RFI Africa

She has been assaulted, arrested and detained in the course of her career, and now Beatrice Mtetwa, one of Zimbabwe’s most famous human rights lawyers, faces the threat of being struck off the professional register.

Remember that iconic photograph of a lawyer, dressed in green prison garb, climbing into the back of a police truck and turning to wave undaunted to supporters in Harare in 2013? That was Mtetwa.

“The system is afraid of her. She is steadfast, determined & resolute. Don’t omit her when names of heroes of this generation are called,” Zimbabwean activist Victor Chimhutu said in a tweet earlier this week.

For more than two decades Mtetwa has taken on high-profile cases in the defence of human rights and press freedom in the southern African country.

Mtetwa was born in Swaziland (now Eswatini) and moved to Zimbabwe to practice law in 1983. Her name has frequently appeared in international news copy, due to the cases and clients she’s taken on.

These include human rights activist Jestina Mukoko, director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project, who was abducted, held incommunicado and tortured by security agents in 2008, when the late Robert Mugabe was still president.

Glare of cameras

Mtetwa helped to successfully defend Mukoko when she was finally brought to court on terrorism charges, which were also levelled against a number of opposition activists. at the time.

Long before Hopewell Chinono, who she has been defending in court this month, she had a history of defending journalists, including Andrew Meldrum, who worked for Britain’s Guardian newspaper. Mtetwa got Meldrum acquitted of “publishing a falsehood” in 2003. The state went on to deport him.

Having contacts in the press has sometimes come in useful for Mtetwa.

She told the Committee to Protect Journalists in a 2005 interview that getting as many reporters as possible to accompany her on potentially dangerous assignments helped.

“In the glare of cameras I find that people don’t want to do what they would want to do,” she said. “So in a lot of ways I think I’ve been lucky, and I haven’t received as much harassment as one would have expected, or as much as other human rights defenders have had.”

It hasn’t always worked. Mtetwa, who has won numerous awards, including the 2014 International Women of Courage Award and the 2005 International Press Freedom Award, was assaulted in police custody in 2003 and beaten by riot police armed with truncheons during a protest march in 2007.

‘Another level of madness’

She was also arrested while defending a client in 2013 ahead of presidential polls and held in police custody for more than a week.

This week she was accused of undermining the justice system.

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Magistrate Ngoni Nduna on Tuesday barred her from representing detained journalist and anti-corruption activist Hopewell Chin’ono, and urged state prosecutors to get her practising certificate cancelled.

In a tweet following the ruling, the EU delegation in Harare said: “We urge the authorities to respect the right of accused persons to bail & representation by a lawyer of their choice.”

Evan Mawarire, the founder of the #ThisFlag movement, who was defended by Mtetwa after he was charged with treason over last year’s anti-government protests, said the court’s decision to bar Mtetwa from Chin’ono’s case was “another level of madness.”

He tweeted: “Beatrice the one woman super power gave them hell and they lost their marbles.”

State Media

A GWANDA based cop died on the spot after he lost control of the vehicle he was driving and it rammed into a tree along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road in Nsindi area.

Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson, Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident which occurred on Sunday at around 8PM at the 106 kilometre peg.

He said Paul Chiwoto (45) who was stationed at Gwanda Traffic was on his way to Gwanda from Bulawayo when the incident occurred.

“I can confirm that we recorded a fatal road accident involving a member of the police force which occurred along Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road. Paul Chiwoto who was stationed at Gwanda Traffic was travelling along the said road in a Toyota Corolla vehicle. Upon reaching the 106 kilometre peg in Nsindi area he lost control of the vehicle which veered off the road and hit a tree. The scene was attended by the police and his body was taken to Gwanda Provincial Hospital Mortuary,” he said.

In another incident a mine worker from Gwanda died after a shaft he was working in collapsed burying him underneath.

Chief Insp Ndebele confirmed the incident which occurred on Sunday at Lerato Mine in Shape Farm. He said the now deceased Notice Sibanda (35) was working in a 20-metre-deep shaft when it collapsed.

“I can confirm that we recorded a mine accident which occurred at Lerato Mine in Shape Farm. Notice Sibanda was working with his colleagues when he entered a 20-metre-deep shaft to collect some gold ore samples. The shaft curved in and buried Sibanda underneath,” he said.

“His workmates dug him out and retrieved him from the shaft while he was still alive and they rushed him to Tshelanyemba Hospital where he died the following day while admitted.”

Chief Insp Ndebele urged mine owners and managers to ensure that their workers have all the necessary protective clothing when operating. He said they also had to ensure that their mining areas were safe for workers.

By A Correspondent- President Mnangagwa has received 100 tonnes of mealie meal from a local company, Better Brands Jewellery, to be distributed to vulnerable communities affected by Covid-19.

The donation was handed over to the President at State House this morning.

Vice Presidents Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi, Ministers and Senior Government officials were in attendance as the donation was being handed over to the President.

Speaking after receiving the donation, Mnangagwa said the company had shown a good gesture and lauded Better Brands’ chief executive, Mr Scott Sakupwaya for his good heart in helping others.

“We are thankful. This is a good gesture. If we have many young people with such a good heart, then we are assured the nation will move on. This will reduce the burden,” he said.

Mr Sakupwaya said his company saw it fit to help those in need during these hard times.

“We have seen it fit that during this difficult time we also help people in need. The 10 0000 by 10 kilogrammes bags of mealie will be distributed by the President to those in need, where there is need,” he said.

-Newsday

By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions has announced that all workers’ unions should mobilise their constituencies for a national strike starting Monday August 31 2020.

In a tweet posted Tuesday afternoon, the workers’ body urged workers to protest at their workplaces demanding United States dollars.

Said the ZCTU:

From Monday 31 August, we have called for workplace protests every Mondays aimed @ expressing our Demand for USD SALARIES. We are also protesting against EXPLOITATIVE Working Conditions, Deepening POVERTY Economic & Social CRISIS and Endemic CORRUPTION

All UNIONS are called to mobilize!

From Mon 31 August we have called for workplace protests every Mondays aimed @ expressing our

Demand for USD SALARIES

And protesting against

EXPLOITATIVE Working Conditions
Deepening POVERTY
Economic & Social CRISIS
Endemic CORRUPTION

All UNIONS in are called to mobilize pic.twitter.com/3r1Zglgaqt

— ZCTU – Zimbabwe (@ZctuZimbabwe) August 25, 2020

The MDC-T party led by Thokozani Khupe has submitted to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission its list of candidates to replace expelled MDC Alliance Proportional Representative legislators who were expelled from Parliament at the former’s instigation.

The MDC-T has nominated seven (7) candidates to fill the MDC Alliance’s vacant seats in the National Assembly, with Khupe top of the list.

The party has also submitted to ZEC eight (8) of its members to fill the MDC Alliance vacant seats in the Senate. Below are the lists:

National Assembly

Khupe Thokozani
Musarurwa Winfielda Yvonne
Moyo Lindani
Sawuke January
Munochinzwa Memory
Sibanda Lwazi
Mokone Sipho

Senate
Ndlovu Dorothy Molly
Phugeni Khaliphani
Moyo Tamani
Moyo Getrude
Denga Piniel
Ndlovu Chief
Khumalo Nomalanga
Chisorochengwe Teti

State Media

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary education has dismissed as misleading news circulating on social media to the effect that schools will be re-opening on 2 September.

In a statement today the Ministry said schools remain closed until further notice.

“Contrary to misleading social media reports that schools will reopen on 2 September 2020 or 15 September 2020 for examination classes, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education would like to reiterate to its valued stakeholders that the Government deferred the re-opening of schools until further notice,” reads part of the statement.

“Government is currently in widespread consultations and will only announce any schools re-opening date once Cabinet has taken a position.

“It is in this light that the Ministry advises all schools remain closed until a Government directive on re-opening is issued”.

According to the statement, any school that defies the order to remain closed may face criminal charges.

“Our valued stakeholders need to be advised that the Ministry continues to prioritise health and safety as it strives to provide equitable, quality, inclusive, relevant and competence driven Primary, Secondary and Non-formal education at all times,” it said.

Prior to the latest development there his been growing anxiety among Zimbabweans after a news article started circulating purporting that the school reopening for examination classes was imminent.

The Matabeleland Forum, a break away group from Jenny Williams led Matabeleland Collective, says any initiative that seeks to deal with the Gukurahundi atrocities must be coordinated by the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) which is constitutionally mandated to promote national healing in the country.

Matabeleland Forum also claims to represents the clergy and civil society organisations in the Matabeleland region as claimed by the Collective.

The claims by the Forum comes after President Mnangagwa met the leadership of Matabeleland Collective at the Bulawayo State House on Saturday where they came up with a plan of action to issue out documentation to victims of Gukurahundi.

The NPRC was not present at the meeting.

In a statement, Matabeleland Forum said it acknowledged that Zimbabwe’s constitution mandates the NPRC to “promote national healing, encourage people to tell the truth about the past and make sure there is post-independence conflict justice and reconciliation.”

The forum said it would not support any reconciliation process that failed to recognise principles, truth telling and conflict transformation.

The grouping also called for a national dialogue as expressed in the Pastoral letter from the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishop Conference dated August 14, 2020.

“As the Matabeleland Forum we support the need for dialogue, truth telling and reconciliation towards Nation Building.”

While acknowledging past efforts by the government through the Office of the President and Cabinet to engage with Civil Society in Matabeleland and the traditional leaders to address the past injustices in particular the Gukurahundi genocide, the Forum expressed concern at the deteriorating human rights situation in the country.

“We are further concerned that the Government of Zimbabwe has responded with disdain and contempt to the contents of the statements and position papers deposited by the various non-state actors.”

In an effort to foster nation-building, reconciliation and accountability, the Matabeleland Forum proposed that efforts that seek to promote reconciliation with regards to Gukurahundi massacres should avoid tokenism and must place the affected individuals and survivors at the fore.

“Truth-telling must be conducted ahead of any compensation or assistance to the victims and or survivors of Gukurahundi. An inclusive and holistic approach must be considered to make sure there is sustainable conflict transformation within affected communities,” said the forum.

The umbrella body also said the issue of exhumations of Gukurahundi victims should be guided by a policy framework in accordance with the Constitution and International Norms.

“Non-State Actors should be allowed to present evidence-based reports on the political, social and economic impact of the Gukurahundi Genocide before the relevant Parliamentary Portfolio Committee(s),” said the grouping.

