Paul Nyathi|Zimbabwe has inched closer to clamping down on citizens’ use of social media platforms and will likely fish out and penalize citizens who create and share what is deemed offensive material over outlets including WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s cabinet yesterday hurriedly approved the Cyber Crime, Security and Data Protection Bill which will all but shrink the internet usage space for Zimbabweans who have described it as another Public Order and Security Act reincarnation this time on the internet.

The bill was first mulled under the late former leader, Robert Mugabe in 2016 and took hold in 2017 after major protests against Mugabe and economic decline broke out in Harare.

The Bill, which provides for an array of issues such as code of conduct and ethics, data protection authority and penalties for violations, will be gazetted soon representing an important step towards it becoming law. It still has to be debated and approved by parliament, in which Mnangagwa’s ruling Zanu PF party has a majority.

This was said by Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu while briefing journalists on the 35th Cabinet decision matrix in Harare yesterday.

Mnangagwa said last week the bill has to be fast-tracked to protect Zimbabwe’s “cyber-space”. However, there is wide-spread sentiment the law is being pushed through to deal with potential uprisings, especially as public anger against the government’s austerity measures mounts up.

Minister Ndlovu was standing in for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa.

“Cabinet considered and approved the Cyber Crime, Cyber Security and Data Protection Bill, which was presented by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs (Ziyambi Ziyambi.) The Bill seeks to combat cyber crime and increase cyber security in order to build confidence and trust in the secure use of information communication technologies,” said Minister Ndlovu.

He said the Bill will also address issues to do with codes of conduct and ethics.

“More specifically, the Bill provides for the following: provision and approval of codes of conduct and ethics to be observed by all categories of data controllers, data protection with due regard to constitutional rights and public interest under (the) Postal, Telecommunication and Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe,” said Minister Ndlovu.

The bill has been criticized for infringing on civil liberties if it becomes law and there are fears from rights and democracy campaigners it could also strengthen government bid to snoop on private communications of citizens. It sets out penalize people for generation and distribution of “data concerning an identifiable person knowing it to be false and intending to cause psychological or economic” harm.

“It will also seek to establish a data security centre and a Data Protection Authority, investigation and collection of evidence relating to Cyber Crime and unauthorised Data Collection and breaches thereof,” Ndlovu added.

He said the Bill will also seek to spell out the admissibility of electronic evidence for such offences and penalties for offences committed under the Act.

“The Bill will also provide penalties for the transmission of data messages inciting violence and damage to property, protection of citizens against cyber bullying and harassment, measures to address the production and dissemination of racist and xenophobic material using language that tends to lower the reputation or feelings of persons for the reason that they belong to a group of persons distinguished on the grounds set out in section 56 subsection 3 of the Constitution,” said Minister Ndlovu.

He said the Bill will provide for penalties to persons who generate, distribute or broadcast data concerning an identifiable person knowing it to be false and intending to cause psychological or economic harm; and curbing the transmission of pornographic material.

“In essence, the Bill advocates the use of ICTs for more constructive purpose,” said Minister Ndlovu.

Though there have been growing calls among citizens for Government to come up with mechanisms that control the abuse of the Internet insofar as it has been used to tarnish the images of other people and used to propagate lies and hurtful messages, some Zimbabweans are also worried Mnangagwa is pushing the bill to become law so he can use it to deal with potential uprisings fueled through social media.

WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook have become key platforms for spreading information about protests in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in Africa. WhatsApp in particular, is very well used in Zimbabwe, where it accounts for nearly 50% of all internet use in the country.

Zimbabwean government officials have long complained these platforms are being abused to spread false news, most of which is deemed by authorities to be offensive.

Mnangagwa’s government ordered a social media black-out in January this year after deadly protests rocked major urban centers following a massive fuel price hike.

The Cyber Crime and Cyber Security Bill “seeks to combat cyber-crime and increase cyber security” and to foster “data protection with due regard to constitutional rights and public interest” said justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi in his presentation of the bill to cabinet.

The controversial bill has, however, been welcomed in some circles, especially on the principle of “curbing the transmission of pornographic material” in the Zimbabwean context where revenge pornography leaks have become common. The Human Rights Forum of Zimbabwe said earlier this year that revenge pornography was a form of gender-based violence, hence its call for laws to regulate the transmission of pornography.

“The technology will likely be Chinese and so will be the expertise for this project (social media regulation). And it’s probably to deal with protests and uprisings,” said Ruhanya.

State Media|Government has said economic reforms under the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP), including re-engagement and investment promotion efforts will put Zimbabwe on a firm pedestal for economic growth from next year onwards.

The economy is anticipated to grow by 4,6 percent next year, driven by improved foreign currency availability and a decent rainfall season in the 2019/2020 summer cropping season.

This was said by Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube in the 2020 Pre-Budget Strategy Paper released this week.

He said good rains will result in better agricultural yields and respectable dam levels for electricity generation, which would be channelled towards the productive sectors of the economy.

“Implementation of reforms outlined in the TSP is on course, with notable milestones on fiscal consolidation, monetary policy restoration, liberalisation of the foreign exchange market, structural and governance reforms, re-engagement, investment promotion and support for the productive sector,” he said.

“These reforms present a strong foundation for economic rebound in 2020 and beyond.”

Prof Ncube said next year, the economy is projected to “turn around building on the success of the ongoing reform initiatives” and premised on the broader assumptions, including a recovery in aggregate demand, improved foreign currency availability and improved macro-fiscal stability and business confidence.

“As a result, the economy is projected to grow by 4,6 percent in 2020,” he said.

Next year, global growth is projected to increase to 3,5 percent from an expected 3,2 growth this year.

The expected improvement is mainly spurred by accelerating growth in emerging markets and developing economies, which are off-setting an anticipated slowdown in advanced economies.

But the trade war between the United States and China, as well as Britain’s expected departure from the European Union (EU) bloc, commonly known as Brexit, remain major sources of uncertainty in advanced economies.

Prof Ncube said Zimbabwe’s economy has not been doing well this year because of “severe exogenous shocks related to climate change caused by drought and cyclone, which compromised agriculture activities and electricity generation with extended effects on other sectors, all forcing the economy into recession”.

Erratic rains in the previous cropping season have put pressure on Government to import more food for the population after a bad season, as it now has to balance foreign currency requirements with other critical sectors such as energy.

The 2020 Pre-Budget Strategy Paper is designed to facilitate discussions on policy direction for the 2020 National Budget, consistent with the objectives of the TSP and aspirations of Vision 2030 of achieving an upper middle income society.

Prof Ncube said the National Budget thrust was informed by progress made on implementation of various reforms under the TSP, including policy gaps that require attention during the forthcoming year.

Farai Dziva|The country’s main opposition party, MDC has described the state of health service delivery as pathetic.

Read full statement below:

MDC leadership of the National Standing Committee met for seven hours in Harare today and took stock of the deteriorating economic situation that has affected ordinary citizens, particularly with respect to weekly fuel price increases that have triggered further increments on the prices of basic commodities.

