Farai Dziva|Prominent social media analyst Antony Taruvinga has accused Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube of deliberately misleading the nation by claiming his policies have led to the reduction of prices of basic commodities.
“The price drop is not a result of the work of this Minister, this is a case of lack of forex.
Because of the high demand by traders of foreign currency, shops reduced the prices in US$ to lure customers to buy using the much needed foreign currency.
The Minister boasts of causing this reduction but doesn’t want to show you a sharp drop in income in US$ terms.
The average salary is US$50 per month. The Minister is afraid of telling you that. Even if the prices were to be reduced by 50%, people will not afford to purchase goods because there are no salaries to talk about.
Hon. Biti was correct about this Minister, there is a clear disconnection between the brains and the mouth,” said Taruvinga.
A BULAWAYO-based traffic cop indecently assaulted his uniformed female boss when he grabbed her by the waist before squeezing up against her body in a sexually suggestive manner in full view of other police officers.
The incident occurred almost two years ago at the Bulawayo Central Traffic Police Station (Drill Hall).
Some of the police officers who witnessed the spectacle took pictures and circulated them on social media. This emerged when sergeant Baliko Muhango (36) of Pumula South suburb approached the High Court last week challenging the outcome of an internal disciplinary hearing.
Sgt Muhango filed an application at the Bulawayo High Court challenging the decision by his bosses to convict him under the Police Act.State media
TWO months after insinuating Zimbabwe were the weakest team in Group A of the 2019 Afcon finals, Uganda’s French coach Sebastein Desabre is singing a different tune ahead of his Cranes’ showdown against the Warriors here on Wednesday that could define either team’s fate at this tournament.
A strong performance by the Warriors in their opening Nations Cup game against hosts Egypt, in a losing cause, appears to have changed the mindsets of many here, including Desabre, whose Cranes started their campaign on a flier after deservedly beating the DR Congo 2-0 on Saturday.
If the Cranes win on Wednesday, they will virtually book their place in the second round in a tournament where the top two teams in the group, and the four best runners-up, will remain here to compete in the knockout stages.
Only eight teams, the six bottom teams and the two third placed teams who would have an inferior points or goal tally to the best four third-placed teams, will also be eliminated.
The Warriors have never qualified beyond the group stages of this tournament while the resurgent Cranes, who ended a 19-year wait for a return to the AFCON finals two years ago, won their first Nations Cup game since 1978, with a 2-0 win over a lifeless DRC.
The quality of the Ugandan performance, in a game in which they would possibly have won by a very wide margin, has caught the eye of many here, but Desabre, who suggested the Warriors would be the weakest Group A team during the build-up to this tournament, isn’t taking anything for granted now.
“Zimbabwe seems the least lucky team of the group, but I know their squad and their great qualities,” Desabre told Goal in April in comments that provoked outrage back home among the Warriors’ fans. “The group is complicated even though Egypt is the favourite to top it and our team will compete for the second place spot.”State media
Government is working on improving the conditions of service for both civil servants and security forces, which have deteriorated lately due to illegal sanctions slapped on the country by the West, Zimbabwe National Army Commander Lieutenant-General Edzai Chimonyo has said.
Speaking during the handover and takeover ceremony held at Headquarters Mechanised Brigade at Inkomo Barracks last week, Lt-Gen Chimonyo said Government was aware of the challenges faced by its workers and was working on addressing them.
“. . . I am aware of the logistical challenges the organisation is facing as a result of illegal sanctions imposed by the erstwhile colonisers . . . The Government is working to improve the general conditions of service for both the civil service and our armed and security forces and we all need to be patient,” said Lt-Gen Chimonyo.
“For troops, you are aware that determination to wait is a key skill required in your daily operations. Besides the numerous challenges you are facing in your workplace, I am aware of your ultimate sacrifice as well as your loyalty and dedication to the Republic of Zimbabwe.
“In that regard, we are fully committed to regularly review and improve your conditions of service as the country’s economy improves.”State media
Health institutions operating in the Belgravia area of Harare have appealed to the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) to spare them of load-shedding to save lives and ensure they continue in business.
The health centres said relying on generators for power was not sustainable due to the high costs incurred in buying fuel and the uncertainty of effective power supplies for their big machines.
The health institutions were under a heavy load-shedding schedule the whole of last week, going for 11 hours 14 minutes on Tuesday, 12 hours 27 minutes on Wednesday and 15 hours 59 minutes on Thursday.
They had clocked six hours 25 minutes by Friday mid-morning without power, with the electricity yet to be restored at the time of writing. This has forced the health facilities to fork out thousands of dollars to power generators.
Speaking on behalf of the health institutions in the area, Health Point Hospital head Mr Peter Annesley said the institutions could end up closing, as the situation became unsustainable. Other health institutions operating in the Belgravia area include Corporate 24, Diagnostic Imaging Centre, Haemodyalisis Centre, Well Women Clinic and Target Laboratories.
“We have been on a load-shedding schedule that resulted in us going for 38 percent of the time without power,” said Mr Annesley on Friday last week. “The results of that load-shedding are putting the viability of Health Point Hospital and other healthcare institutions in the area under dire straits.
“Since 8am on Tuesday (last week), Health Point Hospital alone has consumed nearly US$2 500 in diesel to keep the hospital operations running as we have a moral obligation to ensure care and commitment to our patients.
“This money was spent in only four days. Imagine the bill we will have to foot at the end of the month if the situation continues like this. We will definitely no longer be viable.” Mr Annesley said the fact that the majority of the health institutions in the area were 24-hour facilities meant longer hours on expensive generators.
“We are aware of the situation Zesa and other businesses are facing, but the sad reality is that essential services are not being given priority and they inevitably face collapse,” said Mr Annesley.State media
ZIFA president Felton Kamambo’s rise in the corridors of power, on the domestic and continental front, could move another gear up if he lands one of the CAF executive committee posts here next month.
A rank outsider in the ZIFA leadership in December last year, where he powered to a shock victory over incumbent Philip Chiyangwa, Kamambo could take another step on the continental football administrative ladder.
He was yesterday unveiled as one of the candidates who will battle for the membership of the powerful CAF executive committee posts. The elections will be held here next month.
Kamambo will have to beat the challenge of Elvis Chetty of the Seychelles, Andrew Kamanga of Zambia, Adam “Bomber” Mthetwa of Swaziland and Mohamed Sobha of Mauritius. Only one of them will earn the right to be part of the CAF executive committee, occupying the seat reserved for the COSAFA membership.
Zambian legend Kalusha Bwalya was the occupant of that seat but will not contest the polls set for July 18 here. For Kamambo, just being part of the five-man crew, should be considered a huge achievement given that, about six months ago, he was a virtual unknown in the corridors of African football.State media
A 40-year old man from Masvingo allegedly hanged himself from a tree at his homestead last Tuesday.
Lastborn Bhusvu of Rwodzi Village under Chief Chimombe in Bhasera had appeared before Gutu resident magistrate, Mr Victor Mahamadi facing charges of assaulting his mother.
The magistrate had postponed the matter to June 25 for trial. Mr Mahamadi on Thursday bemoaned the incident, saying the death of the accused was unfortunate.
“It’s both a shocking and unfortunate development to learn that the accused decided to kill himself over a pending case,” he said.
Bhusvu was being accused of clobbering the elderly woman as punishment for accepting his sister’s children born out of wedlock.
He accused his sister of “repeatedly divorcing and bringing her children from different men to their home. Bhusvu is alleged to have told his mother that his sister’s behaviour was a burden to the whole family.
Prosecuting, Mr Samuel Magobeya told the court that on July 18 last year, Bhusvu approached his mother and asked her why she accepted into her custody, his sister’s children born from different fathers.
He said an argument ensued resulting in Bhusvu assaulting his mother. The matter was reported to the police leading to his arrest.- state media
Newly-appointed MDC vice chairperson Job Sikhala has refuted allegations that he is a womaniser.
Speaking during an interview with The Standard, Sikhala said that it was not his fault to be born with good looks. He said:
I became a public figure when I was a boy; from student leadership to national politics. I even became a Member of Parliament at a very young age of 25 and I was not married.
I had already found love in 1997 in Ellen Gudo who became my wife in 2000 after I became an MP up to the present. We are blessed with beautiful kids. They are now grown-up.
If these other women existed at all, our marriage would have long collapsed like that of Guvheya Chiwenga or that of Kembo Mohadi. You could have published headlines of me visiting my wife with a troop of bodyguards and armed with an axe to inflict injuries to her.
Secondly, as said above, I became a public figure at a young age. If truly I slept around with women dai ndisina kuridzwawo here nezvirwere zvepa bonde senjovhera? (wouldn’t I have died from sexually transmitted diseases?) People make stupid allegations without evidence. Some of us laugh at such reckless talk, which is just meant to vilify innocent people. I am a very busy lawyer. I am always in court every day.
I am an MP who attends to his constituency. I am a student of postgraduate law. I am the vice-chairman of the party who is always needed by the president for duties he allocates to me.
I can’t even fulfil appointments with friends and relatives who wish to see me. I also have a family to attend to. And on top, you add women. Women also need attention. Where would I get the time?
Is it a crime to be born with good looks? I love my wife very much. She is the Alpha and the Omega of my heart.The Standard
By Wilbert Mukori- Man is a creature of reason and those who have excelled in this have done very well, thank you, whilst those who have lagged behind have suffered.
We, in Africa, have not done well at all and hence the reason the continent has remained the dark continent plagued by war, disease and chaos. Before independence in 1980 Zimbabwe was one of the top five richest nations in Africa with the potential to do even better. For the last decade the country has been the poorest nation in Africa; that speaks volumes on our score as creatures of reason.
One’s ability to reason can manifest itself in
many, many ways; the ability to plan ahead, for example. Some chimpanzees are
known to carry a carefully trimmed stick a great distance which they will then
use to fish out termites. Mankind, with our bigger brain, are expected to do a
lot more than that, of course.
One area we in Africa have fallen flat on our faces again and again and never ever seem to learn from our own past experience and that of others is governance.
It was the Greeks, 2 500 years ago who came up with the solution of democracy, in which all citizens have a right to a meaningful say in the governance of the country, as the answer to the problem of governance. Reason and experience has shown that democracy works. And yet very few African countries have been able to hold free, fair and credible elections.
Zimbabwe’s rapid descend into the economic and political abyss since independence can be attributed to one thing – our failure to hold free, fair and credible elections.
The economic meltdown is a consequence of 39 years of corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF rule. The nation was (and is to this day) stuck with regime because the party rigged elections.
“Within the security sector and diplomatic community, there are three major scenarios being bandied about of what could happen in months ahead,” a source told the Independent. “There could be riots, a palace coup or impeachment, or rebooted inclusive talks.
These situations are not mutually exclusive; they could happen simultaneously or in a quick succession of related events.”
Many people have been calling for the political dialogue leading to the Transition Authority (TA), a watered down version of the 2008 to 2013 GNU.
Political dialogue with help Zanu PF and MDC leaders “find each other”, some have argued. The last GNU did help the country’s political leaders find each other alright.
“We enjoyed serenity of politics during the
GNU. That spirit must come back. It must come back,” cried out Jacob Mudenda,
the Zanu PF Speaker of Parliament, in support of the TA.
The reason the politicians found each other and worked so harmoniously together is because the MDC, led by the late Morgan Tsvangirai, was careful not to implement even one democratic reform although this was the most important task the GNU was asked to do.
Mugabe saw to it that MDC leaders enjoyed all the trappings of high office, ministerial limos, generous salaries and allowances, a $4 million highlands mansion for Tsvangirai, etc. In return MDC leaders kicked reforms out of the window.
Of course Mudenda, Mnangagwa and the rest of the
Zanu PF leaders will welcome the TA and another period of serene politics in
which no meaningful reforms are implemented and Zanu PF once again emerge with
all its dictatorial powers untouched.
The Zimbabwe economy will not recover during or after the TA because everyone will know the regime is the corrupt and tyrannical Zanu PF dictatorship with one or two MDC A leaders for window dressing.
It will take a lot more than window dressing to restore confidence in investors and the nation at large and revive the economy.
At the end of the TA, with not even one meaningful
reform implemented, Zanu PF will rig the elections just as the party did in
2013 , at the end of the GNU. Zimbabwe will still be a pariah state ruled by
corrupt and vote rigging thugs.
Another military coup or impeachment will just be
yet another Zanu PF internal reshuffled no different from the November 2017
coup. After that Mnangagwa blubbered about “Second Republic”, New
dispensation!” and “Zimbabwe is open for business!” We all know that was all
hot air and events have proven this to be so. Another Zanu PF coup will not
produce any significant change.
This Zanu PF regime rigged last July’s elections
and is ipso facto illegitimate and a in-house coup will only highlight the
legitimacy problem. Frankly, the nation and the world are getting sick to the
back teeth of those Zanu PF “military assisted transition!”
Zanu PF will use brute force to suppress street
protests and riots and the regime is been training and arming the Police, Army
and CIO for this. The regime used brute force against those protesting against
the rigged July 2018 elections and against fuel increases and the regime was
roundly condemned for it.
Mnangagwa knows that shooting dead more protestors
will only increase the regime’s isolation but, worst of all, that it will solve
nothing. As long as the nothing is done, so far he has shown that he has no
clue what to do, to end the economic meltdown there threat of street protest
will remain.
History has shown that human being will not suffer
and died in silence like sheep; sooner or latter they will cry out for justice,
regardless of the brutality they face. In Zimbabwe the limit of human endurance
has been exceeded, the cup is full and overflowing.
By using violence Zanu PF has delayed the day of change but that is not to say they stopped change happening. By rigging elections and using violence to stop peaceful demonstrations Zanu PF has left the nation with no other choice by to have violent change.
No one can ever be certain of whether rioting will led to democratic stability or open the flood gate to chaos and more violence as happened in Libya or here in Zimbabwe in 1980!
After 39 years of rigged elections and the nation
stuck with a corrupt and tyrannical regime the solution to Zimbabwe’s economic
mess and political paralysis is clear as day – to end the curse of rigged
elections, implement the democratic reforms. Zanu PF is illegitimate and must
step-down to allow the political space for the appointment of a new body tasked
to implement the reforms.
Of the three solutions above, the only viable one
is political dialogue leading to the TA. I agree 100% on the need for political
dialogue so politicians can find each other, we tried that with GNU and it
worked, but it did not solve the country’s economic and political problems
hence the reason we are still in this mess! The real solution is staring us in
the face.
Fourth solution is for Mnangagwa to step down and
it is the only viable solution. We are in this mess because an age old problem
of bad governance. Until we implement the democratic reforms to ensure free,
fair and credible elections Zimbabwe will remain stuck in this hell-on-earth
hole Zanu PF dragged us into! Zanu PF is illegitimate and must step down;
why keeping the regime in office especially when it will interfere with the
implementation of the required reforms.
FORMER Lancashire Steel player, Simbarashe Dhliwayo, believes that soccer fans should not entirely blame one player for the Warriors defeat at the hands of hosts Egypt in the opening game of the 2019 Afcon Friday night.
Warriors captain Knowledge Musona gave away possession within his own half, with the incident resulting in the goal that sank the Warriors. Dhliwayo, who is now coach of Red Yellow Blue Academy in Banket, said the country generally did well in the opener.
