By Own Correspondent- Stanbic Bank workers have written to the employer informing them that their workers are incapacitated to continue providing services to the bank on a regular basis as agreed upon between the employer and the employee.

The Acting General Secretary of the workers Shephard Ngandu said:

“We write to advise you of the dire situation that your workers are in. Most of the employees are unable to buy food enough for a week from their salaries let alone pay for their rentals.

“The majority are no longer able to pay transport to and from work. In that regard, we advise Standard Bank that from now on that the workers will report for duty as and when they have transport fares to do so.

Alternatively, most of the workers will start sleeping and staying at the workplace in order not to abscond from work.”

Find the full letter below:

By Own Correspondent- Home Affairs deputy minister Mike Madiro has said the government will clear the backlog on passports after settling a debt with the foreign company providing consumables for the travel documents.

Madiro acknowledged that the country has a problem of the passports backlog but the situation was expected to change.

He said:

“With regards to the backlog on passports, yes we have got a serious challenge as far as clearing the backlog of issuing passports is concerned.”

He said the shortage of foreign currency had largely contributed to the backlog in the issuing of passports.

“Again, this is due to a shortage of consumables of which we are using imported consumables. There is a special paper which is used to print passports and other consumables including ribbons which are procured from foreign suppliers,” said Madiro.

“Given the challenge of foreign currency, we have had a serious problem in procuring these consumables. However, I am happy to say that the Government has since paid what we owed our suppliers and very soon those imported consumables will be availed and we will make sure that we clear the backlog on passports.”

Zimbabweans have over the past months struggled to get travel documents with reports that the government had stopped printing passports.

By Own Correspondent- In his message recently, Zanu PF national political commissar Victor Matemadanda has vowed to “return the party to the people”.

He conceded that Zanu PF is divorced from the people of Zimbabwe.

Matemadanda replaced retired army officer, Engelbert Rugeje who remains a politburo member without portfolio.

He said:

“Any person can become a king in a political party. ZANU PF is a mass party and if people are not educated they will think that authority is vested in people they find in the structures.

Yet this is misleading; a party becomes a people’s party when people have complete ownership.

Our immediate task is to take the party from individual ownership to the people using the philosophy of democratic centralism where everyone is equally important.”

By A Correspondent- Workers at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH), have notified management that they can no longer report for work as their salaries have been eroded by inflation.

To that end, they wrote a letter outlining the circumstances which have made it impossible for them to come to work and their expectations from the management.

The letter reads:

“We write to advise of the terrible situation that we as UBH health workers are facing as a result of massive inflation and requirement of USD for payment of almost every basic goods while our salaries are still pegged in RTGS.

As such, we as dedicated workers would like to come to work as the interest of our patients come first. However, we can no longer afford food, accommodation, transport, fuel and any other basic commodity.

As we request an urgent review of our salaries in USD or RTGS at the prevailing interbank rate from the government, we urge the administration of UBH for temporary solutions to cushion workers.

We are not deciding a strike but we are now incapacitated to report to work, the situation is now unbearable. We, therefore, advise that from now as UBH health workers, we will report for duty when we can afford.

No head of a department will do a roll call unless they can provide transport, food and accommodation for the health worker concerned.”

By A Correspondent- Action is going to be taken against Vehicle Inspection Department (VID) officials who are corruptly issuing learner driver’s licences to undeserving people and modalities are being worked out to computerise the issuance of driving documents at all VID depots, Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Joel Biggie Matiza has said.

This comes in the wake of an undercover exposure by our Harare Bureau of deep-rooted corruption in the issuance of the learner driver’s licences at the VID Marondera depot this week.

The journalist working on an investigative story was issued with an authentic learner driver’s licence at VID Marondera depot after paying a bribe to the officials at the depot to facilitate acquisition of the document.

After the exposure of corrupt activities at the Marondera depot, Minister Matiza said heads would roll but a sustainable solution lay in computerisation of the process.

He said he does not brook corruption in line with President Mnangagwa’s vision to transform the economy into an upper middle income status by 2030.

“My stance against corruption is very clear as guided by His Excellency the President Cde ED Mnangagwa,” said Minister Matiza.

“Action will definitely be taken against Marondera VID officials who are corruptly issuing learner driver’s licences to the public and endangering the safety of the motoring public and pedestrians. 

“However, the sustainable solution lies in computerising the whole system as we have already with some of the depots. Our computerised system is so tight proof that there is no human involvement in the testing of all prospective drivers. The computer randomly chooses questions for the learners from a pool of questions loaded in the computer. The learners though sitting for the same test, they don’t answer the same questions and the computer automatically does the marking once the learner answers the last question.

“We are on course to ensure that all the VID depots are computerised to ensure that there is no room for such kind of corruption. With this computerised system, all our prospective drivers will be conversant with our traffic rules and regulations and that will go a long way in reducing road accidents. Most of the accidents that we see on our roads are caused by people who got their drivers licences through short cuts and are not well-informed and familiar with our traffic rules and regulations. ”

Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services said culprits involved in corrupt issuance of licences will be severely punished.

“The Herald story on the licence scam at a VID Depot is horrifying. There are a lot of accidents caused by human error on our roads. Each driver would like to know that the next car is being driven by a person competent to drive. Culprits involved will face full wrath of the law,” reads the ministry’s post on Twitter.

So far Government had computerised the issuance of learner driver’s licence at the VID Eastlea depot in Harare, Chitungwiza and Bulawayo depots which plugged off several loopholes and reduced human involvement in the process.

The high end technological system introduced by Government has seen several people shying away from these depots opting for other centres where the testing is still being done manually.

It is understood that some corrupt elements at the computerised depots are taking bribes from people seeking to get learner driver’s licences and then direct them to other manual depots where they had some connections including the Marondera depot.

