MDC leader Nelson Chamisa faces the prospect of being challenged by two party heavyweights in his bid to succeed the late Morgan Tsvangirai after his deputy Elias Mudzuri declared he was ready to challenge anyone.”

The party’s provincial congresses begin today with Matabeleland South making its nominations for standing committee members and Harare will be the last on April 16.

Mudzuri, who has kept his ambitions a closely-guarded secret, yesterday opened up on his bid saying he would contest any position, including the presidency, if he is nominated.

“If nominated, I am prepared to challenge anyone,” he said.

The former Energy minister dismissed reports that he had struck a deal with Chamisa where he would have backed the party’s 2018 presidential candidate to lead the country’s main opposition party.

“The news report that made emphatic claims about a supposed deal between myself and Advocate Chamisa, is wholly untrue,” Mudzuri said.

“No such understanding has been considered, much less reached.

“The story could have only originated from a very mischievous tale bearer, seeking to engineer and manipulate public discourse to fit in a personal scheme.”

Mudzuri joins MDC secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora, who has also declared that he would challenge Chamisa if nominated.

The MDC is currently holding branch, ward and district congresses ahead of the main congress to be held next month.

The process has been marred by violence pitting Chamisa and Mwonzora’s backers.

Mwonzora’s backers are claiming some party bigwigs are manipulating grassroots votes to ensure only those aligned to Chamisa would vote for the president at congress, a claim rejected by MDC organising secretary Amos Chibaya.

Mudzuri yesterday condemned the violence and called for unity in the party.

Meanwhile, the MDC has ordered officials eyeing various positions at its upcoming congress to stop using “pictorial advertising” campaign posters before they have been officially certified as nominated.

Social media has been awash with posters of aspiring candidates vying for certain positions even before they have been officially nominated, forcing the MDC national organising department to step in to stop the practice.

“At a meeting of the standing committee held on April 3, 2019, it was resolved that all aspiring candidates must with immediate effect cease using pictorial advertising to market themselves,” MDC Alliance deputy national organising secretary Bekithemba Sibanda wrote in a memo dated April 4.

The memo is copied to MDC standing committee members, national executive and provincial executive members.

“Aspiring candidates can only do so after they have been officially certified as nominated at the relevant congresses,” Sibanda added.

MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume said the directive was necessary to avoid a shambolic campaign process ahead of the congress.

“We are saying, you cannot have people just waking up to put campaign posters, some for various positions ahead of being nominated, it’s shambolic,” Mafume said.

“Aspiring candidates have to be nominated first.”

According to the template, a candidate is eligible to contest for any position from ward up to national levels if they have served in the party for at least five years while branches have a minimum of two years.

The MDC has been holding branch and district congresses that have, however, been marred by violence and allegations of vote-rigging, among other malpractices.

Standard

Vice-President Kembo Mohadi has not been censured for allegedly threatening to his kill his ex-wife and damaging her property because no police report has been made a week after the shocking incident, it has been revealed.

Mohadi allegedly stormed Senator Tambudzani Mohadi’s Beitbridge home where he hacked three doors using an axe before towing away his former wife’s three cars.

At least 25 police officers witnessed the incident, but refused to take a report from the under- siege senator.

The Beitbridge senator argued she would only sign, as both witness and victim, a statement by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers who were present during the violent attack on her person and property on Saturday last week.

She said what police were requesting her to do was like a policeman who sees someone being killed and waits for a report from the victim.

“They were the witnesses, they have an eyewitness account. They must take action based on that. A crime was committed in their presence,” she said in an interview.

Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi referred all queries about the Mohadi case to the Information ministry.

Women Affairs minister Sithembiso Nyoni said she would not comment on the matter, which she said was private.

“I was out of the country when this happened, but it is a private family thing. It also involves the VP,” she said.

“I have no comment.”

Meanwhile, on Friday the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) demanded that Mohadi be held accountable.

“We are outraged by the reports of violence perpetrated by the VP against Tambudzani Mohadi,” the coalition said.

“It has also been reported that such shocking acts were committed in the presence of members of the ZRP.

“We believe that these are very serious allegations, which require investigations and due process of the law.”

WCoZ said the VP showed lack of respect for both the supreme law of the land and women.

“The battle against violence perpetrated on women and girls can never be won when the perpetrators are men in whom the people have vested the authority and trust to lead the nation,” the statement added.

“The VP of a nation should always be above reproach when it comes to violence and women’s rights issues.

“The VP, being a servant of the people, therefore must be reminded that the very foundation of our democracy and freedom is that this case should be treated as exemplary to all those who abuse their power to inflict pain and suffering upon women.”

The women also urged the police to act speedily and investigate the case.

“In addition, we call upon the judiciary to treat all cases of violence against women and girls as high priority and ensure that justice is served at all times,” read the statement.

“The failure by the ZRP to promptly address the issue raises concern over the failure by critical institutions to adequately provide redress to survivors of violence and thus there should never demonstrate laxity in responding to such cases.”

Meanwhile, former Harare West legislator Jessie Majome said it was wrong for people to always expect only women’s groups and activists to protest when women are abused.

“Why should the women only make noise when it is clear no one is listening or making an effort to act?” she said.

Majome described Mohadi’s case as a litmus test for the police and the judiciary.

“We were let down by the police, where is accountability in all this? Impunity at the highest level,” she said.

Former Zanu-PF Goromonzi West legislator Beatrice Nyamupinga called for Mohadi’s arrest.

“For a whole number two in the country to be so disrespectful to women is grossly unacceptable,” she said.

“If he respects himself, he must resign. How do we end gender-based violence when those who are supposed to champion the end to gender-based violence are actually on the forefront of being perpetrators?

“This is a clear case of abuse of power, and domestic violence and as such, he must be arrested.”

Mohadi divorced his wife early this year and the two are embroiled in a dispute over property.

Standard

By Wilbert Mukori| “They say you can only know the true state of a car when you lift its bonnet and look inside. And so it was back in September, when I was appointed Minister of Finance, and got to take a look at the true state of our nation’s finances,” wrote Finance Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube.

It is not everyone who claims to be a car mechanic who knows what they are doing. It is not all who see who perceive and it is not all who hear who understand.

Yes Minister Ncube, you opened the bonnet, looked inside but sadly came up with the wrong diagnosis and thus wrong cure.

“The budget deficit was huge, and growing at a rate of hundreds of millions of US Dollars per month, causing spiralling domestic debt and inflation with negative spillovers to the rest of the economy,” continued Minister Ncube.

“If we were to have any chance to resurrect the Zimbabwean economy and build a better life for the people of this country, we would have to take tough decisions, and fast. What was required was to cut unnecessary spending, while at the same time seeking new revenue sources.

“One of the key elements of our strategy to get our finances back on track was the Intermediated Money Transfer Tax (IMTT), popularly referred to as the 2 percent Tax, which we introduced six months ago in October 2018, to replace the previous flat tax of 5 cents per transaction.”

What touch decisions did you make to cut unnecessary spending such as the endless and expensive overseas trips for health care, begging, etc. by the ruling elite? The minister was himself on the high power entourage accompany President Mnangagwa on the 10 day jaunt to Asia and Europe in January 2019 in a hired 787-8 Dreamliner Jet costing the nation US$25 million.

Indeed, Mnangagwa announced the150% fuel increase, tough on the impoverished majority, before jumping on the luxury jet. When the people protested the fuel increase, the regime ruthlessly crashed the protests.

The 2% tax Minister Ncube is boasting about above, was specifically targeting the 90% unemployed who were not paying income tax.

Most of these people are subsisting as vendors earning a misery US$30 per month or less in a country with the Poverty datum line set at US$ 650 per month. Minister Mthuli Ncube wanted his cut from their meagre earning, his pound of flesh, just like the William Shakespeare’s Shylock.

“Government policies in Zimbabwe are worsening the country’s economic crisis, causing immense hardship to those less well-off, and crushing the human rights of those who dare complain, a group of UN experts* has warned,” report The Zimbabwean, quoting the ReliefWeb.

“We are gravely concerned that, as the situation in Zimbabwe deteriorates, the Government is pushing people further into poverty,” the experts said.

“We are not aware of any Government measures to provide even minimal safety nets for those who are already living on an economic cliff-edge and who will suffer the most from these regressive policies.

“The impact of economic reforms on human rights must be assessed against international norms and standards, in line with the Guiding Principles on human rights impact assessments of economic reforms.”

Zanu PF rigged last year’s elections, corruption is rampant in Zimbabwe, there is brutal repression, there is criminal waste of resources by the filthy few rich ruling elite who are not democratically accountable to the filthy poor masses, etc.

These are economic and political realities behind Zimbabwe’s economic mess and anyone who thinks the country can ever achieve any meaningful economic recovery without addressing these problems first is naive.

Professor Mthuli Ncube has pointedly refused to accept the elections were rigged, that corruption is rampant, etc. He is naive but, worst of all, he is arrogant!

“In just six months, the 2 percent tax has helped us to cut the deficit, invest in vital infrastructure, and put aside a sizeable sum that is being used to mitigate the effects of Cyclone Idai,” boasted Minister Ncube.

“We knew that the actions we needed to take would not necessarily make us popular, but they were necessary nonetheless.

“I was comforted in this realisation by the wise words of Albert Einstein, who famously wrote that “What is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right.”

