TWENTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Jane Machopa of village 3, Chigwendere homestead, Dombojena in Shurugwi was last week arrested for allegedly strangling her four-month-old son.

Acting Midlands provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Ethel Mukwende confirmed the incident.

“We have a murder and attempted murder case where a woman who was sleeping with her four-month-old twin sons, killed one and pulled the other’s tongue for reasons not yet known,” Mukwende said.

“The matter is under investigation and we suspect that accused is mentally challenged because on the day in question she started acting strangely and after committing the crime she is said to have started laughing after being asked why she killed her son.”

Mukwende said on March 26 at around 11am, Machopa was with her husband, Enoch Chigwendere in Shurugwi town when she started behaving strangely. The following day at around 4am, Machopa allegedly strangled Zvamaziva to death while her husband was sleeping.

When the husband woke up, she found Machopa pulling the other son Saviour’s tongue and he asked what she was doing and she reportedly started laughing hysterically. Chigwendere took the two children to a neighbour, but Zvamaziva was already dead while Saviour was rushed to Shurugwi District Hospital where he is admitted.

-Newsday

Correspondent|WAR veterans in Mashonaland West province have written to President Emmerson Mnangagwa demanding that ICTs Minister Kazembe Kazembe (pictured) be removed as the ruling party’s provincial chairperson.

The war veterans want the Zanu PF provincial executive dissolved in the same manner Harare and Bulawayo executives were dissolved.

In a letter which has also been copied to ZANU-PF national chairperson Oppah CZ Muchinguri-Kashiri, the war veterans demand that the entire ZANU-PF executive be dissolved on charges of imposing imposition of leaders whom they do not know.

They accused the Kazembe Kazembe-led executive of creating an acrimonious working environment and provincial minister Monica Mavhunga of causing rifts in the party.

“No one is happy about this issue. There is a problem in the provincial executive of the party which is trying to put someone who we didn’t choose so that they secure support at the upcoming restructuring. We had said the PC must come from our executive, we want someone who we nominated and that is General Mutasa,” provincial deputy chairman Lovemore Hodza said yesterday.

Hodza accused the provincial executive committee of cherry-picking their preferred candidate, against the Zanu PF policy.

“We will ask the provincial leadership to correct what they did so that we will be able to find each other and work together in harmony. We want to discuss this issue, but if they fail to do that, then we will take the matter forward,” Hodza said.

They accused Mavhunga of parcelling out land to Kazembe at Collinwood Farm which falls under the war veterans’ quota, making the minister a multiple farm owner.

The war veterans also complained that Mavhunga re-allocated land on other farms occupied by war veterans to, among others, Marjory Bwawa, who is fighting some two named legislators on one of the farms.

Finance and Economic Development minister Mthuli Ncube has warned the country to brace for an imminent rise in interest rates.

Interest rates in the southern African nation have been capped at 12% for the past two years, and bankers have been pressing for a review of the lending rates to avert a collapse of the banking sector.

“Expect interest rates to go up, that is how the monetary policy works if there is a shortage of liquidity or if the inflation rate is up,” Ncube said while addressing journalists on the sidelines of the Zimbabwe Accountants Conference 2019 in the capital yesterday.

He said Zimbabwe’s continued use of the United State dollar (US$) as a local and transacting currency was no longer sustainable, because it made the country’s exports uncompetitive.

“Three years ago, I did some analysis and found out that Zimbabwe had lost 50% competiveness in terms of export commodities by using the US$ as a transacting currency as well as a local currency,” Ncube said.

“The central bank was borrowing for you to spend money on a daily basis and this is not sustainable. We were borrowing about $2 billion just to use the US$ as the local currency and we can’t work like that. Zimbabwe needs to be normalised.”

The Treasury boss, who is targeting to cut the country’s budget deficit to single digit figures by year end, said the central bank and the fiscus have to protect the value of the local currency.

“Our job as the fiscus and the central bank is to protect the value of the local currency so that we can have confidence in it,” Ncube said.

“That protection starts with making sure that on the fiscal front we run a small deficit and not double digit and we determine that this year the deficit will be a single digit from what it currently was.”

-Newsday

Own Correspondent|Former ZIPRA intelligence officer and decorated liberation war hero Jeremy Brickhill (pictured) is billed to give a guest speech at the Annual Lookout Masuku Lecturer Series organized by Ibhetshu lika Zulu and Habakkuk Trust.

A message inviting delegates to the event said: Ibhetshu Likazulu in partnership with Habakkuk Trust invites Members of the public to the Annual Lookout Masuku memorial lecture on 5 April 2019 at the Small City Hall starting at 14:00hrs

Theme: Peace and justice as the Foundation of Human Progress

Jeremy Brickhill served in Zimbabwe’s liberation war as an officer in the military wing of Joshua Nkomo’s Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) and has a broad range of experience in conflict and post-conflict processes in Africa.

He led the Zimbabwe Advisory Team which supported Somaliland’s successful heavy weapon disarmament exercise in 1992-4, supported IGAD’s Special Envoy during the negotiation of the Sudanese Comprehesive Peace Agreement and was posted as an advisor to the African Union Mediation Team during the Abuja Peace Talks on Darfur.

Zimbabweans reacted with anger on social media, questioning the wisdom of the government’s expenditure at a time when courtrooms are cramped and ill-equipped, the national economy is crumbling and, according to the World Food Programme, 63% of the population live below the poverty line.

Their sentiments were echoed by Dumisani Nkomo, chief executive of Bulawayo-based rights organisation Habakkuk Trust, who said: “These are misplaced priorities. We need to focus on bread and butter issues and avoid expenditure on unnecessary luxuries.”

After poor rains and erratic weather destroyed crops, almost 5.3 million people in Zimbabwe are facing food insecurity; in 2017, the country was ranked 108th out of the 119 included in the global hunger index. The government has previously pledged to cut expenditure in response to rising food prices linked with the introduction of a new currency in February.

Lawyers in Harare said the government was wasting money on keeping a colonial tradition alive.

Beatrice Mtetwa, a senior lawyer in the capital, said Zimbabwe’s British colonial past remained embedded in its justice system.

“What surprises me in Zimbabwe is that we say everything against colonialism but we live more colonial than the colonisers themselves,” Mtetwa said. “A normal litigant would be intimidated to get into a courtroom full of ridiculously dressed judges. Why can we not dress decently? If we want to wear wigs , why can’t we make them in our own way? Those wigs were meant for white judges – we look ridiculous.”

Luke Malaba, Zimbabwe’s chief justice, has reportedly insisted on the use of wigs during proceedings.

Some of the wigs, made from horsehair, were delivered last week.

Another top lawyer, Alec Muchadehama, said legal practitioners should drop the tradition and make courts more accessible to the general public.

“I think we should move away from that culture to where judges look like an ordinary man and so that the courts look humane. We should simply believe that if a judge appears wearing a suit, it will not make them less of a judge,” Muchadehama said.

The use of wigs has been abandoned in South Africa, Kenya and several other Commonwealth countries.

In Britain, judges have stopped wearing wigs when hearing civil and family cases, ending a centuries-old tradition.

“In my view, it’s a bit unnecessary. From an ideological point of view, those wigs take us back to the colonial era. They make our courts inaccessible by the ordinary man. If the judicial services commission spends that money on rehabilitating dilapidated courts, that would make a lot of sense,” said Doug Coltart, a human rights lawyer.

Guardian

BULAWAYO had the highest number of convictions over public violence which occurred from January 14 to 16 this year, accounting for 225 of the 375 cases, according to the police.

