In a very disturbing incident, a Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University (ZEGU) student was brutally murdered in Bindura over the weekend by a Mutare man in a suspected love triangle wrangle.

NewsDay reports that the suspect, Chengetai Trinity Jimu (24) of Toronto Forestry Commission in Mutare, has since gone into hiding after he fatally stabbed Hugh Chivingwa Makumbe (24), of Bindura’s Chiwaridzo high-density suburb, twice with an unknown object.

Mashonaland Central acting police spokesperson Tonny Nyandoro confirmed the incident.

” I can confirm a murder case in Bindura, where a ZEGU student was reportedly killed in a love wrangle by Mutare man who is still at large. Investigations are still in progress,” Nyandoro said.

A witness, Koga Gstsi, told the publication that the now deceased was stabbed on the forehead and neck after he was found seated with his girlfriend, Rumbidzai Mangandu (21), by the suspect, who accused him of snatching her from him.

According to some unconfirmed reports circulating on social media, the deceased is alleged to have been having an affair with Mangandu who is engaged to the accused, Trinity Jimu.

Online

By A Correspondent- The border town of Beitbridge was recently gripped by the news of a well-known taxman and a married cop who allegedly got stuck during se_x at a local lodge.

The names of the two have been supplied and efforts to get a comment from them were futile.

However, the story did not just get the serious attention of ordinary residents but councilors and senior Police officer were also gripped by it. Some councilors actually drove around the town in a bid to establish the truth.

The case happened at a lodge in the Medium Density Suburb. Sources said the two booked in the morning and were whisked away from the lodge by friends just before midday.

Officer Commanding Beitbridge District, Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo said he heard the story.

“Yes I heard about the matter in the morning but am yet to get finer details,” said Nyongo.

The two were taken to the hospital and later to a local surgery and they have not been separated.

It is alleged that the taxman stays with a second wife and his first wife is staying in the rural areas.

More details to follow…

— Mirror

State Media|According to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe in its mid-term Monetary Policy Statement, activity on the interbank foreign exchange market has increased  since its introduction in February 2019. The central bank said foreign currency reforms, which started with the separation of accounts in October 2018 and the introduction of the local currency in June 2019, have now been fully achieved.

“The introduction of the Zimbabwean dollar together with the fine tuning of the interbank market resulted in increased foreign currency trading in the formal system and narrowing of the premiums between interbank market and parallel market foreign currency rates,” reads the apex bank’s statement.

The interbank exchange rate stood at ZWL$15,59/US$ as of yesterday, compared to ZWL$2,50/US$ when it was floated on February 22.

The accompanying graphs (above and below) show movements in the interbank exchange rate since the introduction of the interbank market in February 2019.

In his 2020 pre-budget strategy paper Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube said Government will work on stabilising the macro-fiscal environment to pave way for initiating the outstanding steps in completing the mono-currency (use of the local dollar for all local transactions) reforms.

Minister Ncube suggests that a stable  macro-fiscal environment will help resolve the prevailing cash shortages and also boost confidence in the local currency.

Consequently, the RBZ will continue implementing a tight monetary policy regime that anchors inflation expectations and stabilises the exchange rate.

Reserve money growth will therefore be maintained at a target of 10 percent per annum.

Other currency stabilisation measures include  supporting the interbank market through initiatives such as the USD denominated savings bonds currently at 7,5 percent interest rate. This will also involve curbing speculative borrowing through appropriate interest rates adjustments.

Measures will also include regulating unethical practices on the Stock Exchanges and Bureau de Changes (eg placed a vesting period of 90 days for dually listed shares) as well as strengthening the recently established Reserve Bank Monetary Policy Committee and new RBZ Board.

Minister Ncube has since appointed a nine-member monetary policy committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), which is chaired by central bank governor Dr John Mangudya. The MPC’s functions entail determining the monetary policy of Zimbabwe but its immediate task entails stabilising the local currency exchange rate, which has been on a free fall since being floated in February this year.

Meanwhile the central bank says swift foreign currency payments decreased by 5 percent to US$0,69 billion for the quarter ending June 2019, from US$0,72 billion in the quarter ending March 2019.

“During the same period, SWIFT foreign currency receipts decreased by 6 percent to US$0,69 billion from US$0,74 billion, in the previous quarter.

Net foreign currency inflows amounted to US$9,55 million in the quarter ending June 2019, from a net inflow of US$22,42 million recorded in the first quarter of 2019.

By A Correspondent- The border town of Beitbridge has today been gripped by the news of a well-known taxman and a married cop who allegedly got stuck during se_x at a local lodge.

The names of the two have been supplied and efforts to get a comment from them were futile.

However, the story did not just get the serious attention of ordinary residents but councilors and senior Police officer were also gripped by it. Some councilors actually drove around the town in a bid to establish the truth.

The case happened at a lodge in the Medium Density Suburb. Sources said the two booked in the morning and were whisked away from the lodge by friends just before midday.

Officer Commanding Beitbridge District, Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo said he heard the story.

“Yes I heard about the matter in the morning but am yet to get finer details,” said Nyongo.

The two were taken to the hospital and later to a local surgery and they have not been separated.

It is alleged that the taxman stays with a second wife and his first wife is staying in the rural areas.

More details to follow…

— Mirror

By A Correspondent- There was chaos at an Apostolic Faith Mission (AFM) church in Domboshawa after a furious husband confronted a pastor who was having an adulterous affair with his wife.

Congregants were left shell shocked after Amos Mapisa exposed that Pastor Maizivei Padzinza had been having an illicit adulterous affair with his wife, Tracy Tsitsi Mutengezanwa, running for over 5 years.

Mapisa stumbled upon the illicit affair after the couple’s 4-year-old child unlocked the mothers’ phone when she was away.

Speaking to a local publication, Mapisa said:

“I found out that my wife has been cheating on me after I went through her phone. She was dating Pastor Padzinza and two other men. All that I am saying can be supported by these chats which are in this phone.

I have come here to let the church know the kind of a pastor they have. This will help other men know what their wives are doing at church and maybe he is not only doing it with my wife but with other women in church too.

Pastor Padzinza has been picking her up in town without my knowledge and they met several times. They were also exchanging love messages.

I want an apology from the church and also from the Pastor.
I also found out that my wife was also in a relationship with Lucky and another man by the name of Shoes.

There are also chats to show she went to lodges and other different places for lovemaking. From the chats in this phone, you can see for yourself that she has been going out on dates with these three men.

There was a public fight in the church after the some women who were protesting against the Pastor’s behaviour were attacked by other women who were loyal to Pastor Padzinza.

One of these ladies was heard shouting,

Pastor Padzinza hatidi navo uye murume semi anonyengawo saka ibvai pano.

Pastor Padzinza was unreachable for comments.

-StateMedia

According to Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, eleven street vendors were arrested on the 12th October for assaulting a police officer, having taken refuge in the cellar of a building in the centre of Harare in which a large number of old police helmets were found. 

The vendors were later taken before a magistrate, who remanded them in custody pending consideration of their applications for bail.

One of their number, a young man named Hilton Tamangani, was found dead in his cell in the Harare Remand Prison on the 18th October.  His death was announced by the Ministry of Information in a statement which read in part:

“The individual was remanded in a condition of unwellness and immediate medical care was sought for him and he was hospitalised.

“He was attended to by doctors.  All deaths in custody are thoroughly investigated.  We now await the result of a post-mortem to ascertain the cause of death.”

