Another driver has intercepted president Robert Mugabe’s motorcade.

A 28-year Harare truck driver appeared in court yesterday charged with intercepting President Robert Mugabe’s motorcade in Borrowdale at the weekend before speeding off in his tipper truck.
Joseph Chakanetsa was later arrested in Kambuzuma and charged with negligent driving.
Chakanetsa pleaded guilty to the charge when he appeared before magistrate Nomsa Sabarauta and was remanded to today for ruling.
According to the State, the incident occurred on June 18 this year around 4pm. The court heard the President was going to his Borrowdale home.
Chakanetsa was driving an ERF tipper vehicle turning into Borrowdale Road.
The State alleged that Chakanetsa did not stop, but proceeded into the intersection while Mugabe’s motorcade was passing.
Sergeant Mazowe, who was in the backup police vehicle ordered Chakanetsa to pull off the road and Chakanetsa complied.
Mazowe then ordered Chakanetsa to drive to Borrowdale Police Station to be formally charged for contravening road traffic regulations. However, Chakanetsa took the opposite direction and sped off with Mazowe in hot pursuit and sounding the siren. He allegedly continued driving, passing through red traffic lights and was only apprehended in Rugare on his way to Kambuzuma.
The court heard that the particulars of negligence driving include failure to stop at intersections and robots, driving on the wrong side of the road at high speed.
The incident came shortly after two police officers appeared in court on similar charges after they allegedly intercepted Mugabe’s motorcade along Samora Machel Avenue as the Head of State was travelling to his rural home in Zvimba. The matter is also still pending at the court.- Newsday

POLITICAL analysts and opposition parties yesterday roundly criticised President Robert Mugabe’s tough stance against re-engagement with the international community, saying the move was likely to derail all efforts to revive the economy.
Mugabe told mourners at the burial of the Retired Brigadier-General Felix Muchemwa on Sunday that he would rather stick to government policies which scared foreign investors than be a recipient of conditional aid from Western countries, particularly Britain and America.
This came as pictures of Mugabe sitting while Muchemwa’s body was being lowered into the grave caused a stir on social media with some people questioning his ability to continue in office.
Analyst Pedzisayi Ruhanya described Mugabe’s remarks as retrogressive.
“It’s not pragmatic for the President to be that blunt in his quest to re-engage the international community. It’s very unhelpful particularly in a situation where we have liquidity crisis and when the government cannot pay civil servants in time and when people are suffering,” he said.
MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said: “Because of Zanu PF regime’s ruinous economic policies coupled with unprecedented corruption, Zimbabwe’s economy has been trashed and vandalised. Mugabe should be advised that up until such a time that his moribund regime repeals draconian pieces of legislation such as the Indigenisation Act, the economy shall remain in the cooler.”
People’s Democratic Party spokesperson Jacob Mafume said Mugabe should urgently change his management style and stop giving out multi-million tenders to non-performers.
MDC spokesperson Kurauone Chihwayi said Zimbabwe now needed an honest leadership that could stir it out of the current problems.
“These are sentiments of a shameless scoundrel that has failed to deliver on promises. Zimbabwe needs foreign direct investment and that can only happen if Mugabe scraps investment laws that are frustrating investors,” he added.
Coalition of Democrats chairperson Gilbert Dzikiti urged Mugabe to swallow his pride and engage the international community.
“Mugabe is living in his own wonderland, he is in isolation from the stark reality facing common Zimbabweans. He is obviously speaking for his band of looters and mafia oligarchy devoid of human empathy,” Dzikiti said.

 
Terrence Mawawa, Bikita | Chief Marozva, Joseph Mudhe personally appointed by President Robert Mugabe, is under fire for allegedly squandering $30 000 cash meant for the construction of a local clinic.
Villagers who spoke to ZimEye.com yesterday claimed Mudhe collected the money for the construction of Domboshava clinic between the period of 2012 to 2015 .
It is understood Mudhe had instructed villagers in his area to donate towards the construction of the clinic, while other donations were also sourced from Bikita Minerals.
Since villagers have to walk for more than 15km to Nyika Growth Point to seek medical services,the construction of the clinic is expected to ease the perennial health problems faced by the local community.
“It is true that people have been funding the project to construct the clinic in Ward 11 so that they can access medical services from a nearby health centre but the chief has failed to account for the money he collected. The construction of Domboshava clinic is a collective effort but everything has been stalled by Chief Marozva who has failed to explain where the money has gone,”said a local villager.
In response to questions from ZimEye.com,  Chief Marozva  dismissed claims made by the villagers saying they were unfounded and baseless. “Where do you think the people will get money to fund the clinic project ?These are pure lies being peddled by my detractors.”
“There are people who want to soil my good reputation but I will not allow that to happen.I am currently facilitating the project so whoever is saying I am stealing is misinformed,”said a furious Chief Marozva.
No police report had been made at the time of going to press.

Staff Reporter
Ousted MDC Secretary General Moses Mzila Ndlovu will this weekend launch his proposed regional party from Johannesburg South Africa.
Sources very close to the former Welshman Ncube led MDC strong man, told Zimeye.com that Mzila will be officially meeting with people of his Kalanga ethnic group in the South African capital to announce the establishment of his political party.
The new political party is yet to be named but sources hinted it will be called the Bukalanga People’s Party which will only concentrate its efforts in 7 out of 210 constituencies in the country.
The party will only be focused on the Kalanga dominated areas West of Matabeleland South province.
According to the sources the party will seek to unite the Kalanga people who have refused to be incorporated under the proposed Mthwakazi kingdom which they claim is a Ndebele speaking people project they do not subscribe to.
“The party will only concentrate in our Kalanga constituencies of Tsholotsho North and South, Bulilima East and West, Mangwe, Matobo North and South

Terrence Mawawa, Zaka| In a shocking incident that has rocked the Zaka community, a local woman brutally killed her four year old niece for bed-wetting.
Greater Zvevhu of Taruvinga Village murdered the minor,Shuvai Zvevhu on January 6 2016 by striking her all over her body with a stick for bed-wetting. Greater appeared before Masvingo High Court Judge Justice Joseph Musakwa last week facing murder charges.The charges were later changed to culpable homicide. Greater began staying with the minor after taking her from her mother ,Brenda Mabika in 2014.On the fateful day she assaulted the minor for wetting her pants and bed.
Mabika then visited Greater’s homestead to take the child from Zaka to Bondolfi Mission in Masvingo, where she stays. On their way back from Zaka the minor told her mother she was not feeling well.She showed her mother visible marks on her head and back which indicated she had been brutally assaulted.
The minor died on the way to Nyajena Clinic.
In her warned and cautioned statement to the police,Greater had earlier admitted she used a stick to assault the minor.She also claimed she had no intention to inflict harm on the child. Greater was sentenced to five years in prison after the charges were changed to culpable homicide.

The government’s Revenue Authority, Zimra has been crushed by civilians in Beitbridge – a historic development that has led to the customs authority temporarily scrapping duty on domestic necessities.
Zimra has suspended the implementation of Statutory Instrument Number 64 of 2016 which sought to tighten screws on imports of basic commodities following protests by travellers at Beitbridge Border Post on Saturday.
Zimra had started implementing the new regulations, which made the importation of food items, building material, furniture, toiletries and cooking oil among other things virtually impossible without prior notice to travellers.
There was chaos at Beitbridge Border Post on Saturday afternoon, with travellers resisting the seizure of the imported goods, which now require people to have permits.
The listed goods include salad cream, milk, shoe polish, cooking oil, bottled water, door and window frames, wheelbarrows, baked beans, fertiliser, beds, office furniture, second-hand tyres, vegetables, canned fruits, cereals, cheese and ice creams among others.
Sources said travellers teamed up and started singing revolutionary songs denouncing Zimra.
Normalcy only returned after anti-riot police had been called in.
Zimra regional manager for Beitbridge Mr Batsirai Chadzingwa later calmed the travellers.
“The regional manager later told the travellers that they could revert to the normal situation where they paid 40 percent duty for their items rather than the provisions of the new Statutory Instrument.
“As of now, the implementation of the new regulations is suspended pending consultations between Zimra, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and other stakeholders,” said a Zimra official.
Mr Chadzingwa could not be reached for comment yesterday.
The organisations’ communication department could not respond to e-mailed questions by last night.
By end of day yesterday, the border post was almost empty amid reports that travellers were adopting a wait-and-see attitude.- Additional reporting state media

