Farai Dziva|Senators today grilled Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube over Emmerson Mnangagwa’s globetrotting.
Ncube was at pains to defend his boss as Senators accused the Zanu PF leader of blowing State money on his “useless” trips.
At a time the nation is grappling with economic work and the effects of Tropical Cyclone Idai, Mnangagwa has elected to use a luxurious and expensive private plane to fly around the globe under the pretext of a diplomatic offensive.
Ncube failed to give the Senators a convincing report and he literally admitted that some matters were beyond his control and capacity.
Farai Dziva|A female soccer fan who died in a stampede at the National Stadium on Sunday before the Zimbabwe Warriors’ match against Congo was laid laid to rest yesterday.
Egna Nyamadzawo was laid to rest in Mutonda Village, Domboshava.
Nyamadzawo, 38, was crushed to death in a stampede at the entrance into the stadium when people clamoured to get inside before the beginning of the match.
The national team was playing against Congo in a crucial Afcon qualifier which ended in a 2-0 victory.
Members of the Zimbabwe National Supporters Association attended the burial along with Zifa officials and Friends of the Warriors.
Egna is survived by husband Mike and their two boys.
Farai Dziva| Congo Brazzaville captain Prince Oniangué and his vice captain Delvin Ndinga have retired from international football following the 2-0 defeat to Zimbabwe on Sunday.
The Red Devils failed to qualify for the 2019 Afcon as they needed a victory in the match.
According to the Central African media organisation, Agence d’Information d’Afrique Centrale, Oniangue, 30, and N’Dinga, 31, have decided to concentrate on club football after serving their nation for the past decade.
Oniangue plays for Caen in France’s Ligue 1 while N’Dinga is at Sivasspor in the Turkish top flight league.
The two have been in the national team since 2008 and they were part of the squad that qualified to 2015 Afcon finals held in Equatorial Guinea.
Today, I re-publish that piece in rememberance of my time in the belly of the beast. .
My Zimbabwean Prison Experience!
Inscribed on the door of cell C6 at Harare Remand Prison is a simple message in the local Shona language: Zvichapera boyz dzangu, which means: “This suffering will come to an end”.
I walked out of the prison gates at 7.30pm on June 7, 2007, after three months as an inmate. I asked my wife Susan to drive away quickly, so that I would never again to look at the place where I had seen my friends succumb to disease and malnutrition.
The D-class section, reserved for “dangerous” suspects, was my home for 71 dark days. It was a place where one had to adjust to tough conditions such as leg irons, bad food, the company of hardened criminals and scowling prison officers.
Harare Remand Prison was an odd place for innocent prisoners like me whose persecution arose from a relationship to Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
The prison was a potpourri of the genuinely guilty and those whom Robert Mugabe wanted to intimidate. It was a waiting room of extreme fortunes where two cell-mates could part to go to contrasting destinations: one for home and the other for the guillotine.
My ordeal started on March 28, 2007. On that day over 500 armed policemen descended on Harvest House, the national headquarters of the MDC. For over three hours an assortment of visibly drunk policemen wrenched open doors and seized party equipment, from documents to computers.
They took mobile phones, prised open cabinet drawers and stuffed money, passports and other valuables into their pockets. Everyone was ordered to lie down while some of them battered our backs with batons.
Mugabe’s men had come ostensibly to recover “weapons of war” that were supposedly hidden at the MDC headquarters.
They combed drawers, ceilings and any other crevices within reach; they sniffed toilet cisterns and air vents in search of the elusive MDC “weapons”.
Their desperation was understandable under the circumstances.
On the following day Mugabe was due to leave for Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to explain why he had been cracking down on the opposition. His police officers had recently shot dead an MDC activist, Gift Tandare.
Mugabe’s police force had also beaten MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai and some other senior opposition party officials. Several MDC members had been abducted, beaten and dumped in far-away places. Mugabe may have needed a plausible explanation for these events at the summit of the South African Development Community in Dar es Salaam. The story of an arms cache at Harvest House might have helped to justify a violent crackdown on the opposition.
The police were obviously disappointed when they failed to find even a box of matches at Harvest House.
They ordered everyone in the building – including tenants and their clients – to get into the police vehicles. About 100 people were taken to the infamous Room 93 of the Law and Order section at Harare Central Police Station, where a series of assaults began.
One by one we were called into an office where wild allegations were made against us: we were part of the MDC thugs that had “petrol-bombed police stations”; we worked for a puppet opposition party; we wanted to hand the country back to the white colonialists.
On the following day the number of suspects was trimmed down to 23 and eventually to seven. No charge had yet been levelled against us. For three nights we were tortured with a baseball bat and batons. We were denied access to food, legal and medical assistance. For three days the guards continued to ask us about something they called the “MDC’s democratic resistance campaign”.
On March 31 we were told that we could go home because the police had detained us for more than 48 hours without charging us. It was then that an official whom I suspect to be a member of the state security Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) called me to a private room. He accused me of being responsible for the “Roll of Shame”, a column in a local newspaper, in which government personalities were exposed for committing human rights abuses.
He referred to what he called “anti-government speeches” that I made five years ago when I was secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, and accused me of co-ordinating former Daily News reporters so that they wrote for anti-government publications.
For my alleged crimes, the officer said, I was going to be imprisoned. I and some others were being charged with carrying out a spate of petrol-bombings in Harare and other cities. We were being accused of “resisting the government and seeking to remove the government through acts of sabotage, banditry and terrorism”.
We were taken to court under heavy security. This drama, of course, was meant for the media.media
The state-controlled Herald newspaper gleefully reported the arrest of the MDC terror-bombers, including that of the “journalist-cum-activist” Luke Tamborinyoka.
There was no magistrate when we arrived. We were almost collapsing from hunger and the injuries sustained after three days of torture.
Someone must have summoned ambulances to the magistrates court, but the police ordered that we should not receive medical attention. When one of my colleagues, Shame Wakatama, collapsed the police allowed the ambulance crew to drive us to a clinic.
The court later convened at the clinic, where the magistrate remanded us under prison guard until the following Monday. We were put on intravenous tubes by hospital staff.
At around midnight, however, a group of gun-toting agents of the CIO – backed by prison officers – burst into the clinic, violently plucked out our intravenous tubes and frog-marched us to a nearby van via the emergency exit. The sight of assault rifles in the van was frightening, but driving in the early morning hours with armed CIO agents to an unknown destination was terrifying. The eight of us were dumped at Harare Remand Prison.
Those of my colleagues who had come out worst during the torture were taken to the ill-equipped prison hospital to await the attention of a government doctor. The doctor was to arrive at the prison two months later and interview 30 of us in about 20 minutes.
Life in prison was an ordeal on its own.
Remand prison is supposed to be temporary but some inmates had been there for years, seemingly abandoned, both by the state and by relatives who no longer came to visit.
Food was acquired at a premium. It was a one meal per day affair served from an aluminum bin, and was only obtained after a stampede.
Adventurous inmates like Reason, one of the most notorious prisoners in D-class, were among the few who could afford the taste of meat. He was notorious for what became known as the “rat barbecue”. For the rest of us it was one meal of sadza and cabbage a day, eaten an hour before we were ordered to bed at around 3pm.
The cells were overcrowded, with between 45 and 70 prisoners sharing a single cell and spending the night fighting the cold and the lice.
The leader of the MDC, Morgan Tsvangirai, left his own mark on the prison. On the day he came to visit us both inmates and prison officers began shouting “President!” as they crowded to catch a glimpse of Mugabe’s direct opponent. Afterwards, Tsvangirai was banned from visiting the prison again. The chants of “president” directed at him in a government complex must have made a lot of people uncomfortable.
By mid-April there were 30 MDC activists in prison, some shot and abducted from their homes while others were arrested in the streets of Harare to face the same charges I did: terrorism.
The state’s case against us began to crumble after it emerged that fictitious witnesses had been called in to incriminate us.
On June 7 the government conceded that it had no evidence and we were eventually removed from remand.
But as I walked out of the prison complex another reality struck. I realised that the whole of Zimbabwe is just another big prison.
Harare Remand was a microcosm of what the country had become. There is no food on the shelves, and people can no longer afford to visit each other because of prohibitive transport costs.
I feel that my unwarranted arrest has shown the panic of the ruling regime.
And Mugabe has every reason to panic. When he came to power as Prime Minister after the crucial election of 1980, he was 56 years old.
Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai will be 56 in March next year – when elections are scheduled to be held. It’s a trivial coincidence, but maybe one that can still scare an old tyrant.
Jane Mlambo| Zim court acquits freelance journalist Edmund Kudzayi represented by Obey Shava of ZLHR after he was put on trial following his arrest on charges of possessing a camouflage umbrella as defined in section 32 of Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
Farai Dziva|Prominent political analyst Dr Pedzisai Ruhanya has declared that Zanu PF is “rotten to the bone marrow” and its leader Emmerson Mnangagwa is the author of corruption.
“Zanu PF is punishing hapless villagers in Chimanimani because they voted for Chamisa in 2018.
All this shameless conduct by Zanu PF – grabbing cyclone aid for the people of Manicaland is driven by Mnangagwa’s loss to Chamisa in that area.
With no shame at all that’s how rotten this ZANU PF is. The ruling party is rotten to the marrow. Irredeemably stinking,” argued Dr Ruhanya.
Farai Dziva| Emmerson Mnangagwa’ s bid to use opposition parties to score political points has hit a snag
The leader of the United Democratic Movement Violet Mariyacha has said she is unwilling to be used by Mnangagwa to advance the latter’ s cheap political agenda.
Mariyacha dismissed the dialogue process as a calculated gambit to hoodwink the nation and the international community.
“There is no serious discussion of why the country is in this current economic meltdown, why has Zimbabwe failed to attract foreign investments and what happened to the billions that Zimbabweans were told investors are bringing into the country as a the ‘Zimbabwe is Open for Business’ mantra,” said Mariyacha.
Build Zimbabwe Alliance (BAZ)’s Noah Manyika, United Democracy Alliance (UDA)’s Daniel Shumba, People’s Progressive Party’s Timothy Chiguvare and Alliance for the People’s Agenda (APA)’s Nkosana Moyo have also snubbed Mnangagwa’s so called dialogue.
Nelson Chamisa of the MDC Alliance and Joyce Mujuru of the People’s Rainbow Coalition distanced themselves from the process- since its inception.
Farai Dziva|Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to resume his “Thank You rallies” after suspending his scheduled political programmes as a result of the devastating effects of Tropical Cyclone Idai.
Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo told a daily publication Mnangagwa would resume his Thank You Rallies in the coming few weeks.
“As soon as his schedule permits, he will resume the rallies, the cyclone issue takes precedence.
He will advise as soon as the situation permits. The commissariat is looking into that matter,” said Khaya Moyo.
Mnangagwa cancelled his rally which was scheduled for last Saturday in Shurugwi, Midlands Province, in order to attend to the cyclone disaster, which left over 200 people dead and thousands homeless, according to Khaya Moyo.
Farai Dziva|Outspoken Deputy Information Minister Energy Mutodi has dismissed as “false and baseless” claims that aid is being distributed on partisan lines in Manicaland.
In spite of pictorial and documented evidence of selected distribution of aid to people affected by Tropical Cyclone Idai, Mutodi stills insists the MDC A is lying about the situation in Manicaland.
“President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s foreign trips have paid dividends with aid for cyclone Idai victims coming in from UAE and other parts of the world. On another note MDC activists in affected areas are making false accusations that food aid is being politicised. MDC please stop falsehoods,” claimed Mutodi.
By Own Correspondent| Zanu PF Manicaland chairman Mike Madiro denied the allegations that his party has hijacked the distribution of relief aid meant for Tropical Cyclone Idai survivors.
Madiro told journalists that those making such claims should bring in the evidence.
He said:
Remember, there has been a disaster in Chipinge and Chimanimani, and MPs from all over the country have been using those cars branded with Zanu PF logo assessing and helping the situation.
I am not even aware that there are donations that were being looted. Those are just allegations. People must come with evidence; the V11 forms to prove that the donations have been stolen.
What is happening is not good. People are using the relief food to trade accusations. Do you think a person like Minister Mutsvangwa will do that? And this is coming from fellow Zanu PF members.-Newsday
By Own Correspondent| Econet Wireless has announced new tariffs for voice calls. It has split its billing into per second billing and per minute billing.
