Jane Mlambo| Opposition MDC-T Vice President Obert Gutu has dashed to the defence of President Emmerson Mnangagwa over his address at the United Nations General Assembly which was delivered in an almost auditorium.

Posting on Twitter today, Gutu said African leaders are never made to deliver their speeches during prime slots which are a preserve of powerful states including the United States of America.

Gutu added that UNGA sessions need to be re-organized.

“United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) sessions need to be urgently re-organized. I’m in the United States right now & I noticed that African leaders are never given prime time slots for their presentations. US President Donald Trump made his presentation early morning, Tuesday.”

Mnangagwa’s UNGA address became a subject of debate in the country with some mocking him for delivering his speech in an almost empty auditorium.

Zanu PF aligned people fired back with pictures of other African leaders including Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Edgar Lungu of Zambia and many others who also addressed empty seats.

Farai Dziva| Contrary to claims by the government that Auxillia Mnangagwa was appointed as an ambassador at Havard University, the institution has said it has not appointed the Zanu PF leader’s wife to any post.

Harvard Media said in a statement: “Harvard-affiliated researchers working at one of our hospitals recently had an informal conversation with the First Lady of Zimbabwe about cancer screening in Africa.

The First Lady has not been named an ambassador at Harvard University.”

Government yesterday claimed Auxillia Mnangagwa had been given a special task by the university.

Farai Dziva| Dr Tapiwa Mashakada, the MDC Secretary for Policy and Research has warned government that the economy cannot survive without dollarization.

See Dr Mashakada’s full argument below :
“To Be or Not to be. That is the question”. William Shakespear

In the United Kingdom, there is a County called Warwickshire. The University of Warwick is in this County. But in England Warwickshire is otherwise better known as Shakespear’s County. Indeed it is the birthplace of the poet and playwright William Shakespear, the wordsmith.

In his book HAMLET, Shakespear asks a rhetoric question: “To be or not to be-thats the question”.

Today, like Shakespear we can all pontificate on our present ecoomic/currency crisis and as Shakespear did, raise our own rhetorical question as follows: “To dollarize or not- that is the question”.

In my view, re-dollarization is inevitable because the market has completely rejected the fake reintroduction of the so-called Zim dollar and instead the market has continued to index prices of goods and services in usd. In fact most retail outlets, shops, fuel stations, schools, hospitals, pharmacies, you name it, are either charging in usd or indexing. What we see as the price madness is all about indexing prices to parallel market rates which the regime is battling to tame.

During the week ending 20th September 2019, the parallel market closed at 1:25 before gvt descended on some named companies and froze their accounts leading to the tumbling of parallel market rates to as low as 1:10. But the question is: Can the forex market be determined by arrests or punitive measures. The answer is a big No. The forex market must be a free float. Hazvidi demo (you cannot use an axe) as it were to slush down parallel market rates. It is wishful thinking. We must not deal with symptoms.

The currency- cum exchange rate crisis has gone out of hand. Hyperinflation makes the situation worse. Prices of basic commodities are out of this world. The last year-on-year inflation rate was recorded in June 2019 at 175%.

The regime announced it would no longer publish annual inflation figures due to the break in time series data from the dollarization era to the Zim dollar era. The data is soft. But Professor Hanke continues to measure the Zim inflation. His latest figure is 745%. This is frightening.

Under such galloping inflation, the only option is to adopt a stable currency, which is the usd. According to Prof Hanke, the Rand is volatile and prone to frequent cyclical depreciation against the usd.

Money has among many functions, two nost important functions. Money is a store of value and a medium of exchange. With due respect a currency depends on confidence. At present, the market lacks confidence in the Zim dollar. In fact, as usual, gvt bungled when it prematurely annoumced the instant return of the Zim dollar when in fact gvt was not ready to introduce it. It was a false start. Hence in this regard, the reintroduction of the Zim dollar was a dump squib. It is a still birth as there was no new local currency issued. The bond note and rtgs remained the only legal tender. That even killed public confidence the most. Instead, gvt should have demonetized the bond and rtgs, print and gazette new Zim dollar notes and coins(base money) with particular features. That did not happen. Iam not by any means suggesting that the reintroduction of the Zim dollar was going to work. Far from it. I am on record arguing that the right macro-economic fundamentals must be in place.

What makes it necessary now to redollarize? The following reasons are most compelling:

1. No one has confidence in the Zim dollar anymore
2. Economic agents are still charging in usd or indexing prices to the parallel market exchange rates.
3. The log-it or lagged effect of rtgs denominated Treasury Bills are still driving money supply growth in the economy and monetary targeting has failed to chlorinate or sterilize the effects of deficit monetization.
4. Prices of goods and services are sticky downwards. Pundits of neo-liberal economics (like Prof Mthuli Ncube) think that one day there will be some imaginary competition that will drive prices down. Such thinking is Utopian and academic. Look at what happened in the week ending 20th September. Even though paralllel market rates fell drastically after the arrest of money launderers, prices did not fall in sympathy. Instead prices of commodities continue to rise and the poor are fèeling the pinch. Society has become more unequal and Zimbabweans are now trapped in poverty. But the sharks are happy. They can hedge themselves against inflation through forex trading and acquisition of Assets. The poor civil servants are wallowing in poverty. Pensioners are the worst. The economy is in a state of implosion. The wheels have come off. In order to abet this economic genocide, the gvt must without much ado, redollarize immediately within this side of 2019. Continuing with the bond and rtgs beyond December 2019 may precipitate social and political mayhem as citizens are losing patients. In fact the Currency crisis is itself a security threat. And so is the economic genocide propelled by price increases. People are dying in hospitals because firstly there are no drugs and secondly they cannot afford to buy from private pharmacies.

The recently appointed member of the Monetary Policy Committee, Eddie Cross opined that Zim earns about usd13.6bn per year in foreign currency inflows from exports of gold, tobacco , diaspora remmittances and other flows. If he is correct, then Zim has more that the 40% forex required as currency in circulation to underpin the reintroduction of the usd.

The rand has got issues with Rand Monetary Area and SACU rules. Moreover all the Member states have to agree on the admission of a new member.

Therefore, the only option for Zimbabwe is to redollarize. The Zim dollar is a debauched currency which cannot be used as a store of value.

Redollarization will solve the following:

1. Stabilize the economy and wipe out hyperinflation
2. Redollarize will stop the black market caused by the surrogate currencies
3. Redollarization will bring back confidence.
4. Redollarization will stop gvt borrowing and result in a cash budget
5. Redollarization will flush out cash barons and reverse corruption, clientelism and state capture.

Let there be market confidence. Let the usd return now and not later. I rest my case.

The IMF has privately warned Zimbabwe that state payouts to a company linked to global commodities trader Trafigura were pushing the shortages-plagued economy to the brink, reviving fears of corruption at the highest level of government. Payouts to Sakunda Holdings, a fuel company owned by an ally of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, were in effect met by the central bank’s printing money.

The transactions severely undermined the country’s currency — the Zimbabwe dollar — only months after it was introduced, the Washington-based institution told Harare this month, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions.

The payments have shed light on the financial links between the state and Sakunda’s chief executive, Kudakwashe Tagwirei, a businessman close to the ruling Zanu-PF party. Sakunda also owns a stake in Trafigura Zimbabwe, a joint venture with Trafigura, one of the world’s largest oil traders.

Sakunda received $366m in government bonds as payments for supplying “Command Agriculture”, a state farm subsidy scheme that Mr Mnangagwa has championed.

However, when Sakunda redeemed some of the bonds, the payouts were made in Zimbabwe dollars at an exchange rate that translated into massive money printing. The redemptions led to a 80 per cent surge in Zimbabwe’s monetary base — money in circulation including bank reserves.

The IMF’s programme with Harare has set a target of 8 to 10 per cent for this year.

