Farai Dziva| Political analyst Jeffryson Chitando has said Emmerson Mnangagwa must immediately appoint a replacement for Constantino Chiwenga in line with the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

See Chitando’s argument below :
Section 97 of the Constitution states that:

The Senate and the National Assembly,by a joint resolution passed by at least one -half of their total membership,may resolve that the question whether or not the President or a Vice President should be removed from office for

a) serious misconduct

b) failure to obey ,uphold or defend this constitution;

c) wilful violation of this constitution or

d)inability to perform the functions of the office because of physical or mental incapacity…

We must not wish one to be sick but when ill one must be given time to rest.In asmuch as we want all our leaders to perform their duties if sickness falls on them we must not push them .

Even if our leaders are sick the citizens will still expect them to be on duty especially if the economy is not performing well.

A leader cannot be out of office for more than 6 months on sick leave. According to the constitution, another able bodied person can be appointed. Our constitution is very clear on that and the President and parliament must defend it.

By A Correspondent- FOUR suspects who allegedly connived to steal an assortment of military guns and training equipment worth over US$60 000 have been arrested and locked up in remand prison.

The stolen weaponry belongs to the Zimbabwe National Army Border Camp Training Principal area in Nyanga.

The four suspects were identified as Beloved Tatenda Kweya (21), Tinashe Joshua Mashingaidze (29), Wellington Million (34) and Happymore Kobwe (32).

The quartet waslast Thursday hauled before Nyanga magistrate Ms Constance Marutya facing theft charges as defined in Section 113 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.

They all pleaded not guilty and were remanded in custody to today.

Mr Cuthbert Bhosha prosecuted.

Mr Bhosha told the court that on July 25, and at Boarder Camp Training area in Nyanga, the four connived to steal military training equipment from the Zimbabwe National Army.

They fully knew that the equipment belonged to the ZNA.

“They stole two military guns, three military tank haul sides, one military tank track and a military break benz. Kweya and Mashingaidze were caught in the act and were arrested immediately as they had also been found in possession of the stolen items. However, Million and Kobwe fled leaving their national identity particulars at the scene,” said Mr Bhosha.

The value of the stolen property is US$60 000 and all was recovered.-ManicaPost

By A Correspondent- Rural teachers have resolved to start picketing at Finance minister Mthuli Ncube’s offices on pay days starting this month, to push for salaries pegged at interbank market rates.

Dubbed Pay Day Funerals, the protests will be led by the Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz).

Artuz president Obert Masaraure told NewsDay that when picketing, teachers will wear black costumes as a sign that they are mourning the erosion of the value of their salaries.

“Teachers will be convening at the offices of the Finance ministry every pay day to mourn the deaths of our salaries. They will be wearing black clothes to send a clear message to Minister Mthuli Ncube that teachers are not happy and demand immediate restoration of the value of our salaries,” he said.

The next pay day for teachers is on August 16.

At the time of the introduction of bond notes that is now the official currency, teachers were earning an average US$500. That means at the current interbank rate, that would amount to an average of $4 500.

“The last time we protested at the ministry offices, we were arrested twice and released without charge. However, we are not scared of such harassment. We are only scared of the hunger, unaffordable healthcare and hopelessness engulfing our families because of the austerity-induced suffering,” Masaraure added.

The Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe has also indicated that it will urge its members to stay away from work at the beginning of the third term if their salaries are not significantly reviewed upwards.

The main labour body, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions is, meanwhile, piling more pressure on President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government to address the plight of workers or face crippling countrywide protests.-Newsday

By A Correspondent- Government is yet to disburse funds to political parties under the Political Parties (Finances) Act chapter 2:11 as it is seized with addressing bread and better issues, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Mr Nick Mangwana has said.

This comes after the MDC Alliance lamented its empty coffers stating that it is too broke to fund its programmes without accessing finances under the Political Parties Finance Act. This, the opposition party alleges, has led to it struggling to challenge the ruling Zanu-PF party during the elections.

Zanu-PF romped to victory in Saturday’s by-elections in Lupane East constituency as well as two wards in Bubi and Nkayi districts. In a statement today, Mr Mangwana said Treasury is presently seized with the importation of basic goods and prioritising the cushioning of the general public from the current economic challenges

“When the funds to finance political parties are available, they will concurrently be disbursed to all eligible political parties. This is expected to happen within the next few weeks,”.

According to the Political Parties (Finance) Act, the State is obliged to provide funding to any party that gets at least 5 percent of the vote in a general election.-StateMedia

By A Correspondent- Michael Robinson (49) was found guilty of three counts of theft when he appeared before magistrate Masimba Chikodzere. A serial thief, who was caught on camera while breaking into a car, which was parked at Avondale Shopping Centre, has been sentenced to four years in prison.

Robinson was arrested earlier on this year after a CCTV recorded video, of him breaking and stealing from a car at Avondale Shopping Centre went viral on social media.

Evidence put forward by the investigating officer, Artwell Chidziva, showed that the state had a strong case against Robinson who is a serial offender.

It is alleged that if the Robinson is let loose he will commit further offences or flee. Shephard Makonde prosecuted the case.

By A Correspondent- Haulage truck drivers from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo recently threatened to disrupt business at Forbes Border Post in protests against inefficiencies by ZIMRA which has seen some of them spending up to four days at the point of entry.

The truckers raised concerns that Zimra did not have enough electronic seals for all the trucks that cross the border on a daily basis and hence they were now being made to pay US$10 per day they spent parked at TOWAZ waiting for sealing.

Victor Kabwe, a driver from DRC said empty trucks and loaded trucks had to follow the same queue for them to be cleared, a move which was causing delays since it took longer to clear loaded goods.

“When we are loaded coming to Zimbabwe, we go to Towaz, where they seal the trucks. There are too many trucks because the seals are few and we spend more than three days there waiting for seals,” he said.

Another trucker, Jeffery Mukarakate, said the delays were causing artificial shortages of fuel in Zambia.

“We need to come up with solutions. If they are having trouble with the seals they should just put a waiver on it because the fuel we are carrying is for the Ministry of Energy in Zambia, so we are now causing artificial shortages in Zambia by our delays here. There are about 300 trucks and each truck carries an average of 40 000 litres. So we are talking of about 700 000 litres that is being delayed. Zambia needs the fuel to move their mines but now it’s taking long,” he said

Provincial administrator Mr Edgars Seenza said he held a meeting with the drivers and customs officials and most of the issues raised had since been addressed.

“The truckers raised genuine concerns which we felt needed to be addressed urgently. We had a meeting with customs officials and the drivers. We had to make sure that we assist these drivers from our sister countries and facilitate for their smooth passage through Zimbabwe,” he said.

Mr Seenza said Zimra brought in 200 seals on Sunday and another 500 seals had been delivered by yesterday and the majority of trucks had since left the country.

He said Zimra and the security company manning the gates had also agreed to have two separate queues for loaded and empty trucks to ensure that everyone is served on time.-ManicaPost

By A Correspondent| Varaidzo Chiyanike, the widow of Kelvin Tinashe Choto who was shot dead by the police during the January protests has filed a ZWL$550 000 lawsuit against the police.

