By A Correspondent- Harare City Council has urged residents to be patient with them since they were implementing measures to reduce the impact of water shortages.

The measures include the drilling of boreholes and the carting of water using bowsers.

Councillor Elvis Ruzani said water should be used sparingly in the interim while long term solutions are implemented.

Speaking at a residents meeting convened by Council and Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA), Councillor Ruzani said, “As a city for our short term solutions on water we will continue to drill boreholes in Hatcliffe using support from CDF fund.”

The residents called on council to quickly rehabilitate water infrastructure networks for water to be readily available.

“We do not have a borehole in our area in Harare North, we are buying under the difficult circumstances we are living in,” said another resident Patrine Chikwindi.

Council is working on various projects to address the water situation.

It has engaged Chinese companies, SynoHydro-$237 425 804 for sewer treatment plants, China Gezhouba Group Company -$351 072 913 for water distribution and China Machinery and Engineering Company $280 000 000 for installation of four water pumps.

-StateMedia

A Soweto man has allegedly confessed to hiring hitmen to kill his wife for R70,000.

From this amount, he would pay them R30,000 for the job, according to a confession statement seen by Sowetan.

Thabo Lehloibi, 32, will appear at the Protea magistrate’s court on charges of murder and robbery in connection with the killing of his wife, Matumelo Lehloibi, 30.
Matumelo was killed in their rented room in Dlamini.

In the confession statement, Lehloibi allegedly confessed to hiring Thabang Kwena to do the job. The pair were denied bail last week and the case was postponed to this week for further investigation.

In the statement, Lehloibi detailed how Kwena and an accomplice knocked on their door after the couple’s two children had left for school on October 10.

“I heard a knock on our door and I opened it and saw Jabu who I later came to know that his real name is Thabang. I knew him as I arranged with him to kill my wife two weeks ago and he told me he will get someone to assist him,” the statement reads.

He claims Matumelo was a prophet and was hiding money from him and no longer engaged him in her finances.

“Jabu was in the presence of another black man. Jabu pretended he was fighting with me and the other guy went to my wife and strangled her on the bed and demanded money from her,” reads the statement.

Lehloibi said the struggle led to Matumelo falling to the floor and she stopped breathing.

“After that they asked me where were they going to get the money and I told them that I don’t know where she was hiding the money and I gave them R130 and two cellphones.

“I became confused as to how I was going to give them the money because she was dead having not shown [me] where she kept the money and the banking cards.”

He said he instructed the pair of robbers to tie his hands behind his back and to also tie his feet and gag his mouth before they left.

Lehloibi said Matumelo was killed with the same rope that was used to tie his hands.

“After a while, I shouted for help and the landlord came and he untied me,” reads the statement.

Lehloibi said he confessed to his wife’s murder two days after the incident while he was being questioned by the police.

-Sowetan

By A Correspondent- In a rather bizarre case, a Dzivarasekwa man was dragged to the courts by his wife after he allegedly threatened to kill her.

The wife, Mitchell Nyoni, applied for a peace order at the Harare Civil Court after her husband Life Nyoni threatened to kill her after she stopped him from watching por_no_graphic movies in her presence.

In her application, Mitchel said,

“My husband is threatening to kill me after I told him not to watch his videos in my presence. He is in the habit of assaulting me when the children are around.

On 1 October, my 17-year-old son saw me naked when he was trying to rescue me. My husband assaulted me saying I should not stop him to do what he wants since he is the head of the house.

He is in the habit of insulting me when he comes back from his girlfriend. I have no problem with him going to see his girlfriends but let him not call me names.

In his defence, however, Life claimed that he was actually a romantic movie when his wife mistook it for an explicit movie.

I have no problem with the protection order being granted but I was v romantic movie and she said I was watching por_no. It was a misunderstanding between us which led me to assault her.

Presiding magistrate Noah Gwatidzo issued a peace order against Life. He ordered him not to insult, assault, harass or to make death threats to Mitchel.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- 10 vendors who were arrested in Harare last week were this morning granted $100 bail each.

The 10 were among the 11 vendors that were arrested near the MDC headquarters in central Harare during a police crackdown that followed the recent discovery of old police helmets at a nearby building.

One of the incarcerated vendors Hilton Tamangani died due to injuries sustained from torture by the police.

Tamangani’s lawyer Marufu Mandevere said the vendor appeared in court last Monday in blood soaked clothes and could hardly walk.

Mandevere said they requested to take Tamangani to a private doctor after they discovered that he was injured but they were turned down.

He revealed that the late vendor was in a bad state when he appeared in court on Monday for initial remand hearing and the state was opposed to bail.

“His shirt was full of blood and he could hardly walk,” said the lawyer.

“Late on Friday, we received a distress call that he was seriously ill and that is when we wrote a letter to the prisons requesting that he be allowed to be treated by a doctor of his own choice.”

According to a letter to the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services dated October 18, Tamangani had developed a “fatal infection.”

In a joint statement released recently, police and the ZPCS said they were investigating Tamangani’s death.

The statement said the outcome of the investigation would be made public once results of the post-mortem are released.

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

By Muchie Shamuyarira – As highlighted in my previous article, experiencing bullying and harassment in the workplace can be devastating, but you do not have to put up with it.

What is bullying at work?

Bullying at work can take many forms. Are you on the receiving end of intimidating, malicious, offensive or insulting treatment, or behaviour designed to denigrate, injure, undermine or humiliate you? Bullying and harassment can be hard to define, is sometimes subtle, and may come from individuals or groups of people.

Bullying and harassment in the workplace can include:
• Being humiliated in front of customers or colleagues • Receiving physical or verbal abuse, unwelcome teasing, practical jokes and banter • Being blamed for issues and problems caused by others • Excessively unfair criticisms, removal of responsibilities • Being unfairly blocked from promotions or denied holiday and training opportunities • Being excluded from team activities, meetings or relevant emails • Receiving baseless threats about your job security or regularly being threatened with the sack • Being routinely overworked and having unrealistic expectations placed on you, which are impossible to achieve

What is discriminatory harassment at work?

Harassment describes unwanted conduct that violates your dignity in the workplace, or makes it a hostile, degrading or offensive environment for you. Harassment is also a form of discrimination under the Equality Act 2010, when it relates to certain ‘protected characteristics’. These include bullying connected to:
• Disability

• Age

• Sex

• Race

• Sexual orientation

• Pregnancy or Maternity Leave

• Marriage or civil partnership

• Gender reassignment

• Religion or belief

Examples of harassment

Examples of harassment and discrimination in the workplace can include:
• Being treated unfairly because of your sexuality, gender, race or beliefs, Receiving unwanted sexual advances from a colleague • Being subjected to homophobic comments • Being teased about a disability • Receiving offensive materials, such as emails with sexual content.

Behaviour doesn’t have to be directed towards you to qualify as harassment. For example, if your colleagues make discriminatory comments or jokes within your earshot, this can count as harassment.

Bullying and harassment doesn’t have to happen face-to-face

It’s important to be aware that bullying and harassment don’t necessarily occur to face-to-face. Communications in writing, including emails, and phone calls are just as relevant.

Not all examples of bullying and harassment are obvious, others are much more subtle – but no less devastating for victims. This means it’s vital that you understand your rights at work and when unfair treatment goes past the limit, so that you are able to respond appropriately.

Anxiety and stress

If you are forced to endure bullying and harassment at work, this can have major implications in terms of your health and wellbeing. It can make you anxious and stressed, and it might also leave you feeling angry or humiliated.

In turn, this could cause your self-esteem and confidence to suffer. Your ability to do your job effectively might also be compromised and you may find that you’re more prone to illness and absences from work. You might even feel forced to resign from your role, with major implications for your career.

What responsibilities does my employer have?

You should never feel as though you simply have to accept bullying or harassment as part of your job. Your employer has a duty of care to prevent you from facing this behaviour in their

3

workplace. They have responsibilities to protect your welfare, and they must take action against unlawful harassment.

What should I do if I am being bullied or harassed?

Sadly, many people do experience bullying and harassment in the workplace at the hands of colleagues or managers. Unfortunately, because it is such a horrible experience, many people simply put up with the abuse or in some cases leave their roles without being aware of their legal rights to take action about it.

To ensure this doesn’t happen to you, if you think you are being bullied or harassed, take steps to protect your rights and prove your complaint. It’s a good idea to keep a record of the dates, times and locations of any incidents of negative behaviour.

Document what is said or done and make a note of any witnesses who can back up your claims. It’s also useful to find out if other workers have experienced similar problems.

Make a note of how the bullying or harassment made you feel, including any effects it has had on your work and your health and wellbeing.

If it is safe, ask the harasser to stop

If you think it’s safe to do so, consider speaking to the person who is harassing you and asking them to stop. Make it clear that you don’t like what they are doing, you find it offensive and you will have to take further action if they don’t stop.

One way to do this is to ask the harasser to have an informal discussion with you – and invite a colleague who you trust to be there when the discussion takes place. Make sure you know what you want to say before these exchanges take place, and try to stay calm and polite. Keep a detailed note of the discussion in a safe place.

If you don’t feel able to speak to the harasser, another option is to write to them or to ask someone else to write to them on your behalf. Make sure you keep a copy of all correspondence if you do this.

Speak to your manager

Another approach is to talk to your manager. If your immediate manager is the person who is bullying you, approach a more senior member of staff, or go to the human resources department instead.

Your employer should investigate your complaint and may be able to take a number of actions,

such as requiring the harasser to apologise and stop their behaviour or moving them to another workplace. If you are offered another role within your organisation, this could also be a solution, provided it’s no less favourable than your current job and you are happy to move teams.

Take legal action

Unfortunately, speaking to harassers or escalating these concerns to senior members of staff or HR departments does not always resolve the problem. If your employer fails to take your complaint seriously or the harassment doesn’t stop, you may need to make a formal complaint.

If this doesn’t have the desired effect, you should consider legal action. There are a range of claims which may be available to you, depending on the full circumstances.

Take legal advice as soon as possible since it can be important to act fast. Please be aware that time limits are very tight in the UK Employment tribunal cases, usually requiring you to issue a claim three months less one day from the date on which the detrimental treatment or dismissal occurred.

If you are thinking about bringing forward an employment tribunal claim, note that you will first have to inform the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), providing it with details of your case. The organisation will offer early conciliation in a bid to resolve the dispute. This period of conciliation can last for up to a month.

If the claim isn’t settled within this time, ACAS will provide a certificate stating that the mandatory process of conciliation has concluded – and you can then proceed with your legal claim.

This mandatory period of conciliation doesn’t count for the calculation of the time limit in which you have to bring your legal case.

If you have experienced harassment and bullying that has caused you a psychiatric injury, you may be able to make a claim in the County Court for the damage to your health. If employment law doesn’t apply to your situation or you are out of time to bring a claim, this may also then be a potential alternative option(the County Court).

What if you resign as a result of bullying or harassment?
If you have to resign because of the way you are being treated at work, you might have a case for unfair constructive dismissal. This is when a worker is forced to resign from their position against their will because of the conduct of their employer.

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Think carefully before you take the step of leaving your job though. Not everyone has the right to claim constructive dismissal, so it’s important to check your legal position before you resign.
Legal advice
The law exists to protect employees and people in a workplace.
Don’t suffer in silence. If you need help and you are not sure about what to do, you are encouraged to seek employment law advice if faced with such situations before things escalate. What usually starts like ‘banter’ may escalate to unwanted conduct and becomes a norm. You can seek legal advice from your Trade Union, Solicitors, Citizens Advice Bureau, Employment Law Consultants etc or contact us.

Muchie Shamuyarira (Chartered Member of CIPD – UK) HR & Industrial Relations Director and also Employment Law Consultant in the UK

Mobile: 077 2385 4713 or 073 6817 5771 Email: [email protected] website: www.employment-rights.com

Disclaimer: This article is written in a personal capacity. It is not intended either as a substitute for professional advice or judgment or to provide legal or other advice with respect to particular circumstances.

