Bulawayo Mayor Solomon Mguni and all his councillors left Energy and Power Development Minister Fortune Chasi stunned with egg on his face after they walked out on him from a meeting called to discuss the proposed demolition of the Bulawayo Power Station towers on Friday.
Chasi was meeting a few stakeholders at a secretly organised meeting at ZESA boardroom at the power station over the issue of the cooling towers which must be demolished soon.
Chaos around the meeting emerged before talks even started when the stakeholders and councillors questioned why the Minister called them into the small private venue to discuss an issue that affects the greater citizenry of Bulawayo.
The Mayor was given an opportunity to speak in opening remarks where he took swipe set ZESA and the Minister for illegally hijacking ownership of the power station from the City of Bulawayo.
Mayor Mguni said his Council will not allow a lodger to dictate how its property is treated before walking out with his councillors leaving the Minister stunned .
Bulawayo City Councillors walk out of meeting with Minister Chasi.
An angry Chasi took swipe at ZESA management for failing to engage council before inviting him for the dialogue and why they did not consult the Council, the local planning authority on the project to demolish the towers. He acknowledged the council is aggrieved over the issue.
ZESA and Council have a pending court case regarding ownership of the towers.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa with SA President Cyril Ramaphosa
President Mnangagwa is expected to meet his South African counterpart on Sunday to discuss whether Zimbabwe’s neighbour can export more electricity to the country in light of the current shortages being experienced.
The country is experiencing massive load shedding due to low generation capacity at Kariba caused by low water levels while old equipment at Hwange Power Station continuously breaks down. President Mnangagwa said while addressing Domboshava residents during today’s clean-up campaign.
“Last year we opened Kariba South which produces 300 MW on top of the 650MW produced by the other section but because of the drought the water levels in Kariba have dropped and it is no longer producing adequate electricity,” he said
“….at the moment there is a shortage of electricity and when I went Mozambique I talked to officials there to see if we can get more electricity from Hydro Cahorra Basa and on Sunday I will meet South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa to discuss if we can get more electricity from Eskom so if we succeed in the negotiations the situation will greatly improve.”
Zimbabwe paid US$10 million to Eskom as part of the at least US$40 million owed to the South African utility.
Highly respected coach Morocco coach Herve Renard has singled out Algeria as the toughest team at the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Both Morocco and Algeria reached the knockout stages of the competition in Egypt, but it was the nature of Algeria’s 1-0 victory over title favourites Senegal which caught the eye of two-time title-winning coach Renard.
“I think there will be a lot of observers who will agree with me. I think up until now Algeria have been the best team at this tournament, notably in the match against Senegal where they performed very, very well,” Renard is quoted by Capital News .
“There’s speed and spontaneity, with top quality players, a world-class player in [Riyad] Mahrez, and youngsters like [Youcef] Atal and [Ismael] Bennacer who are doing a remarkable job.”
Djamel Belmadi’s Algeria meet Guinea in the Round of 16 on Sunday and the two North African sides could potentially square off in the final in Cairo on July 19.
“The coach (Belmadi) has succeeded in coming up with a good mixture which is not always easy in Algeria, you have to congratulate him,” continued Renard, who is attempting to guide Morocco to a first title in 43 years,” Renard added.
“Now from the perspective of the final, we’re only in the last 16. We’re concentrating on our match we have to play on Friday, ensuring there are no nasty surprises.
“We’re just being ourselves and hoping we can move on to the quarter-finals which will an even harder match.”
Algeria qualified to Round of 16 after winning their three matches against Kenya, Senegal, and Tanzania respectively.
South African Premier League outfit Maritzburg United have offered to buy CAPS United forward Gabriel Nyoni.
The KZN-side invited the speedy former Highlanders winger for a trial stint last week and negotiations are at an advanced stage so a deal is imminent.
Maritzburg even contacted the Green Machine officials informing them of their decision to sign the 27-year-old, who is said to have impressed them during the trial period.
Nyoni has made a huge impact since switching from the Black and White jersey to the Grean and White one, scoring 5 goals and providing 3 assists.
State Media|Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) has asked Zifa to account for its finances following controversies that surrounded the Warriors’ trip to the Afcon finals in Egypt.
Zimbabwe were embarrassingly knocked out of the tournament in the first round, with reports of player mutiny over allowances overshadowing the Warriors’ campaign.
The embarrassing showing that could have forced the SRC to act came after President Mnangagwa donated US$200 000 at a Warriors’ fundraising dinner and an additional $300 000.
Zifa requested a meeting with the new SRC board, but the country’s supreme sports body said it will be granted upon fulfilment of certain conditions.
In a letter addressed to Zifa chief executive officer, Joseph Mamutse, SRC director-general Prince Mupazviriho said they were “acutely aware of the controversies surrounding the Warriors’ Afcon campaign which sadly came to an inglorious and abrupt end on 30 June 2019”.
“These controversies give rise to a prima facie case of gross impotence on the part of Zifa, such conduct and/or omissions appearing consistent with Section 30 (i) (c) of the SRC Act regarding conduct by Zifa in a manner which is contrary to the nation’s interest.
“In terms of the said Section 30, the SRC board have directed that Zifa avail it the following detailed information on or before close of business Friday 12 July, 2019:
1. Zifa to detail all funds received by it from Fifa and Caf and/or any other football body recognised by Fifa during the period of 16 December 2018 to 30 June 2019.
2. Zifa to detail all funds disbursed to all of its board (members) during the same period, and the purposes of each such disbursement to the member concerned.
3. Zifa to detail all funds received by it from the government, and members of the public, during the same period aforesaid.
4. Zifa to explain the source of funding for the charter of an aeroplane to Cairo for its members and supporters for the Warriors.
5. Zifa to provide the rationale for this decision in light of the allegations that all or some of the Warriors had outstanding emoluments to them.
6. Zifa to provide a passenger manifest in respect of such charter and the reason for the journey by each such person on the manifest.
7. The total cost of the charter, and the total cost of accommodation paid for by Zifa in respect of the charter passengers.
8. Zifa to provide an affidavit from the Warriors’ captain regarding his views and opinions in respect of the reported discord within the Warriors camp over outstanding allowances and agreement on Afcon fees.
9. Zifa to provide detail of its financial relationship with a reported company, Conduit Holdings (Private) Limited, focusing in particular on allegations of criminal conduct in evading a valid Court Order.
10. The head of the Technical Warriors Committee to provide, in affidavit form, the collective views of his committee, regarding the reasons for any discord within the Warriors camp that may have been a contributory factor in the team’s disappointing performance at Afcon.
11. Zifa to include any other information that may assist the SRC in formulating its position, based on established facts, with regard to the Afcon campaign,” the SRC demanded.
Only when all this information has been provided will the SRC consider Zifa’s request for a meeting.
The SRC has already demonstrated that it means business by suspending Zimbabwe Cricket for allegedly violating corporate governance ethos and may well crack the whip on Zifa if any malpractices are unearthed.
Dear editor, Today President Nelson Chamisa visited MDC members who are incarcerated for political reasons. He was accompanied by the party Deputy Spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka, Secretary for Public Service and Social Welfare Maureen Kademaunga and Secretary General of the Youth Assembly Gift Ostallos Siziba.
Members of the MDC continue to be targeted for reasons which have nothing to do with professional prosecution but political persecution.
They are then subjected to deplorable prison conditions in facilities which are neither rehabilitative nor correctional. President Nelson Chamisa bemoaned the conditions of the prisoners who confirmed to him that they are living in squalid conditions where each prisoner is given a maximum of 4litres of water per day for drinking and bathing.
Among the people visited by President Chamisa are Last Maengahama and Tungamirai Madzokere as well as other MDC members arrested in the targeted episode of January 2019.
We in the MDC have been calling for criminal justice reform as part of broader judicial reforms.
Both the Judiciary and the NPA must be independent,the MDC pushed for separation of prosecution duties from the office of the Attorney General with the view to depoliticize processes.
We are concerned by the welfare of the families of those incarcerated for the sole purpose of combating dissent,their welfare is more concerning in the times of economic crisis.
In Service of Humanity,
Maureen Kademaunga
Secretary for Public Service and Social Welfare
The Apex Council, the association representing the majority of civil servants, will on Monday next week meet ahead of the National Joint Negotiating Council meeting the following day.
Government workers have for some time been, agitating for an upward review of their salaries as the cost of living has continued to escalate while their earnings have remained stagnant.
Apex Council spokesperson David Dzatsunga on Thursday told NewsDay that their demands will be guided by cost of the living basket for a family of six. Said Dzatsunga: We will meet as Apex to come up with some figures especially in light of the pricing shifts that are happening.
We are meeting, likely on Monday since the NJNC will be held on Tuesday. At the last meeting, we had demanded US dollar salaries, but that has been overtaken by events. That is why we need to come up with a new position that takes into account the changes and realities in the economy.
We will basically be guided by the cost of the food basket for a family of six.
However, the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Takavafira Zhou does not expect anything positive to come out of next week’s meetings.
He said: As usual, the government is preparing for another romance with the Apex Council next week. The NJNC has always failed to address even some non-monetary issues like land and tuition fees for teachers’ children. No wonder, we feel they are masquerading as leaders.
This is a difficult time that needs extraordinary measures and extraordinary unity of civil servants in order to get some semblance of cushion from a rogue regime. The cost of living for a family of six was said to be at about ZWL$800 in April.
However, prices have risen multiple times since then with, for example, a 2-litre bottle of Mazoe priced below $8 in April but now being priced at over double that figure.Newsday
Farai Dziva|Dutch winger Arjen Robben has announced his retirement from football at the age of 35.
The former Real Madrid and Chelsea winger scored 210 goals in 606 appearances across all the clubs he played for in a 19-year-long football career in which he also played for the Dutch national team.
“I have been thinking a lot over the past few weeks,” Robben told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
“As everyone knows, I took the time to make an informed decision about my future after my last Bayern Munich match. And I decided to put an end to my career as a professional football player,” he added.
President Chamisa today visited MDC detainees incarcerated at Chikurubi Maximum Prison.
He also interacted with other prisoners detained there where he heard sad stories that include the squalid living conditions where each prisoner is given a maximum of 4litres of water per day for drinking, bathing and other utilities not mentioning a prison building that is almost collapsing endangering the lives of inmates.MDC Information Department
A motorist is in custody after allegedly ploughing into four pedestrians, killing two of them, in Temba North in Pretoria.
Police said the accident happened along Makapanstad road next to the Rampi garage on Thursday night.
“A black BMW which was driving at high speed knocked down four pedestrians on the side of the road and two died on the scene and two were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
“The driver of the vehicle was found under the influence of alcohol and was arrested immediately,” said police spokesperson Captain Samuel Sebola.
