Harare(ZimEye)- Government has given in to demands by the civic society and democratic forces to end corruption and bring transparency in the mining sector by partnering with civil society and mining companies to establish an oversight group called Zimbabwe Mining Revenue Transparency (ZMRT).
The mining revenue oversight group which will be chaired by Thabani Mpofu a Principal Director in the Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s office comprises stakeholders from the Chamber of Mines, the government of Zimbabwe and civil society organisations which are concerned with mineral extraction.
It is being implemented under the mandate of the Cabinet Committee on Resource Mobilisation.
“I don’t think there is anywhere in the world where people will say we are totally happy with the levels of transparency so we are saying that transparency monitoring should be continuous. This is a dialogue that should be ongoing. The rules are there but having them without people acting does not help matters so that is why we came with this organization. If you are doing your business above board you are not afraid who knows what you are doing and this will also help with bringing in more partners as people are interested in working with organizations that are transparent, ”Principal Director in the office of Deputy Prime Minister Thokhozani Khupe, Samukele Hadebe told Zimeye in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the formation of the oversight group in Harare.
Civil Society Coalition (CSC) Secretary General Joshua Marufu believes the group will bring sanity in the mining sector whose activities had for long time been secretive.
“Some people were doing things that were not in the national interests so its time as a nation to come together. We need to shape up and make sure that business is accountable. What the government is doing is offering a framework where as civil society we meet with the business community and resolve these issues. We hope that revenue collected will benefit the whole population and we are hopeful that we will be successful and help the country develop.
“As civil society what the government has done is to enable every person to be included as we will talk freely to both the government and the mining companies,” Marufu told Zimeye in an interview at the event.
Complaints of corruption and secrecy in the operations at Marange Diamond fields and the entire mining sector had been raised by the civil society.
Government has been defending itself against the allegations saying the mining sector is a sensitive area.(ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

The London based protest organisation, Zim Vigil, misled the world about the recent visit by Technology Minister Nelson Chamisa at whose conference they claimed MDC-T members were barred from asking the minister questions, a top MDC official has revealed.
Thousands of Zimbabweans were fed with false information which claimed that party members were instructed to keep quiet and told not ask Chamisa questions, during Chamisa’s recent visit to the United Kingdom, the party’s chair for London district, Karma Matambanadzo told ZimEye in a conversation.
“Zimbabweans in the UK who heard about the low-key visit by ICT Minister Nelson Chamisa were puzzled to be told by the organisers ‘ask no questions,’” a statement by the Vigil read on the 4th March.
But even journalists who actually attended the meeting in Birmingham have said that MDC members at Birmingham enjoyed unprecedented freedom with minister Chamisa with the meeting stretching beyond its time as members young and old were given a chance to engage the Technology minister. At one time, minister Chamisa actually came to the aid of a middle aged man who had been drowned by the crowds while he was inquiring on why unemployed members were required to pay exorbitant amounts of subscription fees.
SW Radio Africa’s Lance Guma who among other journos was present at the meeting expressed his deep concerns at the Vigil report. The journo told ZimEye: “The ZimVigil statement on Chamisa’s visit was a bit misleading. I covered the rally and at no point were people barred from asking him questions.”
This is not the first time the Zim Vigil has clashed with the MDC-T party. Two years ago, the protest organisation clashed with Morgan Tsvangirai’s ambassador designate to Germany, Hebson Makuvise and have in recent years often been against the party’s activities.
In the Vigil’s management team is former MDC chairman Ephraim Tapa who has continued to attack party leader Morgan Tsvangirai on various issues. (ZIMBABWE, ZimEye)

Birmingham(ZimEye)Claims by renegade members that MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai changed his party’s constitution so that he can stay at the helm  for much longer  are unfounded, the MDC-T’s Organising Secretary, Nelson Chamisa  has said.
Chamisa(pictured) told ZimEye that Tsvangirai was re-elected by the party’s majority membership. The decision to retain him as party President after completing his two year term is within their policy.
Some disillusioned members of the party have in recent months charged at Morgan Tsvangirai claiming that he should have resigned soon after he failed to win elections in 2008.
But Chamisa refuted “His tenure was never extended. He was voted squarely; in fact completely by all the provinces”.
Chamisa said that there was never a change of the MDC-T’s constitution:
“This fallacy that there was a change of the constitution; There was never a change of the constitution. We don’t change constitutions in the MDC. Our principle is that anybody who serves in government is supposed to be serving for two terms, as a policy.  And we are not yet in government, we are in opposition.”
The Organising Secretary who is also Zimbabwe’s Information, Communication and Technology Minister said that it is only when Tsvangirai becomes President that the party will start counting his two term tenure as president.
A term is 5 years long.
“Once president Tsvangirai gets into government, we then start counting – But in government, not in the party.”

At this juncture, our reporter then asked “What if you never make it into government?,”

Chamisa replied: “But that’s an assumption. We cannot work on an assumption”, .
Chamisa’s comments were also buttressed by Home Affairs Minister Theresa Makone, who said that Tsvangirai has been performing well and so the party sees no need to replace him at the moment.”If a person is performing well, why should we remove him?,” she said.
Chamisa together with Theresa Makone were responding to questions in a press conference during their recent visit to Birmingham, UK.  (ZIMBABWE, ZimEye)

BULAWAYO (ZimEye) – ZANU-PF Bulawayo province has been thrown into a serious chaos threatening to split the party amid a battle for the control of the province.
The fight within Zanu PF has seen provincial chairman Isaac Dakamela facing the boot and replaced by Killian Sibanda who was deputy chairperson.
The fight turned nasty on Monday after youths allegedly “sent by senior party officials” grabbed the Toyota Hilux Dakamela was using.
While Dakamela was said to have been suspended at a provincial coordinating committee meeting on Sunday, he insists he is still the chairman.
Politburo member Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, who catapulted Dakamela to the post of chairman, is fighting in his blue-eyed boy’s corner. He said the Sunday meeting could not effect suspensions.
In defiance, Dakamela visited his office at Davies Hall where he compiled minutes about previous meetings and writing his report about the developments in the province.

He was due to submit the report to party’s headquarters in Harare.
Dakamela further threatened to deal with the rowdy youths led by youth provincial chairperson Butho Gatsi.
“The youths should stay out of issues that do not concern them. If they continue like that, we will deal with them as a party because we are trying to prepare for elections. Meetings are called by the chairman and whoever would have wanted the meeting whether they liked me or not, should have called it through me,” he told journalists.
Ndlovu also added that: “That meeting and decision is not effective until it is confirmed by the Politburo. Dakamela remains chairman.”
Gatsi said the youths would stick to the suspension of Dakamela.
(Zimbabwe, ZimEye)

Zimbabwe’s used to boast of one of the top literacy rates in Africa, but the nation is now worse than it was in 2002.
Zimbabwe’s much touted literacy rate of more than 90% has been disputed as having been outdated since the figures are based on data collected by UNESCO and the government more than a decade ago.
According to a Zimbabwe Reads survey conducted in 2011 based on interviews with donor organizations, booksellers, publishers, librarians and educators late 2011 “best guesses are that Zimbabwe’s current literacy rate is now in the low-80s and is dropping. We roughly estimate that the literacy rate for those over 15 is dropping
a half percent each year and that will accelerate to 1% each year as those who left school after 2005 reach age 15,” writes Zimbabwe Reads in its website.
The same organization goes on to state that the Zimbabwean education situation is likely to worsen if the current conditions continue to prevail adding that Zimbabwe might not even be the continent’s highest literary country.
“If current conditions continue, Zimbabwe will have a literacy rate of 70% in 2020. At this stage, it seems unlikely that Zimbabwe still has the highest literacy rate in Africa, with the more reliable estimates from Botswana (85%) and Tunisia (87%) probably surpassing it,” it states.
Zimbabwe Reads observes what it refers to as “a very disturbing tendency” of high rate of children dropping out of school since 2005 where it states that about 15% of the country’s children never enter the school system while a further 30% never make it to secondary schools.
According to the organization, the number of patrons in almost all the libraries in the country continue to decrease since the late 80s with the current figures standing at as less as half the 1989 figures. “In 1989, there were more than 150,000 registered public library users using 76 public libraries. The user numbers for 2011 are certainly less than half of that. The Bulawayo Public Library reported 10,289
patrons for the year preceding July 2011; the National Free Library had 8016 patrons (but only 250 paid the registration fee to borrow).”
The organization has also noted that most libraries in the country carry materials that are published only in English at the neglect of local languages estimating fewer than 50 titles in indigenous languages. Most books with titles in local languages are reported to have been published long ago and have been kept in stock by local
bookshops like Mambo Press.
The Zimbabwean government and UNESCO reports that the country has a literacy rate of more than 90% with the current Minister of Education David Coltart intensifying efforts to restore the education sector which had sharply declined as a result of the economic meltdown which characterized the country for a period spanning to more than a decade.
Meanwhile the United Kingdom through its Department of International Development (DFID), has injected 24 million pounds (around 38 million USD) into the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Zimbabwe, to support the country’s second phase of the Education Transition Fund (ETF II) which is a multi-donor pooled fund set up at the inception of the inclusive government in 2009 by Education, Sports, Arts and Culture Minister David Coltart in partnership with UNICEF in a bid to bridge the sector’s funding gap from emergence to recovery.

Harare(ZimEye)-Socialist firebrand Munyaradzi Gwisai who is also a University lecturer has been sentenced to 420 community service coupled with a $500 fine on allegations of conspiring to cause public violence.
Jarabini suspended twelve months on condition that they performed community service and a further twelve months was suspended on condition that the accused persons does not within a period of five years commit an offence of the same nature on top of paying a $500 fine failure of which the accused persons would serve the alternative sentence which is ten months.
In passing sentence Harare magistrate Kudakwashe Jarabini considered the six accused persons’ carrier objectives leading to what he referred to as a lenient sentence but went on to point that the facts tendered by the six accused as mitigation was not an a justification for them to committee offences.

Responding to the court’s verdict, defense lawyer Aleck Muchadehama notified the court of his intention to appeal against both sentence and conviction at the high court.
In his submissions Muchadehama applied for time to pay which was successfully granted. The accused persons were ordered to pay the fine by the 26^th of March while the community service would commence on 30 March after the application for the suspension of the community service is heard on 26 March.
Meanwhile a number of University of Zimbabwe students were have been arrested while celebrating the non-custodial sentence handed down to their lecturer and his accomplices. The students were singing and ululating at the court entrance inviting the police to disperse them and other leaders of the civil society including the militant Secretary General of ZCTU Raymond Majongwe.
Addressing journalists after the court session, Muchadehama said he remained hopeful that he would succeed in his application at the high court.
Gwisai together with 44 other labour activists was arrested on February 19 last year at Zimbabwe Labour Centre, at Number 43 Julius Nyerere Way in Harare where they were charged with treason a charge which was to be later altered to lesser serious charge of conspiring to cause public violence after the state failed to prove its case.(ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

(Harare)There was drama on Tuesday when two factions of Upfumi Kuvadiki, a youth empowerment pressure group aligned to President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) violently clashed at a press conference in the capital, as they fought each for the control of the organisation.
The two groups clashed over a number of issues among them: the South African company-EasyPark company deal, control of the retail sector, as well as the involvement of youths in mainstream business opportunities.
The press conference had been called by the Alson Darikayi led faction clad in Julius Malema style regalia which comprised of a cap inscribed with the 88 year old President Mugabe’s signature.
Halfway into the conference the Pedzisai Sakupwanya led faction led by Tatenda Marodza (Secretary General) then stormed the venue, violently disrupted and looted the other faction’s banners and refreshments at the full glare of the media. The chaos reached a boiling point that there was a possibility of degeneration into a physical fight.

Sakupwanya faction members climbed on tables in a barbaric manner leaving Darikayi and his entourage shell shocked before plucking off banners, stealing sweets and drinks meant for the conference.
Journalists also had to scurry for cover after some of the Sakupwanya group members threatened to beat them up for paying attention to Darikayi, he ordered journalists to leave or else they face unspecified action.
Sakupwanya’s faction is reported to be backed by the Youth Empowerment and indigenization Minister Savior Kasukuwere of Zanu (PF) while Darikayi’s faction is backed by the party’s secretary for administration Dydmus Mutasa.
According Sakupwanya, Darikayi has been fighting through a parallel structure that he formed and misled the people into believing that he is the legitimate leader yet he is not.
“Darikayi is the only member from Upfumi Kuvadiki whom we have realized but not as President of the organization but rather as the spokesperson. He is misrepresenting himself to the media and our members that he is the leader of this thing,” said Sakupwanya.
On the other hand Darikayi’s faction accused Sakupwanya’s faction of trying to hijack a project where they had been rejected by the Board of Trustees due to their alleged corrupt activities.
“Sakupwanya seized to be the President of this organization last year when his executive was dissolved on allegations of corruption paving way for a Darikayi led interim committee which was later adopted as the substantive committee to this day,” said a member of the Darikayi faction.
Darikayi’s group said it was 100% behind the ageing dictator President Robert Mugabe in his economic Empowerment initiative but said his group was not as violent as the Sakupwanya faction whose behavior was described as rowdy by the Darikayi faction Secretary General, one Withus Tatenda Masunda.
“Can we allow such a rowdy behavior in the name of indigenisation? And throw out our respect and dignity? What we are saying as Upfumi Kuvadiki as opposed to this group of violent thugs is that we approach the government over our concerns rather than violently take over companies without following due process,” he said.
Darikayi’s Secretary General said the reason why authorities have not been taking the youths seriously was because of the militant approach that is being used by the groups.
Upfumi Kuvadiki has over the years threatened to takeover companies to “empower the youths” and among the entities: Econet Zimbabwe owned by an indigenous Zimbabwean, Strive Masiyiwa. The same group looted property worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from shops belonging to foreigners at the popular Gulf Complex in Harare. (ZIMBABWE, ZimEye)

Masvingo(ZimEye)-An MDC employee was arrested last Sunday for allegedly possessing details of military commanders accused of leading the bloody 2008 presidential election runoff campaign.
Shepherd Mazorodze who is based at Harvest House-the MDC Headquarters in Harare- was arrested in Gutu and charged with undermining police confidence in the national army. The police alleged he was in possession of documents containing names of army generals who allegedly perpetrated a reign of terror in the 2008 sham presidential election runoff.
Mazorodze appeared before Masvingo magistrate Learnmore Mapiye Mpandasekwa Thursday. He was charged under the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act) for publishing and communicating falsehoods about the Zimbabwe National Army. Facts of the state case are that Mazorodze was arrested by the police after being found in possession of documents for the purpose of publishing information that the army provided uniforms to the youth militia, operated bases and supplied AK 47 rifles for the purpose of causing terror in the rural areas.
The state led by Sivaziso Mpome further alleged that the documents contained details of torture harassment and murder of MDC supporters in 2008 ahead of the presidential election runoff. It is alleged Mazorodze wanted to expose top army generals reportedly involved in acts of terror in 2008.
Mazorodze, who is being represented by Collin Maboke of Mwonzora and Associates, has since denied the charges. He will be back in court on 30 April.
Below is a list supplied to ZimEye showing some of the soldiers deployed
The list shows the province, district or constituency in which the soldier will be based and the name of the soldier:
Harare Metropolitan Province – AVM Karakadzai
Bulawayo Province – Col. C. Sibanda
Bulawayo central – Maj. J. Ndhlovu, Maj. J. Ncube
Manicaland and Mutare South – Brig. Tarumbwa
Buhera Central – Col. Morgan. Mzilikazi (MID)
Buhera North – Maj. L. M. Svosve
Buhera South – Maj. D. Muchena
Buhera West – Lt. Col. Kamonge, Major Nhachi
Chimanimani East – Lt. Col. Murecherwa
Chimanimani West – Maj. Mabvuu
Headlands – Col. Mutsvunguma
Makoni North – Maj. V. Chisuko
Makoni South – Wing Commander Mandeya
Mutare Central – Lt. Col. Tsodzai, Lt. Col. Sedze
Mutare West – Lt. Col. B. Kashiri
Mutare North – Lt. Col. Chizengwe, Lt. Col. Mazaiwana
Mashonaland Central – Brig. Gen. Shungu
Bindura South – Col. Chipwere
Bindura North – Lt. Col. Parwada
Muzarabani North – Lt. Col. Kazaza
Muzarabani South – Maj. H. Maziri
Rushinga – Col. F. Mhonda, Lt. Col. Betheuni
Shamva North – Lt. Col. Dzuda
Shamva South – Lt. Col. Makumire
Midlands Province – AVM Muchena, Brig. Gen. S. B. Moyo, Lt Colonel Kuhuni
Chirumhanzu South – Maj T. Tsvangirai
Mberengwa East – Col. B. Mavire
Mberengwa West – Maj T. Marufu
Matebeleland South – AVM Abu Basutu
Beit Bridge East – Group Cpt. Mayera, Rtd. Maj. Mbedzi, Lt. Col. B. Moyo
Gwanda South – Maj J. D. Moyo
Gwanda Central – Maj. B. Tshuma
Matopo North – Lt. Col. Maphosa
Matebeleland North – Brig. Gen. Khumalo
Binga North – Maj E. S. Matonga
Lupane East – Lt Col. Mkwananzi
Lupane West – Lt Col. Mabhena
Tsholotsho – Lt. Col. Mlalazi
Hwange Central – Lt. Col P. Ndhlovu
Masvingo Province – Maj. Gen. E. A. Rugeje
Bikita West – Maj. B. R. Murwira
Chiredzi Central – Col G. Mashava
Chiredzi West – Maj. E. Gono
Gutu South – Maj. Chimedza
Masvingo – Lt. Col. Takavingofa
Mwenezi West – Lt. Col. Muchono
Mwenezi East – Lt. Col. Mpabanga
Zaka East – Maj. R. Kwenda
Mash West Province – Brig. Gen. Sigauke
Chinhoyi – Col Gwekwerere
Chegutu East – Lt. Colonel W. Tutisa
Hurungwe East – Lt. Col. B. Mabambe
Mhondoro Mubaira – Col. C. T. Gurira
Zvimba North – Cpt. T. Majongwe
Mashonaland East – Rtd. Brig Gen Rungani
Chikomba Central – Lt. Col. Marara
Goromonzi North – Lt Col. Mudzimba, Maj F. Mbewe
Marondera Central – Maj. Gen. Chedondo (COSG), Lt. Col B. Kashiri
Marondera West Squadron Leader – U. Chitauro
Murehwa South – Maj. Gurure
Murehwa North – Lt. Col. Mukurazhizha, Lt. Col. Chinete
Gutu North-Retired Colonel Mutero Masanganise
Gutu South-Colonel Muchechetere
(ZIMBABWE, ZimEye)

Clueless invaders have moved into the animal habitat, Ruware Ranch in Chiredzi.
ZimEye can reveal that invaders at the weekend had already set up permanent shelter structures in the dry nature conservancy area designated by government for wild animal habitation.
The ranch is situated on arid soil which is not suitable for crop making.
The invasions continue despite a government order by Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi that anyone caught doing so would be arrested.

Attempts to reach Minister Mzembi were fruitless at the time of writing as he was said to be out of the country.
PHOTOS:
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(London)A fiery critic of President Robert Mugabe, the Uganda-born clergyman John Sentamu, is set to take over the highest post in the powerful Church of England organisation as the current leader the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams has now resigned.
Rowan Williams, now aged 61, will leave at the end of December in time to start his new role at a local university in 2013.
At the time of writing John Sentamu  had been named as the leading favourite in the line of nominations for Britain’s most powerful post.
The UK’s Prime Minister, David Cameron is to announce the new leader after being handed the “preferred person’s name” by the Church’s appointments commission, which is made up of three clergy and three members of the laity.
Sentamu is well known for a vow he made  in December 2007 when he made history by cutting off his ‘holy’ clerical collar on live television and declared that he would not wear the ceremonial sacrament again until Mugabe is gone:
“As far as I am concerned, from now on I am not going to wear a dog collar until Mugabe is gone.” Since the 2007-vow, Sentamu has remained true to his convictions and has for the past few years been seen as the only church leader without the ‘holy’ white collar.
Sentamu’s great chances to succeed Williams are now almost certain having been challenged by only one person: the Bishop of London who is viewed as less qualifying because of ideological differences on women ordination, a technicality which automatically places Sentamu as the most ideal replacement for Williams. The Bishop of London Rev Richard Chartres is recorded telling clergymen in the church heirarchy that the move to remove Williams and promote Sentamu could be beneficial for the Church. A source quoted by the UK Telegraph newspaper said: “Richard has been saying it’s time for Rowan to stand down so that Sentamu can take over but can’t have forgotten that he’s the same age as Sentamu. He would have just as good a chance of becoming archbishop given his connection with the royal family, but the only problem is his opposition to women’s ordination.”

