on Thursday for finger prints and I spent the whole of Friday being assaulted as they forced me to admit that I stole the TV,” said Muzamba.
The court heard that Muzamba broke into a local lodge and stole a 32-inch television set.
Police picked him up after investigations and he allegedly escaped while in leg irons.
The prosecutor Mr Listen Nare said: “On Wednesday last week the accused who is an ex-employee at Africa Premier Safaris unlawfully entered into the premises through a window and stole a 32 inch TV set and a piece of soap.”
“The accused was later arrested and he offered to do indications and recoveries in Chisuma area where he said the stolen goods were hidden. He was secured with leg irons and while he was making indications, he escaped and went into Jembwe Gorges.”
The court heard that the cops failed to locate him and went back to the station. Muzamba allegedly turned up at the Victoria Falls Police Station after breaking the chain joining the cuffs but failed to remove them from around his ankles. The value of the stolen goods is $451 and only the soap was recovered. – state media
Zimbabwe will not have a Government of National Unity (GNU) and political parties should ready themselves for harmonised elections slated for next year, Information, Media and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary, Mr George Charamba has said.
This comes as out of sorts opposition political parties and their proponents have been advocating a GNU since the resignation of former president Mugabe last week.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa was subsequently sworn-in as Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces last Friday.
Mr Charamba yesterday said elections—which should be held by August 21, 2018—would proceed as constitutionally scheduled.
“There has been a lot of speculation on whether or not there will be a Government of National Unity,” he said.
“If you look at the schedule for elections we are about plus or minus six months before they are held and certainly it would not make sense to talk about GNU for those remaining months. Parties must ready themselves for elections, which will take place as per our schedule.”
Mr Charamba said the elections would “determine the aftermath”.
“The President is aware of expressions of readiness to work with him and his party in the context of Government but there is this overbearing time factor which forbids any such considerations,” he said.
“So we will go for elections.”
In his inauguration speech, President Mnangagwa stated that elections would go ahead as scheduled adding that they should be held peacefully.
Mr Charamba also clarified the misunderstanding in some quarters surrounding President Mnangagwa’s assumption of office in light of the new Constitution.
The Constitution states that a President must serve two-term limits of five years.
Mr Charamba said the succession route was clearly spelt out under Sections 101(1) (a) and 91(2) of the Constitution.
Section 101(1) (a) stipulates that “If the President dies, resigns or is removed from office, the first President assumes office as President until the expiry of the former President’s term of office.”
In the same vein, Section 91(2) states that “A person is disqualified for election as President or Vice President if he or she has already held office as President under this Constitution for two terms, whether continuous or not, and for the purpose of this subsection three or more years’ service is deemed to be a full term.”
Said Mr Charamba: “Simple mathematics would indicate that the new President is fated to serve for at the most six months of his predecessor’s term, which means in terms of the Constitution you cannot classify him as having done his first term. The real count down comes after the 2018 elections.”
Preparations for the elections are at an advanced stage with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission having registered more than three million people.
The electoral body is targeting seven million voters. On the other hand, the Register General’s Office is carrying out a registration blitz for people to obtain requisite identification documents ahead of the polls. – state media
UK Metropolitan Police| A man who forced entry into a house with a knife to carry out a violent attack has been jailed.
jailed…Michael Murisa
Michael Murisa, 24 (14.01.93), of Sowerby Close, Greenwich, was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday, 30 November.
He was convicted at the same court on Wednesday, 29 November of one count of aggravated burglary and one count of violent disorder.
At about 01:00hrs on 7 July 2017 a group of males, including Murisa, forced their way into a property in Milverton Way, SE9.
The group, who were wearing hoodies and had their faces covered, smashed through a window and unlocked the front door to allow themselves into the premises. Some of the males were armed with knives.
One of the occupants, a man aged in his 20s, was disturbed by the banging and smashing that was coming from the front of the house, so he went to investigate.
When the group entered the property they told them to ‘chill, relax’.
The victim saw that some of the males were holding knives. One of the suspects then shouted ‘it’s not him, it’s not him’ before fleeing from the property.
The victim closed the door behind him and tried to barricade it by standing across it. One of the suspects poked a knife through the broken window, before all the males got into a vehicle parked up outside and drove off.
The victim then went to check on his family. No one was injured.
The neighbours were also disturbed and called the police and provided the vehicle registration.
The vehicle was found abandoned in Oakley Drive later the same day and a number of knives were recovered from the car.
Detectives carried out a number of enquiries including speaking to witnesses, reviewing CCTV footage and carrying out forensic testing.
Officers recovered DNA from the scene, which was an exact match for Murisa.
Murisa was arrested and charged on 27 July 2017.
DC Husna Nessa, the investigating officer from Greenwich’s Violent and Organised Crime Unit said: “This was a traumatic ordeal for the family who had their home broken into by a group of masked men who were intent on causing harm.
“Some of the males entered with knives in hand but on seeing the victims they realised they were at the wrong address and ran back out of the premises. Luckily no one was seriously injured on this occasion. The victim and neighbours were horrified and left shaken by the incident.
“Working alongside partner agencies such as the Crown Prosecution Service helped secure the best result for the victims and the community.” – UK Police
Zimbabwe’s former President Robert Mugabe’s family are now all over the world as it were, following the army’s assistance and the recent coup.
Mugabe’s daughter, Bona Mugabe is reportedly now in Malaysia since the vents of the last 2 weeks, while the Mugabe nephew Patrick Zhuwao was in Brazil from the time the coup began.
Bona who is reported to be expecting her second child with husband Simbarashe Chikore left the country with her husband and first child, Simbanashe. The couple’s first child Simbanashe was born in Singapore, a point which critics used to attack Mugabe with, saying that he had no confidence in the health system in Zimbabwe, which they accused him of destroying.
Bona’s second child is also likely to be born outside the country, the weekly Independent reports.
Robert Jnr and Chatunga Bellarmine Mugabe reportedly still holed up in South Africa ever since the Zimbabwe Defence Forces launched Operation Restore Legacy, the Independent report continues.
The coup saw their father losing power and agreeing to resign as president, after 37 years in power. The Mugabe family is said to have been considering buying a third home in South Africa, as it already owns two mansions in the exclusive Sandton area.
Grace Mugabe’s first son with ex-husband Stanley Goreraza, Russell Gorereza is reported to be Grace’s only child who is still in Zimbabwe.
By Farai D Hove| Today is Friday, I really want to get drunk like the new cabinet, joked the MDC spokesman Obert Gutu Friday morning.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa dropped to the lowest of lows today after he appointed his new cabinet which many have interpreted as a betrayal.
This came as others however said the cabinet must be given a chance to prove themselves.
“I think its a mixed bag. technocrats are there as well as seasonal and experienced members,” wrote Tendai Guta.
She continued saying, “let`s give them a chance. I think they will perform better under the leadership and guidance of President Mnangagwa.”
Norton MP Temba Mliswa said, “this cabinet can only operate for a maximum of 8 months.”
He also added saying, “Let us give them a chance in these 8 months.”
But Obert Gutu insisted saying, “millions of Zimbabweans are feeling depressed right now.My advice to you my compatriots is very simple : It’s a ‘Long Walk to Freedom’ & ‘Not Yet Uhuru.”
Others went to the extent of saying the new cabinet is a GNU between the army and ZANU PF.
By Dorrothy Moyo| The Central Intelligence Organisation has dropped an $80 million dossier onto Former Finance Minister, Ignatius Chombo’s prosecution file.
The dossier might see Chombo being the man behind the Airport road construction which saw the costs ballooning to a whopping $80 million figure.
Chombo is facing charges of fraud, criminal abuse of office and contravening the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CIO has submitted what it says is evidence on Chombo’s alleged corruption for further investigation.
The former President Robert Mugabe is alleged to have protected Chombo and continued to ignore the reports despite submissions by the CIO.
Mugabe went on to promote Chombo to be the Minister of Home Affairs, where he would preside over the police, despite the numerous allegations and reports.
A source is quoted by the weekly newspaper, the Independent, saying: “at one time a dossier was prepared to and handed to Mugabe by the CIO for actioning but instead, the president went on to appoint Chombo as Home Affairs minister. This was seen as a clear message that he was untouchable.”
Chombo is also accused of authorising the construction of the Pomona Business Complex and the Bluffhill Development Centre, without council approval and in violation of the Regional Town and Country Planning Act of 1996.
He is also accused of conniving with Augur Investments to fleece the Harare City Council. Augur which incidentally, shared a business address with one of Chombo’s companies, Harvest Net Investments, was awarded a US$80 million contract to construct Airport Road, which is less than 30 km. The project was supposed to have been finished in 2010, but only got finished in 2014, after Zinara took over the project. Augur Investments was accused of mismanaging funds.
Chombo, it is claimed, also fraudulently acquired stand number 61 of Helensvale and another stand, subdivision K of Nthaba, which he sold to a third party without paying for it.
Zimbabwe’s former Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo is considering the option of farming, and also his previous job of lecturing. This was revealed in his appeal for bail.
His lawyer Lovemore Madhuku launched his appeal yesterday saying:
Appellant [Chombo] has been a Member of Parliament and Cabinet minister for the past 20 years.
He ceased being a Cabinet minister upon the assumption of office of the President [Emmerson Mnangagwa] on November 24, 2017.
He ceased being a Member of Parliament on November 28, 2017.
He is a farmer and may return to his former job as a university lecturer.
Chombo argues that the Magistrate who denied him, Singano, misdirected himself in denying him bail as there is no evidence that he may abscond:
There was neither evidence nor any other basis from which it could be said that the appellant was likely to abscond.
There was neither evidence nor any other basis from which it could be said that appellant could interfere with witnesses.
Reference to a public outcry is, in itself, never a compelling reason given that it is the people themselves that entrenched a presumption of innocence in the Constitution. The State did not address any of the bail conditions offered by the appellant, thereby, failing to discharge the onus thrust upon it by law.
Zimbabwe’s new Minister Of Mines, Mr. Winston Chitando has been hailed as a the youngest of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s new line of ministers.
Mr. Winston Chitando, B.Acc has to date been an Executive Chairman of Mimosa Holdings since April 1, 2013.
WINSTON-CHITANDO
He served as Managing Director of Mimosa Mining Company since October 1, 2007 and Executive Chairman since April 1, 2013. He joined Wankie Colliery Company in 1985, his profile on the Bloomberg website reads.
In 1984, he joined Anglo American Corporation as a graduate trainee based at Hwange Colliery Company, where he rose to the position of Chief Accountant. For a total of 11 years, he worked for the Anglo American Corporation group. During this period he rose through the ranks to hold various positions and directorships in a number of industrial and mining companies which were part of the Anglo American group.
https://youtu.be/RdfpL8BlWnI
He served as Divisional Commercial Manager in the Mining and Industrial Division at Zimasco since 1997. From 1998 to September 2007, he was an Executive Director with responsibility for Finance for both Zimasco (Pvt) Ltd and Mimosa Mining Company. Mr. Chitando at various periods also held Executive responsibility in Zimasco for Sales and North Dyke Mining during this time. Mr. Chitando served as Commercial Director of Zimasco until September 30, 2007. He served as Vice President of the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe from 2008 to 2011 and its President from 2011 to 2013. Mr. Chitando is a seasoned executive whose experience in the mining sector spans close to three decades. He has been Chairman of Hwange Colliery Company Limited since May 19, 2016. He served as an Executive Director of Mimosa since 2002. He completed his college in 1985. He serves as Chairman of the Platinum Producers Association. Mr. Chitando sits on various other including Zimbabwe School of Mines. He completed a Bachelor of Accountancy degree from the University of Zimbabwe in November 1984.
By Discent Collins Bajila – MDC Youth Secretary General
1. The announcement closes the debate on whether or not Emmerson Mnangagwa (EDM) will create a multiparty government. As I said it from day one, it doesn’t make sense for anyone with 70% of Parliament and 100% military backing to form a multiparty government. This also means that Chinamasa was right and Mutsvangwa was wrong.
2. EDM is allowed by law to appoint 5 people from outside Parliament to become Ministers. So far there are 8 namely July Moyo, Prof Amon Murwira, Perence Shiri, Sibusiso Moyo, Chris Mutsvangwa, Lazarus Dokora, Prof Clever Nyathi and Victor Matemadanda. All male. All old. EDM has 90 days to find a seat in Parliament for at least 3 of these. Otherwise he must do another reshuffle or face court challenges for violation of the constitution.
3) The argument on whether or not EDM supports a small government has also been resolved. A 22 Member Cabinet is not by any chance small. Retaining Chris Mushowe as Minister of Scholarships comes as icing on the cake.
4) The inclusion of such people as Lazarus Dokora also resolves the argument of whether or not EDM wants people who deliver around him.
https://youtu.be/RdfpL8BlWnI
5) The debate on whether EDM is supportive of affirmative action or not has also been resolved. 3/22 Ministers in the EDM Cabinet are Women. 0/22 are youths.
6) With EDM as President while his wife is Chirumanzi MP and now Chris Mutsvangwa as Information Minister while his wife is Minister of State for Manicaland Province, the days of dynasties are far from over. – Facebook
A shocking decision made by the new President Emmerson Mnangagwa was to declare 21 February, the birthday of former President Mugabe, a national public holiday, ostensibly in response to a request by Zanu PF youths and other Zanu PF structures. Already, the fact that this was in response to Zanu PF structures shows that Comrade Mnangagwa started his reign on the wrong footing. A decision to honor a dictator that way should not have been made as a party decision, but as a national decision which is done in consultation with the people of Zimbabwe.
Mugabe has caused so much harm to the country that the best thing Zimbabweans want to do is to forget about him completely. The best Comrade Mnangagwa should have done could have been to bring the request to Parliament for debate by parliamentarians, followed by a national referendum. Forcing victims of Gururahundi, Murambatsvina and other acts of madness by the Mugabe regime to remember the dictator traumatizes those victims, and I wonder if Comrade Mnangagwa had ever thought about the consequences which his decision bring about to the victims of Zanu PF brutality.
I hope that the new President will realize his mistake and reverse the decision to honor dictator Mugabe by forcing down the throats of anti-corruption Zimbabwe.
Terrence Mawawa, Chiredzi| A Zimbabwe National Army soldier was hit by a bus and died on the spot during the Operation Restore Legacy Programme.
The soldier, identified as Zvidzai was based at 4.3 Reserve Force in Masvingo.
Zvidzai was deployed to Chiredzi during Operation Restore Legacy and he was hit by an Inter Africa Bus as he was leaving a bar in the lowveld town.
“The bus was travelling from Harare and as we approached Buffalo Range, we saw a soldier in uniform and the driver tried to avoid him but it was too late, ” said an eyewitness.
Zvidzai was buried in his rural home in Bikita District.
Was Mnangagwa really poisoned by Parirenyatwa and Sekeramayi?
Staff Reporter| The same doctor accused of poisoning President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has been appointed Minister Of Health.
Dr. David Parirenyatwa is at the centre of the Mnangagwa poisoning incident as he was accused by Mnangagwa protege’, Energy Mutodi for allegedly teaming up with former Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi to poison Mnangagwa using samosas. “They are both medical doctors,” alleged Mutodi two months ago. The two would later take legal action on Mutodi.
Another thorny contradiction saw Parirenyatwa appear to be lying that when he was taken ill to South Africa, Mnangagwa had recovered by the first Monday (within 2 days of the poisoning). The man himself, Mnangagwa, however says he was unconscious from Saturday all the way to Wednesday (a whole 5 day period).