“Egypt are not a small team and they were playing before their home crowd. We did well, given that they have high profile players in their team,” said Dhliwayo.
“Musona’s situation is very normal in football. You play as a team and lose as a team and it’s not like they also did not plan to contain him,” said Dhliwayo.State media
Farai Dziva|Warriors coach Sunday Chidzambwa has disclosed why he delayed in replacing captain Knowledge Musona even though the Smiling Assasin was not having the best of games.
Musona was replaced by Talent Chawapiwa in the 85th minute during Friday’s defeat to hosts Egypt and the coach has explained his decision.
“It’s only that he is an influential player who can do anything anytime and we thought maybe he will do that, sadly he didn’t. Upon reflection maybe we erred by delaying to effect a change,” Chidzambwa told ZiFM.
The Warriors’ next game is against table-topping Uganda on Wednesday and Chidzambwa’s charges will know that anything but a win will jeopardise their chances of progressing to the next round.
State Media – The Government has noted that the price of sanitary wear has shot beyond the reach of many women who have resorted to using unhygienic materials exposing them to various diseases despite the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) waiving customs duty on imports of the feminine product.
ZIMRA has informed the public on the suspension of customs duty on sanitary wear for women as a way of promoting hygiene.
In a statement , ZIMRA said: “There is no customs duty on the importation of sanitary wear for women. The price of sanitary wear in Zimbabwe shot up beyond the reach of many women facing them to use unhygienic materials that expose them to infections and other health-related problems.
“In response to the plight of women, the Government scrapped duty and Value Added Tax (VAT) on sanitary wear to make it available and to promote hygiene for women. Statutory Instrument 264 of 2018 provides for a suspension of duty on sanitary wear for women for imports done during the period December 1 2018 to November 30,2019.
“This means that no customs duty will be charged on importation of sanitary wear. In addition, the sanitary wear is exempted from paying import VAT, meaning that VAT is not charged in terms of Statutory Instrument 265 of 2018.
“Examples of sanitary wear covered under this exemption include products like sanitary towels and tampons. It should be noted that any products that is sanitary wear of any other chapter than 96 will attract the applicable duty,” read the statement.
In Zimbabwe, about 72 percent of menstruating rural primary school girls do not use sanitary pads.
Some girls have reportedly had to share the same piece of cloth with their mothers to stem menstrual flows as they cannot afford proper pads.
This has seen most girls missing school or using unhygienic material exposing themselves to urinary tract infections, rashes and bacterial build-ups.
Sanitary wear products will benefit from a suspension of customs duty, and an exemption from VAT for a period of 12 months.-state media
By Farai D Hove| The Zimbabwe National Army Commander Lieutenant-General Edzai Chimonyo has pleaded with soldiers telling them that the economy improve soon so they need to be patient.
Speaking during a time when soldiers muted discontentment with being paid in RTGS dollars, Lt Chimonyo said soldiers must realise it is their duty to be patient. He also said the government is seized with the reality and need to address their losses of incomes due to hyper inflation and a declining economy.
He also blamed the ongoing problems on so called illegal sanctions.
He said “I am aware of the logistical challenges the organisation is facing as a result of illegal sanctions imposed by the erstwhile colonisers . . .
“The Government is working to improve the general conditions of service for both the civil service and our armed and security forces and we all need to be patient,” said Lt-Gen Chimonyo.
“For troops, you are aware that determination to wait is a key skill required in your daily operations. Besides the numerous challenges you are facing in your workplace, I am aware of your ultimate sacrifice as well as your loyalty and dedication to the Republic of Zimbabwe.
“In that regard, we are fully committed to regularly review and improve your conditions of service as the country’s economy improves.”
Lt Chimonyo was speaking at the Headquarters Mechanised Brigade at Inkomo Barracks last week.
Farai Dziva|Fiery MDC youth assembly leader, Obey Sithole has said “illegitimate” Zanu PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa must step down to avoid embarrassment.
Sithole made the remarks in Gweru yesterday.
See the MDC youth assembly statement below :
National Youth Chairman Obey Luther Sithole today made it clear that the time to confront Emmerson Mnangagwa regime is now.
Speaking at a Day of African Child gathering attended by the predominantly rural youths from Midlands at the party’s provincial offices, Cde Luther as Sithole is affectionately known declared that the time remove Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration is now.
The maverick youth leader said the only way to save Zimbabwe from the jaws of extinction is by making sure Mnangagwa pack his belongings from Munhumutapa Offices and State House.
Sithole reiterated President Nelson Chamisa’s message that Emmerson Mnangagwa is not the legitimate leader of Zimbabwe.
He said the court of public opinion is the biggest court in Zimbabwe and not the Constitutional Court which installed Mnangagwa as President after a disputed presidential election result.
The fearless Sithole said as young leaders the Assembly will lead from the front in the struggle to reclaim the party’s stolen 2018 electoral victory.
Sithole also made it clear that the Assembly will not seek clearance from the police to demonstrate since it is a constitutional provision.
While the Youth Assembly has declared June a month of radicalization, Cde Luther declared July a month of action.
Speaking at the same event, Youth Assembly Secretary General Gift Siziba said the Assembly has since shifted its lenses towards liberating rural areas from ZANU PF.
Responding to threats by rogue Mashonaland Central war veterans that the province is a no go area for MDC, Siziba said no one has ownership rights for Zimbabwe.
The Midlands belated June 16 Commemorations were also attended by the Youth Assembly Deputy Treasurer, Judith Tobaiwa and the National Spokesperson, Stephen Sarkozy Chuma.
Other notable leaders who attended the event are National Organizer, Amos Chibaya, Deputy Legal Secretary Brian Dube and Women Provincial Secretary Violet Mutusva.
The Midlands program was organized by the provincial Youth Assembly leadership headed by Sekai ‘Muchaina’ Marasha.
Stephen Sarkozy Chuma
National Youth Assembly Spokesperson
Farai Dziva|Prominent social media analyst Antony Taruvinga has accused Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube of deliberately misleading the nation by claiming his policies have led to the reduction of prices of basic commodities.
“The price drop is not a result of the work of this Minister, this is a case of lack of forex.
Because of the high demand by traders of foreign currency, shops reduced the prices in US$ to lure customers to buy using the much needed foreign currency.
The Minister boasts about causing this reduction but doesn’t want to show you a sharp drop in income in US$ terms.
The average salary is US$50 per month. The Minister is afraid of telling you that. Even if the prices were to be reduced by 50%, people will not afford to purchase goods because there are no salaries to talk about.
Hon. Biti was correct about this Minister, there is a clear disconnection between the brains and the mouth,” said Taruvinga.
We are meeting at a time when the economic is in the doldrums due to the deleterious nature of Emmerson Mnangagwa administration.
The Dambudzo-Chiwenga political combo that was installed by a military coup is a political disaster which as young people can not afford.
It is this taunting semi military political combo that has deeply sunk Zimbabwe into an economic quicksand.
Emmerson Mnangagwa has never won an election on the shores of this once great nation and such he remains unelectable.
In fact we are all going to be war veterans because we have a political and democratic agenda to fight.
It is not a secret that our homes are empty therefore let’s brace ourselves for demonstrations to come.
We are going to occupy streets because our homes are inhabitable.
Prison walls shall be our roofs, but we are not afraid.
Our call for action is influenced by our nervous conditions.
It is those that nervous conditions like hunger that will incite you to take action.
As the commander of the Assembly I’m only giving you insight to our myriad of challenges confronting our generation.
It is Mnangagwa’s iron fist rule that will come to an end not this generation.
Today’s program was organized by the Bulawayo Provincial Youth Assembly led by the able leadership of Tinashe Kambarami.
The Youth Assembly commander was in company of National Youth Assembly leadership, Cecelia Chimbiri (Vice Chair), Gift Siziba (SG), Stephen Sarkozy Chuma (Spokesperson), Netsai Marova (deputy organizer), Judith Tobaiwa (deputy treasurer) and portfolio secretaries, Arthur Masiiwa, Descent Bajila, Mlandu Ncube, Tafadzwa Chirombe, Arnold Batirai, Rodney Jele and Max Dutuma.
Stephen Sarkozy Chuma
MDC Youth Assembly National Spokesperson
What is wrong with animal names given to soccer teams in Egypt cited on BBC, when in our own culture we are known as Soko, Gudo, and even in the Bible people were called by animal names? @ZBCNewsonline@nickmangwana
What is wrong with animal names given to soccer teams in Egypt cited on BBC, when in our own culture we are known as Soko, Gudo, and even in the Bible people were called by animal names? @ZBCNewsonline@nickmangwanahttps://t.co/LdBkpVWHVC
By Farai D Hove| The same Botswana leader who threw daggers at ZANU PF President Emmerson Mnangagwa saying his country is ‘better than country X where your money is not safe’, a direct swipe at the ZANU PF controlled nation, President Masisi, is flying into Zimbabwe tonight.
Masisi said he is coming over for the Wildlife Economy Summit.
Zimbabweans await what he will say this time as Zimbabwe’s wildlife economy has been rocked by rampant corruption that has seen the Tourism Minister fire a whole board, amid massive looting and smuggling of rhinos and elephants to China. A lot of this has included the selling of wildlife for the purpose of paying salaries, in what has seen questions being raised on the true stock numbers of endangered in wildlife in Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile Masisi said, “The Summit is a new initiative aimed at forging “a new deal for tourism, rural communities and wildlife by 2030” with a view of securing new investments in tourism based sectors to ensure a sustainable future for the continent’s people & wildlife.”
Contemporary musician Jah Prayzah, real name Mukudzei Mukombe, has come under fire following the release of his latest song “Fambai Nebhora” a dedication to the senior national soccer team. The song has been criticised by women’s and gender groups for being degrading and sexist.
Women and child right activist Nyari Mashayamombe told The Standard,
…In the song, Jah Prayzah says; ‘tovanzvenga sevarandakadzi [we dribble them like women slaves], and later says ‘tovapfekedza pitikoti, mapitikoti [we make them wear petticoats]’. How vile!”
I didn’t finish the song as I was taken aback and thought how could such a respectable artiste demean women and be so sexist like that in a national song? How could he embarrass women and seek to alienate us from the national pride, our Warriors?
Rozaria Memorial Trust (RMT) founder Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda said,
It’s unfortunate. As RMT, we are hosting a girls’ soccer tournament in July and girls can play soccer. However, Jah Prayzah’s song derails our efforts. He is still behind on issues to do with women in sport.
The Zimbabwe Gender Commission also said,
And this is how as society we perpetuate stereotypes that demean women. And we model sexist values that have made the successes of the Mighty Warriors largely invisible.
Jah Prayzah, you have a duty as one of the prominent artistes in Zimbabwe to fix not only this song but the cultural perceptions that made you think those lyrics were good! Let’s work together to make gender equality real!
Yesterday evening Mutharika was said to have offered to resign if Mozambique would offer him asylum .
However the DPP National Governing Council has advised him to wait as they have a plan to get read of Chakwera and Chilima. We are still connecting the dots on how it will be done.
As usual Dausie pleaded with Mutharika not to resign as doing so would leave them helpless.
“There is too much against us” said Benny Phiri and Dausie.
Bennie “Ngauje” Phiri has organized his boys to take care of Chakwera and Chilima……
New Update soon…
Source: Zambezi news time
VIDEO:Malawian Army Stands With People, Beat Up Unproffesional Police Officers
THREE Chivhu men were on Thursday jailed for 12 months each for possessing US$30 fake notes.
Tafadzwa Mudzingwa (29), Pilani Moyo (24) and Edinos Jakwi (23) pleaded guilty when they appeared before Chivhu magistrate Felix Chauromwe.
Moyo told the court that he got the fake notes from South Africa.
The State, led by prosecutor Thomas Mushangidze, told the court that on June 18, 2019, police received a tip off that Mudzingwa and Moyo were in possession of counterfeit notes.
Police searched the pair at their residence and recovered three US$10 notes and a R200 note.
They later implicated Jakwi, leading to his arrest.
The recovered notes were taken to CBZ Bank in Chivhu, where certificates of counterfeit notes were issued.
Pindula|The fiery independent legislator is calling for heads to roll at the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) after alleging that the officials diverted $750 000 dollars. Mliswa further alleges that the officials splurged the money on their girlfriends and mistresses who they took with them to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals in Egypt.
The presence of the officials with their girlfriends is reported to have sparked tensions which led to Warriors players embarking on industrial action barely 24 hours before their opening match.
The Warriors were not impressed that the administrators were able to splurge money on their girlfriends even though they had failed to give the players their dues.
Some companies in Zimbabwe have started paying their employees extra money to help them survive the inflation that has seen prices of basic commodities increase drastically.
Among such companies are two banks, FBC and Nedbank Zimbabwe. A letter posted on social media sent to FBC employees shows that the bank is paying its employees an allowance this month to compensate for the inflation.
Says the letter:
Group Chief Executive’s Office Circular No.o2/2ot9 20 June 2019 CUSHIONING STAFF AGAINST THE IMPACT IN COST OF LIVING
I am pleased to advise that Executive Management recommended the payment of a `once off’ cost of living cushioning allowance to cushion staff from the impact of the increase in the cost of living, and the Board of Directors exercised its sole discretion and approved the payment of this ‘cushioning allowance’ to all staff.
In that regard members of staff will be paid 2 times (twice) their monthly salary as a once-off payment to assist them in meeting their living expenses which have significantly increased due to rising prices of basic commodities and other essentials.
I also take this opportunity to commend the FBC Holdings team for their hard work and resilience, despite the prevailing tough macroeconomic environment and I am convinced that staff members will use the allowances to be paid during the last week of June an9 prudently and to the benefit of their families.
Distributed To: Branches/Departments/ Divisions/Units
By: Group Marketing Division
A letter sent to NedBank Zimbabwe employees reads:
Dear Nedbankers
June 2019 Payday
Recognising the difficult financial situation which is currently prevailing in the country, we are pleased to advise that the Bank is awarding a once off payment of an additional salary cheque in the month of June 2019.
We trust that this will go some way in alleviating the hardships being faced by all, and give an opportunity for us to focus on increasing productivity and serving our valued clients,
Regards Nyasha
Zimbabwe is currently undergoing a period of high inflation with prices of basic commodities changing up multiple times a week due to a continuously weakening local currency (the RTGS$). The currency has weakened from about 1:4 to the USD to now 1:12 on the parallel market in just a few months. The government has insisted that speculators and unscrupulous businesses are causing the price increases and the loss of value of the local currency in order to profiteer.
The Beitbridge border post (on Sunday afternoon) has been disrupted as truck drivers appeared celebrating shutting it down. This was on the South African side where drivers were seen protesting the killing of 4 foreign drivers in South Africa.
“Tavhara border, tavhara border,” says one driver in the below video footage.
The situation was tense at the time of writing and below were some of the scenes: – refresh this page for the updates.
We are meeting at a time when the economic is in the doldrums due to the deleterious nature of Emmerson Mnangagwa administration.
The Dambudzo-Chiwenga political combo that was installed by a military coup is a political disaster which as young people can not afford.
It is this taunting semi military political combo that has deeply sunk Zimbabwe into an economic quicksand.
Emmerson Mnangagwa has never won an election on the shores of this once great nation and such he remains unelectable.