The assumption is that customers will be given the option to choose what they want, whether to be billed per minute or per second.
Econet will now be charging $0.22 per minute ($0.21257). It’s not too far from where tariffs used to be. However, per minute billing means that even if your call lasts for 10 seconds, you will still pay the 22 cents.
The new tariff increase is with effect from April 1, 2019.
POTRAZ has not yet issued a statement over the move by Econet, as it is issued a directive last week that MNOs should keep the tariffs at the same levels.
"… we are going to move on the population will keep on increasing and what are we going to have the youth will get fed up …and that will be bad for all of us… " – President Obasanjo. @BitiTendai@nelsonchamisapic.twitter.com/aSe0ebyKmV
The Ministry of Home Affairs has paid more than $6 000 as compensation to Lynette Tendai Mudehwe, a prominent pro-democracy campaigner, who was assaulted by Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers when the law enforcement agents crushed an anti-government protest in Harare three years ago.
Mudehwe, who is the Coordinator of Zimbabwe Activists Alliance, had filed an application at Harare Magistrates Court on 28 February 2019 seeking an order for the imprisonment of two Cabinet ministers namely Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube, Cain Mathema, the Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister and Godwin Matanga, the Commissioner-General of Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) for contempt of court after they failed to pay her $6 210 as compensation for violation of her fundamental rights following her unlawful arrest and assault in January 2016.
In her application for an order of contempt of court filed by Fiona Iliff of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Mudehwe wanted Ncube, Mathema and Matanga to be declared to be in contempt of court and to serve 60 days in prison after they willfully disregarded a court order granted on 3 December 2018 by Harare Magistrate only identified as Moyo, who instructed ZRP to compensate her.
But the ministers and Matanga escaped serving the jail sentence after the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage deposited payment amounting to $6 210 into Mudehwe’s bank account, which she has since confirmed receiving.
Mudehwe was assaulted by ZRP officers while participating in a peaceful demonstration held in central Harare on 4 January 2016 and sustained some injuries and extensive bruises as a result.
This compelled the human rights activist to engage her lawyers from ZLHR who issued summons on her behalf demanding payment of damages as compensation for the violation of Mudehwe’s fundamental rights and this resulted in the Magistrates Court granting her order for compensation.
ZLHR says its intervention in assisting Mudehwe is meant at helping combat impunity and strengthen accountability, which is essential to the restoration or preservation of the rule of law in Zimbabwe.
Government has concluded investigations into the case of Monte Cassino Girls High students, who a fortnight ago besieged Macheke Police Station complaining of corporal punishment being meted on them, among other allegations.
Mashonaland East acting provincial education director Kennedy Maturure yesterday confirmed the completion of the investigations and said several recommendations had been made.
“I confirm that the report is complete and out. I am currently in Gweru on government duty and we will hand over the report to the permanent secretary. Some of the recommendations will see some of the staff members facing disciplinary hearings and those found wanting will be charged,” he said.
“We have also recommended sending some personnel from the psychological unit to counsel the girls as well as to ensure that they won’t be victimised. I will have finer details of the report on Monday.”
On March 15, the girls left the Catholic Church-run institution at around 4am and walked for about 7km to Macheke Police Station, accusing school authorities of confiscating their laptops, corporal punishment and sexual harassment, among other allegations.
The girls were convinced to go back to school by government officials, who then launched an investigation into the matter.
The Zimbabwe Gender Commission also announced that they would do their own investigations on the school.
Malayisha loaded with goods from S.A. into Zimbabwe
Johannesburg – Towering piles of oil, tyres, biscuits, microwaves and toilet paper filled a small and damp Johannesburg basement – all destined for Zimbabwe.
The items are loaded onto trailers attached to minibuses which make the 550km journey north to the border.
Within 48 hours, each shipment is delivered to addresses in Zimbabwe after being “couriered” over the frontier, sometimes illicitly.
As Zimbabwe’s economic situation has dramatically deteriorated, pushing inflation above 50%, shortages of household essentials have become widespread.
Chugging through townships, maize fields and scrubland as the sun rises, Zimbabwe’s only commuter train is cheap and reliable — two qualities that its passengers cherish in a downwards-spiralling economy.
“When the situation is bad that side, things are better for us,” said Charles, one of the deliverymen who makes a weekly round trip with precariously loaded trailers.
He manages orders from individuals and small businesses via WhatsApp before dispatching items northward.
Charles (not his real name) and hundreds like him across South Africa offer a uniquely Zimbabwean “personal shopper” service.
Known in the local Ndebele language as “malayitsha (transporters)”, they mostly fly below the radar and do not declare their wares to Zimbabwean customs.
People wait with goods on the side of the road in central Johannesburg for pickup by malayitsha. (Gulshan Khan/AFP)
“We sell and carry everything,” added Charles, who delivers in the western Bulawayo region. Others that AFP met also deliver to the capital Harare.
‘People are very desperate’
Food, alcohol, sanitary products, furniture, electrical appliances, coffins and even salt licks for livestock flow across the border daily.
Gas and fuel, in high demand since prices doubled in January, are also a staple of the malayitshas despite the risk of explosions.
“It is dangerous. As long as they are ready to pay, I carry. If I say ‘I don’t carry this’, my kids will go on an empty stomach,” said Charles, who has two children in Zimbabwe, but spends much of his time in South Africa where he also has two children.
Though Charles is prepared to risk flammable cargo, he won’t take perishable goods.
A man waits with goods on the side of the road in central Johannesburg for pickup by ‘malayitsha’ (transporters) to be taken across the border to Zimbabwe. (Gulshan Khan/AFP)
But his fellow malayitsha, Precious, does and she told AFP that “the craziest thing I had to buy was five big pizzas”.
“We bought them on a Saturday, they were delivered on Sunday. People are very desperate,” she said.
Impromptu warehouses have sprung up in Johannesburg’s gritty Hillbrow district where pavements serve as loading bays.
Yvonne, a Zimbabwean secretary in South Africa, arrived with an enormous sack brimming with items for her parents and sister back home – a monthly ritual.
Yvonne trusts the couriers and pays with an electronic transfer or cash.
Cheaper than buying locally
Her latest shipment included toothpaste and sanitary pads, as well as candles and matches.
“I can sleep easy knowing that they have what they need,” said the young woman.
Prices are surging in Zimbabwe and even with shipping costs, a malayitsha is often cheaper than buying locally.
Charles charges R5 for 20 bags of crisps, R150 for 20 litres of petrol, and R5 000 for a fridge.
“The fridge…was also bought in South Africa because if I were to buy it here the amount would be enough to buy three,” said Emily Maphosa, a resident of Zimbabwe’s second city, Bulawayo.
People wait with goods on the side of the road in central Johannesburg for pickup by malayitsha. (Gulshan Khan/AFP)
The 78-year-old grandmother had just received cooking oil, a sack of rice and frozen chickens.
“In South Africa with R500, it’s better – I can buy and afford groceries that can last me almost a month,” she said.
“In this country, R500 can only get a few items that won’t last even a week,” she added, while cooking kale.
Fellow Bulawayo resident Nokuthaba Tshuma, a 38-year-old single mother, had also received a delivery.
“With about R250, I managed to buy all 36 (exercise) books required for my son,” she said, adding that locally they would have cost more.
“I can even buy a bag of potatoes for them to pack in their lunchbox,” she said.
‘We feel we are doing good’
To keep customers like Tshuma happy, malayitshas must avoid attracting attention.
Many drive at night, avoiding Zimbabwean police roadblocks, while in South Africa they bribe officers to ignore overloaded trailers, sometimes stacked four metres high.
Customs officials are bribed to ignore items that should be declared.
Charles spends “between R1 500 and R2 000 for bribes” every trip.
“Officers in Zimbabwe are not paid enough, so it is a way for them to make a better living,” said another deliveryman, Valentine Kembo.
Kembo and his partner, who started an officially registered company in South Africa called Cleeka, also buy in bulk to deliver to Zimbabwe.
But their consignments are neatly packed in identical boxes intended for an upmarket clientele that includes a former minister, according to Kembo.
As Zimbabwe’s economy floundered over the past year, their business has grown by up to 30%, he said, and goes above and beyond to satisfy customers.
“A pharmacy would not give us 10 boxes of the same medicine. So we had to go to 10 pharmacies,” said Kembo.
“We delivered an injection at a critical time to someone suffering from diabetes. We feel we are doing good.”
By Own Correspondent- The Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe (AFM)’s Rusitu West Parish in Chimanimani says it lost 72 members to cyclone Idai-induced floods.
The figure represents about a quarter of its congregation. Several more church members are still unaccounted for.
During a church service held on Sunday, the extent of the tragedy became clear to the pastor, Shepherd Chazoita, and other surviving members as only half of the church members were accounted for.
AFM president Amon Madawo on Tuesday visited the church to console members and hand over donations sourced from church members in Harare, Chitungwiza and Mashonaland provinces. Said Chazoita:
When all this happened, I was not around. I was attending a funeral in Harare, but when I received a message on Saturday after Cyclone Idai had wreaked havoc (the previous day), I did not believe what I was told.
I stay at the church premises, and luckily, the church (building) was not destroyed. I received a call from my family and they told me what had happened. At that time, there was still hope that some of the members had survived, but I realised that the number was too big.
I am also still traumatised, but I need to be strong as a leader. I am using the Bible to remain strong. As a leader, my pain should be different from others.
Reverend Madawo promised the remaining congregants that more truckloads of supplies would be delivered. He said:
I feel sorry that we have our 72 congregants that are not accounted for. We are sharing this pain with all those who lost their loved ones during Cyclone Idai.
I want to thank those who donated towards Cyclone Idai victims. We have two truckloads with blankets, clothes and groceries. More trucks are coming and this is not going to benefit our church members only, but all those who were affected by the cyclone.-Newsday
Own Correspondent|Southlea police station yesterday was a flurry of activity as crowds jostled outside in a bid to witness the proceedings of a girl who was allegedly ‘raised from the dead’
The Form 4 girl identified as Daphne who died three days ago was reportedly resurrected from the dead shortly before her burial at Mbudzi cemetery after members of a Masowe church claimed she was not dead.
After seeing that she was alive but she could not move, the mourners and relatives are said to have taken her to ZRP Station park in the coffin.
There is no concrete evidence of the actual resurrection although WhatsApp and social media conversations say the student rose from the dead indeed.
There are no ‘sightings’ of the ressurrected girl at the moment.
ZimEye will be livestreaming a press conference set to be addressed by Deaf Women Included (DWI) under the theme “Amplifying voices of women and girls with disabilities in Zimbabwe during Women’s Month”.
Key speakers include Senator Rejoice Timire, Deaf Women Included’s Agnss Chindimba, National Council for Disabled Persons in Zimbabwe’s Lillian Gwanyanya and Jules Daudi from the Zimbabwe Blind Women’s Trust
SOCIAL media was Wednesday buzzing with reports of a dead Harare girl being resurrected by a member of the apostolic sect.
Read the message on social media,
“A Western Cannan girl wakes up from death. There was drama at Mbudzi cementry when a girl only identified as Dephine resurrected from death. The body of a girl arrived at Mbudzi cement. As the hearse was arriving at the cementry one madzibaba who was attending another burial of a fellow member of masowe sect ordered the hearse to stop since it was carrying a live person and if they defy him they should know the person was alive. One relative had guts to open the coffin only to find a distressed and fibble girl lying alive but sweating profusely. The girl is reported to have died on Monday and has been in the mortuary since then. After seing that she was alive but she could not move, the mourners and relatives were naive to take her out of the coffin and so they had to take her to Zrp Southlea park in the coffin.”
Jane Mlambo| President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s much taunted national dialogue is increasingly losing relevance amid indications that more presidential candidates are walking away.
Violet Mariyacha, leader of the United Democracy Movement (UDM) has also walked away citing selfishness on the part of Mnangagwa who she said is more worried about his own legitimacy crisis.
Mariyacha said Mnangagwa was looking to hoodwink the international community to see him as a reformist when in actual fact he is not.