Mnangagwa has welcomed the account freeze, saying it would stop people from trying to undermine the currency Following the IMF warning, Zimbabwe’s regulators last week froze the bank accounts of Sakunda and other companies. The move temporarily halted a sharp decline in the Zimbabwe dollar, also known as the RTGS dollar.

However, the consequences of the payments to Sakunda have added to disquiet in Zimbabwe over allegations of “state capture” — the exploitation of public institutions and funds for private interests. Opposition politicians have accused Mr Tagwirei of using his connections to the ruling party and the central bank to build his business.

Tendai Biti, a former finance minister and lawmaker with the opposition, said: “If ever there was state capture, it is Sakunda.” Since replacing the late dictator Robert Mugabe following a 2017 coup, Mr Mnangagwa has vowed to make Zimbabwe “open for business”. In February, he reintroduced the Zimbabwe dollar, a decade after its abolition in the aftermath of hyperinflation. But the currency has since fallen more than 60 per cent against the US dollar, fuelling triple-digit inflation and dire shortages.

The $366m bonds were issued in US dollars in January — the latest of hundreds of millions of US dollars in government bonds issued to Sakunda in recent years. When the new currency was created a month later, Zimbabwean contracts in US dollars were generally converted one-to-one into the new currency.

Recommended David Pilling Zimbabwe’s economic crisis has reached a breaking point But in July, Sakunda was paid by the central bank on the basis of eight to nine RTGS dollars per dollar of original face value, people with knowledge of the financial transactions said.

Mr Mnangagwa has welcomed the account freeze, saying it would stop people from trying to undermine the currency. The government has denied any wrongdoing. Zimbabwe’s finance ministry, the country’s central bank and Mr Tagwirei and Sakunda did not respond to many requests for comment. The IMF declined to comment. Trafigura also declined to comment on the allegations against Mr Tagwirei.

A spokesperson for Trafigura said: “Trafigura Zimbabwe is only involved with petroleum distribution and has no involvement with the activities of Sakunda Holdings in Zimbabwe.” The IMF has been monitoring economic reforms in Zimbabwe since May, part of a cautious testing of the waters by western nations on future financial support for Mr Mnangagwa’s government. Abuses by Mr Mnangagwa’s security forces have made international investors and leaders warier of Mugabe’s successor.

-Financial Times

By A Correspondent- Member of Parliament (MP) for Chivi South, Killer Zivhu has pulled a shocker after he continued to defy his party Zanu PF and embarked on a project to build three schools and a clinic in his constituency.

Zivhu says the project is aimed at bringing education and health services closer to the people he represents.

“We raised funds to build the schools in order to bring relief to local children many of whom are walking long distances when going to school. Clinics are also very few yet people need to be medically attended to in a more convenient manner,” said Zivhu.

Residents in the constituency managed to work together to raise funds to build the schools and the clinic with the help of the Community Development Fund (CDF).

On September 9, Zivhu visited wards 27 and 28 to address the community on the progress they have made in purchasing cement and other building materials.

Zivhu said the project was also informed by the promises he made during the 2018 elections.

“I want to fulfill the promises that I made to you during the elections that I was going to build schools for your children,” said Zivhu.

Chief Nemauzhe was present at the ground breaking of a new secondary school that will be built in Ward 27.

Meanwhile, Zivhu has come under fire for continuing to defy the Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial executive’s directive stopping him from carrying out party and parliamentary business in the area pending the finalisation of his disciplinary hearing.

It is understood the party wrote to the Politburo recommending that he be expelled for violating party rules after turning to social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Twitter, and allegedly pushed for dialogue between President Mnangagwa and MDC-Alliance President Mr Nelson Chamisa.

Further, Zivhu is said to have initiated the process of collecting signatures from people so that they support his dialogue initiative.

The state media reported that the Zanu-PF Masvingo executive recently read the riot act to Zivhu and ordered him to stop carrying out meetings until his matter was finalised.

Zanu-PF vice chairman for Masvingo Ailes Baloyi said yesterday that it was disturbing to note Zivhu was defying party directives.

“We are aware of Zivhu’s defiance and the reports are being taken to the national executive. Every move that he is making is known and we are only waiting for the results of the national disciplinary committee,” said Cde Baloyi.

He said it was public knowledge that Zivhu should not in any way disregard party directives through engaging in any developmental activities in his constituency.

“What he is doing is tantamount to defiance and we are not happy as an executive. One should just follow what he or she is advised by the party.”

— TellZim/Herald

In response to the authorities’ failure to allow Dr. Peter Magombeyi to travel to seek medical attention following his abduction and the deterioration of his health, Muleya Mwananyanda, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Southern Africa said:

“Not allowing Dr. Magombeyi to travel to seek medical treatment outside Zimbabwe is a cruel denial that puts his health at risk.

“That anyone can be treated this way by the state is unbelievable – and is made worse by the fact that he’s already faced a terrible ordeal and abduction. This ill-treatment at the hands of the authorities is now endangering his health.  

“Dr. Magombeyi needs urgent medical treatment. The longer he stays in Zimbabwe, the more his health deteriorates. Zimbabwean authorities must immediately allow him to travel wherever he wants to seek medical treatment.”

Background

Dr. Peter Magombeyi is the acting president of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA). He was abducted on the night of 14 September from his house by three armed men suspected to be state agents and released after five days. He has been instrumental in fighting for the human rights and improved working conditions of Zimbabwean doctors, including leading recent wage increase talks which collapsed, leading to an imminent strike. 

Riot police were deployed in Harare on 24 September to prevent Dr. Magombeyi from leaving the country in defiance of a High Court order that allowed him to go and seek medical assistance out of the country. Police blocked him from leaving the hospital, preventing him from travelling abroad after his health deteriorated following his abduction.

VIDEO LOADING BELOW….

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

USD = ZWL$:14.9140 [25/09/2019]
ZWL$ = RAND:0.9997
Data according to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe

Black Market Rates:

USD = ZWL$17 zimrates
USD = ZWL$17.30 zwl365
USD = ZWL$17 bluemari
USD = BOND11 zimrates

More: Marketwatch

By A Correspondent- A report by Financial Times claims that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) privately warned the Zimbabwean government that payouts to Sakunda Holdings were exacerbating shortages in the economy and signified high-level corruption.

Sakunda Holdings is owned by businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei who is a close ally of President Emmerson Mnangagwa and linked to the ruling ZANU PF party.

The payouts that were given to Sakunda were met by the Central Bank printing money, leading to the devaluation of the Zimbabwean dollar.

Sakunda, which owns a stake in commodities trader Trafigura Zimbabwe, received $366m in government bonds as payments for supplying Command Agriculture.

Sakunda redeemed some of the bonds, with the payout being made in Zimbabwe dollars leading to an 80 per cent surge in Zimbabwe’s monetary base — money in circulation including bank reserves.

The Central Bank’s decision last week to freeze the accounts of Sakunda and other companies was a result of the IMF’s warning to the Zimbabwean government, the report claims.

Paul Nyathi|WFP executive director Mr David Beasley says that he told President Emmerson Mnangagwa that Zimbabwe has the capacity not only to feed itself but the whole world.

Mr Beasley said this to a Zimbabwean journalist on Tuesday after paying a courtesy call on President Mnangagwa on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly currently underway here.

“Zimbabwe cannot only feed itself but it can feed the whole world. It is a great nation and has many opportunities,” he said expressing disappointment at how the once bread basket of Southern Africa is now a basket case.

“We will be put together major financial operations to help people throughout Zimbabwe to make sure we have food security with smallholder farmers and help those that have been impacted by the drought. We look forward to a lot of good things happening to Zimbabwe,” said Mr Beasley.

Watch video of him speak courtesy of government spokesman, Nick Mangwana:

Paul Nyathi|A World Food Programme (WFP), official has assured President Emmerson Mnangagwa that his organisation with help from the Chinese government, has escalated efforts to provide emergency food aid to feed thousands of starving Zimbabweans due to the effects of the poor rain season last year.

