Correspondent|TOP journalist Hopewell Chin’ono has claimed that Vice President Chiwenga’s estranged wife Marry Mubaiwa was related to the judge President Justice George Chiweshe.

Marry is currently involved in a messy divorce wrangle with her VP husband with the custody of the couple’s assets and children at the centre stage.

On Friday, the High Court granted an application by the former model to be allowed access to her minor children, family home and assets, a ruling that was immediately appealed by the VP.

In a Tweet, Chin’ono, a journalist who has taken a stance against high level corruption through some thought provoking commentary on social media, has drawn a food for thought scenario over the invidious situation Chiweshe finds himself in.

He says Marry is a blood relative to the top judge, once subordinate to Chiwenga when both fought the war and later serving in the military.

Let me add some fun facts.
The Judge President, Justice George Chiweshe, is Marry’s uncle(sekuru).
The Judge President was also deputy provincial commander to Chiwenga during the war.
They were both soldiers in ZANLA.
I am not suggesting anything, I am just adding to this story https://t.co/PE70gCAdaw pic.twitter.com/Kku3Bnb5Vw

— Hopewell Chin’ono (@daddyhope) January 24, 2020

State Media|Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (Zinara) tolling manager Mr Ostern Chimedza has been fired for presiding over financial leakages at tollgates running into millions of dollars.

His dismissal comes barely two months after Zinara fired 30 cashiers for fraud and theft at tollgates.

Last year, the Government restructured Zinara, resulting in the dismissal and resignation of several senior managers.

Leaked correspondence seen by The Herald showed that Mr Chimedza’s contract was terminated on January 15.

Zinara acting chief executive officer Engineer Moses Chigonyati could not be reached for comment, while the institution’s chairman Engineer Michael Madanha refused to discuss the matter.

“This letter serves to notify you that your contract as tolling manager will be terminated on 15 January, 2020,” reads part of the leaked correspondence.

Sources said Mr Chimedza was facing a slew of corruption allegations bordering on bad corporate governance.

As tolling manager, he was reporting to former finance director Mr Simon Taranhike, who was fired on charges of corruption.

A source said Mr Chimedza was furnished with several reports of internal audits showing evidence of corruption at tollgates, but failed to take corrective measures.

It is suspected that he could have been part of the looting syndicate at tollgates, which included cashiers and their immediate supervisors, as confirmed by one of the cashiers at the Skyline tollgate.

“In particular, he did not roll out and implement effective tolling systems, leaving a porous system susceptible to theft and fraud by tolling cashiers,” the source.

“Mr Chimedza failed to act on evidence from internal audit, as well as the system provider which had pointed towards revenue leakages.

“In this regard, there were numerous recorded cases of misconduct by tolling cashiers at Skyline, Shamva and Eskbank tollgates as evidenced by variances between amounts recorded in the tolling system and the amounts that were eventually banked.

“Furthermore, he failed to supervise his subordinates in the maintenance of tolling booths, thereby falling short of expectations in terms of his job description, which alluded to the need to maintain all toll booths and plazas operationally functional in order to avoid disruption of operations, leakages and congestion.

“Mr Chimedza also failed to take appropriate disciplinary action against tolling cashiers who had excesses and shortfalls which were only picked via internal audit spot checks.”

As part of cleansing the institution, Zinara fired 30 cashiers recently after unearthing systematic scams at four tollgates involving cashiers, supervisors and police officers manning the gates.

The loot was shared with everyone involved, from the supervising tollgate controllers down to the cleaners on an agreed hierarchy scale.

Fourteen of the fired cashiers were based at Skyline tollgate along the Harare-Masvingo Highway, while the other 16 were from Dema, Shurugwi and Shamva tollgates.

The cashiers were given away by the sophisticated control system supplied by Univern Enterprises that showed videos and registration numbers of all vehicles that passed through the tollgates daily.

A mismatch between the punched registration numbers and plates on actual vehicles that passed through the gate were noted by the system, prompting Univern to compile reports for Zinara’s attention.

State Media|Detective Captain Oupa Matjie was shot dead by the four suspects alleged to be Zimbabweans by media reports in South Africa.

According to the media reports, Praymore Dube, Bongani Moyo, Mongameli Mpofu and another one only identified as Ronny shot Det Capt Matjie (54) in the neck and he died on the spot.

Det Capt Matjie and a colleague were tracking suspects who were wanted in connection with a case of attempted murder and robbery when they came into contact with the suspects, and one of them opened fire.

Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to South Africa, Mr David Hamadziripi, yesterday said that he has since directed the Johannesburg Consulate to verify the nationalities of the four suspects.

“The nationalities of the Diepsloot murder suspects is yet to be verified. You cannot claim that one is a Zimbabwean simply because of their accent without looking into their identity documents. I have directed our officials at the Johannesburg Consulate to verify whether those suspects are indeed Zimbabweans or not,” he said.

Mr Hamadziripi, however, condemned the fatal attack on the South African police officer and urged Zimbabweans resident in the neighbouring country to desist from any form of criminality.

“We strongly condemn any act of criminality by either our people or anyone in South Africa. We want our people to abide by the laws of our host country in as much as we would also want foreign nationals in Zimbabwe to respect our laws,” he said.

Last week, Capt Matjie and his colleague only identified as Sergeant Thipe conducted a joint tracing operation with Diepsloot Crime Prevention following a case of attempted murder and robbery which occurred in the area.

“The case had been allegedly committed by the four suspects. During the tracing that was led by the informant who called the main suspect known as Praymore Dube to supply him with the live ammunition, the target told the informant to meet with him first at Ext 01 and changed again to Tanganani open space at Diepsloot Ext 3,” said South African Police Service (SAPS) in a statement.

It is reported that the detectives then hid their vehicles before taking cover in an open ground.

The informant walked to meet Dube while a police officer in civilian clothing followed him. Dube is alleged to have noticed some unusual movements and started to shoot ran-domly.

Dube reportedly managed to escape and Capt Matjie grabbed him from behind, as he ran through a passage to the informal settlement where he was staying. He, however, shot the detective on the neck. After the shooting, Dube and Moyo fled.

Mpofu was later arrested and he appeared at the Randburg Magistrates’ Court on charges of house robbery and attempted murder.

He was remanded in custody while the other suspect who was not named is in hospital under police guard after he was injured while being apprehended. The other two suspects were arrested in Pine Heaven informal settlement in Krugersdorp.

Meanwhile, South Africa’s Police Minister General Bheki Cele last night said they were deploying a Tactical Response Team to Dieplsoot to attend to the community’s policing concerns.

“We have deployed a Special Operations Team to the township to tackle criminality. In the next 24 hours, members of the Technical Response Team (TRT) will start operations in Diepsloot to increase police visibility,” said the minister.

General Cele said police will conduct regular patrols, cordon, and searches as well as roadblocks.

He added that the Special Operations Team will by Monday have other members of various SAPS components working from the township.

These will include officers from Crime Intelligence, Public Order Policing, and Forensics Services.

“The Firearms Liquor and Second Hand Goods Control unit will also conduct raids and shut down all establishments operating outside the law.

“A team from Detective Services will look into cold cases and allegations that some investigations involving undocumented foreigners remain unsolved. We also made an undertaking that the officials from Department of Home Affairs immigration services, should work with these teams so we have a clearer picture of the statuses of people in this township. But this is not to say the focus is on foreign nationals only, we will be hard on criminality regardless of nationality,” said General Cele.

Diepsloot Township population is estimated to be 350 000, mainly a mixture of South Africans and immigrants from SADC.

Former President, Robert Mugabe’s widow, Grace has challenged the case in which she and her late husband are being accused of confiscating a truck belonging to Sun Marine Shipping (Private) Limited after chasing away its driver.

The incident allegedly occurred back in 2014 when Mugabe was still in power and soon after the driver had delivered goods from South Africa at the former First Family’s farm in Mazowe.

Sun Marine Shipping took the case to court seeking to recover its truck but Grace has challenged the move saying this was done out of time allowed by the law.

She also challenged the authority of Cutmore Makumbirofa who disposed of an affidavit on behalf of the company.

“It cannot be disputed by the applicant that the cause of action arose in 2014, the deponent has not attested to being present in 2014 when the dispute arose and cannot speak to events which took place in his absence as this amounts to hearsay,” reads part of the heads of arguments.

“Respondent persists with this averment that this matter is not properly before the court and should be dismissed accordingly.

“In the present case, the set of facts that applicant is basing this entire claim on occurred on July 1 2014, the case was only brought before the court in August 2019, over five years from date alleged spoliation occurred. No evidence has been placed before this court that before 2019 there was any demand from the applicant.

“Prescription begins to run as soon as the debt is due, therefore the three years in which the applicant should have instituted these proceedings lapsed on June 30 2017. A further two years passed before applicant saw it fit to bring this present case, with respect the applicant filed this application long after the claim prescribed and accordingly, this court should not entertain this matter.”

An affidavit filed by Makumbirofa, on behalf of the company last year alleges that the driver had to run for his life after he was attacked by Mugabe’s two employees identified as Mr Mugombi and Mr Nhari.

It was his submission that the two were instructed by the Mugabes to do so.

The driver allegedly left all his belongings including his clothes and the truck which was then confiscated by the Mugabes.

He was accused of having damaged one of the machines while transporting it to the farm.

The couple’s company, Alpha Omega was cited as the respondent in the application in which Sun Marine Shipping is seeking its properties back.

The court heard that the goods are still in the truck which is still parked at Gushungo Holdings workshop.

He said despite demand, the respondent insists the truck now belongs to it because it is entitled to damages for repair of UHT packaging machine which was damaged while on transit.

But Sun Marine said alpha Omega should have approached the courts for recourse.

Makumbirofa said he was once called by the farm officials to discuss releasing the truck.

He was advised to get quotations by Alpha Omega operations manager, Jemwa and did so but still the truck was not released.