The second highest cases were reported in Harare with 69, Mashonaland West 27, Manicaland 19, Mashonaland Central 14, Mashonaland East nine, Midlands six, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South three each, while Masvingo province had zero convictions.

The summary report for convictions on public violence cases covers from the day of the violence up to March 31.

According to the report, of the total number of the convicted people, eight were sentenced to seven years in jail each.

Of these, five were from Mashonaland East, two from Harare and one from the Midlands.

A total of six convicted persons were sentenced to six years imprisonment each, while 40 were slapped with a five-year jail term each, 29 were sentenced to four years each and 48 were given a three-year jail term each, followed by 65 who were give a two-year jail sentence each.

At least 92 were slapped with one year jail term each, 35 were sentenced to six months imprisonment each, four got five months each and 30 were slapped with three months’ imprisonment each.

Six of them were sentenced to strokes of the cane, which ranged from two to five each, while 12 others got suspended sentences.

The police indicated that 200 people from all provinces who were convicted were instructed to pay fines.

The violent demonstrations left 78 police officers injured in the line of duty, while one was killed.

Security services quelled the disturbances, arresting over a thousand participants, many of whom were caught looting and setting properties on fire.

State Media

A gang of suspected robbers on Monday morning sneaked into Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company’s (ZCDC) operating areas in Chiadzwa and entered a pit with ore that had just been exposed. Police have since arrested two suspects. Secretary for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Nick Mangwana said investigations were still in progress to ascertain if anything was stolen.

“In the early morning hours of April 1 2019, there was an intrusion by a suspected gang of robbers into the operational areas of the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company,” said Mangwana.

“The suspected robbers entered the pit where ore had been exposed earlier in the day. Two suspects have since been arrested. A full exercise to establish whether there was any loss and if affirmed then its level is underway.

“The people caught will be transparently prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and their accomplices will be pursued until every one of them is fully accounted for.”

The unfortunate incident, he said, prompted three ministers and the national security leadership to convene an urgent meeting on how to curb future intrusions.

“Following this incident, three Government ministers as well as the command of the national security establishment held a meeting on Wednesday, 3rd of April 2019 at the ZCDC operations to review security measures so as to avoid a recurrence of similar incidents,” he said.

Mangwana warned the public against committing such offences, saying those caught on the wrong side of the law will be dealt with accordingly.

“Government takes the security of national treasures and assets seriously and will do everything in its power to ensure that these are safeguarded and proceeds therefrom applied for national benefit,” he said.

Since the discovery of diamonds in Chiadzwa, the area surrounding the diamond fields has been besieged by opportunists from across the country prompting the Government to deploy members of the security forces to keep them at bay and to ensure orderly mining of the mineral.

State Media

VIDEO LOADING BELOW…

Speaking at Ngangu stadium yesterday afternoon, President Emmerson Mnangagwa rubbished the national currency the RTGS.

He said this while celebrating the aid given by US president Donald Trump.

He said Trump’s donation was outstanding in that it is in genuine US dollars not the fake dollar, the RTGS. He said “the one (donation) which pleases most is the one by Trump. It is Trump I am talking about. Do you really know Trump? The very same man who put sanctions.

“Just yesterday he sent his ambassador over here, and he came with 2 and a 1/2 million dollars, heee! heee! (Loud Scream)

“2 and a 1/2 million dollars from their own country not our RTGS [KWETE: SHONA STRONG PERJORATIVE, DISAPPROVAL], not the fake dollar you all know, but the one from their own country. 2 and a 1/2 million dollars from their own country, and he said go and help yourselves.

“And he said if you have any other needs, we have our station in South Africa, we are able to assist you, your only trouble is that of simply informing us, just tell us what you want and we will give you. This was all from from Trump. ” VIDEO LOADING BELOW…

Finance and Economic Development minister Mthuli Ncube has warned the country to brace for an imminent rise in interest rates.

Interest rates in the southern African nation have been capped at 12% for the past two years, and bankers have been pressing for a review of the lending rates to avert a collapse of the banking sector.

“Expect interest rates to go up, that is how the monetary policy works if there is a shortage of liquidity or if the inflation rate is up,” Ncube said while addressing journalists on the sidelines of the Zimbabwe Accountants Conference 2019 in the capital yesterday.

He said Zimbabwe’s continued use of the United State dollar (US$) as a local and transacting currency was no longer sustainable, because it made the country’s exports uncompetitive.

“Three years ago, I did some analysis and found out that Zimbabwe had lost 50% competiveness in terms of export commodities by using the US$ as a transacting currency as well as a local currency,” Ncube said.

“The central bank was borrowing for you to spend money on a daily basis and this is not sustainable. We were borrowing about $2 billion just to use the US$ as the local currency and we can’t work like that. Zimbabwe needs to be normalised.”

The Treasury boss, who is targeting to cut the country’s budget deficit to single digit figures by year end, said the central bank and the fiscus have to protect the value of the local currency.

“Our job as the fiscus and the central bank is to protect the value of the local currency so that we can have confidence in it,” Ncube said.

“That protection starts with making sure that on the fiscal front we run a small deficit and not double digit and we determine that this year the deficit will be a single digit from what it currently was.”

He said the interbank foreign currency trading platform had been introduced to protect the local currency and strengthening the micro institutions for the monetary sector.

“We are not yet ready to target inflation because inflation is too high. When inflation calms down to a lower double digit, 12 to 15, then we will target it. For now, we are targeting qualities or monetary balances,” Ncube said.

He said since the government started charging duty in the currency in which a vehicle was acquired, currency deficit had gone down and this had helped calm inflation.

NewsDay

Correspondent|Simbisa Brands quick service restaurant Chicken Inn has filed a lawsuit against its rivals Packers International’s Chicken Slice alleging trademark infringement.

Chicken Inn has taken issue with Chicken Slice for using the word “Luv” in its marketing. It has also taken issue with Chicken Slice for using similar colours saying this would mislead customers.

In its court papers, Chicken Inn says: “[luv] is a “key element of the whole mark and Plaintiff (Chicken Inn) has derived extensive and long-standing goodwill in the market based on it in particular as well as the entire mark in general.”

“The use of the element ‘luv’ in particular, and the phrase ‘luv it’ in general, by the first defendant (Slice Distributors) is identical with, and so nearly resembles Chicken Inn’s registered trademark as afore-presented, as likely to deceive or cause confusion amongst customers in the market.

“In addition, the use of the offending mark by first defendant in its marketing, in conjunction with a colour scheme strikingly resembling that of Chicken Inn amounts to passing off by misrepresentation.”

Chicken Slice is yet to respond to the allegation.

Own Correspondent|Dismissed Thokozani Khupe led MDC-T spokesperson Linda Masarira has blamed Nelson Chamisa led MDC top officials who are lawyers for defending ZANU PF Officials arrested for corruption.

Writing on her Facebook page on Thursday shortly after ZANU PF legislator and former Minister Supa Mandiwanzira was acquitted on all corruption charges, Masarira blamed the MDC lawyers who defended him claiming that they are being selfish by standing for the ZANU PF leaders.

Wrote Masarira:

Did you know that after the legal aid from Job Wiwa Sikhala, Super Mandiwanzira was acquitted of zvese zvaaipommerwa?

Did you know that with the legal aid from Tendai Biti, Gideon Gono escaped his corruption charges?

Did you know that with the legal aid from Chamisa and Thabani Mpofu, Zuva Company dismissed workers unfairly?

The billion dollar question is: Why is it that opposition leaders only want to unite with ZANU PF in dealings that benefit them at personal level but they do not want to unite with ZANU PF on things that benefit ordinary Zimbabweans?

