Farai Dziva|The August 16 demonstration is act of love-meant to resscue the people of Zimbabwe from the wrath of a ruthless regime, MDC Secretary for Healing, Peace and Reconciliation, Blessing Chebundo has said.

Below is Chebundo’s statement on the coming demonstration scheduled for Friday August 16.

The MDC acknowledges the statement by the country’s constructional Institution for peace, NPRC (mandated in terms of section 252 of the country’s constitution) urging for the observance, and maintenance of peace during the People’s constitutional notified demonstration set for the 16th of August 2019…to press for resolutions to the hosts of current challenges facing the people of Zimbabwe.

NPRC observed that the MDC organised demonstration is constitutionally as enshrined under Section 59 of the constitution, and that the demonstration should be respected, and not violated.

NPRC also urged MDC to ensure that the demonstrations against the hardships experienced by the people of Zimbabwe are peaceful held. That those demonstrating should be restrained, and desist from any acts contrary to peace.

On its part, the MDC would like to assure the country’s Peace Institution, the NPRC, and the entirety of the world community that the MDC has, and will remain a peace loving institution; God fearing institution, led by God fearing leadership, with clean, bloodless hands. The calling of peaceful demonstration is an act of love of the people against man-made induced economic hardships that are decimating the Zimbabwe people’s emancipation instalmentally.

The calls by NPRC to those who are making violence fermenting statements against the peaceful called demonstrations are welcome. However, in its statement, NPRC mentioned only the leadership of ZANU PF youths, but we urge the Peace institution, as mandated by the constitution, to confront without fear and favour, all those fermenting for violence.

It is on record that the deputy minister of Defence, Victor Matemadanda, and Energy Mutodi, have been uttering intimidation and calling for use of army etc against the peaceful demonstrators.

Similar statements by minister of Home affairs Mr Cain Matema have the same effects. In addition, there are clandestine activities attributed to state agencies and others who are anti-people demonstrations, diabolically manufacturing tactics to try and portray MDC as violent party, such as printing of MDC regalia for use by ZANU PF youths impersonating MDC youths and cause violence during the demonstration. State agencies as usually, using other intimidating tactics, as well as fabricating stories and accusatory messages to incite violence thereby justifying claims that the MDC demonstrators were violent.

While we appreciate, and applause the NPRC statement, we also urge them to specifically call upon those violating the constitution by daring to cause violence during the peaceful demonstrators, such as the Matemadandas.

Further, we urge NPRC to device and employ many other measures such as technological monitoring of the peaceful demonstrations processes to ascertain, and detect violators of peace for deterrent, exposure, prosecution evidence, and future prevention of recurrences.

Indeed the people of Zimbabwe are tired of violence: they are tired of oppression by regimes; they are tired of economic induced hardships; they are tired of induced corruption virus; they are angry and tired of state sponsored intimidations; injustices; they are tired of endless man made failures.

Once more, we assure of MDC’s commitment to Peace; and our efforts to transform the lives of the peoples of Zimbabwe through good governance; non-corrupt; people centred; democratically inclusive non violent means, constitutional means; with just equality and sustainable development

HON Blessing Chebundo
MDC National Secretary For Healing: Peace: & Reconciliation

Farai Dziva|The Zimbabwe Youth
Arise(ZIMYA) has urged youths to participate in the August 16 demonstration.

However the organization has stressed the need for peace before, during and after the march.

See the organization’s full statement :
The Zimbabwe Youth Arise(ZIMYA) is hereby encouraging all the youths who will participate in the demonstration to be peaceful and observe the rule of law.

We have noted that the demonstration, having been called by opposition leader, Adv. Nelson Chamisa, could trigger politically motivated violence from non-progressive elements of the society.

Thus ZIMYA is encouraging all young people to exercise restraint as they, and allow others to, likewise exercise their constitutional right.

The call comes after the increasing economic meltdown which has brought about inflation, unemployment, high costs of living among other issues which are directly affecting the Zimbabwean Youths. This has created an emotionally charged environment which may trigger violence, anarchy and crime at a time like this hindering any meaningful results from a possibly intended good cause.

It is within this context that we have found it fit to call upon all youths who intend to air their voice to the current government, as provided by section 59 of our Zimbabwean Constitution, to do so responsibly within the confinement of the law. In the same vein we also call upon the security forces and services to also observe the constitutional provisions to the letter and spirit as they facilitate a conducive environment for citizens to freely express themselves lawfully.

We would want to reiterate our commitment to Youth involvement in national discourse, constitutionalism, rule of law and democracy. Our emphasis is that we are non-partisan and we seek to promote nation building at every opportunity.

ZimYA National Information Desk

Michael Tinotenda Gatawa 263 777 888 732

Luckson Zvobgo +27789758831

Sungura musician Taruvinga “Sugar Sugar”” Manjokota has spoken out following his absence from the music radar.

The Samaita Express boss, now deemed a spent force, insists he is at his best form but making waves away from home.

Sugar Sugar rose to fame with the hit Mairos, which won the hearts of many. His other albums include Zvirimukati, Zvamungarwira and Mari Inoparira.

He has since established himself in South Africa after staying in Mozambique for a moment.
The Mairosi hit maker left Zimbabwe sometime last year and had been criticised for reportedly abandoning his family.

He is set to release his latest seven-track track album Kutsemurirana with songs such as Apirikede, Ndezvevarimuno, Vehuwori (Piracy), Munondichengeta, Zvinowanikwa, Mairosi Pfacha pfacha.

In exclusive interview from his new base, Sugar Sugar said he is doing well contrary to what people have been saying.

“Right now I busy communicating with Paradzai Mesi on how we can organise some shows in Zimbabwe and here is South Africa.H-Metro

Farai Dziva|Deputy Defence Minister, Victor Matemadanda has claimed security sector reforms are not necessary in Zimbabwe.

The security sector is alright as it is, according to Matemadanda.

Matemadanda made remarks at the Heroes Day commemorations yesterday.

“Why do we reform a thing that is OK? Why do we reform a security force that is able to fulfil its mandate? Why should people want that security sector to bereformed?
Remember, this security sector is composed (of) people who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of this country and no one has a moral obligation to say people who liberated this country should not protect it,”claimed
Matemadanda.

He also vowed to block the MDC demo scheduled for August 16.

Matemadanda last week declared that he would unleash soldiers on hapless citizens -to quell dissenting voices.

Farai Dziva|Zimbabwe faces the worst shortage of food in living memory, it has emerged.

Zimbabwe’s World Food Programme Director, Eddie Rowe, has said Zimbabwe is facing the most serious food shortage ever.

“The food security situation in the country has been compounded by the economic situation. This year we have more hungry Zimbabweans than ever before,”said Rowe in an interview with CNN.

According to the July 2019 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment report, about 5.5 million Zimbabweans in rural areas are in urgent need for food assistance. The number includes some 2.6 million children. This is an increase from the 4.5 million people in need reported in January 2019.

Zimbabwe reportedly spent $3 billion on a programme called
Command Agriculture between 2016 and 2018.

The programme was meant to increase agriculture production and output in the country. Zimbabwe, however, experienced a drought in the 2018 – 2019 farming season as well as a cyclone.

By A Correspondent|  In a development which has left his family shocked, a car rammed into opposition MDC Vice Chairman and Member of Parliament for Zengeza West Job Sikhala’s house Monday evening.

The incident, which happened around 1750 hours damaged the eastern side of the house.

The vehicle a Lexus IS 200, whose registration number is ACT 4561 was in high speed when it rammed into the durawall of the legislator’s home.

Confirmed Sikhala, :

“Yes, the matter was reported at St Mary’s police station.

There were no casualties from the incident.”

Witnesses at the scene of the accident established the name of the driver who was behind the wheel when the incident occured as Lawrence Tapiwa Dhana.

However, soon after the incident, one Nyasha Nyamakura immediately arrived claiming ownership of the vehicle.

The matter was attended to by police from St. Marys.

By A Correspondent- A man from Plumtree has been arrested after he allegedly stabbed his friend to death in a dispute over a snooker game.

Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident which occurred at Manana Bottle Store in Dingumuzi Suburb.

He said the accused Kandai Batsirai (27) had an argument with Kenos Sibanda (35) over whose turn it was to play snooker last Monday at around 5PM.

“I can confirm that we recorded a murder case which occurred in Dingumuzi Suburb in Plumtree on Monday. Kandai Batsirai and Kenosi Sibanda were playing snooker at Manana Bottle Store together with other patrons. A misunderstanding arose between Batsirai and Sibanda over whose turn it was to play next,” he said.

“Batsirai placed his token and while he was collecting the balls in order to play Sibanda took the white ball and refused to give it back which didn’t go down well with Batsirai.

The two exchanged harsh words and Sibanda punched Batsirai twice on the chest. Batsirai collected an okapi knife from his car which was parked close to the bottle store and went back to confront Sibanda.”

Chief Insp Ndebele said Sibanda picked up a brick and tried to hit Batsirai who in turn stabbed him once with the okapi knife on the chest.

He said Sibanda was rushed to Plumtree District Hospital where he died upon admission.

Chief Insp Ndebele said Batsirai was arrested while Sibanda’s body was taken to the United Bulawayo Hospitals awaiting post mortem.

He appealed to members of the public to desist from resorting to violence to resolve disputes.

“As police we would like to urge members of the public to desist from resorting to violence when faced with disputes. –StateMedia

By A Correspondent- The Bulawayo City Council will this week start the 2020 budget consultation programme.

Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube, in a statement yesterday said budget consultation meetings would cover the city’s 29 wards between Friday this week and August 20.

“Clr Joyce Ndlovu will be facilitating the meeting at Richmond Hall, Trenance Hall, Hugh Beadle Primary School, Baines Junior School, Newmansford Primary School and Montgomery Hall in Ward 2,” read the statement.

“Clr Tinashe Kambarami of Ward 3 will be at Thomas Rudland Primary School, Mahatshula Primary School, and Zimbabwe School of Mines and Woodville Primary School.  

Ward 4 Clr Silas Chigora will be facilitating at Church of Christ and Sandra Jones. Clr Felix Mhaka at Municipality Sports club, Clr Tawanda Ruzive at Bellevue Recreation, Clr Shadreck Sibanda at Stanley Hall, Clr Ronniah Mudara at McDonald Hall, Clr Donaldson Mabuto at Mpopoma Hall, Clr Sinikiwe Mutanda at Entumbane Hall,

Clr Pilate Moyo at Emakhandeni Hall, Clr Lilian Mlilo at Njube Hall, Clr Frank Javangwe at Iminyela Hall, Clr MacDonald Venas Chunga at Lobengula Hall, Clr Febbie Msipa at Beit-Hall, Clr Mildred Ncube at Inzwananzi Primary School, Clr Sikhulekile Moyo at Mazwi tent.”

Stakeholders who are expected to attend the meetings include transport operators, youths, business communities, civil society organisations, residents’ associations and informal traders.

 The local authority’s senior public relations officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu, said it was important for residents to take the budget consultation seriously as it gives council an opportunity to participate in decision making processes for the city. 

“ It’s important for residents to be part of the consultation process as they are able to input into the 2020 budget and also participate in decision making for the city. The budget has an impact on service delivery of the city and their contributions help map the way forward. We encourage residents to fully participate as they are key in inputting priorities for next year’s budget and also contributing on areas of service delivery they wish to see being prioritised next year,” she said.

Meanwhile, BCC will uphold suspension of the water shedding programme that was introduced in February as the local authority reported major progress in the rehabilitation of the Criterion Water Works. 

The suspension comes after the raw water holding reservoir at Criterion, which is Bulawayo’s buffer, continued to gain in volume.

In a statement Mr Dube said council has been monitoring water consumption and service reservoir levels for the past weeks.

“The average water consumption levels has been 143mega litres a day against a target of 130mega litres per day with a maximum of 173 mega litre a day and a minimum of 129 mega litres per day over the period,” read the statement.

The Town Clerk said a household in the western suburbs is supposed to consume a maximum of 13,5 kilo litres per month, low density suburbs inclusive of cottages and workers cottages should not exceed 19,5 kilo litres per month while residential flats with individual meters should not use more than 400 litres a day.

He encouraged residents to conserve water to avoid depleting the service reservoirs. -StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Independent legislator for Norton, Temba Mliswa has alleged that Chinese nationals who are running production firms in his constituency are impregnating young girls who are below the age of consent.

In a heroes day message to members of his constituency Mliswa said:

“There are reports of young girls giving birth to children of Chinese descent which is evidence enough of underage relationships which is against the law. These matters will be dealt with accordingly.”

Mliswa asked members of the public who have information that may assist the investigations to contact him.

“Please get in touch with either myself on 0732300148 or Victor or Anesu on mobile numbers 0773363037 and 0719256763/0773256763* respectively for any relevant information that may assist investigations.”

Mliswa recently claimed that the Chinese were also bringing into the country, a drug resistant strain of sexually transmitted diseases and we re also abusing employees.

“They are also bringing in a strain of STIs which has proved difficult to treat in this country doctors have confirmed.

“They violate the Labour Act most of the time, beating up employers (Zimbabweans).They have no respect for human dignity. They do shoddy business deals, contracts violated. We no longer have our faces in our own land.” he said

By A Correspondent| President of the Passengers Association of Zimbabwe Tafadzwa Goliati has dispelled reports alleging that ZUPCO had increased the cost of transport.

Goliati said he had it on good authority that the ZUPCO price hike reports were false.

He said:

“According to the ZUPCO CEO the price hikes are false.

The old prices still remain in place. As PAZ President I have commuted in a ZUPCO bus and the price remained the same.”

By A Correspondent| After the Kgalema Monthlante commission recommended that the government needed to look into the shooting of civilians by the security forces, the defence deputy minister has said no reforms are necessary because the security sector is OK.

Matemadanda ruled our security sector reforms while speaking after the Heroes day commemorations (Monday).

Why do we reform a thing that is OK? Why do we reform a security force that is able to fulfil its mandate? Why should people want that security sector to bereformed?

Remember, this security sector is composed (of) people who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of this country and no one has a moral obligation to say people who liberated this country should not protect it

Matemadanda went on to blame the August 1 shooting on the MDC:

That is a very unfortunate situation well-orchestrated by the perpetrators of violence, who would have wanted to have such a situation so that Zimbabwe is portrayed as a country that does not respect human life … it’s unfortunate that the occurrence of August happened, but no one would have wanted it.

By Nomusa Garikai| “We invited [Emmerson Mnangagwa] so that we can pray together and thank God the Almighty who put him in the position he is currently holding,” prayed Nehemiah Mutendi, the leader of the Zion Christian Church (ZCC).

“For him to continue achieving his vision of developing this country, he needs spiritual deliverance.

“[President Mnangagwa] should be inclusive in his approach and must never lose hope in uniting Zimbabweans for the sake of peace.”

It is a great pity that Zimbabwe is ruled by corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous thugs and a double tragedy that supposedly men and women of the cloth have become these political thugs’ self-appointed political commissars.

Mnangagwa is president of Zimbabwe following a military coup in November 2017 that ousted former dictator Robert Mugabe followed by blatant rigging of last year’s elections; it is therefore blasphemous, to say the least, for anyone to then claim that “God the Almighty who put him in the position”. Since when has God played a part in coups and rigged elections!

“Only God has the power to put people in power ZCC is one of the country’s largest religious organisations,” said Mutendi.

”God saw our troubles and gave us a prophet who has called me here to listen to the word of God,” responded Mnangagwa.

“Your church works with government, we thank you for that … even when things went bad for, I had to jump the border but I’m back. Equally so, we might feel hungry & with His guidance we will find grace.”

What a circus!

The Bible has many lessons for our time. When King Saul became big headed and took it upon himself to make offering to the Lord at Gilgal, the task of the prophet; he was dually reprimanded.

“And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. Samuel 13:13

Zimbabwe is a country blessed with rich in natural resources and some of the best land and climate in the world for grow crops and produce food. Zimbabwe used to be the breadbasket of the region; not anymore.

We are now starving in the country which, for all intent and purpose, is the Garden of Eden; a damning testimonial to the sheer incompetence of the country’s leaders!

In Mnangagwa and Mutendi Zimbabwe have both a fooling president and a false prophet and, for good measure, there plenty more just like them.

It is little wonder the country has blundered from pillar to post these last 39 years and sunk deeper and deeper into this man-made hell-on-earth!

“God has put Mnangagwa in power” – that can only be a false prophesy from a false prophet!

By A Correspondent| The LEAD, a political party led by Linda Masarira has distanced itself from the forthcoming August 16 Free Zimbabwe demo organised by opposition MDC.

LEAD Secretary General, Sydney Muyambi said the upcoming demonstration was not only poorly organised but it lacked clarity of purpose.

He said:

“On September 17, 2011, Occupy Wall Street took over Zuccotti Park, in the heart of the financial district in Lower Manhattan. Declaring, “We are the 99%,” they captured the attention of the nation. Within a few months, however, the park was cleared and the protesters went home, achieving little, if anything.

In 1998, a similar movement, Otpor, began in Serbia. Yet where Occupy failed, Otpor succeeded marvelously.

In just two years they overthrew the reviled Milošević government. Soon after came the Color Revolutions in Eastern Europe and the Arab Spring in the Middle East.

On August 1 2018 MDC led a defend your vote mass demonstration in Harare which it achieved anything got unfortunate loss of life and invited the army to become a factor in any future demonstrations in Zimbabwe.

On February 14 2019 a public national stay away in Zimbabwe ended up being a looting contest throughout the country.

While Occupy certainly did not lack passion or appeal—indeed its core message about inequality continues to resonate—it was unable to translate that enthusiasm into effective action. Otpor, on the other hand, created a movement of enormous impact.

The contrast is sharp and it is no accident. Successful movements do things that failed ones don’t.