Minister Matiza advised members of the public against engaging in corrupt activities in the acquisition of learner driver’s licences saying the long arm of the law would soon catch up with those members and officials facilitating such illicit activities.

 In line with the computerisation of the learner driving licence, all VID processes are going to be on the online system including vehicle inspection, and road testing will also include a computer though an inspector will still be there–StateMedia

By Own Correspondent- Speaking on a program organised by the Matsanga Africa Perspective (MAP) in Kenya on Friday, Norton Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa has called on former cabinet minister Professor Jonathan Moyo to come out of hiding and face justice over his alleged corruption cases that are pending at court.

Mliswa said because no- one was above the law and no -one is also guilty until convicted, the onus was on Professor Moyo to come back to Zimbabwe and prove his innocence.

Said Mliswa:

“…… at the same time there is the aspect of those outside Zimbabwe. Professor Moyo was part of the former president Robert Mugabe regime and he is also facing allegations of having been corrupt which he must answer to.

So at times don’t hate a country because you also have allegations. I was arrested Dr Matsanga, over 70 times and acquitted 70 times. And you know that I never run away from the country. I never ran away from the country because I believed I was innocent at the end of the day. And this was when the regime was tough but I still went through that.

So what is important is that we also don’t want a situation where people who are in power, steal resources, when they are said to be corrupt they run away and they start attacking the country from outside. Professor Jonathan Moyo must come back and must also face the justice like any other person in a proper manner.”

In a rare bit of good news from the United States, Zimbabwe has been commended for the significant efforts it has made in eliminating human trafficking, with the southern African country being ranked in Tier 2, an improvement from the last rating.

The “2019 Trafficking in Persons Report: Zimbabwe”, which is compiled by the US Department of State and was released on Thursday, notes that the Zimbabwean government had demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period.

Tier 2 is for countries whose governments do not fully comply with the US’s Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.

Among the positives was that a trafficker had been sentenced while Zimbabwe was also increasing cooperation and coordination with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to identify victims.

“The anti-trafficking inter-ministerial committee (ATIMC) finalised and adopted a national referral mechanism (NRM), which outlined standard operating procedures (SOPs) on victim identification and referral,” reads the report.

“It (Zimbabwe) also drafted and adopted implementing regulations, which gave legal force to key procedures set out in the NRM, empowered provincial operational task forces, and defined clear roles and responsibilities for front-line responders.”

But the report was quick to point out that Zimbabwe had not meet minimum standards in several areas.

The country came up with draft amendments to the 2014 Trafficking in Persons Act, but so far there had been little movement in passing and adopting the proposed changes.

Compared to 2018, the report says, Zimbabwe had prosecuted and convicted fewer trafficking cases compared to the previous year; and there was a backlog of trafficking cases dating back to 2016.

In addition, the report says Zimbabwe identified fewer trafficking victims and did not provide adequate funding to its NGO partners on which it relied to provide protective services to victims.

The report has some recommendations for Zimbabwe such as that the country should amend its anti-trafficking law to criminalise all forms of trafficking in line with the 2000 UN Trafficking In Persons Protocol, increase efforts to proactively investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes, including complicit government officials and internal trafficking cases and to provide financial or in-kind support to NGO service providers.

Furthermore, the report urges Zimbabwe to expand training for law enforcement officers on investigative techniques, allocate adequate funding for law enforcement to proactively carry out investigations and to train prosecutors and judges on trafficking and trafficking-related legislation.  

Zimbabwe was also urged to establish safe houses for trafficking victims in each province and to develop mutual legal assistance treaties (MLATs) and other agreements to facilitate information gathering and sharing with foreign governments.

In the Zimbabwean context, trafficking in persons involves exploiting women and girls from towns bordering South Africa, Mozambique, and Zambia in forced labour, including domestic servitude, and sex trafficking in brothels catering to long-distance truck drivers on both sides of the borders.

The US report said traffickers subject Zimbabwean men, women, and children to forced labour in agriculture and domestic service in the country’s rural areas.

“Traffickers exploit women in domestic servitude, forced labour, and sex trafficking in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia,” the report says.

“There were previous reports of Zimbabwean women lured to China and the Middle East for work, where they are vulnerable to trafficking.

“There were reports of traffickers luring Zimbabwean students to Cyprus and elsewhere with false promises for education via scholarship schemes where they are exploited in forced labour and sex trafficking.”

-CITE

JOHANNESBURG – Zimbabwe risks being plunged into total darkness. is struggling to pay a debt of more than US$40million – over R580m to Eskom.

The state owned power utility says it also owes millions to Mozambique.

This is for electricity borrowed in the past few years.

Zimbabwe is experiencing 19 hours of load shedding a day.

A situation that’s left most industries closed and people struggling with their daily lives.

Speaking to journalists in the capital Harare, the Zimbabwe energy minister, Fortune Chasi has said in addition to the debt to Eskom, millions are also owed to Mozambique’s power utility, HCB.

“As it is at the moment we owe HCB and Eskom US$83million, very huge amount of money,” said Chasi.

Chasi says the nation should itself brace for hard times as the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority is in shambles due to domestic and foreign debt.

The minister admits the situation is critical and is asking for the nation’s support.

Zimbabwe last experienced such serious electricity blackouts in 2016 following a drought.

Jane Mlambo| Names of the Zimbabwe warriors first eleven players who will go into battle tonight against the pharaohs of Egypt have been released with first choice goalkeeper George Chigova missing from the line-up.

According to journalists in Cairo, the first 11 will be as follows;

Edmore Sibanda, Tendai Darikwa, Divine Lunga, Teenage Hadebe, Alec Mudimu, Marshall Munetsi, Marvelous Nakamba, Ovidy Karuru, Khama Billiat, Knowledge Musona & Nyasha Mushekwi

Farai Dziva|Zanu PF hardliners are not happy with party youth league leader Lewis Matutu’s threats to expose their “shenanigans.”