THE Government has said it is illegal for traffic police officers to confiscate keys and drive vehicles that they would have impounded at roadblocks.
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Cde Obedingwa Mguni told MPs on Wednesday that although the police can impound vehicles with defects, it was illegal for them to drive the cars.
“But if the car has to be detained in a safe place like a police station, it has to be driven by the owner to the police station, park it and be satisfied that it’s safe. That is according to government policy,” said Cde Mguni. He was responding to MDC-T Chikanga- Dangamvura legislator Ms Joyce Makonya who had asked the legality of police conduct in impounding vehicles.
Ms Makonya expressed concern that officers often take away car keys and drive impounded cars to police stations without producing their driver’s licences.
“Deputy Minister, is it Government policy that when I get to a roadblock with a faulty car, I am directed to go to the nearest police station, the arresting police officer drives my car and refuses to show me his licence considering the fact that he is not covered by my insurance. Is it Government policy that a police officer drives my car because my car has a problem or there is a problem on me?” asked Ms Makonya.
Cde Mguni said: “The police have the right to detain a vehicle for not more than 24 hours if the vehicle is found to be faulty. If there is a fine that the driver has to pay and it is less than $20 then the driver can pay a spot fine.”

A BULILIMA family has demanded lobola from the husband of their 47-year-old daughter who burnt herself to death in a hut last week. The family alleges Mr Benson Malipa Moyo had lived with their daughter, Sikhona Dube, for the past eight years without their knowledge. Dube of Madlambuzi area set her bedroom hut on fire on Tuesday June 7 at around 5AM in a suspected case of suicide following a long illness.
She was only buried on Monday last week after her family demanded that Mr Moyo – a teacher at Gampu Primary School in Bulilima – pays a cow upfront. A village head from Madlambuzi area, Mr Simon Ndebele said the Dube family first demanded four head of cattle from Mr Moyo and later ordered him to hand over two.
“The burial had been scheduled for Thursday but it was later moved because there was a lot of tension between the families. The Dube family was disgruntled because Moyo had lived for eight years with their daughter but had not paid a cent towards lobola.
“They ordered him to hand over four beasts if he wanted to bury his wife at his homestead in Madlambuzi area. Moyo failed to make the payment and then his in laws decided that their daughter would be buried at their homestead in Gampu area on condition that he pays two cattle,” he said. Mr Ndebele said the Dube family refused to conduct the burial and pointed out they wanted the payment upfront.
He said the Dube family only agreed to have the burial conducted after Mr Moyo paid $300 which his in-laws regarded as half payment for one beast. Mr Moyo, Mr Ndebele said, had been given a grace period of one week after the burial to pay the remaining $900.
Chief Madlambuzi’s secretary, Grey Ndlovu who accompanied the Moyos to the Dube homestead said: “We arrived at the Dube homestead around 7PM with their daughter’s remains but they denied us entry. We spent the night outside with the body of the deceased and they only granted us permission to enter on the following day around 9AM. This was after Moyo had paid $300,” said Mr Ndlovu.
He said the Dube family also ordered Mr Moyo to pay $150 to cater for the costs which they had incurred in gathering for their daughter’s funeral. Mr Ndlovu said the Dube family blamed Mr Moyo for their daughter’s death.
Her brother, Mr Morris Dube said: “Our family was not aware that Sikhona had been staying with Moyo for the past eight years. My sister’s death has pained the family,” he said while describing Mr Moyo as disrespectful. On the day she died, Dube sent her sons to the business centre at around 5AM and went on to set her bedroom hut on fire.- state media

Masvingo Post Office building Monday morning went into flames.
ZimEye.com can reveal (FULL PICTURES BELOW) the building was gutted by a mysterious inferno following what staff claimed was an explosion.
The fire erupted in the first floor and computers, furniture and office documents were destroyed.
While company officials told ZimEye.com “the explosion was caused by an electric fault,” Masvingo area manager David Charirwe revealed to ZimEye saying “an employee forgot to switch off an electric gadget resulting in the fire that totally destroyed the office situated in the first floor”.
Police were at the time of writing still carrying out further investigations. More to follow…

There was drama in Parliament when the Mines Permanent Secretary, Professor Francis Gudyanga displayed an embarrassing ignorance about the contentious diamond issues.
The Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) CEO, Dr Ridge Nyashanu also failed to furnish the Mines and Energy Parliamentary Portfolio Committee with information regarding diamond production statistics and how much treasury has received to date.
First to appear before the portfolio committee was Dr Nyashanu, who put up an embarrassing display of ignorance to the point of even failing to define a company structure while confessing he did not even know the act of parliament guiding the operations of the parastatal he is leading.
Then, Professor Gudyanga almost outdid the ignorance displayed by Dr Nyashanu when he could not even furnish the committee with information on how much the country has derived from diamond revenues to date, leaving the Daniel Shumba led committee further infuriated.
Parliamentarians were even more infuriated when Professor Gudyanga was fingered in gross violation of corporate governance by chairing three parastatal boards.
There was more ducking of questions to a point where the portfolio committee members could not hide their emotions.-state media

President Robert Mugabe who has gobbled $80 million on unnecessary foreign travels this year to date, says Zimbabwe’s doctors are pleasure and money lovers.
Mugabe said doctors should stop valuing money at the expense of the need to serve people, saying the medical practitioners should understand the economic environment the country is operating in.
Addressing thousands of mourners at the National Heroes Acre in Harare for the burial of Retired Brigadier General Felix Muchemwa, President Mugabe urged the doctors to take a cue from the late national hero, whom he said always put the needs of the people first.
“We appreciate the work of doctors, they deserve to be rewarded accordingly. However, they must also understand the limitations the government is facing. We are still fighting for our liberation, there are sanctions that are affecting our capacity to honour our obligations to workers.”
“Dr Muchemwa, as one of the first doctors who gave medical services to the liberation war fighters, had that understanding and we need his peers to understand also, he never put money first, but the people first and made great sacrifices. Right now as I speak there is a stand-off between our medical staff and us the government on remuneration,” said President Mugabe.
The remarks come at a time some doctors have decided to stop accepting medical aid and demand cash upfront from the 1st of July, a situation that could put more burden to the people of Zimbabwe.
Mugabe also said in Muchemwa, the nation has lost a humble intellect with an amazingly charming personality.
” Muchemwa was a dedicated cadre, who despite his abilities, remained humble. Always humble, always smiling, that is what Muchemwa was. Different from other people who always boast of their educational success,” said President Mugabe.
He also said for the success of the liberation war, “we needed medical doctors like Dr Muchemwa. Of course he was not alone, we also had Dr Herbert Ushewokunze, Dr Muvhuti and Dr Sydney Sekeramayi, among others.”
On a lighter note, President Mugabe revealed that he only knew it recently that Dr Dr Sekeramayi’s daughter is married to the late Dr Muchemwa’s son.
Earlier in his address, Mugabe chronicled how the white colonial regime resorted to the poisoning of food and clothes during the liberation war, adding that Retired Brigadier General Muchemwa died from an ailment caused by poisoning during the war.
The late national hero died on Sunday last week in Egypt where he had gone to seek medical attention.

Terrence Mawawa, Chiredzi|As the rate of the violation of minors increases, in his quest to satisfy his insatiable sexual desire, a 39 year old Chiredzi man forced himself on his daughter’s 11 year old friend in an incident that has stunned the local community.
James Chilangwe of Triangle, sexually pleasured himself on the minor twice without the girl’s consent.
Chilangwe appeared before Chiredzi Magistrate Judith Zuyu last week facing two counts of rape.
On January 26 ,2016 around 6pm, the minor went to Chilangwe’s place to play with his daughter. When the juvenile was about to go home Chilangwe emerged out of the house and dragged her into his bedroom and raped her.
On February 2, 2016 at around 4pm, the minor went to Chilangwe’s again house to play with his daughter.
Chilangwe dragged the minor into his hut and raped her as his daughter watched.It is understood his daughter peeped through the window and watched Chilangwe having sex with her friend.
Chilangwe’s daughter advised her friend’s mother who reported the matter to the police.
Magistrate Zuyu sentenced Chilangwe to 28 years in prison and five years were suspended on condition of good behaviour. In passing the sentence Zuyu sent a strong message to would be child abusers to desist from the habit. Prosecutor Liberty Hove presented the facts of the state case.