1. This clarity of purpose led directly to action: as has become a norm in all Zimbabwean demonstration the organisers of the demonstrations lack clarity of purpose. If we are to look at the planned demo one wonders if a) the objective is still to defend the 2018 purported stolen vote. b) Whether the objective is to unseat the Mnangagwa regime. c) Whether the objective is to protest against the rising cost of living. d) Whether this is an MDC or national protest.
   For the public to come in their numbers in support of this demo they have to understand its objective and have a clear persuasion that this is the only way to their agreed end. As it is the bulk of the population is sceptical as to the objective of this demo. A good number believe MDC has called this demo to stage an international show so that its international handlers can release funds as the movement is currently broke. Mugabe affectionately called this the Madhuku strategy.
2. A Genome of Shared Values. Any successful demonstration should first seek the by in of the would be beneficiaries of and expected participators in the demonstration. As it stands this appears to be only a Harare demonstration and the rest of the country is left out. If this demonstration is about a failed governance then the whole nation should be rallying behind it. Apparently only select group is clear as to the purpose and value of the demonstration. The rest of the country has been excluded not only in the planning but also in the articulation of the need and urgency of this demo. Zimbabwe has over 100 political parties all of which want to remove the Zanu pf government. What is surprising is that the organisers never made any effort to reach out to leaders of these political parties so as to get their buy in. If this demonstration is about a national crisis the organisers should have tried to reach out to fellow opposition parties and if possible involve them in the planning. The organisers should also have reached out to civic leaders including churches to get them to officially participate in the demo.
3. In fact, planning is something that the organisers should have put an incredible amount of emphasis on in terms of preparations and publications. They should have broken down the campaign into small and concrete tasks” and “backward planning forces you to break down a campaign into small, realistic tasks.” Further working towards achievable tasks motivates people to complete them instead of just coming to be part of an aimless madding crowd with the capacity to degenerate into an upheaval.
4. Connecting To The Mainstream: For any change to become truly revolutionary, it eventually has to be adopted by the mainstream. There is need to make the purpose clear, establish values and create a plan for success. Most of all, there is need to understand that the change being sought will not happen inside the movement, but outside of it. The main goal is to show the general public that the regime could be changed and if changed what are the steps to be taken to get the country on track. Take a look at the Sudan revolution. The organisers failed to anticipate the role of the army and now what seemed to have been a successful revolution has been stolen from them by the military. The planners of the Arab spring revolution failed to anticipate the role of the international community and other local interested groups. Libya is a failed state today because of failure to connect with the mainstream.

As a party LEAD believes that the realization and protection of the freedom of the masses in Zimbabwe is an objective even larger than the attainment of Electoral Justice.

It connotes a country in which societies are at peace both within themselves and with their neighbours: a country that conforms to the self-determination of peoples and in which individuals accept elements of control over the peaceful exercise of power.

It speaks to the rule of law, and to conformity with universal human rights norms embodied in the UN human rights instruments to which countries have committed themselves.

In any State the authority of the government can only derive from the will of the people as expressed in genuine, free and fair elections held at regular intervals on the basis of universal, equal and secret suffrage.

We uphold the following core values in our conduct of politics as we seek the people’s mandate to rule this country:

INTEGRITY: Integrity is a vital element that contributes to the legitimacy of, and must be a key element in, every aspect of the process of seeking the mandate to govern.

Honesty and accountability on the part of all involved in any aspect of the political process is an essential quality and an imperative requirement to uphold by political parties.

PARTICIPATION: The voice of the people must be heard, respected, and represented in the context of a free, fair and genuine political contestation. Citizens are the core of representative democracy as it is they who choose by secret ballot those who represent and govern them.

Elections provide a way for all to decide on the decision makers in a way that ensures that all voters have a fair and equal opportunity to participate in the election process. Full participation and diversity are manifested when arrangements facilitate the involvement of all, including first-time voters, women and disadvantaged groups.

Once the electoral process is over political parties should respect the will of the people as expressed by the results of the election and wait for another chance to present their governance bid in the next election cycle.

LAWFULNESS (RULE OF LAW): The lawfulness of any political player and the likely consequences of violations must be firmly established and widely understood in order to secure the legitimacy of the outcome of elections.

A political party uphold the rule of law when it conducts itself in accordance with the rules clearly established within the valid legal framework of the country.

IMPARTIALITY AND FAIRNESS: The principle of impartiality and fairness guarantees the equal treatment of citizens and political contestants. It also guarantees the equal application of the rules of the game.

Impartiality and fairness on the part of political party management bodies and all administrative and security authorities must be extended to citizens, candidates, political parties, the media, civil society and other stakeholders, and in so doing contribute to the concept of providing a ‘level playing field’ for all contestants. Whether before or after the poll, dispute resolutions must be fair, accessible, efficient, timely and in line with constitutional provisions.

PROFESSIONALISM: Managing the political parties requires technical knowledge of constitutional issues. Beyond the professionalism, it is also important that the Election Dispute Resolution Body (EDRB) should be professionally competent.

Professionalism in the management and oversight of all stages of the electoral process must be demonstrated in the planning, operation and the conclusion of elections by political parties including the pre-electoral, electoral and post-electoral periods.

Key indicators of professionalism include experience, expertise, objectivity, efficiency, accuracy, commitment, effectiveness, tolerance, and closure on issues.

INDEPENDENCE: The independence of all those authorities that are legitimately engaged in the electoral process and the resolution of electoral grievances and disputes must be respected and guaranteed by law and their constitutional decisions must be respected and adhered to by those in contest. There must be no interference by any outside interest.

TRANSPARENCY: Transparency is a core element that involves openness at all stages of election organization, which must include access to relevant information on a timely basis, a readiness to provide justification for decisions and a frank admission and swift correction of any mistakes or oversights so as to inspire confidence and credibility in the system in the minds of all stakeholders.

TIMELINESS: Timeliness must be demonstrated in a manner consistent with the other principles before, during and after the poll and at all stages in electoral management, including resolution of disputes as this is an integral element in Electoral Justice. The element of time in the administration of justice cannot be ignored, because justice is a time-bound concept.

Once the dispute resolution time has lapsed political parties should subject themselves to the rule of law as failure of which they may fuel national political upheaval and a spirit of political intolerance.

NON-VIOLENCE (FREEDOM FROM THREATS & VIOLENCE: All stages of the electoral process must be conducted without violence, intimidation, coercion, corruption, or other conduct that can interfere with the free conduct of the political contestation in accordance with the values of the constitution.

Sydney Muyambi
LEAD Secretary General
Together we can

By A Correspondent| The MDC Secretary for Organising, Amos Chibaya has appealed to all Zimbabweans from all walks of life to turn out in their large numbers at the people’s Free Zimbabwe March.

The march will be held at Harare on the morning of Friday 16th August 2019.

Said Chibaya in a statement issued by the MDC Communications Department:

“Zimbabweans should feel free to participate in the march since all due process had been undertaken in terms of both the Constitution and other relevant laws of Zimbabwe.

Massive efforts had also been undertaken to make sure that the march would be a peaceful one.”

Issued by the MDC Communications Department

Norton member of Parliament Temba Mliswa has alleged that Chinese nationals who are running production firms in his constituency are impregnating young girls who are below the age of consent.

In a heroes day message to member of his constituency Mliswa said, “There are reports of young girls giving birth to children of Chinese descent which is evidence enough of underage relationships which is against the law. These matters will be dealt with accordingly.”

Mliswa asked members of the public who have information that may assist the investigations to contact him.

“Please get in touch with either myself on 0732300148 or Victor or Anesu on mobile numbers 0773363037 and 0719256763/0773256763* respectively for any relevant information that may assist investigations.”

Mliswa recently claimed that the Chinese were also bringing into the country, a drug resistant strain of sexually transmitted diseases and we re also abusing employees.

“They are also bringing in a strain of STIs which has proved difficult to treat in this country doctors have confirmed.

“They violate the Labour Act most of the time, beating up employers (Zimbabweans).They have no respect for human dignity. They do shoddy business deals, contracts violated. We no longer have our faces in our own land.” he said.

By Dorrothy Moyo| In another clear threat against disgruntled citizens who want to demonstrate on Friday 16th August, the ZANU PF 55 year old youth leader, Pupurai Togarepi on Tuesday afternoon published a self serving Donald Trump file video saying anyone deemed a “threat” to the police will be killed. As we engage our community of readers on this matter, the video is below:

VIDEO LOADING BELOW…

pic.twitter.com/cK3RGUPA5Y

— Togarepi pupurai (@TogarepiPupurai) August 13, 2019

Four junior officers at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison have been arraigned before the courts for assaulting and breaking an inmate’s leg for picking a $1 coin in the office he was cleaning.

Taona Nyoni (32), Godweu Njeku (47), Norman Chari (38) and Marshal Nyandowe (30) were expected to appear in court last week charged with assaulting Masiiwa Vhitorini, who is Harare magistrate Nyasha Vhitorini’s younger brother.

Allegations are that on March 13, Masiiwa, who is an inmate at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison, was cleaning the complex’s administration offices under the supervision of Njeku. In the course of his duties, Masiiwa allegedly picked up a coin and shoved it into his pocket.

Njeku allegedly discovered the offence and ordered him to surrender the money. Masiiwa gave the money to Njeku, who then allegedly assaulted him with open hands, demanding more money.

The State further avers that Nyoni, Chari and Nyandowe then joined in and repeatedly kicked Masiiwa. It is alleged that Nyoni used his service rifle to hit the complainant’s left leg several times until it fractured.

The accused persons reportedly then forced Masiiwa to lie that he injured himself while walking. The accused persons even escorted the complainant to the prison hospital to make sure he did not disclose the assault.

The matter came to light on March 14 when the complainant’s brother visited and inquired why his leg was in a plaster cast. The complainant revealed the assault. Magistrate Vhitorini then made a police report, leading to the quartet’s arrest.

On September 17, 2011, Occupy Wall Street took over Zuccotti Park, in the heart of the financial district in Lower Manhattan.

Declaring, “We are the 99%,” they captured the attention of the nation. Within a few months, however, the park was cleared and the protesters went home, achieving little, if anything.

In 1998, a similar movement, Otpor, began in Serbia. Yet where Occupy failed, Otpor succeeded marvelously.

In just two years they overthrew the reviled Milošević government. Soon after came the Color Revolutions in Eastern Europe and the Arab Spring in the Middle East.

On August 1 2018 MDC led a defend your vote mass demonstration in Harare which it achieved anything got unfortunate loss of life and invited the army to become a factor in any future demonstrations in Zimbabwe.