No one was born a war veterans.
In fact we are all going to be war veterans because we have a political and democratic agenda to fight.
It is not a secret that our homes are empty therefore let’s brace ourselves for demonstrations to come.
We are going to occupy streets because our homes are inhabitable.
Prison walls shall be our roofs, but we are not afraid.
Our call for action is influenced by our nervous conditions.
It is those that nervous conditions like hunger that will incite you to take action.
As the commander of the Assembly I’m only giving you insight to our myriad of challenges confronting our generation.
It is Mnangagwa’s iron fist rule that will come to an end not this generation.
Today’s program was organized by the Bulawayo Provincial Youth Assembly led by the able leadership of Tinashe Kambarami.
The Youth Assembly commander was in company of National Youth Assembly leadership, Cecelia Chimbiri (Vice Chair), Gift Siziba (SG), Stephen Sarkozy Chuma (Spokesperson), Netsai Marova (deputy organizer), Judith Tobaiwa (deputy treasurer) and portfolio secretaries, Arthur Masiiwa, Descent Bajila, Mlandu Ncube, Tafadzwa Chirombe, Arnold Batirai, Rodney Jele and Max Dutuma.
Stephen Sarkozy Chuma
MDC Youth Assembly National Spokesperson
Jane Mlambo| Exiled former cabinet minister Professor Jonathan Moyo has mapped scenarios that can help douse the free falling economy saying only a Government of National Unity can solve the disputed 2018 presidential polls.
Posting on Twitter, Moyo presented four scenarios that can help solve the Zimbabwean problem including a rotational presidency between MDC leader Nelson Chamisa and President Emmerson Mnangagwa, co-presidency or Chamisa taking over as the legitimate winner of the July 2018 elections.
Moyo however ruled out Chamisa being either Mnangagwa’s deputy or becoming a Prime Minister as is the case with the last GNU between Zanu PF and MDC in 2009.
Farai Dziva|The Cranes of Uganda posted a stunning 2-0 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in an AFCON Group A match played on Saturday.
It was Uganda’s first win at the tournament since 1978 and it took them to the summit of the group, ahead of hosts Egypt, who edged Zimbabwe on Friday.
Despite having a team which looked stronger on paper, DRC were second best for much of the first half and it came as no surprise when Uganda took the lead through Patrick Kaddu in the 15th minute.
The Congolese even had the woodwork to thank just before the breather when a dangerous free-kick crashed against the bar.
Emmanuel Okwi doubled the lead just after the break and DRC never showed any signs of coming back.
The Cranes will now face the Warriors of Zimbabwe on Wednesday in their next encounter.
OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER
June 23, 2019 Addis Ababa Press Release
In the early evening of June 22, 2019 an orchestrated coup attempt occurred on the executive leadership of the Amhara Regional Government. During attacks in this coup attempt, H.E. Dr. Ambachew Mekonnen, President of the Amhara Regional Government and H.E. Ezez Wassie, Amhara Regional Government Office Advisor were killed from gunshot injuries sustained. The Regional Attorney General Migbaru Kebede has also sustained heavy injuries and is currently undergoing medical treatment.
The attempted coup and attacks on the leadership of the Amhara Regional Governrnent President was orchestrated by Brigadier General Asaminew Tsige who has been serving as the regional government’s Peace and Security Bureau head, in collaboration with other individuals. Many of the individuals involved in the attacks have been arrested and there is an ongoing operation to arrest the rernaining. It is to be recalled that Brigadier General Asarninew Tsige was given amnesty and released from imprisonment last year.
The situation in the Amhara Region is currently under full control by the Federal Government in collaboration with the Regional Government, which in accordance with the constitution is being led by the Vice President, Lake Ayalew. The Federal Government rernains comrnitted to ensuring national security and through the command of Prirne Minister Abiy Ahmed, various tasks are underway. In this regard, we encourage citizens to also be guardians of peace and support all efforts in holding suspected individuals accountable.
In relation to the coup attempt in Amhara region, the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, General Seare Mekonnen together with retired Major General Gezai Abera, were also killed yesterday night in Addis Ababa within the residence of General Seare. This fatal attack was committed by General Seare’s bodyguard who has also been arrested. A national committee has been formed to organize military funeral honors for General Seare Mekonnen and retired Major General Gezai Abera. The committee will update and provide further information as needed.
We applaud the reforms thus far undertaken by PM Abiy as key to democratization & sustainable development of Ethiopia.The attempted coup& other criminal events mustn’t derail the reforms. Ethiopia is a shining example of positive change in Africa.Such progress must be defended.
Farai Dziva|Warriors coach Sunday Chidzambwa has disclosed why he delayed in replacing captain Knowledge Musona even though the Smiling Assasin was not having the best of games.
Musona was replaced by Talent Chawapiwa in the 85th minute during Friday’s defeat to hosts Egypt and the coach has explained his decision.
“It’s only that he is an influential player who can do anything anytime and we thought maybe he would do that, sadly he didn’t. Upon reflection maybe we erred by delaying to effect a change,” Chidzambwa told ZiFM.
The Warriors’ next game is against table-topping Uganda on Wednesday and Chidzambwa’s charges will know that anything but a win will jeopardise their chances of progressing to the next round.
We are meeting at a time when the economic is in the doldrums due to the deleterious nature of Emmerson Mnangagwa administration.
The Dambudzo-Chiwenga political combo that was installed by a military coup is a political disaster which as young people can not afford.
It is this taunting semi military political combo that has deeply sunk Zimbabwe into an economic quicksand.
Emmerson Mnangagwa has never won an election on the shores of this once great nation and such he remains unelectable.
No one was born a war veterans.
In fact we are all going to be war veterans because we have a political and democratic agenda to fight.
It is not a secret that our homes are empty therefore let’s brace ourselves for demonstrations to come.
We are going to occupy streets because our homes are inhabitable.
Prison walls shall be our roofs, but we are not afraid.
Our call for action is influenced by our nervous conditions.
It is those that nervous conditions like hunger that will incite you to take action.
As the commander of the Assembly I’m only giving you insight to our myriad of challenges confronting our generation.
It is Mnangagwa’s iron fist rule that will come to an end not this generation.
Today’s program was organized by the Bulawayo Provincial Youth Assembly led by the able leadership of Tinashe Kambarami.
The Youth Assembly commander was in company of National Youth Assembly leadership, Cecelia Chimbiri (Vice Chair), Gift Siziba (SG), Stephen Sarkozy Chuma (Spokesperson), Netsai Marova (deputy organizer), Judith Tobaiwa (deputy treasurer) and portfolio secretaries, Arthur Masiiwa, Descent Bajila, Mlandu Ncube, Tafadzwa Chirombe, Arnold Batirai, Rodney Jele and Max Dutuma.
Farai Dziva|Fiery MDC youth assembly leader, Obey Sithole has said “illegitimate” Zanu PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa must step down to avoid embarrassment.
Sithole made the remarks in Gweru yesterday.
See the MDC youth assembly statement below :
National Youth Chairman Obey Luther Sithole today made it clear that the time to confront Emmerson Mnangagwa regime is now.
Speaking at a Day of African Child gathering attended by the predominantly rural youths from Midlands at the party’s provincial offices, Cde Luther as Sithole is affectionately known declared that the time remove Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration is now.
The maverick youth leader said the only way to save Zimbabwe from the jaws of extinction is by making sure Mnangagwa pack his belongings from Munhumutapa Offices and State House.
Sithole reiterated President Nelson Chamisa’s message that Emmerson Mnangagwa is not the legitimate leader of Zimbabwe.
He said the court of public opinion is the biggest court in Zimbabwe and not the Constitutional Court which installed Mnangagwa as President after a disputed presidential election result.
The fearless Sithole said as young leaders the Assembly will lead from the front in the struggle to reclaim the party’s stolen 2018 electoral victory.
Sithole also made it clear that the Assembly will not seek clearance from the police to demonstrate since it is a constitutional provision.
While the Youth Assembly has declared June a month of radicalization, Cde Luther declared July a month of action.
Speaking at the same event, Youth Assembly Secretary General Gift Siziba said the Assembly has since shifted its lenses towards liberating rural areas from ZANU PF.
Responding to threats by rogue Mashonaland Central war veterans that the province is a no go area for MDC, Siziba said no one has ownership rights for Zimbabwe.
The Midlands belated June 16 Commemorations were also attended by the Youth Assembly Deputy Treasurer, Judith Tobaiwa and the National Spokesperson, Stephen Sarkozy Chuma.
Other notable leaders who attended the event are National Organizer, Amos Chibaya, Deputy Legal Secretary Brian Dube and Women Provincial Secretary Violet Mutusva.
The Midlands program was organized by the provincial Youth Assembly leadership headed by Sekai ‘Muchaina’ Marasha.
Stephen Sarkozy Chuma
National Youth Assembly Spokesperson
By A Correspondent| The CIO operative reportedly fought the police officer’s husband after he had confronted him.
Wellington Chikaka (27) of Spitzkop Suburb was hauled before Gwanda magistrate, Lerato Nyathi and charged with indecent assault and disorderly conduct. He pleaded not guilty to both charges.
State prosecutor, Ethel Mahachi narrated before the court the incident involving Chikaka and the female cop.
She said:
On 28 April at around 2 am, the complainant was in a taxi with her husband on their way home while Chikaka was in the same vehicle sitting next to her on the other side.
When they were at Gwanda Police Station residential area where she and her husband were dropping off, Chikaka extended his hand and fondled the complainant’s right breast.
The complainant confronted Chikaka over his actions and in response he uttered vulgar words at the complainant which resulted in a misunderstanding. The complainant reported the matter to the police.
While Chikaka pleaded not guilty to the disorderly charge conduct, the complainant’s husband pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay $100 or face a two-month prison sentence.
Chikaka was placed off remand and both cases will proceed by way of summons.
By A Correspondent- The CIO operative reportedly fought the police officer’s husband after he had confronted him.
Wellington Chikaka (27) of Spitzkop Suburb was hauled before Gwanda magistrate, Lerato Nyathi and charged with indecent assault and disorderly conduct. He pleaded not guilty to both charges.
State prosecutor, Ethel Mahachi narrated before the court the incident involving Chikaka and the female cop.
She said:
On 28 April at around 2 am, the complainant was in a taxi with her husband on their way home while Chikaka was in the same vehicle sitting next to her on the other side.
When they were at Gwanda Police Station residential area where she and her husband were dropping off, Chikaka extended his hand and fondled the complainant’s right breast.
The complainant confronted Chikaka over his actions and in response he uttered vulgar words at the complainant which resulted in a misunderstanding. The complainant reported the matter to the police.
While Chikaka pleaded not guilty to the disorderly charge conduct, the complainant’s husband pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay $100 or face a two-month prison sentence.
Chikaka was placed off remand and both cases will proceed by way of summons.-StateMedia
Attention : The Ambassador of health Amai Auxilia Munangarwa, The Minister of Health Dr Obadiah Moyo, The Director of Nursing services Dr Cynthia Chasokela, Masvingo PMD and ZACH Tatamburawo paGutu Mission Hospital, Masvingo Province because of the following issues
1.There was target approach funds funded by the government in 2013 which were being misused. The rehab dpt yakaputswa up to now inongova foundation hapana kana kuvakwa chinhu.
2.Grant remvura rakauya and was misused, only Jojo tanks were bought, there is still no running water in the hospital and staff houses. Matron Nyakudzi and the administrator Abiot Masinire are bragging kutoti vakadya mari. Patients are even fetching water from nearby contaminated dam and villages.
3.There is misuse of the hospital vehicle by Administrator Masinire for his own benefit achitakura cement dzekuvaka kumba kwake.
4.RBF funds varikuba futi administrator naMatron. We struggle to get our incentives tikasatoita fofa fofa hatiipihwe plus hatisi kuona zvairi kushanda, we don’t have resources in the hospital, patients are suffering.
5.Tinotukwa pabasa hatishandi zvakanaka, we are not even allowed to ask for resources which are scarce at the hospital.
6Solar panels are donated but now not functional especially in essential departments since last year.
7.RBF benefiting wrong people who are not even hands on for example School of nursing staff vachitowana yakawandisa kutidarika isu tinofondoka tichiishanda.
8.Matron Nyakudzi vane favour pakuendesa vanhu kuma workshop wanoendesa wawanoda and demands favors in return in form of money plus vanoenda ma workshop avasingafaniri kuenda.
9.Matron Nyakudzi haatimiriri isu manurse, we don’t even know where to take our grievances, she’s too close to the administrator, we now suspect that they are in love.
10.We are denied to wear Scrub uniforms by the matron.
11.Tinokumbirawo kuti dai admin yese yambochinjwa kunyanya Matron Nyakudzi naMasinire naEdison Vushoma, we need new blood for the smooth running of the hospital.
Kana mukatibetserawo pamatambudziko edu aya tingafare chose
Farai Dziva|Prominent social media analyst Antony Taruvinga has accused Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube of deliberately misleading the nation by claiming his policies have led to the reduction of prices of basic commodities.
“The price drop is not a result of the work of this Minister, this is a case of lack of forex.
Because of the high demand by traders of foreign currency, shops reduced the prices in US$ to lure customers to buy using the much needed foreign currency.
The Minister boasts about causing this reduction but doesn’t want to show you a sharp drop in income in US$ terms.
The average salary is US$50 per month. The Minister is afraid of telling you that. Even if the prices were to be reduced by 50%, people will not afford to purchase goods because there are no salaries to talk about.
Hon. Biti was correct about this Minister, there is a clear disconnection between the brains and the mouth,” said Taruvinga.
Three was drama yesterday when MDC MPs outnumbered their Zanu PF counterparts at the burial of the ruling party’s deputy chief whip Obedingwa Mguni in Macingwa Village, Mangwe, in Bulilima District.
The MDC currently occupies a paltry one third in parliament.
But opposition supporters and MPs came in their numbers to bury the former Home Affairs deputy minister, who died on Tuesday after he fell ill during a Parliament session.
Speaking during the burial, leader of the House and Justice minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi (ZANU PF), thanked the MDC.
He said,
“I am very impressed with the turn up by members from the opposition but also Parliament had other business of which most members had to attend to; that is why their turnout here is too low,” said Ziyambi.
CARELESSNESS: After a breakdown along the Harare – Mutare Highway on Saturday, the Inter Africa bus crew does not bother to pull the bus off the road or to use a triangle to warn other drivers. This is extremely dangerous to other road users. pic.twitter.com/xoCFqMsA3w
By A Correspondent| Zanu PF youth league secretary Pupurai Togarepi on Saturday threw his weight behind his deputy, Lewis Matutu after he reportedly received death threats from corrupt ZANU PF officials.
Matutu made the stunning revelations in an interview with a local publication last week when he said that he had been receiving threatening calls from party bigwigs for his crusade against corruption.
His boss, Togarepi told The Standard that any further attack on Matutu will invite a firm response from the youth league.
Said Togarepi:
It has always been our position to name and shame corrupt individuals and saboteurs. Lewis Matutu is a messenger, don’t fight him.
Any further attack on him will invite a firm response from the youth league.
They crossed the Rubicon line by threatening the deputy secretary. We cannot allow them to vandalise the efforts by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to rebuild Zimbabwe.
