Paul Nyathi|President Emmerson Mnangagwa has dismissed accountant-general, Daniel Muchemwa, for failing to manage public accounts.
The dismissal comes after Public Accounts Portfolio Committee Chairperson Tendai Biti of the opposition MDC recently told Parliament that Muchemwa was a lackadaisical man who did not know his functions.
Muchemwa, when he appeared before the Committee, failed to answer various questions and also confirmed that he did not do most of his duties which include preparing monthly, quarterly and yearly financial reports as well as issuing warranties to ministries since 2014.
Warranties are generally the authority given to Ministries to spend what would have been allocated to them from the national budget.
The accountant-general’s office, according to auditor-general Mildred Chiri’s reports, has also been failing to do basic things like reconciliations on its account, resulting in huge variances on its books of accounts, which are currently in a shambles.
Biti, said: “There is always a monster hidden if you take a look at government financials, which are in shambles. It’s a narrative of State failure. We find basic issues like failure to produce annual statements, monthly reports etc.
“There are so many vulnerables but I hear the accountant general has been fired because of failure to deal with weak internal financial controls. When the gatekeeper becomes the gatecrasher, we need to pray.”
By Farai D Hove| Oliver Mtukudzi was likely a prophet, a real one – During the moments Emmerson Mnangagwa as planning a military coup, Tuku asked him “how long will you last while you are chasing your own shadow.”
Tuku uttered these heavy words packaged in a song. Mnangagwa is seen on video dancing more than anyone else, his duck quak jive. VIDEO-
BLAST FROM THE PAST: @edmnangagwa WHILE PLOTTING MILITARY COUP, WITTINGLY DANCES TO TUKU'S SONG: "HOW LONG WILL YOU LAST WHILE CHASING YOUR OWN SHADOW?" PROF @ProfJNMoyo IS ALSO DANCING ASIDE pic.twitter.com/ttCV1l0lVn
There was drama at the Harare Magistrates Courts on Thursday when the prosecutors involved in the criminal abuse of office case against the former Vice President Report Phelekezela Mphoko failed to turn up at the court for about two hours causing the court to be adjourned.
Sources from Harare said the accused person and the Defence Team arrived at 9 AM for court proceedings and the Magistrate had to wait at his chamber doors peeping through, waiting for the prosecutors.
Eventually someone came 20 minutes later to represent them.
The person is alleged that they did not have any knowledge or idea of what was happening or was supposed to happening during the proceedings.
“The magistrate was visibly and verbally upset and stated clearly that the prosecutors are taking the court for granted, and that he did not understand why they are not prepared yet alone present.” The source said. “He also stated that the court proceedings were supposed to be held on 2 October but were changed to 10 October at the request of the state but they were absent.
“The court was adjourned to 1115 AM. At 11:15 the Prosecutor was present with what they said were the papers needed for a trial date. They proposed the 12-15 November as the trial dates. The magistrate inquired why 4 days, and why the papers were not given on time to the former VP’s defence Team. Mphoko’s lawyer also stated that he was supposed to get the papers in advance, to allow adequate time to study and to prepare their own documents and they had even agreed to give the defence the papers on the 9th October.”
Mphoko is accused of abusing his office in getting the release of a ZINARA boss who was arrested for criminal charges.
The Government has released civil servants pay dates for the remaining months with all sectors expected to receive their salaries before the Christmas holidays but omitting bonus dates.
In a circular, Finance and Economic Development Permanent Secretary, Mr George Guvamatanga, advised the pay dates for public servants and pensioners for the remaining months of October to December but omitted 2019 bonus pay dates citing the challenge of revenue inflows.
Since the beginning of this year, civil servants have been pushing for a pay rise which led the government to increase civil servants salaries raised by 76 percent, a development that saw the lowest paid worker earning $1 023 up from $582.
Unfortunately reality on the ground is proving otherwise and the latest offer is in deficit of health care, education, transport, food and other basic needs.The workers are still expecting a salary increment in line with the current cost of living.
The Apex Council has requested an urgent National Joint Negotiating Council meeting set for today to map a way forward on salaries that corresponds with the continuously cost of living- demanding salaries indexed to the interbank rate.
The man adjudged to be the foulest-looking at Mr Ugly Zimbabwe will this year walk away with a cow for that feat as the competition, which was not held last year, makes a return this month.
The much-loved pageant taking place at the City Sports Bar in Harare on October 23 will be held under the theme ‘‘Let’s celebrate the beauty in ugliness’’. Musician Mbeu and his Mhodzi Tribe band are set to provide entertainment.
Event organiser, David “Apama” Machowa said: “A beast will be the first prize for the ugliest person and it’ll be up to the winner to choose whether they want to walk away with it or be given money instead.”
Apama said so far, 13 contestants have registered to participate.
“Thirteen contestants meticulously chosen from Bulawayo, Masvingo and Kariba among other cities and towns have confirmed participation. Judging from the contestants this year, it’ll be challenging to come up with the ugliest person as competition is stiff,” he said.
The unique Mr Ugly Zimbabwe ‘‘beauty’’ pageant started in Beitbridge in 2009 and has gained popularity since. In 2012, the organisers made it a national event. At the first national competition in 2012, there were just five competitors, but the figure went up to 36 in 2015. There was controversy following the 2015 contest when crowd favourite and reigning champion William Masvinu claimed that the winner Mison Sere was “too handsome” to win since his ugliness wasn’t natural as it was based on missing teeth.
Now, there are plans to develop the pageant to have a Mr Ugly Africa and Mr Ugly World pageants.
Paul Nyathi|Besides all the accolades that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s chief of protocol Munyaradzi Kajese received following his resignation from the President’s office, he goes away with the tag of being one of those people who unceremoniously turned against former President Robert Mugabe when he was kicked out of office in a military coup in November 2017.
Kajese resigned after a career spanning over three decades in the presidency and was one of former president Robert Mugabe’s top aides who found accommodation in the new regime of President Emmerson Mnangagwa following the coup.
Jonathan Moyo, one of Mugabe’s former ministers now living in exile, last month claimed Mugabe “was betrayed by aides who turned traitors in the November 2017 military coup”. The others were Mugabe’s former spokesman George Charamba and Chief Cabinet Secretary Misheck Sibanda.
Kajese retired after reaching the retirement age of 65 years.
Chitsaka Chipaziwa, Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Geneva, Switzerland, is expected to take over from Kajese.
State Media|MORE people from the southern region have been added to lists of student nurses enrolled last week at two Bulawayo hospitals after claims that more than 90 percent of the recruits were from Harare and its surrounding provinces.
The southern region is made up of Bulawayo, Masvingo, Midlands, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South provinces. Statistics from the Ministry of Health and Child Care show that students from Harare province still dominate recruitment even after the additions.
The 13 nursing schools in the region recruited 34 percent of their students from the capital, Bulawayo contributed 20 percent, Masvingo 6.3 percent, Midlands 8.4 percent while two percent each were enrolled from Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South provinces.
Statistics from the northern region which includes Harare, Manicaland, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West and Mashonaland Central provinces were not availed for comparison.
The 13 hospitals that enrolled students in the southern region are Tsholotsho and St Luke’s in Matabeleland North, Mashoko, Gutu, Morgenster, Masvingo and Musiso in Masvingo Province and St Theresa and Muronde from Midlands.
“Thirteen nursing schools from the southern region recruited a total of 238 students and Bulawayo Province contributed 20.1 percent of the total. These schools include Mpilo Central Hospital and United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) under Bulawayo province,” the analysis revealed.
“For Mpilo, no student was recruited from either Matabeleland North or South. Harare dominated the list with 10, followed by Bulawayo with 6 and then Midlands with 5.”
However, sources from the Ministry of Health and Child Care alleged that seven students were added to the list at Mpilo Central Hospital on Tuesday night following an outcry over the selection. Three were allegedly added to the list at UBH.
According to the analysis, UBH only recruited one student each from Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South but 10 from Harare. Only four are from Bulawayo and Midlands also contributed.
“St Anne’s Hospital in Brunapeg, Mangwe recruited no students from Matabeleland South or North provinces. Gwanda hospital also in the same region recruited zero students from Matabeleland South where it is located just like St Luke’s Hospital. The mission hospital in Lupane only got one student from Matabeleland North,” the document shows.
Contacted for comment, Mrs Cynthia Chasokela, the director of nursing services in the Ministry, said she was out of office and referred questions to the ministry.
Comments could not be obtained from the Ministry.
The Health and Child Care Ministry recently introduced an online nurses’ application forum after investigations by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission concluded there were unacceptable levels of bribery in the old system.
Students from the southern region have claimed that they are always told to apply to hospitals in their region when they try to get places in the northern region.
The Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Cde Judith Ncube has pledged to engage responsible authorities to resolve the recent recruitment of student nurses in Bulawayo.
She made the commitment after some people engaged her on Wednesday.
POLICE have re-arrested a woman believed to be the leader of a racket that recently swindled over $60 000 from 43 people desperate to train as nurses after promising them placements at Masvingo Provincial Hospital.
The syndicate allegeldy skipped bail several times and committed similar offences in at least four cities.
Patricia Magazini (34) of Number 2563 Fifth Street, Mucheke A in Masvingo was arrested by police detectives in Marondera where she had sought refuge after skipping bail and allegedly committing 30 fresh similar cases, to make a total of 73 counts of fraud.
Magazini and five other members of the syndicate hit the headlines after they were busted in Masvingo City last year.
The gang placed a fake advertisement in a local newspaper, insinuating that Government would recruit trainee nurses in May 2018.
They allegedly published a list of purported successful candidates for proposed training and solicited bribe money ranging between RTGS$800 and $1 200 to facilitate “hustle-free enrolments.”
Magazini is alleged to have connived with Beauty Dzviti (24), an employee with Econet Wireless Shop at Jerera Growth Point in Zaka, to register two different lines using fake names.
The suspects hired four more bogus recruitment agents who would instruct prospective applicants to send bribe money into the fake Ecocash accounts.
The four are Jairos Mupamhadzi (35) of Silveira Hospital in Bikita, Respina Manjeru (45) of Mawarire Village under Chief Nhema in Zaka and Hebert Munyikwa (45) and Martha Nyapokoto (46), both of Manjovha Village under Chief Mabika in Bikita.
The six-member syndicate appeared before magistrate Mr Peter Madhibha, who released them each on RTGS$300 bail pending trial.
The court ordered Magazini to report at Chikato Police Station every day, while Dzviti would report at Jerera Police Station also daily. The other four suspects were released after the court noted that they had been over-detained in police cells.
The prosecutor, Mr Fidelis Nyamukondiwa, told the court that on September 19, 2017, the syndicate, masqueraded as a genuine recruitment authority, placed a notice in a newspaper with a list of applicants which it purported had secured places for nurse training at Masvingo Provincial Hospital.
The Provincial Medical Director of Masvingo, Dr Amadeus Shamu has since disowned the advert.
While on initial bail, Magazini and her syndicate allegedly committed similar offences in Gweru. They were arrested and appeared in the Gweru magistrate court, which denied them bail.
They, however, successfully applied for bail pending trial at the High Court and later escaped and proceeded to Mt Darwin, Chipinge and Marondera, where they fleeced more job-seekers.
Police in Marondera finally arrested Magazini last week, following a tip-off from locals.
State Media|Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers are being retrained to ensure safety of the people and to respect their rights, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has said.
He said the police’s curricula was also being looked into in line with the Government’s thrust to conform to the protection and promotion of human rights.
The minister was speaking during a symposium on human rights in Harare yesterday.
“I agree with you that the security sector reform is crucial in guaranteeing the safety of citizens and their enjoyment of human rights. It is a process in motion, but will take time to manifest,” he said.
He said human rights obligations of governments must follow the classical tripartite typology of States’ human rights obligations, namely — the duty to respect, the duty to protect and the duty to fulfil.
“The duty to respect means that Government and or its agencies must not violate human rights through their own actions. This requires Government to refrain from interfering with the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms of all citizens.
“As regards the duty to protect, Government’s role is to ensure that third parties do not violate the rights and freedoms of the individual,” Minister Ziyambi said.
He said the duty to fulfil means that Government must take positive action to facilitate the enjoyment of the rights and freedoms.
He said Government had established the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and Zimbabwe Gender Commission in terms of the Constitution in compliance with this duty.
Minister Ziyambi said Government cannot succeed without everyone coming on board.
“Fellow countrymen, the principle of shared responsibility of different tiers of government for the protection and promotion of human rights has been on several occasions underlined by the United Nations human rights treaty bodies,” he said.
He said Government has faced many challenges in trying to fulfil its human rights mandate with the major one being inadequate funding for the human rights institutions.
“Human rights institutions’ capacity to implement and promote human rights has in most instances been hindered by lack of adequate resources due to the difficult economic situation obtaining in the country.
“The other challenge is lack of adequate coordination between Government and other stakeholders especially in the civil society. A clear-cut division of powers between the different tiers of Government and even civil society is the precondition for the establishment of accountability, and hence the precondition for the implementation of human rights.
“It must become self-understood that every authority provided with public power has to respect, protect and fulfil human rights,” Minister Ziyambi said.
Paul Nyathi|Zanu-PF Politburo member Absolom Sikhosana has indicated that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s rather uninspiring Second Vice President Kembo Mohadi will this weekend attempt to explain to the nation where his boss is failing to run the country.
Speaking to state media in an interview on Thursday, Sikhosana said Mohadi will address a rally at Stanley Square in Bulawayo at 2pm where he is expected to speak at length on economic challenges in the country.
“Everybody agrees that the situation we are experiencing now is a difficult one.
“When a nation experiences such hardships, it becomes important for the leadership to avail itself to the people so that they can respond to the concerns of the people.
“This will also help instil confidence by way of explaining some of the challenges that people are facing and are unable to comprehend. VP Mohadi will therefore address a rally at Stanley Square at 2pm on Sunday, where all residents of Bulawayo are invited to attend,” said Sikhosana.
He said Mohadi will answer questions and concerns from the people.
“VP Mohadi’s address will help us tackle our challenges as a nation and move in one direction with a clear understanding of where we are and where we are going.
“I’m appealing to the people of Bulawayo in their various formations, be it churches, political parties, social clubs and other institutions to come and listen to the Vice President,” said Sikhosana.
State Media|Treasury has released $202 million additional funding to nine independent commissions in a move aimed at capacitating the bodies to effectively discharge their constitutional duties and institute reforms in line with Government’s vision.
The nine bodies include the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC), National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC), Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc), Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec), Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC), Zimbabwe Land Commission (ZLC), Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC) and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
“In 2019, the Budget made an allocation of $202 million to these institutions for their operations and capacitation.
