By Own Correspondent- Chief magistrate Munamato Mutevedzi says suspended University of Zimbabwe (UZ) vice-chancellor Levi Nyagura has a case to answer and will stand trial on May 16.

Nyagura had sought for exception through his lawyer Advocate Sylvester Hashiti, arguing that he was being wrongly charged for illegally awarding a PhD to former First Lady Grace Mugabe.

He had made an application for exception and quashing of the indictment, arguing that a vice-chancellor was not responsible for the awarding of degrees.

In throwing out Nyagura’s application, magistrate Mutevedzi said:

“The State is not alleging that the accused conferred the degree in person to Grace Mugabe. Instead the allegation is that the accused facilitated the conferment of the degree to Grace Mugabe.”-StateMedia

Government phased out the paper identity document around 2005 after introducing the instant plastic ID card which is made up of polythene and synthetic material. 

Prior to that, the paper ID was a temporary document that an applicant would use while waiting for the permanent metallic card which took several months to come out.

TellZim News secured an interview with Masango to get clarification on the long queues for IDs and passports as well as to understand why passports that are normally processed in six weeks are now taking several months.

“Yes there are long queues at our offices countrywide. People need IDs but resources are a challenge. The consumables require foreign currency to import yet our services are charged in local currency. Our personnel are doing all they can to give optimum services to citizens,” said Masango.

He said it was the same case with passport paper which has to be imported into the country using foreign currency which is scarce.

The ordinary passport, which costs $53, normally gets processed in six weeks but it is now taking up to seven months and more. Some people who spoke to TellZim News said they applied for passports in June last year but were still waiting.

At $53 and coming out in few days, the emergency passport is too expensive for most citizens. On plans to decentralise passport applications to the district, Masango said it was government’s goal to increase convenience but resources were not permitted.

“We want people to apply for passports at district level but that move requires a lot of money and equipment; all the cameras, computers and office space,” said Masango. He said he was, however, pleased that his department had put in place plans like satellite offices to assist survivors of Cyclone Idai to get new copies of their lost identity documents.

“We are there to assist people get burial orders for their deceased loved ones as quickly as possible. Those that have lost their identity particulars will also get them without delay because we have instructed teams in Chimanimani and Chipinge to be ready for real work.

“Our office has all the information regarding everyone in Zimbabwe so people must not worry. We have details on everyone in the main server,” he said.

Farai Dziva|Zanu PF “comeback kid” Didymus Mutasa says former President Robert Mugabe worked for the ruling party more than anyone else.

Mutasa and former Mashonaland East Resident Minister Ambrose Mutinhiri were this week accepted back into the party.

Speaking to Daily News about Mugabe’s possible return, Mutasa said:
“When we gained independence, we were talking about the establishment of a one-party state … but that did not fit with the democracy of the Western world.

Now we should do everything we can to bring everyone back to the party, including him (Mugabe). He worked for Zanu PF more than anyone else, and I don’t think there is anyone who can dispute that.

He should, therefore, be brought back into the party.”

“For now, I am just a card-carrying member. But I think by now Zanu PF should have developed into the undisputed main party in this country, as we have seen elsewhere. I think from what we have seen so far from Mnangagwa, he wants everyone involved.

If you look at other countries like Tanzania, they have arranged themselves very well, especially their ruling party, and that is what we want to see in our party.”

FORMER President Robert Mugabe could make a sensational return to Zanu-PF one and a half years after the frail nonagenarian was swept from power by a military coup- if the party’s overtures to him yield positive results.

Zanu-PF is on a drive to embrace defectors and members that were expelled from the party by the previous party administration led by former President Mugabe.

Zanu-PF secretary for administration Dr Obert Mpofu, said the party was making changes and accepting its lost sheep.

Former Zanu-PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa and former Mashonaland East provincial minister Ambrose Mutinhiri have already retraced their steps back to the ruling party – but leader of the People’s Rainbow Coalition and former vice president of Zimbabwe Joice Mujuru says she will never go back.

Dr Mpofu who welcomed the pair said the readmission was a directive from President Mnangagwa who was keen on uniting and strengthening party.

President Mnangagwa, Mpofu said, wanted to unite the people with a view to collectively build the nation.

“We welcome you comrades. President Mnangagwa has directed us to readmit former members, willing to re-join the party.

“The President has even gone further to invite members of the opposition saying let us build our country together.

“He believes that we should not derail our development through unnecessary politicking. We are all Zimbabweans we must work together to develop the nation.

“You will be seeing the new dispensation arrangement where we have fulltime members of the party, you will see a different Zanu-PF in terms of operations and effectiveness because we are not closing anyone out, we have agreed that all members who were expelled from the party or who left the party should come back,” he said.

Mpofu said the party needed senior members like the pair for guidance.

Dr Mpofu said the restructuring that was going on within the party had seen members that have been expelled tracking back as they were still interested in working for the party.

“This restructuring exercise has actually given the members that sympathise with us some hope of participating in the party they love. The previous system was so restrictive that members were not allowed to exercise their democratic right to participate in the party. So this is one of the benefits and results in the last few weeks following the dissolution of Bulawayo Province for one,” he said.

Meanwhile, after making stunning revelations that he was going to meet former president Robert Mugabe at his Blue Roof mansion, MDC leader Nelson Chamisa said Zanu-PF has increased security at the former president’s house in a bid to block the meeting.

Addressing the party’s provincial structures in Masvingo recently, Chamisa claimed that Mugabe promised to give him damning files on all the Zanu-PF top brass hence the reason why they went into panic mode over the proposed meeting.

“I wanted to cause panic within Zanu-PF and said I wanted to meet Mugabe. Everyone in Zanu-PF went into panic mode and they were sweating all over.

“I heard Mugabe has damaging files on all Zanu-PF chefs and he told me to come get them so they want to prevent me from seeing him. This has become a contentious issue within Zanu-PF and we hear they are increasing security at the Blue Roof mansion to make sure that I do not get in. Every day they add soldiers,” said Chamisa.

The youthful opposition leader said he is yet to meet Mugabe and is still playing politics but he will eventually visit him.

“I haven’t met Mugabe since he was removed from power to ask him how retirement is going. Mugabe thought that the country would come to a standstill when he is not in power but that is not the case. I am still playing politics but will eventually have a meeting with Mugabe,” said Chamisa.

The proposed meeting with Mugabe has since divided opinion with many questioning the logic behind meeting someone who terrorised opposition members and ruined the country.

No comment could be obtained from Zanu-PF national spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo as his mobile went straight to voice mail.

Source – Dailynews

Former first lady Janet Banana is said to be seriously ill and seeking medical treatment. Reports indicate that the 83-year-old Banana has been in and out of the hospital recently due to failing health.

Banana is the wife of the country’s first post-independence president Canaan Sodindo Banana.

Banana was President of Zimbabwe from independence in 1980 until 1987.

Banana relinquished his post when the post of Prime Minister, which was held by Robert Mugabe, was abolished thus creating an executive President. He died in the United Kingdom in 2003 and was not accorded national hero status.

Daily News sources say Mrs Banana is suffering from renal disease, also known as chronic kidney disease. Said the source:

In February she was asked to sign a certificate of life so her pension payments could be re-activated after having been stopped a couple of years ago.

She was allocated a temporary hired 4×4 vehicle and a driver and security detail which was withdrawn mysteriously at the beginning of March after she was told it had gone for service.

It turned out that the owner had not been paid by the government for several months and had decided to take back their car.

The president and first lady (president Emmerson Mnangagwa and wife Auxillia) visited Bulawayo on several occasions but none of them ever tried to come to visit her despite knowing that she was in the country from January.

Bulawayo provincial minister confirmed to the Daily News that the government is taking care of Banana’s medical bills. Said Ncube:

She is not feeling well, that is the reason why the president had to call her so that she can be assisted. It is her right to get government assistance.

It is the government that is actually taking care of her bills. At the moment, we are frantically looking for a house for her that will be purchased by the government, because she is currently staying with her sister.

The government is working towards giving her, her pension. Two weeks ago, her pension had not yet reflected in her bank account. She is well taken care of. It’s just a question of time before everything gets into place.

Reverend Canaan Banana was a Methodist pastor who died in November 2003, was found guilty in 1999 of 11 counts of sodomy and abusing his power to sexually assault and carry out homosexual acts with men, most of whom were on his presidential staff.

He is best remembered for his role in ending the ethnic violence in Matabeleland, also known as the Gukurahundi massacres.

First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa has been appointed Ambassadorship of Merck more than a Mother by a German based philanthropic organization called Merck Foundation. 

Announcing the appointment, the CEO of Merck Foundation Dr. Rasha Kelej said, “am very happy to meet for first time, H. E. Zimbabwean First Lady Madam Auxillia Mnangagwa, very proud that she accepted to be the Ambassador of Merck more than a Mother, we discussed our new strategy and our launch in Zimbabwe.” 

Kelej also announced that they will be launching media recognition and fashion awards in the country soon. 

“We are going to Launch Merck more than a Mother media recognition award, media health training and Fashion award in Zimbabwe. We are going to partner with the government to build healthcare capacity for Diabetes, Cancer and Fertility care.

“We have conducted a side meeting with H. E. Zimbabwean First Lady Madam Auxillia Mnangagwa, to discuss her ambassadorship of Merck more than a Mother. We also discussed our new strategy and our launch in Zimbabwe” 

The Merck Foundation is the Philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany. It is a non-profit organization that aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people and advance their lives through science and technology. Our efforts are primarily focused on improving access to innovative healthcare solutions in under-served communities, building healthcare and scientific research capacity and empowering people in STEM with a special focus on women and youth.

Source – Byo24News

Correspondent|FINANCE and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube ha sannounced that Zimbabwe wil have a “fully-fledged currency” within the next twelve (12) months.

Mthuli Ncube, who is in Washington DC, the United States (US), for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank 2019 Spring Meetings, said this in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Thursday.

He also said Zimbabwe will “soon” introduce a central bank reference rate as part of measures the government wants to use to prop up the collapsing economy .

He told Bloomberg that: “Zimbabwe plans to introduce a new, fully fledged currency in the next 12 months and to close the gap between the rate for dollars in the official and parallel markets using RTGS dollars, which the government introduced in February.”

The report by Bloomberg continues: “The measures come as the government scrambles to end a currency shortage that’s pushed inflation to the highest rate since 2008 and sparked shortages of fuel and bread.

“The troubles stem from the country abandoning the Zimbabwe dollar in 2009, after a bout of hyperinflation, in favor of the greenback. In 2016, it introduced the bond notes, which aren’t accepted outside the country, to fund rampant spending.

“The annual inflation rate is at its highest since a hyperinflation episode in 2008, but month-on-month price growth slowed to 1.7 percent in February from 10.8 percent a month earlier.”

Late in February, Zimbabwe introduced a new currency called the RTGS, or real-time gross settlement dollar, in the process abandoning its long-held 1:1 parity between the US dollar and its local transactional instrument – the bond note.

The introduction of the new currency was also accompanied by the introduction of a market-based foreign exchange market, where the value of the local currency against other global currencies would be determined by market forces, through what is called an interbank market.

At the start, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe put an official rate of RTGS$2.5:US$1. This has since devalued to current levels.

By Own Correspondent- Telecommunications giant Econet Wireless Zimbabwe’s EcoCash has announced that it has increased transaction limits from RTGS$500 to RTGS$1 000.