Togarepi went on as far as threatening a shut down of tuckshops in downtown Harare that are alleged to be involved in illegal foreign currency dealings. He said:
We also want to tell those involved in illegal forex dealings that their days are numbered together with foreign-owned tuck-shops in downtown Harare and other cities.
We are not afraid, it is time we dealt with this crisis.
We can’t be threatened by thieves who want to use non-existing factional fights to further their agenda. We are going to name and shame them.
By A Correspondent- Sex workers in Gweru are receiving HIV prevention education, with most of them being asked to come up with business ideas to ensure that they get a comprehensive package of services to mitigate the impact of HIV.
This was done through the DREAMS project through funding from the National Aids Council (Nac).
DREAMS, which stands for Determined, Resilient, Empowered, Aids-Free, Mentored and Safe, intends to address sexual reproductive health issues, counselling and prevention of gender-based violence among school-going girls and adult women between the ages of 15 and 24.
During the recent visit to the Midlands Province, one of the beneficiaries, Tendai (20) said she has plans to leave thigh vending work once her business starts to bring in some profits.
Tendai got pregnant at a very tender age and never got the chance to go back to school. Her parents died when she was 7 and her grandmother was taking care of her.
When she got pregnant she was taken to her boyfriend who did not accept responsibility and that saw Tendai moving from one house to the other until she gave birth.
A kind aunt then offered to take care of her daughter after delivery and advised Tendai to look for a job as a house maid. Through interactions with other girls her age, she was introduced to thigh vending work.
“I got pregnant at 13 and was forced out of school. I gave birth to my daughter soon after my 14th birthday.
“I then started thigh vending work 15 months after giving birth and was completely clueless. I got treated for a number of sexually transmitted infections because I was not using protection and I also did not know about other preventive methods such as pre-exposure prophylaxis which I now have access to,” narrated Tendai.
She added; “I then met other thigh vending workers as days went by and they introduced me to The Centre for Sexual Health and HIV Aids Research Zimbabwe (CeSHHAR-Zimbabwe) where I got to learn about all the preventive methods I now know.”
“I have access to information now, getting training on projects I can do to empower myself and hoping to retire from thigh vending work soon,” she said.
“My challenge however, is that things are really tough at the moment. My worry is that people may not buy enough firewood and the second hand clothes to sustain me, but I am willing to try hard.
Nac Gweru Urban District Aids Co-ordinator Mr Murari Hwingwiri said they are training and assisting sex workers to come up with their income generating projects that Nac will fund to empower them so that they can better take care of themselves without selling.
“This comes as a result of their lack of income generating projects which exposes them to abuse and other risks associated with their work hence we said we need to train them and assist them in coming up with business ideas that we can support.
“The long term vision is the reduction of these risky behaviours and equips these girls with life skills that can sustain them in the long run,” Hwingwiri said.-Standard
By A Correspondent- Popular musician, Jah Prayzah, has been accused of objectifying women in the song he dedicated to the warriors at AFCON.
The song, called Fambai Nebhora, has lyrics that some have felt are inappropriate.
Women and child rights activist, Nyari Mashayamombe told a local publication:
I was baffled yesterday when I listened to Jah Prayzah’s song for the Warriors Titled Fambai Nebhora. In the song Jah Prayzah says: ‘tovanzvenga sevarandakadzi [we dribble them like women slaves] and later says ‘tovapfekedza pitikoti, mapitikoti’ [we make them wear petticots]. How vile!
I didn’t finish the song as I was taken aback and thought how could such a respectable artist demean women and be so sexist like that in a national song? How could he embarrass women and seek to alienate us from the national pride, our Warriors?
Another child and women activist, Angela Machonesa commented on social media:
Warriors are for everyone — female and male. Our young sons woke up singing along that bad vibe, and they will finish this tournament and live their lives thinking women can be easily dribbled and if you are defeated you have worn a petticoat.-Standard
By Law Togarasei| Let us go back to basics without wasting time with POLAD, PAC and cleaning streets.
ZEC and the Constitutional Court must clear their mess. ED got 3 different wrong results in one election as if he was 3 candidates or he contested in 3 elections.
The inflation started affecting results. Advocate Thabani Mpofu asked a very simple question to the ConCourt judges:
“If we are to say the first respondent won the elections, how many votes did he get?”
There was quietness in court for about 3 minutes. ZEC, Emmerson Mnangagwa’s lawyers and 12 or 13 judges failed to answer that question.
Chief Justice Luke Malaba declared ED the winner without answering the question. It was a dangerous and careless decision to declare the winner without answering this petinent question.
The markets, economy, bond notes, RTGS, FDIS and mega deals are waiting for the answer!
By A Correspondent- It has been established that there are eight countries without their own currencies besides Zimbabwe, indicating the President Emmerson Mnangagwa was misled.
This follows President Mnangagwa’s remarks that Zimbabwe will soon have its own currency since it is the only country on the face of this planet that does not have its own currency.
However, there are eight countries without own currencies namely:
Zanu PF youth league secretary Pupurai Togarepi on Saturday threw his weight behind his deputy, Lewis Matutu after he reportedly received death threats from corrupt ZANU PF officials.
Matutu made the stunning revelations in an interview with a local publication last week when he said that he had been receiving threatening calls from party bigwigs for his crusade against corruption.
His boss, Togarepi told The Standard that any further attack on Matutu will invite a firm response from the youth league.
Said Togarepi:
It has always been our position to name and shame corrupt individuals and saboteurs. Lewis Matutu is a messenger, don’t fight him.
Any further attack on him will invite a firm response from the youth league.
They crossed the Rubicon line by threatening the deputy secretary. We cannot allow them to vandalise the efforts by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to rebuild Zimbabwe.
Togarepi went on as far as threatening a shut down of tuckshops in downtown Harare that are alleged to be involved in illegal foreign currency dealings. He said:
We also want to tell those involved in illegal forex dealings that their days are numbered together with foreign-owned tuck-shops in downtown Harare and other cities.
We are not afraid, it is time we dealt with this crisis.
We can’t be threatened by thieves who want to use non-existing factional fights to further their agenda. We are going to name and shame them.
The church report even went to the point of alleging that the hospital could not heal the patient. It further alleged that the tumour literally disappeared at the hands of the preacher, Magaya.
By Own Correspondent- Forty-three-year-old Peter Manganda is not concerned much about the current furore over circumstances surrounding his cure from a 5,3 kilogramme debilitating tumour that had grown on his head.
All he is interested in is that he is now a relieved man — the huge burden has been lifted — literally — off him. Manganda lived with the tumour, which first manifested as a small lump, for many years.
The growth, however, progressively metastasised into a huge growth on his head, which largely made him physically weak and ill.
But over the past two weeks, he has been caught up in the middle of an abrasive publicity battle pitting the Prophet Walter Magaya-led PHD Ministries and Parirenyatwa Group of Hospital.
First, PHD Ministries on their page posted a video clip claiming credit for the man’s healing.
Soon after the PHD video clip testimony, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospital issued a statement claiming the supposed “miracle” was successful surgery undertaken at the medical institution.
The state owned Sunday Mail claimed that the ongoing misunderstanding was a result of so called “media reports”, although it was Magaya’s own church which first published the claim of healing the man.
The church report even went to the point of alleging that the hospital could not heal the patient. It further alleged that the tumour literally disappeared at the hands of the preacher, Magaya.
This is not the first time Magaya has been caught lying and misinforming the public since he pulled the same stunt 2 years ago when he claimed to have healed the singer Soul Jah Love. This is despite that the singer had been attended to by medical experts.
The father of four opened up on his two-year ordeal after the small lump on his head morphed into a cyst in 2017.
To his shock and horror, it later spread all over his head and swelled into a huge tumour. Gradually, it became difficult for him to either walk or talk.
After convincing himself that his problem wouldn’t just disappear on its own, Manganda appealed for assistance and his plea was aired on national television.
His cries for help attracted well-wishers who pooled resources for him to be admitted at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.
Despite being scheduled to undergo an operation to remove his growth, there were inordinate delays, which saw his procedure being postponed thrice.
An anxious Manganda, who suspected he was stalked by bad omen, was then taken by his brother Shingirai Kamuruko to PHD Ministries, where he received prayers from Prophet Magaya.
“As people who had lost hope, after failing to get help from Parirenyatwa Hospital, we visited PHD on three occasions on April 17, 19 and 21. We managed to see Prophet Magaya on the third day and that’s when he prayed for my brother,” said Kamuruko, who is a teacher at Chivake Primary School in Mahusekwa.
“We received a call from Parirenyatwa Hospital on the April 19 to come for the operation. He was admitted from 22 to 26 April 2019 when the operation was successfully conducted.
“I can confirm that we only received prayers at PHD, but the operation was conducted successfully at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
“We passed through PHD when my brother was released from hospital on the 8th of June just to say thank you for the prayers, not because the tumour was removed by Prophet Magaya,” he added.
A short video clip was later reportedly compiled by PHD Ministries, which resulted in media reports alleging the man had been treated by the prophet after the hospital failed to assist him.
Parirenyatwa Hospital had to take the unprecedented move to set the record straight.
“We therefore, find claims that the hospital failed to treat this patient (Manganda), but was healed by a prophet, to be highly misleading and likely to derail efforts of encouraging health-seeking behaviours among fellow Zimbabweans,” said the hospital in a statement last week.
Manganda is, however, thankful to the hospital staff who facilitated the seven-hour medical procedure that healed him.
“I am grateful to the Parirenyatwa Hospital staff who conducted the successful operation, with special mention to team leader Dr Maximilian Dzowa, and all the staff members I cannot remember by name,” he said.
Mr Manganda’s brother was also equally elated.
“I am glad my brother has recovered. I was shocked to see him eating his meal few minutes after the operation. I thank all well-wishers who chipped in through his difficult moments,” said Kamuruko.
Mr Kamuruko said as a family they were grateful to Label Africa and Institute of Golf Africa that assisted the family with financial support before and after the operation.
He, however, said the family still needs more assistance as it is saddled with a $3 870 hospital bill.-StateMedia
By A Correspondent- National Aids Council (NAC) is currently engaging commercial sex workers and artisanal miners in Shurugwi district — better known as “maShurugwi” — as it heightens efforts to combat the scourge in the mineral-rich area and its environs.
Speaking to health journalists during a recent NAC tour of the Midlands province, Shurugwi District Aids Coordinator (DAC) Mr Petros Mazengwa said they have decided to rope in the artisanal miners after rising incidences of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
“As NAC, we have now realised the need to involve the artisanal miners in our HIV programmes after we noticed an increase in STIs and HIV infections from the mining areas.
“There are stories of these machete-wielding artisanal miners demanding unprotected sex from commercial sex workers, so we saw it important to incorporate them in our HIV awareness campaigns to spread the message,” said Mr Mazengwa.
Shurugwi, he said, has arguably one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the country, at 17 percent.
This has prompted NAC to include “maShurugwi” in HIV prevention programmes.
“They are now our condom champions who help with the distribution of condoms in these mining sites as we want to prevent both STIs and HIV at the same time,” said Mr Mazengwa.
Some of the artisanal miners are now working as peer educators.
NAC is also deploying mobile clinics in the affected mining areas.
A senior nurse at Shurugwi District Hospital’s opportunistic infection clinic, Mr Robert Rusere, said there had been an increase in people testing HIV positive in the area, but most of them disappear before they are put on antiretroviral therapy (Art).
He said official statistics from the last quarter of 2018 to the first three months of this year show a worrying trend of HIV patients who are reluctant to seek treatment.
“In the last quarter of 2018, we tested 858 and 77 people were HIV positive, but only 64 percent were put on Art,” Mr Rusere said.
“In the first quarter of 2019, we tested 727 and 51 were HIV positive, but only 74 percent were put on ART. Most of them went back to the mines, declining medication,” said Mr Rusere.
Mr Tichaona Kwashira (47), an artisanal miner, said he has volunteered for NAC’s outreach programmes for the greater good of his peers.
“It is true that some of our members demand free sex and they end up getting HIV. So we are helping NAC with condom distribution and health education at the mines,” he said.
We distribute about 12 000 condoms per month and help those on ART to take their drugs,” he said.
Mokopane police spokesperson Constable Mienkie Ramakgoakgoa said the trio passed on in an accident that occurred on 22 April. She said they were travelling in a BMW from Musina to Gauteng.
“According to the information, police received a report about a culpable homicide that occurred on 2019-04-22 at about 9pm along the N1 in the Mokopane Policing area.
“It is alleged the driver of a BMW Sedan which was travelling from North to South direction with six occupants inside, lost control and collided with a truck travelling from South to North direction. The truck driver was alone,” she said.
Const Ramakgoakgoa said during the accident, three people died on the scene, (two men and one woman) while the other two occupants were critically injured.
She said they were then taken to the nearest hospitals at Mokopane and Polokwane to receive medical attention.
“The truck driver was not injured. The three deceased are still unknown but it is believed that they might be Zimbabwean nationals and the cause of the accident is still being investigated by the police,” said Const Ramakgoakgoa.
She said efforts to locate the three deceased’s families have been fruitless.
Const Ramakgoakgoa said investigations were still underway adding that anyone with information that may assist to locate their families for identification, should contact Detective Sergeant Moshe Maubane on +2776 037 8145 or Mokopane Police Station at +2715 409 1400.
The church report even went to the point of alleging that the hospital could not heal the patient. It further alleged that the tumour literally disappeared at the hands of the preacher, Magaya.
Magaya After Clearly Making Claim That He Miraculously Healed Tumour Patient Instead Of Pari Doctors, State Media Journalists Defend Saying He Didn’t Say So | WERE THEY PAID? https://t.co/2NDXjloOTI via @ZimEye
By Own Correspondent- Forty-three-year-old Peter Manganda is not concerned much about the current furore over circumstances surrounding his cure from a 5,3 kilogramme debilitating tumour that had grown on his head.
All he is interested in is that he is now a relieved man — the huge burden has been lifted — literally — off him. Manganda lived with the tumour, which first manifested as a small lump, for many years.
The growth, however, progressively metastasised into a huge growth on his head, which largely made him physically weak and ill.
But over the past two weeks, he has been caught up in the middle of an abrasive publicity battle pitting the Prophet Walter Magaya-led PHD Ministries and Parirenyatwa Group of Hospital.
First, PHD Ministries on their page posted a video clip claiming credit for the man’s healing.
Soon after the PHD video clip testimony, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospital issued a statement claiming the supposed “miracle” was successful surgery undertaken at the medical institution.
The state owned Sunday Mail claimed that the ongoing misunderstanding was a result of so called “media reports”, although it was Magaya’s own church which first published the claim of healing the man.
The church report even went to the point of alleging that the hospital could not heal the patient. It further alleged that the tumour literally disappeared at the hands of the preacher, Magaya.
This is not the first time Magaya has been caught lying and misinforming the public since he pulled the same stunt 2 years ago when he claimed to have healed the singer Soul Jah Love. This is despite that the singer had been attended to by medical experts.
The father of four opened up on his two-year ordeal after the small lump on his head morphed into a cyst in 2017.
To his shock and horror, it later spread all over his head and swelled into a huge tumour. Gradually, it became difficult for him to either walk or talk.