There is no excuse for jecha. There is no excuse for disunity. That’s pure greed at its best. Somethings are better left undefended.

The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, George Guvamatanga, has made a startling revelation that the government is operating with just one chartered accountant.

Guvamatanga said the skills gap makes it difficult to address compliance issues, especially when companies want to list on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE).

“For a company to be listed on the ZSE, there is a requirement that it should have a chartered accountant within the skills set of the organisation,”Guvamatanga said while launching the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Implementation Strategy Plan in Harare yesterday.

“We then have the biggest organisation in the land which is the government of Zimbabwe, you have been told that I was a banker before, I used to run an institution which had a balance sheet of $500m and we had 17 chartered accountants. I come to the government and I’m asked to run a $10bn balance sheet with one chartered accountant.”

Guvamatanga added: “When Honourable Tendai Biti calls me and says you’re not complying, where is this report? Honourable Biti, you should understand that it cannot be delivered with just one accountant, and there is really an issue with skills.”

Guvamatanga said the non-compliance trend spills into government ministries because of the skills gap.

“I think it might actually follow to ministries as well. You are also having budgets in excess of $2bn, zero chartered accountants, and you expect them to manage those huge budgets properly,” he said. “I could not tell you this Honourable Biti when you were asking me the questions in Parliament, but it’s one of the biggest reasons there is no compliance.”

Zimbabwe is targeting to migrate to Accrual Based Accounting by 2025, a move aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in government departments.

— BusinessTimes

Own Correspondent|Reports just received indicate that a gang of armed robbers has yet sneaked into Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company’s operating areas in Chiadzwa and got away with an undisclosed amount of diamonds.

According to sources in the area, armed man found their way into the heavily guarded area on Monday and entered a pit with ore that had been exposed earlier in the day getting away with the diamonds.

This comes barely three months after another gang, armed with AK47 rifles and dressed in proper military fatigue, overpowered security at the same ZCDC facility and got away with State diamonds during the #ShutdownZimbabwe protests in January.

The gang was reportedly working in collusion with company officials, and government fired 80 ZCDC employees as investigations into the crime gathered momentum.

According to the sources, two of the suspects in the latest incident have been arrested and in investigations are underway.

More to follow….

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed 15 new ambassadors drawn from different sectors to replace those who have either died, been recalled or retired.

The list of the ambassadors designate includes five service chiefs who were recently retired from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) to take up diplomatic posts.

The retired generals are Lieutenant Generals Anselm Sanyatwe, Douglas Nyikayaramba, Martin Chedondo, Major General Thando Madzvamuse and Air Marshal Shebba Shumbayawonda.

Also on the list is former MDC MP for Mabvuku-Tafara Mr James Maridadi and University of Zimbabwe lecturer, Professor Charity Manyeruke.

Others ambassadors designate are officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade while some are former permanent secretaries.

These are Mrs Alice Mashingaidze, Mrs Abigail Shonhiwa, Ms Sophia Nyamudeza, Dr Emmanuel Gumbo, Messrs Chrispen Mavodza, Gumisai Gideon Gapare, Vusumuzi Ntonga and Dr Godfrey Chipare.

The group is undergoing a one-month training in diplomatic etiquette which began on April 1 and is being done by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

Foreign Affairs and International Trade secretary Ambassador James Manzou said announcement of the postings of the ambassadors designate was a prerogative of President Mnangagwa.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade was instructed by His Excellency to run a diplomatic course from April 1 to May 9,” he said.

“It is a training for those that are going to be posted abroad and that also includes quite a number of officials from the Ministry who are also being trained for positing at various levels.”

Earlier this week, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Sibusiso Moyo addressed the ambassadors designate during their training and urged them to prioritise economic diplomacy by engaging potential investors and seeking new markets for the country’s products.

“The ministry has been expanded and indeed rebranded to include international trade so as to reflect the thrust articulated by His Excellency the President that, henceforth, the primary focus for our diplomacy and our diplomatic representation abroad must be trade, investment and tourism promotion. In other words, economic diplomacy,” he said.

State Media

VIDEO LOADING BELOW…

MNANGAGWA ON ZBC VIDEO DISMISSING HIS OWN CURRENCY, SAYING IT IS WORTHLESS | WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THE ECONOMY TODAY?

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) April 5, 2019

By Chimanimani Correspondent| ZANU PF leader, Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday declared that his country’s currency, the RTGS is worthless.

Speaking at Ngangu in Chimanimani, Mnangagwa  also went into an ecstatic musical overdrive while praising US president Donald Trump. Mnangagwa thanked Trump for releasing an additional: “$2.5mln US$ not RTGS or bond notes.”

Said Mnangagwa: “The one which pleases most is the one by Trump. It is Trump I am talking about. Do you really know Trump? The very same man who put sanctions.

“Just yesterday he sent his ambassador over here, and he came with 2 and a 1/2 million dollars, heee! heee!

“2 and a 1/2 million dollars from their own country not our RTGS [KWETE: SHONA STRONG PERJORATIVE, DISAPPROVAL], not the fake dollar you know, but the one from their own country. 2 and a 1/2 million dollars from their own country, and he (Trump) said go and help yourselves.

“And he said if you have any other needs, we have our station in South Africa, we are able to assist you, your only trouble is that of simply informing us, just tell us what you want and we will give you. This was all from from Trump. “

Yesterday footage emerged of the MDC party’s Secretary General, Douglas Mwonzora saying that he expects his boss, Nelson Chamisa to support him for the party presidency in the same way he assisted Chamisa win the national presidency vote tally in Manicaland.

ZEC’s 2018 figures in Manicaland show Chamisa leading against Mnangagwa, said Mwonzora.

Speaking to 263chat, Mwonzora said, “The question of his rise to the presidency of the party is a matter of, that was a bit of an argument within the mdc and I do not want to revisit that. Suffice to say that he is the president as we stand and to that extent I do respect him as the president of the party. I worked with him well when he was gunning for the state presidency.

“I actually campaigned for him in Manicaland, and I am happy to say that Manicaland is the only rural province where MDC won without question.

“The president he won so and I do credit myself and my colleagues in Manicaland, for having stood by him, but that was that. That was in the state presidency.

“I suppose that if I were to be the president of the party I will expect the same from him I will expect the same from other leaders so we have always supported each other.”

The Zimbabwe Republic Police working together with Harare Municipal police besieged 263Chat office at Batanai Gardens before firing three tear gas canisters inside the cubic office and locked the door from outside leaving 16 people to suffocate inside this afternoon.

Hell broke loose when reporter Lovejoy Mutingwiza was ordered to capture running battles between the two sets of police forces and the vendors in First Street in the capital

Realizing that a photojournalist was taking pictures, overzealous police details attacked Mutongwiza who ran straight to the office to seek refuge.

Upon arrival at 263Chat offices, the group of rowdy details led by a ZRP uniformed officers budged into the newsroom before demanding to see the journalist in question. Superiors in the newsroom had to intervene reminding the uniformed police officer that the journalist was indeed accredited and was only doing his duty for a registered media outlet.

Skirmishes ensued leading to one ZRP police officer releasing three tear gas canisters inside the office before closing the door from outside for the inmates to suffocate. Journalists had to escape through the window including five women with the other lady (name supplied) expecting. Unfortunately the expecting lady had to be rushed to the hospital unconscious.

Renowned constitutional lawyer Fadzai Mahere described the incident as disgusting charging that the responsible culprits be brought to book.