Parirenyatwa was last night appointed the new Health Minister. SEE PICTURES:
Two more people – the deputy director of valuations and estate management in the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Rejoice Pazvakavambwa (43) and the registrar of valuers Lazarus Chimba (70) – have been arrested on allegations of facilitating the transfer of council property worth $900 000 into ex-Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo’s name.
Chombo’s alleged underhand dealings at council also sucked in former Harare City town planner Psychology Chiwanga. Chombo appeared in court last week before magistrate Mr Elisha Singano and was remanded in custody to December 8. He has since appealed to the High Court for bail. The appeal is still pending.
Chiwanga appeared before Ms Josephine Sande, who remanded him in custody to the same date, while Pazvakavambwa and Chimba appeared before the same magistrate yesterday. They are accused of violating Section 4(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act (Chapter 9:16) and were remanded in custody to today for continuation of bail application.
They are being represented by Messrs Admire Rubaya and Joel Mambara. It is the State’s case that the duo acted in connivance with Chombo, Chiwanga, Iben Francisco, James Chiyangwa, Theresa Chenjerayi and Elias Choto.
Prosecuting, law officer Mr Edmore Nyazamba alleged that on a date unknown to the State, Chimba wrote a document dated June 13, 2008 to the City of Harare, indicating that he had no objection to a double transfer of a property in Glen Lorne to Aloise Chimeri. He also did not object to Chimeri being given title deeds of the said property, which had been illegally acquired and was sold to him by Chombo.
According to the State, Chimba also influenced Harare City Council to illegally get compensation of the said piece of land, which had been sold by Chombo. Pazvakavambwa, it is alleged, authored another document on June 25 of the same year addressed to City of Harare, confirming that the property had been sold to Chombo.
She further instructed Francisco to transfer the property into Chombo’s name, the court heard. It is further alleged by so doing, Chimba and Pazvakavambwa acted contrary to and inconsistent with their duties as public officers as their actions had the effect of showing favour to Chombo and Chimeri.- state media
As Chikurubi ex inmate Wicknell Chivayo revealed that he has externalised a lot of money which was meant for the Gwanda Solar project, the following article has emerged. The state media piece narrates that over $3 billion has been illegally taken out of the country.
https://youtu.be/p-T_CAmrwP4
FULL TEXT: Zimbabwe’s foreign currency shortages are worsening over massive capital flight amid indications corporates and business tycoons have externalised $3 billion between 2015 and June 2017 mainly to Mauritius and the Far East, a development now under intense investigation.
Of the $3 billion, about $1,8 billion was shipped out illegally while $1,2 billion was expatriated through service fees, management fees, technical fees and royalties, according to sources close to the official investigations. But there are concerns that even the legal flow of funds out of the country is susceptible to manipulation as companies can misinvoice particularly for services which are available in the country.
This comes as deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Dr Khupikile Mlambo said recently that Zimbabwe lost an average of $150 million every month in 2015 to illicit financial flows.
Documents gleaned by Business Weekly showed that a number of politicians, business tycoons and related companies (names withheld to allow investigations to continue) were among the long list of individuals suspected to be shipping out cash through various machinations. Sources said the RBZ was closely monitoring people, companies and organisations that have made suspicious transactions such as cash deposits (in neighbouring countries), misinvoicing and transfer pricing.
(Then) Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa recently told Parliament, Government was investigating individuals and corporates that are externalising foreign currency. Minister Chinamasa singled out externalisation and low exports as the major factors behind the current cash shortages.
The firms that have shipped out funds, through legal channels, mainly to Mauritius and the Far East, to pay various fees have also been put under surveillance. The companies on the central bank’s radar include those in the telecommunications industry. Sources said one of the companies had already salted away $60 million in the year to May 2017.
Companies in the financial services sector, Chinese nationals and a failed black Zimbabwean banker, who has a South African identity registration and residence, are also on the list. “What most guys do not know is that central banks are networked and share information through their respective financial intelligence units,” a source said.
Also on the list is a shadowy white businessman (name withheld) who made regular cash deposits in neighbouring Botswana amounting to $6 million over the past year. Metallon Gold and ex-Harare City Council Town Clerk Tendai Mahachi are part of the list. Metallon is already in court over this issue. The former Town Clerk, Mahachi, who was arrested for an $800 000 fraud involving City Parking, is accused of transferring the amount to Ghana. Diamond firm Jinan is said to have shipped out $630 million while significant amounts were moved by collapsed MMM Zimbabwe.
Government officials have indicated that plans had been mooted to minimise capital outflows by reviewing royalty agreements, patent and copyright regulations as well as through encouraging foreign companies to register locally and ensuring that their accounts were domiciled in Zimbabwe. Externalisation has a haemorrhaging effect on the economy while it is also contributing to the widening gap between local dollars and foreign currency.
“This intense investigation is real and meant to stop the illegal flows and to help economic recovery.” However, the source declined to discuss details of the probe, only saying they were quite advanced. Dr Mlambo told a KPMG seminar that continued externalisation, finance parallel market activities and non priority and restricted imports at a premium had resulted in an exchange rate between electronic balances and foreign currency.
If the leakages continue, the country will not have capacity to create a capital base locally. There is need therefore to put further controls and to tighten border control. Analysts say that the central bank should consider utilising the methods used in the past under the old Exchange Control Act. Under this Act, many expatriate companies were required to register locally and the retention of all their revenue had a hothouse effect that created huge capacity for capital, which was then invested towards developing the economy.
“As long as foreign currency continues to haemorrhage out of the country it will be difficult to prompt any kind of sustainable economic development,” said an economist who requested anonymity. At a much broader level, Africa loses $80 billion a year through illicit flows. UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) acting executive secretary Abdalla Hamdok, at the recently held AU summit, said curtailing illicit financial flows is imperative for the implementation of Africa’s ambitious Agenda 2030 and 2063 economic and social development programme.
Given the scale of the matter and the negative impact it has on Africa’s development and governance agenda, the issue of illicit financial outflow is no longer just a continental agenda but also an international one, he said. He revealed that currently a consortium comprised of pan-African institutions has been inaugurated and tasked to tackle the problem. Meanwhile, a campaign dubbed “stop the bleeding” was jointly carried out by the UNECA and AU commission.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday announced a new 22-member Cabinet in a move that saw a few line ministries with functional duplications being merged. The cabinet was met with cynicism with some people labeling it The Blue Roof Cabinet.
https://youtu.be/RdfpL8BlWnI
The new cabinet is predominantly Mugabe in layout while having a few new faces.
Mnangagwa also appointed six new deputy ministers and 10 provincial affairs ministers.
The appointments were made in terms of Section 104 (1) of the Constitution.
OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXECELLENCY CDE ED MNANGAGWA FROM ZIMBABWEAN STUDENTS STUDYING ABROAD ON GOVERNMENT SCHOLARSHIPS:
Zimbabwean students studyin abroad on gvnt scholarships went in delirium after your ascendency to power in an epic manner which all Zimbabweans supported.Congratulation your Excellency but you have a mammoth task as was evidenced by your well articulated inauguration speech on the 24th of November @ the gigantic National Sports Stadium.
Honourable Zimbabwean students on gvnt scholarships studying abroad are eking out a living especially those in Algeria,Cuba, Russia and Egypt.As usual,the girl child is prone to inhuman handling in these foreign lands.The former ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education Professor Jonathan Moyo together with his deputy Dr Godfree Gandawa dismally failed to disburse stipends for students studying abroad instead they went on a looting spree as evidenced by the well known #ZimDefScandal et al.All students studying in foreign lands will be on students visas issued by the home country thus barring us from workin hence we SOLELY depend on these STIPENDS from the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education for survival.We have been deprived of our stipends for close to 2 yrs and we are now in a very serious humanitarian crisis which requires imminent alleviation.The student attachee based in Algeria termed Mr Mharapara have been conducted several tyms including the respective embassies all in vain.The former president of the Republic RG Mugabe was aware of our financial quagmire and he put in place the Minstry of Scholarship under Minister Chris Mushohwe which again was to no avail.We are glad you are already walking the talk regarding corruption linked to government officials this will go a long way in improving our welfare as students and the nation at large.
We wish to elaborate that students on these government scholarships are based on merit and surely from disadvantaged families hence the outcry for financial intervention as we genuinely lack alternative source of funding.As students, we embraced a ray of hope currently in our nation and we are patiently waiting for the announcement of the New Cabinet.We hope it will be a new dawn for us too.Honourable studying abroad with an empty stomach without adequate shelter is more like human trafficking,we have SUFFERED.We are ready to provide the details of our scenario to the new Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education once installed as per protocol.
We wish you well in your new cumbersome job Honourable and soon we will join to re-built this great Zimbabwe.Hoping for a finacial bail-out before year ends Honourable else our situation will be catastrophic.In the event that the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education fails to disburse our stipends we wish to be re-called back home Honourable.
Yours Faithfully
(Suffering Zimbabwean Students studying Abroad on government scholarships )
ZANU-PF has described as “treasonous” statements by Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Constantino Chiwenga that the military will not hesitate to take corrective measures when they felt the gains of the liberation struggle were under threat. The revolutionary party’s national spokesperson, Simon Khaya Moyo, said Gen Chiwenga’s utterances were meant to incite insurrection and violent challenge to the constitutional order.
Khaya Moyo said Gen Chiwenga’s utterances did not represent the rest of the command element and were meant to disturb national peace and stability.“Consistent with the guiding principle of the national liberation struggle, the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) reaffirms the primacy of politics over the gun.
“It is against an understanding of this abiding principle that the statement issued by General Constantino Chiwenga purporting to speak on behalf of the Zimbabwe Defences Forces (ZDF) was not only surprising, but was an outrageous vitiation of professional soldiership and his wartime record as a high-ranking freedom fighter entrusted with command responsibilities in a free democratic Zimbabwe,’’ Khaya Moyo said. The statement, Khaya Moyo said, was designed to disturb the prevailing peace.
“Clearly calculated to disturb national peace and stability, the said statement by General Constantino Chiwenga which was not signed, and which did not represent the rest of the command element, suggests treasonable conduct on his part as this was meant to incite insurrection and violent challenge to the constitutional order,” Khaya Moyo said.
“Indeed, this is what happens when the gun seeks to overreach by dictating to politics and norms of constitutionality,” he added. Zanu-PF,
Khaya Moyo said, would never submit to threats. As the party running the democratically elected Government of Zimbabwe, Zanu-PF will never succumb to any threats, least of all those driving from conduct that is inconsistent with the tenets of democracy and constitutionalism,” he said.
“Not too far back, the President and First Secretary of Zanu-PF, R.G. Mugabe, who is also Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, reminded members of the uniformed forces of their subordinate place and role vis-à-vis the political authority of the land.”
He went on: “By yesterday’s reprehensible conduct, it would appear that this wise counsel not only went unheeded but was flagrantly flouted in deference to factional politics and personal ambitions. Such conduct stands unreservedly condemned not only in the party but also in our Southern African region and the entire African continent where subversion of constitutional authority is frowned upon and regarded as an absolute anathema,” Khaya Moyo said
Former MDC-T Bulawayo senator, Matson Hlalo, has challenged Morgan Tsvangirai to stop complaining over President Robert Mugabe’s misrule without doing anything to assist the electorate get rid of the Zanu PF dictatorship.
Hlalo made the remarks while addressing delegates during a Zpra heroes’ day commemoration at Lady Stanley Cemetery in Bulawayo on Monday after MDC-T organising secretary Abednico Bhebhe recently attacked Mugabe over issues of mis-governance and marginalisation of the Matabeleland region.
Hlalo recently joined the People’s Democratic Party after he was fired from the MDC-T for challenging the endorsement of Gift Banda as Bulawayo chairperson for Tsvangirai’s party.
“Can we please be politicians with vision! Can we stop talking about Mugabe, Mugabe, let’s talk about solutions. We talk here about the violence that occurred at (Morgan) Tsvangirai’s party,” he said.
“This violence is not about fighting to free the people of Zimbabwe, it’s all about positions. They are fighting for positions that I want to be in this position or that one.
Have you ever heard that when people crossed borders to fight to liberate the country they fought over it.
“Now it’s cheap to be a leader, we do not hold them to account, that’s what happens in the Bulawayo council. Do you enjoy what is happening in the council? How much is the corruption in Bulawayo? That is what we want to hear people fighting to correct.”
Hlalo claimed that he was fired for representing the interests of Bulawayo residents.
“I was fired because I said we cannot be led by crooks known in Bulawayo. Bulawayo is so dear to us, we will never allow people to come and lead us with dirty hands,” Hlalo said.
“You hear some saying Hlalo is not a Bulawayan, cheap politics. People should talk reasonable politics not Mugabe this, Mugabe that, what will you do to him, tell us so that we follow you?”
MDC-T spokesperson, Obert Gutu, recently dismissed Hlalo’s rants as sour grapes.
“I suspect that Hlalo, who is my uncle, is just bitter and a very frustrated man. He will cool down with time,” he said. – Newsday
A form Five pupil at Chaplin High School allegedly drowned while fishing with three friends in Gweru’s Ngamo Dam.
Tatenda Mpashe Ndwangu (17) of House Number 898 Mkoba 4, Gweru, drowned at Ngamo dam on Saturday at around 11 AM.
Renius Tafadzwa, Ndwangu’s neighbour, told The Chronicle that tragedy struck when the boys decided to swim across the dam.
“The four boys decided to cross the dam to the other side and fish from there. The now deceased could not hold up anymore. He tried to get help from one of his friends who was swimming behind him but it was too late and he drowned”, said the neighbour.
One of the friends rushed to get help from a police officer.
The police sub-aqua unit started searching for Ndwangu on the same day at around 12 noon.
Midlands Acting Police Spokesperson Inspector Ethel Mukwende could not be reached for comment on her mobile phone.
In an unrelated incident, a one-year-old girl allegedly drowned in a bucket full of water after she was left in her brother’s care.
Nokutenda Shumba drowned in a 20 litre bucket which was full of water in Mkoba 13 Gweru on April 14.
Midlands Acting spokesperson inspector Ethel Mukwende confirmed the sudden death.
“I can confirm that a sudden death incident occurred in Mkoba 13, Gweru on April 14 at around 10 AM. The now deceased drowned in a 20 litre bucket,” she said.
“The deceased’s mother Ms Rudo Kamajera (38) had left her two children playing outside while she took a bath,” said Insp Mukwende.
She said when Ms Kamajera was done, she asked Pride, the deceased’s brother, where his little sister was.
“Pride told his mother that he did not know where she was. The now deceased had already drowned,” said Insp Mukwende.
She said Ms Kamajera retrieved the tot from the bucket and rushed her to Mkoba Poly Clinic where she was declared dead on arrival.- State Media
An 85-YEAR-OLD blind man from Plumtree allegedly raped his maid`s four-year-old daughter and suffered a stroke after committing the crime.
Mbizo Walton Ndlovu of Gasavu suburb allegedly raped the girl on February 27 when her mother was preparing lunch outside the house.
Ndlovu appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Chrispen Mberewere facing a charge of rape.
He pleaded not guilty and Mr Mberewere remanded him out of custody to April 20.
Prison guards assisted Ndlovu to a police car outside the court.
He had to be literally carried up and down the stairs to attend court.
Ndlovu was brought by the police from Plumtree to court and after he was remanded out of custody, cops took him back home.
It was not clear why Ndlovu was taken to a court in Bulawayo and not in Plumtree near his home.
Prosecuting, Mr Busani Moyo said Ndlovu lured the girl into his bedroom and raped her once.
“When this happened the complainant`s mother and the accused`s granddaughter were preparing lunch outside the house at a fire place. The complainant`s mother found the accused person naked while the complainant was lying on top of the bed,” said Mr Moyo.