The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of China recently signed agreements to provide emergency food assistance to Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe to respond to food insecurity.

The agreements were signed by high-level management of WFP and China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA).

Under the framework of the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund, China’s support will enable WFP to procure food including rice, maize, pulses, fortified cereals, vegetable oil for more than 477,000 of the most vulnerable people in these three countries, mainly women and children.

Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe face serious food insecurity challenges especially due to climate-related disasters such as droughts and floods.

WFP executive director Mr David Beasley told Mnangagwa that the United Nations (UN) food relief agency was mobilising resources to feed affected people, particularly those in rural areas.

Mr Beasley said this on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly on Tuesday when he made a courtesy call on President Mnangagwa.

“Zimbabwe cannot only feed itself but it can feed the whole world. It is a great nation and has many opportunities. We will be put together major financial operations to help people throughout Zimbabwe to make sure we have food security with smallholder farmers and help those that have been impacted by the drought. We look forward to a lot of good things happening to Zimbabwe,” said Mr Beasley.

The meeting was also attended by Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube and his Foreign Affairs and International Trade counterpart Dr Sibusiso Moyo.

According to its estimate, over US$331 million is required to feed more than 5,7 million people countrywide between now and April next year.

Mr Beasley has always affirmed WFP’s support on Zimbabwe saying they would do all they could to help Harare.

President Mnangagwa has since declared the El-Nino induced drought as a national disaster so as to activate local and international agencies to mobilise resources.

Concerns have however always been raised over President Mnangagwa’s ZANU PF party partisan distribution of such food aid when it reaches the country.

The ZANU PF systems on the ground hijack the food and use it as campaigning material distributing it only to those perceived to be loyal to the party.

The government has tightened its monitoring mechanisms on subsidised bread-making flour to millers and bakers to avoid unjustified bread price increases.

This comes after several reports of some “bakers” abusing the subsidised commodity to make biscuits, cakes, and other confectionaries at the expense of bread.

The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe, an apex body for local millers which is charged with milling wheat and maize grain confirmed that government was closely monitoring the use of subsidized wheat meant for bread flour.

“We (millers) are currently enjoying a subsidy of $2 300 per tonne of wheat to be exclusively dedicated for bread flour only,” GMAZ spokesperson Garikai Chaunza confirmed.

“This is meant to stabilise and contain bread prices for the benefit of the consumers who are the financiers of the subsidy and it is our obligation that the flour must go to all bakeries, big and small who are into genuine bread baking and as an association we have always been on guard.”

Chaunza said flour for biscuits and other non-bread products is available at a non-subsidised price.

There are reports that there are known confectionary baking bakeries who are accessing subsidised bread-making flour, creating an artificial shortage of bread and at the same time resulting in the price hikes of the commodity.Bread prices have gone up from $6 to $9.

But National Bakers Association of Zimbabwe president Dennis Wallah denied the allegations that they were creating artificial shortages so that they can be justified to hike bread prices.

“There are still challenges in terms of accessing bread flour. Find out with millers if they have flour enough for everyone. Kindly come and check our silos and see if we have enough flour stocks,” he said.

Wallah said even if the government would monitor the subsidised wheat flour, bread prices were still going up as it was being necessitated by other factors as the economy is struggling.

“Of course, there are other factors necessitating bread price hikes. Look at fuel; it is going up almost on a weekly basis. We have electricity challenges so if bakers are running for 14 hours on generators do you think bread prices will remain low? Right now we also have water crises. Also we have raw materials that we import and getting foreign currency is now very difficult,” he said

NewsDay|INTERNAL strife is threatening the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC ahead of its 20th anniversary celebrations amid reports of sharp divisions emerging over the strategy the opposition party should employ to face off against the well-oiled Zanu PF and government machinery.

Insiders told NewsDay that the party was worried over its recent poor showing in by-elections, the thwarted demonstrations and disharmony in the party, particularly by loyal party members who felt hard-done after failing to secure appointment into the party’s national executive.

“There are concerns over how the party is being run. More concern was on how we are failing to run the party at a time when the economy is collapsing. We should be using the public sentiment to our advantage; the party keeps losing to Zanu PF,” a highly-placed source said.

The tensions have seen party leadership turning against each other with knives going out to former secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora, who faces disciplinary action for travelling with Zanu PF MPs to Sweden for re-engagement meetings.

Sources said the party has appointed vice-chairman Job Sikhala to conduct a disciplinary hearing against Mwonzora, who is now accused of fronting a Zanu PF agenda and nudging the MDC towards dialogue whipping sentiments against demonstrations.

Sikhala said he was not aware of the charges against Mwonzora.

“Nothing that I know at the moment. If there is anything that will come we will cross the bridge when we get there,” he said.

Mwonzora, who is MDC deputy secretary of international relations, travelled to Sweden with Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda, Kindness Paradza, Joshua Sacco of Zanu PF and Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga of MDC-T for a re-engagement diplomatic mission, which has angered some of his peers in the party.

On return, he presented a report to the party, detailing the outcomes of the meetings in which the parliamentary team met officials from Sweden’s Foreign Affairs ministry, the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, officials from the ruling Social Democratic Party, the secretary-general of the Olof Palme Centre as well as the representatives of the Swedish Trade Union Confederation.

He is accused of having joined Zanu PF in pushing for the removal of sanctions during the meetings, an allegation Mwonzora has since denied.

In his report, Mwonzora said the Swedish government told Mudenda’s delegation that they would only support Zimbabwe if President Emmerson Mnangagwa held talks with Nelson Chamisa and genuine reforms are put on the table.

Mwonzora has since denied any wrongdoing, saying he will wait to hear from his party, but remained loyal to the cause, the leadership and the constitution of the MDC.

“I have not committed any offence at all. I have followed all the procedures to the book and I have submitted my report to the party. The European Union lifted sanctions against Zimbabwe a long time ago and as far as February 19 they indicated that they were not going to re-impose the sanctions. As far as I know only the late (former President) Robert Mugabe and his wife and the Zimbabwe Defence Industries are still on EU active sanctions, the former army personnel Constantino Chiwenga and Perrance Shiri, including army general Phillip Valerio Sibanda are on the inactive list,” he said.

MDC deputy spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka denied the reports that the party was in turmoil, saying it remained united and would continue with demonstrations to ensure that political pressure piles on Mnangagwa.

“We have caused a seismic shift in the politics of this country. We came up with our Reload policy document as a leadership and that document has caused a seismic shift in the politics of this country and Mr Mnangagwa is panicking,” he said.

“We actually launched our demonstrations in major cities which were proscribed. Zanu PF is fearful because on the ground we have massive support. So we have a thought leadership and I can tell you we achieved a lot of things through those demonstrations even though they were banned. But I tell you we showed that we have a lot of traction in the country.”

Tamborinyoka said the national executive was working in common purpose.

“We are very united at the cockpit level, very, very united. We are a cohesive unit. President Chamisa is out of the country on a diplomatic offensive. That is just smoke without fire, teargas is smoke, but there is no fire,” he said.

Paul Nyathi|High Court Judge President Justice George Chiweshe on Wednesday ordered Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers to immediately release Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) leader Dr Peter Magombeyi and allow him to travel to South Africa to seek and access specialist medical services.

Some ZRP officers had effectively “imprisoned” Dr Magombeyi after they camped at the Avenues Clinic in Harare after preventing him from leaving Zimbabwe to access medical services in South Africa.

The ZRP’s actions were in contempt of a lawful court order granted by consent on Tuesday 24 September 2019 by High Court Judge Justice Happias Zhou, who interdicted ZRP from preventing Dr Magombeyi from leaving Zimbabwe for South Africa.