Of concern to the leadership was that the illegitimate government of Mr. Mnangagwa has failed to deal with the burgeoning national crisis and the party resolved to take robust action in the near future on the side of the suffering people of Zimbabwe.

In any case, the leadership noted that the Mnagagwa regime was the biggest threat to the safety of the citizenry, judging by the regime’s clampdown on ordinary citizens and the proscription of their basic rights.

The party noted that there has been State capture as evidenced by cartels comprising top State players and a politically connected business elite. It is these cartels that are stealing taxpayers’ money through illegal deals and other nefarious activities that have brought the economy to its knees. The leadership also took note of the recent court judgement which ruled that the Mnangagwa administration had stolen from suffering Zimbabweans by collecting a 2 percent transaction tax for over six months outside any legal framework. The Mnangagwa government must simply have the decency of reimbursing Zimbabweans the money that it illegally collected from them.

Of major concern was the deteriorating predicament of the ordinary citizen as characterized by 18-hour power cuts as well as declining social services particularly in the health and education sectors. Transacting platforms for ordinary citizens such as the ecocash platforms have been virtually banned, further affecting despondent citizens who now can barely afford public transport costs and other basics.

The party leadership resolved that it will soon embark on a robust programme to respond to the national crisis through peaceful and constitutional means.

Luke Tamborinyoka
MDC Deputy National Spokesperson

Farai Dziva|
A former police officer is suing Emmerson Mnangagwa and Home Affairs Minister Cain Mathema.

The former ZRP cop, Peter Kurauwone Dube is suing Mnangagwa Mathema for defying a 2010 High Court order compelling the police force to reinstate him, pending the finalisation of his appeal against unlawful dismissal .

“On March 25, 2010, Dube won a High Court order filed under case number HC 1673/09, compelling the then Public Service Commission (PSC) to reinstate him but the employer failed to comply with the order,” a source revealed.

The Harare -Beitbridge road is now regarded as a death trap but what can be done to reduce the high rate of accidents?

The government of Zimbabwe should come up with mechanism to repair and maintain the country’s major roads.Watch video below. …

By Veritas- The 10th October is the day on which the United Nations every year urges countries of the world to abolish the death penalty.

Zimbabwe has not yet heeded the call, even though no one has been executed here since 2005.  Our courts continue to sentence prisoners to death for murder, and these prisoners are kept in unspeakable conditions waiting for their sentences to be carried out, not knowing from one day to the next when they will be taken from their cells and hanged.  As the courts continue to impose the death sentence more and more prisoners suffer this horrible fate.

Children, the Unseen Victims

It is not only the prisoners who suffer.  This year we are asked to consider the innocent victims of the death penalty:  the families of condemned prisoners, particularly their children.  Children of condemned prisoners have committed no crime yet they are stigmatised by their communities and carry heavy emotional and psychological burdens.  They especially deserve our pity.

The Death Penalty can Easily be Abolished in Zimbabwe

The Constitution allows, but does not require, the penalty to be imposed for murder committed in aggravating circumstances.  All it needs to abolish the penalty, therefore, is a short Act of Parliament.  A Bill for such an Act has already been drafted [link].  If the Government were to put forward such a Bill most members of the public would acquiesce because the death penalty is not part of Zimbabwe’s indigenous culture.  The President and most Members of Parliament favour abolition:  all that is needed is political will.

Veritas urges the Government to present such a Bill to Parliament and urges all Parliaments of good will to pass it without delay. 

Zimbabwe Should Join the World in Abolishing the Death Penalty

• Out of the 195 member or observer states of the United Nations, only 55 keep the death penalty in law and in practice. 
• Out of the 54 nations in Africa, only 15 continue to carry out the death penalty. 
• More and more countries are abolishing the death penalty.  It is time for Zimbabwe to do so.

By A Correspondent- Cabinet yesterday approved the Cyber Crime, Security and Data Protection Bill which seeks to combat cyber crimes and enhance security in the wake of rampant abuse of the platform.

The Bill, which provides for an array of issues such as code of conduct and ethics, data protection authority and penalties for violations, will be gazetted soon. It will be tabled in Parliament for debate thereafter.

This was said by Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu while briefing journalists about the 35th Cabinet decision matrix in Harare yesterday.

Minister Ndlovu was standing in for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa.

“Cabinet considered and approved the Cyber Crime, Cyber Security and Data Protection Bill, which was presented by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs (Cde Ziyambi Ziyambi.) The Bill seeks to combat cyber crime and increase cyber security in order to build confidence and trust in the secure use of information communication technologies,” said Minister Ndlovu.

He said the Bill will also address issues to do with codes of conduct and ethics.

“More specifically, the Bill provides for the following: provision and approval of codes of conduct and ethics to be observed by all categories of data controllers, data protection with due regard to constitutional rights and public interest under (the) Postal, Telecommunication and Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe,” said Minister Ndlovu.

“It will also seek to establish a data security centre and a Data Protection Authority, investigation and collection of evidence relating to Cyber Crime and unauthorised Data Collection and breaches thereof.”

He said the Bill will also seek to spell out the admissibility of electronic evidence for such offences and penalties for offences committed under the Act.

“The Bill will also provide penalties for the transmission of data messages inciting violence and damage to property, protection of citizens against cyber bullying and harassment, measures to address the production and dissemination of racist and xenophobic material using language that tends to lower the reputation or feelings of persons for the reason that they belong to a group of persons distinguished on the grounds set out in section 56 subsection 3 of the Constitution,” said Minister Ndlovu.

He said the Bill will provide for penalties for persons who generate, distribute or broadcast data concerning an identifiable person knowing it to be false and intending to cause psychological or economic harm; and curbing the transmission of pornographic material.

“In essence, the Bill advocates the use of ICTs for more constructive purpose,” said Minister Ndlovu.

There have been growing calls among citizens for Government to come up with mechanisms that control the abuse of the internet insofar as it has been used to tarnish the images of other people and used to propagate lies and hurtful messages.

-StateMedia

A MAN from Neruwana Village under Chief Budzi now has one eye after a fellow imbiber struck the other eye with a catapult following a dispute over traditional brew.

Sydney Neruwana was struck in the eye for taking and drinking traditional beer that he had not paid for.

The matter is that Maxwell Mucheyi of Porunobva Village under Chief Budzi bought beer together with friends and Neruwana who did not realize that his friend Mucheyi was sharing the beer with others, picked the mug and gulped down the contents.

Mucheyi then asked why Neruwana was drinking the beer which he had not bought and the latter responded in jest.

Mucheyi then took his catapult and struck Neruwana in the eye. The complainant had further bad news as the hospital told him that he runs the risk of getting the other eye affected.

Neruwana demanded a woman to marry from Mucheyi’s family as compensation for his eye but Chief Budzi rejected such a demand.

He ordered Mucheyi to pay four beasts since he was also responsible for hospital bills.

— Mirror

By A Correspondent- A fraudster who masqueraded as former High Court judge Justice Mafios Cheda and swindled several Government officials of large sums of money was jailed for an effective three years and two months.

Tinashe Munhuweyi (36), of Mufakose in Harare, would call the victims and introduce himself as Justice Cheda and would pretend to be desperate and in urgent need of financial help.