On February 14 2019 a public national stay away in Zimbabwe ended up being a looting contest throughout the country.

While Occupy certainly did not lack passion or appeal—indeed its core message about inequality continues to resonate—it was unable to translate that enthusiasm into effective action. Otpor, on the other hand, created a movement of enormous impact.

The contrast is sharp and it is no accident. Successful movements do things that failed ones don’t.

1. This clarity of purpose led directly to action: as has become a norm in all Zimbabwean demonstration the organisers of the demonstrations lack clarity of purpose. If we are to look at the planned demo one wonders if a) the objective is still to defend the 2018 purported stolen vote. b) Whether the objective is to unseat the Mnangagwa regime. c) Whether the objective is to protest against the rising cost of living. d) Whether this is an MDC or national protest. For the public to come in their numbers in support of this demo they have to understand its objective and have a clear persuasion that this is the only way to their agreed end. As it is the bulk of the population is sceptical as to the objective of this demo. A good number believe MDC has called this demo to stage an international show so that its international handlers can release funds as the movement is currently broke. Mugabe affectionately called this the Madhuku strategy.
2. A Genome of Shared Values. Any successful demonstration should first seek the by in of the would be beneficiaries of and expected participators in the demonstration. As it stands this appears to be only a Harare demonstration and the rest of the country is left out. If this demonstration is about a failed governance then the whole nation should be rallying behind it. Apparently only select group is clear as to the purpose and value of the demonstration. The rest of the country has been excluded not only in the planning but also in the articulation of the need and urgency of this demo. Zimbabwe has over 100 political parties all of which want to remove the Zanu pf government. What is surprising is that the organisers never made any effort to reach out to leaders of these political parties so as to get their buy in. If this demonstration is about a national crisis the organisers should have tried to reach out to fellow opposition parties and if possible involve them in the planning. The organisers should also have reached out to civic leaders including churches to get them to officially participate in the demo.
3. In fact, planning is something that the organisers should have put an incredible amount of emphasis on in terms of preparations and publications. They should have broken down the campaign into small and concrete tasks” and “backward planning forces you to break down a campaign into small, realistic tasks.” Further working towards achievable tasks motivates people to complete them instead of just coming to be part of an aimless madding crowd with the capacity to degenerate into an upheaval.
4. Connecting To The Mainstream: For any change to become truly revolutionary, it eventually has to be adopted by the mainstream. There is need to make the purpose clear, establish values and create a plan for success. Most of all, there is need to understand that the change being sought will not happen inside the movement, but outside of it. The main goal is to show the general public that the regime could be changed and if changed what are the steps to be taken to get the country on track. Take a look at the Sudan revolution. The organisers failed to anticipate the role of the army and now what seemed to have been a successful revolution has been stolen from them by the military. The planners of the Arab spring revolution failed to anticipate the role of the international community and other local interested groups. Libya is a failed state today because of failure to connect with the mainstream.

As a party LEAD believes that the realization and protection of the freedom of the masses in Zimbabwe is an objective even larger than the attainment of Electoral Justice.

It connotes a country in which societies are at peace both within themselves and with their neighbours: a country that conforms to the self-determination of peoples and in which individuals accept elements of control over the peaceful exercise of power.

It speaks to the rule of law, and to conformity with universal human rights norms embodied in the UN human rights instruments to which countries have committed themselves.

In any State the authority of the government can only derive from the will of the people as expressed in genuine, free and fair elections held at regular intervals on the basis of universal, equal and secret suffrage.

We uphold the following core values in our conduct of politics as we seek the people’s mandate to rule this country:

INTEGRITY: Integrity is a vital element that contributes to the legitimacy of, and must be a key element in, every aspect of the process of seeking the mandate to govern.

Honesty and accountability on the part of all involved in any aspect of the political process is an essential quality and an imperative requirement to uphold by political parties.

PARTICIPATION: The voice of the people must be heard, respected, and represented in the context of a free, fair and genuine political contestation.

Citizens are the core of representative democracy as it is they who choose by secret ballot those who represent and govern them. Elections provide a way for all to decide on the decision makers in a way that ensures that all voters have a fair and equal opportunity to participate in the election process.

Full participation and diversity are manifested when arrangements facilitate the involvement of all, including first-time voters, women and disadvantaged groups.

Once the electoral process is over political parties should respect the will of the people as expressed by the results of the election and wait for another chance to present their governance bid in the next election cycle.

LAWFULNESS (RULE OF LAW): The lawfulness of any political player and the likely consequences of violations must be firmly established and widely understood in order to secure the legitimacy of the outcome of elections.

A political party uphold the rule of law when it conducts itself in accordance with the rules clearly established within the valid legal framework of the country.

IMPARTIALITY AND FAIRNESS: The principle of impartiality and fairness guarantees the equal treatment of citizens and political contestants. It also guarantees the equal application of the rules of the game.

Impartiality and fairness on the part of political party management bodies and all administrative and security authorities must be extended to citizens, candidates, political parties, the media, civil society and other stakeholders, and in so doing contribute to the concept of providing a ‘level playing field’ for all contestants.

Whether before or after the poll, dispute resolutions must be fair, accessible, efficient, timely and in line with constitutional provisions.

PROFESSIONALISM: Managing the political parties requires technical knowledge of constitutional issues. Beyond the professionalism, it is also important that the Election Dispute Resolution Body (EDRB) should be professionally competent.

Professionalism in the management and oversight of all stages of the electoral process must be demonstrated in the planning, operation and the conclusion of elections by political parties including the pre-electoral, electoral and post-electoral periods.

Key indicators of professionalism include experience, expertise, objectivity, efficiency, accuracy, commitment, effectiveness, tolerance, and closure on issues.

INDEPENDENCE: The independence of all those authorities that are legitimately engaged in the electoral process and the resolution of electoral grievances and disputes must be respected and guaranteed by law and their constitutional decisions must be respected and adhered to by those in contest. There must be no interference by any outside interest.

TRANSPARENCY: Transparency is a core element that involves openness at all stages of election organization, which must include access to relevant information on a timely basis, a readiness to provide justification for decisions and a frank admission and swift correction of any mistakes or oversights so as to inspire confidence and credibility in the system in the minds of all stakeholders.

TIMELINESS: Timeliness must be demonstrated in a manner consistent with the other principles before, during and after the poll and at all stages in electoral management, including resolution of disputes as this is an integral element in Electoral Justice. The element of time in the administration of justice cannot be ignored, because justice is a time-bound concept.

Once the dispute resolution time has lapsed political parties should subject themselves to the rule of law as failure of which they may fuel national political upheaval and a spirit of political intolerance.

NON-VIOLENCE (FREEDOM FROM THREATS & VIOLENCE: All stages of the electoral process must be conducted without violence, intimidation, coercion, corruption, or other conduct that can interfere with the free conduct of the political contestation in accordance with the values of the constitution.

Sydney Muyambi
LEAD Secretary General
Together we can

Both Mnangagwa – speaking through his spokesperson George Charamba – and Chamisa told the publication that approaches had indeed been made to Geingob and Khama to try and broker talks between the two feuding bulls.

Movement for Democratic Change leader Nelson Chamisa, who is plotting a #ShutDownZimbabwe protest, has approached former Botswana leader Ian Khama and Namibian President Hage Geingob in a bid to try and broker talks between him and President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Daily News reported.

Chamisa said that he had approached regional leaders because he was interested in peace and dialogue.

“We are open to dialogue. Apart from several letters we wrote to him (Mnangagwa), we have also approached former heads of State and sitting heads of State in an effort to dialogue, but Mnangagwa is refusing. “Zimbabwe is on fire and nothing is working at the moment. Everywhere there are problems and this points to a shortage of ideas.

“What Mnangagwa is doing is trying to colour a dead donkey and hope that it will resurrect. You cannot put lipstick on a frog and expect it to be beautiful,” Chamisa said.

“The problem in Zimbabwe at the moment is politics. You cannot tinker with fundamental issues. They (Zanu-PF) have to resolve the political questions. “No country in the world will succeed with divisions. That must be corrected. Otherwise trying to address the economy will remain a fruitless exercise,” he added.

Charamba confirmed the developments as well. “We know for a fact that Chamisa approached former Botswana president Khama and Namibian President Geingob.

“The door for dialogue remains wide open because there is a national consensus that there should be dialogue to resolve the economic challenges. “But he (Chamisa) was told to move away from political confrontation and acknowledge president Mnangagwa as the head of State.

“Former president Khama advised him to start preparing for the 2023 elections because 2018 is a closed chapter,” Charamba told the Daily News. “Coming to the issue of dialogue, he (Chamisa) can’t come with pre-conditions. Even though there is goodwill, that goodwill will be squandered when people negotiate in bad faith.

“Zimbabwe is on the verge of assuming the chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) organ on politics, defence and security, and there are spirited efforts to derail that. That does not build Zimbabwe.

“He (Chamisa) should stop the politics of confrontation,” Charamba said further. Mnangagwa and Chamisa have been at loggerheads since the country held its watershed elections last year, which were won by Zanu-PF – with the youthful MDC leader hotly disputing the results of the presidential ballot.

Mnangagwa’s victory was upheld by the Constitutional Court which ruled that Chamisa had failed to provide evidence that he had won the election.

Since then, repeated attempts to persuade Chamisa to join other political parties in dialogue with Mnangagwa have come to nought, as he set tough demands which included having “an independent mediator” presiding over the much-talked-about talks.