Harare City Council is owed half a billion dollars in unpaid bills by residents, Government and business, a situation which has seen the local authority failing to provide basic services and pay salaries.
Acting finance director Mr Tendai Kwenda, attributed the situation to the prevailing economic challenges which are affecting most residents.
According to the recent minutes of the Finance and Development Committee, Mr Kwenda reported on the various sector accounts and the position on council debtors and creditors variances.
“Aggregated income and expenditure summary for January to April 30, 2016 indicated a surplus of $33,2 million. Debtors were reported at $477,7 million while creditors stood at $398,2 million. A total of $26,2 was owed to CABS and BanABC as at April 30, 2016.
“A loan of $144,4 million was owed to Exim Bank of China of which $72,2 million had been committed and repayment would commence in 2017 and short, medium and long term amounting to $98,4 million owed by council to both local and international financiers as at April 30,2016,” reads the minutes.
Harare City Council recently said it is setting aside $275 000 daily towards the payment of salaries in a bid to reduce salary arrears which stand at six months.
Acting Town Clerk Mrs Josephine Ncube said management had put in place strategies to accelerate revenue collection in order to close on the salary gap.
Mrs Ncube said that emphasis was being put on revenue collection and heads of departments were putting together various strategies to ensure success in this regard.
Harare City Council workers have since urged Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere to intervene, accusing the city of infringing upon their rights.
Harare Municipality Workers’ Union executive chairman Mr Cosmas Bungu said council workers have turned into perpetual beggars who are surviving on handouts from well-wishers.
“We want to reiterate that the City of Harare is not above the law as their behaviour seems to suggest. In terms of the International Labour Organisation Convention Against Forced Labour, the City Fathers are in flagrant contravention of the law by deliberately failing to pay council employees their outstanding salaries for the past six months and bonuses for 2015 in contravention of Statutory Instrument 135/12,” he said.
Harare City Council last year served about 20 000 defaulters with summons to attach properties, as it moved to recover money owed in unpaid bills by residents.
The city served summons in Borrowdale, Mabvuku, Mt Pleasant, Highlands, Mabelreign, Marlborough and other suburbs with summons to attach properties.- state media

Two suspected armed robbers raided a house in Epworth and took turns to rape a 16-year-old girl while her mother watched.
The two robbers have since been arrested in connection with the case after they went back to the house the following morning to look for $5 change.
Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba confirmed the incident. She said the two armed robbers went to the girl’s house where they forcibly opened the door with an iron bar.
“They threatened the girl and her mother who is aged 33 with a knife before stealing a stove, plates, pots, shoes and $10 cash. They put them outside and returned inside the house where they took turns to rape the girl,” Snr Asst Comm Charamba said.
After committing the crime, the two disappeared but returned the following day looking for $5 change and they were identified by the girl, leading to their arrest. Investigations on the case are still continuing.
Meanwhile, police are investigating two cases of armed robbery that occurred in Marondera and Mahusekwa where armed robbers pounced on an abattoir and stole $12 000 cash and property.
Snr Asst Comm Charamba said on June 13 at around 1am four armed robbers attacked a security guard who was manning Surrey Abattoir premises and handcuffed him.
They ransacked the premises and stole $12 000 cash.
On the same date at around 3am, six armed robbers attacked another security guard at Profeeds Wholesale in Mahusekwa and stole $82 cash and 20 x 1 000g ESB3 chemicals, all valued at $378.-state media

Senior police officers no longer have powers to sign warrants of further detention for suspects to remain in custody following the alignment of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act with the new Constitution.
In the past, justices of peace (senior police officers of the rank of Superintendent and above) would authorise the detention of suspects in police cells for up to 96 hours without taking the suspect to court.
The recently published Criminal Procedure and Evidence Amendment Act now compels the police to release the suspect forthwith if they fail to take him to court within 48 hours of his arrest.
If the police sees it necessary to extend the stay of the suspect in custody, a formal application has to be made before a magistrate, who assesses the circumstances and either grants or throws away the request.
The old law was open to abuse by some spiteful investigators.
Some vindictive police officers would arrest people towards the weekend, to make sure that the suspects will not be released until Monday, as weekends were not included as court days in terms of the parent piece of legislation.
But the new law now considers Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays in the counting of the permissible 48 hours detention period.
In terms of the new law, police officers are compelled to release the suspects as soon as the 48 hours lapse.
The amended Section 32 (3) of the Act now reads:
“Any person who is arrested or detained –
a) For the purpose of bringing him or her before a court, or
b) For an alleged offence; and who is not released must be brought before a court as soon as possible and in any event not later than forty-eight hours after the arrest took place or the detention began, as the case may be, whether or not the period ends on Sunday or a public holiday.”
Amendment to Section 33 of the Act now excludes police officers from authorising further detention of a suspect in police custody.
An application has to be made before a judge or magistrate for the extension of the detention period.
An additional Section 41 to the principal Act compels an arresting officer to inform the suspect of his or her reason for arrest, right to remain silent, consequences of remaining silent and those of not remaining silent.
The arrested person must also be allowed to contact their spouses or to be visited by their relatives. They are also entitled to religious counsellors of choice, legal practitioners and medical practitioners of choice if need arises.
Section 121 of the Act, which allowed the State to suspend the decision of a magistrate or judge to grant bail, was also amended.
It now gives a magistrate or judge discretionary power to suspend or confirm his bail decision.
The amended Section 121 (3) reads:
“Where a judge or magistrate has admitted a person to bail, and an appeal is noted by the Prosecutor-General or public prosecutor under subsection (1), the decision to admit to bail remains in force unless, on the application of the Prosecutor-General or public prosecutor, the judge or magistrate is satisfied that there is reasonable possibility that the interests of justice may be defeated by the release of the accused on bail before the decision on appeal, in which event the judge or magistrate may suspend his or her decision to admit the person to bail and order the continued detention of the person for a specified period or until the appeal is determined, whichever is the shorter period.”
Several minor amendments were also made to the Act. -state media

President Robert Mugabe’s business partner and Green Fuel Investments proprietor Billy Rautenbach, has allegedly gunned down four villagers in Chisumbanje.
One of the four (Itai Chikwasha) died on the spot leaving three seriously injured and are battling for their lives at St Peters Mission hospital at Checheche.
According to Chinyamukwakwa villagers the incident happened Wednesday night when guards employed by the Ethanol producing company accused the four villagers of stealing sugar cane.
The security guards are said to be retired soldiers and war veterans who have been rewarded by Green fuel for their loyalty to the ruling Zanu PF party government.
“It is very difficult to justify the killing of unarmed villagers for allegedly stealing sugarcane.  Green Fuel is currently harvesting their sugarcane and villagers follow harvesters to pick left-overs,  and it’s not news that the villagers can pick and eat sugar cane which they would have found on the roads while walking to their homes as they pass by the controversial plantation and even if they had stolen the sugar cane, we do not think that warrants the killing and we now wonder whether this Ethanol project was a curse to the people of Chipinge,” said one of the villagers.
The villagers said the number of people picking  sugar cane residues had increased this year owing to the droughtea.
“Women and children constitute the bulk of those who pick the sugarcane and the number  has increased this year due to the Elnino induced drought that has ravaged families,” they added.
The relationship between Green fuel investment and the local community has been sour since the inception of the project in 2008 when the former occupied the latter’s land without full community engagement.
The villagers feel that the company should have compensated them for occupying their traditional land.
They (villagers) are further  complaining that the company continues to push them away by encroaching on the boundary while failing to fulfil promises of corporate social responsibility.
The villagers are accusing the company of using superiority tactics and avoid dialogue platforms because of its strong ties with the ruling Zanu PF government. More to follow…