Mr Tamangani’s lawyers claim that he was severely beaten by the police.  They have released a copy of a letter they wrote to the Officer in Charge of the Harare Remand Prison, in which they said:

“Our client has advised us that he has developed a fatal infection whilst being medically attended to at your premises, Harare Remand Prison Clinic.  In the premises, we are approaching your office to request that our client be attended to by a private doctor of his choice.  Our client undertakes to pay the requisite medical costs.”

The prison authorities, the lawyers say, refused to accept the letter and so Mr Tamangani was not examined by his own doctor before his death.

Violation of Constitutional Rights of Prisoners

Whatever the cause of Mr Tamangani’s death, the events surrounding it show a deplorable disregard for his constitutional rights as a prisoner.

Section 50(5)(c) of the Constitution provides that anyone who is detained has the right to communicate with, and be visited by, their relatives, their chosen religious counsellor, their chosen lawyer and their chosen medical practitioner.  The right to be visited by all these people is important, but it is particularly important for prisoners to be allowed to see their medical practitioners, as Mr Tamangani’s case so tragically demonstrates.

There are at least three reasons this right is so vital:

1.   Prisoners are in the custody of the State which means the State is responsible for ensuring their health and well-being.  If medical facilities in prisons are inadequate ‒ and it is notorious that they are basic at best and rudimentary or non-existent at worst ‒ then the prison authorities must take prisoners to hospitals outside their prisons or allow them to receive care and treatment from their own medical practitioners.

2.   Prisoners may be in poor health and need medication or treatment which their own medical practitioners can provide more readily than prison doctors.

3.   Prisoners who claim they have been assaulted by the police or prison authorities may need to be examined by their own doctors in order to establish their claims.

Above all, prison authorities must remember that prisoners have rights.  Prisoners are deprived of much of their freedom of movement ‒ they cannot leave their prison whenever they want to ‒ and they may be deprived of other rights and freedoms so far as it is necessary to prevent them escaping and to maintain discipline in prisons. 

But apart from that they have all the fundamental human rights and freedoms guaranteed them by the Constitution, including the right to be seen by their chosen medical practitioner which, as we have pointed out, is specifically given to them by section 50(5)(c) of the Constitution. 

This is particularly so in the case of awaiting trial prisoners who have not been convicted of any criminal offence.

Even prisoners who have been found guilty of the most heinous crimes remain human beings entitled to their basic human rights.  And it must be remembered that Mr Tamangani was an awaiting trial prisoner who had not been tried for, let alone found guilty of, any crime at all.

Prison authorities, in brief, have a duty to care for their prisoners and respect their rights.  In the case of Mr Tamangani, it seems, they failed in this duty ‒ and they compounded their failure terribly by refusing to allow him to be seen by his own doctor even after being requested to do so by his lawyers.

Post Mortem

In the event Mr Tamangani has died.  All the authorities can do now is to ensure that his death is properly investigated at a public inquest and that those responsible for his death are brought to justice. 

The underlying purpose of an inquest, as explained by a court in 1990, is to promote public confidence, to reassure the public that all deaths from unnatural causes will receive proper attention and investigation so that, where necessary, appropriate measures can be taken to prevent similar occurrences and to bring persons responsible for the deaths to justice. 

For an inquest to achieve this purpose a post-mortem examination should be conducted on the body of the deceased to establish the cause of death, and the post-mortem examination should be such as to promote public confidence in its thoroughness and impartiality. 

In this case, regrettably, public confidence may be lacking since a magistrate turned down a lawyers’ request to have an independent medical practitioner present when the post-mortem was conducted.

Mr Tamangani’s family might have been able to push more effectively for a proper post-mortem if an effective and independent complaints mechanism had been established under section 210 of the Constitution. 

Unfortunately the Government has not carried out its duty to establish such a mechanism, and the Constitutional Court has failed to order the Government to establish one, despite an application brought by Veritas in early 2016 requesting it to do so.

-Veritas

THERE is palpable anger in the country against President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his inept government. 

People are bitter that their standard of living has plummeted to laughable levels in the past two years since Mnangagwa came into power via a military-civilian supported putsch against the late former strongman, Robert Mugabe.

The economic situation is getting worse by the day and it appears the country is on auto-pilot. Prices of basic goods and services are beyond the reach of many. Power blackouts of up to 18 hours and fuel shortages have constrained the operations of the few companies still in existence.

What is worrying is that Mnangagwa’s government seems to have no inkling on how to resolve the myriad problems the country is enduring. Hollow policies and statements of intent, at times camouflaged as strategies, are pontificated as the panacea to the diseased economy.

The Zimbabwe is open for business mantra no longer makes sense as the country is slowly becoming closed for business due to disastrous policy inertia and outright incompetence. The level of incompetency is staggering!

Last Friday’s anti-sanctions march in the capital terribly exposed Mnangagwa. The people of Zimbabwe used the day to protest against poor governance and failure to extricate the country from its economic quagmire. The people simply did not turn up at the 60 000-seater National Sports Stadium.

At maximum there were about 10 000 people at the giant stadium despite that the state had made available buses throughout the country to transport citizens

to Harare for the march. The turnout showed that the citizens are angry about the state of affairs in the country and cannot continue to stomach the nonsense being spewed by their government.

When Mnangagwa assumed power, he made a commitment that despite the embargoes he would turn around the economy. He was categorical that with or without sanctions Zimbabwe would prosper under his leadership.

He promised change and a new way of governance, but so far there is nothing to show that the country will ever emerge from the quagmire. Instead, the country is slowly and surely sliding back to Mugabeism, which was characterised by gross human rights abuses and dictatorship.

The only difference is that it appears Zimbabweans have awakened from a deep slumber and no longer swallow hook, line and sinker government social engineering.

On Friday, they sent an unequivocal message that gone are the days of blindly attending useless marches and rallies. The snub must have been a wake-up call to Mnangagwa not to take people for granted.

People need food on the table, not tales. If the situation in the country does not change for the better in the near future, the danger is apparent that the people will horse-kick ED again.
– dailynews

Paul Nyathi|The family of a 25-Year-Old Marondera female ZRP police CID detective who died under unclear circumstances last week has accused the police of murdering her.

Detective Constable Antonete Silopa, who was stationed at Marondera Central Police Station made headlines last week when it was reported that she died at her boyfriend Artwell Mafukidze (38)’s house in Elmswood Park.

According to the report, the two had gone for a night out of drinking at Cosco Sports Diner before she dropped Mafukidze at his house later that night.

The report claimed that at around 11pm Mafukidze heard a crashing sound outside his house and went to investigate then he discovered Silopa had crashed into a water tank.

She reportedly staggered out of the car and told him she had drunk poison before collapsing.

She was pronounced dead upon arrival at Marondera Provincial Hospital.

At the weekend during her burial, more than 60 police officers who were bussed all the way from Marondera to Mucheke Suburb in Masvingo were chased away by the family after the deceased’s parents accused some senior officers of having a hand in the death of their daughter.

Two post-mortems carried out at Chitungwiza and Parirenyatwa Hospital both failed to establish the cause of Antonate’s death.

The family ordered a third post mortem whose results will be out in a month’s time.

The deceased parents became suspicious after the police refused to open a docket on the inquest of her death.

“There is queer behaviour by the Police. We as the deceased’s family suspect that Antonate was probably murdered for a sensitive case that she was investigating but whatever the issue is, we believe that there are senior officers involved and there is a lot of determination to sweep the matter under the carpet,” said the deceased’s mother Florence.

