MASVINGO Provincial Hospital medical superintendent Dr Julius Chirengwa and the entire management committee have been suspended pending investigations into a scandal that has resulted in critical drugs being diverted to private pharmacies for resale in foreign currency.
Most of the drugs were donated to the hospital, while others were sourced from the National Pharmaceutical Company (Natpharm).
Also noted at the institution was the abuse of the procurement process for personal gain, among other corruption-related allegations. This comes amid an acute shortage of medicines and critical equipment at State institutions, which pushes desperate patients to private pharmacies.
Dr Chirengwa was suspended together with a general surgeon, Dr Noel Zulu.Other suspended members of the hospital management committee include Ms Helga Mpande, a former matron at Masvingo Hospital, acting Tutor-in-Charge at the School of Nursing Ms Rosemary Machuwaire, hospital pharmacist Mr Zivanai Zibhenge and pharmacy technicians Messrs William Mamombe and Munyaradzi Thomu.
A general hand in the pharmacy department, Mr Shepherd Hwaire, and another attached to the Equipment Stores and Workshop Department were not spared.
Secretary for Health and Child Care Dr Agnes Mahomva confirmed the suspensions, but could not shed more light.
“Yes, I can confirm that some officers in Masvingo have been suspended pending investigations,” said Dr Mahomva.State media
Farai Dziva| Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday used the liberation war maxim “pasi navo” to denounce those plotting to stage mass protests.
However political analysts feel the maxim should not be used in the so called new dispensation.
Addressing hundreds of villagers who converged at Kondo Primary School to witness him officially opening the rehabilitated Tanganda-Ngundu Highway, Mnangagwa said demonstrations and stay aways “do not bring any benefit.”
He said focus by all must be on developing the country as demonstrated by the commissioning of the Tanganda-Ngundu Highway, instead of wasting energy on negativity.
“For those with mobile phones, they were saying today (yesterday) you should stay away, stay away.
Stay away yokudii? Muchigara kuitira ani? Anozotambura ndiani kana mukasasevenza?,” said Mnangagwa.
Ko tozodyei kana tisingashande? Saka musaterera mhesva mukono idzi dzinopihwa mari nevanhu varikunze, dzinopihwa mari nevanhu vagere ku South Africa uko vatinoziva vamwe ma criminals akatiza muno varikutsvaga mari kuti kuve nemhirizhonga mukati menyika ivo vagere vachiplanner varimumahotera. Pasi navo! Saka hakuna stay away,” added Mnangagwa.
A Harare man Godfrey Mupanga has filed an application at the High Court seeking to set aside Statutory Instrument 142 of 2019 which scrapped the multi-currency system.
Through Statutory Instrument 142 of 2019, Government announced that it was abandoning the multiple currency regime.
The move was meant to save Zimbabweans who had been disenfranchised by businesses pricing in foreign currency, especially the United States dollar.
Mupanga is, however, seeking an order declaring the legal instrument null and void. He argues that the law was in conflict with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Act.
Mupanga contends that the law was in contravention of Section 134 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. He wants the court to rule that the decision scrapping the multi-currency system in Zimbabwe is grossly unreasonable.
“The decision by the respondents to ban the multi-currency system in Zimbabwe prescribed by Section 44A of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Act Chapter 22:15 as legal tender is grossly unreasonable,” Mupanga argues in his papers.
The High Court is yet to set down the matter for hearing.- state media
A new pharmaceutical manufacturing plant is set to be constructed in Mt Hampden, about 20km north-west of Harare, in a development expected to cut reliance on foreign drugs and create more jobs for citizens.
Africure Pharmaceuticals Zimbabwe plans to construct the pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in collaboration with Innovata Pharmaceuticals Limited of South Africa.
The value of the project could not be ascertained by the time of going to print. The critical project would be undertaken, but only after an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been obtained.
Africure Pharmaceuticals Ltd has contracted the Scientific and Industrial Research Development Centre (SIRDC) to conduct an EIA study for this project.
Reads the notice: “Africure Pharmaceuticals Zimbabwe in collaboration with Innovata Pharmaceuticals Ltd intends to construct a new pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Mt Hampden, Zvimba District, Mashonaland West Province.
“The proposed project site is Lot 1 Shamwari Road. In addition to the manufacturing plant, other structures to be constructed on site include effluent treatment plant, offices, warehouses and other ancillary facilities.” – state media
Farai Dziva|Government sources who claim to be close to ailing Constantino Chiwenga say the former army general was poisoned through water.
Chiwenga is said to be battling for his life at a South African hospital.
Government sources say Chiwenga who is now unrecognisable is critically ill.
Government sources further revealed Chiwenga was poisoned using radioactive Polonium-210.
“Chiwenga was poisoned through water that was delivered to his luxurious mansion in Borrowdale.
Due to the difficulty of drilling boreholes at the mansion’s hilltop location, the VP’s house was previously serviced by water bowsers and bottled water.
He (Chiwenga) is in a major fight for his life.
He has told those close to him that he believes he was poisoned through water delivered to his home.”
Farai Dziva|Former ZBC presenter Ezra Tshisa Sibanda has accused “junior army officers of disrespecting the late nationalist Joshua Nkomo.”
Pictures of soldiers- seemingly making awkward gestures at Father Zimbabwe’s grave- have gone viral on social media.
An irate Sibanda said: ” Who are these low people mocking and standing on the tombstone of the Great Founding Father of our nation, Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo?
This is meant to be a museum and should be accessible to the general public and tourists but remains a no go area.
Please help identify these disrespectful clowns and hopefully authorities will take action.”
Simba Nhivi and Godknows Murwira are this week expected to return to Dynamos as the club seeks to strengthen after a poor start to the season.
Nhivi is a free agent after being released by Ngezi Platinum Stars over allegations of inciting other players to strike for an adjustment to their salaries and bonuses.
Murwira is pushing for an exit from FC Platinum after failing to nail a starting berth since moving there at the end of last year. He has spent most of the time either on the bench or on the terraces.
The Platinum Boys are, however, reluctant to let him go but the player is pushing hard and a breakthrough is most likely to be made this week as negotiations between the two clubs are going on.
Forgotten midfielder Archford Gutu has already completed his return to Dembare and is expected to commence training this week together with Nhivi and Murwira.
Meanwhile, Dynamos coach Tonderai Ndiraya has been lamenting lack of quality and experience in the squad which was assembled by his predecessor Lloyd Chigowe who was sacked after taking charge of just three league games.Soccer24Zimbabwe
By Own Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Republic Police has said a 16-year-old boy died at Dikili Line, Chief Gampu area, Tsholotsho on 1 July 2019 after he was assaulted by 4 men all over the body with a switch.
The boy who was being accused of stealing a pair of shoes in the neighbourhood was tied to a tree where the suspects assaulted him.
After the assault, his legs and hands were tied with a rope and he was detained overnight in a hut.
His condition deteriorated and he died the following morning. All the accused persons fled from the village on realising his death.
We are urging members of the public to desist from meting out instant justice on people and seek assistance from the police with a view to applying the due process of the law.
By Own Correspondent- Vendors and traders under various banners have expressed anger over the manner in which they are being treated by authorities.
The various informal traders affiliated to the Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Association (ZCIEA) addressed the media in Bulawayo last week.
President of ZICHEA, Lorraine Sibanda said:
Do not criminalize our work, after all, we feel let down by ruling party after July 30 elections, now we want a clear policy on informal work.
We thought that for a moment everything is going to be well for us but now we are the most to suffer from the US dollar ban.
Sibanda also bemoaned the government’s failure to engage vendors before the abolition of the multi-currency regime.
She said:
We are in a state of confusion about the government’s move to ditch multi-currency use, I will not claim to know about how we, as informal economy traders going to move from here but my thinking is whenever there is change, there is a need for engagement and dialogue before a bombshell dropping on citizens.-263Chat
By Rumbidzai Madhibha|Delta Corporation has partnered with World Vision Zimbabwe to support families affected by Cyclone Idai which hit the Eastern part of Zimbabwe on March 15, leaving a trail of destruction and over 300 people dead.
The devastating natural disaster to ever occur in Zimbabwe and caused widespread damage stirred the hearts of many corporate leaders and individuals to support communities affected by Cyclone Idai.
In an interview with ZimEye, World Vision Zimbabwe Communications Manager Andrew Shamu said:
“As part of the 30-day Response Strategy, World Vision has partnered with Delta Corporation to provide support for households in Chipinge and Chimanimani which are two of the most affected areas.
“Delta Corporations’ generous donation of US$ 130, 000 has helped to provide these communities with access to water, hygiene and sanitation support.
The interventions included repairing of boreholes in schools and communities and disinfecting existing water points in communities and schools.”
World Vision also prioritized the production and distribution of Information, Education Communication (IEC) materials and re-orientation of Village Health Workers on Participatory Health and Hygiene Education (PHHE), especially on point-of-use water treatment.
With a sustained presence in Chimanimani since 2007, World Vision Zimbabwe is one of the leading development partners that is transforming communities through long term development initiatives in the areas of Water and Sanitation, Livelihoods, Health and Nutrition, Education, and Child Protection.
In Chimanimani, World Vision has funds committed for asset-based community development srretching up to 2032, guaranteeing the sustainability of all investments.
Interventions are spread over 11 out of the 24 Wards in the District, reaching out to most of the most vulnerable areas in the District.
In response to Cyclone Idai, World Vision recently launched its early recovery programming which also includes immediate and long term interventions.
Spokesperson of the National Patriotic Front (NPF), Jealousy Mawarire sensationally claimed that the decision to reintroduce the Zimbabwe Dollar was not made by the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) and not by Cabinet or Finance and Development Minister Mthuli Ncube.
Mawarire alleged that the decision was made by the Presidential Advisory Council on Sunday 23 June.
He said:
Am reliably informed the decision to reintroduce Zim$ was pressured on ED’s junta govt, thru PAC, by the IMF team which came in to assess the Staff Monitored Program. The team wasn’t impressed by the drastic rate at which RTGS$ was losing value both on parallel & interbank markets.
Attempts at exchange rate stabilisation were then promulgated by PAC, based on, inter alia (a)Intro of Z$ (b) Dialogue involving @nelsonchamisa (c)Injection of US$600m to enable RBZ & banks to partly settle historical (Pre Feb 22) invoices at 1:1. The invoices amount to US1.2bn.
The decision to reintroduce the Zim$ was then made by PAC on Sunday 23 June 2019 without Mthuli Ncube, cabinet or parliament approval. PAC then recommended that in order for the Zim$ reintroduction to work, President Mnangagwa should, immediately, dialogue with @nelsonchamisa.
It comes as no surprise that the most sycophantic social media supporters of the Zim$ reintroduction are Trevor Ncube, Shingi Munyeza & Busisa Moyo, PAC members active on Twitter. Trevor Ncube also used his NewsDay Zimbabwe to announce that ED was prepared to meet Chamisa.
The envisaged dialogue between President Mnangagwa & Nelson Chamisa hasn’t been, curiously, ridiculed by people like Trevor Ncube despite his very public disdain 4 the youthful MDC leader. Instead, Ncube has used his papers to subtly advocate 4 the dialogue, a PAC obligation he has to execute
By Own Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s junior, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has reportedly been flown to South Africa for medical attention.
Sources privy to the developments said Chiwenga was flown to South Africa on June 23. He has not seen in public for over a month now.
He was airlifted to India for treatment last month, which was the second time he had been to the Asian subcontinent this year.
The cause of his illness has remained a mystery as the Chiwengas have preferred to keep the issue under wraps revealing that they are suffering from an unnamed ailment.
However, there are reports suggesting that VP Chiwenga was poisoned although details regarding the issue have also not been confirmed.
VP Chiwenga was on 18 June appointed the Acting President when President Emmerson Mnangagwa left the country for Mozambique.
However, the former army commander was not at the airport to see off the President. Even on President Mnangagwa’s return, the VP was also absent.
Chiwenga is reportedly in a critical condition and has changed physically.
By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has said that protests are ongoing despite threats by the government.
ZCTU president, Peter Mutasa said while trade union leaders’ lives were at risk, that there is no kind of threat that would deter them from protesting against the ban on the multicurrency system by president Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime.
This came after the government, through Statutory Instrument 142 of 2019, banned the use of all foreign currencies for domestic transactions.
Last week, ZCTU leaders gave Mnangagwa’s government up to tomorrow to reverse the SI saying their members would take to the streets if the powers-that-be do not capitulate. Speaking to the Daily News, a defiant ZCTU president Peter Mutasa said:
Trade union leaders are not safe currently considering the arrests and reported abductions. I don’t feel secure also but what can I do? Our lives are in the hands of the Lord, He decides whether I live or not.