Through her lawyer, Fiona Iliff of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), Chiyanike has filed summons at the High Court demanding payment of $550 000 from ZRP Boss, Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga and Home Affairs Minister Cain Mathema as compensation for the unlawful killing of the budding footballer.

Choto who was shot dead in January by a named ZRP officer during anti-government protests was on the roster for Chitungwiza Football Club.

Matanga and Mathema are yet to respond

By A Correspondent- THE department of veterinary services on Wednesday shot and burnt  carcases of 14 cattle that had been illegally moved from a foot and mouth (FMD) red zone in a bid to quell the spread of the disease.

The cattle were illegally moved from Gutu to a clean area of Penhalonga in Mutasa, putting livestock in the district at risk.

Veterinarians destroyed the cattle at Plot 3, Pagomo Farm, Toronto, with the backing of the police.

The cattle owner David Matanga was served with a destruction order for violating Statutory Instrument 280  of 1984  Animal Health  (Movement  of Cattle  and Pigs) Regulations of 1984.

The cattle were eliminated on the strength of a cattle destruction and disposal order issued on July 21.

“David Matanga of Plot 3 Pagomo Farm, Toronto, Mutasa District obtained a movement permit number to move 15 herd of cattle from Tapudzai and Makuvise dip tanks, Gutu to Molus abattoir in Chipinge District for direct slaughter.

“Contrary to the provisions  of the permit, on July 23, 2019 the beasts were moved  from Tapudzai and Makuvise dip tanks to Plot 3, Pagomo Farm, Toronto, Mutasa District in violation  of  SI 280  of 1984  Animal Health  (Movement  of cattle  and Pigs) Regulations of 1984.”

Acting Mutasa district veterinary officer Dr Rachel Zengeni confirmed the destruction of the cattle.

“During our routine inspections we noticed that there was an illegal movement of cattle from Gutu, which is under foot and mouth disease quarantine. If an area is under quarantine, livestock is not supposed to be moved from that area to a clean area where there is no FMD.

“In addition, the cattle were supposed to be moved to Chipinge which is another dirty area with FMD. The cattle were destined for Chipinge for direct slaughter, but they ended up in Mutasa for breeding purposes,” said Dr Zengeni.

An official at the farm Bernard Bepe said they ignorantly moved the cattle from Gutu to Mutasa district which is an FMD free zone.

“It is a good thing to follow what the law says, but Matanga moved these cattle unknowingly. However, it is unfortunate that these beasts are being destroyed,” said Bepe.

The provincial veterinary officer Dr Charles Guri made known FMD red zones in Manicaland.

“Vaccination zones in Manicaland start from Middle Sabi on the north to Mahenye on the south, Save in the west and the Mozambican boarder in the east. Any zone outside such area is clear,” said Dr Guri.

He said they would not stop enforcing the law to accommodate infected cattle in the province because the vaccination process was expensive.

“Vaccination is very expensive. One injection for FMD costs US$3, and one cattle needs about four injections. The injection is not available in Zimbabwe,” he said.

Dr Guri urged farmers to report any suspicious livestock movement to their offices.-ManicaPost

By Wilbert Mukori: “One thing for certain, which the opposition should know, is that there is not going to be any transfer of power outside the elections.

Their decision to participate in the elections that brought Mnangagwa to power — whether or not they were free and fair — was a taciturn admission that they believed in the country’s electoral system,” reported Newsday.

“To now call for a transfer of power after participating in those polls, is problematic.”

Actually, it is worse than that; MDC leaders KNEW that with no reforms in place, Zanu PF will rig the elections and yet they still participated out of greed, as David Coltart admitted in his book.

In his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of tyranny in Zimbabwe, former MDC – Ncube Senator and Minister of Education in the GNU, David Coltart, gave details of how Zanu PF flouted the electoral rules, it clear the upcoming 2013 elections would not be free and fair. Meanwhile talks of uniting the two MDC factions to fight the elections as one were going nowhere.

“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious – withdraw from the (2013) elections,” explained Senator Coltart.

“The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account.

But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility.”

Coltart’s explanation as to why MDC participating in the 2013 elections knowing Zanu PF would rig the elections begs the question why MDC had failed to implement the reforms in the five years of the GNU, in the first place.

As for failing to form a coalition, this was just a feeble excuse because four of the main MDC factions did come together to form the MDC Alliance just before the 2018 elections and still they participated in those flawed and illegal elections.

When MDC leaders acknowledge that participating in the flawed and illegal elections would give the “process credibility” that is where they should have got off the bus as a matter of principle!

Whilst all the other individuals, nations, organizations with any democratic sense dismissed last year’s elections as a farce because whole electoral process full of flaws and illegalities.

“The electoral commission lacked full independence and appeared to not always act in an impartial manner,” stated the EU Election Mission final report.

“The final results as announced by the Electoral Commission contained numerous errors and lacked adequate traceability, transparency and verifiability.

Finally, the restrictions on political freedoms, the excessive use of force by security forces and abuses of human rights in the post-election period undermined the corresponding positive aspects during the pre-election campaign. As such, many aspects of the 2018 elections in Zimbabwe failed to meet international standards.”

Having participated in the elections knowing that ZEC had failed to produce even something as basic as a verified voters’ roll, Chamisa and company had to keep up the charade that the election was nothing wrong with the process.

They could not endorse the election as having been free, fair and credible either and so they settled for cherry picking. Chamisa rejected ZEC’s vote count giving Mnangagwa victory in the presidential race although MDC itself, just like ZEC, failed to produce the “verifiable and traceable” documentary evidence to support Chamisa’s vote count.

Under this Zanu PF de facto one-party dictatorship, Zimbabwe has earned a reputation as pariah state ruled by corrupt, incompetent, vote rigging and murderous thugs. It is impossible to do business in such a state, that is obvious.

The thriving economy Zanu PF inherited from Smith in 1980 has slowly but surely grind to a halt, after 39 years of gross mismanagement and rampant corruption. The country has been starved of new investment as investors have shied away.

By blatantly rigging last year’s election, Mnangagwa confirmed that Zimbabwe was still a pariah state and the dictatorship ruled the roost or be it under a new dictator.

Mark my words; as long as Zimbabwe remains a pariah state, adding Chamisa and two or three other MDC leaders to the Zanu PF cabinet will not change the pariah state status, there will be no meaningful economic recovery.

The only way out of this mess is for the nation to accept that last year’s elections were a farce and Zanu PF is illegitimate, hence the pariah state, and must step down.

The country need a new GNU but one in which there are new players who will be tasked to implement the democratic reforms leading to the holding of free, fair and credible elections and ending of the curse of rigged elections and pariah state.

Zanu PF and MDC leaders cannot be appointed into the new GNU because they failed to get even one reform implemented in the five years of the 2008 GNU. It is naïve to expect them to do any better.

“Perhaps what is ironic in this whole thing is that these ill-advised plans (MDC is planning to stage street protest to force Mnangagwa to form a Zanu PF and MDC GNU) are coming after the party claims it had been fasting,” continued the Newsday report.