But on Wednesday Justice Chiweshe ordered ZRP or anyone acting through them or on their behalf to immediately release Dr Magombeyi. During the court hearing, the Judge President questioned ZRP if there is a law which entitles police officers to hold and detain people who are not suspects.

Justice Chiweshe also dismissed an application filed on Tuesday by ZRP Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga and Michael Chibaya, the Officer-In-Charge of Criminal Investigations Department (Law and Order Section) at Harare Central Police Station purportedly seeking to “correct” the consent order granted by Justice Zhou.

In court, Dr Magombeyi’s lawyers Alec Muchadehama, Beatrice Mtetwa, Roselyn Hanzi and Jeremiah Bamu argued that the ZRP officers’ actions in preventing the ZHDA leader were in defiance of the recommendation by his doctors, who noted that he had suffered possible physical harm and psychological trauma which warranted that further functional brain imaging and further toxicological evaluation, which is not available in Zimbabwe, be conducted on him.

Speaking on the case, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights castigated the state for wasting the court’s time and risking Dr Peter Magombeyi’s health.

“It is very unfortunate that the State chose to waste the court’s precious time and resources and to jeopradise the health of Dr Magombeyi.”

Zlhr

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor John Mangudya was yesterday summoned by a Harare magistrate Lazini Ncube to testify in a matter where Kwekwe businessman Shepherd Tundiya is facing charges of defeating the course of justice.

Tundiya’s lawyer Ashiel Mugiya, however, put the State on notice that if Mangudya failed to appear in court on the next remand on October 21, he will apply for his client to be removed from remand.

Two witnesses Douglas Mafukidze and James Goddard have so far testified.

Allegations are that on December 19, 2018, the informant reported a case of criminal abuse of office against MPs Temba Mliswa, Anele Ndebele, Prince Sibanda and Leonard Chikomba.

The MPs are alleged to have met Goddard and demanded a bribe of US$400 000 to help secure him a mining contract with Hwange Colliery Company.

The meeting had been facilitated by Tundiya.

It is alleged on January 23, 2019, around 3:3pm, Goddard allegedly received a call from Tundiya enquiring about his next visit to Harare and he indicated that he was visiting the following day.

Tundiya further advised the complainant that Mangudya wanted to meet him the following day.

Goddard, in the company of his company’s administrator, Douglas Mafukidze, allegedly met with Tundiya at Mangudya’s office.

The accused then proceeded to advise Goddard that their applications were being processed, and directed that he should withdraw the police report which he had lodged against Mliswa and other members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines as the charges would cause great embarrassment to Mangudya.

Paul Nyathi|President Emmerson Mnangagwa appealed for patience Wednesday for his efforts to pull the country out of an economic collapse and called on the U.S. and Europe to lift “illegal sanctions” that he blamed for slowing down the recovery.

Mnangagwa made no mention during an address to the U.N. General Assembly of political repression under his rule, which has diminished hopes that Zimbabwe had been on the brink of change following the ouster of longtime leader Robert Mugabe, who died in Singapore earlier this month whose burial remains a myth.

More than 50 government critics and activists have been abducted in Zimbabwe this year, at times tortured and warned by suspected state security agents to back off from anti-government actions. Critics have accused Mnangagwa of resorting to strong-armed tactics as opposition to his government grows amid crippling inflation, debilitating water shortages and chronic power cuts.

Mnangagwa told the U.N. that government is making progress, including achieving a budget surplus through “fiscal austerity and discipline.”

He said government had established “an open political platform” for all parties to debate economic and political reform.

Mnangagwa said U.S. and European sanctions are “slowing down progress” and “punishing the poorest and most vulnerable in our society.”

The U.S. and the European Union imposed sanctions almost two decades ago over human rights abuses. While Mnangagwa addressed the General Assembly, an abducted and later released Dr Peter Magombeyi was leaving hospital through a court order after Mnangagwa’s police held him hostage refusing him to leave the country for further treatment in South Africa.

Mnangagwa, 77, who took over after Mugabe stepped down under military pressure from a military coup.

“I urge the world to be patient with us support us and to join us on this new and exciting journey together,” Mnangagwa said.

Watch Mnangagwa address the General Assembly in the video downloading below:

Paul Nyathi|Havard University media has said that first lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa was never appointed the honorary ambassador of the world-renowned academic institution.

The institution alleges that Havard-affiliated researchers at one of its hospitals had “an informal conversation with the First Lady of Zimbabwe about cancer screening in Africa.” It also says that Mrs Mnangagwa “has not been named an ambassador at the Havard University”. See part of the statement below.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Smith, founding Director at Vanguard Africa who also signed a letter to force the academic institution to rescind the first lady’s honorary ambassadorship says that the institution was now backtracking.

He said when they wrote the letter, they had confirmed that indeed the institution had made Mrs Mnangagwa their ambassador. Posting on Twitter, Smith said:

They are backtracking, very clearly. The reference to First Lady Mnangagwa as an ‘honorary ambassador’ on their website, plus the corresponding tweet, have been deleted in the last few hours. Now we await the public statement, admitting this grave mistake. cc: @thecrimson

See below Havard University’s statement in which it awarded the honorary ambassadorship to Mrs Mnangagwa.

Source: Pindula News.

Paul Nyathi|Bulawayo Magistrate Tinashe Tashaya has cancelled an administrative warrant of arrest against MDC National Chairperson Tabitha Khumalo after she failed to appear for trial earlier this month.

Through her lawyers, Khumalo argued that she was out of the country and couldn’t attend the trial.

Khumalo (58), senator Helen Zivira Mpofu (44), Tendai Masotsha (45), Elliot Mujeri (34), Tinashe Matimbura (28), Meliqiniso Sithole (42) and Shelton Tembo (35) were supposed to appear before Tashaya earlier this month but the MDC chairperson was in no-show.

The seven are facing charges of publishing or communicating false statements prejudicial to the State and accusing President Emmerson Mnangangwa of stealing the July 2018 elections.

Tashaya ruled for an administrative warrant against Khumalo, advising her lawyers to make her come to court as soon as possible.

Her lawyer Godfrey Nyoni submitted that Khumalo had advised in the previous session that she would be travelling to South Africa and prayed for the setting aside of the warrant, but Tashaya ruled that the warrant was effective.

Appearing on review yesterday, the magistrate cancelled the warrant of arrest and highlighted that the previous bail conditions remain.

Paul Nyathi|Doctor Peter Magombeyi desperate to leave the country for medical treatment after his recent abduction is now free to go after a High Court judge dismissed an effort by police to stop him, one of his lawyers celebrated on Wednesday.

Alec Muchadehama confirmed the judge’s decision after police had argued that the head of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association, Dr. Peter Magombeyi, was “unfit to travel.”

Police on Tuesday had swarmed the hospital where he was recuperating and blocked him from leaving for neighboring South Africa, even though a judge had ruled he could travel.

Magombeyi’s alleged abduction after leading a pay strike led to days of protests by health workers and expressions of concern by diplomats and rights groups, who say more than 50 government critics and activists in Zimbabwe have been abducted this year alone.

Lawyers have said preliminary medical assessments of the doctor show possible physical harm and psychological trauma during his disappearance. Magombeyi’s lawyers have worried that his condition would deteriorate as the drama played out.

It was not clear whether the doctor would immediately be released from custody. “He is still in hospital under police guard,” Muchadehama said, adding that lawyers were working on serving the judge’s order Wednesday night.

Police had dismissed accusations they were preventing the doctor from traveling, saying they were providing him with protection “for his own personal safety.” In their court application filed Tuesday night, they said Magombeyi should remain at the hospital until they could sort out his security while in South Africa.

Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, a non-governmental group helping the doctor, described the police statements as “shocking.” Zimbabwe’s information minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, later asserted that police had intervened after “15 unidentified individuals” tried to remove the doctor from his hospital bed.