Zimbabwe is the only country we have and we are carrying out a legitimate function that is provided for at law. Strikes are also guaranteed in the Constitution.
The ZCTU boss bemoaned the deterioration in living standards of citizens as a result of the soaring inflation. He added that any responsible government would not brutalise citizens for raising genuine concerns.
ZANU PF political commissar, Victor Matemadanda, responded to Mutasa’s remarks and said that security personnel will be ready to deal with any violent protest. He said that everyone had a right to demonstrate peacefully.
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema was confronted at a press conference in Braamfontein on his recent defence of the party’s secretary general, Godrich Gardee, after a video emerged showing him involved in a fist-fight at the party’s headquarters last year.
At a June 16 lecture at the University of Fort Hare, Malema defended Gardee, saying he was “performing his revolutionary duty” and that he would have done worse himself.
“In terms of the video, I reiterate, I would have done worse. Those who have served with me know that I do not take any nonsense,” he responded on Tuesday afternoon when questioned at the presser.
“Any one who comes here who wants to threaten the peace of this nerve centre of the revolution is not welcomed. Our constitution says we will use any means necessary to protect the revolution.
“For the revolution we do anything. If you are a member and you do not like it, go join ACDP.
“Our members know that what the [secretary general] did is consistent with what the leadership of the EFF would have required when the headquarters are put under threat,” Malema said.
He then justified his party’s use of violence under certain circumstances.
“We must define the EFF’s morality and not the white man’s imposed morality on what the revolution should be,” he began.
“Where there is a need to use violence, to stop violence; we will do it. We never start violence, we are always provoked,” he continued.
In June, CCTV footage of the fist fight was widely circulated. The video footage turned out to be from July 11, 2018.
News24 reports that the individual that Gardee is seen fighting with is a former EFF member and that some have linked the scuffle to divisions within the party’s students command.
It was reported that Gardee defended his actions by saying that Abednego “Msholozi” Mathole was being provocative because he had been declared persona non-grata at the party’s premises.
Gardee reportedly said that people would reach their own conclusions because the video footage did not have audio and so they would not know what had transpired.
The EFF SG reportedly did not want to give clarity on the issue and was quoted as saying “silence is golden”.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police has reacted to serious allegations that Prophet Walter Magaya sexually abused a young female congregant and impregnated her.
This follows a wide ZimEye.com exclusive coverage of the parents accusing Magaya of abusing their daughter since last week.
There was an unprecedented plot twist in the matter when the alleged victim came out in a video dismissing the allegations against Magaya and denied that she was abused.
The police had this to say
The ZRP is concerned with unconfirmed reports of young girls and women being abused by some traditional healers, prophets, church leaders and lecturers.”
“Members of the public are therefore urged to report these cases without delay for the law to take its course.”
The police further urged victims to report cases at the victim friendly units
By Own Correspondent| South Africa’s power utility, Eskom said that it had received the much-talked-about US$10 million from the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA).
In a statement issued on Tuesday (today), Eskom said:
Tuesday, 02 July 2019: Eskom confirms that the payment made by Zimbabwe is reflecting in its account today.
Discussions will continue with the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) to find a mutually beneficial solution to the outstanding debt.
Eskom is a commercial operation and will be guided by the contracts we have in place with ZESA.”
Protesters march against Zimbabwe’s new bond notes as a currency, in Harare, Zimbabwe.
In a surprise turn of events, last week, the Zimbabwe government announced the end of its multi-currency regime after 10 years.
In this edition of Business Day Spotlight, we focus on what this move means for the Southern African state and possible effects on the region.
Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Tara O’Connor, founder and executive director of Africa Risk Consulting (ARC) — a firm that advises on pre-investment and expansion strategies for countries such as Algeria, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Nigeria, SA, Zambia and Zimbabwe; and regions such as East Africa and the franc zone (as a region), among others.
According to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and the country’s finance ministry, the Zimbabwe dollar is now legal tender. Zimbabweans can no longer trade in the US dollar, SA rand, British pound or Botswana pula, as they have done in the past.
Many questions still remain about what this will mean for foreign investment, confidence in the currency, and people’s savings.
The decision comes as the country’s inflation rate has reached as much as 95% month to month, says O’Connor, adding that this was a move in the wrong direction for the country headed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
“History is our best teacher,” she says, referring to the hyperinflation and economic turmoil experienced in Zimbabwe over the past two decades.
Zimbabwe’s issues should be the concern of the region as a whole, particularly SA, O’Connor says. A net importer for a number of years, SA is Zimbabwe’s largest trading partner. The country is said to owe embattled power utility Eskom more than R300m for electricity previously supplied.
O’Connor says leaders in the region, such as President Cyril Ramaphosa, may have to take on the role exhibited by former president Mbeki in 2009, who helped bring about a government of national unity in Zimbabwe with the opposition MDC party, which led to five years of economic growth before Zanu-PF took back the reins in 2013.
Listen in to hear thoughts around these and other questions.
Zimbabweans will be allowed to withdraw up to $1000 (about R14000) in cash a day from foreign currency accounts, said Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube yesterday, as the country prepares to relaunch its own currency after a decade of dollarisation.
The surprise announcement will ease fears that the central bank might raid foreign currency accounts, as happened during Robert Mugabe’s rule in 2008. Central bank governor John Mangudya said people and companies in Zimbabwe currently held $1.3billion in foreign currency accounts.
Mangudya told a parliament committee that individuals would be allowed to withdraw up to $1000 a day from their foreign currency accounts without restrictions but that companies would have to talk to their banks if they needed cash dollars.
The southern African nation, whose crops were scorched by a drought this year, is in the grip of foreign currency and fuel shortages and daily electricity cuts lasting up to 15 hours.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who replaced long-time leader Mugabe after an army coup in November 2017, is trying to repair an economy ruined by hyperinflation and a long succession of failed economic interventions.
In May, his government agreed a staff-monitored programme with the International Monetary Fund to help Zimbabwe implement coherent economic policies. But a hoped-for turnaround is yet to materialise, and many Zimbabweans are distrustful of Mnangagwa’s promises.
Last week, the government renamed its interim currency, the RTGS dollar, the Zimbabwe dollar and made it the country’s sole legal tender, ending a decade of dollarisation and taking another step towards relaunching a fully-fledged currency.
Mangudya said yesterday that the country would initially print 400million Zimbabwe dollars to be gradually introduced into circulation to plug the gap left by the end of dollarisation.
Ncube had earlier told the same committee that individuals would be allowed to withdraw US dollars in cash from their foreign currency accounts. He defended the surprise manner of the announcement and promised that Zimbabwe would not fall into money-printing of the kind that caused hyperinflation in 2008.
With inflation close to 100% last month and desperate levels of unemployment, Zimbabweans are impatient for progress but are fearful that abandoning dollarisation will cause a new surge in prices. Unions are threatening strikes if Mnangagwa’s government does not overturn the policy.
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union, (ZCTU) president Peter Mutasa
Zimbabwe workers have vowed to continue fighting to be paid in United States dollars despite a government move to outlaw multi-currency regime which effectively ended the official use of the greenback in the country.
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union, (ZCTU) president Peter Mutasa accused the government of repeatedly lying to the nation citing Finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube’s assurance that the Zimbabwean dollar will only be issued once macro-economic fundamentals are in place.
“Before banning the US dollar, Mthuli had assured the nation a day before that the Zimbabwean dollar will only be introduced when macro-economic fundamentals are in place.
“The government has been taking its people for granted for quite some time now, when it introduced bond notes in 2016 that they were adequately backed by lines of credit from the AFREXIM Bank,” said Mutasa.
“Clearly in all records, the working people of Zimbabwe have lost substantial value in their earnings as they work in the fast depreciating RTGS,” said Mutasa.
The combative trade unionist vowed to proceed with the demand for workers to be remunerated in US dollars saying the Statutory Instrument 142 of 2019 will not be an impediment to their push for better working conditions.
The scrapping of the multi-currency regime by government is widely believed to have been a calculated move to pre-empty civil servants’ demand for US dollar salaries, something the Finance minister Prof Ncube openly said was unsustainable.
Yesterday, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr John Mangudya told the parliamentary committee on Finance and Economic Development that the multi-currency regime had outlived its purpose and was responsible for the economic problems currently facing the country.
POWER utility Zesa could soon embark on massive disconnections in an effort to recover over $1,2 billion owed to it by defaulting customers, most of whom are Cabinet ministers and top civil servants.
Energy minister Fortune Chasi has called on Zesa to cut its loses and start switching off all those who are failing to settle bills as the nation plunges into darkness owing to a critical electricity shortage.
“Zesa has a legal obligation to cut its loses, it cannot continue to supply power to people who do not pay. Switching off not paying customers is a real option, be warned, this is regardless of what or who you are,” Chasi said on Twitter.
The warning from Chasi comes amid revelations that government ministers and many top Zanu PF leaders owe Zesa large sums of money.
The power utility has been unable to recover debts from the ministers, government institutions and farms owned by high level party members resultantly forcing Zesa to default on its own debts with Mozambique and South Africa power utilities.
Zimbabwe owes close to US$80 million to both South Africa and Mozambique, who have since cut off power supplies to the country, leaving the nation to endure prolonged hours of load-shedding.
Zesa spokesperson Fullard Gwasira said the minister was the principal who administers the power utility and his word was final.
“If the minister says it, we will implement. Zesa is a parastatal administered by the minister, he is the principal so if he speaks we implement,” he said.
Gwasira said he was unable to comment on how the disconnections will be conducted, referring further questions to the minister.
“That information will be best answered by the person who said it. It will be unfair for you to ask me that question,” he said.
Simba Nhivi and Godknows Murwira are this week expected to return to Dynamos as the club seeks to strengthen after a poor start to the season.
Nhivi is a free agent after being released by Ngezi Platinum Stars over allegations of inciting other players to strike for an adjustment to their salaries and bonuses.
Murwira is pushing for an exit from FC Platinum after failing to nail a starting berth since moving there at the end of last year. He has spent most of the time either on the bench or on the terraces.
The Platinum Boys are, however, reluctant to let him go but the player is pushing hard and a breakthrough is most likely to be made this week as negotiations between the two clubs are going on.
Forgotten midfielder Archford Gutu has already completed his return to Dembare and is expected to commence training this week together with Nhivi and Murwira.
Meanwhile, Dynamos coach Tonderai Ndiraya has been lamenting lack of quality and experience in the squad which was assembled by his predecessor Lloyd Chigowe who was sacked after taking charge of just three league games.Soccer24Zimbabwe
Farai Dziva|Former ZBC presenter Ezra Tshisa Sibanda has accused “junior army officers of disrespecting the late nationalist Joshua Nkomo.”
Pictures of soldiers- seemingly making awkward gestures at Father Zimbabwe’s grave- have gone viral on social media.
An irate Sibanda said: ” Who are these low people mocking and standing on the tombstone of the Great Founding Father of our nation, Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo?
This is meant to be a museum and should be accessible to the general public and tourists but remains a no go area.
Please help identify these disrespectful clowns and hopefully authorities will take action.”
By A Correspondent- The acting general manager of the government drugs supplier, the National Pharmaceutical Company (NatPharm), has been freed on bail pending appeal after he was jailed for raising the prices of drugs.
Justice Moses Foroma of the Harare High Court said Newman Madzikwa, jailed by a magistrate for an effective 14 months last week, had good prospects of success with his appeal against both conviction and sentence as he freed him on ZW$1,000 bail.
Madzikwa was convicted of criminal abuse of office by Harare magistrate Hosea Mujaya for hiking drug handling fees from four percent to 15 percent.
As part of his bail conditions, Madzikwa was ordered to report to the police every Friday and surrender his passport.
Madzikwa maintained during his trial that the decision to raise the cost of handling medicines on behalf of government hospitals and dispensaries had board approval.
But his trial magistrate labelled his decision a “bad crime” and “corruption”. Madzikwa is represented by Harare lawyer, Harrison Nkomo.
Farai Dziva|Government sources who claim to be close to ailing Constantino Chiwenga say the former army general was poisoned through water.
Chiwenga is said to be battling for his life at a South African hospital.
Government sources say Chiwenga who is now unrecognisable is critically ill.
Government sources further revealed Chiwenga was poisoned using radioactive Polonium-210.
“Chiwenga was poisoned through water that was delivered to his luxurious mansion in Borrowdale.
Due to the difficulty of drilling boreholes at the mansion’s hilltop location, the VP’s house was previously serviced by water bowsers and bottled water.
He (Chiwenga) is in a major fight for his life.
He has told those close to him that he believes he was poisoned through water delivered to his home.”
By Own Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) says that it will continue agitating for workers to be paid their salaries in US dollars.