In a statement, EcoCash said:

“Dear valued customer. Please be advised that you can now transact above RTGS$500 up RTGS$1 000 at ONE GO on EcoCash. This applies to Send Money, Merchant Payments and Bill Payments.”

FORMER ZANU-PF politburo member and Cabinet Minister Saviour Kasukuwere’s wife was on Thursday morning reportedly detained for five hours at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare.

Human Rights Watch director Dehwa Mavhinga reported the incident on Twitter, saying: “The wife of Saviour Kasukuwere traumatized after being briefly detained, questioned, harassed by five security details at Robert Mugabe Airport on a flight out. Was finally released & let go around 12 noon.”

VIDEO LOADING BELOW…
https://youtu.be/ab08RwXbpMQ

By Own Correspondent| Abigail Prangs, the now Australia based woman who in an exclusive documentary investigation was assisted to trace her biological family by ZimEye, has jetted into Zimbabwe nearly 36 years later.

VIDEO LOADING BELOW…

Prangs is staying at a local hotel after her touch down yesterday.

ZimEye can reveal that she is set to undergo paternity tests with one of her “biological” family member.

The mother of five who is now married was picked up by a police officer on the side road in Houghton Park Harare before being taken back to Harare Central Hospital where she was taken into foster care by the Prangs family.

The Prangs relocated to Australia when Abigail was 5years old. – MORE TO FOLLOW..

THE Zimbabwe Republic Police has released names of the victims of the head-on accident which occurred between a commuter omnibus and a conventional bus some 25 km outside Gweru last night.
Here are the full names and addresses of the deceased:

1) Tatenda Chinave, a male adult from BD 86 Gold Mine in Kwekwe.
2) Tawanda Chinave, a male adult from BD 86 Gold Mine in Kwekwe.
3) Prudence Mbedzi, a female adult of BD 86 Gold Mine in Kwekwe.
4) Patience Phiri, a female adult of BD 86 Gold Mine in Kwekwe.

5) Tanaka Phiri, a male juvenile aged 14 of 2 Jacaranda Avenue, Redcliff, Kwekwe.
6) Taruvinga Maziva, a male adult from BD 86 Gold Mine in Kwekwe.
7) Pamela Maziva, a female adult of BD 86 Gold Mine in Kwekwe.
8) Charity Jairos, a male adult from BD 86 Gold Mine in Kwekwe.
9) Lungi Mbano, a male adult of Rutendo in Kwekwe.
10) Evolution Manhanda, a male adult from BD 86 Gold Mine in Kwekwe.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police would like to urge motorists to always exercise caution when driving and avoid overtaking in situations which do not allow them to do so safely.State media

Farai Dziva|Outspoken former Cabinet Minister Jonathan Moyo says the decision by Emmerson Mnangagwa’ s government to issue birth certificates and death certificates to Gukurahundi victims is meaningless.

Moyo accused Mnangagwa of “feigning concern in the whole process.”

“GUKURAHUNDI HEALING MEASURES ANNOUNCED” #Herald 10/4/19 Issuing death or birth certificates, allowing proper reburials & providing healthcare to #Gukurahundi victims 36 years later without TRUTH & JUSTICE IS NO HEALING. None whatsoever. It is SATANIC!”

Jane Mlambo|Mutare based journalist, Sydney Saize who was reportedly arrested is currently missing with police claiming they do not have information on his whereabouts.

Saizi who according to reports was arrested by police details in Chimanimani, had his mobile initially going unanswered and has since been switched off raising fears that he could be abducted.

Provincial police public relations department said they will give feedback once they have verified the matter.

According to the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Saizi has been working on cyclone idai related stories.

Farai Dziva|A Bulawayo based war veteran has sensationally claimed that the MDC A is full of “stupid people.”

The self-declared war veteran, Christopher Sibanda described MDC A members as “stupid and naive people.”Sibanda blasted the MDC A leadership for celebrating the “demise of their own country.”

Sibanda made the remarks in an interview with the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation on Wednesday.

“That is what we call sheer stupidity, how can you celebrate the demise of your own country? Those who call for the imposition of sanctions are very stupid.Opposition supporters are stupid and naive,” thundered Sibanda.

Jane Mlambo| In a bid to cover up for the malpractices associated with planning, land use and construction in the City, the City of Harare is calling all property owners who have erected structures without following laws and regulations of the City to “immediately apply for regularisation”.

The call to regularise illegal developments, properties and structures by the City comes at a time when some developments in the City are being done without building permits or on land without compliance certificates from the Planning Department.

Examples of such cases are in Newlands where New Life Ministries is constructing a massive church building without a development permit on a wetland, Marlborough a college is under construction without a permit at a residential stand and in Tafara wetland opposite Lafarge Cement where houses are being built without permission from the local authority.

The enforcement order issued by the City of Harare in terms of the Regional Town Planning Act 29:12 gives illegal developers an opportunity to regularise their properties or face demolitions.

“Therefore take note that in terms of the said section 32 you are hereby ordered to cease using the illegal structures or IMMEDIATELY APPLY FOR REGULARISATION in terms of the Act.” Reads part of the circular which will come into effect on 29 April 2019 if there is no appeal lodged with the Administrative Court within one month.

A wetland activist condemned the move by the City and said “This will see many wetlands being chewed up which are water sources for the City.”

Another Council employee explained that the move is a windfall for land barons who have been invading open spaces and wetlands in the city and selling out stands. 

Meanwhile Marlborough residents have engaged Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and CHRA for an intervention in an attempt to stop illegal construction of a College at a residential property. CHRA is in the process of engaging the Mayor of Harare over the issue as this encourages proliferation of unplanned settlements and defies principles of urban planning.

A LAWYER and some aides for tormented opposition party leader and human rights lawyer Tendai Biti on Wednesday 10 April 2019 pleaded not guilty to charges of violating the country’s immigration laws when their trial commenced before Karoi Provincial Magistrate Sam Chitumwa.

Biti’s lawyer Nqobizitha Mahole Mlilo aged 39 and the Harare East constituency legislator’s aides Clever Rambanepasi aged 41 and Tawanda Blessing Chitekwe aged 36 are on trial on charges of failing to present oneself to an immigration official as defined in Section 25(1) as read with Section 25 (5a) of the Immigration Act.

Mlilo, Rambanepasi and Chitekwe, who are out of custody on $100 bail each, were arrested in August 2018 together with Biti and charged with contravening the country’s immigration laws after they allegedly departed Zimbabwe on Wednesday 8 August 2018 at an unauthorised port of exit.

Prosecutors claimed that Mlilo, Rambanepasi and Chitekwe, who are
represented by Jeremiah Bamu of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights,
connived at Chirundu One Stop Border post in Mashonaland West province and hatched a plan to enter Zambia by evading immigration clearance procedures from both Zimbabwe and Zambia and got arrested by officials from the Zimbabwean side of the border post.

Mlilo, Rambanepasi and Chitekwe, the state claimed, failed to produce passports to both immigration authorities from Zambia and Zimbabwe to validate their exit and entry.

The State led by Prosecutor Gerald Dhamusi was however left with an egg on its face as it was forced to withdraw the main charge of departing from Zimbabwe from a place other than a designated port of entry as in its own submissions, Biti’s alleged accomplices had “departed” Zimbabwe into Zambia through Chirundu One Stop Border Post, a designated port of entry in terms of the paragraph 1 (Border with Zambia) of the Part III (Entry or Departure by Road), of the Schedule to the Immigration Regulations S.I 195/1998).

In denying the charge, Mlilo, Rambanepasi and Chitekwe argued that the charge cited by the State of failing to present oneself to an Immigration officer does not apply to asylum seekers such as Biti and themselves.

The trio’s lawyer told Magistrate Chitumwa that his clients were abducted from Zambia by Zimbabwean authorities led by Assistant Commissioner Jealous Nyabasa currently attached to the Criminal
Investigations Department as the Deputy Director in the Zimbabwe Republic Police Anti-Corruption Unit.

Nyabasa told the court that he was assigned to be the investigating officer against Biti whom the police intended to charge for alleged violations of the Electoral Act in the aftermath of the July
2018 harmonised elections.

In the scope of his investigations, Nyabasa said he wrote to the Immigration Department informing the officials of persons wanted by the police, which list included Biti and requested them to alert
its border posts to be on the lookout for the people on the ZRP wanted list in case they attempted “to skip the border”.

Nyabasa claimed that he received information that Biti had been seen at Chirundu One Stop Border Post on the Zambian side prompting him to depart for Chirundu, where two Immigration Department officers Florence Nyathi and Morgen Moyo handed Biti and his alleged
“accomplices” who had allegedly been deported from Zambia.

Nyabasa told Magistrate Chitumwa that he then took the four men to Harare for further management.

Nyabasa was left embarrassed after trying to convince the court that Biti’s alleged “accomplices” could not claim to be seeking asylum as a result of political persecution since they were not on the police wanted list.

He however failed to maintain this assertion when probed by Bamu
whether being on the police list was enough evidence of political persecution and whether he was in fact confirming that the police was a political organisation.

During trial, the State called Shingirai Chimedza, a senior Immigration Department officer at Chirundu who gave testimony about the entry and exit procedures and who however confirmed that the provision under which Biti’s alleged “accomplices” were charged
under does not apply to asylum seekers, who are not required to comply with exit and entry formalities but to subject themselves to the authority of the host country in which they seek asylum.

Bamu told Magistrate Chitumwa that this is what Biti’s alleged accomplices claim to have done after their lives were put at risk as they were in the company of the legislator at Chirundu One Stop Border
Post when an attempt was made on Biti and their lives by Zimbabwean security agents, who were attempting to abduct them from Zambian soil.

Mlilo, Rambanapasi and Chitekwe’s trial continues on Wednesday 17 April 2019.

Farai Dziva|Zimbabweans have expressed contrasting views on the possibility of former President Robert Mugabe Mugabe’s return to the ruling party Zanu PF.

See below comments on the former strongman’ s return to the ruling party:
Geor Gore
Mugabe haasi type yenyu ka vana Scarfmore he is a senior politician and he has matured in politics.

Kurai Musiiwa:
Hooooo!!!! Thats why they blocked Chamisa from meeting the old man?

Jiang El Patel:
Mubage was and is sooooo intelligent that even on his 96th birthday the whole ZANU PF can’t match his wisdom and no way they can sway him back, he is waiting for is you to take him to the Heros Acre, no debate; agreed?

John Andrew Swanepoel :
I need to be corrected, was mugabe fired from or recalled from zanu pf.or neither of the 2.

James Matsika:
Chamisa will follow him back to Zanu PF.

Mgcini Zitha:
Mugabe will be afraid of the Gvt’s decision to deal with the past massacres,so he will go back to Zanu lest he be left in the cold.

Mutare based journalist Sydney Saize has been arrested in Chimanimani. Details of arrest and exact location still sketchy.

Provincial police public relations department said they will give feedback once they have verified the matter.

Saize’ s phone was initially going unanswered but has since been switched off.

Efforts to locate and assist him are underway.

More to follow…

By Own Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration torched a storm this week after “decriminalising” discussions around the early independence atrocities, that former President Robert Mugabe had effectively banned.

The move by the government according to authorities will also allow the reburial of victims most of whom are still in mass graves nearly 40 years later.