“One wonders if, in their prayer and fasting, God instructed them to take power by force? Sikhala’s sentiments would have been laughable if there were not a reflection of the kindergarten politics that the party has become synonymous with.”

The Holy Scriptures are full of examples of God approving the use of force to bring about necessary change.

There is no doubt in my mind that the demos MDC are calling for, peaceful or not, are to further Chamisa et al’s selfish agenda to secure gravy train seats so the can “sit, eat and do nothing”. God is certainly not in this!

So the people of Zimbabwe must have nothing to do with these demos in which they will be used to undermine the demand for a competent GNU.

“Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves,” warned Jesus. Matthew 10:16.

As 20 years of following MDC blindly like sheep to the slaughter-house, it is high time people opened their eyes and saw MDC leaders for the corrupt, incompetent and sell-outs they are.

Yes, the nation is desperate for change but the more reason we must be alert and vigilant and not allow ourselves to be taken for a ride yet again as happened all these last 40 years, first by Zanu PF and now MDC!

The Housing Corporation Zimbabwe (HCZ) has dismissed the recently released NSSA report saying that it contains several falsehoods.

According to the audit report, just one week after being registered as a company, HCZ was awarded a $304 million contract by NSSA for an off-take agreement to build 8,000 houses in Caledonia, Zimbabwe.

By the time of the report in 2018, the company had not built a single house. We present the HCZ’s full statement in which it blames NSSA for the failure to construct the purported houses.

The Housing Corporation Zimbabwe (HCZ) has noted the release of the final Report on the Forensic Investigation into the Affairs of the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) conducted by BDO Zimbabwe Chartered Accountants (BDO). The report contains several falsehoods as regards to HCZ.

These untruths are attributable to the incompetent manner in which BDO conducted its forensic investigation and in arriving at its conclusions. The absence of an in-depth probe includes ignoring critical information that would have assisted the investigation with accurate facts.

Therefore, in the interest of transparency, the management of HCZ is considering, inter alia, taking the following actions;

• Instituting legal proceedings to seek relief against areas of the report that are not truthful and are harmful to the reputation of HCZ and its management.
• Providing the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) with a dossier detailing the process leading up to the signing of the housing off-take agreement between NSSA and HCZ.
• Submitting grievance statements to the relevant regulatory and oversight bodies within the Chartered Accounting and Audit profession on the conduct of BDO during the investigation.

In rejecting the untested claims of impropriety in securing the NSSA off-take agreement, HCZ would like to clarify the following;

• All the appropriate governance protocols were followed ahead of signing the off-take agreement as approved by the investment committee and the full board of NSSA.
• At best BDO, failed to comprehend, the NSSA procurement policy provisions that clearly differentiate between off-take agreements, which are investment decisions taken differently from the procurement of services in the ordinary course of organisational operations.
• Contrary to the assertion that no investment appraisal was performed, an extensive investment memorandum was submitted as part of the proposal to NSSA which informed the negotiations and subsequent due diligence processes that were undertaken.
• NSSA did not suffer any price prejudice as claimed in the report. In this regard, NSSA have in their possession an independent expert assessment from ABACUS Construction Cost Consultants (Pty) Ltd, which affirmed the appropriateness of the price charged per unit. BDO failed to appreciate the variance in specifications and project scope that totalled the costs per unit when comparing against other housing projects.
• Due to the restrictive indigenous laws that were applicable at the time, as evidenced by the NSSA Board resolutions, Housing African Corporation (HAC) as a Mauritian entity was required to incorporate a local entity, in this regard, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) through which the project would be managed and delivered.
• Thus, HCZ was set up as an SPV with licensed franchise rights obtained from HAC, as an owner of the intellectual property of systems and methodology for the construction of

large-scale housing projects and having extensive experience in delivering  housing developments across the globe.

• The Caledonia Housing Project was compromised – not because of any action or inaction by HCZ, not because alleged procurement processes were not followed – but because of NSSA’s own failure and inability to manage the project. It was NSSA’s repeated material breaches of the off-take agreement which entitled HCZ, to legally terminate the agreement and claim damages. In arbitration, these repudiatory breaches by NSSA justified an award to HCZ as an entitlement to damages suffered.
• 57 Units had been completed prior to the contract termination, while 53 were at varying levels of completion.

The management of HCZ supports the government’s efforts in fighting corruption. However, anti-corruption measures must not be used as a tool to malign individuals and their business operations. The HCZ is a customer focused company that is driven by its passion and the commitment to integrity and responsibility in the service of communities.

Ends

Released on behalf of the Housing Corporation Zimbabwe

For more information contact: Lenox Mhlanga

By Own Correspondent- A Chipinge man was hauled to court for scalding his wife with hot water during a fight after he brought home a second wife.

Chrispen Gondo (26) of Maumba village allegedly scalded his wife, Theopheras Tidziwani, with hot water after a scuffle broke out when he brought home another woman, Shalom Mugidho.

In mitigation, Gondo said that the incident was a mistake, citing that he was blocking the complainant from scalding Mugidho when the accident occurred.

Chipinge magistrate Joshua Nembaware presided over the case. Gondo was then warned, cautioned and discharged after Tidziwani tendered an affidavit withdrawing the case, saying she had pardoned him.-Newsday

The European Union has availed an extra US$11.15 million to Zimbabwe which is meant to minimise the effects of the projected severe starvation.

This comes at a time when Zimbabwean authorities and United Nations agencies have projected that citizens will face severe starvation due to a number of factors including the El-Nino induced drought, Tropical Cyclone Idai and the economic meltdown.

President Mnangagwa recently announced that the country needs to import 800 000 tonnes of maize to help ease the famine. This came when the UN is saying the Zimbabwean food crisis has degenerated into an emergency.

The European Union’s Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, said:

The European Union is stepping up its support to the people of Zimbabwe. Our assistance will support those most in need during the most critical period until their next harvest. We stand in solidarity with them at this time of need, by providing support for essential food needs and helping people get back on their own two feet.

Zimbabwe has since the turn of the millennium, struggled to produce enough grain to feed the whole nation. This is a country that used to feed fellow African economies and others yonder the continent.

Currently, bread is a rare commodity as bakers have reduced volumes of bread produced daily due to the shortage of wheat.

-EEAS Europa EU

The United States Government announced US$45 million in funding to respond to the critical food security situation in the upcoming lean season between October 2019 and March 2020 in Zimbabwe. The contribution, provided through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will ensure that 360,880 rural Zimbabweans have adequate food supplies before the next harvest.

United States Ambassador Brian A. Nichols announced the contribution in response to the United Nations’ (UN) Flash Appeal for humanitarian assistance during a press briefing on August 6.

“The United States remains the largest bilateral donor to emergency humanitarian assistance in Zimbabwe and we are proud to be part of a coordinated response to the humanitarian situation. We work closely with the UN and other donors to ensure that as many communities as possible are covered during this challenging time,” said Ambassador Brian A. Nichols.

The United States has allocated US$45 million to the World Food Programme (WFP) to provide food rations and cash transfers to purchase food for 360,880 Zimbabweans. These food and cash distributions will help improve the nutrition of vulnerable Zimbabweans and alleviate suffering for those affected by food insecurity.