By A Correspondent- A form 4 student at Msiteli High School in Bulawayo was found hanging from the roof of a beerhall on Friday in a suspected case of foul play.

A local publication reports that there are strong indications however, that Nhlanhla Radasa (17) may have been killed by his friends who then staged the suicide.

A source who spoke to the publication said that Nhlanhla’s friends ganged up on him and beat him up until he became unconscious after he kept on winning at gambling. The situation got out of hand after the deceased fell unconscious during the attack after the friends had refused to pay Nhlanhla his winnings resulting in the fistfight.

The source added,

We suspect that the friends tried to stage a suicide after realising that they had killed him. He may have been still alive but they must have panicked and hanged him there, thinking that he was dead.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube said,

I can confirm that we are dealing with a case where a 17-year-old male from Tshabalala suburb in Bulawayo was found hanging from roof trusses at a beer garden in the suburb. We are still carrying out our investigations.

“The deceased was found hanging there by workers at the beer hall and patrons who notified residents. The beer hall is very close to his home, therefore most of the people that gathered could recognise him and therefore his family was notified and police were called to the scene.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- A prison officer based at Khami Prison Complex has been arrested with two other accomplices for allegedly stealing household goods worth $14 000 after breaking into a house in Mbundane.

Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Service (ZPCS) officer Cephas Chikutye (34), Caustin Moyo (35) and Thabani Moyo (32) allegedly broke into Ms Limgcineni Sibanda (45)’s home and got away with her property while she was at work.

Chikutye, Moyo and Thabani pleaded not guilty to unlawful entry and theft charges before Western Commonage magistrate Ms Tancy Dube.

The magistrate remanded the three out of custody on $100 bail to today.

For the State, Mr Tapiwa Solani said between September 21 and October 7 last year, Moyo, Thabani and Chikutye allegedly broke an iron padlock to gain entry into Ms Sibanda’s home while she was away.

“The accused persons stole six wooden doors, two washing basins, five 30 Amp circuit breakers, electric meter box, six silver water tapes, six three-way switches, six electric plugs and a cooker socket and loaded it in their vehicle,” he said.

Mr Solani said Moyo and Thabani fingered Chikutye as their ring leader.

“During investigations information was gathered through an informer to the effect that the accused persons stole the property and gave it to Chikutye,” he said.

“Ms Sibanda was alerted by her neighbours that her house had been raided by thieves.”

The matter was reported to police leading to the arrest of the trio.

The total value of goods stolen was $14 000 and nothing was recovered.

— statemedia

By A Correspondent- A self-proclaimed Bulawayo Prophet will spend half a year in prison after he stole his congregant’s passport and used it to travel to South Africa under the guise that he was praying for it.

Shepherd Mbili was convicted by a Bulawayo Magistrate after he pleaded guilty to the charges levelled against him.

It is the state’s case that Mbili:

Asked Mr Godknows to bring his passport and academic certificates for anointing. Mbili took the envelope that had Mr Godknows’ documents and prayed for it. He advised the complainant not to open the envelope fully knowing that he had stolen his passport.

“He told me not to open the envelope until I’m ready to use it On the 6th of October I opened the envelope to check the last date I went to Zambia and I found out that my passport was missing.I went to look for Prophet Mbili and his wife told me that he had travelled to South Africa with my passport and would be back soon” said the congregant whose passport was stolen.

Obtaining a passport nowadays has become an uphill task as the government battles to clear a backlog of 370000 passports. The Minister of Home Affairs is on record saying those with expired passports with blank pages clearly don’t need the passports because they don’t use them.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- South Africa based Zimbabwe businessman Uncle Roland Muchegwa has opened up on the videos and pictures that have gone viral on social media and even mainstream news sites this week.

Muchegwa who is reported to be a truck operator and fuel dealer says he has been getting numerous positive feedback after the images went viral.

Read the unedited thread below:

“I’m receiving numerous calls from girls in SA, Zim, Nigeria and some from as far as Kenya, asking to hook up with me. Whoever gave them my number want to get me in trouble with their broke boyfriends.

“Until the lion learns how to read and write, every story will glorify the hunter.” Social media people are not concerned about the facts of a story, they only take that part which satisfies their egos. If you don’t have a platform to speak for yourself, they fabricate, fabricate

I’m receiving requests from corporates, clubs, resorts and influential people who want me to help market their products but those same people are calling me names on this social media. I’m not a basher, I really appreciate woman. Let bygones be bygones.

So someone wanted to tarnish my personality by sharing some pictures which are part of my past but it didn’t end well. Now your Uncle is trending

Thank you Twitter family for the love. Love conquers every evil. You’re awesome.”

Members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police have assaulted Harare Ward 16 Councillor Denford Ngadziore and human rights defender Makomborero Haruzivishe at the Harare Magistrates Court, according to Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights spokesperson Kumbirai Mafunda.

The death of Hilton Tafadzwa Tamangani, who was brutally assaulted by the police and died while in prison, last Friday, is testimony to the fact that the real crisis in Zimbabwe is State-sanctioned human rights abuses on innocent Zimbabweans under the Mnangagwa regime.

Since the stolen election of July 2018, 25 people have died in State sanctioned murders at the hands of rogue elements in the police and the army while hundreds others have been assaulted, tortured and abducted by State security agents.

Tamangani, a vendor was part of a group of 11 vendors arrested last week in a choreographed case involving the purported discovery of helmets at a building in Harare, which the police are strangely trying to link to the MDC.

Tamangani died on Friday night at Harare Remand Prison after the State denied his application for treatment at a private hospital. In a week where the illegitimate Zanu PF regime is trying to create some drama on the issue of sanctions, Tamangani’s brutal assault and resultant death while in custody is the clearest evidence that State-sanctioned human rights abuses are at the centre of the crisis in Zimbabwe.

His murder comes at a time when the police have proscribed the MDC from exercising its Constitutional right to hold peaceful protests against the deteriorating situation in the country while selectively allowing Zanu PF supporters to demonstrate.

Tamangani’s murder adds to the long list of innocent citizens who have lost their lives since the Mnangagwa regime stole last year’s elections. Barely hours after the stolen election in July 2018, the Mnangagwa regime killed six people and a further 19 people lost their lives at the hands of State security agents in January 2019.

Tamangani’s death brings to the fore the facts that it is State-sanctioned human rights abuses, and not sanctions, that are the centre of the crisis in Zimbabwe.

Luke Tamborinyoka
Deputy National Spokesperson

By A Correspondent- In a sad development, a man from Chinhoyi committed suicide after learning that his daughter had died before her husband could pay lobola for her.

Gift Muzamarunya who was 35 years of age, was so distraught when he learned that his daughter had died at Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital, that he confided his suicidal intentions to his neighbour.

Muzamarunya told Portifa Kadyamatimba that he did not have a reason to continue living as he was no longer going to receive his lobola payment from his son-in-law following the death of his daughter.

Kadyamatatimba and other neighbours quickly informed Muzamarunya’s wife of her husband’s state of mind, but by then he had already disappeared. He was later discovered dead hanging from a tree.

Mashonaland West provincial spokesperson Inspector Clemence Mabgweazara confirmed the incident.

The deceased daughter’s age and cause of death were not disclosed.

-Newsday

 By A Correspondent- A soldier stationed at 1.2 Infantry Battalion in Hwange who absconded court in 2015 when on remand for allegedly fatally assaulting a fellow villager with a log, has handed himself to the police.

Learnmore Moyo, now aged 28, had been on the run while holed up in South Africa for more than four years until recently when he returned home and handed himself to the police.

Moyo from Chidobe Village 5 just outside Victoria Falls was in 2015 charged with attempted murder of Gabrone Ncube, who was aged 45 before the charge was changed to murder after the victim succumbed to the injuries while at Mpilo Central Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit in Bulawayo. The soldier allegedly fled after being released on bail.

Moyo returned recently and reported at his workplace requesting to be readmitted as a soldier and was told to go to court to finalise his case before he could be considered.

Upon reaching the Victoria Falls court, Moyo was then arrested and charged with murder.

He was not asked to plead when he appeared before magistrate Ms Rangarirai Gakanje.

The magistrate remanded him in custody to October 31.

According to the State, Moyo and Ncube were drinking beer at Chidobe Business Centre with other patrons on June 7, 2015 when the incident occurred. What triggered the attack was not mentioned in court.

“On June 7, while at Chidobe Shopping Centre, the accused struck Gabrone Ncube who was drinking beer with a log,” said prosecutor Mr Bheki Tshabalala.

Ncube allegedly fell down and became unconscious following the assault. He sustained a deep cut on the forehead.

The court was told that patrons and members of the public effected a citizen’s arrest on Moyo and handed him over to the police.

Ncube was rushed to hospital where he was immediately transferred to Bulawayo where he died.

— StateMedia

By A Correspondent- For failing to “let go” and visiting a place where she was barred and ordered not to intefer with farming activities, VP Mohadi’s wife was convicted for violating a court order.

Senator Mohadi reportedly visited the farm and broke some keys and hurled insults at some of the workers at the farm.

The matter came to light as it appeared before the Beitbridge Magistrate who later on convicted her.

Said Mohadi following her conviction:

“It seems she has resolved to cause all sorts of provocations albeit contrary to all these court orders so that I am forced to respond in the similar manner and so that she attracts unnecessary media attention to her benefit

What prompted me to file this particular application is that on August 30, 2019, the respondent went to East Masiel Farm, Insiza in Matabeleland South where I am running an animal husbandry project without my consent and started harassing my employees and ordering them to count all the beasts against their will.”

On September 1, 2019 the respondent then decided to extend her provocation against me and went to stand number 441 Beitbridge where my company, Malindi Storage and Logistics (Pvt) Ltd operates a transit business and she harassed employees there and threatened to break all the doors and windows unless she was given US$10 000, which she claimed was her share.

Last month Senator Mohadi got a court order to prompt the VP to share property with his former wife. Earlier this year the VP went to Senator Modahi’s residence and broke doors with an axe an issue that caused a media frenzy.

They said the state just decided to cut their salaries without consulting them.

JPaul Nyathi|Zimbabwe doctors maintained on Sunday that they would only return to work after government met their demands.

Doctors have been on strike for weeks demanding a pay hike.

They said the state just decided to cut their salaries without consulting them.

Last week, the labour court ruled that the strike is illegal, however, doctors remain defiant, saying they were incapacitated to return to work.

The doctors’ lawyer Doug Coltart said: “The doctors have always insisted that they are not on strike. Their salaries have been reduced by over 20 times to the point where they do not have enough funds to pay their debts or even cover their basic needs. Doctors are earning less than $100 per month.”

Home Affairs Minister Cain Mathema is into his second year staying at a Harare hotel at taxpayers’ expense, ZimLive has learnt.

Mathema has been staying at Rainbow Towers in Harare since September 2018 when he was appointed into the cabinet by President Emmerson Mnangagwa who won a disputed vote.

The broke government previously allocated government houses for use by ministers, but accommodation shortages have meant that ministers who have no properties in Harare are put up in hotels while accommodation is sought.

Former vice president Phelekezela Mphoko faced a public backlash after clocking almost two years at the same hotel.

A source told ZimLive: “Mathema does not own a house in Harare and the hotel is his home since September 2018. In fact he does not own a house anywhere, other than a small flat in Bulawayo which his ex-wife Musa Ncube held onto after they divorced.

“When he was a provincial minister for Matabeleland North, he lived in the village in Tsholotsho and would drive up and down to Bulawayo daily.” Government spokesman Nick Mangwana said there was nothing special about Mathema’s hotel stay.

“My understanding is that he uses it (hotel) in the same way MPs do. That’s when there’s a cabinet, which means a couple of days a week or so. There’s definitely no block booking for a long stretch. So no, he does not stay there but checks in the same way a Harare-based bureaucrat does when he works in Bulawayo,” Mangwana said.