Source: Centre for Innovation and Technology (CITE)

Paul Nyathi

The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services has barred Beatrice Mtetwa from visiting jailed journalist Hopewell Chinono.

Mtetwa who was blocked from representing Chinono in court by a Harare Magistrate attempted visiting “her client” at the complex but was barred by the prison authorities.

The authorities have since written the letter below to Mtetwa:

The Thokozani Khupe led MDC-T stands accused of throwing recalled Mayor Herbert Gomba and five others under the bus despite reports that he chipped in with funds towards the suspended July 31 Extra Ordinary Congress (EOC).

A source close to the events said Gomba and another Harare Councillor, Hammy Madzingira financed the EOC to save themselves from an impending recall.

“At the beginning of the Parliamentary recalls, some councilors were told that they will also face the axe. Gomba and Madzingira of Sunningdale were part of those targeted. Sensing danger they went and approached members of the MDC who promised that they will make sure that they won’t be recalled.

“Gomba and Madzingira pumped in money that was going towards sponsorship of the congress. The two were in comfort zone bragging that they won’t be recalled. It seems they had been giving someone money thinking it was getting to the party.” said the source for fear of reprisals

However, MDC-T spokesperson Dr. Khaliphani Phugeni dismissed the reports claiming that party funding comes from taxpayers.

“There’s no truth whatsoever to such claims. The MDC-T receives funding from the taxpayers therefore we don’t take money from our deployees for congresses!” said Phugeni.

Gomba and Madzingira who were once buddies before a fallout are currently on remand facing charges of corruption and abuse of office in relation to the illegal sale of residential and commercial stands.

Together with four other Harare Councilors, they were recalled from council on allegations that they had ceased to be MDC-T members by associating with the Nelson Chamisa led MDC Alliance.

Efforts to get a comment from Gomba were fruitless as his mobile number was not reachable.

263chat

The Zimbabwe dollar once again fell against the United States dollar at today’s auction but by only 48 cents.

It averaged $83.40 down from $82.92 last week.

A total of US$15 million was allotted to both the main auction and the small and medium enterprises auction with the main auction getting US$14.1 million and the SME auction US$960 791.84.

Some 33 bids out of 139 were disqualified in the main auction while only 10 out of 85 were rejected in the SME auction.

The bulk of the money, $8.8 million, went to raw materials, machinery and equipment.

The highest rate offered today was $88 and the lowest $75.

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube has promised to provide more money to the auction market as 87 percent of the country’s imports are now funded by the auction market.

Source: 263chat

Mashonaland Central Provincial War Veterans Chairperson, Samuel Parirenyatwa has labelled Catholic Bishops as puppets who are serving foreign interests after they called out the government on its human rights abuses in recent weeks.

The Bishops’ letter was met with restraint from the government when Information Minister torched a tribalism storm after she said the leader, Bishop Robert Ndlovu, represents a minority, Ndebele group.

Her sentiments were preceded by a 22 paged response to the Bishops by Justice Minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi, who said the clerics were harbouring political ambitions.

The sledging has not stopped as the war vets have also weighed in saying the Bishops are wolves in sheep’s clothing as they have an agenda they are serving.

“I think everybody was somewhat surprised to get such a letter from people considered to be men of the cloth. Men of the cloth are considered to be people who preach peace, love and respect and when you see them now preaching violence and disunity then you begin to wonder if they are really men of the cloth or they are just wolves in sheep’s clothing.

“We were surprised to see the so-called Bishop Ndlovu and his team making such a pronouncement, we thought that maybe if they could do such a thing, they should at least check the facts on the ground and rely on tangible facts not rely on fiction.

“We then understand that these are not really men of the cloth as they are pronouncing themselves but they are actually people being used to destabilize the country,” Parirenyatwa said.

He said contrary to the Bishops’ claims of a crisis, there is no human rights crisis in Zimbabwe. Parirenyatwa said the only crisis in the country is the one caused by sanctions and COVID-19.

He said the public should ignore the statement because”it is a non-entity.

He further stated that his organisation and its affiliates have since stopped treating the Bishops as men of the cloth but as politicians.

“It should be noted that from now on, the rules of politics now apply when dealing with People like Ndlovu and his group

Paul Nyathi

Job Sikhala has been sent back to Chikurubi Prison For another night after Harare magistrate Lazini Ncube postponed ruling on his application not to be placed on remand.

He was arrested last Friday accused of inciting the public to commit violence. Sikhala is challenging the charges brought against him by State claiming they do not constitute an offence.

“Speaking out cannot be by any means interpreted as inciting violence,” Matinenga told the court.

“Political bantering using the words ‘fight’ and ‘war’ does not constitute inciting violence.

“It is very sad that we do not have a culture of tolerance in this country. Instead of protecting those who want to demonstrate or petition, they are sent away from the streets yet the Constitution provides for this,” the lawyer added.

The state said the charges brought against Sikhala showed that his message in the videos encouraged violence by inciting people to besiege Zimbabwe’s embassies in foreign countries.

“He said he is not afraid meaning that he was taking a confrontational approach. We do not dispute that citizens have rights, but they should be exercised within the law by also safeguarding other people’s rights,” the prosecutor told the court.

“Sikhala is a human rights defender but he is also a citizen. If he oversteps, the law will catch up with him.”

The magistrate is expected to hand down his ruling Wednesday afternoon.

Farai Dziva|
The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has urged government to postpone public examinations to May 21.

ARTUZ president Obert Masaraure argued November public examinations should be deferred to May 2021.

Masaraure, quoted by NewsDay, said :

The examinations will be forced down the throats of over 650 000 unprepared learners who had no access to remote learning after COVID-19-induced schools closure of 24 March 2020.

An average of 32 000 elite learners who enjoyed exclusionary access to online learning will be ready for these apartheid examinations.

Examination candidates have lost five solid months of learning time in the critical final year of their studies.

They are likely to lose more. Traditionally, these lost months are dedicated to completing the syllabi and embarking on a robust revision process to recall concepts covered in the first academic year of the two-year course.

It is practically impossible to frog march these ill-prepared learners into the examination room and expect them to cough out good results.

From Mon 31 August we have called for workplace protests every Mondays aimed @ expressing our

Demand for USD SALARIES

And protesting against

EXPLOITATIVE Working Conditions
Deepening POVERTY
Economic & Social CRISIS
Endemic CORRUPTION

All UNIONS in are called to mobilize pic.twitter.com/3r1Zglgaqt

— ZCTU – Zimbabwe (@ZctuZimbabwe) August 25, 2020

Farai Dziva|MDC Alliance leader, Advocate Nelson Chamisa has said Zimbabwe is now an epicentre of evil actions.

President Chamisa also accused Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa of harassing innocent and hapless citizens.

President Chamisa also said:”This is the time to act.”

Watch video below :

MDC Alliance supporters clashed with State agents during the trial of Councillor Godfrey Kurauone in Masvingo on Tuesday morning.

Watch video below :

By A Correspondent| Zanu PF aligned youths today caused a scene at the Media Centre in Harare where Pastor Shingi Munyeza was a guest speaker.

According to an eye witness, Dr Pedzisai Ruhanya, the visibly drunk youths disrupted proceedings while they confronted Munyeza who has of late been fiercely opposed to the way the country is being run by Zanu PF and President Emmerson Mnangagwa,

Munyeza is part of the Presidential Advisory Council, a body put in place to advise Mnangagwa.

WATCH VIDEO posted on Pedzisai Ruhanya’s Twitter…..

This is what we call lawlessness, @ShingiMunyeza encountered it today from rogue Zanu PF youths pic.twitter.com/kpZtFnq4PO

— Pedzisai Ruhanya (@PedzisaiRuhanya) August 25, 2020

Bulawayo voters are plotting an overwhelming rejection of MDC-T leader Thokozani Khupe following her nomination to fill the proportional representation seat for Bulawayo.

This followed the recall of MDC Alliance legislators by Khupe’s party after the Supreme Court nullified the election of Nelson Chamisa to replace the late party founder Morgan Tsvangirai.

Last week, ZEC gazetted that Khupe and other politicians from her party were nominees set to fill in seats in the National Assembly and Senate that fell vacant following their recalling from Parliament of MDC Alliance MPs by the MDC-T Secretary-General Douglas Mwonzora.

Following the gazetting of the names, ZEC chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba invited voters with objections to lodge them with her office before the nominations are confirmed.

On Sunday, some voters in Bulawayo East held an emergency meeting in Mahatshula where they resolved to block Khupe’s nomination.

“As Bulawayo East voters, we are saying during the July 2018 harmonised elections, we overwhelmingly voted for the MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa. Our constituency and our votes contributed to the cumulative provincial votes which formed the basis for the allocation of the proportional representative according to the Electoral Act,” said Gilbert Sibanda, who is spearheading the objection process.

“ZEC has a duty to respect our choices and should not allow the MDC-T to usurp our rights to choose our preferred representatives. Failure to abide by this duty is a clear infringement of our rights of association as spelt out in Section 58 of the Constitution,” he said Gilbert Sibanda.

Sibanda said voters in the constituency feel cheated by the replacement of their elected MPs by someone who was not voted for.

“The whole essence of elections the world over is for people to choose their representatives. Why have elections when people’s preferred candidates can be replaced by other people without the approval of their political parties?”

He said his team will this week hold meetings in all the constituency’s wards mobilising voters to lodge their objections.

Sibanda said they are also planning to meet voters in other affected constituencies and share notes on how best they can “protect their choices”.

Besides Khupe, other names set to replace expelled MDC Alliance MPs are; Yvonne Musarurwa, Lindani Moyo, January Sawuke, Memory Munochinzwa, Lwazi Sibanda, Sipho Mokone, Molly Dorothy Ndlovu, Tamani Moyo, Gertrude Moyo, Piniel Denga, Chief Ndlovu, Nomalanga Khumalo, and Teti Chisorochengwe. Khupe’s spokesperson Khalipani Phugeni has also been nominated.

By-elections are expected to be held soon for parliamentary seats that also fell vacant following the recall of more MDC Alliance MPs who include secretary general, Charlton Hwende, organising secretary Amos Chibaya, former chief whip Prosper Mutseyami, and Highfields West MP, Happymore Chidziva.

-Online

By A Correspondent- A 30 year old jilted husband from Jejeti Village, Kasibo area under Chief Whange set his former mother-in-law Mrs Moyo’s homestead on fire after his wife Nobuhle Mrs Moyo’s daughter left him, the Chronicle reports.