Kuda Bwititi, Chief Reporter| Banks will start issuing the South African rand and seven other currencies on July 1, 2016 and will process Real Time Gross Settlements using that regime from tomorrow (Monday). Other currencies are the Chinese yuan, euro, British pound, Botswana pula, Australian dollar, Indian rupee and Japanese yen, whose use is being promoted to end US dollar cash shortages. The United States dollar remains in circulation, with US$10 million being imported weekly, while plastic money use is being advocated aggressively.
Financial institutions are preparing for the change following meetings with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, and a June 30 ultimatum for all Government departments to embrace multiple currencies has been set. State departments handle the bulk of transactions in the economy, consuming up to 60 percent of money exchange.
Last week, banking sector officials were optimistic the coming dispensation would end cash shortages that began in April on the back of illicit financial flows, a huge trade deficit and the lack of a savings culture.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, RBZ Governor Dr John Mangudya said: “Following the directive by Treasury for Government departments to activate usage of multiple currencies by June 30, it is now necessary for banks to also give out multiple currencies to people in order to support this initiative.
“We expect that the banks will start issuing multiple currencies, especially if a customer requests to receive any money in the currency of their choice, within the multi-currency basket.
“This is not a directive that we have given, but we expect there will be increased use of multiple currencies in the economy and, naturally, banks will take measures to support this policy.
“Last week, we managed to hold test-runs on activating Real Time Gross Settlement payments. The tests were successful. So, starting from Monday June 20, 2016, RTGS payments will be conducted in multiple currencies, which will bring further flexibility to the market.” Dr Mangudya said the multi-currency system will improve cash circulation and spur tourism inflows and diaspora remittances.
“For example, any tourist who is coming from Britain or China can feel free to use the British pound/yuan/US dollar. The move also makes it flexible for people in the diaspora who send money home. It will now be convenient for them to send money in the currencies of their choice, as long as that currency is in the basket.
“Furthermore, the use of multiple currencies means that people will cut on exchange losses if someone is to send money home. The RBZ is importing cash in the region of US$10 million weekly. However, we expect the amounts of cash imports to go down significantly if there is increased use of plastic money.
“We are happy that there has been progress in the use of plastic money in the past few weeks. If that trend increases, there will be a reduction in the need for cash as well as cash imports.”
Last week, Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa told Senate that plastic money use had increased 400 percent over the last five weeks. Minister Chinamasa said there was no need to panic over the impending introduction of bond notes.
“To start with, (bond notes) will not lose their value. They will be just like bond coins. Yes, initially, when we introduced bond coins there was a lot of concern and resistance, but, eventually, people came to demand issuance of bond coins.
“So, the reaction that we are receiving, including the concerns you expressed, the worry; these were anticipated. Whenever new things are coming in, we expect people, generally, to be averse to change even where change is in their interest.”
On foreign retailers accused of siphoning cash to their home countries, he said: “The strategy is, basically, to encourage that even if they are retailers coming from outside the country, they source a substantial amount of their goods locally, especially those goods which can be locally produced.
“So, through measures such as tariffs and tariff bans or goods that we ban, we are going to get to a situation where they will have no option, but to buy locally. That is the discussion engaged in with the likes of companies that you mentioned. We are also engaging them, for instance, with respect to Pick ‘n’ Pay, to say they must support out-growers.”
Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers Association president Mr Denford Mutashu told The Sunday Mail that they supported using multiple currencies and plastic money.
“We are fully behind the RBZ and Government polices to use multiple currencies. We will not have a problem in accepting any currencies which are in the basket. “It is also encouraging that some of our members, including sole traders, have increased usage of point of sale machines by as much as 70 percent.”

GIRLS as young as 12 must be listened to by the courts if they wish to start families with older men because they are capable of giving consent to sex, Prosecutor-General Mr Johannes Tomana said on this very day last year, shortly before first lady Grace Mugabe began attacking him, a development that has seen him lose his job and threatened with imprisonment.
Risking the ire of child rights campaigners, Mr Tomana defended the courts for refusing to jail child sex predators who can prove that there was “consent”.
Zimbabwe’s top prosecutor says he also finds no problem with child molesters who escape with community service sentences serving their punishment at schools — with potentially hundreds more victims.
Tomana’s extraordinary intervention came after MPs and children’s rights advocates demanded legislative reforms to enhance legal protection for children under the age of 16, with the courts increasingly accepting that children between 12 and 16 are capable of giving consent to sex.
Zimbabwe’s age of consent is 16. Mr Tomana told The State Media that school dropouts, in particular, should be allowed to marry even at a young age because they have no “alternative”. Sending their abusers to jail would ruin their lives, he said.
“If young girls were to be asked what they prefer, most would say they should be allowed to have sex after turning 12.
“It’s assumed that the girl child’s independent decisions start at an age that those that are speaking want to fix, but if you go out there you’ll find out that some of them may want to start out in life early,” the Prosecutor General said, speaking on Wednesday during a visit to Bulawayo.
Mr Tomana says with a socio and economic environment that creates hopelessness in young girls, largely through lack of formal education, it is unfair to demand of teenagers to defer sexual encounters with men.
“If you look at it, we don’t have a framework for example, where we can guarantee that all our girl children are usefully engaged before they actually get above 18 years, we don’t have that,” he explained.
“We’ve nine-year-olds, 12-year-olds, 13-year-olds who’re actually not in school, who’re not doing anything for example. What are we saying to them? We say you can’t even do this [have sex], when the environment is not giving them alternative engagements? What are we talking about?
“You need to be able to be holistic about it. If we educate our girl child universally up to, for example, where they get to the age of 18 in an environment where you guarantee that they’re not abused, then we’re talking. But to simply say ‘no such and such conduct’ for any girl say below the age of 16, I think we’ve not asked ourselves what we’re saying about that girl who would rather prefer to lead their life in the direction of getting married.
“Should they just sit there and wait until they get to about 21 doing nothing? Is that what you’re saying? You don’t have anything that they should be engaged in while they wait to become the age. What do you want them to do because in some cultures, for example, they value marriage more than anything else because when your girl child is married, you’ve achieved what any father or mother would want to expect in their girl child.
“If, for example, we’re able to marry off our child at 15 and she’s married, are you saying that should not happen even where, for example, there’s nothing else that that girl could be doing? Is that what you are saying?
“We need to look at it in a very practical, wholesome way, and I think it’s important to talk to the girl child. I want to say they’re very sensible people, and I know girls develop faster than boys and they mature faster than boys.
“Are we saying we should continue talking on their behalf when they’re there? Do we just change these laws to suit ourselves and our dreams that have nothing to do with addressing the real conditions that they live in?”
Tomana’s liberal views around child marriage will alarm activists who only this week highlighted the problem of child marriages as Zimbabwe joined the rest of Africa in marking the Day of the African Child on Tuesday.
The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) revealed that Zimbabwe, along with Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Mali, Nigeria, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Niger and Chad had the highest prevalence of child marriages on the continent.
And according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in its State of the World’s Children Report (2015), Mashonaland Central leads in child marriages with 50 percent. In second place is Mashonaland West with 42 percent, Masvingo 39 percent, Mashonaland East 36 percent, Midlands 31 percent, Manicaland 30 percent, Matabeleland North 27 percent, Harare 19 percent, Matabeleland South 18 percent while Bulawayo has the least prevalence with about 10 percent.
Tomana insists the current legal framework protecting children from sexual abuse in sections 64 and 70 of the Criminal Law (Codification Act and Reform) is sufficient and compliant with section 81 of the new Constitution, although some lawyers, notably Harare lawyer Chris Mhike, argue otherwise.
He said: “The advocacy that we’re having now is that even at 16, let’s just treat them as rape. Now, is that going to achieve the objective that we’re clamoring for the girl child?
“I think that’s the question that should be answered by everybody who’s in interested in addressing this situation and I think the girl child herself must talk.”
Tomana says he does not “see any harm” in convicted child sex predators performing community service sentences in schools where there is a real risk of carrying out more sex attacks on young girls.
He argued: “You see, the idea is to embarrass you, when we punish you the idea is to bring you down to mother earth. Now, if a whole man like me for example is seen cutting grass in front of a school and everybody is saying ‘that’s a criminal’, don’t you think that reduces me to my correct kind of level?
“I’m not scary to anyone else because I’ve been reduced to my proper size. I’m no longer a threat to anyone because I’m actually under supervision, you know… So I don’t see any harm in that.” -State Media

 