After convincing himself that his problem wouldn’t just disappear on its own, Manganda appealed for assistance and his plea was aired on national television.
His cries for help attracted well-wishers who pooled resources for him to be admitted at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.
Despite being scheduled to undergo an operation to remove his growth, there were inordinate delays, which saw his procedure being postponed thrice.
An anxious Manganda, who suspected he was stalked by bad omen, was then taken by his brother Shingirai Kamuruko to PHD Ministries, where he received prayers from Prophet Magaya.
“As people who had lost hope, after failing to get help from Parirenyatwa Hospital, we visited PHD on three occasions on April 17, 19 and 21. We managed to see Prophet Magaya on the third day and that’s when he prayed for my brother,” said Kamuruko, who is a teacher at Chivake Primary School in Mahusekwa.
“We received a call from Parirenyatwa Hospital on the April 19 to come for the operation. He was admitted from 22 to 26 April 2019 when the operation was successfully conducted.
“I can confirm that we only received prayers at PHD, but the operation was conducted successfully at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
“We passed through PHD when my brother was released from hospital on the 8th of June just to say thank you for the prayers, not because the tumour was removed by Prophet Magaya,” he added.
A short video clip was later reportedly compiled by PHD Ministries, which resulted in media reports alleging the man had been treated by the prophet after the hospital failed to assist him.
Parirenyatwa Hospital had to take the unprecedented move to set the record straight.
“We therefore, find claims that the hospital failed to treat this patient (Manganda), but was healed by a prophet, to be highly misleading and likely to derail efforts of encouraging health-seeking behaviours among fellow Zimbabweans,” said the hospital in a statement last week.
Manganda is, however, thankful to the hospital staff who facilitated the seven-hour medical procedure that healed him.
“I am grateful to the Parirenyatwa Hospital staff who conducted the successful operation, with special mention to team leader Dr Maximilian Dzowa, and all the staff members I cannot remember by name,” he said.
Mr Manganda’s brother was also equally elated.
“I am glad my brother has recovered. I was shocked to see him eating his meal few minutes after the operation. I thank all well-wishers who chipped in through his difficult moments,” said Kamuruko.
Mr Kamuruko said as a family they were grateful to Label Africa and Institute of Golf Africa that assisted the family with financial support before and after the operation.
He, however, said the family still needs more assistance as it is saddled with a $3 870 hospital bill.-StateMedia
By A Correspondent- Zanu PF youth league secretary Pupurai Togarepi on Saturday threw his weight behind his deputy, Lewis Matutu after he reportedly received death threats from corrupt ZANU PF officials.
Matutu made the stunning revelations in an interview with a local publication last week when he said that he had been receiving threatening calls from party bigwigs for his crusade against corruption.
His boss, Togarepi told The Standard that any further attack on Matutu will invite a firm response from the youth league.
Said Togarepi:
It has always been our position to name and shame corrupt individuals and saboteurs. Lewis Matutu is a messenger, don’t fight him.
Any further attack on him will invite a firm response from the youth league.
They crossed the Rubicon line by threatening the deputy secretary. We cannot allow them to vandalise the efforts by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to rebuild Zimbabwe.
Togarepi went on as far as threatening a shut down of tuckshops in downtown Harare that are alleged to be involved in illegal foreign currency dealings. He said:
We also want to tell those involved in illegal forex dealings that their days are numbered together with foreign-owned tuck-shops in downtown Harare and other cities.
We are not afraid, it is time we dealt with this crisis.
We can’t be threatened by thieves who want to use non-existing factional fights to further their agenda. We are going to name and shame them.
The church report even went to the point of alleging that the hospital could not heal the patient. It further alleged that the tumour literally disappeared at the hands of the preacher, Magaya.
By Own Correspondent- Forty-three-year-old Peter Manganda is not concerned much about the current furore over circumstances surrounding his cure from a 5,3 kilogramme debilitating tumour that had grown on his head.
All he is interested in is that he is now a relieved man — the huge burden has been lifted — literally — off him. Manganda lived with the tumour, which first manifested as a small lump, for many years.
The growth, however, progressively metastasised into a huge growth on his head, which largely made him physically weak and ill.
But over the past two weeks, he has been caught up in the middle of an abrasive publicity battle pitting the Prophet Walter Magaya-led PHD Ministries and Parirenyatwa Group of Hospital.
First, PHD Ministries on their page posted a video clip claiming credit for the man’s healing.
Soon after the PHD video clip testimony, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospital issued a statement claiming the supposed “miracle” was successful surgery undertaken at the medical institution.
The state owned Sunday Mail claimed that the ongoing misunderstanding was a result of so called “media reports”, although it was Magaya’s own church which first published the claim of healing the man.
The church report even went to the point of alleging that the hospital could not heal the patient. It further alleged that the tumour literally disappeared at the hands of the preacher, Magaya.
This is not the first time Magaya has been caught lying and misinforming the public since he pulled the same stunt 2 years ago when he claimed to have healed the singer Soul Jah Love. This is despite that the singer had been attended to by medical experts.
The father of four opened up on his two-year ordeal after the small lump on his head morphed into a cyst in 2017.
To his shock and horror, it later spread all over his head and swelled into a huge tumour. Gradually, it became difficult for him to either walk or talk.
After convincing himself that his problem wouldn’t just disappear on its own, Manganda appealed for assistance and his plea was aired on national television.
His cries for help attracted well-wishers who pooled resources for him to be admitted at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.
Despite being scheduled to undergo an operation to remove his growth, there were inordinate delays, which saw his procedure being postponed thrice.
An anxious Manganda, who suspected he was stalked by bad omen, was then taken by his brother Shingirai Kamuruko to PHD Ministries, where he received prayers from Prophet Magaya.
“As people who had lost hope, after failing to get help from Parirenyatwa Hospital, we visited PHD on three occasions on April 17, 19 and 21. We managed to see Prophet Magaya on the third day and that’s when he prayed for my brother,” said Kamuruko, who is a teacher at Chivake Primary School in Mahusekwa.
“We received a call from Parirenyatwa Hospital on the April 19 to come for the operation. He was admitted from 22 to 26 April 2019 when the operation was successfully conducted.
“I can confirm that we only received prayers at PHD, but the operation was conducted successfully at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
“We passed through PHD when my brother was released from hospital on the 8th of June just to say thank you for the prayers, not because the tumour was removed by Prophet Magaya,” he added.
A short video clip was later reportedly compiled by PHD Ministries, which resulted in media reports alleging the man had been treated by the prophet after the hospital failed to assist him.
Parirenyatwa Hospital had to take the unprecedented move to set the record straight.
“We therefore, find claims that the hospital failed to treat this patient (Manganda), but was healed by a prophet, to be highly misleading and likely to derail efforts of encouraging health-seeking behaviours among fellow Zimbabweans,” said the hospital in a statement last week.
Manganda is, however, thankful to the hospital staff who facilitated the seven-hour medical procedure that healed him.
“I am grateful to the Parirenyatwa Hospital staff who conducted the successful operation, with special mention to team leader Dr Maximilian Dzowa, and all the staff members I cannot remember by name,” he said.
Mr Manganda’s brother was also equally elated.
“I am glad my brother has recovered. I was shocked to see him eating his meal few minutes after the operation. I thank all well-wishers who chipped in through his difficult moments,” said Kamuruko.
Mr Kamuruko said as a family they were grateful to Label Africa and Institute of Golf Africa that assisted the family with financial support before and after the operation.
He, however, said the family still needs more assistance as it is saddled with a $3 870 hospital bill.-StateMedia
OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER
June 23, 2019 Addis Ababa Press Release
In the early evening of June 22, 2019 an orchestrated coup attempt occurred on the executive leadership of the Amhara Regional Government. During attacks in this coup attempt, H.E. Dr. Ambachew Mekonnen, President of the Amhara Regional Government and H.E. Ezez Wassie, Amhara Regional Government Office Advisor were killed from gunshot injuries sustained. The Regional Attorney General Migbaru Kebede has also sustained heavy injuries and is currently undergoing medical treatment.
The attempted coup and attacks on the leadership of the Amhara Regional Governrnent President was orchestrated by Brigadier General Asaminew Tsige who has been serving as the regional government’s Peace and Security Bureau head, in collaboration with other individuals. Many of the individuals involved in the attacks have been arrested and there is an ongoing operation to arrest the rernaining. It is to be recalled that Brigadier General Asarninew Tsige was given amnesty and released from imprisonment last year.
The situation in the Amhara Region is currently under full control by the Federal Government in collaboration with the Regional Government, which in accordance with the constitution is being led by the Vice President, Lake Ayalew. The Federal Government rernains comrnitted to ensuring national security and through the command of Prirne Minister Abiy Ahmed, various tasks are underway. In this regard, we encourage citizens to also be guardians of peace and support all efforts in holding suspected individuals accountable.
In relation to the coup attempt in Amhara region, the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, General Seare Mekonnen together with retired Major General Gezai Abera, were also killed yesterday night in Addis Ababa within the residence of General Seare. This fatal attack was committed by General Seare’s bodyguard who has also been arrested. A national committee has been formed to organize military funeral honors for General Seare Mekonnen and retired Major General Gezai Abera. The committee will update and provide further information as needed.
By A Correspondent- It has been established that there are eight countries without their own currencies besides Zimbabwe, indicating the President Emmerson Mnangagwa was misled.
This follows President Mnangagwa’s remarks that Zimbabwe will soon have its own currency since it is the only country on the face of this planet that does not have its own currency.
However, there are eight countries without own currencies namely:
By A Correspondent- The Zimbabwe National Road Administration (Zinara) could have lost US$5,2 million in a murky deal which was supposed to see a ‘controversial third party’ earn a US$5 million kickback as a condition for a US$150 million loan from a local bank, fresh details show.
This startling revelation is contained in a hard-hitting letter dated 20 June 2019, written by suspended Zinara chief executive officer, Engineer Nancy Masiyiwa-Chamisa to the Special Anti-Corruption Unit in the Office of the President and Cabinet chair, Mr Tabani Mpofu.
Mr Mpofu confirmed to The Sunday Mail receiving the dossier but declined to discuss its finer details.
“We referred the matter to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) for further investigations. Other Government institutions with a direct interest have also been notified,” he said.
The suspended Zinara boss declined to comment.
The fresh scandal comes against a backdrop of a US$70 million looting frenzy at the same parastatal, which was exposed by a Grant Thornton forensic audit report.
Shady Deal
In a confidential document gleaned by The Sunday Mail, Eng Masiyiwa-Chamisa alleges being kicked out of the parastatal for resisting a scandalous deal which was going to prejudice Zinara of US$5,2 million.
She narrates that how a fortnight before her suspension she had written to the then Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Dr Jorum Gumbo objecting to the deal.
Dr Gumbo is now the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs in charge of Implementation and Monitoring after being moved from the ministry last month.
Eng Masiyiwa-Chamisa claims that Zinara secured a US$150 million infrastructure loan from ZB Bank, on condition the parastatal entered into a consultancy agreement with Neo Africa – a South African based company.
Neo Africa was to be paid 3,5 percent of the total infrastructure loan, which translates to around US$5,2 million.
A background check on Neo Africa showed that the South African based firm, which specialises in security and VIP protection, exclusive car hire and chauffeur, IT and consulting services, was once implicated in a 2012 Corruption Watch report over a R3 million bribe scandal in a Johannesburg tender scandal.
Neo Africa bosses were recorded talking about R3million bribe for South African public officials to influence the outcome of a tender bidding.
However, Eng Masiyiwa-Chamisa, in the US$150 million deal insists she; “resisted the recommendation on the basis that there was no justification of involvement for a third party in a contractual agreement between two parties, which is Zinara – the borrower – and ZB Bank, the lender,”
As the battle for the release of the US$5,2 million to the third party ensued, a meeting was then convened at the Transport and Infrastructural Development Ministry offices which was chaired by the then ministry Permanent Secretary Engineer George Mlilo.
The Neo Africa issue was tabled in the presence of ZB Bank representatives.
As pressure mounted for the deal to be signed off, the Zinara boss then wrote to Dr Gumbo outlining that the Neo Africa deal was unjustified as this was wanton abuse of public funds.
“However, two weeks after writing this letter, the board meeting… was convened and its outcome was my suspension from duty.
“In my view, my suspension was an act of corruption calculated to facilitate the Neo Africa deal or as a punishment for resisting it.”
Boardroom squabbles
The whistle-blowing dossier also alleges that Dr Gumbo could have interfered in the disciplinary cases against Messrs Precious Murove (human resources and administration director), Peter Boterere (administration manager), Simon Taranhike (finance manager) and Shadreck Matengabadza (finance manager).
The Zinara managers were suspended on 10 July 2017, on various allegations bordering on flouting of tender procedures.Dr Gumbo is said to have called for an urgent meeting to discuss the suspensions.
Prior to the meeting, the then acting board chair Mr Wilfred Ramwi wrote to the Zinara board citing weaknesses in the cases of the suspended executives.
The board then held two urgent meetings – on 4 and 18 August 2017 to discuss issues which had been raised by the then transport minister.
Responding to the allegations contained in the dossier yesterday, Dr Gumbo said the suspended Zinara boss was just looking for someone to blame.
“I don’t know anything about these issues. She is fighting someone who fought for her to get benefits while she is still on suspension because the board had repossessed all Zinara assets in her possession.
“What I know is that Zinara was looking for money locally to dualise roads and they approached ZB and Cabs banks.
“We then had a meeting at a local hotel where we were looking at how we could allocate roads for the dualisation projects. Unfortunately, she has picked me for a fight yet without a cause.”
The board invited the four managers to make presentations on their cases in the absence of the CEO who is an ex-officio board member.
Mr Ramwi wrote to Dr Gumbo, on 23 August 2017 recommending lifting of suspensions.
However, on 30 August 2017, the then permanent secretary in the parent ministry Ambassador Dr Machivenyika Mapuranga communicated to the then Zinara corporate secretary Mrs Mathlene Mujokoro expressing astonishment to the withdrawal of the case without his knowledge.
Amb Mapuranga’s letter reads; “I am even more astonished because you averred that a copy of the resolution was ‘requested by the office of the Honorable Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development’, for reasons I was not privy to. Nevertheless, the requested copy was not sent to the Honorable Minister’s office but to me. Since the letter was addressed to me, I take the liberty to comment on the resolution.
“It seems to me that ‘both criminal and labour cases’ had been instituted against the four employees because there were prima facie reasons for so doing.
“Now we are told that the cases have been withdrawn and we are not furnished with the reasons why this has been done. One would have expected such cases to run through the entire process to a definitive conclusion of guilty or not guilty.”
Eng Masiyiwa-Chamisa alleged that the four Zinara bosses could have been reinstated due to protection offered by Dr Gumbo.
Zinara board chair Engineer Michael Madanha could not comment yesterday as he was said to be busy.
He did not respond to question sent via SMS.
Engineer Mlilo told The Sunday Mail yesterday that his office resisted the payment of US$5,2 million to Neo Africa because procurement procedures were flouted.
“The task to raise funds was given to ZB bank through normal Government procedures. We resisted Neo Africa because the process of how the company came in and was selected, was not clear. Whether Eng Masiyiwa-Chamisa was fired over that, I don’t know,” he said.