“The police are keen to apprehend the alleged abductors,” she said. She also repeated government doubts that the doctor had been abducted in the first place. The government has bristled at the accusations of abductions of critics and activists, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other officials over the weekend warning against so-called “false” abductions they assert are meant to make the government look bad. Mnangagwa is attending the United Nations annual gathering of world leaders this week.

Zimbabwe’s health sector, like its economy, is in crisis. Many services are unavailable due to collapsed infrastructure, lack of medicines or unavailability of doctors and nurses who say they can no longer afford transport to return to work.

AP

Paul Nyathi|President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by the West have slowed down the country’s development and constitute an attack on human rights of the people of the southern African nation.

He said this during his address to the 74th United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York. He applauded Southern Africa for standing by Zimbabwe in calling for the unconditional removal of the two-decade embargo.

”These sanctions constitute a denial of the human rights of the people of Zimbabwe to develop and improvement of their quality of life.

“Furthermore, sanctions are slowing down on progress, inhibiting our economic recovery and punishing the poorest of the poor,” he said.

Mnangagwa called on the United Nations to assert its authority and honour its principles by reining in on countries that imposed the sanctions.

He said countries that practiced racism and unfairness must be challenged.

“As United Nations let us boldly honour the principles of our Charter. The wrong of the world must be set right. Unfair practices must be challenged just like racism and all forms of oppression by man must be opposed and rejected,” said Mnangagwa.

Watch Mnangagwa address the General Assembly in the video downloading below:

Government will continue to monitor the architecture of the country’s financial system to close all loopholes that unscrupulous dealers could use to manipulate the exchange rate, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube revealed on Monday.

This comes in the wake of last week’s sharp devaluation of the local currency, the Zimbabwe Dollar, which authorities said had been driven by feverish speculation on the black market.

The devaluation saw the escalation of prices of most goods and services when using the local unit.
The exchange rate dropped from an average of Z$14 to the greenback within a space of a few days to Z$25 to the USD$, the lowest point the currency had devalued to since the Government re-introduced it as the country’s sole trading currency early this year.

Before that, the country used a basket of currencies, particularly the United States dollar, following the collapse of the Zimbabwe dollar in 2008.

Last week’s unprecedented devaluation of the local currency prompted the Government to freeze the bank accounts of a number of companies and individuals – suspected to be linked to the currency manipulation – action which immediately arrested the Zimbabwe dollar’s fall.

Prof Ncube said the local currency had re-gained much of its lost value, and had now stabilised at around Z$14/15 to the greenback, its previous level before last week’s sharp devaluation.

“It’s very clear that we needed to close those loopholes that some have taken advantage of and manipulate the exchange rate of the currency,” he said.

He said there will, henceforth, be close monitoring of developments in the market by the Government and monetary authorities, and action will be taken immediately if something suspicious is detected.

“There is stability now at Z$14/15, and we will closely monitor developments,” he said.State media

A BODY mix-up at a funeral parlour in South Africa resulted in a family from Tsholotsho in Matabeleland North burying a wrong corpse.

Bhekisisa Moyo (25) was allegedly stoned to death and his body was taken to a mortuary in Diepsloot in South Africa where the body of Coaster Chauke from Chiredzi, was also being kept.

Moyo’s family mistakenly collected Chauke’s body for burial as they did not conduct body viewing due to the state of their son’s body.

Moyo was allegedly stoned to death in the neighbouring country while Chauke was fatally stabbed.

Moyo was buried on September 15.
In a telephone interview, Chauke’s family yesterday said the body-mix has left them drained emotionally and financially.

Chauke’s brother Mr Joseph Chinhemba said his family had to bring Moyo’s body to his relatives in Tsholotsho when they discovered the body mix-up.

“My brother and this other one from Tsholotsho were taken to the same funeral parlour following their deaths last month. It seems they were taken on the same day to the parlour. The family from Tsholotsho managed to fix their repatriation papers before us and collected the body; unfortunately they collected my brother’s body which they buried in their rural home in Tsholotsho,” said Mr Chinhemba.

He revealed that Moyo’s family did not conduct the body viewing process in line with their cultural beliefs as their son was killed.

Mr Chinhemba said processes have commenced to ensure that his brother is exhumed for reburial in their rural home.

“This is painful for us. It has exhausted us emotionally, physically and financially. We had to bring a body fully knowing it is not ours from South Africa. Now it is going to cost us further to transport my young brother’s remains to our rural home. Some of our relatives will never get the closure they require as we will also no longer conduct body viewing process,” said Mr Chinhemba.

However, he said they have no qualms with Moyo’s family as they believe that the incident was a genuine mistake.

Mr Chinhemba said if there is anyone to blame it is officials at the South African mortuary.State media

THE Zanu-PF Youth League says it has noted with concern the recent wave of alleged abductions in the country which are a ploy by the MDC-Alliance and its allies to destabilise and tarnish the country’s image.

In a statement yesterday, Zanu-PF Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs, Lewis Matutu , said the recent alleged abduction of Dr Peter Magombeyi, who is the acting president of Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA), is linked to the MDC-Alliance’s cocktail of acts that include violence, propaganda and economic vandalism.

“It has been noted that Dr Magombeyi has finally resurfaced and has given himself up to the police after a period of six days of uncertainty during which his whereabouts were unknown to the general members of the public.

It has come to my attention that Dr Magombeyi emerged with no visible physical injuries. It is my belief that the opposition MDC-A and its allies have embarked on a deliberate programme to destabilise the country through a cocktail of acts that include violence, vile propaganda and economic vandalism in order to achieve unconstitutional regime change and overturn the wishes of the majority of Zimbabweans as expressed in the July 2018 elections,” he said.

Matutu said the ruling party has long maintained that the MDC-Alliance has resorted to fabricating abductions with the specific aim of tarnishing the image of the Government of Zimbabwe.

“The MDC-A intended to use the false abduction of Dr Magombeyi as a Trojan horse through which to engage in violent demonstrations with a view to destabilising the nation and effecting regime change.

In my opinion Dr Magombeyi was not alone in this charade that he has subjected our country to. He has been acting in concert with the MDC-Alliance as evidenced by the participation of senior MDC-A officials, the most prominent being David Coltart,” he said.State media

Farai Dziva|Legal experts have pointed out that the State’ s argument in Dr Peter Magombeyi’s case is fraught with inconsistencies.

The State, in its application to have the acting president of Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association, Peter Magobeyi kept at Avenues Hospital, has argued that the doctor is unfit to travel.

The State is blocking his release despite the High Court giving Magombeyi the greenlight to go.

Paragraph 3.2 of the State’s “correction” application, reads:
“The Respondent’s son underwent medical examination and the government doctors indicated that he is unfit to travel.”

By President Emmerson Mnangagwa|I am honoured to be representing my country at the UN, and I am strengthened by the warm wishes from the people of Zimbabwe.

Tonight I will be addressing the UN General Assembly and updating the world on our progress.

You can watch on ZimEye.com at 1am (Zim time)

By A Correspondent- Pensioners from the Public Service Commission (PSC) will not access their dues this Friday as was initially expected, as there are efforts to review them.

In a statement on Monday, the PSC said the pensioners would now be paid by October 3.

“The public service commission regret to inform all public service pensioners that we are unable to meet the scheduled Friday 27 September pay out date.

“The change has been necessitated by the granted approval to review pensions in line with the cost of living adjustment given to serving members.

“We are working flat out to finalise the process and we should be able to pay by the 3rd of October 2019. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused and kindly as all our pensioners to bear with us,” read the statement.

I am issuing this statement to make the public and also those who are outside to be fully aware of the full facts of the issues surrounding Dr Magombeyi’s abduction.

The alleged abduction was reported to have taken place on the 15th of September 2019. It was his roommate and colleague who made the report to the police. According to his room mate’s report, Dr Magombeyi had left home informing him that he was going for an all night prayer.