He alleged that the truck has been vandalised and things removed include two diesel truck heavy duty batteries, eight rear new tyres, two super single tyres, one from the trailer and another from the spare wheel, driver’s side mirror covers, trailer storage bins, wheel nuts, landing platform on trailer jumbo legs, inner blocking filter and other accessories.

The case was argued before High Court judge Justice Munangati Manongwa on Tuesday.

All Africa

Zimbabwe’s vice president Constantino Chiwenga and the military were on Friday criticised for abusing state resources, when soldiers were used in a divorce-related dispute.

Judge Christopher Dube-Banda handed out a scathing ruling saying the military’s involvement was ‘frightening’ and ordering that Chiwenga’s wife should regain custody of their children and be allowed to access the family’s luxury home.

The ruling is the latest twist in a case that has gripped the southern African nation with allegations of black magic, attempted murder and drug addiction. The case has provided a glimpse of the luxurious lives of Zimbabwe’s ruling elite as the rest of the country grapples with economic collapse, hyperinflation and hunger.

It is unacceptable and anathema to the constitutional values of this jurisdiction that the military may be used to settle a matrimonial dispute.

Custody

The wife of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, Marry, had approached the court seeking custody of the children and access to the house, a farm and vehicles. She said they were taken from her by Chiwenga when she was detained for more than three weeks on accusations of trying to kill him and money laundering.

After his wife was released from prison on bail earlier this month, Chiwenga refused to give her custody of the children and vehicles, and used soldiers to block her from entering their house in a wealthy suburb of the capital, Harare.

“It is unacceptable and anathema to the constitutional values of this jurisdiction that the military may be used to settle a matrimonial dispute,” the judge said.

“This is frightening. What happened to the applicant (Marry) must be a cause of fear and concern to all law-abiding citizens,” he said.

He ordered Chiwenga to return the children as well as three Mercedes-Benz vehicles and a Lexus to his estranged wife “forthwith.” He also said soldiers should not block Marry from accessing their home and farm.

A messy divorce

Chiwenga, who as army commander led a coup against former president Robert Mugabe in 2017, separated from his wife, a former model, after he returned from four months of medical treatment in China in December.

He claimed his wife tried to kill him while he was on a hospital bed in neighboring South Africa before he was airlifted to China. He described her in court papers as “violent” and a drug addict who used black magic.

On her part, Marry accused her husband of being a “dangerous” man who “can summon the army when it suits him … to deal with perceived opponents” and suffering from “acute paranoia brought about by his poor health” and “his being under heavy doses of drugs, including un-prescribed opiates.”

The divorce case has not started, but even in its preliminary stages the bitter wrangle has “gone a long way to expose the depth of moral decay that has pervaded our national leaders,” the privately owned The Standard newspaper said.

“The divorce case presents our national leaders as completely out of touch with the reality that the citizens of this country are among the poorest in the region and the continent,” the weekly newspaper said in an editorial this week.

AP

State Media|Marry Mubaiwa, the estranged wife of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has won her High Court appeal for custody of the couple’s three minor children and access to the matrimonial home.

But her joy was short-lived after the Vice President filed a notice of appeal at the Supreme Court, challenging the lower court’s decision.

The filing of a notice of appeal effectively suspends the court ruling until the determination of the appeal.

Justice Christopher Dube-Banda ordered that the custody of children be restored to Mubaiwa and barred the Vice President from interfering with her access to the Borrowdale Brooke house.

Mubaiwa had sought the intervention of the High Court after the children were taken from her and she barred from the matrimonial home following the couple’s fallout.

“The respondent is hereby ordered to restore the custody of the minor children, namely Tendai Dominique Chiwenga (born 4 November 2011), Christian Tawanazororo Chiwenga (born 15 November 2012) and Michael Alexander Chiwenga (born 13 February 2014) to the custody of the applicant within 24 hours of this order,” ruled Justice Dube-Banda.

“The respondent is hereby ordered and restrained from interfering with applicant’s access to use and enjoyment of the property known as 614 Nick Price Drive, Borrowdale Brooke, Borrowdale, Harare.”

VP Chiwenga was also restrained from blocking Mubaiwa from accessing the vehicles.

However, the VP filed a notice of appeal, outlining errors he says the High Court made in the matter.

He argued that the High Court erred in not finding that where an applicant for spoliation order alleges more than unlawful possession and adverts to the merits of her possession the matter goes outside the purview of urgency.

“Urgency in these circumstances must be established on the basis of the ordinary rules relating to urgency,” read the notice of appeal filed at the superior court, hours after the ruling.

The surge in black market foreign exchange rates recorded in the past few days from US$1:$22 to US$1:$25 has been traced to a Chinese firm which shipped millions to the black market.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)yesterday froze the bank account of China Nanchang pending further analysis.

RBZ said it was undertaking surveillance to identify more culprits involved in the parallel market transactions.

The parallel exchange rate had been steady, failing to breach the US$1:22 mark for the last four months, but all of a sudden there was a jump in the last two days.

The rate has remained at US$1:$17 on the interbank market.

In a statement yesterday, RBZ Governor Dr John Mangudya said: “Earlier today (yesterday), the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe issued a statement raising its concern on the illegal activities of foreign exchange rate manipulators who have been engaging in activities that have exerted pressure on the exchange rate in the last few days.

“The bank escalated the matter to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) for investigation and the FIU has so far identified one entity (China Nanchang), which has used its bank account to inject millions of dollars into the parallel market in the last few days.

“The FIU has ordered the freezing of the identified account pending further analysis and is undertaking ongoing surveillance to identify more culprits involved in the parallel market transactions, particularly on the EcoCash platform.”

Dr Mangudya said RBZ remained focused on its mandate to ensure market stability.

“To this end, the bank will work closely with the FIU to identify and take appropriate action in terms of the law, against any culprits involved in illicit foreign currency activities and manipulation of the foreign exchange rates,” he said.

Economist and Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member Mr Eddie Cross told The Herald yesterday that China Nanchang could have offloaded funds it obtained from Government as payment for dam construction.

“I understand that the Government paid the contractor on the Gwayi/Shangani Dam and they have gone into the parallel market to buy US dollars,” he said.

“The Ministry of Finance needs to manage peaks in State spending.”

In September last year, the RBZ froze bank accounts held by 10 companies on suspicion they were engaging in money-laundering activities and fuelling the foreign currency parallel market.

The bank accounts were unfrozen after the FIU allegedly failed to get evidence linking the firms to illegal foreign currency dealings that saw the local unit crashing, triggering price hikes.

Mr Cross urged the RBZ to be “much tougher” when dealing with alleged currency manipulators to foster currency stability.

Economist Mr Persistence Gwanyanya said the local currency was concentrated in the hands of a few, a situation that was driving currency instability.

“In the recent past, RBZ’s Financial Intelligence Unit froze a couple of accounts suspected to be destabilising the market and we saw some stability being experienced in the market,” he said.

“Currency stability experienced in the last four months is partly attributable to this intervention.

“However, worryingly, the major issue regarding the source of this liquidity, which ends up in the hands of the few, has remained unaddressed.

“This exposes Treasury, as well as ministries and other Government entities that depend on its support in respect of liquidity. Injudicious management of cash flow or liquidity by these entities continues to be one of the major drivers of currency instability.”

Mr Gwanyanya urged Treasury to address the injection of huge sums of money to a few beneficiaries by either itself or other Government and related entities to curtail diversion to the parallelmarket.

Jane Mlambo| South Africa’s opposition leader Julias Malema has torn into businessman Patrice Motsepe who recently told American President Donald Trump that Africa loved him.

Motsepe made the remarks during the ongoing World Economic Forum in Davos.

But Malema believes Motsepe misrepresented Africa just for his own business interests and nothing else.

Read EFF’s full statement below;

The National Archives of Zimbabwe has stressed that it facilitated with the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) Agency a genuine ISBN, 978-1-77929-583-5, for Professor Jonathan Moyo’s recent book, “Excelgate — How Zimbabwe’s 2018 Presidential Election was Stolen” and notes that publishers need to deal with Amazon when that company is using an out of date list of ISBN numbers.

The National Archives said in a statement that it has two statutory functions: to provide a national archival service and to manage the National Reference Library.

Zimbabwean publishers, including authors who self-publish, have to deposit a copy of all works within 30 days of publication and the National Archives then generates a Zimbabwe National Bibliography listing all published material each year.

The National Archives works hand in glove with the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) Agency, which provides unique group prefixes and ranges to each ISBN registration agency.

Its agency in Zimbabwe is the NAZ.

As the local agency, NAZ facilitates issuance of ISBN to all local publishers for their proposed publication titles, charging a nominal fee. The publisher can use the number to generate a bar code.

The National Archives said in their statement that in the case of Prof Moyo’s recent publication with Sapes Books, all the normal processes were followed in the application and issuance of an ISBN.

Sapes Books then told the NAZ that they had failed to upload the number on the Amazon online platform and Prof Moyo accused the National Archives of sabotage.

NAZ subsequently wrote to the International ISBN Agency on the issues regarding the failure to upload the book on Amazon. In an emailed response dated January 6 2020, Nick Woods, who is the operations manager of the ISBN Agency, reassured NAZ that ISBN 978-1-77929-583-5 for the publication was “perfectly valid”. The authority further assured the publisher to freely use this ISBN to identify their publication.

The ISBN Authority stated that Amazon sometimes uses “an incomplete and out of date list to validate ISBNs entered to its website”.

In this case, the publisher was supposed to approach Amazon which offers online advice on steps to be taken to rectify problems of this nature.

Jane Mlambo| Self exiled former Zanu PF politiburo member, Professor Jonathan Moyo has mocked vice President Constantino Chiwenga who yesterday lost a High Court challenge barring his ex-wife Marry Mubaiwa from accessing their Borrowdale mansion as well as the custody of children.

Posting on Twitter, Moyo said the High Court ruling left Chiwenga exposed like a Army General without a gun and uniform.