In addition to this emergency response, USAID’s programs are improving long-term food security for Zimbabwe by building resilience to future shocks. USAID is providing US$164 million over seven years to address the underlying causes of chronic food insecurity and malnutrition and to strengthen agriculture and livelihoods for over a million vulnerable Zimbabweans.

In July, 2019, the United States announced an additional US$4.8 million in assistance to help victims of Cyclone Idai bringing the total contribution to US$8 million. Today’s additional $45 million demonstrates the United States’ continued commitment to assisting the people of Zimbabwe during difficult times.

Poor weather conditions in Zimbabwe, including erratic rainfall and long dry spells, have contributed to increased humanitarian needs across the country. An estimated 5.5 million rural Zimbabweans are facing food insecurity – 59 percent of the rural population.Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe.Media files

By Own Correspondent| Vice President of the splinter MDC T faction led by Thokozani Khupe, Obert Gutu has predicted that the MDC’s planned demonstration slated for August 16 is unconstitutional and will be violent.

He said the organisers of the demonstration are “selfish, crude and power hungry idiots with a destructive agenda” for Zimbabwe.

Gutu said:

“They are planning to kick off their violent and unconstitutional uprising on August 16 2019.

They think that Zimbabweans are stupid. They are not.

The people of Zimbabwe will NEVER be used to satisfy the selfish, crude and destructive agenda of certain power hungry idiots.”

By A Correspondent- Robson Chatikobo (36) and Brezhnev Maposa (38) appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Franklin Mkhwananzi facing robbery charges.

The duo were remanded in custody to August 9 for raiding a mine in Shurugwi belonging to a Chinese national at gunpoint.

They allegedly went away with 889 grammes of gold worth US$33 500, US$6 000 cash, eight cellphones and clothes.

The two accused persons, who are alleged to be linked to several pending cases of armed robbery, connived with five other suspects who are still at large to rob Sino non-ferous Metal Resources in Shurugwi in the Midlands province.

Prosecuting, Mr Nkathazo Dlodlo said on July 10, the accused persons ganged up with Thabani Mpofu and three other suspects only identified as Shacks, Shailock and Julius, who are still at large and they allegedly raided Sino non-ferous Metal Resources.

“On arrival, the accused persons, who were armed with a pistol, confronted the owner Mr Xhang Xhinda and robbed him of 889 grammes of gold, eight Huawei cellphones, US$6 000, RTGS$3 200 and clothes at gunpoint,” said Mr Dlodlo.

A report was made to the police officers leading to the arrest of Chatikobo and Maposa. They were arrested at Highlanders Clubhouse in Bulawayo while they were looking for a gold buyer.

The court heard that detectives recovered 889 grammes of gold worth US$33 500 and two cellphones. 

“The two failed to produce mining documentation for the gold they were carrying.

Mr Dlodlo further told the court that on April 13, Maposa, Witness Hlongwane and three other unidentified suspects broke into a house in Tshabalala. 

He said the five-man gang, which was armed with machetes, knives and pistols, demanded money from the family.-StateMedia

The opposition MDC pleaded with the police to sanction their demonstration set for the 16th of August to be held in the streets of Harare.

Police shockingly did not have a hard time clearing the demonstration.

Below is the letter which was submitted by the party.

ZANU-PF Secretary for Administration Obert Mpofu has called on all Politburo members to attend the party’s Politburo in Harare tomorrow. 

The meeting will be held at the party’s headquarters and all members are expected to attend.

The party’s Secretary for Information and Publicity, Simon Khaya Moyo, confirmed the meeting.

“The Secretary for Administration Cde Dr O.M Mpofu wishes to advise all members that there shall be a Politburo meeting to be held on Wednesday the 7th of August 2019 at the party headquarters commencing at 12PM,” he said.

The meeting comes at a time when the country’s economic situation is causing severe despondency amongst citizens as prices shoot up everyday.

At the same time the opposition MDC has called for a mass demonstration in Harare on the 16th of August against the deteriorating economic environment.

Police have meanwhile unusually sanctioned the demonstration.

Police in Harare have sanctioned the much awaited yet dreaded opposition MDC demonstration to be held in Harare on the 16th of August, this according to highly placed party sources.

The planned mass demonstration is to push government to act on the deteriorating state of the economy.

“Yes on the 16^th of this month we shall take to the streets as the Movement for Democratic Change and for us as the youths we are deeply concerned with five grievances chief among them shortage of jobs, high costs of tertiary education, shortages of money and the general impoverishment of citizens that’s why we are demonstrating,” said the source.

There are mounting fears the demonstration could turn bloody following threats by Zanu PF that they will unleash soldiers should the opposition seek to over throw the government through protests.

Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri and her deputy Victor Matemadanda are on record saying the army will be readily deployed to quell any political unrest.

The country is on the edge due to the skyrocketing cost of living and the MDC protest could trigger another wave of anti-establishment reminiscent of the November 2017 when former President Robert Mugabe was dethroned.

Energy Minister, Advocate Fortune Chasi has reportedly agreed on a power deal with South Africa power utility ESKOM.

The deal, as reported by NewZ Wire, will see Zimbabwe receiving 400MW of power.
In return, Zimbabwe will pay Eskom US$890,000 per week to settle its long-standing debt with ESKOM.

The publication further reports that Zimbabwe also intends to engage Hydro Cahorra Bassa of Mozambique with a similar arrangement.

Te deal comes at a time when the country has a huge power deficit that has resulted in the local power utility, ZESA, rolling out a crippling power cut schedule that has seen most parts of the country going without power between 0400 hours and 2200 hours.

It also coincides with ZPC’s announcement which revealed that due to an unprecedented shrinking of water levels at Kariba Dam, the source of water for Kariba South Hydropower plant, the power plant will be
completely shut in September.
In anticipation of the agreed deal, the government on Monday announced that it will start to gradually phase out load-shedding .
More: NewZWire

By A Correspondent- Haulage truck drivers from Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo recently threatened to disrupt business at Forbes Border Post following ZIMRA inefficiencies which has seen them spending up to four days at the border.

The truckers raised concerns that Zimra did not have enough electronic seals for all the trucks that cross the border on a daily basis and hence they were now being made to pay US$10 per day they spent parked at TOWAZ waiting for sealing.

Victor Kabwe, a driver from DRC said empty trucks and loaded trucks had to follow the same queue for them to be cleared, a move which was causing delays since it took longer to clear loaded goods.

“When we are loaded coming to Zimbabwe, we go to Towaz, where they seal the trucks. There are too many trucks because the seals are few and we spend more than three days there waiting for seals,” he said.

Another trucker, Jeffery Mukarakate, said the delays were causing artificial shortages of fuel in Zambia.

“We need to come up with solutions. If they are having trouble with the seals they should just put a waiver on it because the fuel we are carrying is for the Ministry of Energy in Zambia, so we are now causing artificial shortages in Zambia by our delays here. There are about 300 trucks and each truck carries an average of 40 000 litres. So we are talking of about 700 000 litres that is being delayed. Zambia needs the fuel to move their mines but now it’s taking long,” he said

Provincial administrator Mr Edgars Seenza said he held a meeting with the drivers and customs officials and most of the issues raised had since been addressed.

