The private sector should adjust salaries to cushion its workers from rising prices similar to the way Government has responded to the plight of civil servants who, in addition to getting more than $606 million in salaries and cushioning allowances since the beginning of the year, will be receiving a further salary increase soon and bonus payments at the end of the year, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube has said.
In an interview with South Africa-based CNBC Africa — an African pay television network — a day after the Mid-Term Fiscal Review Statement, Professor Ncube said some private sector companies, especially exporters, were not translating their profits into adequate rewards and compensation for their “hardworking employees”.
“You know what is happening, though, is that the private sector is not following suit. With the profits that they are making, especially exporters, in terms of currency translation after the introduction of the Zimbabwe dollar. They should be increasing wages for their employees, but they are not doing that,” he said.
“So we as Government are doing our part; the private sector is not doing its part. I urge them to do that so that we can all move together and deal with the issue of wage erosion for Zimbabwe workers; they work so hard and we need to ensure that they are adequately compensated and rewarded.”
Government, he said, has tried its best to offer relief to civil servants as it has paid $606 million — $206 million in cushioning allowances and a cost of living adjustment worth $400 million — since the beginning of the year.
He made assurances that Government would not only “increase salaries further”, but would pay the “usual annual bonus” as the funds have already been budgeted for.
“We have budgeted for it (civil servants salaries). It is not true that the civil servants are not happy; actually the reverse is true. We have done three things already: we have paid $63 million at the beginning of the year for the first three months of the year in a cushioning allowance in addition to salaries. We did a salary adjustment worth about $400 million on April 1 to the rest of the year. And just last week (a fortnight ago), we did another cushioning allowance worth $143 million — one-off – and we are negotiating to increase salaries further. We have budgeted for this . . . and come year-end we will pay them their usual annual bonus in the form of a 13th cheque,” he said.
Treasury believes that the rising prices are being caused by currency movements, which began when the RTGS balance and bond notes and coins were separated from the US dollar.
However, Government believes that the continued management of expenses and growing revenues, including recovering exports and declining imports, will be able to support the value of the Zimbabwe dollar.
Electricity Imports
Prof Ncube said Government’s ability to generate more revenues and contain its expenses has put more than $800 million – US$100 million surplus using the interbank rate – at its disposal, which is currently being used to make payment plans to import electricity from both Mozambique and South Africa.
The US$10 million released to Eskom of South Africa to service part of the country’s outstanding US$30 million bill was also hewn from the surplus.
“First of all, it is the surplus that we used to pay, basically, the US$10 million that we paid to Eskom a couple of weeks ago, but also going forward, it would be through the surplus that we would be able to use to structure a final arrangement to make sure that Eskom can continue to supply Zimbabwe . . .
“Equally, we will structure similar arrangements with Mozambique and certainly the surplus is going to be used to deal with the power supply issue . . .”
Additional $5 billion for Infrastructure
Notwithstanding the drought of the 2018/2019 season – which has cut output from the agriculture sector by 16 percent, forcing Government to set aside $624 million for grain imports – Government has further allocated an additional $5,2 billion to be used in the remaining five months of the year to continue major infrastructural projects in health, roads and dam construction.
Of the amount, US$68 million will be used to complete the acquisition of 100 fully equipped ambulances.
Already, a lot of headway has been made in both construction, rehabilitation and equipping health institutions, including in rural areas, in line with the Second Republic’s vision to improve the quality of lives for the people.
Mvurwi, Kadoma and Ndanga district hospitals have since had their wards uplifted, while waste and laundry facilities have been upgraded.
Further, refurbishment of Mutare, Gweru, Masvingo and Gwanda Provincial Hospitals – which targeted theatres, general and maternity wards – was completed during the first half of this year.
Construction of Lupane Provincial Hospital will begin this month.
Food Security
To capacitate farmers who were affected by the drought, Government has shelled out a further $650 million for vulnerable communities, while commercial farmers who have a proven track record will get $1 billion to grow maize and soyabeans.
Also, in line with Government determination to move from rain-fed agriculture, an additional $141 million was allocated for irrigation development.
Similarly, $133 million will be used to continue construction of Marovanyati, Causeway, Gwayi Shangani, Chivhu and Sengwa dams.
The momentum on road construction projects, particularly to put tar on all trunk roads around the country and upgrade rural feeder roads, will continue while support for social protection programmes such as the urban mass public transport system that has received an additional $104 million will be enhanced.
The just ended by-elections in Matabeleland North have once again cast the spotlight on the urgent need for comprehensive political reforms in Zimbabwe.
The by-elections were held in Lupane East constituency, Ward 22 at Bubi constituency and at Ward 23 at Nkayi South Constituency.
Indeed, in all the three separate by-elections, what is emerging clearly as the decisive factor is coercion and manipulation. The electoral process in Zimbabwe is neither credible nor free and fair.
Instead, what we still have in place is an electoral process dominated by other factors whose net effect is to leave everything heavily skewed in favour of Zanu PF.
lndeed, what is apparent in these particularly recent by-elections is that the MDC did everything it could in the most difficult of circumstances; but in the end it was clear that the odds were heavily staked against the voters in the villages.
In particular, the MDC conducted one of its most comprehensive ward level door-to-door campaigns. lt also maintained a much higher than usual level of local visibility as evidenced by the large number of campaign teams that it deployed across all the wards.
But still, despite such a marked rise in the level of investment in the recent campaigns, the will of the people was not reflected in the by-elections.
The people of Matabeleland North who voted for the MDC must be saluted for the resisting all the obstacles and going against all odds to support change in Zimbabwe.
What Zanu PF has decided to do is to invest more on various intimidatory tactics that have in effect engineered a lot of fear in the rural electorate.
lndeed, it is crucial to consider the outcome of the three by-elections, in the context of the following decisive factors among others:
Vote Buying
Over the years, Zanu PF has perfected the art of massive vote buying. Its electoral strategy is build on the distribution of some material benefits during its campaigns. The most obvious of these are the food parcels that are shared freely to the prospective voters. This is a very crucial factor when considers the deep level of poverty and higher exposure to hunger in the rural parts of Zimbabwe.Food is being used as a political weapon against citizens so vulnerable to hunger and poverty.
Systematic lntimidation
Zanu PF has also perfected the art of systematic intimidation of voters. The strategy of intimidation is mostly enforced by such crucial local institutions as the traditional leaders, who always ensure that all their subjects vote for Zanu PF as a community. At times, various forms of violence are also used to intimidate the voters. ln resettlement areas, local residents have very limited land ownership rights. This is used effectively to force them to vote for Zanu PF.A case in point is a ward where all the people were given notices (elaborate)
Abuse of State Resources
Zanu PF also usually abuses all the available State institutions or resources to consolidate its electoral campaign strategy. All the relevant parastatals like ZBC, Zimpapers, GMB, ZESA, ZUPCO, etc are always thrown into the fray. A recent court judgment confirmed that State media was systematically used to favour Zanu PF, while also undermining the MDC at the same time. Civil servants such as the local District Administrators and security personnel such as those from the CIO and ZRP, also play a crucial role in the roll out of the Zanu PF campaign strategy
A Compromised ZEC
The other crucial factor is the apparent lack of independence of the electoral commission, ZEC. This starts from the budget allocation process, appointment of both staff and commissioners. ln this regard, a lot of State security personnel have already been deployed to the ZEC Secretariat. Further, ZEC deliberately avoids being open or transparent in the way it conducts its operations. For example, the voter registration process always has problematic issues. Related to that, the voters roll is not readily available to the opposition. Worse still, during election day some voters are turned away after being told their names are no longer appearing or they are in another polling station. lt is time that ZEC underwent major reforms to make it more independent or professional just like its counterpart in South Africa, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)
So in other words, what we currently have is an electoral system that may not necessarily be capable of reflecting the democratic will of the majorities.
The on-going participation of the MDC in the by-elections should be used to actively highlight the urgent need for comprehensive reforms.
The MDC already has a plan in place. The plan is the recently launched RELOAD strategic document.
RELOAD is a roadmap that seeks to ensure that Zimbabwe finally evolves out of its perennial crisis mode into a truly freely, democratic and prosperous country
Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube last week announced an interim tariff framework meant to support Zesa’s operations.
But will the new tariff(s) address the crippling power shortages?
In terms of the approved rates, the electricity tariff for non-exporting businesses will be increased from an average of ZWL9,86c/kWh to an average of 45c/kWh (approximately USc5/kWh). The electricity tariff for domestic consumers will be increased from an average of 9,86c/kWh to an average of 27c/kWh (approximately USc3/kWh).
The latter will be subsidised, the Finance Minister Ncube confirmed.
The electricity tariff for agriculture consumers will be increased from an average of 9,86c/kWh to an average of 27c/kWh (approximately USc3/kWh), which is also subsidised.
The tariff for ferrochrome smelters and other miners has been maintained at US$0,067/kWh and US$0,0986/kWh, respectively, and ensure that the resources are ring-fenced in a special account solely for purposes of importing electricity and Zesa be allowed to bill all other exporters and foreign-currency earners in foreign currency and ensure that the resources are ring-fenced in a special account solely for purposes of importing electricity.
The new tariff(s) may not be adequate because Zesa is on record indicating that it was seeking to have its US9,83 cents kilowatt hour converted to RTGS dollars at the interbank rate.
If it had been approved, customers would have had to pay at the interbank rate equivalent of the US dollar tariff approved in 2013.
But the proposed new tariff rates for domestic and agricultural customers translate to only US3c per kWh, while that for non-exporting businesses translates to US5 c per kWh. So it’s far short of what Zesa had requested. So will it help?
Zesa acting chief executive Engineer Patrick Chivaura said: “We take it as an interim review and half a loaf is better than nothing and will continue engaging our principles for a further improvement on the tariff to match the national power expenditure requirements.”
It’s a view other observers agree with.
Economic commentator Langton Mabhanga says a broader strategy is required to sustainably improve Zimbabwe’s energy situation.
“Ring-fencing of exporters’ forex tariff charges is plausible. But more modern energy resource mobilisation strategies could improve our energy sustainability situation,” he said.
“Truth be told, even the new tariffs will only narrow the extent of subsidy on energy, but are still not enough to stave sustainability threats.”
Sentiments
Meanwhile, a number of economic analysts have weighed in on the recent measures to stimulate the economy.
Economic analyst Dr Gift Mugano said upward review of the tax-free threshold of the 2 percent intermediated money transfer tax from $10 to $20 will have a positive impact on disposable incomes.
“The 2 percent tax levied on the $20 and above will have a huge positive impact on the Government in particular as it will help in the generation of more income and this will put more money in people’s pockets.
“But on the negative side this is a disadvantage to the poor because foreign exchange rates have increased and this will still impact them negatively.”
Mr Mabhanga said the Finance Minister rightly prioritised the critical sectors of mining and agriculture.
“The review and supplementary budget statement represent the transition of the economy from austerity to growth trajectory. The focus on agriculture and prospective injection of $3 billion represent the concrete steps to commence the 2019/2020 agricultural season and earnest commencement of preparations by Government,” he said.
“The mining sector entails huge resources that have a potential of transforming the complexion of our economy and creation of a historical economic miracle, one sure legacy that President ED Mnangagwa is poised to deliver during the Second Republic.
“Leveraging our mineral and land resources will be critical in negotiating for our national stake and interests in all natural resource-based investments.
“Currently, minerals account for about 70 percent of total exports, most of these leaving the country in raw form. But beneficiation is still peripheral.
“Reaching $12 billion by 2023 will entail quadrupling current earnings hence more radical and ideological measures that place Zimbabwean interests at the fore will be critical and now.”
THE National Social Security Authority (Nssa) splashed millions of dollars on bad investments, luxuries for board members and hefty salary perks for executive management, at a time when pensioners were wallowing in poverty.
Nssa is a statutory body created through an Act of Parliament in 1989 to provide social security to pensioners.
But a forensic audit by BDO Zimbabwe Chartered Accountants as contracted by the Auditor General’s Office for the period January 1 2015 to February 28 2018, the board and management focused on cutting shady loans and housing deals with top local banks and shelf companies to milk the fund. The audit report has opened a can of worms with Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira already in remand prison over allegations of corruption cases involving US$95 million.
Hefty perks
While the pension contributors are getting a pittance, about $80 per month, the report says Nssa executives were living lavishly with the then general manager Mrs Elizabeth Chitiga earning US$24 000 per month while the other nine top executives were each paid US$17 000 monthly.
The forensic audit report revealed that the then Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Permanent Secretary Mr Ngoni Masoka approved salary adjustments for top executives from December 2017 to September 2018.
The salary increase was supposed to be approved by the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare in accordance with the Nssa Act. As a result Nssa paid out US$291 089 to top managers without following due procedure, the report further shows. In 2015, Nssa managers also paid themselves 50 percent of their basic salaries as bonuses without ministerial approval while almost US$2 million was paid as managerial bonuses in 2017.
Some Nssa employees were given housing loans which were far beyond their limit, for instance, Ms Daisy Madume, a personal assistant to the general manager, accessed US$189 000 instead of US$147 000. Ms Madume bought a house for US$151 291 and had US$37 710 to spare.
Another Nssa manager Mr James Chiuta was given a vehicle worth US$57 000 instead of US$44 820.
Board members pampering
The parastatal coughed out about US$300 000 in board fees between 2015 and 2017.
“As a result of the Permanent Secretary’s actions, with effect from the 4th quarter of 2017, board members were paid incorrect and unapproved board fees,” reads the report in part.
“We have treated all payments made as a result of Mr Masoka’s approval and the irregular implementation as an overstatement.
“The total overstatement due to the 50 percent increment and the irregular implementation amounted to $86 322 as at the end of third quarter of 2018.”
The Nssa board spent $41 000 in sitting allowances for a retreat meeting in Nyanga in 2017.
The company engaged an investment expert Mr Fungai Ruwende on November 11 2015 who was based in South Africa and Nssa had to pay airfares and hotel expenses. Mr Ruwende was paid US$15 000 from December 1 2015 to June 30 2018.
Auditors further questioned the employment of an ICT expert Mr Bernard Machicha yet there was no evidence whether there was an invitation for expression of interest in providing ICT to Nssa.
Mr Machicha earned US$20 000 per month and “it could not be determined how the salary awarded to Mr Machicha was arrived at. The remuneration framework approved by the Minister at the time had the highest salaries pegged at US$17 470 for the general manager and US$15 210 for other directors”.
Bad investments
Pensioners’ money was used to renovate Nyanga Chalets at a cost of US$221 000 without board approval yet other contractors had charged US$150 000.
“Ballantyne Park was purchased for US$2,2 million yet the valuation report recommended a price ranging between US$1 405 000 and US$1 500 000. The property was eventually impaired resulting in a net financial prejudice of US$464 000 based on subsequent revaluations carried out in the three years under review,” noted the auditors.
It was puzzling for auditors as to why and how Nssa could have spent US$890 000 to refurbish Cornerstone House – a price way more than its purchase tag of US$650 000. The building is not generating any revenues and it is maintained at a cost of US$6 062 per month.
Furthermore, the report shows that the authority could have wasted pensioners money after buying Christmas Gift Gweru property for US$7, 4 million against a valuation of US$4,8 million.
More money went down the drain at the Beitbridge Hotel which was pegged at US$49 million instead of US$3 million.
Property ownership
The audit unearthed that there were a number of buildings and land worth over US$15 million which was not registered in Nssa’s name, hence the authority cannot claim ownership of the properties.
“There are 28 properties which are in the financial statements of Nssa, but the title deeds are either in the name of the parent ministry or the Workers’ Compensation Fund.
“Nssa should review circumstances in which title is held due to failure to satisfy council conditions and come up with a plan to ensure that such conditions are fulfilled.
“The authority should also speed up the process of transferring title from parent ministry and Workers’ Compensation Fund,” said the auditors.
State Media|The private sector should adjust salaries to cushion its workers from rising prices similar to the way Government has responded to the plight of civil servants who, in addition to getting more than $606 million in salaries and cushioning allowances since the beginning of the year, will be receiving a further salary increase soon and bonus payments at the end of the year, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube has said.
In an interview with South Africa-based CNBC Africa — an African pay television network — a day after the Mid-Term Fiscal Review Statement, Professor Ncube said some private sector companies, especially exporters, were not translating their profits into adequate rewards and compensation for their “hardworking employees”.
“You know what is happening, though, is that the private sector is not following suit. With the profits that they are making, especially exporters, in terms of currency translation after the introduction of the Zimbabwe dollar. They should be increasing wages for their employees, but they are not doing that,” he said.
“So we as Government are doing our part; the private sector is not doing its part. I urge them to do that so that we can all move together and deal with the issue of wage erosion for Zimbabwe workers; they work so hard and we need to ensure that they are adequately compensated and rewarded.”