“This made the complainant`s mother suspicious and she reported the matter to the police. The complainant was rushed to the hospital and a medical report will be produced in court as evidence.”- State Media
An 18-year-old man from Shurugwi allegedly raped a 13-year-old church mate after she turned down his love proposal.
The accused person, whose name has been withheld to protect the name of the minor, appeared before Shurugwi magistrate Mr Pride Gomera facing one count of rape.
He pleaded not guilty and was remanded out of custody to May 4.
Prosecuting, Mr Pride Gomera said on December 9 last year, the accused person followed the complainant while she was on her way home from a church service.
“The accused person started to propose love to the complainant but she turned down the proposal. While they were walking, the complainant and the accused person approached a bushy area and the accused person then tripped the complainant who was walking in front of him. He then dragged her into a bush,” said Mr Gomera.
He said the teenager raped the complainant once and fled.
“The complainant then proceeded home and told her grandmother about the incident. The complainant’s grandmother accompanied the complainant to report the matter at the police station the following day leading to the arrest of the accused person,” said Mr Gomera.
The court heard that the complainant was referred to hospital where she was examined and a medical report was compiled.- State Media
Hi there. I wish to remain anonymous. I have listened to your ZimEye show regarding the so-called Leicester SAMA festival. Let me explain to you what is happening with the queues, and the resulting ‘pressure’ outside, and why it’s likely to continue happening at future shows. What I’m about to explain is something I have seen with my own eyes, not zvekuudzwa. It is the promoters’ ‘doorcraft’ (or better said “Witchcraft”), which is meant to maximise profits.
Advance tickets are sold to unsuspecting punters, on the false promise that they will be given priority when entering the venue. Mild ‘threats’ are even made when selling the advance tickets, that it will be a “ticket only” event; or that there won’t be anymore tickets sold after such and such a date; or that the “tickets are selling really fast so get yours now”. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW –
Naive punters rush to buy the advance tickets (while stocks last!). At the point of sale, the punters are (sometimes) advised to get to the venue early “to avoid disappointment.” Sometimes they are not, depending on who they buy their tickets from. When the advance ticket-holders arrive at the venue, some do so in good time and are allowed to get in – they are far too early to get turned away. After a short while, the promoter, (it’s the one with dread locks who always supervises the doors at these events), creates two queues – one for advance ticket-holders and another for those without advance tickets, paying a premium at the door.
He then deliberately creates a bottleneck for the queue for advance ticket-holders, slowly drip-feeding them into the venue, if at all. There is never any explanation as to why that particular queue is moving slowly. Meanwhile, those on the other queue, and paying a premium, are rewarded with a speedy service and entry. In fact, the promoter would rather the venue fills up with these premium customers, even if it means totally disregarding those with advance, but cheaper, tickets.
In due course, the advance ticket-holders, (most of whom are by now standing in a queue snaking around the building, with no clue as to the cause of the hold up), become restless and eventually restive, and they do so for good reason – they were promised priority entry when they bought their advance tickets. They start applying “pressure”, but little do they know that they are playing into the promoters’ apparent plans. It appears to me that’s exactly what the promoters want.
It gives the promoters justification to completely shut down the queue for the advance ticket-holders. Their security personnel, who have been idle all this time, are called into action; to push back against the customers. By then the venue is full or almost full with premium customers who are safely inside and enjoying the show. But outside everything has degenerated into total chaos and the advance ticket holders, plus some without tickets, are turned away, citing over-booking, health and safety, drunk and disorderly behaviour, urinating against the walls, the “Zimbabwean mentality” or whatever reasons the promoter dreams up.
This is the ‘door-craft’ I personally witnessed at play. The solution; well…if you are really desperate to attend these events, buy the advance ticket and arrive at the venue before sunset. If you arrive after dark you are already late. Alternatively, don’t buy advance tickets, and benefit from the speedy premium service. Or, if you are feeling rich, buy an advance ticket and hope to arrive on time. If you find that you are already late, join the premium service queue and hassle hard for a refund on your advance tickets. Or, lastly, simply find alternative gate-away destinations for your Easter weekend.
I’m happy for you to paste this onto your ZimEye wall for the benefit of future attendees. I’m also happy for you to put this statement to Y2K for their response. I believe the people who attend the SAMA festival are discerning, mature and respectable adults and they ought to be treated better. Please note that I wish to remain anonymous. Thank you.
Staff Reporter | Ruvimbo Michell Tserai who made headlines recently after she accused war vets leader Christopher Mutsvangwa’s son Neville of raping her will appear in court today for fraud.
Tserai was exposed by her many victims over the weekend on a ZimEye LIVE blast for the many scams she had played on them. The 28 year old Tserai is in court after she leased an and collected rent from an already leased property. Watch above video as her many victims testify.
Harare socialite Genius Kadungure, who faces allegations of defrauding Chegutu West Zanu PF MP Dextor Nduna of ZAR 1,5 million, has implicated businessman Wicknell Chivayo in the alleged fraud and wants him summoned to court over the same charge.
Kadungure’s lawyers last week wrote to the National Prosecuting Authority challenging its decision to leave out Chivayo. This was after Kadungure was summoned for trial on April 11 this year.
“Our client is surprised that despite his explanation that is corroborated by the witness statement of Dania Kambwebwe, which explains our client’s involvement in the matter, he has been singled out as the only accused person,” the lawyers from Venturas and Samukange law firm, said.
“The statements by Kambwebwe establish the link between the offence in question, herself, Mr W Chivayo, Edward Teka and Blessing Shaya, but the charge sheet has been altered by removal of other accused persons from the proceedings for reasons unknown to our client,” the letter, dated April 10, read.
In her warned-and-cautioned statement, Kambwebwe allegedly submitted that she received the money in question from Kadungure on behalf and at the instance of Chivayo.
The lawyers also challenged the State’s decision to continue with the matter, which is currently before the Alexandra Magistrates Court in Gauteng Province, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Kadungure was arrested in May 2014 on allegations of swindling Nduna, who is the managing director of Badon Enterprises, and a Kadoma miner only known as Gatawa of R1 581 890.
According to the State outline, Kadungure allegedly formed a fictitious company named Transco Civil Engineering purportedly based in South Africa and opened an ABSA bank account for the company.
It is alleged he then contacted the complainants over the phone and misrepresented himself as the chief buyer for Marange Resources looking for mining pumps at competitive prices.
In December 2011, Gatawa allegedly sent his brother Enock to South Africa to purchase the pumps and he was ordered to deposit R1 046 890 for the purchase of 10 flight pumps in the ABSA bank account, and the latter obliged. He allegedly deposited another ZAR 500 000.
After the transfers, Enock was told by Transco Civil Engineering “officials” to go back to Zimbabwe and check for his parcel with DHL in three days’ time, but got shocked after he only received a parcel of cellphone chargers.- Newsday
Joice Mujuru | Fellow Zimbabweans; and countrymen, I am humbled to meet and address you on our historic occasion of celebrating 37 years since we got independence from the colonial rule of Ian Douglas Smith. As National People’ s Party we join the diversity of our country in commemorating this historic day, a day that cuts across political divides, religions, social and economic persuasions, tribes and cultural standings. It is a day that should unite Zimbabweans into one family and its a day that does not belong to a one political party.
As we celebrate 37 years of independence its time to reflect on the revolutionary ideals that the sons and daughters of this country fought for. We have our countrymen who lost life and limb for the liberation cause of our people and as NPP we take this opportunity to also reflect on the tombstone of the unknown soldier. We went to war for one man one vote. As Zimbabweans we were driven to fight the colonial regime by the desire to be treated equally before the eyes of the law. True to that spirit we stood heads, toes and shoulders as equal partners in defeating the oppressive colonial regime of Ian Douglas Smith. It is for the same cause that we lost gallantry sons and daughters of this country whose heroic deeds in liberating our people be it in the first and second Chimurenga remain unparalleled to date.
We equally take this day as an opportune moment to make a peoples audit on whether the government of the day has implemented the revolutionary ideals our people sacrificed their lives for. It is with a heavy heart that our country which was once a bread basket of Southern Africa is now a basket case to the World. All sectors of our country’s economy are plagued with corruption. Rampant police road blocks have turned the country into a police state. Our people live in abject poverty in th midst of vast natural resouces like minerals which are now preserve of the few. A case in point is the looting of mineral revenue amounting to US 15 billion without a trace. That alone demonstrates corruption of th highest order and lack of accountability by ZANU PF government. Unprecedented level of unemployment is now a terminal culture of our country. Disregard of rule of law with impunity is the order of the day. Our country is politically polarised as a result of divisive ZANU PF government which has become an epitome of a failed national leadership.
As NPP we believe that what ought to be 37 years of Independence has been turned into 37 years of slavery and misery to Zimbabweans. We believe we have capacity as Zimbabweans to extricate ourselves out of the social, economic and political mess we find ourselves in as a result of ZANU PF s failed government. It is time that all progressive forces within the rank and file of opposition parties ought to put their differences aside and face the ZANU PF failed government as a united front by every constitutional means necessary come 2018 national elections.
At one point in time of our liberation struggle with Ian Douglas Smith, ZIPRA and ZANLA joined hands to dislodge the colonial regime not withstanding their ideological and political contradictions. What they had to put first was our country and its people. That alone makes an instructive testimony for a case of a grand coalition to constitutionally remove ZANU PF from power.
Our people never went to war so that the destiny of our country can be turned into political dynasties. Zimbabweans deserve to be free and that freedom has to be exercised now. To that end as NPP we urge all the progressive forces within the rank and file of the opposition parties of this country to go back to the basics of the revolutionary ideals of oneness. It is our belief as NPP that what divides us as opposition political parties is smaller than what binds us as a country. Our motto should therefore be ”
United we stand, divided we fall”.
We therefore urge our countrymen that as they celebrate this historic day that is if there is anything to celebrate there should not lose hope and focus that another happy and free Zimbabwe is possible.
May Gob bless you all
I thank you
Doctor Joice Teurai Ropa Mujuru (National Peoples Party President)
Terrence Mawawa | Old, tired and clueless President Robert Mugabe must go, read the placards that were raised by concerned Zimbabweans in the diaspora during yesterday’ s demonstration in London.
The Take2Zimbabwe march was organised by Zimbabwe Citizens’ Initiative(ZCI), Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation(ZHRO) and Restoration of Human Rights Zimbabwe (ROHR).
Scores of concerned Zimbabweans in exile converged at the Embassy of Zimbabwe in London and marched along the streets as they expressed their grievances.
Speaking after the event, ROHR Zimbabwe (UK Chapter)spokesperson, Farai Nhakaniso said Mugabe’s continued grip on power was a national catastrophe.
“Our message is very clear, the people of Zimbabwe are fed up with tyranny. The Take2Zimbabwe initiative was a direct response to yesterday’ s chaotic independence celebrations held across the country.How can we celebrate independence while we are suffering under Mugabe’s dictatorship?The old and tired man(Mugabe) must go,” said Nhakaniso.
He said the snap announcement by Theresa May to hold the UK 8 June 2017 Elections meant all appointments at 10 Downing Street had been rescheduled.
“We could not go to 10 Down Street because of the changes that transpired but we rescheduled the appointments,” said Nhakaniso.
ZCI chairperson, Promise Sande said Zimbabweans in the diaspora would continue to exert pressure on Mugabe – described by pro-democracy forces as a liability to the troubled nation.
ZHRO director of marketing, Mable Kayiya, said it was vital to hold such events as part of frantic efforts to force Mugabe to step down.
Former NPP Spokesman Jelousy Mawarire has attacked the state owned Herald newspaper for violating legal processes following the sudden death of former Permanent Secretary and Procurement boss, Charles Kuwaza. Mawarire says: “In such circumstances you don’t conclude, you leave room for qualified pple to ascertain cause of death.” ALSO READ – Kuwaza Assassinated?
Zimbabweans were yesterday left wondering if the RBZ is now going to start processing “goat currency”. This was after President Robert Mugabe officially rubber stamped Primary and Secondary Education Minister Lazarus Dokora’s controversial proposals.
Speaking at the independence celebrations, Mugabe signaled his approval for Dokora’s reforms which include the processing of school fees using goats. “Regarding education, the Minister of Education made a speech yesterday in which he set out …. and these affect all levels of our primary and secondary education system. We hope these improvements will continue to be made and will be made across the country…” While it was not explicitly clear if the government will start taking goats as legal tender across other sectors, many Zimbabweans took to social networks to mock the state for this development.
The 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey Matabeleland says North Province has the highest HIV prevalence among children under 14 in Zimbabwe. The province has a prevalence rate of about 3.2 percent. In second place was Mashonaland East with 2.3 percent. Matabeleland South and Midlands were tied in third place. Mashonaland Central had the lowest prevalence rate with 1.0 percent.
Experts blamed the low uptake of prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) for children living with HIV. Bulawayo Aids coordinator Mrs Sinatra Nyathi was quoted by the state media saying:
“Our national HIV prevalence stands at 14 percent and that excludes children aged below 14. We have many children who were infected when they were born while others were sexually abused.
“It’s sad to note that we also have young sex workers who got infected while engaging in their trade…”
“It will be impossible for us as a country to reach the 2020 targets if expecting mothers delay seeking healthcare and end up infecting new born babies. We therefore urge everyone to know their status and for families to take their little ones for testing.” – state media
It could have been a poisonous drone remote controlled by enemies
Is it natural, mystical, electrical, or mythical?
Staff Reporter| To be chased after by a grasshopper denotes a very bad omen according to the scriptures- This is because in the book of Revelations people who are attacked by grasshoppers “do not have the seal of God on their foreheads,” Rev 9:3-4. Robert Mugabe was yesterday tightly followed by a mysterious grasshopper that alert CIO agents failed to see.
Mugabe can be seen in shocking pictures having been landed onto by the locust which even CIOs cannot see. To make matters worse, the grasshopper freely shifts from hand to hand without the President seeing it.
It could have easily been a poisonous drone remote controlled by enemy armies sent to attack the Head Of State, SEE VIDEO.
Commenting on the development last night, many Zimbabweans said this was reflective of something very bad. Others however dismissed the speculation saying it was common for such a thing to happen.
A 33 year old Bulawayo man has been fined $400 for assaulting his ex-wife after she asked for money for the upkeep of their two children as directed by the Maintenance Court.
Frank Muzondiwa of Nkulumane suburb appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Mr Stephen Ndlovu and pleaded guilty to a charge of assault and contempt of court.
Magistrate Ndlovu fined him $400.
“The accused person will pay a $400 fine or spend three months in prison upon failure to pay. The whole amount should be paid up by May 1 2017,” said the magistrate.
Muzondiwa was allegedly ordered by the maintenance court to contribute $90 monthly towards the upkeep of his two children in 2015.
He defaulted paying for some months, but the amount was not stated.
When his ex-wife asked him to pay up, he assaulted her.
Prosecuting, Mr Kenneth Shava said Muzondiwa assaulted his ex-wife Ms Virginia Sibanda of Kensington suburb after a misunderstanding in July last year.
“On July 30, 2016, at 12noon the accused person went to the complainant’s aunt’s place in Nkulumane suburb where he asked to see his daughter. Whilst there, the accused person and the complainant had a misunderstanding at around 3PM.
“The complainant was demanding money for the upkeep of their child that the accused person had been ordered to pay by the maintenance court. The misunderstanding degenerated into a physical attack and the accused person punched the complainant once on the mouth,” said the prosecutor.
The complainant sustained a swollen mouth and did not seek medical attention.- State Media
A MAN, who allegedly fatally assaulted Bulawayo City Council’s assistant director of Engineering Services Engineer Mbuthi Gugu Mkhwananzi, in a fit of jealousy after the two clashed at a girlfriend’s house, appeared in court yesterday.