“There is no serious discussion of why the country is in this current economic meltdown, why has Zimbabwe failed to attract foreign investments and what or where are the billions that Zimbabweans were told so and so are bringing into the country from the ‘Zimbabwe is Open for Business’ mantra,” Mariyacha said.
“There was a view that all political parties should affirm the constitutional legitimacy of the Head of State who was elected and sworn into office and that such a measure would solve the political crisis issue, propel the re-engagement process and lead to possible removal of sanctions.
“This shows that the President is more concerned about his legitimacy and removal of sanctions.”
The Ministry of Home Affairs has paid more than $6 000 as compensation to Lynette Tendai Mudehwe, a prominent pro-democracy campaigner, who was assaulted by Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers when the law enforcement agents crushed an anti-government protest in Harare three years ago.
Mudehwe, who is the Coordinator of Zimbabwe Activists Alliance, had filed an application at Harare Magistrates Court on 28 February 2019 seeking an order for the imprisonment of two Cabinet ministers namely Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube, Cain Mathema, the Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister and Godwin Matanga, the Commissioner-General of Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) for contempt of court after they failed to pay her $6 210 as compensation for violation of her fundamental rights following her unlawful arrest and assault in January 2016.
In her application for an order of contempt of court filed by Fiona Iliff of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Mudehwe wanted Ncube, Mathema and Matanga to be declared to be in contempt of court and to serve 60 days in prison after they willfully disregarded a court order granted on 3 December 2018 by Harare Magistrate only identified as Moyo, who instructed ZRP to compensate her.
But the ministers and Matanga escaped serving the jail sentence after the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage deposited payment amounting to $6 210 into Mudehwe’s bank account, which she has since confirmed receiving.
Mudehwe was assaulted by ZRP officers while participating in a peaceful demonstration held in central Harare on 4 January 2016 and sustained some injuries and extensive bruises as a result.
This compelled the human rights activist to engage her lawyers from ZLHR who issued summons on her behalf demanding payment of damages as compensation for the violation of Mudehwe’s fundamental rights and this resulted in the Magistrates Court granting her order for compensation.
ZLHR says its intervention in assisting Mudehwe is meant at helping combat impunity and strengthen accountability, which is essential to the restoration or preservation of the rule of law in Zimbabwe.
THE Supreme Court yesterday dismissed an appeal by a fired married teacher from Bubi district who was challenging a decision by his employer to discharge him for having an affair with a pupil.
Mxolisi Mhlanga, a former teacher at Majiji High School in Matabeleland North, proposed love to a then 20-year-old pupil in 2012 and had sex with her many times in the school’s storeroom, in the bush and near a river in Bubi.
Mhlanga was brought before a disciplinary committee for misconduct and violating a section of the Public Service Regulations of 2000.
He was found guilty of improper association with the pupil and subsequently discharged from the civil service.
Mhlanga then approached the Labour Court in Bulawayo challenging his dismissal and Justice Mercy Moya-Matshanga upheld the decision of the disciplinary committee.
Aggrieved by Justice Moya-Matshanga’s decision, Mhlanga then filed an appeal at the Supreme Court seeking an order setting aside the determination of the Labour Court, citing the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education as a respondent.
Acting judge of appeal Justice Nokuthula Moyo, who was sitting with Supreme Court Judges Deputy Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza and Justice Lavender Makoni on circuit in Bulawayo, dismissed the appeal, saying it lacked merit.
“There is no basis established upon which this court can interfere with the decision of the Labour Court. The appeal lacks merit and accordingly, it is ordered that the appeal be and hereby dismissed with costs,” ruled Justice Moyo.
In his grounds of appeal, Mhlanga, who was a self-actor, argued that the Labour Court erred by accepting the former pupil’s evidence, who was the complainant.
Mhlanga alleged that the young woman was bribed by the chairperson of the school’s disciplinary committee to give falsified evidence against him.
“The court a quo made an error and did not explain why they chose to listen to the story of the complainant who was a pupil. The court had no evidence that showed that there was real improper association with the complainant,” he said.
Mhlanga said the Labour Court overlooked the foul play by the school head whom he accused of destroying the evidence of one of the key witnesses.
Lawyers from the Civil Division in the Attorney General’s Office, who represented the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, argued that Mhlanga’s defence was weak as he failed to cross examine the witnesses.
Jane Mlambo| Leader of the smaller United Democracy Movement, Violet Mariyacha has walked away from the national dialogue convened by President Emmerson Mnangagwa saying the process lacks serious discussion to address the current economic crisis bedevilling the nation.
Mariyacha in a state early this week said Mnangagwa was only concerned about his legitimacy and removal of sanctions at the expense of nation building.
“There is no serious discussion of why the country is in this current economic meltdown, why has Zimbabwe failed to attract foreign investments and what or where are the billions that Zimbabweans were told so and so are bringing into the country from the ‘Zimbabwe is Open for Business’ mantra,” Mariyacha said.
“The report of the last meeting of 8 March, which all participating political parties were being asked to endorse, raises eyebrows.
“There was a view that all political parties should affirm the constitutional legitimacy of the Head of State who was elected and sworn into office and that such a measure would solve the political crisis issue, propel the re-engagement process and lead to possible removal of sanctions.
“This shows that the President is more concerned about his legitimacy and removal of sanctions.”
Mariyacha said of all the three meetings convened by Mnangagwa at State house had no serious discussion of why the country was in its current mess.
A CHIPINGE man, who survived the Cyclone Idai-induced floods, is battling for life in Chiredzi District Hospital after he was brutally assaulted by a South Africa-based man who accused him of bedding his wife.
Josiah Altyson Sithole (age unknown) of Chinyamukwakwa village in Chipinge was brutally attacked by Maxwell Masonga (32) who had come from South Africa to check on his family in the wake of the floods.
This was revealed yesterday at the initial appearance of Masonga before Chipinge magistrate, Joshua Nembaware. Masonga is facing assault charges and was remanded in custody to April 8 as the State awaits Sithole’s medical report.
Prosecutor Shamiso Ncube told the court that on March 20, Masonga arrived home from South Africa where he is based after the floods hit their village.
On arrival, he was tipped off that Sithole was bedding his wife. Masonga confronted Sithole who denied having an affair with his wife.
He then allegedly struck Sithole with a brick on the head and face several times. Sithole was rushed to St Peter’s Hospital and later transferred to Chiredzi District Hospital.
A ZIMBABWEAN truck driver is battling for life at a hospital in Durban, KwaZulu Natal province in South Africa after he was caught up in suspected fresh xenophobic attacks in the neighbouring country.
More than 100 foreigners, among them Zimbabweans, were forced to flee their homes and seek refuge at Sydenham Police Station.
Zimbabwe’s Consul General to South Africa, Mr Batiraishe Mukonoweshuro yesterday confirmed that the truck driver, Mr Tineyi Takawira, was admitted to King Edward Hospital after he was stabbed during an attack.
“I can confirm that Tineyi Takawira, a Zimbabwean truck driver is admitted to King Edward Hospital in Durban after he was attacked by protesters in Durban’s Springfield Park informal settlement.The protesters barricaded roads and intercepted truck drivers demanding to see their identity documents and those found to be foreigners were attacked,” he said.
Mr Mukonoweshuro said a Zimbabwean woman married to a Malawian truck driver was among the people who fled to the police station after she was attacked and badly injured.
He said they were yet to ascertain the exact number of Zimbabweans who were attacked and were working with police and relevant authorities in the neighbouring country.
“We believe that there could be a substantial number of our people who were injured during the attacks but we are yet to ascertain the figures. Police have assured us that the situation has calmed down but we will continue to monitor the situation,” said Mr Mukonoweshuro.
The first wave of violence broke out in the Kenville area, north of Durban on Sunday at about 11PM when mobs of protesters burst into the homes of foreigners grabbing property that included beds ,TV sets, pots and baskets before targeting foreign-operated shops.
The protesters, numbering about 100, blocked Sea Cow Lake and Inanda roads using rubble from burnt tyres.
The attacks left three people dead and they are all South Africans.
Two of the victims were shot by a foreign tuckshop owner who opened fire on the mob that was looting his shop.
The attacks on foreigners flared up in Durban between Sunday night and early Tuesday, forcing over a 100 foreigners to flee their homes and seek refuge at a police station.
KwaZulu Natal provincial police spokesperson Colonel Thulani Zwane yesterday confirmed that more foreign nationals sought shelter at Sydenham Police Station on Tuesday night.
“About 70 foreign nationals went to Sydenham Police Station for help on Tuesday night but no serious injuries were reported,” he said.
According to South African media reports, unemployed informal settlement residents are angry because foreign nationals are employed by local companies.
The Durban attacks come barely three days after the South African government launched a national action plan to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and ethnic intolerance .
The attacks targeted at foreign shop owners began on Sunday night at Kenville residential area in northern Durban.
Residents woke up to screams and chants as a mob of people walked through the area overturning refuse bins, cutting down tree branches, burning tyres, looting shops and stoning cars and homes.
Two suspects aged 22 and 28 years have been arrested for public violence and have since appeared at the Durban magistrates’ court
A video is also circulating on social media showing foreigners being attacked and one man is heard speaking in Zulu, saying foreigners are working and the locals are not working.
On Monday, South Africa launched a national action plan to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and ethnic intolerance.
It was launched by the Justice and Constitutional Development Deputy Minister John Jeffery at the St George Hotel in Irene and the event was attended by civil society organisations and government officials among others.
The document was approved by Cabinet last month and will be revised every five years.
The latest attacks evoked ugly memories of the deadly xenophobic attacks of 2015 which displaced thousands of Zimbabweans and other African immigrants living in South Africa following alleged inflammatory remarks by Zulu King, Goodwill Zwelithini, who had called for the expulsion of foreigners.
A HARARE man yesterday morning shot and killed his wife and brother-in-law at their Gletwin home following a prolonged marital dispute.
The man, Petros Pomborokani (50), a former Ministry of Health and Child Care employee, has since gone into hiding.
He used a CZ pistol to shoot his wife Olivia Zenda (42) and brother-in-law Robert Zenda (49) in front of his three children, mother-in-law, a relative and a housemaid at around 7am.
The couple had been married for 20 years and has four children aged 19, 12, 10 and eight.
Police recovered two loaded magazines of the pistol at the scene.
Investigations are underway.
The matter is being handled by CID Homicide.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the shooting.
“Investigations carried out so far have revealed that the suspect and his wife had a long marital dispute. He was in the habit of assaulting his wife and had since moved out of their matrimonial home,” he said.
Asst Comm Nyathi said at around 7am, Pomborokani was seen by a relative entering the house while wearing a hood.
“A few minutes later, the relative heard the wife screaming calling for help before gunshots were fired. It is suspected that he first shot the wife before turning the gun on his brother-in-law. He fled the scene,” said Asst Comm Nyathi.
A report was made to the police.
Asst Comm Nyathi urged couples to solve disputes amicably and desist from taking the law into their own hands.
“We are however still carrying out investigations to ascertain the origins of the pistol with a view to establish whether it was licensed or not. We also want to establish whether it belonged to the suspect or not,” he said.
Investigations carried out by our Harare Bureau have revealed that Pomborokani was once arrested in 2016 after he kidnapped gospel singer, Mathias Mhere.
He accused Mhere of having an extra marital affair with his wife.
Pomborokani forced his wife to phone Mhere. The wife invited Mhere to the couple’s house.
Pomborokani pointed a firearm at Mhere when he arrived at the couple’s house.
He allegedly forced Mhere and his wife to remove their clothes and held them hostage naked for five hours.
Pomborokani was arrested and appeared before a Harare Magistrate who convicted him. He was fined US$150 or three months in prison. Pomborokani also had two other cases of physical abuse that were reported against him by his wife at Highlands Police Station.
The cases were however withdrawn by the wife. He also has another pending case of attempted murder reported by his wife at Highlands Police Station.
Pomborokani has been moving around in a South African registered vehicle.
File Picture of members of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces
A SOLDIER stationed at the Zimbabwe National Army’s 1.2 Infantry Battalion in Hwange allegedly turned a bar in the town into a war zone where he pummelled patrons on several occasions and stabbed one of them. He went on a spree of beating up people from January 30 up to Sunday this week when he was eventually nabbed.
Benson Gwenzi (29) of 371 Empumalanga appeared before Hwange magistrate, Ms Barbara Phiri.