He conned Deputy Minister for Defence and War Veterans Affairs Victor Matemadanda, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Dr Sekai Nzenza and Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Richard Moyo.

Other victims include Great Zimbabwe University Professor Ben Siyakwazi and a relative to late retired High Court judge, Justice Simpson Mutambanengwe, Naboth.

The named victims lost a total of over $12 000.

Munhuweyi was convicted by magistrate Mrs Rumbidzai Mugwagwa after a full trial.

In aggravation, prosecutor Ms Patience Chimusaru called for a lengthy prison term, arguing that Munhuweyi brought the name of Justice Cheda into disrepute.

Convinced by the State’s submissions, the magistrate said there was need for a deterrent sentence which would send a message to would-be offenders.

She then sentenced Munhuweyi to 56 months in prison before setting aside six months on condition of good behaviour and a further 12 months were suspended on condition he restitutes all the victims on or before January 1, next year.

She effected 38 months, but failure to pay back the money, Munhuweyi will serve an effective 50 months.

On September 17 last year, Munhuweyi contacted Matemadanda while purporting to be Justice Cheda and misrepresented that he had two trucks which had run out of fuel at Chirundu Border Post.

He requested for $600 to refuel the trucks and pay for other expenses. Munhuweyi asked Cde Matemadanda to transfer the money into a supplied EcoCash account and promised to repay the debt.

Munhuweyi became evasive after receiving the money.

When Matemadanda testified during trial, he said when he received the call for help from the imposter, he was made to believe it was Justice Cheda since they had met on several occasions.

He said when Munhuweyi became evasive, he then conducted his own investigations and later spoke to the real Justice Cheda, who knew nothing about the transactions.

According to Matemadanda, Justice Cheda even said he had also received various complaints of people who had been duped in his name.

On November 28, Munhuweyi, the court heard, contacted Minister Nzenza masquerading as Justice Cheda and lied that his nephew had a truck carrying fertiliser which had a breakdown on its way from South Africa.

He asked for $825 to fix the truck before asking for a further $863 the following day which he said was for fuel.

The money was sent via EcoCash.

Minister Nzenza became suspicious due to the unending demands and made her own investigations which unearthed the scam.

Using the same modus operandi, Munhuweyi defrauded Professor Siyakwazi after misrepresenting that his son “Christian Cheda” had died while on his way to India for medical attention.

He then said he was looking for financial assistance towards his son’s funeral.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Sunningdale 2 Primary School parents and members of the School Development Committee (SDC) have called for the immediate closure of the school amid fears of an outbreak of water borne diseases.

The two parties concurred that the problem which dates back to the year 2013 remain unattended with raw sewage flowing everywhere.

Fears have been raised as over 2000 children are at risk of contracting diseases as the council turns a blind eye to the problem.

“Since 2013, nothing has been done after consultations with the District Office and Council.

“We have engaged the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the head office over the matter, so we’re saying if the Council does not come up with a lasting solution, we’re closing the school.

“This year alone we last saw the councillor in January and even the MP does not know his people.

“We can’t continue to run the school in this state because we’re exposing children to typhoid and cholera,” he said.

The Sunningdale 2 Primary School SDC source also said they engaged the Council officials who promised to fix the sewage system adding that they will go on to close the school if they do not fulfill their promises.

Sunningdale Councillor Hammy Madzingira confirmed the situation at the school.H-Metro

THE Apex Council has requested an urgent National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) meeting tomorrow, to map a way forward on salaries that correspond with the continuously escalating cost of living.

The council, which represents all civil servants wrote to the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and also demanded salaries indexed to the interbank rate.

“The Apex Council requests the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to convene an urgent NJNC meeting on or before October 9, 2019 to map the way forward on continuous escalating cost of living.

“The council also wishes to bring to the attention of the ministry that it maintains its demand of salaries payment to be indexed to interbank rate, basing on the salary scale of October 2018,” reads the letter.

Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) president Mr Richard Gundane said it was important for the Government to adjust salaries monthly considering high inflation in the country.

“We are pressing for a new round of talks following the recent spike in prices of goods and services. 

“The price increases rendered the cost of living adjustments (COLA) a non-event. Teachers are worse off after the COLA.

“In this hyperinflationary environment, monthly adjustments would assist in closing the gap between salaries and prices. Government should, as a matter of urgency, also ensure that its workers have access to cash from the banks. There is more value in cash than alternative ways of transacting,” said Mr Gundane. 

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Dr Sekai Nzenza could not comment on the issue yesterday, saying she needed to speak to the NJNC chairman first.

In August, Government increased civil servants’ salaries by 76 percent, a development that saw the lowest paid worker earning $1 023 up from $582.

Civil servants were demanding at least $4 750 for the lowest paid worker.

Prices of basic commodities have continued to increase, pushing the prices beyond the reach of many.

Apart from the various monetary incentives to cushion the civil servants, Government has promised to offer non-monetary incentives.

The Apex Council’s request comes when the Ministry of Health and Child Care brokered a deal with striking doctors by offering them a 60 percent increase in allowances and ordered all health workers to report to work or face disciplinary action for breaching their contracts.

Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo said the Health Services Bipartite Negotiating Panel (HSBNP) agreed to a 60 percent increase on Health Specific Allowances despite the doctors walking out on the negotiations demanding a higher percentage.

The 60 percent was an improvement on the previous offer by Government of 30 percent, which was rejected by the Health Apex Council.

-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Disgruntled Bulawayo residents have criticised the selection process of 24 student nurses at Mpilo Central Hospital after 20 were selected from outside Matabeleland. 

The 24 reportedly started their studies on Monday. 

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.

In a letter to the hospital, disappointed applicants said there was need for responsible authorities to investigate the development. “The national advertisement came out a few months ago and we failed to access the website and if you did, you couldn’t know where to pay the RTGS$10 application fee. Internet is not accessible and affordable especially to our rural peers in and outside our region for example where will one get internet connection in Lupane, Bulilima, Nkayi, Tsholotsho?”

The letter also questioned why the selection and interviews were done “secretly” compared to the past years before online application system was adopted.  “Some of us went and noticed that most of those coming for interviews are mostly from Harare and surrounding areas of Mashonaland East and Central. People from our region did not make it surprisingly but most if not all from other provinces came back to Bulawayo to start school on Monday at Mpilo and United Bulawayo Hospitals.” 

They also called on Health Ambassador First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, provincial ministers of state, MPs, councillors, and all activists to demonstrate against corruption.

The applicants claimed the health system was sidelining the Matabeleland region. “We should start fighting for the statistics in terms of allocation as we have hospitals in Matabeleland like Mpilo and UBH which are as big as Parirenyatwa. Mpilo School of Nursing enrols 25 students per intake, Gwanda 15, St Luke’s 10 while Harare hospital 50, Parirenyatwa 50, Chitungwiza 40, and looking at number it’s clear they don’t want us to learn. They keep lying that we are all quick to cross the border to South Africa but allocation of posts is not justifiable for starters,” reads the letter. 