ZANU PF politburo member and deputy youth league chairperson, Lewis Matutu, says he has received death threats from party hardliners following his threats to expose their dubious manoeuvres.

Matutu has threatened threatened to expose corruption in the ruling party.

“They call at night saying Zanu PF kills, they are threatening me, but I will not be moved. The only person I will listen to is President Emmerson Mnangagwa. I made a personal decision to join Zanu PF and will not be pushed or silenced by anyone,” said Matutu.

“I know children of ministers who are selling foreign currency on the black market, I can give you names and numbers of these people and you can go and change money with them. I am giving them up to Sunday to come clean and if they fail we will name them.”

By Miriam Mushayi & Tapiwa Mashakada| Prof Mthuli Ncube claims that he has balanced treasury books and gvt is now recording a surplus.According to him the deficit has been wiped out and now public finances are now in surplus. But what is the significance of a surplus when the healthcare sector is collapsing and civil servants are earning poverty wages? In general public service delivery is hamstrung by austerity. Government has accummulated arrears on domestic debt.

In neo-classical or liberal economics deficits if they are monetized. They trigger all sorts of economic ills chief among which is Inflation. If we are in surplus why are prices not moving down in sympathy? Granted there are too many inflationary pressures in the Zim economy but we should see the reduction in the weight of the deficit on the inflation outlook. Reducing or eliminating the deficit alone is not sufficient. Its like jobless growth.

ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION

Fiscal stance has 3 legs. These are Revenue collection; Expenditure Reduction and Deficit Financing. Prof Mthuli is concerntrating on demand management(expenditure reduction and totally ignoring resource mobilization. The biggest sources of wealth are: savings, growth, productivity and investment. The focus should be on how to grow the cake rather than tinkering with demand management per se. It is the Supply side stupid. The accounting surplus being touted by the Minister of Finance is hollow and meangless in economic value terms. In short, the so-called budget surplus is an immoral surplus which does not make sense under this environment of hyper inflation.

Professor Mthuli and Zanu PF must stop this economic genocide

In a veiled attack on Ncube, Mutumanje said, “Daily Zimbabweans have a conversation about how bad things are (except Mthuli, that one he thinks nothing is wrong).” Self-styled communications strategists William Gerald Mutumanje says Mthuli Ncube is a person who does not think about the suffering of the people of Zimbabwe.

In his usual sarcastic manner, Mutumanje said the people of Zimbabwe must remove the problem (Dambudzo which is President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s second name). ” Daily Zimbabweans need to have a conversation about removing the problem. Removing the problem is NOT the solution, it’s simply removing the problem, we doubt our power!”

Recently Mutumanje warned Mnangagwa that if he continues destroying the country he will go like how Mugabe went.

“This doesn’t end well, izvi ndati hazviperi mushe! Never forget Mugabe was a bigger boy (a global big boy)- but akaenda handiti? Ndukubvunza dairai class? Akaenda handiti?”

Farai Dziva|A Rusape man brutally killed his uncle for allegedly stealing his mbanje plants.

The man assaulted his uncle with sticks after catching him stealing mbanje -which he was illegally cultivating in his farm.

Mizilamu Maseko appeared in court for contravening Section 47 (1)(a) or (b) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act.

See part of the state outline below :

“The deceased Taurai Christopher Makarutse was with the accused person and his wife at the garden when the crime was committed.

Janepha Murewa who testified that the accused is her husband said on the day in question she was with the accused at the garden and she saw him leaving the garden going to the next garden.

The accused person was following the deceased to see what he was doing in that garden.

Murewa said that after about 30 minutes her husband came back and told her that he had assaulted the deceased for stealing his mbanje.

She asked her husband to go back and fetch the deceased and the duo came back with the deceased walking slowly showing signs that he was in great pain.

He was taken to hospital where he later died from the injuries.”

Farai Dziva|Addressing a news conference in Harare yesterday MDC leader Nelson Chamisa scoffed at claims that Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government “brought a new dispensation.”

Chamisa said:”Let me say as a party we are deeply concerned about the gross violation of human rights by the government.

How can they say they have brought a new dispensation while innocent citizens are being harassed.

It is disturbing to note that we are receiving reports of arbitrary arrests and harassment of human rights activists.

Political activists are also being persecuted for no reason.We are saying this cannot be tolerated.”

GOSPEL musician, Mathias Mhere, will today release his eighth album “Greater than Solomon”, with CDs of his latest offering selling at the launch to be held at The Venue in Avondale, Harare.

Mhere said CDs of his album were ready and would soon hit the market starting at tonight’s event.
He revealed that a line-up of top musicians headlines his album launch with gospel outfit Vabati VaJehovha, Jonah Chivasa and Fungisai Zvakavapono-Mashavave being on the list.

“Everything is now in place and we have done our home work in as far as preparations for the great event are concerned,” said Mhere.

“We are at an advanced stage with CDs are ready to enter the market. Tickets for tonight’s event are were about to be sold out meaning people are buying our tickets. We are now waiting to take the CDs into the market. “I can confirm that artistes like Jah Prayzah, Sulumani Chimbetu among others indicated that they would be attending the launch,” he said.

Mhere said Prophet T Freddie would be the guest of honour with socialite Genius ‘Ginimbi’ Kadungure also attending the launch.
The 10-track album is set to inspire many people through songs loaded with repentance and restoration messages. It also gives sermons on the gospel of redemption.

Mhere on his song titled “Ndizarurire”, prays to God for intervention into the lives of people who are failing to prosper in their lives. He featured Jah Prayzah on “Jerusarema” where he speaks of salvation and restoration.

Mhere also preaches of guidance in the song “Hembe Yemubhero” equating a human body to a temple which is sacred and shun acts of infidelity.