Absalom Nkomo had gone to Mrs Moyo’s house at night to enquire about his wife’s whereabouts and he was told she was not home and he proceeded to set Mrs Moyo’s huts on fire in a fit of rage.

According to the publication, Mrs Moyo and her 2 granddaughters survived the fire because they were already outside the house when he set the houses on fire.

On the 9th day of August at around 11pm the complainant was in her bedroom hut with her grandchildren when the accused arrived. The accused asked his mother-in-law about his wife Nobuhle Moyo’s whereabouts and the complainant told him that she didn’t know where her daughter was. The accused became furious and insulted the complainant

Nkomo threatened to burn a kitchen hut and a bedroom hut unless they disclosed his wife’s whereabouts. Mrs Moyo and her granddaughters went out of the bedroom hut and begged Nkomo not to burn their huts but he became more violent, the court was told. Nkomo then entered the kitchen hut and took a burning log which he used to set the same hut alight.

Nkomo was fined $6000 by Hwange magistrate Ms Rangarirai Gakanje who also sentenced him to 10 months in prison before suspending 2 months on condition of good behaviour and also suspended the remaining 8 months on condition that he restitutes $203 400 the total value of the property destroyed in the fire and US$25 by Monday next week.

-statemedia

By A Correspondent- The ruling ZANU PF has instructed its newly elected Bulawayo Provincial executive committee to start recruiting new members for the party to retain power in the expected 2023 elections.

The party’s political commissar, Victor Matemadanda who is also the deputy minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs spelt out the huge task for the Bulawayo committee. He said:

As the party, we have a 5 million target which we have set for ourselves. Remember the president has put a vision but before we get to that vision we have said 2018 elections have created problems for us.

The president was in the same bracket with the opposition (2 million bracket). What we plan to do is to have a 5 million vote in the 2023 election so that the margin is big for all to see.

Fifteen (15) members of the 25-member executive committee for Bulawayo Province were elected at the event with reports saying the remaining 10 will be filled in due course.

While President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the ruling party are adamant that they have since fulfilled most of the promises made during the 2018 harmonised elections, some cite the socio-economic and political crises in the country as a failure on the party of the government.

-statemedia

High Court bail hearing for Jacob Ngarivhume set for Thursday, 27 August 2020.

Ngarivhume has been denied bail for a record three times, twice at Harare Magistrates Court and once at High Court.

He was arrested in the run-up to the 31 July planned protests and has been languishing in remand prison since then.

More to follow….

By Fanuel Chinowaita-  Magistrate Ncube has ordered the immediate sanitisation of prison cells at Maximum Chikurubi today.

Ncube responded to MDC Alliance National Deputy Chairperson Job Sikhala’s order that the cells should be fumigated.

Through Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights Sikhala said:

“I do not feel safe being detained at Chikurubi prison and i want to be detained anywhere else except Chikurubi.

“The  State must also fumigate cells and provide PPE to inmates.”

It is reported that Sikhala was locked, in the D class section of Chikurubi where  four inmates had tested Covid 19 positive.

The Zengeza West legislator was not given Personal Protective Equipment exposing him to the disease.

Harare Magistrate Lazini Ncube will tomorrow make a determination on the application by MDC Alliance Deputy Chairperson Job Sikhala against his placement on remand.

Addressing journalists outside the Harare Magistrates Court, Sikhala’s lawyer Jeremiah Bhamu said after submissions from both sides, Ncube will make a determination at 1400hrs.

Sikhala is challenging his placement on remand insisting that the charges being levelled against him do not constitute a criminal offence.

More to follow….

By A Correspondent- The ruling ZANU PF has instructed its newly elected Bulawayo Provincial executive committee to start recruiting new members for the party to retain power in the expected 2023 elections.

The party’s political commissar, Victor Matemadanda who is also the deputy minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs spelt out the huge task for the Bulawayo committee. He said:

As the party, we have a 5 million target which we have set for ourselves. Remember the president has put a vision but before we get to that vision we have said 2018 elections have created problems for us.

The president was in the same bracket with the opposition (2 million bracket). What we plan to do is to have a 5 million vote in the 2023 election so that the margin is big for all to see.

Fifteen (15) members of the 25-member executive committee for Bulawayo Province were elected at the event with reports saying the remaining 10 will be filled in due course.

While President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the ruling party are adamant that they have since fulfilled most of the promises made during the 2018 harmonised elections, some cite the socio-economic and political crises in the country as a failure on the party of the government.

-statemedia

WATCH MDC Alliance Youth Leader Godfrey Kurauone’s lawyer Martin Mureri speak to ZimEye outside Masvingo High Court today

WATCH VIDEO LOADING BELOW…..

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=315244289793925&notif_id=1598345356335781&notif_t=live_video_explicit

By A Correspondent- Zanu Pf’s Victor Matemadanda has attacked United States President Donald Trump, accusing him of fuelling chaos in Zimbabwe by sponsoring protests through civil society organisations and the opposition MDC Alliance.

Said Matemadanda:

“They (opposition) think things won’t work without the Americans or the British, others brag that they are a phone call away from Trump. The sell-outs call America and even resort to faking kidnappings.

There is a (Economic Freedom Fighters leader, Julius) Malema in South Africa who thinks he knows Zimbabwe more than we do. Zanu PF and ANC [African National Congress] are sister parties. We want to maintain the relations because we know that after defeating Zanu PF today, they will go after ANC and other sister lib-eration movements.”

The Zanu PF national political commissar accused Malema of working with exiled former Zanu PF members based in South Africa to portray Zimbabwe as a country in crisis.

“We want to know who our real enemy is. Malema and (former Local Government minister Saviour) Kasukuwere say people were denied their rights to march, yet those who organised say they did not want to do that. Malema is a fool. You can say now that those we have here are stooges, the pushing factor is from outside – the Trumps when they blow their trumpets,” he said.

-Newsday

By Wilbert Mukori- “The Government will also start issuing birth certificates to children of some of the people who were killed during the disturbances and have been failing to get the documents and death certificates of those who died,” reported Zimeye.

“The government will next month start exhuming and burying bodies of victims of Gukurahundi.

“The recommendations were part of a high level third (closed door) meeting between President Mnangagwa and civil society groups under the banner of Matabeleland Collective at State House in Bulawayo yesterday.”

It is pleasing that those who have not been able to get birth and death certificates and all the other routine stuff done because of what happened during the madness Gukurahundi are finally going to do these things. It is shocking that it has taken nearly 40 years to have these matters sorted out.

Still, I have to question this Zanu PF government’s competence in the handling of any of the other substantive matters such as the reburial of Gukurahundi massacre victims, paying compensation to the victims, etc. To start with, these matters should be done after all the reports done so far on Gukurahundi have been released and the reburials, etc. are carried out as follow up processes.

There have been at least two official investigations, the Chihambakwe Commission, requested by Mugabe, and when Mnangagwa took over following the November 2017 coup he too set up a body to look into the matter. The two reports must be made public and only then must Zanu PF state publicly what the party propose to do next.

The path Zimbabwe has followed this last 40 years was defined, for better or for worse, by what happened during 1983 to the signing of the Zanu PF and PF Zapu Unity Accord – the Gukurahundi massacre years. Up to now, what happened has remained cloaked in shroud of secrecy and mystery. The shroud must now be lifted and the matter dealt with in an open and transparent manner.

Since Emmerson Mnangagwa and many of those in his Zanu PF government were the principle players in the Gukurahundi saga, it is very doubtful they can be trusted to let the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth come out. It would be better to do nothing regarding Gukurahundi at this point than to open up the old wound and make a complete mess of it!

The other point is; the timing of bringing up the substantive Gukurahundi issues is all wrong give the country is facing a very serious and immediate threat in then form of the corona virus pandemic! With out adding a new distraction, in the form of Gukurahundi, this Zanu PF government is already failing, once again, in its primary duty as the government of saving human lives.

This government’s blundering incompetence and deliberate acts of deception in the handling of the corona virus is putting hundreds of thousands of Zimbabwean lives at risk. This is a humanitarian tragedy that is unfolding here and now and demanding our urgent attention!

Zororo Makamba, the country’s first corona virus victim, was allowed to mix freely with the public because a senior Zanu PF official overruled an Immigration Official who wanted Makamba placed in isolation.

South Africa’s corona virus infection rate will be similar to that of Zimbabwe, given the heavy human traffic between the two. SA has 12 843 covid-19 deaths, for example, and Zimbabwe, with 1/4 the population, should therefore have 3 210 deaths. Instead, Zimbabwe has, officially, 151 covid deaths; 20 times lower!

As of end of July 2020, SA had done 3 million test or tested 1 out of every 20 (1:20) of its 60 million population. In the same period Zimbabwe carried out only 145 000 tests out of a population of 16 million or 1:110!

In April the Zanu PF government promise to ramp up the country’s testing capacity and test health care workers regularly. It has not done so and hence the reason some health care workers are yet to have the first test! The biggest price the nation pays for failing to test aggressively is that many people with the infection and should be in isolation will remain to interact freely and thus spread the virus far and wide.

By the time there is a corona virus vaccine and/or cure, in a year or so time; Zimbabwe’s official covid-19 death rate would 2 000 or so. The real figure would probably have soared to a few hundred times higher than to official figure. The corona virus pandemic has the potential to kill 400 000 plus Zimbabweans!

So after 37 years, Zanu PF is finally doing something for the Gukurahundi dead. The tragedy is in attending to the long dead the regime is fostering on the nation a new national catastrophe even costing the nation 20 times more human lives than the Gukurahundi massacre!

The corona virus pandemic constitutes the greatest of our generation threat to human lives and livelihood for not only Zimbabweans across the board but the world over. Zimbabwe’s performance so far in stopping the virus entering our borders and, once in, containing it; is one of the worst in the whole world. Keeping this corrupt and incompetent Zanu PF regime focused on the immediate task of saving Zimbabwean lives and livelihoods from the corona virus and the disruption it is causing is going to be tough.

Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF cronies must be told in no uncertain terms ramp up the corona virus testing and all the other activities to help stop the spread of corona virus. The regime and the nation is ill equipped to deal with such matters as substantive Gukurahundi issues at present.

Indeed, Mnangagwa is bring up the substantive Gukurahundi issues to distract the nation from the urgent matters of the worsening economic meltdown, the growing social unrest and most pressing of all the soaring covid-19 infections and deaths! The need for all Zimbabweans to focus on the need to end the curse of rigged elections and bad governance has never been greater than it is today because until we end the curse all these problems will only get worse!