Einstein’s ‘right’ was based on sound scientific observation, logical analysis and even then was subjected to constant and vigorous peer review at all time. Your economic policies defy basic economics and common sense, they are voodoo economic imposed on a reluctant nation by a corrupt and tyrannical regime.

After 38 years of these foolish Zanu PF voodoo economic policies the people know they will never work and that is why the policies and the dictatorial regime are unpopular.

What is right is not always popular, that is true; still that does not meaning everything that is not popular in right! Your 2% tax and all the other policies are not popular and they will never bring about the economic recover because they are wrong.

As for you, Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube, you are not Zimbabwe’s Albert Einstein genius of economics or anything!

VIEW PICTURES BELOW …

Vice-President Kembo Mohadi has not been censured for allegedly threatening to his kill his ex-wife and damaging her property because no police report has been made a week after the shocking incident, it has been revealed.

Mohadi allegedly stormed Senator Tambudzani Mohadi’s Beitbridge home where he hacked three doors using an axe before towing away his former wife’s three cars.

At least 25 police officers witnessed the incident, but refused to take a report from the under- siege senator.

The Beitbridge senator argued she would only sign, as both witness and victim, a statement by the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) officers who were present during the violent attack on her person and property on Saturday last week.

She said what police were requesting her to do was like a policeman who sees someone being killed and waits for a report from the victim.

“They were the witnesses, they have an eyewitness account. They must take action based on that. A crime was committed in their presence,” she said in an interview.

Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi referred all queries about the Mohadi case to the Information ministry.

Women Affairs minister Sithembiso Nyoni said she would not comment on the matter, which she said was private.

“I was out of the country when this happened, but it is a private family thing. It also involves the VP,” she said.

-The Standard

AFRO-FUSION singer Mbeu, real name Ashton Nyahora, has distanced himself from the “toxic” fights in the Mtukudzi family, which have seen him being accused of trying to appropriate the birthright of the late national hero’s children.

This follows Mbeu’s decision to lead the The Black Spirits, the late Dr Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi’s band, at the Cape Town Jazz Festival in South Africa last weekend, a role many believe should have been given to one or all of Dr Mtukudzi’s daughters.

There is massive talent in the Mtukudzi family. Tuku’s daughter Selmor, for instance, is believed by many to be his natural heiress while Samantha, another daughter, performed with her father as a backing vocalist for three years. However, Tuku’s widow, Daisy, last weekend entrusted Mbeu not just with the lead role in The Black Spirits, but also gave him the late superstar’s guitar.

This move angered many music followers particularly Tuku Music fans, who expected to see his popular and talented daughters leading the band and fulfilling their father’s shows.

Criticism, particularly on social media, was targeted at both Daisy, the Mtukudzi family matriarch, and Mbeu, for their role in seemingly trying to deny Selmor and Sandra inheritance of their father’s legacy. Samantha was at the Cape Town Jazz festival show but merely as a backing vocalist. In an interview with The Sunday Mail Society, Mbeu denied inserting himself into the Mtukudzi family feud and trying to steal anyone’s inheritance, saying people had just misunderstood his position. “I am my own man. I am Mbeu and I lead my own band, Mhodzi Tribe. I have no interest whatsoever of abandoning my solo career or my band to join anyone,” declared the “Mavanga” hit-singer.

“I grew up at Pakare Paye Arts Centre. I believe I am one of the centre’s products that have managed to stand on their own two feet. I know Mtukudzi’s music in and out, and have a good relationship with all the Mtukudzi family members. After Mdhara Tuku’s death, we did two shows with Selmor, here in Zimbabwe and in South Africa.

‘‘And when Walter (The Black Spirits manager) came asking me to assist at the Cape Town Jazz Festival show, I obliged. This means I have worked with both parties,” explained Mbeu. The young singer, who hails from Norton and was groomed at Pakare Paye Arts Centre, said he had no intention of picking sides.

“Selmor is my big sister. Daisy is my mother, she has cooked for me. I was simply helping. I love my band Mhodzi Tribe and intend to build a legacy that I will bequeath to my own children. The fights in the Mtukudzi family are their own. I’m not involved and I have no intention of doing so.”

On how he got hold of Tuku’s guitar, Mbeu said on his acoustic guitar he plays steel strings while Tuku’s has nylon strings, which is why he had to settle for Tuku’s guitar to ensure the sound came out right. “It wasn’t even my decision. That guitar is scary man.

The figure that thrilled millions of fans using that guitar is too big for me to even contemplate fitting into his shoes.

For me  it was an honour and I enjoyed every minute

of it, but I’m sorry if it caused anguish to some.”

-State Media

Even at the age of 70, Arshid Kazunga is a restless man.

His soul is tormented.

He constantly scratches his unkempt grey hair while aimlessly staring in space, as if he is somehow waiting for a solution to his woes to fall from the skies.

In 2015, he was sentenced to 20 years at Chikurubi Maximum Prison for a crime of passion that is unexpected for a man of his age – murdering his fourth wife.

But doing time is the least of his worries and reason for his sleepless nights.

“If I am lucky to walk out of this place alive, I will be 87-years-old,” he says as he uses his pale, old, shaky fingers to gesture for emphasis.

“However, I have accepted that I might die in here.

“What gives me sleepless nights is the blood on my hands.

“I am afraid of avenging spirits.

“The spirits might not affect me since I do not have many years left to live, but I have children. I do not want them to be punished for my sins.

“My wish is to settle this matter with my in-laws before I die.

“However, I am stuck in this place for many years, how will I do that?” Kazunga says.

As a sworn polygamist, his family had readily accepted his life choices.

In 1997, when he was 28-years-old, Kazunga married his first wife and sired five children.

Sixteen years later, he married his second wife and the couple also had five children.

A third wife was added to the ever-expanding family in 2000, but unfortunately, she died after two years.

It was, however, his marriage to a fourth wife, Juliet Kembo, in 2006 that turned his life topsy-turvy.

The fated union only lasted nine years.

Life-changing Twist

The Chikurubi inmate, who professes to be a hard worker that always provided for his expansive brood, forever rues that fateful day in 2015.

In fact, he is still locked in a time capsule.

The former Mount Darwin-based Kazunga reportedly dutifully visited his first wife in Guruve for a few days.

After making an unannounced return to his Mt Darwin home, which he shared with Juliet, he made a painful discovery that any man dreads – he walked in on his wife being intimate with an unidentified man on their matrimonial bed.

An altercation, which heatedly degenerated into a fist fight, ensued, but Kazunga was overpowered by his rival suitor, who subsequently made good his escape.

Kazunga – who had suffered a double whammy of being humiliated and thumped – succumbed to his bruised ego.

In an inexplicable moment of deranged rage, he then stabbed his wife twice on the neck, killing her instantly.

When he came to himself, Kazunga fled and sought refuge at his daughter and son-in-law’s house.

The latter alerted the police of the heinous crime, leading to Kazunga’s arrest.

“I loved Juliet, to tell you the truth,” he said during the interview.

“I remember I had paid ZW$1,4 trillion as a lobola, and although we never had children together, I loved her so much.

“The moment I saw her lying next to another man, I could not bear it, I got furious. She was mine.”

He reckons if he could turn back the hands of time, he would not harm his beloved Juliet.

“Although I loved her, it was not worth it,” he added.

“I should have just let her go with her lover. I am sure by now I would have forgotten about her and moved on with my life.

“I am now an old man, in prison, with no family and with a dead woman’s spirit hanging above my head for the rest of my life.

“My life should serve as lesson to all men out there. If you ever find your wife or partner with another man, let her go. Do not kill her. Do not try to teach her a lesson, just let her go.”

Final Wish

Kazunga’s final wish is to meet with his family, especially his in-laws.

“I rarely get visits from my family. The last time I got a visit was from my daughter in 2017,” he said softly.

“I am appealing to my family and in-laws to visit me so that we can settle the matter before I die. I have a few beasts that I can give them as compensation.

“I think this is one thing that will ease my mind and help me find rest even in death.”

With his hands folded behind his back, he lowly hangs his head and drags his feet back to his cell.

He looks up the huge thick walls that surround him, probably praying for his loved one beyond to come and help lift the burden he carries.

-State Media

The Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC), expected to be reconstituted under a new law  currently in the works, will be required to delegate some of its regulatory powers to an independent body of media practitioners in a development that is set to entrench self-regulation within the profession.

The Zimbabwe Media Commission Bill is set to scrap Government regulation of the industry while introducing co-regulation of the media between the ZMC and an independent professional body constituted by the industry.

The ZMC Bill is one of the three laws set to replace the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Aippa), scheduled for repeal soon.

-State Media

According to online reports, a Gokwe bound bus was involved in an accident with more more than 30 people injured.

More to follow…

Jane Mlambo| Opposition MDC Deputy President has trashed media reports that he brokered a deal with his party leader Nelson Chamisa ahead of the party congress set for May this year.

Mudzuri said the story could have emanated from some mischiveouos tale bearer who wanted to manipulate public discourse.

Commenting in The Standard, Mudzuri said;

“The story could have only originated from a very mischievous tale bearer, seeking to engineer and manipulate public discourse to fit in a personal scheme.”

Jane Mlambo| Controversial National Patriotic Front Spokesperson, Jealousy Mawarire has charged that whenever President Emmerson Mnangagwa opens his mouth, he says the wrong things.