Farai Dziva| Congolese Businessman and TP Mazembe owner Moise Katumbi who is being fingered in an alleged match-fixing scandal at Afcon has denied the claims.
Reports that emerged yesterday suggested that Katumbi attempted to influence the outcome of the Group A showdown between his country, DRC, and Zimbabwe.
The match ended 4-0 in favour of the Central Africans, a result which shocked the continent given the way the Warriors had performed in their first two matches against hosts Egypt and Uganda.
Katumbi denied that he paid goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze to fix the match.
Farai Dziva|As earlier reported by ZimEye.com, senior government officials are accompanying the netball to the World Cup tournament.
Just as ZimEye accurately revealed on Monday over 54 people are traveling to the United Kingdom for the Netball World Cup to be held in Liverpool.
In an expenditure that will eat up money for food for the players, the list includes 27 government assignees and 4 government ministers. (An official government schedule with 53 people, seen by ZimEye shows that there is already a shortage of over $39,000 meant for food and health supplements.)
Government has issued a statement giving more details on the Zimbabwe National Netball team that is set to grace the Vitality Netball World Cup tournament in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
In a statement, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services, Ndavaningi Nick Mangwana said:
… The term delegation refers to the Zimbabweans who are accredited to have official access to the grounds at the World Cup.
The breakdown of the Zimbabwean Delegation is as follows:
Fourteen players who are funded by the Government of Zimbabwe
Six players who are on a player development programme and are being funded by the Zimbabwe Netball Association
Four Government officials (1 Ministry of Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture; 1 Ministry of Finance and Economic Development; 2 Sports and Recreation Commission) who are funded by the Government of Zimbabwe.
Technical Team comprising seven officials that include medics, dietician, team managers; funded by the Government of Zimbabwe.
Six Zimbabwe Netball Association officials who are funded by the Association.
Just over a month after being fired from his popular Thursday Night Live with Marawa show on SuperSport, popular sport presenter Robert Marawa has launched his own online TV channel.
Marawa made headlines in May after he took to social media to claim that he had allegedly been told less than two hours before the start of his show not to come to work.
Supersport later confirmed that they had ended their relationship with the sports presenter.
In the wake of the fiasco, fans called on Marawa to start his own channel, and it seems like he was listening.
Marawa took to social media on Thursday to announce the launch of his YouTube Marawa.tv, which will air on YouTube.
So far the channel has attracted over 2,700 subscribers, with that number climbing by the minute.
The first video was posted on Thursday morning and saw Robert give his thoughts on the African Cup of Nations (Afcon). It also features an interview with Senegalese retired footballer El Hadji Diouf.
Fans who had flocking to his social media for his “amazing” Afcon coverage were encouraged to subscribe to the channel, with new content added regularly.
Fans on social media were excited by the move and flooded Twitter with messages of support for Marawa.
Farai Dziva|The ruling party Zanu PF is demanding land to build offices, it has emerged.
Sources at Benjamin Burombo Building revealed yesterday Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Ezra Chadzamira instructed the Provincial Admistrator to allocate land in Masvingo’s peri-urban area-to the ruling party as a matter of urgency.
Chadzamira also told Zanu PF supporters at the weekend, he would push the responsible authorities to facilitate the process of allocating land to the ruling party.
“We must have our own land where we can build party offices.
I have instructed the responsible person to speed up the process,” said Chadzamira.
“After being allocated the land we will venture into income generating projects,” added Chadzamira.
Just as ZimEye accurately revealed on Monday over 54 people are traveling to the United Kingdom for the Netball World Cup to be held in Liverpool.
In an expenditure that will eat up money for food for the players, the list includes 27 government assignees and 4 government ministers. (An official government schedule with 53 people, seen by ZimEye shows that there is already a shortage of over $39,000 meant for food and health supplements.)
The breakdown of the Zimbabwean Delegation is as follows:
Fourteen players who are funded by the Government of Zimbabwe
Six players who are on a player development programme and are being funded by the Zimbabwe Netball Association.
Four Government officials (1 Ministry of Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture; 1 Ministry of Finance and Economic Development; 2 Sports and Recreation Commission) who are funded by the Government of Zimbabwe.
Technical Team comprising seven officials that include medics, dietician, team managers; funded by the Government of Zimbabwe.
Six Zimbabwe Netball Association officials who are funded by the Association… [for more see pictures below]
By Own Correspondent| Its a scenario that has been played out countless times in films and TV dramas and sometimes even for comic effect.
But when it really happens it takes a great deal of bravery to face or deal with it at the same time.
A man reportedly fell into a “coma” after a heartbreaking discovery of his wife being sexually sampled by their herdboy.
Elvis Mutale from Mundabala Village under Chief Saba in Binga who had reportedly gone for an all-night prayer failed to come to terms with the sight of his wife Miriam Ncube groaning in pleasure while being poked by their herdboy only identified as Collen.
The incident reportedly happened on Friday last week.
According to a source from the area, on the day in question, Mutale returned home unexpectedly at around midnight and found the two lovebirds —Ncube and Collen — busy like rabbits in his bedroom hut.
It is alleged that before the upsetting discovery some of the neighbours had earlier informed Mutale that his wife was cheating on him with their herdboy and his worst fears were confirmed on the day in question.
“It was indeed a wrong timing for the two lovebirds — Ncube and Collen — when Mutale who had gone for an all-night prayer decided to return earlier than expected and caught them red-handed in the act. Mutale who failed to come to terms with the sight subsequently collapsed.
Out of panic his wife immediately alerted neighbours who came and rendered assistance leading to him regaining consciousness some hours later. Ncube who had initially remained tight-lipped later confessed to neighbours what had really happened,” said the source who requested not to be named.
Collen reportedly went into hiding from the time he was busted by his boss with his wife.
Ncube reportedly told neighbours that the sex act was a once-off thing adding that she had decided to do it with the herdboy since sex with her “prayerful” husband had dwindled.
“She tried to justify what she had done and make it look like it was her husband’s fault that he was starving her. Mutale however, decided to forgive his wife for the sake of their three children,” said the source.
Mutale’s family, the source further said, was shocked and disappointed by his decision to pardon Ncube. This was after they reportedly tried to talk to him to leave the adulterous wife but he never listened to anyone.
When Ncube was confronted over the phone, she got “defensive” and refused to confirm nor deny the cheating accusations.
“I have the right to speak or not. I will not talk about my marital life with someone I don’t know,” she said.
She also refused to let this reporter speak to her husband saying she was not at home with the cellphone which they reportedly share.-BMetro
Farai Dziva|ABSA Premiership side Baroka FC head coach Wedson Nyirenda has defended Warriors goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze following his blunders against DRC.
Chipezeze, who replaced George Chigova minutes before kick-off after the latter got injured during warm up, made 3 errors that resulted in goals for the Leopards.
However, Nyirenda believes the Warriors defence should have reacted better.
“He did not expect to start the match after the first choice George Chigova got injured during warm-up. You could see in the way he conceded,” said Nyirenda.
“If you look at the first goal, where he fumbled the ball, where were the defenders? Two strikers from Congo were the ones who fought for that ball. The defence should have covered,” he added.
Farai Dziva|The Sudanese army and the opposition have entered into a power sharing deal.
According to BBC, Sudan’s military leaders have reached an agreement with the opposition alliance to share power until election time.
The two sides agreed to rotate control of the sovereign council – the top tier of power – for at least three years.
They have also pledged to form an independent technocratic government and to investigate the violence of recent weeks, the African Union (AU) said.
News of the agreement reportedly sparked frenzied street celebrations.
Sudan has been in turmoil since the military ousted President Omar al-Bashir in April.
That followed a popular uprising against Mr Bashir, who seized power in a coup in June 1989.
Just days before the three-year transitional deal was announced, vast crowds took to the streets to demand that the ruling military council hand power to a civilian-led administration.
“The two sides agreed on establishing a sovereign council with a rotating military and civilian [presidency] for a period of three years or a little more,” AU mediator Mohamed Hassan Lebatt told reporters early on Friday.
Farai Dziva|MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has distanced himself from a Twitter account that has given credit to Zanu PF for banning use of foreign currency as legal tender in Zimbabwe.
The MDC president Nelson Chamisa has bemoaned the creation of the fake account in his name.
In a tweet from the account purportedly belonging to Chamisa, the writer celebrated the return of the Zimbabwe Dollar.
“I know this will hurt a lot of my supporters, but it seems the introduction of the Z$ is working. Prices are actually coming down,” reads the tweet.
“Zanu PF has become desperate to the extent of relying on photoshopping for useless propaganda-without addressing macro economic and other fundamentals such as legitimacy question. The Zimdollar is only awaiting an embarrassing loss in value over a short period,” the MDC said in a statement.
Farai Dziva|A Gokwe man was caught red-handed- raping his neighbour’s chicken in a bizarre incident.
Innocent Makambule dragged Kizito Gumbo to Chief Nembudziya’s court for abusing his chicken.
“The community is still puzzled by what Gumbo did considering that he is a married man.
It boggles the mind to think that he left his wife home only to have sex with chickens.
On the fateful day, Makambule was sleeping in his home when he heard noise coming from his fowl run. He quickly dashed there as he thought it was thieves trying to steal his chickens.
He was shocked to find Gumbo kneeling down raping a chicken.
Upon realising that he had been caught, he tried to escape but was tripped by his trousers which he had dropped to knee level before the act.
I presided over the matter and l ordered Gumbo to pay three goats to Makambule for what he did. I also ordered him to compensate Makambule’s two chickens. He apologised for his actions saying he was drunk and had no control over his actions,” Chief Nembudziya told H-Metro
Farai Dziva|The presence of military and police vehicles in Gweru- ahead of Emmerson Mnangagwa’ s visit to his home province shows the Zanu PF leader is afraid of his own people, the MDC has said.
See the full statement:
Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa, who came into office through a court verdict and not the people’s vote, rolls into the Midlands town of Gweru today for a clean-up campaign amid a virtual curfew in the MDC-controlled environs.
It is disturbing that a purportedly elected President would arrive in Gweru when the town is under siege from heavy military presence and anti-riot water cannons meant to quell any signs of civil disobedience.
There is a reported virtual lockdown of Gweru ahead of ED’s visit.
If Mr Mnangagwa was elected by the people, why is he so afraid of the same people?
It is telling that a President would be so much afraid of the people that he would turn up for a clean-up campaign in the middle of guns, the anti-riot squad and water cannons. This shows that that Mr. Mnangagwa is aware of the mounting anger in the country against his government.
The people cannot afford basics; civil servants have threatened industrial action due to inadequate salaries while power and water shortages have become the norm in all parts of the country. Medicines are in short supply and virtually every sector has a grievance against Mr. Mnangagwa and his clueless government.