By A Correspondent- A 30 year old jilted husband from Jejeti Village, Kasibo area under Chief Whange set his former mother-in-law Mrs Moyo’s homestead on fire after his wife Nobuhle Mrs Moyo’s daughter left him.

Absalom Nkomo had gone to Mrs Moyo’s house at night to enquire about his wife’s whereabouts and he was told she was not home and he proceeded to set Mrs Moyo’s huts on fire in a fit of rage.

According to the publication, Mrs Moyo and her 2 granddaughters survived the fire because they were already outside the house when he set the houses on fire.

On the 9th day of August at around 11pm the complainant was in her bedroom hut with her grandchildren when the accused arrived. The accused asked his mother-in-law about his wife Nobuhle Moyo’s whereabouts and the complainant told him that she didn’t know where her daughter was. The accused became furious and insulted the complainant

Nkomo threatened to burn a kitchen hut and a bedroom hut unless they disclosed his wife’s whereabouts. Mrs Moyo and her granddaughters went out of the bedroom hut and begged Nkomo not to burn their huts but he became more violent, the court was told. Nkomo then entered the kitchen hut and took a burning log which he used to set the same hut alight.

Nkomo was fined $6000 by Hwange magistrate Ms Rangarirai Gakanje who also sentenced him to 10 months in prison before suspending 2 months on condition of good behaviour and also suspended the remaining 8 months on condition that he restitutes $203 400 the total value of the property destroyed in the fire and US$25 by Monday next week.

-statemedia

By A Correspondent- The ruling ZANU PF has instructed its newly elected Bulawayo Provincial executive committee to start recruiting new members for the party to retain power in the expected 2023 elections.

The party’s political commissar, Victor Matemadanda who is also the deputy minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs spelt out the huge task for the Bulawayo committee. He said:

As the party, we have a 5 million target which we have set for ourselves. Remember the president has put a vision but before we get to that vision we have said 2018 elections have created problems for us.

The president was in the same bracket with the opposition (2 million bracket). What we plan to do is to have a 5 million vote in the 2023 election so that the margin is big for all to see.

Fifteen (15) members of the 25-member executive committee for Bulawayo Province were elected at the event with reports saying the remaining 10 will be filled in due course.

While President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the ruling party are adamant that they have since fulfilled most of the promises made during the 2018 harmonised elections, some cite the socio-economic and political crises in the country as a failure on the party of the government.

-statemedia

By A Correspondent- The MDC-Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa has described the recall of  Harare mayor Herbert Gomba and five others by the MDC-T camp led by Thokozani Khupe as a ploy to destroy the opposition party.

Gomba was recalled together with Hammy Madzingira (Ward 10), Kudzai Kadzombe (Ward 41), Gaudencia Marere (Ward 32), Costa Mande (Ward 24) and Happymore Gotora (Ward 7).

MDC-Alliance deputy spokesperson Clifford Hlatshwayo yesterday said the recall was “illegal and irregular”.

“The rebels are a tool; they are being used by Zanu-PF, used to push its agenda. They don’t want MDC-Alliance-led councils to perform well; that’s why they are doing all this, disturbances and unnecessary interference in the affairs of local authorities.

“This is against the constitution that allows councils to operate and manage their local authorities. The rebels have no locus standi to recall MDC-Alliance councillors and must stop now. It is against the law. How can you recall from nowhere the first citizen of the capital city. These guys are joking with the people’s vote,” he said

Describing the recall of MDC-Alliance parliamentarians and councillors as “spirits of darkness”, Hlatshwayo vowed that his party would fight back.

“Power is derived from a constitutional process of elections either as an independent candidate or with your political party. In this case, it is MDC-Alliance party which fielded candidates. The Zimbabwean law on elections is clear that it registers political parties not coalitions.

“We are going to reclaim and conquer everything. These wild winds are going to end. We have a serious plan of action on the ground that will rescue the people of Zimbabwe from the bondage of the spirits of darkness,” he said.

This comes after the Khupe-led interim MDC leadership also recalled Bulawayo deputy mayor Tinashe Kambarami, as well councillors Concillia Mlalazi, Alderman Ernest Rafamoyo, Tinevimbo Maphosa and Norman Hlabani.

Khupe has also recalled 21 MDC-Alliance legislators from Parliament.

The MDC has been consumed by ructions ever since its much-loved founding father Morgan Tsvangirai died from colon cancer in February 2018.

The party’s infighting escalated after the Supreme Court’s judgment earlier this year which upheld last year’s ruling by the High Court that nullified Nelson Chamisa’s ascendancy to the leadership of the country’s biggest opposition party.

Both Chamisa and Khupe have been criticised for failing to heal their rift and focus on the failures of Zanu-PF, whose incompetent handling of the economy has stirred anger among long-suffering Zimbabweans.

Paul Nyathi

MDC-T Secretary General Douglas has shocked many after he made a statement claiming that the Gukurahundi genocide of the eighties was a civil war.

In a statement on his official Facebook page where he was endorsing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s out of favour Political Actors Dialogue, POLAD, Mwonzora claimed that his so called Civil War was ended by a dialogue between ZANU’s Robert Mugabe and PF ZAPU’s Joshua Nkomo.

The Robert Mugabe regime with Emmerson Mnangagwa as State Minister deployed a battalion of soldiers into Matabeleland and killed over 20 000 unarmed civilians in the atrocities that Mwonzora declared as a civil war.

Below is Mwonzora’s full statement:

Our position on dialogue has never changed. Dialogue remains the only sustainable way to resolve the national crisis.

For any dialogue process to work and produce results it must be genuine, inclusive and unconditional.

In this regard we believe that any dialogueprocess in Zimbabwe must include political parties, churches, labour, civil society and
business. That is the only way to guaranteethat the dialogue process does not produce an elite pact but a sustainable and satisfactory outcome for all our peoples.

Zimbabwe’s history is full of evidence that dialogue works. After a gruelling war of liberation the warring parties had to resort to
dialogue at Lancaster House.

After the civil war in Matabeleland and the Midlands, Zanu PF and PF Zapu sat down and concluded the Unity Accord. After the violence of 2008, the major parties sat down and produced the Global Political Agreement.

The fact that there will be dialogue does not preclude people from embarking on lawful action like peaceful demonstrations that are permitted under section 59 of our constitution.

By A Correspondent- Masvingo Provincial Covid-19 Taskforce announced on Monday that five government workers at Masvingo provincial offices have tested positive for the coronavirus.

The development was announced by the Taskforce’s spokesperson, Rodgers Irimayi who said out of a total of 139 workers that were tested for Covid-19 last week from the government offices in the city, five had tested positive.

Masvingo recorded two Covid-19 deaths last week, and the province, overall, has 19 other active cases.

Of late, local transmissions have been more than imported cases. Health authorities have as a result urged the citizenry to observe recommendations to curb the spread of the deadly virus.

-statemedia

Global Sisters Report

HARARE, ZIMBABWE — Jane sat on a hard, wooden chair at a church in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, and stared into space for some minutes. Then, she began to croon in worship and, a few minutes later, the gates of her heart burst open, and she began to pour out her heart to her Lord, tears flowing freely like a fountain.

“Father, I forgive my abusers and the people who caused me pain,” prayed the 37-year-old mother of two, who asked that Global Sisters Report not use her real name. “They treated me like an animal, like I didn’t matter, like I was a dog, worse than a dog. God, please heal my pain and heal my broken heart.”

Jane’s journey of pain began in 2016, when she was enticed by a trafficking agent in Harare with promises of a salary of $1,400 per month at a hotel in Kuwait, more than 3,000 miles away. Life had become unbearable in Zimbabwe after her husband lost his job as a casual laborer in a local milk factory and they were evicted from their house for nonpayment of rent.

“Life was very difficult and we barely had something to eat, and if we ate, it was one meal per day,” she said.

It was at this difficult time that she met her trafficker, who was well acquainted with her mother. Everything was planned quickly, and within one week, all her travel documents were ready, including her passport. She was given a new Islamic name: Amina Ishmael.

Upon reaching Kuwait, she was picked up from the airport by a man who would be her boss. It was at his house that Jane realized she had been lied to and trafficked. Her host took away her travel documents and forcefully performed a medical procedure to check her overall health.

“I was raped every day, and I was helpless to do anything about it,” she said, weeping throughout the interview with GSR but insisting she wanted to tell her story. “I was forced to work day and night, beaten, restricted to go anywhere, threatened of arrest and deportation and unlawful withholding of my passport. I wasn’t even paid for the five months I worked at the home.”

When things became intolerable, she fled the home and took refuge in the Zimbabwe consulate. Jane was deported after a week, and upon arrival back in Zimbabwe, she was introduced to the religious sisters who run the African Forum for Catholic Social Teaching (AFCAST), an association of justice and peace practitioners throughout Africa, and who chaired the Counseling Services Unit, a group of doctors and counselors who assist the victims of human trafficking in Zimbabwe.

“As AFCAST, we deal with social problems that affect the people,” said Sr. Janice McLaughlin of the Maryknoll Sisters, who is one of the forum’s founders. “We focus our attention mainly on human trafficking and abuse of children and vulnerable adults. We always do our research and then we try to reach out to those affected or those we feel need help. All this is done by following Catholic social teaching and mission.”

‘There are no jobs here’

Jane is among the 40.3 million people who have been trafficked globally, including 24.9 million in forced labor and 15.4 million in forced marriage, according to 2016 estimates by the International Labour Organisation, the most recent available data.

Human trafficking in Africa is an urgent crisis, and women and children are especially at risk. People can be trafficked within their own countries, to neighboring countries and to other continents for sexual exploitation, sexual slavery, forced marriage, domestic slavery and various forms of forced labour, according to the latest report by the United Nations.

Zimbabwe does not meet the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so, according to the 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report from the U.S. State Department. The report also notes that the southern African nation has been mapped as a source, destination and transit point for trafficking. In most of these cases, victims are vulnerable children and young adults.

In 2014, the Zimbabwe Parliament passed the Trafficking in Persons Act to identify those who have been trafficked, mitigate the illicit practice and prosecute trafficking offenders. However, it wasn’t until 2016 that the government launched the Trafficking in Persons National Plan of Action to enforce the law.