This comes after Mnangagwa said the death of people due to cyclone idai in Chimanimani and Chipinge was a blessing in disguise.

Mawarire blasted Mnangagwa saying; “Whenever @edmnangagwa opens his mouth, stuff meant for the sewer end oozes out.”

Zimbabweans have reacted angrily to Mnangagwa’s remarks with Nkosana Moyo’s APA saying the President was out of his depth and completely tactless.

“You are out of your depth, completely tactless, soulless and a downright embarrassment. The scary thing is you are oblivious to your failings like a giddy school boy.”

Barely a week after her dismissal from Dr Thokozani Khupe’s MDC, Linda Masarira has jumped to sing praises for First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa congratulating her for scooping the 2019 African Phenomenal Women of the Year Award.

Posting on Twitter, Masarira said;

“Chakanaka chakanaka mukaka haurungwe. Congratulations to Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa for scooping the 2019 African Phenomenal Woman of the Year Award in recognition of her philanthropic work in Zimbabwe,” said Masarira.

Jane Mlambo| Opposition MDC Secretary General has once again fired salvo against Deputy President Professor Welshman Ncube and Deputy Chairperson Tendai Biti whom he accused of trying to drive a wedge between him and party leader Nelson Chamisa.

Posting on Twitter this morning, Mwonzora accused Ncube and Biti of splitting from the party, taking money away while the late party leader Morgan Tsvangirai all sorts of names before retracing their steps back into the party.

“they split from the party, took money away from the party & called the late Pres MT all sorts of names & now they’ve come back to the party. We accommodated them & what they are now trying to do is to drive a wedge between myself & Chamisa as a way of getting an accommodation”

Mwonzora who is gunning for the party presidency has since the announcement of congress dates caused a lot of debate as he seeks to push his way to get a nomination.

By Own Correspondent- A Bulawayo man, Lawrence Dube is on the run after burning his wife for planning to leave him.

Joan Zvaodzamoyo, 32, suffered serious facial burns when she was  allegedly doused with paraffin and methylated spirit before being set alight by her husband when he discovered that she was planning to leave him.

Zvaodzamoyo from Mzilikazi suburb is admitted at Mpilo Central Hospital where she is receiving treatment.

The incident occurred at around midnight on Tuesday last week.

Narrating the tear-jerking incident in an interview with a local publication, the woman’s father, Fortune Mawanga, said the incident happened after her daughter’s husband Dube (41) found out that she was planning to move out after failing to cope with  marital problems they were having, which he said were allegedly caused by the husband’s sister’s abusive behaviour towards his daughter. The two have three children together.

Zvaodzamoyo was burnt on her face in her sleep when her husband allegedly sprinkled paraffin and methylated spirit and then lit her. He went on to cover her with a blanket before running way. He is still at large.

“The couple has been living together for over 14 years although Dube never paid lobolato the family,” said Mawanga.

He said the couple’s relationship was rough sailing for the better part of the past few years and Zvaodzamoyo had decided to quit the marriage.

“What hurts the most is that her children are the ones who saw what happened and had to go through such a traumatic experience of seeing their mother being burnt by their father, having to go out and look for help in the middle of the night while Dube’s sister was there in the house sleeping, acting as if she did not hear the screams,” said Zvaodzamoyo’s sister, Bekezela Kawiro.

After allegedly burning her, the husband is said to have stolen her money and left. The husband was reportedly not taking care of the children and it had become the woman’s duty to pay school fees for them. The case was reported to the police.-StateMedia

By Own Correspondent| Former Vice President Joice Mujuru who is leading a splinter faction of the National Patriotic Front has trashed reports that she will soon be rejoining Zanu Pf.

Mujuru emphasised that she would never join her former party revealing her allegiance to “her son and the President” whom citizens have said is opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa.

She said it was backward joining Zanu Pf adding that she was not that desperate.

“I will NEVER rejoin ZanuPf. Im not desperate. There’s my son to support! He’s the president. The only way forward is forward not backwards.”

By Own Correspondent- A Bulawayo woman, Joan Zvaodzamoyo from Mzilikazi suffered serious facial burns after her husband allegedly doused her with paraffin and methylated spirit and set her alight for planning to leave him.

The woman, is currently admitted at Mpilo Central Hospital where she is receiving treatment.

The incident occurred at around midnight on Tuesday last week.

Narrating the tear-jerking incident in an interview with Sunday News, the woman’s father, Fortune Mawanga, said the incident happened after her daughter’s husband Lawrence Dube (41) found out that she was planning to move out after failing to cope with  marital problems they were having, which he said were allegedly caused by the husband’s sister’s abusive behaviour towards his daughter. The two have three children together.

Zvaodzamoyo was burnt on her face in her sleep when her husband allegedly sprinkled paraffin and methylated spirit and then lit her. He went on to cover her with a blanket before running way. He is still at large.

“The couple has been living together for over 14 years although Dube never paid lobola to the family,” said Mawanga.

He said the couple’s relationship was rough sailing for the better part of the past few years and his daughter had decided to quit the marriage.

“What hurts the most is that her children are the ones who saw what happened and had to go through such a traumatic experience of seeing their mother being burnt by their father, having to go out and look for help in the middle of the night while Dube’s sister was there in the house sleeping, acting as if she did not hear the screams,” said Zvaodzamoyo’s sister, Bekezela Kawiro.

After allegedly burning her, the husband is said to have stolen her money and left. The husband was reportedly not taking care of the children and it had become the woman’s duty to pay school fees for them. The case was reported to the police.-StateMedia

By Own Correspondent- President Emmerson Mnangagwa has hailed the relationship between Zimbabwe and Rwanda adding that he was pleased that the ruling Zanu-PF and its Rwandese counterparts were fostering re-engagement and engagement efforts through a number of exchange programmes with the world.

Mnangagwa said this at his Sherwood farm in Kwekwe during a familiarisation tour by Rwandan Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Ambassor James Musoni.

He said:

“It is true that we have a re-engagement and engagement policy as a Government, but I am pleasantly surprised that the Zanu-PF business wing is here as represented by Minister (Sithembiso) Nyoni as well as the Rwandese ruling party as represented by the ambassador.

I am briefed that they have clinched several deals between them in both trade as well as in corporate and marketing spheres. The two parties have a business agreement in trade.

They are also cooperating in manufacturing as well as providing facilities in Kigali where products from Zimbabwe are marketed and they are also doing likewise in Zimbabwe.”-StateMedia

Jane Mlambo| Opposition MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has reminded government of the need to resolve the gukurahundi issue which he said would help in establishing a genuine national healing process.

Commiserating with Rwanda which is commemorating the 1994 genocide which saw the slaughter of over 800 000 tutsi, Chamisa said this is a stark reminder of Zimbabwe’s unresolved gukurahundi question which is still a cause for conflict in the country.

“Our hearts & minds are with the great people of Rwanda who commemorate the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 genocide which saw the slaughter of over 800 000 minority Tutsis.This reminds us all in Zimbabwe to resolve the Gukurahundi massacres for true national healing,” said Chamisa.

By Own Correspondent- MDC-Alliance legislator for Mpopoma-Pelandaba Charles Moyo has been hauled to court facing charges of assault.

Moyo is accused of assaulting the party’s deputy chairperson of the gender representation structure, Tsitsi Mutereki.

Moyo initially appeared in court on Saturday and was remanded out of court on his own cognisance to 15 April.

It is the State’s case that on 3 April, Moyo, during a party meeting held at the party headquarters in Bulawayo, assaulted Mutereki.

The court heard that Moyo assaulted Miss Mutereki for defying an order for the youth wing not to interfere with an election process for Ward 10, Entumbane–Emakhandeni.

It was further stated that Moyo together with councilor Mlandu Ncube of Ward 1 hijacked the election process, leading to the youth revolting against the decision for the pair to influence or impose a candidate they did not want.

It was during the meeting that Mutereki, after realising the intension of the pair that she left the boardroom, where the election process was being held.  As she made her way to the exit she was restricted from leaving by Hon Moyo, resulting in a scuffle.

It was during the scuffle that Moyo is alleged to have pushed Mutereki and then slapped her on the face.

Soon after the assault Mutereki is said to have lodged a complaint with the police, leading to Moyo’s arrest.-StateMedia

MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: ARREST OF MEMBER FOR SUSPECTED THEFT AS DEFINED IN SECTION 113 OF THE CRIMNAL (CODIFICATION AND REFORM) ACT CHAPTER 9:23 OF GOODS DONATED FOR CHIMANIMANI AND CHIPINGWE VICTIMS OF CYCLONE IDAI AT RUSAPE TOLLGATE, RUSAPE ON 03/04/19 AT AROUND 1100 HOURS

Complainant: The State

Accused: Edward Dhumukwa aged 32 years
Bus: Chikurubi Urban Support Unit, Harare
Force No: 087099X

Circumstances

On the 3rd day of April 2019 Inter-Africa bus registration number AEU 4868 was on its way from Chipinge to Harare and being driven by Mark Huruva NR 18-072599 D 18 aged 45 years of house number 2877 Southley Park, Harare and the conductor being Ityamari Watadza NR 08-759599 C 26 aged 37 years of Hopely Park, Harare.