Some nurses at Mpilo Central Hospital said the students who came from other places were likely to be employed in their provinces of origin on completion of studies, leaving a gap in Matabeleland.  Contacted for comment, Mpilo clinical director Dr Solwayo Ngwenya who also heads the school of nursing said: 

“I would like to confirm that this time around, the selection and interviews were done from Harare and none of us had a hand or were consulted. We have since received the 24 names of the student nurses who started on Monday and all these were a recommendation from the head office,” said Dr Ngwenya. 

UBH clinical director Dr Narcissus Dzvanga could not be reached for comment. Another source from the hospital said what she described as “deliberate marginalisation” of Matabeleland prospective students would have far reaching effects on access to health.

“What they have simply done is declare that as a people from this region we do not deserve access to health care. From the list of 24, only four students are from this region and it is clear that they are not worried about our right to health,” she said. 

She also said the online application though a noble idea, did not take into cognisance economic challenges. 

THE Progressive Agriculture and Allied Industries Workers’ Union of Zimbabwe (Paawuz) has written to Labour and Social Welfare minister Sekai Nzenza, requesting for a meeting over the “conduct of white commercial farmers”.

In a letter dated August 2, 2019, Paawuz secretary-general Raymond Sixpence revealed that workers in the agriculture sector were being exploited, hence requesting for an emergency meeting with Nzenza.

“We are writing to you in displeasure over the conduct of farmers, particularly white commercial farmers. The farmers are abusing workers, making them to work for over 12 hours and underpaying them,” he wrote.

“The farmers are threatening workers and harassing them. They are only worried about production; they don’t care about workers’ welfare. We are kindly requesting for your honourable office to book for any appointment to meet with you and the two employer’s unions. We need harmony in the agriculture sector. Zimbabwe is open for business and not for workers exploitation,” Sixpence wrote.

Commercial Farmers’ Union director Ben Purcell Gilpin refuted the allegations, saying they were “advocating for and support fair labour practice in the agricultural industry and noted with concern any allegations of inappropriate labour practices”.

“The labour law provides for conciliation through the NEC (national employment council) and we believe the proper process of complainant should be followed. We would, therefore, appeal to all employers to act within the law and to use the designated NEC to settle disputes,” he said.

Gilpin said it would be important to have full facts in each case before any further comment, “suffice to say all we can do is to encourage good workplace relationships as this is essential for the sustainable operation of farming businesses”.

The agriculture sector is the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy as more than 70% of its population derives its livelihood from it, according to a 2016 report titled Working and Living Conditions of Workers in the Agricultural sector in Zimbabwe compiled by Naome Chakanya.

The sector contributes the highest figure in terms of the country’s wealth and employment.

In terms of employment, according to the Labour Force and Child Labour Survey released in 2014, the agriculture sector (including forestry and fishing) contributes about 67% of total employment and about 15% to the country’s gross domestic product.

Despite all this, workers in the sector are classified as working poor.

By A Correspondent| In a tragic incident, a new mother died hours after giving birth to triplets at St Patricks Hospital in Hwange on Wednesday.

The Binga woman who had not undergone an ultrasound scan because of the poor medical facilities provided at rural hospitals and clinics was not aware that she was carrying triplets until she went into labour.

The woman who has not yet been named, naturally gave birth to the first baby, but had complications giving birth to the other two and had to undergo surgery.

Speaking to a local publication, Mpilo Hospital Clinical Director Dr Solwayo Ngwenya revealed that the woman died from loss of too much blood adding that there had been delays in seeking medical attention.

“We tried everything here, but it failed. She died on September 25,

“We had a highly competent medical team that operated on her when she got here. We had the doctors but there was not a lot they could do. She had bled too much and stabilisation efforts were in vain,” he said.

The incident comes against a backdrop of high maternal mortality rate in the country which is largely caused by poor medical facilities and delays in seeking medical care.

According to Fungisayi Dube of the Citizens Health Watch, the estimated maternal mortality rate (MMR) in the country is at 651 per 100 000 live deaths.

The UZ department of surgery has withdrawn all services until their colleagues are reinstated.

All Government consultant doctors have also withdrawn their services and will not assist in teaching until the reinstatement of their colleagues.

ZIMA has called the Government’s actions madness and senseless.

The doctors have decided not to resign arguing that they will fight the madness from inside.

Teaching at the UZ Medical School has been immediately suspended until Government fixes the mess that it created.-Hopewell Chin’ono

The Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO) buses have been overwhelmed by commuters who can no longer afford the exorbitant fares being charged by commuter omnibuses following the recent fuel price hike.

Long queues have become the order of the day at all ZUPCO bus termini in Harare as the commuting public can longer afford fares charged by commuter omnibuses that range between ZWL $5 and $8 dollars for a local trip.

ZUPCO buses charge between a dollar and two for local trips, hence the huge turnout at the buses’ various termini as passengers try to avoid paying more in commuter omnibuses.

“This resulted in some of us here failing to report for work on time as we battle for the cheap mode of transport,” said one passenger.

“The transport situation has turned dire as kombis have hiked fares to between ZWL $10 and twenty dollars to and from work,” said another one.

“Its 11 o’clock now and I joined this queue in the morning but up to now I am yet to board the ZUPCO to go to work. The buses are being overwhelmed to say the truth because they are the cheap one, says commuter in the CBD,” said another one.

“We appeal to government to bring more buses because everyone is now preferring the ZUPCO, we don’t have money to board the expensive kombis, says another old woman in the city,” said another one.

A driver with ZUPCO confirmed the swelling numbers as the cheaper mode of transport has become the overwhelming choice for many.

“It has been hectic, but the fact is that the buses are few, says the driver,” he said.

Government introduced ZUPCO buses to cushion commuters from transport challenges and exorbitant fares charged by commuter omnibuses.

More buses are expected to arrive in the country from Belarus and South Africa.

The family of the late former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe is planning to build a museum at his rural home in Zvimba where he lies buried, local media reported.

Mr Mugabe’s nephew, Leo Mugabe, said that a museum would be more appropriate than the mausoleum which the family had initially agreed that he would be buried in, local broadcaster ZTN News reported on Wednesday.

“That place is going to be turned into a museum type of thing where his grave is in the middle there and people can walk around.

In actual fact, in hindsight, this was the best decision, because a mausoleum would have been smaller,” ZTN quoted the nephew and family spokesman as saying.

Mr Mugabe died in Singapore aged 95 on September 6 this year and was declared a national hero.

The government wanted to have his remained interred at the National Heroes Acre and had agreed with the family that the former leader would be buried in a mausoleum.

Work on the mausoleum had begun when the family had a change of mind and decided to bury him at his rural home at a modest ceremony on September 28.

(Xinhua/NAN)

Zimbabwe is experiencing bread shortages for the umpteenth time this year. In the past, the scarcity was blamed on flour shortages as the country has become a net importer of wheat over the past two decades.