A church of England source last year announced that Dr Williams as far back as 2011 had already planned to declare his resignation soon after the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
This could allow for John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, to succeed him.
Another senior source in the church of England told ZimEye in Wakefield that Sentamu is certain to take over the post beign a favourite of many Anglicans.
The church of England is a thorny issue to both Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom as a president Robert Mugabe-loyal bishop has in the past few years been seizing church property and disturbing church services with the help of state police. It is believed that when Sentamu takes over the church leadership, he may influence events against Mugabe’s more than 30 year-rule over the nation. (ZimEye)

London(ZimEye)A young Zimbabwean girl has made all proud by winning a special London award in recognition of her artistic works for climate change awareness.
Celeste Chinyanga, daughter to UK based Zimbabwean science scholar Martin Chinyanga, won first price for the draft poster image deemed as best to inspire ‘green’ awareness.
The Deputy Mayor of London personally awarded Celeste Chinyanga with the first price award.
Celeste who is curently in year two, was handed her award whose surname though was misspelt as Chinyango.
Photos of Celeste show how passionate she is on science, art, and conservation.

The summary verdict on the much awaited findings and conclusions from the inquest into retired General Solomon Mujuru’s death has finally been revealed.
The verdict comes exactly 7 months after the mysterious death of Zimbabwe’s most decorated army general Solomon Mujuru(pictured) who died in an unexplained fire which gutted his house on the 16th August 2011.
The Mujuru family lawyer Takhor Kewada revealed the summary verdict made by magistrate Walter Chikwanha.

“We are no better off than before the inquiry started,” Kewada was quoted by the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme.
Exactly 213 days after the tragic death of Ret’d General Solomon Mujuru, the Mujuru family are still demanding answers and clues to what may have happened to Zimbabwe’s highly decorated army general. They are now demanding that Mujuru’s body be exhumed.
“The authorities should allow us to exhume the body and get the pathologist we wish to call to examine the body,” Kewada said.
The detailed report remains top secret as revelations that it is now fully ready but will not be made public in the near future having been handed over to the Attorney General Johannes Tomana.
Harare regional magistrate Walter Chikwanha who presided over the inquest submitted the report to  Tomana, Thursday.
Johannes Tomana confirmed receiving the report, but said he would not make it public as he has to study the determination. “I can confirm I received the findings this morning and I need time to go through the results before making any announcement on the matter, he said,” Tomana said
Solomon Mujuru died on the 16th-17th of August, last year in a mysterious house fire that burnt his body to a crisp yet leaving the wall paint next to the body pure white in colour. Shortly following his death police in Harare were instructed to maintain silence and not to communicate to the media about their findings.

Contrary to protests from readers who have dismissed Prime Minister Morgan Richard Tsvangirai’s holding of a doctorate certificate, it is accurate that the PM holds a Doctorate of Laws, ZimEye has been told.
Some readers attacked ZimEye over a story pertaining Tsvangirai’s birthday party in Masvingo which had photographs of MDC-T members as they carried a large portrait of the PM marked: “Happy Birthday- Dr Richard Morgan Tsvangirai.” Others who called ZimEye suggested that the photos were computer-manufactured.
But ZimEye has been told that the PM “was conferred with an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by Pai Chai University when he visited South Korea recently. Tsvangirai’s is the 13th such honorary degree conferred to an individual in the 125-year history of this United Methodist Church institution”

A reading on Tsvangirai’s website also states that: “Pai Chai University is ranked 8th out of the 400 institutions of higher learning in the Republic Korea and is regarded as a centre of technological excellence in the Korean peninsula.”

BULAWAYO (ZimEye) – IN a spine chilling incident, a Bulawayo man chopped his wife’s skull into pieces before turning her hands into minced flesh using a machete on early Monday morning.
Bulawayo acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Precious Simango confirmed the incident.
The 33-year old man even tried to commit suicide but failed and was rushed to Mpilo Hosiptal.
The grisly murder occurred after a heated debate over an undisclosed matter when the husband Goodman Nyoni, viciously attacked his wife, Miriam Takavingofa Nyoni, 34, a mother of two children aged five and six.
The gruesome killing which happened at Block 37/1212 in Mpopoma has become the talk of the city with residents expressing shock over the sad incident while other neighbours wept uncontrollably at the sight of the Miriam’s body which was reduced to pieces.
When police visited the home, Miriam’s body was covered in a pool of blood while blood was splashed on the doors, walls, evidence of a gruesome and ruthless murder.
Women were whispering softly to each other with some vowing that if marriage was that horrible, they would not allow their daughters to marry.
Nyoni, who was under police guard at Mpilo Hospital, declined to talk to the press.
But police spokesperson Simango said: “We are investigating a case of murder which involves a man and his wife who were on separation. The husband had moved out of the house and left the wife staying with their two children. Nyoni had earlier on visited the woman and found the gate and doors locked as the whole family had gone to church. He waited for them and when they returned, he later on joined them for supper.

“After supper, the maid and the two children retired to bed, leaving Nyoni and Mrs Nyoni in the lounge. At around 11pm the maid was awakened by screams of the deceased but went back to sleep after Nyoni convinced her that they were just talking and there was nothing to worry about.
“It is believed that the man had already killed his wife by that time. He called his elder brother and told him that there was a problem. The brother then headed to Mpopoma sensing that there could be danger.”
Musasa, a women’s organisation regional manager Lindile Ndebele condemned the case of domestic violence. (Zimbabwe, ZimEye)

Gutu(ZimEye)-Gutu Central Constituency legislator, Honourable Oliver Chirume has dismissed media reports that he was arrested on domestic violence charges as baseless and unfounded.
Honourable Chirume last week described recent media claims that he had been arrested for allegedly assaulting his wife Eunice Chifeva as sensational and devoid of truth. He was referring to a report published by a local weekly newspaper that claimed the legislator had bashed his wife and was later arrested.
“There are people who are trying to use the media to black list me but I will not be deterred by such reports. I was shocked to read that I had been arrested and that is unfounded. I know that my political enemies are determined to demonize me. The article is meant to create the impression that I am a social renegade. I will not focus on stories based on heresy, “said Honourable Chirume.
Honourable Chirume, who is also the MDC youth chairman for Masvingo Province said he was aware there were people who were battling to tarnish the image of the party.
“By portraying me as a hooligan it would create an impression that the MDC is full of reckless individuals and social rebels –yet that is not the case. I am too used to these cheap political moves. Last year some people alleged that I was hatching a plan to petrol bomb the 41 army barracks in Gutu.It is all part of well calculated efforts to destabilize our march towards democratic change. I never assaulted my
wife and I will not do that. We are a party of excellence and that should be reflected all the time, “said Honourable Chirume.

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai turned 60 at the weekend while on his tour of the ancient city of Masvingo, and a party was held for him. PHOTOS:
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A Harare man tomorrow begins an indefinite hunger strike that he said will not stop until the Mugabe controlled government changes its ways, bring back the rule of law, and release political prisoners.
David T Hwangwa, 24, a Rhodes University graduate, has declared that he and others will not eat food until the government has heeded their call.
Hwangwa is scheduled to begin his hunger strike just after midnight and himself together with backers are set to go without food indefinitely.
It was not clear how many people are joining Hwanga.
The protest action is titled: Strike for Peace, Justice and Freedom HUMAN RIGHTS FOR ALL 2012, and will be launched at the Africa Unity Square Gardens in Harare. The Hunger Strike will go indefinitely until the principals in the Zimbabwe Global Political Agreement (GPA) attend to the petitions listed on his promotional material reprinted below
·         An end to Human Rights abuses
·         An end to political violence
·         Prosecution of perpetrators of violence
·         Peaceful hosting of political rallies by political parties, giving each and every party an equal chance to conduct their rallies without the use of intimidation or bias by the law enforcement agents
·         A stop to the use of youths to act as perpetrators for violence on behalf of the political parties
·         The disbanding of the Chipangano group
·         Violent invasion of the remaining farms still owned by the white farmers and the intimidation henceforth to the members of the Commercial Farmers Union
·         An end to violation of women’s rights
·         A free and fair election that guarantees the respect of people’s freedom and fundamental rights
·         A recognition of minority rights
·         The release of Solomon Madzore

MasvingoZimEye)-The province`s largest medical institution, Masvingo Provincial Hospital, has closed down its X-ray services due to shortage of radiographers.
Masvingo Provincial Medical Director, Robert Mudyiradima last week
said the shortage of radiographers forced the giant medical institution to close down its X-ray services .This means patients will have to visit private clinics for X-ray services -although they charge astronomical prices that are beyond the reach of the majority of the patients. The situation is critical and health experts have warned the move could jeopardize the lives of hundreds of patients across the province. Private hospitals charge between $ 50 and $70 dollars for X-ray services compared to only $ 30 for similar services at Masvingo Provincial hospital.
Dr Mudyiradima said the giant medical institution is the referral centre for at least 2 million people across the province. He said the big hospital had been operating without radiographers for more than two years.
“There are no radiographers and the situation has been like that for more than two years. We were looking at one X-ray operator whom we must commend for his dedication to duty despite the setbacks. When he decided to go on leave we had to plead with him to cut short his leave days since we had no other alternative, “he said.
He added:”We sincerely regret what happened because the situation is really bad and it greatly affects the patients. It is sad to note that such a big hospital had to look up to one X-ray operator.”
He lamented bureaucratic tendencies adding bottle necks were hampering the recruitment of qualified personnel at the institution. He said the person who was suitably qualified for the job left the hospital two years ago- further creating woes in the X-ray department.
“The X- ray operator, Mr Sithole has an abnormal schedule that sees
him working on a daily basis without a break, “he said.
Loreen Mubayiwa of Rujeko suburb in Masvingo said she visited the hospital several times hoping to get an X-ray but her efforts came to naught as she was constantly referred to private clinics –yet she could not afford the money. (ZIMBABWE, ZimEye)

Harare(ZimEye)The capital city Harare’s typhoid situation is set to continue after it emerged that drainage water is now flowing into people’s houses through to their bedrooms.
The Harare Residents’ Trust told ZimEye that there is poor drainage piping along the roads which is leading to water flowing into residents’ houses especially areas around Third Circle.
This has compounded the health situation in the capital where it has recently been proven that drinking water is contaminated with faeces flowing into the water resevoirs, facts which the Harare city council however continues to deny. Commentators argue that the recent typhoid outbreak has been facilitated by the water problem.
“The quality of water continues to be a concern for the residents as it is smelly, especially in the morning and has visible impurities. Residents now prefer borehole water and the one borehole that has been sunk in the suburb is insufficient”, said the HRT in a statement.;
Below are some of the latest vivid images reportedly from the Sunningdale area, 4 kilometres from the CBD area, of this appaling state of the capital city’s surbubs. The images show pale coloured drainage water flowing like a natural river into residential stands through paths where people walk and children play.

(Birmingham)The MDC-T party does not condone homosexuality, the party’s organising secretary, who is also Zimbabwe’s minister of Information and Technology, Nelson Chamisa has said.
Speaking at a recently held rally in Birmingham on Saturday, Chamisa said that his party is very clear on the subject of homosexuality. Said Chamisa:
“We are clear on this. Very clear. We don’t believe that a man should marry another man. We dont believe that a woman should marry another woman. We believe that God created men and women for a particular reason. In fact you know Soddom and Gommorrah were actually candidates for destruction because of doing exactly that. But we are also conscious of the fact that we should not be the judge of people’s character. In as much as we feel it is not good for a man to marry another man, let the choice be an individual’s choice …let the people’s be the people’s choice.”
He said that Morgan Tsvangirai has been consistent on this thorny matter.
“That is what the president has always said. He clarified this it all over again…,” he said.
Chamisa’s comments follow recent controversies which were triggered last year after Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and leader of the party, claimed to a BBC journalist that gay rights will be supported in Zimbabwe’s constitution. This was interpreted as a contradiction to Tsvangirai’s earlier declarations.
Chamisa was responding to questions directed to him by journalists in Birmingham on Saturday. (ZIMBABWE, ZimEye)

Harare(ZimEye)He may have been involved in a fatal accident, but the ZANU PF legislator for Guruve South Edward Chindori Chininga, is now recovering in hospital, ZimEye has been told.
The legislator who got trapped for more than half an hour in his Mercedes Benz car following a tragic accident that claimed one life, is now at Harare’s West End Hospital, as at the time of writing.
The accident which occurred about 50km from Harare along Guruve road, close to 5km from Harare-Bindura road, became the speculation of some websites as people claimed that certain colleagues in Chindori Chininga’s party, ZANU PF were behind the accident. But ZimEye which broke the story arrived on the scene within 15 minutes of the accident occuring and witnessed the legislator battling as he remained trapped in his vehicle with yet a drip supply attached to his body. Our Guruve senior correspondent however did not observe any evidence of foul play at the scene.
So fatal was the accident however that an unnamed woman died on the spot and the legislator’s mercedes benz was marred beyond recognition.

Speaking in the aftermath of the accident, the ZRP National Traffic police spokesperson Inspector Tigere Chigome said the injured were taken to Concession Hospital while Chindori Chininga was later taken to West End Hospital in Harare.
They were all reported to be in stable conditions, while the body of the woman who died in the accident was taken to Concession Hospital mortuary.
Insp Chigome said the driver of the pick-up truck tried to overtake a commuter omnibus. The driver of the kombi is reported to have accelerated resulting in the collision.
“The commuter omnibus driver sped off after the accident. Investigations are still in progress to ascertain the cause of the accident,” Insp Chigome said.
The Benz and truck were extensively damaged.
Chindori Chininga’s young brother Mr Victor Chindori-Chininga was quoted stating: “I was told that the truck driver failed to avoid the Mercedes Benz when he tried to overtake a commuter omnibus.
“When the kombi driver saw that the accident was imminent, he accelerated leaving the two vehicles.”

Mazoe(ZimEye)The ZANU PF MP for Guruve South who was recently fired from COPAC after ZANU PF Secretary General Didymus Mutasa accused him of leaking secrets to the opposition MDC party, Edward Chindori Chininga, has been involved in a car accident, ZimEye can exclusively reveal.
The MP was caught up in a life threatening road traffic accident that left him bleeding profusely and at the time of writing police officers were standing helplessly at the scene as the legislator remained trapped inside the vehicle.

The accident occured about 50km from Harare along Guruve road, close to 5km from Harare-Bindura road.

The MP also had an emergency drip supply being administered owing to the excessive bleeding.
His vehicle collided with a certain 4×4 pick up truck on his way to Harare.
Other accident victims were rushed to hospital, leaving behind Chindori Chininga still trapped inside his car.
More to follow (Zimbabwe, ZimEye)

Harare(ZimEye)A Carpenter who allegedy joked that President Robert Mugabe would not have the puff to blow his birthday balloons during the Head of state’s 21st celebrations last week, has been arrested.
The Carpenter was arrested while sipping a pint of beer in a bar as he watched the Mutare celebrations live on national TV.
The Lawyers for Human Rights organisation said Wednesday the man who was not named, has been charged for insulting and undermining the authority of the country’s president.

People who called the police to the ‘scene’ in the bar claim that they heard the joiner referring to Mugabe’s deteriorating health and sounded doubts that he would manage to inflate a balloon.
He was arrested swiftly before leaving the bar and is to reappear in court March 12 when he might be fined if found guilty.
This is not the first time that a Zimbabwean citizen has been brought before the courts on such allegations. Recently three Chiweshe men were dragged to court facing charges of undermining the authority of the President as provided for in Section 33 (2) b) of the Criminal Law, Codification and Reform Act while more including the MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora, legislator for Nyanga North were incarcerated on the same allegations. In August last year, a Bindura man was hauled before the courts for allegedly calling Mugabe ‘a dog’ among other things. (ZimEye)

Harare(ZimEye)An MDC-T MP who recently typed unprintable obscene insults towards a Zimbabwean internet protege Barbara Nyagomo, has reportedly denied ever typing the detestable words.
MP Perez Hamandishe Maramwidze who also labels himself a Messianic Pastor, reportedly claimed to a journalist a few days ago that he did not type the unprintable words. He was quoted stating:
“I do not know what is happening at the moment. I have received several calls from people asking about this issue.
“The facebook account is mine but I do not know who posted that message but I suspect that there is politics at play.”
But speaking to ZimEye, MP Perez Hamandishe Maramwidze confirmed his bitter

altercation with Barbara Nyagomo. He even went on to suggest that it was Nyagomo who had abused him and failing to make proof of his allegations against Nyagomo, Maramwidze soon hung the phone in the middle of the teleconversation. See: Outrage as MDC MP spits vulgar on Facebook
The MDC-T MP brought his party into gross disrepute and was blasted by many on the social networking website. Wrote one collegue on the website:
“This is a shame, thats why cant progress, many of the MDCT socalled leaders behave just the same and we need deal with it. The party cannot build a stronger country where its own party is weak, its MPS engage in all kinda misbehaving and they get away with in No” (Zimbabwe, ZimEye)
 

BULAWAYO (ZimEye)-A 29-YEAR OLD Bulawayo man stabbed his close friend to death with a kitchen knife following an argument over headphones.
According to police spokesman Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo, the spin-chilling incident happened on Sunday at around 10pm when the two-Zukho Mazinyane, 29, and Erick Sikhosana, 25, were from a beer binge.
They stayed together as close friends at 2299 Old Pumula and they were sucked in a bitter quarrel over headphones before exchanging blows.
Moyo added that Mazinyane then drew a kitchen knife and stabbed Sikhosana three times before he escaped through a window. Sikhosana, who was bleeding profusely, was rushed to hospital but died before arrival.
The police spokesman said Mazinyane has since been arrested and would be dragged to court soon.
“This murder could have been avoided; we discourage people from engaging in violence over trivial issues,” said Moyo. (Zimbabwe, ZimEye)

BULAWAYO (ZimEye)-ZANU PF activists who forcibly occupied a building in central Bulawayo have been ordered by High Court judge Justice Martin Makonese to vacate the premises within 48hours.
A group of marauding youths invaded Elons Court under the guise of the indigenisation policy but property owners Khalil and Shabeira Gaibei sought the High Court for redress.
Justice Makonese said if the youths fail to vacate the building within 48hours, then the Deputy Sherriff would be instructed to effect the eviction.

“The respondents be and are hereby interdicted from disturbing the applicants’ vacant and peaceful possession of Elons Court, Bulawayo,” reads part of the judgment.
“The respondents and all those claiming through them be and are hereby interdicted from denying the applicants or their authorized agents access to the premises.
The judge said the war veterans and Zanu PF youths had no lease to allow them occupy the building.
He added: “Their occupation is unlawful and this court cannot condone an act of illegality.”
(Zimbabwe, ZimEye)

(Johannesburg)Zimbabwe will no longer be represented in this year’s Mr Gay World after the man who intended to compete finally withdrew from the contest.
Taurai Zhanje, who last week was verbally attacked by many from his local community, pulled out of the contest citing personal reasons.
His decision comes after it was revealed that in December last year the first-ever Mr. Gay Namibia, one Hamutenya, was assaulted by men who demanded his winnings soon after he was crowned.