REPORTS that former President Robert Mugabe has told close associates that he does not want to be buried at the National Heroes Acre in Harare when he dies seem to have rattled both government and the ruling party with senior figures unsure of how to respond to the issue.

Mugabe was pushed out of power in November 2017, by a combination of the military and nationwide demonstrations and has never forgiven his erstwhile comrades in Zanu PF and government for the betrayal chief among them his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa who he had sacked as Vice President two weeks earlier.

The man who announced the military takeover, now Foreign Affairs Minister and Retired Lieutenant General Sibusiso Moyo said Mugabe was within his rights to choose where he wanted to be laid to rest.

“It’s his right. I can’t comment,” Moyo said when asked on the sidelines of the 39th Heroes Day celebrations on Monday.

War veterans secretary general and Deputy Defence Minister Victor Matemadanda said Mugabe would be in a better position to answer questions on his decision.

“You can go and ask him why he does not want to buried here,” Matemadanda told reporters.

Matemadanda also serves as Zanu PF national political commissar and was at the forefront of attacking Mugabe in his last days in power.

The Zanu PF Youth League deputy secretary Lewis Matutu said the ruling party will not lose sleep over Mugabe’s decision indicating the former President had denied numerous other people who deserved the status.

“That has got nothing to do with us and Mugabe is just an individual. Perhaps in my view it is because he understands that he barred a lot of deserving heroes to be buried at this shrine.

“Talk of comrade Chinx (Dickson Chingaira) who amongst many other war veterans deserved to be laid to rest here are lying elsewhere. I hope that the leadership will consider and perhaps rebury that fellow comrade who was working dearly for his country,” said Matutu.

“So, its not an issue that the former President say he does not want to be buried here neither is there anyone who is willing to see him buried here against his will.”

Mugabe 95, is currently battling for his life in a Singaporean hospital where he has been admitted since April.

— NewZimbabwe

HARARE – The beleaguered government of President Mnangagwa has warned foreigners to either stay away from local politics or be ready to face the full wrath of the law.

Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Cain Mathema, who indicated that some foreigners — including a well-known global violence architect from Serbia — arrived in the country for MDC-Alliance demonstrations scheduled to start on Friday under the guise of being tourists.

According to State media, Mathema said MDC-Alliance has started rounding up street kids using unmarked and plate-less vehicles, whom they want to use in destroying and looting shops “in return for some goodies”.

“We are also aware that some foreign nationals are now in the country on the pretext of being tourists yet they are activists who are working closely with the opposition political parties to organise the perceived demonstrations,” said Ambassador Mathema.

“The foreigners include one who is known for masterminding the Arab Spring and the recent Sudan clashes.

“Let me remind foreigners who are dabbling in local politics that Zimbabwe is a sovereign state and will not allow people disguised as tourists to come and promote anarchy and destruction of property in the country.”

MDC-Alliance and its civil society partners wants to stage violent demonstrations in the country on August 16, 19 and 20, with the hope of ousting President Mnangagwa as has been repeatedly said by party leader Nelson Chamisa and deputy national chairperson Job Sikhala.

The planned violent demonstrations are designed to coincide with the Sadc Summit in Tanzania, where Zimbabwe is expected to assume the chairmanship of the  Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security.

Ambassador Mathema said MDC-Alliance has sent notifications to hold the demonstrations to regulating authorities in Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru and other towns.

He added that Government recognised Sections 58 and 59 of the Constitution, which grant citizens freedom of assembly, association and freedom to demonstrate and petition, but said it also has a “huge responsibility” to ensure law and order was upheld in the country as enshrined in Section (219) (1) (c) and (d) of the national supreme law.

Mathema urged citizens to continue observing peace and undertake their socio-economic activities knowing fully well that the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and other security services were ready to protect everyone who wants to move freely.

“The Commissioner-General of Police (Godwin Matanga) has promised the ministry that the police is ready to deal with unruly elements who want to cause alarm and despondency in the country.

“Members of the public are accordingly implored to remain calm and not be swayed into joining any violent conduct by the opposition under the pretext or guise of a ‘peaceful demonstration’,” he said.

MDC-Alliance says its demonstrations will be peaceful, but Government has observed a surge in messages threatening the prevailing peace and tranquillity.

The demonstrations have been dubbed a “march for our lives, 16th August 2019” and the “start of final push, hatidzokere kumba, asibuyeli emakhaya”.

Fliers and pamphlets seen in Epworth, Mbare, Kuwadzana, Glen View and Chitungwiza are calling on opposition activists to carry dangerous weapons with which to attack law enforcement agents during the demonstrations.

The Zimbabwe Defence Forces say they will only intervene when national security is threatened.

ECOCASH agents have turned their booths into illegal selling points of cash at exorbitant premiums ranging from 30 to 40 percent.

For one to get bond coins and notes from EcoCash agents, he or she must transfer money into agent’s account with an additional fee ranging between 30 prcent and 40 percent.

For every cash-out transaction, the agents pocket an extra percentage, which they get in addition to the usual commission officially paid by Econet.

Ordinary citizens who genuinely require cash to pay for daily transport are forced to “buy” money at the booths that have since assumed a new role of illegally selling cash.

This is exacerbated by the unwarranted demand for cash payments by most retailers, who intend to resell it on the black market.

Most traders are rejecting EcoCash or swipe payments, putting pressure on the people to source the bond coins and notes through illegal means.

Section 14(1) of the Bank Use Promotion Act makes it unlawful to trade in cash without a licence.

“No person other than a financial institution or money lender shall exchange any negotiable instrument for cash at a premium …”

Econet Wireless is on record as warning its EcoCash agents against charging extra fees for cash-out services.

“Do not be caught charging customers extra to cash out. It is prohibited and attracts a penalty,” reads one of the warnings circulating on social media.

An investigation by The Herald revealed that most EcoCash agents have turned into illegal cash vendors.

So bad has become the situation that some kombi operators, retailers, wholesalers, ice cream vendors and other traders have set up illicit “cash wholesales” where vendors hoard cash at lower rates ranging between 10 to 20 percent for resale on higher rates.

The Herald monitored activities at the corner of Robert Mugabe Road and Leopold Takawira Street in Harare where a long winding queue of cash buyers is observed between 7am and 9am daily.

The dealer, who is an Ecocash agent, sells coins at the rate of 18 percent while bond notes are selling at 20 premium.

Vendors flock the agent for “wholesale rates” while commuters stampede the place during peak hour to buy cash to pay for kombis.

The illegal selling of cash has seen all the EcoCash outlets in and outside Harare charging exorbitant percentages to clients whenever a cash-out transaction is carried out.

Those who hoard cash at the “illegal cash wholesales” will then resell it at higher rates of between 30 percent and 40 percent.

An agent operating along Leopold Takawira Street said he buys cash from some undisclosed wholesalers in downtown Harare.

“Most people in the business sector do not bank their sales. They have found ready market for that cash. So we approach them and buy cash at reasonable rates. They usually charge us a 10 percent fee for coins and 15 percent fee for notes,” the agent said.

The agent said a mark-up is factored in with the coins being sold at the rate of 30 percent and notes selling between 35 percent and 40 percent.

“We then also charge 30 percent for cash-out in coins and 35 percent for bond notes. Some of the people who buy from us I believe will also put their percentage on top when they transact with their customers,” he said.

Another dealer at Market Square bus terminus in Harare, who preferred clients to cash out their money through his mobile number, and not EcoCash agent code, was demanding 35 percent for every transaction in bond notes and a 30 percent for coins.

He disclosed that he used to buy cash at a flat 20 percent from businesspeople operating close to the Mbare Flyover along Cameron Street before reselling at higher rates.

“I buy cash from a friend of mine with an EcoCash shop here in town. I understand he buys cash from some wholesalers in downtown and he dishes it out to us at a good rate. I then put a mark-up when reselling to others.”

Another agent at Chigovanyika Shopping Centre in Chitungwiza said a friend who operates a transport business offloads cash on her daily at reasonable rates.

“Commuter operators are my good sources of bond coins and notes. I have a friend who sells me cash daily at the rate of 18 percent.

“I buy from him daily late in the afternoon and resell it every morning at my booth,” she said.

Another cash vendor who was displaying bond coins and notes on a table in Mbare said she got her cash from shop owners.

“Most of us here do not even have bank accounts. We buy bond notes and coins from friends who run tuckshops here in Mbare.

“They strictly charge their goods in cash with a view to sell it to us for an additional fee. Tuckshop operators do not accept any form of payment other than cash,” she said.

She said some EcoCash agents got cash suppliers of up to $20 000 daily, which is illegally sold to desperate people.

An agent plying his trade along Albion Street said he was connected to bank tellers, who supplied him with cash daily.

“I get cash from my friend who works for a local bank. Towards the of the day I transfer my money from my Ecocash wallet to bank account and inform my friend of the transaction.

“He then facilitates that I get cash for the business,” he said.

— Herald

Sungura musician Taruvinga “Sugar Sugar”” Manjokota has spoken out following his absence from the music radar.

The Samaita Express boss, now deemed a spent force, insists he is at his best form but making waves away from home.

Sugar Sugar rose to fame with the hit Mairos, which won the hearts of many. His other albums include Zvirimukati, Zvamungarwira and Mari Inoparira.

He has since established himself in South Africa after staying in Mozambique for a moment.
The Mairosi hit maker left Zimbabwe sometime last year and had been criticised for reportedly abandoning his family.

He is set to release his latest seven-track track album Kutsemurirana with songs such as Apirikede, Ndezvevarimuno, Vehuwori (Piracy), Munondichengeta, Zvinowanikwa, Mairosi Pfacha pfacha.