The Zinara dossier also expose an alleged relationship between high-level Government officials, company executives and lawyers at Zinara.
“A point to note is that Retired Justice Chinhengo (who was supposed to chair Eng Masiyiwa-Chamisa hearing) is Mr Simon Taranhike, Zinara finance director’s brother-in-law and Advocate Thembinkosi Magwaliba is a nephew of former Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development Dr Jorum Gumbo and equally Magwaliba is an advocate hence he could not represent Zinara as its lawyer but he proceeded to act on behalf of Zinara despite this apparent conflict.”
Adv Magwaliba was engaged by Zinara to negotiate a severance package with Eng Masiyiwa-Chamisa, which she turned down.
The Zinara boss is on suspension over allegations of gross incompetence, abuse of authority and fraud over a CBZ bank loan.
Her lawyers, Mtetwa and Nyambirai denied the allegations against Eng Masiyiwa-Chamisa, saying the charges have no merit.-StateMedia
“We can’t be threatened by thieves who want to use non-existing factional fights to further their agenda. We are going to name and shame them," Matutu vowed. Its clear now they are confessing to public looting
By A Correspondent- At least 720 000 metric tonnes of maize is being imported by Government to alleviate hunger in drought- stricken areas following high incidence of crop failure during the 2018-2019 agricultural season, the state media has reported.
The country’s strategic grain reserve currently holds about 420 00 metric tonnes of maize with the harvest from last season projected to be slightly above 700 00 metric tonnes. Zimbabwe requires at least I,4 million metric tonnes of maize annually for both human and animal consumption.
Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister Douglas Karoro, told Senators in Parliament last week that Government had devised a plan to mitigate the effects of the drought.
“The ministry is importing over 720 000 metric tonnes metric tonnes of maize to quickly alleviate the effects of the drought as a short term plan,” he said.
“We have also gone further to prepare so that famine cannot occur. Again, we are developing irrigation schemes in each and every constituency so that we have sufficient food supplies from irrigation.
‘‘On a monthly basis, as a nation, we consume close to 120 000 metric tonnes, inclusive of human and livestock.
“We are also expecting some deliveries from farmers and that 720 000 metric tonnes will be augmented by the deliveries that we are expecting) from imports).”-StateMedia
This is the most irresponsible tweet I have seen. @MthuliNcube are you paying civil servants and pensioners in USD??? Tell us how you are going to deal with the black market rates which are increasing every day. I thought EDs government was for the people & not the elite. https://t.co/cRvov9tolU
— Linda Tsungirirai Masarira (@lilomatic) June 22, 2019
By A Correspondent- Ayanda Ndlovu said on Friday, she served the patron – who wished to remain anonymous – two weeks ago.
“She asked me what I wanted to do [as a profession] and I told her I’ve always wanted to be a paramedic. I still do, I’ve just been hampered by the fact that I had to stop school at an early age because of financial reasons.
“I’m still in conversation with the patron,” said Ndlovu. The initial bill came to R1 320 and the woman decided to make a R20 000 payment.
“I have no want to reverse this, no second thoughts about it and I was of sound mind when deciding to leave this tip,” the mystery benefactor said in a private WhatsApp message to Randolf Jorberg, the owner of Beerhouse.
Ndlovu, in disbelief, “called the duty manager immediately to try and talk the patron out of it, but the patron refused saying that Ayanda’s service was amazing and that she deserved every last bit of that money,” the post read.
Ndlovu said the money would kickstart her dream of becoming a paramedic. She hopes the patron’s good deed will inspire others to help her fulfill this dream.
“I’ve told my boss that I do want to go back to school.”-News24
By A Correspondent- Forty-three-year-old Peter Manganda is not concerned much about the current furore over circumstances surrounding his cure from a 5,3 kilogramme debilitating tumour that had grown on his head.
All he is interested in is that he is now a relieved man — the huge burden has been lifted — literally — off him.
Manganda lived with the tumour, which first manifested as a small lump, for many years.
The growth, however, progressively metastasised into a huge growth on his head, which largely made him physically weak and ill.
But over the past two weeks, he has been caught up in the middle of an abrasive publicity battle pitting the Prophet Walter Magaya-led PHD Ministries and Parirenyatwa Group of Hospital.
First, PHD Ministries posted a video clip taking credit for the man’s healing.
Soon after the PHD video clip testimony, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospital issued a statement claiming the supposed “miracle” was successful surgery undertaken at the medical institution.
But amid the fuss on who did what, where, when and how, the Nyanga man is happy to have gotten “another chance” to move on with his life.
“I am now a relieved person and I thank the people of Zimbabwe who extended their hand for my miraculous healing,” said Mr Manganda in an interview with The Sunday Mail in Mahusekwa, Mashonaland East, where he is currently recovering before moving to his rural home in Nyanga.
“This gave me a new lease of life and I feel a burden has been lifted from me.”
The father of four opened up on his two-year ordeal after the small lump on his head morphed into a cyst in 2017.
To his shock and horror, it later spread all over his head and swelled into a huge tumour.
Gradually, it became difficult for him to either walk or talk.
After convincing himself that his problem wouldn’t just disappear on its own, Mr Manganda appealed for assistance and his plea was aired on national television.
His cries for help attracted well-wishers who pooled resources for him to be admitted at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.
Despite being scheduled to undergo an operation to remove his growth, there were inordinate delays, which saw his procedure being postponed thrice.
An anxious Mr Manganda, who suspected he was stalked by bad omen, was then taken by his brother Shingirai Kamuruko to PHD Ministries, where he received prayers from Prophet Magaya.
“As people who had lost hope, after failing to get help from Parirenyatwa Hospital, we visited PHD on three occasions on April 17, 19 and 21. We managed to see Prophet Magaya on the third day and that’s when he prayed for my brother,” said Kamuruko, who is a teacher at Chivake Primary School in Mahusekwa.
“We received a call from Parirenyatwa Hospital on the April 19 to come for the operation. He was admitted from 22 to 26 April 2019 when the operation was successfully conducted.
“I can confirm that we only received prayers at PHD, but the operation was conducted successfully at Parirenyatwa Hospital.
“We passed through PHD when my brother was released from hospital on the 8th of June just to say thank you for the prayers, not because the tumour was removed by Prophet Magaya,” he added.
A short video clip was later reportedly compiled by PHD Ministries, which resulted in media reports alleging the man had been treated by the prophet after the hospital failed to assist him.
Parirenyatwa Hospital had to take the unprecedented move to set the record straight.
“We therefore, find claims that the hospital failed to treat this patient (Manganda), but was healed by a prophet, to be highly misleading and likely to derail efforts of encouraging health-seeking behaviours among fellow Zimbabweans,” said the hospital in a statement last week.
Manganda is, however, thankful to the hospital staff who facilitated the seven-hour medical procedure that healed him.
“I am grateful to the Parirenyatwa Hospital staff who conducted the successful operation, with special mention to team leader Dr Maximilian Dzowa, and all the staff members I cannot remember by name,” he said.
Mr Manganda’s brother was also equally elated.
“I am glad my brother has recovered. I was shocked to see him eating his meal few minutes after the operation. I thank all well-wishers who chipped in through his difficult moments,” said Kamuruko.
Mr Kamuruko said as a family they were grateful to Label Africa and Institute of Golf Africa that assisted the family with financial support before and after the operation.
He, however, said the family still needs more assistance as it is saddled with a $3 870 hospital bill.-StateMedia
By Own Correspondent- Outspoken Harare lawyer, Fadzayi Mahere, who recently joined the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC outlined her reasons for joining the party she competed against in last year’s harmonised elections.
Asked to explain what persuaded her to join the MDC by a local publication, the Independent, Mahere said:
I have consistently stated my belief in a strong, united position: this is our best shot at fighting tyranny and building a nation that we can be proud of.
From the start, I made it very clear that I was opposed to Zanu PF because the current government does not have what it takes to make Zimbabwe free and prosperous.
The model upon which the ruling party is built — where patronage and ageism are rife — would never appeal to me.
The lesson we learnt during the last election is that the electorate places a high premium on a candidate’s ability to collaborate with a team that can answer the national question.
There is a strong sentiment that the opposition must speak with one voice in opposing the government and I am happy to take that sentiment on board.
The country, not individuals or personalities, must always come first.
Political involvement, in my view, boils down to values and an ability to place the people, democracy and competence back into our politics.
The MDC offers a model that aligns most closely to this and what I wish to see in Zimbabwe’s future, hence my decision to join the party.
Important conversations happened after the election and it was decided that teamwork is the only way to make the dream work.-The Standard
Hundreds of people thronged Macingwana village, Bulilima west in Plumtree to pay their last respect to the late Liberation war Hero who was the Member of Parliament for Mangwe constituency Obedingwa Mguni yesterday.
State Media|A DEMONSTRATION of unity was witnessed when politicians from the political divide thronged Macingwane village in Bulilima district to bid farewell to Mangwe MP and former Home Affairs Deputy Minister Obedingwa Mguni who was laid to rest at his rural home yesterday.
Mguni, who died on Tuesday after a cough bout while attending Parliament, was declared liberation war hero. He was 56.
Speaking at the burial, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi described Mguni as a hard worker.
“Cde Mguni was a senior person whose desire was to bring politicians together and foster national development,” he said.
“Parliament is now poor without him as his ideas were always sound and on point. The number of parliamentarians who are present to bid him farewell are testimony to his good works as he would accommodate everyone without political bias.”
Zimbabwe Council of Chiefs President Chief Fortune Charumbira also spoke glowingly about Mguni.
He said the late legislator was a committed cadre whose calls for unity were loud and bold.
Chief Charumbira described Mguni’s death as a unifier.
“The kind of unity demonstrated today is what we want as Zimbabweans,” he said.
“That unity, that is evident at low political levels should go up and mature into proper political dialogue at the top.
“We have seen politicians from the political divide, the MDC Alliance MPs came in their numbers led by their chief whip — Mutseyami (Prosper). We have MPs like Hon Chinotimba (Joseph), Hon Nzuma (Soul) and many others from very far. All provinces are represented and that’s what we call unity.”
Mguni, who was the Zanu-PF deputy chief whip, was rushed to the West End Clinic after the cough attack where he later died.
In his message following the death of Mguni, Bulilima Mangwe Senator Simon Khaya Moyo said: “I feel part of my physical being has been ripped off. He was a committed, principled, and disciplined cadre of the revolution who was down to earth and a man of the people.”
Mguni was a second term MP, after winning elections last July. He polled 7 744 votes against his close challenger, Vincent Sihlabo of the MDC Alliance who got 4 536 votes.
By A Correspondent- Families living here escaped death by a whisker after a Zambian tanker carrying diesel burst its right tyres and veered off the road stopping a few meters from their homes.
The tanker, which was also a few meters from a service station in Sunridge, Harare was involved in the accident along Harare Drive today (Sunday) morning.
Watch Zambian tanker involved in an accident near a house in Harare. The tanker burst its tyres before stopping a few meters away from residential homes. pic.twitter.com/mSmkLPZwLx
The 32nd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) is underway in Egypt as 24 teams compete in the ultimate continental football competition where only one country will be crowned kings of Africa on July 19.
Only 14 countries have won the championship since its inception in 1957.
The first edition of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations was won by Egypt, who beat Ethiopia 4-0 in 1957. Since then a total of 31 editions of Afcon competition have been held.
Of interest is the fact that in 1957 there were only three participating nations, namely Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia. South Africa was originally scheduled to compete, but were disqualified due to the apartheid policies of the government then in power.
Since then, the tournament has grown to the extent that 24 countries compete to qualify for the finals. The number of participants in the final tournamentreached 16 in 1998 (16 teams were to compete in 1996, but Nigeria withdrew, reducing the field to 15, and the same happened with Togo’s withdrawal in 2010), and until 2017, the format had been unchanged, with the 16 teams being drawn into four groups of four teams each, with the top two teams of each group advancing to a “knock-out” stage.
Traditionally a January event, the Africa Cup of Nations was moved to June while it was also expanded from a 16 to a 24-team event.
Egypt are the most successful side in continental competition having won seven titles, that is in 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010.
Cameroon, who are the defending champions in Egypt, currently have won the cup six times.
Other teams who have managed to win the tournament include Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d’ivoire, DR Congo, Algeria, Congo, Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa, Sudan,
Tunisia and Zambia.
Afcon Hosts, Winners and Runners-up (Year by Year since 1957)
By A Correspondent- Newly-appointed MDC vice chairperson Job Sikhala has refuted allegations that he is a womaniser.
Speaking during an interview with a local publication, Sikhala said that it was not his fault to be born with good looks.
He said:
I became a public figure when I was a boy; from student leadership to national politics. I even became a Member of Parliament at a very young age of 25 and I was not married.
I had already found love in 1997 in Ellen Gudo who became my wife in 2000 after I became an MP up to the present. We are blessed with beautiful kids. They are now grown-up.
If these other women existed at all, our marriage would have long collapsed like that of Guvheya Chiwenga or that of Kembo Mohadi. You could have published headlines of me visiting my wife with a troop of bodyguards and armed with an axe to inflict injuries to her.
Secondly, as said above, I became a public figure at a young age. If truly I slept around with women dai ndisina kuridzwawo here nezvirwere zvepa bonde senjovhera?(wouldn’t I have died from sexually transmitted diseases?) People make stupid allegations without evidence.
Some of us laugh at such reckless talk, which is just meant to vilify innocent people. I am a very busy lawyer. I am always in court every day.
I am an MP who attends to his constituency. I am a student of postgraduate law. I am the vice-chairman of the party who is always needed by the president for duties he allocates to me.
I can’t even fulfil appointments with friends and relatives who wish to see me. I also have a family to attend to. And on top, you add women. Women also need attention. Where would I get the time?
Is it a crime to be born with good looks? I love my wife very much. She is the Alpha and the Omega of my heart.
Marwan Mohsen Fahmy Tarwat’s challenge on Edmore Sibanda
BIG Zimbabwe shot stopper Edmore Sibanda’s Total Africa Cup of Nations tournament is in the balance after he suffered a contusion injury in the Warriors’ Group A opener against hosts Egypt at Cairo International Stadium on Friday night.
A contusion happens when an injured capillary or blood vessel leaks blood into the surrounding area. On a night in which he put up a top drawer performance between the sticks that saw him denying the Pharaoh’s two goal scoring opportunities inside the opening minute of the game, Sibanda had to be pulled out for Elvis Chipezeze with 13 minutes of the match remaining after having tried to soldier on with the injury.
“Sibanda sustained a right knee contusion injury. The knee is mildly swollen and painful. He has responded well to our initial treatment. We are managing the inflammation and also planning to do a diagnostic radiological investigation to ascertain and confirm the actual injury,” said the Warriors doctor Samon Mudariki, who added that the player was responding well to treatment.
Despite Sibanda’s reaction to treatment the team doctor said they can not give a certain response on the player’s chances of total recovery ahead of the next encounter against Uganda on Wednesday night.
“We will know exactly after conducting a scan to confirm or exclude other related injuries associated with that particular mechanism of injury. Otherwise our Physiotherapist Admire Nyamadzawo is on top of the situation with regards to his rehabilitation programme,” said Mudariki.
Mudariki also said they were monitoring China-based striker Nyasha Mushekwi who too was substituted late in the game as he seemed to be struggling with his runs.