The labour body made the call despite the fact that the government recently outlawed the use of the multi-currency system in domestic transactions.
ZCTU president Peter Mutasa said that the government of Zimbabwe has been taking workers for granted for a long time.
He said:
Before banning the US dollar, Mthuli had assured the nation a day before that the Zimbabwean dollar will only be introduced when macro-economic fundamentals are in place.
The government has been taking its people for granted for quite some time now when it introduced bond notes in 2016 that they were adequately backed by lines of credit from the AFREXIM Bank.
Clearly, in all records, the working people of Zimbabwe have lost substantial value in their earnings as they work in the fast depreciating RTGS.
The government last week promulgated Statutory Instrument 142 of 2019 which banned the multi-currency regime while at the same time reintroducing the Zimbabwe Dollar.
The move was met with mixed reactions with some sections of society viewing it as a stroke of genius while in some quarters it set the country on the path towards the 2008 scenario.
By Own Correspondent- Spokesperson of the National Patriotic Front (NPF), Jealousy Mawarire sensationally claimed that the decision to reintroduce the Zimbabwe Dollar was not made by the Cabinet or Finance and Development Minister Mthuli Ncube.
The Robert Mugabe-linked party spokesperson said that the decision was made by the Presidential Advisory Council (PAC) on Sunday 23 June.
Said Mawarire:
“Am reliably informed the decision to reintroduce Zim$ was pressured on ED’s junta govt, thru PAC, by the IMF team which came in to assess the Staff Monitored Program. The team wasn’t impressed by the drastic rate at which RTGS$ was losing value both on parallel & interbank markets.
Attempts at exchange rate stabilisation were then promulgated by PAC, based on, inter alia (a)Intro of Z$ (b) Dialogue involving @nelsonchamisa (c)Injection of US$600m to enable RBZ & banks to partly settle historical (Pre Feb 22) invoices at 1:1. The invoices amount to US1.2bn.
The decision to reintroduce the Zim$ was then made by PAC on Sunday 23 June 2019 without Mthuli Ncube, cabinet or parliament approval. PAC then recommended that in order for the Zim$ reintroduction to work, President Mnangagwa should, immediately, dialogue with @nelsonchamisa.
It comes as no surprise that the most sycophantic social media supporters of the Zim$ reintroduction are Trevor Ncube, Shingi Munyeza & Busisa Moyo, PAC members active on Twitter. Trevor Ncube also used his NewsDay Zimbabwe to announce that ED was prepared to meet Chamisa.
The envisaged dialogue between President Mnangagwa & Nelson Chamisa hasn’t been, curiously, ridiculed by people like Trevor Ncube despite his very public disdain 4 the youthful MDC leader. Instead, Ncube has used his papers to subtly advocate 4 the dialogue, a PAC obligation he has to execute.”
The cruelty that is inherent to this ominous threat is inimical to the rule of law and to the social democracy that Mnangagwa has repeatedly claimed to the world defines his so-called new dispensation & reform agenda. The gukurahundi-like threat is unpresidential & unlawful! pic.twitter.com/PUI33qxTtn
By Own Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) on Monday said that protests are ongoing despite threats by the government.
ZCTU president, Peter Mutasa said that there is no kind of threat that would deter them from protesting against the ban on the multicurrency system by president Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime.
This came after the government, through Statutory Instrument 142 of 2019, banned the use of all foreign currencies for domestic transactions.
Last week, ZCTU leaders gave Mnangagwa’s government up to tomorrow to reverse the SI saying their members would take to the streets if the powers-that-be do not capitulate.
Speaking to the Daily News, a defiant ZCTU president Peter Mutasa said:
Trade union leaders are not safe currently considering the arrests and reported abductions. I don’t feel secure also but what can I do? Our lives are in the hands of the Lord, He decides whether I live or not.
Zimbabwe is the only country we have and we are carrying out a legitimate function that is provided for at law. Strikes are also guaranteed in the Constitution.
The ZCTU boss bemoaned the deterioration in living standards of citizens as a result of the soaring inflation. He added that any responsible government would not brutalise citizens for raising genuine concerns.
ZANU PF political commissar, Victor Matemadanda, responded to Mutasa’s remarks and said that security personnel will be ready to deal with any violent protest. He said that everyone had a right to demonstrate peacefully.
By Own Correspondent-NetOne’s managing director for the Mobile Financial Services (MFS) unit Nkosinathi Ncube has resigned with immediate effect.
Ncube reportedly left the State-owned Mobile Network Operator (MNO) on Tuesday (today). However, the reasons for his resignation have not yet been confirmed.
The publication was told that Ncube handed in his resignation letter this week.
Said a source:
Mr Ncube tendered his resignation this week.
As we speak, Mr Ncube’s credentials have been disabled by the IT guys today a few hours ago including all passwords and staff line and he is no longer an employee of NetOne.
Netone Corporate Services and Marketing executive Dr Eldrette Shereni was not reachable for comment as her mobile phone was unreachable.
Farai Dziva|Warriors captain Knowledge Musona is now weighing options regarding his international future following Zimbabwe’s disappointing campaign at the 2019 AFCON Tournament.
The national side made an early exit from the tournament, blowing off the opportunity to advance to the knockout stages in their final Group A game against DRC on Sunday.
The team lost 4-0 to record their worst Afcon defeat ever.
Musona had hoped to use the tournament to improve his wanning form following a difficult debut season at Anderlecht.
According to The Herald, the skipper had seen his Warriors future stretching far beyond, but after the Afcon adventure, the 29-year old now thinks he has some tough decisions to make before the start of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers in September.
“The last time I said I am likely to be around for about 10 more years, well, things have changed and we will see in the coming days,’’ he said.
Farai Dziva|MDC leader Nelson Chamisa is in Highfields, Harare to assess the plight of the residents in the area.
“At a Borehole …I’m in the townships ..In Highfields to listen to people’s life stories and assess their living conditions.
Zimbabweans are suffering.We must together end this,” tweeted Chamisa.
Chamisa is seen in a video footage helping residents (to) pump out water from a borehole.See video:
At a Borehole …I’m in the townships ..In Highfields to listen to people’s life stories and assess their living conditions.Zimbabweans are suffering.We must Together end this! pic.twitter.com/IvKh3PYJWZ
Full text of the statement by the Zimbabwe Republic Police:
Members of the public should feel free to move from one place to another as police are providing adequate security to business, schools, colleges and residential areas.
In the same vein, supermarkets and shops are implored to display commodity prices in order to allow.members of the public to access goods and services in an environment which gives them room to plan, coordinate and buy the items freely without any form of manipulation by unscrupulous dealers.
The ZRP warns all those who are charging commodities in United States dollars that they risk being arrested as the law will be applied without fear or favour.
Members of the public should report such people to any nearest police station or the National Complaints Desk on telephone numbers 0242-703631 or WhatsApp number 0712800197
By Own Correspondent- Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa (Tuesday) brought the high density suburbs of Highfield and Glen Norah to a standstill as he toured retail and wholesale shops across the capital assessing the prices of basic commodities.
Chamisa went to OK Machipisa and OK Glen Norah bringing the townships to a standstill as people jostled to get a glimpse of the “People’s President”.
Said Chamisa:
At a Borehole …I’m in the townships ..In Highfields to listen to people’s life stories and assess their living conditions.Zimbabweans are suffering.We must Together end this! pic.twitter.com/IvKh3PYJWZ
Farai Dziva|The Castle Lager Premier Soccer League action returns this weekend in Match-day 13 following a two-week breather.
Six games are scheduled for Saturday with the encounter between Ngezi Platinum Stars and Highlanders being the major highlight of the round.
The tie will see Ngezi coach Erol Akbay facing his former club for the first time since returning to Zimbabwe.
Here are the Match-day 13 Fixtures:
Saturday, July 6
Ngezi Platinum Stars vs Highlanders (Baobab Stadium)
ZPC Kariba vs CAPS United (Nyamhunga Stadium)
FC Platinum vs Manica Diamonds (Mandava Stadium)
Chicken Inn vs Mushowani Stars (Luveve Stadium)
Yadah vs Black Rhinos (Rufaro Stadium)
Herentals vs Triangle United (NSS)
Sunday, July 7
Dynamos vs Chapungu (Rufaro Stadium)
Hwange vs Bulawayo Chiefs (Colliery Stadium)
TelOne vs Harare City (Luveve Stadium)
By Own Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said government was not aware that the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA) generates lots of revenue revealing that government was however not aware of where the generated income was being “taken to”.
Addressing delegates at the commissioning of the Ngundu- Tanganda highway, Mnangagwa said:
“We have a department called Zinara, which is under (Transport and Infrastructural Development) Minister (Joel) Matiza. When Minister Matiza was appointed to the ministry, he found Zinara in place.
All along we did not know that Zinara generates lots of revenue. We wonder where the money was going. We have resolved that money from tollgates must rehabilitate roads. As we speak, roads in all provinces are being rehabilitated by Zinara.
We asked them in all these years where was the revenue generated by Zinara going but we did not get any satisfactory response. No response, tonhooo! We will, however, not live in the past. We look forward. We are keeping our eyes on all money generated by parastatals.
It is not Zinara alone. There are other companies I will not mention. We are keeping an eye on them to see how they are using funds.”
Farai Dziva| Seasoned Warriors coach Sunday Chidzambwa has accepted the blame following the team’s exit from 2019 AFCON Tournament.
Zimbabwe suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat to DRC on Sunday which blew away their prospects of reaching the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time.
Speaking on the Sunday’s result, Chidzambwa admitted that the technical team needs to adopt a different approach on selecting the players next time.
“If you look at our game, we were very slow. So there was that element and we were chasing the game and couldn’t come back.
“I take the blame and maybe in the near future we need a different approach. The players we picked must deliver, so we take the blame,” Chidzambwa said.
Farai Dziva|MDC youth assembly chairperson Obey Sithole has said members of party’s youth wing who were involved in an accident are safe and out of danger.
In a statement Sithole said:”Thank you for your concern and prayers. I can confirm that we were involved in an accident this evening(last night)
We were travelling from Kadoma to Harare when our vehicle was hit by an oncoming vehicle and veered off the road.
We remain grateful to the Almighty for saving us from the worst. I was travelling with 2IC, Cecilia; Sarkozy the Mouthpiece; Mafaiti and Air Marshal Beni. No serious injuries have been recorded but the vehicle is badly damaged.”
“Hard and honest work will give you respect today and tomorrow and after your death you will be remembered for being a hard working Zimbabwean who was honest.”
He urged citizens to report cases of corruption to the police.
Farai Dziva| Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday used the liberation war maxim “pasi navo” to denounce those plotting to stage mass protests.
However political analysts feel the maxim should not be used in the so called new dispensation.
Addressing hundreds of villagers who converged at Kondo Primary School to witness him officially opening the rehabilitated Tanganda-Ngundu Highway, Mnangagwa said demonstrations and stay aways “do not bring any benefit.”
He said focus by all must be on developing the country as demonstrated by the commissioning of the Tanganda-Ngundu Highway, instead of wasting energy on negativity.
“For those with mobile phones, they were saying today (yesterday) you should stay away, stay away.
Stay away yokudii? Muchigara kuitira ani? Anozotambura ndiani kana mukasasevenza?,” said Mnangagwa.
“Anozotambura marega ndiani nekuti shoko raJehovha rinoti iro nokutadza kwamaita kudya muchero uyu muchararama necheziya. Zvino umwe woti iye aiwa ngatiregei kushanda. Ko tozodyei kana tisingashande?
Saka musaterera mhesva mukono idzi dzinopihwa mari nevanhu varikunze, dzinopihwa mari nevanhu vagere ku South Africa uko vatinoziva vamwe ma criminals akatiza muno varikutsvaga mari kuti kuve nemhirizhonga mukati menyika ivo vagere vachiplanner varimumahotera. Pasi navo! Saka hakuna stay away,” added Mnangagwa.
Farai Dziva|Transform Zimbabwe leader Jacob Ngarivhume has accused Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government of “robbing citizens in broad daylight.”
See Ngarivhume’s statement on the ban on the use of the United States dollar as legal tender in Zimbabwe:
A single currency is not wrong but the finance Minister just applied a bandage on a septic wound without any anti-biotics. Issues that led to the multi currency were not addressed and that ommission will fertilise the local currency and promote it to hyper inflation and empty shops.
The government through its reckless expenditures which include hiring expensive jets for ED, purchasing fancy vehicles for officials and purchasing useless USD$1000 police uniforms, has drained the foreign reserves it had access to.
Because Zim is currently an unproductive nation, there is no export earnings or capital inflows into the nation, which means real forex supply is dropping by the minute. The only forex flowing into the nation is in the form of remittances by friends and relatives to their loved ones in the nation.