Government, he said, has tried its best to offer relief to civil servants as it has paid $606 million — $206 million in cushioning allowances and a cost of living adjustment worth $400 million — since the beginning of the year.
He made assurances that Government would not only “increase salaries further”, but would pay the “usual annual bonus” as the funds have already been budgeted for.
“We have budgeted for it (civil servants salaries). It is not true that the civil servants are not happy; actually the reverse is true. We have done three things already: we have paid $63 million at the beginning of the year for the first three months of the year in a cushioning allowance in addition to salaries. We did a salary adjustment worth about $400 million on April 1 to the rest of the year. And just last week (a fortnight ago), we did another cushioning allowance worth $143 million — one-off – and we are negotiating to increase salaries further. We have budgeted for this . . . and come year-end we will pay them their usual annual bonus in the form of a 13th cheque,” he said.
Treasury believes that the rising prices are being caused by currency movements, which began when the RTGS balance and bond notes and coins were separated from the US dollar.
However, Government believes that the continued management of expenses and growing revenues, including recovering exports and declining imports, will be able to support the value of the Zimbabwe dollar.
Electricity Imports
Prof Ncube said Government’s ability to generate more revenues and contain its expenses has put more than $800 million – US$100 million surplus using the interbank rate – at its disposal, which is currently being used to make payment plans to import electricity from both Mozambique and South Africa.
The US$10 million released to Eskom of South Africa to service part of the country’s outstanding US$30 million bill was also hewn from the surplus.
“First of all, it is the surplus that we used to pay, basically, the US$10 million that we paid to Eskom a couple of weeks ago, but also going forward, it would be through the surplus that we would be able to use to structure a final arrangement to make sure that Eskom can continue to supply Zimbabwe . . .
“Equally, we will structure similar arrangements with Mozambique and certainly the surplus is going to be used to deal with the power supply issue . . .”
Additional $5 billion for Infrastructure
Notwithstanding the drought of the 2018/2019 season – which has cut output from the agriculture sector by 16 percent, forcing Government to set aside $624 million for grain imports – Government has further allocated an additional $5,2 billion to be used in the remaining five months of the year to continue major infrastructural projects in health, roads and dam construction.
Of the amount, US$68 million will be used to complete the acquisition of 100 fully equipped ambulances.
Already, a lot of headway has been made in both construction, rehabilitation and equipping health institutions, including in rural areas, in line with the Second Republic’s vision to improve the quality of lives for the people.
Mvurwi, Kadoma and Ndanga district hospitals have since had their wards uplifted, while waste and laundry facilities have been upgraded.
Further, refurbishment of Mutare, Gweru, Masvingo and Gwanda Provincial Hospitals – which targeted theatres, general and maternity wards – was completed during the first half of this year.
Construction of Lupane Provincial Hospital will begin this month.
Food Security
To capacitate farmers who were affected by the drought, Government has shelled out a further $650 million for vulnerable communities, while commercial farmers who have a proven track record will get $1 billion to grow maize and soyabeans.
Also, in line with Government determination to move from rain-fed agriculture, an additional $141 million was allocated for irrigation development.
Similarly, $133 million will be used to continue construction of Marovanyati, Causeway, Gwayi Shangani, Chivhu and Sengwa dams.
The momentum on road construction projects, particularly to put tar on all trunk roads around the country and upgrade rural feeder roads, will continue while support for social protection programmes such as the urban mass public transport system that has received an additional $104 million will be enhanced. Ends
Stanley Goreraza|The opposition has a much much bigger advantage over Zanupf. The current situation in Zimbabwe tilts the ground heavily in the oppositions favour. Zvinhu zvakatowomera Zanupf. They are not supposed to be winning elections and the opposition shouldn’t at all be losing! But that is what has and is obtaining.
According to the MDC, everyone else is to blame for this except themselves. They blame the birds, the trees and the ants. Havadi kunzwa kuti pane pavari kukanganisa. Even their supporters don’t want to hear of it unobva watonzi wakavenga Chamisa. Manje nyika ikazopinda mumaoko enyu pane chatinozogona kukuudzaiwo here kana kuku tsiurai?
Zanupf is actually handicapped but zvakadaro iri kurakasha MDC. Zanupf yaitwa chirema ne Economy asi chirema ichi chiri ku rova chagwindiri kuseri nekuseri.
It embarrassing to say the least. Zanupf is standing on one leg and with it kicking the MDC round house kicks, flooring them. They are not in politics for change or the people but for money making and that is the reason why they are not at all embarrassed by their losses to Zanupf. Leaders mu opposition have also failed and most of them should do the honourable thing and step down.
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network observed three by-elections held yesterday. Of the three, one is a National Assembly by-election for the Lupane East Constituency seat that fell vacant following the death of Sithembiso Gumbo who was a ZANU-PF MP for the Constituency. The two Ward by-elections are in respect of Bubi Ward 22 and the Nkayi Ward 23, both occasioned by the death of the former councilors.
In line with its mandate to promote democratic elections, ZESN deployed 14 Long Term Observers to observe from the pre-election up to the post-election period of the Lupane East National Assembly by-election and will comprehensively deploy Election Day observers to cover all 62 polling stations and 14 observers to cover all Ward Collation Centres, as well as the Constituency Collation Centre in the by-election.
In addition, ZESN deployed two mobile teams to assess the Election Day environment around the Constituency. For the Bubi Ward 22 by-election, ZESN observers will be deployed to three of the five polling stations. Similarly, out of the four polling stations in Nkayi Ward 23, ZESN observers were deployed to three.
The observation of the by-elections will enable the Network to assess the extent to which standards of democratic elections as detailed in the Constitution and electoral laws of Zimbabwe as well as other regional, continental, and global frameworks. ZESN will accordingly proffer evidence-based recommendations.
The just ended by-elections in Matabeleland North have once again cast the spotlight on the urgent need for comprehensive political reforms in Zimbabwe.
The by-elections were held in Lupane East constituency, Ward 22 at Bubi constituency and at Ward 23 at Nkayi South Constituency.
Indeed, in all the three separate by-elections, what is emerging clearly as the decisive factor is coercion and manipulation. The electoral process in Zimbabwe is neither credible nor free and fair.
Instead, what we still have in place is an electoral process dominated by other factors whose net effect is to leave everything heavily skewed in favour of Zanu PF.
lndeed, what is apparent in these particularly recent by-elections is that the MDC did everything it could in the most difficult of circumstances; but in the end it was clear that the odds were heavily staked against the voters in the villages.
In particular, the MDC conducted one of its most comprehensive ward level door-to-door campaigns. lt also maintained a much higher than usual level of local visibility as evidenced by the large number of campaign teams that it deployed across all the wards.
But still, despite such a marked rise in the level of investment in the recent campaigns, the will of the people was not reflected in the by-elections.
The people of Matabeleland North who voted for the MDC must be saluted for the resisting all the obstacles and going against all odds to support change in Zimbabwe.
What Zanu PF has decided to do is to invest more on various intimidatory tactics that have in effect engineered a lot of fear in the rural electorate.
lndeed, it is crucial to consider the outcome of the three by-elections, in the context of the following decisive factors among others:
Vote Buying
Over the years, Zanu PF has perfected the art of massive vote buying. Its electoral strategy is build on the distribution of some material benefits during its campaigns. The most obvious of these are the food parcels that are shared freely to the prospective voters. This is a very crucial factor when considers the deep level of poverty and higher exposure to hunger in the rural parts of Zimbabwe.Food is being used as a political weapon against citizens so vulnerable to hunger and poverty.
Systematic lntimidation
Zanu PF has also perfected the art of systematic intimidation of voters. The strategy of intimidation is mostly enforced by such crucial local institutions as the traditional leaders, who always ensure that all their subjects vote for Zanu PF as a community. At times, various forms of violence are also used to intimidate the voters. ln resettlement areas, local residents have very limited land ownership rights. This is used effectively to force them to vote for Zanu PF.A case in point is a ward where all the people were given notices (elaborate)
Abuse of State Resources
Zanu PF also usually abuses all the available State institutions or resources to consolidate its electoral campaign strategy. All the relevant parastatals like ZBC, Zimpapers, GMB, ZESA, ZUPCO, etc are always thrown into the fray. A recent court judgment confirmed that State media was systematically used to favour Zanu PF, while also undermining the MDC at the same time. Civil servants such as the local District Administrators and security personnel such as those from the CIO and ZRP, also play a crucial role in the roll out of the Zanu PF campaign strategy
A Compromised ZEC
The other crucial factor is the apparent lack of independence of the electoral commission, ZEC. This starts from the budget allocation process, appointment of both staff and commissioners. ln this regard, a lot of State security personnel have already been deployed to the ZEC Secretariat. Further, ZEC deliberately avoids being open or transparent in the way it conducts its operations. For example, the voter registration process always has problematic issues. Related to that, the voters roll is not readily available to the opposition. Worse still, during election day some voters are turned away after being told their names are no longer appearing or they are in another polling station. lt is time that ZEC underwent major reforms to make it more independent or professional just like its counterpart in South Africa, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)
So in other words, what we currently have is an electoral system that may not necessarily be capable of reflecting the democratic will of the majorities.
The on-going participation of the MDC in the by-elections should be used to actively highlight the urgent need for comprehensive reforms.
The MDC already has a plan in place. The plan is the recently launched RELOAD strategic document.
RELOAD is a roadmap that seeks to ensure that Zimbabwe finally evolves out of its perennial crisis mode into a truly freely, democratic and prosperous country
Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo sign the unity accord which Mpofu claims ended Gukurahundi
By Obert Mpofu|THIS series is informed by a wide-range of issues which have emerged from the last two articles I submitted in this paper.
The major lesson from the on-going debate emanating from my previous writings on the topical Gukurahundi subject is that we need to continuously draw ourselves to conversations which unite us regardless of our dissenting standpoints. There is no doubt that the issue of Gukurahundi has an obese emotional effect — much of which is a product of a single-sided perspective with a disintegrating effect to the current efforts to unite our people.
This facilitates the need for an alternative account which draws us more to our common interests and shared aspirations. As such, this instalment and other articles to follow will cement the idea of the positive engagement aimed at redirecting us to the path we must take in shaping the future as united people. This arises from the need to value every idea which cuts across the common limits to truth-telling by both victims and alleged perpetrators. Beyond victimhood and instigations of violence we need to regenerate a new narrative of belonging which binds us towards peace, national healing and reconciliation.
Truth be told, Zimbabwe’s transitional political landscape presents us with an opportunity to evaluate our past and how we can construct ideas which sustain enduring national values beyond the positives of temporary, narrow and self-serving interests. Taking this direction calls for absolute sacrifice of essentialist limitations to defining our national identity. It requires genuine introspective commitment to auditing our sources of conflict and how we can produce a new and lasting consciousness of nationhood which is built on the foundation of unity, peace and prosperity. On this basis, this paper traces the origins of our divided memories, emotions and aspirations of being a people and a nation at large.
To this end, this submission critically examines other constructs of divisions which have sustained the conversation on Gukurahundi. The discursive framing of Gukurahundi also calls us to locate the role of the academia, the press and geo-politics in carving notions of nation-building. Beyond, the critical overview of the representation and misrepresentation of the past, mainly around the Gukurahundi and its dilemma to the national question, this submission unpacks the path that has been initiated by the Government to address this ticklish matter. It is in this vein that this paper categorically analyses the historical stagnations to resolving the Gukurahundi issue; at the same time exploring the merits of the path taken by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in providing a pro-national healing policy direction.
The Constructions of a “crisis” and the perversion of national belonging
Philip Barclay (2011), a former British diplomat, posits that Zimbabwe is a country whose ontological overview can be understood within a context of history. In his epochal and yet personal delineation of the so called “Zimbabwean crisis”, he claims to have been a witness of “Years of Hope and Despair”. This conclusive and yet contested linear depiction of the First Republic carries with itself the burden of polarity, a monologue underpinned on diplomatic and sometimes a selective characterisation of what being Zimbabwean means. Of note, is that this memoir was produced at a time the construction and deconstruction of Zimbabwe’s diplomatic identity was densely characterised by hostility to those opposed to the then sought decolonial direction.
At the apex of Zimbabwe’s antagonist priority catalogue was Britain. The friction between Zimbabwe and Britain was accentuated by the unsolved land question which saw revolutionary justice being implemented to realign property relations by the land-hungry masses. The peasants and the war veterans in the countryside mobilised to reclaim land and reassign the struggle for the birth-right through land expropriation with no compensation (the Fast-Track Land Reform Programme/ Hondo yeminda/ Third-Chimurenga/ Umvukela Wesithathu).
It was in this outgrowth of circumstances that Zimbabwe faced economic sanctions in the face of a mushrooming opposition and a vigorously corroborating civil society with a clear agenda to collapse the prominence of the ruling party in what some sections of the academia have referred to as the “regime-change” agenda. One wonders if this was a coincidence that when the land question was revisited there was an increased force to change the order of power from the opposition to the ruling. Could it have been a coincidence that the launch of the land reform under the auspices of consolidating the liberation goals was also accompanied by radical nuances of re-imagining the citizenship?
This comes after a series of academic debates centred on rethinking belonging and nationhood in Zimbabwe. One of the most prolific propositions of dispelling our nationhood after the land reform include a co-edited volume by Amanda Hammar, Brian Raftopolous and Stig Jensen (2003) titled Zimbabwe’s Finished Business: Rethinking Land, State, and Nation in Zimbabwe in the Context of a Crisis. This is one of the many academic submissions whose existentiality has been associated with an anti-establishment awakening to override the then key attributes of the state with regards to its revival of the nationalist discourse in galvanising a post-colonial delink from neo-colonial hegemony.
While the state continued to harbour dedicated commitments to promoting social cohesion through intense liberation memory recollections and locating the agenda of economic indigenisation within the broader spectrum of enduring national values derived from the liberation legacy, there was a propensity to undermine this ideological direction. This, in Terence Ranger (2004)’s view, was a race essentialist route by the establishment to manipulate the nationalist historiography in bid to acquire political capital. Narrow as this view is, one is alarmed by an absolute dismissal of the existence of Zimbabwe as a nation in the work of one of our accomplished second generation of historians, Prof Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni (2011). He asks. Do Zimbabweans Exist?
In an attempt to address the phenomenal interrogation of Zimbabwe’s existence as a nation, he explores the country’s dark past of post-independence tensions, particularly the Gukurahundi history and unpacks the divided political memory it had conceived and how that mapped the contours of disharmony and hence dichotomous nationhood.
These and more cites of the archives validate the notion of “the nation as an imagined community” perceived to be the creative genius of men and women of letters. Writing on the relationship between literature and the nation, Huxley (1959:50) claimed that: “nations are to a very large extent invented by their poets and novelists.” Indeed, writers do “play a role that is confirming of the nation as a political or cultural entity, (emphasising) its uniqueness and its right to a state of its own”.
Understandably, Corse (1997:24) states that “national literatures have become essential characteristics of a nation-state”. In addition to the positive potential contribution of literature to the nation, like identity creation, national consciousness, shared memory and loyalty; “literature can be used to deconstruct, or even subvert, a national project in favour of an alternative . . .” (Suleiman 2016:2). According to Mangena (2015:6), “major Zimbabwean writers write against both colonial oppression and the challenges of the Zimbabwean post-colony.”
Having grounded this presentation on a clear conceptual premise it is now imperative to dissect what our past- as constructed in our political and literary realities provides in navigating a new consciousness of national belonging. This follows the establishment of the New Dispensation in November, 2017 as a precursor of the Second-Republic which was born out of the 30 July plebiscite.
The Second-Republic as a fulfilment of a close to four decades aspiration for democratic maturation provides an opportunity for us to revisit the residual points of tension emanating from grotesque episodes of past particularly successive vices of electoral violence, punitive politics and of course the Matabeleland and Midlands disturbances of 1982 to 1987 which constitute the centre of our discussion.
Gukurahundi: A past buried or a past with us?
The past will always have a way to haunt us if its depravities are not dealt with. In our lifetime, the land reform programme has clearly sustained that truth. It was a recurrence of history that visited the face of our politics as a redress to the structural imbalance of the past. This was because we initially misconstrued the edits of post-independence reconciliation as the ultimate source of generating cohesion and yet our other counterparts wanted to perpetuate their monopoly.
In the same manner, even after the signing of the Unity Accord in 1987 some fault-lines of the nation-building have given prominence to selective reflections on the past and in the process, the Gukurahundi has been manipulated to expose the selective reality of our tensions. Sadly, this narrative has been largely packed as an electoral concern than it has been presented as a valid national question.
