MDC alliance’s losing candidate for Chiredzi West constituency during last year’s elections has donated an ambulance, 30 wheelchairs, three 5 000-litre water tanks, blood pressure testing machines, beds and various other items to Chiredzi Town Council-run polyclinic.

United Kingdom-based John Manganye is also helping with the refurbishment of the structures, including repainting of the polyclinic.

The donation, worth several thousands of dollars, was handed over to the local authority last week in the presence of Masvingo Provincial Affairs minister Ezra Chadzamira.RELATED ARTICLES

Chiredzi Town Council is planning to decongest Chiredzi General Hospital.

However, there was a heated exchange between assistant town engineer, Irvine Muteyaunga and members who attended the ceremony when he initially refused to disclose the name of the donor.

A government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the time of playing politics is over and went on to say people should give credit where it is due.

“I don’t understand why Muteyaunga was trying to hide the name of the donor. This is a developmental issue, so I don’t see where politics comes in. He didn’t want to name the donor because he is MDC. That is pathetic because he is just a council employee, not a politician,” he said.

Council chairperson Gibson Hwende said it was unfortunate that Muteyaunga didn’t give the name because he [Muteyaunga] didn’t know that the minister helped in the clearing of the ambulance at the border post.

“I don’t know his motive because this is not a political gathering. The minister played a part for the ambulance to be cleared without paying duty. So he is fully aware who donated everything here. As council, we are happy that Manganye extended a helping hand.

“This is social responsibility so we don’t look at who extended a helping hand to us, whether he is from Zanu PF or MDC his or her donations are welcome,” Hwende said.

Chadzamira thanked Manganye for the donations and challenged the corporate world to play an active role in developing under-resourced communities.

“I am so grateful with the donations. I am sure the refurbishment will be finished in a month’s time so that First Lady (Auxillia Mnangagwa) will officially open the clinic,” he said.

-Newsday

23 families were left homeless after a hailstorm recently hit the Pote community in Hurungwe east.

Hurungwe east legislator Honourable Ngoni Masenda has since appealed for interventions in the form of temporary shelter as the families are in dire need of dwellings in which to sleep.

He said the main reason for the collapse of most of the buildings in Pote area village 22 was poor workmanship as mud was used as mortar during construction.

-State Media

Road traffic accidents have so far claimed 16 lives injuring 192 since the beginning of Easter holidays.

Statistics provided by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) show that more lives have been lost this year compared to the same period last year with the acting national spokesperson of the ZRP Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi blaming the rise in road carnage to human error.

Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development Honourable Joel Biggie Matiza urged motorists to obey road rules to avoid unnecessary loss of lives.

However, motorists have been urged take personal responsibility by checking the roadworthiness of their vehicles before they embark on long journeys back from the Easter holiday as it comes to an end.

-State Media

Nelson Chamisa has won 12 out of the 12 nominations passed by the party’s provincial structures so far.

There is only 1 province left – South Africa.

If Chamisa gets South Africa, he would go to the MDC Congress in May uncontested.

Yesterday Chamisa was nominated by the UK province.

Said MDC Spokesperson Jacob Mafume:

The party has completed 11 provincial congresses where delegates elected provincial leaders and submitted their nominations for standing committee positions. President Chamisa has received 11 nominations so far. There have been massive nominations for vice-presidents and fierce contests in other positions.

Congress is the decision-making body and it can decide to accept nominations from the floor, but the rules dictate that delegates at Congress should know the candidates in advance. There’s no need to ambush delegates and therefore there should be compelling for such a move.

MDC UK nominations.

President::::: Advocate Nelson Chamisa
Vice President::: Tendai Biti
Lilian Timveos
Welshman Ncube
Chairperson:::: Tabitha Khumalo
V Chairperson::::: Bheki Sibanda
Secretary General::::: Daniel Molokela
Vice Secretary General:::::: Caston Matewu
Organising Secretary:::: Job Sikhala
Vice Organiser:: Settlement Chikwina
Spokesman::::::: Luke Tamborinyoka
Deputy Spokesman:::::: Jacob Mafume
Treasurer:::: David Coltart
Vice Treasurer::: Tapiwa Mashakada

By Farai Maguwu| Pastor Advocate Nelson Chamisa has blamed the Zimbabwe Bird for Zimbabwe’s problems. He associated the bird with institutional idolatry. In this piece I argue that claims that the Zimbabwe Bird was created for ritual purposes are purely unfounded and injurious to the history and historiography of Great Zimbabwe and the prehistoric Zimbabwean society in general.

No living person knows the exact origin of the Zimbabwe Bird nor its original purpose. However, it is very possible to deduce some material facts about its origin and potential purpose. Zimbabwe is a country with a very rich and dynamic history which any future leader must acknowledge and build on. It’s a nation of great achievements which even the colonial administration tried hard to conceal in order to dampen our spirits and create in us a defeated, self hating and submissive spirit.

First I seek to dispel the myth that the Zimbabwe Bird was a religious symbol used for idolatry. No living being, even the first archaeologists who worked at Great Zimbabwe ever had an interview with Nyastimba Mutota or any person who lived at Great Zimbabwe between 1100 and 1500 AD. Excavations at Great Zimbabwe took place during the late 19th century, about four hundred years since the abandonment of the majestic Great Zimbabwe City. The excavators then unearthed the 8 soapstone-made, bird-shaped sculptures, now popularly referred to as the Zimbabwe Bird. All the claims of the spirituality of those artefacts are mere interpretations of historians, archaeologists and politicians and they could all be WRONG.

What we know from Portuguese records is Great Zimbabwe was great medieval city that thrived on agriculture, mining and trade. We also know that the Zimbabwe Bird resembles the bateleur eagle which is a rare species of eagles that are commonly found in Southern Africa particularly South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and northern and eastern Namibia. It thrives in the tropical savanna. It is well known for its distinctive aerial acrobatics, red skin around its eyes and a very strong physique. There is no doubt such unique features could have inspired the sculptors. The majestic character of the bateleur eagle means subjects would likely ascribe its characteristics to their Kings or royal dynasties the same way they would call some of their kings ‘The Lion’ – Shumba.

Any history and archaeology enthusiast would quickly recall that throughout Sub Saharan Africa, there are rock paintings of hunters in action which show the type of animals hunted in particular regions and the weapons used by the hunters. Majority of the paintings were done in places less prone to the elements of weather. Were they doing it for themselves? Absolutely not. They had future generations in mind. It was a way of preserving history which some now associate with demons. These antiquity tell us stories about the past. Nature has immaculately preserved these to teach us about life and society we inherited from the past. Whilst our ancestors did not write history, they left artefacts which tell us about how they interacted with their world. These are not evil, but historical pointers to our ancestral identity and how life has been preserved to this day. These are treasures that must bring joy and excitement to those who find them

Now, on Great Zimbabwe we learn that warrior prince Nyastimba Mutota was sent from Great Zimbabwe to the Dande region to search for salt and whilst there he defeated the Tonga and established the Mutapa State. Thereafter Great Zimbabwe declined and was completely deserted by 1480. Nyatsimba Mutota and whoever temporarily remained King at Great Zimbabwe both left the Zimbabwe Birds at the Great Zimbabwe Ruins until they were exhumed in the late 19th century. This means the birds were NOT of ritual or spiritual purposes, otherwise if they were part of the spiritual paraphernalia of Nyatsimba Mutota, he would have moved with them to Dande or the remaining King would have migrated with them when he abandoned the city. If indeed these were spiritual objects they would have been carefully preserved and carried along just as the Israelis carried the Ark of the Covenant from Egypt to the Promised Land.

The Rhodesian government, not ZANU PF, was the first to adopt the Zimbabwe bird as a national emblem. The British, by whatever means, created the modern day Zimbabwe State when they colonized Zimbabwe in 1890. They tried to create a national identity and to them the soapstone-made Zimbabwe bird was the greatest piece of antiquity they could find between Limpopo and the Zambezi Rivers. From nothing the British created systems and institutions on which a great economy was built. When sanctions were imposed on Rhodesia by the UN in 1965, Rhodesia diversified and went into value addition and beneficiation. The economy grew in leaps and bounds during UDI (1965-1979) with the Zimbabwe bird emblazoned on the Rhodesia flag, bank notes and coins and the coat of arms.

At independence in 1980 the Zimbabwean dollar was worth more than the U.S. dollar, with ZWD 1 = USD 1.47 and 2 ZWD to 1 sterling pound.