He was not asked to plead to four counts of assault.
The magistrate remanded Gwenzi out of custody on his own cognisance to tomorrow for start of trial.
Prosecuting, Mr Vumizulu Mangena said Gwenzi sometimes teamed up with friends to assault patrons.
He allegedly committed the crimes between January 30 this year and Sunday when he beat up a neighbour after losing a snooker game.
In the first two counts, Gwenzi and his friend only identified as Captain Nyoni, blocked an entrance to the toilet at the bar and beat up two women who insisted on using the bathroom.
“On January 30 and at KoMpofu Bar in Hwange, the complainant Ms Bonginkosi Ndlovu (34) and her friend Ms Immaculate Mumpande (23), both from Empumalanga, were going to the toilet and found Captain Nyoni blocking the way. The two complainants had a misunderstanding with Captain Nyoni and the accused approached them whereupon he slapped both of them twice on the face,” said the prosecutor.
The court was told that on February 2 while at the same bar, Gwenzi beat up Mr Majahana Moyo.
It is alleged that Gwenzi had a misunderstanding with Mr Moyo’s friend, Mr Job Mudenda.
Mr Moyo tried to restrain the two and this did not go down well with the accused who slapped him once, the court was told. Mr Moyo tried to flee from the scene and Gwenzi allegedly picked a half brick and hit him on the back.
Mr Moyo fell face down. Gwenzi allegedly advanced and continued beating him up. His unnamed friends ganged up and started kicking Mr Moyo as he lay on the ground.
Gwenzi allegedly pulled a knife and stabbed Mr Moyo on the palm as he tried to block punches from his attackers.
Mr Moyo sustained injuries on the face and right palm. On Sunday, Gwenzi was playing snooker with his neighbour Mr Fungai Chimutu at the same bar.
Gwenzi was angered after losing the game to Mr Chimutu. He took Mr Chimutu’s two samoosas and ate them without paying.
The court heard that Mr Chimutu asked for his money but instead Gwenzi punched him on the face before slamming him against the wall.
Reports just received indicate that ace Sungura Musician Tadious Matsito of the popular Sungura group, Ngwenya Brothers has died.
Highly placed sources in the local music industry indicated that Matsito died in the early hours of this morning.
The legendary musician has been ill for a long time.
Matsito is popular for his hit song “Gede Mwana Gede” which he released with his group in the mid nineties.
He has been battling with gangrene which developer on his leg in May 2012, after he sustained injuries in a car accident in 2008. The accident unfortunately claimed some of his band members.
Talk of hits like “Nyaradzo”, “Gede Mwana” and “Madiro” among others. The tracks became anthems at the peak of the Ngwenya Brothers’ career.
The musician’s woes started when his band was involved in an accident on their way from a tour of Mozambique in August 2008. The accident claimed the life of his brothers Luckmore and Domingo as well as a female dancer. The band also lost equipment and it was a huge blow to Matsito who had to go for many months without shows, which means he had no income. When Matsito recovered and started doing shows, another problem came.
The leg that had apparently healed developed gangrene and was amputated in 2012. Banc ABC came to his rescue and assisted with money to have his leg amputated, but his problems continued to mount.
He went through a leg amputation in South Africa in 2016 and also suffered a secondary stroke that left him needing speech therapy and a handicap to his left arm and shoulder.
His career took a slump as his music also lost popularity. Promoters did shows to assist him and some of the gigs flopped.
As he was soldiering on in face of harsh realities, Matsito suffered a stroke. This was the hardest blow to his career that has been punctuated with misfortunes since the destructive accident of 2008.
Recently, musician Alick Macheso has ‘adopted’ fellow ailing musician Tedious Matsito’s son, Tedious Muchapedza Jnr., who Tedious had annointed as the band leader to take over from him.
At the time, last year, Macheso said he was disturbed by Tedious Matsito’s deteriorating health.
“Mukoma Tedious is not well and I know the financial and psychological challenges this causes on the family. It will be good if we all come together and assist this legend. Everyone should bring on board whatever they think can help our brother recover. It should not just be us musicians but every Zimbabwean helping,” Macheso said in April last year.
The late Tedious Muchapedza Matsito
Baba Sharo has been nurturing Muchapedza musically and providing him with free studio time at his Alema Studios in Chitungwiza among other things.
Tedious started a band with his brothers Albert, Jabulani, Michael and Edward in 1985 when they relocated to Glenara Estate in Mazowe to pursue their dream. Glenara Estate would be their launch pad.
In 1990 they released their first seven-single album which carried the songs ‘Sekuru Vatenga Mota’ and ‘Zuva Guru’.
Two years later they released their hit album “Nyaradzo” which catapulted to instant fame. Matsito would go on to release 14 albums without his late brothers.Among the list of impressive albums by Matsito include:
Kurongerana (2013)
Nyaradzo (1992)
Chivaraidzo (1994)
Chakanaka Chakanaka
Manyemwe Emhuru (1995)
Kugara Nekugara
Muzita rashe
Tumirai Shoko
Inguva Chete
He is survived by his wife Patience and six children. Funeral arrangements have not yet been advised.
South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) Minister Lindiwe Sisulu will travel to Mozambique and Zimbabwe on Thursday to hand over donations to victims of Cyclone Idai, her department said in a press release on Wednesday night.
Sisulu would be accompanied by members of the business community led by Africa’s 8th richest person Patrice Motsepe, founder and executive chairman of African Rainbow Minerals.
“Minister Sisulu is expected to visit the city of Beira in Mozambique and the Chimanimani District in eastern Zimbabwe to hand over the donations made by South African citizens, companies and members of the Diplomatic Corps, who heeded the earlier call for assistance by the Minister. The donations include financial aid, clothes, water purifiers, non-perishable food items and blankets,” said the statement.
Sisulu would also meet with rescue teams including the South African National Defence Force, South African NGOs, United Nations Agencies and volunteers. — African News Agency (ANA)
Sad scenes as people desperately run for dear life in cyclone Idai floods.
The U.N. children’s fund reports nearly half of the 1.7 million people affected by Cyclone Idai in southern Africa are children. The official number of deaths across the region has now risen to over 700. But this figure is expected to increase once the waters have receded and the bodies of those who have drowned and gone missing are found.
Conditions in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe remain critical. Thousands of people are still trapped by the flood waters, many huddled on rooftops and in trees waiting to be rescued.
The U.N. children’s fund reports the situation for hundreds of thousands of children caught up in this monumental storm is particularly dire. It says many do not have adequate shelter and are in urgent need of food and safe drinking water.
UNICEF spokesman, Christophe Boulierac says children are particularly susceptible to infectious diseases.
“Without safe and effective water, sanitation and hygiene services, children are at high risk of preventable diseases including diarrhea, typhoid and cholera, and also increasingly vulnerable to malnutrition,” he said.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies reports cases of cholera have been confirmed in the city of Beira in Mozambique, the epicenter of the cyclone. It warns the risk of outbreaks of malaria, water-borne and infectious diseases is high due to the prevailing conditions.
UNICEF reports many schools and hospitals have been destroyed or damaged or are being used as collective shelters. As a consequence, thousands of children are unable to go to school. It says it is crucial for children to go back to the classroom as soon as possible.
Officials explain many children are suffering from physical and emotional distress. They say school provides them with a structure and a sense of normalcy that can help them better deal with their anguish in this time of extreme chaos.
GOVERNMENT has banned political parties from any interference with the distribution of food and other forms of aid to Cyclone Idai survivors in parts of Manicaland.
Responding to questions from senators in the upper house Tuesday, Local Government Minister July Moyo said the catastrophe which killed nearly 179 people with hundreds still missing requires all Zimbabweans to work together.
“In that, anybody who has transport system and going to that area, should surely carry something.
“Unfortunately, if people end up carrying something with a car written Zanu PF, then it becomes grabbing,” he said.
The ban comes after an outcry by villagers that ruling Zanu PF Chimanimani West MP, Nokuthula Matsikenyere, party councillors and youths were distributing food items on partisan lines at the expense of the rest.
Minister Moyo said with immediate effect, no political party activists were going to distribute food items, water and medicines, among the forms of aid, as some of those entrusted to do the job had bad intentions.
“I assure that we do not allow any political interference in the distribution of food; but we have Chimanimani East MP Joshua Sacco who has shown great leadership qualities even if he is a member of a political party. No one has done what this member has done.
“Now we have concluded that from now onwards, nobody takes any food even if we are under pressure. Let us not go beyond what has happened…”
Moyo added, “It might have happened, but we have given instructions that no one gets any food when they are identifying themselves as a political party. Unfortunately, the cars they were using were of a political party.”
Media reports were awash with the news of food grabbing by persons moving in Zanu PF branded vehicles over the weekend, eliciting complaints from the public which felt President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s party was riding on the plight of Cyclone victims to score cheap political points.
The minister admitted that some of the donations might have been taken by vehicles with Zanu PF logos.
He said this was unacceptable.
According to the Zanu PF official, government will now be liaising with Civil Protection Unit (CPU), police, army and UN agencies and other reputable organisations or companies to make sure that all donations go to the deserving people.
Cyclone Idai caused by intense tropical storms killed more than 179 people while 329 others are still missing with almost 7 000 families left homeless.
The death toll is expected to rise as more bodies are still buried in mud and rubble.
The catastrophe galvanised a local and international effort to donate tonnes of material aid to the victims.
By Own Correspondent- Kwekwe City Council has started rolling out installing prepaid water meters throughout the city.
Kwekwe city council installed about 300 prepaid water meters as a pilot project last year and is still monitoring the performance and effectiveness of the new system.
In an interview with the state media, Kwekwe deputy mayor, Shadreck Tobaiwa, said councillors gave the local authority the green light to go ahead with the implementation of the new system and officials were on the ground installing the meters.-StateMedia
By Own Correspondent- Harare City Council has suspended 26 refuse compactor drivers who were using the city’s vehicles for personal business.
Sources who spoke to state media said the drivers would use the compactors without permission and collect waste before taking the trucks to secluded places where they would select materials which can be bought by companies in the recycling business.
This led to garbage piling up in most residential areas, presenting citizens of the capital with a potential health hazard. The offence came to light when the drivers started resisting council procedure to search vehicles on exit and back in station.
Harare corporate communications manager Michael Chideme yesterday confirmed the development, saying investigations were in progress.
Said Chideme:
“We want to establish why they were on a go-slow or why they were not performing their duties. The responsible directors of Works and Human Capital are seized with the matter.”
The picture of a helicopter carrying huge sofas to Chimanimani which ZANU PF denied (was Zimbabwean) last week, has turned out a perfect graphic match with another of ZANU PF green bombers.
When ZimEye.com exposed the development last week, many ZANU PF activists rushed to dismiss the picture claiming that it is from Zambia.
But the below green bomber picture perfectly matches the sofa one. PICTURES:
RT – ZANU PF once said this uniform is not a Zimbabwe National Army uniform and therefore those carrying the sofas in Chimanimani #CycloneIdaiZW were not from Zimbabwe. But more pictures reveal this is pure ZANU PF green bomber uniform. https://t.co/8Wva4jexqV
By Own Correspondent- An appeal by a fired married teacher who had sexual intercourse with a student from Bubi district was dismissed by the Supreme Court yesterday.
Mxolisi Mhlanga, a former teacher at Majiji High School in Matabeleland North was challenging a decision by his employer to fire him for having an affair with a pupil.
Mhlanga proposed love to a then 20-year-old pupil in 2012 and had sex with her many times in the school’s storeroom, in the bush and near a river in Bubi. He was brought before a disciplinary committee for misconduct and violating a section of the Public Service Regulations of 2000. He was found guilty of improper association with the pupil and discharged from the civil service.
Mhlanga then approached the Labour Court in Bulawayo challenging his dismissal. Justice Mercy Moya-Matshanga upheld the disciplinary committee’s decision.
Mhlanga then filed an appeal at the Supreme Court seeking an order setting aside the Labour Court’s ruling, citing the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education as a respondent.
Acting judge of appeal Justice Nokuthula Moyo, who was sitting with Supreme Court Judges Deputy Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza and Justice Lavender Makoni on circuit in Bulawayo, dismissed the appeal, saying it lacked merit.