Florence totally rejected that her daughter died at her boyfriend’s place.

“If she did why did the Police not bring forward the boyfriend? Why did they not open a docket? Why are they not investigating the matter?” asked an emotional Florence.

She said even the way that the death was announced to her was unprofessional and she was instructed not to tell anyone else but speak to the superior.

She said that her daughter was brought to hospital by one Artwell Mafukidze and two others who claimed that they didn’t know her and they picked her on the streets.

She also said that her daughter had no bra or blouse when she was brought to hospital but these were later found thrown into the deceased’s house well after her death.

She also said her daughter’s house had been ransacked and her money was missing as well.

She accused the senior officers of trying to stop the family from getting an independent post-mortems.

THE Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) has warned members of the public against high and searing temperatures ranging from 30 to 35 Degrees Celsius to be experienced in most parts of the region this week.

This comes at a time when the Meteorological Services Department has warned of extreme temperatures above the average for October saying some parts of Zimbabwe may experience record-breaking highs.

In a statement yesterday, SADC said parts of central southern Africa would experience temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius over a consecutive period of three days and there are occasions when temperatures would exceed 40 degrees Celsius.

“Extreme south-eastern Angola, north and eastern most parts of Botswana, eastern half of Eswatini, south- eastern parts of Madagascar, southern Malawi, most of Mozambique, extreme north eastern Namibia, eastern fringes of South Africa, south and eastern Zambia, northern fringes and southern half of Zimbabwe will have a high probability to experience a heatwave during the period of 25 to 31 October 2019,” read the SADC statement.

“Most of the central parts of the SADC region stretching from southern Angola through eastern Namibia, Botswana, most of Zambia, Zimbabwe, southern Malawi to northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania are in a Heatwave WATCH category. Western Madagascar is also in a WATCH category for a potential heat wave during the forecast period of 25 to 31 October 2019.”

SADC also advised members of the public to adhere to all the health advisories provided by local institutions in Member States.

“For parts of the region where there is a high probability for a heat-wave to be experienced, there is a need to adhere to precautions to avoid heat related health problems, such as heat stroke among others. Users are encouraged to consult the National Meteorological and Hydrometeorological Services (NMHSs) in the SADC Member States interpretation and the relevant National Institutions.”

Paul Nyathi|The Zimpapers Group has appointed former Herald Editor William Chikoto as the interim editor of the flagship daily with immediate effect following the long expected sacking of Tichaona Zindoga.

Zindoga has been acting editor since the beginning of this year.

The Newspapers Group sacked Zindoga on Monday, 10 months after he stepped in to replace Joram Nyathi, who lasted just over a month in office.

In a post on Facebook, Zindoga said: “So you don’t get it from anyone else… Colleagues, friends, comrades, countrymen. The dance with The Herald has come to an end. It was good while it lasted, and I’m certainly happy for it, as with the end itself.”

From day one, it was an uphill struggle for Zindoga: he was internally seen as too young, inexperienced and lacking the capacity to run the government’s information and propaganda flagship.

Besides, he was also an unpopular figure at Zimpapers. He was accused of irrationally undermining colleagues, including sending senior reporters to the provinces, and being arrogant. He also lacked the minister’s confidence.

Sources say he tried to lobby first lady Auxillia Mnangagwa for support in vain as his exit looked imminent.

A source said: “In the history of the newspaper, no editor has acted for so long. There were real doubts within the organisation about his capacity and that’s why his confirmation never came through.

“Then there was his rather dramatic move to demote senior reporters and send them to the provinces, which did not endear him with the newsroom.

“Finally, there are whispers about his trip to South Africa last week where it is said he met an undesirable character. I don’t know who, but it clearly appears to be the trigger. And don’t forget there’s a new board chaired by Tommy Sithole, a former Herald editor himself, who really does not rate the guy for starters.”

Zindoga would have been surprised at the decision to sack him entirely from Zimpapers, but executives are keen to give the next editor a clean berth.

Chikoto edited The Herald from 2009 to 2012 before being appointed Editorial Executive.

In that position, Chikoto was in charge of convergence of content across all Zimpapers platforms — newspapers, online and radio.

He was also responsible for training journalists to write across the three platforms and overseeing the group’s content strategy.

State Media|CIVIL servants need retraining as some of them, including senior officials, are still stuck in the past and failing to deliver in line with the objectives of the Second Republic, chairperson of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, Dr Elasto Mugwadi, has said.

Addressing a Press conference at the end of hearings on access to national documentation in Bulawayo on Friday, Dr Mugwadi said while the public hearings exposed failings by some officials from the Registrar-General’s Office and Department of Social Welfare to perform their duties, the problem cuts across all Government departments.

He said civil servants needed re-orientation and his office would soon engage the Public Service Commission over the issue.

“So, we are expecting training and retraining of members of the public service and others who are also giving public service,” said Dr Mugwadi.

“We are going to have engagements with the employer who is the Public Service Commission.

“We have had informal discussions, but we are saying it’s not only the Registrar-General’s Office which requires re-exposure through retraining.

“It’s almost the entire public service, all of the public service institutions, we talk about them. You will find individuals who are really up to scratch, but there are others, including seniors who are only interested in gate-keeping which should be a thing of the past and we are going to continuously get this addressed.”

Dr Mugwadi said ZHRC doubled as the Public Protector or Ombudsman with responsibilities for overseeing operations of Government departments.

He said civil servants should have a human face in their operations.

Dr Mugwadi said the commission observed that some of the civil servants were still maintaining the culture of the old regime, whereas they should be guided by supreme law of the country.

“In our engagements with them and other Government officials, we are saying they should now adopt a human rights-based approach which places the interest of the customer as a priority,” he said.

“It is the top most issue they should be looking at. Mind you, we’re moving from one generation of administration, the old administration to the new dispensation.

“It has policies which are linked to implementation of the Bill of Rights in our Constitution, which is only a 2013 people-driven Constitution.”

Dr Mugwadi said the national inquiry into challenges resulting in some members of the public failing to access important documents was part of many that ZHRC as the Public Protector will carry out to ensure citizens got the best service from Government departments.

State Media|The Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts yesterday directed Clerk of Parliament Mr Kennedy Chokuda to issue a warrant of arrest against Fertiliser Seed Grain managing director Mr Steve Morland for failing to appear before it.

The committee also gave the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development the last chance to attend the committee’s hearings, failure of which Mr Chokuda will be directed to issue a warrant of arrest.

Briefing journalists in Parliament yesterday, the committee chairman Mr Tendai Biti said they were disturbed by the absence of the FSG and the Ministry of Finance.

“Today, we were supposed to receive evidence from a company called FSG,” he said.

“This company has been the recipient of millions of dollars under the Presidential Inputs Scheme. Consistently, FSG alongside Sakunda are key to the work that we have been doing in the last three months.

“We are therefore directing the Clerk of Parliament Mr Chokuda to issue a warrant of arrest against Mr Steve Morland the managing director of this company for default in attendance on October 14, 2019 and today October 27.

“We are extremely disappointed that while FSG has been quick to avail itself to another committee of Parliament on agriculture, they have avoided attendance at this meeting.

“We are summoning the same company to appear before our committee on November 22, 2019 together with another company that was a recipient of monies under the unallocated reserves that we are pursuing for 2017 to 2018, a motor vehicle supplier called Croco.”

Mr Biti said the committee was not happy that the Ministry of Finance had not availed itself before the committee.