“Marry Chiwenga has won big in the High Court; leaving Chiwenga exposed like a General not only without a gun but also without a uniform,” said Chiwenga.

The court ruling in the hands of ZimEye ordered Chiwenga to restore the custody of children to Marry within 24 hours as well as allowing her access to their Borrowdale home.

Chiwenga and wife Marry Mubaiwa have been going through a divorce that has seen a lot of their personal secrets being laid bare in the public including how the once powerful army commander abused office and government privileges.

Police have recovered 31 machetes and arrested seven people suspected to be in the business of making and supplying them to gangs that are terrorising mining areas and towns.

This followed a raid at Siyaso in Mbare, Harare, where the machetes were being manufactured and sold.

Siyaso is a home industry in Mbare where various implements are made for sale.

The arrests come as police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga yesterday spoke strongly against the current wave of machete attacks on citizens across Zimbabwe.

He was speaking in his welcome remarks during a tour of Gweru Central Police Station by Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe.

Machetes cost between US$6 and US$10 at Siyaso.

Sources said before “Operation Chikorokoza Ngachipere/No to Machete Gangs” was launched last week, there was a huge demand for machetes in mining areas.

“Information we have gathered is that some people were coming to buy machetes to protect themselves from attackers and that is why there was huge demand for these weapons,” said a source.

“Some of the people were coming from mines to buy machetes in Mbare. The sellers would sell more than 20 machetes per day.

“But when the operation was launched last week, the sales drastically went down as people were afraid of being found in possession of the machetes.”

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said on Thursday police raided Siyaso and Matapiin Mbare where they arrested the seven suspects.

“Yesterday (Thursday) we conducted raids at Siyaso and Matapi where seven accused persons were arrested for selling machetes to the machete gangs,” he said. “We recovered 31 machetes.”

Asst Comm Nyathi said some of the suspects escaped during the raid.

Police have, for the next three months, prohibited the carrying of weapons by members of the public.

Asst Comm Nyathi urged the public to heed prohibition notices in their respective areas.

Failure to comply with the order, he said, will render one guilty of an offence that attracts a jail term.

“In accordance with Section (4) (1) of the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA) Chapter 11:23, Officers Commanding Police Districts, also known as regulating authorities, have now prohibited the carrying, whether openly or by concealment, in public places or public thoroughfares or public display of catapults, machetes, axes, knobkerries, swords, knives, stones or daggers or items capable of use as weapons and likely to occasion public disorder or a breach of peace,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.

Speaking at the Gweru event yesterday, Comm-Gen Matanga said: “Without mincing my words, I am disgusted by the violent nature of machete wielding criminals who are threatening to turn our country into an unsafe and uninhabitable place.

“Over the past few weeks, cases of these criminal elements masquerading as gold panners have been on the increase. Consequently, we have recorded a surge in cases of murder, rape, armed robbery, among other illicit activities.

“Apart from terrorising communities day and night, these hooligans are also invading legal mining claims killing many, including taking the lives of police officers. This is unacceptable. We can never allow criminals to do as they please while creating war zones, while we stand akimbo.”

Comm-Gen Matanga said the machete attackers’ days were “absolutely numbered”.

In Mashonaland Central Province yesterday, police embarked on awareness campaigns urging people to desist from illegal mining activities and carrying machetes as they risked being arrested and prosecuted.

The campaigns were mostly carried out in mining areas where such activities are rampant.

By Thursday, the number of illegal miners arrested countrywide in the week-long police operation to restore law and order in mining communities rose to 1 823, with the latest batch including a suspected member of the Ziga machete gang that allegedly killed Constable Wonder Hokoyo at Battlefields recently.

-State media

The surge in black market foreign exchange rates recorded in the past few days from US$1:$22 to US$1:$25 has been traced to a Chinese firm which shipped millions to the black market.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ)yesterday froze the bank account of China Nanchang pending further analysis.

RBZ said it was undertaking surveillance to identify more culprits involved in the parallel market transactions.

The parallel exchange rate had been steady, failing to breach the US$1:22 mark for the last four months, but all of a sudden there was a jump in the last two days.

The rate has remained at US$1:$17 on the interbank market.

In a statement yesterday, RBZ Governor Dr John Mangudya said: “Earlier today (yesterday), the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe issued a statement raising its concern on the illegal activities of foreign exchange rate manipulators who have been engaging in activities that have exerted pressure on the exchange rate in the last few days.

“The bank escalated the matter to the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) for investigation and the FIU has so far identified one entity (China Nanchang), which has used its bank account to inject millions of dollars into the parallel market in the last few days.

“The FIU has ordered the freezing of the identified account pending further analysis and is undertaking ongoing surveillance to identify more culprits involved in the parallel market transactions, particularly on the EcoCash platform.”

Dr Mangudya said RBZ remained focused on its mandate to ensure market stability.

“To this end, the bank will work closely with the FIU to identify and take appropriate action in terms of the law, against any culprits involved in illicit foreign currency activities and manipulation of the foreign exchange rates,” he said.

Economist and Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) member Mr Eddie Cross told The Herald yesterday that China Nanchang could have offloaded funds it obtained from Government as payment for dam construction.

“I understand that the Government paid the contractor on the Gwayi/Shangani Dam and they have gone into the parallel market to buy US dollars,” he said.

“The Ministry of Finance needs to manage peaks in State spending.”

In September last year, the RBZ froze bank accounts held by 10 companies on suspicion they were engaging in money-laundering activities and fuelling the foreign currency parallel market.

The bank accounts were unfrozen after the FIU allegedly failed to get evidence linking the firms to illegal foreign currency dealings that saw the local unit crashing, triggering price hikes.

Mr Cross urged the RBZ to be “much tougher” when dealing with alleged currency manipulators to foster currency stability.

Economist Mr Persistence Gwanyanya said the local currency was concentrated in the hands of a few, a situation that was driving currency instability.

“In the recent past, RBZ’s Financial Intelligence Unit froze a couple of accounts suspected to be destabilising the market and we saw some stability being experienced in the market,” he said.

“Currency stability experienced in the last four months is partly attributable to this intervention.

“However, worryingly, the major issue regarding the source of this liquidity, which ends up in the hands of the few, has remained unaddressed.

“This exposes Treasury, as well as ministries and other Government entities that depend on its support in respect of liquidity. Injudicious management of cash flow or liquidity by these entities continues to be one of the major drivers of currency instability.”

Mr Gwanyanya urged Treasury to address the injection of huge sums of money to a few beneficiaries by either itself or other Government and related entities to curtail diversion to the parallel market.

-State Media

By Jane Mlambo| Job Sikhala, the opposition MDC deputy national chairperson Job Sikhala yesterday got a rude awakening after describing former MDC-T Deputy President Obert Gutu a sellout.

“People’s struggle SELLOUT, l believe surely that our late leader Mr Morgan Richard Tsvangirai was sold out by this man.
JUDAS ISCARIOT!,” Sikhala posted on Twitter.

However social media users who responded to the post told Sikhala he also sold out the late MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai when he formed his MDC-99 while Gutu stood with him until death.

Below are the responses to Sikhala’s post;

Whaat you are one of the biggest betrayers of Morgan R Tsvangirai (MHDSRIP) together with Biti,Welshman. Siyana naObert

Iwe Jobho, dont forget that this man stood with Tsvangirai until his death when you ditched him to form your fringe MDC 99. You only came to the party after Tsvangirai’s death…so who sold out Tsvangirai.

????that coming from you is an insult to MT’s legacy. The fact that we dont talk about it doesn’t me we have forgotten. Betrayal started nemi vakuru mukazodzoka marohwa nechando kunze.

Iwe Jobbo wakaita chako chiParty chainzi MDC 99 uchitiza Tsvangirai arimupenyu nhasi wavekuswero deedza zita rake musiye! Let Save rest without u traitors hanging on his name fo political survival.

MDC 99. The people know

U also left Tsvangirayi for Welshman Ncube and later left Ncube and formed MDC 99 wch did not receive adequate support and suffered serious defeats in both parliamentary and presidential elections. You and your disciple Joubert Mudzumwe, rejoined MDC-T in 2014. LIYAFANANA

You formed your own MDC when Morgan was still alive shame on you!!

Jane Mlambo| Self exiled former Zanu PF politiburo member, Professor Jonathan Moyo has mocked vice President Constantino Chiwenga who yesterday lost a High Court challenge barring his ex-wife Marry Mubaiwa from accessing their Borrowdale mansion as well as the custody of children.

Posting on Twitter, Moyo said the High Court ruling left Chiwenga exposed like a Army General without a gun and uniform.

“Marry Chiwenga has won big in the High Court; leaving Chiwenga exposed like a General not only without a gun but also without a uniform,” said Chiwenga.

The court ruling in the hands of ZimEye ordered Chiwenga to restore the custody of children to Marry within 24 hours as well as allowing her access to their Borrowdale home.

Chiwenga and wife Marry Mubaiwa have been going through a divorce that has seen a lot of their personal secrets being laid bare in the public including how the once powerful army commander abused office and government privileges.

The incident in Mbare calls for action.

Perceived MDC supporters at Mbare musika had their market stalls destroyed by Zanu PF organized militia.

Armed with with machetes,the Zanu PF MaShurugwi went about beating up suspected MDC supporters at Mbare musika.

Some MDC members had to seek refuge at Matapi Police Station .

Three MDC members have been arrested for reporting the matter to the police.

That’s how botched our Zimbabwean law is.

Innocent Nsingo, MDC SA Secretary For Information and Publicity

23/01/2020
We are happy to announce that our members have managed to maintain our stance of not reporting for duty until the government heed our call for a living wage. The incapacitation of our members and the rest of teachers cannot be solved by draconian labour laws that force them to report for duty within 14 days.

As Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, (ARTUZ) we have noted that the government is not taking our salary issue with seriousness, therefore we will register our discontent to the employer through peaceful street protests, our constitutional right as workers.