“IN MASVINGO.. Laying to rest Hon, Dr Tapiwa Mashakada’s Father In Machitenda area. Had to come back from Botswana in time for the burial today.Dr Mashakada is a senior leader in the party.We Comfort the Mashakada family during this difficult time.R.I.P Sekuru Mashakada.” – Chamisa
Own Correspondent| An unscheduled witness will appear to testify against National Pharmaceuticals (NatPharm) director Newman Madzikwa who is standing accused of criminal abuse of office.
Madzikwa is standing accused of hiking drug handling fees by 11 percent and unprocedurally awarding a $10 million tender to a Danish medicines’ supplier.
Five State witnesses have already testified and the court carried an inspection in loco.
Despite the trial nearing closure, the prosecutor Zivanai Macharaga appealed with the Senior Regional magistrate Hosea Mujaya to use his discretion to summon NatPharm minutes taker, Suzana Nonsikelelo Shara, to the stand. Macharaga claimed he made a discovery that the September 3, 2018 audio minutes contain critical enough information to strengthen the case.
Macharaga claims it was during the inspection in loco when he “stumbled upon the evidence which can lead to a just conclusion”. This piece of evidence, according to the prosecutor, is fit to be placed under “exceptional circumstances” provided at law.
“The evidence could not be availed at the commencement of trial and the witness was not known. The state stumbled on the recording during the inspection in loco and the IT personnel confirmed that that the meeting was recorded. The existence of the minutes were never made known to the State,” he said.
Madzikwa’s lawyer Harrison Nkomo, Madzikwa opposed the application arguing that Macharaga had engaged himself unlawfully as an investigative prosecutor. In further defence, Nkomo also accused the State of clutching at straws to “beef up an ailing case” and disadvantage his client.
“It is not the duty of the prosecutor to involve himself in investigations but to lead the court to the truth,” Nkomo said.
Mujaya agreed to invoke section 232 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act which empowers the magistrate to call additional witnesses.
“Call the witness on my behalf. I want to hear her side of the story,” Mujaya said.
The government of Zimbabwe has announced that it has availed $100 million for cyclone relief. The below state media report however does not mention whether this is US dolar or RTGS.
Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo has said Government is funding massive reconstruction work in the cyclone-hit areas in the east.
“Government has been taking the lead in funding and last week we were given $50 million by Government through Treasury which has gone a long way to restore infrastructure,” said Minister Moyo.
“The Minister (of Finance and Economic Development Professor Mthuli Ncube) has informed Cabinet that he is going to release another $50 million so that we don’t stop work we are doing making sure that fuel is there for the helicopters, for the people who have donated groceries, all the dozers that we are using, tipper lorries, the excavators all we are buying because the Ministry of Finance was able to release money timeously.”
Buttressing Minister Moyo’s sentiments, Prof Ncube said: “For the record, the figure from Government in terms of finance is $100 million.”
Minister Moyo also clarified the furore over alleged politicisation of food aid in Chimanimani and Chipinge following a video footage circulating of Zanu-PF trucks carrying food.
He said in times of disaster, political and other opinion leaders become civic leaders who help the Government to identify people in need of assistance.
“When we have a disaster an MP for us ceases to be an MP of a particular party. He becomes a civic leader who we must use to mobilise and identify those who are suffering. So we have been working with civic leaders from MDC, civic leaders from Zanu-PF. The Zanu-PF civic leaders who ended up getting in those videos were pressurised to get grain from Chipinge. The Chipinge depot which is our focal depot away from Mutare has a lot of supplies and we had ordered to say no car goes into an area which we have not opened and goes there empty. If you have a four-wheel drive — we used Plan International, we used EcoSure, we used everybody with a four-wheel- drive who could penetrate into an area which we had not gone into. We wanted them to carry something.”
He said people were deliberately sensationalising a matter which they knew was not meant to hijack food for the benefit of a particular party.
Earlier, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa had briefed journalists on Cabinet deliberations focusing on both short and long-term solutions Government ought to implement in case of future disasters.
“Cabinet received a comprehensive update report from the chairman of the Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management Committee in the ongoing rescue and search efforts in the aftermath of the Cyclone Idai Disaster,” she said.
“Cabinet noted with satisfaction the considerable progress that has so far been made in reopening access routes to the severely affected areas in Chipinge and Chimanimani Districts. Cabinet also greatly appreciates the overwhelming response by local corporates, churches, individuals, as well as, cooperating partners and other countries in the region and beyond to calls by Government for assistance towards the victims of the disaster. Pertaining to the way forward, Cabinet resolved to intensify the ongoing search and recovery efforts, to prioritise the provision of clean water and sanitation, distribution of food relief, medical supplies and emergency shelter facilities and to hasten the opening of roads and rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure.”
Minister Mutsvangwa added: “To lodge a comprehensive appeal for disaster relief support and to invite local corporates and business associations to adopt schools and clinics for purposes of rehabilitating their damaged infrastructure.
“In the medium-term, to carry out a disaster vulnerability assessment of the Eastern Highlands area, with particular focus on the Chimanimani and Chipinge districts, to come up with a contingency plan which should address issues of land use planning, appropriate housing designs and construction, and where necessary, the relocation of schools and residential settlements; and to carry out measures to strengthen national disaster response systems, including expediting the establishment of a centre for monitoring disaster response system.”
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Manicaland Affairs Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba yesterday said the damage that had been inflicted in Chimanimani would take time to correct and needed to be handled by experts who would work with Government.
“In the majority of areas, repairs and maintenance is no longer possible and there is need for complete reconstruction. We are trying to put up a proper system because this is a big project that is going to be ongoing for some time.
“We require engineers who specialise in the construction of bridges, roads, water, power as well as doctors who will be working on this project,” she said.
She said Government needed a proper management system that would look at the immediate needs as well as the medium and long term issues.
“We are in the process of compiling a list of experts and skills we require to put the system in order. Most of our attention has been directed at rescue operations for the victims of the cyclone but we still have a province to run, we do not want all other activities to stop. We will put a structured management system so that my role will be to monitor and coordinate and not be on the ground all time so that we continue to carry out other activities,” said Dr Gwaradzimba.
She said an IT expert had already been seconded to the provincial CPU and he would be responsible for coming up with a ICT system that would track all projects that needed to be carried out and their status.
“Project cyclone Idai will be running for a while because like I said, some roads need a complete reconstruction and there is need for relocation of those people, so the amount of infrastructure and other amenities will take a bit of time to put in place,” she said.
She added that Government wanted to also come up with a sustainable method of assisting the victims of cyclone Idai to ensure that they become self-reliant again and not always rely on food handouts. – state media
Internet providers have joined the pile of businesses to demand payment in foreign currency.
They were also joined by some fuel stations. ZimEye toured Gweru Wednesday and found one garage demanding payment only in forex. In the below video an attendant at the named station tells ZimEye payments can only be in foreign currency, not RTGS. VIDEO – (timeline from 08:44)
In different statements, privately-owned ZOL Zimbabwe and Liquid Telecom including the State-owned TelOne said their prices were now US$ indexed.
“TelOne would like to advise that our tariffs and charges will remain unchanged in US dollar terms. We will, however, have tariffs and charges indicated in RTGS,” the company said.
The parastatal indicated that its home basic package costs US$15 and RTGS$37 for 10 gigabytes (G) while the infinity pro package for 500 G is going for US$89 and RTGS$222,50.
Its uncapped package is pegged at US$120 and RTGS$300. The difference in prices has been drawn from the inter-bank rates.
TelOne was this week quoted by an online publication, TechZim, saying they had not increased their prices but all along the rates were in US$ and due to the introduction of a new currency by the MPS, they were simply listing their US$ prices in RTGS dollar equivalence.
On the other hand, Liquid Telecom, said their price alignment will take effect from April 5.
“Pricing of all our products and services will remain unchanged from our existing US dollar denominated base price when payment is made in US dollars. When payment is made using the RTGS dollar, the payment will be converted at the rate of 2,5,” reads part of a statement from Liquid Telecom.
ZOL Zimbabwe has also noted the adjustment of prices pointing out that they were a fair reflection of the MPS.
“ZOL is excited to announce the increase of data to all capped packages as of April 1, 2019.
“This effectively decreases the price of data per GB. ZOL understands that data is crucial to you and believes that this will enable you to get the best out of your usage and gain even more value,” it said. – Additional Reporting State Media
By Own Correspondent- Information and Publicity Permanent Secretary, Nick Mangwana discouraged citizens from demonstrating adding that they will not help anyone get a job or put anyone into power.
Mangwana was responding to statements by MDC leader Nelson Chamisa who warned that Zimbabwe could face more demonstrations unless the issue of youth unemployment is addressed.
However Mangwana said Government is doing all it can to create employment.
He said:
“From the government side we are doing all that is in our power to ensure that Zimbabweans work. We are reforming in order to create an enabling environment for capital to feel comfortable. We are easing our way of doing business so as to bring efficiencies and cut out unnecessary bureaucratic delays. Regarding unrest and jobs it is very clear that the anarchy avenue is self-defeating in as far as job creation is concerned. The last incitement to unrest we had in January left behind infrastructural ruins and a battered image of the country as a destination to foreign capital. So going down that road will surely not help anyone get a job or put anyone in power for that matter.”-DailyNews
Farai Dziva | MDC A spokesperson Linda Masarira says she is unfazed by relentless social media attacks.
Masarira was attacked by angry social media users for wearing Zanu PF regalia.
She told a daily publication she was shocked by the reaction of social media users.
“I am shocked by the depths of political intolerance shown by some Zimbabweans…the way that most people, especially from the opposition major in trivial issues, leaves a lot to be desired,” Masarira told the publication.
Farai Dziva|Two Dynamos players exchanged blows during the Harare Giants’ training session two days ago.
While all attention was on the Warriors last week, there was pandemonium in the Dynamos camp with goalkeeper Simba Chinani exchanging blows with new boy Ngandu Mangala.
The two players who were in the same team exchanged harsh words and exchanged blows.
“The two were in the same team, but something didn’t go right and they ended up fighting. Chinani felt Mangala was not respecting him as a senior. They were separated by other players while Mangala was arguing that he would not be bullied,” said a club official.
Farai Dziva|Cornered MDC A Masvingo Provincial chairperson James Chafungamoyo Gumbi has claimed that reports of violent clashes within the party are fictitious and misleading.
Gumbi told a state run publication there were no violent incidents during ward elections at the weekend.
“Our elections went on very well and we are very happy with the way they were held and as for those who allege the polls were in some instances held in people’s homes should know that to convene public meetings there is need for clearance -which is cumbersome.
If members agree to meet and hold elections at any place of their choice, what is wrong with that?” Gumbi argued.
Farai Dziva|MDC A Organising Secretary for Masvingo Urban Gibson Murinye was severely assaulted by drunk party members believed to be sympathetic to provincial chairperson James Gumbi.
Murinye was forced to drop documents containing party information as hooligans severely assaulted him and confiscated documents comprising party regulations.
The MDC A is sharply divided between party president Nelson Chamisa’s supporters and those who want Douglas Mwonzora to lead the party.
Gumbi is a member of the anti-Chamisa camp and is being challenged by former Masvingo Urban MP, Tongai Matutu, according to party insiders.
By Own Correspondent- International Red Cross country director in Zimbabwe Paolo Cernuschi has expressed satisfaction on how Tropical Cyclone Idai relief aid was distributed in Chipinge today (Wednesday).
He said the aid was being distributed transparently and not along partisan lines as claimed by reports.
Cernuschi said he visited Chipinge today.and did not witness any politicisation of food aid.
He said:
“I attended a distribution in Chipinge today for 200 families. Selection was transparent. 2 humanitarian agencies were present. No political statements made or implied. While reports of politicization of #CycloneIdai aid are concerning, I’m happy to have seen none of that today.”
By Own Correspondent| Thieves reportedly stole sprayed vegetables, in a development which could turn tragic if the vegetables are sold to unsuspecting residents.
The vegetables were stolen from Helena Schools.
Said the school in a message circulating on social media:
WARNING: Helena schools alerts the residents in Ruwa that sprayed vegetables were stolen last night from the school garden thus, we are in fear that innocent souls may be affected.We are of the opinion that the thief stole these vegetables with the intention to sale since they were stolen in bulk….HELENA SCHOOLS AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT.