Thus the Zimbabwe Bird inspired our nationhood and economic development for 90 years (1890 – 1980). How did it suddenly became the source of our problems once blacks, to whom it was bequeathed by their forefathers, took over power in 1980. If the Zimbabwe Bird changed its mind and started afflicting the economy the moment blacks took over then it must be charged of racism!

Its Economic Mismanagement – Stupid!

The economy of Zimbabwe started collapsing immediately after the attainment of independence in 1980 due to economic mismanagement. Because the British had built an incredibly strong and self-sustaining economy, it too more than 2 decades for the economy to start curving in under Mugabe’s ruinous policies. Part of the problem was inexperience. The country was handed over to people who had no experience in management. Their only experience was war, hence Mugabe ruled with an iron fist and a high degree of intolerance to dissent. Consequently people with brains had no place in his government and if he appointed them he did not create room for them to use their expertise.

The country was rocked by one corruption scandal after another and yet no one was arrested until corruption became the most thriving business in the country, particularly in government. First there was the 1982 Paweni grain scandal that involved several senior government officials who conspired to fraudulently award the drought relief tender to Paweni in exchange for bribes. More than $6 million was lost, which could amount to hundreds of millions in today’s terms. Paweni was arrested and jailed for 15 years that was later reduced to 10 but all the other government officials were protected by Mugabe.

Then came the Willowgate scandal which involved Mugabe’s wife Sally and several cabinet ministers followed by the 1994 war victims compensation fund looted by politicians with some claiming 100% disability whilst still serving as cabinet ministers, the 1997 un-budgeted for DRC War, the 1997 war veterans payouts, the 2000 attacks on white farmers and disruption of agriculture by ZANU PF characterised by multiple farm ownership whereby majority of the farms remain idle to this day, question of political legitimacy since 2000, authoritarianism by ZANU PF and militarization of the State and the economy.

I can tell you the magnificent Zimbabwe Bird has nothing to do with these man-made ills. Zimbabwe’s problems are entirely a product of wrong decisions made by self-serving politicians. Even if we remove the Zimbabwe Bird as a national emblem – if we don’t change how we govern, if we don’t create strong institutions and appoint capable leaders to the right positions, if we have army generals using their military might to grab political power, with no idea whatsoever about governance – we will remain in a poor state, the wretched of the earth. Economic development is a product of progressive decisions, fiscal discipline and hard work. It has nothing to do with antiquity. Please lets leave the Zimbabwe bird out of this political and economic higi-haga cum crinkum crankum that is purely of human making. It is NOT the Zimbabwe bird which instructed ZANU PF and military officials to plunder Zimbabwe’s mineral wealth, most notably Marange diamonds from 2009 to the present.

As we celebrate Easter, we commemorate our Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection. The struggle and victory of light over darkness, of life over death.

In Zimbabwe, we are currently undergoing our own struggle of light over darkness. As we walk the road of transformation and reform, we are guided by our Lord Jesus Christ’s teachings of forgiveness, peace and love, and take comfort from his victory.

For while the challenges we face are significant, we are resolute in our faith that with hard work, sacrifice and unity, we too will triumph.

On behalf of the Government of Zimbabwe and the first family, I would like to wish all Zimbabweans at home and abroad a blessed Easter.

Ngaikomborerwe nyika yeZimbabwe

Kalibusisiwe ilizwe leZimbabwe

May the Almighty protect and bless our land

Emmerson Mnangagwa was working inside 6th floor, in Kaguvi building at independence, he was never a crocodile gang leader, the late original garwe William Ndangana’s secretary tells ZimEye in a LIVE interview on Saturday. She confirms several articles authored by the former ZANU PF leader, Tich Mutyambizi which conjoin narrations by historian within and without Zimbabwe.  The exiled Patience Olivier who has since joined MDC President Nelson Chamisa also alleged that Ndangana was assassinated using a puma truck collission. WATCH BELOW:

Vice-President Kembo Mohadi is reportedly seeking to turn the tables against his former wife, Tambudzani Mohadi, whom he is now accusing of being the aggressor.

Mohadi, who was recently accused of using an axe to break down doors at the former family house and threatening to kill his ex-wife, last week reportedly approached the Harare Civil Courts seeking a protection order against Tambudzani, whom he accused of harassment and threatening him.

The matter is expected to be heard on April 23.

But Senator Mohadi has reportedly challenged the application on the basis that her former husband’s purported signature on the court document was forged.

Yesterday Senator Mohadi was not reachable for comment, but one of her daughters said she found it difficult to believe her father, VP Mohadi, was voluntarily capable of behaving in the violent manner that he reportedly did.

“It’s not him. He is someone we know. He is being pushed,” said the daughter.

Meanwhile, Tambudzani has registered displeasure at the manner in which police officers in Beitbridge handled the case where she was reportedly attacked by VP Mohadi.

The VP has not been charged for the alleged violent attack on his ex-wife despite the fact that more than two dozen police officers were reportedly present at the scene of the crime and witnessed the VP in that fit of rage.

Police sources in Beitbridge said Tambudzani was unhappy that “police let a person commit a crime while they watched” and were still to press criminal charges.

Officer commanding Beitbridge Police District Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo confirmed having met the Beitbridge Senator, but did not disclose details of their meeting.

“She came to have her statement signed at the station and as a public official, I took the chance to meet her. We had a small meeting, but I cannot disclose the details. You have to go through the usual communication channels,” Nyongo said yesterday.

It is, however, understood the government was embarrassed by the reports from Beitbridge and the police had been instructed to get detailed reports of the incident in the border town.

Some senior female Zanu PF members are said to have registered deep concern and unhappiness with what they believed was humiliation of Senator Mohadi, who is also a senior member of the ruling party.

Mohadi reportedly ran amok and took up an axe to hack the doors of his former wife’s residence, a government house situated at 108 Impala Drive in Beitbridge where the two lived as a couple before their divorce was granted this year.

This reportedly happened in full view of at least 25 policemen, including the officer in charge of Beitbridge Police Station, Inspector Kenneth Mushongahande.

Mohadi also reportedly ordered that three vehicles be towed away from the premises before threatening his wife with a firearm and poking her with an iron bar.

With her vehicles taken away, Senator Mohadi was left grounded at home after the incident. She refused to make a police report, saying police had witnessed everything and should simply compile a criminal docket against her former husband.

Mushongahande yesterday said he sent police officers to record statements from Senator Mohadi but she allegedly turned them away.

“I felt someone neutral should record the statement. I was at the scene, but someone neutral would bring out facts,” he said.

“Such reports are taken to Harare where decisions are made, that is all I can say.”

Standard

Members of Parliament (MPs) will begin receiving funds to bankroll various projects in their constituencies within the next 30 days.

Clerk of Parliament Mr Kennedy Chokuda told The Sunday Mail the disbursements were still pegged at $50 000 per constituency.

“Treasury is currently mobilising resources and we anticipate that disbursement to MPs should start within the next 30 days and each constituency is entitled to 50 000 RTGS dollars for the 2019 allocation,” he said.

The CDF is established in terms of Section 18 of the Public Finance Management Act and is designed to sponsor developmental projects.

Zanu-PF chief whip Mr Pupurai Togarepi said it was highly unlikely that the funds would be abused as there are now sufficient checks and balances to ensure they are put to good use.

“CDF is managed through strict guidelines in terms of selecting of projects, composition of constituency committee and follow ups from parliament. Every honourable member would know the consequences of corruption in the new dispensation,” said Mr Togarepi.

“The structure of the CDF now include senators, women’s quarter MPs, chiefs and councillors. Different committees handle different transactions thereby creating transparency and very strong checks and balances.”

Some MPs, he said, have already been planning on how to use the funds in their constituencies.

Similarly, MDC chief whip Prosper Mutseyami said although parliamentarians will judiciously apply the funds to benefit constituencies, the value of the disbursements has since been eroded in US dollar terms.

“I see the CDF allowances going to what they are best suited for in order to achieve the best result for constituencies, but my worry is the figure, because we are talking of 50 000 RTGS dollars. So now if you are given the same amount, it is equivalent to US$7 000, which is a drop in the ocean,” he said.

In essence, the CDF was created to help with poverty alleviation and improving living standards for Zimbabweans through developmental projects such as construction, repairs and maintenance of boreholes, clinics, schools, market stalls and related infrastructure.

Mr Mutseyami said although it was difficult to vouch for all MPs, most of them were satisfactorily putting the resources to good use.

Overall, about $10,5 million will be disbursed to the country’s 210 constituencies.