We congratulate our members and other teachers for withstanding the threats of victimization by the employer.

Parents sacrifice paying school fees in full for their kids in these harsh economic times, only to be let down by a government that is deliberately failing to provide it’s mandated service like education.

This act of wickedness to learners by the responsible government ministries need an urgent approach from all progressive Zimbabweans who have kids in schools to force the employer to pay a living wage to teachers.

It is time both teachers and parents unite, and question Professor Mthuli Ncube’s Transitional Stabilisation Programme Reforms Agenda, on page 270, where he lied to the citizens of Zimbabwe that his policy will prioritize the education sector in tandem with the Education Sector Strategic Plan to 2020, Sustainable Development Goal number 4 and also in line with the aspirations of the African Union on education, wherein focus is on harnessing the demographic dividend, addressing educational needs of marginalized groups ensuring that noone is left behind.

The propaganda propelled by school administrators sending wrong statistics of teachers attendences to district education offices and public service commission, pretending as if learning is taking place in schools is a sign of cruelty to innocent learners.

This must stop immediately. The employer and all education stakeholders must know that, no learning is taking place in schools because teachers are highly demotivated by peanut salaries.

ARTUZ INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
+263775438618/776129336/
775643192

Farai Dziva|The trial of MDC deputy chairperson Job Sikhala has been postponed to 03 – 07 February, the party has said.

The trial was scheduled for January 27-30.

“The Treason trial of the MDC Deputy National Chair Hon JobSikhala that was scheduled to kick off on Monday 27-31 January 2020 has been postponed to 03 – 07 February for the State has indicated its unpreparedness on the case,” said the Movement for Democratic Change in a statement.

It was at the time of writing believed the National Prosecuting Authority intends to cook up evidence against Sikhala having failed to prove a prima facie against him for treason.

The latest decision comes barely 3 days to his trial on allegations of subverting or attempting to overthrow a constitutional government.

This is a charge according to the State papers which emanates from a purported video downloaded from the Twitter account of one Jones Musara, a ZANU PF activist based in Toronto, Canada.

In the video aforesaid Jones Musara purports that Sikhala addressed people urging them to overthrow Mnangagwa.

A constitutional government is that which drives its authority from the governed through a free and fair election devoid of manipulation and fraud.

A number of ZANU PF activists and their surrogates were celebrating that the hour of Sikhala fix had come.

Sikhala has been arrested 63 times from 2000 to present. Records show he was never convicted on any case from rape to murder. All turned out to be persecutions disguised as prosecutions.

COMMENT AND ANALYSIS:

One good soul in this party of the deranged once said that the late Robert Mugabe was different from this clown we currently have among ourselves masquerading as a President.

Mugabe would not interfere with the judiciary. He would only interfere on matters that directly threatened his power, like the Presidential election petition challenging his legitimacy. That he would not mind how the judiciary deals with other matters outside threat to his power. So he goes on to say that, thats why the late Morgan Tsvangirai was acquitted on two crucial cases.

One when he threatened to remove Mugabe violently if he didn’t want to go peacefully.

The second one being the Ari Ben Manashe drama which was packaged as a Treason trial. He further says that our present clown phones directly Public Prosecutors and judiciary officers to give instructions.

The charge Sikhala is facing is a specie of Treason. It has a mandatory sentence of 20 years in prison without an option of a fine.

The demented ones in the club of fools, which ZANU PF people are, waffles that you deserve what you are getting because you were not supposed to say what you said. In the State papers the overzealous “unknown reward” seeking ignorant police officers say that by threatening to remove Mnangagwa from power Sikhala was seeking to change the hands of power before his term expires in 2023.

In the study of constitutionalism, an individual does not constitute a government. A government is constituted by its three branches, that is the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature. Mnangagwa is an individual who is not all that.

He can go today, the Executive may remain as constituted minus him, the Judiciary will remain the same, so is the Legislature. When individuals turn themselves into governments, you must know that, that country is cursed. And let it be known that Mnangagwa is not government. Government is instituted in terms of the constitution with its distinct branches.

Mnangagwa is not all that. He is just a Sherwood Farm fish farmer who occupies an office which is not defined to belong to him. It can be occupied by anyone if he perishes today.

So anyone in his or her perverted disposition who thinks that this trial is going to be sadza eating jamboree should take a strange dog for a wife.

Those extractors of the purported documentary from a ZANU PF malcontent living far away in Canada must be prepared for the nightmare of their lives.

We saw the overzealous ones during the Treason trial of Morgan Tsvangirai behaving as if everybody was borrowing the air we breath from them including Augustine Chihuri. When you meet them in streets today they look pathetic and deranged, with nothing to show for the bombastic self they were demonstrating during the material time. Since time immemorial, Sikhala has never received the level of solidarity, prayers and encouragement like what he is currently receiving. This is a demonstration that the people of Zimbabwe are not fools as envisaged by someone who encourages everyone to feed on vegetables daily until Kingdom comes.

Be reassured that gloves are off. The titanic battle has begun. In his life he has lost battles but not a war. This is a war, not a war for myself but for everyone who believes in a free and democratic Zimbabwe.

By A Correspondent- A business woman was recently assaulted by her business partner’s wife who accused her of having a love affair with her husband.

Sazingani Ndlovu (31) appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Lizwe Jamela facing assault charges.

Ndlovu allegedly assaulted her husband’s business partner View Mazhanyuro (34).

Sometime in September 2019, Ndlovu went  to Mazhanyuro residential place a teacher at Milton High School and accused her of having a love affair with her husband.

On January 4 at around 7pm Mazhanyuro was with Ndlovu’s husband selling their stuff when Ndlovu arrived and shouted at her accusing her of  having a love affair with her husband.

Ndlovu also said Mazhanyuro was HIV positive and assaulted her with clenched fists several times all over the body.

She was referred to the hospital for medical examination.

Mazhanyuro reported the matter to the police leading to the arrest of Ndlovu.

By A Correspondent- Zvido Zvashe apostolic church treasurer is in soup for contravening section 70 of the criminal codification  and reform act (having sex with a minor) and he appeared before Guruve magistrate Artwell Sanyatwe yesterday.

Batsirai Muchesa (26) pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded out of custody to February 6 for trial.

The state alleges that on 22 December around  5 pm Muchesa took his 15 year old girl friend who is also a congregant of his church to a nearby bush and had sex with her before releasing her around 7pm.

The minor told him that he she was 15 years old and the church leader was not bothered.

The matter came to light on January 18 where the complainant’s aunt was told by neighbours that Muchesa came at their house looking for her girlfriend.

The aunt went to her kitchen and saw  the two together,she quizzed the complainant on the matter and she confirmed that they had sex together.

A police report was filed at Guruve leading to Muchesa’s arrest.

Carson Kundiona represented the state.

By A Correspondent- Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe has urged members of the public to report corrupt officials at the Registrar-General’s department.

Kazembe made the call while speaking to reporters after a familiarisation tour of the registry and immigration offices in Gweru on Thursday. He said:

Without members of the public alerting us about suspected corruption, we won’t get to the bottom of it. If you are asked to pay a bribe, you need to report that official as soon as possible.

Kazembe also revealed that the government will soon promulgate a Statutory Instrument that will allow locals with access to foreign currency to apply for passports which they will acquire timeously.

During the tour, Kazembe was accompanied by his deputy Mike Madiro, Registrar-General Mr Clement Masango and the Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs Larry Mavima.

By A Correspondent- Former ZANU PF official Shadreck Mashayamombe  has revealed how the ruling ZANU party used land barons to buy votes in peri-urban areas during elections.

Mashayamombe is considered one of the G40 kingpins that had coalesced around the late former President Robert Mugabe and his wife, former First Lady Grace during the internecine factional fights against the military-backed Team Lacoste.

Said Mashayamombe:

My biggest question about the land commission is that why is the report not published properly so that every interested person can access it?

This is political and it exposes how our institutions are captured because some of those accused were never summoned by the commission to give their side of the story.

All those 137 co-operatives’ leadership who are being sacrificed today were used to mobilise votes for Zanu PF in peri-urban areas. Now they are being dumped.

Mashayamombe’s remarks come after the publication of a report which investigated the sale of State land across the country.

The report implicated several former high-ranking ZANU PF officials in shady land deals that prejudiced the State of millions of dollars

-Newsfay

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe has revealed that Dr John Mangudya, the governor of the Reserve Bank pledged to push for the provision of projects funds for teachers.

The meeting comes amidst teachers’ strike over poor working conditions and paltry salaries they are getting. We present ARTUZ’s full statement below.

23-01-2020

ARTUZ Delegation meet Reserve Bank Governor.

A delegation of ARTUZ leadership led by SG Robson Chere met with Reserve Bank Governor this afternoon at his offices in Samora Machel Harare.
ARTUZ had requested for a meeting with the Governor on Teachers Economic Wellbeing.

Meeting Agenda

1. A discussion on the current economic situation in the country and how it is affecting our members.
2. Increase of Withdrawal Limits in banks that is affecting our members mainly living and working in rural areas.
3. Discussion on entrepreneurship training and funding for teachers.

Meeting Outcome
1. Review of withdrawal limits after consultation with Ministry of Education and banks to check how many teachers are in the rural areas and how they can be distinguished from urban teachers. The bank will set a figure of $1000 rtgs that can be withdrawn at once by a rural teacher. The figure would be revised based on availability of paper money.
2. Governor to investigate banks that can issue cash withdrawal service at centres in rural areas to minimise cost of teachers travelling to far away towns to withdraw little salaries. This system is used by some banks that take cash to uniformed forces barracks during pay days for withdrawal.
3. Governor said the Reserve Bank need to empower teachers using Homelink loans. He took pity at the rural teachers rural retention allowance of $20rtgs per month. He said he will communicate with Homelink and ARTUZ members can receive individual funding for projects. For the commencement, he indicated he was looking at 100 rural teachers to benefit.