The competition says it aims “to advance national and international gay rights through education and public performance”.
Zhanje’s intentions had been celebrated by many organisations in the gay community. The Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe had issued a statement following Zhanje’s announcement:
GALZ wishes to congratulate Taurai Zhanje on entering the Mr Gay world Pageant to be held in Johannesburg South Africa .Being one of only four African contestants and the first from Zimbabwe is a historical feat that we are extremely proud of. Taurai naturally becomes our ambassador and role model for the Zimbabwean Gay Community. With the intense climate of homophobia existing in Zimbabwe and the restrictive legislation that makes it difficult for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender people to be open about their sexuality and to use public space in safety, Taurai has exhibited immense courage and boldness by entering the Mr. Gay World contest.
The “Mr Gay World” Director for Africa, Coenie Kukkuk said: “We are sad to loose Taurai, but in Africa, the personal sacrifice for gay and human rights is sometimes too much to expect from people. Taurai already made a very brave stand against the oppression of the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual and intersex persons and we have to respect his decision. We wish him and his family only the best for the future.”
Kukkuk said that they will explore all avenues to find another country from Africa to take Zimbabwe’s place, but that the general political climate in Africa is not conducive to LGBTI rights being recognised and that it will be very difficult to do so.
Recently, at an African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has urged African leaders to respect gay rights.
The Mr Gay World competition is defined as an annual contest for gay men, seeking to establish ambassadors for LGBT and human rights, with winners of national contests competing as delegates in a variety of categories. It is not a beauty contest and there is no age limit. This competition is the most publicized gay contest in the world and unashamedly uses the attention it garners to focus attention on the plight of LGBTI people worldwide, with the focus in 2012 being on African LGBTIs specifically. The delegate chosen to represent his peers on a global stage will not only have the inner beauty of confidence, self assurance, charisma and natural leadership abilities but he will also take care in his outward appearance. He will also have knowledge of LGBTI general history and recent news.
GALZ has pleaded with Zimbabweans to embrace reality and common rights of those who are gay.
A statement read:
“As GALZ we do not expect every individual Zimbabwean to embrace gay rights or the issue of homosexuality. But we do expect Zimbabweans to understand and promote the fundamental, inalienable and indivisible nature of human rights, including non-discrimination on the basis of race, gender, tribe, culture and sexual orientation. We Salute your bravery and hope that your participation will inspire us all to come out and celebrate our lives despite the very difficult circumstances we live in. Zimbabwe has institutionalised homophobia making it difficult for the LGBTI community to lead positive lives hence we are ecstatic about your participation as it demonstrates the resilient character Zimbabweans generally exhibit in overcoming challenges. We wish you all the best and hope that you will win the ultimate title. The Zimbabwean LGBTI Community is rallying behind you.”
The 2012 Mr. Gay World competition will be held in Johannesburg from 4 to 8 April.

Many London citizens pacing through the Zimbabwean embassy on Saturday instantly fell in love with the sound of the percussion drumming at the Zim Vigil protest in London.
ZimEye witnessed more than 15 Londoners stop by to enjoy the

Zimbabwean drums being palmed by protesters who included others from the Swazi Vigil. Some were seen determinedly penetrating into the crowd as they bounced in splendid African dance.
Many were seen also signing the register whose inclusion rose up to 73 endorsements, while a London company may have thought to make profit from the protest after it swiftly moved in to station its sandwich-making open van outside the embassy here.[flagallery gid=34 name=”Gallery”]
The ZimVigil organisation has been running for more than 10 years as they protest of the political situation in Zimbabwe.
Some of the demonstrators stepped aside to talk to ZimEye and poured their hearts cry to see political change in their nation Zimbabwe.
Photos:

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Victoria Falls(ZimEye)Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai at the weekend said peace was the missing link in Zimbabwe’s growth endeavour as he addressed business leaders on the key issue of ensuring a $100 billion economy in Zimbabwe by 2040.
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai was addressing delegates and business leaders at the CEO Africa Roundtable held Saturday at Victoria Falls where stakeholders in the economy discuss issues that could enable the country to achieve its projected $100 billion economy by 2040.
“But ladies and gentlemen, let me also say that the key ingredient towards growth and sustainable development is peace!
“Peace will unlock all the doors to hidden opportunities.
“Peace and tolerance will ensure that we all live harmoniously, despite our political, tribal and religious differences.

“Peace will always be a key factor today, tomorrow and the day after.
“Peace amongst ourselves will unleash our collective potential and guarantee that we lift each other up, irrespective of whether one runs a small or a big business, or whether one is Zanu PF or MDC.
“Indeed, peace is the missing link in this country.
“We can lay plans, draw up lofty visions, craft comprehensive economic policies but all that can only be achieved in an environment of peace and tolerance.
“So as the leadership of this country, we will strive to create and encourage peace in Zimbabwe so that everyone has the freedom to pursue and live their dreams,” said PM Tsvangirai before he sought to put straight a misqoute of his previous speech by some media houses.
“Last week, I attended the National Day of Prayer for Peace and I was humbled by the thousands of people who turned up to pray for a peaceful Zimbabwe, especially as we go towards the next election.
“I am quite aware that my speech there was misquoted by I will repeat what I said in the full hope that you will agree with me on this one.
“As chief executive officers and key players in business, I urge you to pray for us as the national leadership so that God guides us and gives us the necessary wisdom as we navigate this delicate transition.
“Indeed, President Mugabe and I deserve your prayers as we have been entrusted with the stewardship of this nation.
“Pray for us in your factories, in your homes and in your churches but above all, pray for Zimbabwe so that his land is blessed and that we achieve our collective dreams and aspirations.
“Without God, we are doomed to fail.
“So while we pray for a $100 billion economy by 2040, I also want to say Zimbabwe for Jesus by 2040!”(ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

BULAWAYO(ZimEye)A Zvishavane man who raped a helpless 17-year old girl has had his manhood stay erect for a whole nine days; and has since been admitted at a hospital for special treatment.
Samson Chikoki of 140 Mandava is admitted at Zvishavane District Hospital receiving treatment although he is under heavy prison guard.
Chikoki appeared before Zvishavane magistrate Tavengwa Sangster with his erect manhood and he was remanded to February 28 in custody.
It is the State’s case that Chikoki on February 9 met a 17-year old girl who was stranded in the streets and offered to help her. The girl told the accused that she had no place to stay but Chikoki led the girl to his house although he had initially offered to accommodate her at his mother’s house.
Prosecutor William Man’ombe said at the house, the accused raped the girl twice but the following morning the victim reported the matter to Sophia Mugodhia, a member of the neighbourhood watch committee, who arrested Chikoki two days later.
Although he appeared in court for the incident which occurred on February 9, he was rushed to hospital for treatment for unusual incident, which is suspected to be ulunyoka/runyoka. (Zimbabwe, ZimEye)

A Zimbabwean man has deported after being found guilty of attacking a prostitute, old enough to be his mother.
Wilson Chibasa, 24, was booted out of Canada after being found guilty of attacking a 43 year old prostitute in Abbotsford.
Police have stated that the ‘victim’ in the attack had an uninterupted sex session with Chibasa in an apartment on the 24th September 2010.
The victim soon afterwards demanded payment.
It was upon this juncture that Chibasa refused to pay and ended up attacking the woman and hurling her to the ground and then throwing his fingers at her throat in order to stop her from screaming aloud, as she attempted to cry for help.

“He refused to pay and pushed her to the ground,” investigating officer Constable Ian MacDonald said. “He actually stuck his fingers down her throat as she was trying to call out, which caused her pain and stopped any ability she had to call out for help.”
The woman however soon called police and Chibasa was arrested soon after.
“This is a case where a person at this point in her life may have felt marginalized and disadvantaged, but had the courage to stick up for herself and other women,” MacDonald said. “It was based on her drive and her courage that we were able to bring forward a very strong case against this man.”
“The victim was kept in hospital to ensure her throat didn’t swell and her airway would remain open,” said Constable MacDonald.
Chibasa was airlifted to Zimbabwe in a plane two weeks ago, on the 30th of January 2012.

(Mutare)Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party has resolved to disregard and rubbish the minister of Local Government Ignatius Chombo’s suspension of the mayor of Mutare, and will soon dump the document into a public bin in the sight of all.
In a meeting held at the party’s provincial headquarters at the weekend, the MDC-T party resolved to ignore Chombo’s suspension of Mayor Brian James and as a demonstration of repulsion, to physically dump Chombo’s suspension document into a public bin at the civic centre in the sight of all.
The decision comes as it was revealed that Chombo’s suspension of Clr James is illegal. Mayor Brian James was last week suspended by Local government minister Ignatius Chombo on allegations of misconduct, but Chombo is believed to be fighting hard to remove James, who only recently blocked the sale of land at the Meikles Park to Anjin, a Chinese firm that is mining diamonds in Chiadzwa in partnership with the State owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC).
The MDC-T party at the weekend resolved to continue recognising Clr James as the rightful mayor of Mutare. The party will continue to “engage the mayor on all matters to do with the city of Mutare,” the party said in a statement.

The MDC-T party will also “establish a Party Harmonisation team to establish various issues of concern in the council. The team which will be led by one Hon Mudiwa includes other senior respected leaders-Willas Madzimure, Senator and MDC founding member James Makore, Hon Evelyn Masaiti and attorney David Tandire a prominent Mutare lawyer.
The team was tasked to also: “look into the circumstances sorrounding the fraud charges levelled against Cllr Upare, his relationship with the contractor and why he was paid money by the contractor. The effects of the disappearance of $300 000 dollars on the water project and whether the money would be recovered.

They have been deprived the pleasure of sex for 1,700 years, Roman Catholic Priests together with their Nuns will soon be freed and allowed to marry and enjoy God’s special gift to mankind, a prominent Catholic missionary Priest predicts.
Missionary Priest Fr Shay Cullen who is of Irish origin has claimed that the church will soon abolish celibacy as he described it as a mere ‘business arrangement’ for the Catholic Church, rather than a commandment of God.
Celibacy is a lifeless law imposed by mere human beings not God, hints Fr Shay Cullen, a highly respected Catholic church official who has to date won three Nobel Peace Prize nominations for his work saving children from sexual abuse in the Philippines for the past 40 years.

The world’s oldest Christian institution should now abolish ‘this celibate thing’ and get on with life, argues the prominent priest.
Fr Cullen told Irish broadcaster Gay Byrne on state television station RTE, that celibacy will soon be outdated.
“Celibacy is only a practice mostly to keep property out of the hands of married couples, it’s more sort of a business type of arrangement,
“All of the other Christian churches manage very well. Many Anglicans who were married and had family and children and came over to the Catholics were warmly accepted.
“Now we have many married priests in the Catholic Church and it is working, so why not? It is only another step to abolishing this celibate thing and getting on with life,” he said.
 
Temptation
But for almost 1700 years to date, the Catholic church has imposed that for a person to be a Priest or a Nun they have to be celibate. In Zimbabwe alone the country’s former Archbishop for the southern part of the country, Pius Ncube reportedly fell into temptation of intimacy. This year, a Nun from Matebeleland also left the service merely because she had given in to nature’s call.
 
Child Abuse
Beyond mere temptation and nature, the church’s celibacy requirement is blamed for thousands of child abuse cases which have seen many children across the world being sexually abused by the so called holy men of the cloth.  The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA)  has summed the number of priests with allegations of sexual abuse for the period 1960-2002 to 4,127.
 
HIV Aids
. Another complexity to the matter has been the issue of HIV Aids. A reader on an irish website commented:

(London)Former Chikurubi Maximum Security prisoner Simon Mann has released a book that may serve to reveal what truly transpired with the man who reportedly planned to topple an African government with the help of a Zimbabwean army supply of weapons of war.
The book is titled “Cry Havoc”.
Simon Mann, a former British SAS highly trained officer, was arrested just after receiving the weapons in Harare because of his involvement in the plot to overthrow the ruling tyrant of Equatorial Guinea.
Next month 7th March will mark Mann’s 8th year anniversary since his failed mission attempt when he was arrested at Harare international airport in 2004.

Mann is from a strong military background and had connections in the Zimbabwean army. The book may reveal who Mann was actually friends with, news detail Zimbabwean media failed to obtain.
His paternal grandfather served with the Scots Guards in the Great War and his maternal grandfather served as a senior engineer in the South African Division in World War II.
His father and three uncles also served in the Scots Guards in World War II, his father winning two MCs and a DSO. Born into the Mann brewing dynasty, Simon Mann went to Eton and then Sandhurst. The Scots Guards and the SAS followed. Simon then became a businessman, drifting slowly but surely into the world of security consultancy and intelligence for hire.
Mann rejoined the British Army for the first Gulf War, serving on the staff of General Sir Peter de la Billiere. From there, Simon became an oil man, a move which threw him into the Angolan Civil war in 1993. This was followed by his involvement in the civil war in Sierra Leone form 1994 to 1996.
In 2004, he was arrested in Zimbabwe because of his involvement in the plot to overthrow the ruling tyrant of Equatorial Guinea. Simon has seven children and now lives by the sea with his wife, Amanda. The book can bought from the Amazon website

Former Big Brother celebrity who was also a nurse, Makosi Musambasi in the past 48 hours tweeted a number of encouraging tweets following her deportation to Nigeria by British immigration officials.
Hours after she landed on Nigerian soil, Makosi off-loaded a number of uplifting Biblical tweets on social networking website, Facebook, sometimes appearing as if hitting back at her disappointment with British immigration officials which may actually be her “best opportunity” in disguise.
Some of the tweets read:

 “A crisis separates your critics from your companions.

Former Big Brother contestant and former nurse, Makosi Musambasi(pictured) has been deported from the United Kingdom when she tried to get in using a friend’s passport on her way from Nigeria, The Sun claims.
The controversial television celebrity may have to catch up with violence currently ravaging the Nigerian nation after being banned from entering Britain having been caught with a fake passport and a large tranch of money.
According to the paper, UK Border Agency officers recognised the 31-year-old after she arrived at Heathrow Airport on a flight from Lagos in Nigeria where she is currently living according to the paper.

Makosi was deported after they found the dodgy passport and confiscated £12,000 in cash, which the UKBA is now investigating.
When ZimEye attempted to make obtain a comment from her, it was discovered that even her Facebook account was suspended and could not be viewed at the time of writing.

“Makosi is a refugee, and in a case where they have identified her and established that she has leave to enter the UK, you would think the UK Border Agency would arrest and prosecute her for document fraud,” Nyawanza said.
“It sounds improper that they would simply send her back to Lagos. It could be that she volunteered to return, but I would say in a large majority of such cases she would have been given leave to enter and then prosecuted, if the claims about her using a relative’s passport are true.”
Makosi came third in Big Brother 6 a few years ago and performed a nude scence on the show causing outrage in the Zimbabwean community, later returning to the house for Ultimate Big Brother, but still  did not make it to the final contest. (ZimEye-UK)

Manchester(ZimEye)A Zimbabwean woman here was placed into a flat she has said has a ghost inside following furniture and sundry items belonging to the previous tenant the Manchester Council left at the property prior to her moving in.
The house is managed by Manchester Council’s Northwards Housing company who have not removed a previous tenant’s belongings at the property for several weeks .
ZimEye editors were left in multiple-stitches after we were told people had been busy chasing the “Ghost” around the house on Wednesday.
“…(We)are here busy chasing the chipoko(ghost)”, one woman who had been assisting LS said. “Its here, its busy breaking things and the council is saying there is nothing they can do,” she said.
The woman LS(REAL NAME WITHELD), aged 33, who is a single mum of one, has been living at the property for the past month and told ZimEye her terror at the alleged “Ghost”:
“I am having sleepless nights with my child. I can’t even sleep,” she said.

“When I moved in, I told them…that this is the situation, but they only answered : ‘we have never had complaints about that house,'” she said.
LS claimed that the company’s housing officer however gave two conflicting accounts, one that stated that the previous tenant lived since 1986, and another that the tenant lived for only three years.
“They told me that there was an old lady who lived at the house since 1986, but the same person who talked to me would also tell me that the last person only lived for 3 years, which showed me it was a lie,” she said.
What has been chief in LS’s plight is the fact that the company is still to remove the previous tenant’s belongings more than three weeks after she complained about their presence at the property. The belongings include furniture remains, and picture frames, LS said she even fears touching. “The paintings are extremely weird, ” she told ZimEye.
ZimEye has established that Northwards Housing Company indeed received a complaint more than three weeks ago and LS’s fight to get the items removed continues (ZimEye-UK)

Harare(ZimEye)As Zimbabwean coroner Walter Chikwana turned down an appeal by the family of a late former army general Solomon Mujuru to have his remains exhumed for re-examination by an independent pathologist, it emerged that the current army supremo Constantine Chiwenga provided a strong hint and what may be compelling grounds for an exhumation of Mujuru’s body.
The army boss caused a scene when he connected Mujuru’s death to political violence during the late Gen Mujuru’s funeral parade. This was also the first time in Zimbabwe’s history that a serving army general vocally denounced the practice of violence in Zimbabwe, something that only politicians are known to do.

 
During the procession in August, Chiwenga surprised people by referring to political violence while in the official act of conducting the funeral parade for Mujuru at the One commando barracks in August last year.
Concerned with the horrific level of political violence, the army commander even stated that Mujuru was at the forefront of distilling the political violence, giving a hint that this may have cost the death of Zimbabwe’s most revered retired army General.
“He (Mujuru) was at the fore front of denouncing all forms of violence and I call upon all Zimbabweans to desist from such acts of lawlessness as these violate the core values of the liberation struggle. We must defend what he stood for. We must defend Zimbabwe’s independence and sovereignty at all costs, uphold peace and values that the late general has left us,” Chiwenga said.
Despite Chiwenga’s hint, the commander has been himself accused of instructing junior soldiers during the bloody June 27 2008 Presidential run-off elections to butcher suspected MDC supporters.
Last Friday the Mujuru family lawyer Kewada lodged an application asking magistrate Chikwanha to order that Mujuru’s remains be exhumed so that a professional autopsy can be conducted by the family’s South African pathologist.
This came after Reggie Perumal, the South African forensic scientist hired by the Mujuru family, raised doubts on the hurried autopsy conducted by Cuban pathologist, Gabriel Gonzales Alvero. Perumal said Alvero had not used the appropriate tools and also queried why Alvero did the autopsy when he is not registered in Zimbabwe on the medical practitioners list, a thorny find in the Inquest which stretched into the second week many days further than originally intended.
During the inquest hearings, Kewada repeatedly told the court there were many unanswered questions on how Mujuru’s remains were identified as well as the establishment of the cause of death at his farm last August.
Vice President Mujuru and the widow to the deceased, the last witness (number 39) in the inquest, was not asked to take to the witness’s stand but her affidavit was read in court.
Mujuru, in a written statement to the inquest described the response by fire fighters at the general’s farmhouse as “totally ineffective”.
The fire department told the court earlier the tanks of all its fire trucks leaked water.
In his determination, the magistrate blasted Kewada for attempting to arm twist him into doing what the Inquest act does not empower him to do.
The Mujuru family lawyer Thekor Kewada would soon state that he accepted any criticism against him:
“Whatever criticism was made of me I have got broad shoulders, I take it on,” Kewada also told journalists after the court’s verdict.
“I think we have played our part I will accept the magistrate’s criticism as he puts it. I don’t think he intended to say anything other than saying well ‘look this is what the Act says and what the rules say,” he said.
“What is important is that through the inquest we have managed to reveal important information to the public. Those who have been following the inquest will agree with me. On the issue of the exhumation request yes I am aware that we have to apply to the Ministry of Home Affairs, and we will wait for the recommendations which the presiding magistrate is going to make to the Attorney General before and take it from there,” he said.
Mujuru was found dead after a mysterious fire outbreak which gutted his Beatrice farm house in August last year. He had resigned in the army, entered into politics, and later stepped down as MP in 1995 to concentrate on his private businesses. (ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

(Johannesburg)A man who claims to be a South African musician who died and was buried two years ago is to remain under police custody and be thrust into court after intensive DNA tests proved his identity not to match that of the late singer Khulekani “Mgqumeni” Khumalo.
Police issued a statement that the man(pictured-right) is to face fraud charges after authorities said his fingerprints do not match those of the late Khulekani “Mgqumeni” Khumalo.
Fingerprint matching  identified the man as Sibusiso John Gcabashe, 28.
“The man is currently in custody pending a criminal investigation. Detectives have been questioning the man this morning and are conducting further investigation,” said police spokesman Jay Naicker.
Khumalo died in December 2009 after drinking something he got from a traditional healer. He was buried by his family in the KwaGxobanyawo cemetery in early 2010.
The man who has made claim that he is the late Zulu traditional music singer Khulekani Khumalo, also known as “Mgqumeni,” was seen at the musician’s home last week at Nqutu village in east South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province.