Over the years, the Gukurahundi issue has been used to relegate the ruling party’s political prominence in a bid to validate the opposition. However, election outcomes in some parts of the Southern-Region which are characterised as epicentres of these disturbances have given electoral allegiance to the ruling.
As a result, this shows that affected communities have been naturalised to the initial edits of reconciliation which were spelt out in the Unity Accord signed in 1987 between the late Vice President of Zimbabwe, Dr Joshua Nkomo and the President of the First Republic, Robert Gabriel Mugabe. The post-Unity Accord electoral patterns in Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South reflect an organic prevalence of cordial and narrow antagonism between the Southern-Region and the ruling party.
Clearly, the notion of tension is a by-product of academic and civil-society constructions of the Zimbabwean reality. However, the challenge embodied in this inclination is that it deliberately ignores that what happened in Matabeleland and Midlands was far beyond ethic essentialism, but rather it was a clear evidence of the consequences of the splits of the nationalist movement in 1963 and how the later part of the fight for freedom and pronounced divided political lines along ethnicity.
Again, the rise of Frolizi further widened the rifts of the nationalist movement in a manner which enabled Western hegemony to pierce into the divided camps of the nationalist movement. This then gave the British an opportunity to manipulate these seemingly ethic fall-outs in the nationalist movement to then crush Zapu’s pro-Eastern European leaning which was an antithesis of Britain’s fronted Western supremacy.
On that note, the Gukurahundi must be understood as a deliberated target on Zapu’s influence in giving prominence to communism.
This is because Zapu’s alliance to the ANC in waging resistance to the apartheid system was treated as a threat to the spread of the third wave of liberal democracy.
To be continued
The Author Obert Mpofu is the ZANU PF Secretary for Administration.
THE Zanu-PF Youth League yesterday stepped in to resolve a violent turf war between two rival youth groups in West Nicholson, Matabeleland South, after claims that one of them was using names of senior party leaders to defy a Supreme Court order and muscle out the rightful owners of a small-scale mine claim.
At a meeting held in Gwanda, Zanu-PF Deputy Secretary for Youth Affairs, Lewis Matutu said the two warring factions should respect the court ruling on the issue. The meeting was also attended by the Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs Minister, Abednico Ncube and other senior party Youth League members, who included youth provincial chairman, Washington Nkomo.
Netsai Ncube, Mpumelelo Nyoni and Paul Gwanangana claimed that a rival mining syndicate, claiming to be the rightful leaders of the claim, Youth In Mining Organisation, had driven them out of their mining claim when it started showing promising returns. This was despite the fact that the trio were the original signatories to a Tribute Agreement awarded by Farvic Consolidated Mine.
The mining company, after lobbying from former Gwanda Central Member of Parliament Edson Gumbo, had made a commitment to give as many as 30 small claims to youth mining groups in the area. The West Nicholson mining claim was the first to be given away.
The trio of Ncube, Nyoni and Gwanangana claimed that those saying they belonged to the Youth in Mining Association had used Minister Ncube’s name to muscle into their lucrative claim. The Youth In Mining Association members refused to vacate the claim despite a Supremo Court order urging them to do so, leading to clashes between the two groups.
In his address to the meeting, Minister Ncube, however, said he did not know how his name had ended up getting dragged into the fight. He said he was only fighting against greed, as he did not want a few benefiting at the expense of many.
“Usually my name is thrown in the mud but I don’t have a hand in any of these things. All I asked was for youths to work together so that they don’t kill each other. We should not go around lying because we’re not only destroying ourselves but also the party in the process,” he said.
Matutu said the two groups should find a way to work together as they were all now fighting for a small slice of the pie when a bigger piece was at stake. He also said he did not understand how the senior party leadership in the province and law enforcement authorities allowed an order from the country’s highest court to be disobeyed.
“We’ve got someone who wants to come in and give you 20 loaves and yet you’re already killing each other over one loaf,” Matutu said.
He resolved that the two groups should work together, although the Youth League would throw its weight behind the trio that had a Supreme Court order if push came to shove.
“We’re going to respect this (Supreme Court judgment). However, those that got the judgment in their favour must realise that there’re young people complaining against them and thus we say they have two days in which to work out modalities on how to benefit everyone else. In the meantime, no one whose name is not on the Tributary Agreement should do any work at the claim from today onwards.
“Those on the ground should vacate the mine immediately and police should move in and enforce the ruling made by the country’s highest court. The Youth League of old encouraged indiscipline and lawlessness and they did that for their own reasons. However, we’re a new crop of youth leaders and we say that we won’t encourage that,” Matutu said.
Zanu-PF Matabeleland South Provincial Youth Chairman Nkomo said although he had also been accused of taking side in the fight, he would also abide by the Supreme Court’s ruling.
“I have no power above the courts so I will follow what they said. Some might say I’ve taken sides but they approached me and spoke verbally without documentation proving ownership of the mine. This is a Youth League issue. So if there are elders in the party involved in this issue then they need to get themselves out of the situation today,” charged Nkomo.
First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa presents a hamper to senior national netball team player Joice Madah Takaidza, while Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Leigh-Coventry and vice-captain Felistus Kwangwa look on
First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa a fortnight ago pushed for the cancellation of a reception of the country’s senior netball team by Mayor of Harare, Herbert Gomba so she could instead be the one hosting the girls first.
THE exploits of the netball team at the just-ended Vitality Netball World Cup in Liverpool, England, attracted a huge attention from all corners of the country and the MDC run City of Harare had resolved to host the girls on their arrival.
There cocktail was unceremoniously postponed after what sources claimed was a result of intervention from the first lady.
The Gems, who went to Liverpool ranked 13th, finished the tournament at number eight and flew the country’s flag high with some good performances.
This attracted the attention of a full Harare City Council meeting where it was resolved that the team would be hosted at the Town House.
The team was yesterday feted with hampers by the First Lady while Government also chipped in with a ZWL$20 000 bonus for each player.
Speaking at the luncheon, the First Lady said the recent participation by the team at the tournament — where they finished eighth — showed that more women were taking up sports to empower themselves. She said the Gem’s exploits not only elevated local sport, but also cemented their role as the country’s ambassadors.
“I am reliably informed that in the history of our country this was the first time for a senior women’s team to qualify for a netball world cup, and coming up in the top ten among the world’s strongest netball teams is no minor achievement. Surely, it is slowly dawning on us that our women have a competitive advantage in sport and need our support in the manner we did for these girls. Our participation at the Vitality Netball World Cup competition was a milestone achievement in terms of our envisioned sport diplomacy as underlined by the national sport and recreation policy.”
The First Lady said sport diplomacy could help aid the country’s charm offensive. She said the netball team managed to lift the country’s flag high.
“And if the truth is to be told, it was evident for all of us to see that in Liverpool our girls did justice for us. They managed to pull the rest of the Zimbabwean community in the diaspora and extensively managed to sell the Zimbabwean brand. To the Gems: Zimbabwe really appreciates the ambassadorial role which you played. I sincerely hope our overseas hosts who supported us will also come to the home of the Gems right here in Zimbabwe for an experience with our stunning scenery and unique culture,” she added.
Mnangagwa said, “Sport does not only boast of some of the best sporting spectacle in the world, but it has also produced many positive role models who are an inspiration to young women and men around the world.”
She also thanked the corporate world for supporting the team and implored them to continue with their assistance.
Speaking at the same occasion, Minister for Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Kirsty Coventry said the Gems were role models in the community and they had a huge role in supporting upcoming youths.
“I wanted to give a bit of advice from someone who has been able to do the same thing that you have done: you have a huge responsibility on your shoulders, you are now role models, not only to your family members, but also to young women and girls throughout the country. They are looking up to you, please continue shining.”
Minister of State for Harare Metropolitan Provincial Affairs Oliver Chidawu applauded Mrs Mnangagwa for supporting the team. He also said sport played an integral role in the community as it contributed to empowerment.
“As Harare Metropolitan province, we are very much alive to the role sport and recreation plays in transforming livelihoods. Sports and recreation as an industry is able to sustain livelihoods in communities, thereby contributing to Government thrust of empowerment and reducing unemployment and poverty.”
A local firm, Tiger and Wheels, also pampered the team with hampers. The luncheon was attended by representatives from embassies from Palestine, Algeria and Turkey.
State Media|POWER utility, Zesa has paid an additional US$890 000 to South Africa power company Eskom, as it steps up efforts to clear its debt and pave way for new power exports from the neighbouring country, an official confirmed last night
In an interview, Zesa Holdings acting group chief executive officer Engineer Patrick Chivaura said the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) released US$890 000 to Eskom on Monday. Eng Chivaura said Eskom had set certain conditions for the country to start getting power and Zesa has since met all of them and is expecting to provide a bank guarantee by Tuesday, which will initialise the process of power supply to the country by the South African power utility.
“RBZ paid US$890 000 to Eskom for the liquidation of the debt that we have. Eskom asked us to meet certain conditions before the resumption of power supply to the country. I am happy to announce that we have met the conditions and we are looking forward to provide a bank guarantee by Tuesday. This will initialise the process of power supply by Eskom. I am very confident that the deal will materialise by next week,” he said.
Eng Chivaura said the new development will result in significant reduction in load-shedding.
“Once the deal materialises, we are expecting it to significantly reduce load-shedding. We will have power for more hours than we are having now,” he said.
Eng Chivaura said Zesa was also engaging Mozambican power utility, Hydro Cahora Bassa (HCB) to also start providing power to Zimbabwe. If that materialises, it will provide huge relief for the country which has already seen its generation capacity at Kariba North and South going down drastically due to reduced water levels in Lake Kariba.
“We are also engaging HCB to see if we can liquidate their debt and also to see if we can import more electricity from them. We owe them a lot of money and we want to see how best we can settle that debt and start getting more power from them,” he said.
Last week Energy and Power Development Minister Fortune Chasi confirmed that the South African government was considering a proposal put forward to increase power exports to Zimbabwe after high level talks between the two countries’ energy ministers.
Zimbabwe owes Eskom US$27 million, this is after a payment of US$10 million, which it made last month as part of its commitment to pay its debt. Additional power imports from South Africa will ease the prevailing power shortages, which have seen the country embarking on a daily 18-hour electricity load-shedding schedule.
SEVERAL boarding schools have increased fees for next term by an average of 100 percent, with some now demanding parents to add groceries to guard against the erosion of the value of the money.
Schools close for the second term this week, but most parents are in for a rude shock this month as a majority of the schools have already indicated that they will be increasing fees for the third term. The latest development comes as the Government has indicated that it was now up to schools and parents to sit down and decide which fees structure suit both parties with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education only coming in to legitimise the agreed figures.
“The ministry is not in charge of suggesting fees for schools but rather the school and parents are responsible for the agreement of the fees increase. The ministry then approves when it has seen the application made by the school and the register of attendance that is when it can approve the fee increases,” said Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Edgar Moyo.
A survey revealed that boarding schools have already come up with fees structures for next term. Some have already notified parents while some are waiting for schools to close so they can send letters to the parents.
Usher High School in Matabeleland South has increased fees from $950 to $1 700 per term. The school is also demanding that parents buy groceries. A parent with a child learning at the girls only school said it has become difficult, although parents were keen to see their children receive quality education and enough food during the course of the term.
“We are aware of the economic challenges facing our country, it is difficult because the economy is not stable but it is only fair that as a parent we do the best for the comfort and diet of our children, seeing that the prices are regularly changing as well,” said a parent.
Matopo High School has proposed to increase fees from $576 to $1 100 while its sister school, Mtshabezi High has proposed to increase from $800 to $1 300. Officials at other schools also indicated that they would increase the fees, but pointed out that that they were still working on the figures.
“With the current economic hardships we are faced, we are just expecting anything to happen. We will just keep hoping nothing changes but we cannot do anything because that is what is on the ground,” said Mrs Linda Moyo from Luveve, who said she has two children at Minda Girls High in Kezi.
Some parents said it was inevitable that the third term will be characterised by massive transfers as parents move their children to affordable schools, with private trust schools also reported to have hiked fees by massive margins.
VOTING in the Lupane East by-election ended peacefully last night with counting of votes starting immediately after polling stations closed at 7pm.
Voters started trickling in when polling stations were opened at 7am. The Lupane East seat fell vacant following the death of Zanu-PF parliamentarian, Cde Sithembile Gumbo in April due to injuries sustained in a road traffic accident.
The following candidates are vying for the seat Mbongeni Dube (Zanu-PF), Morgen Ndlovu (Labour Economists and African Democrats Party), Given Ncube (MDC-T), Dalumuzi Khumalo (MDC-Alliance), Nelson Mkandla (National Action Party), Andrew Tshaba (Mthwakazi Republic Party), Njabulo Sibanda (National Patriotic Front), Gezekile Mkhwebu (Zapu) and Alice Sibanda (National Constitutional Assembly.
Matabeleland North Provincial Elections Officer Mr Mark Ndlovu said the election was conducted in a peaceful manner with little incidents.
“We mobilised personnel for running the election. We had adequate vehicles and equipment for the election. We trained trainers and also conducted voter education for the public. After the training there was an introduction of a new programme where we pilot tested the display of voters roll at all 62 polling stations in this constituency,” he said.
Mr Ndlovu said they displayed the voters roll at polling stations prior to the election and voters came to observe if they were in the correct ward.
“In the last election many people were turned away from various polling stations for being in the wrong place. This year we made voters check their names at schools and we did this so that we reduce the number of people who would be turned away from the polling station.
So if they inspect early it is better. And we were not demanding IDs if one wanted to have a look at their names on the voters roll. So today people went to the relevant polling station,” said Mr Ndlovu.State media
By A Correspondent| Today is Day 7 of the people’s President, Nelson Chamisa’s final fasting and prayer marathon.
Chamisa began the prayers last week as he called for intercession before taking steps towards a decisive move.
For days Chamisa’s masses of supporters have gone on empty stomachs praying for their nation, Zimbabwe.
WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAVE AFTER TODAY?
Commenting on one side, Chamisa’s opponents, ZANU PF mocked the young politician saying he is wasting time denying himself food.
But opening the day, Sunday, Chamisa announced saying, it’s almost time! Tozorara tozorora. Nyika yakaremerwa nevanotiremera hama. Mwari vatibatsire kuti tizvibatsire. It’s almost time!”
He also tweeted:
“It’s almost time!
“DAY 7/7 FREEDOM, DELIVERANCE & RESTORATION COMING TO ZIMBABWE..And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him.”
MASVINGO General Hospital, is failing to secure $300 000 demanded by power company Zesa, to exempt the provincial referral health institution from load shedding, an official has said.
The hospital, unlike other referral health centres across the country is not being exempted from load shedding.
This has seen the hospital facing challenges especially in trying to meet emergency services such as operations. Presenting a report on the state of the hospital before a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care in Masvingo recently, hospital superintendent Dr Julius Chirengwa said the institution was adversely affected by the power cuts and in need of uninterrupted power supply.
“Zesa has asked for a fee of $300 000 so that we can have dedicated power, so we are looking at raising that amount,” said Dr Chirengwa.
He said the hospital, besides being strategic was being treated like residential areas, a situation putting lives of some patients, especially those with chronic diseases at risk.State media
POWER utility, Zesa has paid an additional US$890 000 to South Africa power company Eskom, as it steps up efforts to clear its debt and pave way for new power exports from the neighbouring country, an official confirmed last night.
In an interview, Zesa Holdings acting group chief executive officer Engineer Patrick Chivaura said the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) released US$890 000 to Eskom on Monday. Eng Chivaura said Eskom had set certain conditions for the country to start getting power and Zesa has since met all of them and is expecting to provide a bank guarantee by Tuesday, which will initialise the process of power supply to the country by the South African power utility.
“RBZ paid US$890 000 to Eskom for the liquidation of the debt that we have. Eskom asked us to meet certain conditions before the resumption of power supply to the country.
I am happy to announce that we have met the conditions and we are looking forward to provide a bank guarantee by Tuesday. This will initialise the process of power supply by Eskom. I am very confident that the deal will materialise by next week,” he said.
Eng Chivaura said the new development will result in significant reduction in load-shedding.
“Once the deal materialises, we are expecting it to significantly reduce load-shedding. We will have power for more hours than we are having now,” he said.
Eng Chivaura said Zesa was also engaging Mozambican power utility, Hydro Cahora Bassa (HCB) to also start providing power to Zimbabwe. If that materialises, it will provide huge relief for the country which has already seen its generation capacity at Kariba North and South going down drastically due to reduced water levels in Lake Kariba.
“We are also engaging HCB to see if we can liquidate their debt and also to see if we can import more electricity from them. We owe them a lot of money and we want to see how best we can settle that debt and start getting more power from them,” he said.State media
The Postal and Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) is negotiating with power utility Zesa to improve electricity supply to telecommunication operators in order to guarantee the integrity of their service, which is critical for both social and business communications.