“We are also monitoring Mushekwi, he complained of tightness in his left hamstring. Following our physical examination, we are tentatively treating it as a probable grade 1 hamstring strain. He is also being ably attended to by our physiotherapist and will await to see how he responds to the rehab programme. Apart from that we have no other injury concerns at the moment,” said Mudariki.
With a potential five games to be played in the tournament for the Warriors, coach Sunday Chidzambwa who heaped praises for Sibanda and his replacement Chipezeze, will be praying that the two players make a quick and full recovery. Guinea bound Tafadzwa Kutinyu had to be dropped from the tournament due to injury with the technical team replacing him with Lawrence Mhlanga who was left behind.
Zimbabwe sits on bountiful and lucrative deposits of minerals known as rare-earth elements (REE), some of which sell for more than US$1 000 for a single kilogram and where investors are seeking alternative sources to China, which dominates production.
The 17 rare earth elements are used in the manufacture of glasses, electronics, hybrid vehicles, wind turbines, microphones and speakers, among other multiple uses, raising expectations exploitation of Zimbabwean reservs could add oomph to Government’s plan to use minerals resources to drive economic growth.
President Mnangagwa told Bloomberg on the sidelines of the 12th US-Africa Business Summit, which ended on Friday, that the discovery of the deposits – which could be the second largest after China – was still early “as far as we are concerned at Government level and policy level”.
“Recently, I have been happily surprised. I was talking to some of the American businesspeople who are at this conference (12th US-Africa Business Summit) who were saying, look, besides China, I think Zimbabwe is second in having what they call rare-earth minerals, and they say these are very valuable, but we have been sleeping on them; we didn’t know that they were useful,” said the President.
Some REEs are used in the production of LCD and plasma screens, fibre optics, lasers as well as medical imaging.
They can also be used in fertilizers and water treatment chemicals.
In addition to being used to increase plant growth and productivity, the minerals have often been used as feed additives for livestock production.
Currently, the major reserves are in China, the US, India, Brazil and Australia.
Notably, China holds about 30 percent of the world’s deposits.
Government, however, believes that it might need the skills and expertise to exploit the mineral.
President Mnangagwa said: “Anyway, this is an early discovery as far as we are concerned at Government level and policy level, but I am informed that this is a very lucrative discovery and we should begin to look at how we can exploit (them) because; one, we don’t have the technology; two, we don’t have the skills; three, we don’t even know what we have, except what we were told by other people that we have, so it is quite pleasant that we have that . . .”
Zimbabwe, he added, has huge deposits of various mineral resources.
“Fortunately Zimbabwe is endowed with huge minerals of various types. I think it is easier to ask our people what minerals we don’t have . . . Whatever you mention in terms of minerals, we have.”
Although it could not be ascertained where the REE had been discovered, geologists believe that there are some deposits in Mashonaland Central at Gungwa, Mutondongwe and Nanuta.
“These elements that make it possible for the high-tech world we live in today have been found to occur in restricted environments, including carbonites.
“Mashonaland Central province is known to host three carbonites at Gungwa, Mutondongwe, and Nanuta.
“While there has not been exploration for REE at these complexes, Gungwa is known to be enriched in lanthanum and cerium,” said the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development on its website.
Premier African Minerals, which is listed on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange, is also prospecting for rare-earth elements in Matabeleland North, near the Zambian border.
The 17 rare-earth elements are cerium (Ce), dysprosium (Dy), erbium (Er), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), holmium (Ho), lanthanum (La), lutetium (Lu), neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), scandium (Sc), terbium (Tb), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and yttrium (Y).
China supplies more than 80 percent of world production and more of the heavy elements in the series.
Government believes that it can leverage on the country’s mineral resources to achieve Vision 2030.
Since the advent of the new political administration, investors have been lining up to make investments in the mining sector.
Karo Resources, which has committed to invest US$4,2 billion in its local mining operations, has made considerable progress in developing its platinum mine in Mhondoro-Ngezi (Mashonaland West).
Russia is also investing US$400 million in the Darwendale platinum project as well.
Government recently sold off Zimbabwe Defence Industries’ 50 percent stake in the venture to a private company.
“They have since moved out. We have removed the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. It’s now owned by a private company. We moved out the army, which had initially been part of the shareholders. So its now 50-50: fifty percent is now owned by the Russian company and then (the other 50 percent) by a local company which bought out the army . . . I think we consummated this a few weeks ago . . .” said President Mnangagwa.
Factional wars dogging Zanu PF have escalated, with the youth league declaring a war against party bigwigs who are allegedly involved in the illegal foreign currency trade.
Zanu PF youth league secretary Pupurai Togarepi yesterday fought in his deputy Lewis Matutu’s corner, saying those who had allegedly threatened him with death had crossed a “Rubicon line”.
Matutu caused a stir recently when he claimed on social media that the parallel market in foreign currency was being driven by children of some ministers.
He has threatened to release a list tomorrow of the party officials that are allegedly behind the black market.
“It has always been our position to name and shame corrupt individuals and saboteurs. Lewis Matutu is a messenger, don’t fight him,” Togarepi charged in an
interview with The Standard.
“Any further attack on him will invite a firm response from the youth league.
“They crossed the Rubicon line by threatening the deputy secretary. We cannot allow them to vandalise the efforts by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to rebuild Zimbabwe.”
In October last year, Mnangagwa’s former advisor Christopher Mutsvangwa accused Kudakwashe Tagwirei, a close ally of the president, of driving the parallel market at the time through a facility where oil firms accessed forex at the 1:1 rate to United States dollars from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ). The government ended the facility in May this year.
Mutsvangwa’s son Neville was accused by an opposition MP early this month of being involved in illegal foreign currency deals.
The war veterans leader yesterday did not respond to questions on whether he was one of the ruling party officials targeted by the party youths.
Former Zanu PF youth leader William Mutumanje, aka Acie Lumumba, who was temporarily hired by Finance minister Mthuli Ncube, also at one time claimed that
there was a cartel in the fuel industry that included top RBZ officials who were behind the alleged cartel driving the forex parallel market.
Togarepi said their crusade would also target informal traders who were allegedly involved in the black market.
“The earlier they shape up, the better. We have everything we want to move forward, but a few charlatans are an impediment to this progress.”
“We also want to tell those involved in illegal forex dealings that their days are numbered together with foreign-owned tuck-shops in downtown Harare and other cities,” he said.
Matutu yesterday said he was going ahead with his plans to expose the alleged Zanu PF bigwigs.
“We are not afraid, it is time we dealt with this crisis,” he said.
“We can’t be threatened by thieves who want to use non-existing factional fights to further their agenda. We are going to name and shame them.”
Matutu, a close ally of Mnangagwa, said he was his own man and had been speaking against corruption within the party in private.
He said he was frustrated that his interventions had not yielded anything, hence his decision to go public.
Meanwhile, Togarepi denied accusations that the threats were linked to factional wars in Zanu PF where some senior party officials are accused of sabotaging Mnangagwa.
Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo said the youth league had a right to demand whatever they think was prudent to take Zimbabwe forward.
FOUR Bulawayo councillors have been implicated in an alleged tender scandal after a prospective parking management company allegedly pampered them with five-star hotel junkets among other goodies, Sunday News can exclusively reveal.
The councillors’ Harare “trip of shame” is suspected to be part of a plot by the company to sway the vote in its favour for a car parking management tender in Bulawayo. The tender issue has also raised the ire of the Bulawayo Residents Association.
The Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association has since written to the Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube, demanding that the four councillors be investigated and the implicated company disqualified from any future dealings with the local authority.
The letter, signed by BPRA co-ordinator, Mr Emmanuel Ndlovu, was also copied to Bulawayo Mayor, Councillor Solomon Mguni, Deputy Mayor Clr Tinashe Kambarami, Chamber Secretary Mrs Sikhangele Zhou, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government and the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe.
“We are worried about the information that four Bulawayo councillors had prior secret meetings with (name withheld) at a hotel in Harare, where the company met the hotel expenses for the councillors. The major concern is, why were the meetings held under ‘darkness cover’ of the public and why were hotel bills for the councillors met by an interested party? We feel the conduct of the councillors concerned as public officials is tantamount to criminal abuse of office which is criminalised in terms of Section 174 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act, (Chapter 9:23),” wrote Mr Ndlovu.
The residents association called on council and the relevant authorities to institute an investigation on the four. Bulawayo acting Town Clerk, Mrs Zhou confirmed that they had received information regarding the alleged conduct of the four councillors and were carrying out investigations to get to the bottom of the matter.
“We have since instructed our audit team to carry out the necessary investigations to come out with the facts on this issue. What we are saying is allegations can be made, but it is now a matter of deducing the facts of these allegations,” said Mrs Zhou.
Evidence gathered by Sunday News in a four-week investigation revealed that the quartet was booked into a Harare hotel (name withheld) and all hotel expenses, which amounted to $1 860 were met by the parking company which is jostling to win a tender in Bulawayo. This publication is also in possession of room numbers where the four were booked. According to documents seen by this publication, the four were booked at the hotel on 9 May 2019 and checked out the following day in the morning. They were also taken for a tour of the company’s operations.
Sunday News contacted the four councillors in the eye of the storm and they all denied having met the implicated company officials. When this publication sought a comment from the parking company, its officials also denied any wrong doing.
The parking management services tender in Bulawayo was cancelled in 2012 after what the local authority termed “a shambolic tendering process”. This was after the local authority had awarded the tender to Megalithic Marketing Private Limited, resulting in a long court battle with the company contesting council’s decision to cancel the tender.
In April last year, the local authority shortlisted two companies — Ducretion Logistics Private Limited and Lauvax Trading Private Limited trading as Propark — for consideration to manage the city’s parking where motorists would pay for parking for a prescribed period, starting from an hour. The two companies were to share different sites within the city, but the deal was never finalised.
The parking management tender has taken seven years to be implemented and was only revived last year after then ward Six councillor (now Makokoba MP), James Sithole filed a motion where he noted that the legal wrangle was almost at its end, hence they should re-tender the project to help enhance revenue collection and service delivery.
“In an effort to boost revenue for the City of Bulawayo, we flighted a tender more than six years ago for Parking Management Services from reputable companies. Due to some irregularities in the process this matter ended up in the courts . . . Bulawayo City Council has therefore lost several opportunities such as 400 jobs that could have been created, meaning the survival of 400 households and parking revenue in the region of $10 million. I propose that council proceeds as a matter of urgency to re-tender for the parking management services since the legal wrangle has been concluded so that we can achieve revenue enhancement and improved service delivery,” reads part of the motion.
The initial bidding process brought the city’s tendering system under scrutiny, with accusations of corruption among councillors and council directors flying around.
First, Easipark, the South African company that was favourite to clinch the parking deal, was disqualified on allegations of attempting to bribe members of the procurement board to swing the bid in its favour.
The company was readmitted and the tendering process re-done after consultations among stakeholders. Easipark was disqualified again, after it failed to attend a compulsory tender briefing meeting, which then saw Megalithic being awarded the tender.
Zimbabwe’s military has disposed of its stake in a $4 billion platinum joint venture with Russian investors, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has said.
Mnangagwa revealed this in an interview with Bloomberg in Mozambique during the just-ended US-Africa Business Summit, where he sought to appease the Americans who are insisting on political reforms as a precondition for the scrapping of the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zidera).
The law specifically compels US executive directors of international financial institutions to oppose and vote against any extension of loans, credit, or guarantees to Zimbabwe, which is in desperate need of fresh credit lines to kickstart its ailing economy.
Recent reports suggested that the military’s involvement has been the main reason why the project has failed to take off since it was commissioned in 2014 amid
much fanfare as the then president, Robert Mugabe, sought to spite Washington by aligning with Moscow.
The military, through the Zimbabwe Defence Industries, which is under sanctions, and Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) together hold 30% of the
joint venture, known as Great Dyke Investments, through a company they control, Pen East (Pty) Ltd.
The Russian consortium consists of VI Holdings, Rostec and Vnesheconombank, while 20% is held by undisclosed Zimbabwean investors.
“They have moved out, we have removed the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. It is now owned by a private company,” Mnangagwa said.
“We moved the army out, which had initially been part of the shareholding.
“So it is now 50/50, the other 50% is owned by the Russians and the other 50% by a local Zimbabwean company, which bought out the army.”
He did not give any further detail, only stating that the deal was consummated “a few weeks ago”.
According to the company’s feasibility study report, the mineral resource potential at the Great Dyke site is about 45 million ounces (1,400 t) of PGM, which
is comparable with the largest deposits at the Bushveld area in South Africa, as well as with such deposits in the Norilsk ore region in Russia.
Zimbabwe is home to the world’s second largest deposits of platinum, but the country’s output remains depressed as companies find it difficult to set up andstart operating because of a highly-volatile policy environment.
The Anglo American-owned Unki is one of three platinum miners already operating in the southern African nation.
Last year, the country scrapped local ownership laws which limited foreign shareholding in platinum and diamond ventures to 49% as part of mining sector
reforms to help inject much-needed foreign capital.
In April, government hinted that two new investors would develop separate platinum mining projects in the mineral-rich Mhondoro-Ngezi area, in addition to Cypriot investor Karo Resources, which is already working on a $4,2 billion mining project in the same area.
The MDC’s announcement that Fadzayi Mahere is joining the party.
Former International Criminal Court intern Fadzayi Mahere has announced her move from being an independent to being a senior member of the MDC Alliance. Her move could have wide ripple effects in Zimbabwean politics.
In an unexpected announcement on 19 June 2019, advocate Fadzayi Mahere took to her Twitter and Facebook accounts to officially announce that she had joined the MDC Alliance as the Secretary for Education, Sports and Culture.
This comes at a time when the Zimbabwean people continue to face the harsh realities of a battered economy caused largely by captured institutions. Mahere’s announcement, which called for a “united opposition” that “must speak with one voice”, indicates a shift in her angle of engagement with Zimbabwe’s political landscape.
After ascending to public-figure status through her vocal fight against the introduction of bond notes, Cambridge-educated Mahere ran her “Yellow Campaign”
which was set as a clean, independent campaign in a bid to win the Mount Pleasant parliamentary seat in Zimbabwe’s 2018 elections. Her loss to MDC Alliance
candidate Samuel Banda after a highly visible campaign was evidence that she needed to pick a side if she stood a chance of being voted into a change-maker’s seat.
Mahere’s intentions for transforming a defunct Zimbabwean political culture have always been clear. Borrowing from Larry Diamond, political cultures are characterised by various beliefs, attitudes and evaluations of a given political system and one’s role within it. In this, democratic legitimacy is vital to the consolidation of one’s aspirations.
When wanting to make such a change, the feasibility of doing so through individual candidature has often proven ineffective — especially if one’s aim is toinfluence institutions. Partisan loyalties cover a wider base of social groups that may not necessarily share identical political cultures, but rally to support the party with the most beneficial outcome for them. In this, numbers remain important.
Partisan political loyalties have long held clout within the Zimbabwean political landscape. Indicators from Afrobarometer note that in 2017, 62% of respondents felt they needed to toe the partisan line when it came to civic-political engagement. Trauma and memory studies reveal that by nature, whether human beings will admit it or not, we dread engaging with the fear of the unknown and the uncertainty thereof.