“First, they insisted that they were attending a workshop at the Wild Geese Resort and on the second occasion they pretended that they did not know that they were supposed to appear before Parliament,” he said.

“We have insisted and we have made it very clear in our first report on the Ministry of Finance that the business of Parliament supersedes anything else that they may be doing.

“We enjoy a unique position, the privilege of pursuing every dollar that comes into the Consolidated Revenue Fund and every dollar that goes out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund in terms of section 298 and 299 of the Constitution.

“We are saddened by the continuous disrespect for Parliament so we are giving the Ministry of Finance one more chance before we direct the Clerk of Parliament to issue a warrant of arrest.”

The Ministry of Finance was asked to appear before the committee on November 15.

State Media- Government is moving to clear the passport backlog by producing 100 000 copies by December following the delivery of paper and other consumables, while a facility is being put in place for people in the Diaspora to apply for the travelling document from their bases.

The move is expected to considerably reduce the backlog of over 300 000 passports.

Under a cross-border outreach programme, birth certificates and national identity documents will be issued to Zimbabweans living in the Diaspora.

Addressing a Press conference at Mukwati Building in Harare yesterday, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Ambassador Cain Mathema said they had taken delivery of “three state-of-the-art high capacity passport printers”, which have since been installed.

This has given capacity to make headway in clearing the passports backlog, while at the same time attending to new applications.

“Further steps have been taken to take delivery of passport paper and consumables, as well as material for the production of synthetic identification cards to make sure that all those requiring our services get them in line with our client service charter,” said Minister Mathema.

“While the impact of the measures taken so far is considerable in that about 100 000 people who applied for passports will take delivery of such documents by the end of December 2019, with the arrival of the additional material on order at the end of November 2019 or early December 2019, we expect to double the number of people getting passports within two months of taking delivery.”

Minister Mathema said in line with the decentralisation programme aimed at ensuring that identity documents were available closer to the people, the Murehwa District Registry was almost complete.

He said significant progress had been made in the completion of the Wedza District Registry.

“For plans for the year 2020, the ministry’s infrastructure programme should see the completion of these two registries and work proceeding in earnest to construct the Goromonzi, Kadoma and Insiza registries,” said Minister Mathema.

He said completion of the registries would enable the ministry to bring computerised services “nearer to the people”.

Minister Mathema said the process was expected to continue until it reached the sub-district level to make it possible for citizens to apply and collect documents at their “nearest administrative district”.

In a related matter, the ministries of Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade, have agreed that an outreach programme by the Central Registry department should be undertaken to provide vital registration documents, including birth certificates and national identity documents, to selected countries where Zimbabweans are working.

Minister Mathema said the purpose of the outreach programme would be to issue birth certificates and national documents, as well as receive passport applications for processing back home.

“After agreement with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development it will be possible for people in the Diaspora to pay the fees for these documents, the equivalent of the approved fees in currencies of their host countries,” he said.

Minister Mathema said on a more permanent basis, the ministries of Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs have agreed to regularise the movement of the Diplomatic bag to allow people in the Diaspora to apply and pay for passports at the embassies near them.

Diplomatic bag refers to a container in which official mail is sent to or from an embassy, which is not subject to customs inspection.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry will then submit the applications through their head office to the external section of the passport office under the Central Registry department.

“The passport office will then expeditiously process the applications within a period of approximately 10 working days and send them back to the Diaspora through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade,” he said.- state media

By Pafungeyi Gore

Farai Dziva|Political Activist Pafungeyi Gore believes the MDC is failing to win by-elections in rural areas due to lack of motivation.

See Gore’s argument:

The walls of Jericho are falling …

Babylon is not at all burning but there is indeed dust sweeping across the city because of wind.

To starters, they want to portray Zimbabwe as a mature democracy.

Zimbabwe is an autocratic country where the ruling party is not separable from state institutions.

There is indeed a symbiotic relationship between ZANU PF and the State. The state represented by both the repressive and ideological state apparatus.

The alternative government represented by the MDC is not at all losing the so-called by-elections. A damn is being sold to the MDC and a narrative of the MDC provinces in chaos.

A by-election will be held in Mashonaland East where the trend of losing will continue.

Counter accusations will be thrown at each other as if the MDC provinces control securocrats running the elections.

Firstly, the MDC is facing difficulties winning rural by-elections. Apart from outright rigging there is no motive for voters to vote in large numbers in a by-election especially for the opposition because there are no chances to take power through by-elections.

So voters take lightly the significance of by-elections other than maintaining the status quo.

People living outside wards and conatituencies but voters in those areas would find it not so vital to travel and vote in a by-election because of not so powerful compelling reasons.

The MDC should never be swayed by these cooked results. The whole state machinery will be focusing on one by-election.

Without comprehensive reforms, the MDC will fight internally whilst the problem at the centre is the need for an even ground.

State security especially the CIO have been at the centre of intimidation in most rural constituencies and wards where by-elections are held or were held.

The rural voters know very well these unmarked vehicles and the victimisation they witnessed in the past from people who should rather protect all despite political affiliation.

People are threatened of reprisals and the MDC would find it difficult to counter this because of lack of state power. Even if they try to match ZANU PF resource wise those who would have been seen receiving goods from the MDC will be threatened with reprisals.

ZANU PF wants to create a narrative that they are winning despite the hanging legitimacy issue.

As long as DDF is abused for political expediency, an uneven ground will create difficulties for the MDC.

As long as the traditional leaders are dabbling in politics it will be difficulty for the MDC to gain political traction in rural areas.

Most people in rural areas are not all out activists they will not sacrifice their life especially for the sake of politics.

And ZANU PF is abusing the character of rural voters by keeping on reminding them of the aftermath, especially without a healing plan dating back from the Gukurahundi atrocities, early 2000 killings, the blood March 2008-December 2008 killings of opponents.

MDC provinces are doing their best to win power in rural areas. The MDC as a whole should continue fighting for reforms.

There no way through Democratic means that the party will win power if their are no reforms.

Reforms should cut across the whole spectrum of institutions key in elections.

Elections are not being won through democratic strategies but thuggery and the MDC without security sector support can match ZANU PF thuggery behaviour.

Security sector reforms key to end disputed elections in Zimbabwe. The CIO should never be abused to advance or extend ZANU PF hegemony on power.

The intimidation of traditional leaders is also key to a free and fair election. Even during the White settler minority rule traditional leaders were abused and they are still being abused which needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

Media coverage is key to a free and fair election.

The reason why EU and America are keeping sanctions in place is because there is no improvement in human rights issues in the country.

So those bent on creating a narrative that MDC provinces are in chaos whilst we have a raft of issues that need to be addressed before criticising the MDC are playing into a ZANU PF trap of propaganda detached from reality.

Reality will never change and reality points to the need for reforms.

Pafungeyi Gore is social scientist and political activist he writes in his own personal capacity.

Farai Dziva|The MDC Organising Department has released a report on the Chiredzi South By-election held at the weekend.

Below is the report:

Good day leadership , I would like to express my experience and lesson in the just ended by-election In Chiredzi South ward 12.

As a leader who was on the ground I would like to thank the entire provincial leadership under the provincial chair Mr Gumbi.

The team contributed resources for our door to campaign from their personal coffers may the spirit persist.

My lesson was that Zanu-pf won’t win an election in masvingo in a free and fair environment.

In ward 12 Chiredzi south Zanu PF used several state institutions to support their campaign
• They used DDF to lie about borehole drilling, saying they will drill a borehole for each and every farmer in the ward.