Mathema is staying in one of the hotel’s expensive suites at a rate of about US$250 daily, hotel sources said.

Mathems’s deputy minister Mike Madiro recently told senate that his ministry was struggling to process 370 000 passport applications due to a severe shortage of resources, which Mathema is squandering daily at the hotel.

Madiro had been asked by Chief Shepherd Gundu to explain government plans to address the country’s ever-increasing passports backlog.

“It is government’s position that passports should be accessed by every Zimbabwean whenever they need them, but theproblem we have at the moment are the resources to use in making those passports,” Madiro said.

“As of now, we have very little resources and can only issue 800 passports per day, while a lot of people are waiting to get their passports. We have 370 000 people who are waiting for passports.”

Madiro said among the people who were waiting to get passports were the sick, who wanted to urgently travel outside the country for treatment.

“There are also students, which makes it difficult for the Registrar-General’s Office to issue emergency travel documents,” he said.

Zimlive/ZimEye.com

MUDENDA WITH SIMBA CHIKANZA FOR AN INTERVIEW- Begins with the humiliation Zim is receiving here, a Tanzanian politician says "Zim is now 7 times worse than it was under Bob." Mudenda asks why.He is told it's cause you're torturing MDC MPs and 1Aug victims..FINAL VIDEO ON ZIMEYE pic.twitter.com/23KwitUSSM

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) October 13, 2019

MUDENDA WITH SIMBA CHIKANZA FOR AN INTERVIEW- Begins with the humiliation Zim is receiving here, a Tanzanian politician says "Zim is now 7 times worse than it was under Bob." Mudenda asks why.He is told it's cause you're torturing MDC MPs and 1Aug victims..FINAL VIDEO ON ZIMEYE pic.twitter.com/23KwitUSSM

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) October 13, 2019

BREAKING – JACOB MUDENDA HUMILIATED AFTER SENDING SERBIAN POLICE TO CHASE AWAY JOURNALIST AFTER BEING CONTRONTED OVER MENTALLY TORTURING MDC MPs AND 1 AUG VICTIMS, WHICH WAS DONE TO CHANGE 2018 ELECTION RESULTS | FULL STORY TO FOLLOW pic.twitter.com/RQwnMVX86m

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) October 13, 2019

“That was an abuse of other people’s rights. As Government we condemn the behaviour in the strongest terms,” he said. “We also believe that host governments must accord officials the protection and respect they deserve. This is a case of a thug abusing other people and it is something that we will engage the host countries through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, whenever our officials are out of the country,” said Minister Ziyambi.

https://twitter.com/ZimEye/status/1186165355582017537?s=19

Paul Nyathi|Zimbabwean government authorities have been blasted for claiming that they will approach foreign governments to protect their officials from Zimbabweans while on government duty in those countries.

Government claims it is engaging host countries to ensure Zimbabwean public officials receive adequate security when on international duty where they allegedly continue to be hounded by angry Zimbabweans In those countries who government claim to be individuals aligned to the opposition.

According to the government, the latest target being Speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, who they claim was harassed last week while attending the 141st International Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Serbia.

Government claims that Adv Mudenda was harassed by ZimEye.com while he was having breakfast at his hotel when the media demanded to know why he directed the deduction of five months’ salary for MDC MPs for boycotting President Mnangagwa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivery early this month.

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi told state that Government would engage Serbia to understand the circumstances under which Adv Mudenda was allegedly abused.

“That was an abuse of other people’s rights. As Government we condemn the behaviour in the strongest terms,” he said. “We also believe that host governments must accord officials the protection and respect they deserve. This is a case of a thug abusing other people and it is something that we will engage the host countries through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, whenever our officials are out of the country,” said Minister Ziyambi.

The state mouth piece, The Herald, claims that the interview with Mudenda where he exposed government use of the army to influence the 2018 elections was abuse on Adv Mudenda. The media claims the so called abuse is similar to an incident directed at Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Dr Sibusiso Moyo by angry Zimbabweans in the UK recently.

Moyo who was confronted by a group of Zimbabweans outside the Royal Institute of International Affairs, commonly known as Chatham House, in London in July this year, demanding answers on human rights abuses in the country. One protester sprayed Moyo with water from a bottle when he was getting emotional and violent on the protesters.

Zimbabweans have since responded to the minister’s claims telling government to shut up as it is failing to give Zimbabweans back home the same security they are demanding for their officials abroad.

“You people you want protection from other governments , but you are failing to protect your own people from your ruthless police and army? This is bull***,” said a ZimEye.com reader Bruce Makoni.

Below are some of the comments by Zimbabweans on social media in response to the call by Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi.

Paul Nyathi|Zimbabwe’s cash-strapped government has started printing new banknotes to ease cash shortages that have seen the few notes in circulation being traded at a premium on the parallel market.

Economists, however, warn that the printing of cash might further fuel hyperinflation that is now the second highest in the world after Venezuela.

Zimbabwe has been plagued by cash shortages for the past three years with most ATMs no longer dolling out cash. 

Last week, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) said it had started printing higher denominated notes as part of its currency reforms following the introduction of a quasi-currency in June.

“I am not privy to the dates, but what is happening is that new notes will be available soon so that they meet the required cash demands. Obviously, these notes are going to be printed outside the country and this requires foreign exchange. That is all I can say at the moment,” RBZ’s deputy director for finance and markets, William Manimanzi, told parliament’s budget and finance committee on Wednesday.

He could not give dates when the money will be available.

In an interview with Business Day on Sunday, Harare-based economist John Robertson warned the central bank against excessive money circulation that will drive up inflation.

“There are serious cash shortages at the moment, but the question is ‘Will the government be disciplined enough if it starts to print more money?’ They have to be cautious so that printing of money does not contribute to any further rise in inflation.”

Zimbabwe is experiencing its worst economic crisis in a decade, with inflation at more than 300%, while the country is also plagued by shortages of foreign currency, fuel, electricity and basic foods.

The country is also in the grips of a currency crisis as the local unit, which was at one time pegged at 1:1 with the US dollar, is now trading at 1:20 with the greenback.

THE Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) said on Saturday that the country’s fuel prices remain unchanged for this week, much to the relief of motorists used to weekly price increases.

This is the second week in a roll that the energy regulator had kept fuel prices unchanged. From August, Zera had been increasing fuel prices weekly in tandem with the floating exchange rate, much to the chagrin of motorists.

But in spite of the price increase, the commodity has remained scarce, with long winding queues a common feature at all fuel stations.

In a statement, Zera said fuel prices remained unchanged at $14.97 per litre of petrol and $15.64 for diesel.

“Please be advised that the fuel prices effective Monday 21 October 2019 are as follows: $15.64 per litre for diesel and $14.97 for petrol.

“Accordingly, prices have therefore not changed for both diesel and blend.

“Operators may however sell at prices below the cap depending on their trading advantages,” said Zera.

While the regulator encourages fuel companies to sell at below the set prices depending on their trading advantages, the operators hardly do that. Instead, many actually charge above the set thresholds.

State Media|THE Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is investigating a possible case of child abuse at Lukosi Secondary in Hwange where a deputy headmistress allegedly forced a Form One girl to strip naked in the presence of other pupils and teachers.

Mrs Posenta Kwidini, who is also a senior Mathematics teacher at the school, was reportedly punishing the 15-year-old girl for dressing improperly.

She allegedly forced her to remove her skirt in the Fashion and Fabrics class where there were some Form Two pupils and two female teachers.

The incident happened last week and the girl, who cannot be named for ethical reasons, filed a report at Hwange Police Station on Friday.

The school authorities had reportedly concealed the matter.

Hwange District Schools Inspector (DSI) Mr Germination Moyo said he had ordered the school head to investigate the matter and submit a report today.

“I received an informal report about the issue late on Friday and I immediately told the school head to institute an investigation of what actually happened and prepare a report. Since the matter involves a deputy head who reports to the head, it’s ideal that we ask the head to investigate and submit a report before we do anything. So I am expecting a report from the head hopefully by Monday,” said Mr Moyo.

He said while there can be many ways of disciplining a child in school, the teacher might be “charged and called to defend herself” if the investigations establish that what she did constitutes an act of misconduct.

Acting Matabeleland North police spokesperson Sergeant Namatirai Mashona could not be reached on her mobile phone yesterday.

The girl was accompanied by her paternal uncle and some community members to file a police report.

Police visited the school on Friday and some pupils told them that they were used to such treatment by the deputy head.

In an interview, the girl narrated how she spent more than five minutes naked.

“I was walking towards the Agriculture block while fixing my skirt as I was coming from the toilet. The deputy head called me to the Fashion and Fabrics laboratory where she was with other teachers. She asked why I was opening my skirt and I explained to her that I was tucking in my blouse,” said the girl.

She said Mrs Kwidini ordered her to remove her skirt and she refused.

The girl finally complied after Mrs Kwidini allegedly threatened to beat her up.

“I unzipped my skirt and it dropped to the floor. I remained naked for more than five minutes,” said the girl.

She allegedly dressed up when one of the teachers told her to do so after Mrs Kwidini’s phone rang and she started talking on the phone.

With tears running down her cheeks, the girl walked to her class where she was swarmed by sympathetic classmates who witnessed the incident.

Contacted for comment, Mrs Kwidini said she could not comment on the issue since it’s in the hands of the police.

A gender activist, Mrs Anna Mandizha-Ncube, who is director of Buwalo Matilikilo Trust (BMT), said the girl’s dignity had been impaired. “We are worried because there is nowhere in the Education Act where a child should be disciplined in that manner. That’s a violation of her right to privacy and dignity in terms of the Child Protection Act, and it’s a case which we will follow with keen interest,” she said.

State Media|Zimbabwe Media Commission Bill must have a converged accreditation process, rather than maintaining the state of affairs where there are multiple bodies registering media practitioners, legislators recently heard.

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services heard that the creation of additional bodies accrediting journalists other than the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) was untenable and created unnecessary bureaucracy.

This was said by Media Institute of Southern Africa legal representative Mr Chris Mhike during a stakeholders’ public hearing consultative meeting in Harare, called by the portfolio committee to solicit views on the ZMC Bill.

“There are too many bodies that deal with regulation of the media. We ought to be moving towards a converged regulatory body mechanism,” he said.

“Let us aim at regulatory convergence and that convergence is not adequately dealt with in this Bill. We will propose that there be a mechanism under the Bill to ensure that we limit bodies that journalists must report to or must be subservient to.

“I have spoken to sports journalists who said when they go to sports events, some of the bodies do not recognise press cards issued by the ZMC, so in addition to the press card, they have to undergo a registration process with various sports bodies.

“During election season, ZEC is the regulatory body and has a separate accreditation process of journalists. That is not acceptable. Even Parliament do have another process of accrediting journalists. I understand there might be administration processes, but what we see in reality is that there is more than just administration procedure, but a multiple layer of registration and accreditation by various bodies.”

Paul Nyathi|Government claims it is engaging host countries to ensure Zimbabwean public officials receive adequate security when on international duty where they allegedly continue to be hounded by angry Zimbabweans in those countries who government claim to be individuals aligned to the opposition.

According to the government, the latest target being Speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, who they claim was harassed last week while attending the 141st International Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Serbia.

Government claims that Adv Mudenda was harassed by ZimEye.com while he was having breakfast. This was during an arranged interview early morning on the 13th October at the In Hotel hotel when the media demanded to know why he directed the deduction of five months’ salary for MDC MPs for boycotting President Mnangagwa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivery early this month.

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi told state that Government would engage Serbia to understand the circumstances under which Adv Mudenda was allegedly abused.

“That was an abuse of other people’s rights. As Government we condemn the behaviour in the strongest terms,” he said. “We also believe that host governments must accord officials the protection and respect they deserve. This is a case of a thug abusing other people and it is something that we will engage the host countries through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, whenever our officials are out of the country,” said Minister Ziyambi.