“Establishment of these commissions has seen some progress in the areas of fighting corruption with many cases now being dealt with by Zacc, robust systems for planning and executing elections as demonstrated during the 2018 harmonised general elections, reconciliation and bringing together of different political parties to discuss national issues, through the political dialogue,” said the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development in a statement.
In an interview yesterday, Prosecutor-General Mr Kumbirai Hodzi confirmed the disbursement of funds to the NPA, saying it would go a long way in fulfilling its objectives, one of which is fighting corruption.
“This is a welcome gesture on the part of the Government. From the onset, Government has been clear on the need to properly resource independent bodies that include NPA.
“The Government recognised that NPA is not only an independent body, but a vital institution to the development thrust of the country, socially and economically. One of the priorities of the Second Republic is to resuscitate the economy and to achieve that, we have to fight corruption.
“For that to happen, NPA and Zacc must be given resources that will enable them to perform their mandate in a manner that does not leave them compromised.
“That can be achieved through proper resource allocation that include proper remuneration of staff members and that will ensure that NPA fulfils its mandate to fight corruption,” said Mr Hodzi.
Zacc spokesperson Commissioner John Makamure said: “The bulk of the Supplementary Budget ($36 million) will be directed towards operations. The additional funding has certainly boosted operations.
“For 2020, we are requesting a total budget of about $100 million to ensure we fully decentralise operations to the 10 provinces.”
ZHRC chairperson Mr Elasto Mugwadi said he was excited by the additional funding given to his body.
“It is a positive gesture in capacitating independent commissions which play a role in supporting and entrenching human rights in the country.
“I am reliably informed that other independent commissions got some allocations and this is quite encouraging,” said Mr Mugwadi.
NPRC executive secretary Mrs Sibusisiwe Zembe said: “The money given to us is quite significant in carrying out our duties. We will use the money to carry out a number of activities, chief among them procuring vehicles. Most of our works are outdoors in remote areas and the issue of mobility becomes very important.”
Government has established and operationalised all independent constitutional commissions mandated to promote good governance.
THE Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) has approved a 320 percent electricity tariff increase to 162,16 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) to help Zesa improve power supply.
This comes after Zesa units, Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) and Zimbabwe Power Company’s (ZPC), applied for the tariff hike earlier this month.
The new tariff increase comes barely a month after ZERA approved another power tariff hike.
Only in August this year, ZERA reviewed electricity tariffs to 38,61c/kWh to improve supplies in the country, after the US dollar tariff of US9,86c/kWh was eroded to as little as US1,01c/kWh following the currency changes in February this year.
But despite the tariff adjustment in August, the power utilities insisted the tariff remained insufficient to mobilise financial resources sufficient to support their operations.
The new tariff is within range of what the State power utility, Zesa, had requested, which is a tariff payable in local currency but equivalent to the 2012 US dollar tariff of US9,86 cents per kWh.
The new power tariff also comes on the back of growing calls by local industry for ZERA to institute a power tariff hike as part of strategies to address the power crisis in the country.
The private sector even indicated that it was ready to pay a cost reflective electricity tariff of up to US$0,14 per kWh in return for constant supply of electricity in the country.
In a statement released yesterday, ZERA said the hike was part of efforts to restore normal electricity supply after the 38,61 cents/kWh was rendered ineffective by inflationary pressures.State media
The new dispensation is striving to cushion its people, especially women from the harsh effects of the illegal sanctions imposed on the country by Western nations, through a number of programmes guided by President Mnangagwa’s broad vision to achieve an upper-middle class economy by 2030, Zanu-PF national chairwoman Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri has said.
She was addressing members of the Zanu-PF Women’s League during an anti-sanctions build-up programme at the ruling party’s headquarters on Wednesday.
“Zimbabwe is the first country in SADC to have a Women’s Bank as well as the Youth Empower Bank. This demonstrates commitment from the highest office in the land to achieve sustainable gender equality,” she said.
“The new dispensation under President E D Mnangagwa has pledged to reform its political and economic sectors in its thrust to engage and re-engage the international community.
“Let me take this opportunity to salute and thank our leader the President and First Secretary, Cde E D Mnangagwa for his visionary leadership, which has seen our country being able to start to normalise relations with the global family of nations through his re-engagement efforts.”
She added that the “Zimbabwe is open for business” policy has created an ease of doing business environment, which has seen laws being ushered in to compliment the policy.
“Zimbabwe has been opened up to investors through the ‘Zimbabwe is Open for Business’ policy and this also opens up avenues for women to grow their business through strategic partnerships.
‘‘I urge all women to take advantage of these opportunities and organise yourselves so that you are also part of the real and big business ventures. Women are not only suited for SMEs.
“In order to create an ease of doing business environment a number of laws have been aligned with the new thrust and already the efforts are yielding fruits.”State media
Zimbabwe is expected to experience scattered thundershowers accompanied by lightning, strong winds and hail in some parts of the country, according to the Meteorological Services Department (MSD).
In a statement on Wednesday, the MSD said from yesterday, Manicaland, Matabeleland South, Masvingo, Midlands and parts of Mashonaland East were expected to start recording heavy rains.
Elsewhere, scattered clouds are expected to develop with some isolated thundershowers.
“The thundershowers may be very violent in some places and accompanied by lightning, strong winds and even hail,” said the MSD. “The public is advised that it is safer to be indoors during thunderstorms and do not stay under trees as these tend to be natural lightning conductors.”
The country had been characterised by erratic weather, with very hot temperatures.
The MSD said the current spate of isolated heat storms, light showers coupled with thunder and lightning in places far apart was normal during this transitory stage between winter and the main rainy season which has not yet began.
“These thundershowers occur when a bit of moisture infiltrates the atmosphere from either Botswana, Zambia or South Africa,” it said. “With the latter giving rise to cold conditions after the thundershowers.”State media
“Over and above the National AIDS Trust Fund (NATF), my government is developing a robust National Health Insurance Scheme and stepping up innovative domestic funding initiatives such as the traditional AIDS levy and the new Health Levy, to enable us to focus on the sustainability of our response,” said Mnangagwa.
The state owned ZBC says Emmerson Mnangagwa has paid out USD1 million to the Global AIDS Fund at the ongoing 6th Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund Forum in Lyon, France.
The ZBC alleged Zimbabwe has contributed the figure to the fund.
Mnangagwa however, only announced a pledge of the amount on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, Mnangagwa appealed for support and sought partnerships to strengthen primary health care in the country.
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STATE MEDIA COPY: Mnangagwa during his speech at the conference, which is seeking to raise US$14 billion to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria expressed his gratitude towards the Global Fund for approving close to US$2 billion for Zimbabwe to fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
“Since 2002, the Global Fund has approved nearly US$1.7 billion to Zimbabwe, of which over US$1.3 has been disbursed,” he said.
“Let me express my profound gratitude for this invaluable support. As we build strong institutions, infrastructure and integrated services, we appeal for support and seek partnerships to strengthen primary health care, build and retain a competent health workforce to achieve Universal Health Coverage. Equally, early detection and surveillance systems of the three diseases remain paramount. Over and above the National AIDS Trust Fund (NATF), my government is developing a robust National Health Insurance Scheme and stepping up innovative domestic funding initiatives such as the traditional AIDS levy and the new Health Levy, to enable us to focus on the sustainability of our response,” said Mnangagwa.
Over 710 000 people are currently supported by Global Fund in Zimbabwe out of a total of 1.2 million people on Anti-Retro Viral Therapy.
Government made a US$1 million contribution at the conference as the country strives towards ending AIDS by 2030.
“We remain committed to continue to contribute to this worthy effort, and hereby pledge US$1 million.”
French President Emmanuel Macron who is hosting the conference pointed the finger at several countries for not pledging enough funds for the fight against the three diseases.
In his speech, President Macron called specifically on Japan, Norway, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to “make more of an effort” in increasing their contributions for the fight.
The Global Fund Forum aims to save 16 million lives within the next four years as well as averting 234 million infections worldwide.
Mnangagwa is accompanied by the acting Foreign Affairs Minister, Professor Amon Murwira and other senior government officials at the conference.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s chief of protocol Munyaradzi Kajese has resigned after a career spanning over three decades in the presidency, reports said Thursday.
Kajese was one of former president Robert Mugabe’s top aides who found accommodation in the new regime of President Emmerson Mnangagwa following a military coup in November 2017.
Jonathan Moyo, one of Mugabe’s former ministers now living in exile, last month claimed Mugabe “was betrayed by aides who turned traitors in the November 2017 military coup”. The others were Mugabe’s former spokesman George Charamba and Chief Cabinet Secretary Misheck Sibanda.
The Business Times reports that Kajese retired after reaching the retirement age of 65 years.
Chitsaka Chipaziwa, Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Geneva, Switzerland, is expected to take over from Kajese. – Byo24
Zimbabwe is going through a very rough time and it’s evident socially and economically, as much as we can claim to have budget surpluses and dealing with corruption if the ordinary Zimbabwean gets poor and poor and the economic keeps crushing these really no need to continue talking about a blooming flower when it’s dying.
Some of us know change is gradual and Roman wasn’t built in a day, but there should be a small glimpse of light brimming from a distance yet this isn’t evident in this economy.
Truth be told the administration is failing in the socio economic transformation and it’s not something that we need to cry about but it’s something we can deal with, you have put good mechanisms in place for that.
The major problem with your administration is that, it’s not people centric, it’s Mnangagwa centric just as it was with Mugabe. Am one person who voted for you with pride and l knew l was putting you in a hot seat, a seat l knew a lot of people would not be able to handle at this time in our lives.
My plea to you is, kindly change your tone and way of doing things, you know look and seem like the CROCODILE people say you. This is unfortunate because you promised to be a listening President. You have been detached from the people and you seem not to know the day to day struggles of the nation, or in some people’s eyes you are turning a blind eye to.
Your foreign policy needs to change, Zimbabwe is open for business is now a dogmatic statement and no one takes you seriously anymore. The JV Act is a disaster and it must be revisited, l know it l have seen it. Your short term economic policies are a mess they need to be addressed, your social appearance and outlook and perceptions of people on you is a disaster now. My dear President you need a new team to make you loved and popular.
Basically Mr President your Presidency seems to be going down in history as the worst start ever but it can be changed, if you only listen to the people and your administration listens to the people. You need listening mechanisms and you need real people around you those that know what’s happening and whose that have long lasting solutions.
Zimbabwean economy will crush within the next 3 months if you continue using short term measures to deal with problems, from Cartels, Corruption, Economic Development, Social Upliftment, Unemployment, Investment prospects everything we ought to do has to have foresight which seems to be diminishing somehow.. Together we can, uniting we must, change we cannot resist and prosperity we must gain!!
State media – First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa yesterday had a heart-to-heart interface with female former freedom fighters from Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South provinces, who expressed willingness to return to school and contribute meaningfully to the country’s economic development.
The meeting, which was the first of its kind and a precursor to countrywide interfaces between the female former combatants and the First Lady, comes at a time when the latter is advocating for the creation of a Freedom Fighters Day in line with other countries in the region.
Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa have such days on their calendars.The First Lady is also pushing for the establishment of a school for female war veterans, who said some of them never went to school after the war.
Amai Mnangagwa said the former combatants needed to assume leadership positions.
She urged them to come out in numbers to march against sanctions on October 25, a day set aside by the SADC bloc to call for the unconditional removal of the illegal embargo.
“I want to thank you for coming out in your numbers so that we have a heart to heart talk as women,” she said.
“You are important to us for you liberated this country. However, the war is not over yet, we have another war on the 25th (of October) where we will be fighting against sanctions.
“We want the sanctions imposed on our country to be removed. They have caused untold suffering. We also want to thank SADC for standing with us in this fight.”
She said women should support the anti-sanctions march as it was not “about a certain political party, this is about our nation Zimbabwe”.
On the issue of education, Amai Mnangagwa said those who wished to go back to formal education would be given vocational training.
“You should remain united as female former fighters so that when you speak, you speak with one voice for your benefit and for the benefit of the country.
“You should also do your projects in groups and this is only achieved if you are united,” she said.
At yesterday’s meeting, the First Lady brought representatives from the women’s bank and urged women to utilise the bank and to work with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development.
War veterans’ secretary for women’s affairs Cde Margaret Sithole thanked the First Lady for remembering them.
“Amai has shown us the true meaning of love. This has never happened to us since we got our independence having a heart-to-heart discussion with the First Lady.
“The meeting was a first of its kind. She has rolled out projects for us and we are so grateful; we were not expecting this and it came to us as a surprise.
“As a listening mother, she listened to all our concerns which she promised to forward to the President. Amai will conduct similar meetings in all the country’s provinces,” said Cde Sithole.
Amai Mnangagwa promised to pass the concerns of female former combatants to President Mnangagwa. She rolled out goat-rearing projects for former fighters in Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South provinces. She also donated sewing machines for those from Bulawayo who are expected to start producing reusable sanitary pads.
Wives of war veterans and war collaborators later joined in the meeting.
Minister of State for Bulawayo Judith Ncube and war veterans secretary in the Politburo Cde Douglas Mahiya also attended. – state media
Farai Dziva|
ZANU PF Political Commissar, Victor Matemadanda came to cornered MP Killer Zivhu’s rescue when he warned the party’s Provincial Executive against suspending the Parliamentarian.
The Chivi South MP, Zivhu, was suspended for allegedly abusing social media platforms after he tweeted that
president Emmerson Mnangagwa and leader of opposition MDC, Nelson Chamisa must find each other and dialogue.
ZANU PF Masvingo Provincial leadership suspended him and were calling for his dismissal from the party.
When one firewood block produces smoke, you do not have to remove it. You must leave it in the fireplace so that it can be assisted by others to catch fire than removing it.
If you keep on removing firewood, you may end up without any in your fireplace.
So you should help each other to reform than dismissing those who are found violating the party rules and regulations,” said Matemadanda.
Farai Dziva|Zanu PF insiders have maintained Killer Zivhu will be fired from the party in spite of Political Commissar Victor Matemadanda’ s intervention in the matter.
Although Matemadanda came to Zivhu’s rescue when he warned the party’s Provincial Executive against suspending the Parliamentarian, party stalwarts have vowed Zivhu will be fired.
The Chivi South MP, Zivhu, was suspended for allegedly abusing social media platforms after he tweeted that
president Emmerson Mnangagwa and leader of opposition MDC, Nelson Chamisa must find each other and dialogue.
ZANU PF Masvingo Provincial leadership suspended him and were calling for his dismissal from the party.
When one firewood block produces smoke, you do not have to remove it. You must leave it in the fireplace so that it can be assisted by others to catch fire than removing it.
If you keep on removing firewood, you may end up without any in your fireplace.
So you should help each other to reform than dismissing those who are found violating the party rules and regulations,” said Matemadanda.
Cassava Fintech International (CFI), the developer of the SASAI App, has responded to customers in some African markets, including Zimbabwe, that received several promotional messages during the ongoing promotion.