Since then, Zimbabwe’s government has made some headway in its efforts to end human trafficking. It investigated 72 potential cases of trafficking and prosecuted 42 cases in 2016, compared to none in the previous year. The government reported prosecuting 14 trafficking cases in 2017.

However, women and girls from Zimbabwean towns bordering South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia are still trafficked and subjected to forced labour and prostitution. In rural areas, men, women and children are also trafficked internally to farms for agricultural labor and to cities for forced domestic labour and commercial sexual exploitation, according to the U.S. State Department.

State Media

ZESA HOLDINGS has said power outages being experienced in different parts of the country are due to a technical fault at Kariba and Hwange Power station.

Power supply had vastly improved since March until recently when some areas have been experiencing power cuts.

After months without experiencing any power cuts, people took to social media to vent and to express their unhappiness at the new status quo.

Most have linked the drastic change in the power situation with the firing of Fortune Chasi also calling for new Minister Soda Zhemu to be fired, blaming him for the return of power cuts.

A new term had even been crafted whenever power is cut, “Zvadirwa Soda,” people would say.

ZESA Holdings acting group stakeholder relations manager Ms Prisca Utete said the situation had been compounded by the unavailability of normal import levels due to constraints in the region.

“Hwange unit 5 has been out and works are at an advanced stage to recover it, while Unit 2 developed tube leaks and repairs are almost complete with expectations of bringing it back as soon as possible, hence minimising the demand supply mismatch,” she said.

“Unit 8 is out of service due to a technical fault at Kariba power station, which is currently operating with seven units. Efforts are underway to restore this unit.”

She said that power supply should be stable starting this week.

State Media

One the country’s most wanted armed robber, Musa Taj Abdul who has been on the run for over two decades and masterminded a spate of criminal activities, has been arrested in Beitbridge.

Abdul was arrested while in the company of six other accomplices in the border town last night.

Police this morning confirmed the high profile arrest, and said a team of detectives from CID Homicide in Harare has since been dispatched to Beitbridge this morning as part of investigations.

Abdul has been known for evading police arrests and escaping shootouts in which some of his accomplices were killed by police in several incidents in and around the city.

Correspondent

UNDER FIRE Matabeleland Collective leader, Jenni Williams says that the eighties Gukurahundi atrocities that claimed lives of over 20 000 people in Matabeleland and Midlands was not a genocide.

Speaking to journalists soon after Mnangagwa’s meeting with members of the Matabeleland Collective at State House in Bulawayo last Saturday, Williams said the Gukurahundi atrocities were not genocide, but state-sanctioned killings.

“This (Gukurahundi) was not a Rwanda style genocide. This was not people of Shona tribe coming and killing the people of Matabeleland. These were salaried state soldiers who came here and killed people.

Victims of the emotional period have always insisted that the killings were a tribal genocide as was the case in Rwanda though some thoughts say it was a mere political warfare by ZANU on its rival PF ZAPU.

When probed further by journalists on President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s position on the killings,
Williams challenged Mnangagwa to issue a public apology over the atrocities.

Mnangagwa was then State Security Minister and presided over the Gukurahundi brigade which reported directly to then President Robert Mugabe and not to the Army Commander.

“The head of state is the person who should be able to acknowledge that the soldiers were deployed by the government and we remain committed to identifying how that acknowledgement looks and how the apology looks,” she said.

“But for us, the position is not only the government to do that but our communities carrying that suffering, they have to describe that process,” she said.

“So, for us, the acknowledgement that this is what happened and how it happened is very important,” said Williams who is also the leader of Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) leader.

She revealed Mnangagwa will soon launch a documentation programme for Gukurahundi victims in Matobo district in Matabeleland South.

Matobo is close to the notorious Bhalagwe detention camp, the epicentre of the gruesome atrocities.

“We are going to launch this exercise in Matobo district. We are going to take His Excellency to launch in that district because for us that is the centre around Bhalagwe, where these things happened. His Excellency needs to be able to come there and see people, launch this exercise,” she said.

The issuance of documents to Gukurahundi victims, she said, will assist in revealing the truth behind the killings.

“For us in Matabeleland, we want it to be clear these people were killed during Gukurahundi and so the death certificates of our lost loved ones must be a truth-telling element. I think some of those issues have now been addressed,” she added.

State Media

THE Government has gazetted Statutory Instrument 200 of 2020 stipulating l conditions to be adhered to during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Zimbabwe, like many other countries, is on a national lockdown as part of measures to curb the spread of the Covid-9 pandemic which has so far claimed 155 lives.

Dubbed the Public Health Covid-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment; National Lockdown Consolidation and Amendment Order, 2020, the SI 200 of 2020 is a summary of legislation that has been put in place to ensure there is no spread of the global pandemic.

The piece of legislation also repeals 16 other previously gazetted public health statutory instruments which spoke to issues to do with national lockdown conditions.

According to the document, essential services include the work of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission established in terms of the Electoral Act.

“Essential services include any hospital service; any service relating to the generation, supply or distribution of electricity and any service relating to the supply and distribution of water. Any service relating to the production, supply, delivery or distribution of food in particular supermarkets and food retail store, fuel or coal as well as banking institutions, bureaux de changes, money transfer services are also essential services,” read the document.

The list also includes any sewerage or sanitary service; fire brigade or ambulance service; coal mining; communications and telecommunication services.

“The telecommunications services include the Internet, any public or licensed broadcasting service and the activities of persons as journalists, newspaper vendors or employees of such services.”

According to the SI, the conducting of public examinations at schools, colleges, universities or other tertiary institutions in accordance with circulars issued by the ministries responsible for primary, secondary, tertiary or technical education are also an essential service.

“The Government Printer (Printflow (Private) Limited); all criminal and civil courts together with their support staff including the Sheriff of the High Court or messengers of court are part of the essential services. All arms and organs of the State engaged in providing security services, and licensed private security services are also part of the essential services.”

Under the new regulations, residents who hoard food for profit making through resale will be subjected to prosecution if found guilty.

“No person shall, at his or her home or in any other premises or location, hoard medicines meant to combat Covid-19 or food in excess of what is needed to be stored for himself or herself and his or her family during the period of the national lockdown. No person shall export or attempt to export from Zimbabwe medical supplies needed to combat Covid-19 unless the exporter or other person in charge of the consignment for export of such supplies produces to a revenue, customs or enforcement officer a clearance letter,” reads part of the S1.

Correspondent

Residents of Bulawayo East constituency who claim to have voted in the 2018 elections have organised themselves to block the nomination of MDC-T members including its leader Thokozani Khupe into parliament.

The Zimbawe Electoral Commission, ZEC, gazetted that Khupe and her other MDC-T top leaders had been nominated to fill proportional representation seats in the National Assembly and Senate that fell vacant following their recalling from Parliament of MDC Alliance MPs.

According to the electoral act, voters have a tight to object to the nominations through ZEC before they are confirmed.

On Sunday, some voters in Bulawayo East held an emergency meeting in Mahatshula where they resolved to block Khupe’s nomination.

“As Bulawayo East voters, we are saying during the July 2018 harmonised elections, we overwhelmingly voted for the MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa. Our constituency and our votes contributed to the cumulative provincial votes which formed the basis for the allocation of the proportional representative according to the Electoral Act,” said Gilbert Sibanda, who is spearheading the objection process.

“ZEC has a duty to respect our choices and should not allow the MDC-T to usurp our rights to choose our preferred representatives. Failure to abide by this duty is a clear infringement of our rights of association as spelt out in Section 58 of the Constitution,” he said.

“The whole essence of elections the world over is for people to choose their representatives. Why have elections when people’s preferred candidates can be replaced by other people without the approval of their political parties?”

Besides Khupe, other names set to replace expelled MDC Alliance MPs are; Yvonne Musarurwa, Lindani Moyo, January Sawuke, Memory Munochinzwa, Lwazi Sibanda, Sipho Mokone, Molly Dorothy Ndlovu, Tamani Moyo, Gertrude Moyo, Piniel Denga, Chief Ndlovu, Nomalanga Khumalo, and Teti Chisorochengwe. Khupe’s spokesperson Khalipani Phugeni has also been nominated.

President @nelsonchamisa leading demo against ZRP from the front, and five months later, youths are now on the ground, skilfully executing & subduing cops with live-bullets from the lips https://t.co/ppQS93GwM2 https://t.co/vQihilPZB1 pic.twitter.com/2GghzXoiir

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) August 25, 2020

State Media

PEOPLE should adapt their lifestyles to the new normal to curb the spread of Covid-19 for the country to win the war against the pandemic, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Monica Mutsvangwa has said.

With no vaccine in sight experts have said people should learn to live safely.

In a media briefing after the ad-hoc Inter Ministerial Taskforce on Covid-19 meeting yesterday, Minister Mutsvangwa said as each day passes people are learning new information about the virus.

“Experts have informed us that those who will win this war are those who adapt to the new normal which entails adopting the protective and preventative measures that curb the spread and transmission of Covid-19. This is a new normal. Let us all accept it and adapt our lifestyles to it,” she said.

Minister Mutsvangwa said Government appreciates how difficult it is for citizens to avoid venturing out due to the demands of different social circumstances, but they must not put their lives at risk.

She said even though the country has been in lockdown for about five months, the worst is not yet over.

“Let us dig in into our legendary resilience and take heart in that what we are being asked to do will save us, our families and communities. Let us not violate the movement restrictions that are in place to protect us and others as well as the wearing of masks in public places,” she said.

Minister Mutsvangwa said the number of local transmission remain worrisome and continue to rise.

She said Government continues to work to prevent the spread of the virus.

“Additionally, community awareness programmes are gathering momentum. The training of trainers is underway in all eight rural and two metropolitan provinces. Training of village and community health workers is also underway in all districts. Village Health Workers are vital to the country’s health delivery system as they interface with communities on a day to day basis,” said the minister.

She said in the current Covid-19 context, the role of Village Health Workers has expanded beyond engaging communities in prevention and protective measures, to include detection and responses in containing the pandemic.

“There are presently 1 293 persons in quarantine facilities, which marks a significant reduction from the figures reported in previous weeks. This again follows the WHO recommendation that the quarantine period be reduced from 21 to 14 days,” said the minister.

She said the National Taskforce has noted with concern that despite Government’s effort to capacitate Zupco to provide services to commuters in urban areas, there is a lot of unnecessary travelling which increases risk in urban areas.

Minister Mutsvangwa said citizens are therefore encouraged to only travel when absolutely necessary and those who do not have to travel during peak hours are also encouraged to avoid travelling during the high congestion times.