Mgqumeni was South Africa’s second best musician widely adored across the country.
On Sunday the “resurrected” man  addressed thousands of fans who had gathered to see the resurrected Mgqumeni and said that he was not dead but was a victim of witchcraft.
“I have been suffering a lot at the place where I was kept with zombies. It was hell there and I am so grateful that I was able to free myself and return to my family and you, my supporters.”
To add to the mystery, two of his common-law wives and his maternal grandmother told reporters they believed the man was indeed the “dead” musician.
Nomkhosi Mbatha and Thembi Ntombela said that after seeing their “husband” and spending some time with him, they needed no further convincing that it was him.
Khumalo’s daughter, Amanda, said her “father” had been the first to recognise her, calling her by name.
Khumalo’s maternal grandmother Zintombi Mseleku said she knew the moment she set her eyes on her “grandson” that it was him.
“There is no way I can get confused over Kwakhe, it really is him. He is looking a little worn, and his cheeks are less chubby, but it’s him,” she said, her eyes welling with tears of joy.
“I went in and looked at him. I called him and asked him if he knew who I was, and he said, ‘You’re my grandmother, MaSibiya. I looked at his feet and hands and I was satisfied that it is him.”

Staff Reporter|Newsday| The letter authored by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai which leaked to journalists at the weekend is 100% authentic, the MDC leader’s chief of staff Jameson Timba has confirmed.
Timba who is the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, said although the correspondence was authentic, its publication was in breach of the Official Secrets Act and Cabinet rules.
Timba has burst out in rage charging that Sunday Mail journalists breached Official Secrets act by publishing the letter before either Tsvangirai or Mugabe published it, a claim which Presidential spokesperson George Charamba denies and lays blame on Tsvangirai’s MDC party for allegedly leaking the document.

“Indeed the letter in question was delivered to the President on Friday and such correspondence is governed by the Official Secrets Act and the rules of Cabinet, which means the only people who can publish it are the President and the Prime Minister,” he said.
“The publication of that memorandum was against the law and in conflict with known Cabinet rules.
“If they were to publish that information, it would have been proper if they had waited for the President or the Prime Minister to make it public information.”
But Mugabe’s spokesperson George Charamba defended The Sunday Mail and accused officials from the PM’s Office of leaking the memorandum. He claimed the letter had not been delivered to Mugabe.
“Who breached the Official Secrets Act — is it the newspaper which published the document or the people who leaked it? In the first place, nothing came to the President and he did not receive anything from the PM.
“One cannot breach confidentiality on something that does not exist and, as things stand, there was no dispatch from the PM to the President,” Charamba said.
“The PM should be wary of his staff who are betraying his trust and confidentiality,” said Charamba

London(ZimEye)Ex-Zimbabwe policeman Guy Taylor who has endured years of asylum-waiting turmoil in the United Kingdom has failed up to 4 consecutive asylum applications instead of just two as earlier reported, it has emerged.
Taylor told ZimEye that the British government has denied him up to four fresh asylum applications in the past 2 years.
Correcting a recent ZimEye article, Guy Taylor wrote:
“This was actually my fourth refusal!”
Taylor who has shown his papers to ZimEye said he fears
his being of white ethnic origin and a known former employee of the police force will land him in trouble upon returning to Zimbabwe.(ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

A certain journalist or contributor who has been writing for the weekly Zimbabwe Standard newspaper has come under the spotlight following a string of articles whose authenticity has been queried.
The writer sometimes claims he or she is writing from London, and at other times writing from Bulawayo.
ZimEye refused to process an article written by Mr or Mrs Gugugu Magorira, which claimed that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai had been dumped by the European Union following their disappointment of the MDC leader. Magorira’s article sighted a Europe based meeting and afterwards we found out that no such meeting had taken place.
The latest article blocked by ZimEye carried the theme: “We will never forgive Tsvangirai.” It claimed that reknowned activists who were murdered by ZANU militants were themselves terrorists who should not be called heroes.
Some of the articles written by Gugugu Magorira on the Zimbabwe Standard website are:

Tsvangirai leadership under spotlight

Trusting Mugabe, Tsvangirai’s undoing

Harare(ZimEye)The incarcerated MDC-T Youth leader Solomon Madzore would have been a Priest by now had it not been for his decision to drop his religious studies at a seminary to become an employee of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s party in 2000, a Madzore family member has told ZimEye.
The Madzore sibling who declined being named, told ZimEye that the youth leader who captivates people with his unique singing techniques, during the years up to 2000, was attending an unnamed foreign seminary before he it is alleged Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai requested him to return to Zimbabwe and join his newly formed MDC party, and Solomon ‘was promised a senior party position’ following the party’s formation in 1999.
“Solomon was a very clean and devoted person who loved his Bible and used to always give the whole family Bibilical correction whenever we went astray. He was at a seminary when Tsvangirai through my brother Paul asked him to join the party,” she said without disclosing the name of the seminary.

ZimEye was also told that Madzore vowed never to marry and if he saw a family member being mischievous, he would be quick to give firm correction.
“He did not even like girl-friends and if when we would be seen playing with our morals, he would charge and ‘land’ on us.”
After joining politics, Madzore however later married.
It was after Madzore joined the MDC party that he also fell out of favour with President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party who have been arresting both him and his brother Paul annually since 2000. It is believed that they are being deliberately persecuted.
The MDC leader who was arrested last year and has been in prison for months is being charged for the alleged murder of a police officer in Glen View last year. Independent reports gathered to date however state that the officer was killed by unknown revelers after provoking the latter at a beerhall in the high density surbub early last year (ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

Guruve(ZimEye)Mangava village residents of Guruve were left shell-shocked when two men who are also parents in their own right connived to rape an eighteen month-old baby for ritual purposes in a bid to enhance business growth.
Two men: Latemore Masango (26) and Givemore Jokonya (30) were caught in the detestable act, according to state papers.
It is alleged that Givemore Jokonya who is also the village head for Jokonya village sought the assistance of Latemore Masango of Mudoka village to help him in his ordeal of raping the minor from Mangava village so that he could use the blood of the said minor conceived from the breaking of the minor’s membrane to mix with some traditional herbs to use for the growth of his Sadza cooking business in the gold panning area of Mangurenje.
According to Masango, Jokonya runs a sadza cooking business which he supplies to gold panners in the area while at the same time he himself is also a gold panner, and he would take the blood of the minor, mix it with some traditional herbs and conceal it underneath his fire place where he operates his canteen. However Jokonya was reluctant to tell the his side of the story but only to refer to Masango who is his co-accused as a mentally derailed person while the later is accusing his co-accused of the evil plan which led to their arrest.
“He does not want to tell the truth because he knows it was very evil, and he is to blame for my arrest. He had promised to give me five beasts of cattle as part of the payment for my assistance in this deal,” said Masango.
According to the state, Jokonya approached Masango over the deal when they were drinking at Mangurenje Business Centre on the 25th of December with him (Jokonya) promising his accomplice five beasts of cattle out of his total of six. Masango, attracted by the lucrative deal is said to have quickly agreed resulting in the two visiting their victim’s place of residence whose father they had left at the same business center.
Upon arrival, it is when Masango allegedly instilled fear in the minor’s mother resulting in her fleeing her homestead shouting for help while Jokonya stole the baby whom he in no time raped and took her blood with him. After committing the offence, Jokonya is said to have concealed the baby at an unknown place before fleeing. The baby was found alive after two days.
The two accused persons’ luck ran out when Masango dropped his mobile phone during the ordeal leading to his arrest before implicating Jokonya as the main culprit. However Jokonya insists he knows nothing concerning the deal with his reason being that Masango who appears very normal is mentally derailed.
They initially appeared before Guruve provincial magistrate Augustine Borerwe before being handed over to Bindura regional magistrate William Billa who is expected to hear the trial on 7 February this year. (ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

(Harare)The Inquest into the death of the retired General Solomon Mujuru has not ended at all as some private media reported, and on Friday (yesterday) his widow Joice, together with the family pushed an urgent application for the exhumation of the General’s remains, after it was revealed the Cuban pathologist who signed off the General’s body for burial is not even registered in the country and also that he performed a hurried inspection as he avoided vital tests needed to determine the real cause of death.
The atmosphere was tense yesterday Friday as the Mujuru family lawyer, Thakor Kewada, moved a firm request against the judge arguing for the late General’s exhumation.
The Mujuru family-hired South African pathologist Reggie Perumal stated that the Zimbabwe-government employed Cuban forensic pathologist Gabriel Alvero Gonzalez failed to conduct an proper standard autopsy.
Kewada demanded before magistrate Walter Chikwanha that the only way Perumal would be able to determine the real cause of Mujurus death was to have the remains exhumed:
“I think if we are to get to the bottom of this matter and get to know the truth, we must cross every hurdle that has to be crossed.
I do not know why this pathologist was called, my information is that he is not registered here in Zimbabwe and his name does not appear on the registered medical practitioners list” he said.
Kewada said a different forensic outcome was highly likely if an alternative pathologist was used since the Cuban national had not followed standard methods.
“I believe he should give evidence but most importantly after examining the body and conducting a proper autopsy which is in line with the internationally-recognised standards which was not done by Alvero Gonzalez”, Kewada said.
This week it was revealed that the state employed Cuban pathologist, Alvero Gonzalez who stated his findings were that Mujuru was alive when the fire started, did not perform adequate standard tests.
He said that the tracheal mucosa (lining of the body cavities that produce mucus) was red and black inside demonstrating that the deceased was alive when the fire started.  The lungs were severely burnt and could not be recognised. The stomach was burnt and absent and also the pancreas, liver and gall bladder were severely burnt and charred, he said.
However Gonzalez also said that he did not examine the late General’s skull because it was badly burnt, but took a closer look at some parts of the body and noticed a ring on the Generals finger, which was never found. At this time Mujuru lawyer Kewada had asked him why he had not examined the brains since in cases of fire the person’s brain remains gave the best results indications on the cause of death.
“I could not examine the brains because they had been burnt given the intensity of the fire.  The first challenge we had was that we did not have enough instruments, those we normally use, to carry out proper examination, Gonzalez said,” he said.
After Friday’s hearing, Kewada later told to journalists outside the court room that they were now going to take advantage of failure by the state pathologist to establish the cause of his client’s death and so would now apply for the exhumation of the deceased’s body for their independent pathologist Reggie Perumel would make a fresh post-mortem before giving evidence.
“For our pathologist to give practical and credible evidence we strongly believe that an exhumation of the body should be done. An examination should be done properly and thoroughly according to international standards for him not to give theoretical evidence.
Early this week at the inquest’s presiding magistrate Walter Chikwanha put on hold an application by the family of the late Solomon Mujuru which had requested to invite an independent pathologist.
Chikwana who on Monday said was going to consider the application after the testimony of the Cuban pathologist Friday said will make the ruling next week Monday when the inquest resumes.
Earlier in the week, Zimbabwe Republic police Director of the Forensic Science laboratory Bethwell Mutandiro, and a South African Police Services Pretoria expert Klogtlakogmang Ariel Lenong, all told the court that they could not establish the root cause of either the fire or death of the deceased
“When we conducted the body examination at 1 Commando Barracks we observed that the trachea of the deceased had some dark mucus symbolising that he had swallowed some gasses. This also confirms that he swallowed these gases well before his death. This observation does not conclusively confirm that he was indeed killed by these gases.
“One of the challenges we encountered was that we could not take a blood sample from the deceased because his body had been badly burnt to the extent of becoming stiff. We also discovered that some important body parts which could have given us results of his death cause were missing as a result of the intense fire,” Cuban pathologist Gonzalez who examined the body of the late retired Army boss Solomon Mujuru told the court Friday in the ongoing inquest into the death of the retired Army Chief.
The Cuban pathologist also said they did not have enough laboratory equipment of carrying out the operation when they got to the scene of the sad incident.
However the Mujuru hired pathologist Perumel soon left the courts in a hurry before making a personal statement of intention that he was willing to go ahead with an exhumation.
As many questions remain unanswered amid revelations the fire seen in Mujuru’s farm house was not of candle origin as had been earlier claimed by the Police, it is believed the inquest will resume in the upcoming few weeks following an announcement by magistrate Chikwana (ZimEye/ Additional Reporting RadioVop)

Mutare(ZimEye)At least 20,000 Mutare residents have vowed to protest against the suspension of the Mayor of Mutare’s suspension and were seen this week preparing for a mass demonstration.
Mayor Brian James was last week suspended by Local government minister Ignatius Chombo on allegations of misconduct.
MDC-T spokesman for Manicaland, Pishai Muchauraya told ZimEye on Tuesday that the suspension of James was absurd and that over 20 000 people in Mutare have since signed a petition calling for his reinstatement.
“We have written a letter to the police seeking permission to stage the demonstrations from various wards to the government complex where the petition will be handed over to the governor Chris Mushowe,” Muchauraya said.

Muchauraya said Chombo is believed to be fighting hard to remove James, who only recently blocked the sale of land at the Meikles Park to Anjin, a Chinese firm that is mining diamonds in Chiadzwa in partnership with the State owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC).
The Chinese firm wanted to buy land at Meikles Park (which is prime land in the central business district) for peanuts and intended to build an 18 storey hotel which would also house a supermarket and other shops. Chombo had ordered the Mutare City Council to first give the land to Anjin in exchange for state land that the council would get from the government.
“Council defied Chombo’s interference and on top of that James wanted an audit of council books from 2008 to see how many stands have been sold in the city and who,” Muchauraya said.
Meanwhile, Police details from Mutare Central Law and Order Department have twice raided the offices of Hon Misheck Kagurabadza -the MDC Provincial Secretary and MP for Mutasa South Constituency. The first raid was on Thursday last week and the second was carried out yesterday at about 0900hrs. The officers led by Detective Srgt Ngwende were saying they wanted to interview the MP on matters they did not disclose.
Each time the offices were raided, the MP was in Harare on Parliamentary duty.
“Though the reasons for the raids are not known, we strongly suspect that it is a continuation of ZANU PF tactics of persecuting MDC leadership. The MP will however be visiting the police station tomorrow in the company of our lawyers and the entire MDC Provincial leadership,’ said Muchauraya.
“Meanwhile preparations for a demonstration in Mutare against the suspension of the Mayor Brian James are at an advanced stage. Over 20 000 people in Mutare have since signed the petition calling for the reinstatement of the Mayor. We have written a letter to the police seeking permission to stage the demonstrations from various wards to the Government complex where the petition will be handed over to the illegal Governor Chris Mushowe. This will be followed by an address to the protestors by the MDC Provincial leadership,” he said (ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

A female  Malawian student was found dead and her body rapped in a bag in Dublin.
Student and Sunday school teacher Rudo Mawere (26)’s body was found dumped in a bag on a Dublin street.
A passerby located the highly adored student’s body on St David’s Terrace, Blackhorse Avenue, early Sunday. The passerby discovered the woman’s body just after 8.30am at St. David’s Terrace on Blackhorse Avenue beside the Phoenix Park.

The earliest investigations say that she died of asphyxiation.
A Zimbabwean man who reportedly owed Mawere money is suspected to have committed the crime and is feared to have fled Ireland on his way to England or to Zimbabwe via South Africa. Current police speculation is

that the man who shared a home with Mawere on Aughrim Street may have gone into an disagreement over the debt resulting in the suspected murder.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Bridewell Garda Station at 01-666 8200 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

(Harare)State media reports of Minister Sam Sipepa Nkomo stating that mythical mermaid animals are blocking construction work at dams in Gokwe and Mutare, are not true, the cabinet minister has said.
Minister Nkomo told ZimEye Tuesday morning that the Herald report was biased because he did not in any way state or suggest that he believes in the said mermaids.
“I saw the story in the Herald and I did not actually say the words that they said about me. All I reported was what I am getting from my staff… I think that what they need to appreciate is that the dam is complete; The

pumps are already there. All we want to do is to switch on. And my staff are telling me that they cannot switch on; when they switch on, water doesen’t go through the pipes because ‘the mermaids are blocking the pipes’.”
Sipepa-Nkomo said that he is not even involved in the consultations with the chiefs.
“…they have told me that they are in the process of speaking to the chiefs there that some rituals be done. I am not involved in that,” he said.
He added that he himself even voluntered to go to the dam and switch the pump on his own but the workers refused:
“I do not believe in it, at one time I said that they must take me there and I would do it myself … I don’t believe in that personally.They said you can go alone, we are not going to accompany you.
“… I do not believe in that personally that’s why I said I can go there and do it myself…,” he said.
Sipepa-Nkomo has said a similar situation occurred at Osborne Dam in Manicaland where Government ended up hiring white personnel to do the job but they also refused to undertake the project.
“We even hired whites thinking that our boys did not want to work but they also returned saying they would not return to work there again,” he said.

EXCLUSIVE(ZimEye) An ex-Zimbabwean policeman Guy Taylor, may be deported soon after losing his second asylum application, ZimEye can reveal.
A heavily distressed Taylor told ZimEye in an exclusive interview Saturday that he is shocked that the British government would deny him asylum the second time round while yet granting right of stay to several terrorists and well known CIO operatives.
A number of CIO operatives who tortured and raped political opponents in Zimbabwe are known to have been granted leave to remain in the UK for fear of being persecuted if returned to Zimbabwe. Recently one Phillip Machemedze was recently granted permission to remain in UK after revealing his past criminal activities as a CIO.
No Criminal Record at all

Despite having a clean record in the UK and not working illegally, Taylor said the Home Office still denied him leave to remain.

“I have no criminal record …and they’ve said that, and then said just because you do not have a criminal record does not entitle you to remain, okay…fine, my argument is what about those that do have criminal records, what about all the terrorists they let stay?
 
“Suited and booted”

Taylor said that having gone for his interview wearing a Ben Sherman suit he bought from money donated by well wishers, the Home Office told him that he looked too good for someone who requires humanitarian protection.

“I have always been taught that despite your circumstances you should always try to appear good: the day I claimed asylum I was suited and booted. The day I went for my substantive interview I was suited and booted, every official meeting or interview I have had I have been suited and booted. I live on the generosity of friends mate and a very good friend of mine, Stu gave me £300 the one day so I went to Debenhams and bought a Ben Sherman suit on sale.
…these guys have said to me that I do not appear to be a person who is in fear of his life. What, because I always smile and make an effort?, ” he said.
Taylor’s asylum refusal comes as many known terrorists are granted Asylum in the country and they include dangerous aircraft highjackers and several religious fundamentalists whose cost to British taxpayers goes into thousands of pounds monthly.

More to follow

London(ZimEye)He claims he is a chief critic of president Robert Mugabe and is the hope of Zimbabwean politics, and yet he himself owned and ran a fake opposition MDC party website, while also in the midst of a number of other damning scandals: the former MDC-UK chairperson, Ephraim Tapa has seen the process of ejecting him from the Zimbabwe We Can movement, the party he claimed to be a founder member of, begin.
An emergency meeting convened in Watford, just outside the city of London Saturday afternoon, saw Tapa’s face turn pale as angry committee members told him to leave immediately. ZimEye can exclusively reveal that Tapa is now an ‘outcast’ of the ZWC following Saturday’s volcanic meeting.
We are fed up with you Mr Tapa, members told the man who also doubles as leader of another human rights group he is also threatened with expulsion – ROHR (Restoration of Human Rights).
A distraught Tapa battled to convince his committee that he was innocent and in a speech that lasted over an hour, Tapa who belongs to the Mbizi-Zebra tribe totem argued his ‘innocence’ to a burden of reports piled with his name sitting on top.
Members told ZimEye stating that Tapa has also been deceiving the world that he is a founding member of The Zimbabwe we Can.
‘Tapa was only invited to the movement and he was never the founder,’ said  committee member  Givemore Chindawi.
Other members told ZimEye that Tapa claims to be democratic but he himself is ‘far from the definition’ following a string of reported deliberate blunders including doctoring the constitution and then afterwards hiding the document from members, according to reports tabled before him Saturday.
Tapa smuggles a rogue supporter
Tapa was left in more shame after it was revealed he had smuggled a fake member into the committee. The smooth bloodless coup also resulted in a rather symphonised row after Tapa smuggled the rogue member who he imposed into leadership so to force favourable votes for himself. The meeting was adjourned to another yet to be announced date. ZimEye will soon reveal the identity of this supporter in full. More to follow

Mutare(ZimEye)Brian James MDC-T Mayor for Mutare has been suspended with immediate effect by Ignatius Chombo, the Minister of Local government.
The Mayor received the suspension letter Friday at 9AM. The letter was however dated 19 January and indicated that the suspension was with immediate effect.