“The instance of several messages received by some customers as part of the ongoing SASAI $10 million Chaka-Chaya paSASAI promotion has since been rectified, and SASAI regrets any inconvenience caused,” the company said.
The messages came ahead of a promotion draw held in Harare on Wednesday, the first of several weekly draws in the promotion, in which over 10 000 customers walked away with $100 worth of data each. A total of $1 million worth of data is being given away every week, over a 10-week period.
The SASAI App, a one-in-all app which has pay, chat and explore functionalities, was recently launched in Zimbabwe, among many markets, and has so far been downloaded in 140 countries.
“Messages raising awareness about SASAI had been going out before, but because of the promotional draw yesterday afternoon, some customers that have many friends who have downloaded the app, started getting several messages inviting them to try the app and so increase their chances of winning something in the draw,” a company spokesperson said.
The SASAI promotion in Zimbabwe, which is being done in partnership with Econet Wireless, rewards customers for downloading and using the app, and when they connect with at least 10 new users. People remitting money to Zimbabwe from the UK, EU or SA via SASAI stand the chance to win a house during the promotion. – state media
MDC-Alliance leaders Nelson Chamisa and Morgan Komichi have approached the High Court seeking to include an affidavit of the late Morgan Tsvangirai in their record of appeal on their legitimacy at the Supreme Court.
In May this year, the High Court ruled that Chamisa was illegitimately acting as the MDC leader. The court upheld his appointment as vice president and subsequently declared his appointment as president null and void.
This followed an application by a Gokwe-based party member, Elias Mashavire, challenging Chamisa’s power in the party, saying there was no an extraordinary congress following the death of founding party leader Tsvangirai last year.
Chamisa appealed against the High Court judgment at the Supreme Court, but is now saying the appeal record is missing an affidavit from the late party founder.
Chamisa and Komichi insist that the affidavit is critical to the resolution of the matter.
In their application for rectification of the appeal record, the legal counsel Tafadzwa Chagonda said parties certify the record as correct, but it contains an omission.
“On May 8, this year the High Court handed a judgment against the applicants who subsequently prepared a notice of appeal making reference to earlier High Court judgement which was in favour of the applicants,” read the application.
“The Registrar prepared the record and the applicants were called to inspected and certified on June 19, this year. The last party inspected and certified the record on July 25, this year. Thereafter, the record was forwarded to the Registrar of the Supreme Court. On July 17, the Registrar directed the applicants to file their heads of argument.
“This is when the legal counsel noticed that the certified record was incomplete. The affidavit which is critical to the resolution of the matter had been omitted.”
They added that, Thokozani Khupe, “on whose behalf this disruptive position has been taken,” did not participate in the High Court matter.
Khupe was only cited for the purpose of form in the Supreme Court matter and should have readily conceded that there is an omission in the court record, read the papers. Chagonda said he regretted his error in certifying a record which had an omission and can only profusely apologise for its incidence.
He said the affidavit will help the court in making a determination on whether the matter has been resolved before and on what is the proper constitution for MDC.
“When the matter was heard before the High Court, the affidavit was before the court and was referred to,” said Chagonda. “Applicants are not seeking to bring anything new. I don’t see why any of the respondents should be justified in resisting this application.”
Mashavira, Elias Mudzuri, Khupe and Douglas Mwonzora were cited as respondents.- State Media
Farai Dziva| Zimbabwe has the highest rate of suicide cases in the SADC region, MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has said.
Below is Chamisa’s statement on World Mental Health Day:
Today it is the World Mental Health Day, a very important occasion where we stop and reflect on how we would have spent the previous year looking after the most import part of the human body, the mind.
On the 10th of October every year, the world commemorates and acknowledges the importance of mental health across the world in metropolitan and rural communities.
The focus on this year’s World Mental Health Day is on suicide, because it has become a global public health crisis that is preventable, and yet it has become a mental health menace which has taken many of our people to the grave prematurely.
The World Health Organisation informs us that every 40 seconds, someone, somewhere in the world takes their own life through suicide.
That is a frightening statistic, 2160 people dying daily through suicide, it translates to 788,400 people dying annually from suicide.
This prevalence makes suicide an immediate problem that requires urgent medical and social solutions within our communities, because not doing so is robbing the country of people who succumb to this menace at the prime of their lives.
Suicide is now believed to be the leading cause of death among young people aged between 16 and 28 in Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately here in our country, it is not unusual anymore to read headlines in the local media related to suicide.
Our citizens are now so used to it, such that they simply shake their heads in disbelief whenever another suicide story is published in our media.
A society should NEVER be conditioned to something so dreadful that can be drastically reduced by public mental health interventions, failing to do so is an act of gross irresponsibility and social negligence.
This means that suicide has become a major public health priority that needs immediate attention in Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately we currently have a broken public health delivery system that is struggling to treat the most basic of medical conditions due to years of underfunding and neglect.
According to the World Health Organisation, our country has one of the highest suicide rates in the region, this is not surprising anymore because a struggling economy puts unbearable pressure on the minds of its citizens.
Associated with suicide are also mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders and many other mental health conditions that unfortunately due to our age old cultural taboos, they are not talked about sufficiently and openly in our communities.
These mental health disorders are easily treatable, but because of the huge treatment gap for such conditions in our country, 90 percent of those needing evidence-based care do not get it because we don’t have enough professionals to treat them.
Zimbabwe currently has only 15 practicing psychiatrists for a population of 15 million people that is one psychiatrist for every one million people.
Unfortunately almost all of them are restricted to tertiary health facilities in Harare, making it difficult for those at community and rural locations to access this pertinent service.
Task shifting is a concept that has been encouraged by the World Health Organisation as a way of addressing this treatment gap.
Making evidence-based care treatments accessible to many of our people who can’t afford to see a psychiatrist or a psychologist is extremely important.
By training community health volunteers as we have seen with the Friendship bench program, it is possible to provide immediate access in communities, schools, universities and the work place with the much-needed mental health care.
There is an urgent need for our mental health professionals to explore ways of scaling up task shifting models, particularly the ones that have been developed locally.
Mental health requires our communities to get together because Zimbabwe is going through one of the most difficult times, and the risk of mental ill health is high and probable in all segments of our country regardless of societal status, class or race.
As a political party concerned with the mental well-being of our citizens, the MDC values the importance of mental health because it is a key building block to a prosperous society and economy.
A prosperous and healthy economy by its very nature will reduce the pressures that afflict our people daily, resulting in disorders such as depression and anxiety or worse.
I therefore on this very important day encourage all Zimbabweans to take time out to show compassion towards each other, and remember that regardless of our various chosen political persuasions, we are one people.
Be your brother’s keeper, be the mother of the nation who will help heal the many traumatic wounds that we carry from a very difficult past and presently harsh economic environment.
Under my new government, I make a commitment today to putting mental health amongst my first priorities in order to reduce the unacceptable mental treatment gap.
It is totally unacceptable that out of every 100 people that require access to mental health services in our country, only 10 people are able to get that much needed help that is 10 percent.
We will change all that and make mental health the most urgent priority in our health delivery system. For what are we without our minds?
Today let us create space and pay attention to citizens that need someone to talk to and share their stories, talking is an important therapy tool in healing the mind.
Let us all take time to listen to the broken-hearted, and let us all remember to take good care of our mental health.
On behalf of the MDC and myself, I wish the whole country a happy World Mental Health day.
Advocate Nelson Chamisa – President
Movement For Democratic Change
The spot where the snake some claimed is Kariba’s Nyami Nyami, eventually “vanished”
By A Correspondent- There was pandemonium along Angwa street opposite the former Ximex Mall in Harare Thursday morning when a sacred snake was discovered raising speculation that it came out of the boot of a car belonging to one of the entrepreneurs who operates near the area.
While some claimed the serpent is Kariba’s Nyami Nyami creature, an elder revealed it is the sacred ndara, or ngara beast.
The snake, which brought pedestrians in the city centre to a standstill was however reportedly killed and shoved down a drain along Angwa street.
While others said it had been killed, others alleged that the snake was shoved inside the drain alive considering that it is a sacred snake.
Said a man who refused to speak on camera:
“The snake is called the “ngara” (or “ndara”) – it is sacred and a very rare snake which signals misfortune. It had so many colours and I am shocked that such a type of snake can be discovered in the central business district.”
Added a female vendor along Angwa street:
“While i did not see where it came from, what i know is that it was shoved down the drain alive. I think the owner is the one who pushed for it not to be killed. It is very strange that such a type of snake can be discovered here. But this is not the first time that we have witnessed such. Vanhu vepano vanoshandisa mushonga meaning the business people who operate from this area use juju.”
An elderly man confirmed that the type of snake that was discovered is a very rare species adding that besides misfortune, the snake signalled the death of a very big person within a community such as a King.
AUDIO LOADING BELOW (STORY CONTINUES)
“It was good that they did not kill it. Ngara is a very sacred snake which when you see it in any community, it signals sickness or even death. In most instances, the death of even a king.”
Watch the live video loading below for this story and more…….
Farai Dziva|MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has said the biting economic crisis in the country is the major cause of suicide cases.
Below is Chamisa’s statement on World Mental Health Day:
Today it is the World Mental Health Day, a very important occasion where we stop and reflect on how we would have spent the previous year looking after the most import part of the human body, the mind.
On the 10th of October every year, the world commemorates and acknowledges the importance of mental health across the world in metropolitan and rural communities.
The focus on this year’s World Mental Health Day is on suicide, because it has become a global public health crisis that is preventable, and yet it has become a mental health menace which has taken many of our people to the grave prematurely.
The World Health Organisation informs us that every 40 seconds, someone, somewhere in the world takes their own life through suicide.
That is a frightening statistic, 2160 people dying daily through suicide, it translates to 788,400 people dying annually from suicide.
This prevalence makes suicide an immediate problem that requires urgent medical and social solutions within our communities, because not doing so is robbing the country of people who succumb to this menace at the prime of their lives.
Suicide is now believed to be the leading cause of death among young people aged between 16 and 28 in Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately here in our country, it is not unusual anymore to read headlines in the local media related to suicide.
Our citizens are now so used to it, such that they simply shake their heads in disbelief whenever another suicide story is published in our media.
A society should NEVER be conditioned to something so dreadful that can be drastically reduced by public mental health interventions, failing to do so is an act of gross irresponsibility and social negligence.
This means that suicide has become a major public health priority that needs immediate attention in Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately we currently have a broken public health delivery system that is struggling to treat the most basic of medical conditions due to years of underfunding and neglect.
According to the World Health Organisation, our country has one of the highest suicide rates in the region, this is not surprising anymore because a struggling economy puts unbearable pressure on the minds of its citizens.
Associated with suicide are also mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders and many other mental health conditions that unfortunately due to our age old cultural taboos, they are not talked about sufficiently and openly in our communities.
These mental health disorders are easily treatable, but because of the huge treatment gap for such conditions in our country, 90 percent of those needing evidence-based care do not get it because we don’t have enough professionals to treat them.
Zimbabwe currently has only 15 practicing psychiatrists for a population of 15 million people that is one psychiatrist for every one million people.
Unfortunately almost all of them are restricted to tertiary health facilities in Harare, making it difficult for those at community and rural locations to access this pertinent service.
Task shifting is a concept that has been encouraged by the World Health Organisation as a way of addressing this treatment gap.
Making evidence-based care treatments accessible to many of our people who can’t afford to see a psychiatrist or a psychologist is extremely important.
By training community health volunteers as we have seen with the Friendship bench program, it is possible to provide immediate access in communities, schools, universities and the work place with the much-needed mental health care.
There is an urgent need for our mental health professionals to explore ways of scaling up task shifting models, particularly the ones that have been developed locally.
Mental health requires our communities to get together because Zimbabwe is going through one of the most difficult times, and the risk of mental ill health is high and probable in all segments of our country regardless of societal status, class or race.
As a political party concerned with the mental well-being of our citizens, the MDC values the importance of mental health because it is a key building block to a prosperous society and economy.
A prosperous and healthy economy by its very nature will reduce the pressures that afflict our people daily, resulting in disorders such as depression and anxiety or worse.
I therefore on this very important day encourage all Zimbabweans to take time out to show compassion towards each other, and remember that regardless of our various chosen political persuasions, we are one people.
Be your brother’s keeper, be the mother of the nation who will help heal the many traumatic wounds that we carry from a very difficult past and presently harsh economic environment.
Under my new government, I make a commitment today to putting mental health amongst my first priorities in order to reduce the unacceptable mental treatment gap.
It is totally unacceptable that out of every 100 people that require access to mental health services in our country, only 10 people are able to get that much needed help that is 10 percent.
We will change all that and make mental health the most urgent priority in our health delivery system. For what are we without our minds?
Today let us create space and pay attention to citizens that need someone to talk to and share their stories, talking is an important therapy tool in healing the mind.
Let us all take time to listen to the broken-hearted, and let us all remember to take good care of our mental health.
On behalf of the MDC and myself, I wish the whole country a happy World Mental Health day.
Advocate Nelson Chamisa – President
Movement For Democratic Change
By Alois Vinga| Zimnat Life is risking a lawsuit over data protection breaches and gross misrepresentations to Diaspora Funeral Cash Plan (DFCP) clients of their role in the delivery of the bespoke cover. It is well known in the diaspora community that DFCP is also underwritten by Madison Life of Zambia and is available to diaspora Zambians worldwide. DFCP which is now re-insured by the world’s biggest re-insurer, Munich Re, is set for exponential growth and global expansion starting with key African diaspora markets.
DFCP is globally trademarked and was developed and is wholly owned by Diaspora Insurance, who are the Intellectual Property (IP) owners.
In 2011, Diaspora Insurance approached Zimnat Life to underwrite their now household name Diaspora Funeral Cash Plan for the Zimbabwean diaspora market. The role of Zimnat in the whole relationship was just to underwrite the product and issue policy documents.
Speaking to ZimEye on Thursday, Diaspora Insurance Chief Executive Officer Jeff Madzingo said ‘…an inference that Zimnat Life has interest in the DFCP brand beyond underwriting is outright mischief and scandalous. Their deceit is motivated by the greed and we instructed our lawyers to take on Zimnat Life over the issue of misrepresentation and breach of data protection contract..’
‘For record Zimnat Life was in 2012 offered an opportunity to buy exclusive underwriting (for Zimbabweans worldwide) and/or shareholding when DFCP started and needed resources to capacitate for growth but Zimnat Life lacked vision to take up the offer….So for all these years Zimnat Life was enjoying free lunch literally..’ he added. ‘Zimnat life has not invested a single penny in the business nor have acquired a single client. They do not even know how all the DFCP clients were acquired,’ said Mr Madzingo.