He talks of love, tenderness and kindness in the song “Munhu Haasekwe”. Mhere also tells of how Satan uses different ways to influence one’s life in the song “Kamushini”.
But he celebrates the gifts and blessings from God in the song “Jakuchichi”.

He revisited the life of his late brother in a song called “Chipangamazano”, which he said are testimonies of a life his brother lived.

-State media

STAKEHOLDERS in Bulawayo yesterday convened a meeting to look for solutions to Vuzu parties, a social vice seen as promoting immorality among youths.

The meeting, organised by the Bulawayo chapter of Junior Chamber International in partnership with Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA) and Betterman Foundation, sought to enquire into the Vuzu parties culture rocking the city. School-going children are reportedly attending the parties, where drug abuse and sex orgies are commonplace.

Participants at the meeting said the culture posed a threat to the future of the young generation and must be stopped forthwith.

Junior Chamber International president for Bulawayo chapter Sinqobile Ndlovu said there was need for evidence-based policy and dialogue interventions to curb
the vice.

Trevor Gurajena, a youth representative gave a background of the parties.

“Vuzu parties started as a plain party, where children would go and dance to music, but nowadays they indulge in sexual activities, as well as abuse drugs and alcohol,” Gurajena said.

“There are different types of Vuzu parties and these include the plain Vuzu party, the $5-Vuzu party, where there would be a minimum of 10 girls and 10 men
who get into a sex competition. The one who sleeps with all the girls becomes the king and the lady who sleeps with all the boys becomes the queen; they also
share the money obtained from the attendance fee,” he explained.

Gurajena said there was another Vuzu-party type called “Slash”, which involved adults who form groups of singles, widows, widowers and divorcees.

Bulawayo Metropolitan Affairs minister Judith Ncube described Vuzu parties in the city as a threat to future generations.

Participants noted that parents of most of the teenagers who host the Vuzu parties were in the diaspora.

Police have started coming up with measures to thwart the Vuzu activities.

“We, as the (Zimbabwe Republic Police) have started investigations into the problem, but we believe we can work together as parents and teachers to stop this behaviour,” Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube said.

Personnel from the health sector said Vuzu parties were a health threat to all those who partook in them.

They said participants risked contracting and spreading sexually transmitted infections and HIV.

-State Media

Government is working on modalities to introduce a new currency, which will be the sole legal tender for domestic transactions, within the next nine months, President Mnangagwa has said.

Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg on the sidelines of the 12th US-Africa Business Summit in Maputo, Mozambique, yesterday, the President said “it is necessary that we have our own currency” since it is presently difficult to determine the level of money supply in the economy.

“Then of course there is an issue which is critical also for any economy: this is the question of currency. I am not aware of any country which has no currency of its own, but that is not my field – I am a lawyer – but I am told that except for Zimbabwe I haven’t been told of another country which doesn’t have its own currency.

“Even poor countries have currencies from what I hear, so we intend to introduce our own,” he said

Separately, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube also indicated that a new currency would likely give tailwinds to the country’s economic growth efforts.

“But I think the long-term goal, as His Excellency has said, you cannot develop without your own domestic currency, without the monetary-sector leg in terms of macro management – that is very, very critical. . .”

Government, he said, has successfully brought both the fiscal deficit and current account deficit under control and, therefore, this could critically support the new currency.

“So, in terms of macro fundamentals, actually, maybe we were a bit unlucky, but the fundamentals are in place. So there is no way that issuance of Treasury Bills or fiscal deficits are causing growth in money supply and, therefore, posing risk to currency value. That is not the case. So its something else that is driving the parallel rate – so many speculators.”

-State Media

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has all but confessed that the United States told him to deal with issues of political reforms in the country before engaging in any meaningful talks with the US.

Speaking to journalists last night on arrival from Mozambique where he attended the 12th US-Africa Business Summit, President Mnangagwa said he had fruitful discussions with US Assistant Secretary (Bureau of African Affairs) at the US State Department, Mr Tibor Nagy, during which he allayed fears of possible delays in the repealing of AIPPA and POSA.

“There was also a delegation that came that was led by the State Ambassador Tibor Nagy of America. They raised their concerns; we also raised our concern. They worried about the delay of the repeal of AIPPA and POSA, but we have told them that those pieces of legislation are already in Parliament and are progressing very well. We believe that before August those Bills will go through.”

Nagy met with Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa on the sidelines of the US-Africa Business Summit in Maputo, Mozambique where he stressed the importance of real political reforms.

Nagy posted on Twitter saying that he had told Mnangagwa the importance to hold security forces accountable for violence committed against Zimbabweans in August 2018 and January 2019. Nagy tweeted:

“I met with Zimbabwean President Mnangagwa today. I stressed the urgent need to hold security forces accountable for acts of violence committed against Zimbabweans including in August 2018 and January/February 2019 and the importance of real political and economic reforms.”

The Zimbabwean government used the current diabolical POSA to deal with citizens who protested against a crumbling economy in January where members of the army shot live shots killing innocent citizens.

The same law was used in August last year to deal with citizens who were protesting delays in announcing the July 31st Presidential election result. Several people were also killed in the process.

In his confession, Mnangagwa, said that Zimbabwe is committed to political reforms to open up democratic space in the Second Republic, while the process to replace the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and Public Order and Security Act (POSA) is expected to be complete by August.

The Freedom of Information Bill will repeal AIPPA, while the Maintenance of Peace and Order Bill will replace POSA.

Zimbabweans have however expressed unhappiness on the new laws claiming that they are the same old laws under a new name.

I Hon Douglas T. Mwonzora, do hereby accept the appointment given to me by the President Advocate Rev. Nelson Chamisa. Contrary to popular beliefs, after any election, those who are real leaders work with the winner to build up the people’s project.