A MAN from Fort Rixon in Insiza District of Matabeleland South allegedly killed his estranged wife by stabbing her 10 times with a homemade knife before hanging himself in his fields.

Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele said June Sibanda (45) of Gwananyanga area waylaid Sikhangezile Khumalo (40) also from the same area, on Tuesday, as she was on her way from fetching firewood in the company of her two cousin sisters and ordered her to go back with him to his home.

Khumalo refused and Sibanda drew a homemade knife and stabbed her on several parts of her body 10 times before fleeing the scene.

Chief Insp Ndebele said Sibanda was found hanging from a tree in his fields the following day in a suspected suicide case.

“I can confirm that we recorded a murder and suicide case which occurred in Fort Rixon on Tuesday at around 3pm. On the same day at around 2pm Sikhangezile Khumalo left her home to fetch firewood together with her two cousin sisters aged 16 and 17.

“At around 3pm they carried their bundles of firewood and proceeded home. Along the way June Sibanda emerged from the bushes and grabbed Khumalo who was walking at the back and told her that he was taking her back to his house. Khumalo refused and Sibanda drew a homemade knife and stabbed her once on the left wrist, three times on the left hand, twice on the right armpit, once on the stomach and three times on the back,” he said.

Chief Insp Ndebele said Khumalo managed to escape and fled a distance of about 15 metres before collapsing on the ground and died on the spot.

He said Sibanda fled from the scene while Khumalo’s cousins hurried home and reported the matter to the now deceased’s father, Mr Richard Mloyi.

Chief Insp Ndebele said the matter was reported to the police who attended the scene.

He said Mr Mloyi teamed up with some villagers to search for Sibanda but they failed to locate him.

“On Wednesday Sibanda was found hanging from a tree in his fields in a suspected suicide case,” he said.

Chief Insp Ndebele said investigations were underway and appealed to members of the public to desist from resorting to violence as a way of resolving disputes.

He also warned people against carrying dangerous weapons in public places.

A source close to the investigations who preferred anonymity said Sibanda and Khumalo were staying together up until the now deceased returned to her parents’ homestead as she was having regular fights with her husband.

The source said after she had left, Sibanda followed Khumalo to her parent’s homestead and threatened to kill her if she did not return with him but she refused.

Norton legislator Temba Mliswa has fired salvo at Mines minister Winstone Chitando charging that the mining sector will not go anywhere with him at the helm.

In a Twitter thread posted yesterday, Mliswa accused Chitando of corruption saying investors are not prepared to come to Zimbabwe to pay for deals.

“No procurement or transaction took place at Mimosa without Chitando, as a CA its a shame! The mining sector won’t go anywhere with him on top&why investors aren’t prepared to loan Zim even a cent. Conglomerates aren’t keen to come to Zim to “pay” for deals,” said Mliswa.

He accused Chitando of pushing for Hwange Colliery to be put under reconstruction just as a way of avoiding scrutiny.

“As a Minister isn’t it clear that with HCCL listed on the ZSE,LSE&JSE you can’t continue dealing without scrutiny?In an effort to avoid exposure you push for a Reconstruction Act Order which itself was totally out of order,who will invest in a country under such circumstances?.

Below is Mliswa’s thread on Chitando;

1/ No procurement or transaction took place at Mimosa without Chitando, as a CA its a shame! The mining sector won’t go anywhere with him on top&why investors aren’t prepared to loan Zim even a cent. Conglomerates aren’t keen to come to Zim to “pay” for deals

2/ As a Minister isn’t it clear that with HCCL listed on the ZSE,LSE&JSE you can’t continue dealing without scrutiny?In an effort to avoid exposure you push for a Reconstruction Act Order which itself was totally out of order,who will invest in a country under such circumstances?

3/There must be rule of law at some point,are we there yet or have backslid?Those are issues to drive my brother I know you’re candid&hope this doesn’t get you in trouble but for us to move this country forward we need to be honest to he needs the truth

4/Sadly, people surrounding are of no value to him at all. He tried them in his quest for a new dispensation but they’re not the answer they’re responding to the old dispensation

ZIMBABWE is on a path to build its economy, establish a new future and through greater social cohesion and unity, the country shall rise again, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.

The sentiments by the President have seen economic and political analysts saying despite the challenges facing the country being enormous, they were however, not insurmountable to deal with. President Mnangagwa said the country’s future was depended on national engagement and openness as well as the ability by Zimbabweans to push national interest first ahead of egotism.

The President said this in his Independence message to Zimbabwe, which he delivered at the National Sports Stadium where thousands of people had converged for the main celebrations. The same message was also delivered in the country’s nine other provinces by Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs.

Said President Mnangagwa: “As we celebrate our independence, our land and our people, we look forward to a future of engagement and openness; reform and modernisation; innovation and education. As a listening president, my ear will remain attentive to all Zimbabweans as we join hands for greater social cohesion and unity. We must always put the nation ahead of self-interest, as we recommit ourselves to a legacy of peace, love, unity, harmony and development. Together, we are building a new economy and a new future. Zimbabwe shall rise again.”

President Mnangagwa said despite the country having endured years of difficulties, its people had survived and never lost hope. He said in celebrating 39 years of freedom, it was paramount to self-introspect on the honouring of national values.

“These values must drive us forward. We can no longer afford to be concerned with mere survival. Let us instead seek to blossom, thrive and prosper as a nation, as a people, towards a brighter future in the Zimbabwe we all want.”

President Mnangagwa said collective efforts between citizens at home and abroad was paramount for the nation to prosper.

He said while foreign friends and investors were helping rebuild Zimbabwe’s economy, the ultimate obligation to turn around the country’s futures rested within the general citizenry. The President said Government would continue to engage a wide spectrum of stakeholders on socio-economic and political issues.

“I am aware that a notable part of our citizens are currently spread across the Diaspora,” he said. “The raft of reforms we have started should enable some of them to return home and assist in building our nation. As a listening President, my ear will remain attentive to all Zimbabweans as we join hands for greater social cohesion and unity. I commend the progressive-minded leaders of political parties, who are part of the National Political Parties Dialogue. This is the hallmark of mature, responsible and patriotic leadership, which puts national interests ahead of selfish ambition. The platform will enable us to have conversations that will help us to develop our country.”

President Mnangagwa reiterated that the freedom in Zimbabwe was born out a liberation struggle whose main driving force was repossession of land. In that regard, he said, his administration would never reverse the land reform programme.

Political analyst Mr Godwin Mureriwa described President Mnangagwa’s optimism of a brighter future was driven by a clear understanding of the direction his administration was taking the country to. Mr Mureriwa said the country’s future was bright on the back of the current efforts to create a conducive atmosphere for local and foreign investment, infrastructural development and support to the manufacturing sector. He said value addition and beneficiation of local products would bring huge benefits that will easily uplift the livelihoods of the people.  He added that productivity and prosperity were collective responsibilities of every Zimbabwean regardless of political and other differences. 

University of Zimbabwe Department of Economics chairperson Professor Albert Makochekanwa said President Mnangagwa needed to ensure that all the policy measures being introduced by Government are implemented. The main independence celebrations were also attended by Vice-Presidents Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi who were accompanied by the wives, Cabinet ministers, service chiefs, legislators, leaders of other political parties and members of the diplomatic community.

State Media

THE death toll for pupils and teachers who died during Cyclone Idai last month has risen to 92 while 102 pupils are still missing.

The cyclone affected most parts of Manicaland and Masvingo provinces. In an interview yesterday, Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Cde Edgar Moyo said among the dead and missing children were ECD pupils.
“Currently the number confirmed dead and buried is now at 92 and the number of missing has increased to 102.

Our colleagues who are on the ground in Chimanimani are telling me that the sad thing is that of those missing we have 30 ECD learners who are among the 102. The number of teachers has also risen to four including one headmaster,” said Moyo.

He said different organs of the Government which is led by the National Disaster Management Committee are working closely with the Mozambican Government to find the missing people.
The Government availed $4 million for the reconstruction of schools in the tropical Cyclone Idai affected areas.

Moyo said the Government was planning to open schools in the affected areas on Tuesday.State media

Farai Dziva|Zion Christian Church(ZCC) leader Nehemiah Mutendi stunned all and sundry when he urged congregants to honour Emmerson Mnangagwa as he was chosen by God to lead the nation.

Mutendi also implored the people of Zimbabwe to honour Mnangagwa and all the other people in position of authority.

Mutendi made the remarks at the ZCC Easter Conference in Bikita yesterday.