• A grader from DDF was brought though they managed to grade less than 300m of the 30km road that link the two polling stations.

• High presence of state security intimidating the farmers during the night.

• Each and every farmer was given 50kg bag of rice of which is believed to be the once meant for donation to cyclone Idai victims.

• Prior to the voting day they were moving around the farms between 10pm -12pm giving additional 10kg rice as well as they continue to threatens them

• Targeted mdc alliance supporters were threatened and were told not to go and cast their votes , if they oppose their demand they will be dealt with by members of the intelligence.

Masvingo Provincial
Deputy organ
Chikutu

VIDEO LOADING BELOW. ..

Mawere is asked, what beef do you have with Strive Masiyiwa?@mmawere says Masiyiwa has beef on me….a team was appointed by the Finance Minister Mr Herbert Murerwa to investigate if the allegations (financial miisconduct) were true, and I was the head of that investigation. pic.twitter.com/B8QZ2Wb4GT

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) October 28, 2019

https://youtu.be/CMoExR2WpgU

VIDEO LOADING BELOW…

MUTUMWA MAWERE ON THE SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEWED BY MELI OF MVENGEMVENGE https://t.co/tb6Y2sTU1D

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) October 28, 2019

https://youtu.be/CMoExR2WpgU

By Own Correspondent| Popular local musician, Mukudzei Mukombe popularly known as Jah Prayzah reportedly turned down a ZWL $50 000 offer to perform at last week’s anti-sanctions gala.

Sources at the Ministry of Information said that Jah Praisah cited an incident when he was attacked at Glen Forest cemetery over alleged political ties. The unidentified source said:

He (Jah Prayzah) was offered ZWL$50 000 to perform but he turned it down. The organisers then begged him to name the amount he wanted, but he said he did not feel comfortable performing at the gala citing an incident when he was attacked at Glen Forest cemetery.

The “Kutonga Kwaro” hitmaker’s brand suffered bad publicity particularly for Kutonga Kwaro and Masoja, both released in 2017.

Some analysts argued that the songs were sung in support of President Emmerson Mnangagwa who at that time was warring with the G40 which was allegedly being led by former first lady, Grace Mugabe.

Meanwhile, Jah Prayzah’s manager, Keen Mashapaidze refused to comment on the matter saying that they had two bookings on the day in question, one in  Watsomba in the afternoon and in Harare same evening.

-TheAnchor

By A Correspondent| Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the opposition MDC has said that the socio-economic crisis in the country is fast deteriorating and can explode any time if no appropriate action is taken.

His remarks come when the country is submerged in socio-economic and political crises which manifest through the soaring inflation, deficits in power, water, food and the deteriorating democratic space.

He said:

Zimbabwe is suffering; it is in serious crisis that runs the risk of imploding soon. We have a hungry population, a nation that is in pain. No citizen is without a charge sheet against government: pensioners, vendors, women, youths, the unemployed, nurses, doctors, teachers and workers in the private sector among them, and this is a fact.

As I speak, there is hunger in the townships, villages, farms, police posts and police camps, there is hunger everywhere. Hunger knows no wall. It does not pay respect to political party affiliation or tribal belonging of clan. It is a common threat to survival.

Meanwhile, analysts have suggested a dialogue between Chamisa and President Emmerson Mnangagwa and dollarisation of the economy to crush the inflation and assure growth.

We greet the nation of Zimbabwe at this very special occasion. We wish you all well despite current economic hardships that we are going through. We are here to inform this nation, the region and the world that as Veteran Freedom Fighters of Zimbabwe we have decided to have a non-partisan organization to represent, the collective interests of the Nation, according to the terms and spirit of our Constitution. We promise to execute our duty of ensuring total emancipation of our people from all forms of exploitation, oppression and injustice.

TODAY'S WAR VETS "MGAGAO" PRESSER 3 DAYS AFTER ED WAS HUMILIATED IN NSS SIGNIFIES MNANGAGWA'S IMMINENT DEAD END, OR IT'S JUST A CROC'S DECOY?

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) October 28, 2019

Historically, this is not a new feature at all. It was, and remains, the role of the combatant to provide checks and balances in the political field.

a) In 1975 we did the same, through the Mgagao Declaration, when as fighters we disowned and dissociated ourselves from retrograde Nationalist Parties and leadership for causing disunity, neglecting the objectives and values of the armed struggle and lacking commitments towards total emancipation of our nation.

b) In 2017, we led the Nation against the then obtaining dynastic rule. The mantra then was against corruption, cronyism and theft of public wealth. c) As we speak, our Nation continues to be destroyed right before us, by greedy and insensitive citizens, hiding behind political parties.

In light of that role, we remind all and sundry that as veteran freedom fighters we are historically positioned, constitutionally mandated and duty bound to fight against all these evils, for our nation to enjoy the highest level of freedom, economic prosperity and progress. We are therefore calling upon all Zimbabweans inclusively to put Zimbabwe first before any partisan agenda. We demand immediate stoppage of misleading partisan agendas and programs for selfish ends. As Zimbabweans we need to unite and fight against these evils of corruption, theft of public wealth and ethnic cleavages which have brought our Nation to its knees.

Our nation must be united and everyone, must uphold the interests of Zimbabwe first and foremost. Politicians and political parties must fight primarily to remove corruption, theft, politically motivated violence and desist from dividing our nation to fulfill individual and party egos.

Our country was the heart of the Mutapa Empire, then a World Superpower leading in material and spiritual culture. Our flourishing industries, thriving agriculture and vibrant mining and high quality textile products were in demand across the globe. Zimbabwe was not only a leader in material production but was a centre for spiritual culture in the region. It was the centre of architecture, arts and religion. Our ancestors will not forgive us for reducing this nation into a tail in world ranking despite our resource endowmen:- Otherwise the future generations are bound to judge us harshly.

We are therefore calling upon all Zimbabweans …..political affiliations, race, all” backgrounds… agenda to Put Zimbabwe first before any partisan.

We call upon our people to come together and rebuild our nation to restore it ic its Superpower position without fail. To all veteran freedom fighters we say, ‘You know well that this was not a racial war to replace white with corrupt black leadership using political parties and borrowed democracies to oppress and exploit our people. Those who perished in the bushes did not die for this and their death cannot be in vain. We therefore call upon you to rise up to this occasion wherever you are and whatever you are doing. The tine is now.’

To the youth of the day we say, ‘We took national responsibility in our teens, the majority leaving school before 0 Level age. This is because we realised that any nation relies on its youth for defence of its people and for its advancement. But if the youth are blind, entangled in partisan conflicts at the expense of the national cause, that nation is doomed. The present is in your hands. Forget about serving wishes and interests of party leaders and party programs at the expense of national interests. Doing so is only futile for your future and that of your children.’

To the community leaders, chiefs, spirit mediums, religious leaders and elders of all walks of life, we remind you today of the greatness of our nation before colonisation: that vv: than i.odunr aged to hold back Portuguese imperialism for mot nturies, and kept slavery at the periphery of our empire, we gallantly fought and on the war of liberation as not a people. Surely, you can bear witness that we did no right to replace settler-colonial oppression with elite-bourgeoisie oppression. No, this is not what we fought for. VVe did not fight for self aggrandizement and naked plunder of national wealth or mortgaging of the country’s resources. VVe did not lose our dear ones for this, neither. This is time for us to lead our children from petty partisan politics and restore the greatness of our nation. This is the legacy we cannot escape from, all of us, as Zimbabweans.