On approaching Jopa Bus stop, Chipinge along Chipinge Mutare road the accused flagged down the bus to stop. After the bus had stopped the accused person then offloaded from a white Kombi registration numbers unknown; 07 white sacks, 01 Red bag and 01 Black large bag containing various goods and 08 Waverley blankets which he loaded into the bus intending to go to Harare.

Police from Rusape acting on tip-off stopped the bus at Rusape Tollgate and commandeered it back to ZRP Rusape where a search was conducted leading to the recovery of 08 Waverley blankets, 7 white sacks, 01 Red bag and 01 Black large bag containing the following property;-

20x400g Boom paste, 10x400g Ideal spaghetti, 5kg Meso Kapenta, 4x2kg Maq washing powder, 20x500g Sugar beans, 20x2kg White sugar (Goldstar), 1x3kg Wave washing powder, 1x2kg Surf washing powder, 4x2kg Surf washing powder, 4x2kg 2 in 1 Sunlight washing powder, 6x6x400g packs of candles, 10x500g Mega Rice, 6x2kg Mariana Rice, 1x2kg Excella Rice, 2x2kg Red Seal Rice, 1x2kg Probrand Rice, 1x2kg Ideal Rice, 2x12x375ml Dovi (Mama), 4x1kg Iodised Red Seal salt, 1x1kg Probrand salt, 1x1kg Mega iodised salt, 1x1kg Royal salt, 10 Double Blade shaving machine, Smooth Air clinic set, 2x12x2l Zimgold cooking oil, 10x2kg Probrand Rice, 12 Meiban tissues, 1 Khakhi short, 4 White drying towels, 52 Assorted pairs of ladies shoes and eight Warverly blankets.

7 Jackets, 26 pairs assorted female shoes, 16x200g tablets FA bathing soap, 3 dark brown shoe polish, 2 jerseys, 12 T-shirts (mixed), 1 pair of Shorts, 2 Ladies jacket, 1 Checked blouse, 1grey striped Tie, 1 Black cap, 1x250ml Vaseline Blue Seal, 5x100ml Vaseline bottles, 01 Shoe brush, 1x50ml Colgate, 1x375ml Dovi

Constable Dhumukwa is currently deployed at Silver Stream Cyclone IDAI base, Chimanimani on Relief and Aid duties. He was supposed to be at Silver Stream on duty according to his command at ZRP Support Unit Changadzi.

Upon being interviewed the accused insisted that he bought the goods from people he can no longer identify in Chimanimani.

The accused person who is still assisting with investigations is being held at ZRP Rusape Central. ZRP Rusape Central RRB 3856126.

Any further developments will be communicated in due course.

AT CID RUSAPE ON 03/04/19 MEMO /19

The MDC Cyclone Task Force, this week made a donation of food, blankets and clothing to survivors of Cyclone Idai in Chimanimani East areas of Copper and Dzingire.

VIEW PICTURES BELOW…

Jane Mlambo| The opposition MDC’s United States of America branch has snubbed the party Deputy Chairperson Tendai Biti on their nomination list ahead of the elective congress set for the 24th to the 26th of May.

According to a list in possession of ZimEye, MDC-USA branch nominated current leader Nelson Chamisa, Welshman Ncube, Lilian Timveos and Morgan Komichi for the presidium.

Tabitha Khumalo and Happymore Chidziva have been nominated for the position of party chairperson and deputy respectively while Charlton Hwende emerged as the Secretary General.

Secretary General Douglas Mwonzora who is set to challenge Chamisa as the party congress has also been excluded from the list which also misses his compatriot Engineer Elias Mudzuri.

By Own Correspondent- Bulawayo will during the internationally-acclaimed exhibition, the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) receive adequate fuel supplies to ensure the smooth running of the show, officials have said.

ZITF Company chairperson Ruth Ncube said they had written a letter to the Government and also engaged private fuel players to increase the supply of the commodity into the country’s second largest city during the showcase as it plays an integral role in marketing the country as an investment and tourist destination of choice.

“Pleasingly, we have written to Government through the Ministry of Energy (and Power Development). We have also engaged private suppliers who have responded and actually allocated fuel to exhibitors. I think we have been given 10 000 litres already and one of the garages is Petrode in Matshobana. 

“We are just left with communicating with exhibitors in terms of availability of fuel but we have sensitised big suppliers in a big way and they have committed. It’s a risk area that we were aware of. They (exhibitors) will register here and take a special card to the recommended garages, in fact one of them said they will be a tank inscribed ZITF exhibitors only,” she said.

Ncube said the ZITF Company had also held talks with various entities to ensure uninterrupted service deliveries during the showcase.

Asked to comment on the efforts being done by the Government to ensure improved fuel supplies to Bulawayo during ZITF, Industry and Commerce Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu could only say that Energy and Power Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo has assured adequate deliveries of the commodity.-StateMedia

THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) is battling to prevent a potentially explosive administrative disaster during the 2023 elections as it emerges that a provision in the electoral law may not allow the elections management body enough time to redraw constituency boundaries in time for the polls.

The Constitution obligates Zec to draw up new electoral boundaries every 10 years, immediately after a national population census, which is due in 2022. But the three onerous obligations — financing the 2022 population census, the delimitation exercise and the 2023 harmonised elections — would also present a mountain-sized challenge for Treasury.

Zec is actively pushing for the amendment of Section 161 (1) of the Constitution to delink the delimitation exercise from the census. Zec chief elections officer Mr Utoile Silaigwana said it has since opened lines of communication with the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs on the envisaged changes.

“You are aware that we conducted the last elections on the basis of the delimitation that was done between 2007 and 2008. There has been a lot of movement of people from one area to another and new settlements have developed since the last exercise. The Constitution says we should do delimitation immediately after the population census, which is due in 2022, with the elections following a year later.

“Now, do we have the time to have the census report in order to do the delimitation that will lead into the elections? Clearly, we do not have the time. Probably the legislators did not foresee that problem. We think there needs to be a revisit to that provision that links delimitation to the census so that there is a delink between the two.”

There are also fears that the financial outlay that is needed to bankroll the census, the delimitation exercise and the elections might be unsustainably burdensome for Treasury. It is believed that amending Section 161 (1) of the Constitution and parts of the Electoral Act in order to delink delimitation from the census will help repeal a provision that makes it mandatory for the elections management body to redraw constituency boundaries, particularly in cases where the delimitation is concluded six months before an election.

Zec has already prepared a concept note outlining the essential legislative changes required to avert the potentially disastrous administrative missteps. But the delimitation exercise — which Zec says is supposed to be conducted 18 months before the elections in order to have adequate time for public awareness campaigns and for political parties and candidates to chart campaign strategies that are in sync with the new boundaries — is likely to be contentious in the 2023 election cycle.

The mushrooming of peri-urban settlements, most of which are overlapping administrative boundaries between urban and rural local authorities, will likely make it difficult for the elections management body to properly map the areas. Most streets in these settlements are nameless, which presents additional difficulties for the planning process. Zec fears that it might end up being bogged down by the elaborate process of mapping the areas, a process which ordinarily should be conducted by local authorities.

Most challenges, he said, are expected from settlements lying on administrative district boundaries such as Goromonzi, Mount Pleasant Heights, Umguza and Caledonia.

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ziyambi Ziyambi said that Government was amenable to the proposed changes.

“One of the things we need to do when we are amending the Constitution is to delink delimitation of constituencies from the census. The Constitution speaks about delimitation being done immediately after a census; now if you look at our situation, our census is done a year before elections and delimitation exercise needs more than a year to make it meaningful. This means it cannot be done a year before an election,” he said.

MDC-Alliance Mpopoma-Pelandaba Member of Parliament Honourable Charles Moyo has appeared in court facing charges of assault.

Hon Moyo is accused of assaulting the party’s deputy chairperson of the gender representation structure —Tsitsi Mutereki. Moyo initially appeared in court yesterday and was remanded out of court on his own cognisance to 15 April this year.

It is the State’s case that on 3 April this year that Moyo, during a party meeting held at the party headquarters in Bulawayo, assaulted Mutereki.

It was stated that Moyo assaulted Mutereki for defying an order for the youth wing not to interfere with an election process for Ward 10, Entumbane–Emakhandeni.

It was further stated that Moyo together with Clr Mlandu Ncube of Ward 1 hijacked the election process, leading to the youth revolting against the decision for the pair to influence or impose a candidate they did not want.

It was during the meeting that Miss Mutereki, after realising the intension of the pair that she left the boardroom, where the election process was being held.  As she made her way to the exit she was restricted from leaving by Hon Moyo, resulting in a scuffle.

It was during the scuffle that Hon Moyo is alleged to have pushed Miss Mutereki and then slapped her on the face.

Soon after the assault Miss Mutereki is said to have lodged a complaint with the police, leading to Moyo’s arrest. The matter was presided over by Mr Jechonia Ncube, while Mr Leonard Ncube presented the case for the State.

DIVISIONS continued to rock the family of the late national hero, Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi, as several family members, including daughters Selmor and Sandra, snubbed the “sham” memorial held in Madziva, Mashonaland Central, yesterday.

There was tension in the run up to the memorial, with a number of family members saying they had been kept in the dark in so far as the programme of the ceremony was concerned. Sandra and Selmor, Tuku’s daughters with first wife Melody, were conspicuous by their absence as well as other important figures like aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces. 

Sekuru Patrick, who was supposed to represent Tuku’s father since he is the last surviving member, was also a no-show, as was a representative of Tuku’s mother, who was only identified as Gogo Veli.