“The truckers raised genuine concerns which we felt needed to be addressed urgently. We had a meeting with customs officials and the drivers. We had to make sure that we assist these drivers from our sister countries and facilitate for their smooth passage through Zimbabwe,” he said.

Mr Seenza said Zimra brought in 200 seals on Sunday and another 500 seals had been delivered by yesterday and the majority of trucks had since left the country.

He said Zimra and the security company manning the gates had also agreed to have two separate queues for loaded and empty trucks to ensure that everyone is served on time.-ManicaPost

Farai Dziva| Political analyst Jeffryson Chitando has said Emmerson Mnangagwa must immediately appoint a replacement for Constantino Chiwenga in line with the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

See Chitando’s argument below :
Section 97 of the Constitution states that:

The Senate and the National Assembly,by a joint resolution passed by at least one -half of their total membership,may resolve that the question whether or not the President or a Vice President should be removed from office for

a) serious misconduct

b) failure to obey ,uphold or defend this constitution;

c) wilful violation of this constitution or

d)inability to perform the functions of the office because of physical or mental incapacity…

We must not wish one to be sick but when ill one must be given time to rest.In asmuch as we want all our leaders to perform their duties if sickness falls on them we must not push them .

Even if our leaders are sick the citizens will still expect them to be on duty especially if the economy is not performing well.

A leader cannot be out of office for more than 6 months on sick leave. According to the constitution, another able bodied person can be appointed. Our constitution is very clear on that and the President and parliament must defend it.

By A Correspondent- Another Zimbabwe Tourism Authority Board Member, Precious Nyika, has resigned.

Nyika’s resignation comes following the recent resignation of board chair Osbourne Majuru.

Majuru resigned citing interference by the parastatal’s acting CEO Rita Likukuma whom he accused of taking instructions from the minister and not the Board as stipulated by the law..

In his resignation letter addressed to suspended Tourism minister Priscah Mupfumira dated July 12, Majuru said the ministry was failing to recognise the function of the board.

“Honourable Minister my view is that the authority of the ZTA Board has been undermined and significantly eroded to the point of rendering the Board ineffective. The Acting CEO no longer takes instructions from the Board but from your office.

“The main reason for my resignation is that I genuinely feel that the authority of the Board has been materially undermined especially following the appointment of the Acting Chief Executive Mrs Rita Likukuma. Section 17.4 of the Zimbabwe Tourism Act clearly states that the Authority’s Chief Executive is subject to the direction and supervision of the Board,”

“This arrangement worked perfectly when Dr Karikoga Kaseke was in office but unfortunately things changed when he became medically bed ridden,”  

“Honourable Minister my view is that the authority of the ZTA Board has been undermined and significantly eroded to the point of rendering the Board ineffective. The Acting CE0 no longer takes instructions from the Board but from your office.

“The ongoing Skills Audit project is a case in point. Your Board mandated management in its very first interaction at Meikles Hotel (following our appointment) to commission a Skills Audit. We reiterated this position at the inaugural Strategy Retreat and subsequent Board meetings. 

“I was surprised when the Acting CEO gave my Board Members less than 48 hours to give their comments on the Skills Audit report from the Consultants via round robin because she needed to report to the Minister (a Board function).

“The Board had waited for this Skills Audit report for months, and we suddenly had to deliberate and give a verdict on a very critical project involving the retrenchment of a sizeable number of employees some of whom have saved the Authority admirably over their working life.

“As a Board we are responsible for the welfare of ZTA employees and we wanted to ensure that the rationalization plan was done with empathy and kindness. Last night she requested that I rubber stamp a press release on the staff rationalization and yet she has not given me a single update since our last Board meeting with regards to progress on the road map the Board gave management to follow in rolling out the Skills Audit implementation.”

“There were parallel instructions from the Board and your office on the Medical Boarding of Dr. Karikoga Kaseke yet it is very clear in terms of Section 17.1 that the appointing authority for the Chief Executive position (subject to the Minister’s approval) is the Board, not the Minister or Cabinet.”

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

Farai Dziva|MDC deputy youth assembly chairperson Cecilia Chimbiri has said harassment of opposition members must stop with immediate effect.

Chimbiri was commenting on the alleged attempt by state security agents to abduct MDC Youth Assembly chairperson Obey Sithole.

“Intimidating people, putting them on your hitlist and plotting to kill them will not stop us from pursuing the route of democracy.

Those who have failed to run the affairs of the state should move aside.
This victimisation must stop,” said Chimbiri.

Finance Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube has revealed that the return of ZUPCO buses has seen the Treasury releasing $13 million in subsidies every month.

The ZUPCO programme was introduced to cushion members of the public particularly workers who were no longer affording ever-increasing fares by public transport operators.

Speaking at a post-mid-term budget review meeting hosted by Alpha Media Holdings in conjunction with Zimbabwe Economics Society in Harare on Monday, Ncube said:

“Again, we have the Zupco programme in terms of mass urban transport system, a subsidy that is costing us $13 million per month.

We are committed to subsidise the transport so that the vulnerable can get transport. Of course, we are now figuring out how to accelerate the expansion into rural expansion. When government does this kind of reform, it’s good that you provide social protection.”

Some government critics have always questioned the sustainability of the programme given that fuel prices have been on the rise at least twice a month lately.

ZUPCO charges $0.50 per trip that is now charged about $3.00 by other public transport operators.

They have slammed president Mnangagwa’s populist policies saying that they have brought Zimbabwe to its knees. They noted that former President Robert Mugabe rejected advice from the then president of China, Deng who warned him against pursuing populist policies.

Recently, Mnangagwa concurred with them when he was talking about austerity
measures which he said were unpopular but necessary . News Day

Farai Dziva |A Buhera man bit an apostolic sect leader on the nose following a prophecy indicating his was involved in an adulterous affair.

Chance Materera (39) of Materere Village under Chief Nyashanu could not contain his emotions and attacked the prophet.

Materera appeared at Murambinda Magistrates Court facing assault charges.

“On July 12, 2019 at 5am at Materere Village the accused and the complainant had an argument while they were at a church service.

The accused bitterly complained against the complainant’s prophecy in which he said the former’s wife was adulterous,” the court heard.

Magistrate Dennis Mangosi sentenced Materera to 3 months in jail with an option of a fine.

Farai Dziva|Controversial MDC T vice president, Obert Chaurura Gutu has described MDC leaders as power hungry idiots.

Gutu was commenting on a statement released by the MDC on a demonstration set for August 16.

Gutu wrote: “They’re planning to kick off their violent and unconstitutional uprising on August 16, 2019.

They think that Zimbabweans are stupid. They’re not.

People of Zimbabwe will NEVER be used to satisfy the selfish, crude and destructive agenda of certain power-hungry idiots!”