“The journalists have a constitutional right under Section 61(1)(a) to freedom of the media which includes the right to seek and communicate information and the public has a constitutional right to receive that information. The police must be brought to book,” Mahere wrote on her micro-blog Twitter today.

MISA Zimbabwe also condemned the attack on 263Chat journalist.

“Police officers and local municipality officers are expected to be the guardians of the law and not violate it by carrying out unwarranted searches and seizures. The police is reminded of its duty to uphold and promote the enjoyment of rights which include the rights to media freedom as guaranteed in the Constitution,” read part of the statement from MISA Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, the government through the ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services said it has already initiated investigations on the matter.

“Government has been made aware of an incident in Harare CBD which involves allegations of mistreatment of members of the media made against the police. These allegations are now under investigation.  Our constitution guarantees freedom of the media and government respects the constitution,” read part of the ministry’s statement.

A police report was made at Central Police Station.

-263Chat

By Own Correspondent- The government has revealed that it has commenced investigations on the assault of 263Chat journalists by police officers in Harare on Thursday afternoon.

The officers threw teargas canisters into the offices through a window and shut the door, forcing the journalists to escape through windows.

The police officers were engaged in running battles with vendors when the incident took place.

Reports indicate that the journalists were covering the disturbances when police officers charged, resulting in some journalists sustaining injuries.

Through its Twitter handle, the Ministry of Information said:

“Govt has been made aware of an incident in Harare CBD which involves allegations of mistreatment of members of the Media made against the police. These allegations are now under investigation. Our constitution guarantees freedom of the Media and Govt respects the Constitution.”

Police have arrested a Kadoma man who was filmed in a 45 second-video that has gone viral savagely assaulting a hapless man accusing him of stealing from him.

Litten Chikoore was arrested days after the video in which he was captured assaulting Mr Pedzisai Mangisi (30) with a hosepipe was widely shared on ZimEye and other platforms leading to his identification.

5 days ago ZimEye boadcast several programs one of which is below:

6 days ago, ZimEye launched a program to identify and get Litten Chikoore arrested… 19,000 people joined in to search and @PoliceZimbabwe have managed to arrest the suspect. Below was the program… https://t.co/Ky8HWr4HjH

Chikoore Arrested https://t.co/SbnnBch0Gf v pic.twitter.com/Y1Wnx3rktN

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) April 5, 2019

In the video, the energetic Chikoore is seen whipping Mr Mangisi and vowing to stop the savage attack once he gets tired.

Mr Mangisi is seen lying on the ground wailing and pleading his innocence while Chikoore continues beating accusing his victim of theft.

As the video is ending, Chikoore is heard asking for “electricity” which some claim could have been an electric cord which he could have further used to assault Mr Mangisi.

Chikoore does not mention in the video what his victim had “stolen”. National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed Chikoore’s arrest.

He said police also located his victim, who together with other witnesses are helping law enforcement agents with investigations.

“We are still recording some witness statements and the full information will only be available after the investigation has been concluded,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.

He said no one should take matters into his or her own hands.

“No one has got the right to assault or to mete out instant justice to any other person despite any wrong that one feels has been committed against him or her,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.

Earlier police had twitted that Chikoore handed himself to the police. “The accused handed himself to the police accompanied by his lawyer. The due process of the law will now take its course and the accused will appear in court soon. The ZRP wishes to thank members of the public for the cooperation rendered in the inquires.

“The complainant Pedzisai Mangisi (30) has since been located while the accused person Litten Chikoore has been arrested,” said the ZRP on micro blogging site Twitter.

Last month, police in Matabeleland South arrested two men who shot a video while brutally assaulting a girl (15) for allegedly having love affairs with both of them in Phumuza village, Plumtree.

Police have repeatedly urged members of the public not to resort to violence in solving differences as some of the incidents end up being fatal.- state media/ additional reporting

By Own Correspondent- Police in the company of Harare City council municipal officers this afternoon stormed 263Chat offices and fired teargas at journalists before allegedly stealing yet to be named gadgets.

The police, were reportedly irked by one of the journalists Lovejoy Mutongwiza who was filming them as they engaged in running battles with vendors on the streets of Harare.

The gun totting policemen took aim at Mutongwiza who sought refuge at his offices with the police in hot pursuit.

They then threw a teargas cannister inside the 263 newsroom and reportedly stole gadgets.

The journalists said they were going to make a police report.

Said one of the journalists Costa Nkomo:

Attention Mayor Herbet Gomba, Information ministry, so today the Zimbabwe Republic Police in the company of municipal council police invaded our offices pursuing my colleague Lovejoy Mutongwiza who was taking pictures in CBD and fired tear gas inside our office, stole our valuables and left. This is satanic.

A game ranger who allegedly shot and killed a villager in the Jambezi area has been arrested.

Thubelihle Ncube (28) of Chidobe Village 4 is attached to Hwange Rural District Council Community Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (Campfire).

Ncube reportedly fired three shots at an elephant that was causing havoc in Chenamisa villager in Chief Shana’s area. A stray bullet discharged from his firearm hit Ms Irene Munsaka (62).

The victim was warming herself at a fireplace at her homestead when the bullet ripped through her left hip, killing her instantly.-StateMedia

Farai Dziva|MDC A intelligence sources are extremely worried about reports that a faction supporting Douglas Mwonzora for the presidency of the opposition party is dominating district and ward elections in Masvingo.

Reliable sources in the party have revealed current provincial chairperson James Gumbi wants Mwonzora to replace Nelson Chamisa as the leader of the party.

Gumbi is unhappy with the fact that Chamisa undressed him during a provincial council meeting at Mucheke Hall two weeks ago.

Chamisa accused Gumbi of performing dismally after the party managed to win just a single Parliamentary seat out of 26 constituencies in the province.

“What we are looking at is that the Gumbi faction is no longer supporting the president.Surprisingly the team is leading the race in the province.

We are also investigating sources of intimidation and violence,” said the sources.

By Own Correspondent| ZimEye has received sad news that the Build Zimbabwe Alliance president, Dr Noah Manyika’s deputy, William Pilbrough has died.

Dr Manyika said the man passed away on Thursday.

It was not clear at the time of writing what went wrong as his closest colleagues contacted by ZimEye.com said they knew nothing further.

What!!! I met him at the Zol counter at Sam Levy yesterday and had an animated chat with him and he looked as fit as a fiddle. What would have led to his untimely death if true??

— Coach Jerry?? (@maguranyanga) April 4, 2019

The party’s UK chapter leader, Todd Maforimbo who confirmed the sad development said, “We just received a message from Harare saying WIlliam is no more.”

Maforimbo did not explain further as he said details were too sketchy.

The late Pilbrough’s last tweets do not suggest any struggle with life.

In one of them posted at 12:21 AM – 3 Apr 2019, he said, “many people actually like Trump. They are entitled to their views. But this misses the point, he has alleged bias on the part of the media, against him. The CNN Ethiopian Airlines story appears to give credence to this and vice versa. Let’s not let our personal bias blind”

Pilbrough was an avid ZimEye reader.

Pilbrough, a British national though born in Zimbabwe, had relocated to Zimbabwe and had fought for and regained his Zimbabwean citizenship in 2017.

Former Minister Supa Mandiwanzira was yesterday cleared by the HighCourt of all the criminal abuse charges he was facing since being removed from the cabinet. Had he been found guilty, the Former Minister of ICT would have endured at least 20 years in prison or pay a fine.