To political party leaders and their followers, we note with sadness your political gimmicks and all shenanigans, corruption, theft, destructive individualism and self-aggrandizement that have brought our nation to its knees.

All looted wealth should be returned to the people and perpetrators brought to book. This continued divide and rule tactics, so that our country bleeds to death, should see to its final end.

The struggle continues until final victory. Aluta continua!!! Pamberi neChimurenga!!!

We thank you.

By Own Correspondent| Vice President Kembo Mohadi has vowed to take action to address the e-recruitment of student nurses case following public outcry over the centralisation of the process.

Speaking at a rally in Bulawayo, Mohadi said:

You will find that whenever there is a recruitment drive in the army or police, they have what they call a quota system where each and every province brings its own people. The recruitees are then chosen from every district so that the entire country is represented.

Government policy is that the recruitment must be done equitably. We don’t want bias in that regard. We are going to look into it so that it is rectified.

His remarks come as hospitals in Bulawayo, Masvingo, Midlands, Matabeleland South and Matabeleland North found themselves with an overwhelming number of students from Harare with some arguing that the process was manipulated.

Meanwhile, Health Minister, Obadiah Moyo said that the government has resolved that Provincial and central hospitals will now select applicants during the next intake in May 2020.

The development, however, does not scrap the e-recruitment process which was used in the previous recruitment process.

By Own Correspondent| The Health Services Board (HSB) last week said it is anticipating to commence disciplinary hearings for striking doctors on Thursday this week following their continued defiance to a court order, which declared as illegal their withdrawal of labour.

Responding to emailed questions from The Herald, HSB board chairperson Dr Paulinus Sikosana said the defiant doctors were being served letters summoning them to a hearing.

He said a letter by the doctors circulating on social media indicating they are unable to attend the hearings does not have a bearing on the scheduled hearings.

“The board is in receipt of the communication from the doctors,” said Dr Sikosana. “This will not have any bearing on the scheduled hearings. Disciplinary hearings are going to proceed as scheduled starting on Thursday next week (this week).

“Currently, they are being served with hearing letters.”

The doctors had earlier written to the HSB saying they will not be able to attend the hearings arguing that they were still open to dialogue, but gave a condition that any offer from the employer must be at interbank rate.

The doctors also argued they had not violated any provision of their contract, but were simply demanding a fair living wage.

“This serves to inform you that the incapacitated doctors nationwide will not be able to attend the disciplinary hearings and any threats should stop forthwith to pave way for dialogue, provided an offer is made at interbank rate,” wrote the doctors in a letter dated October 23, 2019 signed by the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association.

“We believe we have not committed any misconduct by demanding a fair living wage.”

Doctors stopped reporting for work on September 3, citing incapacitation and demanding a cost of living adjustment at interbank rate.

The rest of the health workers accepted Government’s offer serve for the doctors who then exited the Health Apex Council citing uniqueness of their nature of job.

Since then, the doctors have not been reporting for work despite a Labour Court ruling which declared their mass job action illegal and ordered them to report for work within 48 hours from the date of the ruling.

In its ruling, the Labour Court also referred their dispute for arbitration — a process of which was supposed to take place while they are at work.

However, the doctors defied the ruling and opted to continue withdrawing their labour

By Own Correspondent| A case in which three police officers are facing allegations of stealing US$400 from a car belonging to a Harare woman, Netsai Manyau, was this week postponed to November 4 to allow the court to gather enough evidence on what really transpired.

Gladmore Munodawainda (34), Edson Ngwenyama (27) and Lovejoy Zamba (28), who are stationed at Southerton Trafffic section in Harare, appeared before Mbare Magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje on theft charges involving US$400 belonging to Netsai Manyau (42), a secretary with CABS Bank in Borrowdale, Harare.

The trio denied the charge.

According to prosecutor Mr Lawrence Gangarahwe, on June 8, at around 10am the three accused officers were on traffic duty along Highglen road near ZRP Glen Norah. They stopped Manyau, who was driving a Toyota Allex registration number AEL 8994 and asked to see her driver’s licence but she did not have it on her.

Manyau offered to go to her house to collect the driver’s licence and left her car at the road block. Manyau returned at around 11:30am and discovered that the officers had already taken her car to Southerton police station. She followed them to the station and when she opened her car she discovered that US$400 of the US$425 that she had left in her car was missing.

The police officers’ lawyer accused Manyau of not doing a proper handover and takeover procedure of her belongings. He defended his client’s decision to drive the car to the station saying they wanted to ensure the security of the vehicle. Mrs Manyau argued that she did not do a proper handover take over because she got confused after her experience at the road block. She said although there was no proper handover the police had not right to drive the car without her consent.

-StateMedia

LEAD Leader, Linda Masarira has criticised MDC-T top official Obert Gutu for derogatory statements on Twitter towards women. Gutu on 27 October told Miriam Mutizwa (an entrepreneur and prominent political commentator on Twitter that she is ugly. Mutizwa had joked that Gutu was given T-Shirts by Zanu PF to change his stance on the issue of Sanctions which Gutu had been asked to account for.

I do not support discrimination, defamation, any form of undermining women, marginalisation, derogatory statements towards women on their looks and victimisation. Male leaders in Zimbabwe seem to be in competition to attack women’s facial looks.

If leaders are masters of sexism, misogyny and defamation of character. I have heard (dis)honourable MPs calling women MPs “hure”, I have heard at women themselves are in the forefront of body shaming other women to the extent that women in Zimbabwe cannot stand together to fight misogyny, patriarchal dominance and sexist statements. These misogynistic leaders are toxic for Zimbabwe & we can never achieve gender parity.

In short I condemn @GutuObert body shaming @mimmitwit yesterday. Leaders should lead by example how do followers learn to respect each other when leaders are maestros of body shaming. Let us differ on ideas, criticize ideas. We are wonderfully created in God’s image.

Said Gutu:

Tinyararirepo iwe mukadzi wekushata iwe…

Ini handiteste zvakashata sewe…. There are beautiful women out there. Attractive & beautiful women, not ugly women like yourself.

VIDEO LOADING BELOW…. Please note it might take 10secs to load.

We are about to die having accomplished and nothing for this country, war vets say @ZANUPF_Official @uk_zanupf @mdczimbabwe pic.twitter.com/b4mK8PrRE9

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) October 28, 2019

https://youtu.be/xlMetral4CI

VIDEO LOADING BELOW…. Please note it might take 10secs to load

We are about to die having accomplished and nothing for this country, war vets say @ZANUPF_Official @uk_zanupf @mdczimbabwe pic.twitter.com/b4mK8PrRE9

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) October 28, 2019

https://youtu.be/xlMetral4CI

By Tendai Biti

ZIMBABWE’S fuel is being sourced exclusively through Trafigura, the Singapore-based commodity brokerage firm with ties to Sakunda Holdings.

In the past, Zimbabwe through NOCZIM purchased its fuel directly from oil producing countries such Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

Kuwait, though, was the main source.

In recent years, NOCZIM or NOIC as it is now known, has lost its pivotal procurement role to middlemen, particularly Sakunda boss Kudakwashe Tagwireyi and his partners from Singapore.

Trafigura is of course imposing serious fees and commissions on this. So, Zimbabwe’s fuel is expensive because of cartels, not the so-called sanctions.

Then you have the fuel pipeline from Beira, which nominally is leased to Glencore but in reality another cartel directly linked to very senior people in the Zanu PF hierarchy controls it.