By Tererayi Rushwaya| We can express our dismay at Zanu’s corruption for days on end, and we can complain about the rises in commodity prices and shortage thereof; we can snigger at Zanu stooges like that Lumumba chap when they find themselves being reprimanded by the Zanu system; we can pour scorn at Patrick Chinamasa for being that bald headed moron who took pride in grand opening a bin; we can ridicule the general’s vanity to use skin lightening cream or the scarf wearer, but all this is idle chatter since the country is continually rotting.

For people who want to see real political and economic progressive change in Zimbabwe there seems to be two ways of turning that into reality: a public revolt or a progressive coup d’état.

Public Revolt?

A civil uprising is labour intensive and is not for the faint hearted as it requires the public to go against the whole entire Zanu system which has a trigger happy army that will not hesitate to let off at the public. It strikes right at the heart of the average Zimbabwean’s weaknesses. A civil uprising requires unity and effective coordination amongst the public. But unity and coordination are two things which are notoriously and historically lacking within the Zimbabwean masses.

For the civil uprising to succeed they would have to be country wide, every major town and city would need to be flooded with protesters demanding this government to bugger off; Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Kwekwe, Masvingo, Mutare, Chitungwiza, Marondera, Norton.

The more I list these towns the more I realise just how impossible a civil uprising in Zimbabwe is. Then there is the issue of fear which to be fair is the number one impediment. People are scared, we all are scared of this Zanu juggernaut, we have seen it in action, it is brutal.

Moreover, it is not easy to provide an argument for the benefits of a civil uprising to a highly literate person who probably has one or two degrees under their belt to put everything aside and protest and risk their own life for the good of everyone. Mass educated people tend to be individualistic in their approach to problem solving.

Progressive coup d’état

This therefore leaves us with the option of a progressive coup de tat. The premise of this would be that a younger group (possibly born frees) within the military who have progressive political views and who are fed up with the corruption and cruelty of the old generation would rise up and remove the old dossiers at the top and then do a deal with the MDC (preferably do the deal before the progressive coup).

Some argue that this could result in an all out war, while others believe that so long as the half a dozen old men who control the military and Zanu are arrested, the rest of the turncoats will fall in line.

After all there were Zanu top officials who were publicly heaping opprobrium on the scarf wearer when he was being dressed down by the then first lady only to heap praises on him after the coup.

What about the war veterans?

Well, the war vets too have several turncoats in their membership. Nonetheless, the young coup leaders and the MDC would need to put out a statement to the war vets that they need not worry about their welfare since the new administration will continue recognising their heroic efforts during the liberation war.

What happens after this progressive coup d’état?

I believe a new constitution would need to be drafted which brings serious change to the way Zimbabwe is governed. I believe that for a generation or so, Zimbabwe should not be governed by a single party but by a coalition government. No single political party should be entrusted with a big task of turning around an economy in rigor mortis such as ours. Moreover, Zimbabwe ought to have a prime minister who is leader of government. The position of president should be removed.

What about the military’s role after this coup?

The army would be converted into a civilian army and a recruitment drive for maybe 20 000 young people would need to be carried out. The old army personnel will be given retrenchment packages or take civilian roles such as in infrastructure building and maintenance or other public services. In my upcoming book I will go into a lot more detail about this notion of a progressive coup.

Decorated constitutional lawyer Fadzayi Mahere is struggling to clear her name following widespread criticism over her role in the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) corruption scandals after it emerged she represented Metbank against the social security authority.

Social media has been awash with messages in which people claim opposition lawyers are double dipping by criticizing corruption yet at the same time they represent the same criminals fingered in corrupt shenanigans.

“The joke mukoma is that the Metbank lawyer @advocatemahere also happens to be the MDC Secretary for Sports & she also represented the current but embattled Zimbabwe Cricket chairman who is a ZANUPF MP. @nelsonchamisa you guys are not serious. Senator @DavidColtart deal with this,” wrote one Twitter user.

“This is a profession, Fadzie. You don’t owe anyone any explanation. You didn’t solicit for this case, would a Dr deny to treat Chiwenga just because he/she is MDC? That’s how you make a living. I hope you stop explaining yourself,” another user tweeted.

Mahere in her response to one of the Twitter users had this to say;

Which criminal case did I argue? What was the charge? https://t.co/hB5OwfzGf6

— Fadzayi Mahere ?? (@advocatemahere) August 5, 2019

By A Correspondent- The government has blamed a third hand in the shooting and killing of protestors in Harare on August 1, 2018.

Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister, Oppah Muchinguri Kashiri said that the army will never turn its guns on people.

Addressing war veterans at Bazeley Bridge in Zimunya Marange on Saturday during the Manicaland war veterans’ inter-district conference, Muchinguri-Kashiri said:

My ministry’s position is that we do not point our guns at the people, our soldiers know their worth and that their job is to protect the masses and not to shoot them.

When demonstrations broke out in August there were enemies that had been planted to shoot at people and later we saw that the bullets that had been fired were not ours.

They joined the demonstrations so that we will be blamed but we are carrying out investigations to flush them out.

Those that are organising demonstrations only want to soil Zanu-PF’s image.

That is what they are looking for and that is why they keep provoking us but as the army, we are very disciplined and would not shoot at people.

Wherever we have gone like Somalia we have done well. We have an impeccable record. Our enemies are using different tactics so we all need to be on the lookout.

She accused some Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) of working with “the enemy” to train people for subversive activities.-StateMedia

Minister of @InfoMinZW Hon Senator Monica Mutsvangwa has been appointed acting Minister of @Min_ICTCS_ZW from 4-6 August 2019 while Hon Kazembe Kazembe is away on official business.

— Ministry of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting (@InfoMinZW) August 6, 2019

By A Correspondent- A senior government official on Monday suggested that Auditor-General Mildred Chiri’s audit reports could not be trusted.

The acting Finance secretary, Zvinechimwe Churu, appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee to answer questions relating to issues of financial impropriety in his ministry where US$3,2 billion was unaccounted for in 2017 and 2018.

When Committee Chair, Tendai Biti reminded Churu that the AG (Chiri) in her report concluded that the Ministry made allocations of US$3,2 billion to line ministries, which had not even requested for the amounts and without providing her with supporting documents, Churu responded:

I am surprised by those audit observations by Chiri.

Biti advised Churu to withdraw his statement as he was implying that Chiri lacked integrity.

Said Biti:

We cannot accept that you accuse the AG of lack of integrity and if you continue to do that then we are finished as a country because you cannot challenge audit reports.

We advise you that you withdraw any statement that seeks to impeach on, directly or indirectly an insinuated attack on the AG.

Churu however, denied that he was questioning Chiri’s integrity.

He said:

I did not attack the AG. I am only saying can you also please give the Accountant-General in the Ministry of Finance Daniel Muchemwa the benefit of the doubt.

I have a lot of respect for this committee and MPs, but it is also unfair for MPs to say they have a position on my character.-Newsday

Government says civil servants will get their bonuses for the year in November, amid expectations that the amounts could be increased to improve the workers’ welfare.

This was said by Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube yesterday during a post Mid-Year Budget Review and Supplementary Budget breakfast meeting in Harare.