Diaspora Insurance relationships with underwriters are governed by some Service Level Agreements and Data Protection Agreements which is why for years their underwriters do not directly interface with or contact their clients. Such arrangements are not uncommon especially in the first world. After respecting the data protection rules for years Zimnat Life decided to breach the agreements and started bombarding DFCP clients directly when Diaspora Insurance started offering DFCP through more secure international insurer/reinsurer.
“In all this discourse, the client is principal and our motivation to switch underwriters was informed by the need to treat our customers fairly and making sure their hard-earned money buys them long-term protection with guaranteed benefits underwritten in the world’s leading financial capitals,’ said Dr Sibert Mandega, executive director of Diaspora Insurance. ‘Our philosophy is to guarantee our clients’ peace of mind by constantly reviewing the risks carried by our business partners and the economic environment they operate in and make strategic changes to our business in the best interest of our clients,’ he explained.
The Diaspora Insurance executive director said the new Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe policy banning the multicurrency use, prevailing hyperinflationary environment and other inside info factors influenced their decision to disengage Zimnat Life as it would be impossible for their clients to derive expected benefits on a log-term insurance product like DFCP.
Documents in our possession show that on May 24 2018, United Kingdom based, Diaspora Insurance entered into an Information Processing Agreement with Zimnat under which the underwriters agreed not to contact DFCP policy holders directly.
Mandega added: ‘..but we were surprised to learn that they have been bombarding clients with emails and phone calls distressing them with all sorts of unfounded falsehoods…’
In another article published on 4 October 2019 by The Herald, Zimnat misrepresented the actual position on the matter after claiming that Diaspora Insurance had been an appointed agent of Zimnat Life Assurance for the DFCP. It was not clear how Destiny Finance Ltd could have been appointed an agent on their own brand and IP. It further claimed that it had been granted permission to ring fence the facility.
“The Government has been unequivocally supportive of diaspora-related products. Circular 13 of 2019 from IPEC dealing with the authority to offer selected insurance policies in foreign currency, coming after the gazetting of Statutory Instrument 142 of 2019, gives provisions to this effect,” Zimnat was quoted by The Herald.
When this reporter reviewed of the referred Circular 13 they could not find an collaborative information to effect that Zimnat was given permission to ring-fence on any policies. In reality, Section 3 specifies that only the following insurances could be issued in foreign currency; international travel insurance, motor in transit, customs bond, bank cash and safari operations insurance. The Circular 13 clearly stipulates RBZ rules when it comes to flow of premiums and claims which should go through normal banking system.
Contacted for comment and challenged to produce tangible evidence proving ownership status of DFCP and also to confirm who their claimed international re-insurer was, Zimnat group PR and Marketing Executive, Angela Mpala declined to comment beyond the statement published in The Herald.
Farai Dziva|The MDC has confirmed receipt of a proposal from church leaders to postpone elections for seven years.
“The MDC, through its President Advocate Nelson Chamisa, is in receipt of a proposal from the Church.
President Chamisa is seized with the issue and the party Presidency will appropriately comment on the matter at the appropriate time,” said Luke Tamborinyoka the party’s
Deputy National Spokesperson.
By A Correspondent- Bakers Inn and Lobels, two of the biggest producers of bread in the country, have halted production following the shortage of flour, H-Metro has learnt.
Most outlets and supermarkets had empty bread shelves as of yesterday.
National Bakers Association of Zimbabwe president Dennis Wallah confirmed the development.
“Bread production is dwindling due to the unavailability of flour and bakeries are not able to supply in shops and supermarkets.
“Bread shortage is already taking place and this is not a deliberate move from the bread industry to create a shortage in order to increase prices.
“Remember, the price system has not been stable due to the market pressure, so I insist, the shortage is not about bakeries holding bread to find means to hike bread prices,” he said.
Wallah also dispelled social media speculation that they had proposed to hike wholesale bread price to RTGS$14 and retail price at RTGS $15.30.
“Production has not been halted to effect price increase but it is due to the unavailability of flour.
“We have engaged the Government, supplies and the Minister of Industry and Commerce are seized with the matter,” Wallah said.
Contacted for comment, Minister of Industry and Commerce Mangaliso Ndlovu confirmed the bread situation and allayed fears of bread shortages.
“I am aware of the situation and I can confirm everything is under control as we are working on it.
“It is not the issue of increasing bread prices, remember wheat is almost 100 percent imported so this situation involves foreign currency challenges along with delays in deliveries, but however, we are working on it to rectify the problem,” he said.
The president of the Grain Miller’s Association of Zimbabwe Tafadzwa Musarara said he is not in a position to comment on the issue as he was restricted by the Competition and Tariffs Commission.
However, he said:
“We wanted to control the situation and take charge of pricing our products but it did not happen.
“Things could have been better and we wanted to stabilise mealie, flour and bread prices, now look what is happening.”
By A Correspondent- A Zvimba family lost its belongings when a mysterious fire broke out on Sunday night.
The inferno occurred at Royden Plots in Ward 25 where Angela Muroyiwa, 43, escaped with burns.
Narrating her ordeal, Angela said she was still devastated after she lost food, clothes and building material in the inferno.
“It is being said there was a three-year old kid that lit that hut and an unbelievably heavy wind came and carried the flame to the second hut.
“Miraculously, this toddler is said to have run away from her mother at the compound and even the way he arrived back home was miraculous, we just saw him coming out of the burning hut.
“When we were looking for him, we asked about the fire lighter, some suspiciously said it was Pipi standing by the doorway.
“There were two wardrobes full of clothes, two beds, dressing table and one ton of maize, 10 cement bags, radio, battery, solar invertor, no serious injuries except my left arm which is still in pain,” said Angela.
Asked if there are any suspects, she said:
“I cannot point fingers at anyone but just suspect that this child was miraculously used by bad spirits.
“Yes there were a lot of miraculous things that have been happening around us for long, because vekomiti yechikoro vanga vachiti shungurudza.”
Angela said a mob led by one Zuruvi tormented her to leave her former homestead.
“They are the ones who have been always chasing us away from this farm house, they have been seriously traumatising us, imagine they gave us their notice in March, ordering us to have vacated by April, and we asked them why they were giving us that notice during the rainy season in April. How were we going to mould the farm bricks for our new homesteads, and they said we were just supposed to leave,” said Angela.
She also appealed for help after she lost all her belongings.
“So far here I have four children and one grandchild and her mother.
“I am a widow, I have a school going girl child in grade two, we live on farming, all my maize is now ashes and dust. I desperately need shelter for my children because I have two infants and we are sleeping outside, we are at zero, no clothes, no blankets, we got food from neighbours.
“We also thank our Councillor Ruzai Muchaurawa for the US$20 he brought with his District PC and chairman, it was too late for us to go to the shops, so we got food from the neighbours because it happened now-now.
“I came here after living at the farm house for the past 19 years with Mrs Zimuto, later this farm house was developed into a school by Councillor Ruzai Muchaurawa.
“From then, we started having conflicts with the school committee, saying we wanted time to finish my home so that I would safely move out because I have four daughters, and a school going girl, we could not move out and stay in the open.
“This committee finally pushed us out, that is when I finally came and squatter in these grass huts that have been brought down by this miraculous fire.
“Lastly, I would like to urge Councillor to keep on doing to the whole Roden Farm Community what he did for us from that time we started being tormented by this committee, otherwise we should be in the streets today, but he stood with us until today, we are homeless today but we are somewhere where we can get help since my husband passed on.”
Deputy minister of Information Energy Mutodi has rubbished G40 stalwart and former cabinet minister Saviour Kasukuwere’s presidential ambitions saying he is a mere former driver who serves no purpose.
Said Mutodi:
Mutodi dragged the late MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai and his predecessor Nelson Chamisa into his sarcastic description of Kasukuwere adding that it was baffling that he had presidential ambitions.
“Aspiring President Saviour Kasukuwere is a former driver at Gwaradzimba Express Motorways, his role model Morgan Tsvangirai was a tea boy and his potential ally Nelson a church pastor. Wonders will never end. Saviour serves no purpose.”
Today it is the World Mental Health Day, a very important occasion where we stop and reflect on how we would have spent the previous year looking after the most import part of the human body, the mind.
On the 10th of October every year, the world commemorates and acknowledges the importance of mental health across the world in metropolitan and rural communities.
The focus on this year’s World Mental Health Day is on suicide, because it has become a global public health crisis that is preventable, and yet it has become a mental health menace which has taken many of our people to the grave prematurely.
The World Health Organisation informs us that every 40 seconds, someone, somewhere in the world takes their own life through suicide.
That is a frightening statistic, 2160 people dying daily through suicide, it translates to 788,400 people dying annually from suicide.
This prevalence makes suicide an immediate problem that requires urgent medical and social solutions within our communities, because not doing so is robbing the country of people who succumb to this menace at the prime of their lives.
Suicide is now believed to be the leading cause of death among young people aged between 16 and 28 in Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately here in our country, it is not unusual anymore to read headlines in the local media related to suicide.
Our citizens are now so used to it, such that they simply shake their heads in disbelief whenever another suicide story is published in our media.
A society should NEVER be conditioned to something so dreadful that can be drastically reduced by public mental health interventions, failing to do so is an act of gross irresponsibility and social negligence.
This means that suicide has become a major public health priority that needs immediate attention in Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately we currently have a broken public health delivery system that is struggling to treat the most basic of medical conditions due to years of underfunding and neglect.
According to the World Health Organisation, our country has one of the highest suicide rates in the region, this is not surprising anymore because a struggling economy puts unbearable pressure on the minds of its citizens.
Associated with suicide are also mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders and many other mental health conditions that unfortunately due to our age old cultural taboos, they are not talked about sufficiently and openly in our communities.
These mental health disorders are easily treatable, but because of the huge treatment gap for such conditions in our country, 90 percent of those needing evidence-based care do not get it because we don’t have enough professionals to treat them.
Zimbabwe currently has only 15 practicing psychiatrists for a population of 15 million people that is one psychiatrist for every one million people.
Unfortunately almost all of them are restricted to tertiary health facilities in Harare, making it difficult for those at community and rural locations to access this pertinent service.
Task shifting is a concept that has been encouraged by the World Health Organisation as a way of addressing this treatment gap.
Making evidence-based care treatments accessible to many of our people who can’t afford to see a psychiatrist or a psychologist is extremely important.
By training community health volunteers as we have seen with the Friendship bench program, it is possible to provide immediate access in communities, schools, universities and the work place with the much-needed mental health care.
There is an urgent need for our mental health professionals to explore ways of scaling up task shifting models, particularly the ones that have been developed locally.
Mental health requires our communities to get together because Zimbabwe is going through one of the most difficult times, and the risk of mental ill health is high and probable in all segments of our country regardless of societal status, class or race.
As a political party concerned with the mental well-being of our citizens, the MDC values the importance of mental health because it is a key building block to a prosperous society and economy.
A prosperous and healthy economy by its very nature will reduce the pressures that afflict our people daily, resulting in disorders such as depression and anxiety or worse.
I therefore on this very important day encourage all Zimbabweans to take time out to show compassion towards each other, and remember that regardless of our various chosen political persuasions, we are one people.
Be your brother’s keeper, be the mother of the nation who will help heal the many traumatic wounds that we carry from a very difficult past and presently harsh economic environment. Under my new government, I make a commitment today to putting mental health amongst my first priorities in order to reduce the unacceptable mental treatment gap.
It is totally unacceptable that out of every 100 people that require access to mental health services in our country, only 10 people are able to get that much needed help that is 10 percent.
We will change all that and make mental health the most urgent priority in our health delivery system. For what are we without our minds?
Today let us create space and pay attention to citizens that need someone to talk to and share their stories, talking is an important therapy tool in healing the mind.
Let us all take time to listen to the broken hearted, and let us all remember to take good care of our mental health.
On behalf of the MDC and myself, I wish the whole country a happy World Mental Health day.
Advocate Nelson Chamisa President – Movement For Democratic Change
By A Correspondent- A recent report in the Daily News on the deliberations of and the goings-on within the Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC) caused Emmerson Mnangagwa to blow the gasket – in a development which left the high-profile counsellors stunned.
Well-placed sources told the newspaper that the normally laid back Mnangagwa tore into his advisors and angrily asked them to resign if they were not happy with him and his government’s response to the country’s myriad political and economic challenges.
Mnangagwa reportedly told his advisors to resign from their posts as advisers if they are unable to keep secrets.
His remarks come after reports suggesting that some PAC members leaked internal and confidential information to the Daily News on the discussions taking place in PAC.
Mr George Charamba who is the spokesperson of President Mnangagwa confirmed the development saying that the president was not happy with his advisers.
By A Correspondent- The Meteorological Services Department (MSD) said that some parts of the country will from this Thursday start to experience heavy rains.
The rains will be violent, accompanied by lightning, strong winds and hail. In a statement on Wednesday, the MSD said:
The thundershowers may be very violent in some places and accompanied by lightning, strong winds and even hail.
The public is advised that it is safer to be indoors during thunderstorms and do not stay under trees as these tend to be natural lightning conductors.
The country has been experiencing very high temperatures over the past few days. High temperatures generate powerful convection currents and when the relative humidity is high, thunderstorms usually result during the late afternoon and early evening hours.
By A Correspondent- A Makokoba resident was on Monday defrauded of $26 612,97 by suspected cyber criminals after they allegedly hacked his bank account by sending text messages instructing him to punch a code which gave them access to his account.
Mzilikazi police received a report from Reuben Mpofu (54) of Makokoba, who said his CABS bank account had been hacked and cleaned of all the money, leaving only $3,30.
“Circumstances are that on October 2, the complainant’s CABS bank account was credited with a sum of $26 612,97 as his pension lump sum,” a police source said.
“On October 5 at around 12:16pm, the complainant received a short message service (SMS) on his Econet line purportedly to be from the Central Africa Building Society (CABS) Bank … The complainant had earlier ignored the first same message, which was sent at 12:13pm on the same day.”
The police source stated that soon after receiving the second message at 12:16pm, at exactly 12:17pm, Mpofu received an anonymous call asking him to respond to the short message service.
Mpofu then supplied the suspect with the code, 631220, which had been sent through SMS. The victim was thinking it was genuinely from CABS.
“At exactly 12:23pm, the complainant received a notification that a sum of $10 000 had been debited from his account. He then phoned the suspect’s phone number and he stated that he was fixing the account and promised that the money was to be credited back into complainant’s account,” the source said.
“At around 12:24pm, another $5 000 was debited from the complainant’s account. The complainant then phoned the suspect, who said they were about to finish fixing his account. The complainant then decided to wait for the bank to fix his account and never suspected any foul play since he had been banking with CABS for a long time.”