By Own Correspondent- A senior Zanu Pf official has revealed that President Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to resume his “thank you rallies” as soon as the situation permits.
Speaking to a local publication, Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo said Mnangagwa will resume the rallies as soon as the situation permits:
“As soon as his schedule allows, he will resume the rallies, the cyclone issue takes precedence. He will advise as soon as the situation permits. The commissariat is ceased with that matter.”
Mnangagwa cancelled his rally which was scheduled for last Saturday in Shurugwi, Midlands Province, in order to attend to the cyclone disaster, which left at least 179 people dead, thousands other homeless and over 40 000 food insecure.- DailyNews
By Own Correspondent- Government will conduct a census using official records to ascertain the number of people who have been staying in communities that were affected by Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani and Chipinge.
This comes as South Africa yesterday dispatched a team of 12 people — including police officers and sniffer dogs — to Manicaland Province to help with rescue and recovery efforts of corpses suspected to be buried under debris of collapsed building following Tropical Cyclone Idai.
Manicaland Provincial Affairs Minister Dr Ellen Gwaradzimba spoke about the census on Monday while apprising UNFPA representative Dr Esther Muia of the situation in the affected areas.
Dr Gwaradzimba said there was a large number of people who have not been accounted for since the disaster struck, making it difficult to rely on assumptions.
“We have got a number of people who died and it is very difficult to ascertain the exact number,” she said.-StateMedia
BY PEPUKAI BEGEDE | (THE SCRIBE) | Greetings to the aggrieved families of those seeking refreshments in a nation drumming up violence against the sons and daughters of the land, we greet even those whose faces are heavily loaded with murderous rage as they seek to wound and kill the seekers of harmony and peace. It is quite obvious that men of wisdom will never let reckless speakers undermine the Africa Culture and Religion called ‘Togetherness/ Oneness’ merely because one‘s scope of knowledge about pure African History and research is not far and wide. As long as South Africans do not understand the meaning of ‘Foreigner’ then it shall be deemed myopic if all black people working in South Africa will flea away merely because someone has covered himself or herself with a garment called ‘ Stealing Our Jobs’ yet the truth is their aim is to quench their blood thirsting souls.
I want to remind all South Africans that if you only define a ‘foreigner’ to be ‘black and African’ then your level of understanding is very shallow. It is quite surprising that South Africans still see refugees as threats to ‘their jobs’. After more than Twenty(20) years of Independence, South Africans are still fighting for low income jobs that refugees, asylum seekers, the rejected and the malfunctioning poverty stricken individuals are fighting for. I was of the opinion that the indigenous South Africans are now competing for medium to high level income jobs. This episode of events clearly highlight the fact that South Africans are afraid of high level responsibility, they feel that they are uneducated and have less stamina and capacity to challenge the white man’s dominance on executive positions. For this reason you will rarely find a black South African sitting in an Executive Board meeting of any influential company in South Africa. The problem is not with the black foreigners but the pace of evolution of South Africans themselves.
However, before South Africans can chuck Zimbabweans away they must first of all consider the following points;
1. South Africans should first look at their crime rate before Independence and after Independence and see if their indigenous people are not at the apex of hegemony in committing crime than any other country. We may need to consider the following statistics of crimes being committed by the indigenous people;
I) Rape Case statistics
II) Murder Case statistics
III) Armed robbery Statistics
IV) Student(s) drop-out statistics
V) Drug and alcohol abuse in schools statistics.
VI) Students’ attack rate on teachers
VII) Police and immigration corruption statistics at boarders
VIII) Number of South African employees who abscond from work on a weekly basis against foreign employee’s commitment to work.
IX) Academic performance of South Africans both in Schools and Colleges.
X) Abortion / pregnancy levels in schools dominated by blacks.
XI) Level of Violence amongst the indigenous people based on tribalism.
2. Black South Africans still have a high illiteracy rate.
3. The education curricular of South Africa is very shallow to the extent that a primary level student in Zimbabwe can sit a final secondary level examination in South Africa and pass with flying colours.
After going through these statistics then come to Zimbabwe and see the nature of our people.
The list is not exhaustive, l want the South Africans to change their mind set. They lack motivation to aim high as a people and that’s why they are still fighting for low income jobs. You can’t be all drivers and till operators. South African man are too weak. Why is it that in all these xenophobia related attacks they loot shops? Is this not enough evidence that the culture of raiding and violence still takes centre stage in your minds? You need not to chess away foreigners, compete academically and you will see foreigners as your slaves. They will work for you, there is no reason for you to feel threatened by foreigners.
May Zimbabweans living in South Africa now focus on starting businesses in South Africa, you should move away from seeking jobs. Let’s love one another as Africans.
ZimEye will conduct a special news feature to investigate how and why thousands of Ngangu villagers failed to access food aid today, Wednesday. Investigations by the end of day showed that this was due to political reasons. (More to follow) SHORT VIDEO:
Farai Dziva| The Young Warriors face a daunting task of overcoming South Africa in the AFCON Under 2019 qualifier after dismissing the Young Mambas of Mozambique yesterday.
Ndiraya admitted that yesterday’s game against Mozambique was difficult for them especially in the first half as the visitors controlled much of the possession.
Two late goals by substitutes Obriel Chirinda and Delic Murimba sent the Young Warriors into the final round of the Afcon qualifiers, setting up a date against mighty South Africa who beat Angola in the second round.
The match against South Africa will be played in June.
Jane Mlambo| Alight Zimbabwe Trust (AZT) yesterday delivered solar powered lamps to Red-cross Zimbabwe as a donation to the victims of the Cyclone Idai Disaster which left many homeless and dead.
Edwin Sithole, the
Programs and Resource Mobilization Manager for Alight Zimbabwe Trust said they
felt moved to donate to cyclone idai victims adding that they hope their small
donation will go a long way in helping the affected areas and families.
“Light plays an
integral part in our daily life especially in Zimbabwe where we have several
millions of households who are living in off grid areas which are not connected
to the National grid.
“Solar Lantern
will go a long way to help improve health by avoiding indoor air pollution
caused by kerosene lanterns, and this reduces coughing, flu-like symptoms, eye
irritation and respiratory illness especially in disaster related periods,”
said Sithole.
Megan, the
founder and Director for Unite to Light Company which supplies AZT with the
solar lights donated to Red Cross said women are the most affected whenever a disaster
especially breastfeeding mothers.
“Imagine your
baby cries in the middle of the night and wakes you up at God knows what hour.
You sit up and search for the floor to stand up as you are still in the stupor
of sleep. You start fumbling your way to your baby’s bassinet, half tripping
only to give up when you can’t find it and reach for the light.
“In such situation
one would understand that mothers are the major victims of disasters as you may
be aware that most of the time they will be doing double work, that is baby
minding as well home chores,” said Megan.
Blessing
Chigamura, Secretary for Entrepreneurship thanked Unite to light based in USA
for allowing AZT to take part of their consignment which they gave us to sell
as start-up capital but had agreed to take portion of it to donate to the
people of Chimanimani and Chipinge districts
He also added
that, what Unite to Light did was is a clear testimony of generosity and
willingness to share with those who are in trouble and need, as AZT we would
like to thank your Team Unite to light and we are confident that your Luke
light will go a long way to helping these affected areas light is life and
together as team shall do much more
AZT is a network
of former sponsored children of Plan International who have joined hands after
graduating from Plan sponsorship program to give back to the communities which
have nurtured them. Today having such interventions in responds to
disaster is one of the core foundations
of the Trust .As a Trust ,we are hoping to continue fundraise so that ,we could
as well help the affected families and children with stationary and other forms
of help like sanitary wear ,uniforms ,school fees among other things Blessing said
Farai Dziva|Two Dynamos players exchanged blows during the Harare Giants’ training session two days ago.
While all attention was on the Warriors last week, there was pandemonium in the Dynamos camp with goalkeeper Simba Chinani exchanging blows with new boy Ngandu Mangala.
The two players who were in the same team exchanged harsh words and exchanged blows.
“The two were in the same team, but something didn’t go right and they ended up fighting. Chinani felt Mangala was not respecting him as a senior. They were separated by other players while Mangala was arguing that he would not be bullied,” said a club official.
Farai Dziva|A Grade Six pupil at Hwiru Primary School in Gutu Mupandawana was seriously injured when an overzealous council employee threw spikes at a moving vehicle.
The incident happened in Mupandawana town last week.
Gutu Residents and Ratepayers Association(GURRA) has condemned the council employee’ s unprofessional and reckless conduct.
“As Gutu United Residents and Ratepayers Association (GURRA) we condemn in the strongest terms the illegal use of spikes and clamping of vehicles.
We have received a report about a Grade Six child who was seriously injured when one enthusiastic council officer threw spikes at a vehicle in Mupandawana town,”GURRA said in a statement.
Farai Dziva|MDC T spokesperson Linda Masarira who was widely criticised for circulating her pictures on Facebook while clad in Zanu PF regalia, has castigated those who call for the imposition of restrictive measures against Zanu bigwigs.
Masarira said genuine opposition politicians must hold the government accountable instead of calling for the imposition of sanctions against their own.
“An opposition party must not be an accomplice in the imposition of sanctions on its people and demonizing the country.
It’s good to oppose but within the rails of development and patriotism,” said Masarira.
By Own Correspondent| The family of a United Kingdom based former MDC organising secretary for Marondera is living in fear following threats and harassment from suspected state security agents.
Joyce Mutengezwana, the former MDC stalwart fled the country in 2007 after she had come to see where her husband was laid to rest.
The husband Amoine Mazvidza was allegedly murdered by suspected state security agents in August 2006 at the height of the Zanu Pf terror campaign against opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) stalwarts.
Said Mutengezwana:
“Amoine was found murdered in Goromonzi, his crime was supporting the Movement for Democratic Change and it cascaded to my father who was also abducted in 2008 for being an MDC activist.”
Upon her return to the United Kingdom Joyce had challenges at the airport after her boarding pass “disappeared” in a development which sent shivers down her spine.
She said:
“As I was returning to the UK state security agents hid my boarding pass at the airport. They had issued a warrant of arrest against me only to be released after some confusion between the agents.
My family has been subjected to Zanu PF victimisation each time there has been demonstrations in Zimbabwe and in 2016 my son was abducted and tortured for being part of Pastor Evan Mawarire’s this Flag Movement.”
After a tip off from an MDC legislator her family fled to South Africa in 2016 only to return after the ouster of Robert Mugabe in November 2017.
“After receiving a tip off from an MDC legislator, my family which included my parents, my brother, two children, fled to South Africa only to return after the ouster of Mugabe because they felt the country was safe.”
Thinking that they were now safe with the onset of the so called “new dispensation”, one of Mutengezwana’s sons was beaten up during the January 2019 protests and sustained serious injuries.
The family is living in fear of victimisation as memories of how their father died are still fresh.
Farai Dziva|MDC A Organising Secretary for Masvingo Urban Gibson Murinye was severely assaulted by drunk party members believed to be sympathetic to provincial chairperson James Gumbi.
Murinye was forced to drop documents containing party information as hooligans severely assaulted him and confiscated documents comprising party regulations.
The MDC A is sharply divided between party president Nelson Chamisa’s supporters and those who want Douglas Mwonzora to lead the party.
Gumbi is a member of the anti-Chamisa camp and is being challenged by former Masvingo Urban MP, Tongai Matutu, according to party insiders.
Farai Dziva|Cornered MDC A Masvingo Provincial chairperson James Chafungamoyo Gumbi has claimed that reports of violent clashes within the party are fictitious and misleading.
Gumbi told a state run publication there were no violent incidents during ward elections at the weekend.
“Our elections went on very well and we are very happy with the way they were held and as for those who allege the polls were in some instances held in people’s homes should know that to convene public meetings there is need for clearance -which is cumbersome.
If members agree to meet and hold elections at any place of their choice, what is wrong with that?” Gumbi argued.
By Own Correspondent- Police in Masvingo have launched a manhunt for two Chiredzi brothers who allegedly fatally assaulted their brother-in-law.
The two brothers, Levison and Enock Hlongwane of Chigalo Village under Chief Sengwe allegedly assaulted Clever Shimbini (33) of the same village to death with open hands and booted feet.