“I insist that the civil servants will get their bonuses again this year, on time at the end of November. All of them will get paid, (because) we want to make sure that we keep that track record in paying civil servants.

“You know there was a few moments in the past when they didn’t know when they would get paid, now they know exactly when they will get paid.

“Who knows what I would do if we end up with a small surplus at the end of the year? We may even try to over-perform on bonus payment to the civil servants.”

Last year, the Government paid civil servants bonuses on pensionable salaries only, moving away from the previous practice where it used to pay the 13th cheque on gross earnings (including allowances).

Prof Ncube urged the private sector to look after their employees, who continue to bear the brunt of high prices of goods and services.

His call comes as the private sector has been increasing prices of the goods they make and services offered, but not adjusting workers’ salaries.

-Herald

By A Correspondent- South Africa’s opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has wished former President Robert Mugabe a speedy recovery.

Posting on its official Twitter handle, South Africa’s most radical party said:

“Get well soon President Mugabe. The EFF wishes you a speedy recovery  our prayers are with you.”

ZIMBABWE’S major power plant, Kariba Hydro Power Station, will likely be shut down next month due to continued critical low water levels, a development that will pave way for deeper power cuts in the country, an official has said.

Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) business performance manager Bernard Chizengeya told journalists yesterday during the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera)’s energy journalism workshop in Harare that water levels at Kariba Dam were so critical to an extent that it might be decommissioned by September.

“We are going to reach what we call a minimum level where if we reach that level, we cannot use the remaining water to generate (electricity). Why is it so?
The minimum level is 475 metres and currently, we are on 478m. So we are three metres above the minimum level,” Chizengeya said.

“If we keep on generating the way we are doing, by September [this year] we will actually shut down Kariba. There will be no power coming from there. So, we need to manage it,” he said.

The country is currently facing its most severe power crisis in decades, with manufacturing companies and households going for up to 18 hours a day without electricity, putting the country’s economy at risk of total collapse.

The southern African nation imports electricity from Mozambique and South Africa, but due to an acute foreign exchange shortage, the country has failed to retire debts to South African power utility Eskom and Mozambique’s Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa.

As a result, Eskom cut down the power it sells to Zimbabwe from 450 megawatts to a mere 50 megawatts.

To make matters worse, other power stations like Bulawayo, Harare and Munyati have passed their lifespans.

Hwange is also facing technical challenges.

“So, when we get to this 475m, which is not very far, we are predicting that if we don’t change the way we are doing things, we will actually shut down Kariba and possibly, we will then have to wait for the inflows,” Chizengeya said.

“So that will only leave us with one power station, which has also passed its expected lifespan. We don’t have foreign currency to buy spares. We cannot do life extension. So, such is our situation in Zimbabwe,” he said.

Foreign exchange shortages have had a negative bearing on electricity supplies in Zimbabwe, with the current electricity import bill standing at $83 million, according to Energy minister Fortune Chasi.

As a result, neighbouring countries are reluctant to supply electricity to Zimbabwe.

The Zimbabwe Electricity Distribution and Transmission Company is owed $1,2 billion, with the largest chunk being by local authorities who owe the utility in excess of $300 million and government departments $32 million.

-Newsday

Jane Mlambo| Former South African minister Bathabile Dlamini has bemoaned the state of the Zimbabwean economy saying it breaks her heart to see a once thriving country becoming a sad liberation movement story.

Posting on Twitter, Dlamini said she hopes South Africa will not walk the Zimbabwe path due to political infighting and heavy dependence on government.

What is happening in Zimbabwe is just heartbreaking ?. What was once a thriving economy is now a sad liberation movement story. I hope we don't walk that path with our political in-fighting and heavy dependence on government. #MondayMotivaton

— Bathabile Dlamini (@CdeBathaDlamini) August 5, 2019

Eskom has confirmed it will start selling large quantities of electricity to Zimbabwe again soon, fully reinstating a power export arrangement it curtailed after Zimbabwe had failed to pay its debts.

“Eskom can confirm that we have agreed on a payment plan for the outstanding debt and that proof of payment has been received,” the South Africa utility told Business Insider South Africa on Monday.

“Eskom and ZESA [the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority] are at the late stages of concluding an agreement.”

Eskom did not say how much of its arrears Zimbabwe had settled. But at a meeting in Harare on Monday, Zimbabwe’s secretary for finance, George Guvamatanga, said at least $10 million (the equivalent of around R149 million) was paid last week to foreign electricity suppliers – which he did not name – with an additional payment due this week..

The Zimbabwean government had previously promised such payments, and even said they had been made, but Eskom refused to continue discussions until it had actually seen the money in its bank account.

Eskom told Business Insider it would reinstate supplies once payment guarantees – which should prevent future debts from piling up – are in place.

Once the financial engineering is in place, Eskom will sell Zimbabwe up to 400MW, it said. But only 50MW of that will be contracted on a “firm basis”. The remainder, a total of some 25% of Zimbabwe’s estimated national electricity needs, will be on a “non-firm” basis.

When South Africa goes into load shedding “any non-firm exports are reduced to zero and firm exports are reduced proportionally in accordance to the loadshedding stage,” Eskom said.

-News24

TOURISM Minister Prisca Mupfumira is likely to face more serious criminal charges that could earn her 40 years behind bars, the High Court heard on Monday.

After her recent arrest, the prosecutor general (PG) Kumbirai Hodzi issued a certificate classifying her case as a complex one seeking her incarceration for 21 days while investigations are underway, a unique case in the country’s prosecution.

During her bail application hearing before High Court Judge Justice Erica Ndewere on Monday, prosecutor Michael Reza opposed her granting of bail saying current investigations have unearthed more gross offences the minister allegedly committed before she became Tourism minister.

“So far she is likely to face a minimum of three charges including fraud, money laundering and criminal abuse of office. The evidence so far available is sufficient to convict her on all three counts. Money laundering attracts 25 years imprisonment, criminal abuse attracts 15, she is 68, simple arithmetic shows that if she is to be convicted now she will come out of jail aged 108.

“When she was sent to prison for 21 days, she cried because she couldn’t stand one day. The jail term she is facing will definitely cause her to abscond because she is not a woman of straw,” said Reza.

Reza also persuaded Ndewere not to grant Mupfumira bail saying her alleged offences are contrary to what is expected of her as a minister.

He blamed the suffering of pensioners on Mupfumira saying they remain poorer because of corruption charges preferred against her.

“Nssa money had a purpose. The people who did not benefit at all. These are pensioners and to date, if we are to go to Nssa house you will find them in endless queues. The money they get is not even sufficient to take them back to Chiendambuya where they came from just to get that money.”

The court also heard that Mupfumira, who is facing seven counts of criminal abuse of office involving US$95 million, has properties in South Africa, Dubai and the United Kingdom.

Mupfumira will also be charged with fraud and money laundering with the State saying it had completed investigations into the fresh charges and will be ready to commence trial on the fresh charges once all due processes have been completed.

Reza, who is representing the State along with Mrs Sharon Fero, alleges that Mupfumira directed NSSA to deposit money into her CBZ personal account, leaving room that she could also have externalised some of the money.