In exclusive interview from his new base, Sugar Sugar said he is doing well contrary to what people have been saying.

“Right now I busy communicating with Paradzai Mesi on how we can organise some shows in Zimbabwe and here is South Africa.H-Metro

Farai Dziva|Deputy Defence Minister, Victor Matemadanda has claimed security sector reforms are not necessary in Zimbabwe.

The security sector is alright as it is, according to Matemadanda.

Matemadanda made remarks at the Heroes Day commemorations yesterday.

“Why do we reform a thing that is OK? Why do we reform a security force that is able to fulfil its mandate? Why should people want that security sector to bereformed?
Remember, this security sector is composed (of) people who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of this country and no one has a moral obligation to say people who liberated this country should not protect it,”claimed
Matemadanda.

He also vowed to block the MDC demo scheduled for August 16.

Matemadanda last week declared that he would unleash soldiers on hapless citizens -to quell dissenting voices.

Farai Dziva|Zimbabwe faces the worst shortage of food in living memory, it has emerged.

Zimbabwe’s World Food Programme Director, Eddie Rowe, has said Zimbabwe is facing the most serious food shortage ever.

“The food security situation in the country has been compounded by the economic situation. This year we have more hungry Zimbabweans than ever before,”said Rowe in an interview with CNN.

According to the July 2019 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment report, about 5.5 million Zimbabweans in rural areas are in urgent need for food assistance. The number includes some 2.6 million children. This is an increase from the 4.5 million people in need reported in January 2019.

Zimbabwe reportedly spent $3 billion on a programme called
Command Agriculture between 2016 and 2018.

The programme was meant to increase agriculture production and output in the country. Zimbabwe, however, experienced a drought in the 2018 – 2019 farming season as well as a cyclone.

Farai Dziva|Constantino Chiwenga will start receiving medication under the supervision of Chinese doctors, Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.

Mnangagwa has revealed the retired army general is expected to receive medication for an undisclosed ailment.

“The Vice President has now completed extensive tests required by the Chinese medical team attending to him, thus paving the way for the commencement of actual treatment.

While it is still too early in the treatment proves, I am advised that the Vice President’s condition remains remarkably stable, with the initial strict regimen imposed on him at the time of his admission being gradually eased to allow greater access by close family members,” said Mnangagwa.

Farai Dziva|The Zimbabwe Youth
Arise(ZIMYA) has urged youths to participate in the August 16 demonstration.

However the organization has stressed the need for peace before, during and after the march.

See the organization’s full statement :
The Zimbabwe Youth Arise(ZIMYA) is hereby encouraging all the youths who will participate in the demonstration to be peaceful and observe the rule of law.

We have noted that the demonstration, having been called by opposition leader, Adv. Nelson Chamisa, could trigger politically motivated violence from non-progressive elements of the society.

Thus ZIMYA is encouraging all young people to exercise restraint as they, and allow others to, likewise exercise their constitutional right.

The call comes after the increasing economic meltdown which has brought about inflation, unemployment, high costs of living among other issues which are directly affecting the Zimbabwean Youths. This has created an emotionally charged environment which may trigger violence, anarchy and crime at a time like this hindering any meaningful results from a possibly intended good cause.

It is within this context that we have found it fit to call upon all youths who intend to air their voice to the current government, as provided by section 59 of our Zimbabwean Constitution, to do so responsibly within the confinement of the law. In the same vein we also call upon the security forces and services to also observe the constitutional provisions to the letter and spirit as they facilitate a conducive environment for citizens to freely express themselves lawfully.

We would want to reiterate our commitment to Youth involvement in national discourse, constitutionalism, rule of law and democracy. Our emphasis is that we are non-partisan and we seek to promote nation building at every opportunity.

ZimYA National Information Desk

Michael Tinotenda Gatawa 263 777 888 732

Luckson Zvobgo +27789758831

By A Correspondent- Commuter omnibus operators plying highway routes are reportedly dropping off passengers just before approaching tollgates as a strategy to avoid paying high tollgate fees which were introduced by Finance minister Mthuli Ncube during his mid-term budget review early this month.

Light motor vehicles now pay $10 up from $2, mini buses $15 from $3, buses $20 from $4, heavy vehicles $25 from $5 and haulage trucks $50 from $10.

Commuter omnibuses that ply the Harare-Marondera-Wedza route via Chitungwiza are dropping off passengers before the tollgate and commuter omnibuses from Dema Growth Point and Wedza pick the travellers on the other side of the tollgate.

The strategy is also being used by operators on the Harare-Marondera route.

At a tollgate at Chanakira village between Chitungwiza and Dema Growth Point, commuters were waiting for transport on both sides of the tollgate, while omnibuses were making U-turns a stone’s throw away from the tollgate.

“We have been dropped here. I was going to 10 Miles, but I was surprised when they told me that they were not passing through the tollgate and they asked us to disembark. Now we are waiting to be picked by another kombi which will take us to our destination,” Loice Hungwe said.

A vendor at the Chanakira village tollgate, Caroline Mutore said even pirate taxes popularly known as mushikashika were dropping off and picking up passengers before the tollgate.

It is also alleged that some operators were using dust roads to bypass the same tollgate at Chanakira as an alternative to dropping off passengers before it.

A commuter omnibus driver who plies the Harare-Marondera route, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they could not afford the new toll fees which threatened to push them out of business.

“$15 is a lot of money. For us to make profit, we will need to hike fares yet commuters do not have that money. We are also considering that the salaries of civil servants have remained static for some time. So, for us to remain in this business this is the only way out,” he said.

Another driver said it was difficult for them to cope with the high tollgate fees imposed on motorists by the government.

“Currently the fare to Harare-Marondera is around $18 varying with the operator, but if we are to drop off passengers before the tollgate the fare will be reduced to about $8 or even less (than that).

Then another kombi will take those commuters from the other side of the tollgate to Marondera. That becomes affordable for commuters while also cheaper for us,” he said.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration has been hiking prices for most of its services for the last month as the economy nosedives.-Newsday

VIDEO LOADING BELOW…

By A Correspondent| Former president Robert Mugabe’s former doctor, Dr Kumbirai Mubwandarikwa has died. He was 78.

He succumbed to cancer, his son confirmed his death to Newsday yesterday. Dr Mubwandarikwa will be buried at his farm in Hampshire tomorrow (Wednesday).

Dr Mubwandarikwa reportedly treated prominent liberation fighters including former President Robert Mugabe in colonial jails.

Below is a short bio on Dr Mubwandarikwa:

Dr Mubwandarikwa was born in Zvavahera village in Gutu, attended Zvavahera Primary School from 1950 to 1957, Zimuto Secondary School from 1958 to 1959, Inyathi Secondary School from 1960 to 1962 and Goromonzi Secondary School from 1962 to 1963.

In 1964, he was accepted by the University of Rhodesia and Nyasaland to study medicine and Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) in 1969.

He furthered his studies in the United Kingdom and then returned to Zimbabwe shortly after independence, where he worked for the government until he retired in 2006.

He continued working at his private practice until March 2019 when he stopped due to ill health.-Newsday

By A Correspondent| The Institute For Security Studies has openly critiqued the Motlanthe Commission of inquiry that was set up by President Mnangagwa just after the explosive 1 August killings of innocent victims in Harare.

Sharing their opinion about the commission the ISS wrote;

The commission was headed by former South African president Kgalema Motlanthe. That the commission’s task was damage control was made apparent by the inclusion among the commissioners of well-known Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front apologist Charity Manyeruke and by the fact that one of the terms of reference of the commission was to determine what ‘necessitated’ the deployment of soldiers thus foreclosing inquiry into a crucial aspect of the events.

The result was a report tailor-made to Mnangagwa’s requirements. The report commences by contrasting Mnangagwa’s calls for peace before the elections, with what is called ‘overwhelming video evidence’ of Movement for Democratic Change-Alliance (MDC-A) leader Nelson Chamisa inciting violence.

As an example, the report references a video of a rural rally addressed by Chamisa and, presumably, this video was selected as being the most illustrative. Clicking on the link given in the PDF of the report takes one back to the report online and not to the expected video clip.

A video of the entire rally is, however, available on YouTube. Chamisa speaks entirely in Shona, so only the three Zimbabwean commissioners could have understood what he said. Chamisa does not say the words ‘quoted’ in the report or anything even remotely similar.

Other video evidence in this regard referred to by the commissioners is similarly defective. Yet this ‘evidence’ clearly informed the finding by the commission that the MDC-A was responsible for the violent demonstration and that it was pre-planned.

This isn’t the only key finding based on patently fabricated evidence. The commission found that the troops had been deployed in accordance with constitutional requirements. For this, they accepted a paper trail supplied by the government.

This comprised a letter by the district police chief on the ground to the provincial police chief; a letter from the commissioner-general of police to the home affairs minister; and then a letter from the home affairs minister to Chiwenga as the defence minister.

These letters all followed the procedure set out in a section of Zimbabwe’s public order legislation – a section rendered void by the later constitutional requirement that presidential authority was necessary.

This isn’t the only key finding based on patently fabricated evidence. The commission found that the troops had been deployed in accordance with constitutional requirements. For this, they accepted a paper trail supplied by the government.

By A Correspondent| Tragedy struck a Victoria Falls family when 2 brothers drowned while bathing along the Zambezi River.

The brothers had gone to bath in the river. When they were done they asked the third brother to take photos.