His charges had come as result of being accused of breaching procurement regulations when he awarded a $218 million contract to Megawatt, a South African-based consultancy company, on behalf of Netone. In his defence, Supa Mandiwanzira said that his involvement had made Netone recover as much as $30 million that the state-owned Mobile Network Operator had lost to Huawei.

But the magistrate court had dismissed his argument saying that he couldn’t have acted on behalf of Netone since the telecoms operator has its own management which is charged with doing that. That is when the former Minister approached the High Court, which has now cleared him of the charges. He is now a free man.

Correspondent|Norton Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa has announced that he will be meeting MDC leader Nelson Chamisa to resolve an issue relating to the MDC dominated Norton Town Council’s refusal to have a ZIMPLATS  Community Share Ownership chicken abattoir to be constructed in the constituency.

In mid-March, Mliswa had written a letter to Advocate Chamisa complaining about the matter.

“Pursuant to this letter, I’ve had the opportunity to chat with Nelson Chamisa and once I’m back we’ve resolved to meet on the ground in Norton. After all it’s not about sitting in meetings or being selective but being on the ground and working with the people, we’ll eventually get there.” Mliswa posted on Twitter.

In the below letter Mliswa had told Chamisa that, “It has come to my disappointed attention that the intended establishment of the Zimplats Community Share Ownership Trust Chicken Abattoir scheduled to be located in Norton was denied by the NTC and is subsequently sited in Chegutu.”

Media Statement|The New Education Bill that the government of Zimbabwe recently gazetted provides hope for the more than 27% children of school going age who are currently out of school.

The chief reason for children failing to go to school is the inability by their parents or guardians to pay the required often exaggerated levies, tuition and enrolment fees.

This affects the poor children who are subsequently shut out of school. Every Child In School (#ECIS), a Campaign launched in 2017 by more than 250 organisations working in the children’s and youths sector in Zimbabwe, led by Tag a Life International Trust (TaLI) with the support of ZNCWC, WCoZ and ECOZI commends the government of Zimbabwe for responding to our call to push for the education bill.

We are however concerned by the lack of explicit commitment in the draft bill by the government to focus on the out of school children who are struggling to re-enter or enter schools.

As the ECIS campaign, we have been calling for circulars and policies which allows especially the out of school children to be allowed access into schools even without the required fees and levies. The existing circulars protect children already in school.

This is in line with the Constitution of Zimbabwe Sections 27 and 75 which make it the responsibility of the government to ensure access to edcuation for every child. ECIS hereby encourages every citizen to participate in the on going Hearings of the Education Bill by the parliament of Zimbabwe across country, to air their views on what we already spoke about in the constitution, thus to make sure even the poor children have access to education.
Doing so will ensure we defend our right and that of our children to education, human dignity, economic empowerment, social protection and wellbeing while leaving a strong legacy for sustainable development. Zimbabwe is the only country in Southern Africa which does not offer free basic education.

We commend the response from the parliament of Zimbabwe to prioritise this bill as a response to our petition.

On the 18th of December 2018, the speaker of parliament read our petition to parliament “Beseeching Parliament to protect the rights of every citizen to basic education: to call on the Government of Zimbabwe to enact a policy in line with the Constitution that instructs all school authorities to allow children whose parents cannot afford fees to be accepted in schools and to inquire into measures taken to avail resources to achieve the progressive realisation of basic state funded education as enshrined in Section 75(1) of the Constitution.

They subsequently promised to release the bill. Here is the parliament preliminary schedule for the hearings so that you may attend; 1 April Cooksie Hall Chinhoyi 09.00hrs, 2 April Siakobvu Pri School Kariba 09.00hrs, 3 April Hala Africa Kimberly Hotel 0900hrs Bindura/ Mbuya Nehanda Hall Marondera 1400hrs, 4 April Queens Hall Mutare 10.00hrs, 5 April Masvingo Civic Centre Masvingo 09.00hrs, 15 April Sibasa Hall Filabusi 08.30hrs/ April Mabuthweni Hall Bulawayo 14.00hrs, 16 April Lupane Town Hall Lupane 10.30hrs, 17 April Gweru Civic Centre Gweru 09.00hrs.

For more information and any new additional venues follow us on Facebook twitter, Instagram and we will also try to use mainline media to share any new developments.

Contact: Nyaradzo Mashayamombe, Tag a Life International Trust (TaLI) Address: No 152 Second Street Ext, Belgravia, Harare.

Zimbabwe’s main public sector workers’ union, Apex Council,   has expressed dissatisfaction over the recently announced salary increment for civil servants and claim the increment is far  from meeting their basic needs.

There has been mixed feelings from different sectors of the civil service.

Some of the APEX Council members claim that the increment was shoved in their throats without doing proper research on the current economic conditions and the council will continue fighting for better wages for its members.

One of the council’s senior members who spoke on condition of anonymity after its chairperson Cecilia Alexander was unavailable said :

“The problem we have in this country is absence of consistency, before civil servants enjoy a penny of the result of that grueling engagement with government prices shoot through the roof… because of the madness in the economy civil servants remain earning below the poverty datum line.”

Civil servants feel cheated because  the increment did not meet the US dollar payment that they demanded.

“The demand is there in black and white. Who does not know all prices are US$ tagged, The so called inter-bank exchange rate has not done anything to ameliorate the plight of civil servants. Price of goods and services are beyond the reach of the majority of civil servants,” said our source.

The latest increment effectively means the lowest paid government worker will take home RTGS$ 600. According to the rate of 3.70 the lowest paid civil servant will get US$163 but the rate is expected to increase as civil servants get their salaries. 

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) secretary general Japhet Moyo said “RTGS$ 600 is a third of what workers are supposed to earn in terms of the PDL (poverty datum line) remember the PDL is a moving earache (sic) and currently is at 1800 by next week it’s expected to be double.”

By Chimanimani Correspondent| Below were were the scenes at Ngangu stadium as ZANU PF leader, Emmerson Mnangagwa and a small group of leaders of political parties in the National Dialogue left for Harare, late Thursday afternoon.

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The opposition leaders thanked Mnangagwa for airlifting them to Chimanimani. Among them were Thokozani Khupe, Lovemore Madhuku, Trust Chikohora for CODE, Lucia Matibenga, Bryan Taurai Mteki and others.

Khupe was filmed smiling as she was announced as the country’s former Deputy Prime Minister.

During his speech, Mnangagwa said some affected families will be relocated. Mnangagwa revealed that government will build “beautiful houses” for those who lost houses.

Mnangagwa also promised the people of Ngangu saying a lot of aid was on its way to the area.

Speaking about Great Britain, Mnangagwa said he appreciates that Queen Elizabeth wrote a letter empathizing with us, Prince Charles also wrote the same with Prince William. In his own words, Mnangagwa said ‘kushata kwezvimwe kunaka kwezvimwe.’

He also spoke highly of US President Donald who he praised for releasing an additional: “$2.5mln US$ not RTGS or bond notes.”

By Own Correspondent| ZimEye is receiving sad news that the Build Zimbabwe Alliance president, Dr Noah Manyika’s deputy, William Pilbrough has died.

Dr Manyika said the man passed away on Thursday.

It was not clear at the time of writing what went wrong as his closest colleagues contacted by ZimEye.com said they knew nothing further.

What!!! I met him at the Zol counter at Sam Levy yesterday and had an animated chat with him and he looked as fit as a fiddle. What would have led to his untimely death if true??

— Coach Jerry?? (@maguranyanga) April 4, 2019

The party’s UK chapter leader, Todd Maforimbo who confirmed the sad development said, “We just received a message from Harare saying WIlliam is no more.”