The state mouth piece, The Herald, claims that the interview with Mudenda where he exposed government use of the army to influence the 2018 elections was abuse on Adv Mudenda. The state media claims the so called abuse is similar to an incident directed at Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Dr Sibusiso Moyo by angry Zimbabweans in the UK recently.

Moyo who was confronted by a group of Zimbabweans outside the Royal Institute of International Affairs, commonly known as Chatham House, in London in July this year, demanding answers on human rights abuses in the country. One protester sprayed Moyo with water from a bottle when he was getting emotional and violent on the protesters.

Zimbabweans have since responded to the minister’s claims of harassment on Mudenda and Moyo, calling on government officials to do things right while in the country to avoid the so called harassments by Zimbabweans demanding answers from outside the country where their freedom is guaranteed.

Below are some of the comments by Zimbabweans on social media in response to the call by Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi.

Watch video of Sibusiso Moyo being confronted by Zimbabweans demanding answers in London.

INTERVIEW OF ZIMBABWE’S SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT WITH SIMBA CHIKANZA AT THE IN-HOTEL IN SERBIA ON SUNDAY 13TH OCTOBER 2019.

The interview by Simba Chikanza (SC) with Adv Jacob Mudenda was recorded partly on audio and the rest on video. It began with Simba Chikanza showing Adv Mudenda his official name badge presenting himself as a journalist doing research over the Interparliamentary Union ( The Union of all parliaments around the world).

Adv Mudenda was happy doing the brief interview which later became heated.

Watch video below. ..

FULL VIDEO OF INTERVIEW (PLUS AUDIO) LOADING BELOW…

SC: Many of the things that are coming on Zimbabwe; right now, I have just met some Tanzanians who were criticising us, heavily, just here.

Well, we are being told that we are now 7 times worse, more, than when we were during Robert Mugabe times. I think that is one matter that I am going to need a short engagement with you Sir.

Mudenda: There are exigencies (sic)

SC: Excuse me?

Mudenda: There are exigencies (sic)

SC: Let me just, while we are, let me just get a picture with you if you don’t mind Sir.

SC: Right, where are we here? Right so, here. Meeting Advocate Mudenda.

Mudenda: Thank you.

SC: You seem to have forgotten me, I don’t know why.

Mudenda: Yeah, I am trying to recollect.

SC: Splendid. Looking forward, I will be with you shortly.

Mudenda: Yeah

SC: Thank you Sir.

Mudenda: Someone will be joining me soon.

SC: Oh, someone will be joining you?

Mudenda: Yes.

SC: Okay, so someone will be joining you. Okay. So what I will do maybe, once they come maybe, I will go away. I am just having a very light one.

Mudenda: Okay.

SC: Oh, thank you Sir. Yeah, the criticism against us is very scathing, it is very heavy, this gentleman from Tanzania who was saying he runs an NGO, and works between Uganda and Tanzania, and he says your country is now 7 times worse than when Robert Mugabe.

Mudenda: What reasons does he give?

SC: Err, we didn’t go into deep, we didn’t get deeper than that, other than him saying the conduct of both government and institutions. He alleges the judiciary as well, and parliament and he mentioned specifically the withdrawal of allowances. Sir.

Ndokutorerai (shall I get you a ) chair?

SC: Sir, the withdrawal of allowances Advocate Mudenda, that has extremely, extremely criticised yourself. On what basis. You have here a topic, local and international policy analysts here, they say you have caused the deterioration of parliament, and.

Mudenda: I have what?

SC: You have made parliament to deteriorate. The value of parliamentarianism is, should be.

Mudenda: Into what?

SC: You are now a spokesman of a military cartel rather than parliament. And in this case Advocate Mudenda, you have a discussion, a topic, that you yourself, you allowed into parliament, you brought this discussion, and that is the 1 August brutality. It is clear even ZBC broadcast this.

Mudenda: (nod and sound in affirmation).

SC: They broadcast this, announcement that the military would be used to change 2018 election results.

Mudenda: (nod and sound in affirmation).

Mudenda: Yes

SC: The same MPs who are meant to be part of your own parliament Advocate Mudenda, they are part of your parliament. And you are the one who allowed this discussion to get into. You allowed it to be discussed.

Mudenda: No, you see the members of parliament have threatened to go to court, so that matter is subjudice.

SC: Sorry?

Mudenda: The matter is subjudice and I am not discussing that.

SC: Because they have threatened to go to court?

Mudenda: Yeah I’m not discussing that.

SC: But then, Sir, aren’t you concerned?

Mudenda: I am not discussing that.

SC: Aren’t you concerned?

Mudenda: I am not discussing that. I am not discussing that.

SC: That we have a clear matter.

Mudenda: I am not discussing that.

SC: You talked about a threat Sir, you talked about a threat advocate.

Mudenda: I am not discussing that.

SC: You talked about a threat.

Mudenda: Can you stop it. Alright?

SC: Advocate, Advocate, a crime is being committed right now. People are dying.

Mudenda: Go to court. Go to court.

SC: Go to court where? People are dying right now in Zimbabwe advocate.

Mudenda: I am not.

SC: I have got; I have got victims of 1 August.

Mudenda: Can you also respect my point of view. Alright?

SC: Do you also respect the people who are suffering, Sir? Do you respect the victims who still have bullets in their bodies, Sir…the victims who still have bullets in their bodies right now?

Mudenda: Can you stop it. Alright. Can you stop it.

SC: Advocate, Advocate, you are the highest you are the most respected person in Zimbabwe you are here to represent parliamentarianism. What parliamentarianism is. You are the person we refer to; we respect you sir. We respect you. And I’ve come to you to ask you about this thing which we are being criticised for; our nation is being criticised right here, Sir.

Mudenda: Can you still stop it. This is not the forum.

SC: Why is it not the forum Sir?

Mudenda: Can you stop it.

SC: But you are the Speaker of Parliament.

Mudenda: Can you stop it. Haaah.

SC: I have got people who are crying I have got victims. Are you concerned that you are no longer the Speaker of Parliament you are now the Speaker of a military cartel?

Mudenda: Can you stop it.

SC: Stop what advocate, stop what?

Mudenda: Can you stop it.

SC: Stop what?

Mudenda: Can you stop it.

SC: But you are destroying our country. You are destroying a whole community. You are right now, even the perception of our nation (sic) Advocate Mudenda.

Are you happy that parliamentarianism has been violated advocate Mudenda? Tell me.

Mudenda: [NO RESPONSE]

So you are not willing to address concerns about parliamentarianism, you are here to represent parliamentarianism and you are mentally torturing MDC MPs adding to the physical torture to victims of violence on 1 August which was done to change election results and this was broadcast on the ZBC. Advocate Mudenda, you are a respected man. You are the highest, the most respected person Sir.

Mudenda: Can you slow down so I can eat.

SC: I shall slow down, but I hope you realise here, that I have got people who are dying, there is a crime that is being committed.

Mudenda: Can I have my breakfast?

SC: You can sir, you can sir, I shall wait.

A crime is being committed Advocate.

Mudenda: Can you move off can you move off.

SC: I am not Sir.

I have got a legitimate criminal concern here, a legal concern sir;

I have got a legitimate legal concern.

UNKNOWN/ UNNAMED MAN – MUDENDA’S AIDE TRAVELED WITH HIM FROM ZIMBABWE:

Sorry sorry I thought I had given you enough time.

SC: No you can’t do this.

SC: Advocate Mudenda people are dying right now people are dying right now and you are mentally torturing MDC MPs. On what basis do you withdraw their allowances for 5-months merely because they are expressing what you brought before Parliament?

Mudenda: Can you move out.

SC: I am here I am not going to move out I am a guest here and I am also; I am very much here; I am very much here; but I will wait on you because this is important, because you are an employee; you are a civil servant Sir; you are a civil servant. This is your job. This is your job, to be accountable to members of the public; to the international community; to prove that you’re doing the job of a speaker of Parliament not a speaker of a military cartel advocate Mudenda.

ZANU PF MEMBERS SAY JACOB MUDENDA WAS HARASSED DURING SERBIA INTERVIEW | WAS HE HARASSED?— ZimEye (@ZimEye) October 20, 2019

UNKNOWN/ UNNAMED MAN:

No you cannot shut me I’m going to slow down I will allow him to eat but I’m not going to leave here. I am here I am a guest here; I am an invitee to this conference where you are as well; Thank you.

Tine vanhu varikufa right now hamadzedu dzirikufa kuZimbabwe, akomana, varume, mauya kunoku imimi, saka ndanyarara ikozvino. Ndakumirirai. Ndakumirirai.

This is a legal matter, it is also a criminal matter; I am waiting here.

UNKNOWN/ UNNAMED MAN:

I think the honorable speaker has come here to have something to eat.

SC: Yes I will wait for him. I will wait for him Sir

As you can see I have withdrawn, I have withdrawn, I was sitting there when you are sitting so now I have moved away now so we will wait sir. I have got Zimbabweans who are waiting across inside Zimbabwe and around the world. They’re waiting; this is the most respected person; The highest person in the country in Zimbabwe next to Emmerson Mnangagwa.

UNKNOWN/ UNNAMED MAN:

So why are you shouting?

SC: I am not shouting I am waiting sir.

UNKNOWN/ UNNAMED MAN:

I think it is more about threatening than anything.

SC: What threat did you hear? What threat did you hear there?

UNKNOWN/ UNNAMED MAN:

I haven’t heard.

SC: No no no. Please don’t be unreasonable what threat did you hear here? What threat did you hear tell me, can you justify what you said.

UNKNOWN/ UNNAMED MAN:

Know what I am simply saying you know when you are talking on top of your voice if you really want to interview you the Speaker you should interview in a manner that is (sic).

ZANU PF MEMBERS SAY JACOB MUDENDA WAS HARASSED DURING SERBIA INTERVIEW | WAS HE HARASSED?— ZimEye (@ZimEye) October 20, 2019

SC: According to your allegations I am quiet. Thank you.

UNKNOWN/ UNNAMED MAN:

Thank you.

POLICE ARE THEN SUMMONED IN AND DISRUPT THE INTERVIEW THEN THE BELOW HAPPENS….

BREAKING – JACOB MUDENDA HUMILIATED AFTER SENDING SERBIAN POLICE TO CHASE AWAY JOURNALIST AFTER BEING CONTRONTED OVER MENTALLY TORTURING MDC MPs AND 1 AUG VICTIMS, WHICH WAS DONE TO CHANGE 2018 ELECTION RESULTS | FULL STORY TO FOLLOW pic.twitter.com/RQwnMVX86m— ZimEye (@ZimEye) October 13, 2019

LIVE: MUDENDA CONFESSES MNANGAGWA USED MILITARY TO KILL PEOPLE TO CHANGE 2018 ELECTION RESULTS via @ZimEye

Paul Nyathi|Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has come out blasting the people’s media, ZimEye.com, claiming that senior Journalist Simba Chikanza abused and harassed Speaker Of Parliament Jacob Mudenda when he interviewed him in Serbia last week while attending the 141st International Parliamentary Union (IPU).

According to Ziyambi, government is engaging host countries to ensure Zimbabwean public officials receive adequate security when on international duty where they continue to be hounded allegedly by individuals aligned to the opposition MDC a claim which he can not substantiate.

Chikanza sought to interview Adv Mudenda while he was having breakfast at his hotel and demanded to know why he directed the deduction of five months’ salary for MDC MPs for boycotting President Mnangagwa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA)delivery early this month.

Ziyambi told state media that Government would engage Serbia to understand the circumstances under which Adv Mudenda was allegedly abused.

“That was an abuse of other people’s rights. As Government we condemn the behaviour in the strongest terms,” he said. “We also believe that host governments must accord officials the protection and respect they deserve. This is a case of a thug abusing other people and it is something that we will engage the host countries through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, whenever our officials are out of the country,” said Minister Ziyambi.

“Why are you mentally torturing MDC MPs?” Chikanza asked the Speaker. “On what basis do you withdraw their allowances for five months merely because they are protesting about what you had brought to Parliament?”