The suspension letter which being being void of detail only stated misconduct as the cause of the suspension. Fuller details of the allegation were only made  known through the state run Herald newspaper the following day Saturday.
Chombo’s letter reads: “Having cautioned you in a letter of Remedial Intervention dated March 03 2011, reports of misconduct continue to come to my office implying that you are unrepentant. This leaves me with no option other than to invoke section 114 of the Urban Councils Act (chapter 29:15) to suspend you from being a councillor (ward 12) Mutare City, with immediate effect.”
Chombo said he has received several reports of misconduct on the part of Brian James , he however did not give the sources. The Mayor was quickly and forcefully ejected from his office by municipal police and a number of zanu pf militia.
In early January responding to a question in an interview about his previous battles with Chombo, James said Minister Chombo had a disruptive influence to which they had no choice but make do with.
“Ah yes they are well documented…. the public must realise as well where some of our problems are originating from and if we can concentrate on service delivery and bring the public on board in those endeavours then his influence, his disruptive influence, can I put it that way if it is disruptive, minimises, but at the same time he is the minister and we have to take his directives and his thinking on board and deal with it independently and consultatively,” commented Mayor James in an interview.
According to state media Mayor James is being accused of misappropriating council funds amounting to US$4 000. The mayor, it is alleged, sought legal advice on a personal matter but used council funds to foot the bill. It is further alleged that Mayor James hired a South African company KV3 to help craft the Mutare City Budget at a cost of US$48 000.
The unilateral decision was highly contested by councillors forcing him to temporary quit his job for four months in protest.
In blocking attempts by Mayor James to rope in KV3, councillors argued that the city had no money to foot the consultation fee.
Councillors made it clear there were abundant local skills able to craft the budget.
“When his efforts to bring in the Johannesburg based KV3 to craft the budget he quit accusing councillors of defying his directives. He later came back but refused to sign the budget that had been compiled by council in his absence” a source said.
Mayor James only signed the budget after the Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development in Harare had summoned him.
Contacted for a comment yesterday, Mayor James said: “Yes, I have been suspended on allegations of misconduct. I am seeking legal advice.”
On hiring a South African company to help craft the city budget, Mayor James claimed it was a council resolution to rope in KV3.
“Council resolved to employ them but later resolved to shelve the idea,” he said.
Chombo has in the past few months been the subject of may questions raised over his multiple acquired properties which are scattered across the country’s towns and cities.(ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe had the right and power to reject the Knighthood he was given by the British government in 1994 if he wished, it has emerged.
“If you accept a Knighthood, it appears as if the British government has bought you,” said a commentator on the BBC news channel Thursday night.
A number of British nationals have in the past 50 years rejected the government’s honours and these include Beatles singer, John Lennon who returned his Knighthood back to the Queen(pictured) in protest over Britain’s support for the United States military engagement in Vietnam.
More than 116 people have in the past 3 years alone rejected Britain’s highest honours.
This week the Telegraph paper disclosed the official list of everyone who has rejected honours since 1949. (Click here for the list)

The subject of Mugabe’s kighthood continues to dominate conversations in British society as the latter is blasted for his treatment of his own citizens who include those from the Matebeleland region who had thousands massacred a few years after independence (1982-87), which happened as well a few years before he was granted the special honours. His knighthood was later withdrawn from him in 2008.

Forensic and fire experts have rejected a Harare municipal fire brigade official, Clever Mafoti, who on Thursday told the Solomon Mujuru death Inquest claiming that the blue flames on the retired general Solomon Mujuru’s body were normal.
Speaking to ZimEye a forensic expert with the British Fire service ruled out the claim that a blue flame was possible in domestic fires.
“It is not possible for a fire to be blue in colour unless some special substance is used,” the officer who would not be named said.
 
Have you ever seen a blue flame on beef meat in a braai?
His comments were backed by London based Bio-physicist, Martin Chinyanga who told ZimEye:
“The fire expert is lying. The spectrum of light reflects the type of temperatures they are. Have you ever cooked beef meat in a braai stand and seen a blue flame on it?”
Chinyanga said that there must needs have been thick substances such as plastics rapping the General’s body, but these would have to have necessarily been Mujuru’s clothing.
“But even in that case,” said Chinyanga.
“there is no way that type of fire would burn human flesh down to ash form, unless there is a strong element such as Copper or Arsenic, ” said Chinyanga who also stated that the Fire Brigade’s claim that evidence was destroyed by people who visited the scene is nonsensical.
 
“Fires more than a hundred years old later can be traced”
“Even after years, you can still utilise methods such as carbon dating to determine how an accident of that nature occured,” said Chinyanga.
Even where evidence has been destroyed, the pattern of the fire does not disappear, he said.
The state run broadcast media claimed that there is now an explanation for the blue flame given by the ‘fire expert’  which though has been described by two police officers as ‘strange’ since also it was difficult to put the fire out and the fire actually became ferocious when water was applied to extinguish it.
The ZBC reported:
Mr Clever Mafoti the fire expert and 26th witness took to the stand and was questioned by Mr. Joel Mujuru about the probable reason why the charred remains largely believed to be those of his late brother Retired General Mujuru were found in the mini lounge away from the main bedroom.
In his expert opinion, Mr Mafoti indicated that logically when a fire breaks out, a person within a house is bound to seek an escape route, depending on whether he is awake, but the intensity of the fire and flammable material in the room may cause the emission of toxic fumes which could incapacitate the person before he would have reached an exit point.
Mr Mafoti also explained the cause of a blue flame saying, the flame can occur in a fire accident involving a human being if the temperature of the fire is above 500 degrees which will consume the fluids, flesh and fat, creating what he called a triangle of combustion which is a combination of air, combustible materials and heat. He added that the combination of the three results in a spontaneous blue flame.
But independent experts and analysts argue that the colour of any flame is automatically reflective of what kind of fire it is and exactly what caused it.
“Because each element has an exactly defined line emission spectrum, scientists are able to identify them by the color of flame they produce. For example, copper (and Arsenic) produce a blue flame, lithium and strontium a red flame, calcium an orange flame, sodium a yellow flame, and barium a green flame,” read one expert advice on the Web Exhibits website: (ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

As the Inquest into the death of the retired army general Solomon Mujuru continued, it emerged Tuesday that the flames that engulfed his body may have been well between 1700°C to 3000°Celcius, and the burning was caused by chemical meddling, according to experts.
This was reflected by the colour of the flame and also by the fact that the fire was not easily extinguished and actually became ferocious when water was applied to extinguish it.
Brought into the discussion was for instance a flame from an oxyacetylene torch which burns at over 3000°C, and which is actually hot enough to use for underwater welding. Another possible cause named were copper elements which when at melting point will be ferocious when water is applied.

Local Police officers who attended the death scene of the retired General Tuesday provided clues as they graphically described the last hours of Mujuru’s body which experts judging by the colour of the flames say could easily have been caused by special accelerants.
The officers had stated:
“At the time I got in the house and after a thorough search I discovered that there was a blue flame coming from the body. It was then that my Boss Inspector Dube ordered us to pour water on it so that it stops burning”,
“The body was still on fire and there were strange blue flames coming out of both sides of his abdomen and around the body.” – Constable Garisai
“Lungs and intestines were burnt extensively and the head was now just a skull,” said Inspector Dube who also stated he had seen “strange blue flames” coming from the general’s abdomen.
At the time of writing, the Zimbabwe Republic police was still upholding their official claim that the fire that killed Zimbabwe’s most revered army general was caused by a mere candle-flame.
But independent experts and analysts argue that the colour of any flame is automatically reflective of what kind of fire it is and exactly what caused it.
“Because each element has an exactly defined line emission spectrum, scientists are able to identify them by the color of flame they produce. For example, copper (and Arsenic) produce a blue flame, lithium and strontium a red flame, calcium an orange flame, sodium a yellow flame, and barium a green flame,” reads one website: Web Exhibits
Moreover, London based Bio-physicist, Martin Chinyanga told ZimEye the flame described by the two police officers before Mujuru’s inquest could have been Arsenic, Copper(I), Copper(II) (halide), Indium, or Lead.
Chinyanga who did his masters degree in Bio- Photonics at Lancaster University, however stated that the substance in or around Mujuru’s body is more likely to have been Arsenic or Copper(I). Arsenic is a pesticide which is usually used at farms.
“Elements such as copper require diesel or petrol in order for them to be ignited start burning.”
Chinyanga stated that the fact that the officers failed to put the fire out easily with water further confirms his belief since fuel powered fires require powder or sand rather than water to extinguish them.
“When your car goes on fire, you must not use water but rather sand or carbon powder.
“A fire that is caused by a fuel such as parafin, should be extinguished using carbon powder or sand,” said Chinyanga.
 
 
Mujuru’s body was like “a burning object”
During the inquest hearing to date, Mujuru’s body was described by several witnesses who used the phrase: ‘a burning object’ which had the blue flames.
Const Garisai as confirmed by Chinyanga’s find told the inquest that the flames became ferocious when the first buckets of water were applied.
Upon arrival after 20 to 25 minutes, people were using water to put out the fire.
“At the back of the house, people managed to identify a bluish flame. There was an object, which was burning. I peeped through the window and saw an object with folded hands . . . it was akin to a human body,” he said.
Asked where the bluish fire was emanating from, he said it came from the body and areas surrounding it, adding it was different from flames in other parts of the house.
The bluish fire reportedly covered the body and a portion of about 30cm from the body.
Garisai said they were instructed to douse the fire on the body and it took about 10 buckets to extinguish it.
He said upon pouring the first buckets of water, the flames became ferocious.
Seeing the new revelations coming form wtinesses, Martin Chinyaga has called for a relook at Mujuru’s body which he said must be exhumed for further forensic tests:
“They must exhume his body for us to see and re-test and see the chemicals that burnt his body. The elements do not demompose. They stay as they are”, said Chinyanga
Meanwhile the Mujuru family was reported to be faring that evidence has been tampered with.

Harare(ZimEye)Chinese nationals and their Asian counterparts now resident in Zimbabwe yesterday(Friday) joined their counterparts from the motherland and the world over in commemoration of their new year which this year falls on the 23^rd of January.
It was all Chinese colours at the Africa Unit Square near the parliament building as the Chinese manifests it’s their presence in the country ahead of the western world which is becoming less visible in Zimbabwe.
This is their first ever celebrations in the country despite having the celebrations elsewhere, this could be a celebration of their dominance in Zimbabwe and Africa over other continents.

Though often called Chinese New Year, the annual celebration (also called the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival) is celebrated by Vietnamese, Korean and other Asian populations worldwide. It’s tied to the lunar-solar Chinese calendar and falls on different days every year.

While Zimbabwe’s traditional investors and their host countries have imposed economic and travel sanctions on the country and the ZANU (PF) leadership, Asian countries have come in as sanctions busters providing investment in the country.
However, Zimbabwean residents have blamed the Chinese for exploiting locals by giving meager wages while they can’t even put up any meaningful infrastructure.

Harare(ZimEye)Vice President Joice Mujuru was left in disappointment today after state Lawyers stated that forensic experts have found no evidence of explosives or flammable liquids on objects of evidence at her husband, Solomon who was killed in a fire blaze that left the nation at large shouting foul play, in August last year.
Zimbabwean government lawyers boldly stated that forensic evidence has proven ‘beyond a doubt’ the absence of objects that would have caused the fire blaze that killed Zimbabwe’s most decorated army general.
At the end of the trial Vice president Joice Mujuru was see tight lipped and strolling determinedly from the court room quiet and refusing to talk to anyone.
During the trial the court room was dropped into silence as they heard the testimony given by a key security guard who was on duty on the day when Mujuru died.
Clemence Runhare, who said the late General drove into the farm property with a strange passenger in the car.
This testimony was seen as surprising given the fact that all other witnesses who saw the late General some few minutes before he went home from Beatrice motel where he was having some few drinks said he left the place unaccompanied.
Stated Runhare:
“I recall when I opened the gate for him at exactly 2005hrs and I witnessed one person sitting at the passengers’ seat as I took it that it was one of his drivers who had gone to Harare earlier that morning.
The other thing which made it difficult for me to clearly see the passenger was that there was poor lighting. I also found it difficult to ask him the person who was accompanying him because he was my Boss,” he added.
“I had some sound similar to that of a gun at around 12 midnight before at around 0200hrs I was approached by the farm guard Luwisom who told me that the General’s house was on fire. We together proceeded to the house where we discovered two Support Unit police officers running up and down undecided. I asked them if they had either phoned the fire brigade or their superiors which they said they did not because they had no phones. They also claimed that their service communication radios were out of order. I then rushed to my other fellow guard who gave me his cell phone which we used to mobilise people to come and try to put down the fire.”
Harare magistrate Walter Chikwanha is presiding while Clemence Chimbaru and Sharo Fero are standing in for the state on the inquest which is going to end at the end on the week. (ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

Bulawayo(ZimEye)In the latest raid on MDC-T party offices, Zimbabwe’s police heavily armed with rifles stormed the party’s Bulawayo offices, taking with them party property and regalia before arresting 50 Youth Assembly members on Saturday.
The MDC-T party issued a statement stating that its youth had gathered at the provincial offices to hold a peace march calling for the release of MDC Youth Assembly chairperson, Solomon Madzore, when Police stormed their gathering and randomnly ransacked the building taking with them certain properties in a manner the party described as ‘looting’.
Madzore and seven other activists have remained in remand prison as they face charges of murdering a police officer in Glen View, Harare in May last year.
The youths’ march however had to be called off due to the disturbances by the police.

The party said in a statement:
“The MDC is concerned that important party documents and regalia including T-shirts were taken away by the police.
The arrested youths were released on Sunday with no charges brought against them.
The police raid on the Bulawayo offices came two days after the anti-riot police officers stormed Harvest House and arrested eight MDC members.
One of the youths arrested in Harare, Barnabas Mwanaka is receiving treatment at Parirenyatwa Hospital after the police officers broke his right leg.”

Harare(ZimEye)The trial of an MDC-T MP who is facing charges of undermining the office of President Robert Mugabe following allegations she labeled Mugabe a homosexual, kicked off at the Mutare Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday.
Hon. Lynette Karenyi Kore, the MP for Chimanimani East was arrested last December following a rally where she is alleged to have claimed Mugabe had a gay relationship with former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo.
The derogatory comments were allegedly made at a party rally on the 9th December.

Speaking in low regard of Mugabe who is known for his anti-gay views and has described homosexuals as “worse than pigs and dogs”, is a criminal offence in Zimbabwe.
The MP has denied making the alleged comments and her party has labeled them ‘false’.
She was granted bail but the State invoked the notorious Section 121 (3) of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act (Chapter 9:07), which denied her freedom for one week.
She was remanded in prison for one week and was only released after the Christmas holidays.
The trial continues tomorrow (Friday)

Harare(ZimEye)Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is still in the dark about deals entered into by President Robert Mugabe with Equatorial Guinea president Teodoro Obiang Nguema during a surprise visit to Zimbabwe on Monday.
A number of deals signed during a 6 hour-long meeting (private media journalists were barred from) are still undisclosed to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Welshman Ncube(leader of the (second MDC faction).

Tsvangirai’s spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka told ZimEye on Thursday morning:
“We are completely in the dark about that matter, and the deals to that meeting. We are completely in the dark,
“No explanation [has been received] there has been no cabinet meeting,” said Tamborinyoka.
Equatorial Guinea’s Nguema flew into Harare Monday morning and was at the Harare International Airport met only by officials from Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party: acting President John Nkomo, Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Nicholas Goche and several other ZANU PF officials. A secret meeting with Robert Mugabe then followed after which stretched into the sixth hour.
Newsday’s Veneranda Langa who interviewed Welshman Ncube and other ministers reported:
the Industry and Commerce minister, professed ignorance about the agreements signed between the two countries, some of which have a bearing on his ministry.
“I am not privy to the agreements as I was not involved,” he said.
“I am not able to comment on something I do not know as nobody from my ministry was involved and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be the best to say why they did not involve us.”
Information Communication Technology minister Nelson Chamisa said: “That is news to me.
“I am not aware of anything that was signed about information and communication as I was not involved in the discussions and did not know about Nguema’s visit.”
Nguema left the country on Tuesday after the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Special Co-operation “that will create mechanisms for bilateral co-operation and debt settling”.
Goche signed a raft of MoUs on behalf of Zimbabwe.
They included agreements to develop programmes in education and training, public administration, defence and security, support for Equatorial Guinea’s industrialisation programme, agriculture, agro-industry and livestock production.
The two countries also agreed to set up specific projects in mining, infrastructure development, communication and commerce.
Equatorial Guinea requested a comprehensive list of consumer goods produced in Zimbabwe and there was an undertaking experts from both countries would develop programmes and projects for consideration as a matter of urgency.
Nguema last visited Zimbabwe in 2006 when he officially opened the Harare Agricultural Show.
His visit culminated in a number of deals that included an agreement to supply Zimbabwe with fuel and for hospitality chain African Sun to build a hotel in the oil-rich country.
But the deals collapsed with African Sun being forced out of Equitorial Guinea unceremoniously.
Nguema is classified as one of the most brutal dictators in Africa.
Like President Mugabe, he considers himself a victim of Western imperialist manoeuvres.
He got into power in 1979 after ousting his uncle Francisco Macias Nguema, whom he executed in a bloody military coup.

London(ZimEye)Former MDC chairman and ROHR founder Ephraim Tapa has vehemently refuted allegations that claim he siphoned funds which his accusers claimed he sent the money to a Zimbabwe based woman named as Locardia Tapa.
The accusers stated that Miss Locardia is Tapa’s daughter.
But the stern veteran activist told ZimEye the said woman is not his daughter at all.
“That’s a lie. in the first place  – I do not have a biological daughter working  in ROHR and the guys who do the accounting of all of all ROHR finances are Mr Tauro and Mr Gandanga, the secretary general; So these are the guys who know the financial arrangements within ROHR in Zimbabwe…its not me.”
“Locardia is my niece,” he said.
Tapa also said that all members of the public are free to inquire from the ROHR office in Harare to obtain any information they desire.
Tapa also added stating that reports that he was reported to the British police force are not true as he himself is not aware of any police case being handled against him.
“The only thing that I can say is- I am not aware of any Police involvement. There is nothing new in as far as (accusers) their accusations are concerned. The thing is that we are through with them and that is the fact,” said Tapa
A splinter faction led by one Grace Mupfurutsa, claiming to be the authentic leaders, at the weekend issued a statement dissociating itself from Ephraim Tapa leadership, and accused him of siphoning £26,000,00 from the organisation’s coffers thereafter routing the money to Harare via Money gram to his alleged daughter, Locardia Tapa. A further £11 000.00, it is claimed, was never banked but went straight from receipts by ROHR Zimbabwe co-ordinators directly to Mr Ephraim Tapa in person or to his personal account, as money that was unaccounted for.
Grace Mupfurutsa’s executive committee said that Tapa was fired mid last year, a claim Tapa denies and says he is still in charge of the organisation. More to follow(ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

London(ZimEye)Zimbabwe’s minister of Education and Sport, David Coltart has asked Britain’s most feared foreign policy guru to assist the Zim government despite the current problems it is facing.
The UK’s foreign secretary William Hague is Britain’s most feared government official who Robert Mugabe recently expressed personal concerns of following the UK’s recent ousting of ally Muammar Gaddafi and a warning Hague sent out to other dictators following Gaddafi’s topling.
During his meeting with Hague and the Duke of York Prince Andrew, Coltart said he told the UK secretary foreign secretary William Hague that the UK needs to do all it can to assist the GPA(GlobalPolitical Agreement).