The message is simple. While it is important to engage in the clean-up of our environs, the people would prefer that Mr. Mnangagwa’s government prioritizes cleaning up the economy.
There is no reason whatsoever why a clean-up must become a clamp-down on the innocent people of Gweru, judging by the reported siege mood ahead of Mnangagwa’s visit. Mnangagwa must simply clean up the economic mess in the country. He must clean his party Zanu PF and government by riding them of the corrupt barons and baronesses some of whom have been publicly named by his own party youths.
Luke Tamborinyoka
Deputy National Spokesperson
Movement for Democratic Change
Farai Dziva|MDC deputy president Tendai Biti has declared that Zanu PF will never transform the country’ s economy.
In a hard-hitting statement Biti said : “It is absolutely ridiculous to believe that the rate will soften, queues will disappear and power blackouts will be a thing of the past under Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government.”
“It is the faith of an asinine type to think that ZANU can ever turn around this economy, In short, it is just absurd to believe in #ZANU.
This is a unique regime. Its levels of incompetence are beyond belief. Its appetite for looting is beyond measure. Its predatory extractive mentality is without precedent.
Its lies and deception are redefining the art of spin. It is a pervasive vampire State, a kakistocracy,” declared Biti.
A bizarre “war” has erupted between neighbours in Kensington plots on the outskirts of Bulawayo over a flower on their boundary wall.
The seemingly silly quarrel, which has since spilled into court, was sparked and later escalated into a blazing war when one of the neighbours, a Mr Munodawafa refused to uproot the flower which had reportedly encroached on to Qakathekile Balule Moyo’s side.
Moyo alleged the flower in question was a source of their tension with Munodawafa whom she also accused of trespassing into her yard.
In her action, Moyo wants Munodawafa to uproot the flower, which she claimed was causing “almighty” problems between them.
“I have a problem with my neighbour Mr Munodawafa and his wife who are trespassing into my land. There is a flower on the border fence and they don’t want to uproot it despite the fact that it has encroached onto my yard.
“On 29 April, I reported them at ZRP Hillside where the matter was resolved and it was agreed that they must uproot the flower in question and also remove the pile of rubbish which they had created in my yard,” said Moyo.
She said on the same day Munodawafa approached their neighbour, a Mrs Nyathi and told her what had transpired between them before they asked her to apologise to her on his behalf.
“From that day he has not complied with the police order (to uproot the flower) and as a result I am seeking a peace order against him so that he stops harassing me.”
Moyo further said Munodawafa was also after her plot claiming she was not fully utilising it.
“Mr Munodawafa is provoking me so that I move out of my plot and he has also shown some interest in it. The other time he told my domestic worker that I was not fully utilising it, adding that it was better that I sold it to him.”
In response, Munodawafa through his lawyer refuted his neighbour’s allegations that he was trespassing into her yard and was also refusing to uproot the flower in question.
“The applicant has not submitted to the court in the form of an affidavit that Mr and Mrs Munodawafa have conducted themselves in any violent manner against her or have also threatened to injure her. Applicant has also not shown that the flower lies exclusively on her property.
“She has admittedly conceded that the flower in question lies on both parties’ properties therefore it cannot be said that the respondents are encroaching onto her property when they are attending to their side of the fence.
“The respondent also vehemently denies allegations of trespassing and of approaching one of her workers claiming she had no money.
In terms of the rubbish I do not know what applicant is referring to,” queried Munodawafa’s lawyer.
For the purpose of maintaining peace between the parties, in her ruling presiding magistrate Rachael Mukanga ordered Munodawafa and his family not to trespass into Moyo’s property.
By A Correspondent| Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries founder and leader Walter Magaya’s Yadah Hotel in Waterfalls was on Thursday evening damaged by fire.
No one was injured in the fire that destroyed the western top section of the hotel. The cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained.
Police confirmed the fire but were not in a position to give full details as investigations were said to be ongoing.
However, PHD spokesman Overseer Admire Simango told The Herald that they suspected foul play since there was no electricity at the time.
He said:
“Around 5:30 pm, I received a call that there was a raging fire at the hotel. I contacted security people on the ground on what had happened, but they seemed not to be aware of everything that was happening.
What is very strange in the circumstances is that there was no electricity as usual.
I am told the generator was off, but there was a fire from nowhere. While I am not pointing to anything, we are smelling a rat.”
Beitbridge businessman and Zanu PF loyalist Manu Chiwa has died.
Chiwa died on admission at the Beitbridge Hospital after he was involved in an accident on Wednesday night.
Matabeleland South police spokesperson Chief inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the accident yesterday.
“I can confirm that Manu Chiwa, who was 35 years old, died on Wednesday on admission at Beitbridge Hospital after he was involved in an accident at the 319km peg along the Beitbridge-Bulawayo Highway,” Ndebele said.
“He was driving a Honda Fit vehicle which was following behind another Honda Fit, and there was a bus coming from the opposite direction. He lost control of his vehicle and hit another car from behind and died from injuries sustained on admission at the Beitbridge hospital.”
Beitbridge East legislator Albert Nguluvhe (Zanu PF) said Chiwa worked hard for both the party and the people behind the scenes.
“He played a very big role during our 2018 election campaigns. I was with him up to late last night (Wednesday), discussing developmental issues for the constituency,” he said.
Beitbridge town secretary Loud Ramakgapola said they had lost an investor, adding that he was one of the clearing agents in Beitbridge.
By Own Correspondent| Newly-appointed Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) chairperson, Loice Matanda-Moyo says that corruption is the main cause of the economic challenges that Zimbabwe is facing.
Matanda-Moyo, who is also wife of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, SB Moyo, told journalists in Harare on Thursday that ZACC will deal with cases involving high profile members of society.
She said to date, 38 corruption cases had been reported to ZACC, 10 of which were high profile cases.
She said:
I am a ZACC chairperson and my mandate is to deal with corruption and in analysing the situation, I have noted that the economic challenges are mainly caused by corruption as far as my mandate is concerned.
I am not dealing with sanctions that are not my portfolio, that is why I am saying corruption is causing these economic challenges that we are facing today.
ZACC will engage the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to reach an understanding on matters that can be handled by the police and ZACC.
Our strategy is to have ZACC dealing with cases involving high-level corruption and cases involving high profile members of society.”
My belief is when @edmnangagwa & @nelsonchamisa meet it’ll unlock a lot of value for Zim. It’ll be like a release valve&a real show of the unity they both allude to. There’s nothing to lose but more to gain in their meeting. I see light at the end of the tunnel with such dialogue
— Sabhuku Temba P. Mliswa (@TembaMliswa) July 5, 2019
Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries Prophet Walter Magaya’s Yadah Hotel in Waterfalls was last night gutted by fire, destroying the western top section.
No one was injured in the fire whose cause was yet to be established by the time of going to print.
According to witnesses, the fire started after 5pm and firefighters arrived after about 45 minutes and extinguished the fire.
Police confirmed the incident, but could not give the finer details as investigations were still underway.
Police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said more details would be made available after investigations.
“Yes, we have received reports of the fire incident at a hotel in Waterfalls. Investigations are still underway,” he said.
The extent of damage could not be ascertained, but insiders said they suspected foul play since the area was under load-shedding a the time.
PHD spokesman Overseer Admire Simango told The Herald that they are “smelling a rat”.
“Around 5:30pm, I received a call that there was a raging fire at the hotel. I contacted security people on the ground on what had happened, but they seemed not to be aware of everything that was happening,” he said.
Overseer Simango said the fire started in the upper room of the hotel on the western side and destroyed beds.
“What is very strange in the circumstances is that there was no electricity as usual.
“I am told the generator was off, but there was a fire from nowhere. While I am not pointing to anything, we are smelling a rat.
“It is very clear; the circumstances are not normal given the fact that there was no electricity or gas nearby.
“We do not rule out foul play. Police are investigating and we do not want to jump to conclusions. The police will give us the full information, but the preliminary findings point to the fact that there could be some foul play and we are very suspicious of whatever is happening given the events of the last few days.
“We can tell that there is an underhand thing that is happening,” he said.
Prophet Magaya, who was said to be on his way to Abu Dhabi, was reportedly unperturbed by the incident.
“The man of God is in a jovial mood, nothing is going to disturb the ministry and the upcoming event in Botswana. The man of God has taught us that when the enemy comes like a flood, the Lord raises his bar,” said Overseer Mango.
He said the hotel will continue to operate normally, although the gutted section will be closed for renovations.
By Own Correspondent- A married man from Gondo Village in Gokwe under Chief Nembudziya has become the talk of the village after he was caught having s-e-x with his neighbour’s chickens.
The man, Kizito Gumbo, was dragged to Chief Nembudziya’s court by his neighbour Innocent Makambule.
Chief Nembudziya confirmed the incident saying his community was still shocked by the unusual behaviour.
“The community is still puzzled about what Gumbo did considering that he is a married man. It boggles the mind to think that he left his wife home only to have sex with chickens,” said Chief Nembudziya.
He said Gumbo was caught red handed by Makambule raping one chicken in the fowl run while the other chicken lay helplessly on the ground.
“On the fateful day, Makambule was sleeping in his home when he heard noise coming from his fowl run. He quickly dashed there as he thought it was thieves trying to steal his chickens. He was shocked to find Gumbo kneeling down raping a chicken while the other chicken was lying helpless on the ground.
“Upon realising that he had been caught, he tried to escape but was tripped by his trousers which he had dropped to knee level before the act.
Makambule quickly apprehended him before calling other neighbours who took Gumbo to Headman Gondo,” said Chief Nembudziya.
He said after presiding over the matter, he ordered Gumbo to pay three goats and also to pay back Makambule’s two chickens.
“I presided over the matter and l ordered Gumbo to pay three goats to Makambule for what he did. I also ordered him to compensate Makambule’s two chickens. He apologised for his actions saying he was drunk and had no control over his actions,” he said.-BMetro
By Herbert Gomba| Harare city councilors will not receive iPads , as is written in the herald, no procurement will be done for iPads , in fact in terms of the work program Hre city council will open a Hoply clinic , start a major cbd pavement replacement project , refurbish municipal buildings and built new smart toilets in Hre , the council is concluding discussions with the multi Donor trust fund for funds aimed at the water distribution network, particularly looking at fixing the pumps at the warren control and other distribution centers . In the same vein we are concluding a deal with netone to refurbish all municipal halls , pools and recreation facilities.
Lastly the council has a strategic plan and uses 100 day intervention plan to prioritize therefore we work to service the city on the basis of those plans not ipads
By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has revealed shocking rape statistics that show that a woman is raped in Bulawayo every day.
Acting Bulawayo spokesperson Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele told a local publication:
The bushy area near UCE has become a hot spot, a week hardly passes without a case of rape or robbery being recorded. We have also received a lot of rape cases from a section of Cowdray Park which is under construction.