She said the National Taskforce is now being chaired by the Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, who is deputised by the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Prof Amon Murwira.

Two Zimbabwe Republic police officers received live rounds of verbal ammunition, truth-packed bullets, when they were told at the trial of the fiery Zengeza MP Job Sikhala:

“You can assault me here, I offer my body as a sacrifice, but tomorrow you will be miserable.”

The cops became totally subdued by the words spoken by two bold protesters angry with the manner in which Sikhala has been abused by the state.

The development came as Sikhala through his lawyers revealed that he has received death threats from a prison officer; is being kept in the death row section of the prison, and his warned-caution statement has been altered to suit the charges levelled against him. It was also revealed that he has been mixed with prisoners who are covid positive. VIDEO:

You can assault me here, I offer my body as a sacrifice, but tomorrow you will be miserable, @PoliceZimbabwe

cop told pic.twitter.com/OlTTKEYwci

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) August 24, 2020

Zimbabwe had 140 new coronavirus cases today pushing the number of cases to 6 070.

Seventy-eight people recovered raising the number to 4 950 but the number of active cases also rose from 903 to965.

There were no deaths.

The national recovery rate now stands at 82 percent.

State Media

Angry MDC Alliance supporters caused a scene yesterday at the Harare Magistrates Courts when they stormed the premises protesting against Job Sikhala’s arrest.

Sikhala was arrested last week on Friday for allegedly inciting public violence by calling for the July 31 flopped demonstrations.

Police had to disperse the rowdy group, which was singing and calling for his release.

Through his lawyer, Mr Harrison Nkomo, Sikhala said the officer-in-charge at the prison whom he identified as George Mutimbanyoka threatened him.

Sikhala said he “was advised in no uncertain terms that you shall die in this prison” and was asked to give a telephone number of the person the prison should contact in the event of death.

He accused Mutimbanyoka of directing a junior officer, named Murima, to handcuff him the entire day and he was in leg irons in the courtyard of Chikurubi on August 23.

Sikhala said he was kept in D Class cells where he was advised by inmates that seven people in that section had tested positive for Covid-19, with four more testing positive on that day.

“You obviously are aware of the catastrophic nature of this virus. No PPE or sanitiser,” he said.

Harare magistrate Mr Lazini Ncube ordered the fumigation of the prison cells and ordered the State to investigate the allegations made by Sikhala.

In his application, one of Sikhala’s legal team, Mr Jeremiah Bamu, took to the witness stand where he told the court that the police tampered with Sikhala’s warned and cautioned statement.

He said the statement was materially distorted and doctored in many aspects to suit police charges.

Mr Bamu told the court that he was neither shown the videos nor audios that the police alleged to be in possession of that they say supported the charges.

Sikhala is expected back in court today for continuation of his application for challenging his placement on remand.

Messrs Tendai Shonhai and Garudzo Ziyaduma represented the State.

State Media

The battle by former Information Communication Technology Minister Supa Mandiwanzira to quash the remaining charge of corruption he is facing continues with the former minister approaching the High Court to overturn a magistrate’s decision to allow the charge to stand.

Mandiwanzira is facing a charge of criminal abuse of office for allegedly seconding the personal assistant to the Minister, Tawanda Chinembiri, to the board of the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) without due process when he was ICT Minister.

Chinembiri was an employee of the Government and his position was equivalent to a Deputy Director in the Ministry.

The High Court has already quashed a second charge under which Mandiwanzira allegedly engaged a South African firm, Megawatt Company, to carry out consultancy work for NetOne without due process.

Mandiwanzira contested the charge because it gave the impression that Chinembiri was not an employee of government.

On the allegations that Mandiwanzira had hired a South African company to investigate corruption at NetOne without going to tender, investigations by Megawatt unearthed overpricising of equipment by NetOne of over US$100 million. At least US$30 million was recovered as a result of the investigations by Megawatt.

It is on this basis that the then High Court Judge Justice Nicholas Mathonsi dismissed the first case against Mandiwanzira.

Last month, Mandiwanzira unsuccessfully applied to challenge the remaining charge via an application for exception before regional magistrate Ms Bianca Makwande.

But Ms Makwande dismissed the application when she made a finding that corruption matters should not be resolved on technicalities. Mandiwanzira argues it is a clear case of witch-hunting.

However, the ruling paved the way for the resumption of the former minister’s prosecution until Friday last week when he filed his latest application for review of the trial court proceedings.

In his High Court application, Mandiwanzira challenges the charge, which the prosecution wants to amend, two years after it failed to stick.

He wants the court to review the trial magistrate’s decision arguing that her findings were irregular in view of the prosecution concession in the exception hearing that the remaining charge did not disclose an offence.

“The charges were a nullity at law in that they were predicated on a false premise,” said Mandiwanzira.

The former minister also complained over why it had taken so long to finalise the matter since his arrest two years ago. He argued that the prosecution was not keen to finalise the matter, citing the fact that at one stage it considered withdrawing the charges.

“One wonders why after two years, the State proposes to amend its charge when it is the one that indicated the allegations were helpless,” said Mandiwanzira.

“Whichever way this matter is looked at, the result should be the trial court’s decision must be set aside for being irregular and actuating a constitutional violation.” The prosecution is yet to file its response.

State Media

A 54-year-old Bulawayo security guard was killed while his colleague was left nursing a serious head injury after eight gold panners set upon them with machetes.

The assailants got away with a loaded 303 rifle.

Mr Ernest Dube died on duty at Adar Bali Mining Compound along Victoria Falls Road on Thursday and his colleague Mr Ashley Manyemba (20) who reported his death is in a critical condition at Mpilo Central Hospital.

Police in Bulawayo have arrested four of the suspects who will appear in court today facing murder and attempted murder charges.

The four are Tobias Dube from Nkayi, Nkosilathi Ncube from Magwegwe, Loud Ngulube and Givemore Ngwenya from Insuza.

Dube was the first to be arrested after a tip off and upon investigations he implicated the other three.

On Thursday around 9.30PM, Mr Manyemba who was on duty with the deceased left the premises unarmed intending to have his supper.

On his way back he met a group of at least eight men who were armed with machetes.

The gang pounced on him and one of them struck him with a machete and left him for dead.

Mr Manyemba gained consciousness after a while and staggered to his colleague whom he found lifeless in a pool of blood.

He also noted that Dube’s rifle, shoes and uniform were missing and a report was made to the police.

Investigations led police to the four and they recovered the rifle which had four rounds of ammunition missing and they are yet to establish where these were used.

The police national spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident yesterday and said investigations are under way. “We have arrested four men in connection with the murder of a security guard in Bulawayo and the attempted murder of his colleague which occurred on Thursday. The four were arrested on Friday after a tip off and police are still investigating as they were found in possession of a rifle,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.

“We appeal to members of the public with information that may lead us to more suspects to contact their nearest police station.”

A 28-YEAR-OLD Filabusi man has been arrested for allegedly killing his neighbour by striking him with a brick on the head after accusing him of cheating with his girlfriend.

Moses Sibanda of Zamanjalo Village was not asked to plead when he appeared before Gwanda magistrate, Miss Lerato Nyathi facing a murder charge. He was remanded in custody to September 1.

Prosecuting, Miss Ethel Mahachi said Sibanda met the now deceased Carlos Ndlovu walking with his girlfriend and he accused him of being in love with his girlfriend.

She said the two men had a misunderstanding over the matter.
Sibanda then struck Ndlovu behind his head with a brick.

Ndlovu was rushed to a nearby clinic where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

“On 21 May at around 2PM Sibanda was on his way to see her girlfriend at her home when he met her on the way while she was walking with Ndlovu. Sibanda became furious and confronted Ndlovu on why he was with his girlfriend when he knew that they were lovers which resulted in a misunderstanding,” she said.

“Ndlovu ignored Sibanda and then walked away leaving him with his girlfriend.

Sibanda pursued Ndlovu and demanded a response but Ndlovu refused to entertain him.

Sibanda accused Ndlovu of coming in between him and his girlfriend and also blamed him for the misunderstandings which they had been lately experiencing in their relationship.

Sibanda picked up a brick and struck Ndlovu on the back of his head before fleeing the scene.”

Miss Mahachi said Ndlovu lost consciousness and the woman rushed to a nearby homestead where she sought help.

She said Ndlovu was rushed to a nearby clinic where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

She said the matter was reported to the police resulting in Sibanda’s arrest.-Chronicle

THE country’s Covid-19 active cases have dropped to less than 1 000 for the first time in more than a month.

Since last month the country Covid-19 cases had been increasing following a surge in local transmissions.

The Ministry of Health and Child Care daily report shows that as of Sunday, Covid-19 active cases had dropped to just over 900.

On Sunday, 37 new cases were recorded while two people succumbed to Covid-19 related illnesses in Manicaland province as the death toll increases to 155.

“As of 23 August 2020, Zimbabwe has now recorded 5 930 cases, 4872 recoveries and two deaths,” reads the ministry’s report.

The report further states that the country has 903 active cases.-Chronicle

POPULAR preacher Nixon Chibuzor Ohizu, 46, the leader of Empowerment Ministries Church along Seke Road, Harare, has been arrested on allegations of bribery.

He allegedly tried to bribe National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) officials to reverse the cancellation of a lease agreement between his church and NRZ.

Ohizu was not asked to plead to the allegations when he appeared before Harare magistrate Richard Ramaboa last week.

He was remanded out of custody to October 1 on $10 000 bail and was ordered to surrender his passport.

Allegations are that on August 19, Ohizu went to NRZ offices where he found two high ranking officials, Colonel Nyabambi and Clive Ncube.

He allegedly tried to bribe the two officials to reverse the cancellation of a lease agreement between his church and NRZ served on him on August 7.

The two NRZ officials reportedly accepted a bribe offer of US$2 000 and he left the premises to collect the money.
The officials reportedly notified the police and a trap was set.

He allegedly gave US$2 000 to Ncube in $100 denominations, money which is being held as exhibit.

Prosecutor Sabastian Mutizirwa appeared for the State.-Daily News

OPPOSITION MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has challenged Zimbabweans to move out of their cocoons and protect their rights in the wake of what he termed increased State-sponsored human rights violations in the country.
In a virtual address to his supporters last night where he accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa of presiding over gross human rights abuses, Chamisa also pleaded with the international community to stand with the people of Zimbabwe “in their hour of need” as they were now under siege from the Zanu PF regime.