“I met both Foreign Secretary William Hague and the Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, last night at a reception in Lancaster House and had a chance to discuss with both the need for Britain to do all it can to assist the GPA. I said it was fragile and imperfect and that there were still many problems in Zimbabwe – but that the GPA remains the only viable, non violent option open to us,” he said.
Coltart said he requested Hague to reverse a ban on cricket with Zimbabwe:
“I specifically asked the Foreign Secretary to reconsider the effective ban on England and Scotland playing cricket against Zimbabwe. I was well received by both,” he said.
Coltart has been on a five day official vist to the United Kingdom where he is attending an annual meeting of Ministers of Education from throughout the world – and the Apple Summit on Wednesday (ZimEye, UK)

The city of Leeds went into a 3 day non-stop African Explosion clubbing experience at the end of the year 2011.
The function was a day before the new year’s eve and it stretched for a whole three days-nightly from the 30th December all the way to the 1st January.
It was a coalition of Africans Deejays and promoters coming together for the first time and was held at the Safari Night Club which is at the centre of the city of Leeds (ZimEye)
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Harare(ZimEye)Refresh yourself to a bottle of ZANU PF water!  – A project set up to produce bottled mineral water branded and named after president Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party, has been abandoned 12 months after it was launched in December 2010.
The innovative project introduced at the ZANU PF conference in Mutare in 2010 has since been scrapped.
Since early January, the water bottle containers have not been seen and at the recent conference in Bulawayo in December 2011,  none of the ZANU Water as it was called was visible.

The project’s objective was to advertise and through that, lure the urban population into supporting ZANU PF’s ageing leader Robert Mugabe.
The bottles contained Mugabe picture and the below text overlay.
“ZANU-PF, Pamberi neZANU-PF, Pambili leZANU-PF, Forward with ZANU-PF,” read the label of the 500ml mineral water, which has the flag of the party with President Robert Mugabe clinching his fist.
A senior ZANU PF cadre who declined to be identified claimed the bottled water was only for the ZANU PF conference in 2010: “It was only for the Mutare conference”, he said.

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Sheffield(ZimEye)-Zimbabwean Deputy Prime Minister and former head of the MDC party, the contention ridden professor Arthur Mutambara, has addressed a paltry 15 rallies in his whole lifetime.
Information coming out the party reveals that Mutambara who claims to be better than US President Barak Obama, has only addressed 15 rallies in five(5) whole years since he was elected leader in 2005.
Mutambara throughout his 5 year term only addressed 15 rallies, and that equates to an average of 3 rallies per year. Welshman Ncube in just one year, has already addressed 34 rallies”, senior party officials Miriam Mushayi and Langelihle Khoza told ZimEye on Thursday.
The officials revealed that Welshman Ncube on the other hand, who is credited for reaching out for grass root local support than a display of pride, will by Friday (today) have reached his 35th rally in 2011 alone.
A disgraced Mutambara, who is currently fighting Welshman Ncube in the courts, is also out of favour with the rest of Zimbabweans including journalists, local politicians, and foreigners, for the manner in which he flashes his academic credentials in order to solve difficult arguments.(ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

(Harare)Rumours labelled on award winning journalist Geoff Nyarota that claimed he misappropriated funds of the Zimbabwe Times publication he was editor of have been proven to be ‘misleading’.
The claims have been found wanting following Nyarota’s triumphing over the company in August this year during which trial the accusations were not even mentioned. Furthermore, additional evidence has strongly suggested that there was no misappropriation of funds.
During his legal battle against the publication for unlawful dismissal, certain Daily News sources had claimed that Nyarota was all along tipped to be the Editor-In-Chief but alleged ‘revelations’ of financial misuse cost him the job.
Nyarota, a respected journalist, has scoffed at his accusers and blasted

employees of the Daily News for attempting to smear him during his fiery lawsuit against the company.
The veteran journalist told ZimEye that instead of receiving a complaint from his donors, he actually received a refund of well over one thousand dollars for expenses he had paid out of his own pocket.
He explained his “innocence”:
“The attached correspondence from my own donor when I published The
Zimbabwe Times is self-explanatory. The amount of $1 328 referred to
in the communication of May 10, 2010, was, in fact, a refund paid to
me by the donor at the end of the contract after I used my own resources during the course of the project. The donor would not pay a refund to me if I had misappropriated any funds. The communications of November 3 and 12, 2011, clearly attest to my innocence.”
ZimEye has also seen text communication between Nyarota and his (a)funders with them dismissing the rumours as completely unfounded. Reads one text:
“I am sorry to hear that you are the victim of false accusations – and it must be particularly painful as it comes on the back of your other disappointments following your return. I can at the same time confirm that no such rumours or accusations originate from (Name of funding agency) who has never had any reason to suspect you of misappropriating any funds…” reads the text.
During his court case, the arbitrator ruled that Nyarota was unlawfully dismissed when he rejoined the Daily News upon his return from the United States of America in May last year. The veteran journalist told ZimEye that the Daily News still have not paid him his court award to this day.

(London)A London based Zimbabwean lass has risen to fame after being recognised for her community work with the city of London’s unemployed youth, scooping a prestigious UK Young Leader Of The Year Award.
The award is a recognition given to people “who want to transform the world—from what it is to what they believe it should be,” according to the awarding organisation, Citizens UK.

This is not the first time Cynthia Masiyiwa has been recognised for her work. This
year, she was honoured by Prime Minister David Cameron an honour of her successful her efforts to help reduce unemployment, and discourage youngsters from gangster activities.
So successful has Cynthia also been that last week she sailed through a job interview and will from January be on payroll doing her community work.
“I said to God that if I could get this job it would make my work easier because it has been difficult working part time and at the same time doing community work,” she told ZimEye.
She told ZimEye that she felt humbled by the YOUNG LEADER OF THE YEAR and ACTION OF THE YEAR AWARD.
When asked if she is related to Econet Wireless founder Strive Masiyiwa, Cynthia however refused and stated she is not at all related to him:

“All I know about Strive Masiyiwa is that he comes from Masvingo were I also come from, that’s all,” she said.

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Bulawayo(ZimEye)A trade union member is being accused of being a ZANU PF member merely because he attached the Zimbabwe national flag to the bumper of his 39-year old blue Datsun 120Y, 1972  model(pictured)

Walter Daranhike, a member of the main (ZCTU) faction, led by George Nkiwane, has argued claiming that the Matombo splinter has many Zanu-PF supporters among its ranks:
“I suppose the union members, who are loyal to Zanu-PF, want to sway the ZCTU away from a genuine fight against Government’s anti-labour excesses”.
Daranhike continued: “For example, on September 22, a meeting held at the Royal Eland Hotel was attended by many Zanu-PF members. This included well known Zanu-PF youth member, Shepherd Gomera and one known as the bearded Mudhara Gumbo, who owns a blue Datsun 120Y vehicle and who some members criticize his strong support for Zanu-PF citing that it is boldly reflected in a Zimbabwean flag attached to his car’s bumper “all the time”. Full Article

A UK Zimbabwean nurse at a Doncaster care home who was found with his own ‘farm’-plantation of the Mbanje-Cannabis drug at his house, has been struck off the nursing register and will no longer be able to work in the industry again.
Rodney Gwamba, a Zimbabwean man based in Doncaster was found guilty of conduct which negatively-affects his ability to work by the Nursing and Midwivery council. The Zimbabwean Adult Nurse, has finally lost his licence to practice after it was found to be true that he received a caution from the police for growing the illegal drug at his residence.
NMC proceeding documents state that Gwamba was found guilty of cannabis, a Class C controlled drug; contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971″.
Gwamba’s fall from grace began after he reportedly verbally abused a woman at the Old Rectory Nursing Home where he was working, over a love bite he had noticed on her neck. The small court heard that Gwamba used the worrds:
(a) “You slag” or words to that effect;
(b) “How slaggish is that?” or words to that effect;
The tribunal heard that Gwamba initially pretended he did not know what the word he had used meant and had to be told it was highly insulting in South Yorkshire.

Following investigations and a probe, Gwamba’s bosses then discovered that the nurse had earlier been given a police caution for running the drugs farm and allegedly stealing electricity to power it at his house. Allegations state that he had tampered with the electricity metre to his house in this endeavour.
The nurse also failed to give five patients their drugs while stating he had administered the drugs in records, the Nursing and Midwifery Council heard.
Charges against Gwamba apart from the cannabis and the electricity theft charge, are detailed below:
Failed to administer medication
Gwamba was charged for failing to administer medication and falsely recording that he had adminstered it.
On 20th April 2009, failed to administer 200mg Trimethoprim to Resident A at 8pm;
(b) With regard to (a) above, incorrectly signed Resident A’s MAR chart to indicate that the medication had been given;  
Additional charges against Gwamba are: Using inappropriate language at work. The writ also stated that he:
Failed to perform safety checks
Gwamba was also charged for allegedly failing to perform safety checks
6. (a) Failed to check the Emergency Resuscitation Equipment on the following night shifts:
(i) 19th to 20th April 2009;
(ii) 20th to 21st April 2009;
(iii) 21st to 22nd April 2009;
(b) Indicated on the Daily Checks document that you had undertaken the checks referred to above;
(ZimEye)

(London)Humanitarian Intervention is part of International Law and in cases where human rights are violated, military intervention is fully justified, a former United States government Assistant Secretary of State has said.
Speaking on the occasion of the withdrawal of the US army from Iraq, Colleen Graffy said that it was right for the US government to invade Iraq and remove former dictator Saddam Hussein whose regime was toppled by the US army in March 2003.

Graffy who was in favour of the Iraqi war said even if she were voting for the Iraqi war today, she would still vote for a military invasion as before.
“Definitely in favour;” she said
“I think people have forgotten that there were up over sixteen United Nations security council resolutions against Saddam Hussein after invading Kuwait, and they included that he needed to give up weapons of mass destruction, not that the West needed to go in and play inspector in looking for them…”
Graffy said that the Iraqi invasion was first contemplated during the former US president Bill Clinton’s tenure.
“…surprising to say the United States looked at a liberation Act under Clinton. And so from the United States perspective,  and  I understand well the concerns here in Britain, but in the United States the concern was that there should be a change of regime  for Saddam Hussein.
When she was quizzed further on the views of British politicians, Graffy said:
“Well the view here was very much focused on weapons of mass destruction …because humanitarian intervention is actually an international law” she told a BBC journalist on Thursday night.
Graffy spoke as it was revealed that since March 2003, more than 1.5 million American soldiers have served in Iraq and more than 30,000 men and women were wounded with nearly 4,500 who gave their lives, in the war the toppled former dictator Saddam Hussein(ZimEye, UK)

London (ZimEye) There is a dead body among passengers who have been waiting hopelessly at London’s Gatwick airport, ZimEye has been told.
While it was not clear the status of the diseased’s body, it was revealed it is that of the husband of one of the travelers as it became clear there was still no luck for Air Zimbabwe passengers on Thursday night after the national airline’s payment for a debt to an American creditor did not reflect in the latter’s bank account.
As at 1800Hours passengers were in confusion as to what would transpire the following morning when they are supposed to be checking out and the hotel management are to force them out of the temporary accomodation.
Radio presenter Ezra Tshisa Sibanda told ZimEye:
“There are people who lost their relatives.  Someone has got a body – A woman who’s flying  her husband’s body is still here, its stuck [with us]. It’s sad really,” Tshisa said.

He also said that the airline’s US creditor will not release the aircraft since payment is not reflecting.
“There’s no luck. We saw an email from the American company which says
the moneys are not reflecting in their account,” Tshisa said.
The American General Suppliers company secured a court injunction that has given them the power to impound the airlines aircraft for over US$ 1, 2 million debts.
Although the ministry of transport has arranged payment, the aircraft will not be released until the alleged payment has cleared in the bank account. Meanwhile passengers will have to wait until that is possible (ZimEye, UK)

The Madzore brothers, Paul and Solomon have been arrested every year since the year 2000 and almost every time just before Christmas time, ZimEye has been told.
This comes after it emerged the MDC-T’s youth chairperson Solomon Madzore would be spending another Christmas locked up in prison.
Speaking to ZimEye, Solomon Madzore’s sister Ellet Chiunyesaid her brothers have been experiencing some kind of police turmoil every year since they became active in the MDC party in 2000.

They [the police] seem to be always doing it (arresting them) so as to stop them from campaigning.

“Since the year 2000 Paul has been arrested every year. The only Christmas he enjoyed Christmas was last year. But even last year they picked him up before Christmas. Almost every time they pick Paul up, they also arrest Solomon. It seems systematic that they always target one of them. ZANU PF have such a strong hatred for them” she said
Madzore’s sister added stating that Madzore who is an passionative electric singer was a central person in the MDC party as he has for the past decade been travelling across the country rallying supporters.
This year it is reported that Solomon Madzore will spend Christmas in prison after he was grouped together with 27 other MDC activists who are facing charges of murdering a police officer in Glen View in May this year. However most of the activists have since been granted bail. (ZimEye)

Zimbabwe under its Health minister Henry Madzorera, is currently ahead of its colonial parent Britain in the HIV prevention methods through circumcision of men, it has emerged.
The UK nation is still to implement free circumcision for its population despite current UK National Aids Trust documents which reveal that the method of circumcision is effective to prevent HIV-AIDS infections by up to 60%.
At present circumcision in the UK costs up to £500 (circa-US760) per person. However in Zimbabwe the service is free and Zimbabweans in the UK may able to easily fly back home, get circumcised and return back to the UK.
The development comes after another announcement in August in which Zimbabwe’s Minister of Health and Child Welfare Henry Madzorera said his country has now emerged to become one of the best countries in the Sadc region providing acceptable health care facilities to its people.
 

The UK’s NAT fact sheet states that: There is now clear evidence to show that circumcision can reduce the risk of HIV infection through vaginal intercourse in heterosexual men by up to 60%
The WHO(World Health Organisation) and UNAIDS have recommended that circumcision be included as an additional, important element in HIV prevention programmes
Condom Protection still vital
Prevention methods through condom protection are still necessary however. Despite the hailed success, the fact sheet still imposes that:
“Men undergoing circumcision should be advised that condoms are still necessary and are still the best way of preventing HIV transmission through sexual intercourse.”
While a comment is awaited from the UK’s NAT, the current possible reason the UK may have not been as vigilant as Zimbabwe may be because the recent conference in Vienna which passed the current medical arguments, the method was suggested for East and Southern Africa where it was stated that over four million new HIV infections in the region could be prevented by 2025 if male circumcision was increased by 80%, along with a $20.2 billion saving in HIV-related health costs between 2009-2025. (ZimEye, UK)

(Harare)A Pastor with the Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa(ZAOGA) church suffered a medical breakdown and subsequently lost her life as a result of engaging too much fasting, some church members of ZAOGA have claimed.
Evangelist Hilda Bvunzawabaya who was the talk of the church worldwide, died because of constantly abstaining from nourishing her body through eating as she sought a higher spirituality, Church members claim.
“She died because of much fasting,” said one church member who declined being named.
In one video seen by ZimEye in 2007, the physically weak Evangelist upon arriving in London, required walking assistance while on stage as she stated that she had been without food for a number of days and was still fasting on the very day of preaching.
Moreover, every church member interviewed by ZimEye testified how that the pastor always talked about fasting in almost all her messages. One pastor who once housed the Evangelist told ZimEye how Mrs Bvunzawabaya constantly referred to the exercise and in a sermon in his church, she preached specifically about the importance of fasting.

“She used to engage in absolute fasting …for days” said the pastor who again declined being named and stated that he remembers a time when he himself used to fast to the point of rejecting his own saliva while in the act of trying to impress God.
But information coming out of their head office in Harare merely stated that she died ‘of long illness’ and appeared to contradict what the church members allege.
“…she died after long illness,” said one pastor with the church.
It however also became apparent that a search for Evangelist Bvunzawabaya’s name on the church’s website showed she was not on the web server’s database, despite being a prominent icon of the church.
Many church members admired Evangelist Bvunzawabaya and regarded her as a mother and a hero. Said one church friend named only as Linda Munjoma on the 25th November: “Mama. I cant believe kuti when I saw her last week it was a goodbye. Ranga riri gamba iri[She was a hero]. Vapedza pavo zvasarire isu[She has finished her bit and left us to finish the rest]. May her soul rest in internal peace.”
Another church member stated: “she’ll be greatly missed….R.I.P great woman of God!”
While a statement from the ZAOGA church is awaited, pastors of other churches have warned Christians to be careful of engaging in excessive acts of piety which are mere acts of impressing God and will result in self righteousness.

Harare(ZimEye)A London based Zimbabwean Activist has been “expelled” by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party legislators after publicly advising the Prime Minister on a matter which he felt “threatens the premier’s life”.
The London activist who supports and works with the Zim Vigil advocacy had submitted a public contribution in which he stated that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai should be aware of what he called a Learnmore Jongwe plot “being deployed” by ZANU PF and would ultimately result in Tsvangirai’s death.
Learnmore Jongwe was the MDC-T’s first spokesperson and he died after a few days in prison after reportedly ‘stabbing’ his wife to death who it is claimed had triggered him to do so by entering into an extra marital affair. Other reports suggest ZANU PF engineered the extra marital affair or were part of it. Chinyanga’s contribution was to the effect that Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party may be using a tactic similar to that of utilising a spouse relation so as to compromise the premier’s judgement and his political position as a potential leader of the country.

The activist who has lived and studied in communist ruled Cuba for 7 years told ZimEye he was issued with a “threat” and another statement claiming to expel him from the MDC party for his contributions made on the social networking website Facebook.
Screen print evidence from the Facebook website displays two MDC-T MPs blasting Chinyanga and the Gutu MP, Perez Hamandishe Maramwidze issuing the announcement:
“Martin Chinyanga Da William, I have fired you from MDC from onwards you are no longer a member of MDCT have nothing to do with us. You can go and petition anywhere you want…I am an MP. I HAVE FIRED YOU”
Chinyanga told ZimEye: “I thought they would take in a some advice from me but instead they threatened and expelled me,” he said of the MPs one of Gutu North and the other from the Zaka constituency.
The MDC-T MPs also accused Chinyanga of being a ZANU PF functionary controlled by the party’s spin doctor Jonathan Moyo:
“…You mislead us saying you are together with us in the struggle, yet you are a subsidiary of Jonathan[Moyo]. Change will come and through an unchanged leadership of the MDC…”, Festus Dumbu, MDC MP for Zaka constituency is quoted stating.
The MDC-T legislators also blasted Chinyanga for suggestions he made for disciplinary action on Morgan Tsvangirai and rubbished the London based activist who said that the premier should be disciplined following his scandal with a woman known countrywide to be related to his arch rival Robert Mugabe and at the same time another woman who is the widow of a feared military commander.
Morgan Tsvangirai became the talk of the whole world after he controversially married into a family known countrywide as close colleagues of his arch-rival Robert Mugabe whose party is believed to be hatching a number of strategies to bring him down as the nation nears elections currently speculated for a date in just a few months time in 2012. Chinyanga pioneers a few efforts from London which include work with the Zim Vigil organisation and he has called for Zimbabweans in the diaspora to pay visits in honour of the country’s dead victims of political violence at all their respective embassies. His comments come after another statement was issued by the Zim Vigil organisation which suggested the MDC should perform a vigorous review of its political strength following Tsvangirai’s recent sex-scandals (ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

Bulawayo(ZimEye)President Robert Mugabe has described the late Libyan leader Maummar Gaddafi as ignorant and as someone who failed to invest in Africa but splashed his money in Europe to please the West who killed him at the end, yet at the same time giving him only 4 Camels.
Mugabe told the Zanu PF 12th annual conference that the slain Libyan
dictator only managed to donate four camels which he is keeping at his farm.
“Gaddafi made huge investments in the West, but little in Africa,
“Just a few years before he died he made the undertaking on investing in Africa, but we saw him dishing out camels and we got four which are at the farm,” he said.
In his address before his party, the ageing leader spent over an hour talking about the NATO attacks in Libya and the Arab springs and strongly sounded fears that similar events could unfold in Zimbabwe soon.