Spencer Sithole (33) of Hillside suburb in Bulawayo punched Mkhwananzi several times before striking him using a dressing table and a wooden stool on Tuesday last week at Josephine Morrow’s — the girlfriend — house in Four Winds.
Mkhwananzi died on Friday at Mater Dei Hospital due to the injuries he allegedly sustained as a result of the attack.
The bespectacled Sithole appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya facing a murder charge. He was remanded in custody to May 2.
Sithole, through his lawyer, Mr David Mhiribidi of Mutuso, Mhiribidi and Partners, told the court that he suffered from arthritis and a fractured wrist which required medical attention.
The magistrate gave him the green light to be examined by doctors for the ailments.
Prosecuting, Mr Alfonce Makonese, said on April 11 this year at around 7AM, Sithole went to his ex-girlfriend, Morrow’s house intending to collect his car keys.
The court heard that on arrival, Sithole opened the front door of the house using spare keys and stumbled upon Mkhwananzi and Morrow in bed.
“The deceased was with his girlfriend when the accused person stormed into the house and found them in bed. Sithole got angry and started assaulting the deceased with fists, dressing table and a wooden stool and he sustained three fractured ribs,” said Mr Makonese.
Mkhwananzi fled from the house as he bled profusely through the mouth and nose.
He was taken to Mater Dei Hospital where he died three days later as a result of multiple injuries sustained during the attack.
A report was made to the police leading to the arrest of Sithole.
Mourners are gathered at Number 1 Cliburn Crescent in Morningside suburb. Mkhwananzi is survived by a wife and two children aged 16 and four.
Mkhwananzi had just returned from abroad to take up the post at the council. He was a holder of a Masters Degree in Project Management from the University of Ireland and a Bachelor of Engineering Honours Degree in Civil Engineering from Leeds University in the United Kingdom.
He also was also holder of a certificate in local government studies from the National University of Ireland and also a member of the Institute of Chartered Engineers of Ireland.
His first stint with council was from 1997 to 1999 when he was a graduate engineer.
He worked as a roads design engineer in the roads branch from 1999 to 2002.
He moved to Ireland from 2009 to 2013 where he worked on a number of projects as an assistant project manager, engineer and consultant.
President Mugabe yesterday said Government was committed to improving the country’s education system and has adopted various initiatives towards that goal.
The President, who is famed for making Zimbabwe one of the top two most literate nations in Africa, was speaking at the 37th Independence Anniversary Children’s Party hosted by the First Family at the City Sports Centre yesterday.
The event was attended by thousands of children drawn from the country’s 10 provinces.
“We continue as you know, to do everything possible to ensure that your education remains Government’s top priority.
“At the beginning of 2017, we introduced an updated competence and skills driven curriculum that should provide every learner with an opportunity to develop their potential. This potential that exists in every learner requires a curriculum that can develop and map it to the maximum extent possible,” President Mugabe said.
He added that the new curriculum ensures a smooth transition from school to work.
“Our goal is to ensure that the updated curriculum supports and sustains the transition from school to the world of work through serious study of a wide variety of subjects that include the sciences, technology and mathematics.
“We must, as we do this, appreciate the profound turn towards innovation and creativity in our nation,” President Mugabe said.
The President added that since May 2016 they had initiated a school feeding programme for infants in all schools to improve learners’ health and further improved the retention of learners in school.
“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has commenced the Zimbabwe Schools’ Water and Agriculture Project that will see secondary schools, in all the eight provinces, commence agricultural study work, programming boreholes drilling through drip irrigation, fish farming and the benefit of solar power system. To date boreholes have been drilled in schools and it is planned that May 2017, a total of 100 boreholes will be drilled every month.
“The project will move to the primary school sector once all 2 500 secondary schools in the country have been accounted for. The same project is expected to contribute significantly to the sustenance of the school feeding programme and competence-based learning by all of you,” President Mugabe said.
President Mugabe urged children to fully utilise the land and all other resources the country is endowed with.
“You must remember that we took our land from our colonisers. Land is like all our country’s resources, our natural God-given resource. You are the inheritors of it and therefore must take pride in making our land productive. Equally so, you must be prepared to cultivate active interest in exploiting all other resources our country is endowed with,” he said.
President Mugabe called on children to work hard at school and thanked teachers for their efforts in educating the nation.
“I wish you all success in your education, behave well in school and avoid bad habits and study hard,” he said.
“God bless you all, may God bless your teachers. I know they have worked very hard to put this up. They work hard to bring you up. I want to thank them on behalf of your parents,” President Mugabe said.
The celebrations were held under the theme, “Children’s Party; Zimbabwe @37: Embracing ease of doing business for socio-economic development.”
State ownwed telecoms operator, NetOne is looking for a new chief executive officer following the dismissal of Reward Kangai last year on allegations of corruption.
Kangai was initially suspended and the company later terminated his contract.
Brian Mutandiro has been acting CEO since then.
In a vacancy notice published on Sunday, NetOne said the incumbent will report to the board of directors and will lead, in conjunction with the board, the development of the company’s strategy to maximise shareholder value and enhance the positioning of the company.
It said the incumbent will lead and “oversee the implementation of NetOne’s long and short-term plans in according with its strategy” and “establish parameters for expanding the range of products and services and for introducing new technologies in the business”.
Interested candidates have up to May 5 to submit their applications.
Last year, ICT, Postal and Courier Services minister Supa Mandiwanzira promised to restructure the management at NetOne in a bid to resuscitate the ailing mobile operator.
The restructuring has seen the appointment of new executives and the company is set to relaunch its mobile money product.
Since his appointment as acting CEO, Mutandiro has steadied the NetOne ship, with the company closing in on Econet in terms of active subscribers.
Latest statistics from the Postal and Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) showed that NetOne’s active subscriber base grew by 14% last year to 4 712 410 when rivals registered a drop in numbers.
Data from Potraz showed that in 2016, NetOne added 577 690 new active subscribers, while Econet and Telecel’s numbers declined by
341 787 and 114 387, respectively.
The growth in active subscribers saw NetOne’s market share increasing to 36,6% in the fourth quarter ended December 31 up from 36,4% in the previous quarter.
Econet’s market share was flat at 49,4%, while Telecel’s share dropped to 14% in the quarter from 14,2% in the previous quarter.
Mobile revenue was up 2,4% to $199,2 million. The growth in revenue was spurred on by Econet, which saw its revenue growing by 4,2% in the fourth quarter of 2016 to $152 383 272.
Telecel and NetOne’s revenues declined by 2,4% and 3,4% respectively. – NewsDay
Mystery surrounds the death of a Bulawayo man who allegedly plunged to his death from a 13-storey building that houses police officers in the city centre.
His family insists he may have been murdered while police are investigating a case of suicide.
Police officers found Craig Phiri (21), of Tshabalala suburb, dead on a fire escape on the ground floor at African Life Building, also known as Southampton Building, on Thursday around 8PM.
A family source said his mother was the last person to see him alive when he left the house two hours earlier.
Mr Russel Phiri, Craig’s brother, yesterday told The Chronicle a post-mortem was inconclusive on the cause of death.
He said the family was bothered about “inconsistencies” surrounding Craig’s death.
“As far as we know, he doesn’t know anyone at that building. His name wasn’t even recorded at the visitors’ register downstairs. We wonder how he gained entry into that closely guarded building,” said Russell.
The family, Russel said, needed closure by getting to the bottom of how his brother ended up dead at the building.
“If there is anyone who can come out and give information on the last person he talked to and what he was doing at the building, it would help us as a family,” he said.
Another family member who declined to be named said Craig’s phone was found on his body with all the contacts and call history deleted.
“Only his mother’s number was left on the phone. Even the call history and messages were all deleted. We just feel like there is more to what could have transpired. On Thursday he told his mother he wanted to get some things in town and left around 6PM. He told her he wouldn’t be gone for long although he didn’t specify what his business was,” said the source.
The source said police were able to trace Craig’s next of kin at around 1AM, about five hours after they had found his body.
“I can confirm that a man was found dead around 8PM on Thursday night last week at Southampton Building in the central business district in a suspected suicide case. We urge members of the public to desist from committing suicide. People should try and seek help when they are facing challenges rather than taking their own lives.”
Craig was buried at West Park Cemetery in Bulawayo yesterday. – State Media
Ok, the man died under suspicious circumstances and the beautiful Simango is already giving suicide advice. kkkk ZRP is a joke!
Perhaps he was having a nice time with someone wife? How else would he gain entry into the cop building?
laba labo
I am always amused by the advice that the so called police spokespersons give after a tragedy has occurred. Seriously should they be consoling the family of the bereaved of man who died right in their premises?
Doctor Do little
If the Police have CCTV footage and then they can call this suicide. Again the statement should be “Investigations are in progress.” If we have any people in the ZRP that do investigative work in these kind of situations and then it would take them longer than three days to investigate this bearing in mind that they need to establish 1) what he was doing there 2)does he know anyone in the building 3) how did he get in 4) how accessible is the building. Have they interviewed his friends?Have they tried to find out his financial situation? Did he have a girl friend that let him down? You then get this lady repeating like a parrot the same thing overs and overs. Something is not right here. If the Family sense it you have to take them seriously. The coroner released the body too soon. If he was pushed or grabbed the likelihood is that when the blood seizes to flow that particular area a person is grabbed or shoved will be appear in a corps as an internal bruise. If you hold a persons wrists tightly and he dies shorty after that because you restricted his blood flow that particular area will show up like an internal bruise which in this case would be appearing as an area of discoloured skin on the body, caused by pressure rupturing underlying blood vessels. This is simple forensics that can be visible to even a Layman. Has all this been checked out? Again a premature statement from the Police. If a postmortem was inconclusive on the cause of death something is not right.
Kunzima Emhlabeni
In 2013, my uncle was found with his neck cut. Beheaded in his idling car. He was on his way to work. He died at a set of robots in Harare and the police said in was suicide. My question was how can they say its suicide when noone knows for sure? Again, his car would automatically lock all doors upon reaching 20km/hr. On this day, apparently the doors didn’t auto-lock. And the police didnt break the car doors or use spare keys to remove his body. Once police say its suicide, thus end of investigation and they close the case. Im telling you readers about our family tragedy so that you can realise that there are lots of mysterious deaths in Zimbabwe. We live with our pain and with no closure. Sad loss indeed and i say to the bereaved, find comfort in God. Kunzima.
Staff Reporter | This song was sung on independence day and it’s called war. Speaking of war and violence is Zimbabwe a violent nation?
There was commotion amid reported violence at the just ended SAMA Festival at the weekend. Zimbabweans endured unspeakable violence with some coming out with wounds and broken limbs.
Convicted fraudster and Bulawayo Ward 23 Councillor Thobani Ncube has been fired from his council position and a by-election to replace him will soon be held, Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere has said. Ncube was last Thursday convicted of defrauding a resident of $12 000 in a housing scam and was sentenced to 36 months in prison. He will, however, perform 360 hour of community service after a magistrate conditionally suspended the sentence. Minister Kasukuwere said Ncube had breached provisions of the Urban Councils Act. “If he has been convicted then he will no longer be a councillor. We will follow procedure and together with the legal team look at the issue but it’s a given he cannot be a councillor anymore,” said Minister Kasukuwere. “We will work towards having a by-election to replace him though for now I’m not yet sure when as we have to meet and deliberate on that.” He said Ncube was no longer fit to hold office as he had had been dishonest in dealing with residents he was meant to protect and serve. According to the Local Government Laws Amendment Bill, 2016, the minister can suspend a councillor from exercising all or any of his or her functions in the event that they are convicted. “In accordance with section 278 of the Constitution, the chairperson or councillor of a council shall only be removed from office on the grounds of inability to perform the functions of their office due to mental or physical incapacity; or gross incompetence or gross misconduct. “The same shall be removed from office after a conviction of an offence involving dishonesty, corruption or abuse of office; or a wilful violation of the law, including a local authority by-law,” reads the document. MDC-T national spokesperson Mr Obert Gutu said his party had a zero tolerance to corrupt officials and that Ncube would face the music. “As a party we don’t protect corrupt individuals regardless of their position in the party. Anyone who is found to be corrupt will be disciplined according to the MDC-T constitution. “If any competent court of law has found him guilty then we will not protect him and he will go through disciplinary procedures like everyone else,” said Mr Gutu. “I’ve not looked at the documents but basically our position is that we don’t tolerate corrupt leaders. We also would like to condemn political victimisation where our councillors are falsely accused but now if inquiries are fair and transparent, we do take action against corrupt party officials.” Ncube could not be reached for comment on his mobile phone yesterday. Western Commonage magistrate Ms Nyaradzo Ringisayi convicted Ncube despite his plea of not guilty on Thursday. “Such behaviour isn’t expected from a leader that communities should look up to. Leaders should be exemplary,” Ms Ringisayi said. “Accused person is therefore sentenced to 36 months in prison. Six months will be suspended on condition of good behaviour for five years. “Twelve months of the sentenced will be suspended on condition that accused person restitutes the complainant. The remaining 18 months will be suspended on condition that the accused person will perform 630 hours of community service.” Ncube conned Ms Vainah Moyo (54) of Barham Green suburb by selling her a stand which he also sold to one Mvangeli Xaba. Last year in September, Minister Kasukuwere suspended five out of Bulawayo’s 29 councillors for alleged corruption including the city’s former deputy mayor Mr Gift Banda. Three councillors were later exonerated but Mr Banda together with ward 21’s Reuben Matengu were fired from council following an investigation by an independent tribunal. Mr Banda has since approached the High Court seeking to be reinstated on grounds that he was innocent.- agencies
Staff Reporter | Zimbabwean girl Hazel Cheuka is shaking UK theatre screens has now expanded her territory into USA theatre.
Cheuka is a 12 year old multi-talented girl living with her mother Lucy Mlotshwa in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, UK. Hazel has had a number of acting roles including playing young ‘Nala’ in the iconic Lion King Musical in London’s the West End.
Hazel recently auditioned for Teen Star along with many other talented acts. She won her way through to the Regional Finals of the UK’s only singing and dancing competition exclusively for teens and pre-teens, and is now one step away from the Grand Final.
But then, who is Hazel Cheuka, and what does the future hold for her?
Hazel is a multi- talented girl who loves acting, singing, dancing and modelling. She has a young brother who is also catching football coaches’ eye on the pitch. Hazel was spotted as a talented girl at the tender age of 9 by her school teachers, and was encouraged to join a drama school (Stagecoach). Since then, she has given all her best into her talents with a particular focus on acting.
She has worked with Warner Bros.Studio – The Making of Harry Potter, and other companies that engage talented young people from diverse backgrounds. Hazel also was due to play the lead role of Annie in the production of Annie at the Waterside Theatre in aylesbury, but has had to pull out due to the upcoming national TeenStar competition.
Currently, Hazel is with Adele Peters’ Performing Arts School. Adele is preparing her for the highly challenging national TeenStar competition. In September this year, Hazel is starting Year 9 at Tring Park Performing Arts School where she successfully auditioned last year. When her talent was spotted, Hazel had auditioned for Disney’s Cub School where she instantly got offered one of the leading roles – “Young Nala”. Hazel has always been a charismatic young actress who catches every judge’s attention. Previous winners of this competition include Luke Friend and Emily Middlemas.
In future, Hazel has the chance to act and impress many guests and agencies from the entertainment industry including judges from BBC Introducing, national radio and regional press. This is no mean feat as previous judges for Future Music competitions include Radio 1’s Annie Nightingale MBE, KISS FM’s Charlie Hedges and four time Ivor Novello award winner Mark Hill, also known as one half of the Artful Dodger, plus A&R reps from Sony, Warner Bros and Syco Entertainment.