Veterans of the liberation struggle who served under the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (Zipra), Zapu’s military wing, have urged Mnangagwa to issue a public apology first before discussions on the Gukurahundi atrocities can begin.

Reacting to the announcement by the government, Zipra veterans association spokesperson, Bester Magwizi said the perpetrators of the violence should also come forward before any healing processes start.

Early this week Justice Ministry permanent secretary, Virginia Mabhiza met civil society organisations under the auspices of the Matabeleland Collective and announced that President Mnangagwa had assigned Home Affairs Minister, Cain Mathema to assist families with the reburial of victims of the genocide.

Mabhiza said the government has also come up with an implementation matrix that will address the region’s concerns. But Magwizi said the perpetrators should also confess their participation in the heinous crimes.

“All those people who were involved should come forward. A law should be enacted on how to deal with these people. Most of these perpetrators are still in government and they are all known,” he said.

“There is no political will on the part of this government to address Gukurahundi.”  Magwizi’s sentiments were also echoed by the opposition MDC national chairperson Tabitha Khumalo.

“It is clear that the government is not sincere on the issue of Gukurahundi. The first thing which the government should do is to issue a public apology on the massacres.

“The government should also make wider consultations particularly on the affected communities on how the issue should be handled,” said Khumalo.

Conservative figures claim some 20 000 civilians were killed by a crack military unit known as Fifth Brigade deployed by Mugabe between 1980 and 1987 under the guise of putting down an insurrection in the western parts of the country

Farai Dziva|Zanu PF “comeback kid” Didymus Mutasa says former President Robert Mugabe worked for the ruling party more than anyone else.

Mutasa and former Mashonaland East Resident Minister Ambrose Mutinhiri were this week accepted back into the party.

Speaking to Daily News about Mugabe’s possible return, Mutasa said:
“When we gained independence, we were talking about the establishment of a one-party state … but that did not fit with the democracy of the Western world.

Now we should do everything we can to bring everyone back to the party, including him (Mugabe). He worked for Zanu PF more than anyone else, and I don’t think there is anyone who can dispute that.

He should, therefore, be brought back into the party.”

“For now, I am just a card-carrying member. But I think by now Zanu PF should have developed into the undisputed main party in this country, as we have seen elsewhere. I think from what we have seen so far from Mnangagwa, he wants everyone involved.

If you look at other countries like Tanzania, they have arranged themselves very well, especially their ruling party, and that is what we want to see in our party.”

Farai Dziva|MDC A leader Nelson Chamisa has vowed to deal with rampant indiscipline in the party.

Chamisa on Monday expressed disappointment at the party’s loss to ZANU PF in a local government by-election in Cowdray Park, Bulawayo two weeks ago.

In an interview with Southern Eye on Tuesday, MDC deputy spokesperson Edwin Ndlovu said:” The president condemned indiscipline in our structures, all forms of violence, confusion and intolerance resulting in needless expulsions of some members from the party.

He was not happy about this since it impacts on the party’s growth in Bulawayo, particularly when looking at election statistics.

On Cowdray Park, our president was clear that indiscipline also contributed to the loss.

He was clear that the contestants were supposed to show maturity and reach an agreement that would have seen one of them stepping aside.

He condemned the selfishness of the candidates and said they were supposed to put the interests of the party first before individual interests for positions.

The president was clear that this kind of indiscipline prevailing in Bulawayo is a thing of the past, and that will not be tolerated.”

By Own Correspondent- Amalgamated Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (Artuz) secretary-general, Robson Chere has blasted schools for hiking fees ahead of schools opening next term.

Chere said:

Most schools held their AGMs this term and approved the fees hikes. Schools such as Arcturus High, Goromonzi and Mandedza schools.

For example, Goromonzi High’s 2018 levy was around $300 and as of now it’s around $500 and levy and boarding fees will amount to around $1 100.

A day school like Arcturus increased its fees from $40 to $95 with effect from next term.

Fees increases at a time when the cost of living is burdening the parents and generally, the majority of Zimbabweans, including the working class is ill-timed and as such will have negative effects like school dropouts, early marriages, increased poverty.

The move to hike the tuition fees is unjustified, according to the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) secretary-general Raymond Majongwe.

He said:

It’s clearly unacceptable and unjustified. It simply means several teachers will not be able to send their own children to school.

Several have also pegged fees in USD meaning it’s difficult for teachers to send their children to such schools.

It means we are heading for a collision course with the employer.-DailyNews

By Own Correspondent- Former first lady Janet Banana is said to be seriously ill.

83-year-old Banana has been in and out of the hospital recently due to failing health, reports allege.

Banana is the wife of the country’s first post-independence president Canaan Sodindo Banana.

He was President of Zimbabwe from independence in 1980 until 1987.

Banana relinquished his post when the post of Prime Minister, which was held by Robert Mugabe, was abolished thus creating an executive President. He died in the United Kingdom in 2003 and was not accorded national hero status.

Daily News sources say Mrs Banana is suffering from renal disease, also known as chronic kidney disease. Said the source:

In February she was asked to sign a certificate of life so her pension payments could be re-activated after having been stopped a couple of years ago.

She was allocated a temporary hired 4×4 vehicle and a driver and security detail which was withdrawn mysteriously at the beginning of March after she was told it had gone for service.

It turned out that the owner had not been paid by the government for several months and had decided to take back their car.

The president and first lady (president Emmerson Mnangagwa and wife Auxillia) visited Bulawayo on several occasions but none of them ever tried to come to visit her despite knowing that she was in the country from January.

Bulawayo provincial minister confirmed to a local publication that the government is taking care of Banana’s medical bills.

Said Ncube:

“She is not feeling well, that is the reason why the president had to call her so that she can be assisted. It is her right to get government assistance.

It is the government that is actually taking care of her bills. At the moment, we are frantically looking for a house for her that will be purchased by the government, because she is currently staying with her sister.

The government is working towards giving her, her pension. Two weeks ago, her pension had not yet reflected in her bank account. She is well taken care of. It’s just a question of time before everything gets into place.”

Reverend Canaan Banana was a Methodist pastor who died in November 2003, was found guilty in 1999 of 11 counts of sodomy and abusing his power to sexually assault and carry out homosexual acts with men, most of whom were on his presidential staff.

He is best remembered for his role in ending the ethnic violence in Matabeleland, also known as the Gukurahundi massacres.-DailyNews

By Precious Shumba| Compensating white commercial farmers who lost the farms they had illegally occupied during colonisation is not the best policy for Zimbabwe.

The white commercial farmers had taken our land by force and they forced our ancestors to go and live in regions with poor rainfall patterns, infested with tsetse flies, and they even imposed multiple taxes on the indigenous Zimbabweans as they ensured that the blacks did not produce on their land.

They sought cheap labour and they made the blacks to work in order to pay the taxes. The repossession of the land was necessary, and the accompanying violence did not affect only the white commercial farmers but the black farm labourers as well as perceived Government opponents. Will these be compensated as well?

The strategy being adopted by the Zimbabwe Government of pleasing the western world at the detriment of Zimbabweans is misguided and should be rejected as a reversal of the gains made on the land resettlement programme. Britain should pay the white commercial farmers who were dispossessed of farms that they had illegally occupation during the racist driven occupation of Zimbabwe in 1890.

The President must not buckle under pressure from the west. His desperation to be accepted by the USA and the EU will in the long term create a weaker State. Of course Zimbabwe needs to be admitted into the world of nations, but not through betraying the black majority who suffered under a racist policy driven by a minority white population under colonial rule.

In light of these moves, President Emmerson Mnangagwa is showing himself to be a puppet of the West and open to manipulation because of perceived business opportunities and lines of credit that will come to Zimbabwe. The reality is that western capital interests will prevail and they will bring more suffering matching the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme of the 1990s which was inspired by the Bretton Woods institutions, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Stakeholders have welcomed the decision by Government to address the festering wounds of civil disturbances that occurred mainly in the Midlands and Matabeleland provinces in the 1980s, saying the measures would help affected people find closure.

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Secretary Mrs Virginia Mabiza on Tuesday announced that the Government will exhume and rebury victims of Gukurahundi, offer medical assistance, implement protection mechanisms and provide relevant documentation for the affected.

The announcement followed a meeting that President Mnangagwa had in Bulawayo last month with NGOs and civic groups, known as the Matabeleland Collective.

Yesterday, there were a lot of reaction to the news.

-State Media

In her opening remarks at the national multi-stakeholder post-election conference in Nyanga yesterday, Zec chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba said the commission was now conducting an introspection of the 2018 election cycle to assess its shortcomings and seek ways to improve its management of future polls.

Opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa’s bid to overturn President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s victory in last year’s polls on grounds of legitimacy has been overtaken by events because the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has effectively put the 2018 electoral cycle to bed, with preparations for the next round of elections gaining momentum.

“The main thrust of this conference is to introspect on the 2018 harmonised elections as the commission seeks to formally bring the 2018 election cycle to its logical conclusion in preparation for the 2019-2023 election cycle,” she said.

Chamisa has insisted that he won the general elections despite losing a Constitutional Court challenge and often calls Mnangagwa an illegitimate President. He also wants political dialogue to address the question of Mnangagwa’s legitimacy.

Chigumba said the commission was aware of the various concerns raised by political parties and civil society groups, adding that the conference would strive to address them. “Key objectives are to assess the adequacy challenges of the legal framework supporting various stages of the 2018 harmonised electoral process and recommend improvements to it,” she said.

-Online

By Farai Maguwu| The imminent fall of Sudan’s Omar Al Bashir, following hot on the heels of the resignation of Algeria’s Abduleziz Bouteflika are very encouraging moments of people power. It demonstrates that a united people can bring down any dictator on the continent.

However the military assisted transitions have so far proven to be grand failures as power moves from a civilian dictatorship to a military dictatorship. This has been seen in Egypt and Zimbabwe where blood thirsty military dictatorships followed long reigns of military-backed civilian dictatorships. In Egypt the military hijacked a popular anti-govt protest and it took power resulting in Sisi becoming President whilst in Zimbabwe the military rented a crowd to disguise a coup as a popular uprising and a Sisi-type of General is now marching to State House with far reaching consequences on democracy and good governance.

Africans are right and in the right direction but there is need for a new strategy to defend people’s revolutions from being hijacked by the military. The role of the military in such situations should be to ensure a smooth transition and swear to respect whoever the people want to form the next government. Because people are tired of the long serving dictator and their focus is firmly on his fall, it is possible that most people will be in the ‘anyone else except….’ mindset, something being manipulated by the military to muscle its way into power. It will take a few weeks or months before they realize that the military intervention was actually meant to preserve the old guard rather than to allow people power to govern.

The African Union and regional blocs need to address this growing cancer in Africa and put a clause that anyone who has been in the military need at least 10years out of the military to compete for political office.

By Own Correspondent | Former President Robert Mugabe could sensationally return to ZANU PF one-and-a-half years after he was deposed through a military coup.

ZANU PF has of late been courting former party bigwigs in a bid to secure their return to the former liberation movement.

Former secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa and former Mashonaland East Resident Minister Ambrose Mutinhiri were this week readmitted to the party.

Speaking to a local publication about Mugabe’s possible return, Mutasa said:

“When we gained independence, we were talking about the establishment of a one-party state … but that did not fit with the democracy of the Western world.

Now we should do everything we can to bring everyone back to the party, including him (Mugabe). He worked for Zanu PF more than anyone else, and I don’t think there is anyone who can dispute that. He should, therefore, be brought back into the party.”