I pledge my total and unwavering support, to my Hon President and to values that he represents. We will be led by our Joshua, to the promised Land. I urge all my supporters to embrace and work with the People ‘s President. To the Zimbabweans, Let us join together to fight ZANU Pf and determine for ourselves a better future. Our President will be in the state house this year.

Victory is Certain !!!

Hon Douglas T. Mwonzora.

By A Correspondent| Zanu-PF Youth leader Lewis Matutu has threatened to name and shame all the children of ministers who are involved in illegal foreign currency trading.

Matutu who is the ruling Zanu-PF’s Secretary for Youth, as well as the Deputy Secretary for the Youth League, claimed that he was going to help clean the Zanu-PF house by naming all the corrupt Zanu-PF officials on Monday.

However, he did not explain why he is waiting for Monday to shame the economic saboteurs despite claiming that he is receiving death threats.

‌Besides the threats Matutu remains adamant that he will not be deterred from his move.

Matutu’s statement comes after four police detectives were arrested for under-declaring money seized during a raid on an illegal foreign currency trading business owned by the son of a Cabinet minister.

The detectives raided number 3 Sanfenand Flats on Fife Avenue in Harare, the offices of Neville Mutsvangwa, and found US$200,000 in cash.

Neville is the son of Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa and former presidential adviser Chris Mutsvangwa, who are known to frequent his office.

Zimbabwe and Zambia chose General Electric Co. and Power Construction Corp. of China to build a $4 billion hydropower project straddling their border, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said.

The 2,400-megawatt Batoka Gorge plant has been planned for years by the two southern African nations, both of which are struggling with electricity shortages after a drought curbed hydropower output. General Electric and Power China are in a consortium that was shortlisted in February to build the facility.

“Zambia and Zimbabwe have agreed on this project. We have all agreed that we give it to GE — China Power and GE together,” Mnangagwa said in an interview Wednesday in Maputo, Mozambique’s capital, where he was attending a conference. “It’s critical that we move fast on that front because it’s necessary that as we industrialize that we need electricity.”

While the project will address electricity shortages, it’s on the same river — the Zambezi — that has left the Kariba hydropower dam downstream too empty to function at full capacity.

GE said in an emailed response to questions that the Zambezi River Authority, which manages power plants on the river, had said it would appoint a final developer for the project by September. As part of the consortium, GE would have a “material role in the development and execution of the project,” including the design and supply of hydropower technologies, it said.

BOT Financing

Zambian Energy Minister Matthew Nkhuwa said he wasn’t available to comment. The project will be based on a build-operate-transfer financing model and won’t put any fiscal strain on the two nations’ governments, Nkhuwa said in February.

The $4 billion cost of the project includes amounts for civil works, construction and power turbines, among other things, GE said on Thursday. The African Development Bank said in September it has begun mobilizing funds for the plant.

Other bidders that had been shortlisted included Salini Impregilo SpA of Italy and a joint venture comprising China Three Gorges Corp., China International Water & Electric Corp. and China Gezhouba Group Co., according to Nkhuwa.

-Bloomberg

The Nelson Chamisa-led MDC is pushing for sweeping changes and restructuring of its internal affairs and financial systems in an effort to endear itself to supporters and attract funding.

The party’s national council meeting yesterday approved an external audit of the organisation, debt payments and overhaul of its entire workforce, to give the newly-elected treasurer-general and secretary general a new lease of life.

Speaking at a Press conference yesterday, Chamisa announced the sweeping changes, saying apart from the audit the party was going to uplift its headquarters.

“We made the point that we are making a turn as a party so there are a number of far-reaching changes that we have made,” Chamisa said.

Having failed to fund its election machinery in the past elections in terms of polling agents and advertising, owing to poor funding, the MDC is opening its
books to external auditors.

Party secretary-general Chalton Hwende said the MDC receives taxpayers’ money and should, therefore, open itself to audit to enhance transparency and restore
trust in the organisation.

The MDC will receive a war chest of $4 million from Treasury earmarked to clear its debts which include employee salaries, bills and other obligations.

The money will also be used to refurbish a dilapidated party headquarters, the Morgan Tsvangirai House (formerly Harvest House) to enhance the party’s appeal.

“There is an appointment of auditors. As an institution, we must have our books audited, we have to do things in a better fashion not like Zanu PF who we have never heard that they audited their books. Harvest House is going to be a different building very soon. We don’t want you to come to Harvest House and not have tea and coffee, so yes, we are sprucing up our image,” Chamisa said.

On the situation in the country, Chamisa said Zimbabwe was sliding into anarchy, owing to a failing economy and repression of human rights defenders.

“When it comes to peace and security in the country, the situation is sliding into dire circumstances. There is a dark cloud hanging over the country in terms of the tensions, the stalemate and the political discussions that are supposed to be done,” he said.

“We have pledged that we need peace, we need change in Zimbabwe and that can only be done by our ability to work together through managing political dialogue to resolve the issues.”

Chamisa said President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government has failed to run the country and fallen into servitude of inflation.

“Government can no longer control the economy, it’s now being controlled by the new government called inflation. The government of the day is also being controlled by inflation, they have lost control… we have the answers to these problems, we have put a raft of measures through our smart economy; what we have said is the best approach to resolve these issues,” Chamisa said. He accused government of clamping down on basic and fundamental freedoms.

“The major challenge we face is that citizens are no longer safe locally or abroad. This is because of the arrests that we have seen, attacks on the opposition, civil society, trade union leadership; attacks on political views perceived or real,” Chamisa said.

The MDC has since threatened to demonstrate against the Zanu PF-led government.

“We are not happy with the reform path the country is on. It is based on deception, fake and piecemeal reforms that are not attending to the real issues,” Chamisa said.

-Newsday

By A Correspondent- Harare Magistrate, Barbara Mateko, has issued the president of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), Obert Masaraure with a warrant of arrest after he failed to report to a police station.

Masaraure is accused of trying to overthrow a constitutionally-elected government by urging people to protests against the fuel hikes.