“We expect you to honour our President as the leader of the country. The Bible says, ‘we should honour our parents so that we can live longer on earth,” said Mutendi.

Farai Dziva|Police have arrested a 36 year old man in Southerton, Harare allegedly connected to a spate of rapes and robberies in Harare between November last year and this month.

The crimes were committed in Warren Park, Rugare, Dzivarasekwa and Kambuzuma, targeting women vendors who were lured to secluded places on the pretext that the robber wanted to buy their wares in bulk, according to state media reports.

After isolating his victims, he would then rape and rob them.

The suspect was arrested by alert police officers after they overheard him talking to a 27 year old woman at Tobacco Sales Floor, trying to lure her away pretending to be a buyer.
A statement released by police indicates that the officers became suspicious and arrested the accused.

He is expected to appear in court soon facing six counts of rape and robbery.

At least 16 people died in road traffic accidents since Independence Day, while 96 were left injured, police have said.

A total of 192 road accidents occurred on Independence Day and Good Friday killing six on Thursday and 10 on Friday.

A total 49 people were injured in accidents on Independence Day and 47 on Good Friday.
Last year, 12 people died on Independence Day and four on Good Friday.

In an interview with The Sunday Mail yesterday, national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi urged motorists to be cautious on the roads.
“Most accidents can be attributed to human error. We urge motorists to drive leaving the stipulated distances between cars,” he said
“In the event of a breakdown, they should try and push their vehicles off the road so they do not obstruct passing motorists.”

Some of the accidents which occurred during the two days include one at the 77 kilometre peg on the Harare-Nyamapanda road where an Isuzu truck developed a mechanical fault, stopped in the middle of the road and was rammed by a Toyota Dyna.

One the passengers from the vehicles got out, but was hit by a passing vehicle before dying on the spot.

On the 23 kilometer peg along the Harare-Mutare road, a Honda CRV veered off the road and hit a car parked by the side of the road, killing two people on the spot.
Assistant Commissioner Nyathi said a significant number of hit and run accidents were also recorded.State media

Norton Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa says if he is to sit in another Parliamentary portfolio Committee he would choose the one that is led by an MDC MP  than a ZANU PF pne.

In a tweet on Friday Mliswa said, “If I have to sit in a Parly Committee, I’d prefer it to be chaired by MDC as opposed to ZANU PF as it’s a waste of time otherwise.”

Mliswa went on to praise MDC for the democratic process that is happening within the party during the ongoing preparations for the congress.

Red his full statement below:

Looking at the MDC Congress, I’m encouraged to see young people like Prosper Mutseyami the MDC Chief Whip and Dangamvura MP coming in as Manicaland Chairand Prince Sibanda Parly Chair for Info, Publicity and Media coming in as Mat North Chair and Hwende coming in as SG.

This is the generational consensus, as I’ve advocated for. However not being a youth doesn’t stop one from pushing the generational mandate and I’d expect elders to do so. Mnangagwa has a challenge in that the Cabinet isn’t that young but they must deliver what the generation expects.

Chamisa, I’m encouraged to see this leadership renewal ZANUPF l must pull up their socks ad retire the mdhara at HQ as they’re killing the Party and aren’t the answer to the new dispensation.

Talk of Mutasa wanting a position is neither here nor there, one thing I’m proud of my Sekuru is even after he left Government there wasn’t talk of him in shady deals. He was a loyalist to Mugabe and has had all the positions he needs in life. His value is in being in a Council of Elders.

Kudos to you Sekuru you’re back home in the Party with a clean slate, a servant of the People and a Minister free of controversy, well done Sekuru. Mugabe’s downfall was letting people like you go.

Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Guo Shaochun on Tuesday encouraged Zimbabwe and China to increase tourism cooperation to cement and solidify the existing excellent relations in culture and tourism, The Herald reported.

He was addressing delegates during the Sichuan Food Festival in Harare where he underlined that Zimbabwe shares a lot of geographical features with the Sichuan province of China.

“I encourage Sichuan province to discover and explore Zimbabwe both as a tourist and an investment destination,” said Shaochun.

“I also urge Zimbabwean friends to visit Sichuan and get a better understanding of the real China.

“Sichuan province is a landlocked place with beautiful landscape and rich natural resources, with 53 mineral resources. It has beautiful mountains and rivers and is home to lovely panda which constitute 80 percent of the world’s panda population.

“The people are brave, passionate and hardworking just like Zimbabweans.”

Shaochun also said Zimbabwe and China people-to-people and cultural exchanges have significantly increased.

He said this was evidenced by that more Chinese were coming to Victoria Falls, liked Zimbabwe’s stone sculpture and enjoyed Zimbabwean sadza.

On the other hand, he said, Zimbabwean people were getting interested in Chinese culture, food and language.

Meanwhile, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa, who was the guest of honour at the event, said Sichuan dishes were one of the most famous regional cuisines in China that had gone beyond national to global appeal.

She said Zimbabwe and China had a long history and strong bond of friendship.

“Our President Mnangagwa was among the first and earliest cadres who trained at the Nanjing Military Academy and upon independence, the relationship blossomed,” she said.

“The Look East Policy saved Zimbabwe from economic strangulation.

“Zimbabwe is benefiting, especially in the energy sector.

“Kariba South and Hwange 7 and 8 power stations are testament, as Zimbabwe seeks self-sufficiency and even exports electricity.

“As we talk, Tsingshan Steel, the global leader in stainless steel accounting 25 percent production is on the verge of a multi-billion dollar investment in Mvuma.”

Minister Mutsvangwa said the country remained alive to the core diplomatic interests of the two nations and was recently a victim of devastating Cyclone Idai.

Both the Chinese government and its nationals resident in Zimbabwe generously helped with rescue and recovery operations in the most hit areas of Chimanimani and Chipinge.

By Own Correspondent- Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) has claimed that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s undertakings with regards to Gukurahundi are calculated at dividing the people of Matebeleland.

The party was responding to allegations by the President’s spokesperson George Charamba that some groups invested in Gukurahundi.

MRP President Mqondisi Moyo said:

Mnangagwa is also dividing the people of Matabeleland as we are aware that Chief Maduna and Chief Ndiweni wrote to the UN and other stakeholders about the genocide, hence the engagement of the CSOs by Mnangagwa is trying to avoid issues raised by the chiefs who have the mandate of people and these atrocities took place in the jurisdictions of the chiefs.

They are better placed to address the genocide issue since they are apolitical.

Although Charamba did not mention the names of political parties he termed Gukurahundi activists, Moyo seems to have belived that Charamba was pointing at MRP. Moyo responded:

The utterances by Charamba are unfounded and baseless. We have always wanted an international independent commission to handle the genocide issue not the government because they are the direct perpetrators and anything that is done by the government on the genocide is just a smokescreen.

People like us will never use the genocide as a political campaign gimmick issue instead we want truth, and justice over this matter.-DailyNews

By Own Correspondent- Twenty-two-year-old Patience Kutama of Mkoba in Gweru went into labour at the magistrates court and delivered a bouncing baby girl while awaiting her sentence for stealing a cellphone from a reveller in a club.

Proceedings at the Kwekwe magistrates court halted as court personnel assumed midwifery roles assisting Kutama deliver her baby.

She was later rushed to Kwekwe General Hospital where the court followed up to deliver her sentence.

Kutama was jointly charged with Lisa Tongogara, also 22, and were each sentenced to a wholly suspended seven months jail term on condition they do not commit a similar offence in the next five years. Kutama, in her defence, told Kwekwe magistrate Miss Vimbai Mtukwa that she was dumped by her boyfriend and she wanted money to buy provisions for the baby.

“I am really sorry for what I did. I had run out of options as I needed money to fend for myself and the baby,” she told the court.

According to State papers, on 22 March 2019, the two accused were drinking beer at King Solomon’s Hotel when they met Calvin Zepi. At around 2 am, Zepi got drunk and fell asleep while holding his cellphone, a Samsung J7. The two accused then took the phone and hid it. Zeti made a police report the following morning. Kutama and Tongogara went to Gweru where they sold the phone for $80.

Detectives, however, managed to track the phone using a mobile tracker leading to the arrest of the two accused persons. The mobile phone was also recovered.

A lot of publications have run with this story already. Here is what Zimbabwe’s richest man, Strive Masiyiwa said:

Let me put the proverbial cat among the pigeons, a loaf of bread in South Africa costs R9.50. It costs R30 in Zimbabwe. 3x!!! Eighty percent of imported goods in Zimbabwe come from South Africa. It’s not uncommon to find those same goods costing anything above three times the cost.