He started his address by quoting from Nobel Peace Prize winner and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who once said: “If you are neutral in the time of injustices, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

Said Chamisa: “I come to you in circumstances of unprecedented national crisis.

Zimbabwe has been turned into a banana republic, a pariah State and the epicentre of evil and outpost of terrorism against innocent civilians.

“It has become so apparent that if we are all going to wait for others to do it, it will never be done.”

He said Mnangagwa must stop
labelling citizens as terrorists and bad apples to justify the clampdown by State security agents.

Several people have been arrested while others are in hiding following a government crackdown that began in the run-up to the foiled July 31 protests.

“This business of branding, labelling and condemning citizens as bad apples and terrorists to be flushed out is unacceptable.

It is the leader who sets the pace for unity, peace and harmony, heal not kill, treat and not injure, love and not hate, encourage and not victimise,” Chamisa said.

He said Mnangagwa must not be vindictive, but apologise when he makes mistakes, insisting that there was need for Zimbabweans to have their voices heard and that protesting was their right.

“A leader apologises when they make mistakes, forgives and not revenge, love and not hate. Only bad leaders point fingers, blames anyone but themselves, seeks to explain problems not to solve them. Bad leaders opt to bury their heads in the sand,” Chamisa said.

He said he was heartened that the church had spoken out as the “moral campus” of the country adding it was now time for Zimbabweans to act and speak against the social ills choking their lives.

The opposition leader bemoaned the abuse of State institutions by government to silence opposing voices.

“Only when Zimbabwe goes through leadership renewal shall we witness a completely new crop of leaders who are accountable.

I call upon you not to allow fear mongers, terrorists, to stop you from opening up and demanding accountability. Enough is enough, Zimbabwean lives matter and we can’t breathe,” he said.

“Protest is a God-given right, a fundamental right. Stand up, speak out and fight for your rights.

Your voices matter. Let’s not allow threats to force us into silence.”
“Everyone can’t be wrong except the government, it can’t be possible.

It is government against the world. Journalists are wrong, lawyers are wrong, doctors are wrong, nurses are wrong, opposition is wrong, churches are wrong, bishops are wrong, prophets are wrong, (South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius) Malema is wrong, AU is wrong, UN is wrong, (Mmusi) Maimane is wrong, (Ugandan opposition leader) Bobi Wine is wrong, Europe is wrong, the region is wrong and only government is correct. It can’t be so,” Chamisa said adding it was now clear that government had become incapacitated to deal with the national crisis.-NewsDay

THE newly-elected Zanu PF Bulawayo Provincial executive committee has been tasked with mobilising party membership to ensure the party wins the 2023 harmonised elections by a 5 million vote margin.

Zanu PF National Political Commissar, Victor Matemadanda, this Sunday, presided over an electoral process to choose 15 members of the 25-member executive committee for Bulawayo Province.

The remaining 10 seats in the committee are set to be filled in due course.

After the election, the National Political Commissar spelt out the huge task for the committee in mobilising support and instilling discipline among party members ahead of the 2023 elections.

“As the party, we have a 5 million target which we have set for ourselves. Remember the president has put a vision but before we get to that vision we have said 2018 elections have created problems for us,” he says.

“The president was in the same bracket with the opposition (2 million bracket). What we plan to do is to have a 5 million vote in the 2023 election so that the margin is big for all to see,” he adds.

Zanu PF National Women’s League Deputy Secretary, Cde Angeline Masuku urged the newly elected Bulawayo executive committee to work in line with party values.
“We should work to bring back the values of the party.

It should not be about positions but commitment to serve the party and stand for the entire party ethos,” she said.

The newly elected Zanu PF Chairperson of Bulawayo province, Cde Obert Msindo pledged to serve the party well.

Bulawayo province has been without an executive following the dissolution of structures in 2019 and had been operating under the chairmanship of Politburo member, Cde Absalom Sikhosana who died in May this year.-ZBC News

POLICE in Dema, Mashonaland East Province, have arrested a 23-year-old man who allegedly killed his lover after being intimate with her in a car, before dumping the body in a bush.

Shepherd Ndemera of Madoro Village under Chief Seke is assisting police with investigations after he allegedly murdered his girlfriend, Nokuthula Shana, of Chitungwiza.

Provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Tendai Mwanza, confirmed the incident.

“I confirm a murder case that occurred in Dema where a female corpse was discovered in a bush,” he said.
“The suspect has since been arrested and is helping the police with investigations.

We urge the public to exercise restraint during misunderstandings to avoid such tragic incidents.”

On August 16 around 7pm, the suspect reportedly asked his girlfriend to spend a night with him in a car that he was guarding along the Chirasavana-Gombe Road.
The car had developed a mechanical fault.

It is understood the girlfriend proceeded to the place, but they had a misunderstanding over infidelity, which degenerated into a fight.

On realising his girlfriend had died, the suspect allegedly carried the body and dumped it in a bush about 200 metres from the broken down vehicle.

The body was discovered by a villager the following morning, who alerted Dema police, who observed that the half-naked corpse had bites all over the face and a deep cut on the head.

Police also found blood stains inside the vehicle, leading to the arrest of the suspect.-The Herald

Farai Dziva|MDC Alliance leader, Advocate Nelson Chamisa has accused Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa of “killing the people of Zimbabwe softly.”

Advocate Chamisa has also strongly condemned the violation of the rule of law by Mr Mnangagwa.

Watch video below :

Police Bash, Arrest MDC Alliance Supporters For Demanding Sikhala's Release

3 MDC Alliance supporters have been arrested outside Harare Magistrates Court for demanding Job Sikhala's release pic.twitter.com/S4Z5ky2DJb

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) August 24, 2020

Farai Dziva|MDC Alliance leader, Advocate Nelson Chamisa has accused Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa of “killing the people of Zimbabwe softly.”

Advocate Chamisa has also strongly condemned the violation of the rule of law by Mr Mnangagwa.

Watch video below :

Farai Dziva|MDC Alliance vice president Tendai Biti has described the detention of prominent journalist Hopewell Chin’ono as unconstitutional.

“The court has just dismissed Hope’s application for bail on changed circumstances.

One is is innocent until proven guilty.

We consider bail a constitutional right.A sad for the law. In any event Hope did not commit any crime .

Constitution must be restored #ZimbabweanLivesMatter,” Biti wrote on Twitter.

Farai Dziva| Controversial Masvingo based preacher, Isaac Makomichi’ s anointed love potion herb has been a subject of discussion in Masvingo in the past few months.

Church leaders and pastors argue Makomichi is a sangoma because he uses herbs to resolve love matters.

“Anyone can help you to solve problems, even Satan has the power to fix love matters because he is the one who destroys them.

Makomichi must speak the truth, is he a sangoma or a prophet?” said one church leader.

In his response Makomichi said:
“The said pastors want to soil my name .

I’m not a sangoma, God revealed the love herb to me”.

By Patrick Guramatunhu- ”Sadly, I too tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. This virus is real and we need to fight it by following the guidelines that our Government has given us which is in line with the WHO regulations,” said Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister Vangelis Peter Haritatos.

Deputy Minister Haritatos, you were tested for covid-19 as soon as you suspected of catching the virus; possibly as soon as you learned your boss, the late Minister Perrance Shiri had the virus.

Do you know that there are hundreds of thousands of frontline workers, like nurses and doctors, who work with covid-19 patients without the recommended WHO PPE, not even the most basic face mask?

Deputy Minister, do you also know that WHO has recommended that frontline corona virus workers must be tested on regular bases? In Zimbabwe, many of the nurses and doctors let alone the ordinary people with the corona virus symptoms, are not being tested.

As soon as you learned you had the corona virus, you went into isolation to protect your family and friends. Has it ever occurred to you that all those poor Zimbabweans who have the virus but don’t know it because they are denied a US$6 test would too want to go into isolation to protect their family and friends?

Zimbabwe has carried out a total of 145 000 tests as of the end of July, that is 1 in 110 people tested. Compared to SA that has done 3 million tests which 1 in 20. This is contrary to the WHO clarion call to “Test! TEST!! TEST!!!”

There is a sinister reason why Zanu PF is not testing aggressively, at least not testing povo. The regime is hiding its blundering incompetence in the handling of the pandemic by sweeping the grime reality under the carpet.

Zimbabwe’s confirmed covid-19 cases and deaths is one of the lowest per capita in the world. Whilst other nations have earned the accolade by stamping out the virus Zimbabwe is cheating. Of course, if you do not test you will keep the confirmed cases and deaths very low.

The price of not testing is that many, many infected people who should be in isolation remain in the community spreading the virus far and wide. It is the povo, not the ruling elite, who are paying with their suffering and deaths for Zimbabwe’s rigged corona virus statistics!

Zanu PF is blatantly rigging the corona virus statistics, just as the regime has rigged the country’s elections, with the usual callous indifference to tragic suffering and deaths the spreading corona virus is causing to the ordinary people. Deputy Minister Haritatos, please, please spare us your insulting lies; the criminal negligence and dereliction of duty to save lives by this Zanu PF government is not what WHO ordered!

Farai Dziva|MDC Alliance vice president, Hon Tendai Biti has described Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s reconcilatory gesture as mere pretence meant to hoodwink the nation and the international community.

Biti also blasted Mr Mnangagwa for feigning concern about Gukurahundi atrocities.

“On the day he locked up #Job he was in Bulawayo discussing Gukurahundi.

But how can those with blood on their hands masquerade as healers.

They have shown no remorse contrition ,apology nor acknowledgement.

This abuse must stop.The Wananchi are not fools #ZimbabweanLivesMatter,” Hon Biti wrote on Twitter.

Farai Dziva|MDC Alliance vice president, Hon Tendai Biti has described Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s reconcilatory gesture as mere pretence meant to hoodwink the nation and the international community.

Biti also blasted Mr Mnangagwa for feigning concern about Gukurahundi atrocities.

“On the day he locked up #Job he was in Bulawayo discussing Gukurahundi.

But how can those with blood on their hands masquerade as healers.

They have shown no remorse contrition ,apology nor acknowledgement.

This abuse must stop.The Wananchi are not fools #ZimbabweanLivesMatter,” Hon Biti wrote on Twitter.

South African Broadcasting Cooperation has granted ZANU PF a platform to defend themselves against series of news reports that have been covered by the SABC news channel regarding abuse of human rights in Zimbabwe.