“She is on remand on seven counts of criminal abuse of office and from that time investigations on three counts have been completed where trial can commence.

“The three charges are complete and the applicant will be made aware and information on the investigations papers have compelling reasons to deny her bail.

“She has a personal account 04422647590013 at CBZ that money was deposited into. This money came from companies applicant had directed NSSA to deal with.

“There is no reason why that US$9 182 was paid to her,” said Mr Reza while opposing bail for Mupfumira at the High Court.

The State further opposed to granting of Mupfumira bail alleging that she also ordered another US$13 600 to be transferred into her CBZ Chinhoyi account from Metbank.

It also alleged that Mupfumira filed medical reports with the State raising fears that once granted bail, she would abscond trial.

“I once handled another case where an accused said he was at stage four with cancer and wanted to go for medicals.

“That accused even asked the court to pray for him and he was granted bail and up to this day he was never seen.

“The applicant has mansions in South Africa, Dubai and the United Kingdom. I am sure they will tender title deeds for a house in Harare. That will be a donation as she will not feel anything,” said Mr Reza.

The State called the investigation officer into the matter, who is attached to ZACC, Sergeant Trust Chinembiri, who also revealed that they needed three more months to dig further into the case.

Sergeant Chinembiri also revealed that Mupfumira had planned to flee into South Africa, where she is believed to own a mansion in the leafy suburb of Sandton, on July 24 with the aid of her Chinese friends to avoid arrest.

He also said Mupfumira had two passports with a 10-year United Kingdom visa.

Mupfumira, through her lawyer Advocate Lewis Uriri, who is acting on lawyer Charles Chinyama’s instruction, said one of the passports was for her official duty as a Cabinet minister.

He said his client had no intentions to avoid trial as she availed herself to the police despite being aware of the allegations she was facing.

Adv Uriri also argued that Mupfumira will not interfere with investigations and witnesses as the State’s fears will be cured by a compelling court order.

Ndewere reserved Mupfumira’s bail ruling indefinitely.

“The ruling on the appeal is reserved. As soon as it is ready, the registrar will advise both parties,” she said.

The MDC-ALLIANCE leadership is under scrutiny from members and supporters following a string of recent defeats to the ruling party, Zanu-PF, this is according to state media.

The media claims that disgruntlement in the party, led by Nelson Chamisa, was loud and clear since the weekend defeat of the party in parliamentary and council by-elections in Matabeleland North.

According to the ruling ZANU PF aligned media, some MDC supporters blamed the loss on party secretary-general Chalton Hwende, who is accused of imposing candidates, failing to organise elections and coming up with tangible ideas that could be sold to voters.

A Teboka Maja, said the party lost because of its tribalism and imposition of candidates.

“Prepare for more losses to come. You gave Zanu-PF political mileage by your corruption and tribalism tendencies as what happened at Bulawayo City Council,” said Mr Maja.

This comes after the MDC was defeated by ZANU-PF in the Lupane East by-election over the weekend.

Mbongeni Dube of Zanu-PF garnered 6 369 votes while MDC-Alliance candidate Mr Dalumuzi Khumalo got 4 505 votes.

Zanu PF also retained two council seats in Bubi Ward 22 and Nkayi Ward 23, a few weeks after also winning council by-elections held in Bikita East’s Ward 31 and Nyanga South’s Ward 26.

In March, MDC also lost Bulawayo’s Ward 28 by-election, with ZANU-PF candidate Kidwell Mujuru defeating the party for the first since year 2000.

Said an unnamed state media source: “Tensions continue to rise in the MDC since party president Nelson Chamisa failed to meet a target of attracting 4,5 million votes in the 2018 during the July 30 general elections. The Lupane East by election loss has worsened temperatures in the party with most members fearing that if we continue like this, we could be extinct by 2023.”

State Media|Government says civil servants will get their bonuses for the year in November, amid expectations that the amounts could be increased to improve the workers’ welfare.

This was said by Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube yesterday during a post Mid-Year Budget Review and Supplementary Budget breakfast meeting in Harare.

“I insist that the civil servants will get their bonuses again this year, on time at the end of November. All of them will get paid, (because) we want to make sure that we keep that track record in paying civil servants.

“You know there was a few moments in the past when they didn’t know when they would get paid, now they know exactly when they will get paid.

“Who knows what I would do if we end up with a small surplus at the end of the year? We may even try to over-perform on bonus payment to the civil servants.”

Last year, the Government paid civil servants bonuses on pensionable salaries only, moving away from the previous practice where it used to pay the 13th cheque on gross earnings (including allowances).

Prof Ncube urged the private sector to look after their employees, who continue to bear the brunt of high prices of goods and services.

His call comes as the private sector has been increasing prices of the goods they make and services offered, but not adjusting workers’ salaries.

Forgotten Zimbabwean ‘#ThisFlag’ founder Evan Mawarire has resurfaced giving South African Talk Radio 702 an interview outlining his future plans in Zimbabwe and the problems faced by Zimbabweans.

Mawarire has been arrested six times over the past three years for charges ranging from treason to planning to topple the government.

Speaking to Azania Mosaka, Mawarire speaks of the challenges faced by Zimbabweans.

Some quotes from the interview:

“Freedom of humanity is eternally valuable and something worth risking your life for—”

“There is one place I call home and it’s Zimbabwe. I was not invited to Zimbabwe, I was born there.—” 

“I have never wanted to see the government in Zimbabwe toppled, our journey has always been to challenge them to respects the rights of our people, to respect our constitution and allow us to participate in building our nation.— “

Listen to the full interview below…

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has shown his deep affection for his predecessor Robert Mugabe the man he overthrew in a military started assisted coup in November 2017.

Mnangagwa dispatched a high powered government and ZANU PF delegation to visit Mugabe in hospital in Singapore last week.

Mugabe, who has been admitted to a Singaporean hospital since April is in a stable condition, but remains hospitalised at the insistence of his physicians.

This was said by Mnangagwa in a statement yesterday to update the nation on the health of the former leader.

“Former president and founding father of our nation, Cde R.G Mugabe remains detained at a hospital in Singapore where he is receiving medical attention.

“Unlike in the past when the former president would require just about a month for this, his physicians this time around determined that he be kept under observation for much longer, from early April this year when he left for his latest routine check-up,” President Mnangagwa said.

“Last week on 30th July, I sent on my own behalf a high-powered team of officials led by Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda to Singapore to check on the former President and to get an update on his progress from the medical team attending to him including any additional requirements towards his full care and speedy recovery.”

“From the report the team gave me at the weekend, I am greatly pleased to inform the nation that the former president continues to make steady progress towards eventual recovery and that his condition is remarkably stable for his age,” President Mnangagwa added.

He reiterated that Government would continue taking care of the well-being of the country’s first leader who turned 95 this year.

“He is responding very well to all treatment. The team further advised that because of the good progress he is making, Cde Mugabe could be released fairly soon. Once that happens, Government stands ready with appropriate and adequate arrangements for both his return and continued care and treatment here at home respectively until he fully recovers fully,” he said.

The President urged the nation to pray for the former statesman.