Maforimbo did not explain further as he said details were too sketchy.

The late Pilbrough’s last tweets do not suggest any struggle with life.

In one of them posted at 12:21 AM – 3 Apr 2019, he said, “many people actually like Trump. They are entitled to their views. But this misses the point, he has alleged bias on the part of the media, against him. The CNN Ethiopian Airlines story appears to give credence to this and vice versa. Let’s not let our personal bias blind”

Pilbrough was an avid ZimEye reader.

Pilbrough, a British national though born in Zimbabwe, had relocated to Zimbabwe and had fought for and regained his Zimbabwean citizenship in 2017.

Media Statement|MDC-T Mashonaland Central Provincial Executive Committee has learnt with great shock about the expulsion of leader Linda Masarira who was the National Spokesperson.

As a province which believes in her able and capable leadership, we continue to stand with Cde. Masarira as she has been the only one truly concerned about the Mashonaland Central Province.

We have agreed as Mashonaland Central Province that we will resign en masse and follow Leader Masarira who is the only National Leader who was always in the province and guiding us on the way forward.

We believe in unity and tolerance and the expulsion of Leader Masarira based on images which circulated on social media of her donning Zanu PF regalia is unprogressive and a sign of political immaturity.

We unconditionally stand with Masarira during this moment recognizing her for having tirelessly shielded the party through thick and thin. She has consistently and visibly served as the voice of the Party from the date she assumed office. We will gladly follow her where she is going.

Chiedza Yakobe
Acting Mashonaland Central Chairperson

A gang of suspected robbers on Monday morning sneaked into Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company’s operating areas in Chiadzwa and entered a pit with ore that had been exposed earlier in the day.

The permanent secretary of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting services Nick Mangwana said two of the suspects have been arrested and in investigations are underway.

-State Media

By Own Correspondent- A Bulawayo man, Blessing Verengerai (25) from Nkulumane has been fined $250 by a local magistrate Lesigo Ngwenya for assaulting a sex worker.

The court heard that Lisa Bumhudza (23), referred to here as a sex worker, had refused to have unprotected sex with Verengerai.

Verengerai was also facing theft charges.-StateMedia

By Own Correspondent- One of the Kgalema Motlanthe led August 1 Commission of Inquiry members Professor Charity Manyeruke has been appointed as an ambassador.

Professor Manyeruke, today attended an induction workshops for recently appointed envoys.

Professor Manyeruke  is a Zimbabwean academic with close links to Zanu Pf. She is also Council Member of the University of Zimbabwe Council and Vice President of the Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa-Zimbabwe Chapter OSSREA.

In 2018, Manyeruke was appointed to The Motlanthe Commission of Inquiry into the August 1 murders which left 7 people dead after soldiers opened fire at unarmed civilians.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for latest updates .

By Own Correspondent- A Zimbabwean man who has been living in South Africa for the last 10 years on Wednesday won 12 million Rand in a national lottery jackpot, Ithuba.

The man who grew up in abject poverty back home decided to try his luck for a second time after he won nothing at the first attempt.

After winning the lottery, the 34-year-old man said he would renovate his family home in Zimbabwe, buy himself a house and car, and invest the rest of the money.

He said:

“A few weeks ago, I decided to give lotto a try for the first time and I won just over R200. I decided to play again. I did not think much about the numbers, I just randomly selected them.

I could not believe it when I learnt that I had a winning ticket. I won R12m!

My parents passed away when I was still very young and my sister had to step in as a mother figure to my siblings and me. Growing up in a child-headed home was tough – the poverty just never improved.

When I was in my early twenties, my friend who was already living and working in Durban suggested that I come to look for work in South Africa to help ease my circumstances at home. I stayed in Durban for five years and during that time I worked a lot of different casual and domestic jobs.

One of the companies I worked for in Durban recognised my hard work and offered me a permanent job at their head office in Johannesburg.

This move changed my life. I was able to rent a decent place and was able to help my family back home to have food on the table every day. I thought that my life could not get better than that.”-SowetanLive

By Farai Maguwu| Sickness is not a crime but …..if one is terminally ill they should step down from public office and concentrate on their health.

So this VVVVVVIP Came to Mutare to proceed to Chimanimani to inspect the impact of Cyclone Idai. He spent the night at Golden Peacock Hotel and in the morning as delegates prepared to go to Aerodrome to take the flight to Chimanimani he didnt appear from his room. An emergency situation was declared. Local Doctors were rushed to Golden Peacock since the South African and Indian Doctors would need hours and days to reach Mutare respectively.

For about 2 hours doctors battled to resuscitate him and thankfully or whatever you feel, he regained consciousness. Am told Doctors had very mixed feelings when he popped open his eyes.

Here we are beloved Africa. We have leaders sitting in the departure lounge clinging to power when their minds are firmly fixed on their next destinations. Its no surprise most of them take thousands with them as African leaders naturally prefer large delegations when they travel.

Leading a nation is a huge responsibility which requires one to work 16 – 18 hours a day. This means one must be fit, both physically and mentally. People who are in and out of hospital must NOT be in public Office. Respect to the Algerian people for forcing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign on medical grounds and his advanced age.

By Own Correspondent- Police this afternoon stormed into offices belonging to the 263 Chat team and opened a teargas canister after one of the officers noticed a journalist Lovejoy Mutongwiza filming their running battles with the vendors along Jason Moyo.

The video below shows the 263Chat team vacating their office which was engulfed in teargas smoke.

Farai Dziva|MDC T president Thokozani Khupe who fired party spokesperson Linda Masarira for wearing a wrapping cloth bearing Emmerson Mnangagwa’ s face today accompanied the Zanu PF leader to Manicaland in a State helicopter.

Political analysts argue the so called dismissal of Masarira is just a window dressing move meant to attract public attention.

In a picture circulating on social media, Khupe is seen ensconced in the helicopter accompanying Mnangagwa to Manicaland.

By Own Correspondent- Former MDC-T spokesperson Linda Masarira who was recently fired from her party led by Dr Thozokani Khupe for wearing a Zanu Pf wrapping has attacked her former boss likening him to MDC leader Nelson Chamisa.

Masarira accused Khupe and Chamisa of disregarding party Constitutions.

She said:

In terms of constitutionalism, the difference is the same. They [Chamisa and Khupe] both indicate left and turn right. We have a mammoth task to ensure constitutionalism at all levels in our country.

Being expelled for tying a mere piece of Zanu PF cloth is the highest level of mediocrity which I will not dwell upon as I have better things to focus on as national development issues for the prosperity and posterity of this nation.

I am not going to join any political party rather its time to put my vision into action. I am a visionary with a vision for a united, tolerant and democratic Zimbabwe.

Masarira was on Wednesday shown the exit door by Khupe after she was pictured wearing ZANU PF regalia at a rural function.

The Khupe-led MDC was worried that Masarira’s indiscretions will give traction to the view held by some that MDC-T is a mere appendage of ZANU PF.

By Own Correspondent- Misheck Sibanda, Chief permanent secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet revealed government intentions to relax procurement procedures for Tropical Cyclone Idai related material.

This is argued would accelerate rehabilitation and rebuilding of Cyclone Idai destroyed infrastructure.

Speaking to officials over the weekend, Sibanda said:

“We want to now take certain initiatives arising from cabinet; for instance one issue that has been constraining the reconstruction programme is the tight procurement procedures.