The 2 brothers aged 24 and 14 stepped on a stone and reportedly fell into the river and subsequently got swept away by the current.

Zimparks and Wildlife Management was helping the police and the community to search for their missing bodies.

A body has reportedly been found but they have not yet confirmed if it’s one of the missing siblings.

The 2 brothers were Nkazimulo (24) an artisan and Thando Nkomo (14) a form 2 student at one of the local schools in Vic Falls.-Newsday

State Media|Government has warned foreigners to either stay away from local politics or be ready to face the full wrath of the law.

Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Ambassador Cain Mathema, who indicated that some foreigners — including a well-known global violence architect from Serbia — arrived in the country for MDC-Alliance demonstrations scheduled to start on Friday under the guise of being tourists.

Ambassador Mathema said MDC-Alliance has started rounding up street kids using unmarked and plate-less vehicles, whom they want to use in destroying and looting shops “in return for some goodies”.

“We are also aware that some foreign nationals are now in the country on the pretext of being tourists yet they are activists who are working closely with the opposition political parties to organise the perceived demonstrations,” said Ambassador Mathema.

“The foreigners include one who is known for masterminding the Arab Spring and the recent Sudan clashes.

“Let me remind foreigners who are dabbling in local politics that Zimbabwe is a sovereign state and will not allow people disguised as tourists to come and promote anarchy and destruction of property in the country.”

MDC-Alliance and its civil society partners wants to stage violent demonstrations in the country on August 16, 19 and 20, with the hope of ousting President Mnangagwa as has been repeatedly said by party leader Nelson Chamisa and deputy national chairperson Job Sikhala.

The planned violent demonstrations are designed to coincide with the Sadc Summit in Tanzania, where Zimbabwe is expected to assume the chairmanship of the Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security.

Ambassador Mathema said MDC-Alliance has sent notifications to hold the demonstrations to regulating authorities in Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru and other towns.

He added that Government recognised Sections 58 and 59 of the Constitution, which grant citizens freedom of assembly, association and freedom to demonstrate and petition, but said it also has a “huge responsibility” to ensure law and order was upheld in the country as enshrined in Section (219) (1) (c) and (d) of the national supreme law.

Ambassador Mathema urged citizens to continue observing peace and undertake their socio-economic activities knowing fully well that the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and other security services were ready to protect everyone who wants to move freely.

“The Commissioner-General of Police (Godwin Matanga) has promised the ministry that the police is ready to deal with unruly elements who want to cause alarm and despondency in the country.

“Members of the public are accordingly implored to remain calm and not be swayed into joining any violent conduct by the opposition under the pretext or guise of a ‘peaceful demonstration’,” he said.

MDC-Alliance says its demonstrations will be peaceful, but Government has observed a surge in messages threatening the prevailing peace and tranquillity.

The demonstrations have been dubbed a “march for our lives, 16th August 2019” and the “start of final push, hatidzokere kumba, asibuyeli emakhaya”.

Fliers and pamphlets seen in Epworth, Mbare, Kuwadzana, Glen View and Chitungwiza are calling on opposition activists to carry dangerous weapons with which to attack law enforcement agents during the demonstrations.

The Zimbabwe Defence Forces say they will only intervene when national security is threatened.

MDC Secretary-General Charlton Hwende says the opposition party is going to address the nation on Wednesday to give more clarity about the impending mass protest that has been called for the 16th of August.

In a statement, Hwende said, “We have noted all the questions being asked about the People’s March on Friday. The MDC will address the nation on Wednesday through a Press Conference. As you would imagine, we are not operating in a democracy, so some details will remain confidential for obvious reasons.”

NewsDay|Commuter omnibus operators plying highway routes are reportedly dropping off passengers just before approaching tollgates as a strategy to avoid paying high tollgate fees which were introduced by Finance minister Mthuli Ncube during his mid-term budget review early this month.

Light motor vehicles now pay $10 up from $2, mini buses $15 from $3, buses $20 from $4, heavy vehicles $25 from $5 and haulage trucks $50 from $10.

NewsDay has learnt that commuter omnibuses that ply the Harare-Marondera-Wedza route via Chitungwiza are dropping off passengers before the tollgate and commuter omnibuses from Dema Growth Point and Wedza pick the travellers on the other side of the tollgate.

The strategy is also being used by operators on the Harare-Marondera route.

When NewsDay yesterday visited a tollgate at Chanakira village between Chitungwiza and Dema Growth Point, commuters were waiting for transport on both sides ofthe tollgate, while omnibuses were making U-turns a stone’s throw away from the tollgate.

“We have been dropped here. I was going to 10 Miles, but I was surprised when they told me that they were not passing through the tollgate and they asked us to

disembark. Now we are waiting to be picked by another kombi which will take us to our destination,” Loice Hungwe said.

A vendor at the Chanakira village tollgate, Caroline Mutore said even pirate taxes popularly known as mushikashika were dropping off and picking up passengers before the tollgate.

It is also alleged that some operators were using dust roads to bypass the same tollgate at Chanakira as an alternative to dropping off passengers before it.

A commuter omnibus driver who plies the Harare-Marondera route, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they could not afford the new toll fees which threatened to push them out of business.

“$15 is a lot of money. For us to make profit, we will need to hike fares yet commuters do not have that money. We are also considering that the salaries of

civil servants have remained static for some time. So, for us to remain in this business this is the only way out,” he said.

Another driver said it was difficult for them to cope with the high tollgate fees imposed on motorists by the government.

“Currently the fare to Harare-Marondera is around $18 varying with the operator, but if we are to drop off passengers before the tollgate the fare will be reduced to about $8 or even less (than that). Then another kombi will take those commuters from the other side of the tollgate to Marondera. That becomes affordable for commuters while also cheaper for us,” he said.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration has been hiking prices for most of its services for the last month as the economy nosedives.

Supplies of Zimdollar notes and coins have dried up, forcing Zimbabweans to pay premium for hard cash.

Harare, Zimbabwe – Walker Ishmael Gombingo sits on the concrete pavement outside a bank in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. Elderly and looking dejected, he is one of a growing horde of people forming a line on and off the pavement in the late morning sun.

“I am exhausted. I have been in the queue since 6:00am and I didn’t get anything,” Gombingo told Al Jazeera.

By anything, he means Zimdollars. Also known as “zollers”, physical Zimdollar notes have become increasingly scarce since they became Zimbabwe’s sole legal tender in June.

Zimdollar notes are in such short supply, banks are rationing them.

“I don’t have money to go back to my rural home in Zvimba,” said Gombingo. “I only have a dollar twenty left on me.”

Before trying the bank, Gombingo attempted to finagle some Zimdollars from a bus driver.

“I gave the bus driver my bank card and pin code, so he could buy fuel with my card and then give me cash. But he decided to use someone else’s card,” Gombingo said.

If he can’t withdraw cash from the bank, Gombingo says he will have no choice but to look for it on the black market.

But there is a catch. Zimdollar notes are on the black market are only available at a huge markup, which many Zimbabweans end up paying out of desperation.

A history of cash shortages

A shortage of cold, hard cash has dogged Zimbabwe for years.

Back in 2009, soaring inflation prompted Zimbabwe to ditch its failing sovereign currency in favour of a basket of foreign currencies led by the US dollar. But “dollarising” the economy hit a major bump in 2015 when greenbacks started vanishing from the formal banking system.

In a bid to end the US dollar shortage, Zimbabwe’s central bank introduced bond notes – a form of surrogate currency – that was backed by a $200m bond facility from the Africa Export-Import Bank. But black market speculation quickly eroded the bond note value, triggering a shortage that the central bank tried to offset by creating electronic notes.

Then this past February, bond notes – both physical and electronic – were merged into the Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) dollar, or Zimdollar. An interim currency designed to pave the way for a new Zimbabwean dollar later this year, the Zimdollar quickly fell prey to black market speculation that sent its value plummeting.

In June, the government moved to defend the Zimdollar against speculators by banning all foreign currencies in local transactions. But the effort has largely failed and the value of the Zimdollar has continued to tumble.

Today, Zimdollars trade at a massive discount of as much as 10.7 to one against the US dollar on the black market.

The less the Zimdollar is worth, the more prices soar, which means the more Zimdollars Zimbabweans need to pay for goods and services.

That exacerbates the shortage of physical notes, which has left Zimbabweans paying outrageous premiums for hard cash.

As of Friday, Zimbabweans wanting to get their hands on physical notes on the black market had to pay a markup of 45 percent. For coins, it was 35 percent.

Many retailers have also factored in these premiums. This means an all-cash purchase can be around 45 percent cheaper than one made on a debit card or using EcoCash- a popular mobile money transfer and payment platform run by the largest mobile phone operator, Econet Wireless Zimbabwe Ltd.

“Even the big retailers are also factoring in this premium,” Gombingo told Al Jazeera, “and they don’t allow you more than one item. It’s very challenging.”

A new Zimbabwean dollar – but when?

In an effort to build support for the Zimdollar, Zimbabwe’s central bank withdraw some 400 million ($40m) of them from the banking system in June, when they became the country’s sole legal tender. But it failed to stem speculative attacks on the Zimdollar and exacerbated the current physical cash crunch.

Adding insult to injury, most Zimbabweans are wrestling with other financial hardships such as fuel shortages and power cuts that have hit residential and industrial areas, and wages that cannot keep up with spiralling inflation.

Inflation was recorded at just below 200 percent for the month of June. And that will likely be the last annualised reading for this year. The government halted publication of year-on-year numbers until next February. Only month-on-month figures will be available until then.

Meanwhile, the hunt for hard cash continues for Harare’s residents.