Buhera North William Mutomba (Zanu-PF) tried to calm down Chikanza with little success.

Chikanza also refused to be restrained by hotel staff.

“I have a legal matter here, you have all my details, profile, address, you can call the manager, you can also call the Serbian government,” said Chikanza.

See Video downloading below:

BREAKING – JACOB MUDENDA HUMILIATED AFTER SENDING SERBIAN POLICE TO CHASE AWAY JOURNALIST AFTER BEING CONTRONTED OVER MENTALLY TORTURING MDC MPs AND 1 AUG VICTIMS, WHICH WAS DONE TO CHANGE 2018 ELECTION RESULTS | FULL STORY TO FOLLOW pic.twitter.com/RQwnMVX86m

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) October 13, 2019

Watch video below. ..

Watch video below. ..

Farai Dziva|Government has claimed that the cause of vendor Tafadzwa Tamangani’s death will be ascertained after a postmortem.

“Govt would like to inform the public of the death in custody of an individual who was on remand in the custody of Prisons and Correctional Services.

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 postmortem to ascertain cause of death.

We wish to convey our condolences to the bereaved family and friends of the deceased. May his soul rest in peace,” the Ministry of Information said in a statement.

Farai Dziva|In a statement clearly meant to dilute the impact of MDC leader Nelson Chamisa’s visits to hospitals, government has claimed that “some politicians are violating patients’ rights.”

Chamisa paid impromptu visits to Harare and Parirenyatwa Hospitals where he described the situation at the country’s major health centres as pathetic.Chamisa also visited popular actor Gringo, real name Lazarus Boora in hospital last week.

In a statement the Ministry of Health and Child Care “warned politicians against unwarranted visits to hospitals.

See below an article that was published by a state run weekly publication:

GOVERNMENT has warned politicians, activists and media practitioners against unwarranted visits to hospitals, adding that such action violates the rights of patients.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said Section 57 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution provides the right to privacy.

“There has been a recent increase in the number of political actors, activists and the media making unauthorised visits to hospitals under different guises and pretexts,” noted the ministry in the statement.
“These invasions of patients’ privacy are unwarranted and are unacceptable.

When in hospitals, patients expect to have therapeutic encounters with doctors, nurses and other caregivers and not political actors leading media crews to record their most private and vulnerable moments…

“We urge all stakeholders including politicians and members of the media to respect the right of others to privacy as enshrined in Section 57 of our constitution,” reads part of the statement.

The Ministry called those intending to visit patients in hospitals to adhere to stipulated visiting times. Hospitals, the statement further reads, should not be used as venues for political grandstanding.

“Hospitals have stipulated visiting hours and limits the number of visitors to two at a time for the reason of controlling possible cross infections as well as compromising care and security of patients,” read the statement.
“Hospitals need to get authorisation from each and every patient before allowing strangers to have access to patients and their medical information.
“This is an international norm which Zimbabwe upholds.

Hospitals are not and should not be used as a venue for rallies.”State media

Appearances can deceive big-time.

Perusing the South African media before that country’s general elections in May this year, one would have concluded that the ruling ANC was finished and would face annihilation and pulverisation at the polls. But, alas, no such funeral rites were administered as the ANC won again, albeit with a slightly reduced majority.

Although not on a similar scale, the outcome of two by-elections held in Zimbabwe last week was similarly instructive after the pulverisation of the ruling

Zanu PF forecast by some sections of the media did not happen, but, in fact, the complete opposite emerged.

Before the by-elections, MDC secretary for elections Jacob Mafume was cocksure that the polls would be a walkover for his party; that they were merely going

through the motions because victory was certain.

Mafume, in his typical boastful manner, blurted: “It is now clear to all and sundry that Zanu PF has failed. They no longer allow those in rural areas to sell their maize. There are no jobs. There is no education, and there is no electricity. There is also no good

healthcare. With all this, no person in their right mind can vote for Zanu PF.”

But independent opposition politician Margaret Dongo might have identified one of the factors as to why the MDC got it so monumentally wrong, pointing out how

the main opposition party’s allies in the non-governmental organisation (NGO) sector, who have been tacitly doing the political groundwork for the MDC, are now

a force on their own, with competing and rival interests even against the MDC itself.

In an interview conducted by celebrated author, archivist and documentary film-maker Joyce Jenje-Makwenda, published this week, Dongo observed that NGOs had become a self-perpetuating lucrative business; that they now exist for their own sake.More in Home

Dongo said: “You will find that they (NGOs) have money for salaries, travel allowances and posh cars, but they do not have money for projects or to

finish projects despite the fact that the donor has spent millions on women empowerment in every aspect, be it political, maternal health or domestic violence.

They (donors) do not evaluate on the ground to see if they are making any progress. There is a syndicate or a cartel which speaks donor language, and these are

used to write reports. The donors just evaluate the written reports.” Precisely.

As one can see, it’s not a coincidence that these NGOs are double-dipping and carefully navigating between donors and the MDC to maximise from both. To keep

donor funding flowing in, they have to point out that they are filling the gap caused by failings of the government.

But the paradox of it all is that it’s not in their greedy interest for the opposition to replace the government. Victory for the opposition is an existential threat to them; it is a threat to their very existence. The day the government fully delivers, these NGOs are out of a job.

That is why after decades with NGOs on the ground, poverty still rules in rural areas.

The complete eradication of poverty in rural areas, which the MDC has been promising to do, is an existential threat to NGOs.

It is the same operative manipulative logic and business model, so to speak, used by global pharmaceutical cartels to corner the market for some medicines.

For instance, cheaply available insulin, used in the treatment of diabetes, is a big threat to pharmaceutical firms’ profits to the extent that these pharmaceuticals ignore their responsibility to humanity at large in order to make money for their shareholders.

That is why more than a century after its discovery, insulin is still expensive despite the fact that its price should have gone down because

it’s inexpensively made and hundreds of millions use it. Likewise, NGOs have taken the space in rural areas, but want to keep on monopolising it because there

is a lot of money to be made.

Not to mention that the intensity and virulence of attacks on the ruling party by the largely anti-Zanu PF private media has, in the long run, had the

unintended opposite and positive effect of keeping Zanu PF on its toes to quickly rectify whenever it is exposed as falling short. Indeed, the private media

has served as the best adviser to Zanu PF while making the opposition fall into complacency by not similarly admonishing it as and when necessary.

The by-election results also show the folly of linear thinking in politics. People vote for many and varied reasons. Americans who considered themselves to be

non-racist voted for Donald Trump, who has made racist statements, in the 2016 presidential election.

And loyalty does not just evaporate like dew with sunrise. We saw it in South Africa where voters largely stuck by the ruling ANC in the general election held

this year.

Interviewed shortly before the elections, some residents in Marikana in South Africa’s North West province indicated that they would vote for the ANC despite some leaders being “corrupt”.

One of them, Mzwandile Ngqothwana, said although the party had been embroiled in corruption allegations, he would still vote for it. He said: “I am ready to vote for the ANC, although it is a corrupt party. I am ready to give them my vote again.

I am still going to vote for the same government because some of us are employed because of this government… Better the devil you know than the one you don’t know. They are corrupt, but what can we say?”

That’s realism, if you ask me. Tangibles have been delivered to rural folk in Zimbabwe — not that the arrest of MDC MP Job Sikhala had a knock-on effect on the rural voters, resulting in the Bikita loss, as lamely claimed by Masvingo provincial chairperson James Gumbi. We are talking of real sustained deliverables, not the token, piecemeal contributions by corrupt NGOs to keep donor funds rolling in at the expense of the suffering people.

Just like Ngqothwana, Peter Mathonzi said he would vote for the ANC because of its history. Mathonzi joined the ANC in 1994.

“I am a member of the ANC; I am very active,” he said. “I vote for the ANC, no matter what. The leaders are the ones who disappoint us, but I won’t abandon my organisation just because of certain leaders ruining it. The ANC has not failed me; only certain groups within the party have failed me.”

It’s not me who said it, but that is how people, whose collective vote decides election results, see it. And it’s their democratic right to see things the way they want — which is exactly what happened in the just-ended by-elections.

So, Mafume is the one who is completely lost to say “no person in their right mind can vote for Zanu PF”.

That misguided utterance alone, which rubs voters the wrong way – not rigging or corruption — is why the MDC loses to Zanu PF much of the time.

It has been reported that the late former President Robert Mugabe’s widow Grace and daughter, Bona have received title deeds for the land on which the Blue Roof Mansion and Bona’s residence were built.

Last month the Mugabe family embarrassed ZANU PF after snubbing a heroes acre burial opting instead to bury the Late Robert Mugabe in his rural home of Kutama.

The Former President was laid to rest in a private ceremony, comprising of only close family members.

Many speculated that Mnangagwa would exact revenge but recent events have proved otherwise. Speaking to The Daily News Publication, ZANU PF Secretary For Administration Obert Mpofu confirmed the development.

Obert Mpofu, however, said that the dispute between the Mugabes and property owners who wanted part of the Blue Roof back was a private matter.

Said Mpofu:

We have done the process of transferring the properties.

The Mugabes are being persued through Zimbabwe courts by aggrieved parties who where left in the cold when Grace siezed Mazowe farms and Blue Roof property.

Labour Economists and Afrikan Democrats joined that fight against sanctions because we are cognizant of the fact that sanctions are a form of economic warfare in Zimbabwe that has brought immense suffering on the masses in Zimbabwe.

As LEAD we are engaging with local communities and grassroots citizens having meetings discussing the effects of sanctions and the importance of speaking with one voice to push for sanctions to be lifted.

The most important ways to fight these sanctions are:

1. Create a national campaign to educate our people that sanctions are warfare that is destroying our nation. We are currently doing this at party level and have seen CSCJF also doing door to door campaigns educating citizens on sanctions.
2. Inform people and make it clear that the sanctions which were deployed by a national emergency by the American President are war and defense measures that can be escalated to a military invasion by an instruction by the same President if the Americans do not neutralize that threat that they believe Zimbabwe poses to their national, economic and security interest.

This already happened a number of times in South America, Serbia, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Somalia.

1. Teaching them to love the nation and each other to be willing to die for the nation as the first step to fight sanctions.
2. Getting them to unite as countrymen who understand that they need each other to progress. We can’t fix Zimbabwe’s problems if we are divided.
3. We are organizing people into community and social organizations to address the problems we have that allow the sanctions to be effective.
4. We are calling on all progressive political parties and civic organisations to work with us as we seek to define, establish and build a national interest, identity and common interest to galvanize us to work towards a transformative developmental state.
5. Addressing previous pains and divisions that polarized us to build reconciliation through traditional and spiritual means using our traditional leaders, elders and not politicians.
6. Creating trust, responsibility and accountability for each other and our nation.
7. Getting us to collectively invest, innovate, export, import substitute, solve problems, build, mine, farm, save and produce together to build the nation.
8. Lobbying Govt to call a national emergency against sanctions.
9. With that we must stand together as a nation to create noise and inform the world that the US, her European allies, Australia and Canada (our colonizers) have imposed economic war, sabotage and destabilization that is killing people, displacing millions, destroying the economy and making people suffer to change government undemocratically to force the country to give its resources to the sanctions senders.
10. We are lobbying and conducting public engagements to create enough global awareness about these sanctions and the fact that they are violating 16mil Zimbabwean social, cultural and economic human rights for American and western economic interests. If push comes to shove we shall go and camp outside US Embassy.
11. As a concerned alternative party in Zimbabwe we are on the process of forming partnerships with other countries who are sanctioned by the west.
12. We are forging a drive for African political, economic and social unity because sanctions will be used to continue to subjugate African countries for strategic resources as they run out across the world and Africa increases control.

If we succeed in doing this. We will have the glue to make every Zimbabwean feel like they are a part of building Zimbabwe and a part of each other.