In a state such as Zimbabwe, where citizens continue to live under the inhibitions of structuralised trauma, local sentiments of “rather the devil we know”continue to blind citizens from taking potentially transformative independent candidates seriously. This is the reason we continue to see the same faces dominate political discourse and remain at the political settlement table as bargaining elites.
A clear example of this was seen in the 2018 elections with independent presidential candidates such as Nkosana Moyo, who only attained 0,3% of the vote despite everyone noting that he had good ideas.
Simply put, by joining the MDC Alliance, her message will cover a larger audience base, which would have previously not paid her any attention because of blind support entrenched in subconscious partisan loyalties.
The MDC Alliance’s accommodation of a young, energetic and competent woman into their ranks is to be commended. This move is a politically savvy one for the MDC Alliance and offers a moment of respite for a party, which has faced criticism from analysts such as myself for their insensitive gender politics both in
continued internal power struggles with Thokozani Khupe, as well as in their lack of gendered representation during their 2018 election campaign.
At the intersection of age, the MDC Alliance has gained someone who persuaded an otherwise apathetic youth to actively vote on their future in 2018. Throughout 2018 on Twitter, there were sentiments of envy from previously apathetic urban youth voters who were not in the Mount Pleasant constituency as they wished they could have cast their vote for Mahere, who had captured their attention through her campaign.
More importantly, her campaign brought together volunteers — most of whom were part of the youth demographic — who would have otherwise let the election pass them by. This ignited hope for an active citizenry, which had not otherwise been seen at local constituency level in recent times.
Adding to her appeal as part of the youth demographic, Mahere brings with her strategic technological advancements such as her online automated personalassistant, “Shandu” (short for shanduko, meaning “change” in Shona) which she used during her Yellow Campaign. The online assistant allowed users to volunteer, donate and retrieve the campaign’s manifesto among other functions.
Such fresh ideas can only be expanded to help the MDC Alliance’s strategic positioning in informing potential voters about their manifesto and other party-related issues in the run-up to the 2023 elections. This will help them relay their message to a wider audience as well as engage with electorate queries more efficiently. Moreover, this technology could help the MDC Alliance make inroads towards garnering the rural vote where the party traditionally falls short.
Linguistic access can also be extended through the expansion of Shandu-type technology, which can be developed to include more languages spoken in the countrybesides those, which the automated personal assistant already has. This could revolutionise the party’s relevance in the next elections. Logistical challenges
to backdated technologies and communication advances in the rural areas of the country should, however, not be overlooked and the MDC would need to factor in
the politics of access if it wishes to pursue this route.
Considering an increasingly factionalised Zanu PF, this is MDC’s time to work towards tangible outcomes for 2023 by learning from the mistakes of 2018.
The MDC Alliance needs new faces such as Mahere’s, now more than ever. What she represents and who she speaks for is pertinent to the party’s reinvention at
this juncture in Zimbabwe’s political history. The party’s internal fighting coupled with challenges in an increasingly securitised state is indicative of the fact that the MDC needs a new approach.
As a former lawyer at the International Criminal Court, strategic interjections from Mahere’s experiences and insights into politics in Zimbabwe could
positively influence the narratives around transparency, accountability and justice for victims of state violence through renewed engagements with retributive and restorative justice mechanisms.
Mahere’s decision to keep fighting from within the political arena will hopefully encourage more competent young Zimbabweans to step up and seize the space
that is rightfully theirs — regardless of their chosen political affiliation. In the long term, synergies between the old guard and new political actors will hopefully evolve.
The desired outcome will be the intergenerational transfer of ideas, which will shape the future of Zimbabwe and influence policies that will effect change.
When young people complain about not being able to take a seat at the table that decides on their future, they are often challenged to seize the place that is
rightfully theirs. In her less than five years on the Zimbabwean political stage, Mahere has taken this challenge seriously and has personified the mantra “we
are the ones we have been waiting for”, while inspiring many in the process. The MDC Alliance can only benefit from this.
Her international exposure to a larger, updated network can only be a good thing for the MDC Alliance which could benefit from more partners among civil
society, the legal fraternity as well as donor communities in and outside the country.
This article was first published by the Daily Maverick
Mandipa Ndlovu is reading towards an MPhil in Justice and Transformation at the University of Cape Town focused on intergenerational legacies of state denialism of violence and citizen trauma as impeding factors for development, peace and security on the African continent
A political analyst has advised President Peter Mutharika to initiate dialogue with the opposition, saying the violent protests and boycott of the state of the nation address by legislators are signs of political anarchy.
The bench-banging and shouts by MCP lawmakersMagolowondo: Malawi in political tatters
The booing, heckling, bench-banging and shouts by Malawi Congress Party (MCP) legislators were directed at the President for allegedly securing his re-election victory through rigging and fraud.
Augustine Magolowondo, a political scientist at Chancellor College of the University of Malawi and was in parliament when opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) legislators heckled Mutharika before boycotting the Sona, said this was a clear indication that Malawi is now a divided nation.
“The action is a clear indication that the opposition does not accept the results of the election. There was state of chaos in parliament,” said Magolowondo.
He said the action by the MCP MPs was a reflection of the kind of politics the country is now experiencing.
“It is now time the leadership came out and united the nation. This requires more than political rhetoric,” said Magolowondo.
Magolowondo said the President should always use the language which inspires hope and that heals the political wounds the opposition are going through following allegations that the presidential vote was manipulated in favour of Mutharika.
Newspaper columnist Backbencher stated on Saturday that he fears “tremor of disunity.”
The columnist in Weekend Nation wrote that the massive turnout in all the cities on Thursday of angry Malawians calling for Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) Chairperson Jane Ansah to go, left no doubt in my mind that as a nation we are heading the wrong direction.
“But as a Southerner, I have never felt more insecure in the Centre and North. Without drumming up telltale signs of a nation being torn apart, I’d like to say a political system where a minority government exercises sovereign authority in a winner-takes-all manner is the reason peace and unity are being threatened.
“Simply put, no group of Malawians fought colonialism and dictatorship so they could be colonised by another group under the multiparty political dispensation,” wrote Backbencher, whole urging President Mutharika to share power and the national cake equitably.
Key poll contestants MCP and UTM have moved the Constitutional Court to nullify the presidential results and order a re-run.
However, the President and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) say they won the election fairly and squarely.
MCP officials and supporters have lately been holding protests following the announcement of presidential results three weeks ago.
MCP and UTM, last week, joined nationwide protests organised by the Human Rights Defenders Coalition, which is seeking the resignation of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson Justice Jane Ansah, allegedly for mishandling the election, partly by allowing a tampering of some ballot tally sheets and related documents with the liquid white collection fluid called tippex.
A 26-YEAR-OLD woman from Nkayi district in Matabeleland North is reported to have died after ingesting a herbal concoction she had been prescribed by her father to cure an ailment.
Her father, Mr Joel Moyo (60) reportedly gave Nomathemba Moyo the concoction, after she complained of severe muscular pains, which she had been suffering from for over a year.
Matabeleland North provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Siphiwe Makonese confirmed the incident.
“I can confirm that we are investigating a murder case where a 26-year-old woman died after drinking a traditional concoction which was given to her by her father sometime last week,” said Insp Makonese.
Insp Makonese urged the public to desist from making home-made concoctions and giving them out to sick people.
“We are very concerned about the sad sudden passing of an innocent soul and we urge members of the public to seek medical assistance from professionals and desist from preparing remedies as one will not know the cause of the sickness,” she said.
Insp Makonese said the woman was referred to United Bulawayo Hospital (UBH) for a postmortem.
In a separate incident, a four-year-old girl from Bulawayo with a hearing impairment died a few months ago, after her mother allegedly fed her a herbal concoction to help her gain speech.
The father of the girl, Mr Mbuso Ncube, reported his wife to the police leading to her arrest and that of the traditional healer who supplied the medicine.
His wife, Mrs Lindiwe Ncube of Mzilikazi suburb allegedly got the traditional medicine from a woman from Makokoba suburb, Ms Senzeni Jiyane (59), popularly known as Gogo Majiyane, who specialises in children’s illnesses.
PROPHETIC Healing and Deliverance (PHD) Ministries founder Prophet Walter Magaya has been sucked into a US$900 000 land scandal after buying a farm which was sold illegally.
Kalulu Farm located in Goromonzi, was sold to Prophet Magaya yet it had not been distributed under a deceased person’s estate.
This was exposed in a letter dated 7 June, 2019, written by Samukange Hungwe Attorneys on behalf of Nicholas Obert Mukomberanwa to the PHD leader.
The Mukomberanwa family through its lawyers is seeking to cancel the transaction and recover the farm.
Prophet Magaya was given until Tuesday to respond to the deceased family’s demands, failure of which legal action will be taken against him.
Lawyer Mr Everson Samukange wrote, “We understand that you are the current owners of a piece of land situated in the district of Goromonzi measuring 295,5847 hectares otherwise known as Kalulu Farm and you attend such ownership on the 30th of April 2018. You will recall that the said piece of land, Kalulu Farm was previously owned by the estate of the late Anderson Tichafa Mukomberanwa under DR No. 1256/05 and you purchased it from the estate.
“By reason of a Last Will and Testament of 19 February 2002 by the late Nicholas Obert Mukomberanwa, Kalulu Farm was included for distribution in his estate. His will has been accepted for administration purposes by the Master of High Court.”
Mr Samukange demanded that, “Our instructions are to therefore seek that your Deed of Transfer be reversed and attendant restitutions be afforded so that the farm is dealt with under DR 1839/15 as read together with DR 1256/05. In this connection, we write to inquire your attitude towards our client’s interests in Kalulu Farm, viz-a-viz your impugned tittle.”
According to Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) of March 2017, between Nyarai Gurupira, Nicholas and Abigail Mukomberanwa and Plant Africa represented by Prophet Magaya, the preacher paid US$250 000 upon signing of the MoA and instalments of US$150 000 per month which were to start from 31 March 2017.
Prophet Magaya was to occupy the land upon payment of the US$250 000 deposit.
The property was then fully paid for by the prophet after which he received Deed of Transfer he Number 2402/18.
Prophet Magaya bought the land which had been under police investigation in 2016 after it emerged that the property was advertised for sale at a time when the late Mukomberanwa’s estate had not been distributed.
The Criminal Investigations Department (Serious Fraud Section) wrote to the Master of High Court’s office on 4 May, 2016, saying “This office is investigating a case of suspected fraud in which a piece of land held under Deed of Transfer number 2721/97 registered in the names of the late Anderson Tichafa Mukomberanwa is being advertised for sale.”
Approached for comment, Prophet Magaya’s lawyer Mr Everson Chatambudza confirmed that Mukomberanwa’s lawyers wrote seeking a reversal of the land deal.
He said the PHD founder bought the farm in April 2018. “I can confirm that indeed the Prophet bought the farm in question last year. He even paid up,” he said.
“Prophet Magaya then transferred the property into his name and it’s a surprise that they want to reverse everything,” he said.
Mr Chatambudza said the case had no legal basis. “It’s up to the Prophet (Magaya) to agree to reverse the deal or not.”
State Media|Zimbabwe’s world acclaimed five-star hotel, Meikles Hotel, is set to change hands after the Competition and Tariff Commission (CTC) approved its sale to Albwardy Investment, a Dubai-based entity.
In a board resolution released last week, the CTC said it had approved, without conditions, the proposed acquisition of the Meikles Hotel business from Meikles Hospitality by Albwardy Investment through its firm ASB Hospitality Zimbabwe Ltd.
ASB Hospitality Zimbabwe is a special purpose vehicle of Albwardy Investment, which was recently incorporated in Zimbabwe.
“The merger will not lead to acquisition of market power and removal of an efficient competitor,” said the CTC.
The deal might, however, still have to go through other regulatory approvals such as the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zimbabwe, and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe.
It will also have to get shareholder approval.
For the past few months, Meikles Limited has been running a cautionary statement advising shareholders of the impending deal.
“Further to the cautionary statement published in the Press on February 22, 2019 and subsequent updates on March 20, 2019; April 12, 2019 and May 2, 2019, the directors of Meikles Limited wish to advise shareholders that discussion to sell certain of its hospitality assets are on-going.
“The company will be seeking the approval of its shareholders for the proposed disposal at an extraordinary general meeting to be convened at a future date,” Meikles said in a statement two weeks ago.
Meikles Hotel, which is owned by the Moxon Family, through Zimbabwe Stock Exchange-listed entity Meikles Limited, is a legendary meeting place for international business executives, dignitaries, leisure travellers and celebrities.
The hotel, which has been in existence for over 100 years, is the brainchild of Thomas Meikles who envisioned a commitment to the “highest possible standard of service and product” — something that has become enshrined in the Meikles culture.
It has always been an iconic landmark of the capital city Harare, one which has constantly and gracefully evolved through the colonial era of Rhodesia into modern-day Zimbabwe.
Its position in the heart of the city has allowed its walls to bear witness to many events that have shaped the nation’s past.
The first parliament of the Colony of Southern Rhodesia met at Meikles Hotel in 1924. Since then leading African nationalists, royalty, Presidents and distinguished guests and celebrities from various nations around the world have met and stayed there.
But the hotel, that Thomas Meikles, who died on February 8 1939, constructed, is set to change hands, after the Moxon family, which married into the Meikles family, decided to sale to Albwardy Investment, owned by Dubai billionaire, Ali Albwardy who founded his own empire in 1976.
While the CTC did not give details on how much the deal is worth, parties familiar with the transaction said its worth US$20 million.
Meikles Limited, under the hospitality business, also operates the Victora Falls Hotel in a joint venture arrangement with African Sun and also has a significant shareholding in the Cape Grace Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa.
As at September 30, 2018, the hotels asset base was worth US$46,9 million while liabilities amounted to US$22 million.
In terms of revenue, the hotel business made US$10,3 million for the half year to September 30, 2018 with EBITDA coming out at US$3,3 million.
On its part, Albwardy Investment, with an annual turnover exceeding US$1 billion, operates in a number of business sectors ranging from food retailing, food distribution, construction, engineering, hospitality and hotel ownership.
Headquartered in Dubai, Albwardy portfolio consists of over 30 highly diversified companies and employs over 5 000 multi-national, multi-lingual staff, supported by a network of global partners.
Its current hotel interests consist of 16 properties on four continents.
“The portfolio is a diverse mix of acquired, refurbished and newly built properties, with its success resting in branding the hotels and resorts with some of the most distinguished, renowned and best in class international hotel chains and operators,” reads a statement on its website.
The Albwardy portfolio comprises of 1 300 rooms, with a further 400 under development. It employs over 2 500 staff with an additional 1 000 jobs created on our project sites. Among other hotel brands, it runs the Four Seasons Hotel across countries including South Africa, Seychelles and Argentina.
In addition to hotels, Albwardy hospitality also includes investments in lifestyle assets within Dubai, namely The Desert Palm Polo Estate & Residences, Taste Kitchen and Pavilion foods restaurants.
The hospitality business is headed by Zimbabwean Laurie Ward.
Laurie worked in the accounting profession before joining Lonrho Africa in 1999, diversifying into the hospitality sector in 2006 until joining Albwardy Investment in 2016 as managing director of the group’s growing hospitality sector and ongoing hotel development projects.