The people who pay for a lot of goods are Zimbabweans living in South Africa, through their remittances. The cost structure – labour and goods – in Zimbabwe is distorted by the arbitrage of the United States dollar as a currency of settlement for rand imports.

This is not the same thing as joining a rand monetary area, or customs union, which is a much more complex process. This one can be done overnight, and even voluntarily.

Where the math is wrong

The very example that Masiyiwa gave betrays the error and it’s not his fault. The currency issues in Zimbabwe are just as confusing for residents. A loaf of bread in Zimbabwe is NOT costing R30.00.

Zimbabwe devalued currency by introducing the RTGS$ and floating it against all other currencies including the USD and the Rand. This official position was already late. Everyone knew already that since the introduction of the bond note, the money in our bank accounts was not at par with the USD which was the currency of record.

Even now, we all know the real value of the RTGS dollar is not determined by the interbank market because that market is inaccessible to any of us if we need to buy the USD or Rand. Of course banks will gladly buy USD from us at that rate but none of us will accept that unless you are a tobacco farmer who is being compelled to do so by the RBZ, the state and its guns.

So what is the Rand price of bread in Zimbabwe? First let’s use the official inaccessible interbank rate. Here are the interbank exchange rates on the last day of trading before the long weekend:

Using the above rates, bread in Zimbabwe is costing just above R15.

On the same day, 17 April, the parallel market rate between the USD and the RTGS$ was 4.85 and it was 2.87 between the Rand and the RTGS$. This puts the price of bread at just above R10. Quite close to the bread price that Masiyiwa quoted for South Africa.

Why this matters

Someone is obviously going to comment that I am knit picking or that I want to sound smart or that I hate Strive Masiyiwa. It’s crazy how we have lowered the standard of debate in this country. Anyway, the above matters because it defines the problem in Zimbabwe differently.

We will be in error if we interpret the problem under false assumptions because we will switch things around including currencies of record and still be stuck in the same place.

If you do price comparisons between Zimbabwe and South Africa using the reality of the currencies we are using here in Zimbabwe you will not find much of the arbitrage that Strive Masiyiwa mentioned. If we use his math it would mean Masiyiwa’s business Econet is also benefiting from arbitrage and the cost of telephony in Zimbabwe is much more expensive than in South Africa. This is simply not true.

The problem in Zimbabwe is that we were robbed of US dollars that we had been earning and saving since 2009 and they were swapped with RTGS$. The RTGS$ itself was devalued, first by real market forces and then later by official decree when the interbank market was introduced. However, our earnings were not adjusted to reflect this devaluation.

The price of bread in real terms has not gone up (in some instances it has actually gone down) but our capacity to afford it has been eroded. This reality will persist even if prices are quoted in Rand. We will still be charged for goods in a currency we are not earning whilst the currency we are earning is continuing to lose value.

Where adopting the Rand may make sense

Masiyiwa’s comment on how 80% of our imports are coming from South Africa is accurate. Adopting the Rand thus makes sense but not just businesses quoting prices in Rand as he suggests because that may make things worse. What would make sense is what Tendai Biti proposed: total adoption of the Rand.

Zimbabwe definitely needs a stable currency and the US dollar is not too good. South African businesses and others from other countries will continue flooding their wares here hunting for the USD. A strong and high demand currency is a curse when in the position Zimbabwe finds itself in right now.

However, the problem above may be achieved by other currency reforms that are not necessarily the adoption of the Rand. This is why diagnosing the problem is important before administering medicine; it broadens up the possible solutions.

The government is insincere in saying the price adjustments are not justifiable. They must admit that the problem is that Zimbabweans are daily losing their capacity to afford basic goods and services because of chaotic currency regimes. Admitting that as the real problem is the first step to solving it. Whether the solution is Rand adoption or not doesn’t matter as long as the solution is structurally sound based on the real problem.

Techzim

By Own Correspondent- The sight of one of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s close security aides being drenched in the rain while holding a briefcase has torched a twitter storm.

Social media users are speculating on the importance as well as the contents of the briefcase, particularly given that the agent was facing the people.

Some have speculated that this is actually a Heckler and Kock (H&K) MP5K Briefcase Gun.

Check the pictures below:

Twenty-three families were left homeless after a hailstorm recently hit the Pote community in Hurungwe east.

Hurungwe east legislator Honourable Ngoni Masenda has since appealed for interventions in the form of temporary shelter as the families are in dire need of dwellings in which to sleep.

He said the main reason for the collapse of most of the buildings in Pote area village 22 was poor workmanship as mud was used as mortar during construction.

This comes barely a month after Cyclone Idai induced storms killed hundreds of people in Manicaland and left a trail of destruction.

A man literally took his fight over a ‘small house’ to his rival’s doorstep, going as far as writing threats on his rival’s walls and gate.

The threats, most of which are written in Shona, indicate that a rival suitor who drives a silver Mercedes-Benz seems to have irked the man who went to smear the walls to his home and gate with spray paint.

He warns his rival to stop sleeping around with his ‘small house’ or else he would be forced to resort to unspecified action.

Part of his threats read: “Warning mudhara webenz yesilver kuita basa rekukwira small house yangu.

“Svikako tinopedzerana. Imbwa yemunhu. Chihure itira kure, kwete pangu.”

See more:

The images of the smeared walls have been shared on social media.

More details to follow…

DIVISIONS are widening in MDC Masvingo province after the party disqualified Tongai Matutu from contesting against James Gumbi for the post of provincial chairperson.

Matutu was disqualified because he has not been in the party for five years since he defected to former MDC secretary-general-led Tendai Biti’s People Democratic Party (PDP) before returning to the opposition party two years ago.

Matutu told the Daily News his disqualification was not justified.

“Overview, the decision is unfair, bias and vindictive. The decision was made in the eleventh hour.

“Before I was disqualified I made all the consultations even with the highest office. I was made to believe that I was the right candidate to contest.

“I then prepared for the contest. I think I was not the preferred person that’s why I was disqualified at 3am. The process started at 10am but only to be disqualified at 3am.

“I know what happened. So many shenanigans were taking place. There were so many meetings before the congress.

“If it was the issue of template they should have told me before. I was not disqualified by the party but by individuals and for me it’s business as usual. I will remain in the party.”

Matutu added that the party will continue to be weaker in the province.

“Gumbi didn’t win fairly, why did he disqualify a popular candidate? He fraudulently manipulated the nomination. The unpopular candidate won the process and as a province we are weaker more than what we were.

“We are going to see more crises until the leadership resolve this issue holistically. It’s not about individuals but about the party.”

Commenting on the issue yesterday, MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume said the party just followed its laws.

“Matutu was not disqualified; there is a template and according to the template he should have applied for a waiver for that five years period, he opted not to apply,” Mafume saidAfter the announcement of Matutu’s disqualification there was chaos as some supporters tried to protest the decision.

This comes as there are complaints from MDC secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora that the playing ground remains uneven.

Mwonzora, along with MDC vice president Elias Mudzuri had initially thrown his hat into the ring declaring his ambition to take over from MDC leader Nelson Chamisa as president of the country’s biggest opposition party.

The former Nyanga North MP, however, made a dramatic U-turn last weekend announcing during the Manicaland provincial congress in Mutare that he will instead back Chamisa who already has been nominated by the majority of the party’s 13 provinces.

Mwonzora who has not received a single nomination for the position of president is now battling for his political life after his Manicaland home province did not nominate him for any position.

While Chamisa was always seen as the favourite to emerge winner, Mwonzora was banking on history – having defeated the popular MDC leader for the position of secretary-general at the 2014 congress.

Then, Chamisa was considered as a rank outsider in those elections.

Daily News

Own Correspondent|Just a couple of days after Vice President Kembo Mohadi was awarded a second protection order against his ex wife Tambudzani Mohadi, he has been spotted enjoying a “refreshing” time out with his family and new wife Juliet Mutavhatsindi in Cape Town.

Mohadi was granted divorce with his wife of years by the High Court last month after over two years of legal wrangle.

At the divorce hearing, Tambudzani told the court that the couple had last enjoyed intimacy in 1999 and their marriage was no longer in existence.

Couple of weeks ago, Mohadi went wild at his ex matrimonial home in Beitbridge nearly killing his ex wife with an axe and was restrained by his security details.

On Wednesday Mohadi was back in court seeking another protection order against Tambudzani who he claimed was harassing him and his new wife Juliet.