The victim died a day later and was buried without reporting the matter to the police.
Farai Dziva
Police in Masvingo are looking for two brothers who brutally killed their brother-in-law.
The two brothers, Levison and Enock Hlongwane of Chigalo Village under Chief Sengwe in Chiredzi allegedly assaulted Clever Shimbini (33) of the same village to death with open hands and booted feet.
“I can confirm receiving a report of murder involving two brothers and a brother-in-law in Chiredzi.
The deceased was fatally assaulted by his brothers-in-law who then disappeared from the scene.
The family of the deceased then buried the body without notifying the police,” said Dehwa.
“The two brothers passed through Shimbini’s yard who was drunk around 7 pm.
Shimbini confronted them, accused them of trespassing and slapped both in-laws, who then responded in kind and left him vomiting and writhing in pain.
Shimbini died the following day on the way to a clinic and his family made a U-turn, buried him without reporting to the police.”
However, acting on a tip-off, neighbourhood watch committee members reported the matter to Chikombedzi Police.
Police went to the homestead and confirmed the burial but failed to locate the Hlongwane brothers.
• The death toll has risen to 172 people and 327 are still missing, according to government reports.
• About 270,000 people have been affected by flooding and landslides.
• Nearly 4,500 people are displaced and at least 16,000 families are in need of shelter assistance.
• The majority of health care facilities in Chimanimani district are inaccessible.
SITUATION OVERVIEW
At least 172 deaths have been reported and 327 people are reportedly missing in Zimbabwe following flooding caused by Tropical Cyclone Idai’s trajectory, according to the Ministry for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting. The death toll is expected to rise as areas previously cut-off become reachable by road and the full extent of the damage becomes known.
Humanitarian partners estimate that 270,000 people were affected by flooding and landslides, when local rivers and their tributaries burst their banks, inundating homes and schools and causing considerable damage to property and livelihoods.
Out of the 270,000 affected people, nearly 240,000 are in Chimanimani and Chipinge districts. Nearly 4,500 people are displaced, according to the Government. About 16,000 households are in need of shelter assistance in Chimanimani (8,000 households), Chipinge (3,000 households), Buhera (1,000 households) and Mutare (4,000 households). A temporary camp has been established at Skyline, and two additional temporary camps will be established at Wengezi and Ngangu.
The displaced people in Chimanimani are currently sheltering at Ngangu primary and secondary schools, Chimanimani Hotel and Ngangu clinic.
According to a rapid assessment conducted on 18 and 19 March, the majority of health care facilities in Chimanimani district were inaccessible, including the district hospital Mutambara Mission and access to the provincial hospital is limited due major destruction of roads and bridges. Facilities of Chipinge district are all accessible.
Disruption of essential health, HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, food and other social services may lead to increased vulnerability of people living with HIV: inability to adhere to treatment; risk of malnutrition, opportunistic infections and disease outbreaks; leading to poor health and in some cases mortality.
An HIV rapid assessment is planned to better understand the actual impact of the cyclone on HIV programs, people living with HIV and AIDS-affected households.
The flooding compromised access to safe water, basic sanitation and hygiene practices in both rural and urban areas, which is increasing the risk of water-borne diseases. The country is facing an outbreak of cholera and typhoid since September 2018.
By Own Correspondent- Local government minister July Moyo has refuted allegations that his party Zanu Pf is diverting food aid meant for Tropical Cycone Idai victims.
Moyo said it is not possible that aid targeting cyclone victims could be diverted adding that the reports that came out in the media were being peddled by MDC activists.
He said this while addressing the media Tuesday at a Harare venue.
Said Moyo:
“….I know you (media) can sensationalise…..but yes there is one activist, a former MDC Mayor who has been present at Wengezi from day 1….As for diverting food aid, that cannot be a thing that is allowed. I know that the instruction is that we have said do not divert this food aid. We have said we do not want to politicise this aid. Nobody should be carrying food in their party cars and that we have said it clearly and that instruction is very clear.”
By Own Correspondent- A woman from South Africa had a se_xual relationship with her own brother for 16 years because they believed it made them rich.
This was after the siblings were given a get-rich plan by a sangoma.
The woman said she was 27 and her brother was 29 when they went to a sangoma for advice to make money.
She said the sangoma gave them muthi that got them all hot and excited and instructed them to have se_x every week.
She said they were desperate and did what he said.
But now the woman from Villa Lisa in Ekurhuleni is 42 and she is broke and sad.
She said she and her brother had lived reasonably well. They bought a house, got involved in some businesses and had cash.
But after her brother died in February 2018, she slowly started losing the wealth and is now left with only her house.
“What hurts me the most is that my brother died with our wealth. I wish we had a plan if something like that happened.”
She said the sangoma told them they must have se_x at least once a week, but they enjoyed it and made it a daily event.
“I only had one boyfriend in my life, but when I started sleeping with my brother there was no reason for me to have a boyfriend. My brother provided with the best se_x and wealth.
“I know it’s strange but our parents died when we were young so we had to look after each other.”
She said she tried suicide by overdosing on pills.
“I started hating myself and everyone around me. I hated them for saving me from my suicide, but at some point I had to stand tall and fix my life.”
She couldn’t get a job. She searched for the first sangoma but couldn’t find him so she asked another sangoma to help. But he couldn’t help her.
“I don’t want to die broke. I need help.” she said
Opposition MDC leader has been warned to guard against complacency as the ruling Zanu PF could repeat the 2018 electoral fraud that resulted in economic downfall and worsening political situation in the country.
Posting on Twitter, SetFree Mafukidze said the opposition party was getting carried away and not concentrating on solidifying its support which could help Zanu PF grab power again come 2023.
Platform for Youth Development Trust (PYD) is shocked and traumatized by the levels of mistrust, hate and gross partisanship taking place in Manicaland at a time that unity and compassion is needed the most to insulate the devastating effects of Cyclone Idai.
The social and mainstream media has
been inundated and awash with pictures and videos of distressed calls from
Cyclone Idai victims requesting for help and relief, especially in the ravaged areas
of Chimanimani and Chipinge districts .Zimbabwe experienced torrential rainfall
caused by Cyclone Idai from the 15th to 17th of March
2019 which caused high winds and heavy precipitation in Chimanimani and
Chipinge. The majorities of the affected
families in these districts survive on subsistence farming and have little or
no alternative source of income. The cyclone Idai has worsened the dire food
situation.
PYD has been part of the various
civic society organizations and local community stakeholders who have been
sharing information for the public and well-wishers to understand the gravity
of the damage so as to provide basic relief and intervention. Whilst the humanitarian
response from the local, national and international level has been overwhelming
and touching, this is being soiled by heartless political vultures that are bending
on wanting to score political value and mileage over a natural disaster such as
Cyclone Idai.
PYD Director, Mr Claris Madhuku
expressed dismay at some of the events that are already taking place in
Chimanimani and Chipinge
“I have witnessed political
jostling of men and women, some in their political party regalia wanting to
control the food relief by using their partisan emotions and discretion. This
is inhumane and must be condemned for shaming the morality of the nation”
Madhuku fumed
Although the Minister of Media,
Information and Broadcasting Services who is also Senator for Chimanimani
Monica Mutsvangwa has refuted the allegations that there were Zanu PF structures,
including former trainees of the Border Gezi who have denied food aid to victims
purported to be supporting the opposition, evidence is overwhelming.
PYD has observed that the issue of
food aid and relief in rural communities has been at the Centre of local
politics in rural Zimbabwe. Food aid has always been used as a weapon of
influence and patronage rather than broader social justice and empowerment
objectives. As community-based organization, PYD is fully aware that this
practice will have negative effects on community development which is likely to
result in increased vulnerability and the deepening of social insecurity to the
victims of Cyclone Idai. Divisive politics during this disaster period must be
discouraged because it makes communities vulnerable and deprived from genuine
livelihood support by government.
Platform for Youth Development has
also observed that the politicization of food relief is negatively affecting
women and children in Chimanimani and Chipinge. Cynthia Gwenzi who is the
Gender and Wellness Officer for PYD noted that
“When partisanship is used on food relief,
it is the women and children who are disadvantaged the most because they will
have no one to represent them without being exposed to the vulnerabilities of
patronage and abuse. In most cases, partisanship leads to physical force which
then discriminates women and children” Cynthia Gwenzi suggested
Cyclone Idai has
affected Chimanimani and Chipinge districts the most by disrupting water and
sanitation facilities, damaging road networks, cutting power supply and
displacing people including loss of life. According to the Inter-Agency Rapid Assessment/Appraisal
Update on Cyclone Idai disaster, 29 000 households were affected in Chimanimani
and 21 000 households in Chipinge. At the same time, 8000 people were displaced
in Chimanimani whereas 3000 were also displaced in Chipinge. The Cyclone Idai
has inflicted damage to 37% (121 000) of the Chipinge rural population which
are now in urgent need of food assistance with a total of 77% (114 000) also
requiring food assistance in Chimanimani. The statistics from the inter agency
rapid assessment update pose a grim picture as the source of livelihoods were
wiped out as indicated by 24000 hectares of dry land that have been destroyed
in Chipinge and 300 hectares in Chimanimani also facing the same fate. The
death toll for Manicaland Province stands at 259 with over 300 people still missing.
PYD has always raised
this issue of partisan food distribution due to the fact that the victims are
in dire need of emergency relief to the counter debilitating effects of cyclone
Idai. To curb against this embarrassing situation, all political party
structures must be removed from the food distribution process in favor of
professional persons who are linked to those donating the aid.
I am shocked by the depths of political illiteracy shown by some Zimbabweans.
The way that most people especially from the opposition major in trivial issues leave a lot to be desired and one wondering whether such politically illiterate citizens are supposed to vote or not.
Our politics have produced a polarised society full of intolerant citizens who breathe hate speech and insults. We must work very hard to undo this self destruct and poisonous culture.
Few days ago I found myself in an African home, my new home to be precise. My husband took me there to meet my new found family.
It is common that in the rural areas where ZANU PF dominates you will obviously find Zanu PF regalia. The families there are not as polarized as we are in the towns were could possibly be stoned to death for wearing another political party regalia.
I found myself in a situation that I had to embrace the diversity of my hubby’s people who have also become my people. I found it an opportunity to bond with my mother in law and aunts.
It never was an offence to put on my Aunt’s regalia. As in soccer where teams in competition when the match is over, despite their rivalry do a jersey swap.
Eden Hazard exchanging a jersey with Rashford, is an act of many words to football lovers. Wearing my in-laws regalia was an acceptance of their diversity and a testimony that I had become their daughter unconditionally. They needed not be MDCT or any other opposition. I accept them as they are.
With me that was a token in our culture that became an expression of my pride for my people. African homes should not be destroyed by the toxicity of urban politics of intolerance.
It should never surprise the politically mature and level headed that it is not a sin to integrate amongst ourselves. Politics comes second to our families and on arrival they are not to divide us. So the legend Morgan Tsvangirai saw no offence in marrying someone from ZANU PF.
Now if a whole former prime minister and president of the MDC found nothing uncultural, unconstitutional and unnatural in sharing the same blankets with a Zanu PF member or daughter of ZANU PF parents, why should I be judged by the politically illiterate opposition bootlickers!
It is a trivial thing that only those not informed major on. Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events and small minded social media activists discuss people.
As we move towards 2023, seeing we are already almost a year from last elections, where unfortunately our erstwhile cdes to the MDCT the party I am proudly National Spokesperson have chosen to remain in elections mood forever, we must demonstrate to our fellow citizens, relatives and friends in every society be it urban or rural, a culture of tolerance, acceptance of our diversity.
It is imperative, therefore, that we engage in conversations that show demonstrable maturity and focus on developmental issues. It must be taboo that we get offended by a mere T Shirt.
We must tell our people to channel their energy on proffering solutions to our challenges to rise from this quagmire. Its high time political parties followers understood that we are not enemies of each other but institutions of different political ideologies all aimed at building our great country.
As such we must discourage a language dominated by a vocabulary of hate speech, insults and political violence. Our language should be of peace, love and harmony. True leaders need that as a foundation and revolutionaries make that the a purpose to their visions. We have more that unites us than what divides us.