He said since European countries and the United States were facing economic woes, there was a danger that they may end up attacking even Zimbabwe to get the diamonds. Zimbabwe has vast diamond fields in Marange which are said to be dirty because soldiers have been abusing civilians in the Chiadzwa area.
“Gaddafi tried to please them by taking his money to their banks. He even sent his children to Oxford University and accepted responsibility for the Lockerbie bombings. Gaddafi and the West were friends and we wondered what was happening but to our surprise he was killed in broad day light,” said Mugabe.
“Some of the things that Gaddafi was doing showed that the man was ignorant,” he said.
On Indigenisation, Mugabe said that there was delay in implementing the empowerment regulations in mining and other sectors as Government was still occupied with land redistribution:
“We left the mining and manufacturing sector to go on without application of indigenisation and empowerment because we were dealing with the land issue.
“For years now, even before I was born, our mining resources have been disappea- ring.
“We want to reverse that completely. We insist our people will not get less than 51 percent. They must pass the ownership to us,” President Mugabe said.
Mugabe also appeared to challenge Zimbabweans to use the opportunity presented by the indigenisation and economic empowerment policy not only to have shares in foreign firms but to also create new companies.
Signaling the end of the GNU, Mugabe said Zanu PF wants elections next year to end the shaky coalition government he formed in 2009 with his rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
“The inclusive government shouldn’t continue any longer. Time has come now for us to prepare for elections and we have got to have polls next year without fail,” he said.
He was backed by the ZANU PF chairman Simon Khaya Moyo who in a different speech said that corruption would be heeded out of the party as it prepares for elections.
MDC-T and the civil society are insisting that elections must be held after the implementation of critical democratic reforms.
Mugabe also preached peace and urged his supporters to shun political violence that has rocked Zimbabwe in recent months. Zanu PF militia stands accused of terrorising Mugabe’s political opponents. Mugabe has been blamed for serious human rights abuses but he said the West used the accusations to attack governments. (ZimEye- Zimbabwe)

EUROPEAN UNION sanctions on president Robert Mugabe and certain members of his ruling elite are to remain in force until 2013 and as and when change arises in Zimbabwe, it has emerged.
Shortly following a keynote address by National Constitutional Assembly Lovemore Madhuku in Brussels on Tuesday, it was called upon that sanctions should remain in force for the near future.
European Union MEP, Geoffrey Van Orden who is banned from entering Zimbabwe said that sanctions should remain in place:
 
“The situation in Zimbabwe continues to be of concern, and we have seen a recent upsurge in violence against those that oppose Mugabe. However, Zimbabwe’s neighbours, and South Africa in particular, have at last begun to demand concrete action.
“We have always advocated an African solution to the ongoing problems in Zimbabwe, and are encouraged that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been increasingly helpful.
“Elections are not a single event but a lengthy process. They have to take place before April 2013. A road map to elections needs to be set out, and vital to this is a new Constitution. SADC, the Commonwealth and the wider international community should now do all that they can to support improved electoral arrangements, including voter registration and electoral education. There must also be complete freedom of the media and an end to all politically-motivated violence.
“The EU’s “restrictive measures” which target Mugabe and his inner circle must remain in place until there is real evidence of change. These measures do not harm the Zimbabwean people, and are aimed exclusively at the clique which keeps Mugabe in power,” he was quoted saying Thursday.
Geoffrey Van Orden MEP is the Conservative Defence and Security Spokesman. Over many years he has initiated the European Parliament’s tough resolutions on Zimbabwe. He has been personally banned by Mugabe from entering Zimbabwe.
Leading Zimbabwean activists Lovemore Madhuku (Chairman, National Constitutional Assembly) and Munjodzi Mutandiri (SA Co-ordinator, National Constitutional Assembly) addressed MEPs, NGOs and EU diplomats in the European Parliament on 6 December.
The discussion focused on the ongoing Constitutional drafting process and the need for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe.

London(ZimEye)Despite recent criticism for its position, the London based democracy advocacy group, Zim Vigil has remained resolute that Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai should consider stepping down and handing over power to others in order to save the MDC party from failing in the upcoming elections to be held possibly in 2012.
The Vigil on Wednesday clarified that they are not forcing Tsvangirai(pictured) to step down in any way, but are merely suggesting that he and his party should diligently consider their position and assess if they still have ability to win the upcoming elections in light of the current public shame the Prime Minister brought to the party following a string of sex scandals with persons known countrywide as sworn-enemies of the MDC party.
The Vigil had at the weekend released a press statement in which they called on Tsvangirai to consider the public damage that his recent sex scandals have caused both to him and the entire world of democratic groups in Zimbabwe.
‘Angagotonga seyi nyika ari mumagumbeze?’ (How can he rule the country when he’s always in bed?’, were some of the sentiments aired at the Vigil last Friday.
“We couldn’t help but think of Tsvangirai’s on-off wedding,” the Vigil said in a statement. “People were alarmed that Tsvangirai appears to have walked blindly into a Zanu PF trap and has become a laughing stock. There were nods of agreement when someone said, ‘How can he rule the country when he’s always in bed? . . . But somehow we doubt Tsvangirai will make way.
“Zanu PF has been paralysed by its inability to renew its leadership. The MDC-T should not make the same mistake. We believe there is no shortage of talent in the MDC-T and, with elections unlikely in the foreseeable future, there would be time for a new leader to make his mark,” read the statement.
Tsvangirai’s spokesperson has however scoffed at the suggestion and was quoted by Newsday:
“The Prime Minister was given a five-year mandate at congress on April 28 and it is only the congress that will decide whether or not he should step down. No one else can decide.”
But  the Vigil’s Dennis Benton told ZimEye Wednesday morning that Tsvangirai’s mandate is not a licence to practice immorality:
“[But] he wasn’t given a five year mandate to behave like a libertine,” he said of the PM who publicly claimed that he is a “bachelor” who is allowed to have as many affairs as he wants.
Benton elaborated on the Vigil’s earlier statement stating that their view was a mere collection of views from Vigil members who expressed concerns in which they stated that Tsvangirai had brought  the party into disrepute.
 
Party Leader with Serial Relationships
” If the people are happy with his behaviour, fine he can stay in office. I am just reflecting what a lot of people in the the United Kingdom who come to the Vigil are saying. They are unhappy at his serial relationships with women… having children out of wedlock. And they think this is unbefitting, (of) the leader of the democratic party they have fought for the past ten years. It’s not for me or the Vigil to determine who leads the MDC. We are reflecting the opinion among exiled Zimbabweans. We have always looked to president Tsvangirai to be our next leader, to set an example, and to be different from the behaviour of ZANU PF. We are happy if he takes this criticism on board and if he focuses on his job and leads the people to election, we will be fully behind him,” said Benton.
Another scandal in which the Prime Minister was found in recently was when he was seen to be deceiving a BBC journalist in October as he claimed that Zimbabwe’s draft constitution would respect Gay Rights, a complete contradiction to events in Zimbabwe, and it was widely speculated that he had done  so, to scout British donor funds. Shortly following this incident, it was announced that Tsvangirai had married a ZANU PF businesswoman who is close to his arch rival Robert Mugabe, and a few days later another woman’s name was announced as his second alleged ‘lover’, who is however the wife of a Mugabe ally and a feared late military commander.  (ZimEye, Zimbabwe)
 
 
 

(London)Although some MDC members in the United Kingdom have accused Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of siphoning £1,600 from the MDC’s UK bank account so to top up for his bridal price on his ‘wife’ Locadia Tembo, these accusations are not true, ZimEye has been told.
The Prime Minister who has recently been named in scandals with  several women and last week divorced his new bride Locadia Tembo, was being charged by members of the MDC in London for siphoning money from the party’s UK bank account a few weeks before he secretly paid his Lobola (bride price) for Ms Tembo.

The rumour came to surface after it was reported that an initial documented quotation for the London venue  booked for Tvangirai’s party meeting, was billed for £2000, which was later changed to just £399, according to party officials. Some party members alleged that Tsvangirai was handed the difference between the above two figures, £1601, which they claim he pocketed so to use as to top up for his bride price on ZANU PF businesswoman Locadia Tembo afew weeks later.
“These are all lies” – OFFICIALS
The claims have been viciously denied by the party’s UK officials. The MDC’s UK treasurer Jeff sango said he was shocked that there was such a story that alleged money had been siphoned fom the party’s bank account which he himself is responsible for.
“I don’t know what is happening with my fellow Zimbabweans. Why are they not asking us?…There is no money which is withdrawn without others knowing of it. Do these people have the statements(evidence) to prove this?”, Jeff Sango said.
“I don’t know what to say but all I can say is all these are lies”.
Sango said the hall hired for the recent Tsvangirai London meeting  was reduced from £2000 because of his influence which he used as a member of the commonwealth parliamentary committee. His statements were backed by the party’s secretary, Taurai Chamboko.
“Some of these people are not genuine party members. They tarnish the party which they later come back seeking help from. Why are they not coming up to say what they are alleging?” Sango said.
Sango bemoaned stating that Zimbabwenas in the UK have been noted to be the most difficult to understand after a certain man was said to have reported a fellow country-man to the UK Border Agency claiming their collegue had been granted immigration papers which they do not deserve.
 
Previous Money Scandals
The rumour comes after as it was revealed that a long money scandal report investigated by party stalwart Samuel Sipepa Nkomo would not be made public, and a leaked copy of the aforementioned document claimed various uncrupulous activities by party officials as money was withdrawn from the UK account on its way to Harare. Party members have remained bitter that the report has remained a secret since its commissioning last year in March 2010.
 
Locadia to remain at Buhera
Meanwhile it was revealed that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s estranged wife Locadia Tembo will remain at Tsvangirai homestead until further notice.
A Karimatsenga relative at the end of last week stated that the family were not amused by Tsvangirai’s denial and his publicly announced divorce.
“We did not invite the prime minister to marry our daughter. He came alone and we are wondering why he is not telling the truth,” Karimatsenga family spokesman Simba Shopera told reporters Friday:
“Do you think we are fools as a family, just because we have been quiet? Do you think we invited the press to come and see our daughter being married to Tsvangirai? Do you think we embedded the CIO or Zanu PF?” asked an angry Shopera.

“Time will tell the truth. This is a Tsvangirai and Karimatsenga issue, a private family matter, not an MDC prime minister’s office issue. Ask Manase and Zvaipa what happened on November 21.”

The pair are said to have been part of a delegation which conducted traditional marriage formalities at the Karimatsenga homestead on November 18 in Christon Bank near Mazowe, triggering off the storm.

“Ask them where Locadia is right now. She is with her husband and they know that. The last time we heard from her was when she was going to Buhera to see her in-laws. I hope she is safe there.” (ZimEye- UK, Zimbabwe)

 
 

Bulawayo(ZimEye)President Mugabe has been to and from Asian countries more than five times this year to allegedly seek medical treatment.
No official statement has been issued on what illness is troubling the president. Suggestions have been made that it could be cancer but no one knows what type.
In the picture taken recently(below) when he officiated at the graduation ceremony at the National University of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, President Mugabe’s right leg seems to be bigger than normal and appears to have been forced into his shoe.
Could this be what is troubling him?

In recent months President Mugabe has been several times seen carrying a small bag whose contents and use remain a mystery to many but suspicions are that it may be a medical kit to keep the president “fired up”. At his age President Mugabe is susceptible to health related problems, but the ageing leader is adamant he will not be relinguishing power any time soon.

One said: “There are a few possibilities we have discussed, and they could all be wrong. Some of my colleagues think it contains some critical medical item, others say it’s probably for his phones while others have speculated that it probably contains money

.
Mugabe ‘too sick’ to cap NUST graduates
Shortly before the graduation ceremony at NUST, speculation on the health of Robert Mugabe continued to grow after the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Bulawayo made last minute changes to the graduation ceremony he was presiding over.

NUST students were quoted by SW Radio Africa saying it has always been a tradition that Mugabe, as chancellor of all state universities, caps them individually. But on Thursday 10th November the ZANU PF leader, who arrived an hour late, was clearly not up to the physical demands required to do that. Instead he capped the students in blocks according to their departments.
There was however to be some face-saving as the 87 year old managed to individually cap those who graduated with Masters Degrees and others who came out with distinctions in their chosen programmes. This meant capping approximately 100 to 150 students instead of about 1,000.
A student who spoke to SW Radio Africa on condition of anonymity said they were initially given name tags to give to the dean of each faculty and these tags were to be presented to Mugabe, one by one. “This entire programme was changed at the last minute and he capped us in a block,” the student said.
Although Mugabe does a similar block capping at the University of Zimbabwe, where the student population is much larger, he has always capped students at NUST individually, SW Radio Africa was told. One student told us “Mugabe looked old and tired and the feeling amongst many of us was that he needed to rest.”
NUST had its 17th graduation ceremony last month and for the first time used the recently completed Ceremonial Hall. Among those who attended included Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, Higher Education Minister Stan Mudenge, his deputy Lutho Tapela and Bulawayo East MDC-T MP Thabitha Khumalo. (ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

The UK Diaspora led by activist Martin Chinyanga mobbed the London embassy on Saturday where they laid flowers in honour of the many Zimbabwe victims of political violence.
Zimbabweans across the world are being encouraged to join in this activity which is meant to honour Zimbabwe’s victims of political violence.
[flagallery gid=16 name=”Gallery”]
(ZimEye)

(Harare)Zim-Music guru Oliver Mtukudzi has been struck by bitter disappointment over the failure of the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ) to issue him a commercial private radio licence.
Zimbabwe’s most popular musician, a director in the Kiss FM company that was seeking one of the two licences to operate a commercial radio station in a country, is reportedly exasperated following the disappointment.
Most readers thought and speculated that Mtukudzi would obtain a licence owing but the opposite outcome emerged.
“Our presentations (Kiss FM) at the public hearings for the interviews for the licences were absolutely substantial and convincing and the outcome that we have been denied a licence is very sad news. I am at a loss of words and disappointed,” Tuku was quoted by Radio VOP.
BAZ has awarded AB Communications (owned by ZANu PF apologist Supa Mandiwanzira) and Zimpapers which is owned by the ZANU PF controlled government.
Meanwhile it emerged that the ZANU PF businessman,the only private licencee to win, Supa Mandiwanzira received assistance from the ZANU PF violent mob Upfumi Kuvadiki to obtain his licence when group of close to thirty young men in number from the ZANU PF youth league formation were seen at the premises on the 25th October when Mandiwanzira presented his bid.
Nevertheless Tuku said he is not giving up on radio but would look into the option of a community radio station if and when the opportunity arises.
Artists were backing Tuku’s KISS FM in the hope that if the musician had been licenced the arts sector would have a voice and platform to speak out.
Artists said they do not have the voice they felt they deserved on the state-run radio and television channels and awarding Tuku a licence would have been empowering to the arts sector.
Music deemed critical of the authorities is banned and hard hitting interviews with artists are censored at the state broadcaster.

“Licensing Tuku would have empowered all artists and the entertainment and culture sectors but Mugabe (President Robert) knows pretty well that giving artists a radio licence would be arming the artists with a weapon to attack his bad governance,” said Muchaneta Sachikonye, a music teacher.
“Common sense would have been to issue the two contested licences to non-partisan people or companies. But look who got the licences – Supa (Mandiwanzira) a known Mugabe apologist and Zimpapers who are aligned to Mugabe and Zanu-PF.”
The MDC-T party’s spokesman Douglas Mwonzoro said the licences were meant to fool the Southern African Development Community (SADC) into believing that Zimbabwe was reforming the media in line with agreements by the principals in government.
By awarding licences to their own cronies Zanu-PF will just as before maintain a total grip on the electronic media with now six radio stations including the new entrants and two television channels at the disposal of their ruthless propaganda campaign. (Radiovop| Additional reporting ZimEye)

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s ‘in-law’ relation from his traditional ‘marriage’ with ZANU PF businesswoman Locadia Tembo caused a scene in parliament house yeterday.
As ZANU PF MPs in the august house chanted loudly to Tsvangirai: ““Our son in law has come!,” Ms Tembo’s sister who is the Goromonzi legislator Biata Beatrice Nyamupinga soon stalked into the house and went straight to the aisle where Tsvangirai was sitting.
Just as the ZANU PF MPs shouted:
““Welcome sister-in-law!,” Ms Nyamupinga took determined steps towards Tsvangirai and within the space of about 36 seconds  performed the African knee-bending procession in the eyes of everyone. The whole house went into sudden noises of laughter and rapturous applause.
Since Monday night when the news broke of Tsvangirai’s alleged marriage, the MDC-T party has consistently denied that there had been any marriage involving Tsvangirai and Tembo while also dismissing the claim that he had paid $36 000 lobola.

Claims that Tsvangirai visited the Mazoe home on Monday afternoon have been vigorously denied, and the PM’s personal confidant Ian Mokone told ZimEye that Tsvangirai was in the office at the time he is reported by the state media to have visited his alleged inlaws.
Reports that emerged after the alleged Monday marriage ceremony were that Tsvangirai only paid damages amounting to $10 000 for having impregnated the woman. It is now widely believed that the Tsvangirai marriage media reports were written out of deep political ambition.

Harare(ZimEye)A report that claims Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai married on Monday is not true, ZimEye has been told.
Various reports state that the PM on Monday went into a wedding ceremony with his alleged long-term lover, Locadia Karimatsenga Tembo, at a private ceremony in Mazowe on Monday.
Sources however told ZimEye that the PM “plans” to take legal action against the originators of the rumour.
The report claims that the MDC-T leader arrived at the small village of Christon Bank near Mazowe just after 4PM local time for the alleged traditional ceremony, “accompanied by one of his brothers and more than a dozen aides and paid US$36,000 cash in bride price, before asking Tembo’s family for a wedding which was happily granted.”
But ZimEye was told on Monday night the story was not true as the PM was reported to have spent the whole day in Harare with his spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka.
“I am not aware of that ,” said party spokesman Douglas Mwonzora.
Tsvangirai’s personal aide Ian Makone also denied the alleged story saying that it would have been impossible for the PM to perform a wedding without him knowing it:
“It is not true. He spent the whole day in the office today,” Makone told ZimEye  on Monday night.

Despite this rebuttal, the report claims that Tsvangirai arrived at Mazoe accompanied by up to ten aides:
Tsvangirai arrived at Mazoe “accompanied by one of his brothers and more than a dozen aides”, it claimed.
It was also said that Tsvangirai will soon move in to live with the Ms Tembo:
““She is expected to move in with Tsvangirai shortly and will be on his side on public engagements. In fact they have been playing happy family for a while living in the same house,” it was claimed (ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

Huddersfield(ZimEye)Consultations with the Zimbabwean community have begun in the United Kingdom coordinated by a Huddersfield businessman a member of the Conservative party which is led by Prime Minister David Cameron.
 
Huddersfield businessman Alan Fish, who has for many years been involved in various projects assisting destitute Zimbabwean asylum seekers to obtain shelter in West Yorkshire, recently extended a hand to the Zimbabwe community beginning with an invitation for former MDC envoy Emily Madamombe so to launch consultations with the Zimbabwean community on what must be done to help their nation Zimbabwe. Beginning with this first contact , many Zimbabwean professionals, community leaders are being called upon to come up and submit their contributions.

Speaking to ZimEye, Alan Fish said he is engaged in “gathering contributions from the Zimbabwean diaspora as to their opinions, experiences, solutions.”
 
Fish who clarified that the Conservative party is not seeking party membership from the Zimbabwean community but are rather merely gathering opinion contributions recently invited Madamombe to the Conservative party as a first point contact which saw last week Madamombe attending a Conservative party meeting at Huddersfield.
 