The holiday in Cape Town could just be a deserved time out for Mohadi and his young wife.

Zimbabweans though will ask, at whose expense is the Vice President enjoying his time out?

An ambulance driver in Lilongwe, Malawi faces dismissal after he cruised past a presidential convoy as he had two critically ill patients – one was on oxygen – on board. He was taking the patients, a child who was on oxygen and a critically anaemic woman to Kamuzu Central Hospital.

The police followed the driver up to the hospital where they wanted to arrest him and impound the ambulance, but after discussions with hospital management, they just summoned the driver to police headquarters.

It is not known whether the police will arrest him or just caution him.

He has since been suspended from work.

District Commissioner for Lilongwe Lawford Palani defended the police action, saying the behaviour by the ambulance driver compromised the security of President Peter Mutharika. “What the driver did was indiscipline. He has to respect the head of state,” said Palani.

However, Malawians on social media are all up in arms against the police, saying the ambulance driver did nothing wrong as he wanted to save lives of two people.

“This is unfair. The president was going to Kasungu for political campaign, but the ambulance was going to hospital with critically ill patients. This is selfishness,” reads one comment.

[Opposition] United Transformation Movement presidential hopeful Saulos Chilima, who is also state vice-president, has time and again said when voted into power he would order that roads should not be closed just because the president wants to pass.

-NYASA TIMES

WATCH VIDEO BELOW…

VIEW PICTURES BELOW….

The MDC Alliance’s alternative MP for Chiredzi West constituency, Hon John Manganye, has donated an ambulance, 30 wheelchairs, three 5 000-litre water tanks, blood pressure testing machines, beds and various other items to Chiredzi Town Council-run polyclinic.

Hon Manganye is also helping with the refurbishment of the structures, including repainting of the polyclinic.

The donation, worth several thousands of dollars, was handed over to the local authority.

Chiredzi Town Council is planning to decongest Chiredzi General Hospital.

MDC 5th Congress: Defining a New Course for Zimbabwe!

By Own Correspondent| Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa says he is taking good care of his ailing predecessor, Robert Mugabe, who is currently in Singapore for treatment.

Mnangagwa said this in an interview with the national broadcaster:

“He has not been feeling well. At the age of 95, I think he is reasonably in good health. Currently he is not in the country.

He left on April 2 to Singapore, he will be away for about 29 days and he will come back.

I am making sure that I do the facilitation for him to receive treatment, take him to Singapore and to bring him back, all the facilities, I make sure that it is done.”

Mnangagwa ascended to power in November 2017 in what analysts described as a “soft” military coup.

Norton legislator Temba Mliswa has surprisingly thrown Zanu PF under the bus saying he prefers to sit in parliamentary portfolio committees chaired by MDC Alliance members as opposed to Zanu PF.

Posting on Twitter, Mliswa said sitting in committees chaired by Zanu PF members of parliament is a waste of time, though he did not shed light on the reasons behind his preference.

” If I have to sit in a Parly Committee, I’d prefer it to be chaired by @MDCAllianceZW as opposed to @ZANUPF_Official as its a waste of time otherwise,” said Mliswa.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday blasted the State over clumsy work in its appeal challenging the acquittal of businessman Wicknell Chivayo of the $5,6 million fraud charge involving the Zimbabwe Power Company’s Gwanda Solar Project.

The State was seeking leave to appeal against the decision of the High Court absolving the businessman and his company Intratrek Zimbabwe of any criminal liability in the Gwanda solar project.

Justice Bharat Patel expressed his disquiet over the manner the State’s heads of argument were crafted, describing them as “the most appalling heads of arguments I have ever seen.”

Lead prosecution counsel Ms Sheron Fero from the Prosecutor-General’s Office had asked for a postponement to file fresh heads of argument.

She dissociated herself from the heads of argument, which she also described as “kindergarten stuff”.

“I request your indulgence to file different heads of argument to correct the anomalies that are there,” she said. “There are typographical errors, which are akin to kindergarten stuff.”

The State also conceded that the points raised by Chivayo’s lawyers on the validity of the State’s application were valid and that the PG’s office would need time to consider the appeal.

Said Mr Fero: “I also looked at the substance of those heads and noted that they do not articulate the issues for purposes of this application. The defence has raised valid points in respect of the validity of the application itself, which I believe in the interest of justice, we need to craft proper heads.”

When Justice Patel sought an explanation as to who had crafted the heads of argument, both Ms Fero and Mr Zivanai Macharaga, also from the Prosecutor-General’s Office, distanced themselves.

Justice Patel agreed to have the matter postponed after Ms Fero told him that she wanted time consider the matter carefully. Justice Patel said if the State intended to proceed with the matter, they will have to file a fresh set of heads of argument by April 29 and the matter will be heard on May 8.

The defence had up to May 4 to file their papers.

Chivayo was cleared of the fraud charges, while the other two counts of breaching Exchange Control regulations suffered a stillbirth, shortly before the trial commenced.

In acquitting, Chivayo last month, Justice Owen Tagu ruled that the matter was a civil and not a criminal suit.

-State Media

By Own Correspondent| Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company Security Manager for Chiadzwa Mine, Benjamin Chinyanga resigned ahead of his disciplinary hearing, a local publication reported.

The hearing followed security breaches at the mine in December 2018 and January 2019.

Said Sugar Chagonda the company’s spokesperson:

“The state diamond miner will leave no stone unturned when it comes to curbing all forms of leakages and pilferage of the precious stones in line with our zero tolerance to corruption policy and our quest to become a world class diamond producer.”-263Chat

By Own Correspondent- Zanu Pf youth league leader Pupurai Togarepi has said the country’s solutions lie from within the country calling on all citizens to dialogue.

The 55 year old youth leader said everything that is needed for the country’s prosperity is found locally hence the need for everyone to abandon self hate and unite.

Said Togarepi:

“All we need is found here in Zimbabwe, unity, peace, love, resources and development. Unfortunately we mislead ourselves seeking outside influences. Its never too late to seek unity for the good of our people. If you are genuine then abandon self hate and lets dialogue”.

Correspondent|Movement for Democratic Change leader Nelson Chamisa, who initially said he wanted dialogue but this should not be convened by his main rival Emmerson Mnangagwa of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front but by someone from outside Zimbabwe, seems to be softening his position.

Chamisa, whose party is holding its congress next month and seems to be assured of retaining his post, yesterday tweeted: “Where we are going now requires us to think and act together as Zimbabweans. Our dire situation is no longer about MDC or ZanuPF but about Zimbabwe. We have a nation to build and a generation to defend. We have the power!”

The MDC leader lost to Mnangagwa is last year’s elections but has refused to recognise the ZANU-PF leader insisting that he won the elections though he lost the case at the country’s highest court.

Chamisa was backed by one of the former G40 kingpins, Patrick Zhuwao, former President Robert Mugabe’s nephew who responded to his tweet: “Spoken like a true leader. Well done.”

In response to Joseph Budzi who said: “‏Dialogue Dialogue Dialogue is the only way to go.. Let’s find each other,” Chamisa, who set five conditions for his party to negotiate with Mnangagwa, tweeted: “I said it and will say it again…Resolution of our negative politics and the debilitating governance crisis upon genuine dialogue is the only genuine door out this economic morass, social quagmire and squalid living conditions we so sweat under.”

On Wednesday Chamisa tweeted: “Our politics must be more about Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans. It’s about Zimbabwe and It’s people.”

This seems to be a softening of his die-hard stance that talks must be convened by someone from outside Zimbabwe.

Some observers say recent moves by the International Monetary Fund to work with Mnangagwa’s administration could have jolted Chamisa and his party which accused the IMF of working to perpetuate tyranny.

Others said Chamisa is now desperate to join the conversation in the hope of creating a government of national unity so that he can be accommodated as at the moment it is only him and Welshman Ncube who are outside the legislature. All the other senior leaders of his party are either Senators or Members of Parliament.

ZANU-PF supporters say Chamisa is slowly recognising that he will be left by the train, as Mnangagwa once said, as Mnangagwa’s administration is quietly reviving the country though this is grossly overshadowed by currency woes, skyrocketing prices and the shortage of fuel.

Mnangagwa said his administration would create 780 000 jobs in the next two years as it had approved 59 projects which are at various stages of implementation.

Mnangagwa had announced several mega-deals which have not yet materialized since he came to power.

However, if he manages to create these jobs in two years he will literally have swept the rug from under the MDC’s feet.

Instead of heaping the blame for the present crisis on ZANU-PF, Chamisa said Zimbabweans were to blame for their present predicament.