The telecommunications industry regulator, however, commended Government for its efforts in addressing the current power shortages. Operators such as TelOne, Econet, NetOne and Telecel have been severely affected by the power outages, which have affected the quality of their services.
Addressing consumers at a consumer awareness event in Mahusekwa yesterday, Potraz head of consumer affairs and publicity, Mr George Manyaya said Zesa is being implored to spare critical telecoms infrastructure from load-shedding.
“As Potraz, we are lobbying Zesa to prioritise the transmission and core network so that data centres, hub sites, and hub centres, among others, should not be subjected to load-shedding. Every transaction lost to load-shedding translates to revenue loss for Government,” said Mr Manyaya.
“The nationwide challenge has affected the sector as all base stations run on electricity as their primary source of power.
“When we have load-shedding, operators have to resort to generators, assuming the site has a generator and the generator has the fuel.
“As the regulator, we need to ensure that we balance affordability and sustainability. Operators need consumers and vice versa.”
He added that measures introduced by Government, such as promotion of solar and other renewable energy sources, would yield positive results for the future of the telecommunications sector.State media
ÀAt a time when he has not paid attention to basics of engagement with his own local citizens, Foreign Minister Sibusiso Moyo has written truckloads of cement requesting the European Union to turn itself into Zimbabwe’s strongest partner in Africa.
Writing in a weekend opinion piece, the man who announced former President Robert Mugabe’s removal, said, “if the United States and EU end their Mugabe-era sanctions and support Zimbabwe on its journey back from two decades of isolation, they will find us a willing and strong partner in Africa’.’
Below was Moyo’s full text –
By SB Moyo| A year has passed since Zimbabwe elected President Emmerson Mnangagwa in late July 2018. This is an important milestone for our new administration, one that has made reform a key priority, as we sweep away the decades of misrule and mismanagement that Zimbabwe has been synonymous for. But key challenges remain as the economy faces the inflationary effects of a drought and currency depreciation.
Zimbabwe and the European Union relaunched political talks in June aimed at normalising relations between the two parties, which had become strained during the former president Robert Mugabe’s rule. The EU’s longstanding partnership with Zimbabwe, which dates back to the independence of the country in 1980, focuses on development cooperation in the areas of health, agriculture and economy. The EU helped Zimbabwe respond to various natural disasters and drought, especially following Cyclone Idai and subsequent floods in March this year. Moreover, Zimbabwe, the EU and the United Nations (UN) launched a Spotlight Initiative to end violence against women and girls at the end of June.
Despite these positive developments, no one should underestimate the scale of the mountain facing Zimbabwe after 37 years under Mugabe. The presidential election in 2018 was a turning point, with voters having a real choice for the first time in decades. That the election result was close is itself a testament to the strong democratic current and the feeling of hope in the new Zimbabwe.
If the United States and EU end their Mugabe-era sanctions and support Zimbabwe on its journey back from two decades of isolation, they will find us a willing and strong partner in Africa.
Dr Sibusiso Busi Moyo
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in Zimbabwe
President Mnangagwa won a personal mandate for reforming the country. In the 12 months since then, he has single-mindedly worked on turning that goal into reality for all Zimbabweans.
On the economic front, the country is turning a corner with the government achieving a budget surplus within a few months of taking over. The monthly budget deficit declined from $242 million (€218 million) in November 2018 to a surplus of $733 million (€660 million) in December, and a provisional surplus of $113 million (€102 million) for January this year.
With the economy in the safe hands of finance minister Mthuli Ncube – a respected economist with a doctorate from Oxford – Zimbabwe is expected to continue its successful bid to rein in the budget deficit. Our target for 2019 is to reduce the budget deficit from about 12% of GDP to 5%.
The government is also reducing Zimbabwe’s massive debt. It will only borrow RTGS$ 400 million from the central bank in 2019, down from RTGS$ 3 billion last year; cut the government’s salary bill to 67% of the budget, down from 79% last year; and it will not take on any new debt from foreign lenders until early 2020.
But the economy is still expected to suffer in the short term before it can grow again, due to a severe drought and Cyclone Idai that devastated crops in the eastern part of the country in March. According to a recent report by UN aid agencies, Zimbabwe needs about $218 million (€196 million) to provide food aid to 5.5 million people until April 2020, when the next harvest is expected.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has supported the government’s reform process, including the plan to relaunch the Zimbabwe dollar by early 2020. The IMF said the economy would contract by 2.1% this year before rebounding to 3.3% growth in 2020. The annual inflation rate will average 80.86% this year, but the figure is expected to fall to 14.1% next year. This indicates the economic pain felt by ordinary Zimbabweans will soon be over, thanks to the tough economic measures being taken by the Mnangagwa administration.
Structural reforms are also being implemented with over 30 Mugabe-era laws currently under review. This follows the government’s promise to modernise laws and align them to the Constitution.
The Public Order and Security Act (POSA), a controversial emergency law that dates back to the Mugabe era, will be replaced by the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA), which will bring Zimbabwe in line with Western standards. The government has also initiated the process of compensating white commercial farmers who lost their land during Mugabe’s Land Reform Programme. These are all key demands made by the United States government in order to remove long-standing sanctions against Zimbabwe.
The UN has commended Zimbabwe’s media reforms, consisting of three bills that will effectively replace the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). The government is committed to opening up the airwaves and promoting the freedom of expression and dissemination of diverse views in the country.
There are some in Western democracies who believe that Zimbabwe can do nothing right, that our new administration cannot implement real change. But the pace of change on the ground shows that this is Zimbabwe’s once-in-a-generation chance to get it right. If the US and the EU extend their support to the Mnangagwa government and our reform efforts, Zimbabwe will be able to transform itself even faster and live up to its huge potential.
President Mnangagwa has made his preference clear: one of his first acts as president was to reach out to the West, steering Zimbabwe away from Mugabe’s ‘Look East’ policy. Mnangagwa has invited Western investment, saying the country is now “open for business,” thereby signalling a clean break with the past.
We hope the West will reciprocate this hand of friendship. If the United States and EU end their Mugabe-era sanctions and support Zimbabwe on its journey back from two decades of isolation, they will find us a willing and strong partner in Africa.
AS most tertiary institutions open this month, a sizeable number of students go back to wrap up their academic pursuits while others begin a new chapter.
But there is a worrying trend at these institutions of higher learning, which parents and guardians must be wary of — an increase in the number of suicide cases.
University students, whose only concern should be excelling in their academic studies, are taking their own lives. Disturbingly, no one seems to know why.
But apart from academic pressure, matters of the heart are complex and can take a huge toll on a student’s mental faculties. It can be even worse if they are coupled with financial troubles, the impact can be catastrophic.
Suicides are emerging as one of the biggest causes of death for students at tertiary institutions in Zimbabwe and these usually occur during examination time. Screaming headlines of students ending their lives owing to different reasons have become a staple.
Although tertiary institutions were not forthcoming with statistics on suicide deaths among students, investigations by The Sunday Mail Society revealed disturbing trends. Last year alone, five of the more than 10 university students who died were suspected to have committed suicide.
One of the latest students to commit suicide is Misheck Siwela, a second-year actuarial science student.
The 21-year-old promising actuarial scientist’s lifeless body was found hanging from trusses of his family’s Nketa home in Bulawayo. He did not leave a suicide note and his family was left puzzled as he had not shown any signs of depression.
Siwela committed suicide as he was preparing for his end of semester examinations.
In another case of suspected suicide, Blessing Mangena, a first-year statistics student, was crushed by a train in November last year. This was after she had been impregnated by a man who was not her boyfriend.
Two months earlier, the body of an unnamed second-year finance student had been found hanging in a hostel at the National University of Science of Technology (NUST). The student is suspected to have committed suicide, but just like Siwela, he did not leave any clues on why he had taken his own life.
At Midlands State University (MSU), one of the largest tertiary institutions in the country, a number of students have committed suicide in recent times. One of the students who died recently was Walter Temera, who took his own life in November last year after finding a lecturer in bed with his girlfriend.
In another case, a second year student at the same university was in September last year found hanging in his hostel in another suspected case of suicide. Students who had lived with him said he never showed any signs of distress.
Several students from the institution have committed suicide since then, with more cases coming from colleges and polytechnics around the country. Health professionals say depression and anxiety have become increasingly prevalent in today’s college students, with mental health issues being the biggest barriers to doing well in school.
The development has left experts calling for strong counselling programmes to assist troubled students as they fear the trend might go down to secondary and primary institutions.
What could possibly be the reason behind the increased cases of suicides in tertiary institutions? A psychiatrist, Bernard Muroyiwa, said the biggest cause of suicide is depression, which is characterised by a low mood, low energy, low interest, low concentration and repeated thoughts of death. He said university students are always under pressure and their institutions should always ensure they access psycho-social services.
“Suicide is associated with self-guilt, worthlessness and hopelessness. When one reaches hopelessness, suicide is seen as a way to escape a situation,” said Muroyiwa.State media
Over 20 people have been reported dead in a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas.
“On a day that would have been a normal day for someone to leisurely go shopping turned into one of the most deadly days in the history of Texas. Lives were taken that should still be with us today,” said Gov. Greg Abbott.
He said 20 people were killed and at least 26 were injured in the mass shooting.
Zimbabwe welcomes foreign investors into the country but will not accept investments that come with conditions attached.
This was said by President Mnangagwa after taking part in the ninth edition of the National Environment Cleaning Day at Ashbrittle Shopping Centre yesterday.
He also said there must be unity and peace among Zimbabweans if the country is to develop.
“We want a better future, we want the next generation to live a better life than ourselves and to do so the current generation should be united as a country, as a people and we must put our heads together and shoulders on the wheel to develop, to modernise, to industrialise our country,” President Mnangagwa said.
“We can do that and achieve that on our own, depending on our resources but alas, the pace at which we develop would be very slow. That’s why we have said ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ in order to attract foreign direct investment into the country and assist us to develop the various sectors of the economy: agriculture, mining, tourism, manufacturing, infrastructure development and ICTs.
“But when FDIs come into the country, they must come at the dictates of ourselves; no political ties, no conditions. The conditions should only be those which we want and this can only be achieved if we remain united, when we remain peaceful, when each one of us strives to do one’s best in whatever they are doing.”
President Mnangagwa said Government had embarked on the re-engagement process so that the country re-joins the community of nations.State media
Farai Dziva|In a development that is likely to punctuate the hullabaloo in the Zanu PF camp, the UK has insisted on genuine political reforms.
According to SADC News, the UK has urged the President of Zimbabwe to deliver on “genuine” political and economic reforms in order to ensure a brighter future for the country.
Newly elected Prime Minster of the UK, Boris Johnson, also asked Emmerson Mnangagwa to implement recommendations by the Motlanthe Commission, which was set up after demonstrators were shot and killed in 2018.
Zanu PF sympathisers last week claimed the UK Premier, indicated willingness to discuss diplomatic issues with Mnangagwa.
The state media splattered acres of space celebrating that the government controlled power utility, ZESA has paid South Africa’s ESKOM a paltry $890,000, a fraction of the millions owed to the company.
For years the ZANU PF government has demonsrated no desire to sell off ZESA to capable private companies, something advised by economists and business experts. In a recent interview the mayor of Harare, Clr Herbert Gomba also told ZimEye the capital city for instance has bee run down ever since the government usurped power generation servives, taking them away from independent authorities.
ZimEye Business upholds this belief that the only way to bring back electricity to the country is privatisation.
Below was the full text:
State Media – Power utility, Zesa has paid an additional US$890 000 to South Africa power company Eskom, as it steps up efforts to clear its debt and pave way for new power exports from the neighbouring country, an official confirmed last night.
In an interview, Zesa Holdings acting group chief executive officer Engineer Patrick Chivaura said the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) released US$890 000 to Eskom on Monday. Eng Chivaura said Eskom had set certain conditions for the country to start getting power and Zesa has since met all of them and is expecting to provide a bank guarantee by Tuesday, which will initialise the process of power supply to the country by the South African power utility. “RBZ paid US$890 000 to Eskom for the liquidation of the debt that we have. Eskom asked us to meet certain conditions before the resumption of power supply to the country. I am happy to announce that we have met the conditions and we are looking forward to provide a bank guarantee by Tuesday. This will initialise the process of power supply by Eskom. I am very confident that the deal will materialise by next week,” he said. Eng Chivaura said the new development will result in significant reduction in load-shedding. “Once the deal materialises, we are expecting it to significantly reduce load-shedding. We will have power for more hours than we are having now,” he said. Eng Chivaura said Zesa was also engaging Mozambican power utility, Hydro Cahora Bassa (HCB) to also start providing power to Zimbabwe. If that materialises, it will provide huge relief for the country which has already seen its generation capacity at Kariba North and South going down drastically due to reduced water levels in Lake Kariba. “We are also engaging HCB to see if we can liquidate their debt and also to see if we can import more electricity from them. We owe them a lot of money and we want to see how best we can settle that debt and start getting more power from them,” he said. Last week Energy and Power Development Minister Fortune Chasi confirmed that the South African government was considering a proposal put forward to increase power exports to Zimbabwe after high level talks between the two countries’ energy ministers. Zimbabwe owes Eskom US$27 million, this is after a payment of US$10 million, which it made last month as part of its commitment to pay its debt. Additional power imports from South Africa will ease the prevailing power shortages, which have seen the country embarking on a daily 18-hour electricity load-shedding schedule.
By A Correspondent| Come and see what has happened here, screamed a crying elderly woman just after midnight Sunday morning. This was after a man was burnt to death while inside a house he was recently relocated into.
The full details of the mishap were sketchy at the time of writing.
The unnamed man is one of 23 recently rescued from a nearby dam.
The actor and TV presenter, Victor Kazembe, filmed the below LIVE video following the tragedy, just as members of the fire brigade attended the scene. – More to follow…
Farai Dziva|Political analyst Anthony Taruvinga has said Zanu PF wants to eliminate MDC Youth Assembly leader Obey Sithole for speaking out against the regime.
“For the second time within a space of less than 60 days, Mnangagwa’s agents have attempted to kill Chairman Tererai Obey Sithole without success.
They still want him dead.
Now, my worry is not about the murderous behaviour of Zanu PF agents because we have known them as murderers.
We urge President Nelson Chamisa to give Obey the protection he urgently deserves. The party must give him bodyguards.
This is very serious. He has become the target mainly because he commands the largest portion of the population, which (the youths) and has done well in the campaigns,” said Taruvinga.
FC Platinum and CAPS United played to a goalless draw at Mandava Stadium on Saturday.
The visitors set the pace in the opening minutes of the game, dominating the possession, but the Platinum Boys soon picked up their tempo and got the first attempt on minute 7 when Evidence Tendayi‘s effort was saved by the keeper.
Rodwell Chinyengetere and Kieth Madera also met opportunities on their way but failed to reach the target.
On the other end, United only came close on goal after the half-hour when Dominic Chungwa fluffed a golden opportunity inside the box.
Chitiyo followed up on the stroke of halftime when he received the ball in the face of the keeper and Rainsome Pavari’s well-timed interception saved the day for FC Platinum.
The second half saw CAPS United getting much of the play in the middle park but failing to penetrate the hosts’ backline. Their only threatening effort came early in the period when Joel Ngodzo’s strike went to the hands of the keeper.
No significant chances from the hosts were created in the remainder of the game as it ended in a stalemate.
At Rufaro Stadium, Dynamos and Triangle United drew 1-1.
The Sugar Boys broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark through Trevor Mavhunga. The advantage was cancelled out nine minutes later by Godknows Murwira who equalised after his free-kick took a deflection from Donald Dzvinyai.
The visitors could have grabbed the lead again in the second half but Allan Tavarwisa’s header hit the post.
Ngezi Platinum Stars beat Harare City 2-0 in a game played at Baobab Stadium. Barnabas Mushunje (2′) and Donald Teguru (20′) were on target for Madamburo.
Results:
FC Platinum 0-0 Caps United Dynamos 1-1 Triangle United Ngezi Platinum 2-0 Harare City ZPC Kariba 2-1 Hwange Manica Diamonds 0-2 Black Rhinos Herentals 0-0 Bulawayo Chiefs-Soccer24Zimbabwe
Farai Dziva|The price of fuel has gone up again triggering panic stations across the country.
The maximum pump price of petrol is now $9.01 and that of diesel is now $9.06.
The fuel price has effectively increased twice in the same week with the last increase having been announced on 30 July .
Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority announced the new increase on Twitter .
Before this increase, the price of petrol was Petrol $7.55 and diesel was pegged at $7.22.