This is your chance, along with the entire world, to watch UK TeenStar and see Hazel’s amazing performance in a live showcase on the 30th April 2017.
A bit about TeenStar . . .
TeenStar is a national singing and dancing competition searching for the UK’s best teen and pre-teen singers, singer/songwriters, rappers, dancers and dance groups of all genres and styles. TeenStar is brought to you by Future Music. Hazel is among the dancers the competition first opened its doors to.
The TeenStar competition has three age categories – ‘Late Teens’ (16-19), ‘Mid Teens’ (13-15) and a special category searching for the stars of tomorrow, the Pre-Teens! All types of singers and dancers are invited to enter TeenStar. Just like every other fellow contestant, Hazel is focused on winning at the forthcoming prestigious Grand Final, where she will also be the centre of attraction and may walk away a proud winner of one of the huge prizes such as: recording an album; shooting a music video; scholarships to the Flawless Dance School; and sponsorship from Squad Dancewear, amongst others.
With your support, Hazel has a chance to make it and enter the global entertainment industry at a young age via TeenStar 2017.
Staff Reporter | President Robert Mugabe this morning reminded Zimbabweans his assignment of fully liberating them was not over yet, in a speech that was totally drowned by goat currency jokes.
Blogged one Zimbabwean, mocking Mugabe “Kutonga kusvika school fees yaakubhadharwa nembudzi🐐🐐🐐.”
Speaking during the country’s 37th Independence celebrations Mugabe said speaking in the plural, “We, however, need to be mindful that our assignment is not yet over. We have to constantly defend our independence so that it can have meaning.”
Mugabe celebrated what he termed socio-economic programmes since independence, seemingly oblivious to the fact that even as he was speaking jokes around the ‘goat currency’ had all but drowned everything Zimbabwe’s independence stood for.
Said Mugabe, “We always remind ourselves, our people, those that fought the battle, those who were in what were known as Keeps, detention centres, villages and prisons ….they all endured untold suffering at the hands of the colonial regime.”
“They were all, therefore, participants in the struggle to liberate the country. Today we want to pay tribute to all our heroes and heroines.” Zimbabweans simply drowned their sorrows in laughter as they shared goat currency jokes.
Harare giants Dynamos have been crowned champions of the Uhuru cup after beating rivals Highlanders 3-2 on penalties at the National Sports Stadium today.
The game had ended 1-al after regulation time.
Bosso missed three of their spot kicks while the Glamour Boys missed two through captain Ocean Mushure and forward Masimba Mambare.
DeMbare edged the Green Machine 1-nil on Sunday at the National Sports Stadium to book a place in the Uhuru finals against Highlanders who knocked out FC Platinum 4-3 on penalties at Barbourfields Stadium. – State Media
Why did the Herald rush to declare “suicide” ahead of the Police?
How could Amai’s man kill himself?
‘Convenient suicide’
Ray Nkosi | Former State Procurement boss Charles Kuwaza has been assassinated, sources close to the reported ‘suicide’ have claimed.
Kuwaza was reported by the state media to have leapt to his death from the 9th floor of Club Chambers building in Harare. It was said he was collecting documents to help with his defence in a matter before the courts.
But the state media rushed to announce his death describing it as a suicide way before any police could confirm that.
Subsequently, the police have ironically now ignored the assassination pointers and decided to follow the media report. A police source said “Investigations are still ongoing. Detectives are trying to put together bits and pieces of the gathered exhibits. What was reported to the police was a suicide case so we are investigating suicide and not assassination.”
ZimEye sources have brought in fresh information disputing the suicide claims on several grounds, arguing instead that the former Robert Mugabe and Amai’s right hand man was pushed before he could explode and expose named bigwigs implicated in the corruption case he is charged together with. While the nature of the documents he was said to have been collecting was not clear, this is not the first time convenient ‘suicides’ have taken place in the ruling Zanu PF party. There is the unresolved case of Maurice Nyagumbo who is said to have also committed suicide in 1989, by drinking rat poison after being charged with perjury during Willowgate scandal investigations. There are also several others which include the death of Albert Mugabe in the early 80s. In Nyagumbo’s case for instance, corruption links with top bigwigs is said to have been the chief colluding factor.
Kuwaza popularly known as Mohamed Farah Idid is reported to have thrown himself from the 9th floor.
Kuwaza accused of five counts of corruption involving over $1 million and ZW$2,5 billion, was last month freed on $2 000 bail.
Kuwaza was on a life support system at Metropolitan Clinic after he suddenly fell seriously ill soon after his arrest.
As part of bail conditions, Kuwaza was ordered to report at CID Commercial Crime Unit and to surrender title deeds to his Belvedere property.
His lawyer, Mr Shadreck Chisoko, however, told the court that he was having challenges in submitting the title deeds because it does not make reference to an address but only a stand number.
However, the court confirmed the title deeds. It is alleged that Kawaza committed the offences while at the helm of SPB. Prosecuting, Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa told the court that Kuwaza was employed by the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) as SPB executive chairman from September 1, 2001 to November 27, 2015.
He said during his tenure of office, Kuwaza allegedly engaged in criminal activities to the prejudice of the State. The allegations stemmed from transactions unearthed by an OPC special audit.
According to the indictment, Kuwaza was facing one count of theft, two counts of fraud and two counts of criminal abuse of duty as a public officer.
Themba Mthetwa | The struggle over ZANU PF succession has affected the texture of the democratic processes in Zimbabwe. The ramifications of the succession process are integral to the apparent disconnect between the actual practice of democracy and power egos of individual ZANU PF politicians.
The Zimbabwe government of ZANU PF has for many years used the military as a component of its political power base and authority. Retired military personnel and active informants are deployed to work in civilian arms of governance. The danger has been that the civil political processes and resolutions to political contests tended to incorporate the use force with the security services routinely called out to deal with domestic situations that needed civil intervention. The military by virtue should remain neutral and submit itself to political guidance but this balance in civil and military relations the in case of Zimbabwe is disturbed as the military is used as means of civil governance. This state of affairs is due to corrupt civilian politics and the protracted quest to protect illegitimate election outcomes. ZANU PF government regularly uses the coercive instruments of the police, army and intelligence agencies and militia groups to sustain its hold on power against the wishes of the people.
The result of the succession battles in ZANU PF can mean a generational shift with the old guard making way for a new generation of politicians. This power dimension may provoke generational tensions and conflicts in power struggles. The military can then play a major part in maintaining either the old guard or the new generation of leaders. The prevailing scenario in Zimbabwe politics where politics has become increasingly militarised, the military may as well support the installation of a successor of its choice that it will be able to control.
Military take overs are likely where the rule of law has collapsed; where due democratic processes are malfunctioning; where the constitutions is no longer respected or followed; where the existence of a judiciary has been tainted by political meddling and where power is centred on one person whose wishes and desires are the only ones that matter. Zimbabwe currently fits within this category and it makes it a fertile ground for opportunities for a coercive transfer of power.
The military is the trump card in the ZANU PF succession matrix. What is important at this stage of the succession battles within ZANU PF is not what the security personnel is saying in public but how they privately feel and think about the future leadership. The stake in the ZANU PF succession matrix is currently between Grace Mugabe and Emmerson Mnangagwa. Private succession deals with individuals in the army by both Grace and Emmerson to proper up for support by the security service chiefs is very likely to be taking place now. The success of either Grace or Emmerson in winning the support of the army will depend on how attractive the offers are each one is proposing the to security chiefs and within the junior ranks.
As a matter of principle the deals are likely to include lucrative material rewards, financial packages and fringe benefits, protection to kept or attain top position and greater influence in governance. It is now almost impossible in Zimbabwe for the security services to abstain from meddling in the power matrix as the political culture has always drawn the security chiefs into the political processes by President Mugabe
The struggle over succession and divergent views between and the security services versus the aspiration of the public represents interesting key features of the succession matrix in ZANU PF. It revolves around three alternative power centres. These power centres include the influence of the military; the emergence of a new generation of political leaders (G40); and the preservation of the values of the liberation struggles by the old guard (team lacotse).
G40 which is believed to support Grace Mugabe appear to be attempting to form a new patronage movement based on the strategy of the youth and women movement as the core support base to exclude the old patrons of the liberation struggle. The eventual exclusion of President Mugabe from the G40 movement will come natural as the belief is that he is nearing the end of his life span. It is important to note that the current face of G40 movement is in fact President Mugabe. Old guard President Mugabe has turned away from the sacrifices of the liberation struggle in preference to the youth and the women wings. President Mugabe has been inducted in this extrovert G40 to work in unison with his wife. Team Lacoste which is believed to support Mnangagwa appear to seek to maintain the ethos of the revolution struggle and aspiring to recycle the old guard who feels that the sacrifices of the liberation struggle will be in vain if G40 took charge of the patronage ZANU PF system. Both the G40 and Team Lacoste are similar in that they both offer a one centre of power governance model that scarcely resonates with public sentiments in modern day politics. The one power centre negates the interests and wishes of the general populace but perpetuates the interests and wishes of one person.
Emmerson Mnangagwa was recorded introducing Chiwenga to the public at a rally in March 2016 describing Chiwenga as the “Commissar” but also emphasised that Chiwenga was not allowed to address people because of his position as soldier. Saviour Kusakuwere was the ZANU PF commissar then. Mnangagwa said, “The person I want you to meet today is our commissar. Do you know Chiwenga? Stand up Chiwenga so that people can see you.” Grace Mugabe on the other hand responded at one of her rallies by saying “Chiwenga! Come and shoot me!” At another separate rally Grace said, “No one can stop me. You will have to kill me to stop me”. It was not clear what actually provoked her to openly make the pronouncements but it is believed that she was infuriated by the Mnangagwa and Chiwenga association.
In August 2016 Commander General Constastine Chiwenga spoke to the media during the commemoration of the Heroes’ Day, “We are reading kumapepa paakatanga kuti when you want to destroy ZANU PF you need to do it within. They told us they will have youths who will take over. Was it not written? Do you think we are blind? Is it not happening now? They wish to destroy ZANU PF from within.” The statement was perceived to be directed to Prof. Jonathan Moyo who is believed to the brains behind the G40 and part of the think tank to the succession ascendance of Grace Mugabe. Was Commander General indirectly firing warning shots to Grace Mugabe by attacking a member of her faction? Time will tell.
The relationship between Grace Mugabe and Chiwenga based on her speech could be described as hostile while that one of Mnangagwa and Chiwenga again based on Mnangagwa’s speech can be described as cordial. Can this be a measure to gauge the position of the military in view of these two aspiring presidential ZANU Pf candidates based on Chiwenga’s verbatim? May be not? No security service personnel have come out making statements linking itself to Grace Mugabe. The view is that President Mugabe the face of G40 may be secretly setting up a group of security details designed to shield Grace Mugabe should she face resistance within the traditional army chiefs and the public in her bid to take up the presidency. Mugabe has done it in the past with the formation of the 5th brigade which was used to kill thousands of innocent people of Matabeleland just for the preservation of a one centre of power. The elite group of pro-Grace Mugabe security personnel is at most not likely to involve the current leadership in the security sector chiefs for reasons associated with their links to the liberation struggle and the war vets association. The war vets are currently in a war of words with President Mugabe openly asking him to step down.
The grand philosophy of the security chiefs that does support presidential aspirants without liberation credentials is yet to be tested in the case of Grace Mugabe if she happens to continue to pursue her aspirations of the top leadership in ZANU PF. Grace Mugabe does not have the liberation credentials, a position that goes against the ethos and values proclaimed by the security chiefs in the past about Morgan Tsvangirai of MDC. The security services commanders made up of the army, police and prison services have in the past held a joint televised declaring that they were not going to salute Morgan Tsvangirai if he were elected president of Zimbabwe because he did not have the liberation credentials. This position and declaration by the security chiefs was not contested by President Mugabe when it was announced. President Mugabe might have been the brains behind it. It will be interesting to know if President Mugabe still holds those same views today with his wife aspiring to be the next President of both ZANU PF and Zimbabwe.
Fadzayi Mahere | As the economic situation in Zimbabwe continues to decline, the government has had to resort to gymnastic levels of innovation to overcome challenges around productivity, liquidity and access to capital.
Some of the innovations introduced in an attempt to deal with the economic downturn include the introduction of bond notes (the Reserve Bank Governor’s version of fictitious, locally printed money touted as equivalent to the United States dollar), the suggestion by the Minister of Education that school fees be payable in the form of livestock – that is, cattle and goats and new legislation to enable the owners of movable assets including livestock to use such movable assets as security for bank loans.
Traditionally, financial institutions prefer to give loans on the back of immovable security, that is, a home, a commercial property or land. The rationale underlying this traditional approach is that immovable property is more secure than movable property because title deeds formally registered with the Deeds Registry can be presented as proof of ownership of the immovable property. This leaves less room for a dispute as to whether the person who encumbered the property had the legal authority to do so. Additionally, a mortgage bond can be registered in respect of immovable property to prevent the sale of the property before the loan has been fully repaid. It is also impossible for the debtor to run away with an immovable asset. All these factors combine to make immovable property more attractive as security for a loan than movable property.
The Movable Property Security Interests Bill seeks to disrupt the traditional approach to securitising loans by providing for the registration of movable property security interests. In other words, the Bill intends to create a more secure framework for the use of movable property, such as cars, furniture, cattle and goats, as collateral for the repayment of loans.
Why is this Bill being introduced?
According to the Parliament of Zimbabwe website, the Bill is part of government efforts to improve the ‘ease of doing business’ in Zimbabwe. The ‘ease of doing business’ index is an index created by the World Bank Group and according to the Herald of the 15th of December 2015, the Bill was drafted by a World Bank consultant.
The World Bank Report on ‘Doing Business and the Global Secured Transactions and Collateral Registries Program’ revealed that the ‘Doing Business Project’ has influenced over 300 regulatory reforms around the world, by measuring and tracking changes in the regulations applying to domestic companies, including secured transactions. The Doing Business Report 2012 revealed that between June 2010 and June 2011, 21 jurisdictions reformed their secured transaction laws. The goal of the Secured Transactions and Collateral Registries Program is to increase access to credit for businesses, especially small to medium enterprises, by providing technical advice on implementing secured transactions laws and developing collateral registries to facilitate the use of movable assets as collateral.
Most Zimbabweans fail to access credit facilities from lenders due to lack of collateral in the form of immovable assets. It is estimated that more than 80% of Zimbabweans are informally employed and do not have access to credit facilities. The World Bank, being one of the advocates of the Movable Property Security Interests Bill, argues that small to medium enterprises play a pivotal role in economic development. However, they are less likely to secure bank loans due to, inter alia, a weak regulatory framework, limited bank financing and few financing alternatives for start-ups. The World Bank notes that about 50% of formal small to medium enterprises do not have access to formal credit facilities. According to the argument, this calls for the introduction of innovative ways to unlock much needed capital. The proposed Bill therefore, seeks to create an enabling environment whereby small to medium enterprises and the general public would be able to use their movable assets to secure loans.
Zambia and other jurisdictions in Africa and other parts of the world appear to have adopted this approach already and for the same reasons argued for by the World Bank.
Is the use of movable property as collateral for loans a new idea?
As a matter of law, the use of movable property as special security for the payment of a debt or generally the performance of an obligation is not new. For example, the law recognizes that a pledge can constitute special security over movable property. Equally, a notarial bond provides a means by which a debtor may hypothecate movable property without delivering it to the creditor in whose favour the bond is passed. Hire purchase agreements rest under similar principles.