Whether you do it through the blackmarket or bank is of no consequence, either way, one way or the other the money will end up in their hands.
They will harvest every single forex in the nation to fund their reckless and impulsive expenditures.
Because this policy was so abrupt, panic and fear caused the unsuspecting and stranded citizens to sell their forex to meet their day to day expenses, which by laws of supply and demand naturally caused the exchange rate to drop. But this is only temporary, a mere calm before the storm. The real effects are yet to be seen.
The main reason business were now transacting in USD is to simplify their access to forex which is essential for their sole survival as it enables them to meet their international obligations which include paying their suppliers for raw materials and in the case of shops, purchasing new stock to meet their customers demands.
With this new law, the government has created a serious bottleneck in the businesses access to forex, which will sooner rather than later reflect in the businesses performance.
The businesses demand for forex will not decrease by being forced to sell in Zim dollars, they will still demand forex to purchase new stock and raw materials.
In addition, though the Zimbabwe Dollar may work as a means of exchange and unit of account as a currency should, the Zim Dollar fails miserably on the 3rd and most important function of money which is being a good STORE OF VALUE.
This alone means that even after business transactions, a business or person who wishes to preserve his/her real income will do so in a currency which is a good STORE OF VALUE, and in Zimbabwe this can only be done through forex.
So forex will continue to be on demand, but because of the new law it will be in much lesser supply than it was. The RBZ will not be able to meet the forex demands of business as is already the case, which will leave the blackmarket as the only source.
All these factors coupled with the laws of demand and supply will sooner rather than later see exchange rate rising way highier than they were before. The foreign exchange blackmarket will grow, and there will be no limit in the rise of the exchange rate.
Businesses that shall fail to meet the blackmarket rates to purchase sufficient forex for continued business operation shall soon find themselves out of business, which raises risk for chronic shortage of essential commodities within the nation.
Our advice to the nation in this light is to hold on to your forex if you can. Change only that which is necessary for your immediate need and preserve the rest. Families should also gather as much household basic commodities as their resources permit to guard against the looming shortages. If possible, for those with access to diasporan remittances, it is even better to have part of the money to be sent in form of basic food stuff and toiletries.
In conclusion, the failure of Zimbabwe is the failure of leadership. The short sightedness of this regime will land Zimbabwe in a greater economic quagmire than we have now. Nothing positive can be genuinely expected of this policy for the people of Zimbabwe.
By Victor Bhoroma| As the country enters the last half of the year and warms up to the re-introduction of the Zimbabwean Dollar, it is now evident that the economy is swiftly sliding into a recession. In 2018, the economy grew by an estimated 4%, driven by growth in agriculture, mining and record exports of commodities. The current year started on a grim note with January inflation hitting 56.9% before expanding to 97.9% in May 2019. The June inflation figure will eclipse 100% to confirm the re-admission of the local economy into the recession mode for the first time since 2008. The International Monitory Fund (IMF) predicted that Zimbabwe’s economy will contract by 5.2% before revising the figure to 2.1% in line with the deliverables in the Staff Monitoring Programme (SMP). The World Bank points that the Zimbabwean economy is now in recession and will shrink by 3.1% in 2019. The major constraints for the economy emanate from structural challenges in governance being met in implementing economic reforms, hyperinflation, foreign currency liquidity shortages, power outages, political instability and the prevailing drought among others.
A recession
is a significant decline in economic activity spread across the entire economy,
lasting more than a few months and normally visible with a drop in Gross
Domestic Product (GDP), real income,
consumer demand, employment, industrial production and company closures.
The symptoms of a recession in Zimbabwe have mainly been visible on loss
of value for the local currency which affects real incomes for labour and
businesses. The Zimbabwean Dollar (Formerly RTGS Dollar) has lost more than
150% of its value since the interbank market was launched in February 2019. The
average civil service salaries have gone below US $80.00 (using prevailing interbank
rates) and below US $35.00 if the black market rates are used. The same applies
for wages in the private sector and business earnings for local producers. Company
closures have also started to creep in with massive industrial layoffs, though
the major push factor there has been foreign currency shortages and power cuts.
Industrial capacity utilization has declined to less than 40% and may end the
year at about 35% if those two production factors are not addressed.
Zimbabwe’s last recession cycle was from the year 2000 to 2008 where the local
economy contracted at an average of 7.41% in each year. The period saw massive
de-industrialization, company closures, foreign investor flight, job losses,
decline in agricultural productivity and rise in poverty levels. The economy
bounced back to growth in 2009 after the introduction of the US Dollar which
stabilized inflation, boosted private sector investment and cut the central
bank print run which was responsible for fueling inflation. However the local
industry had lost competitiveness due to de-industrialization, decline in
agricultural production, obsolete equipment and lack of capital to retool. The
local industry has not been competitive in the region largely because of those
key constraints. However the key take outs from the 2009-2013 record growth
cycle is that confidence, political stability and prudent public funds
management are key to the growth of the local economy. Zimbabwe’s economy grew
by an average of 10% between 2009 and 2013.
On the 24 of June 2019, the Zimbabwean government gazetted a new
regulation that outlaws the charging of multiple currencies for local goods and
services while re-introducing the Zimbabwean Dollar, parked since 2008. The
return of the Zimbabwean Dollar through the gazetting of Statutory Instrument
142 of 2019 might be a positive aspect for the local industry provided the
foreign currency to import raw materials is available on the interbank market
or local banks access foreign currency to oil their Nostro accounts. Now that
the country has an official local currency, banks can now trade currencies on
the international platform with limited central bank control. However failure
to secure foreign currency for local producers might lead to empty shelves and
production stoppages. The informal market will therefore remain very relevant
as goods in short supply in the shops can be found on the black market for any
currency the traders deem fit. Even though the Zimbabwean Dollar is the legal
tender, SI 142 does not state any penalties for trading in multiple currencies
or criminalize those found in possession of foreign currencies. Strict
enforcement of the local currency through price controls will lead to market shortages
for all imported commodities especially medicine, basic foodstuff and
industrial equipment. The government is likely not going to temper with price
controls.
Black market activities and runaway inflation are not likely to be cooled
by the return of the Zimbabwean Dollar in the long term as fears of rampant
money printing by RBZ are high. The USD and South African Rand will remain very
vital for informal trade, savings and property disposals as sellers will likely
adopt a wait and see attitude in the coming weeks. Foreign currency will now be
traded illegally in dark corners at high premiums.
The much hyped FCA account will remain relevant for industrial importers
mainly. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), foreign embassies and corporates
that transacted using FCA transfers will no longer be able to do so. Foreign
currency deposits with local banks will definitely take a knock going into end
of year. Similarly all labour costs will be settled in a local currency unless
if the central bank specifies otherwise. Foreign currency remittances are most
likely going to be treated as free funds to ensure the remittances corridor is
left open and International Money Transfer (IMT) agencies can import US Dollars
into Zimbabwe.
In terms of the value for
the Zimbabwean Dollar, the government has no absolute control on that front.
The value of the local currency will depend on securing reserves to back the
fiat currency, liquidity levels on the interbank market, confidence levels in
the economy and government itself, export and import parity (current account
position), inflation levels and general economic performance. Currently all
these fundamental necessities are not positive, therefore the value of the
Zimbabwean Dollar is likely to plummet against major world currencies. After
assessing the government’s currency reforms, it is clear that the introduction
of the Zimbabwean Dollar was necessitated by the government’s need to have control
on money printing in the local economy. The slide into dollarization took this
key function away from the central bank. The central bank also wants
flexibility in paying local debt and responding to government expenditure demands
for economic intervention.
Major constraints remain
the economy with key gaps in supplies of fuel, maize, soya and wheat; foreign
currency shortages on the interbank market; power cuts; confidence deficit and production
bottlenecks. Inflation still remains the country’s number one enemy and
managing it remains the key performance indicator for treasury and central bank
authorities. Exports will be slightly below the $4.23 billion mark achieved in
2018 due to foreign currency retention outcries from key producers such as
tobacco farmers and miners. The IMF monitored Staff Monitoring Programme (SMP) remains
key in cutting government expenditure, curtailing borrowing locally or offshore
and restructuring of State Enterprises and Parastatals (SEPs). Though the
agreements in the program are now under threat from civil service salary hikes.
Civil servants are likely going to get 50 to 100% increments in the next month
though their satisfaction will largely be determined by the inflation rate.
Victor Bhoroma is business
and economic analyst. He is a marketer by profession and holds an MBA from the
University of Zimbabwe (UZ). For feedback, mail him on [email protected] or alternatively follow
him on Twitter @VictorBhoroma1.
Some MDC Alliance councillors in Marondera are reportedly illegally selling residential stands in Hunyani Timberlands to unsuspecting home-seekers, sources have said.
This paper is reliably informed that the councillors are collecting money from people, promising to give them residential stands in Hunyani Timberlands, the same piece of land that is currently being eyed by an investor who is set to construct 17 000 housing units once the deal is approved by Cabinet.
According to a reliable source, the MDC Alliance leadership in Marondera has been notified of the actions by some of its councillors.
“The party leadership was notified of the actions by some of the councillors who are collecting various amounts of money from residents on the pretext that there will be stands in Hunyani Timberlands. The leaders in Marondera are seized with the matter and have since warned the culprits,” said the source.
Marondera district MDC Alliance spokesperson Farai Nyandoro said it was a criminal for councillors to collect money from home-seekers.
“I am not sure as to the authenticity of the claim or allegation of such rumours. It is, however, a criminal act for any councillor to go about collecting money from desperate home- seekers as councillors are not council employees,” he said.
Marondera mayor Chengetai Murowa yesterday blamed individuals who he said were there to tarnish the image of the councillors.
“We are a law abiding party, whoever is doing it must be dealt with according to the law. I don’t think there are councillors doing that, but individuals who want to tarnish the councillors. There are some wayward individuals misleading the general public and I want to tell the public not to give money to anyone, but to council and be on the waiting list. We are not a mafia council, but a local authority which respects the rule of law,” Murowa said.
The illegal land dealings hardly after another scam that left thousands of home-seekers duped after being promised stands in 2015 during Zanu PF campaigns.
The residents parted with $1 500 for the stands in Elmswood and up to date none have been delivered. Some of the victims have on numerous occasions threatened to invade and allocate themselves land at Hunyani Timberlands.
By Own Correspondent- PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday officially opened the US$20 million rehabilitated Ngundu-Tanganda highway, in a development expected to spur economic activity.
The road, which was badly damaged due to years of neglect, links Manicaland and Masvingo provinces via Chiredzi.
The road also links the Eastern Highlands to South Africa, Zimbabwe’s major trading partner.
President Mnangagwa noted that the road had fallen into a state of disrepair.
“I remember when the new administration took over we were told by then Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs Monica Mutsvangwa that a number of accidents were occurring here. We were told a section of the highway had become a black spot. We ordered that the area be rehabilitated. It was rehabilitated under Phase One. After the rehabilitation of that phase we continued to record accidents along this highway,” said the President.
He said resource constraints delayed the rehabilitation of the road.
“As Government we resolved that we channel the little resources we had towards the rehabilitation of this road in Chipinge. I come here today as your servant and you are my people. I love you all and I do not care about those who do not like me. We have completed this road, but it does not end here. We have other areas that were affected by Cyclone Idai in Chipinge and Chimanimani which need our attention. Roads, bridges and schools were destroyed there,” he said.
Jane Mlambo| Vice President Constantino Chiwenga is reportedly in a critical condition and has been airlifted to South African hospital where he receiving treatment, a ZimEye source has revealed.
Chiwenga who has not been seen in public for over three months now is battling an unknown ailment that has also seen him frequenting Indian hospitals seeking medical attention.
A ZimEye source revealed that the powerful former Zimbabwe National Army commander could have been poisoned though further details on how it happened could not be obtained.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has warned that he will deal with his corrupt officials in Zanu PF without fear or favor.
Addressing hundreds of villagers who converged at Kondo Primary School in Chipinge to witness him officially opening the rehabilitated Tanganda-Ngundu Highway on Monday, Mnangagwa spoke to recent revelations by ZANU PF youth that some senior ruling party officials were highly corrupt and needed to be kicked out of the party.
“Hard and honest work will give you respect today and tomorrow and after your death you will be remembered for being a hard working Zimbabwean who was honest,” said President Mnangagwa.
He said citizens knew corrupt individuals and must report them to the police.
The ZANU PF youth league last week circulated a list of senior government and party officials they claimed were very corrupt and destroying the country.
Top on the list was ZANU PF Secretary for Administration Obert Mpofu. Mnangagwa has since promised to set up a commission of inquiry into the corruption allegations.