When asked if ZANU PF is seeking to readmit members who were part of the G40 cabal, the likes of Saviour Kasukuwere and Patrick Zhuwawo, Mutasa had this to say:

“For now, I am just a card-carrying member. But I think by now Zanu PF should have developed into the undisputed main party in this country, as we have seen elsewhere. I think from what we have seen so far from Mnangagwa, he wants everyone involved.

If you look at other countries like Tanzania, they have arranged themselves very well, especially their ruling party, and that is what we want to see in our party.”-DailyNews

Residents of Chitungwiza expressed dismay over the manner in which water and sanitation delivery issues are handled by Chitungwiza Municipality. Serious issues were reported during Community Water Alliance movement building exercise in St Marys, Chitungwiza.

Community Water Alliance staff were taken to No. 2717 where a sewage tank is situated beneath the dining room of a residential stand allocated in contravention of provisions of City planning. The owner of the house complained that sewer bursts from the tank have affected hygiene standards at the house.

A visit to House No.6825 by Community Water Alliance staff confirmed that some roads have been “closed” by heaps of uncollected refuse dumped by residents.

Some stands have serious ownership battles emanating from double allocation of a single stand to multiple beneficiaries.

Another worrying situation was Chitungwiza Municipality’s blind eye to a homestead where a person with mental impairment was left to run affairs of the home alone. Lack of medications for the person with mental impairment has caused deteriorating health conditions both at the house and neighboring homesteads.

Residents fear that water borne diseases might hit the suburb if nothing is done to address the problem.

Community Water Alliance demand that Chitungwiza Municipality address urban planning issues as a matter of urgency. Allocation of residential stands should be done taking into consideration the man-made and natural infrastructure of water delivery.

The State failed to avail a trial date in ARTUZ president, Obert Masaraure’s case, today. The legal team representing Masaraure made an application for refusal of further remand but the Magistrate threw it out. The magistrate ruled that there is no inordinate delay since Masaraure was only remanded on January 19 2019. The State had argued that the docket was now ready and was being perused by the National Prosecution Authority. Masaraure was remanded out of custody to 29 May 2019. Kadzere stood as defence council.

Masaraure is facing a charge of subverting a constitutionally elected government or alternatively inciting public violence. The charge stems from the protests against fuel price hikes staged from 14-16 January this year. Masaraure was abducted by members of the Military intelligence from his home on 18 January 2019, he was tortured and latter dumped at Harare police station. He spend 16 days at Chikurubi Maximum prison and was released on stringent bail conditions.

Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence (WALPE), has been closely monitoring the ongoing MDC Congress nominations process and regrettably notices that women are being side-lined from senior leadership positions.

So far, the proportion of women nominated to the standing committee (highest decision making body of the party) is a cause for concern. Women represent less than 10% of all the nominations from the three (3) provinces that have already completed the nomination process, worse most of those women were nominated to subordinate positions.

As a party that claims to be a democratic alternative, MDC is expected to do better in providing women opportunities to attain the 50/50 gender representation as mandated in Section 17, 56 and 80 of the Constitution. 

WALPE therefore raises a red flag and calls on the MDC to seriously introspect and create a conducive environment for women to effectively and actively occupy influential leadership positions. Having more women in leadership positions is part of a global United Nations (UN) campaign under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) number 5. Political parties must make concerted efforts to ensure women ascend to senior leadership positions and are allowed to freely discharge their duties. The participation of women in political leadership is important for national development therefore, it is critical to ensure that political party structures and internal party processes are democratic and inclusive. 

It is imperative that the MDC Congress results in advancing women’s representation at all levels of the party institutions and structures. We therefore challenge the party to demonstrate the democratic ethos they preach. The party cannot talk about democracy, accountability, social justice and inclusivity when women are being side-lined. 

WALPE shall petition the MDC leadership before the main congress to consider creating a conducive environment for women to effectively and actively participate in the plebiscite. The organisation continues to open its doors to assist in enhancing the capacity of women to effectively occupy leadership positions.

VIEW PICTURES BELOW…

President: Nelson Chamisa

Vice President- Tendai Biti

Vice President- Lilian Timveos

Chairperson : Tabitha Khumalo

Deputy Chairperson- Happymore Chidziva

Secretary General- Charlton Hwende

Deputy Secretary General- Settlement Chikwinya

Treasurer: Tapiwa Mashakada

Deputy Treasurer General- Banda

Organising Secretary- Amos Chibaya

Deputy Organising Secretary- Morgan Ncube

Spokesperson- Jacob Mafume

Deputy Spokesperson- Brian Dube

Jane Mlambo| A strong warning fro firebrand South African Opposition leader Julius Malema to President Emmerson Mnangagwa that he may not finish his term as well as news of Sudanese president Omar Al Bashir resigning has brought renewed sense of hope among Zimbabweans that they could soon see the back of Zanu PF.

Malema labelled Mnangagwa a sellout who will not be able to finish his term of office for reversing the gains of the revolution by pandering to the interests of white farmers while neglecting the basic needs of the citizens such as health care.

Inaddition, the news of the fall of one of Africa’s remaining dictators Omar Al Bashir has reinvogated hope that the situation in Zimbabwe could soon be over.

Jealousy Mawarire, Spokesperson of the National Patric Front (NPF) said those responsible for gukurahundi, August 1 2018 butchers who usurped power in Zimbabwe in Nov 2017 should be handed over to the ICC for crimes against humanity.

“We want the gukurahundists, August 1 2018 butchers who usurped power in Zimbabwe in Nov 2017 be handed over to the ICC for crimes against humanity,” he said.

Douglas Coltart said, “As the sun comes up over #Sudan this morning, praise God that last night there were no attacks by militia on the protestors in the Square. “

Firebrand South African Opposition leader Julius Malema has branded President Emmerson Mnangagwa a sellout who will not be able to finish his term of office. Malema said that Mnangagwa was reversing the gains of the revolution by pandering to the interests of white farmers while neglecting the basic needs of the citizens such as health care.

Unsurprisingly, the government did not take this well with Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Ndabaningi ‘Nick’ Mangwana tweeting,

South African opposition parties have this Big Brother mentality that makes them behave like some super- transnational parties? They have no respect for national boundaries and attendant sovereign automy (sic) of neighbours. At least our own do their grandstanding on national issues.

It’s crucial indeed that’s why I am leading this Govt pushback on undue and ill-informed interference and name-calling of neighbouring leaders. This is part of my job.

-Online

By Own Correspondent| Zimbabwe’s First lady, Auxilia Mnangagwa, won the Pan-African Humanitarian Award for her philanthropic work at the recent awards ceremony held in Morocco.

The award category is for leaders who have demonstrated high levels of selflessness and commitment to serving humanity and promoting sustainable community development by reaching out and touching the lives of the vulnerable in their countries.

The first lady acknowledged the efforts of her partners. She further called upon those who are willing to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable people in society to come forward.

Conferring the award to her, the chairman of Pan African’s advisory board, Ambassador Wallace Williams said:

The conferment is based on your cumulative outstanding leadership qualities, exceptional contribution and persistent efforts to Africa’s development through several bold policies and innovative initiatives geared towards building a prosperous, sustainable, regionally-integrated and globally-competitive Africa through the Organisation of African First Ladies and your Angel of Hope Foundation.

The First Lady also scooped the 2019 African Phenomenal Woman of the Year Award in recognition of her philanthropic work in Zimbabwe.

She received the honor at the African Women in Leadership Organisation awards ceremony in Rwanda last week.-StateMedia

By Own Correspondent| Zimbabwe is set to get €4 million from the European Union to assist victims of the Tropical Cyclone Idai. devastating floods.

A total of €12 million that will be equally shared by Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi was raised by the EU. The EU has so far donated over €15 million towards Cyclone victims.

Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Mr. Christos Stylianides pledged EU’s continued support to the three countries during the humanitarian crisis.

He said:

We continue to stand in solidarity with the people affected by cyclone Idai and the floods in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. There are still urgent humanitarian needs to be met and we are scaling up our efforts so that relief continues to be brought to the people in need.

He observed that the cyclone left a lot of people in need of flood, shelter, water, and sanitation.

He said:

The cyclone coincided with the annual harvest period, thereby affecting food security in the months ahead. Access to safe water is a major concern in a bid to avert the spread of disease outbreaks.

The government estimates that cyclone Idai left approximately 344 people dead and or missing. It also reports that property worth billions of dollars was destroyed.-StateMedia

By Own Correspondent| Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Joel Biggie Matiza has opened up on government restructuring of Zinara.

Matiza said:

Zinara was not doing its core business, was now doing other businesses, contracting, engaging in construction direct.

That aspect is where all these other problems are coming from. By simply making sure that Zinara sticks to its core mandate they disappear.

He also revealed that members who were implicated in scandals are going to be suspended. Matiza also indicated plans to have a substantive chief executive officer at ZINARA.

Zinara board chairman Engineer Michael Madanha promised thorough cleansing of the department.-StateMedia

The Sudanese army is expected to make “an important announcement”, state media said on Thursday, after months of protests against longtime President Omar al-Bashir.

“The Sudanese army will issue an important statement soon. Wait for it,” a television anchor said, without giving further details.

The protests, which erupted in December, have become the biggest challenge yet to Bashir’s three decades of rule.

Thursday marked the sixth day of a defiant sit-in outside the military’s headquarters, which also houses Bashir’s official residence and the defence ministry.

Crowds of demonstrators have spent five nights thronging the sprawling complex, singing and dancing to  revolutionary songs.

Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan reporting from the Sudanese capital, Khartoum said there was a heavy security presence on the city’s main roads.

“There are a lot of military trucks around the capital and around the main streets of the city. Most roads have been blocked especially those leading to the army HQ. There are a few roads opened for the protesters who have been participating in the sit-in,” Morgan said.

“People are extremely happy even before the army made any announcement.  People are celebrating and pouring in to the sit-in area. Protesters are saying they are very confident that Bashir will resign,” Morgan added.

The group spearheading the nationwide demonstrations urged residents of the capital to mass outside army headquarters.

“We call on our people from across the Khartoum capital and the region around to immediately go to the sit-in area and not leave from there until our next statement is issued,” the Sudanese Professionals Association said.

Death toll

The demonstrators have braved repeated volleys of tear gas from members of the powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) since they began camping outside the complex on April 6, protest organisers say.

But for the first time on Tuesday night they did not face any “threat” from security agents, said a protester who requested anonymity for security reasons.

That came after 11 people, including six members of the security forces, were killed on Tuesday during demonstrations in the capital, government spokesman Hassan Ismail told the official SUNA news agency.

Officials say 49 people have died in protest-related violence since demonstrations first erupted in December.

“I hope our revolution will achieve its goal,” said Alaa Salah, dubbed the protest movement’s “Nubian queen”, referring to an ancient name for Sudan, after a video clip went viral of her conducting chants with demonstrators outside the army headquarters.

Earlier this week, the US, Britain and Norway for the first time threw their weight behind the protesters.

“The time has come for the Sudanese authorities to respond to these popular demands in a serious” way, the countries’ Khartoum embassies said in a statement.

“The Sudanese authorities must now respond and deliver a credible plan for this political transition.”

Sudan, along with Iran, Syria and North Korea, is on Washington’s blacklist of state sponsors of “terrorism”.

Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and genocide, came to power in a 1989 coup. He remains one of the longest serving presidents in Africa.