It is therefore not disputed that the law can and should enable movable assets to be used as collateral to secure a loan agreement.
However, the legislative device that has been invoked through the expedient of the Bill in question is not without problems and the outcomes hoped to be achieved may not be realized if the Bill is enacted without amendment.
Will this new law mean cattle and goats may be used as collateral to secure bank loans?
In a recent address to Parliament, Mr Patrick Chinamasa, the Minister of Finance, said the Movable Property Security Interest Bill would make it much easier for those with movable assets, such as livestock to get bank loans. This led to a flurry of newspaper headlines about how Zimbabwe plans to secure bank loans with cows. This interpretation is accurate in view of the fact that clause 2 of the Bill defines “movable property” as “any tangible or intangible property other than immovable property”. Livestock including cattle and goats would fall within the ambit of this definition.
The suggestion around references to livestock centres around the idea that farmers, especially rural farmers and beneficiaries of the land reform program in Zimbabwe will finally be able to obtain loans by using their livestock as collateral. One of the leading explanations that is given for the lack of productivity on Zimbabwe’s farms is the lack of access to capital for farmers.
What is the solution to the “collateral problem” farmers face?
According to clause 4 of the Bill, a new department known as the Collateral Registry will be created by the new law. Clause 5(1) of the Bill states that the purpose of the Registry is “to facilitate commerce, industry and other socio-economic activities by enabling individuals and businesses to utilise their movable property as collateral for credit”.
The difficulties that many a new farmer has experienced in raising capital are well documented. However, if the government were genuine about empowering the rural farmer, it would start by giving the rural farmer or tiller of agricultural land security of tenure. According to section 72(2) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which is the supreme law of the land, all agricultural land vests in the State. This means that no farmer in Zimbabwe holds title to his land. It follows that no farmer in Zimbabwe can use his land as collateral to secure a loan.
With all due respect, the government cannot approbate and reprobate – claim to be empowering small business, particularly farmers, by introducing laws that expand the notion of real security and in the same breath continue to deprive farmers of the most potent form of real security – title to land. Land tenure in the agricultural sector has worked before. Why not revert to a winning formula? This is what I would have expected the World Bank consultant to be devoting his or her energies to. The re-awakening of the Zimbabwean economy is not a matter of ticking boxes or applying without thought or amendment a notion that has been applied in other jurisdictions. It is a matter of addressing the fundamental cause of the problem, with appropriate regard to the context of the nation where the problem exists.
It begs no mention that Zimbabwe requires a productive and thriving agricultural sector in order for the economy to function profitably and sustainably. Once the agricultural sector kicks into motion, industry will re-awaken. Jobs will be created. The import bill will be drastically reduced. The country will have goods to export which will in turn create foreign currency earnings for the country. Infrastructure, including roads, dams and bridges will be built to support the agricultural sector and our fortunes will be in a better position to improve.
Therefore, if any commodity is crying out to be turned into collateral – it is agricultural land. Once land tenure is created for agricultural land, not only will such land be available for use as collateral for bank loans but it will mean the holders of such land will be more secure. As things stand, most of the farmers in possession of agricultural land hold such land on the strength of an offer letter – the clear terms of which are that the State can withdraw such land at any time and for any reason the State deems fit. most farmers would not have the financial muscle or wherewithal to challenge the withdrawal of their right to use the land. They therefore are left fully exposed and have very weak property rights in respect of the land they utilise. It is irrational to suggest that a farmer who tills agricultural land should be placed in a position where he or she gives up his or her livestock as collateral to obtain a loan for farming purposes in circumstances where the land can be withdrawn at any time by the government. The farmer would be left completely exposed if he has used his livestock as security to obtain money to put a crop in the ground then the land is forcibly acquired for re-allocation as tends to happen. Both the land and the livestock would be lost! It would make more sense to use the land primarily as security. (At the very least, add movable property security interests legislation to a framework that has fully exhausted the potential for the full use of immovable property as security. Immovable land is better suited to this purpose as highlighted above.) Such respect for property rights in the true and full sense would no doubt improve the ease of doing business in Zimbabwe.
It is always preferable to solve problems at their root than to proffer piecemeal solutions that only paper over the symptoms and ignore fundamentals that are in hopeless disarray.
How accessible is the process for a small business, ordinary farmer or lay individual?
For a process that is designed to cater to the needs of a low-income market, the process for registering a security interest in an item of movable property is extremely complicated and the legislation is not cast in a user friendly manner – as would have been expected for a market that is unlikely to have access to formal legal representation to assist in the securitisation process. To illustrate the point, a “registered notice” is defined as “a notice of a security interest registered in the Registry, and includes an electronic communication to the Registry of information in an initial registered notice, an amendment notice or a cancellation notice.” How is a rural farmer or the owner of a small business meant to interpret this definition?
After much convoluted language, clause 9 provides that a registered notice shall be deemed to be the definitive record of any record or obligation recorded therein – and presumably, on an application of clause 9(2), a certificate confirming the contents of a registered notice can be issued as proof of the contents of the registration notice. The Bill does nothing to provide for what this “certificate” is or how it is issued. Clause 11, the section that deals with regulations similarly is silent on this issue.
After reading the Bill, one is left with more questions than answers on how the system is to work in practice. There is a need to (i) simplify the process and (ii) simplify the language of the legislation of the desired outcomes – i.e. creating a user friendly framework for small business to use their movable assets is to be achieved.
Is there adequate protection for the debtor?
Clause 8 of the Bill allows the loan agreement to make a provision for a creditor to seize the movable assets from a debtor before the finalization of court proceedings. This places the debtor in an extremely weak position as a creditor can descend on the property with no notice and before the rights of the parties have been finally determined. The potential for disaster ought to be immediately clear in the event that the movable property concerned is livestock which requires strict methods of transportation, storage and upkeep to be observed.
While it is understood that the interests of a creditor must be secured, the Bill as it stands creates the potential for unfair contractual terms to be imposed on a small business or lay person who does not have the bargaining power to protect his or interests. This would undermine the essence of the legislation which is to empower small businesses to unlock capital. the unlocking of capital must not come with inadequate legal protection against the loss of the collateral asset.
Is there adequate protection for the creditor?
In addition to the traditional reasons attaching to the undesirability of accepting movable assets as collateral, it must be highlighted that the Bill does not do enough to ensure loans given by a creditor are secure. There is no mechanism in place to ensure that a person who registers a notice on movable property in their name is in fact the owner of the property. This could lead to disputes around ownership pursuant to a registration. The Bill does not state how such a dispute would be resolved. Clause 10 of also Bill exempts the Reserve Bank and the Collateral Registry from liability in the event that a mistake is made. This could have disastrous consequences in the event that a lender acts on erroneous information provided by the system, albeit bona fide. The said lender would be left with no recourse at law – a factor that could militate against lenders having confidence in the system. The Bill ought to provide stronger safety nets in this regard.
There must also be stronger safeguards against the potential for corrupt practices as trust will be paramount to ensure the system works.
Who holds the movable property during the subsistence of the loan?
The Bill appears to be silent on the question of who possesses the secured property during the period that the loan agreement is in operation. Clause 21(1) of the Bill seems to suggest that it can be either the debtor or the creditor – presumably depending on the agreement between the parties. It is my respectful view that insufficient thought has been devoted to the modalities of the possession of the secured movables pending repayment of the loan. This anomaly has the potential to leave both parties exposed. If the collateral were an immovable property, this question is answered by the fact that the debtor can continue to hold the property and because it is fixed, this is not risky. In the case of movables, there is a real risk and possibility that the holder of the movable property can disappear with it or consume it – leaving the creditor exposed. Criminal sanction is not a sufficient answer to this concern to a lender who simply wants their money back. Equally, if the creditor is to hold the property, the question becomes – where is it stored? How can the property be retained in good order?
All that the Bill says in answer to the above at clause 21(1) is that “A debtor or secured creditor in possession of the collateral must exercise reasonable care to preserve the asset.” The question that arises is, what is “reasonable care”? In the event that the movable asset is livestock – what happens if the animals are infected by disease or are ravaged by drought despite the possessor’s best efforts? A possible solution may be to insure the movable property – but, how likely is a small business to be able to afford the cost of such insurance and the all the fees required to be paid at each stage of the process? This state of affairs will be compounded by the weak bargaining power a small business or individual farmer will have in the contract-making process. More protection is required to secure the position of a small-time borrower.
Conclusion
In conclusion, celebration around the measures sought to be introduced must be accompanied with caution as it will not just be a case of owning a car or cows and consequently being entitled to bank loans. Despite what has been reported in the media, the Bill does not compel any banking institution, micro-financier or other lender to accept movable assets as collateral – such a provision would be unconstitutional in any event. The decision as to whether to accept movable assets as collateral will remain with the bank or lender concerned pursuant to a full risk assessment and depending on the availability of funds for this purpose. All the law can do is create a framework that encourages the acceptance of movable property as security, primarily through enabling the registration of the secured interest. Additionally, the law places a borrower in a very weak position – which could lead to more loss than gain. While reform in the law is a good thing, there can be no substitute for reforms that deal with the fundamental problems as opposed to reforms that paper over the cracks. At the heart of any recovery process in Zimbabwe lies the need to address the big elephant in the room which is the need for more secure protection for property rights. Without reform in this area, we will continue to reel under superficial high sounding policies that ultimately do not lead to a sustainable change in the country’s fortunes – no matter how well-intended.
(C) Adv Fadzayi Mahere. Mahere is a constitutional lawyer who practises at the Harare Bar and lectures Property Law and Administrative Law at the University of Zimbabwe.
Staff Reporter | Former State Procurement boss Charles Kuwaza has thrown himself of an 9th floor building.
Kuwaza committed suicide at Club Chambers in Nelson Mandela Avenue at around 1 o’clock this afternoon. It was not clear at the time of going to press whether he was pushed or he jumped as the allegations he has been facing also implicate senior Zanu PF politicians.
Kuwaza popularly known as Mohamed Farah Idid is reported to have thrown himself from the 9th floor.
Kuwaza accused of five counts of corruption involving over $1 million and ZW$2,5 billion, was last month freed on $2 000 bail.
Kuwaza was on a life support system at Metropolitan Clinic after he suddenly fell seriously ill soon after his arrest.
As part of bail conditions, Kuwaza was ordered to report at CID Commercial Crime Unit and to surrender title deeds to his Belvedere property.
His lawyer, Mr Shadreck Chisoko, however, told the court that he was having challenges in submitting the title deeds because it does not make reference to an address but only a stand number.
However, the court confirmed the title deeds. It is alleged that Kawaza committed the offences while at the helm of SPB. Prosecuting, Mr Sebastian Mutizirwa told the court that Kuwaza was employed by the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) as SPB executive chairman from September 1, 2001 to November 27, 2015.
He said during his tenure of office, Kuwaza allegedly engaged in criminal activities to the prejudice of the State. The allegations stemmed from transactions unearthed by an OPC special audit.
According to the indictment, Kuwaza was facing one count of theft, two counts of fraud and two counts of criminal abuse of duty as a public officer.
President Robert Mugabe this afternoon continued his silence over his baldness. Mugabe last week for the first time shaved off all his hair including his Adolf Hitler mustache.
The Head Of State who addressed thousands of people at the National Sports Stadium has maintained his quiet over the matter as speculation went viral on Wikileaks reports that quote former RBZ governor Gideon Gono as stating that Mugabe will not live beyond the age 93 due to a struggle with cancer.
So far, only Information minister Chris Mushohwe has voiced out saying he sees nothing “unusual” about Mugabe’s new hairstyle. “They want to tell the president how to cut his hair? What kind of society is this? That’s absolutely nonsensical . . . they are mad,” he said.
By N Stordahl |This past Tuesday I completed round 7 of chemo. It’s hard to believe I have made it this far. When I started chemo back in July, October seemed sooo far away and now here it is. Fall has always been my favorite season and this year I am loving it even more because it’s when chemo ends!
Before beginning chemo, I signed up for a chemo class at the hospital where I would be receiving it. We already knew quite a bit about chemo since my mother had it a couple of years ago, but when you are going to be having it yourself, suddenly you can never know too much about it
At the class we received a packet full of information, watched a video and listened to a chemo nurse talk a bit about what to expect. Surprisingly, to me at least, somewhere in there she looked at me and said, “…with the drugs you will be receiving you will definitely be losing your hair.”
I know she meant well and was only trying to prepare me, but the comment was unexpected and I felt unnecessary. I mean, is there really anyone on the planet who doesn’t understand that chemo usually (though not always, so don’t assume) equals hair loss? “Yes, I am totally aware of that,” I managed to answer as if it would be no big deal to lose my hair.
Anyway, here I am post chemo session 7, and I still have some hair on my head. Granted, it’s not much, but there’s still some there.
If you saw the fairly recent Leonardo D’Caprio movie Shutter Island, I look like the creepy crazy woman with thin hair standing in the flower garden at the beginning of the movie when he arrives on the island. If you saw the movie and have had chemo, you know exactly who I’m talking about. I think there’s a message in there somewhere that if you have thin hair you are scary looking and I don’t think I like that message very much, but that’s a topic for another time.
It seems most chemo patients shave their heads as soon as hair loss begins or even before. It makes them feel more in control they say. Not me. I’ve hung onto my hair as long as possible. I lamented when it began to fall out in clumps, and I still carefully pluck strands from the back of my clothes as if saying goodbye to old friends. Don’t get me wrong, I have adjusted to having almost no hair amazingly well. I even walk around the house now without wearing anything on my head. Dear hubby just laughs and says, “Oh, I got used to that a long time ago.” And my kids don’t care. Neither do the dogs. In fact, the dogs get more nervous, eyeing me suspiciously for a few moments, whenever I put a wig on. They truly don’t miss a thing; they totally know it’s fake hair and that I look slightly different. They prefer my “natural” look.
Does not shaving my hair off like most chemo patients do make me weak, vain or just plain weird?
Am I unable to face reality?
Or did my defiant rebellious side kick in that day at chemo class?
I don’t know or care.
I do know when I am totally finished with chemo, I will shave off any remaining hair on my head so I can start over from scratch. Otherwise I’ll end up with some freakish mish-mash of length, color and texture even I am not willing to deal with.
I guess the point of all this rambling, is that you can and should do what you want about shaving your head. Shave it all off early or let it fall out slowly. You decide. It’s your hair, it’s your cancer and it’s your decision.
If you have had chemo, did you shave your head as soon as hair loss began? (or if you know someone who has had chemo, what did they do?)
LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said Tuesday she would call a snap general election for June 8, arguing that divisions in Westminster over Brexit had made an early vote unavoidable.
“The country is coming together, but Westminster is not,” May told reporters outside N0.10 Downing Street, adding that she would present the motion to the House of Commons on Wednesday.
“We need a general election and we need one now,” said the Conservative leader.
Accusing opposition parties of “political game-playing,” she said the country was “coming together” over the U.K.’s decision to leave the EU, but that divisions in Parliament “will risk our ability to make a success of Brexit.”
Setting the stage for the campaign messages to come, May said the election would be a choice between her “stable” leadership and a “weak and unstable coalition government led by [Labour’s] Jeremy Corbyn” and “propped up” by the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party.
“If we do not hold a general election now, their political game-playing will continue,” she said, calling it a “one-off” opportunity for a vote.
Downing Street has repeatedly insisted in recent weeks that there would be no early election. While there had been fevered speculation in the run-up to the triggering of Article 50 on March 29 that May might call a snap poll, few in Westminster expected Tuesday’s announcement.
She said she had “only recently and reluctantly come to this conclusion.”