“Please be advised that the new fuel prices effective Saturday, 03 August 2019 are as follows:
Diesel (ZWL/Litre) Blend E20 (ZWL/Litre)
FOB 0.6052 0.5888
Exchange Rate 7.5000 7.5000
Duty (ZIMRA Exchange Rate – 9.0938) 2.4883 2.7323
Oil Company Margin 0.4796 0.4767
Dealer Margin 0.5930 0.5895
Maximum Pump Price 9.06 9.01
The changes in the fuel prices are due to the FOB price movements and the revised duty regime (SI 161 of 2019).”
THE transfer of funds from mobile money transfer agents to recipients will now be subjected to taxation as Treasury moves to plug out rampant illegal foreign currency deals being conducted via the cash-in and cash-out facility.
Although Government has established the interbank foreign currency market to stabilise the financial services sector, illegal foreign currency deals remain stubborn with the parallel market still exerting pressure on the formal trading platform.
In his 2019 mid-year budget review statement presented in Parliament on Thursday, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube tracked the remnant illegal forex deals to the abuse of the cash-in and cash-out facility.
He said while legislation obliges financial institutions to deduct intermediated money transfer tax on the transfer of money by any means other than by cheque, mobile money transfers by agents to recipients were left out of the tax bracket. The existing regulations apply to taxation on money transfers between two persons, from one person to two or more persons or from two or more persons to one person.
“However, cash-in and cash-out transactions conducted through mobile money transfer platforms do not fall within the above criterion hence the tax is not deductible,” said Prof Ncube.
He said most illegal foreign currency transactions were being conducted through this platform thereby evading payment of tax and sustaining parallel market activities.
“I, therefore, propose to levy tax on the transfer of money from mobile money transfer agents to recipients,” said Minister Ncube.
Government introduced the intermediated money transfer tax (IMTT), popularly known as the ‘2c tax’ in October last year. The tax is pegged at 2c per every dollar transacted as part of measures to widen the revenue base. It replaced the previous tax of five cents per transaction.
Prof Ncube said the bulk of the revenue from this tax head was being used to finance critical infrastructure projects such as roads. Since its introduction, the tax head has performed very well and has become one of the top revenue head contributors, according to Zimra.
In his budget review statement, Prof Ncube announced a further review to the IMTT citing changes in the macro-economic conditions.
“I propose to review the tax-free threshold from the current ZWL$10 to ZW$20 and the maximum tax payable per transaction by corporates from the current ZWL$10 000 to ZW$15 000 for transactions with value exceeding ZWL$750 000. Furthermore, I propose to exempt additional transactions from IMTT in order to eliminate double taxation,” he said.
Individual tax payers and corporates have complained that the 2c tax has increased the cost of doing business and is draining consumers.
Prof Ncube has said the revenue enhancing measures are meant to boost domestic resources to support the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP), a major building block towards attainment of an upper middle income economy by 2030.
“It is therefore time to really focus on production, productivity, growth, poverty reduction and development, given that the fiscal and monetary policy issues are under control,” said Prof Ncube.
Sports minister Kirsty Coventry has promised to watch the English Premier League side Aston Villa play following their signing of Zimbabwean midfielder Marvellous Nakamba.
Nakamba was officially unveiled as an Aston Villa player this week and Zimbabweans have been ecstatic at the prospects of watching a warriors player rubbing shoulders with the world’s best players in England.
Coventry could not be left out of the celebrations saying she will be watching more of Aston Villa games in celebration of Nakamba.
Below is Coventry’s tweet in response to Aston Villa’s announcement of Nakamba as their player.
Below is a statement from the National Patriotic Front on recent pronouncements by Finance Minister Prof Mthuli Ncube which effectively ended the 51-49 ownership pattern in the mining sector.
The former President Robert Mugabe backed party said they believe the liberation struggle was fought in order to restore Zimbabweans rights to their God given resources which the new dispensation seeks to do away with to impress investors.
Jealousy Mawarire who released the statement said he believes the removal of the indigenization policy is a reversal of the gains of the liberation struggle.
By Own Correspondent| President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed four new ambassadors to replace those who either retired or have been recalled.
Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Dr Misheck Sibanda, made the announcement in a notice in a Government Gazette published on Friday.
The appointments, as Sibanda indicated, were made in terms of Sections 110(2) (i) and 204 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) 2013 Act, 2013. Below are the appointments which the president made.
Dr Emmanuel Runganga Gumbo – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Sudan. He replaces Ms Hilda Mafudze, who had served in Khartoum from 2009 to date
Engineer Jetro Ndlovu – Inaugural ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
Ms Mietani Chauke – Ambassador to the Republic of Italy, replacing career diplomat Mr Godfrey Magwenzi.
Air Marshal (Retired) Shebba Shumbayawonda – Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt, replacing Mr Christopher Mapanga
GOVERNMENT has come to the rescue of about 600 farmers at Mt Olympus in Goromonzi who were being threatened with eviction by former Finance deputy minister Terence Mukupe to pave way for residential developments.
The farmers, more than half of whom have government-issued offer letters, have been living at the farm since 2000 until this year when Mukupe, through his company Farmtel Investments, claimed that he was offered the same piece of land by the Local Government ministry then led by Saviour Kasukuwere.
On Thursday, Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs minister Aplonia Munzverengi, who was accompanied by top officials from the Lands ministry visited the farmers and assured them that they would be spared eviction while authorities try to find a lasting solution to the impasse.
Munzverengi said the land in question falls under Mashonaland East province and that those seeking to allocate residential stands should look somewhere else for land.
“I came here to talk to you after learning of all the problems you are facing. This land falls under Mashonaland East; you have offer letters, meaning that you belong here. We looked into the matter and we are still on the table with relevant authorities for a permanent solution. However, you belong here and continue with your activities here. Do we have to turn each piece of land into residential stands? They should look elsewhere not here,” she said.
Mt Olympus Farm, also known as KwaProton, has a total hectarage of 5 700 hectares with more than 250 resettled farmers yet to get their offer letters.
Recently, Mukupe who had visited the farmers to distribute eviction notice, reportedly left in a huff as the angry farmers drove him off the farm.
The farmers’ spokesperson, one Musungo, said Mukupe had become a problem, threatening to take over the land despite most of the farmers being productive.
“We have been farming on this land since 2000 until this year when some land barons came to disturb our peace by claiming that the land is theirs. We have more than 324 farmers who were given offer letters in 2010 by the responsible ministry. This has been our home and we have been very productive. We participated in command agriculture and we did well among other projects,” he said.
Most of the farmers are currently on the command poultry programme that was launched by the local legislator Ozias Bvute last year.
According to government documents, in 2016 Mukupe’s company, Farmtel Investments was given 100ha in Chishawasha B, with other companies reportedly belonging to government heavyweights like Nettfields Investments (Pvt) Ltd and Mahlaba (Pvt) Ltd and Elephant Trust also getting pieces of the farm which lies along Arcturus Road.
Former Zanu-PF youth league boss Kudzanayi Chipanga was also one of the beneficiaries.
Zodwa is sticking by her decision to call off her wedding and vowed to “never go back” to her former bae Ntobeko.
The couple were set to tie the knot this past weekend but cancelled the ceremony at the 11th hour. Zodwa told TshisaLIVE earlier this week that the wedding is off “for good” and she had broken up with Ntobeko.
Although she was shy to share what caused the split, she hinted that fame had driven a wedge between them and claimed Ntobeko did not “fight” for her.
Ntobeko refused to comment on the couple’s relationship and said Zodwa knew the reasons for the split
The couple’s relationship was on and off several times in the build-up to the wedding but speaking to TshisaLIVE again on Wednesday, Zodwa shut down suggestions that the couple could get back together.
“I will never get back to Ntobeko. Never.”
Zodwa added that she was “bored and tired” of the whole relationship and had been working hard.
Despite the heartbreak, Zodwa said she still believed in love and would fall in love again, given the chance.
“I still believe in love and will be in a relationship in the future, but not with Ntobeko.”
ABOUT 15 Chivhu war veterans on Tuesday demonstrated against alleged maladministration by the district development co-ordinator Michael Mariga and locked him out of his office.
The war veterans accused Mariga of allocating land without following proper procedures, which had caused some misunderstandings among land owners in the district.
They also accused Mariga of disrespecting them and sidelining them from the affairs of the district.
The war veterans gathered at Mariga’s office at the Range offices, some 15km from Chivhu town, waving placards, singing and chanting slogans.
They then put key blockers on his office locks.
“The office is ours. Chivhu is ours. You are a mere employee, so you can’t disrespect us. You must go,” they sang.
Some of the placards were written, “Mariga, why do you hate war vets that much?”, “Why don’t you want war vets in lands meetings?”, “You wrote a letter to the political commissar lying that war vets were selling State land. Prove it.”
Mariga could not be reached for a comment as he continuously dropped calls from NewsDay Weekender.
Chikomba War Veterans Association chairperson Joachim Chivandire said he was attending meetings in Marondera and could not comment.
“I am in Marondera for some meetings. I will get in touch when I get back to Chivhu,” he said.
A war veteran, who participated in the demonstration and agreed to comment on condition of anonymity, said there was bad blood between the freedom fighters and Mariga which had been derailing development in the district, hence they had to organise a demonstration to alert higher authorities.
“We tried several means to amicably resolve our differences with Mariga, but to no avail. We couldn’t let the situation continue like that, so we had to lock him out of his office,” she said.
Early this year, a war veteran, Justice Munhapa, was fined $30 at the Chivhu Magistrates’ Courts for insulting Mariga and calling him a liar during a lands meeting.
The family of the missing journalist Itai Dzamara has set the 7th of August as the date for the launch of the Itai Dzamara Trust in honor of one of former President Robert Mugabe’s fierce critic.
Brother to Itai, Partson said the launch coincides with his birthday.
“We are launching the Itai Dzamara trust on his birthday on 07 August next week. The dream is alive. Thank you all for your support and you are invited. Mega blessings.”
Dzamara was abducted by unknown assailants in 2014 and has not been seen to this day, with countless theories pointing to the state hand.
Barcelona forward Messi, 32, was sent off in Argentina’s 2-1 third-place play-off win over Chile and later said the “cup was fixed for Brazil”. Argentina captain Lionel Messi has been banned from international football for three months after claiming the Copa America was “corrupt”.
He has also been fined $50,000 (£41,121) by Conmebol, the South American Football Confederation. Messi has seven days to appeal Conmebol’s decision to suspend him. The ban means Messi will miss Argentina’s upcoming friendlies against Chile, Mexico and Germany in September and October.
Argentina’s qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup begins in March 2020. Following Argentina’s 2-0 semi-final defeat by hosts Brazil, the Argentine Football Association complained about “serious and gross refereeing errors”.
In response, Conmebol said accusations questioning the integrity of the Copa America were “unfounded” and “represent a lack of respect”. Messi was shown a red card in the 37th minute against Chile, following a clash with Gary Medel, who was also dismissed.
“We don’t have to be part of this corruption,” Messi said. “They have showed us a lack of respect throughout this tournament. “Sadly, the corruption, the referees, they don’t allow people to enjoy football, they ruined it a bit.”
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday said his government would soon unveil new notes and coins to complete the cycle of the introduction of the new currency put in motion through the banning of the multi-currency system.
Speaking during his traditional national clean-up exercise in Mount Pleasant, Harare, Mnangagwa said the country did not, as yet, have its own currency despite having banned the use of the multi-currency regime.
“You know that on the aspect of currency, we banned the multi-currency regime and said we want our own money. We are yet to have our own currency, but we banned the other currencies,” he said.
“What we have left is the RTGS and swipe. In the future, money will come that will have our own features of Zimbabwe so that we can hold our heads high.”
Before the introduction of the new Zimbabwe notes and coins, the local currency is already taking a beating after Finance minister Mthuli Ncube in his Mid-term budget review on Thursday introduced measures that could trigger inflation.
Ncube increased prices of most government services and electricity tariffs, pushed up taxes on alcohol and fuel.
Mnangagwa acknowledged the downside of the economy, telling Zimbabweans that they should confront the hardships head-on.
““We have problems, but we must not avoid them. We are supposed to face them head-on. In that process, we have to go through hard times until we surmount those challenges,” he said.
In anticipation of the looming price hikes, the Zanu PF leader warned business people, saying he could soon introduce laws to arrest those who increase prices of their commodities but failing to increase salaries of their workers.
“Prices in this country are just going up and going up, but the business owners, who are increasing prices, are not increasing salaries of their workers, who are selling their goods in the shops,” Mnangagwa said.
“What is happening to the money that you are taking from your consumers? Yesterday, the good was $3, today it’s $7, the next day, it’s up to $10. Have you done the same for the worker? No, you have not. Well, it’s good, we will see between me and you who has power. I have the law and I have handcuffs to arrest you. We will see who will arrest the other. We need laws to deal with this.”
Mnangagwa, facing threats of impeachment and demonstrations from the opposition, said he was doing everything within his power to improve the livelihoods of the general citizenry.
“Your government is doing all it can day in, day out so that we have a better life tomorrow. The journey is difficult, but where we are going, there is hope for good things. I think by the end of the year, we will remove austerity measures because things will be well,” he said.
UNITED African National Council (UANC) president Gwinyai Muzorewa (pictured) has rubbished claims that his party fielded two candidates for the forthcoming Glen View South constituency by-election, saying the other candidate registered in his party name belonged to a splinter group.
Muzorewa, who is currently in the country to conduct campaign rallies for the party candidate Ellah Zisani, said the anomaly had since been rectified by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).
Zisani is among nine contestants seeking to replace the late Vimbai Tsvangirai-Java of the MDC Alliance, who succumbed to road accident injuries in June this year.
Some of the candidates are Vincent Tsvangirai (MDC Alliance), Offard Machuwe (Zanu-PF), Maxwell Kasema (Independent), Phillip Ndengu (Independent), Rosemary Nyamayedenga (FreeZim Congress), Crispen Rateiwa (Zapu), Edwin Million (Lead) and Parlington Pikelele of another faction of the UANC.
The election will be held on September 7.
“The UANC fielded one candidate, Ellah Zisani. However, there is a stray handful of people who are moving around calling themselves UANC. Zec has since rectified the anomaly and we are happy about that,” Muzorewa said.
He added that they would soon roll out rallies in the high-density suburb as they seek to make history by pulling it against big political parties, the MDC Alliance and Zanu-PF.
“The UANC will conduct its first rally early August to announce its candidate and another one just before the election day. We do not need to ferry supporters from outside the constituency and our candidate is a resident there. As a mother, Zisani knows the plight of the electorate in Glen View, hence we are confident in her as the candidate,” he said.
For some people, being sent to jail is more like a death penalty, in most cases resulting in one being ruled out, as for lovers history has it, that would mean the end of it.
But for Brickz, real name Sipho Ndlovu, and aspiring rapper Cazo Cas (35) the fire of love is still burning.
Cazo knows why the ‘Sweety My Baby hitmaker’ Brickz is locked up in prison, he opened up about the matter to her, when they first met, and she believed him.
Speaking through a close family member, Brickz opens up to DRUM; “She knows everything about me and has really brought a smile to my face.”
For him, the burden of losing freedom as he serves a 15 year jail term at Krugersdorp Correctional Services, for rape is being made bearable by the love between him and Cazo, they are always in prayer spirits together, despite the geographical location.
Brickz, (37) was convicted of raping his niece at his home, west of Johannesburg, in November 2013, and was sentenced to 15 years behind bars. But Cazo firmly stood by him during trial, not caring what other people would think, she tells DRUM.
“It’s not like we just started dating now, we know a lot about each other. We’ve been together for three years now.
“I was attracted to him because of his personality. He’s a very good person.”
The two met for the first time in 2015, by chance of having had attended a same event together, where she asked him if he had indeed committed the crime, he told her he never committed the crime, and it is the way he answered that made her to believe him. He even went as far as telling her other secrets she did not know about the case.
They started as friends, he opened up to her, since then the fire of love started burning, she being there for him when chips were down. She began to see the type of person he is.
What makes Cazo’s love for Brickz unique is that it didn’t shake, even after he was found guilty and jailed.
She opens to DRUM; “I feel like all relationships have their ups and downs and we’re just going through a downhill right now. I can’t leave him because times are hard right now. We’ve had beautiful times together so why should I leave him because he’s going through a dark phase?”
She keenly awaits the day the prison gates would open for him, and can’t wait seeing him walk out to freedom again. She is optimistic, and full of hope that only one day he will wave goodbye to prison walls and join her, live together happy ever after.
Though such kind of dating is not easy, the couple keep their chambers of love glowing through love mails, and she regularly visit him at the prison every Sunday, making the day their favourite.
Before he was convicted, the two lovers were staying together at his grandmother’s house, giving each other emotional support. Cazo takes her lover’s incarceration, as if he has gone on a long journey, were he would come back home one day. She doesn’t view it as if he has died, the only that guarantees no return.