Bashir’s ruling National Congress Party said plans to hold a rally backing the president on Thursday had been postponed. 

-AlJazeera

IT literary never rains, but pours for Redwing Mine workers who have not been paid for the past 15 months, but stayed put at the mine compound, demanding payment of their dues.
Five days ago, Zesa piled on their misery by disconnecting electricity supplies to the workers’ quarters over a $3 million debt.

Almost 600 workers, who are occupying the company houses in Old West village, Liverpool are living in darkness after the power utility cut supplies at the weekend. Redwing Mine is located 20 kilometres north-east of Mutare.
Management at the company yesterday refused to talk to journalists, but a member of the workers’ committee confirmed the power cut.

A member of the Redwing mine workers’ committee, Antony Chivanda said they have been living in darkness for almost five days.

“Our company is failing to pay dues of almost $3 million and almost 600 workers are affected,” he said.

Before the gold mine was switched off, contract and permanent workers had demonstrated at the company’s premises, demanding their dues for the past 15 months. At least 68 workers have already been retrenched without getting their dues. Contract workers have since been told to come to work for only two weeks per month.

The company is now rationing water to the workers amid fears of a possible water-borne disease outbreak.

“The management is saying that since 2018 they have been making losses. They are blocking us from speaking to the company directors,” the committee member said.

“Last week, we demonstrated against the non-payment of salaries. We have 68 workers who have been retrenched, but have not been given their dues.”

Mutasa South MP, Regai Tsunga (MDC Alliance), who visited the company, said the mine management was breaching workers’ contracts.

“What the company is doing is a clear breach of contracts. This requires urgent redress and the workers are bitter because they have families to take care of and what they are doing is inhumane,” he said

“The standard provision of social amenities and utilities, including water and electricity has always been a responsibility of the employer in mining compounds. I have also engaged the company management. My understanding is that they are not performing well and, therefore, they were unable to pay workers. That is what they told me, but I believe they have been insensitive for not paying workers for 15 months.”

-Newsday

By Own Correspondent| A 14 year old Bulawayo girl has gone missing.

The police are appealing for information that can lead to her location.

A police statement says that Sarah Mbuzva, a Form Two pupil at Montrose Girls High School, was last seen on February 21 around 5 PM.

Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Precious Simango’s statement indicates that Sarah left a note to her family. The note as said did not specify where she was going.-StateMedia

Police in Marondera have arrested a leader of a suspected gun-totting gang which was terrorising residents in the town and nearby areas, getting away with cash and cellphones, among other things.

The terror gang targeted businesses and moved around with pistols, canisters and crow bars, among other weapons, robbing a number of residents at gunpoint.

Last month, one of the gang members, Blessing Nyika Kuzvinzwa was convicted and sentenced to an effective 25-year jail term over a string of robberies.

The gang leader, who allegedly masterminded the attack, Solomon Nyamukondiwa was only arrested this week on Tuesday in Harare and police reportedly recovered the pistol used in committing the crimes.

When NewsDay visited Marondera Central Police Station yesterday, Nyamukondiwa and another suspected gang member were in holding cells. The two are expected to appear in court tomorrow and investigations are still in progress because the other gang members were still at large.

Mashonaland East provincial police spokesperson Inspector Tendai Mwanza confirmed the arrest and promised to issue a statement later.

Marondera crime consultative committee (CCC) chairperson Dunmore Mutyambizi, who worked closely with police officers, applauded the force for working tirelessly to arrest the suspects.

“As business, we greatly appreciate the sterling efforts of the dedicated crime-busting units at CID Marondera. We also applaud businesspeople that are mobilising resources for police through the CCC,” he said.

“Together, we have managed to curb the surge of crimes of concern, especially armed robbers which were giving everyone sleepless nights in our usually safe town. Working hand in hand with the police using community policing initiatives has yielded splendid results as evidenced by the pace and rate at which most of the criminals are being nabbed.”

On February 15, at around 6pm, Nyamukondiwa and his four accomplices went to Ndirande Farm in Goromonzi where they allegedly forcefully entered ex-magistrate Jacqueline Pratt’s kitchen and ordered the family to lie down while assaulting them with logs.

They allegedly tied the complainants with cables and ransacked the house. They stole a Bernadelli pistol loaded with 20 rounds, US$270, ZWR$1 270, cellphones and Mercedes Benz ML car keys. They allegedly bundled the complainants into the Mercedes Benz and drove to Pratt’s daughter-in-law’s residence on the same farm. The total value of the stolen property was pegged at ZWR$10 040 and only ZWR$8 150 was recovered.

The gang also stole property and cash at Pratt’s daughter-in-law’s residence using the stolen pistol. They then dumped the Mercedes Benz before stealing a Nissan X-trail.

It is alleged that during the same night and using the stolen Nissan X-trail, the accused and his accomplices now wearing masks proceeded to businessman Gift Phillip’s (37) residence in Marondera. They broke the bedroom window and pointed the stolen piston at Phillip and his wife while others were breaking down the kitchen door to gain entry.
While inside the house, the suspects threatened to rape Phillip’s wife if they were not given cash. They ransacked the house and stole US$200, ZWR$800 and some valuable. Goods worth ZWR$250 were later recovered.

On the same night, using the Nissan X-trail, the gang allegedly carried out another armed robbery in Ruvimbo Park where they stole cash and some valuables before speeding off.

-Newsday

 MDC Alliance president Mr Nelson Chamisa has allegedly threatened to bar Bulawayo province from the party’s congress next month over alleged indiscipline, prompting some members to accuse him of dictatorship.

 Mr Chamisa who reportedly sneaked into Bulawayo on Monday for a crisis meeting with members of the provincial executive vowed that the province will not be represented at the congress if they don’t put their house in order. 

He allegedly told the provincial leaders that approaching the courts would not yield anything as his decision would be final.

In the meeting, sources said, Mr Chamisa demanded that his deputy and ally Professor Welshman Ncube, who is facing resistance from the province, be accorded respect. 

Party insiders said the MDC leader launched into a tirade over the party’s loss to Zanu-PF at the recent Cowdray Park Ward 28 by-election saying the electoral loss was tantamount to treason.

Mr Chamisa is said to have taken Mr Collet Ndlovu to task for contesting the poll. 

“He said Bulawayo is ill-disciplined and was the most violent province in the country. He claimed that reports he received from party officials show that party members in Bulawayo were unprincipled and lacked truth. He warned that the province risks not participating in the May 24-26 congress if it does not resolve all the culture of violence,” said the party insider.

“He even declared that the party’s national leaders will impose leaders for Bulawayo if the province is not careful, emphasising that taking the party to court would not change what they will have decided.  Also I think his sentiments on Prof Ncube were influenced by the fact that the Prof is backing him for the presidency,” said the source.

MDC Alliance deputy spokesperson Mr Edwin Ndlovu confirmed the meeting but downplayed that the MDC Alliance leader threatened to ban Bulawayo province from the congress.

“Each province has a timeline to hold its provincial congress.  Bulawayo missed its timeline.  We were supposed to hold our provincial congress today (yesterday) but we still have not completed five ward elections, meaning we cannot do districts before the wards. 

“So the point he was making is that no matter the province, if it fails to set up its structures it will not be allowed to attend the party’s congress which will be held in Gweru in May. So we have up to Saturday to complete setting up our structures and making nominations,” he said.

Mr Ndlovu also refuted claims that Mr Chamisa declared Bulawayo the party’s most violent province.

Meanwhile, the MDC Alliance has been slammed for denigrating, stigmatising and discriminating people living with HIV and Aids during campaigns for positions.

A Bulawayo based non-governmental organisation which advocates for rights of people with HIV, Bulawayo Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (BAPLA) yesterday raised alarm over derogatory language used against people purported to be living with HIV and Aids in the MDC Alliance.

“The BAPLA condemns in strongest terms the use of HIV status as stigmatisation and de-campaigning strategy by some aspiring leaders of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC),” said the organisation.

BAPLA said one’s HIV status has no bearing on their leadership qualities. 

Mr Ndlovu professed ignorance on the matter saying the party will investigate the reports.

-State Media

By Own Correspondent| The Fortune of the Elderly (Trace) is spearheading a solar-powered irrigation project meant to benefit the elderly and orphans.

Mariyeti Mpala, Director of Trace indicated that the horticulture irrigation scheme is for the elderly and pensioners in Sizinda and Tshabalala high-density suburbs in Bulawayo.

The director also revealed that the project is being funded by the United States government through the Ambassador Self-Help Project.

Lupane State University offered training to the beneficiaries. The initiative focuses on various horticulture crops such as beetroot, carrots, onions, and beans.

The Ambassador Self-Help Project, Mutsa Machimbidzofa revealed that they teach organisations to be self-empowered. She said:

We want them to move away from donor dependency syndrome. Our ambassador and the US government came up with this idea that ‘let us not give them fish but let us teach them how to fish.-StateMedia

LUXURY bus City Link’s passengers travelling from Bulawayo to Harare were delayed for about three hours as a gang of nine men manhandled the driver accusing him of ‘stealing’ their US$7 000 that was in a parcel he had delivered.

The incident occurred when the bus stopped in Gweru for its scheduled five minutes recess.

The bus company had to provide another bus driver to proceed to Harare as the first driver went with the police and people who were accusing him of stealing their money.

Some passengers are said to have missed their appointments due to the fracas.

The bus normally leaves the City of Kings at 7.30AM and arrives in Harare at 1.30PM but yesterday sources said it arrived after 3PM.

In an interview, Bulawayo model Mr Oliver Keith, who was one of the passengers on the bus said he missed his appointment due to the delay.

Mr Keith said the commotion started when the bus stopped in Gweru and nine men driving a blue Honda Fit raided the bus and manhandled the driver before force-marching him to their parked car.

“When we arrived in Gweru, the host announced that we were stopping for a five- minute recess. A few minutes after the bus parked, the gang invaded the bus and went straight for the driver demanding ‘their money’,” said Mr Keith.

He said the information they later got was that the driver had delivered the parcel the previous day and the gang was saying that the parcel had US$7 000 but the driver was insisting that the parcel had no money.

Mr Keith said after the driver had been taken away by police, the host informed the stranded passengers that the bus company was organising an alternative driver from either Bulawayo or Harare.

He said the driver later arrived and they proceeded with their journey without the first driver who was probably still detained at the police station.

A comment could not be immediately obtained from City Link Bus Company as its employees based in Bulawayo said they knew nothing about the incident.

Midlands police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ethel Mukwenda said she had not received such a report.

-State Media

THE $400 000 Hwange Colliery bribery saga took a new twist during parliamentary inquiries yesterday after it emerged that Shepherd Tundiya, the linkman between the four MPs implicated in the alleged scam, President’s Office and businessman James Goddard, was actually a con-artist on mission to swindle the businessman.

This came as the MPs gave oral evidence saying Tundiya masqueraded as an operative of the Central Intelligence Organisation and offered to assist Goddard to clinch a mining deal in Hwange on condition he palm greased the four members of the Mines Parliamentary Committee.

All four legislators implicated in the matter, Temba Mliswa (Norton), Anele Ndebele (Magwegwe), Prince Dubeko Sibanda (Binga North) and Leonard Chikomba (Gokwe-Kabuyuni) described Tundiya as a “crook” and “con-artist”, who owed Chikomba US$2 600.