“I have concluded that the only way to guarantee certainty and security is to get your support,” she said.
The Fixed-term Parliament Act introduced in 2011 means calling an early election requires the support of two-thirds of MPs. May said she would bring such a motion to the House of Commons on Wednesday.
“I welcome the Prime Minister’s decision to give the British people the chance to vote for a government that will put the interests of the majority first,” he said.
“Labour will be offering the country an effective alternative to a government that has failed to rebuild the economy, delivered falling living standards and damaging cuts to our schools and NHS (National Health Service).
“In the last couple of weeks, Labour has set out policies that offer a clear and credible choice for the country. We look forward to showing how Labour will stand up for the people of Britain.”
May is riding high in the polls, with the most recent for YouGov putting the Conservatives on 44 percent and Labour on 23 percent.
If these numbers were reflected in a general election vote, she could expect to significantly increase her working majority of 17 seats in the House of Commons.
In her statement, May said a larger majority would strengthen her hand in the Brexit negotiations. But it would also enable her to push through a domestic reform agenda which otherwise could be blocked by a handful of right-wing MPs in her own party.
May’s political instincts are more statist than many in her party. She has no manifesto of her own to deliver reforms such as an industrial strategy supporting struggling sectors, an increase in the number of selective schools, and tighter rules on big business governance.
An election that delivered a larger majority would make it less likely that a relatively small number of Conservative MPs could derail government policy, as occurred when the Chancellor Philip Hammond was forced to reverse tax increases on the self-employed in last month’s budget, to ward off a backbench revolt.
Responding to the announcement, Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron called the election a chance to avoid “a disastrous hard Brexit,” pledging that his party would strive to keep Britain in the single market. – Politico
Christ in Action International Ministries leader, Apostle Trevor Mawoyo, is allegedly pestering a college student for sex.
The controversial Highfield Suburb based Apostle,in leaked exp_licit messages, boasts of being great in bed saying he got the expertise from watching po_rnographic material.Part of the chat reads, “…Do you watch po_rn movies, l bet you do coz l f**k like po_rn stars even better than them…”
The student in response just says, “Man of God murikutii? Uuuumndisiyei l will expose you of your evil deeds, shame on you.”
Shockingly Mawoyo’s church lieutenantsseem to be aware of the shameful deeds.
A pastor from his church Papa Trevor also has a leaked chat where he is apologizing to the student on behalf of the Apostle.
“Sure kubva watimaka kudaroo chii takati sorry wani zvino wanikwa kuvanhu venyama just accept kuti he is an apostle, a true man of God.Umbouya kuchurch he is a born again kana FB account he deleted,” said Pastor Trevor in the chat.
Contacted for comment yesterday Apostle’s phone was answered by Pastor Trevor who said Mawoyo travelled, but he confirmed the messages to be true. – State Media
President Robert Mugabe today praised Education Minister Lazaus Dokora who has introduced education reforms which include using goats as a fees payment currency. Dokora came out smiling while Mugabe hailed him for the reforms. WATCH STATE MEDIA VIDEO:
BY Hon R M Simango, OPINION | Today it’s Zimbabwe’s Independence Day and on this very day of this month in 1980, we took our Democratic Independence from Ian Daglous Smith (white man) to Robert Mugabe (black man). BUT the big unanswered question in Zimbabwe is, “Are we democratically Independent from what we fought for?
JoyceIt was a special day to Zimbabweans across the globe and we wholeheartedly welcomed Mugabe as our first Black President but unfortunately, Mugabe overstayed his welcome. Mugabe and his clueless failed Zanu-Pf Government used all strategies to remain in Zimbabwe Government when Zimbabweans rejected them in 2002, 2008 voting for MDC-T and also when Zanu-PF hijacked the People’s wish and Nikved the 2013 elections .
Any form of political freedom which doesn’t touch on the proper distribution of Zimbabwe’s Wealth is meaningless. Zanu-PF own the minerals, they own farms but the country and its citizens are starving, begging from Zambia and other neighbouring countries.
Land and Democratic Freedom is what our brothers and sisters fought for and that’s what they died for. The current Zanu-P F political and socio-economic is full of racial and partisan which is the system that was oppressing us and used us for cheap labour and stole our resources to enrich themselves and fought against that system. Now its Mugabe and his clueless failed Zanu-PvF Government enriching themselves, together with their Chinese and their Look East Policy.
Mugabe is the same as Smith as he inherited the brutality, raping, killing and abduction of innocent Zimbabweans like what they did to Itai Dzamara and a number of MDC-T supporters. AIPA and POSA is still operative today and operating under the banner of ZimAssets and Indignazation and Empowerment ( modern name )
The land, clean water, electricity, schools, decent jobs, better infrastructures, good roads, better healthcare is what we fought for. Land was what the war of the 70s was all about Mr Mugabe, maybe someone within Zanu-P F must remind them.
Things in Zimbabwe aren’t what they should be at this juncture as we celebrate 37 years of Independence. Zimbabweans have to speak out but if they choose not to and these ruthless, heartless Zanu PF hooligans will just bury their heads in the sand and quickly blame Opposition Political Parties especially MDC-T. The peopleof Zimbabwe should speak out without fear of anyone if Zimbabwe is a democratic country and it’s the people’s duty and right to say out their concerns as citizens.
Just to remind you fellow Democrats, we did we hear well what Mugabe said when he was taking oath of Office on this day, what most of us heard from him is no true reflection of what he is doing now. What we are experiencing today is the exact opposite of his words he said in 1980.
To you fellow Zimbabweans today I’m saying, Zimbabwe isn’t Independent under Mugabe’s Government because there’s no Independence without Democratic Freedom. We the Democrats are still fighting for Zimbabwe’s Independence and Freedom.
Fellow Democrats, let’s keep on putting more immense political and socio-economic pressure to these ruthless and heartless Zanu-Pf hooligans until we bring the Democratic Freedom that our brothers and sisters fought for.
The Prime minister Theresa May has taken people by surprise and announced an early general election that will take place on the 8th of June.
Prime Minister’s Full Statement
“I have just chaired a meeting of the Cabinet, where we agreed that the Government should call a general election, to be held on June 8.
“I want to explain the reasons for that decision, what will happen next and the choice facing the British people when you come to vote in this election.
“Last summer, after the country voted to leave the European Union, Britain needed certainty, stability and strong leadership, and since I became Prime Minister the Government has delivered precisely that.
“Despite predictions of immediate financial and economic danger, since the referendum we have seen consumer confidence remain high, record numbers of jobs, and economic growth that has exceeded all expectations.
“We have also delivered on the mandate that we were handed by the referendum result.
“Britain is leaving the European Union and there can be no turning back. And as we look to the future, the Government has the right plan for negotiating our new relationship with Europe.
“We want a deep and special partnership between a strong and successful European Union and a United Kingdom that is free to chart its own way in the world.
“That means we will regain control of our own money, our own laws and our own borders and we will be free to strike trade deals with old friends and new partners all around the world.
“This is the right approach, and it is in the national interest. But the other political parties oppose it.
“At this moment of enormous national significance there should be unity here in Westminster, but instead there is division. – the telegraph.
Zimbabwe: Will Mugabe & ZANU(PF) hold onto power in 2018? Speaker: Tendai Biti
Tendai Biti is a lawyer and a leading figure in the opposition to Mugabe and ZANU(PF) and their oppressive and destructive rule, which has destroyed Zimbabwe’s well developed agriculture and infrastructure and turned it from being a breadbasket for Southern Africa to being an aid dependent basket-case.
Millions of Zimbabweans have been forced to leave the country to survive, and most of its population lives in poverty, often dependent on remittances for survival, which is both tragic and absurd for what was and should be a country with a developed economy, an educated population and thriving agriculture. The population continues to rise (it has more than doubled since independence in 1980) but deaths have increased because of HIV(AIDS) and the impact of the country’s economic collapse, the government’s repressive policies, and a breakdown of previously good medical services.
The seizure of mainly white owned commercial farms and eviction of skilled farmers has not only crippled food production, reduced exports, but also displaced over 200,000 farm workers and their families, thousands of whom became destitute and died. Up to 95% of the population is unemployed.
Tendai Biti was a founder of the Movement for Democratic Change and it’s Finance Minister in the ill-fated Government of National Unity which the MDC’s leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, perhaps unwisely led the MDC into between 2009-13. In spite of the dire state of Zimbabwe’s economy and its government finances, Tendai Biti did a remarkably good job of stabilising things until ZANU(PF) took power on its own again and resumed its reign of corruption, incompetence, and suppression of the opposition.
In 2015, disillusioned with the MDC, he founded the People’s Democratic Party, but he is strongly aware of the need for a united opposition in Zimbabwe for there to be any chance of defeating Mugabe, his thugs and cronies in the forthcoming elections in 2018
The case in which a Marondera couple fatally flogged its 18-year-old son, accusing him of taking intoxicating drugs, has taken a new twist, with the parents now facing murder charges following a post-mortem conducted recently. James Mukwirimba (44) and his wife Nancy (40) of Ruvimbo Park in Marondera are accused of fatally flogging their son, Ashley, a Lower Six student at a local school, following reports that he had taken some unknown illicit drugs.
He was initially taken to Marondera Police Station on April 5 before his parents took him home and assaulted him, leading to his death the following morning. According to a post-mortem report gleaned by this paper, Ashley succumbed to severe celebral cedema and head trauma.
“… post-mortem was done by Doctor Robeto and Doctor Ivian, who then concluded [the] cause of death was due to (a) celebral cedema due to suborrihnoid hemorrhage (b) head trauma due to bleunt trauma.
“Specimens from deceased body were taken and forwarded to the government analyst and outstanding is the toxicology report. Suspects are now being charged with murder as defined in section 47 of the Code,” the report read.
Mashonaland East acting provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Tendai Mwanza was unreachable for comment yesterday.- NEWSDAY
A GWANDA businessman is suing Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo and the police for $20 000 following his unlawful arrest and detention over stocktheft charges.
Mr Puluko Moyo is demanding the money from the minister and the police in damages for deprivation of liberty, loss of self esteem, inconvenience, discomfort, humiliation and anguish while detained in police cells.
Mr Moyo through his lawyers, Samp Mlaudzi and Partners, has filed summons at the Bulawayo High Court citing Minister Chombo, Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri, one Inspector Zhakari and Constables Chengera and Nhandu as defendants.
In papers before the court, Mr Moyo said he suffered public humiliation following an eight hour detention in handcuffs.
“On June 3, 2016 at Heads and Hooves Butchery in Bulawayo, I was wrongfully and unlawfully arrested by Inspector Zhakari and Constables Chengera and Nhandu who are members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police while acting within their scope of employment on a charge of stocktheft,” he said.
Mr Moyo said he was taken to Donnington Police Station where he was detained and paraded for eight hours.
“I was paraded at Donnington Police Station without being charged in full glare of the public from 11AM to 7PM. Thereafter at around 7PM, I was taken to Gwanda Police Station where I was further unlawfully detained until June 4, 2016 shortly after 4PM when I was released without a charge,” he said.
Mr Moyo said the arresting details abused him instead of offering him protection.
“The arrest and detention was aggravated. I was arrested on spurious grounds and malice when there was no apparent reason. The police arrested me and held me in custody for stocktheft and abused me instead of protecting me when they knew the charges were false,” he said.
Mr Moyo said he was a reputable businessman involved in buying and selling cattle. He said his arrest has negatively impacted on his social standing and has also affected his business and reputation.
“As a result of the wrongful and unlawful arrest, I have suffered damages in the total amount of $20 000 for deprivation of liberty, inconvenience and discomfort, contumelia, humiliation, anguish, loss of self esteem and self respect and reputation in the eyes of others,” he said.
He is seeking an order compelling the defendants to pay the money with prescribed interest calculated from June 3, 2016 to the date of full payment. Mr Moyo also wants the defendants to pay the legal costs.
The defendants have not yet responded to the summons.-state media
War veterans secretary-general, Victor Matemadanda has called for government leadership renewal, saying the current “corrupt” Zanu PF regime had proved beyond doubt that it was not committed to improving the welfare of the liberation war fighters.
“We can’t talk of our welfare with people who don’t know how to run a country. We have to ensure that this corrupt system is removed before we talk of our welfare,” he said.
Matemadanda made the remarks yesterday following reports that government owed $37 million in unpaid school fees for war veterans’ children and was struggling to raise former fighters’ monthly pension payouts.
War Veterans minister Tshinga Dube confirmed the reports, saying the financial squeeze was not peculiar to his ministry, as it had crippled all line ministries.
“We are a welfare ministry, which is supposed to take care of the welfare needs of war veterans in line with constitutional provisions, but we are struggling to pay school fees for the children of war veterans,” he said.
Dube said some of the divisions rocking the war veterans’ body were being fuelled by lack of welfare support from the government.
“We see all these things coming to an end once our war veterans are well taken care of. They are hungry and angry after spending time in the bushy fighting for independence, they want to enjoy the fruits. We went to a war veterans conference in South Africa and they had R2 million, which they had not spent and were returning to government.
“I believe our government is committed to taking care of the war veterans, but the resources are not there, once the economy turns around they will be taken care off,” he said. – Newsday
Police Minister Fikile Mbalula’s penchant for tweets in his new job saw him accused of xenophobia on Sunday, although the minister strongly denied this.
He tweeted late on Sunday afternoon that five Zimbabwean nationals had been arrested in connection with the robbery of a jewellery store at the Hyde Park shopping centre in Sandton on Thursday.
He used the hashtag “#WanyaTsotsi”, which is a bit of a rude way of telling criminals to get lost. It literally means “criminals will defecate” or any other less polite way you can imagine putting it. It’s a phrase Mbalula already tried to popularise in the years when he was deputy police minister.
Twitter users soon took him to task to challenge him on why the suspects’ nationality was relevant, with some going so far as to accuse him of stoking the fires of xenophobia.
The minister was not taking this lying down, as he tweeted two hours later: “Why shouldn’t I mention the nationality Why? When a South African is arrested elsewhere what do refer to him /here Mr And Miss somebody….”
He also said that he would only have been guilty of xenophobia if he had been generalising and making false accusations.
“Fanning flames of xenophobia is falsely accusing people of crime and generalizing as if it’s done by certain people only,” he wrote.
He said the fact that the suspects were Zimbabweans was relevant because of the need to work with law enforcement officials from Zimbabwe.
Mbalula also enjoyed many tweets in support, and others congratulating him. One person identifying as a Zimbabwean even told him that he was in favour of the arrests and how Mbalula had reported it since he had himself fallen victim to Zimbabwean criminals.
It is still not clear how much money or jewellery were stolen on Thursday from the centre, though shots were fired during the crime and getaway.It’s expected the suspects will appear in court soon. – Citizen
OFTEN times when the liberation war story is told, rarely is there mention of instances where civilians cowered in fear as they were caught up in a hail of bullets from opposing forces and the vulnerable position they found themselves in where death would have been as sudden as the sound of the gun shot.
There has also been little narration of the consequences women suffered for either cooking for guerrillas engaged in the protracted armed battle with the white minority rulers before Independence or being linked to the same guerrillas.
Thirty eight years after the 1979 battle of Chenemisa in Hwange, four women recounted to the Chronicle the horror they went through on the day they were caught in between a fight between Zipra and the Rhodesian forces comprised of the Police Anti Terrorism Unity (PATU) the Police Special Brach and the Rhodesian army.
The women, were part of the PF Zapu youth charged with cooking for guerrillas at a homestead situated a few metres from where the guerrillas battled with the Rhodesian soldiers.