Some of the people live in houses without doors, as a result rapists pounce on them while they are sleeping and rape them and get away with their property. I can confirm that on average per month we receive 20 to 30 cases of rape in Bulawayo province which is saddening and shocking.
I would like to urge members of the public to urgently make a police report within 72 hours when one of their relatives has been raped so that she can get post-exposure prophylaxis medication which helps to prevent one from getting pregnant or contracting HIV and other STIs.-BMetro
By A Correspondent- A Bulawayo woman has cried foul alleging that she is now unable to enjoy intimate relations with her husband because his mistress had ‘centrally locked’ him and he can no longer get an erect!on when he is with her.
Appearing at the Bulawayo Civil Court, Sinanzeni told the court:
“My husband always wants to have s.e.x with me but his organ is dysfunctional and that has caused problems in our home. When he fails to get an erect!on he beats me up and insults me.
The most painful thing is that his manhood was locked by his girlfriend and so I do not understand why he beats me up for his erectile dysfunction. I am afraid of him because he gets violent after drinking and smoking dagga.
…He does not get an erection when with me but when he goes to his girlfriend his manhood functions properly. We have tried seeking help from traditional healers but all has been in vain.
Due to the fact that he can’t have s.e.x with me he now brings his girlfriend to our house and sometimes when she comes I have to move out and stay with the neighbours. I have run out of options because when I stay with neighbours he insults me accusing me of being a prostitute.”
Moyo acknowledged his shortcomings but went on to accuse his wife of refusing to forgive him despite his repeated apologies.
President Magistrate Urgent Vundla ordered Muleyani not to physically, psychologically and emotionally abuse Sinanzeni.-BMetro
By Own Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said Zimbabwe should take a leaf from Rwanda’s post-genocide reconciliation model as it embarks on its own healing process.
Mnangagwa said this in an interview at Kigali International Airport after attending the Rwanda Liberation Day at Amahoro National Stadium,
He said despite experiencing one of the most horrific ethnic clashes in contemporary world history, Rwanda is now one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, enjoying unity and peace after it successfully managed to bury its painful past.
Presidents Dr Hage Geingob (Namibia), Faure Gnassingbe (Togo), Faustin-Archange Touadera (Central Africa Republic), Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo (Somalia), Julius Maada Bio (Sierra Leone) and Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi (Botswana) also attended the liberation Silver Jubilee.
“It’s an exceptional experience of reconciliation. Twenty-five years ago Rwanda could have been torn to pieces. But then President Kagame rescued the situation, and has built a proud, united and integrated Rwanda. This should be a lesson to the rest of African Union (AU) member states.
“We still have member states of AU with such internal problems. So, the experience of Rwanda could be a classic lesson with regards to how you can integrate our nation to speak with one voice, to become sisters and brothers and move forward and put the experiences of the past which are divisive behind. Rwanda has totally succeeded in that regard,” said President Mnangagwa.
The President, who recently told traditional leaders in Bulawayo not to entertain tribalism that led to the Gukurahundi disturbances which culminated in the death of about 20 000 people between 1982 and 1987, said the Rwanda experience reminds him of the Zimbabwean situation.
“In fact, as both the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Rwanda (Dr Richard Sezibera) and President Kagame gave speeches, my mind went back to our own situation back home, and I said if it were possible, you people (journalists) and my communications director (George Charamba), could broadcast these statements back home it would assist us in our endeavour to unite Zimbabwe, in the real sense, where there is no east, south, north and central.
“We all belong to one family. It does not matter whether you come from the eastern part of the country, southern or northern part, you all come from Zimbabwe.
That was a solid message that Rwanda has achieved, and I think it is not an easy job, but it’s something to emulate to achieve, to strive to achieve and it can only be done with political will to do so.
If the will is weak, merchants of division will continue to thrive, but if there is a strong political will to deal with these issues,I think we can succeed.
By Own Correspondent- President Mnangagwa will join fellow Heads of State and Government here for the Extraordinary African Union Summit (AU) which starts today. The summit, which is running under the theme: “Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: Towards Durable Solutions to forced displacement in Africa,” will end on July 8. The sub-Saharan country is hosting the African Summit for the first time.
The summit will commence with the 35th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council followed by the 12th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTFA) before closing with the mid-year coordination meeting of the African Union and Regional Economic Communities.
Zimbabwe is part of more than 20 African countries that are pushing for AfCTFA.
Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Mr George Charamba said Zimbabwe, as a founding member, will join other African countries in celebrating the birth of a free trade area.
“What we are doing is to celebrate the coming into force of the continental free trade area. There is a benchmark number of countries which have ratified the treaty for it to come into force, end of May.
“Zimbabwe qualify as a founder member of Continental Free Trade Area and that comes after a certain recognition and have privileges, that’s why we are going to Niger,” Mr Charamba said.
He said that the AfCTFA will result in upgrading of trade infrastructure in the region.
“The intention is to recognise that there is a lot that is pending and should be done within the continent by wealth encouraging inter-countries and intra-continental trade except their pre-requisite that are required by way of infrastructure.
“As you know historically, infrastructure in the African continent has always been oriented towards linkages with other continents particularly Europe as a colonial power.
“What we are trying to do as a region is to create infrastructure that allows countries to talk to each other, by way of trade, economic development and by way of people associations,” Mr Charamba said.-StateMedia
1. @ZimbabweNetball Team being paid daily allowance of USD30 and a winning bonus of $800. 4 ministers: $1200 per day; 27 officials will get $400 per Diem. Over 27 govt officials have squeezed our Netball team out,and now the girls are set to be stranded in UK without food,accom
By A Correspondent- Economist, John Robertson, has called for accountability in handling public accounts and condemned behaviour by some local authorities which violated basic corporate governance tenets.
His remarks were in response to the annual audit report by Auditor General Mrs Mildred Chirithat was tabled in Parliament recently. The report revealed mismanagement of public funds by several government ministries and departments. Robertson said:
Accounting standards are well known but from the report, councils have been behaving badly. There is no excuse why people should not do their job.
It would appear that there is no political will. They also don’t have the courage to go for the big people. No one should be above the law, they should just deal with corruption.
Economist Persistence Gwanyanya lamented lack of action on Auditor General’s recommendations.
Gwanyanya said:
We need a change of culture and also require action on some of the things highlighted by the auditor general. We do not want the auditor general to reveal things and no action is taken. We have not been enforcing what the audit report is saying and that is not right.
I think we need to be serious and the recent decision to bring the Zimdollar might fail if we are not committed to change.
Chiri’s audit report is a reminiscence of her previous audit reports whose recommendations have not been implemented.-The Independent
The auditor general Mildred Chiri exposed the violation of basic corporate governance tenets & gross mismanagement of public funds. Do you think Mnangagwa has the courage to go for the "big people" who are corrupt?
Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries Prophet Walter Magaya’s Yadah Hotel in Waterfalls was last night gutted by fire, destroying the western top section.
No one was injured in the fire whose cause was yet to be established by the time of going to print.
Police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said more details would be made available after investigations.
“Yes, we have received reports of the fire incident at a hotel in Waterfalls. Investigations are still underway,” he said.
PHD spokesman Overseer Admire Simango told state media that they are “smelling a rat”.
Overseer Simango said the fire started in the upper room of the hotel on the western side and destroyed beds.
“What is very strange in the circumstances is that there was no electricity as usual.
“I am told the generator was off, but there was a fire from nowhere. While I am not pointing to anything, we are smelling a rat.
“It is very clear; the circumstances are not normal given the fact that there was no electricity or gas nearby.
“We do not rule out foul play. Police are investigating and we do not want to jump to conclusions.
Zambia’s most talked about female Banker Pamela Gondwe who used to work for Barclays Bank PLC has finally voiced out to disclose that she did not rob a bank alone.
Ms. Gondwe says the matrix of money at Barclays Bank was well planned by four Branch Managers including one friend who was intrusted with another key that can open the vault.
In a message to Zambian Watch, Ms. Gondwe has reviewed that the total sum of money that she saw with her own two eyes was only $300,000 which was shared equally with her four friends.
She stated that last year in june, one of her bosses approached her regarding the plan and since then, the plan has been in progress on how to rob a bank.
Ms. Gondwe has reviewed that her name came out in the media because of her family that is popular in Zambia.
She says people who know how the bank operate will agree with her that a single person can not rob a bank.
“Zambian Watch in line with your request, I’m so sorry but i can not disclose my location right now until the dust settles. You might wish to know that i’m not denying the allegations. But what i can tell you is that the money that was gotten from Barcklays Bank long Acres branch is $300,000. My supervisors know this” she stated.
“I have been following media reports, the truth of the matter is that im not alone. I can not get that lots of money alone. Infact there are three keys to the vault. The first key is being kept by a diffrent person, the second key too and then my key i use to keep. So people must really ask themselves a question. How did i get access to the other two keys? The truth will come out later but for now i’m not willing to come back home. I will be here maybe unless if i die. People at that Bank want to take advantage of the situation. Branch managers know what i’am talking about”
Ms. Gondwe says it was unfair for people to target her only as a thief riding on the name of her uncle who use to be Bank of Zambia Governor.
“People are just trying hard to use my uncles name so that they can destroy it. People in this matrix are alot but because of a Mr. Gondwe who happen to be my uncle people are trying to dent the name. I can wish all my friends well in this episode but im afraid i wont step a foot in my country alive” she vowed.
Malawian Soldiers in Blantyre have beaten up ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) cadres inside Chichiri Shopping Centre compound after they (cadres) were trying to beat up a protester.
One suspected cadre has been captured by the soldiers and has been found with more than three knives.
The Soldiers have also forced out some ruling cadres who were in a white Landrover and were seen making rounds within the compound.
A Bank manager has been detained by the Drug Enforcement Commission in connection with fugitive Pamela Gondwe’s alleged theft of over US$400, 000 from Barclays Bank.
This follows the interrogation of other workers from the Longacres branch.
Zambian Watch can confirm that, DEC has detained a manager to help with investigations into the bank heist involving more than $400, 000.
DEC public relations officer, Theresa Katongo could neither deny nor confirm the detention of the bank manager but promised to look into the matter when contacted for a comment.
Meanwhile, Ms Gondwe has been placed on the international police wanted list according to details obtained by Zambian Watch.
Early last month, Ms Gondwe hit social media headlines and social media platforms for allegedly walking away with over US$400,000 amounting to K5.3 million in a brazen raid of the bank vault.
The 37 year old accountant was working at the Barclays Bank Longacres branch in Lusaka where she was assigned to one of the financial institution’s vault.
According to an earlier report from the DEC, Ms Gondwe was entrusted with the vault keys and on the material day, she told one of her workmate who also had access to the vault that she had received instructions from the Head of finance to get the serial numbers for all the dollars in the vault.