The Parliamentary Privileges Committee heard that Tundiya had invited the MPs to a meeting with Goddard so he could con the construction mogul, which money he would use to pay Chikomba $400 000 in bond notes.

It was said the $400 000 was being touted as facilitation fees to assist Goddard get the Hwange deal.

Mliswa was the first to give oral evidence before the Privileges Committee chaired by Senator Chief Charumbira, where the Norton legislator said the meeting was informal and had nothing to do with parliamentary committee business, adding he did not even know the agenda of the meeting which was facilitated by Tundiya and was held at Goddard’s Borrowdale offices.

“The meeting discussed Hwange Colliery issues, where Goddard had an interest and I referred him to Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi because I told him that HCCL was under reconstruction and there is nothing wrong with that,” Mliswa said.

“I took over the agenda and said Tundiya cannot speak and during the meeting, I never heard anything about the $400 000 bribe. If you drive through Bulawayo, you see vehicles branded J R Goddard, and Goddard did not have to go through anyone to speak to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

“Tundiya is a renowned con-artist and I doubt the wisdom of Goddard to deal with such a person.”

Asked by Privileges Committee member Matthew Nyashanu (Buhera Central) if Goddard’s act of reporting the bribery case could have been heroic, Mliswa responded: “You cannot say that you are fighting corruption when you are associated with Tundiya; it means you are part of the corruption.”

Chikomba then gave his oral evidence, where he disclosed that when Tundiya invited him to Goddard’s offices in Borrowdale, he had been made to believe that Goddard was the one who was going to settle the US$2 100 debt in local currency.

He told the committee that Tundiya owed him $2 700 since 2011, and had only paid back US$600.

“I asked Ndebele, who is a lawyer, to accompany me and assist me to recover my money from Tundiya, and because on that day, I had no vehicle and Ndebele had no vehicle, we asked Sibanda to accompany us in his car. Sibanda then said Tundiya is a conman and it was better to ask Mliswa to also accompany us to Borrowdale at Goddard’ offices,” Chikomba said.

“During the informal meeting, only Hwange Colliery issues were discussed and it was only outside when we were already going that I asked Tundiya to pay back what he owed to me. Tundiya said murungu wake (his boss, to mean Goddard) was the one that was going to pay, as they were business partners, and then he said I should write down my account number on a piece of paper which he then gave to Goddard,” Chikomba said.

Privileges Committee member Jonathan Samukange then demanded to know how Goddard was made to understand he was supposed to deposit $400 000 facilitation fees in Chikomba’s account.

Another committee member, Tatenda Mavetera, demanded to know the interest rate that Chikomba had used to conclude that Goddard should deposit his money as $400 000 in local currency.

Chikomba said when Tundiya communicated with Goddard, he could not hear what was said.

“Tundiya was the one who went to speak to Goddard and I gave him a piece of paper with my bank account because Tundiya had said the following day, Goddard would deposit money in payment of my debt. When I mentioned $400 000 to Tundiya, which Goddard could have heard, I did that in passing because I was saying to Tundiya I lent him the money in foreign currency and seven years later, it would be worth more in local currency and that I could have invested it as a businessman and got around $400 000 to date. Tundiya is a cunning conman who even pretended to have links with the President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) to Goddard,” he said.

Sibanda also gave his oral evidence, saying he had been asked by Chikomba and Ndebele to drive them to Goddard’s offices since they did not have a vehicle.
He said during the informal meeting, the issue of a bribe or facilitation fees was never mentioned.

“I first heard about the $400 000 bribe amount through The Herald. When we accompanied Chikomba to recover his money from Goddard, we were made to believe that Goddard was the one who was going to pay his debt,” Sibanda said.

“He said the following day after their meeting with Tundiya at Bronte Hotel, he got a call from Hwange Colliery board chairperson Juliana Muskwe, who warned him that Tundiya was a con-man who had told her that he, Tundiya, had given MPs from the Mines committee $500 000 each. That is when I asked Mliswa to join us to the meeting with Goddard because I suspected it was a set-up, and I only went there as a driver to Chikomba and Ndebele, who was assisting Chikomba legally to recover his debt from Tundiya.”

It turned out Goddard never directly spoke to the MPs about the money, but that Tundiya acted as a go-between between Chikomba and Goddard, without them both hearing what was exactly communicated to the other.

In his evidence, Ndebele said as a lawyer, Chikomba had asked him to accompany him to Goddard’s offices to assist him recover his debt from Tundiya, who he said had invited them there.

“I first heard of the $400 000 bribe from The Herald. It was never discussed inside or outside the meeting. My knowledge of Tundiya is that he is a colourful character and I told Chikomba that he can be given the money as cash and then set-up, and so there was need to be watertight with the document to recover the debt,” he said.

Ndebele said he knew Goddard to be a well-respected Bulawayo-based businessman, but was surprised that he was dealing with Tundiya.

He said he had personally requested Sibanda to accompany them using the latter’s vehicle.

The Privileges Committee will now table a report of its findings before Parliament, which will be debated before a determination is reached.

-Newsday

Ten people were killed while several others were injured when a Kwekwe-bound kombi collided head on with a bus about 20km outside Gweru along the Gweru-Kwekwe road last night.

When the news crew arrived at the scene, some bodies were still strewn on the tarmac.

Police at the scene confirmed the death of 10 people and said all of them were from the kombi, which had its roof ripped off following the impact.

According to the police officers all the people in the kombi including the driver were killed on the spot while the injured were from the bus owned by Birdgreen Transport Pvt Ltd.

The injured were all rushed to Gweru Provincial Hospital.

“I boarded this bus from Kadoma but all the way we were complaining of the speed. He then tried to overtake another bus at this curve resulting in the head on collision with the oncoming kombi,” said Mrs Marvelous Marova.

Another witness, Mr Kelvin Zimuto also blamed the bus driver for the accident.

“The bus driver is to blame for this accident. He was just speeding for nothing and imagine everyone in the kombi was killed,” he said.

The Officer Commanding Midlands province Commissioner Moses Magande confirmed the accident and said police were waiting for more details.

-State Media

ZANU-PF youths have called for the acceleration of empowerment of marginalised youths at grassroot level to enable them to continue towards economy revival and also contribute towards the Gross Domestic Product.

This came from a meeting held by the Youth League national executive council ahead of the first National Assembly meeting today where President Mnangagwa will be the guest of honour.

The first National Youth Assembly of 2019 which will be held under the theme; “Discipline and Servant Leadership” will be attended by the Youth League national executive members and provincial and party affiliates.

In a statement after yesterday’s meeting secretary for administration, Cde Tendai Chirau said the meeting endorsed current efforts by President Mnangagwa in calling for national dialogue with different stakeholders; churches, the business community, and political parties, among others.

“The league has since taken a cue from these efforts to embrace youths from all spheres of life. The meeting focused on how to unpack Vision 2030 and how the generality of the youth can participate in achieving Vision 2030.

“The meeting noted with regret the slow pace at which youth empowerment initiatives are being implemented. A clarion call was made that there be accelerated economic empowerment for the marginalised youth,” he said.

The meeting also deliberated on the inclusion of youths in the extractive mining industry especially de-siltation, industrial brick moulding, and quarry stone and three-quarter stones mining.

“A recommendation was put forward that in granting of these licences, youths should be prioritised and in the absence of interested youths, companies should be directed to initiate programmes that benefit the locals.

The meeting commended resource mobilisation efforts by President Mnangagwa in assisting the victims of Cyclone Idai.

“It was noted there has been significant progress in the reconstruction of some of the damaged infrastructure.

“The youth executive also applauded relief efforts through donations from the Youth League and its membership and the voluntary aid in the rescue missions provided by members and its various affiliate organisations which include the Zimbabwe National Youth Service Graduates Association,” he said.

-State Media

THE $400 000 Hwange Colliery bribery saga took a new twist during parliamentary inquiries yesterday after it emerged that Shepherd Tundiya, the linkman between the four MPs implicated in the alleged scam, President’s Office and businessman James Goddard, was actually a con-artist on mission to swindle the businessman.

This came as the MPs gave oral evidence saying Tundiya masqueraded as an operative of the Central Intelligence Organisation and offered to assist Goddard to clinch a mining deal in Hwange on condition he palm greased the four members of the Mines Parliamentary Committee.

All four legislators implicated in the matter, Temba Mliswa (Norton), Anele Ndebele (Magwegwe), Prince Dubeko Sibanda (Binga North) and Leonard Chikomba (Gokwe-Kabuyuni) described Tundiya as a “crook” and “con-artist”, who owed Chikomba US$2 600.

The Parliamentary Privileges Committee heard that Tundiya had invited the MPs to a meeting with Goddard so he could con the construction mogul, which money he would use to pay Chikomba $400 000 in bond notes.

It was said the $400 000 was being touted as facilitation fees to assist Goddard get the Hwange deal.

Mliswa was the first to give oral evidence before the Privileges Committee chaired by Senator Chief Charumbira, where the Norton legislator said the meeting was informal and had nothing to do with parliamentary committee business, adding he did not even know the agenda of the meeting which was facilitated by Tundiya and was held at Goddard’s Borrowdale offices.

“The meeting discussed Hwange Colliery issues, where Goddard had an interest and I referred him to Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi because I told him that HCCL was under reconstruction and there is nothing wrong with that,” Mliswa said.

“I took over the agenda and said Tundiya cannot speak and during the meeting, I never heard anything about the $400 000 bribe. If you drive through Bulawayo, you see vehicles branded J R Goddard, and Goddard did not have to go through anyone to speak to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

“Tundiya is a renowned con-artist and I doubt the wisdom of Goddard to deal with such a person.”

Asked by Privileges Committee member Matthew Nyashanu (Buhera Central) if Goddard’s act of reporting the bribery case could have been heroic, Mliswa responded: “You cannot say that you are fighting corruption when you are associated with Tundiya; it means you are part of the corruption.”

Chikomba then gave his oral evidence, where he disclosed that when Tundiya invited him to Goddard’s offices in Borrowdale, he had been made to believe that Goddard was the one who was going to settle the US$2 100 debt in local currency.

He told the committee that Tundiya owed him $2 700 since 2011, and had only paid back US$600.

“I asked Ndebele, who is a lawyer, to accompany me and assist me to recover my money from Tundiya, and because on that day, I had no vehicle and Ndebele had no vehicle, we asked Sibanda to accompany us in his car. Sibanda then said Tundiya is a conman and it was better to ask Mliswa to also accompany us to Borrowdale at Goddard’ offices,” Chikomba said.

“During the informal meeting, only Hwange Colliery issues were discussed and it was only outside when we were already going that I asked Tundiya to pay back what he owed to me. Tundiya said murungu wake (his boss, to mean Goddard) was the one that was going to pay, as they were business partners, and then he said I should write down my account number on a piece of paper which he then gave to Goddard,” Chikomba said.

Privileges Committee member Jonathan Samukange then demanded to know how Goddard was made to understand he was supposed to deposit $400 000 facilitation fees in Chikomba’s account.

Another committee member, Tatenda Mavetera, demanded to know the interest rate that Chikomba had used to conclude that Goddard should deposit his money as $400 000 in local currency.

Chikomba said when Tundiya communicated with Goddard, he could not hear what was said.