Tuku’s nephew, Kabila, as well as his out-of-wedlock son, Selby – who were spotted by this publication’s reporters in Harare on Friday night – also stayed away. Sources close to the family said most family members decided not to pitch up in protest over the way Daisy, Tuku’s widow, had handled the memorial.

“The girls could have made it in the morning, but they were stopped by other family members. The issue is that Daisy did not follow protocol in informing the relevant people about the memorial. She and her children carried the deceased (Tuku)’s items on their own without informing the family.

They slaughtered a cow on Wednesday without the other family members’ involvement. She wanted them to be passengers at their son’s, father’s or brother’s funeral. They refused,” said our source.

After the memorial, the family was set to gather and distribute Dr Mtukudzi’s personal belongings as is the cultural norm, but that process hung by a thread last night, with indications that it could not proceed without all the family representatives as dictated by tradition.

A close family member, who refused to be named, warned that tempers could flare if Daisy “arrogantly” continued doing things her way.

 “Things cannot continue like this. We need to sit and map a way forward. As we speak, this ceremony is a non-event, it’s a sham,” said the family member.

A nephew to Dr Mtukudzi, Victor Rukainga, who was a close friend as well as a confidante of the late national hero, said his uncle would never rest in peace as long as the family remained divided.

“If you were listening closely, the pastor touched on this issue. He quoted Tuku’s song in which he sang ‘kana ndefa deedzai vana vangu’. We do not know why they did not come, the children as well as some of Tuku’s sisters and relatives. But this is not the way to handle things. If there are problems in the family, they should have a roundtable and address the issues,” he added.

The event, which kicked off at 10.25am with the raising of the national flag at Dr Mtukudzi’s grave by members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police in honour of the late national hero, ended just after 1pm.

In her speech at the ceremony, Daisy equated herself to an elephant, saying naysayers were like barking puppies that cannot do anything to her. In apparent reference to the divisions, she said what was happening had always been the case when her husband was alive and so nothing had changed.

“I will keep quiet. I will not tarnish my husband’s image after he was honoured by the country as a national hero and mourned by the whole world,” she said.

Sculptor Dominic Benhura and singer Bob Nyabinde spoke glowingly about Dr Mtukudzi and offered words of comfort to Daisy and the family.  A representative from the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation also comforted the family and asked them to continue with the work Dr Mtukudzi started, especially at Pakare Paye Arts Centre in Norton.

Throughout the event, Daisy and her daughter Samantha remained the closest relatives of Dr Mtukudzi in attendance.

— State Media

By Own Correspondent- Permanent secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, has expressed concern at the shortage of chartered accountants in the government.

Launching the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Implementation Strategy Plan in Harare recently, Guvamatanga revealed that Zimbabwe has only one chartered accountant.

He said this shortage of skilled human capital makes it hard to deal will compliance issues throughout government.

He said:

For a company to be listed on the ZSE, there is a requirement that it should have a chartered accountant within the skills set of the organisation.

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

Guvamatanga added:

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

FORMER Vice-President Joice Mujuru is set to rejoin Zanu-PF as the party moves to embrace defectors and members that were expelled from the party by the previous party administration led by former President Mugabe, Sunday News can exclusively reveal.

Speaking on the sidelines of victory celebrations for Zanu-PF councillor, Cde Kidwell Mujuru who won Bulawayo’s only council seat in last week’s by-election in Cowdray Park, Secretary for Administration, Dr Obert Mpofu, said the party was making changes and accepting its lost sheep.

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

“We have been approached by all the parties and now Mujuru (Joice) is coming back to Zanu-PF, Ambrose Mutinhiri has come back and many others have come back. This is not politicking but reality, I am getting a lot of appointments with opposition party members wanting to come back and it’s enough pointer that President Mnangagwa is a unifying leader,” he said.

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

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

Farai Dziva |Cornered MDC A Secretary General, Douglas Mwonzora allegedly held a secret meeting with Members of the Masvingo Provincial Executive Committee yesterday.

See a report compiled by the party’s intelligence department yesterday:
Masvingo Provincial Executive Committee held a private meeting with Mwonzora at Cllr Collen Maboke’ s office in Masvingo City today(yesterday).

Gumbi dumped the president (Nelson Chamisa) after he was undressed for dismally failing to drive Masvingo to victory in the 2018 harmonised elections.

Masvingo won only one seat out of 26 constituencies.

Masvingo Mayor Collen Maboke ‘s offices are being used as Mwonzora’s information centre.

Today (yesterday)Provincial chairman James Chafungamoyo Gumbi,Derek Charamba,Muranganwa Chanyau,Peter Chigaba,Simon Ziki and several others gathered at the office as they planned to launch Mwonzora’s presidential campaign.

Masvingo Provincial chairman Gumbi resolved to nominate Mwonzora for the presidency, Amos Chibaya as national chairman and Eng Elias Mudzuri as vice president.

Cllr Collen Maboke was ordered by president Chamisa to resign from the post of Mayor two weeks ago but has refused to obey party orders . It’s not surprising that the party’s meetings have been moved from the Rhodene party offices to Cllr Collen Maboke’ s offices.

Mwonzora also held a private meeting with Gumbi at Flamboyant Hotel.

This is the second meeting in a space of 4 days the Secretary General has held private meetings with the Masvingo Provincial leadership.

The District Congresses in Masvingo were all rigged and manipulated in favour of Gumbie.

GOVERNMENT will not hesitate to take punitive measures against unscrupulous businesses with a penchant for effecting unjustified price increases on basic commodities to cause public suffering, a Cabinet Minister has warned.

Speaking to The Sunday Mail, Industry and Commerce Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu said Government felt betrayed by some businesses driven by greed.
This comes in the wake of an upsurge in prices of basic commodities in the recent weeks.

Said Minister Ndlovu; “We have tried our best in avoiding interfering in the pricing system but we are realising that they (businesses) are not helping Government’s efforts in trying to revive this economy.

“All we do is to create an environment for them (to operate), but I believe the same is not passed onto the consumer because the consumer is the hardest hit.
“Government has done a lot, through subsidies to the business community and the expectation being that they will keep their prices within reasonable limits, but what’s happening (price hikes) doesn’t make sense.”State media

By Own Correspondent- Opposition MDC vice president Elias Mudzuri will not be contesting Nelson Chamisa for the top party post as had been widely expected, after the two politicians agreed to work together to reduce tensions in the country’s largest opposition party.

This leaves MDC secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora as the only presidential hopeful to challenge Chamisa at the party’s congress scheduled for May 24 to 25.

It will be the first congress to be held since the death of the party’s founding father, Morgan Tsvangirai, early last year.

The Daily News can exclusively report that the ex-Harare mayor who was also expected to challenge Chamisa for the MDC presidency, has been persuaded into an arrangement whereby he, along with his backers, would throw their full weight behind the 41-year-old advocate.

In return, Chamisa and his entire campaign team will ensure that the 62-year-old Sierra Leone-trained engineer retains his position in the party. The Daily News is reliably informed that the deal was engineered by Chamisa’s allies in Masvingo Province, among them James Gumbi and Takanayi Mureyi.

Contacted for comment yesterday, Gumbi who chairs the province, declined to divulge details of what they agreed on, saying curtly: “You can get in touch later for the information you want because I am too busy at the moment”

The Daily News can, however, reveal that Mudzuri, who could not be reached for comment at the time of going to print, met with Mureyi – an MDC national executive member representing Masvingo Province – and Gumbi at the former Warren Park legislator’s home in Milton Park, Harare, two weeks ago.

At the meeting, it was agreed that Masvingo Province would nominate Chamisa for president, and Mudzuri as his deputy.

Mudzuri’s allies in Masvingo who include James Mushonga, Peter Imbayarwo, Silas Mangono and Dereck Charamba are now expected to campaign for both candidates as part of the deal.

MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume told the Daily News yesterday that Chamisa and Mudzuri had always enjoyed a cordial relationship.

“There was never a hatchet to be buried in the first place because one’s ambition to contest a position cannot be referred to as a hatchet in a democratic party like ours but what I can confirm is that the two have always had a cordial relationship,” Mafume said.

Today, MDC’s provincial structures will start their nominations for national positions ahead of the party’s elective congress next month.

Since the death of Tsvangirai on February 14, 2018, Chamisa has had an on-and-off relationship with Mudzuri.

Following the former trade unionist’s death due to cancer of the colon, Mudzuri was left unimpressed by the manner in which Chamisa outmaneuvered his colleagues in the MDC succeed Tsvangirai. But unlike Thokozani Khupe who opted to create another political home for herself, Mudzuri stayed put and continued as one of Chamisa’s three deputies.

On several occasions, Chamisa has had to come to Mudzuri’s rescue. For instance, it was the MDC leader who emerged to save Mudzuri’s skin after he had angered party faithful by attending a meeting of Parliament leaders with President Emmerson Mnangagwa at his State House offices without the MDC’s blessings.

Recently, agitation for Mudzuri’s ouster reached fever pitch within the MDC’s standing committee, the executive committee and the national council where his rivals were demanding that the former Energy minister steps down. The motion to de-stool Mudzuri was ironically raised by Masvingo Province but Chamisa rescued his beleaguered deputy after reportedly telling his party’s national council that it would be unfair to discuss the MDC vice president’s case while he was absent.