“We really have none but ourselves as the only viable and credible answer to all our questions,” he tweeted.

When asked by Chibabest Mavisto: “‏Exactly what are u suggesting? Tell us your plan mere talk wont cook ‘rice’. Actions speak louder than words”, Chamisa responded: “Come let us reason together! No problem is ever too big enough or insurmountable when our hands and minds are put together for the common good.”

When told by Jerry M that “Greedy politicians from Zanu &MDC are responsible!” for the crisis in the country, Chamisa responded: “When something is part of the problem it is not the entire problem. Yes, dishonesty, corruption and greedy leadership across the political divide account for the sad and ugly circumstances we find ourselves in.”

ZCDC Security Boss Resigns A Day before Disciplinary Hearing.

Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) Security Manager for Chiadzwa Mine, Benjamin Chinyanga has resigned just a day before the commencement of his disciplinary hearing.

The resignation follows a spate of security breaches at the mine.

Chinyanga who is understood to have been on suspension since the 20th of March this year, is said to have tendered his letter on 16 April 2019.

Contacted for a comment,ZCDC Spokesperson Sugar Chagonda could neither deny nor confirm the resignation of Chinyanga saying the company is set to curb all diamond leakages in line with their zero tolerance to corruption.

“The state diamond miner will leave no stone unturned when it comes to curbing all forms of leakages and pilferage of the precious stones in line with our zero tolerance to corruption policy and our quest to become a world class diamond producer.”

The state-owned company in January fired 80 of its employees, many of them suspected of involvement in diamond ore looting at Chiadzwa.

A breach of security occurred in December 2018 followed by another one in January 2019 with the latest having been recorded in March resulting in the arrest and prosecution of four people who are before the courts.

-263Chat

REPORTS of two government commissions of inquiry into post-independence massacres in Matabeleland and the Midlands “have been lost”, the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) says it has been told.

Retired High Court judge Selo Nare, whose commission will shortly carry out public hearings into the 1980s massacres and propose a way forward, says they asked the government for the reports of the Dumbutshena Commission of Inquiry which investigated the events surrounding the Entumbane uprising between November 1980 and March 1981; and the Commission of Inquiry into the Matabeleland Disturbances also known as the Chihambakwe Commission of Inquiry which investigated the killing of civilians by the Fifth Brigade between 1983 and 1985.

“It’s unfortunate though that the previous commissions’ reports have been lost. Nonetheless, the government is still looking for the whereabouts of the Dumbutshena and Chihambakwe reports,” Nare was quoted as saying by the Centre for Innovation and Technology.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the 39th Independence celebrations at Phelandaba Stadium in Gwanda.

In 2000, two human rights groups, the Legal Resources Foundation (LRF) and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), filed an application in the supreme court seeking an order compelling Mugabe to make public the two reports.

But then Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, in affidavits filed with the court on behalf of Mugabe, said the Dumbutshena report could no longer be located.

Mnangagwa, now the president, was a key architect of the massacres which independent reports by rights groups say left 20,000 people dead. He recently invited a public debate on Gukurahundi (a Shona word which means the rains that wash away the chaff).

Survivors and rights groups say any genuine discussions around Gukurahundi should begin with the government making public the two reports, which have been kept under lock and key.

The Dumbutshena Commission, chaired by the former Chief Justice Enoch Dumbutshena, presented its findings to then Prime Minister Robert Mugabe in 1981.

The commission looked into sporadic violence that broke out starting in April 1980 when Mugabe’s Zanu PF won 57 parliamentary seats out of 100 in the first elections after the war. The violence was reported in the vicinity of Guerrilla Assembly Points all over the country.

In November that year, there was a battle between ZIPRA and ZANLA guerrillas, moved from rural Assembly Points to Entumbane in Bulawayo. There was a second more violent outbreak of clashes in February 1981 at Entumbane which spilled over to Ntabazinduna and Connemara in the Midlands. More than 300 guerrillas, mostly former ZIPRA, were killed after Mugabe’s government sent in air support.

The Chihambakwe Commission, chaired by the late Supreme Court judge Simplisius Chihambakwe, was set up in September 1983 to investigate atrocities by the Fifth Brigade which was deployed in Matabeleland starting in December 1982 with orders to “combat dissidents”, reference to a few dozen former ZIPRA fighters who refused to put down arms after rejecting Mugabe’s rule.

The commission began its work in January 1984. It was made up of Justice Chihambakwe, two lawyers John Ngara and Prince Machaya (Zimbabwe’s current Attorney General) and the commander of 1 Brigade Mike Shute.

In November 1985, the government, through Mnangagwa, announced that the Chihambakwe Commission’s report would not be made public, which was read by some as confirmation that it was damning on the government.

Not many people are helpful Nare’s commission will get anywhere with its much-hyped Gukurahundi re-examination, pointing to the fact that Mnangagwa and some generals involved in the killings would not prepare their own jail.

“As a leader of the commission, my wish is to see justice prevailing and to amicably solve this problem that is dividing the nation,” Nare maintained. “We shall be soon carrying out public hearings with the affected people where reconciliation will be the main agenda, as well as taking people’s views on the way forward. President Mnangagwa has opened the doors for free dialogue without fear.”

He said the public hearings will begin during the first week of May in Kezi before moving to Gwanda, Tsholotsho, Lupane and Nkayi. In order to cover ground, the commission will be split into two groups, one responsible for Matabeleland region while the other will deal with Midlands province.

Nare said his commission will be supporting exhumations and reburials of victims, with the first they have facilitated set to take place on May 27 in Sipepa, Tsholotsho.

“There’s a mass grave near the railway line. It has come to our attention that when it rains, some human bones are exposed. We are therefore inviting and hoping that relatives of the victims will come in their numbers to identify the remains through DNA testing,” he said. — ZimLive

A BULAWAYO activist has petitioned the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) to investigate the Department of Civil Protection (DCP)’s disaster management preparedness after blame was largely heaped on the agency for the Cyclone Idai-induced deaths and loss of property.

Cyclone Idai barrelled through Zimbabwe, killing nearly 400 people, displacing 16 000, while hundreds others are still missing.

In a petition to the ZHRC dated April 10, activist Khumbulani Maphosa blamed the loss of life on DCP’s poor disaster management response, adding that the agency failed to prepare for and reduce the effects of the cyclone.

Maphosa argued that the Meteorological Services Department released adequate information “that could have given any responsible authority enough time, opportunity and space to make sound and critical decisions to protect and promote right to life during the cyclone”.

“The DCP had an administrative duty and mandate to protect the people of Chimanimani from death by way of Cyclone Idai and one of the measures to do that was to order and facilitate evacuation to higher ground and provide temporary shelter [in the form of tents] to those evacuated in order to save precious lives,” he said.

“The DCP failed in its administrative mandate to respect and promote the right to life because they omitted or failed to reach a decision to order an evacuation (even if it meant assisted evacuation) of people from Chimanimani’s low-lying areas to higher ground.”

Government declared the cyclone-induced flooding a national disaster after it caused considerable damage to properties, livelihoods and infrastructure.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday launched a humanitarian and reconstruction appeal for districts affected in the storms’ path.

Maphosa implored the ZHRC to investigate “gross incompetence, omission and failure of the DCP to order or facilitate the evacuation of people of Chipinge and Chimanimani from low-lying areas to higher ground”.

“Investigate why the DCP did not facilitate the erection of temporary shelter before the commencement of Cyclone Idai on higher ground since it already had visual images of the damage happening in Mozambique and it was aware of the dangerous speed of the cyclone.

“…the DCP Management and the National Civil Protection Committee be held responsible and liable for the deaths of 185 Zimbabweans (according to government statistics; 259 according to United Nations agencies) due to Cyclone Idai,” Maphosa’s petition adds.

Farai Dziva|Senior government officials in Masvingo Province attempted to seize donations made by an MDC A official last week.

MDC A losing candidate for Chiredzi West constituency during last year’s elections, John Manganye, donated an ambulance, 30 wheelchairs, three 5 000-litre water tanks, blood pressure testing machines, beds and various other items to Chiredzi Town Council-run polyclinic, sending shivers down ruling party honchos’ spines.

Manganye is also helping with the refurbishment of structures, including repainting of the polyclinic.

Government sources claimed Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister, Ezra Chadzamira initially blocked council officials from publicising Manganye’ s name.

“Chadzamira blocked council officials from mentioning Manganye’s name but he gave in due to incessant protests from angry stakeholders,” a government source claimed.