“There has been no [improvement] on the cash situation since the announcement of the new currency,” said Tawanda Chinungu, a worker hoping to secure some Zimdollar notes in a Harare supermarket.

“If I want cash, I have to find someone in shops who wants to purchase using cash and pay him with either my card or EcoCash,” Chinungu told Al Jazeera, adding that this has been his strategy for securing hard currency for the past three years.

“Right now, I need some cash for bus fare to go home and come back to work tomorrow,” he said. “And I also need some for my kids who use public transport to get to school.”

The central bank allows withdrawals of up to 300 Zimdollars (about $30) a week. But the maximum daily amount allowed by many banks is 60 Zimdollars ($6) each day. And even withdrawing that amount is a near-Herculean task for many, including Harare bricklayer Learnmore Mutambiranwa.

“The current situation characterised by cash shortages is not sustainable in the long run,” Mutambiranwa told Al Jazeera. “There is [a] need to have a permanent currency and ensure that the currency does not lose value.”

Cash shortages will likely persist until Zimbabwe’s new sovereign currency goes into circulation. The question is: When?

Last week, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the central bank would start minting new notes at some point in the future, but did not offer an exact timeframe.

“In the future, money will come that will have our own features of Zimbabwe so that we can hold our heads high,” said Mnangagwa.

But most Zimbabweans are sceptical that a new Zimbabwean dollar will herald a new era and alleviate their suffering.

“I can’t say with certainty that the cash problem could end if they start printing money. I don’t know what strategy government has for that,” Chinungu said. “What I know is that my salary is losing value.”

The chairperson of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, Justice Loice Matanda-Moyo has responded to questions regarding her husband Sibusiso B Moyo’s, involvement in a company implicated in NSSAgate.

SB Moyo was (and may still be) a director at Fernhaven, which is one of the companies mentioned as having benefited from the events at NSSA.

Said Matanda-Moyo using her Twitter today: I have noted the concern of the general public regarding a matter in the NSSA report that cites Fernhaven and Africom. Let me reiterate that we are seized with all matters in the specific report and like I have said before, no one is above the law.

@ZACConline findings on the matter will be published in due course and decisive action shall be taken. we shall leave no stone unturned. Happy Heroes! I anticipate that an update on this case will be posted by @ZACConline as I am not personally in charge of this particular investigation.

Opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has reminded members of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces to live by the principles of the classic liberation war song, “Nzira Dzemasoja.”

In his Defence Forces Day statement Chamisa called on the military to go back to its original tenets as guided by the liberation war song.

“We remember with a profound sense of humility the songs of liberation such as Nzira dzemasoja and Tinoda Zimbabwe neupfumi hwayo hwese, great motivational anthems that also constitute a code of conduct for our defence forces.

“The core message is: treat the people with respect.

“When our constitution behoves the defences forces to respect human rights and freedoms, it is merely restating these organic commandments with deep-seated roots.

“Therefore, as we celebrate and honour the defence forces, we call upon our men and women to uphold, defend and respect the core values that helped our forebears to prosecute the liberation struggle together with and not against the people,” said Chamisa.

The song was during the liberation war a soldier’s puritanical bible, and was adopted into the independent Zimbabwe still as the guiding principle of the army. These tenets have unfortunately been dumped by the current ZANUPF leadership, betraying the very basis and principle of the liberation struggle.

Nzira Dzemasoja if followed, would be the constitutional basis of any modern day military. It lectures the men and women holding guns to be disciplined.

It is unfortunate that those that have been rogue have done so on account of orders from greedy and corrupt politicians, who use the gun to protect their looted wealth.

A country’s military should not be turned into a militia army for corrupt politicians!

The song “Nzira dzemasoja”, was adapted from Chairman Mao’s military doctrine “Three Rules of Disciple and Eight Points of Attention.”

The doctrine was developed as a code of conduct for the Chinese Red Army. It focused on respect for people and property particularly the ordinary people and peasants who contributed to the war effort.

In adopting these principles during the Second Chimurenga, the freedom fighters equally valued the wider Zimbabwean population and knew that the war was a collective effort for the liberation of all Zimbabweans.

“Kune nzira dzemasoja dzekuzvibata nadzo//Tererai mitemo yose nenzira dzakanaka” — There are ways in which soldiers must conduct themselves//follow these rules in a proper way, the opening lyrics to the song state.

“Bhadharai zvamunotenga nenzira dzakanaka//Mudzorere zvinhu zvose zvamunenge matora” — Pay for everything that you buy in a good way//return everything that you take, part of the song states.

Full Lyrics of the song go as follows:

Kune nzira dzemasoja dzekuzvibata nadzo
Tererai mitemo yose nenzira dzakanaka x2

Chorus
Tisave tinotora zvinhu zvemass yedu
Dzorerai zvinhu zvose zvatogwa kumuvengi
Taurai zvinetsika kuruzhinji rwevanhu, kuti mass inzwisise zvakananga musangano

Bhadharai zvamunotenga nenzira dzakanaka
Mudzorere zvinhu zvese zvamunenge matora x2

Chorus

Stanza 3 
Tisaita choupombwe muhondo yechimurenga
Tisanetsa vasungwa vatinenge tabata x2

Chorus 

Stanza 4
Awa ndiwo mashoko akataurwa kare
naivo vaMugabe (VaMao) vachitidzidzisa x2

A MAN from Plumtree has been arrested after he allegedly stabbed his friend to death in a dispute over a snooker game.

Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident which occurred at Manana Bottle Store in Dingumuzi Suburb.

He said the accused Kandai Batsirai (27) had an argument with Kenos Sibanda (35) over whose turn it was to play snooker last Monday at around 5PM.

“I can confirm that we recorded a murder case which occurred in Dingumuzi Suburb in Plumtree on Monday. Kandai Batsirai and Kenosi Sibanda were playing snooker at Manana Bottle Store together with other patrons. A misunderstanding arose between Batsirai and Sibanda over whose turn it was to play next,” he said.

“Batsirai placed his token and while he was collecting the balls in order to play Sibanda took the white ball and refused to give it back which didn’t go down well with Batsirai.

The two exchanged harsh words and Sibanda punched Batsirai twice on the chest. Batsirai collected an okapi knife from his car which was parked close to the bottle store and went back to confront Sibanda.”

Chief Insp Ndebele said Sibanda picked up a brick and tried to hit Batsirai who in turn stabbed him once with the okapi knife on the chest. He said Sibanda was rushed to Plumtree District Hospital where he died upon admission.

Chief Insp Ndebele said Batsirai was arrested while Sibanda’s body was taken to the United Bulawayo Hospitals awaiting post mortem.State media

SEVEN people died while nine others were seriously injured yesterday morning when a vehicle they were travelling in veered off the road and overturned at the 10 kilometre peg along the Lutumba-Chitulipasi Road in Beitbridge.

The vehicle, which was heading for Beitbridge town, had 16 passengers on board and 18 boxes of cigarettes.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the accident.

“The accident occurred around 0300 hours today (yesterday) on the 10km peg along Lutumba-Chitulipasi Road and seven people perished.

“A Toyota vehicle which was bound for Beitbridge had 16 people aboard including the driver. On approaching the 10km peg on the said road, the driver lost control of the speeding vehicle which resulted in it veering off the road to the left, overturned three times before it landed on its right side killing seven people on the spot and injuring nine others,” he said.

Asst Comm Nyathi said the injured were rushed to the nearest hospital for medical assistance.

He added that investigations were underway to establish the cause of the accident, and the destination of the 18 boxes of cigarettes that were in the vehicle.

“Police are currently carrying out investigations on the cause of the accident which claimed these lives. We are also conducting investigations on the source of the cigarettes and to establish whether the 18 boxes were meant for local markets or were intended for smuggling outside Zimbabwe.”

He appealed to motorists to always adhere to road rules and regulations to avoid unnecessary loss of lives due to road accidents.State media

Farai Dziva|The leader of the Zion Christian Church(ZCC), Nehemiah Mutendi, yesterday described Emmerson Mnangagwa as a leader appointed by God to lead the nation.

Mnangagwa was invited to attend the church’s annual conference in Gokwe on Sunday, 11 August.

Mutendi made the remarks at the church’s annual conference called Zuva raSamuel .

“We invited [Emmerson Mnagagwa] so that we can pray together and thank God the Almighty who put him in the position he is currently holding.”

For him to continue achieving his vision of developing this country, he need spiritual deliverance.

[President Mnangagwa] should be inclusive in his approach and must never lose hope in uniting Zimbabweans for the sake of peace.

Only God has the power to put people in power
ZCC is one of the country’s largest religious organisations,” said Mutendi.

Mnangagwa said:”God saw our troubles and gave us a prophet who has called me here to listen to the word of God.

Your church works with government, we thank you for that….
… even when things went bad for, i had to jump the border but I’m back. Equally so, we might feel hungry & with his guidance we will find grace.”

By A Correspondent| The former Masvingo Province Minister Kidakwashe Bhasikiti has described Deputy War Veterans Minister Victor Matemadanda as a stomach vet.

Matemadanda yesterday threatened citizens saying the upcoming protest will not take place. Responding to this, Hon Bhasikiti said, Matemadanda is a “Stomavh Vet”.

Below was the full text of his tweet: ” Matemadanda is the Greatest Betrayal of Zimbabwe’s revolutionary struggle. He tested brutality under RGM &began to join other revolutionary forces to fight. Now that he got a non deserving factional deputy min post he threatens that revolutionary move. Stomach vet”