The duo then opened the vault and started recording serial numbers and while the exercise was going on, Ms Gondwe offered her workmate some food to eat and while the colleague was eating in the canteen she loaded all the dollars in the bag and hid it within the premises.
When the colleague returned she told her that she had already locked her part she was rushing to the saloon and that using the back door, she sneaked out but forgot her phone.
An online publication claimed that after she left, the branch manager became suspicious and went to check the vault and only to discover that the money was stolen.
Ms Gondwe who is still on the run was now on the international Criminal Police Organisation’s (INTERPOL) wanted list.
Ian Khama pictured with the interim leadership of the BPF.
As preparations for the Botswana general election to be held in October gain momentum, groundwork has been laid for launch of the newly formed Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) with rumours hitting the country that former President Ian Khama could be involved in the new party.
Addressing the media at the party office in Gaborone Tuesday, interim convener, Mr Biggie Butale, interim organising secretary, Mr Foster Seretse and interim administrative secretary, Ms Roseline Panzirah-Matshome, said they were ready for the launch set for Kanye on Saturday.
Mr Butale, also Tati West MP, said the BPF would be formally launched at Lodubeng Park with political formalities set to be followed by musical entertainment.
“We have a committee based in Kanye that has been finalising the preparations. The conference will start at 9am and there will be elections for the party leadership. Members of the press will be welcome, but there will be a closed session before the launch proper takes place in the afternoon,” Mr Butale said.
He also announced that he had formally alerted the Speaker of the National Assembly of his decision to switch from the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) to the BPF.
Mr Butale said the BPF would evolve its vision on ‘compassionate conservative values’ and would bring about a change of government.
“We believe in social justice, equal opportunities for all and we believe we will bring about the first change of government since independence. Botswana yes, is a democracy, for 54 years we have had elections.
But because we have not had a change of government, to some people we do not qualify as a thoroughbred democracy and come October, we believe the country can tick all the boxes,” Mr Butale said.
He said it was a misconception that the BPF was domiciled in the northern part of the country, rather describing it as a national party of patriots.
On their choice of venue for the launch, Mr Butale explained that Kanye was a big village and thus able to accommodate delegates from across the country.
The BPF interim leadership said they expected more MPs and councillors to defect to their party, adding that they were not averse to developing a working relationship with other opposition parties.
They revealed that fielding candidates in all 57 constituencies would be determined by whether they were able to form a coalition with other opposition parties.
Giant supermarket chain, OK, Zimbabwe has responded to an outcry over its high prices.
In a statement released on Thursday, the supermarket blamed its suppliers for wantonly increasing prices forcing them to follow the trend.
Full Statement from the supermarket reads as follows:
OK, Zimbabwe is grateful for the support and patronage of all our customers. Your support and patronage, particularly in these difficult times, is especially appreciated.
We are proud to be the leading Zimbabwean retail and supermarket chain and we will strive to ensure that you, our customers, will continue to get value from our stores.
The last month of June has been turbulent as we received numerous price increases from our supplier base as they chased the exchange rate movement.
We welcome the new SI142, which we believe will stabilise prices and allow us to deliver the good prices and value you have always expected and enjoyed from us.
We have always received good support from our supplier partners. Accordingly, we have engaged them and some have started to moderate prices in response to SI142.
We will continue this engagement to ensure that we, together with them, deliver the value you have always enjoyed.
We appreciate and applaud the feedback we receive from you our customers. We have other a number of platforms available for easy access, communication and feedback.
We would like to assure you that we will continue with our relentless efforts to ensure that all our stores nationwide remain reasonably stocked.
TEN people were injured while an unconfirmed number escaped unhurt when an Extra City bus they were travelling in veered off the road in Shangani yesterday.
The accident occurred along the Bulawayo-Harare Highway soon after Shangani River. The bus was coming from Victoria Falls enroute to Harare.
National Police Spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, confirmed the incident yesterday.
“I can confirm that we received information on a bus accident which occurred near Shangani River along the Bulawayo-Harare Highway in the early hours of Wednesday morning,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.
He said the driver lost control and the bus veered off the road onto a railway line and came to a stop about 50 metres from the road.
“We are still carrying out our investigations on what could have led to the crash. However, we are relieved that no life was lost in this near tragic incident. We are currently working on establishing the actual number of people who were aboard the bus at the time of the crash,” said Asst Comm Nyathi. Police are on record warning motorists against reckless driving, especially speeding at night.
Drivers have also been advised to avoid travelling at night.
Former British prime Minister Tony Blair has reportedly requested to meet ZANU PF President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mnangagwa revealed this in an interview with the state owned Herald at Kigali International Airport.
This was after attending the Rwanda Liberation Celebration Day at Amahoro National Stadium yesterday.
The president said that Blair, who is also President Paul Kagame’s advisor, had formally requested to meet him
Yes, actually I received communication from New Zealand (yesterday morning) that Mr Tony Blair wants to meet me here in Kigali, and I said that I had no objection. But, I understand he has not arrived, and we are leaving. If he had arrived on time I would have met him
Former Zanu-PF top man Jonathan Moyo has circulated pictures of what he says are mysterious men caught tampering with the wheels of a car belonging to MDC leader Nelson Chamisa’s lawyer Advocate Thabani Mpofu.
The pictures were allegedly captured in a parking basement in Harare.
A couple of days ago, some criminals were photographically captured red-handed, fiddling with the right left-wheel of Advocate Thabani Mpofu's car, as shown in these images! pic.twitter.com/GnEDM48Xi0
What is worrying about the images is that Advocate Mpofu was recently involved in a suspicious had a road accident in Muzarabani in which he has refused to rule out foul play.
A lawyer who was driving out of the basement car park of The Chambers in Harare took the images on Tuesday this week.
He became suspicious after leaving Mpofu’s office only to find a man in a blue work suit apparently performing some mechanical procedure on the front left side of Mpofu’s Land Rover Discovery.
According to reports, the Land Rover Discovery has since been taken to experts for further examinations. Reports also indicated the vehicle which was involved in the Muzarabani accident in June, a Toyota Landcruiser, is still being examined.
State Media|THE Zimbabwe Warriors have challenged those claiming their final 2019 AFCON Group A match against the DRC, could have been compromised by a Congolese business tycoon, to use the comprehensive security apparatus at the hotel they were staying here to substantiate such allegations or simply shut up.
The Warriors, whose campaign here ended in the ignominy of a shock 0-4 defeat at the hands of the Congolese last Sunday, spent the better part of yesterday exchanging notes on their interactive media platform where they all expressed shock at the dark and nasty turn of events.
The reports first emerged in the Madagascan media on Wednesday but, so far, CAF have been defiant in refusing to discuss the issue and have given DRC the green light to continue with their preparations for their Round of 16 match against the Indian Ocean islanders in Alexandria on Sunday.
The reports claimed the DRC were set to be thrown out of the tournament, and also heavily fined, by CAF with wealthy Congolese businessman, Moise Katumbi, being accused of allegedly having played the go-between role by coercing goalkeeper, Elvis Chipezeze, to fix the match.
That the goalminder, who only played because first-choice ‘keeper, George Chigova, pulled out at the last-minute during warm-up with an injury, had a horror show, at fault in three of the four goals the Congolese scored, has provided fuel to the conspiracy theories that he could have been part of a dirty plot.
However, the Warriors have banded behind their teammate and spent the day yesterday exchanging notes questioning the allegations and wondering why their names were now being dragged through the mud.
Captain Knowledge Musona told his teammates, in those exchanges, he felt some people had always been trying to transform them into the fall guys of this AFCON campaign and the latest developments would deflect attention from the shortcomings of the other parties who contributed to the challenges they faced here.
Musona even went to the extent of telling his teammates he now believed they have always been an unwanted unit, by a constituency back in Zimbabwe, and the success stories they have written in the last few years, including ending 11 years of waiting for an appearance at the AFCON finals and qualifying for two successive editions of the tournament, delayed the mission of those desperate to tarnish their names.
The players said it was surprising that some of them could be accused of having been bribed by the Congolese, here in Egypt, when the same opponents had failed to do so when the Warriors went to Kinshasa, during the qualifiers of the same AFCON, and beat the Leopards 2-1.
The players also felt that it was ironic that Chigova was only embraced as a hero, when he saved penalties in shoot-outs as he did as the COSAFA Cup, and he would be viewed with suspicion once he revealed he was injured, during warm-up on Sunday, and could not represent the team in such shape.
Team manager, Wellington Mpandare, speaking on behalf of the Warriors after spending the better day of yesterday in consultations with them since the damaging allegations were published back home, said the players were challenging those who were making the claims to substantiate their case with solid proof.
“The players are saying they have been badly affected by what they have been reading, especially the allegations that they might have participated in something to shame their country and the fans whom they believe they have represented well in this campaign,’’ said Mpandare.
“They say they are challenging those who are trumpeting this case not to base it on hearsay but to provide concrete evidence to back their claims or else they should refrain from dragging their reputations through the mud.
“The players are happy that this tournament was held in Egypt, a country where virtually everything that happens would be captured by cameras, and are challenging those who are claiming there were some questionable events at their team hotel, where Moise Katumbi is said to have bribed any one of them, to go and get the CCTV footage which will be provided by the Meridien hotel to prove that such a thing ever happened.
“They are also disappointed that it has come to this because they believe that they have served their country well, even when they were not getting anything in terms of payments for their work during the qualifiers, where they lost only one match, drew one away from home and won against the same DRC in Kinshasa.’’
Mpandare also said that, contrary to what was being spread on social media, he never met Katumbi when he was on this tour of duty.
“I never saw or spoke to this Katumbi guy anywhere when we were in Egypt and that can also be confirmed, given the people who are spreading those allegations claim it was at the team hotel, through CCTV footage,’’ said Mpandare.
“Allegations that the team was bribed should not just be raised without evidence to back such things because such allegations have an effect on the players at their clubs because they lose trust and respect and that’s the worst that can happen to any professional footballer.
“We are destroying the reputations of our stars, when they didn’t do anything wrong, with such recklessness and, in future, don’t be surprised when many of these boys will say we don’t want to come and play for the national team because, when they lose, such things are said about them.
“The coach (Sunday Chidzambwa) was brave enough to say that it was his fault that the team lost and there were areas where he feels he can rectify given another chance and yet we want to destroy the careers of these boys.
“Do we ever consider that we had some injured players in our camp, who stayed around because they wanted to provide morale to their teammates and also be part of the history that we were chasing, and now these players are also part of the group that is now being accused.
“Some of them have been on the verge of completing moves to some big European clubs and this has a massive effect on their careers but, it appears, we don’t care about them and we are just happy to paint this group, as tainted, when they have done some amazing things for this country.