The Governor said the nation needs production to thrive. Only 40% of Zimbabwean population is formally employed and the rest is in informal sector that is not governed by the country’s finance system. The country is also a heavy importer not taking into account it is well resourced in dams for example, said Dr Mangudla.

However, Mangudla appreciated ARTUZ leadership for approaching him seeking to understand the economic system and how it can benefit teachers in rural areas mainly in areas of entrepreneurship.

By A Correspondent- A fuming woman from Bulawayo’s Entumbane suburb scalded her husband with cooking oil after she stumbled on raunchy love messages on her husband’s phone which were allegedly from his lover.

The court heard that Trevor Moyo (45) who was visibly drunk got home at around 11pm last week on Friday and slept in their matrimonial bedroom. 

Being suspicious that her husband was cheating on her, Sithembile Moyo (34) took his phone and browsed through the messages. 

It is said she bumped onto something that she did not expect — a string of love messages from his girlfriend. One of the messages, the court heard, was thanking him for a “sex well done job”.

The court heard that after seeing the love messages the woman charged at her husband and woke him up.

A fierce argument ensued between the two and at the height of it Sithembile, the court heard, grabbed her husband’s genitals and twisted them much to his agony. She left him lying on the floor.

But she was not done with him yet. She allegedly boiled cooking oil.

The court heard that her hubby sensed danger and followed her in the kitchen and he found her taking off a pan with cooking oil from the stove. 

The court was told she tried to pour it over her husband’s face but the alert Trevor swiftly moved his face and it splashed on his chest and arms.

He suffered severe injuries and was rushed to Mpilo Central Hospital. The matter was reported to police leading to her arrest.

She appeared before magistrate Lizwe Jamela facing an assault charge.

She pleaded not guilty.

“I stumbled on love messages, one of the messages a lady was thanking him for being a sexual tiger and sexually satisfying her and for being a caring man. I was angered by that, that is why I had to act in that manner,” she said.  

She was remanded out of custody to next week on Monday for continuation of trial.

By A Correspondent- In a hair raising incident daring six masked armed robbers pounced at a house in Bulawayo’s Queenspark suburb and force-marched two naked suspected money changers to a safe and got away with $28 000.

The assailants, armed with pistols, knives and an iron bar, allegedly raided Mandishupa Phiri and her siblings.  

A family member who requested not to be named said they kicked open the door and headed straight to Phiri’s bedroom.

“They found her lying naked wearing undergarments only. She was lucky that they did not rape her.

They warned her to co-operate with them, failure to that they would shoot her dead. And she had to adhere to their instructions,” said a family source.

Three of the robbers, sources told B-Metro, took turns to hit Mandishupa with a pistol butt and demanded foreign currency from her.

“They threatened to shoot anyone who would try to scream. They said  someone  informed them that Anita and Mandishupa were money changers, as  such they  demanded  foreign currency from her while threatening to finish her off if she ever refused with it. It was a terrible hair-raising incident,” she said.

Fearing for her life, the source said, Mandishupa  denied that she  had foreign currency. However, she told them that she only had $28 000.

“She led them to the spare bedroom where one of her siblings Anita was lying in deep sleep and had only wrapped herself with a towel. They grabbed her by the neck and placed the gun on her throat while   demanding that she surrenders all  the cash to them. She showed them where she had stashed it. They got away with it,” said a source close to investigations.

The duo of Anita and Mandishupa made a police report. The case was recorded under RRB2920890.

Bulawayo police spokeperson Inspector Abednico Ncube could not be reached for an update on the investigations.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- A 26-year-old man from Zvishavane fondled a woman’s breasts accusing her of serving him a small portion of sadza.

The matter came into light when the man, Audias Matumbura, appeared before Zvishavane magistrate Archie Wochiunga facing a charge of Indecent Assault as defined in Section 67 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23.

He pleaded guilty to the charge. 

In mitigation, he told the court that he committed the offence under the influence of alcohol.

Magistrate Wochiunga had no kind words for Matumbura saying men who abuse women must be handed deterrent sentences.

“A man who abuses women should be handed a sentence that will be a lesson to would-be offenders. 

“It’s the duty of the judiciary to create a society that is safe for women and children. You are therefore ordered to perform 310 hours of community service at Shabani Primary School,” he said.

On December 20 at around 10pm, the accused together with his friends went to Caravan Park where the complainant Mellisa Ngaruze works.

Upon arrival they ordered sadza and the complainant served them. Matumbura then started complaining that he was served  a small portion of sadza.

He jumped over the counter and went behind the complainant and fondled her breasts.

The court heard that on December 28 the accused approached the complainant and insulted her over the same matter before fondling her breasts again.

The matter was reported to the police leading to Matumbura’s arrest.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Former People’s Democratic Party (PDP) member and MDC-T Bulawayo senator, Matson Hlalo is at the centre of an assassination plot after two brothers sued him over threats to hire a hitman from South Africa to kill them following a protracted wrangle over a mining licence in Ntabazinduna. 

Mkhanyeli Masuku and Mbiko Masuku claimed Hlalo threatened to shoot them as punishment for refusing to renew his contract at Chen Mine.

The duo claimed the top politician also threatened to enlist the services of some officials from the President’s Office to “decisively deal with them”.

Fearing for their lives, the two brothers approached the Bulawayo Civil Court seeking a protection order against the ex-senator.  

In their separate affidavits they alleged that they were now living in extreme fear after Hlalo threatened to teach them a lesson “they would never forget”.

“I know Matson Hlalo as someone whom we once contracted to mine at my workplace at Chen Mine situated in Ntabazinduna Khoce A and B. Our contract with him has since expired. He is now threatening to shoot me with his gun because I refused to renew his contract. He is also threatening to hire thugs and a hitman from South Africa to assassinate me. 

“He said he is connected with the CIO and he can use them to deal with me. He said as a respected politician he wants to teach me a lesson as a small boy. He also goes around peddling lies to my brother and father, something which has since destroyed my relationship with them. 

“I now pray for a protection order to stop him from peddling lies against me, coming to my workplace and home in Jabulani Line in Ntabazinduna,” reads part of Mkhanyeli’s affidavit which was also being supported by that of his brother Mbiko.

Through their lawyer Dumisani Dube, of Mathonsi Law Chambers Mkhanyeli and Mbiko stated that court officials also received threats from third parties who are suspected to be Hlalo’s emissaries.

“These threats to official members are being investigated by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), Chief Magistrate as well as by Judge President. The President’s Office has also been advised of those members of the CIO who could be abusing their authority and there is no harm that respondent should be ordered to keep peace with the applicants,” Dube said. 

He said if there were any differences among the parties due process of the law should be followed so that law and order is maintained and preserved in society.

In response, Hlalo through his lawyer Nqobani Sithole of Ncube Attorneys dismissed the accusations levelled against him adding that the two brothers through their application for a protection order they were flagrantly abusing the court process.

“This is a classic case of abuse of court process. It is clear from the applicants that they have been trying to perpetuate a certain agenda,” Ncube said.

He added: “The first applicant (Mkhanyeli Masuku) has stated that respondent has threatened to shoot him with a gun because he refused to renew the contract. We are being told a lie. He is not part of the Chen Syndicate at all. He doesn’t have the power to renew or cancel the licence. He is a stranger from the coast with an inflated ego. 

“As if that is not enough in his prayer, he prays for a protection order stopping respondent from coming to his workplace, residential place and the whole of Jabulani Line in Ntabazinduna and from peddling lies.

“He is no longer praying that he be protected from the threats of being shot. It is the same thing that happens with second applicant (Mbiko Masuku) who says he refused to renew a contract.”

He further said the two brothers were not part of the mine in question. Bulawayo magistrate Nomasiko Ndlovu who presided over the matter subsequently dismissed i

-Statemedia

State Media|The Zimbabwe Republic Police has arrested seven people, believed to be in the business of making and supplying machetes to robbers.

They were arrested during raids conducted at Siya-So home industrial area in Mbare where 31 machetes were recovered.

Information gathered by The Herald revealed that the machetes prices ranged from US$6 to US$10 each. National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi

In an interview, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said on Thursday, the police carried out raids at Siya-so and Matapi areas in Mbare where they arrested seven suspects.

“Yesterday we conducted raids at Siya-so and Matapi where seven accused persons were arrested for selling machetes to the machete gangs. We recovered 31 machetes,” he said.

Assistant Commissioner Nyathi said some of the suspects escaped during the raid.

Police, however, has, for the next three months prohibited the carrying of weapons by members of the public, as use of the dangerous weapons in criminal activities surges. 

Assistant Commissioner  Nyathi urged the public to take heed of the prohibition notices in their respective areas.

Failure to comply with the order, Assistant Commissioner Nyathi said, will render one guilty of an offence that attracts a jail term.

“In accordance with Section (4) (1) of the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA) Chapter 11:23, Officers Commanding Police Districts also known as regulating authorities have now prohibited the carrying, whether openly or by concealment, in public places or public thoroughfares or public display of catapults, machetes, axes, knobkerries, swords, knives, stones or daggers or items capable of use as weapons and likely to occasion public disorder or a breach of peace,” he said. Herald

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has just approved the adjustment of transaction fees upwards by Zimbabwe’s largest mobile money operator, EcoCash.

According to reliable sources this approval has been granted this very afternoon. We are yet to get our hands on the new transaction fee schedule. Our sources have informed that EcoCash will effect the new fees starting on Monday the 27th of January. If you are observant about how much you are charged when you transact you may notice the new fees even before Monday.

Transacting in electronic money is becoming way too expensive especially because of the 2% government tax that is levied on virtually every dollar that moves electronically. Zimbabweans have no way out of these high costs because the country is basically cashless, not by design but the country just doesn’t have cash.

We will update you as soon as we have the new transaction fees.