According to those who know Cazo better, she is not trying to ride on Brickz’s fame. No. Though she is yet to make a mark of her own in the entertainment circles the humble aspiring rapper and model just loves him.
Cazo is a strong character who puts herself in Brickz’s shoes, try to understand his situation and offer emotional support.
BRICKZ was found guilty of raping his then 17-year-old niece at his rented house in 2013, was sentenced to 15 years in jail, he was released on R80 000 bail in April 2018 pending an appeal against conviction.
However, he lost the appeal and was sent back to the Krugersdorp prison to proceed serving his term. He may qualify for seven and half years parole in 2023.
Cazo’s family and friends stood with the two in their relationship, though those who were not real friends walked away. She refers to such people as part-time friends, and says their walking away helped strengthening her.
For Brickz, being incarceration is not the end of the road, he is currently working on his music, while also making use of the prison’s educational facilities, as he prepares for his freedom once again.
Those who are close to him tells DRUM that he doing his best, and has since taken up all the subjects available there, studies hard and recently, passed his Maths exams with 62% and is expected to graduate in August.
With his re-election campaign well underway, U.S. President Donald Trump raised some eyebrows when he pledged to end the AIDS epidemic and cure childhood cancer if he wins another term in 2020.
During a campaign rally in Cincinnati Thursday night, the president boasted of future medical breakthroughs in the country.
“The things we’re doing in our country today, there’s never been anything like it. We will be ending the AIDS epidemic shortly in America, and curing childhood cancer very shortly.”
The comments were reminiscent of earlier promises he made during a rally in Orlando, Florida in June. During that speech, Trump said “we will come up with the cures to many, many problems, to many, many diseases — including cancer.” He also vowed to “eradicate AIDS in America.”
The Republican president’s recent remarks signal a return to initiatives he proposed during his State of the Union address in February. In that speech, Trump said his budget would ask Democrats and Republicans to commit to eliminating HIV in the U.S. by 2030.
“We have made incredible strides, incredible,” he said. “Together, we will defeat AIDS in America and beyond.”
The proposed plan called “Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America” would attempt to reduce new HIV infections by 75 per cent in five years and by 90 per cent in 10 years.
As for the cost of the initiative, the president proposed US$291 million in the budget in order to provide the communities hardest hit by the disease with additional resources, data to track the spread of HIV, and local task forces to support treatment and prevention programs.
While the non-profit news service Kaiser Health News (KHN) called Trump’s goal “doable, but daunting,” experts told the publication that obstacles such as, adequate health insurance, housing assistance, societal stigma, and a surge in injection drug use may make the president’s timeline for the plan difficult to achieve.
“There are a lot of social, structural, individual behavioral factors that may impact why people become infected, may impact if people who are infected engage in care, and may impact or affect people who are at high risk of HIV,” Dr. Kenneth Mayer, medical research director at the Boston LGBT Health Center Fenway Institute, said.
CURING CANCER
As for curing childhood cancer, Trump said in his State of the Union address that he would set aside $500 million for research into pediatric cancers over the next 10 years.
Although organizations such as the American Cancer Society applauded the investment, KHN questioned how “meaningful the increase is in relation to current federal spending on childhood cancer research.”
According to estimates from the National Institutes of Health, they will spend $462 million on childhood cancer research in 2019, which means $500 million over the next 10 years, or an average of $50 million a year, will amount to a little more than a 10 per cent annual increase.
For comparison, former U.S. president Barack Obama proposed $1 billion for the 2016 and 2017 fiscal years for his “Cancer Moonshot” research initiative during his State of the Union speech in 2016. However, in actuality, Congress changed the amount to $1.8 billion over seven years, or an average of $257 million per year, according to KHN.
What’s more, the $500-million boost to pediatric cancer research for the next fiscal year would be accompanied by an overall cut of nearly $900 million to the National Cancer Institute’s funding after Trump recommended shrinking the federal government agency in his 2020 budget proposal.
The National Cancer Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health and is the primary federal agency conducting cancer research. Medical advocacy groups have questioned how effective the $500-million investment in childhood cancer research would be if overall funding is slashed.
Trump isn’t the only presidential candidate to promise to cure cancer in recent weeks. Former vice-president and Democrat Joe Biden made the same vow during a campaign stop in Iowa in early June.
“I promise you if I’m elected president, you’re going to see the single most important thing that changes America,” Biden declared. “We’re gonna cure cancer.”
The presidential hopeful, whose eldest son Beau Biden died from brain cancer in 2015, made the remarks a week before Trump followed suit in Orlando.
In perhaps the most disappointing news of the week, even more disappointing than Zodwa and Ntobeko’s breakup.
It has been officially reported that Caster Semenya will not be allowed to compete in women’s events at the upcoming Athletics World Championships in Doha.
This invariably means that she will not be able to defend her world title at the same event (due to the IAAF’s pending rule) which will see her banned from competing in women’s events unless she takes drugs to suppress the levels of testosterone in her body.
The law was actually passed earlier this year, but after Caster took the IAAF to the Court of Arbitration for Court, the international sporting body lifted her ban until the rules could be clarified. While that course has not reached its conclusion, this week’s biggest update came when the suspension on Caster’s ban was lifted and the Olympic-Gold-winning athlete was once again barred from competing.
Caster’s PR team released a statement which read:
“Yesterday a single judge of the Swiss Federal Supreme Court reversed prior rulings that had temporarily suspended the IAAF regulations pending the outcome of Caster’s appeal against the CAS award‚”
Caster expressed her disappointment at the ruling but revealed that she will still be fighting to see justice served when she said:
“I am very disappointed to be kept from defending my hard-earned title‚ but this will not deter me from continuing my fight for the human rights of all the female athletes concerned‚”
While the IAAF maintains that they are trying to make athletics a fairer sport, the truth appears to lie closer to them wanting women to look, act and perform within certain boundaries. The sporting body has a history of making life difficult for women who did not fit the “norm” for “what a woman should look like” and Caster appears to be the latest victim.
One can only hope that like some of her predecessors, Caster will stand up and overcome their discrimination.
VARIOUS workers’ unions have slammed Finance minister Mthuli Ncube’s decision to hike charges for government services without adjusting civil servants’ salaries.
On Thursday, Ncube presented his mid-term budget review in Parliament and piled more misery on already burdened Zimbabweans, with tollgates fees and electricity tariffs rising sharply as well as other services from the Vehicle Inspection Department.
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) secretary-general Japhet Moyo told NewsDay Weekender that the mid-term budget review showed that Ncube was out of touch with reality.
“Ncube did not ask for our input when he put together his mid-term budget. We could have highlighted the plight of the workers with his austerity policies. Probably it was deliberate that he never sought our views because he wanted to go it alone and continue to impoverish the most vulnerable people like workers,” he said.
For the past week, ZCTU has been threatening to organise mass demonstration against President Emerson Mnangagwa’s government over the rising costs of living.
Moyo said this time around, some action against the rising cost of living was imminent.
“The magnitude of increases is frightening when you compare with stagnant salaries. Obviously, the workers would have to show their disappointment through some form of action,” he said.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe leader Obert Masaraure said the review showed government’s disregard of worker’s welfare.
“Ncube had the audacity to increase prices of government offered services by up to 500%, but is not prepared to do the same with our salaries. Civil servants should realise that we are dealing with a devil determined to throw us in a living hell,” he said.
Masaraure said it was high time civil servants become brave enough to come face-to-face with the government to push it to consider their welfare.
“Under such circumstances, we can no longer afford to keep on shadow boxing. We have to step into the ring and declare that enough is enough. Our teachers are already on early holiday in protest against underpayment. It will be folly to open schools in third term if our salary is not restored,” he said.
Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Raymond Majongwe said teacher representatives were at Parliament following up on their petition focusing on their salaries and conditions of service.
Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive officer Sifiso Ndlovu said the mid-term budget would not improve the welfare of government workers.
“That budget, in real terms, is only awarding us about 43% which is short of our expectations. It is disconfirming what they gave us in July. They are giving us almost half of it. Prices have gone up and they will continue to go up until the year end. There is no joy for us as civil servants,” he said.
MDC deputy secretary for policy and research Miriam Mushayi said the mid-term budget was a clear statement that government had failed to run the country.
Former first lady Michelle Obama is resisting calls for her to run for president, saying there’s “zero chance” that she will seek the Oval Office.
In a new interview published in Amtrak’s magazine The National, Obama sat down with 12-year-old journalist Hilde Lysiak to promote her Better Make Room campaign aimed at engaging college students.
Lysiak pressed Obama about seeking the highest office in the land, something she has previously expressed no interest in.
“A lot of people want you to run for president. You’ve publicly said that you aren’t interested, but everyone says that until they actually run,” Lysiak said. “Just between us, if you thought the country needed you and you thought you could really help our nation, is there even a one percent chance you’d consider running?”
“Just between us, and the readers of this magazine — there’s zero chance,” Obama responded. “There are so many ways to improve this country and build a better world, and I keep doing plenty of them, from working with young people to helping families lead healthier lives. But sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office will never be one of them. It’s just not for me.”
The interview appeared as liberal filmmaker Michael Moore urged the former first lady to run for president following Wednesday night’s Democratic debate.
“She is a beloved American and she would go in there and she would beat him,” Moore told an MSNBC panel. “She would beat him in the debates, he wouldn’t be able to bully her, he wouldn’t be able to nickname her.”
A man has been charged after he punched an anti-Trump protester outside the president’s rally in Cincinnati Thursday night. Footage obtained by CBS affiliate WKRC shows Dallas Frazier, 29, being immediately arrested after hitting another man multiple times.
Before President Trump was set to give a speech inside U.S. Bank Arena, video shows Frazier, dressed in a green polo shirt, opening the door of a red pickup truck and going after 61-year-old Mike Alter.
Frazier is seen sizing up the victim and asking, “You want some?” –– before swinging at the man three times and knocking his sunglasses off. Officers then arrest him. Protesters chanted, “lock him up” as he was being led away in handcuffs.
Dallas Frazier, 29, was arrested for assaulting after punching a protester outside a Trump rally. HAMILTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Frazier, of Georgetown, Kentucky, was charged with assault, according to Hamilton County Jail records. He is due in court on Friday.
Alter told WCPO that he was part of larger group of protesters demonstrating outside Mr. Trump’s rally. He said the protests were mostly peaceful until Frazier arrived. According to Alter, Frazier and protesters were yelling back and forth until he stepped out and targeted him.
“(I thought,) ‘What the hell?'” Alter said. “He started just whaling on my head. I didn’t go down, for what that’s worth.”
Mr. Trump, who has been accused of inciting violence, continued to attack Democratic foes inside the rally. He took aim at four liberal congresswomen known as “the Squad,” their party’s urban leaders and potential presidential candidates he could be facing in 2020.
VARIOUS workers’ unions have slammed Finance minister Mthuli Ncube’s decision to hike charges for government services without adjusting civil servants’ salaries.
On Thursday, Ncube presented his mid-term budget review in Parliament and piled more misery on already burdened Zimbabweans, with tollgates fees and electricity tariffs rising sharply as well as other services from the Vehicle Inspection Department.
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) secretary-general Japhet Moyo told NewsDay Weekender that the mid-term budget review showed that Ncube was out of touch with reality.
“Ncube did not ask for our input when he put together his mid-term budget. We could have highlighted the plight of the workers with his austerity policies. Probably it was deliberate that he never sought our views because he wanted to go it alone and continue to impoverish the most vulnerable people like workers,” he said.
For the past week, ZCTU has been threatening to organise mass demonstration against President Emerson Mnangagwa’s government over the rising costs of living.
Moyo said this time around, some action against the rising cost of living was imminent.
“The magnitude of increases is frightening when you compare with stagnant salaries. Obviously, the workers would have to show their disappointment through some form of action,” he said.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe leader Obert Masaraure said the review showed government’s disregard of worker’s welfare.
“Ncube had the audacity to increase prices of government offered services by up to 500%, but is not prepared to do the same with our salaries. Civil servants should realise that we are dealing with a devil determined to throw us in a living hell,” he said.
Masaraure said it was high time civil servants become brave enough to come face-to-face with the government to push it to consider their welfare.
“Under such circumstances, we can no longer afford to keep on shadow boxing. We have to step into the ring and declare that enough is enough. Our teachers are already on early holiday in protest against underpayment. It will be folly to open schools in third term if our salary is not restored,” he said.
Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Raymond Majongwe said teacher representatives were at Parliament following up on their petition focusing on their salaries and conditions of service.
Zimbabwe Teachers Association chief executive officer Sifiso Ndlovu said the mid-term budget would not improve the welfare of government workers.
“That budget, in real terms, is only awarding us about 43% which is short of our expectations. It is disconfirming what they gave us in July. They are giving us almost half of it. Prices have gone up and they will continue to go up until the year end. There is no joy for us as civil servants,” he said.
MDC deputy secretary for policy and research Miriam Mushayi said the mid-term budget was a clear statement that government had failed to run the country.
Outspoken Norton legislator Temba Mliswa has refuted claims by former Finance minister Ignatius Chombo that he does not have shares in Metbank saying he acquired them through a proxy.
Mliswa said Chombo owns Metbank shares through Kamushinda.
1/ But of course on paper he doesn’t, this’ll always be the case as his ownership is through proxy… it’s believed Kamushinda is that proxy. It’s common knowledge that lawyers have ways&means to draft addendums that aren’t necessarily made public but are enforceable at law https://t.co/GhX6YHPkXH
Farai Dziva|Political analyst Anthony Taruvinga has said Zanu PF wants to eliminate MDC Youth Assembly leader Obey Sithole for speaking out against the regime.
“For the second time within a space of less than 60 days, Mnangagwa’s agents have attempted to kill Chairman Tererai Obey Sithole without success.
They still want him dead.
Now, my worry is not about the murderous behaviour of Zanu PF agents because we have known them as murderers.
We urge President Nelson Chamisa to give Obey the protection he urgently deserves. The party must give him bodyguards.
This is very serious. He has become the target mainly because he commands the largest portion of the population, which (the youths) and has done well in the campaigns,” said Taruvinga.
By Court Correspondent| Contrary to Constitutional lawyer Lovemore Madhuku’s expert comment that Tourism Minister Prisca Mupfumira does not have any window for bail until after 21 days, the High Court has ruled that magistrate Munamato Mutevedzi misdirected himself in refusing her a release.
Mupfumira is on trial for corruption for over $95 million NSSA money allegedly paid out on her verbal orders.
Magistrate Mutevedzi last week ruled that Mupfumira will stay in remand prison for over 21 days as per a certificate presented by the prosecution. To this expert, prof Lovemore Madhuku said the minister has no window of opportunity under the law to appeal unless via the Constitutional Court. He made these comments to the broadcaster, ZBC and reiterated them to ZimEye (interview below).
But in an appeal presented by Mupfumira’s lawyer, on Friday, Lewis Uriri, High Court Judge, Erica Ndewere has ruled that Mutevedzi misdirected himself.
Justice Ndewere said, “we are dealing with an unusual case where there is an appeal before this court now being treated like a fresh bail application. We have a situation where a judicial officer refused to entertain the issue of bail which I have already said was a misdirection. The issue of bail was not well ventilated, so it is fair that I allow the State to call the IO.
“This will give the defence an opportunity to cross examine him because this court doesn’t want to repeat the same mistake.
“We ended up having a one-sided case in which the issue of the certificate only was entertained,” she said Ndewere.
She postponed the matter to Monday for continuation of bail hearing.
Jane Mlambo| Energy minister Fortune Chasi has invited Zimbabweans to apply to sit on the soon to be constituted ZESA board.
Chasi fired the previous board put in place by former energy minister Joram Gumbo accusing them of misplaced priorities after perusing their minutes of meetings which never discussed the crippling loadshedding.
Chasi though he will not be able to appoint everyone, he said some will actually make on the important that will superintend over the affairs of the parastatal.
ZESA board: MaZimba thank you all for the interest in the ZESA board. That is as it should. This coming week the Ministry will flight the advert. Please lookout for it and respond. The advert will hav all details. All our parastatals will be there. Hamu kwane zvenyu mese but Some
Jacob Zuma’s dramatic appearance at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture was nothing but a well-calculated tactic designed to make him look good to his supporters because he came to answer questions – but he had, in fact, answered none of the damning allegations against him.
He fooled the commission, but not the intelligence of the majority of South Africans. How else can you explain someone who volunteers to speak to the commission, but refuses to be cross-examined about serious allegations made against him by a number of witnesses?
Instead of answering to the allegations, Zuma spoke to himself for hours and when the time for cross-examination came, he threatened not to cooperate and to stage a walk out.