Two people who allegedly “knowingly infected” their partners with HIV, have had their application challenging conviction dismissed by the Constitutional Court.
Mr Pitty Mpofu and Mrs Samukeliso Mlilo now face up to 20 years imprisonment for the crime.
They had approached the highest court of the land seeking to overturn their conviction arguing that Section 79 of the Constitution violated their right to protection of the law as provided in Section 18.
In her judgment, Justice Vernanda Ziyambi dismissed the duo’s application with costs. She then ruled that the two’s rights to protection of the law had not been infringed. “I conclude that the rights of the applicants, enshrined in Section 18 of the former Constitution, to protection of the law, has not been infringed by Section 79 of the Code, the state media reports.
“At the outset it must be noted that the right afforded by Section 23 is not a right to be discriminated against on any basis and discrimination on grounds of HIV or other status is not listed therein as a constitutionally enshrined right.
“In this case, the court had to determine whether the remand and prosecution of the accused on the criminal charges under Section 79 of the Code is a violation of the applicants’ fundamental right to personal liberty and the protection of the law.
“It found that Section 79 of the Code was clear and straight forward and the use of the words ‘real risk or possibility’ did not open the section to an unacceptably wide interpretation.
“Section 79, it was submitted, did not criminalise sexual intercourse by a person infected with HIV but was aimed at the conduct of persons who, knowing they are infected with the HIV virus, deliberately or recklessly spread the virus to innocent partners.
“It might be mentioned here that constitutional rights and freedoms are not absolute. They have boundaries set by the rights of others and by important social concerns such as public order, safety, health and democratic values.”
“I conclude that the right of the applicants, enshrined in Section 18 of the former constitution to protection of the law has not been infringed by Section 79 of the Code,” said Justice Ziyambi.
In his application, Mr Mpofu had argued that Section 79 created a danger of false incrimination because it was not certain who was first infected by the virus. It was also his argument that Section 79 “was too wide and criminalised sexual intercourse by a person infected with HIV”.

THE trial of a senior police officer who was allegedly caught in bed with a married subordinate before he threw the woman’s husband off a speeding vehicle as he fled the scene, has been set for July 8.
The woman’s husband, Pasipanodya Tadzembwa (28), who is a soldier stationed at One Brigade, hung onto the bonnet of a car for 50 metres as he tried to confront Sipho Ndlovu (35) whom he had allegedly found in bed with his wife.
Mr Tadzembwa was hospitalised after being thrown off the vehicle driven by the fleeing Ndlovu, who is the Officer-in-Charge of Figtree Police Station. Ndlovu yesterday appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Trynos Utawashe facing a charge of attempted murder.
Mr Utawashe remanded him out of custody on $200 bail. Prosecuting, Miss Paida Zengeni said on May 3 this year shortly after 10PM, Mr Tadzembwa arrived at his home in Bulawayo’s Nketa suburb after he got a tip- off that Ndlovu was romping with his wife, Kilisalisti Nyaradzo Manjonjo, at their matrimonial home. Manjonjo is also a police officer stationed at Matopo.
“Tadzembwa rushed home and found Ndlovu in his bed with his wife. Tadzembwa made an effort to contact the local police to report the matter but failed as Ndlovu bolted out of the house and got into his car and started to drive away,” said Miss Zengeni.
The court heard that as Ndlovu drove away, Mr Tadzembwa tried to jump onto the bonnet and was hit by the car.
“He got up and jumped onto it again and was driven for about 50 metres before he was thrown off the moving vehicle and sustained injuries on his head and other parts of the body. Ndlovu drove away and did not stop and Tadzembwa was taken to hospital,” said Miss Zengeni.
The location of the house where the confrontation took place was not disclosed in court.
Although Manjonjo, in her statement, claimed that Mr Tadzembwa was her ex-boyfriend, court files contain a marriage certificate showing that the couple got married last year in December.- state media

 

Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister, Joram Gumbo, has ordered a forensic audit on the operations of the Zimbabwe National Road Administration amid growing speculation that the road fund is being abused.
The minister confirmed ordering the audit yesterday.
This comes amid speculation that the road fund could have lost thousands of dollars to senior executives who occupied dual positions and reportedly withdrew mega benefits from the parastatal under unclear circumstances since 2014.
Minister Gumbo told The Herald that the audit seeks to have a holistic understanding on the operations of Zinara with a view to come up with a viable way forward. Said Minister Gumbo: “As a new Minister, I want to understand the operations (at Zinara). The audit is being done by the Comptroller Auditor General. I am new so I want to understand the organisation including staff, operations and everything else. So I have asked for a forensic audit there.”

It is understood that the audit is being carried out by an international audit firm Grant Thornton at the instruction of the Auditor General. Sources at Zinara said the situation at the road fund was strange as the acting chief executive officer Engineer Moses Juma and administration and human resources director Mr Precious Murove have been occupying dual positions since 2014.
Eng Juma is doubling as the parastatal’s technical director engineering since March 2014 when he replaced Mr Frank Chitukutuku while Mr Murove has been acting as the finance director until last month when a substantive candidate was appointed for that portfolio.
Sources close to the matter intimated that the two posts come with rewarding perks and the two senior directors were creaming off lucrative benefits from the arrangement. “Imagine that there are several posts that are still vacant in the organisation for a long time and no one has been appointed to act in those positions and you wonder what is so special about these two posts,” said the source.
“It is because these are senior executive positions that come with attractive benefits.” The source said among other posts, those that were vacant included operations manager (southern region), chief technician (northern region), operations systems manager and operations officer (Mutare).
The source said the salaries and perks of these top management positions fall in the category of what is known as executive pay roll that comprised the chief executive officer, director administration and human resources, director finance and company secretary.
The chief executive is understood to be pocketing a salary in the range of US$7 000 with other perks like fuel, entertainment, cellphone and fuel allowances. He is also entitled to school fees for his children at private schools on top of holiday allowances which are subject to board approval.
The post of director technical engineering that Eng Juma has been occupying also come up with a handsome package which include an approximate salary of $5000 among other benefits. It is believed that Mr Murove also enjoyed almost similar benefits for a period spanning over a year.
Eng Juma on Monday confirmed the dual roles but said he had since assigned Engineer Givemore Kufa to act as director technical engineering. Eng Kufa is the Zinara engineer for the northern region. Before his appointment as the technical director engineering, Eng Juma was Zinara’s engineer for southern region a post which is still vacant at the parastatal since 2013.
“I was promoted from being regional engineer to director technical engineering in March 2013,” he said. “In 2014 I was asked to act as chief executive but my substantive appointment is director technical engineering. “For the purpose of managing my office I have since appointed someone to act as director technical engineering.”
Commenting on Mr Murove’s dual roles that ended last month Eng Juma said: “He was also appointed as director administration in March 2013 but following the departure of Mr Thomas Mutizhe he was asked to act in that capacity as well. “Mr Mutizhe left unceremoniously and we asked him to cover that post in an interim capacity. The post was advertised and is now substantively filled.” State Media

ZRP cops are investigating a suspected Harare man who allegedly posed as a soldier and is believed to have sexually abused children and took them pictures which have since gone viral on social media.
Disturbing images of child sexual molestation currently circulating on the social media have led the police to conduct extensive investigations to look into the matter.
ZRP national spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said the police are carrying out investigations in light of the accusations.
“The police in partnership with the ZNA is combining efforts to establish full facts so as to effect an arrest,” she said.
Senior Assistant Commissioner Charamba has also appealed to the public to assist the police with investigations.
“The ZNA has confirmed that the man is a bogus soldier who was putting on mixed dressing,” added Senior Assistant Commissioner Charamba.
Members of the public have been urged to help the police in identifying both the children and the man at the centre of the controversy.
Any information which may prove useful should be supplied to ZRP complaints desk on 04-703631 and Harare operations on 04-748836 or any nearest police station.