By Own Correspondent- In an editorial article for a state owned publication, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said the government had raised $449 million from the 2 percent tax introduced in October 2018.

The minister revealed this while announcing that $100 million of that money has been allocated to cyclone Idai relief efforts.

Said Ncube:

One of the key elements of our strategy to get our finances back on track was the Intermediated Money Transfer Tax (IMTT), popularly referred to as the 2 percent Tax, which we introduced six months ago in October 2018, to replace the previous flat tax of 5 cents per transaction.

The purpose of this tax was twofold. First, it was intended that the 2 percent tax would raise significant revenue to be used to balance the budget and finance various priority development programmes. The tax’s performance in this regard has exceeded all expectations, and to date, we have collected $449 million.

This money has helped to cut the monthly budget, for example from a US$242 million deficit in November to a surplus of US$733 million in December, and has also gone towards key projects such as dualisation of Norton strip of the Harare-Bulawayo Highway.

The second goal for this tax was to give government the ability to fund inescapable and unforeseen expenditures, without recourse to debt creating instruments such as Treasury Bills, through the establishment of a dedicated and ring-fenced fund.

We are well aware that we live in a region in which natural disasters are becoming sadly ever more common, and that therefore, government must have the ability to respond to such events without creating further debt.

The ongoing Cyclone Idai disaster is one such event.

The tax has been fairly unpopular with Zimbabweans but Ncube said today that though unpopular, it’s introduction was the right thing to do.

The First Lady, Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa has scooped the 2019 African Phenomenal Woman of the Year Award in recognition of her philanthropic work in Zimbabwe.

Amai Mnangagwa received the honour at the African Women in Leadership Organization awards ceremony in Rwanda.

The African Women in Leadership Organization recognises women leaders excelling in uplifting others and changing the narrative of women leadership.

Angel of Hope Foundation Board Chairperson, Mrs Molly Dingani who received the award on behalf of the First Lady in Rwanda said the award is a challenge to Amai Mnangagwa and the Angel of Hope Foundation to continue with their humanitarian work and empowerment programmes in the country.

The First Lady has been working with marginalized communities across the country in an effort to change their lives for the better.

A woman from Sizinda suburb in Bulawayo threw her six-month-old baby and jumped together with her mother from their first floor room when it caught fire at Sizinda Flats yesterday morning.

The baby escaped without a scratch after a neighbour Ms Betty Phiri managed to catch her before she hit the ground but the two women fractured their legs. The incident occurred at about 9AM.

The woman and her mother were rushed to Mpilo Central Hospital where they are admitted. Ms Phiri said the woman did not warn anyone that she was throwing the child through the window.

“I can’t say I planned to catch the child because I was coming from the neighbourhood when I saw smoke coming from the window of their bedroom.When I was still trying to comprehend what was happening, I heard screams coming from their room as the baby’s mother shouted that they were being consumed by fire,” said Ms Phiri.

She said that when she looked up, she saw the mother dangling the infant by the window and then seconds later she released the child.

“I don’t know how I reacted but I just saw the child in my hands and up to now I don’t know how I did it. It was really a miracle that saved the child and I’am still shocked with what happened,” she said.

Ms Phiri said after dropping the child, the child’s mother and her own mother jumped through the same window and they both sustained fractured legs. She said the three were rushed to Mpilo Central Hospital while neighbours assisted the Bulawayo Fire Brigade to put out the fire. 
Reporters tracked the family members to Mpilo Central Hospital but they refused to speak about the issue saying it was a private matter. They also refused to give their names. 

Bulawayo acting Chief Fire Officer Mr Edward Mpofu said the two women panicked after the fire broke out hence they jumped through the window instead of using the door to escape. He said the fire was started by a boy who could be three years old who used a stick of matches to torch some clothes in the wardrobe.

State Media

TWENTY-EIGHT bank tellers working for Nedbank Zimbabwe have been arrested and dragged to court on Saturday morning to answer to charges of fraud and money-laundering.

The tellers are from the bank’s Harare, Bulawayo and Mutare branches, and their arrests have been effected with the help of the bank management, according to Pindula.

While finer details pertaining to the circumstances of their arrests are not yet available, Pindula News reports that some senior Nedbank managers were sent on forced leave recently and that this could be associated with a big scandal that the management is trying to put a lid on.

MBCA Zimbabwe in March last year changed its name to Nedbank Zimbabwe after the registrar of companies approved the change of its corporate identity as part of efforts to spur growth.

Nedbank Zimbabwe is a commercial bank in Zimbabwe. It is a subsidiary of the Nedbank Group headquartered South Africa, itself a subsidiary of Old Mutual Group.

The Nedbank Group is the fourth largest bank in South Africa by market share and customer numbers.

This is a developing story…

BULAWAYO police on Friday, arrested four Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) officials and three foreign nationals for an as yet to be established offense.

The four MRP activists were arrested in Cowdray Park, at party Bulawayo provincial secretary for security Andrew Dube’s house.

The party’s parliamentary candidate for Gwanda North during last year’s elections, Mcebisi Dube confirmed the arrest. Nikiwe Ncube Tshabalala, the lawyer representing the activists also confirmed the arrests.

“I have just been assigned to go to Bulawayo Central Police station to represent the arrested persons.

“Right now, I am preparing to go there and hear what charges are they facing,” said Tshabalala in a telephone interview with newzimbabwe.Com.

According to Mcebisi Dube, a group of police some in uniform and others in plain clothes stormed Andrew Dube’s house, arrested him along with Njabulo Ngwenya, the party’s secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mthokozisi Mhlanga and the three foreigners one from Zambia and two from Namibia. It was not clear what the foreigners had been doing at the house.

Correspondent|MDC vice president Elias Mudzuri will not be contesting Nelson Chamisa for the top party office as had been widely expected, after the two politicians agreed to work together to reduce tensions in
the country’s largest opposition party.

This leaves MDC secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora as the only presidential hopeful to challenge Chamisa at the party’s congress scheduled for May 24 to 25. It will be the first congress to be held since the death of the party’s founding father, Morgan Tsvangirai, early last year.

The Daily News can exclusively report that the ex-Harare mayor who was also expected to challenge Chamisa for the MDC presidency, has been persuaded into an arrangement whereby he, along with his backers, would throw their full weight behind the 41-year-old advocate.

In return, Chamisa and his entire campaign team will ensure that the 62-year-old Sierra Leone-trained engineer retains his position in the party. The Daily News is reliably informed that the deal was engineered by Chamisa’s allies in Masvingo Province, among them James Gumbi and Takanayi Mureyi.

Contacted for comment yesterday, Gumbi who chairs the province, declined to divulge details of what they agreed on, saying curtly: “You can get in touch later for the information you want because I am too busy at the moment”

The Daily News can, however, reveal that Mudzuri, who could not be reached for comment at the time of going to print, met with Mureyi – an MDC national executive member representing Masvingo Province – and Gumbi at the former Warren Park legislator’s home in Milton Park, Harare, two weeks ago.

At the meeting, it was agreed that Masvingo Province would nominate Chamisa for president, and Mudzuri as his deputy.

Mudzuri’s allies in Masvingo who include James Mushonga, Peter Imbayarwo, Silas Mangono and Dereck Charamba are now expected to campaign for both candidates as part of the deal.

MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume told the Daily News yesterday that Chamisa and Mudzuri had always enjoyed a cordial relationship.

“There was never a hatchet to be buried in the first place because one’s ambition to contest a position cannot be referred to as a hatchet in a democratic party like ours but what I can confirm is that the two have always had a cordial relationship,” Mafume said.

Today, MDC’s provincial structures will start their nominations for national positions ahead of the party’s elective congress next month.

Since the death of Tsvangirai on February 14, 2018, Chamisa has had an on-and-off relationship with Mudzuri.

Following the former trade unionist’s death due to cancer of the colon, Mudzuri was left unimpressed by the manner in which Chamisa outmaneuvered his colleagues in the MDC succeed Tsvangirai. But unlike Thokozani Khupe who opted to create another political home for herself, Mudzuri stayed put and continued as one of Chamisa’s three deputies.

On several occasions, Chamisa has had to come to Mudzuri’s rescue. For instance, it was the MDC leader who emerged to save Mudzuri’s skin after he had angered party faithful by attending a meeting of Parliament leaders with President Emmerson Mnangagwa at his State House offices without the MDC’s blessings.

Recently, agitation for Mudzuri’s ouster reached fever pitch within the MDC’s standing committee, the executive committee and the national council where his rivals were demanding that the former Energy minister steps down. The motion to de-stool Mudzuri was ironically raised by Masvingo Province but Chamisa rescued his beleaguered deputy after reportedly telling his party’s national council that it would be unfair to discuss the MDC vice president’s case while he was absent.

Correspondent|It took Zion Church strings strapped around a man’s wrist and waist for a Gwanda woman to realise that the man she was making love to was in fact a rapist and not her partner.

When she cried out for help [NAME REDACTED] ran away leaving behind his black pant and red shorts  with green stripes.

The 31-year old woman from Lubhangwe Village in Sun Yet Sen left the court in stitches when she told the magistrate that she did not realise that the man who had entered her hut at night and then went on to have sex with her was not her boyfriend.

Nkosilomusa Ncube (26) was convicted of rape by Gwanda Magistrate Mark Dzira and sentenced to 16 years in jail with three years suspended on condition that he does not commit the same offence in the next five years.