I will consult with the chairman of Cabinet, the president be authorised to write to PRAZ (Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe ) after consulting my colleague the secretary for Finance so that we relax the procedures so that we take into account the exigencies of disaster such as the cyclone which we have just witnessed.”-DailyNews

Farai Dziva|MDC A intelligence sources are extremely worried about reports that a faction supporting Douglas Mwonzora for the presidency of the opposition party is dominating district and ward elections in Masvingo.

Reliable sources in the party have revealed current provincial chairperson James Gumbi wants Mwonzora to replace Nelson Chamisa as the leader of the party.

Gumbi is unhappy with the fact that Chamisa undressed him during a provincial council meeting at Mucheke Hall two weeks ago.

Chamisa accused Gumbi of performing dismally after the party managed to win just a single Parliamentary seat out of 26 constituencies in the province.

“What we are looking at is that the Gumbi faction is no longer supporting the president.Surprisingly the team is leading the race in the province.

We are also investigating sources of intimidation and violence,” said the sources.

Farai Dziva|Masvingo based political analyst Jeffryson Chitando has said the “party of pretenders” led by Thokozani Khupe is crumbling like a deck of cards.

Chitando said the party would soon disband.

“I am not sympathising with Linda Masarira because of what happened. In essence I do not sympathise with anyone in the party.

By the way the party has only two members remaining. Maybe Obert Gutu will also fire Thokhozani Khupe for kissing Mnangagwa.Who will fire who? Let’s wait and see as the drama unfolds,” said Chitando.

Linda Masarira was sacked for wearing a wrapping cloth bearing Emmerson Mnangagwa’s face.

By Farai D Hove| As the MDC national congress draws nigh, the party’s Secretary General, Douglas Mwonzora has said that he expects his boss, Nelson Chamisa to support him for the party presidency in the same way he assisted Chamisa win the national presidency vote tally in Manicaland.

ZEC’s 2018 figures in Manicaland show Chamisa leading against Mnangagwa, said Mwonzora.

Speaking to 263chat, Mwonzora said, “The question of his rise to the presidency of the party is a matter of, that was a bit of an argument within the mdc and I do not want to revisit that. Suffice to say that he is the president as we stand and to that extent I do respect him as the president of the party. I worked with him well when he was gunning for the state presidency.

“I actually campaigned for him in Manicaland, and I am happy to say that Manicaland is the only rural province where MDC won without question.

“The president he won so and I do credit myself and my colleagues in Manicaland, for having stood by him, but that was that. That was in the state presidency.

“I suppose that if I were to be the president of the party I will expect the same from him I will expect the same from other leaders so we have always supported each other.”

Farai Dziva| Zanu PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa has said “whites cannot be trusted even though they have donated food items and clothes to assist Tropical Cyclone Idai victims.”

Mnangagwa made the remarks in Ngangu today.

Commenting on the donations made by the United Kingdom and the United States of America to survivors of Tropical Cyclone Idai Mnangagwa said:”You all know that these people are not happy with the fact that we repossessed our land.

As I have always said, there is no going back on the land issue.

We are happy with their donations but we cannot trust them.”

“The Queen wrote a letter to us and (Donald) Trump also donated money through his ambassador,” added Mnangagwa.

By Own Correspondent- Police who were engaged in running battles with vendors along Jason Moyo turned their frustrations and beat up a journalist Lovejoy Mutongwiza for capturing images of the police as they conducted their operation.

The police, who were conducting the operation in partnership with council police ran after Mutongwiza whom they had seen capturing their conduct on camera as he sought refuge at their offices.

They beat him up before throwing teargas in the office and left.

Mutongwiza sustained injuries on his stomach from the assault.

Said Lovejoy Mutongwiza:

“So today as I was carrying out my duties, Some Police and Council officials chased after me and I had to seek shelter in our offices.

However, the gun trotting police officers besieged our offices and tried to drag me and my colleague out of the office .

They then threw tear gas right at me and my colleagues right in our offices… I’m hurt and most of my co- workers are affected by this heinous crime.

We are lodging a police report.”

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for latest updates.

By Own Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appreciated the aid received from well wishers locally and internationally saying such gestures had eased the plight of survivors of the Tropical Cyclone Idai.

Mnangagwa who is on a tour in Manicaland in areas ravaged by the natural disaster said this at Ngangu township, one of the worst areas affected by the disaster.

He singled out Econet boss Strive Masiyiwa for helping in the rehabilitation of destroyed bridges.

Mnangagwa is being accompanied by leaders of opposition political parties including MDC T leader Dr Thokozani Khupe, NCA President Lovemore Madhuku and Brian Mteki who contested as an Independent.

Vice President Constantino Guvheyo Chiwenga is also accompanying Mnangagwa and his opposition political parties dialogue partners in assessing the damage left by Tropical Cyclone Idai in Chipinge and Chimanimani.

ZIMPAPERS is looking for 2 Character Generation Operators.The ideal candidates should have a Degree/DipIoma in Graphic Designing/Media and Journalism studies. 5 years’ experience in a similar position.
http://ihararejobs.com/job/character-generation-operator-x2-2/

ZIMPAPERS is looking for a Master Control Operator.The ideal candidate should have a Diploma in Journalism and Communication. 5 years working experience in a television environment
http://ihararejobs.com/job/master-control-operator/

By Own Correspondent- Police have confirmed that a woman seen in a video assaulting a young girl child at a Carltenville creche was arrested after another teacher opened a case against her last week.

The video, which shows the woman slapping the little girl repeatedly on the head, has gone viral on social media and sparked public outrage with people calling for the creche to be shut down.

Carletonville police spokesperson Warrant Officer Peter Masooa said the woman appeared in court on March 28 after a fellow teacher opened a case of assault on a minor against her.

Masooa said the woman had been remanded in custody while investigations continue.

He said the woman would make her second court appearance soon.

Masooa said the woman was remanded in custody while investigations continue. 

He said the woman would make her second court appearance soon. 

In the video, the teacher is seen lowering the denim jeans of the child before she gives her a couple of smacks on the buttocks.

The child, who is crying softly, looks up at the teacher as she continues to use a cloth to clean up her own vomit on the small green plastic table in the classroom.

There are no other children seen in the clip. 

“Why are you vomiting? Why?” the teacher is heard repeatedly asking the child as she towers above her, her hands on her hips.

The child, dressed in a pink jersey with her hair tied in a little bun, doesn’t answer, but continues to scrub the desk.

The teacher then walks off shot and returns with a tissue, which she throws on the wet desk, telling the young child to wipe her face with it.

The child takes the tissue and begins to wipe her face, but all of a sudden the teacher hits her on the head numerous times.

The blows that land on the child’s head are loud, as the teacher repeatedly hits her. -Sowetan Live

This is a developing story

By Own Correspondent- Police here have thrown teargas in Harare central business district in an operation targeting vendors.

The gun wielding police details, who are rounding up street vendors are working with Harare City Council police in their exercise which aims at clearing the streets of Harare.

The development follows an earlier exercice by council police this morning which saw them engage in running battles with the vendors who resisted the confiscation of their wares.

Unconfirmed reports alleged that municipal police details were assaulted by the vendors and they the sought re-inforcement from the ZRP.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for latest details.

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By Own Correspondent- A frustrated South African woman decided to pee on the floor of an FNB branch in full view of staff and customers.

She had apparently been waiting for assistance for an hour.

The incident was caught on camera.

In the video, she is heard saying the toilets were locked and she was pressed, so she had no choice. The video has been doing the rounds on social media.

Lee-Anne van Zyl, CEO of FNB Points of Presence, said they were aware of the video.

“We can confirm the matter has been addressed directly with the customer concerned.

“For security reasons, customers are not allowed to use back office restroom facilities in our branches,” she said.