The state represented by Prosecutor Sebastian Mutizirwa told the court that Masaraure, who is on remand violated his bail conditions by not reporting to the police station. The Artuz leader was ordered by the court to report to the police once every week.

The prosecutor reported that Masaraure failed to report to the police on June 7 and 14 as he was supposed to.

Mutizirwa also added that State security agents also visited his workplace at Chemhanza High School in Hwedza, but failed to locate him. As proof, the prosecutor presented two letters written by the school headmaster and his deputy confirming Masaraure’s absence from work.

Magistrate Mateko then issued Masaraure with a warrant of arrest as requested by the State.

-Newsday

By A Correspondent- State security agents are reportedly trying to illegally possess a farm belonging to Professor Jonathan Moyo, a former cabinet minister who fled into exile at the height of the November 2017 military coup.

The Zimbabwe Independent reports that Moyo bought the farm, Elephant Trust Farm measuring 623 hectares in 2001.

He parted away with the equivalent of US$105 401,84 after getting a loan from the Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe (CBZ).

Moyo got the farm for “free” under the controversial land reform programme but opted to pay for it in full to get a secure title.

His lawyers wrote letters to the Ministry of Lands alleging that state security agents are attempting to seize the farm.

In one of the letters seen by the Zimbabwe Independent, the lawyers wrote:

We write at the instruction of our client Professor Jonathan Moyo who instructs us as follows: He is the owner of the remainder of Patterson Farm, measuring 622,9125 hectares, otherwise known as the Elephant Trust Farm situated in the district of Mazowe.

However, despite our client’s ownership of the farm, various suspicious individuals have been visiting Elephant Trust Farm in recent weeks and months with the clear intention of disturbing our client’s peaceful ownership of and operations at the property.

For instance, on Friday 3 May 2019, an expansive team comprising government, army, police and Central Intelligence Organisation officers representing the Mashonaland Central provinces Joint Operations Command visited the farm for the apparent purpose of commencing a process of dispossessing Professor Jonathan Moyo of Elephant Trust Farm.

Moyo fled the country after special forces allegedly laid siege to his house during the coup.

MDC leader, advocate Nelson Chamisa has rallied behind the national senior men soccer team, the Warriors as they play 2019 Africa Cup of Nations hosts, Egypt, tonight.

Chamisa said that the team was carrying the nation’s pride.

He tweeted:

National teams define our collective pride and honour. Our Warriors start a great mission against the Pharaohs today. To the boys, the hopes and pride of the nation are upon your shoulders. Do your best to give us smiles and cheers! Go warriors Go.We send our best wishes!#Afcon19

There were fears that the Warriors would not be taking part in this year’s AFCON edition after they threatened to boycott their fixture over their unpaid USD9000 for each player.

The national football governing body, Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) was saying that it had paid the money on Wednesday, and produced bank transfer receipts as confirmation, but, the players insisted nothing had reflected in their bank accounts.

The players were also concerned that a number of them, notably, Tafadzwa Kutinyu, Walter Musona and Ovidy Karuru had ended up meeting their medical bills.

The standoff between ZIFA and the Warriors was dissolved following intervention by the government through ICT Minister Kazembe Kazembe who also the chairs the 2019 AFCON Fund-raising Committee. Kazembe pleaded with the players to play whilst the government finds ways to make ZIFA address their grievances.

Despite agreeing to play, Warriors Captain, Musona said that he was sad to have spent much time focusing on issues rather than the match.

Jane Mlambo| Zimbabwe’s biggest trade union the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) has threatened to go on strike if government fails to pay workers in United States dollars.

ZCTU made the threats ahead of the Tripartite Negotiating Forum (TNF) meeting set for the 26th of June.

“We called for and are attending a TNF meeting on 26 June with Government and Business.

“Workers demands are simple, pay us in a USD or equivalent at obtaining exchange rate #livingwage

“If nothing comes out, there is no other way, workers will STRIKE898:27 AM – Jun 20, 2019,” said ZCTU while posting on its Twitter account.

By A Correspondent- Harare Magistrate, Barbara Mateko, has issued the president of the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ), Obert Masaraure with a warrant of arrest after he failed to report to a police station.

Masaraure is accused of trying to overthrow a constitutionally-elected government by urging people to protests against the fuel hikes.

The state represented by Prosecutor Sebastian Mutizirwa told the court that Masaraure, who is on remand violated his bail conditions by not reporting to the police station. The Artuz leader was ordered by the court to report to the police once every week.

The prosecutor reported that Masaraure failed to report to the police on June 7 and 14 as he was supposed to.

Mutizirwa also added that State security agents also visited his workplace at Chemhanza High School in Hwedza, but failed to locate him. As proof, the prosecutor presented two letters written by the school headmaster and his deputy confirming Masaraure’s absence from work.

Magistrate Mateko then issued Masaraure with a warrant of arrest as requested by the State.-Newsday

Jane Mlambo| United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe Brian Nichols yesterday met with Zimbabwe Council of Churches Secretary General Rev Kenneth Mtata where they stressed on the need for inclusive dialogue to rescue the country from the jaws of poverty that it is currently trapped in.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa is currently engaged in a political dialogue with 18 political parties without the main opposition MDC led by Nelson Chamisa.

The dialogue process officially launched a few weeks ago has been dismissed by Chamisa as a monologue and a choir to which Mnangagwa is a choir master.

The US Embassy acknowledged the role of the church in engaging key stakeholders towards sustainable peace in Zimbabwe.

“Amb. Brian A. Nichols met with Rev. Mtata, General Secretary of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches yesterday, stressing the importance of an inclusive national dialogue. We acknowledge the hard work of churches in engaging key stakeholders towards sustainable peace in #Zimbabwe,” the US embassy posted on Twitter yesterday.