“One of the players even announced that he would give his teammates a financial bonus, if they beat DRC, to try and psyche them up to win the match, which shows you that everyone wanted to do well in that match, and now some people turn around and accuse them without any evidence to back those claims.
Paul Nyathi|In obvious misinformation to the nation, the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services has posted on Twitter claiming that ailing Vice President Constantino Chiwenga will be leading a clean up exercise in Ruwa today.
Chiwenga who has been out of the public eye for over a month and has missed key government programmes is believed to be in a critical condition in a South African hospital where he is receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment with claims that he is being treated for some poisoning that was effected on him sometime back.
The Ministry which is expected to give highly accurate information all the time also said yesterday that President Emmerson Mnangagwa who is expected to be in Niger also today will be in Domboshava also picking up litter as part of the monthly national clean up programme.
“His Excellency President E.D Mnangagwa will lead the National Clean-Up tomorrow (today) at Showgrounds, Domboshava,” reads the tweet.
According to the Ministry, Vice President Kembo Mohadi is set to lead the Midlands province clean-up at Gweru’s Kudzanai Bus Terminus.
Minister of State for Harare Province Oliver Chidawu is expected at Chiremba Shopping Centre in Epworth.
Paul Nyathi|President Emmerson Mnangagwa will not be staying long at home when he returns from Rwanda but will immediately be up in the skies again on his way to Niger.
Flying in his very expensive hired jet, Mnangagwa will be going to the sub Sahara country to attend the Extraordinary African Union Summit (AU) which starts today.
The summit, which is running under the theme: “Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: Towards Durable Solutions to forced displacement in Africa,” will end on July 8.
Mnangagwa appears to be the only person missing from Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube’s austerity measures list whose priority is to cut heavily on government expenditure.
Fellow cabinet ministers and other government officials have had their travel costs cut down tremendously but Mnangagwa appears to be having it easier as he enjoys the expensive trips willy nilly.
Mnangagwa has been attending every minor and major summit and invitation since coming into power in a military coup in 2017. His travels have won him the nickname Tongombeya Scarfmore from Zimbabweans who are infuriated by his bottomless travel budget.
THE Confederation of African football have provided the biggest hint they are not investigating the DRC, and will not throw them out of the 2019 AFCON finals, after they unveiled an official training programme for the Leopards in Alexandria, from this evening, ahead of their Round of 16 match against Madagascar.
Reports emanating from Madagascar suggested on Wednesday an emergency process was underway at CAF, in which the Congolese were being investigated, with the Leopards facing possible expulsion from this tournament and a hefty fine, for allegedly influencing the result of their final Group A showdown against Zimbabwe.
Wealthy Congolese businessman, and politician, Moise Katumbi, who owns five-time African club champions TP Mazembe, was fingered in the sensational reports as the conductor of that orchestra amid allegations he could have corruptly influenced Zimbabwe goalkeeper, Elvis Chipezeze, to under-perform and gift the Leopards with a favourable result.
The reports, from unnamed sources, even went on to portray a graphic picture of a spectacular underworld operation in which Katumbi was accused of having approached the ‘keeper at the Cairo hotel the Warriors were staying, Le Meridien, which they shared with their Congolese counterparts.
The draw for where the visiting teams, with two from each group being paired at the same hotel, were done after the draw for the 2019 AFCON finals in April this year.
The allegations also claimed attempts by Katumbi, or those representing him, to transfer a substantial amount of money into the goalkeeper’s account were blocked by an Egyptian bank that raised the red flag, because of the huge amount involved, and paralysed the transaction.State media
Former British prime minister Mr Tony Blair, the architect of the standoff between Zimbabwe and the Western world, is keen to meet President Mnangagwa, the Head of State has revealed.
In an interview at Kigali International Airport after attending the Rwanda Liberation Celebration Day at Amahoro National Stadium yesterday, President Mnangagwa said his engagement efforts were bearing fruit as Zimbabwe’s sworn enemy Mr Blair, who is President Paul Kagame’s advisor, had formally requested to meet him.
“Yes, actually I received communication from New Zealand (yesterday morning) that Mr Tony Blair wants to meet me here in Kigali, and I said that I had no objection. But, I understand he has not arrived, and we are leaving. If he had arrived on time I would have met him,” he said.State media
Police in Chegutu have arrested a 33-year-old man for fatally axing his father whom he accused of bewitching him.
Edmore Muzeza of Sable Park Farm compound killed his father Mr Temba Smart Muzeza (71) who was employed as a builder at the farm. Mashonaland West police spokesperson Inspector Clemence Mabgweazara urged people to engage other family members or older people in communities to help them solve their problems.
“People should learn to engage other senior members in the family, or elderly people in communities and even the police so that they are helped on their issues,” he said. “Murder is a serious offence, one cannot solve a problem by creating another problem.”
Insp Mabgweazara said on the fateful day, Mr Muzeza left for work as usual in the morning.
While he was at work, Edmore told his sister Lucia Muzeza (30) that a prophet had revealed that their father was bewitching him.
When Mr Muzeza returned for lunch and went to his bedroom hut, Edmore took an axe and followed him.
“Edmore struck his father four times on the head and he died on the spot,” said Insp Mabgweazara. “Lucia, who was inside another hut, heard the noise and rushed to the hut where he found Edmore still in the room and the father on the floor in a pool of blood.”
Edmore reportedly fled with the axe, while Lucia alerted neighbours, before reporting the matter at Chegutu Police Station who attended the scene.State media
MIGHTY Warriors coach Sithethelelwe “Kwinji 15” Sibanda has said Zimbabwe should prepare thoroughly if they hope to lift the COSAFA Women Championship title after the team was placed in a fair group in a draw conducted in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Wednesday.
The Mighty Warriors were placed in Group C as the top seed and will face Mozambique, Angola and Eswatini. The regional show-piece kicks-off from July 31 to August 11 and for the second year running it will be staged at the Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
This year’s tournament will run simultaneously with the inaugural COSAFA Under-20 Women’s Championship.
At Wednesday’s draw held at COSAFA House in Johannesburg, the Young Mighty Warriors were drawn in a tough Group A against hosts South Africa, Namibia and Malawi.
However, ZIFA are yet to come up with the technical team for the women’s age-group team. Sibanda said she had hoped to face any team as it is all about preparation.
“It is all about preparation at the end of the day otherwise it’s a fair draw. Obviously we should be ready for anyone.
“I am sure we have the potential to win the Cup again if we prepare well. When we won the Cup a few years ago the preparations were spot-on, the team had several friendly matches and a lengthy camp so it is all about putting resources into the preparations,” said Sibanda.State media
Former Cabinet minister Ignatius Chombo yesterday appeared in court on fresh charges after he allegedly sold a Government house in Mutare without following due process.
He is jointly charged with Lazarus Chimba for criminal abuse of duty. Harare magistrate Mrs Barbra Mateko ordered Chombo to abide by the same bail conditions of his other cases and remanded Chimba out of custody on his own recognition. She deferred the matter to September 4.
Chombo’s lawyer, Professor Lovemore Madhuku, gave the State notice that he will make an application for refusal of remand on September 4.
It is alleged that sometime in 2000, Joyce Munamati, who was the acting provincial registrar for Manicaland Province, and Fred Kanzama, a former Member of Parliament for Mutare South constituency, were in a relationship which produced a son although they were not living together.
The court heard that year Munamati occupied No. 16 Kipling Road, Fairbridge Park, Mutare, a Government house which was reserved for provincial registrars for Manicaland Province.
It is the State’s case that on March 1 2000 Munamati signed a lease agreement with the then Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development at Mutare Provincial Public Works office, for occupation of the said house.
The court heard that sometime in 2007 Munamati submitted an application to buy the house to the then acting provincial public works officer Manicaland under the then Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development.
It is alleged that the application was forwarded to the Secretary of Local Government Public Works and Urban Development, without objection. Chimba allegedly objected to the request citing a shortage of rented accommodation for officers in general.
The court heard that Kanzama approached Chombo and expressed his desire to purchase the property. Chombo allegedly instructed Chimba to sell the house and to prepare an agreement of sale between Kanzama and his ministry.
Chimba, acting in common purpose with Chombo, entered into an agreement of sale with Kanzama as the purchaser at a cost of ZW70 trillion which was duly paid, the court heard.
It is the State’s case that Chombo and Chimba, being public officers, unlawfully and intentionally acted contrary to or inconsistent with their duties by showing favour to Kanzama and disfavour to Munamati.State media
TEN people were injured while an unconfirmed number escaped unhurt when an Extra City bus they were travelling in veered off the road in Shangani yesterday.
The accident occurred along the Bulawayo-Harare Highway soon after Shangani River. The bus was coming from Victoria Falls enroute to Harare.
National Police Spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, confirmed the incident yesterday.
“I can confirm that we received information on a bus accident which occurred near Shangani River along the Bulawayo-Harare Highway in the early hours of Wednesday morning,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.
He said the driver lost control and the bus veered off the road onto a railway line and came to a stop about 50 metres from the road. “We are still carrying out our investigations on what could have led to the crash.
However, we are relieved that no life was lost in this near tragic incident. We are currently working on establishing the actual number of people who were aboard the bus at the time of the crash,” said Asst Comm Nyathi. Police are on record warning motorists against reckless driving, especially speeding at night.State media
A 73-YEAR-OLD man from Chirumanzu has been arrested for allegedly raping a 49-year-old mentally challenged woman after offering to give her a baby.
Vitalis Gaika appeared before Gweru regional magistrate Mrs Phathekile Msipa facing two counts of rape. Gaika pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded in custody to July 11.
During the trial, the complainant’s mother, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, indicated that this was the second time the rape was happening.
“Gaika raped my daughter two times before and that time I reported the matter to the village head. He was told to compensate her with a chicken but he did not have the chicken so he was only warned not to repeat the same offence.
I was then enlightened by a programme I listened to on the radio that talked about mentally challenged people who are sexually abused and got a phone number from that programme to report the matter,” she said.
It is the State case that on April 9 last year at around 4PM, the complainant was sent by her mother to herd cattle. Whilst the complainant was herding the cattle, Gaika allegedly approached her saying he wanted to give her a baby and the complainant rejected the proposal.
Gaika, who was carrying an axe, allegedly removed his trousers and her panties and had sexual intercourse with her twice.
The complainant allegedly then dressed herself up and went home. At home, the court heard, the complainant’s mother asked her to bring the dishes that were outside into the kitchen but she ignored her. Her mother noticed that her dress was wet at the back and asked her what happened and she revealed her ordeal.
On November 5, the complainant was accompanied by her brother to ZRP Charandura where a report was made leading to the arrest of Gaika.State media
A MAN from Bulawayo has been sentenced to 12 months in prison after being found with 723 grammes of dagga in Cowdray Park suburb.