Online vendors, Fresh In A Box (FIAB) apologised to their customers for failing to deliver bread. FIAB said in a statement:

“We could not find any bread delivery trucks to chase and our supplier just isn’t delivering. So if you ordered Bread from us, please bear with us and we will make sure we deliver when it becomes available. Sorry guys. Zim happens…”

However a walk in the streets of most major urban centres will show that there is plenty of bread in the black market.

Bread now costs ZWL$11.00 per loaf on the formal market with some street vendors selling it for ZWL$7.00but strictly on cash.

There are reports that bakers are seeking to hike the price of bread to ZWL$14.00 in order to factor costs driven by things like fuel and electricity.

THE MDC led by Nelson Chamisa says it is gravely concerned about the deepening economic situation in tghe country, threatening unspecified but “robust action”.

In a statement following a seven hour meeting of the party’s national standing committee on Tuesday, deputy national spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka said President Emmerson Mnangagwa has failed to arrest the crisis.

“The party will soon embark on a robust programme to respond to the national crisis through peaceful and constitutional means.

“Mnangagwa has failed to deal with the burgeoning national crisis and the party resolved to take robust action in the near future on the side of the suffering people of Zimbabwe,” part of the statement reads.

In August this year, the MDC was barred from staging protests in five cities across the country.

Tamborinyoka said the Zimbabwean crisis has manifested itself in the form of unending fuel queues, electricity and water shortages and the ongoing strike by hospital doctors that entered its second month last week.

“There has been State capture as evidenced by cartels comprising top State players and a politically connected business elite. It is these cartels that are stealing taxpayers’ money through illegal deals and other nefarious activities that have brought the economy to its knees,” the opposition party said.

The MDC demanded that President Mnangagwa’s administration reimburses Zimbabweans the money that it illegally collected from them through the 2018, 2% transactional tax.

The tax was introduced last October and last month a High Court judge ruled Statutory 205/2018 null and void. However, government had already incorporated the legal instrument into the Finance Act rendering the ruling academic.

Zimbabwe is experiencing its worst power crisis with and an 18hr loadshedding schedule, water shortages across the country’s urban centres triggering fears of water borne disease outbreaks, fuel queues that have become a permanent feature and a currency that has gone into tailspin since introduction in June.

ZANU PF Youth leader, Godfrey Tsenengamu has urged his colleagues to remain focused saying power is not permanent.

Posting on Facebook as the ruling party is embarking on a national restructuring exercise, the outspoken leader said:

Let’s always set a very good precedent when we are in power or have access to it for what goes around comes around. Power is never permanent. Let’s remain sober and never allow power to get us drunk. Power must not corrupt us.

Tsenengamu at some point clashed with the late former President Robert Mugabe for openly supporting the then vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa as Mugabe’s successor.

He recently came under fire for opposition party leaders’ policies including the compensation of white farmers.

Paul Nyathi |Thokozani Khupe led Splinter MDC-T Deputy President Obert Gutu has joined joined ZANU PF spin doctor and Deputy Information Minister Energy Mutodi in dismissing the idea of an election sabbath proposed by local churches to deal with political polarization and economic crisis in what could be an indication of the thinking within the Zanu PF circles.

Writing on Twitter, both Gutu and Mutodi launched a vitriolic attack on Zimbabwe Council of Churches Secretary General Rev Kenneth Mtata.

Below are the two controversial politicians’ highly criticised Twitter posts.

Chaos rocked the Registrar General’s (RG) passport office in the capital as the office failed to handle the demand for emergency passport applications in response to an invitation by the issuing office.

Hundreds of applicants were queuing at the offices since morning as a result of the invitation for applicants to submit their emergency applications extended by the office.

Many applicants were left in despair after going through a cumbersome process which they say has given them very little guarantee for a passport.

“I have a child who desperately needs a passport to travel to South Africa, and if I don’t get it that means she will not be admitted in school outside the country, I came here in the morning but there seems to be nothing for us here,” one applicant said.

“I work in Dubai, and I need my passport in order to renew my work permit, the situation here is so depressing, I hope they will be able to address it soon,” another said.

Investigations at the scene by ZBC Online revealed what many noted as an anomaly on the part of the passport issuing office that forwarded a blanket invitation for applicants to submit their emergency applications without a proper strategy to manage the numbers.

Members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) had to be deployed to help control the masses amid the chaos with only a few fortunate to get to the service windows.

Access inside the building was almost impossible as there was disorder much to the disappointment of people waiting to submit their applications.

Efforts to get a comment from the Registrar General were fruitless as he was said to be out of office.

The Director Human Resources said the situation was not as bad as it appeared.-zbc

Farai Dziva|
A former police officer is suing Emmerson Mnangagwa and Home Affairs Minister Cain Mathema.

The former ZRP cop, Peter Kurauwone Dube is suing Mnangagwa Mathema for defying a 2010 High Court order compelling the police force to reinstate him, pending the finalisation of his appeal against unlawful dismissal .

“On March 25, 2010, Dube won a High Court order filed under case number HC 1673/09, compelling the then Public Service Commission (PSC) to reinstate him but the employer failed to comply with the order,” a source revealed.

Motormouth deputy information minister Energy Mutodi has dismissed the idea of an election sabbath proposed by local churches to deal with political polarization and economic crisis in what could be an indication of the thinking within the Zanu PF circles.

Writing on Twitter, Mutodi launched a vitriolic attack on Zimbabwe Council of Churches Secretary General Rev Kenneth Mtata whom he described as a false prophet.

Below is Mutodi’s tweet;

Every nation has mad people & we have our own Kenneth Mtata & his bunch of false prophets. The Bible says all leaders come from God & for a purpose but for his lack of faith, the hypocrite sees visions from the devil & proclaims them as if they were from God. #no-to-baal-prophets

The new cyber bill has been described as a ploy to gag the social media…

Watch video below. ..

The 10th October is the day on which the United Nations every year urges countries of the world to abolish the death penalty.

Zimbabwe has not yet heeded the call, even though no one has been executed here since 2005.  Our courts continue to sentence prisoners to death for murder, and these prisoners are kept in unspeakable conditions waiting for their sentences to be carried out, not knowing from one day to the next when they will be taken from their cells and hanged.  As the courts continue to impose the death sentence more and more prisoners suffer this horrible fate.

Children, the Unseen Victims

It is not only the prisoners who suffer.  This year we are asked to consider the innocent victims of the death penalty:  the families of condemned prisoners, particularly their children.  Children of condemned prisoners have committed no crime yet they are stigmatised by their communities and carry heavy emotional and psychological burdens.  They especially deserve our pity.

The Death Penalty can Easily be Abolished in Zimbabwe

The Constitution allows, but does not require, the penalty to be imposed for murder committed in aggravating circumstances.  All it needs to abolish the penalty, therefore, is a short Act of Parliament.  A Bill for such an Act has already been drafted [link].  If the Government were to put forward such a Bill most members of the public would acquiesce because the death penalty is not part of Zimbabwe’s indigenous culture.  The President and most Members of Parliament favour abolition:  all that is needed is political will.

Veritas urges the Government to present such a Bill to Parliament and urges all Parliaments of good will to pass it without delay. 