He decided to label his own comrades as apartheid “spies”, simply because they did not agree with him. Doesn’t Zuma know that the allegations that some top ANC leaders were recruited as apartheid agents had been in circulation for a long time? And that most of those were unfounded?
I am sure Zuma knows he was among those rumoured to have been recruited as apartheid agents, along with the likes of Mandela, Biko, Sobukwe and Hani.
But we never believed that because we knew what the agenda of the apartheid regime was: to sow suspicion among comrades so as to destabilise the struggle. Not that there were no spies, but there was never any evidence.
When he claimed that senior ANC members Ngoako Ramatlhodi and Siphiwe Nyanda were paid by the apartheid system to spy against their own in the ANC, you could see the lie.
He took advantage of the fact that there was nobody to challenge him.
He might have caught the commission’s chairperson, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, and his crew by surprise with his claims and long speech, but I believe Zondo should have stopped him when he came to the wild claims about Nyanda and Ramatlhodi. He undermined the commission by insisting on speaking without being questioned, which was unfair to those he accused of being spies.
If it was the ’80s, Zuma would have succeeded in pointing out spies and those people would have been necklaced – guilty or innocent. At the time, you needed not be guilty to be punished.More in Home
Zuma decided to open old wounds that never existed in the first place in order to divert attention from himself.
Only those who believed in him would believe what he said. His open-ended testimony exposed him as a weak leader who cared less about whether the ANC died, as long as he himself survived politically.
Zondo should subpoena Zuma to come testify officially before the commission. This time, he must be cross-examined like all other witnesses. He must answer to specific issues as mentioned by the likes of Themba Maseko, Vytjie Mentor, Barbara Hogan and Ramatlhodi.
Zondo needs to stamp his authority on the commission because the allegations against the former president are very serious. Who would respect the commission in future if it allowed Zuma to get away with murder in the way he did?
When he returns, he must be followed by the management echelon of the Gupta companies as it was unlikely that the Gupta brothers were acting alone.
A yr after Emmerson Mnangagwa assumed power in Zim after the July 31 disputed polls, debate on who was/is a better leader btwn ED & his predecessor Mugabe has taken centre stage. Who was/is a better leader between former president Robert Mugabe and President Emmerson Mnangagwa?
Farai Dziva|In a development that is likely to punctuate the hullabaloo in the Zanu PF camp, the UK has insisted on genuine political reforms.
According to SADC News, the UK has urged the President of Zimbabwe to deliver on “genuine” political and economic reforms in order to ensure a brighter future for the country.
Newly elected Prime Minster of the UK, Boris Johnson, also asked Emmerson Mnangagwa to implement recommendations by the Motlanthe Commission, which was set up after demonstrators were shot and killed in 2018.
Zanu PF sympathisers last week claimed the UK Premier, indicated willingness to discuss diplomatic issues with Mnangagwa.
“It has gone through all trials, and it has gone through all tests in South Africa, in Botswana, in India and other countries.” –
– Walter Magaya
Botswana Minister Of Health says it is not true
VIDEO LOADING BELOW
By Simba Chikanza| Speaking after four people died after taking his Aguma medication, the controversial preacher, Walter Magaya has returned to the fore to defend his HIV AIDS “treatment”, this time claiming it has undergone clinical tests in three nations, namely, South Africa, Botswana, and India.
The development comes 10 months after Magaya’s treatment was “banned” and the preacher was arrested, convicted and fined USD700.
Impeccable documents show that just as Magaya was raided by police over his so called “treatment,” Aguma on the 30th October 2018, within 10 days he had registered another brand and would continue selling Aguma under a second brand known as Aviivo.
Four people have since died after taking Aguma. The father of one the victims, tells his story in the feature release today, on 1st August.
“We are the first batch of clients, if I am not mistaken, we should be the 3rd customers; When it was first called Aguma, and we were buying on behalf of my son, whatever the case, we thought my son was going to be helped, until he developed a condition with the kidney infection, it was caused by those herbs. He died on the 4th April this year.
ZimEye reached Magaya’s lawyer for a comment early in July and none was given, despite messages reaching him.
The preacher however contacted ZimEye on Monday evening apparently hoping to use a well known politician so to possibly obtain media favours. Magaya told ZimEye he wishes to travel to the London, UK for a crusade meeting and before then, he wants to clear his name concerning many reports and allegations against his name.
Although he hung up the phone promising to phone back on Wednesday, Walter Magaya answered the crucial question concerning complaints about his Aguma medication.
His exact words were: “Apparently, everything is tested, everything is clinical and I’ve all the papers that are necessary to answer. Let me tell my team to contact Dr Wellness to address everything, as I have said, allow me to answer everything on Wednesday, and all the things, to clear the conceptions to the minds, to answer on all such things.
“Cause whatever is said to have been given to people, it has gone through all the clinical trials, but Aviivo is not me. I am not even Avivo at all, and I have the papers to prove that Aguma was discontinued, and it has gone through all trials, and it has gone through all tests in South Africa, in Botswana, in India and other countries.
“I am sure you have all those things. But anyway everything I will answer you [on Wednesday].”
Wednesday however came and Magaya did not call as per his promise. He later responded via text message to claim he is in Nigeria with his mentor TB Joshua.
Contrary to his claims, a brief visit at Magaya’s premises at 166 – 8 Smuts Road, Prospect proves the preacher is truly selling Aviivo. (SEE PICTURES)
Furthermore contrary to his claims, there is no record at all of clinical tests on Aguma, or Aviivo in Botswana, or South Africa, and on Tuesday the Botswana’s Minister of Health & Wellness, Dr Alfred Madigele told ZimEye via phone, “it is not true, I am not aware of any such.” He then requested for an email so he could forward an official response.
– THE FULL DOCUMENTARY ON THESE FINDINGS WILL BE STREAMED ON ZIMEYE.COM
Former Makerere University Researcher Dr Stella Nyanzi has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for cyber harassment. However, she will only spend eight months in prison, in consideration of the time she has spent on remand, since her arrest in November 2018.
Nyanzi was sentenced by Buganda Road Court Magistrate Gladys Kamasanyu following her conviction which stemmed from a boorish birthday poem, which was posted on her social media pages on September 16, 2018, a day after President Museveni’s 74th birthday. The poem ridiculed President Museveni’s late mother Esteeri Kokundeka.
In the post, Stella Nyanzi, formerly a research fellow at Makerere University Institute for Social Research, crafted vulgarity about President Museveni and his birth. On the basis of the post, she was accused of cyber harassment and offensive communication.
The prosecution said that the post disturbed the peace, quiet or right of privacy of President Museveni. However, she was found guilty of cyber harassment and acquitted on the charges of offensive communication.
Although the offence of cyber harassment attracts a maximum sentence of 3 years or a fine of sh1.4 million shillings, the Magistrate said the term of 18-months was appropriate, since Nyanzi was a first time offender, with no criminal record.
Nyanzi’s heard her sentence through video conferencing live from Luzira Prison, while hundreds of her supporters filled the courtroom. On the live link, she was seen stripping naked and heard uttering obscenities, in what was interpreted as a sign of protest. But the images and the volume were muted by the technical team.
Before the images were switched off, Nyanzi was seen rubbing and squeezing her breasts while cursing the ruling government of President Yoweri Museveni faulting it for poor service delivery especially in Luzira prisons.
Her supporters at the courtroom were cheering her, equally hurling insults at the Magistrate. A number of them held protests outside the court. URN has learnt that four of them were arrested and taken to Kampala Central Police Station.
Mnangagwa opens the youth games with Minister of Sports Kirsty Coventry
NewsDay|GWERU teachers and pupils from Grades 4 to Form 6 were this week compelled to attend the official opening of the Zimbabwe Youth and Paralympic Games at Mkoba Stadium, where President Emmerson Mnangagwa was officiating.
The move was aimed at boosting attendance at the venue located in the MDC stronghold.
Mkoba constituency has been in the hands of MDC since the opposition party’s formation and Zanu PF has performed dismally in the area in all elections.
In a communication sent to all headmasters in the city on Tuesday, the acting Gweru district schools inspector Angeline Zahile, citing authority from top officials, ordered that all learners from Grades 4 to “A” Level, teachers, support staff and all officers in the education ministry attend the event without fail.
Schools were ordered to suspend lessons and cancel mid-year examinations currently underway.
Though Mnangagwa was expected to officiate at 3pm, the correspondence ordered all educators and pupils to be seated in the stadium by 11:30am. They had to endure the scorching sun until the end of the proceedings around 4pm.
The correspondence, seen by Southern Eye, reads: “Tomorrow, the State President will be in our district for the official opening of the Youth Games at Mkoba Stadium. What does this mean? The message from the PED (provincial education director) is, take note all leaners from Grades 4 up to ‘A’ Level, teachers, support staff and school heads and all district staff are expected to be seated by 11:30am in the stadium,” she wrote.
“So, may we suspend all mid-morning and afternoon mid-year examinations or lessons and all go to the stadium … all schools with buses, inclusive of St Patrick’s, Lower Gweru, Anderson Adventist High School, Guinea Fowl and in our rural areas are expected to carry learners and teachers to Mkoba Stadium … We expect a minimum of 5 000 learners to be in that stadium… HEADS (school headmasters), THIS IN AN INSTRUCTION! Thank you,” Zahile ordered.
Contacted for comment, Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe president, Takavafira Zhou, condemned the development, saying it violated children and teachers’ rights.
“The DSI is certainly off-side. To cancel lessons and examinations because of Youth Games is the highest ludicrous hallucination by a Zanu PF activist, masquerading as a DSI. Schools are terrains for learning and not extensions of Zanu PF mass mobilisation. To also force all teachers and pupils to be at the Youth Games venue, merely because Mnangagwa is coming there, is a violation of their freedom of association, let alone a violation of children’s rights,” he said.
“PTUZ condemns outrightly such force-marching of teachers and pupils to Youth Games at the expense of teaching and learning. Worse still, the DSI is forcing minors to attend a rally without the consent of their parents. Any movement of pupils outside the school premises must be indemnified by parents.”
There was a stampede during the proceedings as security details prohibited people from leaving the venue before Mnangagwa had finished his address.
Mnangagwa, in his speech, said sport teaches inclusivity and discipline.
“The Youths and Paralympic games were initiated to uplift people living with disabilities. This willingness is enshrined in our Vision 2030. Indeed, sports knows no colour… it also teaches people to respect rules and laws. My government is going to increase the funding of these games,” he said.
He also congratulated the women’s netball team, The Gems, for their success at the World Cup and challenged the Zimbabwe Football Association to take a leaf and ensure the men’s national team, the Warriors, reach similar levels.
Gauteng Premier, David Makhura, has condemned the violent, riotous behaviour, spearheaded by ‘foreign nationals’, which engulfed the Johannesburg CBD on Thursday.
Johannesburg’s inner city was plunged into chaos on Thursday morning, when law enforcement agencies attempted to confiscate counterfeit goods from informal traders. A joint operation between the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) quickly spiralled out of control when vendors fought back against the raids.
Joburg riots led by foreign nationals, says Makhura
According to Premier Makhura and Chief of the JMPD, David Tembe, foreign nationals operating in the inner-city responded with violence; hurling bricks and petrol bombs at law enforcement officers.
The police raid quickly turned into a full-scale riot. Multiple roads into the city were cordoned off and officers were eventually forced to unleash rubber bullets in an attempt to disperse the ferocious crowd.
Despite the police’s best non-lethal efforts, the angry crowd continued to surge forward. Under severe pressure and “not willing to exercise deadly force”, law enforcement withdrew from the area. According to an official statement issued later that day:
“[Police] tactically withdrew from an intelligence-driven operation targeting counterfeit goods in the Joburg CBD. This came after a violent crowd of foreign nationals attacked police with objects including bricks and petrol bombs.”
Following the wanton lawlessness and vicious attack on police officers, major stakeholders in the City have lashed out at ‘foreign nationals’. Makhura vowed to intensify police operations in the city and hold those responsible for the violence accountable, saying:
“Some foreign nationals who sell counterfeit goods and occupy buildings illegally in the Joburg CBD attacked our police with bottles and petrol bombs. This despicable crime against our state will never be tolerated. Okae Molao will respond in full force to defend rule of law.”
Mashaba demands arrests, says CBD should be ‘closed off’
City of Johannesburg mayor, Herman Mashaba, also voiced his disdain early on Friday morning, saying:
“I am deeply hurt and devastated to wake up this morning to learn that not a single criminal is arrested after the blatant disregard of our country’s laws yesterday in the Inner City.
I would have expected the city to have been closed off and all criminals behind bars by now.”
Gauteng community safety MEC, Faith Mazibuko, said she too condemned the attacks, taking specific aim at foreigners, saying:
“We condemn all criminal elements hellbent on undermining the rule of the law in this country and making this country ungovernable.
We can’t co-govern with criminals, especially foreign nationals who want to turn our country into a lawless Banana Republic.”
Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza, chosen heir to the leadership of Al-Qaeda, has been killed, US media reported Wednesday citing American officials.
NBC News said three US officials had confirmed they had information of Hamza bin Laden’s death, but gave no details of the place or date.
The New York Times subsequently cited two US officials saying they had confirmation that he was killed during the last two years in an operation that involved the United States.
Questioned by reporters in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump did not confirm or deny the NBC report.
“I don’t want to comment on it,” he said.
Both reports suggested that bin Laden may have been killed well before the US State Department announced a $1 million bounty on his head in February 2019.
The 15th of Osama bin Laden’s 20 children and a son of his third wife, Hamza, thought to be about 30 years old, was “emerging as a leader in the Al-Qaeda franchise,” the State Department said in announcing the reward.
Sometimes dubbed the “crown prince of jihad, he had put out audio and video messages calling for attacks on the United States and other countries, especially to avenge his father’s killing by US forces in Pakistan in May 2011, the department said.
Documents seized in the raid on his father’s house in Abbottabad suggested Hamza was being groomed as heir to the Al-Qaeda leadership.
US forces also found a video of the wedding of Hamza to the daughter of another senior Al-Qaeda official that is believed to have taken place in Iran.
Hamza bin Laden’s whereabouts have never been pinpointed. He was believed to have been under house arrest in Iran but reports suggest he also may have resided in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria.
The group behind the deadly September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Al-Qaeda’s prominence as a radical Islamist group has faded over the past decade in the shadow of the Islamic State group.
But the proliferation of branches and associated jihadist groups in Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and elsewhere have underscored its continuing potency.
Hamza bin Laden was not targeted just because he was bin Laden’s son, said Rita Katz, executive director of the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks extremists.
“He was one of Al-Qaeda’s loudest voices calling for attacks in the West and giving directives. He, with Al-Qaeda’s help, was positioning himself to lead the global jihadi movement,” Katz said on Twitter.
“He was seen as a future leader who would unite the global jihad. Thus, if he is indeed dead, it will be a major blow to the movement,” she said.
“I think it’s a big loss for Al-Qaeda,” said Pakistani security expert Rahimullah Yusufzai, one the few journalists to have interviewed Osama bin Laden face to face.
Jane Mlambo| Opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has bemoaned the continuous regression of the Zimbabwean economy saying in the past 30 years, other countries have progressed while Zim remained stagnated.
Chamisa said the quality of life in Zimbabwe is painful as it is moving in reverse instead of going forward.
Chamisa posted the message on Twitter. Find it below;
The quality of life in Zim is painful. For the last 30 years other countries have progressed but Zimbabwe has not just stagnated but even regressed.We have moved in reverse.We are going down everyday! https://t.co/ZohSdbnyQc
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Sibusiso Moyo is leading a Zimbabwean delegation to the Third Session of the Zimbabwe-Russia Intergovernmental Commission for Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation which will be held in Moscow, Russia, from August 5 to 7.
The ministry’s spokesperson, Mr Shepherd Gwenzi, in a statement, said the session comes after President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s historic visit to the Russian Federation early this year.
President Mnangagwa’s three-day State visit saw him meeting his Russian counterpart Mr Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin where they sealed a number of deals, including a financial package to assist Harare settle and restructure its international debt and fund new projects.
“The second session of the Intergovernmental Commission was held in Harare from April 28-30 2016 during which numerous agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed,” said Mr Gwenzi.
“The session comes on the heels of His Excellency President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa’s historic and very successful official visit to the Russian Federation in January 2019. Again a number of MoUs were signed in order to broaden and deepen bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries.”
Mr Gwenzi said the session will focus on the review of the implementation of existing agreements and MoUs to increase economic cooperation.
“The upcoming session, which will focus mainly on the review of the implementation of existing agreements and MoUs, will see increased cooperation between Zimbabwe and Russia in such sectors such as trade, mines, energy, defence, agriculture, higher and tertiary education and media,” he said.