The nation eagerly awaits to see the commission through and action which Mnangagwa will take there after.
By Victor Bhoroma| As the country enters the last half of the year and warms up to the re-introduction of the Zimbabwean Dollar, it is now evident that the economy is swiftly sliding into a recession. In 2018, the economy grew by an estimated 4%, driven by growth in agriculture, mining and record exports of commodities. The current year started on a grim note with January inflation hitting 56.9% before expanding to 97.9% in May 2019. The June inflation figure will eclipse 100% to confirm the re-admission of the local economy into the recession mode for the first time since 2008. The International Monitory Fund (IMF) predicted that Zimbabwe’s economy will contract by 5.2% before revising the figure to 2.1% in line with the deliverables in the Staff Monitoring Programme (SMP). The World Bank points that the Zimbabwean economy is now in recession and will shrink by 3.1% in 2019. The major constraints for the economy emanate from structural challenges in governance being met in implementing economic reforms, hyperinflation, foreign currency liquidity shortages, power outages, political instability and the prevailing drought among others.
A recession is a significant decline in economic activity spread across the entire economy, lasting more than a few months and normally visible with a drop in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), real income, consumer demand, employment, industrial production and company closures.
The symptoms of a recession in Zimbabwe have mainly been visible on loss
of value for the local currency which affects real incomes for labour and
businesses. The Zimbabwean Dollar (Formerly RTGS Dollar) has lost more than
150% of its value since the interbank market was launched in February 2019. The
average civil service salaries have gone below US $80.00 (using prevailing interbank
rates) and below US $35.00 if the black market rates are used. The same applies
for wages in the private sector and business earnings for local producers. Company
closures have also started to creep in with massive industrial layoffs, though
the major push factor there has been foreign currency shortages and power cuts.
Industrial capacity utilization has declined to less than 40% and may end the
year at about 35% if those two production factors are not addressed.
Zimbabwe’s last recession cycle was from the year 2000 to 2008 where the local
economy contracted at an average of 7.41% in each year. The period saw massive
de-industrialization, company closures, foreign investor flight, job losses,
decline in agricultural productivity and rise in poverty levels. The economy
bounced back to growth in 2009 after the introduction of the US Dollar which
stabilized inflation, boosted private sector investment and cut the central
bank print run which was responsible for fueling inflation. However the local
industry had lost competitiveness due to de-industrialization, decline in
agricultural production, obsolete equipment and lack of capital to retool. The
local industry has not been competitive in the region largely because of those
key constraints. However the key take outs from the 2009-2013 record growth
cycle is that confidence, political stability and prudent public funds
management are key to the growth of the local economy. Zimbabwe’s economy grew
by an average of 10% between 2009 and 2013.
On the 24 of June 2019, the Zimbabwean government gazetted a new
regulation that outlaws the charging of multiple currencies for local goods and
services while re-introducing the Zimbabwean Dollar, parked since 2008. The
return of the Zimbabwean Dollar through the gazetting of Statutory Instrument
142 of 2019 might be a positive aspect for the local industry provided the
foreign currency to import raw materials is available on the interbank market
or local banks access foreign currency to oil their Nostro accounts. Now that
the country has an official local currency, banks can now trade currencies on
the international platform with limited central bank control. However failure
to secure foreign currency for local producers might lead to empty shelves and
production stoppages. The informal market will therefore remain very relevant
as goods in short supply in the shops can be found on the black market for any
currency the traders deem fit. Even though the Zimbabwean Dollar is the legal
tender, SI 142 does not state any penalties for trading in multiple currencies
or criminalize those found in possession of foreign currencies. Strict
enforcement of the local currency through price controls will lead to market shortages
for all imported commodities especially medicine, basic foodstuff and
industrial equipment. The government is likely not going to temper with price
controls.
Black market activities and runaway inflation are not likely to be cooled
by the return of the Zimbabwean Dollar in the long term as fears of rampant
money printing by RBZ are high. The USD and South African Rand will remain very
vital for informal trade, savings and property disposals as sellers will likely
adopt a wait and see attitude in the coming weeks. Foreign currency will now be
traded illegally in dark corners at high premiums.
The much hyped FCA account will remain relevant for industrial importers
mainly. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), foreign embassies and corporates
that transacted using FCA transfers will no longer be able to do so. Foreign
currency deposits with local banks will definitely take a knock going into end
of year. Similarly all labour costs will be settled in a local currency unless
if the central bank specifies otherwise. Foreign currency remittances are most
likely going to be treated as free funds to ensure the remittances corridor is
left open and International Money Transfer (IMT) agencies can import US Dollars
into Zimbabwe.
In terms of the value for
the Zimbabwean Dollar, the government has no absolute control on that front.
The value of the local currency will depend on securing reserves to back the
fiat currency, liquidity levels on the interbank market, confidence levels in
the economy and government itself, export and import parity (current account
position), inflation levels and general economic performance. Currently all
these fundamental necessities are not positive, therefore the value of the
Zimbabwean Dollar is likely to plummet against major world currencies. After
assessing the government’s currency reforms, it is clear that the introduction
of the Zimbabwean Dollar was necessitated by the government’s need to have control
on money printing in the local economy. The slide into dollarization took this
key function away from the central bank. The central bank also wants
flexibility in paying local debt and responding to government expenditure demands
for economic intervention.
Major constraints remain
the economy with key gaps in supplies of fuel, maize, soya and wheat; foreign
currency shortages on the interbank market; power cuts; confidence deficit and production
bottlenecks. Inflation still remains the country’s number one enemy and
managing it remains the key performance indicator for treasury and central bank
authorities. Exports will be slightly below the $4.23 billion mark achieved in
2018 due to foreign currency retention outcries from key producers such as
tobacco farmers and miners. The IMF monitored Staff Monitoring Programme (SMP) remains
key in cutting government expenditure, curtailing borrowing locally or offshore
and restructuring of State Enterprises and Parastatals (SEPs). Though the
agreements in the program are now under threat from civil service salary hikes.
Civil servants are likely going to get 50 to 100% increments in the next month
though their satisfaction will largely be determined by the inflation rate.
Victor Bhoroma is business
and economic analyst. He is a marketer by profession and holds an MBA from the
University of Zimbabwe (UZ). For feedback, mail him on [email protected] or alternatively follow
him on Twitter @VictorBhoroma1.
Energy Minister Fortune Chasi has taken to the social media to try and clean himself after misleading the nation last week claiming that government had paid $10m to South African power producers Eskom.
Eskom quickly dismissed the minister’s claim leaving him exposed to the fury of Zimbabweans who attacked him for lying to the nation.
Chasi this morning published a proof of payment for the amount only generated yesterday, the 1st of July, a week after his sensational claim absolving himself from being termed a liar.
After showing off the payment, Chasi went further to indicate that the payment of the $10m out of $40m owing to Eskom will result in immediate removal of loadshedding.
Zimbabweans, whilst we have paid 10m$ this is no guarantee for power. We need to negotiate. The public owes 350 million. It must be paid.
ZIMBABWE’s economic and political crisis is putting pressure on South Africa’s ability to deliver services to its people, MDC vice president has claimed.
Biti was speaking in a panel discussion at the Southern African Political Economy Series (Sapes) Trust last Thursday.
The former Finance Minister claimed some 20% of the children being delivered in South African hospitals in areas such as Soweto were Zimbabweans.
“You read the first quarter results of the South African economy, the economy has shrunk by volumes it has never done in 45 years. We are going to feel it because in many ways, the South African economy has been subsidising us.
“If you go to a hospital in Soweto, 20% of mothers giving birth are Zimbabweans. So the Zimbabwean crisis is putting a premium on the South African economy and indeed other economies in the Sadc,” said Biti.
Official figures indicate that about 600,000 babies are born in Soweto each year.
An estimated two to three million Zimbabweans are said to be staying in South Africa with most of them undocumented immigrants trying to escape economic and political turmoil in their country.
The Harare East MP said the only way Zimbabwe could avoid going back to the 2008 situation where inflation reached alarming levels and there were massive shortages of goods was by de-dollarising or joining the Rand Monetary Union (RMU). He however admitted it could take as much as four years for this to happen.
“Joining the RMU is not a walk in the park, you need a window of at least four years because there has to be both fiscal and monetary convergence because if there is no convergence, we will export into the region our unique abnormality and disequilibrium,” said Biti.
He said there was need for structural adjustments to the country’s fiscal and monetary policies before joining the union that includes regional economic power South Africa, Namibia and eSwatini so as not to upset the working system.
Biti accused international multi-lateral institutions of going into bed with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government that the opposition has refused to recognise after last year’s elections.
“That will force serious structural reform which the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cannot impose on Zimbabwe but is busy cosying up and cuddling with this erratic regime.
“The South Africans, the Namibians and eSwatinis have a real stake in that union so they will insist on huge structural reform to make sure that key indicators are all converged. That is why I am in favour of it,” the former Treasury chief said.
Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube last week announced new fiscal measures that abandoned the multi-currency system in favour of a mono-currency in which the local dollar was designated as sole legal tender for all domestic transactions.
This has angered the opposition and other pressure groups who have been agitating for the adoption of the US dollar or the Rand.
Warriors goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze actually made his much publicised apology for his pathetic showing at the African Cup of Nations in Egypt only after being bombarded by fans for an initial outburst that somewhat showed no remorse for his heartbreaking act.
Making the apology on his Twitter page, Chipezeze had deleted and retracted on his earlier post about his performance in the 4-0 loss to DRC before a lot of people had seen the post.
The 29-year-old posted on Twitter hitting back at people who are criticising him for the school boy blunders he made which resulted in all the four goals against the DRC.
In the tweet, Chipezeze said: “Even if people criticise or judge me, I have learnt from these incidents. We are humans and we make mistakes, but learning from them is what makes a difference… Gutted with the performance.”
The post showed no remorse in some ways and it left several fans agitated.
That’s a much better, heartfelt apology Elvis than the earlier, remorseless one. Mistakes a cruel part of the game. Hope you indeed learn and rise from this. I was hard on you earlier and justifiably so. If you look for me when back, I can help you with something. Not juju????
The Warriors performance at the most critical moment when they needed just a one goal win left many people believing that the boys may have thrown the match for financial gains.
The team according to critics, exposed itself to match fixing moguls when they continuously fought with the Zimbabwe Football Association authorities over allowances in between every match they played.
Their final match against the DRC was a far cry from the brave performance they put up against the much tougher host Egypt side which is favoured to clinch the title.
A group of South African fruit sellers claim Zimbabwean hawkers in the area are stealing their customers by offering lower prices
“I want to survive like them. They must leave me alone,” says fruit seller in Port Elizabeth
Ever Chingobe, 33, sells fruit and vegetables on the corner of Russell Road and Govan Mbeki Avenue in Port Elizabeth.
She was one of about 30 Zimbabwean hawkers whose stalls were ransacked by a group of South Africans on Friday afternoon. The group, who also sell fruit in the area, claim to be losing customers to the Zimbabwean traders selling goods at lower prices.
“I want to survive like them. They must leave me alone,” Chingobe said.
She said, “A group of women stormed my shop. They told me that whatever I sell should cost R15, instead of R10. I asked the women, would they go to Shoprite and force them to sell fruit at R15?”
Another hawker, Blessing Ziumbe, said, “They suddenly arrived and told us to go … There was no agreement about selling fruit at R15 … We used to sell pirated CDs and DVDs but after we were arrested and fined by the police, we then introduced fruit.”
Ziumbe said they were not given an opportunity to resolve the price dispute.
On Friday afternoon, hawkers were seen shouting insults at one another. One of the South African hawkers shouted, “Take your goods and leave. Don’t drag your feet. Pick them up now,”
He was shouting at a Zimbabwean woman kneeling on the ground as she wrapped her goods in a sheet.
South African hawker Maureen Skhwentu sells fruit and vegetables from a kiosk she rents from the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA). “We are aware that Zimbabwean hawkers also have families, children to look after – like us. But it is hard to make money that would feed me and my children and cover the R90 rent bill [for the kiosk] because of foreign people,” she said.
MBDA Operations Manager Mcebisi Ncalu said no permits had been issued. “It is just through arrogance, disrespect and disregard of law that these foreign illegal traders forced their way into the subway [area to sell],” said Ncalu.
The MBDA is contracted to keep the central city clean and to monitor and issue permits to hawkers.
Ncalu said that the “action by the mamas” on Friday had come about because law enforcement officers had not done their job enforcing the City’s laws.
Three members of the Zimbabwe National Army probably deployed to guard the National Heroes Acre have done the most unexpected of them after recording and circulating a video and photos of themselves mocking and dancing on former Vice President Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo’s grave at the shrine.