The police source said at 12:29pm on the same day, $750 was debited from Mpofu’s bank account and a series of deductions went on until the balance on the complainant’s bank balance was $3,20.
“Mpofu then decided to physically visit the bank to confirm the transactions and the same suspect phoned him while he was in the queue at the bank and promised that he was still fixing his bank account. He also identified himself as Tapera from CABS bank.
“The complainant then waited patiently for about 20 minutes, but nothing materialised. The complainant then proceeded to the banking hall and the branch manager at CABS Bulawayo Jason Moyo Branch advised him that his money has been stolen and urged him to report the matter to the police. The total value stolen is $26 612,97,” the police source said.
“The complainant then proceeded to Mzilikazi Police Station to file a report and investigations are underway.”
The alleged fraud was confirmed by the Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube, who yesterday issued a warning to citizens to avoid responding to text messages concerning their bank accounts following the fraud which befell Mpofu.
“We have discovered a new crime where people have lost substantial amounts of money to thugs. Though we have only received cases from CABS bank, however, those who use other financial institutions should take caution,” he said.
“What they do is, you receive a text message purporting to be from your bank. Then they will tell you to enter a code in your phone as acknowledgement. Believing that it will be genuine, you will respond, and in a few minutes to follow, all your account will be cleared of the money that you have.”
He added that citizens must ignore such messages or report to the police if they suspect they are about to be defrauded.
CABS managing director Simon Hammond said they were concerned about cases of fraud and would continue to warn CABS account holders of the risk of responding to messages requesting them to reveal their identities or PIN numbers over the phone or through SMSes.
“CABS will never ask you to confirm any personal banking information PIN, OTP (one-time passwords) over the phone. Do not honour such requests. Call CABS immediately on 0242-883822,” he said.
“In addition, OTPs (one-time passwords) sent to customers contain a similar warning. As we develop our services, systems and apps, we will embed further measures to combat fraudsters.
“We will look at the merits of this individual case (customers of all banks are at risk) and refund if appropriate, as we do for other cases of fraud.”
By A Correspondent- The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has pushed President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government into a tight corner after saying teachers will withdraw labour on the 14th of October unless the government increases their salaries.
Writing on their Twitter handle, teachers said:
“We don’t have to risk the integrity of national examinations by deploying hungry and angry teachers as invigilators. Withdrawing labour on 14 October is in the best interest of our education sector.”
By A Correspondent- State Security minister Owen Ncube has been implicated in the often violent Mazowe illegal mining activities that have seen youth gangs popularly known as MaShurugwi, engage in machete wars over gold that have many people dead or injured.
Most of the MaShurugwi reportedly come from the Midlands province, where minister, a close ally of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, hails from.
NewsDay is reliably informed that villagers from Mazowe last Wednesday implicated Ncube, claiming the violent artisanal miners had been boasting that they were linked to the minister and were untouchable.
The villagers made the claims last week when an inter-ministerial task force visited the province to assess the scourge of illegal mining.
The delegation comprised four ministers — Winston Chitando (Mines), Kazembe Kazembe (Information and Technology Communication), Fortune Chasi (Energy) and Monica Mutsvangwa (Information and Publicity).
Police officers and Zanu PF officials also attended the meeting.
The villagers, who said they were now living in fear of the machete gangs, claimed that the MaShurugwi, who have been accused of wreaking havoc in the province, often brag about their links to the high offices, describe Ncube as their godfather.
The gangs have been said to be behind a series of crimes in Mazowe and some are already serving varying jail sentences for killings in the machete gold wars, despite claiming known as Jumbo Mine, where the MaShurugwis have been said to be terrorising villagers.
The ministers visited Eureka Mine, a defunct gold mine that Mnangagwa visited before last year’s election, promising to open it and create hundreds of jobs, but is still to make good of the promise.
Jumbo Mine has become a hub of illegal miners and is claiming life on a daily basis due to unsafe mining practices.
Three people are reported to have been killed this weekend in machete wars.
While the ministers were locked in a meeting, some irate villagers outside claimed the MaShurugwi had been bragging of their links to Ncube, who is also accused of running similar gangs in the Midlands province, in Mnangagwa’s backyard.
“We told the ministers that all the chaos in this province is being fuelled by top ranking people linked to the machete-wielding artisanal miners,” one Zanu PF youth told NewsDay.
“The panners are terrorising the province, raping, robbing and murdering people. As Zanu PF youth, we retaliated last month and the chaos resulted in the burning of two commuter omnibuses which wanted to transport the MaShurugwi out of the province.”
The MaShurugwi have lately clashed with Zanu PF youths who are miffed that the people from the Midlands province are coming to terrorise them on their home turf.
Last month, the clashes turned bloody, with the ruling party youths torching cars the artisanal miners were using as transport.
At the height of the clashes, Zanu PF Mashonaland Central provincial youth chairperson Lens Ruwizhi Farando indicated that the party youths wanted to drive out the artisanal miners because they were causing unrest in the province.
The MaShurugwi, however, hit back, claiming Ruwizhi was simply angry because the artisanal miners refused to give him money he was demanding.
Another villager added: “Some of the villagers told the taskforce that the MaShurugwi openly bragged that they have protection from Ncube and would be released even if they are arrested.”
Ncube was not picking calls yesterday, but Information permanent secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana, who was also part of the inter-ministerial team, without confirming or denying the villagers’ claims, said most Zimbabweans now have a pernicious social practice of excessive use of authoritative names for both criminal and patronage purposes.
“But that does not mean the person doing the name-dropping would have been sent by the person they claim to be their principal. It is tragic that we are in this place where some are taken by such simple con jobs,” Mangwana said.
“The use of a name of someone in a position of influence seems to have the effect of immobilising and disempowering the victim. The police should not be fazed by the use of the senior official’s name. This is why we have the trendy charge of ‘abuse of public office’ against those who misuse their positions of public trust for personal gain.”
According to some sources, during the meeting, Kazembe is said to have called for the closure of the mine, claiming it was now a headache for the district.
This was after Police Officer Commanding Mashonaland Central Rangarirai Mushaurwa allegedly accused the Mines ministry of failing to run the mine and requiring about half of the police force in the district to control the chaos around it.
Mashaurwa suggested that people should be put in groups of 100 and then take turns to mine while responding to allegations that the police were giving different charges on artisanal miners, raising suspicion of corruption in the conduct of the law enforcement agents.
Asked for comment, Kazembe said:
“We can’t call for the closure of a mine that is already closed. The mine was closed a long time ago. We called for the normalisation of operations at the mine as people are suffering.
“The ex-employees are now destitute, and the mine is lying idle with no capitalisation for years. The country is losing and the people are losing while such an asset is lying idle.
We are saying, the mine must be brought back to its old days even if it means bringing in new investors, if the current owner has failed. Anyway, that issue is being handled by the Mines minister (Chitando).”
He said if sanity was restored at the mine, the youths would benefit more.
By A Correspondent- Total has hiked the price of gas from $15 to $20 per kg. This follows a similar move by Zuva Petroleum which raised the price for its gas from $18 to $22 last Friday.
According to Zim Price Check, Total has a model of selling gas different from other retailers.
The report says:
Total uses a somewhat old model of selling gas. They have their own containers for which you have to pay a deposit the first time you become a customer. You then take the container home and when it runs empty you have to bring it back.
However, the model has several advantages for Total’s customers in that they use the same containers when they return to buy more gas and the gas cylinders are safer, and leaking containers are repaired away from customers.
By A Correspondent- A gold panner died after he fell into a 20-metre-deep mine shaft in Umzingwane while illegally prospecting for the mineral.
Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Loveness Mangena confirmed the incident which occurred on Sunday at around 6AM at Stancorn Farm.
She said Goodness Sibanda (25) of Dingile Village in Matobo slipped and fell into the shaft.
“I can confirm that we recorded a sudden death case which occurred in Umzingwane. Goodness Sibanda who was in the company of two others was illegally prospecting for gold at Stancorn Farm.
“While he was entering the shaft Sibanda slipped and fell into the shaft and sustained broken legs and head injuries. He was assisted by his mates who pulled him out of the shaft and he was ferried to Umzingwane District Hospital where he was confirmed dead upon arrival,” she said.
Insp Mangena urged people to desist from illegal mining.
“As police we continue to urge people to desist from engaging in illegal mining activities as by so doing they will be putting their lives at risk. Such people conduct their mining activities without protective clothing and necessary equipment which may result in injuries or death, like in this case. People have to regularise their mining operations and acquire the necessary equipment and clothing,” she said.
By A Correspondent- Passengers who survived Saturday’s Smart Express Vumba bus accident have blamed the driver for causing the mishap as they accused him of drinking beer before the journey to Mutare.
A man who identified himself as the owner of the bus, Ken Makosi, refused to comment on the accident. He begged the reporter to drop the story.
“Please don’t publish this story because it will tarnish the image of our company. We will definitely do something for you/”
The driver of the bus, who refused to divulge his name, however quickly dismissed the allegations and attributed the accident to a mechanical fault.
The accident occurred barely a year after another Smart Express bus killed over 50 people along the Harare-Mutare Highway in a horrific national disaster.
With over 40 people on board while descending the steep Vumba curves, the driver lost control of the bus at the 15km peg from Mutare at the Lower Vumba Gardens.
It landed on its right side, injuring several passengers who were quickly rushed to hospital by guests who were attending a wedding nearby.
When the Manica Post arrived at the scene moments later, most of the injured had been taken to hospital.
The visibly confused bus driver labored to explain what had happened.
“When I was negotiating a curve, I heard something breaking under the bus and I knew it was the U-bolt. I lost control of the vehicle but I managed to avoid hitting trees, otherwise people would have died,” he said.
When asked about his alleged braai and beer drinking binge at Chishakwe Business Centre before the journey to Mutare he said: “I didn’t drink beer. These are mere allegations.”
However, accident victims were singing from a different hymn book.
Precious Marigo who suffered head and body injuries said: “I boarded the bus at Tambawaguta bus stop after I had been told by a passerby that the bus was delaying because the bus driver was busy drinking beer and braaing at Chishakwe Business Centre. When I boarded the bus he (the driver) was shouting at passengers to move fast because he was behind time. He was also speeding, despite passengers discouraging him from doing so.”
The MDC rejected a proposal by churches for a seven-year moratorium on elections on Wednesday, but welcomed efforts by heads of Christian denominations to end Zimbabwe’s economic and political paralysis.
The pitch was made by the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Union for the Development of Apostolic Churches in Zimbabwe Africa on Tuesday.
The churches called for a “Sabbath on all political contestation for seven years to allow for the rebuilding of trust and confidence, reset our politics and chart a shared way forward towards a comprehensive economic recovery path in a non-competitive political environment.”
Zanu PF has yet to respond, although deputy information minister and Goromonzi MP Energy Mutodi put out a tweet on Wednesday saying the churches’ call was based on “visions from the devil”.
The MDC was more measured, saying it welcomed the church’s efforts at finding solutions to the country’s deepening economic crisis marked by triple digit inflation; fuel, bread and electricity shortages; a weak currency and declining salaries.
“Every interested key stakeholder in the country must look for a long-lasting solution, because the people are suffering,” MDC spokesman Daniel Molokele said.
“But as the MDC, we have been very clear in our position concerning the future of this country and the way forward, that unless and until we resolve the political issues, the economy is going to be affected.”
Key to solving Zimbabwe’s problems, Molokele said, was resolving what he called a “crisis of political legitimacy”. His party does not recognise President Emmerson Mnangagwa following his disputed election win last year.
Molokele added: “The MDC has come up with the RELOAD policy document that outlines the five steps that need to be taken to ensure we move forward as a country. These begin with addressing political and diplomatic issues; an all-inclusive national dialogue process; a national transitional mechanism; comprehensive reforms and a free and fair election that will restore us to political legitimacy and allow us to focus on the economic and social issues.
“As the MDC, we encourage citizens to present their own positions on the future of the country so that we finally come to a national convergence to resolve the political issues.”
Mnangagwa has invited the MDC to a political dialogue process along with two dozen other political party leaders who took part in last year’s elections, but the MDC says it will only take part in direct talks with the Zanu PF leader in a dialogue mediated by a neutral foreign convenor with an African Union and United Nations mandate.
The church leaders said Zimbabwe was in the grips of an economic and political paralysis which could not be solved by another election.
“Since 2000, election periods have been characterised by violence and paralysing polarisation… We foresee that whichever political party wins an election, the paralysis will remain if the opposing parties do not learn how to collaborate,” they said.
“The… current environment does not allow for meaningful political reforms nor is it conducive for an inclusive economic participation for ordinary citizens. Such an environment of toxic political relations also renders our international re-engagement process futile, which international isolation inhibits investor confidence.”
The suspension of elections in the constitution, the churches said, would be put to a national referendum following which discussions would begin about a detailed government structure.
“The assumption is that once the principle receives national acceptance through a referendum, a consultative process to design the operationalisation framework of the Sabbath season will be established through a broad-based and comprehensive national dialogue involving all levels of society.”
The churches said the Sabbath was a deep theological theme based on God’s command to his people to set the seventh day for a rest.
“Seven years were also considered as Sabbath years. Seven-year Sabbaths or 49 years constituted what was called the Jubilee season. In this Jubilee season, land would be left fallow so that it could recover its nutrients. Debts would be forgiven. New relationships would be built and God would bless his people.
“Zimbabwe reaches her Jubilee year in 2029. The nation could use this coming period to usher in a true Jubilee for the nation by removing all political contestation…”
Prominent Harare based clergyman Bishop CB Motondo of Grace Fellowship Ministries has revealed that there is a suspicious plot by a woman in this country and Zimbabweans must be on the lookout.
Speaking in an interview which touched the developments happening in Zimbabwe Motondo said he was going to give a Prophetic word for Zimbabwe during a Conference that he will be holding in Harare from the 18th to the 20th of this month.
Said Motondo, “There is a particular person God has shown me and that particular person is in and out of the country and his movement is suspicious but the issue involves a woman. I cannot reveal much now but I reveal more during the Conference from the 18th to the 20th of October. But I can only say that person is up to something.”
By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe’s Labour Court has reserved judgement in a matter where government through the Health ministry approached the courts seeking a determination regarding industrial action by local doctors who are demanding higher salaries and improved conditions of service.
The ministry of health last week issued an ultimatum to striking doctors to return to work or face disciplinary action before taking the matter to the Labour court seeking an order to declare the strike either legal or illegal in terms of the local labour laws.
A lawyer representing the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors’ Association (ZHDA), Doug Coltart however is on record claiming that contrary to government’s arguments seeking to declare the doctors’ strike as either legal or illegal, the doctors’ industrial action was a result of incapacitation hence could not be deemed not a strike.
Said Coltart:
“Doctors are saying we are not on strike and we are not unwilling to go to work but we are unable because we are incapacitated. That evidence was not laid before the court by the minister.