“The evolving economic cooperation between the two countries is furtherance of economic diplomacy firmly anchored on the excellent political relations between Harare and Moscow which dates back to the days of the liberation struggle. Since the attainment of our independence in 1980, these relations continue to blossom.”
Mr Gwenzi said the generous donations of tents, blankets and food supplies by the Russian government to assist people affected by Cyclone Idai was yet another testimony of the strong bond of friendship and solidarity that binds the two countries and peoples together.
Zimra cracks whip on tax defaulters
Zimbabwe, he said, appreciated the fraternal gesture.
The visit by the Zimbabwean delegation is part of President Mnangagwa’s engagement and re-engagement drive that is one of the key pillars towards making Zimbabwe an upper middle-income economy by 2030.
Jane Mlambo| Sports minister Kirsty Coventry has committed to help Caps United Football club to be able to bring home their bus donated by former player Nyasha Mushekwi.
Mushekwi purchased a 45 seater bus which his is set to be donated to Makepekepe.
The Green Machine wrote to Coventry requesting to import the bus duty free and the former swimming sensation has expressed willingness to assist the team.
In a letter seen by this publication, Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Dr Kirsty Coventry positively responded to a letter written by Chambati Mataka and Makonese, who on behalf of the player, had written to the Minister seeking an exemption of import duty for the said 45 seater bus from the donor (Nyasha Liberty Mushekwi).
In her response, Coventry made it clear that her ministry was going to write to other offices for approval.
“Sports and Recreation Commission will then write a covering letter to the Secretary for Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation who will also request for the same from the Treasury. If Treasury grants the exemption, then Zimra will proceed to process the same,” read the response.
However, the letter stressed that the receipt of purchase must clearly show the name of the donee and never to an individual.
Mushekwi plies his trade in China and recently the Chinese Super League club Dalian Yifang as a free agent to Zhejiang Greentown which plays in the second division.
Old Mutual owned CABS bank has shut down four of its branches in Harare, Bulawayo and Mutare in a move that is likely to leave tens of workers jobless.
Though CABS did not state the reasons for the move, it could be attributed to the current economic challenges that has seen most local companies struggling to remain operational due to a myriad of problems from inflation, increased cost of operation owing to excessive loadshedding among others.
State Media– Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Prisca Mupfumira is a flight risk who holds two passports and has properties in the United Kingdom, a High Court judge heard.
Mupfumira, who was arrested by the recently-constituted Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), will spend the weekend in remand prison after Justice Erica Ndewere yesterday deferred her bail application to Monday.
Justice Ndewere postponed the matter to allow the State to call the investigating officer to give evidence during the bail application. Mupfumira is facing criminal abuse of public office charges involving US$95 million.
She was detained last week after the State invoked Section 32 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, which allows it to seek the further detention of a suspect up to 21 days to conduct further investigations.
The State led by Mrs Sharon Fero challenged Mupfumira’s bail application at the High Court yesterday, arguing that there was already a certificate which was tendered to the Prosecutor-General that bars any court from entertaining her before the stipulated 21 days lapsed.
“An aggrieved part can only approach this court when an inferior court had made a determination in relation to bail,” said Mrs Fero.
“I submit that the magistrate did not entertain the issue of bail. He was never asked to make a determination. He did not refuse to grant the applicant bail, so, for that reason the appeal ought to be struck off the roll.”
Mrs Fero accused Mupfumira of trying to take her bail application to the High Court through the back door.
“This court has no right to hear a case which is being brought via the back door,” she said.
Mupfumira, through her lawyer Advocate Lewis Uriri, who is acting on the instructions of Mr Charles Chinyama, said they had a right to be heard, arguing that they were rightly before the court.More in Home
Justice Ndewere ruled that the court had jurisdiction to hear Mupfumira’s bail application.
The State then opposed that Mupfumira be granted bail, arguing that investigations into the matter were still in progress.
Mrs Fero said Mupfumira had two passports and properties in the United Kingdom, leaving room for her to abscond trial. She said there was need for the investigating officer to testify to that effect.
Adv Uriri denied that Mupfumira had properties in the United Kingdom, saying being a holder of two passports did not mean that she will not stand trial.
He said Mupfumira had once travelled out of the country late in July and returned with full knowledge of the allegations she is facing.
Justice Ndewere deferred the matter to Monday for continuation of the bail application where the investigating officer is expected to testify before the court.
Independent member of parliament for Norton Constituency Temba Mliswa, has showered praises for disgraced Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement, Retired Air Chief Marshal Perence Shiri for apologising for his unwarranted slur on opposition members of parliament on Wednesday.
Mliswa shockingly described Shiri as a principled man who stooped too low to apologise for his shocking behaviour.
Mliswa gave his praises in parliament on Thursday ahead of the presentation of the supplementary budget by Minister Mthuli Ncube.
Mr. Speaker Sir, let me also recognise and appreciate Hon. Shiri’s remarks. It is real magnanimity for him to do that. It is not many leaders of his level: he was a commander of the liberation struggle, ZANLA in the Tete Province, that he can stand up and make such an apology. That is something that has humbled me and because of, that I would want to be schooled by him on how to do things.
I do not know if he can agree to be my mentor, though late but I think that is something I have never thought a man of his stature would stand up to do that. There is a lot that we can learn from him.
Joburg streets littered with bricks after the violent clashes.
Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba says national government is to blame for the ongoing chaos in the Johannesburg CBD.
Mashaba described the situation in the CBD as a “time bomb in the City of Johannesburg”.
On Thursday, police officers clashed with foreign shop keepers in the CBD.
Police used rubber bullets to disperse a group of protestors who had barricaded Rahima Moosa Street on Thursday.
Gauteng police spokesperson, Captain Kay Makhubele said the owners of a shop barricaded the road and threw stones at police when they heard that a raid was going to take place in the building.
Three Johannesburg Metro Police Department vehicles were damaged and three civilians members were injured.
“The protest became violent as JMPD officers were attacked,” said JMPD Spokesperson, Wayne Minnaar.
“Their vehicles were damaged in the process.”
Shopkeepers accuse police of using live ammunition.
Mashaba says Home Affairs is responsible for the mess in the city’s streets.
“Unfortunately we are being let down very badly by Home Affairs who are creating this mess,” said Mashaba who was visiting the scene of a skirmish between police and vendors.
“In the under three years I have been in office, I am now dealing with the fifth minister of Home Affairs, I have brought this matter up in December to say that the City of Johannesburg is sitting time bomb in terms of undocumented people in the city.”
Mashaba says what happened in the CBD is unacceptable and the culprits must be arrested.
“It is unacceptable that our police can be attacked in that matter regardless of what happened,” Mashaba said.
“I don’t believe I want to live in a country where police can be attacked in that manner and we don’t retaliate.”
The mayor further stated that he is disappointed that no arrests have been made 24 hours after the incident.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has acknowledged the downside of the economy, telling Zimbabweans that they should persevere and confront the hardships head-on.
“We have problems, but we must not avoid them. We are supposed to face them head-on. In that process, we have to go through hard times until we surmount those challenges,” he said.
Speaking during his traditional national clean-up exercise in Mount Pleasant, Harare, Mnangagwa said the country did not, as yet, have its own currency despite having banned the use of the multi-currency regime.
“You know that on the aspect of currency, we banned the multi-currency regime and said we want our own money. We are yet to have our own currency, but we banned the other currencies,” he said.
“What we have left is the RTGS and swipe. In the future, money will come that will have our own features of Zimbabwe so that we can hold our heads high.”
Ncube increased prices of most government services and electricity tariffs, pushed up taxes on alcohol and fuel.
Before the introduction of the new Zimbabwe notes and coins, the local currency is already taking a beating after Finance minister Mthuli Ncube in his Mid-term budget review on Thursday introduced measures that could trigger inflation.
In anticipation of the looming price hikes, the Zanu PF leader warned business people, saying he could soon introduce laws to arrest those who increase prices of their commodities, but failing to increase salaries of their workers.
“Prices in this country are just going up and going up, but the business owners, who are increasing prices, are not increasing salaries of their workers, who are selling their goods in the shops,” Mnangagwa said.
“What is happening to the money that you are taking from your consumers? Yesterday, the good was $3, today it’s $7, the next day, it’s up to $10. Have you done the same for the worker? No, you have not. Well, it’s good, we will see between me and you who has power. I have the law and I have handcuffs to arrest you. We will see who will arrest the other. We need laws to deal with this.”
Mnangagwa, facing threats of impeachment and demonstrations from the opposition, said he was doing everything within his power to improve the livelihoods of the general citizenry.
“Your government is doing all it can day in, day out so that we have a better life tomorrow. The journey is difficult, but where we are going, there is hope for good things. I think by the end of the year, we will remove austerity measures because things will be well,” he said.
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Sekai Nzenza
While thousands of aged National Social Security Authority pension beneficiaries went for months with no pay, the authority’s records show a classic case of a teacher in Wedza whose monthly salary was recorded as $48 000.
The shambles in the NSSA membership records were revealed in the much-awaited forensic audit report which was tabled in Parliament, with Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Sekai Nzenza saying it will be used to “bring the guilty to book” and recover looted funds.
The report — which was commissioned by Auditor-General Mildred Chiri —covered the period from January 2015 to early 2018.
Parliament is now expected to debate the report and make necessary recommendations to Minister Nzenza arising from the report.
Director State Residences in the Office of the President and Cabinet Douglas Tapfuma picture at Harare magistrates court
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) has impounded two Kwekwe City Council ambulances for circumventing import tax, as investigations into the tax fraud involving former Director State Residences in the Office of the President and Cabinet Douglas Tapfuma deepen.
The ambulances, which were donated to the local authority by Vongaishe Mpereri during his tenure as a Member of Parliament for Mbizo, were brought in from South Africa, and ZIMRA has queries on clearance of the vehicles upon entry into the country.
Tapfuma was allegedly involved in importing the ambulances together with 81 other vehicles without paying tax.
Mpereri said the ZIMRA officers had some investigations to make regarding the clearance of the vehicles.
“We bought the ambulances in South Africa using the CDF funds, so the officers have questions on the clearance of the vehicles,” he said. “But I am told that the investigations are almost complete and the vehicles will be returned to council in a few days. We are not there to block the authorities from carrying out their duties.”
Contacted for comment, ZIMRA head of corporate communications Mr Francis Chimanda confirmed the probe, but declined to give more details citing secrecy provisions.
“Please note that the query relates to an individual’s clearance and in terms of the secrecy provisions in both the Revenue Authority Section 34A and the Customs and Excise Act, Section 210, we are not in a position to provide a response,” wrote Mr Chimanda in response to e-mailed questions.
Acting Kwekwe Town Clerk Dr Lucia Mnkandla said council officials were in the dark over the seizure of the ambulances.
“I can confirm that ZIMRA took away two of the ambulances that were handed over to council by Mpereri,” she said. “We are, however, not aware of the reasons behind the seizure of the vehicles.”
Dr Mnkandla said the local authority’s ambulance fleet had been left depleted and only one ambulance was functional.
“We have been left in dire straits as we are left with only one ambulance that is up and running,” she said. “Two others are down, so the ambulances had helped to ease the situation in the town.”
State Media|Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Prisca Mupfumira is a flight risk who holds two passports and has properties in the United Kingdom, a High Court judge heard.
Mupfumira, who was arrested by the recently-constituted Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), will spend the weekend in remand prison after Justice Erica Ndewere yesterday deferred her bail application to Monday.
Justice Ndewere postponed the matter to allow the State to call the investigating officer to give evidence during the bail application. Mupfumira is facing criminal abuse of public office charges involving US$95 million.
She was detained last week after the State invoked Section 32 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, which allows it to seek the further detention of a suspect up to 21 days to conduct further investigations.
The State led by Mrs Sharon Fero challenged Mupfumira’s bail application at the High Court yesterday, arguing that there was already a certificate which was tendered to the Prosecutor-General that bars any court from entertaining her before the stipulated 21 days lapsed.
“An aggrieved part can only approach this court when an inferior court had made a determination in relation to bail,” said Mrs Fero.
“I submit that the magistrate did not entertain the issue of bail. He was never asked to make a determination. He did not refuse to grant the applicant bail, so, for that reason the appeal ought to be struck off the roll.”
Mrs Fero accused Mupfumira of trying to take her bail application to the High Court through the back door.
“This court has no right to hear a case which is being brought via the back door,” she said.
Mupfumira, through her lawyer Advocate Lewis Uriri, who is acting on the instructions of Mr Charles Chinyama, said they had a right to be heard, arguing that they were rightly before the court.
Justice Ndewere ruled that the court had jurisdiction to hear Mupfumira’s bail application.
The State then opposed that Mupfumira be granted bail, arguing that investigations into the matter were still in progress.
Mrs Fero said Mupfumira had two passports and properties in the United Kingdom, leaving room for her to abscond trial. She said there was need for the investigating officer to testify to that effect.
Adv Uriri denied that Mupfumira had properties in the United Kingdom, saying being a holder of two passports did not mean that she will not stand trial.
He said Mupfumira had once travelled out of the country late in July and returned with full knowledge of the allegations she is facing.
Justice Ndewere deferred the matter to Monday for continuation of the bail application where the investigating officer is expected to testify before the court.
ZIMBABWE is among the top six countries in Africa with a high HIV drug resistance rate especially among women, the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2019 Drug Resistance report has revealed.
South Africa tops the list with a 23.6 percent Pretreatment Drug Resistance (PDR) to Efavirenz or Nevirapine — components of antiretroviral drugs followed by Namibia which has a 13.8 percent while Zimbabwe has 10.9 percent PDR to EDF/NVP.
Globally there are 18 countries including Swaziland, Cameroon, Namibia, Uganda, Nepal, Cuba, Vietnam, Brazil and Mexico whose rise in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest threats to global health.
“About 12 of 18 countries that reported survey findings to WHO, PDR to nevirapine/efavirenz in populations initiating first-line ART had reached levels above 10 percent and these include Swaziland, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
In the Ssdc region, South Africa tops the list with a 23.6 percent Pretreatment Drug Resistance (PDR) to efavirenz/nevirapine followed by Namibia which has a 13.8 percent PDR to EFV/NVP while Zimbabwe has 10.9 percent PDR to EDF/NVP,” read the report.
The rise in drug resistant cases according to WHO, if not urgently addressed, may result in millions of deaths, an increase in new and hard-to-treat infections and increased health-care costs.
“As a result, combating AMR, including the threat posed by drug-resistant HIV, is a major goal for the global community. Prevention, monitoring and timely response to population levels of HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) is critical to achieving the WHO/UNAIDS 90–90–90 targets for 2020,” read the report.State media
GOVERNMENT yesterday summoned the United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe Brian Nichols over the placement on sanctions of Zimbabwe’s Ambassador-designate to Tanzania, Anselem Sanyatwe and his wife, Ms Chido Machona on allegations that the former violated human rights.
Ambassador Sanyatwe is a former Commander of the Presidential Guard.
In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade spokesperson Mr Shepherd Gwenzi said the Ministry’s permanent secretary Ambassador James Manzou met Ambassador Nichols yesterday.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade on 2 August 2019 summoned the Ambassador of the United States of America to Zimbabwe, His Excellency Brian Nichols. He met the Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Trade Ambassador James Manzou and the purpose of the summons was to express displeasure of the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe over the public designation of His Excellency Lieutenant-General (Rtd) Anselem Sanyatwe, currently Zimbabwe’s Ambassador-designate to the United Republic of Tanzania and former commander of the Zimbabwe National Army’s presidential Guard Brigade, by the US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo under section 7031(c) FY 2019, Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programme, Appropriations Act (Div.F.P.I.116.6), allegedly for gross violations of human rights related to the August 1, 2018 post-election incident,” he said.State media
Zimbabwe welcomes foreign investors into the country but will not accept investments that come with conditions attached.
This was said by President Mnangagwa after taking part in the ninth edition of the National Environment Cleaning Day at Ashbrittle Shopping Centre yesterday. He also said there must be unity and peace among Zimbabweans if the country is to develop.
“We want a better future, we want the next generation to live a better life than ourselves and to do so the current generation should be united as a country, as a people and we must put our heads together and shoulders on the wheel to develop, to modernise, to industrialise our country,” President Mnangagwa said.
“We can do that and achieve that on our own, depending on our resources but alas, the pace at which we develop would be very slow. That’s why we have said ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ in order to attract foreign direct investment into the country and assist us to develop the various sectors of the economy: agriculture, mining, tourism, manufacturing, infrastructure development and ICTs.
“But when FDIs come into the country, they must come at the dictates of ourselves; no political ties, no conditions. The conditions should only be those which we want and this can only be achieved if we remain united, when we remain peaceful, when each one of us strives to do one’s best in whatever they are doing.”
President Mnangagwa said Government had embarked on the re-engagement process so that the country re-joins the community of nations.State media