By Own Correspondent- Traders who had come to buy bananas for resale and artisana miners could be among those who have not been accounted for following the devastation caused by Tropical Cyclone Idai, a senior government official has revealed.
Government revealed that the figure of those who have died in the natural disaster is not yet consolidated and known since it is feared that of those reported missing, the majority could be dead and buried under the debris of collapsed buildings and mountains.
Local government minister July Moyo told journalists at a Tropical Cyclone Idai Update meeting with the business community in Harare that government had not yet compiled the exact figures of those who had perished due to the disaster since it was feared that more bodies were yet to be retrieved.
He said:
“….Kopa area is a trading area for bananas and our fears are that there could be traders who could have come to buy bananas. They might also be missing because this was very sudden. Artisanal miners engaged in those areas also could have died, or they could have been visitors. In Ngangu, also because it is a township, we cannot quantify how many people were in that area.”
Jane Mlambo| Prominent Gweru lawyer, Tinomudaishe Chinyoka has defended the use of Zanu PF regalia and vehicles during food distribution in Chimanimani saying those making noise about the issue are stupid.
Chinyoka who is no stranger to controversy said Zanu PF supporters and vehicles were only involved in charity work, that has nothing to do with politicisation of aid for cyclone idai disaster.
” The idea that someone wearing a #ZanuPF shirt or driving a #ZanuPF branded vehicle shouldn’t be involved in aid distribution is just plain stupid. So those wearing Nike T-shirt’s r okay? What’s a tshirt got to do with charity work? Matununu evanhu, kuda kubatira democracy pamsoro,” said Chinyoka while posting on Twitter.
The idea that someone wearing a #ZanuPF shirt or driving a #ZanuPF branded vehicle shouldn’t be involved in aid distribution is just plain stupid. So those wearing Nike T-shirt’s r okay? What’s a tshirt got to do with charity work? Matununu evanhu, kuda kubatira democracy pamsoro
— ??????? ???? ?????? ?????? (@TinoChinyoka) March 27, 2019
By Own Correspondent- Daring cattle rustlers have become a menace in Umguza district where they are stealing cattle and donkeys at night, slaughtering the animals and selling the meat in Bulawayo.
Newly-resettled farmers in Maraposa, Redwood, Stella and Makondo are the most affected.
A villager from Redwood, Richard Matshona, who spoke to a local publication said:
“They took two cattle from Mabhena’s homestead and slaughtered them along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway, just a few metres from the homestead, and left a national identity card belonging to one deceased person.
During the same night, they stole one beast from Sibanda’s homestead and three cattle were stolen from Makwelo’s homestead. They also took four donkeys.”
A police source confirmed reports of cattle rustling in Umguza District.
Said the source:
“We are still making investigations as these people left no spoor because they slaughtered the animals and carried the carcasses away. No arrests have been made so far.”
Matabeleland North police spokesperson Chief Inspector Spiwe Makonese, could not comment on the matter as she was out of office.-Newsday
By Own Correspondent| MDC president Nelson Chamisa is in Gaborone, Botswana, as part of his party’s regional engagements.
Writing on social media, Chamisa said:
“I’m grateful for the warm welcome I have received in Gaborone where I’m currently visiting as part of our regional engagements as we seek an urgent solution to our challenges as Zimbabweans.
We are part of the bigger African family, African counsel and support is fundamental.
I’m also humbled by the kindness and empathy shown by our neighbours at a time of tragedy in Zimbabwe. We are one people and we share the burden of our challenges.
That is why we engage and share counsel, helping us see the whole picture and our respective place and role in it.”
Photo: Columbus Mavhunga/VOA People in Chimanimani complain to senior army officials in charge of a temporary camp set up after Cyclone Idai that food is not reaching them.
Zanu-PF lawmaker for Chimanimani East, Nokuthula Matsikenyere, has been sucked into the eye of a storm over the partisan distribution of aid to victims of Cyclone Idai.
Chimanimani and Chipinge in the south east of Manicaland were the worst affected areas after the deadly tropical Cyclone Idai ripped through the province leaving a trail of destruction and over 140 people dead.
Effected villagers who spoke to New Zimbabwe.Com at the weekend accused ruling Zanu PF officials including Matsikenyere of politicising the disaster relief donated by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) sourced aid to Zanu PF supporters only.
Matsikenyere was reportedly mobbed by angry crowds Sunday at Biriwiri Growth Point over the issue.
“On Saturday UNICEF donated food hampers to victims of the cyclone in Ward 17 but only Zanu PF supporters from areas like Nyamusundu and Manzou got the aid which contained food items such as rice and cooking oil.
“The food was also donated during the night without the knowledge of most of the villagers,” said a villager who refused to be named for fear of victimisation.
During the heated meeting, Matsikenyere is said to have openly told the disgruntled villagers that they deserved to be deprived of the disaster relief because they did not vote for her during last year’s elections.
“The MP claimed that we did not vote for her and that is the reason why we do not deserve the food. She said she would rather give food to villagers whom she was certain voted her than to give us.
“Every family was affected by this disaster and we are actually shocked by people who want to politicise this disaster,” said another villager.
Contacted for comment, Matsikenyere admitted superintending over the UNICEF aid distribution at Biriwiri Growth Point on Saturday but said she was not directly involved in the compilation of names of the beneficiaries. She however confirmed there had been complaint over the way the aid was being handled.
“Our local Councilor, Lovemore Utseya and Village Heads come up with the list of the beneficiaries. I have also heard similar complaints and seen WhatsApp messages of party supporters complaining about the Councilor on how he is handling the food process in the ward,” said the MP said.
Local media is in possession of a WhatsApp message which was forwarded to senior Zanu PF officials including Cabinet Ministers by the ruling party’s supporters complaining about Utseya’s conduct.
“What is happening in Ward 17 is very painful. A lot of people are being lied to about the food aid and made to travel long distances by Councilor Lovemore Utseya.
“The Councilor and his secretary Mai Matakuramombe are used to steal aid food and deprive needy people,” the message reads in part.
Zanu PF officials have used traditional leaders in the partisan distribution of food aid to vulnerable people over the years in the processing depriving suspected opposition activists access to grain although the party denies it.
Tens of thousands of poor people were left homeless after their homes were washed away by Cyclone Idai induced floods two weeks ago. The cyclone wreaked havoc destroying infrastructure including schools and bridges with many now desperately in need of aid to survive.
By Own Correspondent- The trial of Prophetic Healing and Deliverances (PHD) Ministries led by Walter Magaya, which is accused of evading paying income tax for sales valued at $28 706 040, kicked off Tuesday with the church denying the allegations.
PHD Ministries representative Nelson Marimo, who appeared before Harare magistrate Hosea Mujaya, pleaded not guilty to four counts of violating the Income Tax Act, saying the church only received donations, tithes, offerings and contributions from its members, which he said were not taxable.
Marimo, who was represented by Admire Rubaya and instructed by Oliver Marwa and Everson Chatambudza, said PHD Ministries, as a church, did not carry any trade through any company or other statutory corporation. He added that the church did not generate any taxable income through operating guest houses or accruals from any investments.
“The accused denies generating taxable income through selling church regalia, anointing oil, and holy water or from conducting any trade in the manner alleged. All the monies received by the accused are exempted from income tax considering that all these receipts and accruals are donations, tithes, offerings and contributions from its members, nothing more than that,” Rubaya submitted.
“The accused person disputes the alleged financial statements allegedly from Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe, purporting that there were sales amounting to $28 706 040 in the manner alleged or at all. The accused will challenge the extraction of any evidence from such disputed documents.”
On the count where Magaya and wife Tendai allegedly received $2,4 million and $$954 522 respectively, the defence said the amounts in question were not covered by the definition of remuneration in terms of the 13th schedule of Income Tax.
The defence claimed the amounts were for loan repayments and the couple’s bank accounts were used as conduits for easy accounting purposes. Marimo said the allegations were simply to embarrass the accused person and they were clearly designed to destroy the church.
The State represented by George Manokore led evidence from Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) chief investigation officer Tinashe Madakadze, who told the court that PHD Ministries registered with the tax agency on October 20, 2014 as a voluntary church organisation.
Madakadze told the court that he wrote two letters to PHD Ministries asking for information, but the letters were not responded to, leading to them raid their computers in terms of sections of the Income Tax Act.
The Zimra official told the court that he went on to ask for further information from the banks which hold accounts for the church.
Allegations are that sometime in October 2018, Madakadze conducted tax investigations on PHD Ministries and recovered financial statements from the church computer covering the period 2013 to 2017.
The State alleges that the accused did not declare or submit income tax returns for the said period to Zimra in violation of the Income Tax Act.-Newsday
By Own Correspondent- South Africa’s police service in partnership with a non-governmental organisation Gift of the Givers, on Tuesday presented four sniffer dogs to assist in identifying and retrieving dead bodies in Chimanimani and Chipinge folowing the ravaging effects of Tropical Cyclone Idai.
Addressing the media Tuesday, Local government minister July Moyo confirmed that government had no capacity to locate the buried dead bodies since they did not have sniffer dogs.
He however said government had made an appeal to neighbouring South Africa for the sniffer dogs and President Cycril Ramaphosa’s administration was sending two teams to assist .
“We do not have those type of dogs to assist in sniffing the dead bodies… but South Africa is bringing teams including these sniffer dogs,” said Moyo.
The 4 sniffer dogs were presented to the country’s ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mphakama Mbete.
Speaking to journalists in Harare on Tuesday, Ambassador Mbete said:
“In the aftermath of Cyclone Idai, members of the South African government and Gift of the Givers have come here largely at the request of the government of Zimbabwe.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted me and indicated that what they needed currently were sniffer dogs and South Africa has sent a team of people to assist in this regard.”
Freelance journalist Edmund Kudzayi on Tuesday appeared in court facing charges of possessing a camouflage umbrella.
Kudzayi, who is the editor for Kukurigo News, an online media outlet, pleaded not guilty to a charge of unlawful possession or wearing of camouflage uniforms, as defined under section 32 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act when he appeared before Harare magistrate Victoria Mashamba.
The freelance journalist, who is represented by Obey Shava of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, was arrested on February 22 at a police check-point along Domboshava Road in Harare after he was allegedly found in possession of a camouflage umbrella with a pouch in his vehicle.
When trial commenced Tuesday, Shava filed an application for exception to the charges, wherein Kudzayi denied committing the offence as alleged by the prosecution.
The journalist returns to court on Wednesday 27 March for the continuation of his trial.
His arrest in February came after the Zimbabwe National Army announced that it was conducting a snap search in residential areas for military regalia, which it alleged was stolen during the 14 January mass protests.
Kudzayi rose to fame in 2014 after he was arrested and accused of being the shadowy character running the Baba Jukwa Facebook page.
In the run-up to and after the July 2013 elections, the Facebook page would publish highly sensitive and classified information about the ruling Zanu-PF party and meetings held by VVIP officials.
Please be advised of and invited to join us in celebrating the life of Inviolata “Vee” Dumbutshena daughter of Mr. T. Mukute and Ambassador T. Dumbutshena as follows:
Monday, 25th March 2019: Join us to pass your respects at 5 Denis Close, Helensvale, Borrowdale and a church service led by Bishop Dambaza from Upper Room Ministries at 18:30hrs
Tuesday, 26th March 2019: 15:00hrs – Chapel Service at Moonlight Funeral Assurance, 138 Herbert Chitepo Ave, Harare (opposite the Passport Office)
From the Chapel Service we will proceed to Borrowdale, where the late Inviolata Dumbutshena will lie in state at 5 Denis Close, Helensvale, Borrowdale. Church service at 19:00hrs
Wednesday, 27th March 2019
09:00hrs Final Church Service for the late Inviolata Dumbutshena to take place at 5 Denis Close, Helensvale, Borrowdale.
Departure for Glen Forest at 10:00hrs
Burial at Glen Forest, 11:00hrs
13:30hrs Luncheon at 5 Denis Close, Helensvale, Borrowdale
Please accept this kind intimation for an amazing, vibrant young lady gone too soon.
“Had a hugely enriching engagement with H.E Ian Khama,the former President of the Republic of Botswana. So fulfilling to tap and drink from this well of wisdom. Fixing African problems to make all African countries citadels of democracy and prosperity is key!#leadershipmatters” Nelson Chamisa said.