A few months ago, Zimbabwe rejected an offer by a South African company to construct an alternative pipeline from Beira.

Then you have the fuel retail sector which essentially is monopolized by two key players, ZUVA and PUMA. The shareholding of these two companies is fascinating.

The pipeline cartel controls ZUVA, and PUMA Zimbabwe is a marriage between Tagwireyi’s Sakunda fuel outlets and Trafigura’s global fuel retailing franchise PUMA (no relation of course to the German sportswear manufacturer using the same name).

Enter Billy Rautenbach and his Green Fuel into the mix.

Zimbabwe is the only country in the world that has both demand side and supply side monopoly on blended fuel.

By operation of a dubious 2013 Statutory Instrument which was challenged in court in 2014 (the Constitutional Court is still to hand down judgment), ethanol can only be purchased from a company that is in a joint venture agreement with the government. That in fact is a euphemism for Rautenbach.

Then, contrary to the position in most countries, consumption of blended fuel is also compulsory. Rautenbach charges around US$1.20 per litre for his product, yet one can import from Brazil a litre of ethanol for US$0.50 Free On Board.

Once again the sanction issue is just a ruse. An instrument of deflection, diversion and deception.

Evidence received before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee is that fuel importers, a euphemism for Tagwireyi and his lot, are receiving heavy subsidies from the RBZ.

Whilst every importer is purchasing US$ from the central bank at the interbank rate (truth is there is no interbank market and everyone is operating from 4th Street), fuel companies are being offered US$ at premium rates way below the interbank or street rate. That preferential rate has been ranging between 1:8 and 1:13.

The sad thing is that the fuel subsidy to Tagwireyi and his lot can easily ensure that Zimbabwe purchases the 400 MW required to eliminate the primitive 18-hour load shedding.

The suggestion that the authorities should simply dollarise all fuel transactions in Zimbabwe to eliminate arbitrage and rent behaviour has flatly been rejected. This is for the simple and good reason that if the market were to operate normally, the cartels would collapse.

The truth, however, is that with dollarisation there will be both price and supply stability. So with great respect, the sanctions argument cannot and does not sell or sail.

Tendi Biti is the MDC vice president and MP for Harare East

Farai Dziva| Zimdancehall musician Ian Makiwa, popularly known as Platinum Prince,was abducted by a group of unidentified armed men.

According to media reports Platinum Prince was abducted a few hours after his arrival from his South Africa tour on Sunday.

“The men did not produce any warrant or give reasons for the abduction. The men just blocked the way of the car that the controversial musician was in and assaulted the driver who was trying to understand why they had blocked the road with their car in the process.

According to the source,the men then took the musician and put him in a car boot and disappeared

It was only this morning that Platinum Prince was found dumped and assaulted along Chiremba road,” sources told a daily publication.

In September this year Platinum Prince released a track entittled NDIYO YACHO HERE MR PRESIDENT in which he seemed to be questioning the President of Zimbabwe over the current economic situation,He then released a video for the song early this month.In 2015 Platinum Prince also did a track called Ndeip President which was aimed at the former President.The self claimed “Ndururani”was warned that his music was growing more political.

“The source said they are working with the team to ensure that all remedies available at law will be pursued with the urgency that this crisis deserves.”

By Tendai Biti| ZIMBABWE’S fuel is being sourced exclusively through Trafigura, the Singapore-based commodity brokerage firm with ties to Sakunda Holdings.

In the past, Zimbabwe through NOCZIM purchased its fuel directly from oil producing countries such Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Kuwait, though, was the main source.

In recent years, NOCZIM or NOIC as it is now known, has lost its pivotal procurement role to middlemen, particularly Sakunda boss Kudakwashe Tagwireyi and his partners from Singapore.

Trafigura is of course imposing serious fees and commissions on this. So, Zimbabwe’s fuel is expensive because of cartels, not the so-called sanctions.

Then you have the fuel pipeline from Beira, which nominally is leased to Glencore but in reality another cartel directly linked to very senior people in the Zanu PF hierarchy controls it.

A few months ago, Zimbabwe rejected an offer by a South African company to construct an alternative pipeline from Beira.

Then you have the fuel retail sector which essentially is monopolized by two key players, ZUVA and PUMA. The shareholding of these two companies is fascinating.

The pipeline cartel controls ZUVA, and PUMA Zimbabwe is a marriage between Tagwireyi’s Sakunda fuel outlets and Trafigura’s global fuel retailing franchise PUMA (no relation of course to the German sportswear manufacturer using the same name).

Enter Billy Rautenbach and his Green Fuel into the mix.

Zimbabwe is the only country in the world that has both demand side and supply side monopoly on blended fuel.

By operation of a dubious 2013 Statutory Instrument which was challenged in court in 2014 (the Constitutional Court is still to hand down judgment), ethanol can only be purchased from a company that is in a joint venture agreement with the government. That in fact is a euphemism for Rautenbach.

Then, contrary to the position in most countries, consumption of blended fuel is also compulsory. Rautenbach charges around US$1.20 per litre for his product, yet one can import from Brazil a litre of ethanol for US$0.50 Free On Board.

Once again the sanction issue is just a ruse. An instrument of deflection, diversion and deception.

Evidence received before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee is that fuel importers, a euphemism for Tagwireyi and his lot, are receiving heavy subsidies from the RBZ.

Whilst every importer is purchasing US$ from the central bank at the interbank rate (truth is there is no interbank market and everyone is operating from 4th Street), fuel companies are being offered US$ at premium rates way below the interbank or street rate. That preferential rate has been ranging between 1:8 and 1:13.

The sad thing is that the fuel subsidy to Tagwireyi and his lot can easily ensure that Zimbabwe purchases the 400 MW required to eliminate the primitive 18-hour load shedding.

The suggestion that the authorities should simply dollarise all fuel transactions in Zimbabwe to eliminate arbitrage and rent behaviour has flatly been rejected. This is for the simple and good reason that if the market were to operate normally, the cartels would collapse.

The truth, however, is that with dollarisation there will be both price and supply stability. So with great respect, the sanctions argument cannot and does not sell or sail.

Tendai Biti is the MDC vice president and MP for Harare East

PARTIES to the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) — Government, business and labour — will convene on 8 November to discuss “critical issues facing the economy”.

It will be the second meeting under the body, which was officially launched on 5 June when President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed the TNF Bill into an Act.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Dr Sekai Nzenza told our Harare Bureau there have been inordinate delays in convening the second meeting because there was a need to properly constitute TNF structures in compliance with the Act.

While the management committee, whose mandate is to set the agenda, had not been fully constituted, the technical committee — charged with preparing documents for the main TNF — was also still discussing, she said.

“The TNF technical committee is expected to formally assign clusters work to be executed leading into the main TNF meeting scheduled for November 8, 2019,” said Minister Nzenza.

“It is hoped the main TNF will consider recommendations of the TNF technical committee on critical issues facing the economy.

“It is also hoped that the main TNF outcomes will inform ongoing budget consultations, with a view of ensuring that the views of business and labour are taken on board,” she said.

The process of constituting TNF structures involved processing invitations to social partners and respective Government ministries for nominations into the various bodies of the TNF, including the appointment of the chairperson.

Minister Nzenza said: “This process took some time given the fact that organisations of social partners are constituency-based, hence there are various consultative and approval processes involved.

“The appointment process has, however, been finalised, with the exception of technical committee cluster nominations from labour, which have not been submitted.”

The three technical clusters are economic, social and labour.