Jane Mlambo| Veteran trade unionist and Secretary General of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) Raymond Majongwe has trashed the appointment of prominent lawyer and constitutional expert Fadzayi Mahere to the position of Secretary for Education in the MDC saying it doesn’t inspire them.

Posting on Twitter, Majongwe questioned the logic behind Mahere’s appointment instead of an organic educationist within its rank.

“As the PTUZ the appointment of Fadzai Mahere does not inspire us at all. We can’t be told the whole MDC doesn’t have an organic Educationist of repute. Education is not for everyone,” said Majongwe.

EDUCATION AMENDMENT BILL [H.B.1, 2019]

Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Second Reading of the Education Amendment Bill.

Said Senator Rosemary Nyathi:

“I stand to add my voice on the Education Amendment Bill, particularly looking at Section 15 where it reads, “new section inserted after section 68 of Chapter 25:04.  I am interested at Section 68 (a) (5) where it is written, “under no circumstances is a teacher allowed to beat a child”.  

I want to put my argument to say, whilst the law cannot be written at long length, I think the clause ‘under no circumstance’ is a teacher allowed to beat a child because I am visualising a teacher who has students in a classroom.  The students misbehave and the teacher is left without any option of disciplining a child.  I am not saying disciplining is only by beating but I am saying, that Clause alone must be relooked into.  

Why I argue this fact, I am told that Zimbabwe is 80% Christians, therefore, I want to quote from the Bible.  I am quoting because I am told that one of the wisest men that ever lived on earth is Solomon.  I am told that Solomon used 10 to 12% of brain he was the wisest.  I just want to quote some few verses concerning disciplining with a rod that Solomon gave.  If you read from the book of Proverbs Chapter 23 verse 13, it says, “do not withhold correction from a child for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die”. 

Verse 14 says, “you shall beat him with a rod, you deliver his soul from hell’.  If the Bible says, when a child misbehaves, he must be beaten, who are we to argue with the Bible I stand to be corrected Mr. Speaker Sir.  

I think the Ministry of Education takes a long time to train a teacher and giving no opportunity for a teacher to discipline a child may also mean that we do not have confidence and trust in our Zimbabwean education system.  I think a teacher is a reasonable person who knows where a child must be beaten or where the child must not be beaten.  I think that clause ‘under no circumstances’ must be revised.  I also want to further discuss – [HON. MEMBERS:  Inaudible interjections.] –

Mr. Speaker Sir, I would also like to contribute on the same section but now looking at Section 68 (d) which says no pupil shall be excluded from school for non-payment of school fees.  I also feel that this Section needs to be re-looked into because not all schools are Government Schools.  

Some schools are private schools, and some are boarding schools.  You will agree with me that if one child is send to a boarding school, the parents of that child must pay school fees because at a boarding school, the child pays for his electricity, she pays for her food and her upkeep.  So, without paying of school fees, it means, we are rendering that school’s education non-viable.  I think that section must also be relooked into. 

Finally, on that same Section 68 (d), the last part of it says, ‘no pupil shall be excluded from school on the basis of pregnancy’.  I recommend that, this part also needs to be rephrased into and should read, when a child becomes pregnant at school, that child should be send home to go and give birth and nurture the child, after which she can be readmitted to our education system.   

If we pass such kind of a Bill, I am visualising a school where we have maybe 150 girls at a school and 50 are pregnant.  I visited some maternity homes where there are doctors and nurses who are specialised in looking after pregnant women; they are failing to cope up.  Now we want to transfer this duty to a school head and the teachers to look after the pregnant children at school.  

I am also visualising a situation whereby you have a girl child quite specialised in sports, come time for sports the child cannot train or participate or have a chance to represent, her school or her country because she is pregnant and she is in the yard of a school.  I think that also needs to be looked into.  That in itself shows that whilst we are trying to protect the education imbalance between the boy child and the girl child, it also then shows us that we are not serious when we are talking about early child marriages.  On the other hand, it is like we are encouraging early child marriages and on the other hand we are saying let us let our children get pregnant at school. 

I think those three areas that I have talked about need re-considering. I certainly give credit to the Portfolio Committee on Education for doing a great job, coming up with such a Bill, I however give recommendation that they must go back and amend these three sections.  It is our duty as Honourable Members to make sure that any Bill that passes through this Parliament must pass with utmost scrutiny and make sure that it is good for our generation and generations to come. 

Finally, Mr. Speaker Sir, I understand that our education system in Zimbabwe is working very well.  It is well looked up by many other countries.  Zimbabwe in matters of education and in matters of literacy is number one in Africa followed by Tunisia.  Why should we change things that are already working, replacing them with things that do not work?  I thank you.”

By A Correspondent- Health Minister Obadiah Moyo says Zimbabwe is in a safe zone regarding the allocation of Anti Retroviral Drugs (ARV) despite the country’s economic collapse. 

Moyo called on Zimbabweans living with the HIV virus not to panic as the country has enough stocks until 2020.

“On the first line of treatment, we have got adequate supplies up to the end of the first quarter next year. For the second line treatment, up to the end of this year but like I said, everything is under control.”

Moyo said the government, in a bid to improve medicine supplies, has decided to work directly with Indian suppliers.

“Eighty percent of our medicines come from India. At the same time we also learnt about how we could benefit by working as an African or Southern Africa group to bring medicines into Southern Africa by buying in bulk. This will make sure that it will be cheaper on arrival and at the same time the issue regarding special active pharmaceutical ingredients,” said Moyo.

“You know, the Indians are also buying from China these active ingredients; so we can also buy them from China. For the benefit of our manufacturers, it will be much cheaper because currently, they are just buying raw materials and those raw materials cost a lot of money because they have to be mixed but if we buy the active pharmaceutical ingredients, we will be saving a lot of money and currency. It was a big lesson and it is a meeting which is worthy attending each and every year.”