Terrence Mawawa, Gutu|In a tragic incident that has rocked the local community, a 32 year old man from Kuchinei Village killed his mother in cold blood for slaughtering his chicken to feed his sister.
Farai Tamanika Sharara murdered his mother, Otilia Sharara(71) on June 11 in the afternoon before hanging himself in a tree, a stone’s throw from his mother’s homestead.
Bhasera police confirmed the sad incident and referred questions to Provincial Police Spokesperson, Inspector Charity Mazula who was not readily available for a comment as she was said to be out of Masvingo.
Farai who was not at home when his sister identified as Tsitsi Sharara arrived from Zaka, found his mother preparing a meal after slaughtering the hen. He scolded his mother for slaughtering the hen which had chicks. Farai shouted at his mother saying she was supposed to slaughter a rooster instead of the hen.
As the altercation ensued, Tsitsi tried to refrain Farai from attacking their mother but he overpowered her, took a pestle and charged towards his mother.
Tsitsi then rushed to nearby villagers to seek help. When she returned after a few minutes, she found the mother lying in a pool of blood after being hit several times with the pestle.
Farai’s body was found hanging on a tree, a few metres from his mother’s homestead.
The bodies were taken to Gutu Mission Hospital by Bhasera police.
“It is true that we have such a case and we have since taken the two bodies to Gutu Mission Hospital,” said a ZRP constable based at Bhasera Police Camp.

The below exclusive recording replays the moment Primary and Secondary Education Minister Lazarus Dokora attacked ZimEye.com and the government owned Sunday Mail as he denied banning voluntary Bible club, Scripture Union in Zimbabwe’s schools. ALSO READ – FULL STORY ON DOKORA U-TURN

AN ex-jailbird from Plumtree allegedly locked his neighbour’s two children in a kitchen hut before torching the room to fix their father with whom he had a long standing grudge, a magistrate heard.
Khulumani Ndebele (32) of Mpoengs was arrested after shoeprints at the scene led villagers to his homestead.
The two juveniles escaped unhurt after their father, Mr Cain Ndlovu, heard them screaming and woke up.
He found the hut in which his children were sleeping in flames and destroyed the door using an axe to save them. The hut was razed to the ground.
Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Crispen Mberewere heard this when Ndebele appeared before him facing two counts of attempted murder and malicious damage to property.
He was remanded in custody to June 23 for continuation of trial.
Prosecuting, Mr Simbarashe Manyiwa said on February 1 this year shortly after 1AM, Ndebele went to Mr Ndlovu’s homestead intending to kill his neighbour’s children. Ndebele and Mr Ndlovu had a long standing dispute.
“Ndebele and Ndlovu had a misunderstanding and Ndebele threatened to deal with his neighbour. He then proceeded to Ndlovu’s homestead at around 1AM and found the family asleep,” said Mr Manyiwa.
The court heard that Ndebele went to the kitchen hut where the two boys Mafana Ndlovu (6) and eight-year-old Ndingilizi Ndlovu were sleeping.
Ndebele fastened the kitchen door with a rope from outside and set the hut on fire before fleeing from the scene.
Mr Ndlovu, who was sleeping in another room with his wife, heard his children screaming and went to investigate.
“Ndlovu managed to save his children from the burning hut but all the property which was in the kitchen hut was reduced to ashes,’’ said Mr Manyiwa.
The court heard that at day break, villagers saw some shoeprints at the scene of the incident which led them to Ndebele’s homestead.
Investigations led to Ndebele’s arrest. Property valued at $350 was lost in the inferno.
Ndebele recently completed a two-year jail sentence after he was convicted in 2012 of burning down another villager’s homestead.- State Media

GOVERNMENT should now walk the talk on corruption and ruthlessly punish those found on the wrong side of the law regardless of their positions or social standing, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.
VP Mnangagwa said the Office of the President and Cabinet had taken over the supervision of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission from Home Affairs after the realisation that ministers tended to avoid investigating each other.
The VP, who is also the Minister responsible for Justice and Legal Affairs portfolio, said this while officially opening a symposium on the ease of doing business in Zimbabwe organised by the Office of the President and Cabinet and Zimpapers.
He said Government had also operationalised the National Code of Corporate Governance to give impetus to the fight against corruption.
His remarks come in the wake of a litany of corrupt activities rocking the power utility Zesa and many other State entities.
“As I have consistently emphasised, it is high time we walk the talk against corruption and ensure that those found on the wrong side of the law are ruthlessly punished, irrespective of their positions or standing.
“I would like to point out that the fight against corruption must be broad-based and within the framework of a national call to all Zimbabweans, and all sectors to fight this evil scourge.
“Government has come up with a National Code of Corporate Governance (and) the code has provided additional impetus for Government to review critical pieces of legislation in order to ensure that there is broad legislative framework and measures to tackle issues of corruption, which have become cancerous in our efforts to grow the economy.
“I may also inform you that the Anti-Corruption Commission was housed for administration in the Ministry of Home Affairs, we have since removed it from there because we felt that in Home Affairs ministers are shy to investigate each other. We have now removed it from there and is now housed in the Office of the President and Cabinet. You should understand what that means,” he said.
VP Mnangagwa said the country was bequeathed with vast natural resources and incredible human capital needed for business operations.
He said reforms being undertaken by Government in the ease of doing business showed its commitment towards empowerment of entrepreneurial spirit among citizens.
Said VP Mnangagwa: “This coupled with a renewed commitment to tackle issues of corporate governance in the public sector which has resulted in the fast-tracking of corporate governance measures to ensure that our public sector, especially the parastatal and State enterprises sector, will, once again, contribute to the growth of the economy.”
He said the challenges facing the economy required new knowledge and skills underpinned on innovation and embracing of ICTs.
VP Mnagagwa said it was important for Government to create new platforms to interact with stakeholders with a view to add value and beneficiate the country’s abundant resources and benchmark the country’s performance with its regional and global competitors.
He said Government should increase the reform momentum bearing in mind that “capital goes where the environment is favourable”.
As part of ensuring the ease of doing business and elevating the country’s competitiveness, VP Mnangagwa said: “Government is also implementing an e-Government platform in order to re-engineer and modernise the public sector systems and processes to improve access, efficiency, and affordable services to the people using ICTs.
“It is hoped that such measures will greatly facilitate the registration of those entrepreneurs operating in the informal sector, who may have been previously intimidated by the raft of procedures and fees. We believe that formalization will enable small businesses to benefit from loans, access to tenders and will also enable payment of taxes.”
VP Mnangagwa said the first 100 days review workshop on ease of doing business held in December last year highlighted that a review of laws, regulations and licensing requirements and other administrative hiccups to private entrepreneurship had been undertaken.
He said the second 100 day rapid results initiative was launched in February this year and benchmarks were reviewed last Tuesday and significant milestones have been registered both legislatively and administratively.
The symposium was also attended by Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha, Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Development Minister Sithembiso Nyoni and several business executives. -State Media

Suspected Central Intelligence Agents are said to have abducted a Prayer Network of Zimbabwe female member, Rose Kwanjara, yesterday.
Kwanjara who is also the Transform Zimbabwe party’s Dzivarasekwa organizing Secretary, was reportedly abducted on an allegation of having connections with the Occupy Africa Unity Square group.

Transform Zimbabwe gave the below account:
Suspected state intelligence agents yesterday abducted Transform Zimbabwe Dzivarasekwa Organizing Secretary, Ms. Rose Kwanjara at Southerton shopping center around 5 pm. Ms. Rose Kwanjara received a phone call yesterday around 2 pm from an individual who identified himself as Tinashe, who is alleged to have displayed thorough knowledge of Transform Zimbabwe activities and characters. Tinashe then invited Rose to a meeting with other Transform Zimbabwe party activists in Southerton, to which she boarded a commuter omnibus to Southerton. She was abducted immediately after disembarking from the omnibus by 4 men who were driving a white Ford Ranger without number plates. Ms Kwanjara whose number was unreachable ever since the abduction was only able to communicate her ordeal briefly this morning via Whats App before her number again went out of reach. A report has since been made to police.
In her brief texts she described that she was being interrogated on the link between Zimbabwe Activist Alliance (ZAA) and Zimbabwe Women in Politics Alliance (ZWIPPA) with Transform Zimbabwe. The abductors were said to be alleging the involvement of Transform Zimbabwe in the two organizations. She was quizzed on the source of funding of Transform Zimbabwe. She also described that she was being held in a house most probably in a suburb in Harare and she could hear a lot of traffic on a road nearby and could not remember traveling for a long distance since she was abducted. She complained of harassment, torture and massive intimidation.
Transform Zimbabwe unequivocally condemns such inhuman acts and would like to call on the police to investigate, arrest and bring before the courts perpetrators of such abductions. Transform Zimbabwe views the latest spate of arbitrary arrests and abductions as an indication of an unpopular and desperate regime which is trying to cling on to power by unconstitutionally and heinously crushing dissenting voices.