Melusi Khumalo (31) was searched by detectives following an anonymous tip-off and was found in possession of 723g of dagga which has a street value of RTGS $723.
He pleaded guilty to dagga possession without a licence before Bulawayo magistrate, Mr Lesego Ngwenya. Khumalo will, however, serve an effective three months in prison as nine were suspended on condition that he performs 315 hours of community service at Mkhithika Primary School.—State media
Farai Dziva|Warriors coach Sunday Chidzambwa has urged the Zimbabwe Football Association to keep the current technical team.
The national side suffered an early exit at the 2019 Afcon, putting the future of Chidzambwa and his assistants under spotlight.
Speaking after the team’s arrival from Egypt on Wednesday, the gaffer stressed out the need for continuity in deciding the fate of the national team coaches.
“I think it’s up to the authorities (at Zifa),” Chidzambwa told The Herald.
“I wouldn’t say they must do this or that, that’s not my area but in football I think you need continuity.
“In my case, I went to the Afcon finals first in 2004 and I only went back in 2019. You can’t play football like this, you won’t achieve. Then the next Afcon there will be someone again and the next someone again. Football shouldn’t be run like that.”
The Warriors made a promising start at the tournament, putting some competitive performances against Egypt and Uganda.
Things fell apart in their final Group A match versus DRC, losing 4-0 when they wanted a win of any margin to book a place in the knockout stages.
The result also set a bad record as it became Zimbabwe’s worst defeat at an Afcon tournament.
Amid the political war between the Norton MP Temba Mliswa and the Chinese embassy, the former has sounded out symbolisms of physical martial arts.
Speaking at a function recently, Mliswa said, “this whole Chinese kung fu we see on movies is different …here. I am an Akido trained person in Japan.”
“Said Mliswa: I must warn them that next time they will provoke someone who will equally give it to them. This whole Chinese kung fu we see on movies is different …here. I am an Akido trained person in Japan. I control myself cause I am an MP. It only takes me 3 seconds.
@TembaMliswa warns: I must warn them that next time they will provoke someone who will equally give it to them. This whole Chinese kung fu we see on movies is different …here. I am an Akido trained person in Japan. I control myself cause I am an MP. It only takes me 3 seconds. pic.twitter.com/c4IQ8y9ftz
Farai Dziva| The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has said it is currently working on measures to ensure that the newly reintroduced Zimbabwe Dollar will be recognised across the whole world.
This was said by RBZ director of research John Mafararikwa at a meeting organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
“We have posted messages to international organisations about our currency to say we now have the Zimbabwe dollar so pretty soon they will now say the currency of Zimbabwe, is the
Zimbabwe dollar.
When it comes to convertibility, the Zimbabwe dollar would be recognised outside Zimbabwe.
If you have the Zimbabwe dollar, you approach your bank if want to travel outside the country or import, you go to the bank to get foreign currency before you travel. The key is that you should make the interbank work,” said Mafararikwa.
Farai Dziva|Parliamentarians have controversial business mogul Billy Rautenbach’ s monopoly in the production of green fuel- among projects.
MPs argue Rautenbach’s monopoly is opening avenues for corruption because government cannot opt to buy expensive ethanol when there are cheaper alternatives.
Triangle Limited supplies ethanol at a relatively fair price.
Norton MP Temba Mliswa said:
“The issue is that our fuel is blended with ethanol from Rautenbach’s Greenfuel, but it is still very costly at $4, 98 per litre, yet we are blending.”
“Why is that we have one man who has monopolised ethanol supplies and what is so great about him? Who is he eating with?
Rautenbach is not bigger than this country, he never went to war or held a gun but today he talks about sanctions, which have made his ethanol expensive.
Farai Dziva|Outspoken Zanu PF political commissar Victor Matemadanda has accused the MDC of “plotting to propel Nelson Chamisa to power through the backdoor.”
Matemadanda warned the opposition MDC and its allies against “attempts to plunge the country into chaos and anarchy through violent demonstrations.”
“The revolutionary party and the country’s law enforcement agents will not fold their hands while the opposition tries to usurp power,” Matemadanda told The Herald.
“There are some people who have been threatening that there will be bloodbath in this country, but they make such claims while hiding in places like South Africa.
Whose blood are they talking about? The country has law enforcement agents that are constitutionally mandated to ensure law and order.”
He said while it was a constitutional right for people to demonstrate, they were supposed to do so peacefully and also respect constitutional rights of others not interested in taking part in protests.
“This country came at a cost of precious blood and we cannot surrender it to people whose only specialty is burning tyres in the streets.
“We will not allow those who want to block roads and stop other Zimbabwean from exercising their right.
Those who organise demonstrations should make sure they lead from the front and control their followers so that they don’t engage in violence or destroy property. We will not repeat the mistake of allowing such a thing to happen again,” Matemadanda told the state run paper.
Matemadanda warned the MDC-Alliance to refrain from trying to propel their leader Mr Nelson Chamisa to power through the back door.
“MDC-A leaders such as (party Vice president Mr Tendai)Biti have repeatedly said they were not going to rest until (Mr) Chamisa gets into State House,which means they want him to get into office through the back door and that will be usurping power and we will not allow that,” said Matemadanda.
Farai Dziva|ZACC chairperson Loice Matanda Moyo has said Zanu PF youth leader Lewis Matutu will bring evidence of corruption within the ruling party.
In a statement today she said: “We have taken note of the trending list of alleged corrupt top government and ZANU PF officials by the ZANU PF Youth League.
We are summoning the Youth League to bring evidence of corruption against those implicated with a view to
prosecuting such corruption.”
“Whilst ZACC is happy to announce that it now has powers of arrest, it however, refers all completed investigations for prosecution to the National Prosecuting Authority. Once ZACC has investigated the matters and referred them to the NPA for
prosecution that is the end of ZACC functions.”
” ZACC will take an interest in how the NPA prosecutes its matters and shall be sitting in court for all ZACC cases to observe proceedings in court.
We recognise that inorder for ZACC to achieve its mandate it requires a strong communication culture. ZACC will therefore embark on a cocktail of communication strategies including always being available to brief the public through the media on the status of our operations.”
Youthful MDC Masvingo member of Parliament Mr Jacob Nyokanhete (37) bought cement and distributed it to learning insitutions in Masvingo urban this week.
The $50 000 CDF money was used to buy cement from reputable Masvingo N. Richards Shop. In return, N. Richards through its social responsibility offered free transport and distributed cement to the learning institutions.
The Masvingo CDF committe comprises Proportional Representative honourable Mago and Senator Rwambiwa.
These members are mandated by Parliament to be in this commitee.
Below is a full detailed description and account of how 2019 CDF was used in Masvingo Urban:
1.Francis Aphiri primary school – 63 bags for inside plastering of a classroom block
2.Vurombo Primary School- 63 bags for durawall construction and construction of a fowl run
3.Ndarama Secondary School – 64 bags for constructing pathaways that join Heritage centre,and also plastering a new constructed block
4.Chikato primary school- 63 bags, Constructing a butterfly entrance and guard room
5.Dikwindi primary school- 63 bags for constructing a new block
6.Victoria high school – 63 bags for constructing guard room , Main entrance and and feeder canals in their Agric garden
7.Shakashe primary school- 63 bags for constructing a fowl run and cooking cooking shade
8.Runyararo primary school- 63 bags for durawall construction and a trench
9.Masvingo Day High school,4 1 infantry battalion school -63 bags for fowl run construction and Ablution block
Honourable Nyokanhete said “We are still finalising Ward 8 donation but have 63 bags for them. In ward 8 there are no schools and hospitals. We are engaging the community to see where we can assist soon.”
The youthful MP is a former Masvingo Family Planning provincial accountant who is a qualified chartered accountant and currently doing a Master’s degree in Strategic management at Chinhoyi University.
He said: “We got $50 000 CDF money. The cost of cement is $48000 and
Bank charges are $1500. We have a balance of $500 and we are going to buy more cement. We are very transparent in managing public finances. My MDC party led by advocate Nelson Chamisa demands accountability. No to corruption and misuse of public funds.”
A few years ago some Members of Parliament failed to account for CDF money.
Equally, Mr Henry Chivhanga, SDC accountant at Ndarama High School said: “We received the 63 bags of cement from honourable Jacob Nyokanhete and we are very happy. These cement bags will assist us as we have building project we are undertaking.”
Masvingo learning institutions have shortage of classrooms. This led to hot sitting. Many educational psychologists believe that hot sitting militates against effective teaching and learning in Zimbabwean learning ecologies.
School heads, teachers, school responsibility authorities such as City council, Ministry of Primary and secondary education and parents appreciate the assistance rendered by Hn Nyokanhete.
Hn Nyokanhete said: “I agree with the sentiments that CDF money must be increased. In Masvingo urban we have plenty of problems, water, bad roads, electricity. People need assistence. CDF may assist.”
On the 13th July 2019, there will be a by-election in ward 31 Bikita East, Masvingo Province.
The by-election is a result of the death of a Zanu PF councillor in April 2019.
Mr Farai Chinobva MDC National organising director and Mr Dangazela ‘Mr Cool’ one of MDC strategists held free and fair primary elections and Bikita East chose youthful candidate Mr Moses Maphosa as their candidate.
Masvingo provincial leaders organised two rallies that were addressed by MDC National chairperson honourable Thabitha Khumalo, National Organiser honourable Amos Chibaya, Dept National Organiser honourable Happymore Chidziva, National youth chair Mr Obey Sithole and many national youth leaders in Bikita East ward 31 drumming up support for MDC candidate.
On Saturday, 06th July 2019, MDC Masvingo cadres will hold the final rally in Bikita East ward 31.
Provincial and national members will address.
In supporting the noble cause of winning ward 31, Masvingo MDC deputy provincial spokesperson Ms Lee Mahachi said:
“Masvingo provincial chairman Mr James Chafungamoyo Gumbi gave Bikita East ward 31 election 18 agents $1000, meaning each agent will get $56.
Additionally, Advocate Musendekwa gave $500 and Masvingo provincial organizer Mudzingwa and Mr Bhadharai helped with flyers and posters.”
Many Masvingo provincial leaders are giving helping hand in ward 31 include Proportional Representatives – honourable Mrs Mago and honourable National vice women’s chairlady Mrs Mugidho and Masvingo urban member of parliament honourable Jacob Nyokanhete.
MDC is expected to win this by election.
Zanu PF leaders have been campaigning using maize, food items, clothes, party regalia and have deployed high terrain vehicles.