It is the same Chenemisa battle where one Sambulo, a member of PATU who had gained notoriety among the Jambezi community for brutally torturing villagers working with liberation fighters met his death.
But before the poignant memory of the battle by the four women, below is an account on how the battle started from former Zipra Sector Commander in Zone Number 1 Davison Ndlovu.
And further, in their words as they recount the horror of being caught up in an armed battle.
The Battle
It was June 1979, I remember it vividly because the trees were beginning to shed leaves. Our unit was coming from Mlonga with the Rhodesian soldiers on our trail. We didn’t have enough ammunition to fight them as we were coming from Botswana to receive supplies from Zambia but because of complications, we couldn’t get the supplies. That is the reason we didn’t fight.
We continued until we reached Mbizha in an area called Ko Mpesu when we decided that if they kept on following us, we will fight them despite shortages of ammunition. By nightfall, we had received intelligence that the Rhodesian Forces were planning an attack in the morning. We had our youths who used to spy on the Rhodesians and we deployed two on a spying mission. However, when they got there, they were captured by the Rhodesian soldiers.
As they made their way to attack us, one of the youths managed to escape and alerted us that the enemy was on its way.
We moved about 500 metres from where we had been camped to set up an ambush on higher ground so that we could spot the enemy forces as they approached.
We lined up with the Bazooka man on the far end because the arrangement was that he would be the first to fire and that would signal the start of the battle. We saw their large unit approaching us in a battle formation and the escaped youth pointed Sambulo out to us saying he should be the main target as he was terrorising villagers in the area.
We watched them approach us and waited for them to get within shooting range and our Bazooka man fired at them. That was to signal the start of an onslaught on the enemy forces and a serious gun battle ensued. We were at a point of advantage so we didn’t have a problem shooting them but those people were prepared because within minutes, we heard the spotter plane coming and then we started withdrawing and within a few minutes two helicopters were also on the scene.
After the shoot out we heard that Sambulo had died on the spot and another notorious man called Nyathi had been shot. We had to withdraw with a number of civilians that we wanted to move from the area.
Collateral Damage
A lot of civilians were caught up in the battle. There was a homestead where youths cooked for freedom fighters and the previous night a beast had been slaughtered so there were many people. Our task became more difficult because as we fought the enemy, we had also to defend the civilians caught up in the middle of the battle because our Commander in Chief and PF Zapu leader (the late) Dr Joshua Nkomo was very clear that no civilians should be killed during the war but this time we were in a tricky position because the civilians were caught up right in the middle of the war. Dr Nkomo didn’t want us to endanger civilians but the situation had become so bad that we had to fight at the same time defending the civilians.
And the Four Women
Regina Ncube (62)
I was chairperson of the PF Zapu youth in the area and when the battle occurred, we had cooked for a lot of people the previous night and retired to our homes very late. The homestead we used to cook from, a few metres from the battle area, belonged to an old blind woman who lived with her grandchildren. We returned to the homestead in the morning as we used to do.
When we heard that the enemy was coming to attack, we hid our pots so that they would not destroy them. When we were told that they were inching closer, we left the homestead to hide but it later turned out that we hid too close to the battle zone. The fighting was intense and it still haunts me today.
We left the old woman in one of the huts as we fled and she stayed a week without anyone giving her food because we fled from the homesteads to live in the bush. One of the grandchildren was taken by Ndlovu and hidden in the bushes. He survived the battle and now lives in Victoria Falls. There were children who died in the battle, I remember two, belonging to our colleagues in the youth, who were born in 1978, died from choking by smoke during the battle. As we ran, we took turns to carry them and place their faces in our armpits to protect them from the smoke but they didn’t make it. The whites in the helicopters were shooting indiscriminately at everyone, guerilla and civilian and some of our youths also died on the scene. I have heard some excited people say they want war and I really wonder if they know what they are talking about because our experience was painful and we don’t want to ever go back there. Some say these whites are nice people but what we went through was hell and I really don’t see anything nice about them.
Muzina Ncube (60)
On the day of Sambulo’s death who was a real terror here, when you were arrested and Sambulo came, you knew that you were in serious trouble. The youths told us that the whites were on their way because we had been sold out by a fellow villager. The freedom fighters said it was too late to escape as we would be killed by the white soldiers. They made an L formation in their ambush and told us to lie behind them and when we hear the bazooka man firing, we should roll downhill in the opposite direction. It is when the helicopters came that we ran in different directions, some children died because of smoke inhalation. It wasn’t a good day and we spent weeks away from our homesteads. My blood boils as I remember that day because the pain we went through on that day comes rushing back.
Rebecca Ncube (59)
What I saw on that day still raises goose bumps on my skin to this day. I’m still haunted by that day of smoke, bombs, guns and instant death raining from the sky. Earlier in the day, we were enjoying ourselves but things changed when we heard that the white army was approaching. The freedom fighters didn’t seem moved but some of us were so scared that we could have soiled ourselves. In terror, during the exchange of gunfire, I tried to rise but one guerilla pressed his knee on my back so that I remained on the ground. He said he was not going to let me run and be shot to death. The gunfire was so intense that it was really confusing to tell where it was coming from. There was panic everywhere.
Samukeliso Mnkandla (53)
I was one of the youngest in the group and after the gun battle, the freedom fighters told us to flee as the helicopters approached. We ran in panic and terror, falling along the way and getting bruised but little did we know that we were headed in the direction of the helicopters. We crossed two deep rivers.
As we approached the third, a group of guerrillas emerged from the shadows. Gunfire erupted from helicopters that suddenly loomed in the sky. The freedom fighters —God bless them — kept their cool and directed scores of us to relative safety at the banks where we were briefly shielded from the murderous rain of bullets. It became an exercise in quick intervals of running, ducking, hiding, serious injury and death. The helicopters and the spotter plane were firing all over but we managed to cross the river and hid in the bushes.
The Aftermath
The terror was not the last for Muzina and Rebecca as they were picked up by the Rhodesian police and taken to Jambezi and then Victoria Falls where they were systematically tortured.
“There were some villagers who were in the habit of selling out others to the Rhodesian forces. We were taken and beaten up in Victoria Falls by the police and tortured through electric shock. Our crime was cooking for guerrillas and that our husbands had gone to join the war via Botswana,” said Muzina.
“The police were so ruthless that at one point a white one pointed a gun at us and told us he could just shoot us dead on the spot. After our torture, we were forced to walk back home using a route that was planted with land mines. Every step we took could have easily been our last but through the Grace of God we managed to survive and made it home,” she said. – State Media
A woman from Khumalo suburb in Bulawayo yesterday collapsed in court after a magistrate remanded her son in custody for allegedly stealing their tenant’s car.
Ms Sithembile Mangena was shocked when magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya remanded her son Praise Mangena (37) in custody for allegedly stealing a Datsun car which belongs to Mr Simbarashe Khumbula.
The court heard that Mr Khumbula had made an application to withdraw the case but Mr Tashaya did not accept it and remanded Mangena in custody to April 19.
The woman left the court in tears and immediately fell unconscious.
After 20 minutes, the police called an ambulance but Ms Mangena recovered consciousness before she was taken to hospital.
Prosecuting, Mr Alfonse Makonese said on April 11, Mr Khumbula left his car at home and proceeded to the city centre.
“When the complainant came back, he discovered that his motor vehicle was missing. The complainant enquired about the whereabouts of his car but the accused person did not give him a satisfactory response,” said Mr Makonese.
“After three days the complainant made a police report leading to the arrest of the accused person and recovery of the car in New Parklands suburb.” – State Media
Dub poet, Albert Nyathi’s father – Simon Nyathi who was affectionately known as Sibulawa or Mavuthela has died.
He died at the United Bulawayo Hospitals yesterday morning. He was 81.
The Senzeni Na hit-maker said the family was reeling from the death.
He said:
“My father died of a kidney failure in the morning at UBH. As a family, we’re devastated. This man meant a lot to me.”
He said they were now preparing for his burial on Thursday.
“We’re taking him to our rural home in Gwanda on Wednesday and the burial has been set for Thursday,” said Nyathi.
In an interview years back, Nyathi spoke of how his father took good care of their family. Mavuthela had two wives and 23 children with Nyathi being the first born in a family of 10 children from the first wife.
“My father used to buy goods from villages for resale in Bulawayo in order to fend for his family. I grew up as a herd boy and there were times when I’d sleep in the pen with the goats mainly because the goat’s droppings would be warm,” Nyathi once said.
“At times it’d be because the goats would’ve strayed and got lost, the result of which would be a hiding. No one in my village ever thought that I’d grow up to be a sensible man that I think I am now. I never liked school then and most of the time I’d get beaten for not attending school.”
Mourners are gathered at 13137, Nkulumane 12 in Bulawayo.- State Media
A fishing expedition ended tragically for a Binga man when he died in a blood-soaked battle with a crocodile after it mercilessly attacked him on his privates, hand and leg.
Jack Mutale (34) from Mundabala village under Chief Saba who later died at Binga hospital from the injuries he sustained on his groin, left hand and leg was attacked on Sunday morning at Simatelele Fishing Camp.
Matabeleland North police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Kiglon Nkala confirmed the incident and said investigations were in progress.
According to a witness Collen Mwembe on the fateful day they left home in the morning together with Mutale for a fishing expedition at Simatelele Fishing Camp.
What happened is that on the fateful day we woke up around 5am going to Simatelele Fishing Camp to check on our nets which we had left the previous day. As he was checking on his fishing net, he found a crocodile trapped and when he tried to draw back the crocodile quickly broke out and viciously charged at him.
“He screamed for help and when I rushed to the scene to see what was happening I found him battling with a crocodile. We later rescued him with other fishermen but he had already suffered severe bites on his left hand, leg and privates. As he was writhing in pain we took him to the hospital where he died the following day,”said Mwembe.
Mwembe said Mutale left behind a wife and two sons.
Crocodile attacks are rife in Binga where most villagers survive on fishing in the Zambezi River. – State Media
Former CIO Boss Didymus Mutasa has ditched veteran opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
Local daily paper Newsday reports that confusion within the rank and file of Zimbabwe’s opposition reigns with the Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) party co-led by former Cabinet ministers Rugare Gumbo and Mutasa now saying it is yet to make a decision on who will lead a proposed coalition.
Mutasa last month told a National Elections Reform Agenda (Nera) gathering in Harare that MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai was a natural choice to lead the coalition.
“For me, Tsvangirai is the natural leader of the coalition because of who he is … What Nera is today stands for what Tsvangirai and the MDC built. The rest of us are latecomers in this game,” Mutasa told the rally.
However, ZimPF co-chairperson and former Zanu PF spokesperson Gumbo said Mutasa was quoted out of context.
“It unfortunate and wrong to say ZimPF endorsed Tsvangirai as the leader of the coalition, what he said was that it would appear that Tsvangirai has the upper hand at the moment and given the support on the ground to be the leader of the coalition.
There is no clear leader of the coalition at the moment, there are a number of variables that need to be considered before we arrive at the leader of the coalition and this is an important decision which we don’t want to take a chance with,” Gumbo told NewsDay.
National People’s Party leader Joice Mujuru last week, announced at a rally in Masvingo that she had inked a deal with Tsvangirai on the proposed coalition, but was forced into withdrawing the statements after the MDC-T leader denied a deal had been struck.
Gumbo said his party was working on a strategy and plans to be made public once completed. With his party still struggling to find a political figurehead to lead it since the acrimonious fall-out with Mujuru, Gumbo said his party would take its time.
“We will not be forced into coming up with a leader, we will announce the leader at the appropriate time,” he said.
However, MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said Tsvangirai was unfazed by the latest statements from ZimPF.
“President Tsvangirai is not bothered at all. He is a people person and doesn’t have to be endorsed by any particular person to be leader of the coalition.
“Everyone in Zimbabwe knows that Tsvangirai is the most popular politician in the country. The MDC remains focused and we continue to strenuously and vigorously fight for the adoption of electoral reforms. Reforms are key in ensuring that next year’s plebiscite is free and fair,” Gutu said.
Tsvangirai has put in place a litany of demands that would-be coalition partners have to abide by.
President Robert Mugabe recently scoffed at the envisaged coalition describing it as a conglomeration of losers.
Five people have died after a small plane crashed into a Lidl supermarket car park near Lisbon in Portugal.
All four crew members were killed in the crash, as well as one man on the ground.
The light aircraft is believed to have exploded in mid-air before crashing near the supermarket warehouse shortly after midday.
The plane went down in a residential area, about 150m from a school.
The aircraft fell onto a lorry in the car park below, causing it to catch fire and killing the Portuguese driver who was unloading goods at the supermarket’s rear cargo bay.
Operational commander Miguel Cruz said the Swiss pilot and three French passengers on the plane all died.
Four people shopping inside the supermarket were treated for shock and smoke inhalation.
A nearby house was blackened by smoke, and nine people had to be evacuated from their homes.
The plane had taken off from Tires aerodrome – which is used mainly by private aircraft and situated about 12 miles (20km) west of the Portuguese capital – shortly before the crash.
Officials described the weather at the time of the crash as clear skies with a light wind.
The Tires airfield said the plane was a twin-engine Piper PA-31 Navajo aircraft and was Swiss-registered.
A spokesman for the local emergency services said the plane was headed for Marseilles in France.
The airfield has now been closed, while authorities begin an investigation into the cause of the crash.
Authorities are yet to reveal the names of those who died. – Sky News
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) says it plans to conduct site validation tests for Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits for the first shortlisted companies from April 20 to 26 before government purchases the most suitable equipment.
Zec in a letter dated April 11 this year, invited all stakeholders including political parties and civil society, to observe the process.
“The validation test is part of the procurement process aimed at testing conformity of the kit to specifications, durability and suitability. In view of the important role stakeholders play in the entire electoral process, the commission is inviting you to be part of this process as an observer,” part of the letter read.
Opposition parties affiliated to the National Elections Reform Agenda (Nera) said they had hired international experts to observe the equipment and the process to ensure they were in conformity with international best practices.
“We expected these short notices from ZEC, therefore technical experts were ready. We now have to fight to make sure they are accredited by the 19th of April 2017 and can attend. Let’s keep the fight going, victory is certain as long as we keep fighting,” Nera said in a statement.
Nera members have accused the Zanu PF government of hijacking the procurement of BVR kits in order to manipulate the voter registration process and election results.
United Nations agencies had initially offered to procure the kits on behalf of the government before the Zanu PF regime made a U-turn and snubbed the offer under unclear circumstances.
Government is now expected to raise at least $17 million for the BVR kits. – NewsDay
Staff Reporter | First Lady Grace Mugabe’s ex husband Stanely Goreraza has taken a swipe at President Robert Mugabe’s new bald hairstyle.
Said Goreraza, ” Medical problems can sometimes force one to go bald. It cannot be a fashion statement after 37 years in power. Something is not right. If your hair is falling off then the only sensible thing to do is to shave. Otherwise you risk looking like chinyana che shiri.”
national public holiday, ostensibly in response to a request by Zanu PF youths and other Zanu PF structures. Already, the fact that this was in response to Zanu PF structures shows that Comrade Mnangagwa started his reign on the wrong footing. A decision to honor a dictator that way should not have been made as a party decision, but as a national decision which is done in consultation with the people of Zimbabwe.
Hi there. I wish to remain anonymous. I have listened to your ZimEye show regarding the so-called Leicester SAMA festival. Let me explain to you what is happening with the queues, and the resulting ‘pressure’ outside, and why it’s likely to continue happening at future shows. What I’m about to explain is something I have seen with my own eyes, not zvekuudzwa. It is the promoters’ ‘doorcraft’ (or better said “Witchcraft”), which is meant to maximise profits.