The complainant told Magistrate Dzira that she realized her sex partner was not her boyfriend when she felt some Zion ropes on the accused’s naked waist. She then lit the candle and realized that it was her neighbor and she screamed for help.

On October 10, 2018 at 2am the complainant was sleeping alone in the hut when Ncube entered.

The accused removed his clothes and entered into the complainant’s  blankets and caressed the latter who did not stop  him as she thought it was her boyfriend Ndaba Ncube. The accused went on to remove the complainant’s undergarments and had sex with her.

All hell broke loose when the complainant felt some Zion strings around the accused’s wrists and waist and she lit a candle and pulled away.

The accused ran away leaving behind his black pant and red shorts with green stripes. The matter was reported to the police leading to the arrest of the accused. 

Mncedisi Dube prosecuted.

A teenager from Zhombe was fatally shot in the head by a farm security guard after he allegedly trespassed onto a farm while looking for stray cattle. 

Acting Midlands provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ethel Mukwende confirmed the incident which occurred on Tuesday at around 9pm at Hopton Sub-Division 3 Farm, Sessombi, Zhombe. She said Blessed Dube allegedly trespassed onto the farm with three other men looking for their stray cattle. 

“I can confirm that we are investigating a matter in which Blessed Dube of Village Mloyiswa, Chief Ntabeni, Zhombe was found dead with a wound at the back of his head. He was searching for cattle at Hopton Farm with Worship Ncube (18), Walter Dube (19), Vine Dube (20),” she said. 

Asst Insp Mukwende said the four men had lit a fire to prepare food when they were seen by the security guard. 

“The four lit fire to prepare food at about 9pm and the fire was noticed by the accused David Stefano (47), who is a security guard at a the farm,” she said. “Stefano, who was on duty, approached the four armed with a shot gun. Stefano fired two shots towards them and they fled in different directions, leaving their satchels and pots at the spot.” 

Asst Insp Mukwende said the other three did not know about the whereabouts of Blessing until the next morning when they returned for their belongings and found him dead.

“The other three later regrouped at Bobs Business Centre, Zhombe and slept there, but they did not know the whereabouts of Blessed,” she said.

“The next morning around 7am, Walter returned to the farm to collect their belongings and discovered the body of Blessed near the place where they had lit the fire. 

“The matter was reported to the police, who attended the scene and took the body of the deceased to Zhombe Hospital Mortuary for a post-mortem.” 

Asst Insp Mukwende said police are still investigating the matter, adding that Stefano is in police custody. She appealed to members of the public to be cautious when using firearms.

State Media

Correspondent|A new Presidential periodic magazine called The Voice has been released and will be hitting the streets soon.

Announcing the new project ZANU PF activist Tafadzwa Mugwadi said, “It’s refreshing that President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa himself has written the foreword for this Inaugural issue which he has called it His authoritative and accurate voice.

“Zimbabweans will have an opportunity through this Magazine to understand President Mnangagwa’s vision, position and beliefs on how to take the country forward.”

President Mnangagwa said the magazine will articulate the issues that relate to his government. 

“The Voice is a monthly publication which has been launched to accurately and authoritatively articulate on the key political, economic and social issues that confront the Second Republic,” Mnangagwa said. 

The Voice will be a new addition to wide platforms that ZANU PF is creating to communicate its programs and the programs of its government. 

By Own Correspondent| Opposition MDC has called for the resignation of Finance minister Professor Mthuli Ncube and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mangudya’s resignation over failure of the bond notes.

Spokesperson for the MDC led by Nelson Chamisa, Jacob Mafume said the duo should vacate office since their so called fiscal measures had failed.

Said Mafume:

Mthuli, Mangudya must resign over RTGS dollars

At least six weeks after Mangudya presented a wishy wash, self contradictory and retrogressive Monetary Policy Statement, Zimbabweans are paying the price.

The exchange rate is collapsing every day, the price of the US dollar continues to firm against the fictitious RTGS dollar.

It is fictitious both by definition and by reality; sadly ED Mnangagwa is creating jokes around it.

He flanks himself with his chief economic aides – John Mangudya and Mthuli Ncube to make terrible economic decisions which worsen the suffering of the citizen.

The MDC finds this unacceptable.

We find it unacceptable for Mnangagwa to insult a currency which he imposed on the people and legislated through the back door by way of an unconstitutional statutory instrument.

He is not only responsible for its creation but the fundamentals around it both the objective circumstances (Trade position or the relationship between exports and imports) and the subjective (The social contract or its absence thereof).

There are unending spikes of prices of basic commodities.

The fuel crisis is worsening.

We made the point that the monetary policy should have removed the role of RBZ in allocating funds for fuel.

The fuel industry has the capacity to import on its own and shortages would not be an issue.

This is also true with any other quasi fiscal activity pronounced together with the introduction of the so-called RTGS dollar.

Mangudya and Mthuli must resign.

The country requires genuine structural reforms. Sadly and strangely, the man who pretends to be doing this work is celebrating turning the nation into beggars.

MDC: Defining a New Course for Zimbabwe

Jacob Mafume
MDC National Spokesperson

The Cairo-based African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) is in discussions with a subcommittee of the Ministry of Industry and Zimbabwe’s private sector concerning the availing of a $300m facility to support export-related companies, Business Times can report.

This follows reports that Zimbabwe is losing in excess of $2bn annually through the loss of competitiveness mainly emanating from the use of antiquated machinery in production processes. About $500m is required for the industry to retool.

Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu told Business Times that the government had made “significant progress to unlock the potential of funding, cognisant of the urgent and critical need to revamp  otherwise largely antiquated equipment”.

“We have engaged the Afreximbank to work together with the private sector, and I was advised that a sub-committee comprising my officials and private sector representatives has been set to ensure that we tap into the available facilities,” Ndlovu said. “Following previous engagements, Afreximbank indicated their intention to avail close to $300m and the bias mostly will be on exporting companies.”

He said a facility between the Botswana financial services sector and the   government was being worked on, which will result in the private sector directly accessing funding from these institutions.

“We are also in the process of negotiation with South African banks to avail both trade finance facilities,” he said.

Zimbabwe’s manufacturing sector is crying for cheap funds for re-tooling to improve performance and ensure production of quality goods.

A number of companies in Harare and Bulawayo in particular, are in dire need of retooling, as they are using obsolete machinery, designed in the early 1940s.

A state of the manufacturing sector report by the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries showed that antiquated machinery, shortages of raw materials, the high cost of doing business, and drawbacks from the current macroeconomic environment were the major constraints facing industry.

If the Afreximbank facility comes to fruition, it will be the second time the Cairo-headquartered bank has bailed out local industries. In 2011, Afreximbank injected $50m into a $70m Zimbabwe Economic and Trade Revival Facility for local companies to retool.

The country’s manufacturing sector has gone through a decade of de-industrialisation and in most instances experienced low capacity utilisation and low productivity levels. This has taken away the competitiveness that the local manufacturers require to compete with foreign products.

The manufacturing sector was projected to grow by 1.7% last year, from an earlier projection of 2.1% weighed down by foreign currency challenges, exchange rate misalignment, inflationary pressures, and rebasing effect.

-Business Times

Jane Mlambo| Chairperson of the Public Accounts committee, Honorable Tendai Biti was yesterday left fuming after the Zimbabwe National Road Authority board refused to answer questions of abuse of funds as contained in the Auditor General’s report.

Biti described the ZINARA board’s conduct as unacceptable saying they are looking at possibilities of charging them with contempt of parliament.

“We find that conduct to be totally abominable, totally unacceptable, totally reprehensible. Parliament is an institution of the State which in terms of Section 119 of the Constitution has power of oversight over Government, over any institution in Zimbabwe,” he said

“This committee has a special power that it is given under Section 299 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe and it is the power to determine how public funds are used and how revenue is collected. So we consider your refusal to answer our questions as serious obstruction of the powers and functions of Parliament where we are discussing matters where there is serious evidence of abuse of public funds by Zinara.”

Biti added that the committee felt that the conduct by Zinara management was a deliberate attempt to protect corruption but more unforgiving as an attempt to emasculate and muzzle the independence of Parliament.

He added that they would write to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, for action to be taken.

“Subsection 4 of the Schedule to the Privileges and Immunities and Powers of Parliament Act states that it is a crime to refuse to answer any lawful and relevant question by Parliament or a committee.

“We are going therefore to write to Parliament through the Speaker of Parliament. We are going to make strong recommendations for sanctions and penalties against yourself (Mrs Mujokoro), against the finance director and the former director of administration and against Zinara,” he added.

The audit report highlighted rampant abuse of funds at the administration including awarding of contracts without going to tender, payments to companies that have not carried out any work while senior managers received allowances not provided for in their contracts.

By Own Correspondent| Tobacco sales in the first 10 days of trading at the auction floors have declined sharply by 85%.

The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) statistics show that $2.8 million worth of tobacco had been sold in the first days.

Last year $30.2 million worth of tobacco had been sold in the same period.

Other statistics also revealed that:

• Only 1.6 million Kgs were delivered, compared to 10.9 million Kgs in the same period last year.
• Average price of $1,73 per kg compared to last year’s average of $2,77 per kg

A tobacco company official spoke to a local publication said:

“Farmers are not in a hurry to sell. There is also inconsistent policy regarding access to and determination of 50% USD entitlement. Most contractors are yet to start receiving their tobacco. Many were waiting for the circular.”