He advised him to lock the door since he was not coming back that night. He did not disclose the church nor the place where he was going to. Dr Hove reported Dr Magombeyi as abducted 12 hours later after he received a text message from him reporting that he had been forcibly taken by three men. Police put up a highly experienced and skilled team with a view to establish the whereabouts of Dr Magombeyi as well as safeguard his well being.

Public appeals for information were made in different platforms that is in both social media and traditional media. On the 19th of September, police received a report that Dr Magombeyi had been located. They tried to call him and he answered the phone stating that he was in Nyabira.

Police assembled a team to go and collect him as well as continue investigations over his alleged abduction. They found him jovially speaking on the phone, he was lucid and coherent and he gladly came with the police.

He was well kempt and well groomed indicating self care. At this point Dr Magombeyi has lucidly given interviews in three languages interchangeably.

Part of his version was that he was unharmed and he had generalised body pain. During his journey to the police station, he remained on his phone throughout talking to different people.

When Dr Magombeyi got to the police station, he made a statement with the support of his two lawyers and his father was also present. In his statement he said he had left home to go for a drink with the boys. He refused to state where he was abducted and the circumstances to his release which to this point he has not disclosed to the police. Dr Magombeyi signed his statement to the police in the presence of his lawyers and his father.

After signing the statement, Dr Magombeyi was taken to the Avenues Clinic by his father for medical checkups . His father Mr Kingstone Magombeyi expressed concerns for his son’s security and hired a private security firm.

The ZRP saw it fit to deliver on their constitutional mandate and provide Dr Magombeyi’s protection. He was assessed by government doctors and his own private doctors and other different medical specimen were obtained for further medical examination.

On the 24th of September 2019 15 unidentified individuals tried to take Dr Magombeyi from his hospital bed but the police who were concerned for his safety stopped them They stopped the individual on the basis that he was a victim of an alleged previous abduction. They called for reinforcement.

The police is keen to apprehend the alleged abductors so as to bring them to justice and protect the public. They therefore sought the court’s assistance to delay Dr Magombeyi’s departure to South Africa before getting the vital leads they need to advance their investigations.

It is duty of the police to protect the safety of its citizens. The police will not ask for this delay beyond a few more sensible hours. By that time the other information that they are waiting for is expected to have been availed.

The government would like to assure the nation that Dr Magombeyi is not being held against his will. Once the police are satisfied that his personal security is guaranteed government will ensure that Dr Magombeyi is free to travel to a place of his choice without hindrance.

By A Correspondent- One of the country’s largest ferrochrome producers, African Chrome fields (ACF), has shut down its mining operations in Kwekwe, laying off over 500 workers.

The company is owned by South African businessman Zunaid Moti, with the Zimbabwe National Army believed to be dormant partners in the company.

Moti told Southern Eye that he was under pressure to pull out of Zimbabwe because of the country’s negative image and the collapsing economy which was affecting operations at ACF. The business mogul had sunk over US$250 million in the project.

The drastic drop of chrome price in China has also impacted the company, established five years ago amid pomp and fanfare, with then Vice-President President Emmerson Mnangagwa and army general Constantino Chiwenga officiating at the event.

“Some people would not want to do business with us because we are in Zimbabwe. But the economic meltdown in the southern African country has also caused a negative impact as well,” Moti said.

ACF became a force to reckon with in the chrome mining sector, competing with Zimasco, after it invested over $200 million in the construction of an aluminothermic plant and six other plants that were set to generate 10 000 tonnes of ultra-low carbon ferrochrome monthly within 11 months.

Its establishment in 2014 came as a reprieve to the Kwekwe community, after a Chinese investor had failed to run the country’s largest chrome smelting company, Zimasco, laying off thousands of workers.

ACF, situated along the Kwekwe-Mvuma Highway, has the largest smelting ferrochrome plants after Zimasco.

Workers’ representative Chaipa Magura said company management in a meeting held on September 6 agreed to stop further retrenchments and pay outstanding salaries. However, only security details will be at the premises.

“After consultation between all present, the parties agreed that management pays outstanding salaries and workers shall be called to work when need arises with a seven-day notice. As for now, security details are to remain at the sites,” he said.

Efforts to get a comment from Mines and Development minister Winston Chitando were fruitless as he continuously said he was busy.

A senior official in the Mines ministry said the drop of chrome price in China — the country’s sole market — had affected many chrome companies’ operations in Zimbabwe.

“It’s not only ACF that has been affected, but we have big companies such as Nelson in Gweru that have been hammered by the drop in chrome price. We currently have China as our major market and they recently announced the drop in price with over 40%,” said the official who could not be named for security reasons.

-Newsday

By A Correspondent- National Secretary for Administration ZANU (PF) Youth League, Tendai Chirau has blasted EFF leader Julius Malema accusing him of being used by the G40 cabal to push their anti Emmerson Mnangagwa agenda.

Said Chirau in a statement:

It’s unfortunate and an absurdity of the highest level of obstinacy that Malema has turned himself to be a paid willing implement of the fallen and discredited G40 clique whose majority of members are walloping in different countries dreading arrest for various crimes.

Contrary to what Mr Malema says, the wishes of the family are being esteemed by the leadership of the government and President ED is on record of confirming this. It was the family which suggested the idea of a mausoleum and the wish was granted.

The respect for the wishes of the family is indeed a new development, considering that RGM as a matter of not judging him did not respect the wishes of those families who did not want their relatives interred at the shrine.

The following heroes come to mind, Cephas Msipa, Edgar Tekere just to mention just but a few. This is highly important information that your G40 handlers hid from you. Indeed RGM was our leader of note whom we voted for several terms and the ideology which he nurtured was not his own individual ideology per se but that of the Party which shepherded him to office which is the gigantic ZANU PF.

This party is a product of a long-drawn-out liberation struggle whose accomplishment cannot be credited to an individual’s effort but rather the imperturbable collective effort of the slogging sons and daughters of the land some fallen and some still living.

President ED and many others are some of these living Cdes who are marshalling the legacy of the liberation struggle forward. The struggle transcends individuals.

We are cognizant of a group of the cabal who iniquitously attempted to skyjack the revolution by exploiting the advanced age of the RGM during his last days in office which led to the party structures to expel such characters.

Surprisingly it is the same characters that you are dining and wining with who are misinforming you so that they gain political capital.

It was during the last days of RGM rule that the party followed due procedures by instituting the process of his recall in order to reinstate the legacy of the liberation struggle which was under threat. This is not tormenting as you allege, but putting the party’s legacy on track and righting the wrongs.

Even after his resignation the ED led Government ensured that the former President is well looked after. His security was intact, and medical bills were paid by the state (refer to statements by his children). Even his extended relatives were taken care of (refer to Grace’s mother assistance).

During your days in the ANC and your new arrivarist party EFF you recalled Zuma and none said that it was excruciating since you were bringing normalcy.

If it was a necessary thing to be done then your assertions which paint a gory picture of torment are uncalled for at a time when we are supposed to building the nation.

From Tendai Chirau
National Secretary for Administration ZANU (PF) Youth League.

By A Correspondent- Rumors of adultery and infidelity circulating on social media about the former Upper Room Ministries preacher have been dispelled by close people who witnessed circumstances leading to the death.

Dambaza’s maid, who stayed with the family for almost two years at their Borrowdale home, revealed how she lived under the now-deceased pastor.

“I don’t know what to say about this but I will tell you that for all the time I have lived with them, I have never seen any sad day because they were always happy.

“They are a happy family, all the children seemed happy around him and since the time I’ve been here, I learned a lot from them.

“Pastor Dambaza and his wife changed my life and I don’t know how to repay them.

“To tell you the truth, I’ve never seen them fighting or quarreling and I’m forever grateful to them,” she said.

Dambaza’s last born son Oracle was devastated and could not even bring himself to talk to H-Metro.

Neighbors who spoke to H-Metro said they often interacted with the late pastor when he went out to do his work.