The SRC spokesman claimed there are no additional 27 people traveling to the UK. But on the official government documentation, clause 3.2 says… airfares for the additional 27 members will be paid for by from fundraising proceeds.”@ZimbabweNetball@SRCZimbabwe
1. @ZimbabweNetball Team being paid daily allowance of USD30 and a winning bonus of $800. 4 ministers: $1200 per day; 27 officials will get $400 per Diem. Over 27 govt officials have squeezed our Netball team out,and now the girls are set to be stranded in UK without food,accom
By Own Correspondent- President Mnangagwa will tomorrow headline the National Clean-Up Campaign at the Show Grounds in Domboshava.
Vice President Kembo Mohadi will lead the clean-up in the Midlands province at Kudzanai Bus Terminus, Gweru, while Vice President Constantino Chiwenga will be at Ruwa Shopping Centre.
President Mnangagwa declared the first Friday of every month a National Clean-up Day
The declaration was made on December 5 last year.
The national clean-up campaign gives all citizens time to clean their surroundings between 8am and 10am.-StateMedia
The Election Resource Centre acknowledges the appointment of the new Chief Election Officer (CEO), Mr Utoile Silaigwana with effect from July 1, 2019.
The appointment fills a vacancy left after the departure of the former CEO, Mrs Chigwamba in March 2018. Mr Silaigwana had been acting as interim CEO following the departure of Mrs Chigwamba.
While the appointment is in terms of the current legal framework for elections, the ERC reminds the Executive, Parliament and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) that several provisions in the Electoral Act relating to the independence of ZEC remain in contravention of section 235 of the Constitution which states that independent commissions are not subject to the direction and control of anyone.
The unconstitutional provisions limit the capacity of ZEC and its officials to deliver election processes that are credible.
As an example paragraph 4 of the 6th Schedule of the Electoral Act gives the President, unilateral powers to set the conditions of service of the Commissioners.
The independence of the appointment of the CEO remains questionable if the President, an interested party in electoral processes, determines the condition of service of the commissioners who appoint the CEO.
Furthermore, the Electoral Act used in the appointment of the new CEO violates Section 235 of the Constitution by constituting a ten-member Accreditation Committee comprising of five members from the commission and five members nominated by the Executive from the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Women’s Affairs and from the Office of the President and Cabinet.
Section 40i (1) of the Electoral Act undermines the independence of ZEC in deciding who can observe elections in Zimbabwe. Appointing a new CEO whose administration of accreditation of observers will be heavily influenced by the executive has a negative bearing on the credibility of future elections.
In running the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, the new CEO will have to operate within the confines of Section 192 of the Electoral Act which gives ZEC regulatory powers in the administration of electoral processes.
However, in contravention of the constitutionally guaranteed independence of commissions, these regulatory powers are subject to Ministerial approval as highlighted by Subsection 6 which states that: Regulations made in terms of subsection (1) and statutory instruments made in terms of subsection (4) shall not have effect until they have been approved by the Minister and published in the Gazette.
A CEO of ZEC who will need the approval of the Minister on Regulations to govern how electoral processes are conducted will definitely suffer confidence deficits from election stakeholders competing for public office with the party from which the Minister is appointed.
In terms of termination of the appointment of the CEO, Section 9 (4) of the Electoral Act makes reference to provisions in the 6th Schedule of the Act which have since been repealed.
Furthermore, Section 9 (5) states that the Commission shall not terminate the services of the CEO on a ground other than one referred to in subsection 4 without Ministerial approval.
In essence, it means that ZEC has hired a CEO that it cannot fire without the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs’ approval in contravention of Section 235 of the Constitution on the independence of commissions.
The appointment of a substantive Chief Election Officer, while important for purposes of bringing stability, highlights the need to institute inclusively, electoral reforms.
The Chief Election Officer is assuming a position governed by the very same legal framework for elections that was questioned by observers and election stakeholders.
Changing people while the infrastructure for elections remains unchanged would be an act in futility.
The jury is out on whether the appointed CEO will lead the fight to reinforce the independence of the ZEC and adhere to the constitutional principles of inclusivity and accountability in the administration of all electoral processes.
As the ERC we wait to see if the appointment of the ZEC CEO will transform ZEC into a responsive, service-minded public body that enjoys the confidence of all election stakeholders.
An appointment of the nature made by ZEC must be accompanied by an honest commitment by the body to uphold, protect and abide by the supreme law of the land by disregarding legal provisions that are ultra vires the Constitution.
The ERC encourages government, Parliament and ZEC to embark on exhaustive electoral reforms in an inclusive manner as an urgent matter.
By Own Correspondent- President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has sent a congratulatory message to US president Donald Trump on the country’s 243rd independence anniversary.
He posted the message on his Twitter account handle, @edmnangagwa.
“On behalf of the people of Zimbabwe, I want to wish Happy Independence Day to @realDonaldTrump and all the people of the United States of America.
”We look forward to continuing to broaden and deepen the relationship with @usembassyharare and between our two peoples,” President Mnangagwa said in his message.
By Own Correspondent- The Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) has written to the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) demanding explanations on the manner in which the country’s football governing body handled the Warriors’ ill-fated Africa Cup of Nations 2019 campaign.
SRC has demanded that ZIFA give detailed information around the campaign before the close of business, Friday 12th July 2019.
By Own Correspondent- The national airline Air Zimbabwe and Botswana based charter airline Mack Air today signed an agreement for the launch the “Flame Lilly Hoppa” domestic and regional air service.
The agreement, which was signed in Harare, will see the introduction of daily domestic scheduled air services between Victoria Falls, Harare and other major tourist destinations such as Hwange, Kariba and Chiredzi.
It will also include services to camps and lodges within the environs of the major tourist resorts
On the regional front the agreement provides for the launch of daily scheduled air services between Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa and Mozambique.-StateMedia
Update on the Zim/DRC match-fixing allegations. TP Mazembe owner Moise Katumbi totally denies that he paid Warriors keeper Elvis Chipezeze to fix the match. Katumbi says that he was only in Egypt for the DRC’s first game and then went back to Belgium #AFCON2019@StarfmZimbabwepic.twitter.com/EWnow9Krpx
By A Correspondent| A care home insists they have a ‘a zero-tolerance approach’ after a carer was jailed for willfully neglecting a resident.
Avandale Lodge, Northwich told Cheshire Live that Vangirai Michael Kufa was employed by a temporary staffing agency and worked at the home in early 2018.
Kufa, 40, was jailed on Thursday, June 27 for nine months after pleading guilty to a charge of ill-treating a person without mental capacity.
The victim was assessed by healthcare professionals who determined he needed one to one care 24 hours a day.
A care package was put in place by Last Minute Nursing, who allocated Kufa as one of the carers.
The family of the victim became aware of a series of worrying incidents over the next few months, which included him falling out of bed.
Being concerned for his welfare, the family installed a camera in his room which captured Kufa neglecting the victim.
It showed Kufa using his phone and paying no attention to the victim. When he tried to get his attention, Kufa elbowed him in the back and hit him in the groin four times.
The incident was then reported to Last Minute Nursing and Cheshire Constabulary.
A spokesperson for the Avandale Lodge said:“Mr Kufa was employed by a temporary staffing agency and worked at our home in early 2018.
“His behaviour goes against everything we stand for as an organisation, and we handle these concerns in the strongest possible way. When his behaviour first came to light, we immediately made sure he did not work in any of our homes again.
“We subsequently provided all possible support to the affected resident and their loved ones, and did everything we could to help the police investigation.
“We fully support the court’s decision and retain a zero-tolerance approach to any behaviour which goes against our ethos of kindness.-CheshireLive
The MDC is worried that Utoile Silaigwana, a former army Major who joined ZEC as a serving military officer, has now been confirmed as the electoral body’s substantive chief elections officer.
Silaigwana’s substantive appointment with effect from 1 July 2019 is a testament to the fact that ZEC needs urgent reform if it is to retain its credibility among ordinary Zimbabweans and political players in the country.
Put simply, the appointment vindicates the fact that Zimbabwe is the true home of command elections which have resulted in losers occupying the seat of government while the winners are locked out.
It is pertinent to note that as a serving soldier, Silaigwana was part of the tainted ZEC secretariat that withheld election results for five weeks in 2008 in a plebiscite that SADC and the AU emphatically rejected as not reflective of the will of the people of Zimbabwe.
As acting chief elections officer since March 2018, Silaigwana also presided over the disputed polls of July 30 last year which resulted in Mr Mnangagwa being controversially declared as President by the courts and not by the people, who are truly sovereign.
Silaigwana’s substantive appointment to the key position of chief elections officer within the country’s electoral body is all the more reason why a comprehensive reform agenda encompassing political, electoral and media reforms is imperative if Zimbabwe is to break from the vicious cycle of disputed elections.
The MDC has great respect for the military but we have always maintained that the place for our soldiers in the barracks. The military, whether serving or retired, have no place in civilian electoral processes.
It is unfortunate that Silaigwana’s appointment comes at a time when Zimbabweans are in the throes of an unmitigated economic crisis spawned by the stolen elections of 2018, in which ZEC spectacularly revised downwards its own figures a record three times.
Next week on Wednesday, 10 July 2019, the MDC will be launching RELOAD, a blueprint that encapsulates the party’s comprehensive agenda for a return to legitimacy.
RELOAD is our menu to return the Zimbabwe train back on the rails after the stolen election of 2018 which has resulted in an unprecedented economic meltdown in the country.
Silaigwana’s appointment yesterday is all the more reason why the country should embark on a comprehensive reform agenda if Zimbabwe is to break away from the cycle of disputed plebiscites and join the family of civilized nations.
Soon, the MDC under the leadership of President Chamisa will be leading the people of Zimbabwe in defining a new course for the country.
MDC 1999 – 2019: Celebrating 20 years of tenacity and courage
Luke Tamborinyoka Deputy National Spokesperson Movement for Democratic Change
FORMER South African president Jacob Zuma was never linked to the landing of the Gupta plane at Waterkloof Air Force Base in Tshwane.
This was what former director-general of the justice department Nonkululeko Sindane told the Zondo Commission yesterday.
She said the two people alleged to have been instructed by Zuma to allow the landing, former transport minister Ben Martins and former chief of state protocol Bruce Koloane, denied these claims.
Sindane was part of the security cluster panel that said Zuma wasn’t guilty. She said they didn’t interview Zuma because nothing linked him to the scandal.
“Our view was that there was no basis to go to the president based on two people talking among themselves,” said Sindane.
The investigation found Koloane and Anderson responsible for the landing. Sindane said they also found the high commissioner of India played a role in the scandal but it wasn’t included in their 2013 report as it would have had a diplomatic impact.
“As a senior civil servant at a time and a South African, I was embarrassed and disappointed. My biggest concern was why are we even in this wedding. Why was it such an important event in our calendar,” she said.
Major Thabo Ntshisi told the inquiry he refused the Guptas’ request to land at the base because there had been no correspondence. He said Koloane and Anderson told him to go ahead and approve the landing.