Techzim

Own Correspondent|A miner in Gwanda has told ZimEye.com that members of the Zimbabwe Police Services are responsible for bringing into and out of the area Mashurugwi machete thugs during the night before appearing during the day to hunt for the same Mashurugwi they worked with at night.

In an exclusive interview, a mine manager at a mine which was ransacked by the police on Tuesday on claims that it was housing the thugs, Malaki Sibanda, said that Gwanda has not at all produced any machete thugs except those that are brought in by the police.

Watch Live video downloading below:

Own Correspondent|Vice President Constantino has immediately appealed against the High Court ruling issued against him in favour of his wife Marry.

The High Court Ruled that Chiwenga releases to Marry custody of all children and access to their home in Borrowdale.

Below is the appeal presented by the Vice President’s lawyers.

Own Correspondent|Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has lost all issues heard at the High Court today against his estranged wife Marry.

Find below the High Court Judgement:

Tino Kadewere became the country’s most expensive player after completing his move to French top-flight side Lyon from second-tier side Le Havre AC for a reported €15 million deal.

HAC confirmed Wednesday that the two teams have agreed terms but Kadewere will be loaned back until the end of the season.

The Warriors star is expected to complete medicals today before the official unveiling.

After this move, Kadewere becomes the most expensive player in Zimbabwe eclipsing Marvelous Nakamba of Aston Villa.

Nakamba joined the English Premier League side Villa from Club Brugge in Belgium for a deal around €12 million.

Kadewere’s market value rose significantly following his exploits at HAC – where he scored 18 goals in 20 matches.

On December 23 last year, H-Metro Sport revealed that Lyon had made an approach for Kadewere with an initial bid of €7 million which was rejected by HAC.

Interests from other clubs across Europe, including the English Premiership, then delayed the conclusion of the move until Wednesday’s announcement.

Kadewere is currently the leading scorer in the Domino Ligue 2.

Some of the Zimbabwean footballers who held the most expensive footballer record before Kadewere and Nakamba are former Warriors captain Benjani Mwaruwari, Peter Ndlovu and Knowledge Musona.

Benjani joined Manchester City, from Portsmouth on February 5, 2008, on a £3.87 million two-and-a-half-year deal – equivalent to €4,5 million.

The deal had a clause that the transfer fee was set to rise to £7.6 million – about €8,6 million – in the event the Zimbabwean made 75 senior starts for City, which he failed.

Peter Ndlovu, the first on-field Zimbabwean player to play in England, made history back in 1997 when he joined Birmingham City from Coventry for £1,6 million (about €2,25 million).

Warriors captain Knowledge Musona is fourth on list after his move to TSG Hoffenheim in Bundesliga from Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa cost €1, 50 million.

Tino Kadewere
January 22, 2020 Le Havre AC (France) to Lyon (France) €15 million

Marvelous Nakamba
August 1, 2019 Club Brugge (Belgium) to Aston Villa (England) €12 million

Benjani Mwaruwari
February 5 2008 Portsmouth (England) to Manchester City (England) €4,5 million

Peter Ndlovu
July 1997 Coventry City (England) to Birmingham City (England) €2,25 million

Knowledge Musona
July 2011 Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa) to TSG Hoffenheim (Germany) €1,50 million

December 2014 HSG Hoffeinheim (Germany) to KV Oostende (Belgium) undisclosed fee

May 2018 KV Oostende (Belgium) to Anderlecht (Belgium) undisclosed fee

Khama Billiat
August 2013 Ajax Cape Town (South Africa) to Mamelodi Sundowns FC (South Africa) €690 000

January 1, 2018 Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) to Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa) Free transfer

By Charles Dzimwasha| Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) Spokesperson, Godfrey ‘Chief’ Koti has been embroiled in a string of workplace romance that led to his live-in girlfriend Shuvai Murumbi nearly exchanging blows with fellow workmates over the towering former radio personality.

Koti, whose appointment to head the ZTA Marketing department was heavily linked to her un-unsavory relationship with former tourism minister, Prisca Mupfumira, the ex-radio presenter, according to sources, has been marketing his appetite for women.

Among the ladies that Koti allegedly bedded at ZTA include one Paida and Mitchel, all who work at the country’s tourism marketing hub.

“There was a near fight last week when Shuvai found out that Koti was bedding several girls at the institution among them Paida and Mitchell,” said the source.

In a bid to pacify the live-in girlfriend, of late Koti has been putting pictures of himself and Shuvai on his WhatsApp status.

Shuvai is President Mnangagwa’s ex daughter in law and works as ZTA public relations executive.

“Shuvai even gave Koti the white Mercedes Benz he drives around,” said the source.

Koti left Zimpapers to join ZTA and rose the current position amid allegations that he was having an uneasy relationship with Mupfumira. The Zimbabwe Ati Corruption Commission last year quizzed Koti on how he got the job as well as allegations that he was being fronted by the disgraced minister in her nefarious activities.

Among the allegations from ZACC was that he did not have qualifications for the job he had been appointed to by Mupfumira.

Attempts to reach Koti were fruitless as his mobile number went unanswered while a text massage to him was not responded to.

A FUMING woman from Bulawayo’s Entumbane suburb scalded her husband with cooking oil after she stumbled on raunchy love messages on her husband’s phone which were allegedly from his lover.

The court heard that Trevor Moyo (45) who was visibly drunk got home at around 11pm last week on Friday and slept in their matrimonial bedroom.

Being suspicious that her husband was cheating on her, Sithembile Moyo (34) took his phone and browsed through the messages.

It is said she bumped onto something that she did not expect — a string of love messages from his girlfriend. One of the messages, the court heard, was thanking him for a “sex well done job”.

The court heard that after seeing the love messages the woman charged at her husband and woke him up.

A fierce argument ensued between the two and at the height of it Sithembile, the court heard, grabbed her husband’s genitals and twisted them much to his agony. She left him lying on the floor.

But she was not done with him yet. She allegedly boiled cooking oil.

The court heard that her hubby sensed danger and followed her in the kitchen and he found her taking off a pan with cooking oil from the stove.

The court was told she tried to pour it over her husband’s face but the alert Trevor swiftly moved his face and it splashed on his chest and arms.

He suffered severe injuries and was rushed to Mpilo Central Hospital. The matter was reported to police leading to her arrest.

She appeared before magistrate Lizwe Jamela facing an assault charge.
She pleaded not guilty.

“I stumbled on love messages, one of the messages a lady was thanking him for being a sexual tiger and sexually satisfying her and for being a caring man. I was angered by that, that is why I had to act in that manner,” she said.

She was remanded out of custody to next week on Monday for continuation of trial.

-State media

Farai Dziva|Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union (ARTUZ) says no learning is no learning is taking place in schools because teachers are incapacitated.

See statement below :
23/01/2020
We are happy to announce that our members have managed to maintain our stance of not reporting for duty until the government heed our call for a living wage. The incapacitation of our members and the rest of teachers cannot be solved by draconian labour laws that force them to report for duty within 14 days.

As Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, (ARTUZ) we have noted that the government is not taking our salary issue with seriousness, therefore we will register our discontent to the employer through peaceful street protests, our constitutional right as workers.

We congratulate our members and other teachers for withstanding the threats of victimization by the employer.

Parents sacrifice paying school fees in full for their kids in these harsh economic times, only to be let down by a government that is deliberately failing to provide it’s mandated service like education.

This act of wickedness to learners by the responsible government ministries need an urgent approach from all progressive Zimbabweans who have kids in schools to force the employer to pay a living wage to teachers.

It is time both teachers and parents unite, and question Professor Mthuli Ncube’s Transitional Stabilisation Programme Reforms Agenda, on page 270, where he lied to the citizens of Zimbabwe that his policy will prioritize the education sector in tandem with the Education Sector Strategic Plan to 2020, Sustainable Development Goal number 4 and also in line with the aspirations of the African Union on education, wherein focus is on harnessing the demographic dividend, addressing educational needs of marginalized groups ensuring that noone is left behind.

The propaganda propelled by school administrators sending wrong statistics of teachers attendences to district education offices and public service commission, pretending as if learning is taking place in schools is a sign of cruelty to innocent learners.

This must stop immediately. The employer and all education stakeholders must know that, no learning is taking place in schools because teachers are highly demotivated by peanut salaries.

ARTUZ INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
+263775438618/776129336/
775643192

By Staff Reporter- Wife to vice President Constantino Chiwenga, Marry has won her High Court appeal to gain the custody of their three children and access to the couple’s Borrowdale home.

In a ruling attached below, the court ruled that the custody of children be restored to Marry.

The respondent is hereby ordered to restore the custody of the minor children namely Tendai Dominique Chiwenga born 4 November 2011, Christian Tawanazororo Chiwenga Born 15 November 2012 and Michael Alexander Chiwenga born 13 February 2014 to the custody of the applicant within twenty four hours of this order.

Chiwenga was also barred from interfering with Marry’s access to the Borrowdale home where she had been locked out since their fall-out.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for latest updates.

By A Correspondent- The government of Zimbabwe has with immediate effect suspended the issuance of fishing licences in Lake Kariba citing overfishing in the Lake.

The development was confirmed by Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo who revealed that kapenta fishing rigs in the Lake now exceeded the recommended number.

He said:

We can confirm that registration of new kapenta rigs will no longer be approved. The rigs which are operating in Lake Kariba have reached the maximum required number.

We have already passed the 500 kapenta fishing rigs threshold which means 275 rigs on the Zimbabwean side and 225 on the Zambian side. We have already passed that limit. This has led to overfishing of the resources.

-statemedia

Farai Dziva|The trial of MDC deputy chairperson Job Sikhala has been postponed to 03 – 07 February, the party has said.

The trial was scheduled for January 27-30.

“The Treason trial of the MDC Deputy National Chair Hon JobSikhala that was scheduled to kick off on Monday 27-31 January 2020 has been postponed to 03 – 07 February for the State has indicated its unpreparedness on the case,” said the Movement for Democratic Change in a statement.