……With respect, once you make that concession that indeed doctors are incapacitated that’s the end of the matter. It’s not a strike, the doctors are simply unable to go to work.”
This is a developing story. Refresh this page for latest details.
Professor Jonathan Moyo has alleged that the members of the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation have infiltrated into all the newsrooms of media houses in the country except that of the South African owned Sunday Times.
Moyo was talking after the Daily News wrote a scathing letter to his Twitter statement that the Financial Gazette was owned by the CIO.
Said Moyo, “The CIO bought into the Financial Gazzette long before the latter’s association with Daily News. This is a fact. It stands to reason that the CIO is also in the newsroom of the DailyNews. Now the CIO is in the newsrooms of all major media houses in Zimbabwe except the Sunday Times.”
Read below the extract of the Daily News article:
“It is generally not our style to either engage with or respond to the mad rantings of deluded chaos mongers, pathological liars and social media retards. But there comes a point where some things cannot be ignored as remaining silent under such circumstances can, unfortunately, encourage shameless charlatans and other small minds in their malicious, wicked ways. Indeed, and as Richard Edelman said, to be silent is sometimes to be complicit.
“And so, it was with utter horror that we were alerted to a social media posting this week by the self-exiled former Cabinet minister, Jonathan Moyo, which suggested that our sister newspaper, The Financial Gazette, is allegedly owned by the country’s notorious Central Intelligence Organisation.
“Only dunderheads think CR6s & CR14s are the best evidence to expose shareholders or to pierce the corporate veil of a rogue media house in bed with an embattled predatory State. The CIO ownership of the Fingaz is not recorded in any CR6 or CR14, yet it is a fact!” this notorious author of the current dire state of Zimbabwe’s media wrote “authoritatively” as he had a go at a rival media house.
“As expected, his ever obliging poodles a good number of them thoroughly discredited former State media hacks supported this rank lunacy.
Norton Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa has urged former Minister of Tourism Senator Prisca Mupfumira to resign from her senatorial position due to the alleged mounting cases against her.
Said Mliswa, “I don’t know why Mai Mupfumira continues to hang on to the Senatorial seat; she’s already been humiliated and should resign. More cases are already piling up against her.”
Mupfumira was released on bail last month after spending two months in jail over the disappearance of $94million from NSSA.
Mliswa was at the forefront of calling for her arrest.
Mupfumira is first sitting minister of the ruling Zanu-PF party to be arrested for corruption under the new administration of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Two weeks after her arrest Mnangagwa sacked her from his cabinet.
After several attempts to be released from jail while she faces the charges, she was freed on bail and ordered her to report to a police station twice a week
Mnangagwa has identified endemic corruption as a major contributor to the country’s economic woes and vowed to root it out.
By A Correspondent- Bakers Inn and Lobels, two of the biggest producers of bread in the country, have halted production following the shortage of flour.
Most outlets and supermarkets had empty bread shelves as of yesterday.
National Bakers Association of Zimbabwe president Dennis Wallah confirmed the development.
“Bread production is dwindling due to the unavailability of flour and bakeries are not able to supply in shops and supermarkets.
“Bread shortage is already taking place and this is not a deliberate move from the bread industry to create a shortage in order to increase prices.
“Remember, the price system has not been stable due to the market pressure, so I insist, the shortage is not about bakeries holding bread to find means to hike bread prices,” he said.
Wallah also dispelled social media speculation that they had proposed to hike wholesale bread price to RTGS$14 and retail price at RTGS $15.30.
“Production has not been halted to effect price increase but it is due to the unavailability of flour.
“We have engaged the Government, supplies and the Minister of Industry and Commerce are seized with the matter,” Wallah said.
Contacted for comment, Minister of Industry and Commerce Mangaliso Ndlovu confirmed the bread situation and allayed fears of bread shortages.
“I am aware of the situation and I can confirm everything is under control as we are working on it.
“It is not the issue of increasing bread prices, remember wheat is almost 100 percent imported so this situation involves foreign currency challenges along with delays in deliveries, but however, we are working on it to rectify the problem,” he said.
The president of the Grain Miller’s Association of Zimbabwe Tafadzwa Musarara said he is not in a position to comment on the issue as he was restricted by the Competition and Tariffs Commission.
However, he said:
“We wanted to control the situation and take charge of pricing our products but it did not happen.
“Things could have been better and we wanted to stabilise mealie, flour and bread prices, now look what is happening.”
By A Correspondent- A Bindura man who was arrested for saying President Emmerson Mnangagwa has failed to revive the country’s comatose economy and politics has been acquitted.
This was disclosed by the man’s legal representatives, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) on microblogging site, Twitter.
Said ZLHR in a statement:
“In Bindura Saymore Mashorokoto represented by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights who had been on trial for disorderly conduct after he allegedly told fellow resident that President Mnangagwa had dismally failed to revive Zimbabwe’s political and economic fortunes, has been acquitted by Magistrate Langton Ndokera.
In April this year, MDC Alliance councillor for Ward 3 in Bindura, Brian Kembo, was dragged before a magistrate facing disorderly conduct charges after he allegedly said Mnangagwa is liable for causing stress and authoring the country’s economic problems.
Zimbabwe is expected to experience scattered thunder showers accompanied by lightning, strong winds and hail in some parts of the country, according to the Meteorological Services Department (MSD).
In a statement issued yesterday, the MSD said Manicaland, Matabeleland South, Masvingo, Midlands and parts of Mashonaland East were expected to start recording heavy rains starting today.
Elsewhere, scattered clouds are expected to develop with some isolated thundershowers.
“The thundershowers may be very violent in some places and accompanied by lightning, strong winds and even hail,” said the MSD. “The public is advised that it is safer to be indoors during thunderstorms and do not stay under trees as these tend to be natural lightning conductors.”
The country had been characterised by erratic weather, with very hot temperatures. The MSD said the current spate of isolated heat storms, light showers coupled with thunder and lightning in places far apart was normal during this transitory stage between winter and the main rain season which has not yet began.
By A Correspondent| Deputy minister of Information Energy Mutodi has rubbished G40 stalwart and former cabinet minister Saviour Kasukuwere’s presidential ambitions saying he is a mere former driver who serves no purpose.
Said Mutodi:
Mutodi dragged the late MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai and his predecessor Nelson Chamisa into his sarcastic description of Kasukuwere adding that it was baffling that he had presidential ambitions.
“Aspiring President Saviour Kasukuwere is a former driver at Gwaradzimba Express Motorways, his role model Morgan Tsvangirai was a tea boy and his potential ally Nelson a church pastor. Wonders will never end. Saviour serves no purpose.”
Aspiring President Saviour Kasukuwere is a former driver @ Gwaradzimba Express Motorways; his role model Morgan Tsvangirai was a tea-boy & his potential ally Nelson a church pastor. Wonders will never end! Saviour serves no purpose.
Paul Nyathi|Constitutional Lawyer and political commentator Alex Magaisa on Twitter listed these 7 as the stages a person who supports President Mnangagwa and the ruling party goes through.
1. Euphoria following “victory”. They don’t care how he won. They won. That’s all that matters. They mock, berate & ridicule their opponents as sore losers
2. Blind optimism in the early days. The future looks bright. Obvious failings are ignored. It’s the “Give Him a Chance Stage”. Any voices of dissent are shut down as negative and unpatriotic. During this stage any tiny bit of news is amplified to make it look bigger. Zvichaita.
6. Damascene moment. Accept the decision was wrong. Do the right thing. Best to abandon ship. Seek and find atonement. The genuine ones with a moral constitution rediscover it and fight hard. Some are sceptical but others understand. It’s good to have allies.
7. Some, however, remain trapped in denialism and blame-shifting. For some, that is all they know. Or they are eating. They know leadership has failed but they still hope for crumbs. So they keep banging on the propaganda drum. But that too will become embarrassing.
Seven Stages of an ED supporter
1. Euphoria following “victory”. They don’t care how he won. They won. That’s all that matters. They mock, berate & ridicule their opponents as sore losers.
ZANU PF MP and Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs chairperson Kindness Paradza was forced to jump to government defence after an opposition lawmaker demanded information on reports a shadowy US public relations consultancy firm had been engaged without Treasury approval.
Foreign Affairs Ministry permanent secretary James Manzou was left scratching his head after MDC Mpopoma legislator Charles Moyo demanded explanation on the circumstances surrounding government’s hiring of the US lobbyist firm Ballard Partners in March this year.
The committee was receiving oral evidence from the Ministry on its 2020 budget proposal as well as explaining some outstanding issues as raised by the Auditor General’s report.
Moyo asked Manzou to confirm if it is true that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration in March this year hired the US firm to spruce up Zimbabwe’s image before the international community as the “Second Republic” battles to restore the country’s image.
“There are reports and speculation that say the government paid the US lobbyist firm called the Ballard Partners about US$500 000. Since we are discussing your budget, as a Ministry may you explain exactly what happened?” Moyo asked.
Manzou however requested that Moyo retake his question to which Paradza jumped in: “I don’t know, the question says there is some company hired to do re-engagement which I am not aware of.”
Referring to Moyo, Paradza added : “I think you should put your question in writing and refer it to the Minister and he is going to answer that lets deal with the budget.”
Moyo was however not to be pushed as he pleaded with Paradza to protect him arguing Parliament needed to know whether the Ministry used resources allocated to it in the previous budget to pay the public relations firm or not.
“I need your protection chairman. We are talking of a re-engagement process. We are talking of forking out money to pay a firm, that is clearly a budget chairman,” Moyo said.
Paradza remained firm advising Moyo to document his question so that Foreign Affairs Minister Sibusiso Moyo would respond.
Manzou later said: “Our expenditures are before you. If the honourable (Moyo) can zero in on the particular expenditure this will help the minister in his response.”
Ballard Partners is a US lobbyists firm connected to US President Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign.
As if to confirm that indeed Mnangagwa had engaged the Ballard Partners, speaking to Bloomerg in March 2019, Information Ministry permanent secretary Nick Mangwana said lobbying is part of the strategy the new dispensation uses in its bid to end isolation from the international community.
“Over and above the National AIDS Trust Fund (NATF), my government is developing a robust National Health Insurance Scheme and stepping up innovative domestic funding initiatives such as the traditional AIDS levy and the new Health Levy, to enable us to focus on the sustainability of our response,” said Mnangagwa.
The state owned ZBC says Emmerson Mnangagwa has paid out USD1 million to the Global AIDS Fund at the ongoing 6th Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund Forum in Lyon, France.
The ZBC alleged Zimbabwe has contributed the figure to the fund.
Mnangagwa however, only announced a pledge of the amount on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, Mnangagwa appealed for support and sought partnerships to strengthen primary health care in the country.
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STATE MEDIA COPY: Mnangagwa during his speech at the conference, which is seeking to raise US$14 billion to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria expressed his gratitude towards the Global Fund for approving close to US$2 billion for Zimbabwe to fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
“Since 2002, the Global Fund has approved nearly US$1.7 billion to Zimbabwe, of which over US$1.3 has been disbursed,” he said.
“Let me express my profound gratitude for this invaluable support. As we build strong institutions, infrastructure and integrated services, we appeal for support and seek partnerships to strengthen primary health care, build and retain a competent health workforce to achieve Universal Health Coverage. Equally, early detection and surveillance systems of the three diseases remain paramount. Over and above the National AIDS Trust Fund (NATF), my government is developing a robust National Health Insurance Scheme and stepping up innovative domestic funding initiatives such as the traditional AIDS levy and the new Health Levy, to enable us to focus on the sustainability of our response,” said Mnangagwa.
Over 710 000 people are currently supported by Global Fund in Zimbabwe out of a total of 1.2 million people on Anti-Retro Viral Therapy.
Government made a US$1 million contribution at the conference as the country strives towards ending AIDS by 2030.
“We remain committed to continue to contribute to this worthy effort, and hereby pledge US$1 million.”
French President Emmanuel Macron who is hosting the conference pointed the finger at several countries for not pledging enough funds for the fight against the three diseases.
In his speech, President Macron called specifically on Japan, Norway, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to “make more of an effort” in increasing their contributions for the fight.
The Global Fund Forum aims to save 16 million lives within the next four years as well as averting 234 million infections worldwide.
Mnangagwa is accompanied by the acting Foreign Affairs Minister, Professor Amon Murwira and other senior government officials at the conference.
Paul Nyathi|Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi has allegedly developed cold feet over his decision to engage in a live presidential debate ahead of the forthcoming general elections, APA learnt here Thursday.Botswana holds do or die general elections on 23 October.
Masisi in June told a ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) rally in Maun town in the north western part of the country that he was ready for a presidential debate with opposition leaders.
He said in the run-up to the 2019 general elections he would like to engage leaders in a live debate but he has since made an about-turn on his promise.
The debates were supposed to be organised by the Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (BOCONGO).
In a letter seen by APA, BDP executive secretary Ame Makoba informed BOCONGO executive director Botho Seboko that Masisi would not be available for the debate scheduled for Friday.
“His Excellency the President has pre-arranged government business that he will be undertaking,” Makoba said.
Masisi was expected to face the leader of the opposition in parliament Duma Boko whose aggressive campaign trail has taken the nation by storm through their thematic message dubbed “Decent jobs, decent lives.”
A lawyer by profession and leader of the opposition coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), Boko is taking advantage of the escalating unemployment figures to woo the youth to his party by promising to raise the minimum wage from less than US$100 to US$300 a month.
Botswana’s youth unemployment currently stands at more than 20 percent.
On the other hand, Masisi is currently traversing the length and breadth of the country in what government officials have termed “consultation with the nation”.
But the opposition parties have raised a red flag, accusing Masisi of using the public meetings disguised as consultation through the kgotla system (a traditional law court of a Botswana village) to campaign.
Botswana laws prohibit the use of the kgotla system to discuss partisan politics; only development issues, tribal affairs, among others, should be discussed.
Other presidential candidates who are expected to take part in the debate are Ndaba Gaolathe of the Alliance for Progressives, Sidney Pilane of Botswana Movement for Democracy and Biggie Butale of Botswana Patriotic Front.
But observers are of the view that the real competition is between the ruling BDP and the UDC.
While the BDP had in the past taken advantage of incumbency by using state resources to traverse some difficult terrain to campaign, the UDC has also secured international sponsors who have provided it with an aircraft and buses so that Boko and his team can reach rural communities.
The leaders of the parties were expected to explain their manifestos to potential voters and observers are of the view that because of the huge number of unemployed youth it was going to be a mammoth task for Masisi to counter Boko and his UDC’s “decent lives, decent jobs.”
A statement from BOCONGO states that the discussion was expected to be moderated by highly skilled and respected scholars in the field of economics, political science and development.