‌

Zanu-PF Youth leader Lewis Matutu has threatened to name and shame all the children of ministers who are involved in illegal foreign currency trading.

Matutu who is the ruling Zanu-PF’s Secretary for Youth, as well as the Deputy Secretary for the Youth League, claimed that he was going to help clean the Zanu-PF house by naming all the corrupt Zanu-PF officials on Monday.

However, he did not explain why he is waiting for Monday to shame the economic saboteurs despite claiming that he is receiving death threats.

‌Besides the threats Matutu remains adamant that he will not be deterred from his move.

Matutu’s statement comes after four police detectives were arrested for under-declaring money seized during a raid on an illegal foreign currency trading business owned by the son of a Cabinet minister.

The detectives raided number 3 Sanfenand Flats on Fife Avenue in Harare, the offices of Neville Mutsvangwa, and found US$200,000 in cash.

Neville is the son of Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa and former presidential adviser Chris Mutsvangwa, who are known to frequent his office.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has all but confessed that the United States told him to deal with issues of political reforms in the country before engaging in any meaningful talks with the US.

Speaking to journalists last night on arrival from Mozambique where he attended the 12th US-Africa Business Summit, President Mnangagwa said he had fruitful discussions with US Assistant Secretary (Bureau of African Affairs) at the US State Department, Mr Tibor Nagy, during which he allayed fears of possible delays in the repealing of AIPPA and POSA.

“There was also a delegation that came that was led by the State Ambassador Tibor Nagy of America. They raised their concerns; we also raised our concern. They worried about the delay of the repeal of AIPPA and POSA, but we have told them that those pieces of legislation are already in Parliament and are progressing very well. We believe that before August those Bills will go through.”

Nagy met with Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa on the sidelines of the US-Africa Business Summit in Maputo, Mozambique where he stressed the importance of real political reforms.

Nagy posted on Twitter saying that he had told Mnangagwa the importance to hold security forces accountable for violence committed against Zimbabweans in August 2018 and January 2019. Nagy tweeted:

“I met with Zimbabwean President Mnangagwa today. I stressed the urgent need to hold security forces accountable for acts of violence committed against Zimbabweans including in August 2018 and January/February 2019 and the importance of real political and economic reforms.”

The Zimbabwean government used the current diabolical POSA to deal with citizens who protested against a crumbling economy in January where members of the army shot live shots killing innocent citizens.

The same law was used in August last year to deal with citizens who were protesting delays in announcing the July 31st Presidential election result. Several people were also killed in the process.

In his confession, Mnangagwa, said that Zimbabwe is committed to political reforms to open up democratic space in the Second Republic, while the process to replace the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and Public Order and Security Act (POSA) is expected to be complete by August.

The Freedom of Information Bill will repeal AIPPA, while the Maintenance of Peace and Order Bill will replace POSA.

Zimbabweans have however expressed unhappiness on the new laws claiming that they are the same old laws under a new name.

Former police Senior Assistant Commissioner Emmanuel Chimwanda has been appointed at the opposition MDC Secretary for Defence and Security.

Chimwanda was appointed by the party leader Nelson Chamisa in his new National Standing Committee announced on Wednesday.

Chamisa also appointed Costa Machingauta to the new position of Secretary for Intelligance

“We do not want weaknesses in the party. We must have intelligence. We must know what our opponent is planning. So yes, (Costa) Machingauta is going to be in charge of that.

“Mr Emmanuel Chimwanda, a former Assistant Commissioner whom we have worked with for a long time, is now going to head our Defence and Security,” Chamisa said.

Chimwanda was in 2009 appointed by then MDC leader and State Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to the post of director of security in the prime minister’s office.

Chimwanda is best remembered for the arrest of the late notorious war veterans leader Chenjerai Hitler Hunzvi.

Hunzvi had led Zanu (PF) supporters and war veterans on a violent orgy targeting opposition supporters in Bikita during the 2000 elections, in which the MDC, contesting for the first time since formation a year ago, whittled down Zanu PF’s parliamentary dominance.

He later dumped the police force insisting he would rather leave with his principles intact than take orders to allow some militant Zanu PF supporters to brutalise fellow citizens with impunity.

Chimwanda, who once served as Commissioner in the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), replaces ex-army Major Giles Mutsekwa.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa returned to the country last night from a four day visit to Mozambique where he attended the 12th US-Africa Business Summit, but, Acting President Costantino Chiwenga was conspicuously absent at the Robert Mugabe International Airport to welcome his boss back as protocol would require.

President Mnangagwa was received was instead received back home by Minister of State for Provincial Affairs in Harare Metropolitan Province Oliver Chidawu, Minister of Defence and War Veterans Oppah Muchinguri, Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda, service chiefs and other senior government officials.

Chiwenga’s absence all but confirmed rumours that were strongly disputed by ZANU PF defenders that the Vice President was ill and never attended to his acting duties that were instead being carried out by Muchinguri.

Not seen in public in almost a month, the ailing Vice President Constantino Chiwenga was left as Acting President on Tuesday .

Chiwenga was too sick to attend the usual welcome handshake rituals at the Robert Mugabe International Airport on both Mnangagwa’s departure and his arrival. Second Vice President Kembo Mohadi, 69, was also absent on both occasions he too reported to be receiving treatment in South Africa.

Muchinguri was the most senior ranking government official at the airport, and spoke briefly with Mnangagwa.

Chiwenga was airlifted to India on May 18 and did not return home until June 9. He has not been seen in public even after his return. He missed a meeting between Mnangagwa and leaders of some opposition parties on June 14 and also did not attend Cabinet on Tuesday this week.

Government sources said Chiwenga, whose ailment has not been disclosed, was “still indisposed”.

Mohadi, meanwhile, is also understood to have been flown to South Africa where he regularly goes for treatment. The nature of his chronic illness has not been disclosed.