“It’s so sad because we were like friends with the pastor, I think people should regularly have counseling services when facing life challenges,” said Moses the neighbor.

“Some two weeks ago I heard others saying the pastor was having some issues and people noticed a change in him but he was just a good person,” said another neighbor who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A relative who spoke to this publication confirmed the death of the mother to the late preacher who died yesterday at around 8 am.

Dambaza was married to Sithembeni Dambaza an assistant pastor at the church.

They have two daughters (Oreen and Oretha) and two sons (Osborne and Oracle).

Unconfirmed reports circulating suggest the suicide is attributed to financial issues emanating from debts or misappropriation of funds.

-HMetro

By A Correspondent- The real location of Robert Mugabe’s corpse has remained a mystery the nation might have to endure for a thousand years.

The late 95 year old’s nephew, Leo, says Mugabe ‘s is a chief whose resting place and its dating cannot be known. Everything is meant to confuse and upset both his close family and the nation at large.

Recent reports however indicate that the late former president’s widow Grace Mugabe has petitioned the city of Harare requesting that the late former Zimbabwean leader be buried at his Blue Roof residence.

The development comes as usually reliable sources told reporters Mugabe was secretly buried in Zvimba last week, linking well with several video recorded statements by the Mugabe family spokesman, Leo who clearly said that at the heroes acre, the government will bury something else that is not his boss.

They even provided photographic evidence of the burial site. So confusing is the matter that Leo Mugabe himself acknowledged, leading to him altogether cancelling the government imposed heroes burial function previously slated for the 15th Sept 2019. In other interviews he categorically announced that the public would never know either when or where Mugabe’s remains will be interred.

The Mugabe burial site and its dating should thus be just like that of King Lobengula whose remains since the 1890s, have remained a mystery. Is the latest twist a deliberate pile up to the confusion, so people will be forever continue in derision? Reporters are investigating.

By A Correspondent- Multi-talented creative Vimbai Zimuto trending in entertainment following her decision to bare all through her nud3 art, she has become the tonic for many show organizers keen to cash in on her popularity.

Shoko Festival is the next in line after roping her in for their Peace in the Hood Concert, where she will make a deadly combination with fellow vixen Kikky Badass at the arts and culture fete running under the theme, Return of the Zim dollar.

Zimuto, however, will only be baring her under-rated music prowess on stage.

“With the theme Peace in the hood @shokofestival, I and my sister @kikkybadass will be sharing the mic. This theme is directed at finding peace with each other and me and kiki had our own share of media catfights,” wrote Vimbai on her Facebook wall.

The longest-running urban culture jubilee is set to kick off on Friday and Vimbai as well as musician Nutty O, will bring the curtain down in Chitungwiza on Sunday.

By A Correspondent- Two people, one of them a renowned football administrator, died on the spot when a vehicle was hit from the back by a haulage truck as it slowed down to turn right near Masue River Bridge in Victoria Falls yesterday.

The drivers of both vehicles died while a passenger who was in the haulage truck was seriously injured in the accident which occurred just after 1PM.

Mkhangeli Moyo, once chairperson of Division One outfits Amagagasi FC and Mosi Rovers FC was driving the smaller vehicle.

Moyo was working at leading tour operator Shearwater Adventures in Victoria Falls at the time of his death.

The other deceased was a Zambian haulage truck driver whose vehicle was carrying a corrosive substance from DRC to South Africa.

The haulage truck landed on its right side after overturning on impact.

The driver of a third vehicle survived by quickly pulling off the road after noticing that the haulage truck driver was not slowing down to allow the vehicle in front to turn right.

Witnesses said the three vehicles were all going due south from Victoria Falls town.

“Mkhangeli Moyo was driving a small truck and he indicated that he was intending to turn right at the Stanley and Livingstone Lodge turn-off just after the bridge. Behind him was another car and a haulage truck. It seems the driver of the other car which was between Moyo’s and the truck noticed that the truck driver was not slowing down and he suddenly pulled off the road and in a wink of an eye the truck hit Moyo’s vehicle from the driver’s side,” said a witness.

The truck landed on its side on the western side of the road killing the driver on the spot while Moyo’s vehicle was also thrown on the side of the road killing him on the spot.

The driver of the truck was reportedly trapped for about two hours. A fire brigade crew battled in vain to pull the body out while a haulage truck team tried to use a chain to pull up the truck but failed after the chain broke.

The body was finally retrieved after 3PM through concerted effort by various stakeholders.

Acting Matabeleland North police spokesperson Sergeant Namatirai Mashona could not comment as she said she had not been furnished with details of the crash.

StateMedia

Construction of a mausoleum for the late former President Robert Mugabe is expected to take longer than expected.

Mugabe, who died on September 6 and was declared a national hero, is yet to be buried as his final resting place at the National Heroes Acre is still under construction.

Initially, reports were rife that he would be buried after a month, but work on the actual mausoleum is yet to begin, with civil works at the shrine still underway.

Sources close to the on-site work have revealed that the ground was still being leveled in preparation for the construction.

Sources told the Zim Morning Post that civil construction works began last week.

“Work at the site began a week ago and so far civil works on top of the mountain where the mausoleum will be built is underway,” sources said.

“There is need for construction of the retaining walls before the real construction can take place. The Chinese company, Shanghai Construction Group, which has the capacity to carry out this project in terms of adequate equipment, is yet to give a time frame for the completion of work, but a month is not enough.

“Chances that the one-month deadline will be met are slim, and it does not seem that Mugabe will be buried anytime soon.”

“The contractors have to cut into the mountain and build the retaining wall. They will then construct the steps and all this is being done

Mugabe was declared a national hero and was honoured with a 21-gun salute. There were a series of meetings between Mnangagwa’s government and the Mugabe family in regard to his final resting place, ultimately leading to the idea of the mausoleum.

The Mugabe family wanted the national hero to get a befitting burial like most African leaders of his calibre do, with just a distance from the grave of his first wife Sally, but it is proving to be a costly affair.

It is now 17 days after Mugabe’s death and there are fears the state-of-the-art mausoleum would require three months to be fully constructed. 

Zim Morning Post

The Community Water Alliance led by Hardlife Mudzingwa has mounted a High Court challenge to assert the human right to water following erratic water supplies by the City of Harare.

This was revealed by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights late Wednesday afternoon.

Below are the reliefs sort by the rights lobby group.

ZimLive|The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) announced Wednesday that it had frozen the accounts of five companies as it battles to suppress illegal foreign currency trading on the parallel market.

The RBZ last Friday froze the accounts of four companies accused of fuelling parallel market trading and devastating the local currency which traded as low as 1:27 to the United States dollar.

The exchange rate on the parallel market stabilised at around 1:14 to the United States dollar over the weekend into Monday, almost converging with the interbank rate. But the Zimbabwe dollar quickened its decline again on Wednesday with the rate climbing to 1:19.

In a notice to banks, the RBZ said it was ordering a freeze on the accounts of Bill Height Investments, Landela Investments, Rimosa Trading, Fossil Agro and Traverze Travel.

Zanu PF MP Justice Mayor Wadyajena identified three of the companies – Landela Investments, Rimosa Trading and Fossil Agro – as being owned by petroleum tycoon, Kudakwashe Tagwirei.

Tagwirei, a benefactor of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Zanu PF party whose Sakunda Holdings is the funder of the government’s controversial Command Agriculture programme, was on last week’s freeze list with Sakunda.

Traverze used to handle the government’s foreign travel bookings before the tender was awarded to East Town Holdings owned by Mary Chiwenga last year. Traverze is owned by Zodwa Mkandla.

President Mnangagwa had hailed the impact of last week’s accounts freeze, telling an audience in New York on September 21: “We have people who found ways to fight that (stability of the currency) and undermine it, but yesterday (Friday), we also became smarter than them and so we took some action.