It states that the overall objective of the debate was to create a platform for discussions with presidential representatives under the theme “the future of Botswana, our offer.”
Paul Nyathi|Long-serving chief of protocol in the office of the president Munyaradzi Kajese last week retired from his post as part of an ongoing government restructuring exercise that is expected to bring in new faces in key portfolios.
Kajese has been the chief of protocol for more than three decades, working most of his career under the late former President Robert Mugabe.
He kept his role after President Emmerson Mnangagwa came to power in late 2017, despite initial claims he would be retired immediately together with chief secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet Misheck Sibanda and other senior officials who had served under Mugabe.
The state owned ZBC says Emmerson Mnangagwa has paid out USD1 million to the Global AIDS Fund at the ongoing 6th Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund Forum in Lyon, France.
The ZBC alleged Zimbabwe has contributed the figure to the fund.
VIDEO LOADING BELOW….
Mnangagwa however, only announced a pledge of the amount on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, Mnangagwa appealed for support and sought partnerships to strengthen primary health care in the country.
STATE MEDIA COPY: Mnangagwa during his speech at the conference, which is seeking to raise US$14 billion to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria expressed his gratitude towards the Global Fund for approving close to US$2 billion for Zimbabwe to fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
“Since 2002, the Global Fund has approved nearly US$1.7 billion to Zimbabwe, of which over US$1.3 has been disbursed,” he said.
“Let me express my profound gratitude for this invaluable support. As we build strong institutions, infrastructure and integrated services, we appeal for support and seek partnerships to strengthen primary health care, build and retain a competent health workforce to achieve Universal Health Coverage. Equally, early detection and surveillance systems of the three diseases remain paramount. Over and above the National AIDS Trust Fund (NATF), my government is developing a robust National Health Insurance Scheme and stepping up innovative domestic funding initiatives such as the traditional AIDS levy and the new Health Levy, to enable us to focus on the sustainability of our response,” said Mnangagwa.
Over 710 000 people are currently supported by Global Fund in Zimbabwe out of a total of 1.2 million people on Anti-Retro Viral Therapy.
Government made a US$1 million contribution at the conference as the country strives towards ending AIDS by 2030.
“We remain committed to continue to contribute to this worthy effort, and hereby pledge US$1 million.”
French President Emmanuel Macron who is hosting the conference pointed the finger at several countries for not pledging enough funds for the fight against the three diseases.
In his speech, President Macron called specifically on Japan, Norway, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to “make more of an effort” in increasing their contributions for the fight.
The Global Fund Forum aims to save 16 million lives within the next four years as well as averting 234 million infections worldwide.
Mnangagwa is accompanied by the acting Foreign Affairs Minister, Professor Amon Murwira and other senior government officials at the conference.
An unidentified woman has claimed that the late former president of Zimbabwe, Rober Mugabe had no children. The woman further claims that the three children, Bona, Robert Jnr and Chatunga were fathered by Peter Pamire, a prominent Zimbabwean entrepreneur who died in a tragic car accident.
Her remarks are consistent with a purportedly leaked CIO document which also claims that in 1994 and 1995 Grace had two abortion which she claimed were a miscarriage but they were the kids of Peter Pamire”s.
According to the Daily News, Grace Mugabe nee Marufu who was working as secretary to then-president Mugabe, became his mistress and, while still married to Stanley Goreraza (air force pilot Stanley Goreraza), had two children with him, Bona born in 1988, named after Mugabe’s mother, and Robert Peter Jr.
The state owned ZBC says Emmerson Mnangagwa has paid out USD1 million to the Global AIDS Fund at the ongoing 6th Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund Forum in Lyon, France.
The ZBC alleged Zimbabwe has contributed the figure to the fund.
VIDEO LOADING BELOW….
Mnangagwa however, only announced a pledge of the amount on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, Mnangagwa appealed for support and sought partnerships to strengthen primary health care in the country.
STATE MEDIA COPY: Mnangagwa during his speech at the conference, which is seeking to raise US$14 billion to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria expressed his gratitude towards the Global Fund for approving close to US$2 billion for Zimbabwe to fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
“Since 2002, the Global Fund has approved nearly US$1.7 billion to Zimbabwe, of which over US$1.3 has been disbursed,” he said.
“Let me express my profound gratitude for this invaluable support. As we build strong institutions, infrastructure and integrated services, we appeal for support and seek partnerships to strengthen primary health care, build and retain a competent health workforce to achieve Universal Health Coverage. Equally, early detection and surveillance systems of the three diseases remain paramount. Over and above the National AIDS Trust Fund (NATF), my government is developing a robust National Health Insurance Scheme and stepping up innovative domestic funding initiatives such as the traditional AIDS levy and the new Health Levy, to enable us to focus on the sustainability of our response,” said Mnangagwa.
Over 710 000 people are currently supported by Global Fund in Zimbabwe out of a total of 1.2 million people on Anti-Retro Viral Therapy.
Government made a US$1 million contribution at the conference as the country strives towards ending AIDS by 2030.
“We remain committed to continue to contribute to this worthy effort, and hereby pledge US$1 million.”
French President Emmanuel Macron who is hosting the conference pointed the finger at several countries for not pledging enough funds for the fight against the three diseases.
In his speech, President Macron called specifically on Japan, Norway, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to “make more of an effort” in increasing their contributions for the fight.
The Global Fund Forum aims to save 16 million lives within the next four years as well as averting 234 million infections worldwide.
Mnangagwa is accompanied by the acting Foreign Affairs Minister, Professor Amon Murwira and other senior government officials at the conference.
Farai Dziva|The MDC has confirmed receipt of a proposal from church leaders to postpone elections for seven years.
“The MDC, through its President Advocate Nelson Chamisa, is in receipt of a proposal from the Church.
President Chamisa is seized with the issue and the party Presidency will appropriately comment on the matter at the appropriate time,” said Luke Tamborinyoka the party’s
Deputy National Spokesperson.
Farai Dziva|MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has said the biting economic crisis in the country is the major cause of suicide cases.
Below is Chamisa’s statement on World Mental Health Day:
Today it is the World Mental Health Day, a very important occasion where we stop and reflect on how we would have spent the previous year looking after the most import part of the human body, the mind.
On the 10th of October every year, the world commemorates and acknowledges the importance of mental health across the world in metropolitan and rural communities.
The focus on this year’s World Mental Health Day is on suicide, because it has become a global public health crisis that is preventable, and yet it has become a mental health menace which has taken many of our people to the grave prematurely.
The World Health Organisation informs us that every 40 seconds, someone, somewhere in the world takes their own life through suicide.
That is a frightening statistic, 2160 people dying daily through suicide, it translates to 788,400 people dying annually from suicide.
This prevalence makes suicide an immediate problem that requires urgent medical and social solutions within our communities, because not doing so is robbing the country of people who succumb to this menace at the prime of their lives.
Suicide is now believed to be the leading cause of death among young people aged between 16 and 28 in Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately here in our country, it is not unusual anymore to read headlines in the local media related to suicide.
Our citizens are now so used to it, such that they simply shake their heads in disbelief whenever another suicide story is published in our media.
A society should NEVER be conditioned to something so dreadful that can be drastically reduced by public mental health interventions, failing to do so is an act of gross irresponsibility and social negligence.
This means that suicide has become a major public health priority that needs immediate attention in Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately we currently have a broken public health delivery system that is struggling to treat the most basic of medical conditions due to years of underfunding and neglect.
According to the World Health Organisation, our country has one of the highest suicide rates in the region, this is not surprising anymore because a struggling economy puts unbearable pressure on the minds of its citizens.
Associated with suicide are also mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders and many other mental health conditions that unfortunately due to our age old cultural taboos, they are not talked about sufficiently and openly in our communities.
These mental health disorders are easily treatable, but because of the huge treatment gap for such conditions in our country, 90 percent of those needing evidence-based care do not get it because we don’t have enough professionals to treat them.
Zimbabwe currently has only 15 practicing psychiatrists for a population of 15 million people that is one psychiatrist for every one million people.
Unfortunately almost all of them are restricted to tertiary health facilities in Harare, making it difficult for those at community and rural locations to access this pertinent service.
Task shifting is a concept that has been encouraged by the World Health Organisation as a way of addressing this treatment gap.
Making evidence-based care treatments accessible to many of our people who can’t afford to see a psychiatrist or a psychologist is extremely important.
By training community health volunteers as we have seen with the Friendship bench program, it is possible to provide immediate access in communities, schools, universities and the work place with the much-needed mental health care.
There is an urgent need for our mental health professionals to explore ways of scaling up task shifting models, particularly the ones that have been developed locally.
Mental health requires our communities to get together because Zimbabwe is going through one of the most difficult times, and the risk of mental ill health is high and probable in all segments of our country regardless of societal status, class or race.
As a political party concerned with the mental well-being of our citizens, the MDC values the importance of mental health because it is a key building block to a prosperous society and economy.
A prosperous and healthy economy by its very nature will reduce the pressures that afflict our people daily, resulting in disorders such as depression and anxiety or worse.
I therefore on this very important day encourage all Zimbabweans to take time out to show compassion towards each other, and remember that regardless of our various chosen political persuasions, we are one people.
Be your brother’s keeper, be the mother of the nation who will help heal the many traumatic wounds that we carry from a very difficult past and presently harsh economic environment.
Under my new government, I make a commitment today to putting mental health amongst my first priorities in order to reduce the unacceptable mental treatment gap.
It is totally unacceptable that out of every 100 people that require access to mental health services in our country, only 10 people are able to get that much needed help that is 10 percent.
We will change all that and make mental health the most urgent priority in our health delivery system. For what are we without our minds?
Today let us create space and pay attention to citizens that need someone to talk to and share their stories, talking is an important therapy tool in healing the mind.
Let us all take time to listen to the broken-hearted, and let us all remember to take good care of our mental health.
On behalf of the MDC and myself, I wish the whole country a happy World Mental Health day.
Advocate Nelson Chamisa – President
Movement For Democratic Change
Farai Dziva| Zimbabwe is among the countries that have high suicide cases in the SADC region, MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has said.
Below is Chamisa’s statement on World Mental Health Day:
Today it is the World Mental Health Day, a very important occasion where we stop and reflect on how we would have spent the previous year looking after the most import part of the human body, the mind.
On the 10th of October every year, the world commemorates and acknowledges the importance of mental health across the world in metropolitan and rural communities.
The focus on this year’s World Mental Health Day is on suicide, because it has become a global public health crisis that is preventable, and yet it has become a mental health menace which has taken many of our people to the grave prematurely.
The World Health Organisation informs us that every 40 seconds, someone, somewhere in the world takes their own life through suicide.
That is a frightening statistic, 2160 people dying daily through suicide, it translates to 788,400 people dying annually from suicide.
This prevalence makes suicide an immediate problem that requires urgent medical and social solutions within our communities, because not doing so is robbing the country of people who succumb to this menace at the prime of their lives.
Suicide is now believed to be the leading cause of death among young people aged between 16 and 28 in Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately here in our country, it is not unusual anymore to read headlines in the local media related to suicide.
Our citizens are now so used to it, such that they simply shake their heads in disbelief whenever another suicide story is published in our media.
A society should NEVER be conditioned to something so dreadful that can be drastically reduced by public mental health interventions, failing to do so is an act of gross irresponsibility and social negligence.
This means that suicide has become a major public health priority that needs immediate attention in Zimbabwe.
Unfortunately we currently have a broken public health delivery system that is struggling to treat the most basic of medical conditions due to years of underfunding and neglect.
According to the World Health Organisation, our country has one of the highest suicide rates in the region, this is not surprising anymore because a struggling economy puts unbearable pressure on the minds of its citizens.
Associated with suicide are also mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders and many other mental health conditions that unfortunately due to our age old cultural taboos, they are not talked about sufficiently and openly in our communities.
These mental health disorders are easily treatable, but because of the huge treatment gap for such conditions in our country, 90 percent of those needing evidence-based care do not get it because we don’t have enough professionals to treat them.
Zimbabwe currently has only 15 practicing psychiatrists for a population of 15 million people that is one psychiatrist for every one million people.
Unfortunately almost all of them are restricted to tertiary health facilities in Harare, making it difficult for those at community and rural locations to access this pertinent service.
Task shifting is a concept that has been encouraged by the World Health Organisation as a way of addressing this treatment gap.
Making evidence-based care treatments accessible to many of our people who can’t afford to see a psychiatrist or a psychologist is extremely important.
By training community health volunteers as we have seen with the Friendship bench program, it is possible to provide immediate access in communities, schools, universities and the work place with the much-needed mental health care.
There is an urgent need for our mental health professionals to explore ways of scaling up task shifting models, particularly the ones that have been developed locally.
Mental health requires our communities to get together because Zimbabwe is going through one of the most difficult times, and the risk of mental ill health is high and probable in all segments of our country regardless of societal status, class or race.
As a political party concerned with the mental well-being of our citizens, the MDC values the importance of mental health because it is a key building block to a prosperous society and economy.
A prosperous and healthy economy by its very nature will reduce the pressures that afflict our people daily, resulting in disorders such as depression and anxiety or worse.
I therefore on this very important day encourage all Zimbabweans to take time out to show compassion towards each other, and remember that regardless of our various chosen political persuasions, we are one people.
Be your brother’s keeper, be the mother of the nation who will help heal the many traumatic wounds that we carry from a very difficult past and presently harsh economic environment.
Under my new government, I make a commitment today to putting mental health amongst my first priorities in order to reduce the unacceptable mental treatment gap.
It is totally unacceptable that out of every 100 people that require access to mental health services in our country, only 10 people are able to get that much needed help that is 10 percent.
We will change all that and make mental health the most urgent priority in our health delivery system. For what are we without our minds?
Today let us create space and pay attention to citizens that need someone to talk to and share their stories, talking is an important therapy tool in healing the mind.
Let us all take time to listen to the broken-hearted, and let us all remember to take good care of our mental health.
On behalf of the MDC and myself, I wish the whole country a happy World Mental Health day.
Advocate Nelson Chamisa – President
Movement For Democratic Change
By A Correspondent- Total has hiked the price of gas from $15 to $20 per kg. This follows a similar move by Zuva Petroleum which raised the price for its gas from $18 to $22 last Friday.
According to Zim Price Check, Total has a model of selling gas different from other retailers.
The report says:
“Total uses a somewhat old model of selling gas. They have their own containers for which you have to pay a deposit the first time you become a customer. You then take the container home and when it runs empty you have to bring it back.
However, the model has several advantages for Total’s customers in that they use the same containers when they return to buy more gas and the gas cylinders are safer, and leaking containers are repaired away from customers.”
Farai Dziva|Former Zimbabwe national team captain Peter Ndlovu has joined the list of Africa’s greatest English Premier League players.