Zimbabwe Should Join the World in Abolishing the Death Penalty

• Out of the 195 member or observer states of the United Nations, only 55 keep the death penalty in law and in practice. 
• Out of the 54 nations in Africa, only 15 continue to carry out the death penalty. 
• More and more countries are abolishing the death penalty.  It is time for Zimbabwe to do so.

READ FULL TEXT BELOW…

By A Correspondent- President Mnangagwa says Zimbabwe seeks to broaden co-operation with countries in Africa in advancing the interests and growth of the continent.

Mnangagwa, who is guest of honour during Uganda’s 57th Independence Day celebrations today, rallied African countries to unite and develop the continent. And the President was making an emotional return to Entebbe, a place he passed through as he went to Egypt for military training back in 1963.

A dinner was hosted in his honour by host President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

“We have come here to show our appreciation with desire to broaden our cooperation. We are fully aware that the role of our founding fathers was to have Africa free, to attain political freedom but today we now have a duty as the current crop of leadership in Africa to develop our countries, improve the standard of life for our people, trade among ourselves, grow our industries and modernise all aspects of our life,” said President Mnangagwa.

“To do so we have to share our respective resources and knowledge between ourselves.”

Earlier, the President said the independence of Uganda inspired Southern African States to also fight for the right to self-determination.

“May I mention that your own independence was a great inspiration to us in Southern Africa in the early 1960s.

“We were inspired by the independence of countries in Eastern Africa, we believed that it was going to be possible for us in Southern Africa to also become independent and indeed Eastern Africa became the basis for the struggle waged.

“You may speak of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa or Angola, we all were here and indeed some members of my Cabinet are products of Makerere University so you have tremendously contributed to the development of Southern Africa materially and intellectually,” said President Mnangagwa to his colleague President Yoweri Museveni.

President Mnangagwa said he was greatly honoured by the invitation extended to him by President Museveni to be special guest at the celebrations.

“I was mentioning to His Excellency thatI was last here in 1963, that’s the year I came to Entebbe on my way for military training, I can’t remember anything but I know I passed through here at Entebbe, this is great, congratulations on what you have achieved,” said President Mnangagwa.

President Museveni thanked President Mnangagwa for honouring his invite to be guest of honour at today’s event.

“The people of Africa are one. When our brothers and sisters from Southern Africa, when they come here , they are coming home and when you go there you are also going home,” he said.

Meanwhile, the President arrived here yesterday at 6pm local time and was received at the Entebbe Airport, 41 kilometres from the capital Kampala, by Ugandan Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Sam Kutesa, Zimbabwe Ambassador to Kenya and Uganda Mrs Winpeg Moyo and Chief Director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ambassador Lovemore Mazemo.

President Mnangagwa was welcomed at the State House by President Museveni. He was honoured with a 21 Gun Salute before inspecting a guard of honour mounted by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces and the Uganda Police.

-StateMedia

A fraudster who masqueraded as former High Court judge Justice Mafios Cheda and swindled several Government officials of large sums of money was jailed for an effective three years and two months.

Tinashe Munhuweyi (36), of Mufakose in Harare, would call the victims and introduce himself as Justice Cheda and would pretend to be desperate and in urgent need of financial help.

He conned Deputy Minister for Defence and War Veterans Affairs Victor Matemadanda, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Dr Sekai Nzenza and Matabeleland North Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Richard Moyo.

Other victims include Great Zimbabwe University Professor Ben Siyakwazi and a relative to late retired High Court judge, Justice Simpson Mutambanengwe, Naboth.

The named victims lost a total of over $12 000.

Munhuweyi was convicted by magistrate Mrs Rumbidzai Mugwagwa after a full trial.

In aggravation, prosecutor Ms Patience Chimusaru called for a lengthy prison term, arguing that Munhuweyi brought the name of Justice Cheda into disrepute.

Convinced by the State’s submissions, the magistrate said there was need for a deterrent sentence which would send a message to would-be offenders.

She then sentenced Munhuweyi to 56 months in prison before setting aside six months on condition of good behaviour and a further 12 months were suspended on condition he restitutes all the victims on or before January 1, next year.

She effected 38 months, but failure to pay back the money, Munhuweyi will serve an effective 50 months.

On September 17 last year, Munhuweyi contacted Matemadanda while purporting to be Justice Cheda and misrepresented that he had two trucks which had run out of fuel at Chirundu Border Post.

He requested for $600 to refuel the trucks and pay for other expenses. Munhuweyi asked Matemadanda to transfer the money into a supplied EcoCash account and promised to repay the debt.

Munhuweyi became evasive after receiving the money.

When Matemadanda testified during trial, he said when he received the call for help from the imposter, he was made to believe it was Justice Cheda since they had met on several occasions.

He said when Munhuweyi became evasive, he then conducted his own investigations and later spoke to the real Justice Cheda, who knew nothing about the transactions.

According to Cde Matemadanda, Justice Cheda even said he had also received various complaints of people who had been duped in his name.

On November 28, Munhuweyi, the court heard, contacted Minister Nzenza masquerading as Justice Cheda and lied that his nephew had a truck carrying fertiliser which had a breakdown on its way from South Africa.

He asked for $825 to fix the truck before asking for a further $863 the following day which he said was for fuel.

The money was sent via EcoCash.

Minister Nzenza became suspicious due to the unending demands and made her own investigations which unearthed the scam.

Using the same modus operandi, Munhuweyi defrauded Professor Siyakwazi after misrepresenting that his son “Christian Cheda” had died while on his way to India for medical attention.

He then said he was looking for financial assistance towards his son’s funeral-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- MDC legislators who walked out of Parliament during President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s State of the Nation Address last week have given the Speaker of the National Assembly, Jacob Mudenda 48 hours to withdraw his threats to dock their allowances or they will face off in court.

A lawyer representing the MPs, Alec Muchadehama, said Mudenda had no powers to dock the sitting allowances of the legislators.

“You were reported as having said the following words, first, that there were members of MDC Alliance who had not shown respect to his Excellency, the President, when he entered the House by remaining seated,” Muchadehama wrote to Mudenda.

“Second, that you had previously thereafter threatened to make some unpalatable decision should certain concerned members not respect the decision and dignity of the House in the presence of the President and using the powers vested in the members who walked out when the President started to speak shall not receive their sitting allowance.

“You threatened more drastic action should what you called unpalatable behaviour of the MDC Alliance members of parliament persists.”

He said the Speaker had no powers to dock sitting allowances or prevent MPs from receiving their sitting allowances.

“The Parliament of Zimbabwe, National Standing Rules and orders do not allow you to dock Members of Parliament’s sitting allowances. It must be borne in mind that your actions were not those of Parliament or the committee on Standing Rules and Orders or any other committee or body,” Muchadehama submitted.

“We have not been able to find any law that allows you to do what you did. Our clients, therefore, contend that your actions were personal, your decision was also capricious, irrational and scandalous.”

The legislators submitted that Mudenda’s actions were unlawful and unprocedural, adding he violated international conventions, best practices and procedures of Parliament.