“Tundiya was the one who went to speak to Goddard and I gave him a piece of paper with my bank account because Tundiya had said the following day, Goddard would deposit money in payment of my debt. When I mentioned $400 000 to Tundiya, which Goddard could have heard, I did that in passing because I was saying to Tundiya I lent him the money in foreign currency and seven years later, it would be worth more in local currency and that I could have invested it as a businessman and got around $400 000 to date. Tundiya is a cunning conman who even pretended to have links with the President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) to Goddard,” he said.

Sibanda also gave his oral evidence, saying he had been asked by Chikomba and Ndebele to drive them to Goddard’s offices since they did not have a vehicle.
He said during the informal meeting, the issue of a bribe or facilitation fees was never mentioned.

“I first heard about the $400 000 bribe amount through The Herald. When we accompanied Chikomba to recover his money from Goddard, we were made to believe that Goddard was the one who was going to pay his debt,” Sibanda said.

“He said the following day after their meeting with Tundiya at Bronte Hotel, he got a call from Hwange Colliery board chairperson Juliana Muskwe, who warned him that Tundiya was a con-man who had told her that he, Tundiya, had given MPs from the Mines committee $500 000 each. That is when I asked Mliswa to join us to the meeting with Goddard because I suspected it was a set-up, and I only went there as a driver to Chikomba and Ndebele, who was assisting Chikomba legally to recover his debt from Tundiya.”

It turned out Goddard never directly spoke to the MPs about the money, but that Tundiya acted as a go-between between Chikomba and Goddard, without them both hearing what was exactly communicated to the other.

In his evidence, Ndebele said as a lawyer, Chikomba had asked him to accompany him to Goddard’s offices to assist him recover his debt from Tundiya, who he said had invited them there.

“I first heard of the $400 000 bribe from The Herald. It was never discussed inside or outside the meeting. My knowledge of Tundiya is that he is a colourful character and I told Chikomba that he can be given the money as cash and then set-up, and so there was need to be watertight with the document to recover the debt,” he said.

Ndebele said he knew Goddard to be a well-respected Bulawayo-based businessman, but was surprised that he was dealing with Tundiya.

He said he had personally requested Sibanda to accompany them using the latter’s vehicle.

The Privileges Committee will now table a report of its findings before Parliament, which will be debated before a determination is reached.

NewsDay

MDC’S standing committee meeting last week Wednesday degenerated into a war of words after a faction aligned to party leader Nelson Chamisa, accused secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora of bringing the party’s name into disrepute, allegations he firmly refuted.

Chamisa and Mwonzora are likely to lock horns at the upcoming elective congress next month after the latter won a tightly contested race for secretary-general post in 2014.

Chamisa was later appointed vice-president by the late Morgan Tsvangirai and was elevated to party leader at his death.

According to MDC standing committee sources, Chamisa started the attack on Mwonzora, who was also accused of causing the party’s defeat in Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park local authority by-election.

“Mwonzora was told by the president that this is not a peacock contest, where one is trying to spread feathers and be seen to be more attractive than others,” one source said.

“He was accused of trying to appropriate himself to Tsvangirai’s achievements and to claim all the landmarks into his name, such as the Constitution-making process. He was accused of trying to personalise everything that the party achieved, thereby bringing the party’s name into disrepute.

“He was asked why he was contesting the race that hasn’t been opened yet,” the source added.

According to others, the standing committee fell short of bringing the code of conduct against Mwonzora, with virtually all the leaders fighting in Chamisa’s corner taking turns to accuse the secretary-general of various misdemeanours.

“As for the Cowdray Park, the buck stops with Mwonzora and he must take responsibility. He was reminded that instead of seeking media attention, he is supposed to put the house in order and effectively run the party,” a senior party official said.

During the barrage, Mwonzora, who has been openly described as a “half-wit” by other party leaders, reportedly defended himself, claiming he needed to clear his name as others were unfairly accusing and labelling him in the media.

Asked to comment, the opposition party spokesperson Jacob Mafume said a resolution was made to make him the official spokesperson of the congress issues.

“What I can say is that the standing committee reiterated that the formal channel of communication is through the office of the spokesperson. There will be a period when all the leaders will be told to openly campaign and this is when the nomination opens,” Mafume said while refusing to be dragged into the Mwonzora issue.

However, Mwonzora defended himself yesterday, declaring that he would not be silenced.

“I was never gagged,” he said.

“I was asked why I had said certain things in the Press and I explained that it was because those leaders were attacking me in the Press.

“I explained that I had the right to reply and further explained that for me, it was a reputation issue. I do not accept being portrayed as weak.”

Mwonzora added that many of those who were attacking him rely on urban seats which can be won safely.

“We agreed that we are in this position because of other senior leaders who were attacking me and nobody was there to defend me,” he said.

“In terms of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, accused people have the right of reply, especially when there are lies circulating that I am being funded by Zanu-PF.”

In an earlier interview with NewsDay, Mwonzora accused his predecessor and current vice national chairman Tendai Biti of fanning divisions.

He was responding to allegations that he was a Zanu-PF pony in MDC internal fights, which have left the party at odds with itself.

“What is ironic in the MDC is that the people who are raising these allegations are people who split from the party, who took money away from the party and who called (the late founding leader Morgan) Tsvangirai all sorts of names and they came back to the party. We accommodated them and what they are trying to do is to drive a wedge between myself and Nelson Chamisa as a way of getting an accommodation. Fortunately, the MDC members are intelligent enough to read through this,” Mwonzora said.

Contacted for comment, Biti said: “He did not mention my name, so that becomes a party issue. The party spokesperson can deal with that. I will not speak on party issues.”

Mafume dismissed the allegations by Mwonzora, saying those who left the party reintegrated with Tsvangirai and were now part of the MDC.

“We are not going to deal with innuendos. Those allegations are being raised in the wrong platform. When you have disagreements with fellow leaders, you should know where to raise them,” Mafume said.

“We are going to congress and it’s a pressure cooker, people will say a lot of things when they can’t stand the heat, but we are committed to holding a successful congress and we will deliver it.”

Party organiser Amos Chibaya, who is looking to retain his position, is reported to be engineering Chamisa’s grip on structures and ultimately, the party presidency amid allegations of voter manipulation.

Chibaya, however, denied allegations that he was Chamisa’s fixer, saying he was conducting party elections in line with the MDC constitution.

“Congress is a contest for power and people will always find a way of blaming the other person for their failures, but I can assure you that the process is going on smoothly after holding congresses in 1 954 wards. We have one unfortunate incident of violence. We have a few petitions. Surely this shows mature democracy,” he said.

Party vice-president Morgan Komichi said he was confident there would be no contests for Chamisa’s post.

“The MDC people are going to nominate Nelson Chamisa with ease. He is going to be nominated by all the 10 provinces in the country and our three external ones. No one is going to be nominated except president Chamisa,” he said.

Those close to Mwonzora said he was not throwing in the towel yet and will be looking to repeat the 2014 feat of defeating Chamisa after securing one last-minute nomination.

“There are some who are saying he should pull out because the structures voting at congress appear to be in favour of Chamisa, but he is not willing to give up. He is going for the presidency, to win it,” a source said.

There have been attempts to paint Mwonzora as a Zanu-PF agent to, hopefully, discredit him among the MDC faithful.

Mwonzora has denied the allegations, saying he has a history of defeating Zanu-PF and cannot be its agent now.

“I have been fighting Zanu-PF. I have a history of fighting Zanu-PF. I fought Zanu-PF as a member of Copac, they did not want that Constitution. We brought it. I fought Zanu-PF in the Supreme Court regarding political funding. Up to now, the MDC is receiving funding from the government. I have been fighting for electoral reforms, we have had success.
I have been a member of almost every demonstration,” he said.

“Now the regrettable part is that when we are going for congress, people start mudslinging. I have seen a few brick bats thrown at Nelson Chamisa, some of which are very unfair. For example, that bizarre rape case, we always go through this.”

NewsDay

THREE police officers, one of them a senior cop, who allegedly stole guns, more than 180 live bullets and an assortment of related weaponry from the police armoury, were yesterday released on $200 bail each.

David Fugao (age not given), the officer-in-charge of the ZRP provincial armoury in Matabeleland North, Wonder Tawanda Karamba (33), Francis Chaterera (39), who are both stationed at the armoury appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Franklin Mkhwananzi yesterday facing charges of theft and criminal abuse of duty as public officers.

They were remanded out of custody to April 24 on $200 bail each. The trio was ordered to surrender passports and report twice a week at Khumalo Police Station as part of the bail conditions.

They were also ordered not to interfere with State witnesses and to reside at their given addresses until the matter is finalised.

The prosecutor, Mr Mufaro Mageza, said on March 23 detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department homicide section received information that there were suspicious movements of firearms at the armoury.

The court heard that the detectives through investigations found out that some police officers were removing firearms that are subject to a handover-takeover from the armoury to a backyard room.

This was discovered following the arrest of Fugao after he was implicated by a suspected armed robber Ame Mpala, who was arrested with an AK-47 rifle along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road.

“When detectives arrived at the armoury they requested it be opened and a search was conducted in the presence of Karamba and Chaterera. It was discovered after the search that there were several firearms that had been stored in the armoury that did not match any recorded on official documents,” said Mr Mageza.

Some of the guns listed included Birmingham Sport Company rifles, Bore Winchester shotguns, a Bruno rifle, a Mouser long rifle, 303 Era rifle, Kregskorte rifle, Winchester rifle and a special revolver. They were also found with more than 185 different kinds of live bullets.

The court heard that when it was established that the accused persons had been allegedly receiving firearms for repairs at the station workshop, which is not consistent with their duties, they were arrested.

On the same day at around 7PM, detectives received a tip-off informing them that there was a suspicious package that had been stashed at a house in Thorngrove. Upon searching the house they found an assortment of weapons and ammunition.

Some of the guns discovered at the house included a Norinco pistol, Visor Pistol, FN pistol, Special Renato gamba revolver, an Astra revolver, Berretta pistol and an automatic pistol.

The detectives interrogated the owner of the house, Mrs Delighted Chingoyori, who revealed that Karamba had left a parcel containing the firearms at her house, stating that she had given him the keys to the garage where the parcel was for safe keeping.

Mr Reliance Ndou of Mugiya and Macharaga Law Chambers is representing the accused persons.

State Media

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa, Vice-President Kembo Mohadi and Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi were yesterday named in the ongoing Hwange Colliery saga inquiry being conducted by the Parliamentary Privileges Committee (PAC).

The trio’s names came up in the alleged bribery case, where a suspected dubious Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operative claimed that he had been sent by Mnangagwa and Mohadi to deal with problems at Hwange.

He then reportedly demanded a $400 000 bribe from businessman James Goddard, claiming that he was acting on behalf of four members of Parliament’s Mines Committee.

The four MPs were Temba Mliswa (Norton), Anele Ndebele (Magwegwe), Leonard Chikomba (Gokwe-Kabuyuni) and Prince Dubeko Sibanda (Binga North).

The alleged bogus CIO agent was named as Shepherd Tundiya.

Before the hearing commenced, Nyasha Makuzwa, who is Job Sikhala’s assistant lawyer and representing Ndebele and Sibanda, tried to stop the proceedings, arguing that Sikhala was filing a Constitutional Court (ConCourt)application for violation of section 69 of the Constitution, which stipulates that every person should be represented by a lawyer of their choice.

PAC chairperson Chief Fortune Charumbira refused to stop the proceedings and, instead, demanded that Makuzwa should provide documentary evidence to prove that the application had been filed at the ConCourt.