Fit-again opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is back with a bang and will lead from the front in the planned Mutare MDC demonstration next week — the party’s third major such mass action in as many months — against President Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF’s misrule.
Tsvangirai’s spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka, confirmed to the Daily News yesterday that the former prime minister in the government of national unity was now in “excellent health” and champing at the bit to lead Zimbabwe’s democratic quests, after undergoing an emergency operation in South Africa last month at the recommendation of his local doctors.
“President Tsvangirai will definitely be in Mutare. He is in high spirits, and as he himself has said, he is actually more worried about the country’s political economy, which is in a dire state, rather than his health,” he said.
Tsvangirai and the MDC, who are credited with steadying the country’s dying economy between 2009 and 2013 when they shared executive responsibilities with Zanu PF then, have mounted two mega demonstrations in Harare and Bulawayo over the past two months.
Despite loud denials by the governing party in public, insiders have said the demonstrations shook Zanu PF to its core, after the main opposition brought both Harare and Bulawayo’s central business district to a halt during the marches.
MDC spokesperson Obert Gutu said the Mutare mass action would target Zanu PF’s continuing misrule, the party’s failure to fulfil its 2013 election promises to create 2,2 million new jobs, as well as agitate for answers following Mugabe’s recent claim that $15 billion had been stolen from the Chiadzwa diamond mining fields among other things.
“Preparations for the Manicaland demo are going on very smoothly and we expect a crowd of not less than 10 000. We expect to see our president, the charismatic and indefatigable freedom fighter, Tsvangirai, leading the demo in Mutare,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gutu also announced yesterday that the MDC Youth Assembly in Mashonaland Central would hold a demonstration in Bindura tomorrow, to commemorate the Day of the African Child.
“This is basically an event for the youths, and we expect no less than 2 000 youths to take part in that march. They will be articulating issues that are pertinent to the lives of young Zimbabweans, such as the scarcity of jobs, business opportunities and the payment of college fees,” he said.
Since Mugabe and Zanu PF won the hotly-disputed 2013 elections, the economy has been on a downward spiral, with thousands of companies shutting down, and hundreds of thousands of people losing their jobs — worsening poverty levels in the troubled country.
In recent months, economists have said Zimbabwe has once again hit the depths of humanitarian and economic despair that were last experienced in 2008, when the country’s seemingly unending political crisis precipitated an economic meltdown of monumental proportions — which culminated in the death of the Zimbabwe dollar and mass emigrations out of the country.
There were ample signs when Tsvangirai led the Harare demo that the MDC is getting its mojo back, when thousands of people — most of them party supporters clad in trademark red regalia — brought the capital’s central business district to a temporary halt, as they marched in the peaceful demo that culminated in Tsvangirai calling on Mugabe to leave office now or face the wrath of the people.
Observers told the Daily News then that the demonstration had shown that contrary to Zanu PF propaganda that Tsvangirai and the MDC were now spent forces, the main opposition was very much alive and still the major threat to the ruling party’s thuggish hegemony.
Addressing the crowd, Tsvangirai — who was mercilessly bludgeoned by police and left for dead when he dared participate in a prayer meeting organised by churches in 2007 — said Zimbabweans should ratchet up their demands for their constitutional rights.
“Because of what happened in previous years, I know it’s not easy for Zimbabweans to demonstrate . . . We therefore as opposition parties demand, that Mugabe must go and have an early retirement in Zvimba (Mugabe’s rural home),” he said.
“This is the first demonstration . . . we are going to other provinces and we are also going to have a national demonstration here in Harare. As the MDC, we are not afraid. We are prepared to lead the struggle even at its worst time,” Tsvangirai added.
“We are here to tell Mugabe and his regime that they have failed to provide leadership to the national crisis. The two million jobs which were promised to us have turned to be two million vendors.
“Mugabe has no solution to the crisis we are facing because he is tired. We are not demanding an overthrow of the government, we are demanding a dignified exit for the tired Mugabe.
“We are saying to Mugabe this is time for him to listen to the voice of the people. The people shall rule, the people shall liberate themselves,” Tsvangirai also said to thunderous applause.
Ahead of the march, all eyes had been on the MDC president as he plotted the first serious mass action that the opposition was to embark on in a decade — with both friends and foes keen to see the impact, or lack of the protest march as the 2018 national elections beckon. Daily News

The arrested anti-President Robert Mugabe Africa Unity Square protesters have won their prel- court application.
The activists who include Itai Dzamara’s brother Patson had their bail reduced from $1000 to $200 each.
Their lawyer Obey Shava who on Wednesday appealed for the bail reduction told ZimEye.com on Thursday he is happy with the new development.
“The bail has been reduced to $200 each for the 10 guys save for Patson Dzamara who has three cases who had been granted $200 per record,” he said.
Patson Dzamara who has three cases to answer, will have to pay $600.00 for his release.

AN UNLICENSED driver from Bulawayo’s Mpopoma suburb who had been arrested and taken to the Western Commonage police station for pirating without an operator’s licence, smashed into the station’s gate as he tried to reverse on his way out.
Mphathisi Gwebu, 22, pleaded guilty to crashing into the gate and driving without a licence but denied the charge of pirating. He was remanded out of custody to June 22 for trial.
Appearing before Western Commonage magistrate Nyaradzo Ringisai, Gwebu said he was not pirating when he was arrested.
“Your Worship I was not pirating when they arrested me. I was actually coming from Kelvin to fix my car, my radiator was leaking. “I had given my friend a lift who wanted to be dropped at the Total garage. The other two charges I admit them,” said Gwebu.
Lilo Kagunde for the State said Gwebu was arrested on Tuesday. “The accused person was using a Toyota Fun Cargo vehicle to pirate violating the Road Traffic Act. He drove the vehicle without due care and attention causing him to hit the gate of the ZRP Western Commonage station. He was driving the vehicle without a valid driver’s licence,” said Kagunde.
Magistrate Ringisai emphasised the importance of having a valid driver’s licence. -state media

A recently released National Aids Council (NAC) report, states that cases of sexually transmitted infection (STI)’s have short up by 7 percent over the past year.

It further reports that 288 127 people sought treatment last year against 268 353 recorded the previous year, however, also indicating that the number of people who tested HIV positive from the STI cases remained static.

“On a negative note, the number of new STI cases recorded increased by 7 percent from 268 353 cases recorded in the first quarter of 2015 to 288 127 cases recorded in the quarter under review. The HIV positivity rate in STI clients remained static at 15 percent compared to the first quarter of 2015,” reads part of the report written by NAC chief executive officer Dr Tapuwa Magure.
Dr Magure said the percentage of women who were tested for HIV in anti-natal care (ANC) and received their results in the last quarter of 2015 was 98 percent against a target of 97 percent.
“There was a slight decrease of (0,3 percent) in the number of pregnant mothers who were booked with a known HIV status during the second quarter under review, compared to 6,2 percent that had been recorded in the first quarter of 2015. Efforts to promote male involvement in Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission resulted in 23 percent of male partners getting tested against a target of 30 percent,” he said.
About 1,3 million Zimbabweans are estimated to be living with HIV and Aids, with 618 980 adults and 46 319 children on anti-retroviral treatment (ART) by December 2014.
About 60 percent of all ART patients are females.
The ART programme in the country was started in April 2004 with the objective of reducing deaths due to HIV and Aids and improving the quality of life of people living with HIV.
 