“In your actions, you acted as the complainant, judge, juror and executioner. Your conduct was biased, unlawful, unreasonable, disproportionate and unfair both procedurally and substantively,” the legislators said.

Muchadehama cited a case where the Government of Zimbabwe failed an attempt not to pay former Rhodesia Premier, Ian Smith’s salary.

“If we do not hear from you as requested or as expected, we shall take it that you are sticking to your decision and in that event, our instructions are to approach the courts of law to protect our clients. Should this course unfold, we have been instructed to institute legal proceedings against you in your individual capacity,” he submitted.

— NewsDay

By A Correspondent- A South African High Court judge has ruled against the sacking of foreign haulage truck drivers saying it was in breach of their rights not to be discriminated against on the basis of their social origin.

Justice Rabkin Naicker, sitting in the Johannesburg Labour Court on September 27, said the termination of the employment of foreign drivers following a demand by a trucking company and other local groups of drivers’ associations from South Africa could not be allowed.

“The termination of the employment of the applicant (foreign drivers) as a result of the demand (by Reinhard Transport Group) is declared to be in breach of his right not to be unfairly discriminated against on the basis of his social origin and / or any a bit rare ground relating to nationality,” Naicker said.

That termination was also not in compliance with the “audi alteram parte rule” and was in breach of applicants contracts of employment, Naicker said.

Audi Alterum Parte Rules refer to the right of every side of the story to be heard.

In the interdict, Naicker also issued a rule nisi (order to show cause) calling on the respondents to show cause, by November 20 this year, as to why a final order should not be made in those terms barring South Africa’s trucking companies to terminate the employment of foreign drivers.

“Before the return date of November 20, 2019 the Reinhard Trucking (cited as the first respondent) is indicted from the employment of foreign truck drivers as a result of the demand made to it by Second Respondent and its representatives on August 25, 2019 namely that it terminates the services of all foreign national truck drivers in its employ,” Naicker ruled.

Reinhadt Transport Group, on the instance of All Truck Drivers Foundation (ATDF), a South African haulage truckers association, Sipho Zungu, ATDF chairperson and Sfiso Nyathi, whose portfolio is unclear, sought to terminate the jobs of hundreds of truck drivers employed by South African trucking companies.

By A Correspondent- Zanu PF Youth leader, Godfrey Tsenengamu has urged his colleagues to remain focused saying power is not permanent.

Posting on Facebook as the ruling party is embarking on a national restructuring exercise, the outspoken leader said:

“Let’s always set a very good precedent when we are in power or have access to it for what goes around comes around. Power is never permanent. Let’s remain sober and never allow power to get us drunk. Power must not corrupt us.

Tsenengamu at some point clashed with the late former President Robert Mugabe for openly supporting the then vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa as Mugabe’s successor.

He recently came under fire for opposing party leaders’ policies including the compensation of white farmers.

Zimbabwean social media has been buzzing since the Zimbabwe Heads of Christian Denominations (ZHOCD) called for a suspension of elections for 7 years to address the political and economic problems currently bedevilling the country.

Unsurprisingly,  most Zimbabweans are in disagreement with the church’s call for an electoral sabbatical.

Below are some of the reactions to the Sabbath proposal

How do you reward an illegitimate president with more years at the helm? That's witchcraft. Those Ediots masquerading as heads of Christian denominations shld be stopped in their tracks. They are hired Zanu-PF goons. https://t.co/4c40t9GBDc

— mawarire jealousy (@mawarirej) October 9, 2019

The call is absurd & unconstitutional. Elections cannot be suspended without amending the Bill of Rights, thus necessitating a referendum. The Constitution is to the State what the Bible is to the Church. Feedom of religion is fundamental, as is the separation of Church & State! https://t.co/Crjt5t3hhK

— Prof Jonathan Moyo (@ProfJNMoyo) October 8, 2019

I'm trying not to be mean but a 7 year political sabbath is exactly one of those "a stupid person's idea of a smart person" type of things.

Like, things are so bad so let's give the people are at fault a chance to govern COMPLETELY UNCONTESTED?!!!

— Rudo Mudiwa (@Seka_hako) October 9, 2019

If that's how these Church people think,then i am not going to Church anytime soon,will have to praise God from home….phela this is just hallucination at its best!

— Erick's (@Ericks11935184) October 8, 2019

MDC legislators who walked out of Parliament during President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s State of the Nation Address last week have given the Speaker of the National Assembly, Jacob Mudenda 48 hours to withdraw his threats to dock their allowances or they will face off in court.

A lawyer representing the MPs, Alec Muchadehama, said Mudenda had no powers to dock the sitting allowances of the legislators.

“You were reported as having said the following words, first, that there were members of MDC Alliance who had not shown respect to his Excellency, the President, when he entered the House by remaining seated,” Muchadehama wrote to Mudenda.

“Second, that you had previously thereafter threatened to make some unpalatable decision should certain concerned members not respect the decision and dignity of the House in the presence of the President and using the powers vested in the members who walked out when the President started to speak shall not receive their sitting allowance.

“You threatened more drastic action should what you called unpalatable behaviour of the MDC Alliance members of parliament persists.”

He said the Speaker had no powers to dock sitting allowances or prevent MPs from receiving their sitting allowances.

“The Parliament of Zimbabwe, National Standing Rules and orders do not allow you to dock Members of Parliament’s sitting allowances. It must be borne in mind that your actions were not those of Parliament or the committee on Standing Rules and Orders or any other committee or body,” Muchadehama submitted.

“We have not been able to find any law that allows you to do what you did. Our clients, therefore, contend that your actions were personal, your decision was also capricious, irrational and scandalous.”

The legislators submitted that Mudenda’s actions were unlawful and unprocedural, adding he violated international conventions, best practices and procedures of Parliament.

“In your actions, you acted as the complainant, judge, juror and executioner. Your conduct was biased, unlawful, unreasonable, disproportionate and unfair both procedurally and substantively,” the legislators said.

Muchadehama cited a case where the Government of Zimbabwe failed an attempt not to pay former Rhodesia Premier, Ian Smith’s salary.

“If we do not hear from you as requested or as expected, we shall take it that you are sticking to your decision and in that event, our instructions are to approach the courts of law to protect our clients. Should this course unfold, we have been instructed to institute legal proceedings against you in your individual capacity,” he submitted.

— NewsDay

NewsDay|A FORMER Judicial Service Commission general hand, who solemnised a marriage between a local woman and a Nigerian man while posing as a magistrate, was on Monday sentenced to 12 months imprisonment by a Harare magistrate.

Edmund Rugare Mboko (61), had his case removed from remand in 2015 under unclear circumstances.

However, Mboko was then summoned to court four years later to answer to the same allegations and was convicted and sentenced by Harare magistrate Takunda Mtetwa.

Mboko will serve a nine-month effective jail term after magistrate Mtetwa suspended three months on condition of good behaviour.

In 2015, Mboko surprised many people when he solemnised several marriages between local women and foreign men at the Harare Magistrates Court.

Mostly targeted were men from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, who were seeking illegal Zimbabwean citizenship.