Each Zimbabwean from the civil servant, man on the street, worker, business man would feel like a contributor to building our home, Zimbabwe.

That way we create a new value system, sense of belonging and ownership that makes it difficult for people to steal, corrupt or sabotage what they have built together.

And for those who don’t have the sense of ownership, they will be pressured by the cultural change of collective common weal to toe the line by those who feel like owners.

United we stand, divided we fall.

Linda Masarira-Kaingidza
LEAD President

CHIEF Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda has advised Cabinet members that the next Cabinet meeting will be held tomorrow, at the usual venue.

Cabinet traditionally sits on Tuesday at Munhumutapa Government Offices in Harare.

In a statement, Dr Sibanda advised members to report for the meeting at the usual time.

“The Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda, hereby advises all Cabinet members that the next (this) week’s Cabinet meeting shall be held on Monday 21 October 2019 (tomorrow) at the usual time and venue. Members should, therefore, take note of this change and plan accordingly,” read the statement.

The reschedule is to allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to leave for Russia on Tuesday.

Farai Dziva|Government has claimed that the cause of vendor Tafadzwa Tamangani’s death will be ascertained after a postmortem.

“Govt would like to inform the public of the death in custody of an individual who was on remand in the custody of Prisons and Correctional Services.

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 postmortem to ascertain cause of death.

We wish to convey our condolences to the bereaved family and friends of the deceased. May his soul rest in peace,” the Ministry of Information said in a statement.

VIDEO LOADING BELOW…

Farai Dziva|In a statement clearly meant to dilute the impact of MDC leader Nelson Chamisa’s visits to hospitals, government has claimed that “some politicians are violating patients’ rights.”

Chamisa paid impromptu visits to Harare and Parirenyatwa Hospitals where he described the situation at the country’s major health centres as pathetic.Chamisa also visited popular actor Gringo, real name Lazarus Boora in hospital last week.

In a statement the Ministry of Health and Child Care “warned politicians against unwarranted visits to hospitals.

See below an article that was published by a state run weekly publication:

GOVERNMENT has warned politicians, activists and media practitioners against unwarranted visits to hospitals, adding that such action violates the rights of patients.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said Section 57 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution provides the right to privacy.

“There has been a recent increase in the number of political actors, activists and the media making unauthorised visits to hospitals under different guises and pretexts,” noted the ministry in the statement.
“These invasions of patients’ privacy are unwarranted and are unacceptable.

When in hospitals, patients expect to have therapeutic encounters with doctors, nurses and other caregivers and not political actors leading media crews to record their most private and vulnerable moments…

“We urge all stakeholders including politicians and members of the media to respect the right of others to privacy as enshrined in Section 57 of our constitution,” reads part of the statement.

The Ministry called those intending to visit patients in hospitals to adhere to stipulated visiting times. Hospitals, the statement further reads, should not be used as venues for political grandstanding.

“Hospitals have stipulated visiting hours and limits the number of visitors to two at a time for the reason of controlling possible cross infections as well as compromising care and security of patients,” read the statement.
“Hospitals need to get authorisation from each and every patient before allowing strangers to have access to patients and their medical information.
“This is an international norm which Zimbabwe upholds.

Hospitals are not and should not be used as a venue for rallies.”State media

Olinda Chapel-Nkomo, the wife of Njabulo “Tytan Skhokho” Nkomo has been convicted of driving without a licence or insurance on 3 October this year and has been fined £760 and docked 6 penalty points by the Oxford Magistrates’ Court.

This development was revealed by the Oxford Mail website whilst giving updates of Scales of Justice: latest results from Oxfordshire’s courts. The website said:

OLINDA NKOMO, 35, of Pontefract Road, Bicester, admitted driving without a licence or insurance on the B4030, Weston-on-the-Green on October 3. Fined £760, must pay a victim surcharge of £66 and court costs of £85. Six penalty points.

By A Correspondent- Former Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Prisca Mupfumira is set to lose her Senate seat in Parliament and Central Committee position in the ruling Zanu-PF party after Mashonaland West province — where she comes from — recommended the party to recall her.

In an interview, party provincial chairman Cde Ziyambi Ziyambi said the province resolved to recall Mupfumira from being a Central Committee member and Senator.

 “We have already met as PCC and wrote a letter to the Secretary of Administration Dr Obert Mpofu, Legal Affairs Cde Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana as well as the National chairperson Cde Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri advising them of our decision to recall Mupfumira as a Central Committee member and from being a Senator,” said Ziyambi.

He said this was in line with Section 129 (I) (k) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

The section states that: “A seat of a Member of Parliament becomes vacant if the member has ceased to belong to the political party of which he or she was a member when elected to Parliament and the political party concerned, by written notice to the Speaker or the President of the Senate, as the case may be, has declared that the member has ceased to belong to it.”

Mupfumira’s criminal abuse of office charges date back to her time as Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister. 

The Mashonaland West provincial Coordinating Committee is expected to meet tomorrow to discuss her fate and the anti-sanctions programme. 

Mupfumira was recently granted bail after spending nearly two months in custody. She is facing seven counts of criminal abuse of office involving US$95 million.

President Mnangagwa relieved Mupfumira of her duties in early August on the basis that her conduct was not in line with that expected of a Government Minister.

The President has made it clear that he does not tolerate corruption, and those engaging in it risked punishment despite their standing and positions.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Rusape villagers allegedly ganged up and fatally assaulted a 14-year-old boy accused of stealing a hen from one of their colleague, last week.

Three of them – Jonathan Elias (43), Michael Bhunu (47), of Kasvosve Village and Ambrose Gogo (42), of Mugadza village, under Chief Makoni – have since been arrested in connection with the offence.

The other two – Christopher and Abel Nyatoro – have been declared fugitives from justice.

Police are appealing for information leading to their arrest.

Elias, Bhunu and Gogo on Tuesday appeared before Rusape magistrate Mr Gift Manyika facing murder charges.

The three were not asked to plead.

They were remanded in custody and advised to apply for bail at the High Court.

The lower court does not have jurisdiction over murder cases.

The Nyatoros allegedly fled the village upon realising that they had committed murder.

Prosecutor Miss Theresa Mangwende told the court that the five allegedly caught the victim, who was in Grade 7 at a local school, in possession of Jonathan Elias’s hen in a nearby mountain.

The suspects allegedly took turns to assault the victim with sticks all over the body.

The boy died two days later as a result of the assault.

“On October 11, 2019, at Mupfumi village at about 0500hrs, the deceased, Watson Gogo was alleged to have stolen a hen from Jonathan Elias the previous night. Elias together with Christopher and Abel Nyatoro, who are at large, followed the boy’s footprints from the fowl run into the bush where they allegedly discovered him with the stolen hen.

“They (allegedly) apprehended the boy and took him to Ambrose Gogo’s homestead.

“Michael Bhunu arrived while the boy was at Gogo’s homestead.

“The accused persons, including those on run, assaulted the deceased with sticks all over the body.

“On October 13, 2019 the victim died, before being taken to hospital, as a result of the injuries,” said Miss Mangwende.

-ManicaPost

By A Correspondent- Power utility Zesa recently cut power supplies to Mutare City Council and Chipinge Town Council in a bid to recover several millions of dollars owed by the two local authorities.

Mutare City and Chipinge Town Council owe Zesa over $2 million and $1 million, respectively.

The local authorities’ representatives confirmed the disconnections which led to erratic water supplies in their respective areas of jurisdiction. Mutare city council spokesperson Mr Spren Mutiwi said they have since submitted a payment plan to the power utility.

“It is true that ZESA had disconnected us due to a debt worth $2,1 million. It was a legacy debt that was accumulated from 2017 going backwards.

“Our electricity was disconnected for two days, on Saturday and Sunday, but the situation returned to normalcy after engaging Zesa on Monday.

“We had a fruitful meeting with them and we agreed on a payment plan. The payment plan allows us to pay our debt as well as the current amount,” said Mr Mutiwi.

He admitted that their operations were disrupted during the power blackout.

“As council we are one of Zesa’s big clients, and we depend on them for power because most of our operations need electricity. Some operations were affected as a result of the power shut down,” said Mr Mutiwi.

He said going forward council will stop paying electricity bills for those renting council properties to cut costs.

“One of the things that increased our debt was the issue of tenants whose electricity bills council was responsible for, but going forward we will not be responsible for the payment.

“They will pay directly to Zesa as we can no longer afford to subsidise them,” said Mr Mutiwi.

“We cannot blame Zesa for disconnecting us, it is their mandate to generate revenue. As an authority we are also collecting revenue from our clients, including Zesa.”

Zesa last week also disconnected the cash-strapped Chipinge Town Council main water station at Bangazani Dam in a bid to compel them to settle the $1 million debt.

Chipinge went dry for three days without water. Water was only restored after Zesa and the council hammered a deal yesterday.

The council attributed the ballooning debt to Zesa’s recent tariff hike by over 400 percent and failure by the residents to pay rates.

Previously, the council was paying $24,000 per month, which has sharply risen to $84 000 a month. Council chairperson Mr Zivanai Nyakuchena said revenue collection was dwindling with only 30 percent of residents paying on time.

“ZESA disconnected Chipinge Town Council’s Bangazani pump house because we owe them over $1 million. We are only receipting $44 000 per month, a figure which is low to generate water. We are facing challenges in buying chemicals.  The chemicals are being charged using the parallel market rate.

“Council has engaged Zesa and it has been agreed that the current monthly bill of $80 000 be paid to enable re-connection. Therefore, those owing council rates must pay,” he said.

In another development, the council has lost newly installed solar streets lights worth thousands of dollars due to vandalism and theft.

Each solar street light costs $14,000. Chipinge town engineer Mr Paul Mlauzi said no arrests have been made.

“The council is in the process of installing solar street lights in town and suburbs but the efforts are being militated by vandalism and theft. We had installed 30 solar street lights, but six were vandalised and stolen on October 14,” he said.-

-Manicapost

By A Correspondent- President Mnangagwa has rejected proposals by the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) to have a seven-year moratorium on elections saying secular systems are run on laws which are bound by constitutions and statutes.

In a 19-page response to ZHOCD delivered yesterday, the President expressed gratitude to the church leaders’ willingness to search for solutions that can take the nation forward, but emphasised that all ideas, proposals and practices should be in compliance with the laws of the land.

“Expectedly, my Government’s response to the ZHOCD document is shaped by, and has to be understood in the context of legal imperatives arising from Zimbabwe’s own laws, principally the Constitution which is the supreme law of the Land.

“Let me emphatically state, at the outset, that my office is a creature of the Constitution and laws of Zimbabwe, both which I am sworn to uphold, defend, obey and respect to their letter and spirit,” he said.

He said the principles of good governance, which bind the State and all institutions and agencies of Government at every level, include a multiparty democratic political system, universal adult suffrage and equality of votes; free, fair and regular elections, orderly transfer of power following election, respect to the rights of all political parties; observance of the separation of powers and respect for the people of Zimbabwe, from whom the authority to govern is derived.

“Chapter 5 of our Constitution provides for the Executive Authority of Zimbabwe which I lead as President. Section 88 (1) provides as follows:

“Executive authority derives from the people of Zimbabwe and must be exercised in accordance with this Constitution,” Mnangagwa said.

He added that Section 90 (1) obliges the President to: “…. uphold, defend, obey and respect this Constitution as the supreme law of the nation” and to “ensure that this Constitution and all the other laws are faithfully observed.”

The President said the proposals by leaders of the ZHOCD ought to be consistent and compatible with the letter and spirit of the land- the Constitution. Anything ultra vires the Constitution, would not pass the overarching test of constitutionality.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Only 32 percent of all children between the ages of four and five are currently accessing Early Childhood Development Education (ECD), which was made mandatory by Government in 2014, as parents and guardians are being increasingly spooked by exorbitant fees charged by private institutions.

Most of the affected children are in urban areas. Public schools are currently unable to absorb all children that intend to enrol for ECD.