The incident takes place at a time when the nation commemorates the 20th anniversary of the death of the man who led the struggle for Zimbabwe’s independence winning himself the nickname “Father Zimbabwe.”
Nkomo died on 1 July 1999 and was buried at the Korean built National Heroes Acre in Harare.
Two of the soldiers captured in the photos provided to ZimEye.com are in military uniform while the other is in civilian attire.
Of late some of the late gallant Zimbabweans have had their families decline Heroes Acre burials and such disrespect of the dead may trigger more resists from Heroes Acre burials.
No comment has yet been received from both government and the army despite the pictures of the soldiers going viral on social media.
State Media|CASES of lack of accountability, violation of procedures and non-compliance by local authorities have continued to rise over the years, a sign that the provision of service delivery is weakening in the country, the Auditor General, Mrs Mildred Chiri, has said.
In her annual report on local authorities, Mrs Chiri said during the year under review, 59 governance issues were noted from local authorities and these related to absence of policies and procedures as well as non-compliance with statutory regulations.
She said there was a need for improvement in accountability in local authorities.
“The number of reported service delivery issues have risen over the years, which is a sign of weakening service provision by various local authorities. It’s of great concern that governance issues over the years have continued to dominate my findings. Although there was an improvement from 2015 to 2016 (reduction from 68 percent to 49 percent), there has been a notable surge from 49 percent to 67 percent in the governance issues in 2017 and 2018 respectively,” said Mrs Chiri.
The Auditor-General said 70 local authorities had not submitted their financial statements for audit as at May 31.
For Bulawayo she said: “A car loan agreement to an employee with a value of $434 450 was not approved by the town clerk as per procedure. The agreement was only signed by the employee. There was also no contract for a car loan amounting to $8 743 advanced to another employee.”
She said there was risk of financial loss due to violation of procedures and lack of basis for legal recourse in the event of disputes.
“Gweru City Council could not reconcile rates and water accounts amounting to $12 738 875 and $7 312 445 to bank statement balances of $303 942 and $70 582 respectively. Its employees have accumulated excess leave days which effectively implies that some of them have not been on leave for at least 17 years and others 24 years. Gweru was also unable to provide layout plans for the stands sold during the year,” said Mrs Chiri.
She said Tsholotsho RDC monthly payroll schedules could not be availed. Payroll for the year was extrapolated from a July 2016 payroll schedule which was incomplete as it excluded the chief executive officer.
Mrs Chiri said Tsholotsho RDC also received Zimdef funds from the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education Science and Technology Development and there was no transparency in the use of the money.
“These funds were utilised by the council without any supporting documents availed to audit for my inspection. On enquiry with management about the nature of the arrangement and the reasons why the monies had been transferred out, the explanation proffered was that the transactions had been done on the instruction of the then Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Professor Jonathan Moyo,” said Mrs Chiri.
At Kusile RDC, the Auditor General said stands owned by employees were exempted from rate charges, which was in contravention of the Urban Councils Act Chapter 29:15. Mrs Chiri said Bubi RDC among others were operating without key policies and procedure manuals.
She said the local authority could not provide documentation to support exemption of the council employees from paying rates.
At Hwange RDC, council had a vehicle which was not registered in its name and no documentation was availed to explain or support how the vehicle had been acquired.
Upon inquiry, Mrs Chiri said council indicated that one of the debtors paid using a vehicle acquired from a third party who left the country without signing the necessary transfer papers.
Government has said it will soon write letters to all parastatals, departments and local authorities emphasising the need to act urgently on the recommendations of the Auditor General.
State Media|THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) yesterday said it will today impose a city-wide four-day water shedding programme ending on Saturday while it conducts major rehabilitation works at its water treatment plants.
Only the central business district, mines and industry are exempted.
This comes as most western suburbs have been without water since Sunday.
Bulawayo Town Clerk Mr Christopher Dube said as rehabilitation works would be ongoing for the next five months members of the public are advised that there may be need for similar shutdowns at various intervals.
The council is implementing the Bulawayo Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (BWSSIP) funded by the African Development Bank.
The programme is meant to improve municipal water supply and sanitation services in the city to improve health and social well being of residents.
In a statement, Mr Dube said the project involves rehabilitation of Criterion Water Treatment Plant to improve supply of water in the city. As a result, he said, BCC will impose a four day water shedding programme outside the scheduled running 48 hour schedule.
“The works involve replacement of valves, pumps and all associated civil works. The diameters of these valves are ranging from DN600, DN900 and DN1000 and because of the size, design of the plant and location of these valves the plant has to be shut down to allow for installation and the rehabilitation works,” he said.
“These works will result in water supplies interruption outside the 48 hour water shedding schedule to 96 hours citywide. This is to allow for the installation of inlet gate valves, main distribution board, backwash pump and fittings among other major works. This will commence on Tuesday July 2, 2019 to Saturday July 6, 2019. Efforts will be made to have these works done within the scheduled period.”
Mr Dube urged residents to use water sparingly while the shedding exercise is adjusted accordingly.
“The City of Bulawayo advises residents that the water shedding programme is subject to change if the reservoir situation on the ground improves or deteriorates beyond the stipulated period. Residents are urged to conserve water and use alternative safe sources for non-potable uses especially boreholes. Bulawayo City Council wishes to apologise to its valued consumers for the inconvenience likely to be caused,” said Mr Dube.
He said the council would keep the public posted on schedules for the shutdown.
“The main objective of the water supply component is to ensure improved access to municipal water supply in the identified project areas by improving the efficiency of raw water pumping, treatment and distribution networks in areas supplied by the Magwegwe and Criterion Reservoirs. The Criterion Water Treatment plant is currently undergoing major rehabilitation works under the (BWSSIP) project,” said Mr Dub
Fired for loyalty to Chamisa, prison officer John Mahlabera
Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) Commissioner-General Retired Major-General Paradzai Zimondi has challenged newly-promoted senior officers in the service to continue advocating and supporting President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Government policies as a contributing factor to their promotions.
President Mnangagwa recently elevated Senior Assistant Commissioner Shepherd Mpofu to the position of Deputy Commissioner-General (human resources). Snr Deputy Comm-Gen Mpofu was conferred with his new rank yesterday by Comm-Gen Zimondi at his offices in Harare.
He replaced Deputy Comm-Gen Huggins Machingauta, who was forced into retirement early this year. The appointment was effective from June 13 this year.
Zimondi’s call for loyalty to Mnangagwa comes on the heels of an incident where a Prison Services Officer John Mahlabera, was recently fired from service for allegedly calling opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa “my president.”
He was charged with contravening Section 3 (1) of the Prisons (Staff) Discipline Regulations 1984 of “using traitorous or disloyal words regarding the president or the government”.
Addressing senior officers, Comm-Gen Zimondi expressed his gratitude to President Mnangagwa for his guidance and support which culminated in the promotion of Deputy Comm-Gen Mpofu.
“Let me hasten to mention that it is through the officer’s sheer hard work and loyalty that led to his elevation,” he said.
“DCG Mpofu proved to be an officer of unquestionable character and loyalty whose devotion to duty and serving his country is intrinsically driven.
Having said that, allow me once again to express my sincere gratitude to His Excellency the President, the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Cde E.D Mnangagwa for this promotion, which I believe will go a long way in turning around the fortunes of the ZPCS.”
Comm-Gen Zimondi urged Deputy Comm-Gen Mpofu to preach more verses of loyalty, patriotism, dedication to duty, team work and unity among members of staff.
“As I have already stated that your elevation brings with it a lot of responsibilities, I, therefore, urge you to continue to be vigilant, well-focused and resolute,” he said.
“Continue to work hard and inspire your juniors by exemplifying good leadership qualities and discipline. It is only good leaders who can be emulated, consequently you must lead by example and ensure that there is zero tolerance to corruption and indiscipline in whatever form and by whatever name.”
Comm-Gen Zimondi said in accordance with their vision to become the leading correctional service provider in the region and beyond, Deputy Comm-Gen Mpofu was expected to innovatively and creatively find possible solutions to challenges bedevilling the success of the organisation in its quest to achieve its constitutional mandate.
He said one of their most urgent priorities was to provide adequate food requirements to their ever-increasing inmate population.
“In view of this development, I call upon you to ensure that staff under command continue to fully embrace the Government’s initiated Command Agriculture programmes with the view to fully utilising the farms that were allocated to us through the land reform programme,” said Comm-Gen Zimondi.
“The full utilisation of the prison farms will no doubt ensure that as a department, the ZPCS will become self-sustained in terms of food security in line with the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP).”
Comm-Gen Zimond said he will continue to work in consultation with the relevant authorities with the view to improving conditions of service for all members of the service from time to time.
Deputy-Comm Gen Mpofu applauded President Mnangagwa for promoting him and Comm-Gen Zimondi for the recommendations and conferring him with the new rank. He promised to work hard and remain loyal and disciplined to the organisation and the country.
Deputy Comm-Gen Mpofu was the officer commanding Matabeleland South Province before his recent promotion and becomes the fourth Deputy Commissioner-General.
Comm-Gen Zimondi works with four deputies responsible for human resources, administration, correctional services and audit and the inspectorate department.
Deputy Comm-Gen Mpofu joined ZPCS in 1996 and rose through the ranks to the current position. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Management) degree from Solusi University.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has warned that he will deal with his corrupt ZANU PF Collegues without fear nor favour.
Addressing hundreds of villagers who converged at Kondo Primary School to witness him officially opening the rehabilitated Tanganda-Ngundu Highway on Monday, Mnangagwa spoke to recent revelations by ZANU PF youth that some senior ruling party officials were highly corrupt and needed to be kicked out of the party.
“Hard and honest work will give you respect today and tomorrow and after your death you will be remembered for being a hard working Zimbabwean who was honest,” said President Mnangagwa.
He said citizens knew corrupt individuals and must report them to the police.
The ZANU PF youth league last week circulated a list of senior government and party officials they claimed were very corrupt and destroying the country.
Top on the list was ZANU PF Secretary for Administration Obert Mpofu. Mnangagwa has since promised to set up a commission of inquiry into the corruption allegations.
The nation eagerly awaits to see the commission through and action which Mnangagwa will take there after.
Minister Mthuli Ncube with his ministry’s secretary Mr George Guvamatanga and Reserve Bank Governor Dr John Mangudya.
Government yesterday confirmed that as of last week no payment of US$10 million to South African power utility, Eskom, to service the debt to the power utility had been made, the money was only likely to be paid in the receiver’s bank by end of day yesterday.
Last week, Energy and Power Development Minister Fortune Chasi claimed that government had paid US$10m to the South African power utility company which declined through a statement that it had not received funds from Harare .
Finance and Economic Development Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube confirmed this on Monday when he appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Finance and Economic Development chaired by Felix Mhona.
Prof Ncube was in the company of the ministry’s secretary Mr George Guvamatanga and Reserve Bank Governor Dr John Mangudya.
Prof Ncube confirmed that Eskom was owed US$33 million by Government.
He also said Government was working on settling its debts to Eskom and the Mozambique power supplier, Cahora Bassa.
“We owe Eskom, US$33 million and US$37 million to our colleagues in Mozambique. We will continue to service these debts.
“By end of today (yesterday) we should be able to settle US$10 million. We also paid RTGS$20 million, which was domestic, to Zesa and they did acknowledge payment.
“An issue becomes an RTGS equivalent to these US dollars required to pay the debts. Often the company in question (Zesa) has liquidity challenges and this makes it not so easy to honour these US dollar payments abroad even when we have access to US dollars.
“We are doing everything we can to make sure we extinguish our debts and power continues to flow,” he said.
Prof Ncube said the Ministry of Energy and Power Development had come up with strategies on managing demand on power.
“The Ministry of Energy has shared a document regarding strategies about demand management in terms of demand form power, understanding who the customers are; mining companies, residential areas, manufacturers, agriculture; have a sense of how those should be managed, then looking at the supply side management sources of power; coal, hydro imported from Mozambique and South Africa and the opportunities for supply of more power through renewable energy such as solar energy.
“There is also clear articulation of how that could be managed and now it is about squeezing out efficiency out of Zesa itself in the way it operates and the way it procures so we minimise waste,” he said.
Finance and Economic Development secretary, Mr George Guvamatanga confirmed the payment arrangements to Eskom.
He said sometimes the process took longer to be fully processed.
“When a payment is made, there is a process in Government and there is a point were a budget is released and authorised and a payment is done. There are other follow-up processes which may include telegraphic transfer being done, the transfers of the local currency being done, but from a process perspective. When a budget is released from the Minister’s perspective, a payment is done and it would have been done.
“The other ensuing process is just a process which then gets you through to the final proof of payment. That process would ordinarily take seven days. When the Minister pronounces that a payment has been done from a process perspective it has been done,” he said.