The court heard that on March 1, 2006 Karen Kokore and her husband Egomole Callistue Okechukwe went to the Harare Magistrates’ Courts, to get married to enable Okechukwu, a Nigerian national, to enjoy citizenship privileges in Zimbabwe.

Mboko, not being a marriage officer, posed as magistrate Olivia Mariga and solemnised the marriage between Kokore and Okechukwe and issued the couple with a marriage certificate number 594/006.

The convict then forged the signature of magistrate Mariga knowing that he was not Mariga.

The offence was discovered on December 15, 2014 by Kakore when she wanted to file a divorce application and was advised that their marriage certificate was not captured in the Register general’s data base leading to his arrest.

Paul Nyathi|Bulawayo’s Mpilo hospital may just be shutting down as “incapacitated” nurses at the Central Hospital failed to report for work due high public transport costs.

Bulawayo public transport operators increased fares to as high as $10 per trip into town in some areas following a heavy fuel price increase on Monday.

The move by the nurses comes at a time when other health workers including junior and senior doctors are also involved in a job action where they are not reporting for duty alleging that their current salaries do not meet even monthly transport costs.

While government has deployed very few low cost Zimbabwe Passenger Company (ZUPCO) buses to ferry citizens, this has not solved the high urban transport cost as the bus can not cope with the demand.

“Many nurses failed to turn up for work due to increased transport costs, the few who showed up came turned very late just before knock off time, ” said a source at the hospital.

Doctors across the country have been on strike demanding better working conditions and a review of their salaries. The strike has completely halted operations at the hospitals.

Government last week issued an ultimatum for doctors to return to work by Monday but this was ignored resulting in the issue being taken to court where it will be finalised on Wednesday.

Paul Nyathi|In yet another of now ceremonial Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe flip flops, the central bank has acquitted financial trader Access Finance of money laundering allegations allegedly after some internal investigations.

The Bank has of late been involved in incoherent policies in a bid to try and control the runaway US Dollar exchange rate to the Zimbabwean Dollar.

Access Bank accounts were frozen in September together with those of perennial money laundering accused Sakunda and Croco Motors after being accused of fuelling the black market with foreign currency.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ) froze the accounts of four companies a day after the local currency took a dramatic tumble on the parallel market.

The RBZ said it had frozen all outgoing transactions on bank accounts held by Access Finance, Croco Motors, Spartan Security and Sakunda Holdings to facilitate a money laundering investigation.

Sakunda, which has now diversified after starting off as a petroleum company, is owned by Kudakwashe Tagwirei, an ally of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and now part owner of the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe.

Spartan Security is linked to the Mnangagwa family through one of his sons.

A memo sent to all banks by the central bank acting head of the Financial Intelligence Unit, Wonder Kapofu, said: “The FIU is carrying out analysis on the above-named entities and their sister group companies. As we carry out further analysis, you are directed to freeze, with immediate effect, all accounts held in the names of the listed entities until further notice.

“You shall not process any withdrawals or transfers from the accounts. You should however allow deposits or other flows into the accounts.”

Reports from sources within the RBZ revealed however that Access, which has emerged as one of the biggest dealers and embarked on a massive in-store rollout in partnership with Delta, Electrosales, Gain Cash & Carry and Zimnat Lion Insurance had not violated the law.

Paul Nyathi: Junior Doctors have been on strike for thirty seven days as oftoday, but what exactly do they want from government?

For more on this we have extracted below an interview held between ZiFM live radio interview with the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association leadership, Dr Tawanda Zvakada and Dr Masimba Ndoro.

Views and listeners called on the state not to abduct the young doctors after the no hold barred interview.

“Please dont abdupt these innocent souls tokuzivai you ediots nxaa,” viewer Mabel Chipare screamed during the interview.

Watch video downloading below:

Chairman of Alpha Media Holdings (AMH)Trevor Ncube on Tuesday made significant changes to the editorial staff at his company.

Dumisani Muleya, who is the editor of the Independent, will step aside for Faith Zaba on November 1, to become group editor at large.

Wisdom Mudzungairi has been promoted from editor to editor-in-chief at NewsDay while Kholwani Nyathi will continue as the editor of The Standard. Said Ncube:

The board is convinced that these changes will ensure we enhance the quality of service to our clients as well as be more efficient in the execution thereof.

Ncube is reported to be unhappy with Muleya’s “hostile” stance towards President Mnangagwa’s government while Mudzungairi and Zaba supported the coup the ousted the late Robert Mugabe from power in 2017.

Ncube has allegedly made the changes to please Mnangagwa who appointed him to the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC).

Reports also indicate that Ncube recently opened talks with Mnangagwa’s son-in-law Gerald Mlotshwa (Sports and Recreation Board Chairperson) to take up 30 per cent shareholding in AMH.

Pindula

Paul Nyathi|Doug Coltart, an attorney representing the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors’ Association (ZHDA), says that the government yesterday failed to make clear arguments in the Labour Court on why it is seeking an order to declare the ongoing strike by doctors either legal or illegal in terms of the local labour laws.

Coltart told reporters soon after court proceedings that the government has been ordered to place a full record of the court’s proceedings and other issues in court by Wednesday for a full hearing.

The Labour Court ruled that the Ministry of Health should make further submissions in the matter in which it is seeking a determination on the 36-day industrial action by the doctors demanding higher salaries and improved conditions of service.

Coltart indicated that the state attorney conceded that the doctors’ industrial action was a result of incapacitation and not a strike.

“The minister determined the preliminary point but failed to give reasons as to why she issued a show cause order. So, the matter has been sent back to the minister, number one to give reasons on why she issued the show cause order and number two to give a full record, to place a full record in court. So, what we are expecting in that record are full minutes of the hearing before the Labour Court including oral evidence which was backed by Dr. (Tawanda) Zvakada (ZHDA acting president) about the incapacitation of doctors.

“Doctors are saying we are not on strike, 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. The second thing what we are expecting to see in those minutes is that a concession was made by counsel for the Health Service Board to say that indeed doctors are incapacitated but they should go back to work anyway because other civil servants are doing so. 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.”

He said the Labour Court has made a determination that the necessary documents should be filed in the court Wednesday so that they can be inspected before a hearing is held on a date yet to be determined.

Paul Nyathi|Grace Mugabe, the widow of the late former founding father of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe reportedly performed strange rituals on the body of her departed husband before, during and after burial.

Close family members told the Daily News this week that Mugabe’s sickness, death and burial were highly associated with superstition. One displeased family member who spoke to the Daily News said:

There was no body viewing on the day of burial. No one knows if Mugabe still had a nose, two eyes, two hands or two legs because Grace didn’t allow the viewing of his body.

Before the burial, she ordered out relatives and friends from where the body was, and remained in the room with her children for a considerable period of time.

No one knows what she was doing with the children and the remains of the former president. Our suspicion is that she was carrying out some rituals.

Leo Mugabe, the spokesperson of the Mugabe family said that the Mugabe family was not superstitious, but, Grace had brought superstition with her from Singapore.

He said she even claimed that Mugabe had ordered her not to allow his remains to leave her sight.

Pindula

VIDEO LOADING BELOW….