Director responsible for Learner Welfare, Psychological Services and Special Needs Education in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Ms Kwadzanai Nyanungo said the 2018 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee Report indicated that only 628 826 learners had managed to enrol for both ECD A and ECD B, which translated to a net enrolment rate of 31,9 percent.

Chitungwiza is the most affected, with half of the four- and five-year-olds failing to access ECD.

Speaking at a workshop organised by the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development and the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), Ms Nyanungo said Government’s aim was neither to encourage privatisation nor commercialisation of a basic right — education.

“You will be surprised that some of them (private institutions) charge a box of tiles, groceries that the young child cannot eat and toiletries for a family of ten. Private players charge so much, so that is why people are not taking their children there,” she said.

“For us, the long-term solution as Government is to take away the demand by offering affordable, standard, quality early childhood development, supervised by qualified school heads and provided by qualified personnel in registered schools.”

The decision to make it mandatory for every child to undergo nine years of basic education came out of the Nziramasanga commission of inquiry set up in 1998 to recommend an ideal educational curriculum needed to drive Zimbabwe into the 21st century.

However, public schools have been overwhelmed, and private players — most of whom insist on payment in US dollars — are now taking advantage.

The Sunday Mail made a random survey of some of the standard requirements by private institutions.

An ECD centre in Glen View recently sent a circular to parents advising that school fees from September had been pegged at US$20 per month.

In addition, the monthly transport fare was set between US$12 and US$15 per child, depending on location.

The grocery list per term included 2kg sugar, 2 litres cooking oil, 2kg Red Seal or Mahatma Rice, 500 grammes of powdered milk and two packets of Fattis and Moni’s spaghetti or four packets for Bella-branded spaghetti.

There are also mandatory trips, which attract US$20 for visits in and around Harare.

Mr Taurai Taonezvi from Glen View said it was now more expensive to send a child for ECD than for secondary education.

“You are charged fuel to ferry a child who lives a stone-throw away from school. And, we pay for these educational tours pegged in US dollars all because we do not want our children to be left out,” he said.

Another parent, Ms Chenai Masamvi, said the grocery list was suspicious.

“We buy groceries per term and in addition to that, you have to pack food and a drinking bottle for your child. Then, you wonder where and when those groceries are being consumed.”

According to World Bank, ECD refers to the physical, cognitive, linguistic and socio-emotional development of a child from the prenatal stage up to age eight. The development happens in a variety of settings for instance homes, schools, health facilities, community based centres and involves a wide range of activities from child care to nutrition to parent education. Providers of services can include public, private and non governmental agencies.

-StateMedia

A Harare bound Silverstone bus has been involved in a road accident near Masvingo from Johannesburg. No casualty has been reported.

More details to follow….

View pictures below….

By A Correspondent- Local Bus manufacturer AVM has been roped in, to manufacture assemble 300 Buses, the state media reports.

The 300 out of the 500 busses from Belarus will be designed for the local terrain especially for the rural areas In Zimbabwe.

This was revealed by the Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo who spoke to the publication and said:

I requested that of the 500 that are being procured, some have to be assembled here because my view was that the type of the body of the bus was not suitable for rural areas. We wanted to modify the body so that it can suit our terrain.

The remaining 200 buses will come from Belarus where the president made the deal earlier this year to have 500 buses from Belarus in a bid to revamp mass public transportation in Zimbabwe.

-StateMedia

BREAST cancer survivor and politician, Dr Thokozani Khupe says the Government through the Ministry of Health and Child Care should build more cancer treatment facilities in all wards so as to increase accessibility and save lives.

Dr Khupe, through the Thokozani Khupe Cancer Foundation (TKCF) said increasing the number of facilities for screening and treatment would change the fortunes of many women in need of the vital services.

“As the TKCF we would like to implore the Government to build cancer treatment centres in all the 1 958 wards in order for cancer treatment facilities to be accessible. Currently in Zimbabwe there are two cancer treatment facilities which are at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo and Parirenyatwa in Harare,” she said.

Dr Khupe, who is also the president of MDC said the centres are supposed to service every citizen but there were challenges because they have not been established.

Breast and cervical cancer which are the most common in Zimbabwe are screened throughout the country with United Bulawayo Hospitals having a dedicated Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIAC) unit where women can be screened for cancers.

Dr Khupe said many women were succumbing to cancers due to lack of knowledge and late detection.

“Cancer is indisputably a rising epidemic which is now worse than HIV. The sad reality is, women in Africa only discover that they have breast cancer when their cancer is at stage three or four, due to lack of awareness and barriers to health services. Stages three and four are advanced stages such that very little can be done,” she said.

Dr Khupe said early detection was vital in that treatment can be sought and can be effective.

She said as part of the initiative to raise awareness of breast cancer which is commemorated every year in October there was a need to ensure that both men and women were screened.

“We are calling on all women and men to do self-breast examination every month and to get cancer screening because breast cancer does not only affect women. It affects men as well. Once cancer is detected early it can be treated,” she said.

Dr Khupe said she was a living testimony that one can be treated successfully for cancer.

“I am a living testimony as I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 and here I am today totally cured. I discovered my cancer early and I went through treatment and this is my eighth year now,” she said.

TKCF joins other major breast cancer charities and organisations across the world to increase awareness on breast cancer and other cancers which include cervical cancer, as early detection saves lives. 

The foundation was started in October 2012 after the former Deputy Prime Minister was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2011. 

For the past seven years since its inception, the TKCF has conducted cancer awareness programmes not only in October but throughout the whole year especially in rural areas. 

She said the foundation will continue to do awareness programmes, advocate for cancer treatment so that it is accessible, available and affordable. 

The Breast Cancer Awareness Month, marked in countries across the world every October, helps to increase attention and support for the awareness, early detection and treatment as well as palliative care of the disease.

According to the World Health Organisation there is insufficient knowledge on the cause of breast cancer, therefore early detection of the disease remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control.

-State Media

WORK on the expansion of the Hwange Power Station Stage 7 and 8 expansion is on track with 26 percent ground work having been covered so far, Sunday Business has learnt.

The Government contracted Chinese company, Sinohydro for the thermal project expected to inject an additional 600MW thermal power plant at a cost of US$1,5 billion and set to be commissioned by 2022.

Speaking during a briefing with the Minister of Energy and Power Development Advocate Fortune Chasi before a tour of the expansion project on Thursday, project site manager Engineer Edmund Mukahandira said although they had missed the 27 percent target this time they were on track as measures were in place to recoup lost time. “Though we had targeted to have covered 27,8 percent we have, however, managed 26,7 percent of the project. We  are putting measures in place to recoup lost time so that we meet our December target of 30 percent. While the power station is being built, work is also underway for the transmission line where 95 percent of the land-clearing phase has been covered. While we have existing infrastructure there is going to be new one which will comprise 1 Line 400kV and two sub-stations will be added to the grid for stability to enable transmission of additional power from the new plant,” said Eng Mukahandira.

He said they were working on foundations of Unit 7 boiler and chimney construction while Sherwood B site levelling was underway. “We are currently working on the foundation works of Unit 7 boiler while the construction of the 140m chimney has begun after its foundation was completed. Site levelling of Sherwood B is also underway while the project offices have since been completed.” 

The scope of works to be covered will include construction of boilers, turbines and generators while civil works will involve building of Turbine house, Boiler house, Cooling tower, Chimney, Raw water reservoir, Power station roads, Workshops and Plant control building among others. The plant will also make use of the latest technology in terms of pollution and emission control measures since combustion of coal is a source of air pollution. Outside of a coal handling plant including stacker reclaimer, ash handling plant, the plant will also boost a limestone handling and water treatment plant.

Eng Mukahandira called on the Government to assist in the foreign currency challenges as well as availing diesel, which was also affecting operations at the plant.

“ZPC requires forex for example for payment of consultancy services, counterparty funding and Escrow fund maintenance. The Exim-Import Bank of China, raised serious concern on the transformation of the escrow account from USD account to Zimbabwean dollar as a result of SI 142 of 2019. Delayed IPC 2 & 3 payments No 4 to 8. We are also facing availability of diesel for construction works in which initial projection was 3 million litres. The supplier is not willing to import citing challenges with duty reimbursement hence we are now buying from the  local market for which there is no entitlement to duty refund. We call upon the Government to waiver of duty on diesel or refund in ZWL using spot rate on date of reimbursement.”

Speaking after the tour of the project, Minister Chasi said he was impressed with work done so far and expressed confidence that completion of the power station will be an economic enabler.

“I’m deeply excited by the amount of work done, so far I’m very proud of ZPC and the contractor working here. This is my first time since my appointment that I have come here. There is significant work being done here, this is a very important project for this country that is going to assure us of power.

“The new units done here at the end of it will give us 600MW from 2021 and that will make a huge difference to the power in the country. This is just one of the investments, work is also being done on the other units so all that should give us as a country real confidence, trust and faith that our country is going high.”

The project is set to employ over 4 000 people with 114 housing units earned for construction for some of the workers. 

-State media

By A Correspondent- Kwekwe -based prophet, Clever Kudzanai Mugambiwa, has said his picture circulating on social media wearing a dress is a teaser for an event at his church on Sunday.

The Covenant Family International Church (CFIC) founder’s poster in a dress and make up has set tounges wagging in the religious circles.

Prophet Mugambiwa said it is more of a comedy Sunday as they seek to raise funds to build their church.

“We have organised our Crazy and Fundraising Sunday. So those pictures are teasers. There is a poster with me just like that, we are trying to come up with activities that congregants participate while we raise funds to build our church,” he said.

He said apart from raising funds, the event would also help in cementing social interaction between their members.

“We also preach about love and I believe this will also go a long way in making people love each other.

By A Correspondent- The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage says the Registrar-General’s office will not renew expired passports that still have blank pages as it was against the International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations.

This follows complaints over the delays in passport processing with the Registrar-General’s office passport backlog now surpassing 370 000.

Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Ambassador Cain Mathema told the state media in an interview that the Government will not consider renewing expired passports.

Said Mathema:

“All passports in the world belong to IATA, no passport belongs to any country, we work according to the rules and laws of that organisation. So, if you have a passport that was not used and has expired, in any case why would one have a passport that they are not using, you cannot use it again. You apply for a new one.”

Mathema said Zimbabwe is part of the international community and passports are part of the international community where rules are standard.

“People who do not use their passports until they have expired are simply showing us that they do not need the passports. You cannot apply for a passport and not use it for years and it expires and you expect my office to grant you the permission to use an expired passport because it still has a lot of blank pages, it does not work.

If a passport has expired that’s it, it does not matter how many blank pages it has, it will not work and that is the rule in countries all over the world. We cannot change the international laws because we have a challenge in Zimbabwe of passports.”

-statemedia

WORK on the country’s first state-of-the-art mopani worm (amacimbi) processing plant in Beitbridge is nearing completion, a Cabinet Minister has said.

In a telephone interview with Sunday News Business last Friday, Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Dr Sithembiso Nyoni said the Matshiloni Mopani Women Processing Centre was expected to start operations during the first harvest of the edible caterpillars, which usually is between November and January.

The process centre has a solar-powered borehole, solar-powered dryer for the worms, overheard reservoir tanks and a packing factory.

“Construction of the processing centre is nearing completion, only final touches are being undertaken. We are only waiting for the harvesting time to start, thereafter the processing of amacimbi will start,” said Dr Nyoni.

The African Development Bank channelled US$100 000 into the project, which is wholly owned by Rovhona Raita Co-operative with a membership of 106 people, a majority being women. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is providing the technical support for the project in which the two organisations are partnering Government. The project, which is expected to spin thousands of dollars when fully operational, is in line with ILO’s Decent Work Agenda promoting creation of opportunities for productive work.

“This is basically a wholly-owned womens’ project spearhead by a co-operative and we have since facilitated the formation of a company to make sure that it’s run professionally by directors and managers with the traditional leadership and local authority officials having a buy-in,” said Dr Nyoni.