Van Zyl said the bank discouraged the circulation of the video to safeguard the dignity of the customer.

ZANU PF central committee member and Mutasa South legislator Irene Zindi has taken party deputy secretary for youth affairs Lewis Matutu head-on as divisions in the party deepen.

Zindi confronted Matutu at the Zanu PF central committee meeting last Friday, demanding to know why the youth wing was fighting her.

“Why are you de-campaigning me? You came to my constituency and held meetings, accusing me of fronting the remnants of G40. That is bad, I don’t like that. You have to stop it or we will face off,” Zindi said as she charged towards Matutu.

Matutu, who was talking to journalists at the time, tried to maintain his cool and asked Zindi to discuss party matters in privacy.

Zindi would have none of it, insisting that the matter be discussed while central committee members waited for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to arrive.

“I don’t care who you are standing with, I want the matter discussed. I know you and I don’t know the other people you are with,” she shouted.

Zindi is accused of having secretly de-campaigned Mnangagwa ahead of last year’s elections, allegations she said were false and meant to push her out of the constituency in the 2023 elections.

-Newsday

By Own Correspondent- A Zimbabwean woman escaped a life of perpetual sexual exploitation after she allegedly refused submission to two men who had trafficked her from Johannesburg to Cape Town, two South African cities.

Sowetan Live reports that the woman’s captors, Lebogang Molapo‚ 33‚ and Ndubuisi Andy Okafor‚ 34‚ were nabbed by the Hawks’ anti-human trafficking team and the City of Cape Town’s law enforcement vice squad.

The Hawks, who are South Africa’s famed crime-busting police unit, arrested the duo after a raid on a house in Milnerton last week.

In a press statement on Wednesday, Hawks spokesperson Cpt Philani Nkwalase said:

The Zimbabwean-born woman‚ who left her country of birth to find work‚ was enticed to travel by bus with her recruiter as she could not immediately find a job in Johannesburg.

When the woman arrived in Cape Town, the duo took her to a house in Farnworth Street, Rugby, where she was locked up during the day and forced into prostitution and drugs at night.

The Hawks, however, did not reveal the woman’s identity.

ZANU PF central committee member and Mutasa South legislator Irene Zindi has taken party deputy secretary for youth affairs Lewis Matutu head-on as divisions in the party deepen.

Zindi confronted Matutu at the Zanu PF central committee meeting last Friday, demanding to know why the youth wing was fighting her.

“Why are you de-campaigning me? You came to my constituency and held meetings, accusing me of fronting the remnants of G40. That is bad, I don’t like that. You have to stop it or we will face off,” Zindi said as she charged towards Matutu.

Matutu, who was talking to journalists at the time, tried to maintain his cool and asked Zindi to discuss party matters in privacy.

Zindi would have none of it, insisting that the matter be discussed while central committee members waited for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to arrive.

“I don’t care who you are standing with, I want the matter discussed. I know you and I don’t know the other people you are with,” she shouted.

Zindi is accused of having secretly de-campaigned Mnangagwa ahead of last year’s elections, allegations she said were false and meant to push her out of the constituency in the 2023 elections.

Matutu refused to comment on the issue, saying internal party issues would not be discussed in the media.

“She is an elder; I can’t exchange words with her in public, and these are internal party matters. There is no need to drag it out in the media.”

Matutu, a close ally of Mnangagwa owing to his Midlands connections, has been loosely leading the fight back against those suspected to be trying to block the President in 2023, but his peers in the youth league feel Matutu was not doing enough, resulting in an attempted vote of no confidence on him and other leaders.

-Newsday

By Own Correspondent- A video of a woman assaulting a child who is between 3 and 5 years has gone viral on social media with social media users calling for the arrest of the woman.

The setting of the video depicts a day care centre and the child is assaulted first on their bums and is later given several blows in the head by the caregiver.

The video, which has sent tongues waging on how minors are treated at day care centres has left most parents regretting taking their children to day care centres.

Help us have this mean caregiver locked up for abuse.

Send information on the name of the Day Care or its location here or inbox us on facebook.

By Own Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has thanked the public for cooperating in identifying and assisting in the arrest of a Kadoma man caught on camera while viciously attacking another man whom he accused of stealing.

The man in the video that went viral on social media was identified as Litten Chikoore.

He handed himself to police in the company of his lawyer while his victim has been identified as Pedzisai Mangisi (30).

The police statement reads:

“Update on social media post: Assault incident in Kadoma
The ZRP wishes to thank members of the public for the cooperation rendered in the inquires. The complainant Pedzisai Mangisi (30) has since been located while the accused person Litten Chikoore has been arrested.

The accused handed himself to the police accompanied by his lawyer. The due process of the law will now take its course and the accused will appear in court soon.”

By Own Correspondent- MDC legislator for Zengeza East Goodrich Chimbaira is set to appear in court today for public violence.

Chimbaira (47) was on Tuesday arrested together with Chitungwiza Ward 14 councillor Chengetai Nyagonda (48) on charges of public violence that occurred at the party’s Ward 17 councillor Fungai Magadzire’s home in Chitungwiza on Saturday.

Chimbaira is facing another charge of attempted murder after he tried to run over Chitungwiza deputy mayor Jabulani Mtunzi with his Toyota Fortuner.

Five complainants have come forward raising charges of public violence against Chimbaira and his co-accused.

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Own Correspondent|NORTON legislator Temba Mliswa (INDEPENDENT) has urged fired MDC-T spokesperson Linda Masarira to consider being an independent politician.

This follows the firing of Masarira without a disciplinary hearing for bringing the party’s name into disrepute and aligning herself with the rival Zanu PF party after a photo of her wrapped in ZANU-PF regalia went viral on social media.

“Come to where I am my sister as an independent, there is fresh air. No one chases you from Parliament and all i do is represent people,” Mliswa said to Linda.

He added: “Linda, I have always told you to be an independent as I’m. As an independent i can wear whatever I like, T-shirt for Nelson Chamisa or Emmerson Mnangagwa or (Thokozani) Khupe. No one whips me into line, i do it myself.”

In response to her firing, Masarira has said she will not be challenging the expulsion and will not waster her time challenging issues as trivial as a cloth.

“We don’t fight for power. I am not challenging the expulsion. We can’t divide ourselves over mere lives of cloth. Those are trivial issues that my conscience can’t waste my time on challenging,” she said.

In a rather cryptic message, Masarira warns that there were interesting times ahead.

“When you choose a side of the coin you want to belong to, be prepared to face the consequences that come with your choices that you make. Pachanakidza pano (watch this space!).”

Media Statement|The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is aware of a news article alleging shortages of Jet A-1 fuel in Zimbabwe that would impact negatively on relief efforts.

The information in that article is outdated.

WFP Zimbabwe, working closely in coordination with Department of Civil Protection and local fuel suppliers, has secured adequate fuel supplies for its current operations.

In the immediate aftermath of Cyclone Idai, ensuring access to fuel for relief operations was an urgent priority.

WFP continues to liaise with Government and other partners to ensure sufficient access to fuel to continue air operations to affected areas.

WFP is currently providing humanitarian air services to some 20 partners, supporting the delivery of urgently-needed relief items (including food, medicine and shelter) to those in need in Chimanimani and Chipinge.

Over the next three months WFP plans to reach up to 270,000 affected people with food and nutrition assistance.

The plan will include multiple phases, from initial focused distributions of a nutrition product, Super Cereal +, to the most vulnerable, for three weeks, to scaling up to a full food ration for the broader population for three months, and it will also include a final early recovery phase.