It was at the time of writing believed the National Prosecuting Authority intends to cook up evidence against Sikhala having failed to prove a prima facie against him for treason.

The latest decision comes barely 3 days to his trial on allegations of subverting or attempting to overthrow a constitutional government.

This is a charge according to the State papers which emanates from a purported video downloaded from the Twitter account of one Jones Musara, a ZANU PF activist based in Toronto, Canada.

In the video aforesaid Jones Musara purports that Sikhala addressed people urging them to overthrow Mnangagwa.

A constitutional government is that which drives its authority from the governed through a free and fair election devoid of manipulation and fraud.

A number of ZANU PF activists and their surrogates were celebrating that the hour of Sikhala fix had come.

Sikhala has been arrested 63 times from 2000 to present. Records show he was never convicted on any case from rape to murder. All turned out to be persecutions disguised as prosecutions.

COMMENT AND ANALYSIS:

One good soul in this party of the deranged once said that the late Robert Mugabe was different from this clown we currently have among ourselves masquerading as a President.

Mugabe would not interfere with the judiciary. He would only interfere on matters that directly threatened his power, like the Presidential election petition challenging his legitimacy. That he would not mind how the judiciary deals with other matters outside threat to his power. So he goes on to say that, that’s why the late Morgan Tsvangirai was acquitted on two crucial cases.

One when he threatened to remove Mugabe violently if he didn’t want to go peacefully.

The second one being the Ari Ben Manashe drama which was packaged as a Treason trial. He further says that our present clown phones directly Public Prosecutors and judiciary officers to give instructions.

The charge Sikhala is facing is a specie of Treason. It has a mandatory sentence of 20 years in prison without an option of a fine.

The demented ones in the club of fools, which ZANU PF people are, waffle that you deserve what you are getting because you were not supposed to say what you said. In the State papers the overzealous “unknown reward” seeking ignorant police officers say that by threatening to remove Mnangagwa from power Sikhala was seeking to change the hands of power before his term expires in 2023.

In the study of constitutionalism, an individual does not constitute a government. A government is constituted by its three branches, that is, the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature. Mnangagwa is an individual who is not all or any of that. He can go today, the Executive may remain as constituted minus him, the Judiciary will remain the same, so is the Legislature. When individuals turn themselves into governments, you must know that, that country is cursed. And let it be known that Mnangagwa is not government. Government is instituted in terms of the constitution with its distinct branches.

Mnangagwa is not all that. He is just a Sherwood Farm fish farmer who occupies an office which is not defined to belong to him. It can be occupied by anyone if he perishes today.

So anyone in his or her perverted disposition who thinks that this trial is going to be sadza eating jamboree should take a strange dog for a wife.

Those extractors of the purported documentary from a ZANU PF malcontent living far away in Canada must be prepared for the nightmare of their lives.

We saw the overzealous ones during the Treason trial of Morgan Tsvangirai behaving as if everybody was borrowing the air we breath from them including Augustine Chihuri. When you meet them in streets today they look pathetic and deranged, with nothing to show for the bombastic self they were demonstrating during the material time. Since time immemorial, Sikhala has never received the level of solidarity, prayers and encouragement like what he is currently receiving. This is a demonstration that the people of Zimbabwe are not fools as envisaged by someone who encourages everyone to feed on vegetables daily until Kingdom comes.

Be reassured that gloves are off. The titanic battle has begun. In his life he has lost battles but not a war. This is a war, not a war for myself but for everyone who believes in a free and democratic Zimbabwe.

By A Correspondent- Two sons to former Masvingo transport mogul Tanda Tavaruva who ran his fleet of buses under the name Mhunga bus company were reportedly involved in a near fatal accident along the Masvingo- Beitbridge highway last night.

The duo, were on their way from South Africa.

Read a statement doing the rounds which is yet to be confirmed by the police:

Ex, Masvingo bus and haulage transport magnet, Tanda Tavaruva’s two sons were last night involved in a near fatal and horrific accident while they were travelling from South Africa heading home.

Godfrey GT, Tavaruva and Shepherd Chikepe Tavaruva were ferried to Masvingo General Hospital. Godfrey broke his hip and is said to be in stable condition while his young brother Chikepe is in a critical condition.

A close relative said plans are underway to transfer Chikepe to Harare.

The two who were driving a Toyota Wish, side swapped with, a haulage truck that crossed into their lane while avoiding a hump near Stevens shops, along the Masvingo-Beit bridge road.”

The Tavaruvas remain a household name in the province following years of blissful bus and haulage transport business that eventually crumbled due to several factors including the economic collapse in the country.

LATE notorious armed robber Edmund Edgar Masendeke’s two siblings have been arrested by the police crack team targeting machete gang leaders after they allegedly assaulted and robbed a motorist of US$300 in Kwekwe last week .

The Masendeke brothers — Edward, Kudzai and two accomplices were arrested over the weekend after robbing a motorist (not named in police records) along the Kwekwe-Harare Highway.

They produced machetes, dragged the motorist out of the car before assaulting and robbing him of hard currency

National police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi yesterday said he would get back to NewsDay after getting details of the case.

The case was reported at Kwekwe Central Police Station under RRB 4031491.

Allegations against the Masendeke brothers, Edward (42) of 449 B Section 6 and his sibling, Kudzai (26) of 180 Section 5 Mbizo suburb and their two accomplices, Lovemore Magorimbo (28) of Riffle Range Road Chegutu, Nesbert Banda (39) of Flat 4 D, Amaveni, Kwekwe, are that on January 11 at around 11:30am they followed the complainant who was driving a Honda Fit vehicle along the Kwekwe-Harare Highway.

He parked his vehicle at a truck inn. Before he disembarked, the robbers arrived in a Mercedes Benz with South African registration numbers.

They produced machetes and dragged the motorist out of the car, assaulted him and robbed him.

On Saturday, a police crack team hunting machete gang leaders received information that the four were involved in the armed robbery.

Acting on the tip-off they arrested Magorimbo who admitted that he, indeed, robbed the complainant and implicated Banda, leading to his arrest.

Banda also implicated Magorimbo and Edward.

He then led detectives to Edward’s hideout who also reportedly admitted committing the offence.

It was also discovered that all the suspects had been released from remand prison on bail last year on charges of murder and armed robbery.

It has emerged that Edward is on bail pending murder trial.

He had been on the run since 2013 and was arrested in September 2018 after he resurfaced at his elder brother Elson’s funeral.

Edward, together with accomplices Walter Mahofa and Justice Mukarati, allegedly assaulted Jonathan Mpofu and his siblings Ernest and the late Elson following a misunderstanding in a bar in 2013.

Mpofu died on the spot from the assault.

— NewsDay

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is deeply concerned with the various constitutional amendments that were recently proposed by the Zanu PF regime.

Indeed, despite all the grave concerns and strong reservations that were raised by many quarters of society, the raft of amendments were Gazetted on the 31st of December 2019 under Amendment 2 – HB23/2019.

The MDC is strongly opposed to the amendments since they are by and large a mere mutilation and an unjustifiable attack by the regime on an inclusive Constitution which represents fully, the varied political will of the people of Zimbabwe.

By so doing, the regime seeks to reverse the democratic gains of the 2013 Constitution by abusing its Parliamentary Majority to steam-roll the horrendous defacement of our people’s Constitution.

Of particular concern to the MDC are the proposed amendments which seek at their core, to unbridle key judicial and electoral safeguards as well as the integrity of important constitutional on institutions.

This tends to taint every other amendments included in the raft of amendments with the same mischief and as such, the entire raft must be rejected.

Firstly, the proposed amendments will allow the President to appoint judges and the Prosecutor General directly without the Judicial Services Commission conducting public interviews.

These proposals by the regime, are against both international and regional best practices which recommend rigorous interviewing and vetting processes to ensure that judicial appointments are according to merit.

As such, what is clear therefore is that the regime’s motivation for this lack of transparency is merely to place political puppets at the helm of our judiciary.

Secondly, the proposed amendments de-couples ZEC’s delimitation function from the population census held every 10 years. The MDC believes that the present clauses on delimitation are progressive and that the regime’s attempt to amend them is mischievous and show its lack of commitment to real electoral reform.

The removal of an elected Vice President as a running mate makes it quite clear that the sole motive of the raft of amendments is personal aggrandizement and the consolidation of internal factional politics by Emmerson Mnangagwa and nothing more. It stems from his illegitimate reign.

Indeed, what we may now be witnessing are the fruits of this illegitimacy in its full blaze.

It is ironic that its first victim is the judiciary which ensconced him in his illegitimate seat.

In his 2020 Agenda setting statement to the nation, the People’s President Advocate Nelson Chamisa highlighted that “the Constitutional amendments seek to restore the Imperial Presidency that we thought we had dealt with decisively in 2013 through the approval in the referendum of a new constitution…the call for alignment of the constitution must be stronger than before.”

Therefore, MDC as the custodian and true promoter of the people’s will, strongly objects to these proposed amendments and will actively resist them.

The MDC is thus calling upon all the people of Zimbabwe to rise up and start to actively resist this raft of proposed changes both during the so-called consultative process and also to utilise their varied means of expression to resist this move and render it illegitimate.

MDC: Change that Delivers

Kucaca Phulu (Secretary for Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs)

The current bank exchange rates for the ZWL$ today are as follows:

• USD to ZWL$: 17.2448
• ZWL$ to RAND: 0.8333

Data according to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe

Black Market Rates:

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• USD to ZWL$ zimrates.com 25.50
• USD to ZWL$  zwl365.com 25.30
• USD to ZWL$ bluemari.info 25.30
• USD to BOND: zimrates.com 19.30

More: marketwatch.co.zw

By A Correspondent- Acting President Constantino Chiwenga’s estranged wife, Marry Mubaiwa, gained custody of the couple’s three children on Friday last week, as part of an initially agreed out-of-court settlement, which was, however, aborted after the former army chief made a dramatic volte-face on Monday.