The economic cluster has been tasked with preparing proposals on how the twin challenges of foreign currency shortages and soaring inflation can be solved.

It has also been charged with coming up with proposals on how to promote economic development.

On the other hand, the social cluster has been tasked with looking into allegations of both perceived persecution of trade union representatives and rent-seeking behaviour by businesses.

The labour cluster has been specifically mandated with unpacking the TNF Act and proposals for operationalising the TNF and making it efficient.

Employers’ Confederation of Zimbabwe (Emcoz) president Israel Murefu said there was a need for Government to consult extensively before crafting statutory instruments to avoid blindsiding stakeholders.

“So many statutory instruments are being crafted by the authorities without the input of the other parties; that is, business and labour.

“Government needs to consult before all these instruments are put into place,” said Mr Murefu.

Apex Council president Cecilia Alexander said labour was ready for negotiations.

“The establishment of TNF is a very positive development, but, yes, since we met in June, we have not yet had another meeting.

“It would have been good for us as a country to utilise such a forum to discuss the challenges that we are facing.”

-State Media

Popular zimdancehall musician Ian Makiwa, popularly known as Platinum Prince,was abducted by a group of unidentified, masked and armed men a few hours after his arrival from his South Africa tour.

According to an alert by a reliable source the incident happened around 4pm on Sunday.

“The men did not produce any warrant or give reasons for the abduction. The men just blocked the way of the car that the controversial musician was in and assaulted the driver who was trying to understand why they had blocked the road with their car in the process.

According to the source,the men then took the musician and put him in a car boot and disappeared

It was only this morning that Platinum Prince was found dumped and assaulted along Chiremba road

In September this year Platinum Prince released a track entittled NDIYO YACHO HERE MR PRESIDENT in which he seemed to be questioning the President of Zimbabwe over the current economic situation,He then released a video for the song early this month.In 2015 Platinum Prince also did a track called Ndeip President which was aimed at the former President.The self claimed “Ndururani”was warned that his music was growing more political.

“The source said they are working with the team to ensure that all remedies available at law will be pursued with the urgency that this crisis deserves.”

Jane Mlambo| Controversial Zimdancehall musician Platinum Prince was allegedly abducted and brutally assaulted by a group of unidentified, masked and armed men on Sunday afternoon. According to sources, the incident happened a few hours after the musician arrived back in Zimbabwe from a South Africa tour.

The musician recently released a track titled “NDIYO YACHO HERE MR PRESIDENT” which seems very critical of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government’s handling of the country’s economy which is now in meltdown.

A source close to the developments said the men did not produce any warrant or give reasons for the abduction.

“The men just blocked the way of the car that the controversial musician was in and assaulted the driver who was trying to understand why they had blocked the road with their car in the process.”

Platinum Prince has previously sang songs that mocked and questioned the late former President Robert Mugabe over a number of issues including human rights abuses and corruption among other issues.

Government has fired a salvo at the United States of America’s decision to add to its sanctions list, State Security Minister Owen Ncube on allegations of gross violations of human rights, describing the move as absurd.

The US State Department last week announced that it was adding Minister Ncube on to the blacklist with the department claiming it had credible information of his involvement in “gross violations of human rights”.

The move flew in the face of growing rancour against US sanctions policy on Zimbabwe, which is seen to be largely driven by political hatred of the ruling party, Zanu-PF, with Sadc observing a day of solidarity against the stance on Friday.

In an interview yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services secretary Mr Ndavaningi Mangwana said the country was already under sanctions and poured scorn on the Western superpower’s tactics.

“These so-called ‘lists’ have just become a farcical and a form of hegemonic arbitrary justice,” he said.

“The US brands itself a fair country but everything we have seen regarding the sanctions issue has been nothing but obstinate arrogance. I advise anyone to check Minister Owen Ncube’s travel history and see whether the US has ever been part of his prime destinations,” said Mr Mangwana.

Mr Mangwana said for the US to ominously announce its decision on Minister Ncube on the day both the African Union and SADC spoke strongly against these sanctions, betrayed a paternalistic attitude towards African states.

“The good news in all this is that Africa has spoken with one loud and emphatic voice in this matter for the first time. No amount of cynical pettiness can muffle that,” he said.

Zimbabweans took part in various activities across the country in anti-sanctions protests against the US and EU, following the declaration by Sadc of October 25 as a day of solidarity with Zimbabwe in its fight against the illegal sanctions.

The momentum to remove sanctions against Zimbabwe gained traction after the African Union (AU), China, Japan and Sadc diplomats around the world lent their voice for the embargo to be lifted.

AU Commission chairperson Mr Moussa Faki on Friday added diplomatic weight to Sadc’s efforts by calling for the speedy removal of the sanctions.

In addition to setting aside October 25 as the day of protest against the embargo, Sadc also resolved at the 39th Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government in Tanzania in August to escalate the issue with the AU, which has since obliged.

Mr Faki reiterated his concerns that the persistence of economic sanctions imposed by the international community continued to have negative impact on the economy and the people of Zimbabwe.

In this regard, he expressed his determination and that of the various relevant organs of the union to continue to mobilise support for the country’s recovery efforts.

He also commended Government for its continued efforts to create an environment conducive for economic growth.

The AU, he added, will continue to support the country’s road to peace and prosperity for all its citizens.

THE late former President Robert Mugabe has been posthumously sucked into the Ndanga chieftainship wrangle after the ex-President in 2017 installed Wilson Makono as Zaka district’s Chief Ndanga, defying advice from clan members.

Mugabe was dethroned exactly eight months after confirming Makono’s appointment as Chief Ndanga.

Clan head, Abias Chigwagwa said before Makono’s installation he petitioned Mugabe and then Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere after the local district administrator erroneously handpicked Makono for the chieftainship, but his pleas were ignored.

“Before and after his (Makono) appointment by the (then) President (Mugabe) himself as chief, based on the erroneous belief that due process of law had been followed; I tried to stop his installation and seek his removal from the position of chief by petitioning the President, writing to the (then) minister (Kasukuwere), as well as to the provincial assembly of chiefs to no avail,” Chigwagwa said in his affidavit.

After his advice was ignored, Chigwagwa then referred the matter to the High Court which recently gave current Local Government minister July Moyo, the provincial assembly of chiefs and national chiefs council a 30-day ultimatum to resolve the Ndanga chieftainship wrangle.

Justice Clement Phiri’s order came after Moyo, Masvingo provincial assembly of chiefs and the representatives of the national chiefs council failed to turn up in court despite being served with court papers.

“The respondents (Minister of Local Government Public Works and National Housing, provincial assembly of chiefs and the national council of chiefs) are hereby compelled to facilitate dispute resolution to the Ndanga chieftainship clan in terms of section 283 (a) (i) and (ii) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, 2013 within a month of service of this order upon them,” Justice Phiri said.

In his founding affidavit, Chigwagwa submitted that he was the clan leader and responsible for submitting details of the suitable candidate for the chieftainship.

“The district administrator, however, chose and forwarded Wilson Makono’s name as the potential chief-to-be, acting on his own and not as submitted by myself, yet I am the head of the clan and family tree record keeper,” Chigwagwa said.

“In addition, the process done by the DA in appointing Wilson Makono as chief was improper since my family, as the custodian of the Ndanga chieftainship process, was not consulted or given an opportunity to have a say at the meeting.”

Chigwagwa added that Makono was not a member of the Ndanga clan and had no right to assume the chieftainship.

-Newsday