Amacimbi are found in abundance in Matabeleland South Province especially in Gwanda, Insiza, Kezi, Mangwe, Beitbridge and Bulilima districts and are mostly collected from the wild. In Zimbabwe, amacimbi are a staple part of the diet and are considered a delicacy. They can be eaten dry, as crunchy as potato chips, or cooked and drenched in sauce and pack a serious nutritional punch, consisting 60 percent protein and high levels of iron and calcium.

“Scientific studies have proved that consumption of junk food (pre-prepared or packaged food that has low nutritional value) leads to a number of health complications. Thus, we are encouraging people to consume traditional meals such as ulude and amacimbi, which don’t have any side effects. Amacimbi are high in protein and roughage,” said Dr Nyoni.

The processing of the edible caterpillar is expected to play a huge role in empowering women through the income generated from the project.

“The centre will play a big part in improving issues do with hygiene when processing the worms because the traditional way of processing them has been more of a health hazard. Women are also expected to generate income from the project,” said Dr Nyoni.

-State Media

A Rondebosch youth leader facing 47 sex abuse charges could face a 10-year prison sentence if a plea bargain he agreed to with the State on Friday is accepted by the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court, the Weekend Argus reported on Saturday.

Nicknamed “Porn Pastor”, who had worked at Common Ground Church, reportedly three weeks ago did an about turn when he declared that he intended to stand trial in hopes of a lesser sentence than the 15-year imprisonment and five years suspended which he had agreed to after almost a year of negotiations with the State.

He faces 47 charges relating to seven male victims aged between 12 and 17. According to the publication, these include encouraging, enabling, instructing or persuading a child to perform a sexual act; compelled self-sexual assault; sexual grooming of children; and possession of child pornography.

News24 in September last year reported on the man’s arrest on the church premises after he was reported to police by the parents of one of his alleged victims. The child was 14 years old.

The youth leader allegedly pretended to be a girl and exchanged naked photos with the boys via social media.

Police after his arrest said the suspect threatened the boys with “online exposure” when they decided to stop sending photos.

The children would seek advice from him on how to handle the online bullying, and the youth leader would advise them to continue doing what the individual wanted, SAPS said at the time.

The police’s Serial and Electronic Crimes Investigation section of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit arrested the pastor following a joint investigation with the Hawks and the US’s Homeland Security.

Authorities also seized several electronic items including cellphones, a laptop, a tablet and memory cards.

Six months later, while out on R1 000 bail, he was again arrested, this time for charges related to the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act.

The man cannot be identified as his plea has not yet been heard and accepted in court.

-News24

By A Correspondent- Government has warned politicians, activists and media practitioners against random visits to hospitals citing that it’s a violation of the patient’s right. 

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said Section 57 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution provides the right to privacy.

“There has been a recent increase in the number of political actors, activists and the media making unauthorised visits to hospitals under different guises and pretexts,” noted the ministry in the statement.

“These invasions of patients’ privacy are unwarranted and are unacceptable.

The Ministry called those intending to visit patients in hospitals to adhere to stipulated visiting times and not use hospital as venues for making thinly veiled political statements.

“Hospitals need to get authorisation from each and every patient before allowing strangers to have access to patients and their medical information.

Hospitals are not and should not be used as a venue for rallies.”

Jane Mlambo| Under fire from the public over his endless trips in and out of the country, President Emmerson Mnangagwa could be flying again if the announcement to move the cabinet meeting from Tuesday to Monday is anything to go by.

Many times when cabinet meetings are moved to Monday, Mnangagwa will be travelling out of the country.

Cabinet traditionally sits on Tuesday at Munhumutapa Government Offices in Harare.

In a statement, Chief Secretary to The President and cabinet Misheck Sibanda advised cabinet ministers to report for the meeting at the usual time.

“The Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda, hereby advises all Cabinet members that the next (this) week’s Cabinet meeting shall be held on Monday 21 October 2019 (tomorrow) at the usual time and venue. Members should, therefore, take note of this change and plan accordingly,” read the statement.

THE Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage says the Registrar-General’s office will not renew expired passports that still have blank pages as it was against the International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations.

This comes following concerns from the public over the continued delays in the processing of passports in the country. The Registrar-General’s office has reported that the passport backlog has now surpassed 370 000. 

Most people who are applying for new passports say they have old passports with many blank pages, resulting in calls for the Government to consider extending the lifespan of such documents.

However, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Ambassador Cain Mathema told Sunday News in an interview that the Government will not consider extending the lifespan of expired passports.

“All passports in the world belong to IATA, no passport belongs to any country, we work according to the rules and laws of that organisation. So, if you have a passport that was not used and has expired, in any case why would one have a passport that they are not using, you cannot use it again. You apply for a new one,” he said.

Minister Mathema said Zimbabwe is part of the international community and passports are part of the international community where rules are standard. 

“People who do not use their passports until they have expired are simply showing us that they do not need the passports. You cannot apply for a passport and not use it for years and it expires and you expect my office to grant you the permission to use an expired passport because it still has a lot of blank pages, it does not work. If a passport has expired that’s it, it does not matter how many blank pages it has, it will not work and that is the rule in countries all over the world. We cannot change the international laws because we have a challenge in Zimbabwe of passports.”

He said the situation concerning access to passports was not yet desperate and efforts were being made to ensure that people have travel documents. Minister Mathema said people should be patient as Government has not failed to issue passports but the process was being hindered by the shortage of foreign currency to procure booklets and paper to print the documents.

He encouraged members of the public to continue applying for passports despite the challenges which he said would be rectified as a matter of time. He said it was a Constitutional right to access the vital documents that enable people to travel outside the country. The Registrar-Generals office says it is able to process 750 urgent passports per day.

The country also stopped issuing Emergency Travel Documents more than four years ago after most countries in the region turned them down.

-State Media

Government will ‘thoroughly’ investigate the death in custody of one of the 11 suspects that were arrested in the capital last week for allegedly assaulting a police officer.

The Ministry Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services announced the death of Hilton Tamangani (29) on its twitter handle yesterday.

“Government would like to inform the public of the death in custody of an individual who was on remand in the custody of (Zimbabwe) Prisons and Correctional Services,” it said.

“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. We wish to convey our condolences to the bereaved family and friends of the deceased. May his soul rest in peace.”

The deceased lawyer, Kudzayi Kadzere of Kadzere, Hungwe and Mandevere Legal Practitioners, claims his client succumbed to injuries sustained after he was assaulted by police. He, however, indicated that he had not seen the post-mortem results.

“The information that we have is that he was heavily assaulted by police with button sticks and booted feet at the time of arrest, and he succumbed to those injuries.

“The official report of his death is yet to come out and its not clear if he was receiving treatment while in custody,” he said.

Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said he could not comment as the matter was subjudice.

“The case is before the courts and we cannot comment. Those allegations were also raised in court and the court directed us to investigate, so to comment on that issue will be contempt because its subjudice.”

Efforts to get a comment from Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) were fruitless yesterday.

Tamangani was arrested along with Evans Chinyanga (39), Tichaona Maziya (22), Petros Kaesa (44), Tafadzwa Madziwa (23), Lovemore Chitengo(42), Robson Mutseta (31), Hillary Nyawasha (29), Denford Mlambo (41), Blessing Chirodza (41) and David Tawanda Tekere (35).

The State alleges that the suspects pounced on a police officer , Tatenda Sibiya, who was standing at the intersection of Julius Nyerere Way and Kwame Nkrumah Avenue.

They allegedly took turns to punch and clap him, ordering him to leave ‘their’ area. Tamangani, the State alleged, stole a mobile phone, US$200 and $35 from the police officer during the scuffle.

-State Media

THE A-level pupil who had reported MDC-Alliance Member of Parliament for Magwegwe, Mr Anele Ndebele, for rape, has withdrawn the charges, but maintained that she was having an affair with the legislator.

She withdrew the charges last Thursday, after filing an affidavit at Kezi Police Station.

In the affidavit the girl (19) stated that she had made false charges against Mr Ndebele, saying she was under duress, as she feared a backlash from her parents.
The charges, are, however, yet to be formally dropped in a court of law in Kezi.

“I wish to withdraw a fake report I filed against Anele Ndebele on Monday 14 October. I claimed that he raped me when in actual fact I had an affair with Anele sometime during the festive season and I had consensual sex with him then (sic) the affair ended in February this year, after Anele discovered that I was still at school,” she wrote in the affidavit.

She said she framed him thinking that her parents would call Mr Ndebele to discuss the matter, since they were close.

“I framed him thinking that my parents would call him and discuss the whole matter since Anele worked with my father sometime back.

“Unfortunately, my father was terribly infuriated with the lie to the point that I ended up agreeing to file a police report on rape,” she said.

She said she decided to come clean, after she realised the gravity of the matter and felt guilty.

“On Tuesday 15 October I told my parents the truth, as I was feeling guilty about the lie. I last communicated with the person responsible for my pregnancy in June. My parents are willing to support me and we will handle it as a family,” she said.

Initially the girl had claimed that Mr Ndebele raped her on two occasions, with the first incident occurring in his car, after he had offered her a lift to school. The second incident allegedly occurred at his homestead near the school, where he reportedly raped her several times.

The alleged rape reportedly occurred from some time in April and May this year. A girl’s relative told SundayNews that the girl decided to come clean after realising the gravity of the case, after it was published in the newspapers.

“The case has been withdrawn but it is yet to be formally dropped in a court of law. She claimed she was raped yet she knew that she had a boyfriend who had impregnated her,” he said.

He said the girl revealed to them that she had lied to Mr Ndebele during the course of their alleged illicit relationship, where she would allegedly masquerade as a student teacher at the school she attends.

A prominent Bulawayo businessman has been dragged to court for allegedly defrauding a fellow businessman of US$290 000 before reportedly trying to swindle a couple of its house to cover up the theft.

Ismail Moosa Lunat was arrested last week in Bulawayo and appeared before Harare provincial magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa, who released him on $3 000 bail.

He was ordered to report thrice a week at Bulawayo Central Police Station.

It is the State’s case that sometime in October 2018, the complainant, Adam Houghton (36), approached his friend Steve Hahn seeking cash as he had money in his bank account.

Hahn was at that time out of the country and referred Houghton to Lunat, resulting in a meeting which culminated in an electronic transfer of US$290 000 into Miraculous Zhou’s Stanzim Investments bank account on October 28 2019.

The duo — Lunat and Zhou — then moved the US$290 000 within a day to various bank accounts, but failed to deliver on their promise to Houghton.

In a frantic bid to recover his money, Houghton made several futile attempts to engage Lunat.

Houghton then made a report to the police, resulting in the arrest of Lunat and Zhou.

Lunat promised to pay back the US$290 000 by January 14 2019, but reneged on his promise.

It is claimed that Lunat and Zhou subsequently approached Houghton on February 3 2019 with a surety of original title deeds of a Bulawayo house belonging to Caroline and Benjamin Ndachengedzwa. The meeting was arranged by Lunat’s acquaintance, Hahn. Houghton then verified the title deeds and discovered that they belonged to the Ndachengedzwa couple.

Police investigations revealed that the title deeds were reported as missing by the Deeds Office in Bulawayo and the Ndachengedzwa couple were actually seeking a replacement.

-State Media

The MDC Member of Parliament for Kambuzuma Hon. Willias Madzimure will today address a public meeting for all the thousands of stranded residents of Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Co-operative in Kambuzuma.

The big meeting is expected to start at around 1pm today.

The venue of the crucial meeting is at PamaGumtree, opposite the Kambuzuma electricity sub-station on your way towards Mereki from Kambuzuma.

The local residents are stuck up in a protracted battle with politically well connected business mogul Billy Rautenbach, who is claiming ownership of the land.

The local Residents Committee and the MP would like to invite both members of the general public and media to attend this crucial meeting

MDC @ 20: Celebrating Courage, Growth and the People’s Victories.

Daniel Molokele
MDC Spokesperson