Family sources said there were negotiations between the Chiwenga and Mubaiwa families for an out-of-court settlement of their nasty divorce case in which the two are washing dirty linen in public, accusing each other of violence, drug abuse and witchcraft. The custody of the three minor children is one of the issues at the center of the raging divorce case.

Chiwenga last week claimed he took the children out of the country on holiday in 2019 after he found them highly traumatized by what he described as his wife’s witchcraft practices.

According to insiders, the two families held negotiations throughout the day on Friday via an emissary only identified as Mupostori Shumba, who is said to have been asked to mediate by Chiwenga’s friends, among them, tycoon Kuda Tagwirei, who do not want their names tarnished in court.

Tagwirei has already been sucked into the matter after Marry indicated that one of the cars they are wrangling over, a top-of-the-range Mercedes-Benz S600 sedan, was bought by the fuel mogul.

Mupostori Shumba, sources said, was chosen as the mediator because he is also well-known to the Mubaiwas. The source said Mupostori Shumba spent the better part of last Friday shuttling between Chiwenga’s secretive Borrowdale house, where he has been staying since his return from a complex medical procedure in China in November last year, and the Mubaiwas.

“He (the mediator) first went to Chiwenga’s new residence before he met Marry and her family at a house in Newlands. All negotiations were conducted through him. He practically spent the whole day moving up and down,” a source said.

“As of Friday night, there was an agreement for an out-of-court settlement and, as part of that, Chiwenga had agreed to let Marry have custody of the children which is now the case. Basically, Marry wanted the general to first withdraw the criminal charges levelled against her and to agree on a property-sharing plan,” the source said. “

The impression we got from Mupostori Shumba was that Chiwenga was amenable to that arrangement as well. Marry actually said that it was not originally in her plans to divorce and say all the nasty things in public but she felt that since he had started it all, she had to respond in kind.

“So at the end of the day everyone thought progress had been made, only for us to get the shock of our lives when his lawyer on Monday told newspapers that Chiwenga was itching for a showdown with her in court,” the source added.

“There are suspicions that may have been influenced by some of his friends between Friday night and Monday to have a change of heart, from the look of things, which is very unfortunate considering the plight of the children in the whole drama.”

The source further said the warring parties had even agreed to allow their lawyers to work on a deed of settlement and finalise it in seven days.

“The negotiations ended with an agreement to allow lawyers from both parties to work on a deed of settlement which was supposed to be deliberated on by both parties over the weekend, but everything now appears to be in jeopardy,” the source said.

Last week, Marry, who was in the company of her lawyer Advocate Taona Nyamakura, appeared before High Court judge Justice Christopher Dube-Banda but the matter was not deliberated on after the parties agreed to attempt to settle the matter out of court.

Marry is claiming an equivalent of US$40 000 per month as maintenance for her upkeep and a total of US$7 500 per month for her three children, which money she said should be paid at the interbank rate.

Besides the claim of monthly maintenance, Marry also said her husband should be ordered to pay for the family’s holidays, school and medical expenses and casual clothes, all running into thousands of United States dollars.

-TheIndependent

By A Correspondent- Controversial dancer Beverly Sibanda (28) yesterday left tongues wagging at Harare Magistrates Court after her legal marriage ceremony.

She married Chambuka Mufudzi (43), who is a medical doctor in the UK.

Bev, popularly known for her raunchy dances, caused a stir at Rotten Row despite attempts to avoid attention.

Sibanda was dressed decently in a floral formal long sleeved dress and her husband dressed in a blue suit.

Harare Provincial magistrate Joy Chikodzore presided over the marriage ceremony.

Bev was seemingly unfazed by the H-Metro camera during the ceremony. However, the newly wedded couple left the court separately in a bid divert attention.

Meanwhile, Bev’s manager Hapaguti “Hapaz” Mapimhidze reckons the raunchy dancer has silenced her doubting Thomases after she tied the knot with her UK based lover.

He likened Bev to a ‘miracle baby’ after she tied the knot with Mufudzi Chambuka yesterday at the Harare Magistrates’ Court.

Bev’s court wedding has since sent the social media overdrive as dancer is been widely linked with several men.

Many had written her off as a “hothead” while others were of the opinion she was a loose woman.

Bev has over the years been linked with several prominent people including footballers, top musicians, music promoters and foreign-based business executives.

However, her manager and most trusted lieutenant – Hapaz – said Bev was just waiting for her tome to come.

“Good things come to those who have patience and Bev is one of the people who have showed us that patience and good choice pay,” he said.

“I have known Bev for a while and for the past 11 or so years that I have been managing her affairs, our chemistry grew beyond words.

“I consider her for my daughter because I have been managing both her career and personal life.”

Speaking on Bev’s ‘bad girl’ tag, which she carried for the better part of her career, Hapaz said the Sexy Angels boss has proved a point that nothing is impossible in life.

“I know you have been writing her controversies but this time around I think you now have good news to write about.

“She has proved a point that true love still exists as is the case with Bev and Mufudzi,” he said.

Asked why the marriage has been a long kept secret, Hapaz said:

“In life there comes a time when privacy is needed because at times lack on it may jeorpadises a lot of things in life.

“By the way, Bev and Mufudzi have been dating for a while and the two would chat over the phone.

“Three weeks ago, Mufudzi paid lobola to Bev’s family and he will be returning to the UK mid-February.

“The lobola ceremony went according to plan and we are glad their marriage was blessed by elders.

“The wedding thing was fast tracked because he wants to finalise the paper work before he returns to his base.”

Hapaz said Bev’s husband was supportive of his wife’s career path.

“From what I have gathered, Bev will continue dancing as long as she still has the energy.

“Her husband was aware of Bev’s profession before they married and he is a responsible man who respects his woman.

“He has been sponsoring some of her tours and we are glad that they genuinely love each other.”

On why Bev opted to settle with a little known man when she had been linked with several prominent people, Hapaz said:

“It appears some people wanted to waste her time but as I indicated earlier on, she was just waiting for the right time to come.

“She would tell me of every person who dated her and I would give her advice as a father figure to her.

“We have been to Magaya’s church where other people were after her and we have also been to foreign lands but Bev was not tempted.”

Hapaz appealed to Bev’s past ‘boyfriends’ to leave her alone as she starts a new life.

“I urge people to respect Bev’s privacy especially some of the man who can lot let of the past.

“I will urge her to continue praying for her marriage because it is bound to be tested.”

By A Correspondent- The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has issued a warning to foreign currency dealers who are manipulating the exchange rate. This comes as street rates have breached the 25x mark on Thursday. The interbank mid rate is on 17.2204x

In a statement released tonight, the central bank said that manipulators were exerting pressure on the exchange rate with the intention of destabilising the market, which had held steady over the past four months.

“It has come to the attention of the bank that there are some exchange rate manipulators that are exerting pressure on the forex market with the intention of causing instability to a market which had held steady over the past four months.

“Such malpractice is not warranted as money supply has remained under control for the past five months.”

The RBZ said the Financial Intelligent Unit will proceed to investigate  and freeze  the accounts of those upsetting the market amid suspicion that the manipulators were foreign nationals.

In yesterday’s deliberations, the Monetary Policy Committee celebrated the exchange rate stability that has prevailed since October. Although there is a premium of almost 50% between the black market and the interbank rate there has been stability on both rates for the last three months.

The MPC acknowledged that money supply was the major cause of the exchange rate instability and reiterated the resolve of the central bank to curtail money supply. If the bank sticks to its resolve it might just be able to tame the twin monsters of exchange rate instability and inflation.

Though statistics are currently lagging it would seem there has been a drastic reduction in money supply expansionary activities by the central bank over the past two months.

-FinX

By A Correspondent- A 19-year-old Harare maid yesterday appeared in court on allegations of killing her employer’s son by strangling.

Memory Zvinzveku appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Rumbidzai Mugwagwa on murder charges.

She was advised to apply for bail at the High Court.

The court heard that on January 22, Zvinzveku went to Tafara 1 Primary School to pick her victim.

It is alleged that when they got home, the boy removed his school uniform and put on other clothes before going next door to play with other children.

It is the State’s case that Zvinzveku followed the boy and took him home.

She allegedly strangled him before placing his body on the bed. The court heard that Zvinzveku went and told Fadzanai Kakunguwo, a neighbour, that the minor was not waking up and she came to check.

Kakunguwo noticed that the boy was dead and he had some scratch marks on the neck.

A post-mortem was conducted on January 22 and it was revealed that the boy had died due to strangulation.-State media

By A Correspondent- The High Court has blocked the magistrates’ court from prosecuting jailed cleric Robert Martin Gumbura and six others on prison break charges until it rules on their review application for discharge.

High Court Judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi stopped the prosecution when the State and the defence both agreed to suspend the case until the High Court has made its review ruling.

Gumbura and six other inmates are facing charges of attempting to break out of prison in 2013.

Gumbura’s alleged six accomplices are Blessing Chiduke, Luckmore Matambanadzo, Lucky Mhungu, Taurai Dodzo, Thomas Chacha and Elijah Vhumbunu.

The accused were contesting a ruling made by Harare magistrate Francis Mapfumo, who dismissed their application for discharge at the close of State’s last year.

The development comes after Prosecutor-General Kumbirai Hodzi had filed an urgent chamber application at the High Court seeking the dismissal of the accused persons’ application for the review of Mapfumo’s ruling.

According to Hodzi, seven months had lapsed since the case was put before the High Court, but the cleric and his co-accused were yet to file their affidavits.

Mr Mapfumo ruled that there was reasonable suspicion the suspects committed an offence and should be put to their defence.

Two of the inmates — Thulani Chizema and Jacob Sibanda — were acquitted at the close of the State’s case.

Mr Mapfumo said the remaining seven should explain why they went on prison rooftops if they were protesting over food on the day in question.

-Statemedia