Alan Fish can be contacted through the Denby Dale Conservative website www.denbydaleconservatives.com

SPEECH BY ZAPU PRESIDENT, DR DUMISO DABENGWA DELIVERED AT THE SAPES TRUST POLICY DIALOGUE FORUM

Ladies and gentlemen, let me begin by thanking SAPES Trust for inviting me to address you today, and thank you also for coming to listen and dialogue on this very important matter of the national question.
If we are to try and answer the question of our discussion, we must first define what the national question is, and whether there is a problem in that regard. The very fact that we are gathered here today to discuss this issue should be indicative to everyone that we do have a nationality issue to be resolved, sadly so many years after our independence. It is no consolation that Zimbabwe is not unique in Africa in this regard; nor is Africa unique with these problems. You only have to mention Rwanda and Bosnia to understand the critical nature of the national question to any nation’s wellbeing.
In my view, the national question that has bothered each one of us is how do we transform Zimbabwe from a pseudo democracy to a real democratic nation state. Yes we achieved independence in 1980, and have held elections whenever they were due since then, though in recent times our elections have dismally failed to satisfy the most generous definition of a free and fair election. In any case, democracy is more than just fulfilling an election calendar once every three years for local government elections, and every five years for national elections. Democracy means individual freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of association, press freedom, religious freedom, cultural freedom, freedom from hunger, freedom from poverty, freedom from joblessness, among other key matters. Are we free from these problems that I have just catalogued? I am sure the answer is a definite NO!
How then do we resolve the national question? Some among us naively imagine that replacing current president Robert Mugabe with a younger person will cause all our problems to vanish. I beg to differ. This reminds me of the illusions we had during the war that the moment we overpowered Ian Smith’s regime and put in power a black majority government, our problems would be over. As we know, our problems became worse, depending on which political side you were. Some of us found ourselves locked up in jail even when we had been acquitted by the courts. It is unbelievable that a good 20 000 people were killed for holding different opinions from those in power. Others found themselves running out of the country to be refugees once more, this time running away from a government they risked their lives to put into power.
I am under no illusion this time around that simply changing the colour of the oppressor like we did when we removed Smith and put a black Mugabe in power, or simply replacing an 87-year-old president with a much younger one will do the magic. We need to change the system first and foremost, more than we just need to change the person.
Theoretically, Zimbabwe is on the brink of resolving the national question. Mugabe is on his way out, through electoral defeat or natural causes, whichever comes first. Also, the country is working on the drafting of a new constitution, both of which should give us yet another chance to restart our life as a nation. The dawn of a post-Mugabe era and a new constitution surely are two very important political developments that we must fully utilize to resolve the national question. As for the old man, I presume it is safe to leave him to God who created all of us, and to the voters. He is as good as gone, as far as I can see; unless of course if we the winners of the next election decide to be magnanimous and accommodate him whichever way we deem necessary.
What is of immediate importance to the nation in my view is to impress on the drafters of the new constitution to be as sincere as they can and come up with a 21st century document consistent with other progressive democracies. While there is generally consensus on some issues such as the separation of powers and press freedom for instance, ZAPU is worried that there is indifference and hesitation in some quarters on the critical matter of systems of governance. There is no denying that Zimbabwe is made up of five distinct ethno-ecological regions, namely, Mashonaland, Masvingo, Midlands, Matabeleland and Manicaland, and that these regions are defined by commonalities of language and tribe. For 31 years, the rest of the regions have been prejudiced by being fooled to believe that we are one, when we are many. What is one is the country Zimbabwe, while the citizens belong to many major ethnic groups that have specific and separate anxieties and demands from the national cake. We cannot bury our head in the sand and pretend that all is well when we see and feel that it is not.
ZAPU’s vision is for Zimbabwe to be a democratic nation state, a state that respects, promotes and protects all human rights; that is, economic, social, cultural, religious and political rights, without discrimination of any kind, such as race, ethnicity, language, gender, religion, political affiliation, or any other kind of discrimination. Zimbabwe must be a state that promotes justice and equality between all races and all ethnic groups, a state whose citizens are equal before the law and in terms of opportunities and responsibilities. The citizens must be owners of the state and its supreme authority. I am saddened that currently in Zimbabwe the state owns the citizens and it is the supreme authority of the citizens, yet we say we are a democracy.
Zimbabwe used to be a rainbow nation, but we have since year 2000 been working hard to obliterate the other colours of the rainbow by approaching the land reform as a race issue rather than a national issue. As a result, we have almost uprooted the entire white community in the country. Before that, our state embarked on an exercise during the 1980s that specifically targeted people of a certain ethnic group. ZAPU recognizes that Zimbabwe is a multi-ethnic state. We are not just black and white, Shona and Ndebele. Our society consists of many ethnic groups such as the Karanga, Zezuru, Manyika, Kalanga, Tonga, Nambya, Sotho, Venda, Shangani, Ndau, Xhosa, Korekore, among others. There is no way we can seek to resolve the national question and set up a democratic state without identifying and including all these ethnic groups and according them the same political, cultural, economic and religious rights.
How then do you balance all these interests? ZAPU has got the answer. It lies in our anchor policy of devolution of power from Harare to the regions or provinces. This demand must be implemented under the proposed new constitution. Devolution of power empowers citizens, even those in the periphery to be interested in the issues of government and governance. Currently, it is as if one has to come all the way to Harare to talk to the government because there is no government in the provinces. Government offices manned by “outsider” civil servants and an unelected, and usually unpopular provincial governor are not the government.
Devolution of Power to Provinces guarantees that:

1. Responsibility is divided between various centres to prevent abuse of power by central government;
2. Local needs are more effectively identified and addressed

Our government is too centralized and too controlling, yet very remote from the people to the extent that there is no relationship between the government and the governed. This is wrong and must change.
ZAPU envisages the creation of five regions or provinces, namely, Mashonaland, Masvingo, Midlands, Matabeleland and Manicaland, to be run by elected provincial governments presided over by an elected premier or governor. There must also be regional houses of assembly or parliaments to formulate relevant provincial legislation and supervise government. The provincial governments must be elected through a first-past-the-post system to ensure that the popular party in the region or province presides over its affairs. The national house of assembly and government must be elected using the proportional representation sysyem to ensure that all political or regional interests are catered for and every vote counts towards the composition of the National house of Assembly – ensuring that all opinion in the country will find expression within that national constituent body.
Our vision is that provincial governments must have control over development issues in their areas, and must own and control the natural resources in their areas on behalf of their people. Obviously there must be a formula of how to share the resources between regional and the national government. Provincial governments must also be responsible for the provision of social services such as water, health, and education, leaving central government to run defense, security, international relations, among other matters.
Devolution equals democracy. It provides a more democratic and inclusive governance system and makes citizens active and inclusive participants in the development of their nation. It provides for a framework to fair and equitable distribution of power and resources. The 30 years of centralized governance that we have endured surely should have left us all aware of the bottlenecks it creates by having all affairs solved in Harare, even something that could be resolved by a chief and his council under his traditional indaba tree, or at worst at the regional government offices.
In conclusion, let me emphasize that we would be very far from resolving the national question if we limit our scope to the removal of someone from power and replacing them with someone else, and leave the same system still intact.
Human beings are selfish by nature and will always be tempted to abuse all the power if it was all given to them. Mugabe has ended up like Smith. Surely, the next president will end up like Mugabe if he finds the same system that Mugabe and Smith used still in place. We therefore need to change the system faster than we want to change the person. Trying to continue with the current centralized system of governance is unsustainable and will lead to very serious problems in the near future. This is a matter that requires sincere, open and frank discussion by those who wish to be leaders of this country going forward. In as much as we need to balance inter-party interests, we also need to balance regional interests if we want our nation to remain united and peaceful.
And we have this chance in our hands!!
I thank you.

Leeds(ZimEye)History was made just outside the northern town of Huddersfield on Friday night as the UK Conservative party launched an off-shoot to comprise purely of Zimbabweans at a dinner dance.
This is the first time Zimbabweans who have in the past been associated with former Prime minister Tony Blair’s labour party, will play an active role within the Conservative party structures.
The development is also likely to usher in a fresh dimension to the Zimbabwean situation since the Conservative party are central to the Zimbabwean political scenario as it was only through their intervention that Zimbabwe became a nation after former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher facilitated a transition from colonial Rhodesia to the new nation Zimbabwe in December 1979 culminating to independence in April 1980.
The Conservative party is however open to all foreign nationalities regardless of their ethnicity.

The Zimbabwean Tories will be led by former MDC Ambassador, Emily Madamombe who is widely respected among many Zimbabweans and was once Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s highly trusted emissary to Europe.
The formation of the Zim-Conservatives comes as the Zimbabwean opposition MDC leader Tsvangirai was exposed of open hypocrisy recently, a factor which has drastically reduced public trust in the MDC faction both at home and internationally following Tsvangirai’s highly contradicting statements to the British media.
The responsibility of the Zim-Conservatives is to act as a bridge between the Zimbabwean community and the UK government and also help aid Zimbabwe’s government in various ways. Chief of the Zim-Conservative’s  aims is the intention to act as a reliable informant to UK and European government policy makers.
The wing is to comprise Zimbabweans from all walks of life.
Announcing the new formation was the speaker for the event Craig Whittaker, MP for Calder Valley.
Zimbos wishing to join can call freephone 08081789489
More to follow…

Harare(ZimEye)ZIMBABWE’s 2012 budget presentation which was scheduled Wednesday 16 November has been postponed to an unannounced date because of President Robert’s trip to Asia.
“We are sorry that the budget presentation which was supposed to be held tomorrow has been affected by the President’s visit which we did not anticipate. We are not yet informed of the new dates but it is going to next week,” a Ministry of Finance official who declined to be named told ZimEye.
President Robert Mugabe who on Friday last week unceremoniously left the country for Asia is believed to have passed through Singapore, one of his frequent destinations in Asia, where he has been receiving medication in recent months on his way to China.
According to the state controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation Mugabe during his ‘official’ visit met with Chinese potential investors from the mining, real estate and air transport sectors in Hong Kong.
ZBC said the first family today joined hundreds of parents in Hong Kong to celebrate a lifetime achievement by their daughter, Bona, who graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration Honours in Accountancy Degree at City University in Hong Kong.
Informed government sources disclosed that the octogenarian leader flew out of the country to Singapore on Friday evening accompanied by his wife Grace although the motive of Mugabe’s visit to Singapore was not yet clear.
Mugabe is scheduled to return back home on Sunday. The trip to the Asian country is his ninth this year.
Last month Mugabe travelled to Singapore but upon his return he could not confirm whether he had sought medical treatment.

Speculation is growing around the 87-year-old leader’s health. Early this year, Mugabe’s spokesperson disclosed that he had visited Singapore for a cataract operation.
But the Zanu-PF leader frequently denies rumours about his ill-health. Last month upon his return from Singapore, Mugabe told a journalist from the state-run media at the Harare International Airport that he was “fit” when asked his heath status.

Harare(ZimEye)A fresh bail application by the MDC Youth Assembly chairperson, Solomon Madzore will be heard at the High Court today, the MDC party announced in a statement.
Madzore is currently detained at the Chikurubi Maximum Prison on charges of murdering a police officer in Glen View, Harare in May.  Th MDC party says the charges are false.
He was arrested last month and denied bail after High Court judge, Justice Hlekani Mwayera said Madzore was a flight risk.

The Youth Assembly chairperson is part of 28 MDC activists who have been arrested in connection with the murder of the police officer at a night club at Glen View 3 Shopping Centre.  Others have been granted bail while Madzore and seven others are still in remand prison. 
The bail appeal by the other seven was last week referred back to the High Court from the Supreme Court after the judge ruled that there was need to first notify the High Court of their intention to make an appeal at the Supreme Court.

(Harare)Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe has handed 3 elephants to China. This was in appreciation for the fact that China helped President Mugabe’s wife build an orphanage for 1000 children.
“On the 19th May this year, President Mugabe reaffirmed the Presidential Decree, protecting the Presidential Herd of elephants. We do not know where the 3 donated elephants came from but on the one hand, the president is promising to protect the elephants, and on the other, he is giving them away – subjecting them to a long traumatic journey which they may not even survive,” a statement by the Zimbabwe conservation Task Force reads.

Meanwhile, the ZCTF has raised concerns about a Chinese-owned milling company in Shamva, next door to the GMB. It is alleged that gold miners in Umfurudzi, Shamva and Bindura take their ore to the milling company to have the gold extracted.
The milling company sells 3,5 kilograms of mercury to each miner and this mercury is then used in separating the gold from the ore.
“After separation, the balance of the ore is dumped in a huge pile which is now approximately 15 feet high, 30 feet wide and 60 feet long and the complainants are concerned that there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that the mercury is removed from the waste ore prior to dumping.
The mill runs 24 hours per day and mills four tons of ore per hour This means that approximately 96 tons are milled and dumped per day. One miner claims that he used 700 grams of mercury to process 28 tons of ore,” reports the ZCTF. The biggest concern is that when the rains come, the mercury contaminated waste ore will be washed into the Mazoe River system, poisoning the water for aquatic life and humans. Mercury can cause various diseases including cancer. The ZCTF has appealed to the Environmental Management Authority to investigate urgently (ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

Oxford(ZimEye) A dubious OXFORD based ZIMBABWEAN Car dealer has gone into hiding after a ZimEye article was published which linked him to a fake Western Union transfer in which a lumpsome of £3 500 was stolen.
Kudzai Mukono’s two mobile phone numbers have remained switched off in recent days, with voicemail messages not being responded to since early last week.
Recently ZimEye also requested Mukono’s current contacts via email but  to date neither reply has been obtained nor information supplied since Friday.
Mukono together with two suspected accomplices Trevor Kanhongo and a certain Malvin Murombedzi, are alleged to have misrepresented themselves as genuine car dealers in order to obtain payment from a Namibian buyer and then making a fake transfer using a counterfeit Western Union document. The £3500 was meant to be paid to a British seller but instead is said to have been later transferred to a Zimbabwean, Malvin Murombedzi, instead of the former. The figure forged onto the Western Union document(pic) was meant to be the amount intended to pay for the vehicle and Mukono now claims he too rather is a victim of the scam carried out by his alleged accomplice.

The Western Union document Mukono supplied is seen bearing a small fee of £19,08 which charge is impossible since Western Union transfer fees are far greater.
Kudzai Marcus Mukono resides in Oxford and his last known cell phone numbers are +447412725188 and +447587491006. See the attached picture of Kudzai Mukono and a copy of the forged western union transfer which Western Union has confirmed as a fake. (ZimEye)

(Birmingham, UK) A ZIMBABWEAN PASTOR reported missing by his wife and later found dead in the loft of their home in Birmingham, England, had a strong passion that Africa will arise one day, it has emerged.
Pastor Ruvimbo Muchemwa’s passion for Africa’s ascension to prominence is seen in one of his poems titled “Africa Arise”, the first on list of all his poems. The first two paragraphs of the poem speak of Africa’s horrific past and cast faith that the time for Africa’s moment has come. They read:

They christened you dark
Seeing your paganism
And your demonic heritage
But the light has dawned
On you from heaven above
So as to prove
That God loves you
Just as you are
They said you were LAST
But God has made you FIRST
Even as He promised
Making you a people
Who were a non-people
Becoming His very own
The beloved of God
Wearing the robes of righteousness,
and salvation
Before the nations of the world [FULL POEM – CLICK HERE]
Ruvimbo Muchemwa’s wife raised the alarm on Tuesday evening after returning home to find his car was not in the garage, and he was also not there.
When he did not return that night, she called the police who found his vehicle two blocks away from their property in Bartleygreen, Birmingham, the next morning.
After police discovered his car keys in the clothes that he had discarded in the house, a full search was conducted and his body was recovered from the loft.
West Midlands say they are not looking for anyone else over the 37-year-old’s death. An inquest will be conducted.
Friends of the pastor, who led services at the Christian Faith Church, which he founded, said he suffered depression after a serious back injury forced him to give up work as a teacher.
“His life became a struggle after the injury and he was always heavily medicated just to get by. Some of us were concerned by the amount of pain-killing medication he was taking, and feared something like this would eventually happen,” a friend was quoted by New Zimbabwe.com
Muchemwa, who was married with two children, worked as a teacher in Mt Darwin, Mashonaland Central, before moving to England more than 10 years ago.
He got a job in Birmingham teaching school drop-outs who had been rejected by local schools.
A friend said: “There was a fight between some students and he moved in to try and stop it but he ended up breaking his back.
“Since then, he has been struggling through pain and had to take pain killing medication just to do the most mundane chores. Sometimes he would go to sleep, then struggle to get up in the morning because of intense pain.
“The medication had a strange effect on him. Sometimes he would just start laughing like someone high on cannabis. But mostly, he complained of depression and being unable to go to work, as well as being unable to grow his church.”
On Tuesday, Muchemwa is said to have called his wife to say he would not be able to pick up their children from school. That was the last time she spoke to him.
Friends, including gospel singer, Obert Mazivisa, have been paying tributes on his Facebook page.
Mazivisa, a friend of the pastor, wrote: “Revelation 14:13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!’ REST IN PEACE Pastor Ruvimbo Muchemwa.”
(ZimEye| Additional Reporting Newzimbabwe.com)

Harare(ZimEye)Zimbabwe’s Youth And Indigenisation Minister Savior Kasukuwere has threatened to sue Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his party over allegations by the latter’s party that Kasukuwere mobilised youths to disrupt an MDC-T rally in Chitungwiza last week.
Kasukuwere said he may be soon claiming criminal defamation damages from Tsvangirai’s party who have remained adamant that they have undeniable proof that the minister was a ring leader in the violent disturbances.
“He (Tsvangirai) has to tell the nation what happened and who told him that I was in Chitungwiza and doing what. I am not taking this as a joke and the PM should open up. It’s serious criminal defamation…I have since approached him and has assured me that he will check with his sources and take the necessary action to put the the record straight…

“A recent press statement by the MDC President M Tsvangirai alleging that l participated or organized the violence that took place in Chitungwiza on Sunday, is completely false and an unfair attack on me,” said Kasukuwere at the beginning of his public statement.
Yesterday MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora said the party had credible evidence Kasukuwere personally mobilised the youths and was in Chitungwiza on the day the clashes occurred.
“We have credible evidence, but we will not divulge the sort of evidence that we have,” said Mwonzora who is also a lawyer by profession.

 
Tsvangirai has “apologised”
Kasukuwere said Morgan Tsvangirai has apologised to him.
“I spoke to him and he apologised. He said he was sorry, but I want to find out where he got that information. What will be the point for me to disrupt his rally?
“On my part,I travelled to Mutare with Hwata and the entire day l was attending to my business in Mutare.It is unfortunate that malice will drive people to accuse others or make baseless and unfounded allegations. I will defend myself on this allegation and l will get my name cleared. Its been a very painful moment to have such allegations labelled on me by the MDC President.
I hope we will all be matured enough to handle this matter in a manner that is honest and fair. I am sure the PM will have the integrity of stating publicly his findings.
My stance is clear, violence is unnecessary and must be condemned. Young people must not be allowed themselves to be instruments of destruction and aggression. Differences must not be resolved in violent confrontation and the events of last weekend are unnecessary.
I wish a speedy recovery to all the young people who were affected and call upon the law enforcement authorities to bring the culprits to book.(ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

Leeds(ZimEye)A three year old Zimbabwean girl has performed wonders and now goes down in history as a Yorkshire Young Writer.
She is the only black Zimbabwean winning this award for the year 2011.
Tatyana Mutanda’s name is now listed in a thick 258 page book edited by Mark Richardson for the Young Writers Award.
The book is a collection of outstanding poems titled ‘Yorkshire Poets.
Young Writers is an organisation created to encourage young people to engage in creative writing and has worked with schools, parents and young writers for over 20 years
(ZimEye, Zimbabwe)

(Harare)The U.S. Ambassador Charles Ray will on Tuesday lead a Food for Thought discussion on transitioning from the military to being a civilian, in advance of the Veterans Day holiday, being celebrated in the U.S. later this week. The discussion starts promptly at 3 pm and will run for an hour and a half at the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section Eastgate auditorium and is on the record.
The discussion comes as the U.S. prepares to mark Veterans Day on Friday, November 11. Veterans Day is celebrated to honor those who served in the military.
Prior to working as a diplomat, Ambassador Ray served in the United States Army for twenty years. He retired with the rank of Major in 1982 and joined the Department of State the same year after which he worked in various assignments
. He was deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He also served in the Department of State Political Military Affairs Bureau, and worked in the U.S. Consulate General Offices in Guangzhou and Shenyang, China. In 1998 he became the first U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
During his career in the military, he received two Bronze Star medals from the Army and the Armed Forces Humanitarian Service Award.
He began his tour of duty in Harare on December 9, 2009. Prior to his deployment in Harare, Ambassador Ray worked as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for POW/Missing Personnel Affairs in September 2006. Ambassador Ray was responsible to the Secretary of Defense for policy, control and oversight of all matters pertaining to missing personnel, and for establishing uniform policies and procedures leading to the fullest possible accounting of Americans missing in action from all conflicts. This mission included the rescue of individuals who fall in harm’s way as a result of combat.