The Privileges Committee first heard oral evidence from Goddard, who disclosed that Tundiya facilitated a meeting between him and the four MPs, claiming that Mnangagwa had instructed him to look into the revival of Hwange Colliery.

Tundiya is also said to have claimed that the President had tasked him to sort out the mess at the coal miner after it emerged that one Mota Anjil was demanding foreign currency for services, thereby prejudicing government.

Goddard told Parliament lawyer Elizabeth Hove that Tundiya claimed Mnangagwa had sent him to facilitate a meeting with the four MPs.

He said they later met at his Harare offices.

“Mliswa spoke for about 30 minutes saying that Mnangagwa was encouraging members of government to join up with the private sector to form partnerships to improve the operations of the economy,” Goddard said.

He further said during the meeting, Mliswa left saying he was going to join his family for dinner.

He added that he remained behind with the other three MPs, where Tundiya then claimed that the MPs had demanded a $400 000 bribe to enable them to fly to Hwange the following day and would not go there with nothing.

Goddard told Mliswa’s lawyer, advocate Tawanda Zhuwarara, during cross-examination that the Norton legislator never personally demanded any bribe in writing or orally. It also emerged that Goddard did not know the agenda of the meeting held at his offices.

He also said Tundiya was not his agent.

“He (Tundiya) was not my agent. As far as I know, he was the guy requested by the President (Mnangagwa) to sort out Hwange and he showed me photos of himself with the Zimbabwe flag and he told me he had been sent by the President’s Office, he had been to Mnangagwa’s farm and the President had asked him to sort out Hwange Colliery,” Goddard said.

The businessman denied during cross-examination by Zhuwarara that Mliswa had personally demanded the $400 000 bribe, but intimated that it was something said in Shona, a language he was not conversant in.

Ziyambi’s name came in when Goddard claimed he had learnt that Hwange Colliery was under judicial management and had asked Mliswa to facilitate a meeting for him.

Chikomba’s lawyer, Simon Musapatika, then further cross-examined Goddard on the role of his client in demanding the $400 000 bribe. 

Goddard said after the meeting, and when they were outside, he overheard Tundiya and Chikomba engage in heated discussions in Shona, where the Gokwe-Kabuyuni MP and Sibanda demanded money. 

He said Chikomba later gave Tundiya his bank account, adding he again overheard the MPs demanding $400 000.

Goddard said after the meeting, he met Mohadi and told him that the four MPs had demanded a $400 000 bribe, and the VP advised him to then report the issue to Parliament.

Further asked by Musapatika to explain if he had ever received any official correspondence from the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), Mnangagwa or Mohadi to confirm that Tundiya was, indeed, working under the instructions of the OPC, Goddard responded to the affirmative. He said when he met Mohadi at one time, he asked the VP to verify whether Tundiya was, indeed, a member of the OPC.

“When I met Mohadi, I asked him about Tundiya and he indicated to me that he will revert back to me, but up to now, he has not reverted. When Mnangagwa officially opened Arcturus Mine, I phoned Mohadi and told him I was confused and told him what was worrying me. He said if I was prepared to testify, it was the right thing to do so,” Goddard said.

Musapatika then suggested that since Goddard could not understand the Shona used by Tundiya and Chikomba, there was a possibility that the MP was simply demanding his dues from Tundiya.

-Newsday

A photo circulating from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) post 2018 elections review meeting currently underway in Nyanga shows the commission’s chairperson Priscilla Chigumba with a bulging stomach. Could she be pregnant for sure?

By Own Correspondent| Bulawayo police are investing suspected case of rape and murder of a woman on an unknown date.

A police statement reveals that the dead body of a woman was discovered and reported to the police by a passerby.

The woman, who was found half-naked, is believed to have been raped first before she was killed.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Chief Inspector Precious Simango said the deceased’s body was taken to the United Bulawayo Hospital mortuary for a post mortem.-StateMedia

LUXURY bus City Link’s passengers travelling from Bulawayo to Harare were delayed for about three hours as a gang of nine men manhandled the driver accusing him of ‘stealing’ their US$7 000 that was in a parcel he had delivered.

The incident occurred when the bus stopped in Gweru for its scheduled five minutes recess.

The bus company had to provide another bus driver to proceed to Harare as the first driver went with the police and people who were accusing him of stealing their money.

Some passengers are said to have missed their appointments due to the fracas.

The bus normally leaves the City of Kings at 7.30AM and arrives in Harare at 1.30PM but yesterday sources said it arrived after 3PM.

In an interview, Bulawayo model Mr Oliver Keith, who was one of the passengers on the bus said he missed his appointment due to the delay.

Mr Keith said the commotion started when the bus stopped in Gweru and nine men driving a blue Honda Fit raided the bus and manhandled the driver before force-marching him to their parked car.

“When we arrived in Gweru, the host announced that we were stopping for a five- minute recess. A few minutes after the bus parked, the gang invaded the bus and went straight for the driver demanding ‘their money’,” said Mr Keith.

He said the information they later got was that the driver had delivered the parcel the previous day and the gang was saying that the parcel had US$7 000 but the driver was insisting that the parcel had no money.

Mr Keith said after the driver had been taken away by police, the host informed the stranded passengers that the bus company was organising an alternative driver from either Bulawayo or Harare.

He said the driver later arrived and they proceeded with their journey without the first driver who was probably still detained at the police station.

A comment could not be immediately obtained from City Link Bus Company as its employees based in Bulawayo said they knew nothing about the incident.

Midlands police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ethel Mukwenda said she had not received such a report. 

State Media

TWELVE people were killed, while several others were injured when a Kwekwe-bound kombi collided head-on with a bus about 20 km outside Gweru yesterday evening.

All the dead were in the kombi, which had its roof ripped off on impact. The accident occurred around 7pm not too far from the Gweru tollgate.

According to police officers at the scene, no one survived in the kombi, while a few people from the bus, owned by  Birdgreen Transport Pvt Ltd, were injured and ferried to Gweru Provincial Hospital.

Unconfirmed reports indicated the kombi was among a convoy of cars belonging to Kwekwe-based ZANU-PF politician and gold dealer Kandros Mugabe, and were coming from a funeral.

Witnesses described horrific scenes, with many blaming the bus for over-speeding.

“I boarded this bus from Kadoma, but all the way we were complaining of the speed.

“The driver then tried to overtake another bus on this curve resulting in the head-on collision with the oncoming kombi,” said Mrs Marvelous Marova.

Memory Jarazava from Kwekwe told ZOOMZimbabwe: “I witnessed this with my own eyes. It happened around 7pm. Some images you can never erase them from your memory. I’m so broken. I’m so devastated.”

Another witness, Mr Kelvin Zimuto said no one survived in the kombi.

“The driver of the bus I was travelling in is to blame. He was just speeding for nothing and imagine everyone in the kombi was crushed,” he mourned.

Last night, Police Officer Commanding Midlands Province, Commissioner Moses Magande, confirmed the accident and said investigations were underway. 

Correspondent|The 2019 harvest is one of the country’s lowest in years and will put pressure on the government to channel its scarce foreign currency reserves to feed about 5-million vulnerable people, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa has announced.

Zimbabwe’s situation is so dire,  Mutsvangwa said, that  the government was considering feeding its vulnerable citizens with sweet potatoes as a substitute for maize meal, the country’s staple.

She said the poor harvest was a huge concern for government.

“Cabinet is seized with the fact that there won’t be enough grain, so there are a number of interventions, like growing winter maize for example and making sure that we increase production of potatoes and  sweet potatoes, and to consider the possibility of importing.”

Mutsvangwa noted that while the country had some grain in its strategic reserves, its food stocks would not last until the next harvest, adding that “the government is seized and alive to the fact that food security is the number one issue that affects the citizens”.

The government also reviewed upwards the producer price of maize to $726 RTGS dollars, up from $390, to encourage farmers to deliver grain to the state’s grain marketing board.

Mutsvangwa said the country had lost hope of finding any cyclone Idai survivors, and indicated that Zimbabwe needed $612m  for humanitarian assistance and reconstruction of infrastructure after Cyclone Idai devastated the eastern part of the country in  March. 

“The president signed our appeal document. It details what we believe we need, which amounts to $612m (of domestic and international aid),” local government minister July Moyo said on Tuesday.

According to the document, $155m is needed for logistics and emergency communication to get help to affected communities.

A further $292m is needed for food and nutrition to about 100,000 people in the hardest hit area of Chimanimani; $75m is required for emergency shelter; and  $51m has been budgeted for water sanitation and hygiene.

Other funds have been budgeted for rebuilding schools and hospitals,  as well as psychosocial support.

The cyclone has also set back  Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector.

The government will import grain after it recorded a poor harvest of 714,958 tonnes, putting further strain on the country’s battered economy.

VIDEO LOADING BELOW

By A Correspondent| The Norton MP Temba Mliswa yesterday took stand before the committee that is investigating allegations of bribery.

The hearings lasted several hours and Mliswa lifted pitch when he made the following declaration: “I don’t come from that upbringing at all; I advocate for pushing for zero tolerance.

“On corruption my way of doing the important I always watch because everyone is watching [me] they say Mliswa is the one who makes a lot of noise on corruption. So I am very aware of the lot of things honourable member. I am not naive. I wouldn’t talk about it, because but I have never solicited for a bribe in my whole life.” VIDEO BELOW

THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) is in a dilemma after Mutasa Central ward 10 councillor Frank Chitembwe (MDC), whose seat was declared vacant following his incarceration for public violence, resurfaced this week after being granted bail pending appeal.

His party now wants the results of the nomination court, which sat last week and selected candidates for the by-election, to be set aside.

MDC Manicaland provincial spokesperson Trevor Saruwaka said they would appeal to the electoral court to reverse the results of the nomination court.

“We are going to appeal to the electoral court urgently to seek an order to reverse the results of nomination court and declare Chitembwe the sitting councillor for ward 10,” he said

Chitembwe, who was recently slapped with a two-year jail term for taking part in the January 14-16 shutdown by blocking roads, on Monday successfully applied for bail pending appeal at the High Court.

The ex-councillor and another party activist, Job Kusano, were granted $300 bail each following an application by their lawyers Christopher Ndlovu and David Tandiri.

Chitembwe was released after the nomination court sat last week to select candidates to contest in the May 12 by-election to fill the position.

The three candidates who successfully filed their nomination papers are Tanyaradzwa Rose Mukodza (MDC), Magret Tindika of Zanu PF and Tanyaradzwa Justin Chirimo of NCA Saruwaka added that the MDC Alliance candidate, Mukodza, was ready to step down for Chitembwe.

“We are not in a dilemma. Our candidate is fully aware that should the appeal succeed, she will happily give way to councillor Chitembwe,” he said.

“If the appeal fails, we contest and an MDC councillor will win. So there is no dilemma on our part. It is actually a nightmare for Zanu PF because it’s a lose-lose situation for them. Whichever way, the seat will remain in the hands of the MDC.” — NewsDay

Own Correspondent|In an unprecedented plot twist, National University of Science and Technology lectures for Financial Econometrics and Data Analysis have allegedly put a clause on the examination paper which allows students to shed tears should they feel overwhelmed with the questions.

The alleged examination paper which is circulating on social media has one peculiar instruction which says:

‘Crying is allowed but do so without disturbing others”

The institution is yet to confirm if such a clause exists indeed.