Farai Dziva|MDC A president Nelson Chamisa says Zimbabweans are the saddest people in the world.

Chamisa made the remarks in an interview with a national daily newspaper.

” We are turning 40 next year, it’s time to take stock of the benefits of the liberation struggle to say: how far have we come in fulfilling the gains of the liberation struggle.

The liberation struggle was about the will of the people, one-man, one-vote, it was about sovereignty, land.

How far have we gone in addressing those fundamental questions? We continue to have disputed elections. In 2018, the elections were disputed on account of deprivation of the will of the people; that shows you and that confirms that we have achieved nothing in terms of the ethos of the liberation struggle.

On the land issue, we have not genuinely empowered our people and you see now there continues to be problems around fundamental issues of title.

The land issue continues to be a hanging question. The third issue has to do with prosperity and opportunities for the people of Zimbabwe.

We are the saddest people in the world, we score least on the index of happy people in the world, because of government’s illegitimacy, governance deficit, because of the absence of comprehensive reforms, institutionally, constitutionally, economically and politically these fundamental reforms are lacking,” said Chamisa.

“If you look at our laws we continue to have trails of repression from the Rhodesian times. Look at how people continue to have a police force which is questionable, typical of the Selous Scouts.

We still have deep-seated divisions, you can’t have independence when we have divisions around tribes, when you have unhealed wounds around past challenges, around Gukurahundi, Murambatsvina, erosion of pensions; all those things are wounds on the hearts and minds of people of Zimbabwe.

Independence must mean something, Independence can’t be paper independence, it can’t be rhetoric. It has to be independence in the means of production, independence in the economy, in the ownership of the means of production; those issues have not been addressed.”

Farai Dziva|MDC A leader Nelson Chamisa has castigated Zanu PF for distorting the history of the liberation struggle.

Chamisa told a national daily newspaper in an interview the ruling party should not mislead the nation by deliberately distorting the meaning of the liberation struggle.

” They [ZANU PF] want to distort history and rewrite it in their own terms, in their own persuasion, but clearly the struggle of the liberation of our country was not a sole effort.

It was not a partisan effort, it was not a political effort, and it was a people’s effort. The liberation struggle was and still remains a people’s project.

Nobody should appropriate themselves the liberation of this country, this country belongs to its owners and authors being the people under the auspices of the almighty God and nobody is supposed to appropriate the sole proprietorship of our country.

We fought as a people, yes, we used different vehicles, Zanu was one of them, Zapu was another and any other vehicle, that vehicle can’t become the destination. The destination was a liberated Zimbabwe,” said Chamisa.

Own Correspondent|The saga in which Vice President Kembo Mohadi was reported to have turned murderous and wanted to kill his former wife Tambudzani has taken a new twist.

Vice President Mohadi has gone to court instead claiming that Tambudzani is the one who wanted to attack him in the presence of police officers when he went to collect personal property from his former matrimonial home in Beitbridge.

“On March 30, 2019, I had to go to my former matrimonial home in the company of the police so that everything would be done peacefully and within the ambit of the law. The respondent (Muleya) had to be restrained by the police from attacking me. I proceeded to collect my property and left and since then I have never been there and will never be there,” Mohadi said in his plea for protection.

This is the second time that the Vice President who enjoys high level VIP state security protection is applying for such an order against her over the last year.

“… on April 1, 2019, the respondent went to my farm Lot 1 of 10 Farm, Jompembe Beitbridge Umzinganwe Estate which is a property which was awarded to me. She started giving my workers orders different from what I had given them. Meanwhile, she is dictating how business should be conducted at the farm.”

Mohadi also accused Muleya of visiting his workplace in Harare, and later his residence where he now stays with his new wife, Juliet Mutavhatsindi, “to cause commotion and chaos”. She was restrained by security agents manning the two places, he said.

In her opposing affidavit, Muleya challenged the authenticity of Mohadi’s affidavit before the court saying the signature appended on the document does not resemble that of her former husband.

“It is a manifest forgery and the document before this honourable court is a forged document. I dispute its authenticity,” Muleya said.

The matter is set to be heard on April 23, 2019.

A man from Marula in Matabeleland South could not accept seeing his mother being poked by another man and knifed him to death.

The incident which left villagers in a state of shock happened last week on Tuesday. A police source said Behaviour Moyo (25) always accused his mother Thandiwe Moyo of having a sexual affair with Mehluli Sibanda. But it seems his accusations fell on deaf ears. Despite that Thandiwe never stopped Mehluli from sneaking into her bedroom hut during the night. As a result last Tuesday, Behaviour confronted Mehluli and accused him of disrespecting his family.

But Mehluli did not take kindly to the accusations, as a result an argument ensued between the two. At the height of it, Behaviour allegedly drew an Okapi knife from his pocket and stabbed Mehluli.

“He stabbed him twice on the chest and once on the head. Mehluli bled profusely and died while he was being rushed to a hospital,” said the police source.
A family source said after Behaviour killed Mehluli, he sent his sisters a WhatsApp message.

“He sent us a text message saying I have killed that dog that was sleeping with our mother. If you go along the railway line you will find his lifeless body,” said the police source. One of the villagers reported the matter to the police leading to Behaviour’s arrest.State media

TWO teenagers believed they could get drunk without spending their money but feeding off grown men until tragedy struck.

The two (names withheld) from Pumula suburb one day found their target at a popular nightspot in Bulawayo but little did they know they were in for the highest jump.

Their “target” bought them drinks for the whole night until midnight when he suggested they go get some food from one of his friends with a restaurant in the plush suburb of Burnside. It was around 3am but that didn’t matter for the two because they were getting what they wanted.

One of them told B-Metro that they sized their “target” up and seeing he was driving a vehicle that seemed to be a Government Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), he must have been a senior civil servant and they trusted his pockets as surety.

“When he suggested food, we did not think twice because we had been drinking for the whole night and not eating anything. When we got out of the bar we saw the car he was driving and we thought he was harmless,” said one of the women.

He drove to their destination, a big house with a wall up high and a big gate. That’s when they asked themselves what was going on. After all the house didn’t look like a restaurant.

“When we got to Burnside we took many turns and l got confused but l was the only one awake because my friend had dosed off. We got to a big house with a large wall and gate and at that moment my mind told me something bad was about to happen because l have never come across a food joint hidden between houses,” she added.
They got inside the house but instead of food their host became rude.

“We went inside the house and everything changed as he became rude towards us,” she said.
The worst was about to happen.
“He went to one of the rooms and came back carrying a rope. He tied us and raped us without a condom. After he was done he dumped us on the roadside and we were found by people who took us to the hospital after calling the police,” she added.
At the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) they were given PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) a drug that is taken when one has been potentially exposed to HIV to prevent becoming infected.

The two girls chose not to follow the issue up with the police because they are scared of what their parents would do to them (they are under-18 years of age).
A woman who claims to have driven them to hospital, a Mrs Mahlangu, said she was the one who made the police report.

“I saw what looked like rubbish bags and when l got closer l saw that it was two girls tied up. I uncovered their mouths to find out what had happened and they told me half the story and l decided to call the police,” she said.State media

By Own Correspondent- Masvingo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs today visited the Mwenezi District Hospital and was disheartened by the dilapidated state he found the hospital in a ZBC Online report claimed.

Photo Credits: ZBC News Online

Honorable Chidzamira and other government officials were told by the District Medical Officer that the hospital was marred with challenges like water, laundry machines, kitchen equipment, bed linen, and drugs, these are their immediate needs.

According to ZBC News Online:

“It emerged that the running of the instituition is basically in intensive care”.

Most boarding schools in Matabeleland have increased fees to between RTGS$1 200 and RTGS$1 500 a term and many parents said they are contemplating withdrawing their children because they cannot afford the fees.

The parents said school authorities in coming up with the new fees had not taken into account the prevailing economic hardships.

In interviews yesterday, parents said providing for their children for the second term that starts on May 7 is proving to be a challenge as they have to buy winter uniforms whose prices have also been increased.

Government gave schools the go ahead to raise fees after they applied to review fees upwards citing the tough operating environment characterised by increases in the prices of goods and services.

Most boarding schools including Government schools have increased fees to between RTGS$1 200 and RTGS $1 500, up from between RTGS$500 and RTGS $700.
Some of the schools that have already increased fees, have informed parents that they might be forced to meet again before schools open for another fees review.

Some private schools have asked parents to pay part of the fees in United States dollars. Day schools also increased fees by more than 100 percent.State media