Zimbabwe is battling electricity shortages following a sharp decline in water levels in Kariba Dam due to erratic rains in the 2018-19 rainfall season, and generation constraints at Hwange Power Station because of aging equipment.
This has resulted in massive load shedding, which lasts up to 10 hours especially for residential customers.
The ruling ZANU PF party is on cloud nine celebrating the flop of a nationwide planned “national shutdown” protests which was being organised by South African based Promise Mkhwananzi leader of the now out of sorts #Tajamuka Movement.
Government yesterday scoffed at what they called “self-serving attention-seekers” who coordinated the flopped protests they were paid hefty sums of money through South African contacts.
The battling ruling political party claimed that the failure of the demonstration showed diminished returns of hostile activity as Zimbabweans warmed up to ongoing reforms.
The ruling party celebrates the flop besides knowing that the main opposition MDC-Alliance Youth Assembly together with the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union and several other membership based organisations that may have impacted on the protest refused to partake in the so-called shutdown which Tajamuka leader, Promise Mkwananzi, instigated from Johannesburg, South Africa.
According to a state media report, a mercenary group, they would not mention, with offices in Johannesburg, South Africa, facilitated funding of the flopped Tajamuka protests.
The media claims that bsome of the Tajamuka activists behind the protest were booked at a hotel in Johannesburg.
“As I speak, some of these activists are staying at Palmer Hotel Croydon Kempton Park, Johannesburg (apartment number withheld).
“Over 81 Tajamuka activists received money ranging from US$2 000 to US$5 000. The money comes from Netherlands and Australia,” claimed the media sources.
A celebratory Permanent secretary for Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Nick Mangwana blasted the activists.
“Zimbabweans are tired of self-serving attention seekers trying to disrupt their lives. People are seeing through these efforts to unlock donor funds through antics whose ultimate effect is only to worsen a situation which is resolving itself.
“This is the fourth so-called shutdown that has flopped because people are busy dealing with the daily challenges that the country is experiencing through this transition,” he said.
Mangwana said Government efforts to turnaround the economy were beginning to bear fruit hence Zimbabweans should be patient.
“The people of Zimbabwe are also clear that the interventions put in motion by President Mnangagwa and his Government are already beginning to bear fruit.
“This is what the purveyors of anarchy are trying to disrupt knowing that a peaceful Zimbabwe on a recovery trajectory robs them of their relevancy.
“I don’t know how asking for people to be unproductive by calling for them to shut down the country is meant to improve their outcomes. How does that make people’s lives better?”
Police have been fully equipped and deployed through out the country to deal with any possible protests and coordinators of such protests, government has declared.
In a statement, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Cain Mathema said they had noted that there were some individuals and groups circulating information on social media threatening people to stay away this week.
“My Ministry would like to assure Zimbabweans that the ZRP has deployed adequate officers to maintain law and order throughout the country and account for all individuals or groups who intend to engage in any form of violence, threats and intimidation,” he said.
“The Constitution of Zimbabwe allows people to petition anyone on grievances, but however, these grievances should be petitioned in a manner which does not interfere with the rights of others. My ministry is concerned that previous stay aways or demonstrations have not been peaceful,” Minister Mathema said.
He added, “Let me also remind the people of Zimbabwe that anybody or any organisation, is also free to approach President Mnangagwa on any issues, before engaging in demonstration or stay away.
“In any case, Zimbabweans must remember that strike does not necessarily mean to demonstrate along our streets.
“In this regard anyone who organises, incites or invites members of the public to engage in any form of disturbances should be prepared to face the consequences.”
Minister Mathema said any individual who receives threats or intimidation must quickly report such threats to the nearest police station.
State Media|Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube says authorities have instituted measures to ensure the local currency will not suffer previous depredations, following the recent gazetting of Statutory Instrument 142 of 2019, which makes the Zimbabwe dollar the sole legal tender.
He said this when he appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Finance and Economic Development chaired by Felix Mhona.
Prof Ncube was in the company of his ministry’s Secretary, Mr George Guvamatanga, and Reserve Bank Governor Dr John Mangudya.
Hon Mhona said they invited the minister to brief the committee on SI-142 of 2019 on Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) legal tender regulations and mechanisms in place for its implementation.
The committee was also concerned that there was not much communication to the public, especially when it comes to explaining the instrument to people in the rural areas.
Concerns were raised that some rural folk were being fleeced by unscrupulous people of their money due to lack of knowledge.
Other members of the committee asked whether the RBZ would continue printing notes and if this would not induce inflation.
The legislators also queried if the fundamentals were in place for the reintroduction of the domestic currency.
The trio explained the various tenets of the SI 142, its implications to individuals and corporates, and assured the concerned legislators that the country would not return to the 2008 era.
The committee also heard that already 55 bureaux de change were opened although 43 were operational.
Dr Mangudya said they had received a number of applications last week. Responding to questions from legislators on whether the country was not going to have a return of the same situation encountered in 2008, Minister Ncube said there has been a change of polices from those in 2008.
Prof Ncube said the issue was not about the currency but the policies that supported a stable currency.
“There must be fiscal discipline and what we have at the moment is fiscal discipline of the highest quality and the results speak for themselves. We don’t have a budget deficit, we have a surplus which we are deploying now to our social protection, and we will be increasing salaries for the civil servants and importation of food.
“The second fundamental is the monetary discipline in the form of managing the growth of money supply. The growth of money supply in the last few months has been flat but because there was fiscal discipline which has been a problem in the first place.
“If you go back to 2008, it is the exact opposite. We had no fiscal discipline, we had no monetary sector discipline. The budget deficit was huge, rising and uncontrollable and was being monetised through the printing of money. We saw many zeros, we removed some and they came back. We do not have that at the moment, we have the right fundamentals to support the domestic currency,” he said.
He said Government was not repeating the 2008 policies.
“This is not 2008 where we had fiscal indiscipline and monetary sector indiscipline. We are far from that, the conditions are different, the policies are different. The policies are not being repeated. We are in a far better position than we were in back then. I assure you that we are not in 2008. We are re-engaging with the rest of the world,” he said.
On the issue of informing the public, Prof Ncube said the Ministry had hired professionals to assist with communications who would soon start educating people on the new SI.
“When dealing with a currency, you do not call for a referendum especially in the face of a speculative attack which was going on. You move swiftly with decisiveness. This is how a sensitive issue has to be managed. But you have to give signals that it will happen at some point and we tried to do this. Now we need to explain in our indigenous languages especially in the rural areas,” he said.
Dr Mangudya said appropriate policies, confidence and production were the most important fundamentals to support domestic currency.
“If you have a combination of right policies, confidence and there is production, the currency is strong. Any country’s currency is influenced by those three fundamentals,” he said.
He said it was important that the country produces enough food and stops importing.
“What we are missing in this country is that we are expecting the currency to take the role of production. Let’s have production and as Zimbabwe, let’s have confidence. We do not have confidence among ourselves as if we are all foreigners,” he said.
On the printing of money, Dr Mangudya said it was meant fill in the gap created by the removal of the foreign currency and also to replace worn out notes.
“We have removed usage of US dollars, there is a gap we have created in terms of paper money. There is a difference between paper money and currency. The currency in Zimbabwe is the Zim dollar represented by bond note, coins and RTGS.
“The $400 million, we feel there is need for an increase in paper money. As we print that money will be replacing the old money. Old notes should be replaced,” he said.
Zimbabwe’s monetary and fiscal authorities have put in place measures to ensure enforcement of Statutory Instrument 142 of 2019, which effectively ended the multi-currency system and determined the “Zimbabwe dollar” as the sole legal trading currency in the country.
Last Monday, Treasury moved in to supplement the ongoing currency reforms by outlawing the use of foreign currencies for local transactions. However, indications are that there were some retailers and other economic players that have insisted on demanding payments in United States dollars.
Appearing before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Budget and Finance yesterday, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor Dr John Mangudya, said the enforcement strategies are already in place.
“There are many tools of enforcing Statutory Instrument 142 of 2019, including the Bank Use Promotion and Suppression of Money Laundering Act (Chapter 24:24), which was approved by the Parliament of Zimbabwe, the Financial Intelligence Unit (within the central bank), and members of the police force who are already seized with the matter to ensure that at least there is compliance and indeed enforceability of this matter,” said the governor.
“Enforcement is very possible and they have already started doing so to ensure that all local payments are made in the Zimbabwe dollar, and that payments offshore are done in US dollars.”State media
ZIMBABWEANS should lobby the Catholic Church to declare Father Zimbabwe and former Vice President, Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, a saint in honour of his contribution to humanity, an official said yesterday.
Yesterday marked 20 years since the death of Vice President Dr Nkomo. The Joshua Nkomo Legacy Restoration Trust (JNLRT) in partnership with Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) held a 20th anniversary celebration to mark his death.
The commemorations kicked off with a Dr Nkomo Legacy Walk which started in Mpopoma’s Mahomva shops, passing through Iminyela to his Pelandaba suburb house where there is the Joshua Nkomo Revolutionary House ending at White City Stadium where there was the main event.
The procession included drum majorettes and traditional dance ensemble groups among other members of the public.
The commemorations were running under the theme “I Am Because You Are” which was part of Dr Nkomo’s values to promote ubuntu.
Addressing delegates during the main event, acting ZTA chief executive officer Mrs Rita Likukuma said the country should write to Pope Francis requesting that Dr Nkomo be declared a saint.
She said Tanzanians have successfully lobbied for the same honour to be bestowed on their founding President, the late Julius Nyerere, because of his compassionate nature.
“This compassionate nature which he had is much alike that of the late Julius Nyerere, the late Tanzanian President who the Catholic Church is progressing into declaring a saint.
And for a politician that is very unusual. But he is now in that category and just reading through the compassionate nature of Father Zimbabwe, I really think that someone must send word to Pope Francis, to say in him was a man of very good value. A family man, compassionate, peace maker, a person who had a lot of love for other people and I think these values need to be communicated further,” said Mrs Likukuma.
She said Dr Nkomo should be honoured for his belief as an embodiment of humanity hence ZTA’s partnership with the JNLRT to keep his works alive.State media
LEADING wholesaler Mahomed Mussa Wholesalers Zimbabwe has spoken on price increases saying they do their business within the confines of law and were not increasing prices willy-nilly like other entities.
The wholesaler reduced prices of goods recently which saw social media with claims that the wholesaler had been made to reduce prices by government authorities.
Proprietor Ilyas Mahomed said: “We are not forced by anyone to do anything.
“We are independently run and we try to comply within the structures as law abiding citizens as best as we can. “Every day things change and depending with our suppliers, prices keep going up and down daily at this place,” he said.
“Goods are passed to us from suppliers and we pass it on to people based on the market, if suppliers drop the prices we also drop them, if they increase we also increase that’s how it works,” he added.
Mahomed said there were unscrupulous people who buy goods in bulk at their wholesale and sell at exorbitant prices.
“They come in here and take lots of groceries and we think it’s for consumption but then they go and make high margins of profits into those areas where people are not able to come here.
“If suppliers improve the supplies demand goes down and ultimately prices go down,” said Mahomed.State media
GABORONE United bound Madinda Ndlovu has recommended that Highlanders give Mandla “Lulu” Mpofu the vacant coaching job until the end of the season, as he is confident his former assistant can take the club to greater heights.
Speaking at his last Press conference as Highlanders coach on Saturday, Ndlovu, who got a better deal from Botswana’s Gaborone United, said continuity is key to the success of the Bosso project which they hope yields results next season.
Ndlovu attributed Highlanders’ slow start to the 2019 season to the pre-season industrial action by players, which saw the team losing about five weeks of training.
“In a nutshell, the project has taken another direction from the setback we had at the beginning of the season. The boys have now turned to the core reasons of the project as seen in the last few games. For me, if the club is going to have continuity, they have to keep the coaches I’ve been working with and let them go with what we’ve been doing. If they do so, goals will be achieved,” said Ndlovu.
“I’m talking from experience. I’ve done it in the past and I know it can be done. In the past, I brought in Rahman Gumbo to be my assistant during the time I was grooming the likes of Thulani “Biya” Ncube and Bekithemba Ndlovu (now Bosso assistant coach). He went on to achieve something that had never been achieved at the club, winning the championship for four consecutive years.
“It’s not different now, especially u Lulu (Mpofu), who I have been working with from the start of the project to take over. I think he has grasped a lot of tactics, a lot of training methods to carry this project to the end. There are people who will doubt the guys I’m leaving behind, but my wish is that the club gives them a chance to continue until the end of the season and see what comes out of this.