Zimbabwe has reduced the time it takes to register a company from 90 to 13 days, as part of a broad effort to improve the ease of doing business in the country, an official said on Tuesday.
Speaking during a review of the second 100-day review on Tuesday, deputy company registrar Willie Mushayi, who heads the sub-committee on starting businesses, said there are plans to further reduce the company registration period from the 13 days.
“The number of days to start a business has reduced to 13 and we are still reviewing it further down,” he said.
Zimbabwe has consistently ranked poorly in the World Bank’s annual ease of doing business index, mainly due to its poor investment climate as well as red tape. The 2016 index ranked Zimbabwe at 155 out of the 189 countries ranked. The country was ranked 153 in 2015.
In terms of the specific “starting a business” index, Zimbabwe placed 182 in 2016, only better than seven other countries.
By comparison, Rwanda, widely seen as having one of the best conditions for registering a company, takes up to 6 days to start a business.
Zimbabwe continues to lag behind its regional peers in terms of foreign direct investment flows, registering $545 million in 2014 as Mozambique received $4,9 billion, nearly nine times more, pacesetter South Africa $5,7 billion and Zambia $2,4 billion, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development World Investment Report for 2015.
The government has just concluded a second 100-day programme, dubbed the Rapid Results Approach (RRA), through which agencies involved in the registration of businesses, tax authorities and municipalities remove bureaucratic hurdles, cut time and costs while simplifying business processes for investors.
Several laws, including the Companies Act and a statute setting up a commercial court, are set to be passed as part of the broader effort launched last year.
Nine technical areas – Paying Taxes, Starting a Business, Trading Across Borders, Resolving Insolvency, Getting Credit, Enforcing Contracts , Registering Property, Construction Permits; and Protecting Minority Investors – have been identified under the reform push, which is being driven the Office of the President and Cabinet.
The government has set itself targets to be achieved in a series of 100-day programmes.
Functions such as name searches will now be done online.
Registration at the statutory pension fund National Social Security Authority (NSSA) has also been reduced from 14 days to 15 minutes, while registration with the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) has also been cut from 14 days to 30 minutes, according to Zimbabwe Investment Authority (ZIA) chairman Nigel Chanakira.
Chanakira, one of Zimbabwe’s leading black bankers and founder of the first locally-owned commercial bank in the 1990s, took to Twitter to laud the reforms.
“Truly, in my 22 years doing business in Zimbabwe I’ve never seen such remarkable and amazing movement by the entire government of Zimbabwe to reduce costs and time,” Chanakira tweeted.
At $250, the cost of company registration in Zimbabwe still remains high compared to regional peers. Rwanda, for instance, charges the equivalent of $20 to register a company for both foreign and local investors.
Progress in other thematic areas such as taxes, trade, insolvency procedures, getting credit, enforcing contracts, property registration, construction permits and minority investor protection is also under review at the ongoing workshop.

Insurance giant, Old Mutual, has become the latest local prominent voice to observe that Zimbabwe’s supposed all-weather friend, China, is treading carefully about investing more in Zimbabwe, due to the country’s poor property rights record.
Old Mutual’s observations came in the wake of China injecting nearly $20 billion into Sub-Saharan Africa’s economy in 2015 alone, with Zimbabwe receiving only $500 million of that investment — translating to 2,6 percent of the Asian giant’s total investment in the region, according to World Bank data.
“In order for Zimbabwe to improve its economic fortunes, a number of excessive legislation governing business operations and red tape need to be simplified.
“The country has had a bad reputation … and will need to seriously overturn this deficiency if it hopes to attract the sort of investment that its neighbours have been able to attract,” Old Mutual said in its latest quarterly review.
The prognosis will come as a major blow to President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF government, who have been pinning their hopes on China helping Zimbabwe to revive its dying economy.
The International Monetary Fund expects the local economy to grow by a paltry 1,5 percent this year due to a deadly combination of mismanagement, policy inadequacies and drought.
Although China was initially very enthusiastic about funding Zimbabwe’s economic blueprint, ZimAsset, the high-profile “mega deals” that it signed two years ago have failed to materialise thus far, with Beijing now seemingly more focused on stemming its own economic challenges.
A senior government official who spoke to the Daily News recently said while the Chinese were still very keen on doing business with Zimbabwe it was also wary of the deadly factional and succession wars devouring Zanu PF.
“If you look closely you will see that several feasibility studies have been started between China and Zimbabwe, including studies into coal exploration and a 600MW thermal station in Sibugwe, as well as the dualisation of the Beitbridge-Harare, Harare-Nyamapanda, Harare-Chirundu and Mutare-Harare highways.
“But the Chinese borne of contention at the moment is whether their investments would be secure after the old man is gone, considering that there is no clear succession plan in place. Until we sort that issue, it would be difficult for these good projects to take off,” the official said.
Other experts say a slowdown in China’s growth rates, as well as scepticism over whether Zimbabwe can repay previous loans, has crept into the finalisation of the mega deals.
On its part, Old mutual noted that the Zanu PF government must do more to attract foreign direct investment in the manufacturing sector, to allow the country to add value to its predominately raw product exports.
“Foreign investors require comfort in the security of their investment and policy consistency in the environment in which they operate. Zimbabwe would benefit by eradicating corruption, improving its ease of doing business requirements, policy consistency and respecting property rights.
“Of growing concern has been the growth in public sector debt through the continued issuance of treasury bills by government. In the absence of a public auction system, the exact amount of the debt attributed to treasury instruments alone is difficult to ascertain,” it said. Information at hand shows that government’s net debt ballooned from $0,5 billion in January 2015 to $1,2 billion by August 2015 against shrinking tax revenue collections.
Economic experts said this has increased concerns over the default risk of these treasury instruments and they are currently being assumed by banks at significant discounts from parties holding these instruments that are desperate for liquidity.
“In the absence of foreign direct investment or debt re-negotiations from external financiers these instruments are most likely to be rolled over by government to avoid default on the more significant maturities,” Old Mutual added. Daily News

Incarcerated anti-Robert Mugabe protesters say that they are being denied food by the Prison authorities.
The 11 who are detained at Harare Remand and Chikurubi female prisons respectively, told People’s Democratic Party President Tendai Biti, on Tuesday, they are starving.
The activists complained about the lack of food as the prison officials were denying visitors to bring them food from outside the prison complex.
The prison guards reportedly cited health reasons.
Food and other drinks are on sale in prison: a two litre plastic bottle of Coke, which is sold outside for $1, 20 is going for $4 while a one litre bottle of water, which is sold for $0.75 in supermarkets, going for $1, 50.
The astronomical prices, the activists said, were forcing most of the inmates to go hungry most of the times as prison food was inadequate and poorly prepared.
Among the activists Biti visited were; Linda Masarira, Tatenda Mombeyarara, Pride Mkono, Pamela Mawire and Makomborero Haruzivishe, Irene Takavada, Shadreck Dhliwayo and Brian Kansunzuma.
The activists who were arrested last week, are failing to raise the $1,000 bail amount they were granted by a Harare magistrate.
They are being accused of robbing two women in central Harare, when they were staging a 16 day protest against Robert Mugabe’s misrule.
They are however denying the charges.
During the prison visit, Biti urged the activists to remain focused and strong, “despite the attempts by Zanu PF to use state machinery to clamp down on opposition forces”.

Terrence Mawawa, Zaka| State security agents last week raided Zaka Primary School and abducted a staff member who is a senior member of the Progressive Teachers Union(PTUZ).
In a telling reminder of the 2008 horror in which teachers and opposition supporters were abducted ahead of the disputed Presidential election run-off, CIO agents from Zaka office arrived at the school last Thursday and took away Matthew Eston, who is a PTUZ provincial member.
Sources at the school told ZimEye.com Eston was abducted in broad day light by the state security agents who accused him of denigrating President Robert Mugabe.
It is understood the CIO agents were helped by the school head, Mr Masese, who is a known Zanu PF activist, to track Eston.
“Eston was abducted in broad daylight by officials from the President’s office. They accused him of undermining the authority of the President and they also accused him of refusing to contribute money towards Mugabe’s birthday bash. They also ordered him not to associate with the PTUZ,” a teacher at the school said.
Eston was released after a few days of being subjected to intimidation and torture.
A jittery Eston also said he was slapped with open hands and burnt with unknown substances as the state security agents interrogated him. “All I can is that it was a horrible experience,” said Eston.
Local pressure group Community Tolerance Reconciliation and Development(COTRAD), said state security agents do not have any right to abduct. “The incident is a reminder of the violence which rocked the whole nation in 2008. The CIO agents have to desist from acting as Zanu PF activists. Instead they must execute their duties in a professional manner. We view the incident as sad and unfortunate. As COTRAD we do not condone violence,” said the organisation’s Advocacy Officer, Brighton Ramusi.