The program which will feature ZANU PF representatives will be aired on Wednesday at 9PM on the program African Perspective.

The platform was created after ZANU PF Director of Information Tafadzwa Mugwadi accused SABC news anchor Sophie Mokoena of being biased against Zimbabwe.

“Yesterday I had a 1 hour conversation with my sister & seasoned anchor @Sophie_Mokoena She is a wonderful lady in her trade. We talked over our disagreements On her part, she took me thru her long journey in her trade & gave me priceless advice which I found very inspiring.” Mugwadi posted on Twitter.

Mokoena acknowledged Mugwadi’s post by saying, “Thank you. Lets now move on. Let us all build a better Africa. Wednesday we will have a panel to revisit the Zim story. Giving all stakeholders right to reply. Watch @AfricanPerspec1 on #sabcnews channel 404 at 9 PM.”

Govt will only announce any school opening date once Cabinet has taken a position. What's on this news item is not correct;https://t.co/dMnjqdVPgv

— Nick Mangwana (@nickmangwana) August 24, 2020

Daily Maverick

President Cyril Ramaphosa, has “strongly reprimanded” Finance Minister Tito Mboweni for his weekend tweets, which sharply criticised Zambian President Edgar Lungu for abruptly firing the governor of the Zambian central bank, Denny Kalyalya.

Mboweni, former governor of the SA Reserve Bank, tweeted at the weekend that: “Presidents in Africa must stop this nonsense of waking up in the morning and fire a Central Bank Governor! You cannot do that. This is not some fiefdoms of yours! Your personal property?! No!!

“The President of Zambia must give us the reasons why he dismissed The Governor or else hell is on his way. I will mobilize!”

In response, the Zambian government’s chief spokesperson, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Dora Siliya called Mboweni’s comments “immature and improper”, and said her government would take up the issue diplomatically.

Mboweni had responded defiantly by tweeting: “I stand by my statement. Central Bank independence is key. Not negotiable. Let all central bankers speak out!”

Later, he tweeted: “ You know. Trouble makers are game changers! I am glad that I am a TROUBLE MAKER!”

But Zambia evidently did deliver an official complaint and Ramaphosa was clearly not amused. First thing on Monday morning, Ramaphosa’s office issued a statement saying that the president had strongly reprimanded Mboweni.

“In one of his tweets, Minister Mboweni is promising to mobilise if not given reasons why the Central Governor has been fired by President Lungu,” Ramaphosa’s acting spokesperson Tyrone Seale said in the statement on Monday, 24 August.

“President Ramaphosa wishes to assure the government and people of the Republic of Zambia that the unfortunate remarks do not reflect the views of the South African Government and its people.

“The issue is being addressed to ensure that such an incident does not occur again. South Africa and Zambia enjoy strong historical relations dating back to the days of the struggle against apartheid. South Africa remains committed to maintaining the deep and solid bonds of friendship between the peoples of South Africa and Zambia.”

Mboweni retweeted Ramaphosa’s statement after deleting his earlier tweets criticising Lungu.

Zambians believe Lungu fired Kalyalya because Kalyalya was trying to rein in inflation and was also frank about the weakness of the economy.

He replaced him with Christopher Mvunga, a deputy secretary to the Cabinet who is likely to be far less independent, a Zambian journalist told Daily Maverick. This change was “like replacing an experienced heart surgeon with a mechanic, in the middle of heart surgery,” Zambia’s main opposition leader, Hakainda Hichilema, who leads the United Party for National Development (UPND), said on Facebook.

Sunday Chanda, media director of the ruling Patriotic Front party suggested Kalyalya had been fired because he deliberately tried to sabotage the economy by creating a liquidity problem to advantage Hichilema – his cousin.

Lungu is up for reelection in 2021 and clearly, the weak economy is counting against him. DM

Paul Nyathi

Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa and her husband Christopher Mutsvangwa might not be coming out of the same house after all, as the two ZANU PF heavy weights have expressed two completely varied opinions over opposition leader Nelson Chamisa’s “Kudira Jecha” statement.

Mutsvangwa recently told journalists during a cabinet media briefing that problems being experienced by the country emanated from post-2018 election vows by the opposition leader Nelson Chamisa that President Emmerson Mnangagwa would not find sleep in his rule.

“We all know that after the 2018 elections, the opposition MDC Alliance spoke about pouring sand (hamutongi tichadira jecha) on Mnangagwa’s reign and this is a public message.

“They have not stopped.”

“Some countries have imposed illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe. These have caused divisions among families. They have stage-managed abduction stories. There is an enemy in Zimbabwe,” she said.

Her husband, Christopher Mutsvangwa, in a Sunday Mail column however differed with her claiming that Chamisa has completely failed to effect his threat claiming that Mnangagwa has conquered and bringing the country to prosperity.

Mutsvangwa wrote:

“Nelson Chamisa and his MDC-Alliance lost the election in the July 2018 elections of the post-Mugabe era.

“Reacting to this loss, he cockily pronounced that it was of no consequence.”

“His agenda henceforth would be to ensure that the country is ungovernable through extra-parliamentary and extra-constitutional disruption.”

“Mutakura wacho tichaudira jecha tigoona kuti achaudya ndiani?”

Here was a self-proclaimed man of God embracing the mutually assured destructive path of biblical strongman Samson of the Temple.

There was an assured confidence of a defiant loser.

On what nuclear option weapon was he standing upon?

For the answer, dial Biti, his vice president of revolving MDC doors and a darling of the intrusive Washington neo-liberal practitioners of regime change in Zimbabwe.

Boasting of his legalistic command of complex financial matters, he gloated, “Mnangagwa can rig elections, but he cannot rig the economy!”

Why such political prancing by the two ambitious MDC stalwarts?”

Mutsvangwa goes on to mock Chamisa:

“President Mnangagwa’s mantra “Zimbabwe Is Open for Business” has acquired a potent and cogent expression.

“Welcome to on-ramp onto the highway to the middle-income status Zimbabwe by 2030.

“Sorry Chamisa, the dira jecharist. Zvakona! Mutakura wotonakisa.

“Pity to Biti. EDM has gone so far as to rig the economy.”

“As for detractors and doomsayers, ZDERA sanctions now face a potent weapon in a normalised economic and financial landscape.”

An MDC Alliance official, Prince Dubeko Sibanda who was arrested and dragged to court after he allegedly distributed face masks branded #ZANUPFMUSTGO in Bulawayo has been freed on bail.

Revolutionary gratitude to all of you who were in solidarity with me in what I went through. As I got bail my cry is #FreeHopewell #FreeJacobNgarivhume #FreeJobSikhala . The message I bring is that prison officers, police officers, prosecutors & all want masks #ZanupfMustGo

— Prince Dubeko Sibanda (@DubekoSibanda) August 24, 2020

The state says they two masks which had been distributed to two Pick n’ Pay, Hyper Supermarket workers on 2 August were recovered and can be presented as proof.

Prince Sibanda Dubeko is an MDC Alliance legislator for Binga North Post.

He joins scores of government critics who have been arrested so far since the detained opposition leader Jacob Ngarivhume convened the foiled anti-government protests he had slated for the 31st of July.

Zbc

THE newly-elected Zanu PF Bulawayo Provincial executive committee has been given a daunting task with mobilising party membership to ensure the party wins the 2023 harmonised elections by a 5 million vote margin.

Zanu PF National Political Commissar, Victor Matemadanda, this Sunday, presided over an electoral process to choose 15 members of the 25-member executive committee for Bulawayo Province.

The remaining 10 seats in the committee are set to be filled in due course.

After the election, Matemadanda spelt out the huge task for the committee in mobilising support and instilling discipline among party members ahead of the 2023 elections.

“As the party, we have a 5 million target which we have set for ourselves. Remember the president has put a vision but before we get to that vision we have said 2018 elections have created problems for us,” he says.

“The president was in the same bracket with the opposition (2 million bracket). What we plan to do is to have a 5 million vote in the 2023 election so that the margin is big for all to see,” he adds.

Zanu PF National Women’s League Deputy Secretary, Angeline Masuku urged the newly elected Bulawayo executive committee to work in line with party values.

“We should work to bring back the values of the party. It should not be about positions but commitment to serve the party and stand for the entire party ethos,” she said.

The newly elected Zanu PF Chairperson of Bulawayo province, Obert Msindo pledged to serve the party well.

Zanu PF Bulawayo province has been without an executive following the dissolution of structures in 2019 and had been operating under the chairmanship of Politburo member, Absalom Sikhosana who died in May this year.

State Media

Chitungwiza Municipal Council demoted its acting town clerk Dr Tonderai Kasu last week after he unnecessarily declined to authorise free data lines and bundles for councillors.

He was also accused of issuing a public statement without council authority listing alledged irregularities in the construction of a building on the stand allocated to MDC-A deputy national chairman Job Sikhala in Zengeza 2

He was repleced by finance director Mrs Evangelista Machona.

The demotion was made during a special council meeting held last Thursday.

Well-placed sources said Dr Kasu was demoted on allegations that he had opposed a demand by councillors to have data lines and monthly bundles.

“Dr Kasu was pressured to sign a memo seeking authorisation of councillors to be given data lines and five gigabyte data bundles on a monthly basis, which are not included on the ministerial directive on the prescribed benefits for councillors,” said a source.

Another source said councillors were unhappy with the way he handled Sikhala’s stand issue after issuing public statements raising concern over developments at the politician’s stand in Zengeza 2.

Dr Kasu refused to comment on the issue, referring all the questions to the mayor.

But Chitungwiza mayor Lovemore Maiko said the decision was taken to allow Dr Kasu to focus on his health portfolio following concerns over the rise in Covid-19 cases in the town.

“There is a resolution that directors must rotate as acting town clerk. However, in this case we were motivated to reassign him to his portfolio due to the increased cases of Covid-19 in Chitungwiza,” he said.

“There was a gap which Dr Kasu needed to fill as a medical doctor and make sure we contain the pandemic just like in Harare where the health director, Dr Prosper Chonzi, is hands on.”

Clr Maiko dismissed allegations that Dr Kasu was being victimised for writing orders against Sikhala’s stand in Zengeza 2 as that decision was done collectively.

In terms of data bundles, he said they wrote a letter to the parent ministry, Local Government and Public Works, and were given the greenlight since they intended to conduct virtual meetings considering that their chambers have limited space, which does not allow them to practice social distancing.

https://twitter.com/BitiTendai/status/1297910800431054849?s=20