These guys are capable of turning the tables. It’s simple, the format is there, the philosophy is there, it’s just a difference of how you apply yourself as an individual in your training sessions.
“But to allay doubts and fear, I’m very confident that this project will yield results at the end of the day. These boys are still young, these boys are growing in confidence, the ball management is fantastic and they’ve bonded into a family. I don’t see the reason why they will not scale greater heights,” said Ndlovu.State media
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday thanked Zimbabweans for ignoring calls by shadowy organisations to stay away from work saying demonstrations were not in the best interest of the country.
He urged unity, as it is a recipe for economic prosperity. Some organisations linked to the opposition were posting messages across social media platforms urging Zimbabweans to “stay away” and warning of dire consequences for citizens who were going to ignore the call and report for duty.
Addressing hundreds of villagers who converged at Kondo Primary School to witness him officially opening the rehabilitated Tanganda-Ngundu Highway, President Mnangagwa said demonstrations and stay aways benefited no one.
He said focus by all must be on developing the country as demonstrated by the commissioning of the Tanganda-Ngundu Highway, instead of wasting energy on negativity.
“For those with mobile phones, they were saying today you should stay away, stay away. Stay away yokudii? Muchigara kuitira ani? Anozotambura ndiani kana mukasasevenza?,” said President Mnangagwa.
He reiterated that such calls were destructive. “Anozotambura marega ndiani nekuti shoko raJehovha rinoti iro nokutadza kwamaita kudya muchero uyu muchararama necheziya. Zvino umwe woti iye aiwa ngatiregei kushanda. Ko tozodyei kana tisingashande? Saka musaterera mhesva mukono idzi dzinopihwa mari nevanhu varikunze, dzinopihwa mari nevanhu vagere ku South Africa uko vatinoziva vamwe ma criminals akatiza muno varikutsvaga mari kuti kuve nemhirizhonga mukati menyika ivo vagere vachiplanner varimumahotera.
Pasi navo! Saka hakuna stay away,” added President Mnangagwa.State media
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has won all 73 petitions concluded in court following the July 2018 harmonised elections, while the remaining seven cases are still pending.
The election management body said it had not lost a single court case, an indication that it ran last year’s polls in terms of the Constitution and subsidiary laws.
ZEC made the observation on court challenges in its July 2018 harmonised election report tabled in Parliament last week by Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi.
The petitions included the high-profile case brought by MDC-Alliance leader Mr Nelson Chamisa, who lost his bid in the Constitutional Court to have President Mnangagwa’s victory nullified after the superiour court ruled that the challenge lacked merit.
The ruling Zanu-PF won 145 National Assembly seats against the MDC-Alliance’s 63 seats.
In its report, ZEC said most of the petitions were premised on “fringe grounds”.
“The Commission was subjected to a barrage of litigation most of which it believed was based on fringe grounds to the electoral process,” reads the report. “In a total of 80 cases filed in the courts of law during the electoral process, the Commission was cited as respondent.”State media
Police have released names of 14 people who were killed in the Featherstone Bus Disaster last week. The 14 were part of the 19 who died in a head-on collision involving a commuter omnibus and a haulage truck at Wengezi Bridge last Friday.
The 14 are: Paidamoyo Dick, Nokutenda Nhau, Charity Chidende, Jesca Njanike, Gore Mujere, Sign Muteiwa, Francisca Madzamba, Munyaradzi Murwira, Webster Mutuimwe , Michael Zambuke, Patrick Chingwende and three children — Comfort Chirume (two months), Vanisa Kamabarami (two months) and Tinotenda Dudzai (0ne year).
The names were announced after the victims’ close relatives had been informed. Police are yet to publish names of the remaining five. All the 19 victims were travelling in the commuter omnibus.
Four others were seriously injured. Investigations are still in progress to establish the cause of the accident. No one has be charged yet.
On Friday, 16 people died on the spot, but the death toll rose on Saturday after three others succumbed to injuries while in hospital.State media
ZIFA yesterday issued an apology to Zimbabweans after the Warriors suffered a humiliating exit at the 2019 AFCON finals with the association saying bitter lessons have been picked from an adventure that promised so much but delivered very little.
The so-called Golden Generation, which was expected to become the first group of Warriors to reach the knockout stages of the Nations Cup after winning their qualifying group with ease, ended their campaign here bottom of the table with just a point to their credit.
A 0-4 mauling at the hands of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in their final match on Sunday, crushed the dreams of a nation which had backed its team to clear the final hurdle and book its place in the Round of 16.
That the Congolese had lost both their matches to Egypt and Uganda, conceding four goals, and had failed to score in either match, had boosted expectations among the Warriors, and their fans, that this was a mission the team would successfully complete.
Interestingly, the Warriors had taken four points, after beating the DRC 2-1 in Kinshasa, and drawing 1-1 in Harare, in the qualifiers but, when it came to the tournament, the Zimbabweans had no match for their Congolese counterparts on Sunday.
ZIFA, in a statement released by their spokesman Xolisani Gwesela, said they were sorry for what transpired here but said focus should be switched to building strong foundations to ensure success stories are written going forward.
‘’The Zimbabwe Football Association would like to apologise to all Zimbabweans following the Warriors’ unfortunate and painful group stage elimination from the 2019 Total Africa Cup of Nations finals in Egypt,’’ the statement read.State media
The late Father Zimbabwe Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo invited to intervene in country’s economic woes
Zimbabweans should lobby the Catholic Church to declare Father Zimbabwe and former Vice President, Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, a saint in honour of his contribution to humanity, an official said yesterday.
Yesterday marked 20 years since the death of Vice President Dr Nkomo. The Joshua Nkomo Legacy Restoration Trust (JNLRT) in partnership with Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) held a 20th anniversary celebration to mark his death.
The commemorations kicked off with a Dr Nkomo Legacy Walk which started in Mpopoma’s Mahomva shops, passing through Iminyela to his Pelandaba suburb house where there is the Joshua Nkomo Revolutionary House ending at White City Stadium where there was the main event.
The procession included drum majorettes and traditional dance ensemble groups among other members of the public.
The commemorations were running under the theme “I Am Because You Are” which was part of Dr Nkomo’s values to promote ubuntu.
Addressing delegates during the main event, acting ZTA chief executive officer Mrs Rita Likukuma said the country should write to Pope Francis requesting that Dr Nkomo be declared a saint.
She said Tanzanians have successfully lobbied for the same honour to be bestowed on their founding President, the late Julius Nyerere, because of his compassionate nature.
“This compassionate nature which he had is much alike that of the late Julius Nyerere, the late Tanzanian President who the Catholic Church is progressing into declaring a saint. And for a politician that is very unusual. But he is now in that category and just reading through the compassionate nature of Father Zimbabwe, I really think that someone must send word to Pope Francis, to say in him was a man of very good value. A family man, compassionate, peace maker, a person who had a lot of love for other people and I think these values need to be communicated further,” said Mrs Likukuma.
She said Dr Nkomo should be honoured for his belief as an embodiment of humanity hence ZTA’s partnership with the JNLRT to keep his works alive.
Mrs Likukuma said ZTA and the JNLRT are promoting the Joshua Nkomo Tourism Heritage Trails as a way of documenting and providing a narrative that will enhance Zimbabwe’s rich history as a nation.
He said the heritage could be a source of some of the country’s tourism income.
“Trails have become a new phenomenon not only in Africa but globally. As a nation we value our founding fathers for the role they played in liberating our great nation, hence our story as a nation can never be complete without their mention,” said Mrs Likukuma.
Speaking at the same event, the Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Cde Judith Ncube said Dr Nkomo is an African revolutionary and a champion of peace whose values the public should continue aiming for.
She said the public should follow in the footsteps of Father Zimbabwe and his selfless nature.
“The heritage trail initiative seeks to trace the footprints and to pictorise the story of his life through heritage monuments for future generations to be able to trace the history of the revolution icon. This effort is part of the national heritage efforts to capture, remember and celebrate the totality of the Zimbabwean history, particularly those aspects of our history that inspire, motivate and educate future generations in order for them to be armed with their history and indeed be confident to face challenges of this day and the days to come,” said Cde Ncube.
She took a swipe at businesses that are profiteering through unjust price hikes of basic commodities and medicines.
JNLRT patron and Father Zimbabwe’s son, Mr Sibangilizwe Nkomo, lobbied that July 1 be declared a national holiday to honour Dr Nkomo and his compatriots who brought Zimbabwe’s independence.
“It’s been 10 years since we have been lobbying the Government to declare July 1 a public holiday. The day should be called the Joshua Nkomo and Liberators’ Day. This will be in honour of those who fought the armed struggle and those who assisted them because those who were armed were assisted by non-armed people as the liberation struggle was a collective effort. We will continue to lobby for this and we invite the public to join us in this,” said Mr Nkomo.
He said Dr Nkomo is the biblical light and salt of the nation whose contributions will never be erased.
Speaker after speaker praised Dr Nkomo as a founding father of Zimbabwe, with historian, war veteran and retired journalist Saul Gwakuba Ndlovu revealing that Father Zimbabwe was the first black man to leave his good job to pursue nationalist politics.-state media
The Chinese government is committed to ensuring that historical ties with Zimbabwe are mutually beneficial, Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Guo Shaochun has said.
He said China is making sure that businesses operating here do so within the confines of local laws.
“The Chinese government, in accordance with the laws and regulations, protects the legitimate rights and interests of overseas Chinese enterprises and citizens. And at the same time, the government always requires them to abide by the laws and regulations of the host countries and respect local customs,” said Ambassador Guo in a statement.
The statement was in response to Norton legislator Temba Mliswa’s suggestion that the cooperation between Harare and Beijing was not beneficial to the latter in light of its economic challenges.
Mr Mliswa has been at war with Chinese company Sunny Yi Feng Tiles, which has a plant in his constituency.
On investment, Ambassador Guo said China was committed to investing in Zimbabwe in different facets of the country’s economy and cited the expansion of Victoria Falls International Airport, Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, Kariba South Hydropower Station as some of the investments made by the Chinese government.
“In recent years, the Victoria Falls Airport Expansion Project, the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport Expansion Project, the Kariba South Hydropower Station Expansion Project, the Hwange Power Station Expansion Project and so on, which have been or are being built with concessional loans from China, have played an important role in improving infrastructure and self-sustaining capacity for the economic and social development of Zimbabwe. The projects involve more than $2 billion,” he said.
He added that China has extended a US$58 million to Zimbabwe to complete post cyclone re-construction and other projects.
“A few days ago, China decided to provide another new batch of grant of 400 million RMB (US$58 million) to Zimbabwe to help the country complete post-cyclone reconstruction and other important projects.
“It is not only logically absurd, but also morally untenable to simply blame that Zimbabwe’s economic difficulties can be attributed to China’s investment not being good for Zimbabwe. It is universally recognised that whether a country can get rid of poverty and achieve sustainable development mainly relies on its own efforts,” he said.
Responding to some accusation by Mliswa that during the construction of the new Parliament building, mineral extraction is the order of the day, the Ambassador said the parliament project in is financed by the grant from the Chinese Government.
“The New Parliament Project is a project financed by the grant from the Chinese government. It does not have any attached project, nor does it spend a single penny from the Zimbabwean government’s coffer.
“This project is a manifestation of the profound friendship between the two governments and the peoples of China and Zimbabwe and brooks no one’s smear or distorting,” he said.
He added that the two countries enjoy a profound traditional friendship.
“China-Zimbabwe relations will not be affected by slander or vilifying by any individual. The Chinese embassy in Zimbabwe is firmly opposed to the move by certain individual or media to undermine the friendship and cooperation between the two countries through flinging abuses, fabricating rumours and malicious slander.
“This does no good to Zimbabwe’s own development. We sincerely hope that the Zimbabwean side will continue to create a more favourable environment for all foreign direct investment, including Chinese enterprises,” he added.
The two countries have always rendered each other strong support on issues concerning each other’s core interests.
On the tile plant Ambassador Shaochun said the Chinese embassy attaches importance to Mr Mliswa’s criticisms and proposals concerning the tiles factory and has since coordinated the two sides to solve the problem through dialogue and consultation on several occasions.
“With the facilitation of the Chinese embassy, the dialogue between the two sides is still going on and we expect it to produce positive results. If the relevant issues cannot be resolved through consultation, the two sides may settle them rationally through legal channels,” he said.-state media
Farai Dziva|In a tweet that has gone viral on social media Jonathan Moyo alleges that Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is the Chancellor of all state universities in Zimbabwe, impregnated a university student.
Social Media platforms are awash with claims that Mnangagwa impregnated a university student who recently gave birth to a bouncing baby.
Moyo claimed that a student at one premier institution of higher learning was recently blessed with a child after she was impregnated by the Chancellor of her university.See tweet :