The list, which is being unveiled on Goal.com, was compiled for 2019 Best of Africa (BoA) awards which honour the outstanding members of the African diaspora living and working in the United Kingdom. This year’s edition took place in London on Sunday.
Ndlovu made history by becoming the first African footballer to play in the new English Premier League in 1992. He made over 100 appearances for each of Coventry City, Birmingham City and Sheffield United, and also spent time on loan with Huddersfield Town.
Liverpool legend Bruce Grobbelaar could also join Ndlovu and Mwaruwari on the list as he featured prominently in the EPL during the early 90s.
Farai Dziva|FC Platinum and Triangle United discovered their opponents in the next rounds of the CAF inter-club competitions following a draw held in Egypt on Wednesday.
Triangle were drawn against FC Nouadhibou of Mauritania in the play-offs of the Confederation Cup.
Nouadhibou were relegated from the Champions League after losing 6-1 on aggregate to Wydad Casablanca.
The first leg of the tie will be played in Mauritania on the 27th of this month and the return fixture is scheduled for November 3 in Bulawayo.
The winner will progress through to the group stages.
In the Champions League draw, FC Platinum were handed tricky opponents in the group stages. There were placed in Group B along with North African giants Al- Hilal of Sudan, Etoile Du Sahel (Tunisia) and Al Ahly of Egypt.
CAF C.L Draw:
Group A
Primeiro de Agosto (Angola)
Zesco United (Zambia)
TP Mazembe (DR Congo)
Win. Zamalek (Egypt)/ Generation Foot (Senegal)
Group B
FC Platinum (Zimbabwe)
Al Hilal (Sudan)
Etoile Du Sahel (Tunisia)
Al Ahly (Egypt)
Group C
Petro de Luanda (Angola)
USM Alger (Algeria)
Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA)
Wydad Casablanca (Morocco)
Group D
JS Kabylie (Algeria)
AS Vita Club (DR Congo)
Raja Casablanca (Morocco)
Esperance (Tunisia)
Farai Dziva| Norman Mapeza is says he will leave his fate in “God’s hands.”
The Zimbabwean gaffer joined the ABSA Premiership side Chippa United on a three-year contract and he was unveiled by club owner Siviwe Mpengesi on Tuesday.
Mapeza became Chippa’s third coach in two weeks following the sacking of Clinton Larsen and Duran Francis who was in charge of the team for two games as a caretaker coach.
Larsen had spent eight months at the helm, and his term ranks him as the club’s second longest-serving coach. Dan Malesela holds the record of 14 months.
“The two years‚ the three years‚ the five-year contracts and all that‚ you know‚ those things are just a number‚” Mapeza told TimesLive.
“Whatever will happen in the next weeks or in the next two months or three months is not for me to judge because we don’t know what the future holds for us.
“I will leave everything in God’s hands. I’m sure there is a reason why I am here today.
“If I was someone I could have just said‚ ‘No look‚ this team is struggling and they always have coaches sacked after a short while’‚ then I could have just stayed in Zimbabwe.
“Everything that happens in life happens for a reason.”
Should he see out his contract at Chippa‚ Mapeza will become the longest-serving coach at the club.
Meanwhile, his first game in charge will be in the Telkom Knockout first round on the weekend of October 19 to 22 at home against Bloemfontein Celtic‚ followed by an away league match to Highlands Park on October 26.
By A Correspondent- Zanu PF and the opposition MDC have shot down proposal by churches that the country should suspend elections for seven years to pave way for political and economic reforms under a new structure of government to usher free and credible elections.
The Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) made the proposal on Tuesday, arguing that a seven-year sabbatical from elections would address the current political paralysis and deepening mistrust and polarisation.
The churches claimed the period of reform would stabilise the fast deteriorating economy under President Emmerson Mnangagwa, which has seen the country’s inflation figures rising at an unprecedented pace since the record-breaking 2008 hyperinflation.
But Zanu PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu said the country was coming from elections that produced winners and there was no need to suspend the Constitution.
He said economic hardships were not caused by elections and the proposals by the churches were misplaced.
“That is their proposal, that is their view. We go by the dictates of the Constitution,” Mpofu said.
“We have a Constitution that guides the conduct of elections and the mandate thereof. We have been reading about the view from the churches and it is their entitlement to have their own views. As Zanu PF, we feel there is need to constantly respect the Constitution.
“We have come out of an election that produced their leadership. What is motivating the view, I don’t know.”
Pressure has been mounting on both Mnangagwa and opposition leader Nelson Chamisa to engage in dialogue to solve the country’s plunging economy.
Mnangagwa this year entered into dialogue with presidential representatives of fringe political parties in last year’s elections.
Chamisa snubbed the talks, demanding a neutral mediator, instead of Mnangagwa, who he accused of lacking legitimacy after allegedly stealing last year’s polls.
The opposition leader has constantly claimed that the country was experiencing a legitimacy problem.
Chamisa’s deputy, Tendai Biti, also dismissed the proposal by the church, saying any solution on the country’s crisis was predicated on genuine talks between Zanu PF and the MDC, the main political actors, followed by social dialogue.
“The churches are putting the cart before the horse,” Biti said.
“The country is in serious structural crisis, we don’t want to put make up on the crisis. There has to be genuine dialogue in the country, supported by the international community. This dialogue is not about sharing positions or suspending the Constitution, but structural reforms, that is what is key.
“The problem is much deeper than elections, the country is in crisis. Any solution should be a product of dialogue. There are two major players in the country’s polity, Zanu PF and the MDC and the dialogue between these two actors is key, followed by social dialogue. The church should only facilitate their dialogue. And the solution should come from the process of dialogue.”
Farai Dziva|The MDC says while it respects church leaders, it does not agree with them on the call suspend elections for seven years.
Read full statement below :
The MDC Youth Assembly is highly appalled by the Zimbabwe Head of Christian Denominations’ suggestion to suspend all electoral process for a period of seven years.
While we agree that there is definitely a need to address the current crisis, it is also our strong belief that the current political and economic malaise cannot be solved by massaging egos of an illegitimate president through suspension of elections.
As an Assembly, we are very clear that suspension of elections is not the panacea to our problems but will only help to set a wrong precedence where dictators deliberately subvert the people’s will only to be rewarded by another negotiated stay in power.
Suspending elections for a period of seven years is not only a trample on the people’s constitutional right but is akin to rewarding sin by men of cloth.
It is true that Emmerson Mnangagwa stole the July 2018 plebiscite, killed on 01 August 2018 and presided over abductions and rape after January 2019 shutdown.
Surprisingly the church and men of cloth remained tight-lipped!
Ironically this is the same Mnangagwa who invited a curse to the nation by blasphemously saying his regime is better compared to the heavenly kingdom.
It defeats logic as to why would our clerics root for the deferment of elections if Mnangagwa’s regime is performing better than God’s kingdom.
If anything, it is time to give a blasphemous Emmerson Mnangagwa a political Sabbath and not the people’s constitutional rights to elect leaders of their choice.
Contrary to Mnangagwa’s Minister Energy Mutodi who termed Bishop Kenneth Mtata “a Baal prophet”, as a God fearing Assembly we are not going to tear apart the clergyman for expressing his right to opinion.
It is clear that if there are any “prophets of Baal” as the dishonorable Minister want us to believe, then Mutodi’s political godfather is the Archangel of such doomed prophets.
Clearly Mnangagwa is an old man who desperately needs deliverance and exorcism but definitely that is not going to come by caging our people for a good seven years!
As an Assembly we are very clear that the best way to solve our current crises is by completely dismantling the whole system that authored our misery.
Stephen Sarkozy Chuma MDC Youth Assembly National Spokesperson
Farai Dziva|The MDC Youth Assembly has said the suspension of elections will only work in Zanu PF’s favour.
Read full statement below :
The MDC Youth Assembly is highly appalled by the Zimbabwe Head of Christian Denominations’ suggestion to suspend all electoral process for a period of seven years.
While we agree that there is definitely a need to address the current crisis, it is also our strong belief that the current political and economic malaise cannot be solved by massaging egos of an illegitimate president through suspension of elections.
As an Assembly, we are very clear that suspension of elections is not the panacea to our problems but will only help to set a wrong precedence where dictators deliberately subvert the people’s will only to be rewarded by another negotiated stay in power.
Suspending elections for a period of seven years is not only a trample on the people’s constitutional right but is akin to rewarding sin by men of cloth.
It is true that Emmerson Mnangagwa stole the July 2018 plebiscite, killed on 01 August 2018 and presided over abductions and rape after January 2019 shutdown.
Surprisingly the church and men of cloth remained tight-lipped!
Ironically this is the same Mnangagwa who invited a curse to the nation by blasphemously saying his regime is better compared to the heavenly kingdom.
It defeats logic as to why would our clerics root for the deferment of elections if Mnangagwa’s regime is performing better than God’s kingdom.
If anything, it is time to give a blasphemous Emmerson Mnangagwa a political Sabbath and not the people’s constitutional rights to elect leaders of their choice.
Contrary to Mnangagwa’s Minister Energy Mutodi who termed Bishop Kenneth Mtata “a Baal prophet”, as a God fearing Assembly we are not going to tear apart the clergyman for expressing his right to opinion.
It is clear that if there are any “prophets of Baal” as the dishonorable Minister want us to believe, then Mutodi’s political godfather is the Archangel of such doomed prophets.
Clearly Mnangagwa is an old man who desperately needs deliverance and exorcism but definitely that is not going to come by caging our people for a good seven years!
As an Assembly we are very clear that the best way to solve our current crises is by completely dismantling the whole system that authored our misery.
Stephen Sarkozy Chuma MDC Youth Assembly National Spokesperson
The state owned ZBC says Emmerson Mnangagwa has paid out USD1 million to the Global AIDS Fund at the ongoing 6th Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund Forum in Lyon, France.
The ZBC alleged Zimbabwe has contributed the figure to the fund.
VIDEO LOADING BELOW….
Mnangagwa however, only announced a pledge of the amount on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, Mnangagwa appealed for support and sought partnerships to strengthen primary health care in the country.
STATE MEDIA COPY: Mnangagwa during his speech at the conference, which is seeking to raise US$14 billion to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria expressed his gratitude towards the Global Fund for approving close to US$2 billion for Zimbabwe to fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
“Since 2002, the Global Fund has approved nearly US$1.7 billion to Zimbabwe, of which over US$1.3 has been disbursed,” he said.
“Let me express my profound gratitude for this invaluable support. As we build strong institutions, infrastructure and integrated services, we appeal for support and seek partnerships to strengthen primary health care, build and retain a competent health workforce to achieve Universal Health Coverage. Equally, early detection and surveillance systems of the three diseases remain paramount. Over and above the National AIDS Trust Fund (NATF), my government is developing a robust National Health Insurance Scheme and stepping up innovative domestic funding initiatives such as the traditional AIDS levy and the new Health Levy, to enable us to focus on the sustainability of our response,” said Mnangagwa.
Over 710 000 people are currently supported by Global Fund in Zimbabwe out of a total of 1.2 million people on Anti-Retro Viral Therapy.
Government made a US$1 million contribution at the conference as the country strives towards ending AIDS by 2030.
“We remain committed to continue to contribute to this worthy effort, and hereby pledge US$1 million.”
French President Emmanuel Macron who is hosting the conference pointed the finger at several countries for not pledging enough funds for the fight against the three diseases.
In his speech, President Macron called specifically on Japan, Norway, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to “make more of an effort” in increasing their contributions for the fight.
The Global Fund Forum aims to save 16 million lives within the next four years as well as averting 234 million infections worldwide.
Mnangagwa is accompanied by the acting Foreign Affairs Minister, Professor Amon Murwira and other senior government officials at the conference.
Farai Dziva|
ZANU PF Political Commissar, Victor Matemadanda came to cornered MP Killer Zivhu’s rescue when he warned the party’s Provincial Executive against suspending the Parliamentarian.
The Chivi South MP, Zivhu, was suspended for allegedly abusing social media platforms after he tweeted that
president Emmerson Mnangagwa and leader of opposition MDC, Nelson Chamisa must find each other and dialogue.
ZANU PF Masvingo Provincial leadership suspended him and were calling for his dismissal from the party.
When one firewood block produces smoke, you do not have to remove it. You must leave it in the fireplace so that it can be assisted by others to catch fire than removing it.
If you keep on removing firewood, you may end up without any in your fireplace.
So you should help each other to reform than dismissing those who are found violating the party rules and regulations,” said Matemadanda.
Farai Dziva|Zanu PF insiders have maintained Killer Zivhu will be fired from the party in spite of Political Commissar Victor Matemadanda’ s intervention in the matter.
Although Matemadanda came to Zivhu’s rescue when he warned the party’s Provincial Executive against suspending the Parliamentarian, party stalwarts have vowed Zivhu will be fired.
The Chivi South MP, Zivhu, was suspended for allegedly abusing social media platforms after he tweeted that
president Emmerson Mnangagwa and leader of opposition MDC, Nelson Chamisa must find each other and dialogue.
ZANU PF Masvingo Provincial leadership suspended him and were calling for his dismissal from the party.
When one firewood block produces smoke, you do not have to remove it. You must leave it in the fireplace so that it can be assisted by others to catch fire than removing it.
If you keep on removing firewood, you may end up without any in your fireplace.
So you should help each other to reform than dismissing those who are found violating the party rules and regulations,” said Matemadanda.
By A Correspondent- There was pandemonium along Angwa street opposite the former Ximex Mall in Harare this morning when a sacred snake was discovered raising speculation that it came out of the boot of a car belonging to one of the entrepreneurs who operates near the area.
The snake, which brought pedestrians in the city centre to a standstill was however reportedly killed and shoved down a drain along Angwa street.
While others said it had been killed, others alleged that the snake was shoved inside the drain alive considering that it is a sacred snake.
Said a man who refused to speak on camera:
“The snake is called “ngara” and it is sacred and a very rare snake which signals misfortune. It had so many colours and i am shocked that such a type of snake can be discovered in the central business district.”
Added a female vendor along Angwa street:
“While i did not see where it came from, what i know is that it was shoved down the drain alive. I think the owner is the one who pushed for it not to be killed. It is very strange that such a type of snake can be discovered here. But this is not the first time that we have witnessed such. Vanhu vepano vanoshandisa mushonga meaning the business people who operate from this area use juju.”
An elderly man confirmed that the type of snake that was discovered is a very rare species adding that besides misfortune, the snake signalled the death of a very big person within a community such as a King.
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“It was good that they did not kill it. Ngara is a very sacred snake which when you see it in any community, it signals sickness or even death. In most instances, the death of even a king.”
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Cassava Fintech International (CFI), the developer of the SASAI App, has responded to customers in some African markets, including Zimbabwe, that received several promotional messages during the ongoing promotion.