“We have now arrested the galloping rate which was galloping from about eight, within few days it had gone up to 10, and 20. By the time we left, it had gone down and I think today it is about 14.”

Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank has denied that it had lifted the freeze on the accounts of Access Finance, Croco Motors, Spartan Security and Sakunda Holdings which were affected by the directive issued last week to facilitate a money laundering investigation.

Mirirai Chiremba, the RBZ’s Financial Intelligence Unit head, said in a statement Wednesday that the accounts remained frozen until the probe was done.

“We have become aware of false media reports suggesting that a directive has since been issued unfreezing some or all of the said accounts. We advise that the said accounts of the named entities in the directive remain frozen, pending finalisation of our analysis,” Chiremba said.

Spartan Security is owned by Tarisai Mnangagwa, a nephew of the president.

Issued by the Minister of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services Honourable Senator Monica Mutsvangwa

Good afternoon, I have seen it proper to update the nation on the alleged abduction of Dr Peter Magombeyi. The alleged abduction was reported to have taken place on 15 September 2019. It was his roommate and colleague who made the report to the police. According to his roommate’s report Dr Magombeyi had left home informing that he was going for an all-night prayer. He advised him to lock the door since he was not coming back that night. He did not disclose the church or the place he was going.

The colleague reported Dr. Magombeyi as abducted 12 hours after he received a text message from him reporting that he had been forcibly taken by three men. Police put up a highly skilled and experienced Team to investigate the case with a view to establish the whereabouts of Dr Magombeyi as well as to safeguard his well being. Public appeals for information were made on different platforms, traditional and social media.

On the 19′ of September 2019 Police received a report that Dr. Magombeyi had been located. They tried to call him and he answered the phone stating he was in Nyabira. Police assembled a Team to go and collect him as well as continue with the investigation over his alleged abduction. They found him jovially speaking on the phone. He was lucid and coherent and gladly came with them. He was well-kempt and groomed indicating very good self-care. It is also important to note that by this point Dr. Magombeyi had lucidly granted interviews in three languages interchangeably. Part of his version was that he was unharmed and had “generalized body pain”. During his journey to the police station, he remained on his phone throughout talking to different people.

When he got to the police station he made a statement with the support of his two lawyers and his father.

In his statement, he said he had left home to go for a drink “with the boys”. He refused to state where he was abducted at and the circumstances of his release which to this point he has not disclosed to the police. Dr Magombeyi signed his statement to the police in the presence of both lawyers and father. After signing the statement, Dr. Magombeyi was taken by his father and lawyers to the Avenues Clinic for medical check-ups.

His father, Mr. Kingstone Magombeyi, expressed concerns for his son’s security and hired a private security firm. The ZRP saw it fit to deliver on their constitutional mandate by providing their own details for Dr. Magombeyi’s protection.

Dr. Magombeyi was assessed by Govt doctors and his own private doctors and different medical specimen were obtained for further examinations. On the 24th of September 2019, 15 unidentified individuals tried to take out Dr Magombeyi from his hospital bed but the police were concerned for his safety. They stopped the individual awake to the fact that he was a victim of an alleged previous abduction. They called for reinforcements.

The police are keen to apprehend the alleged abductors so as to bring them to justice and protect the public. They, therefore, sought the court’s assistance in delaying Dr. Magombeyi’s departure to South Africa before giving the vital leads they needed to advance their investigation. It is a duty of the police to protect and guarantee the safety of all its citizens. The Police will not ask for this delay beyond a sensible few more hours. By that time the other information they are waiting for is expected to have been availed.

The Government assures the nation that Dr. Magombeyi is not being held against his will. Satisfied that his personal security is guaranteed Government will ensure that Dr. Magombeyi is free to travel to a place of his choice without hindrance.

I thank you

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By Own Correspondent| Zanu PF Youth Secretary Lewis Matutu has again hit a new low by publicly supporting the move to have certain accounts being frozen on suspected money laundering and fuelling the foreign currency parallel market.

Matutu was speaking at an interview on national television last night saying the move would go a long way in curbing parallel market rates that had gone owl last week.

However economists have slammed him saying he was ill advised as there are illegal gold dealers and some parrastatals that were buying foreign currency from the streets.

Accounts from or Croco Motors, Sakunda, Access Finance, Spartan Security and Croco Motors after they suspected them of engaging in money-laundering activities and fuelling the foreign currency parallel
market.

However a day after the accounts were frozen the parallel rate market has gone up to 1, 9 making the situation even worse than last week.

Several economists said Matutu was ill advised as there are several gold dealers who are fuelling the rates.

Some said it is not about those above mentioned companies but there are several gold dealers who are causing all the confusion.

“There are several gold dealers those white guys who are fuelling apparel market rates so freezing accounts for Croco motors does not help because it is one of the companies we expect to be very vibrant.

“Surely you cannot say Croco motors are into buying and selling of money,” one economist said.

Most of them slammed Matutu for being reckless saying there was need for him to be reprimanded.

“Matutu needs to be reprimanded because his statements are very reckless, let him understand what is going on first before he goes public with his dubious rants.”

I am issuing this statement to make the public and also those who are outside to be fully aware of the full facts of the issues surrounding Dr Magombeyi’s abduction.

The alleged abduction was reported to have taken place on the 15th of September 2019. It was his roommate and colleague who made the report to the police. According to his room mate’s report, Dr Magombeyi had left home informing him that he was going for an all night prayer.

He advised him to lock the door since he was not coming back that night. He did not disclose the church nor the place where he was going to. Dr Hove reported Dr Magombeyi as abducted 12 hours later after he received a text message from him reporting that he had been forcibly taken by three men. Police put up a highly experienced and skilled team with a view to establish the whereabouts of Dr Magombeyi as well as safeguard his well being.

Public appeals for information were made in different platforms that is in both social media and traditional media. On the 19th of September, police received a report that Dr Magombeyi had been located. They tried to call him and he answered the phone stating that he was in Nyabira.

Police assembled a team to go and collect him as well as continue investigations over his alleged abduction. They found him jovially speaking on the phone, he was lucid and coherent and he gladly came with the police.

He was well kempt and well groomed indicating self care. At this point Dr Magombeyi has lucidly given interviews in three languages interchangeably.

Part of his version was that he was unharmed and he had generalised body pain. During his journey to the police station, he remained on his phone throughout talking to different people.

When Dr Magombeyi got to the police station, he made a statement with the support of his two lawyers and his father was also present. In his statement he said he had left home to go for a drink with the boys. He refused to state where he was abducted and the circumstances to his release which to this point he has not disclosed to the police. Dr Magombeyi signed his statement to the police in the presence of his lawyers and his father.

After signing the statement, Dr Magombeyi was taken to the Avenues Clinic by his father for medical checkups . His father Mr Kingstone Magombeyi expressed concerns for his son’s security and hired a private security firm.

The ZRP saw it fit to deliver on their constitutional mandate and provide Dr Magombeyi’s protection. He was assessed by government doctors and his own private doctors and other different medical specimen were obtained for further medical examination.

On the 24th of September 2019 15 unidentified individuals tried to take Dr Magombeyi from his hospital bed but the police who were concerned for his safety stopped them. They stopped the individual on the basis that he was a victim of an alleged previous abduction. They called for reinforcement.

The police is keen to apprehend the alleged abductors so as to bring them to justice and protect the public. They therefore sought the court’s assistance to delay Dr Magombeyi’s departure to South Africa before getting the vital leads they need to advance their investigations.

It is duty of the police to protect the safety of its citizens. The police will not ask for this delay beyond a few more sensible hours. By that time the other information that they are waiting for is expected to have been availed.

The government would like to assure the nation that Dr Magombeyi is not being held against his will. Once the police are satisfied that his personal security is guaranteed government will ensure that Dr Magombeyi is free to travel to a place of his choice without hindrance.