Last week, government-controlled media claimed that sales were now up after an intervention by the finance minister Mthuli Ncube.-Newsday

For Studio 263 actor, Tinopona Katsande has ventured into a new business of selling aloe or gavakava in shona.

Katsande said she found the herb at their farm in Mutoko and thought it was a good idea to export it to Harare for business.

“Kufarm kwedu neMutoko in general kwakazara all types of aloe’s that just grow wild. I decided to try my hand at ” horticultural activities ” and I’ve started supplying a couple of small nurseries with aloe plants. Like a joke zvakutoita mufunge. I’m very reasonably priced and I deliver to your doorstep. Hola if would like this hook up!,” said Katsande while posting on Facebook.

Executives from the Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA) face contempt of Parliament charges after they refused to answer questions when they appeared before the Public Accounts Committee yesterday. The Zinara management team that appeared before the committee was comprised of acting chief executive Mrs Mathlene Mujokoro, finance director Mr Simon Taranhike and former human resources director Mr Precious Murove.

The questions arose from a forensic audit report produced by Grant Thornton Chartered Accountants after being commissioned by the Auditor-General, Mrs Mildred Chiri.

Mrs Mujokoro declined to answer the questions arguing they wanted to get a legal opinion on whether Parliament was empowered to deal with the report since Clause 6:1 of the audit report states that it (the report) was solely for the use by the AG and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.

Read the section: “This report has been produced solely for the use of the Auditor-General of Zimbabwe and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.

“It contains privileged information and should not be quoted in whole or in part without prior written consent. This report should therefore not be used for any other purposes.”

However, following deliberations, the chairperson of the committee, Mr Tendai Biti, said the conduct by the Zinara management was unacceptable.

“We find that conduct to be totally abominable, totally unacceptable, totally reprehensible. Parliament is an institution of the State which in terms of Section 119 of the Constitution has power of oversight over Government, over any institution in Zimbabwe,” he said

“This committee has a special power that it is given under Section 299 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe and it is the power to determine how public funds are used and how revenue is collected. So we consider your refusal to answer our questions as serious obstruction of the powers and functions of Parliament where we are discussing matters where there is serious evidence of abuse of public funds by Zinara.”

-State Media

Former MDC-T Spokesperson Linda Masarira has ripped into Thokozani Khupe saying she feel betrayed after supporting the former deputy premier when he has labelled a Zanu PF project adding that her former boss succumbed to tribal pressure to dismiss her.

In a scathing attack on her former colleague, Masarira said Khupe will face the consequences of her action.

“I stood with Dr Thokozani Khupe when she was accused of being a Zanu PF project. Unfortunately, she decided to succumb to the pressure from my deputy Khaliphani Phungeni, a South African-based cabal and some tribalists based in Bulawayo who always seek to make the MDC-T a tribalist party. I gave them a long rope to tie themselves, which they have finally done. It is rather unfortunate that they don’t realise that for every action taken, there is a consequence,” Masarira said.

RESIDENTS of Norton are up in arms with the town council for demolishing illegal structures, among them tuckshops, gas cages, outbuildings, and money transfer booths, in a development which has hit hard the informal sector.

The residents alleged that the local authority was destroying their structures without a court order and in violation of sections 68 and 78 of the Constitution.

Norton Development Association, through their lawyers Kadzere, Hungwe and Mandevere, wrote to the local authority on Monday to stop the demolitions, which began on Wednesday.

The association said council had not given them a reasonable notice to vacate the affected areas, and that informal traders were paying the local authority for using the land.

Norton Town Council secretay Kizito Muhomba confirmed the demolitions, which have largely affected the Katanga area.

“We are targeting illegal structures like EcoCash and TeleCash booths, containers, tuckshops and mushrooming garages,” Muhomba said.

“The law only says no person is allowed to be evicted or have their homes demolished. Hence, what we are doing is in order because we asked them to clean up everything which is not their homes.”

He said council had reserved an alternative place for affected informal traders, but emphasised that not all of them would be accommodated.

However, some of the affected vendors disputed that council had set aside a new area for their operations, and complained that they had been put out of business and were no longer able to fend for their families.

-Newsday

Expelled MDC-T spokesperson Linda Masarira has warned that the Thokozani Khupe-led opposition party risks disintegrating, accusing the faction of favouring men ahead of their female counterparts.

Masarira also claimed a clique from Matabeleland was trying to make the MDC-T a tribal party.

She warned that Khupe risked destroying her political career the same way former Vice-President Joice Mujuru did when she failed to grow her party, ZimPF and then National People’s Party after leaving Zanu PF.

“I stood with Dr Thokozani Khupe when she was accused of being a Zanu PF project. Unfortunately, she decided to succumb to the pressure from my deputy Khaliphani Phungeni, a South African-based cabal and some tribalists based in Bulawayo who always seek to make the MDC-T a tribalist party. I gave them a long rope to tie themselves, which they have finally done. It is rather unfortunate that they don’t realise that for every action taken, there is a consequence,” Masarira said.

The MDC-T standing committee on Monday expelled Masarira after a picture of her donning Zanu PF regalia went viral on social media.

Sources said Masarira had been given an option to resign or face expulsion, but the Harare Central losing candidate opted to apply for a sabbatical leave, which was turned down by the party leadership.

MDC-T secretary-general Nixon Nyikadzino said Masarira’s allegations were misplaced, as she was dismissed on charges which she was aware of.

“Those are false allegations and she must understand that we dismissed her on clear charges which she knows. We will not be seen trying to be swayed by her claims when the basis of her ouster are clear,” Nyikadzino said.

The charge sheet included an “undisputed fact that on March 24, 2019, several photographs of you wearing Zanu PF regalia, commonly known as ‘zambia’ at some location located in rural Zimbabwe, were circulated by yourself on various social media platforms including, but not limited to WhatsApp”.

Khupe broke away from the MDC, claiming she was the legitimate leader of the opposition party when she was overlooked for the post of party president in favour of Nelson Chamisa following the death of founding president Morgan Tsvangirai in February, 2018.

The MDC-T has often been being accused of being an a Zanu PF project.

It is one of the parties involved in dialogue with President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

-Newsday

A hearing on an exception application by Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) director-general Gift Machengete who is being charged for violating tender procedures, will have to wait after the State asked for a postponement yesterday. This is the fourth postponement of the matter.

Harare magistrate Hosiah Mujaya, quite miffed by the latest delay, said  if the State failed to respond to the exception application by April 9, he will proceed to make a ruling on the request. The magistrate said if the State felt it had no case against Machengete, it should simply own up.

Mr Mujaya said each time the court sits for the matter, the defence would go out of its way trying to call the prosecutor, a situation the magistrate described as “chaotic”.

However, Machengete successfully applied for relaxation of his bail conditions. He temporarily got his passport back to enable him to travel to Switzerland on Government business.

-State Media

MDC-Alliance president Nelson Chamisa has reportedly blasted his  own secretary Douglas Mwonzora for bringing the name of the party into disrepute.

Chamisa is reported to have chastised Mwonzora against his ‘peacock behaviour’ during the party’s standing committee meeting on Wednesday.

Senior officials who spoke to Newsday over the issue said:

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

“He was accused of trying to appropriate himself to Tsvangirai’s achievements and to claim all the landmarks into his name, such as the Constitution-making process.

He was accused of trying to personalise everything that the party achieved, thereby bringing the party’s name into disrepute.

He was asked why he was contesting the race that hasn’t been opened yet.

A Beitbridge motorist died on the spot after a head on collision between his vehicle and a truck while a Gokwe man died after a vehicle he was travelling in overturned in separate accidents that occurred in Matabeleland South Province.

Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the first accident which occurred at around 5AM near Jopembe area in Beitbridge along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road and the other which occurred at around 12 PM in Esigodini.

Both accidents occurred on Tuesday.

“The first incident occurred at around 5AM near Jopempe area at the 257 kilometre peg along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge Road. The now deceased Takura Mahembe was driving a Toyota Corolla vehicle towards Bulawayo when he came across an eight tonne truck that was coming from the opposite direction.

“The driver of the truck saw a donkey in his lane and swerved towards the right and encroached onto the lane of oncoming traffic. This resulted in a head collision between the truck and the Toyota Corolla and Mahembe died on the spot while the truck driver escaped unharmed,” he said.

Chief Inspector Ndebele said in the second incident Felix Taundi who works at Fortex Mine in Esigodini, was driving a company vehicle along Esikhoveni Road in Esigodini with three passengers on board. He said at the eight kilometre peg Taundi lost control of the vehicle which veered off the road and rolled once.

Chief Inspector Ndebele said Wellington Mlilo from Gokwe died on the spot while the other two passengers sustained injuries. He said the injured were referred to Esigodini District Hospital where they were treated and discharged.

“We urge motorists to exercise caution and to adhere to road regulations. It’s also important for drivers to travel at a safe speed so they are able to react on time if an accident seems imminent. In this case if the truck driver had been travelling at a safe speed he could have seen the donkey on time and applied his brakes instead of encroaching onto the lane of oncoming vehicles,” Chief Inspector Ndebele said.

-State Media

Prosecutor-General Mr Kumbirai Hodzi has turned the sword on the prosecutor he assigned to deal with the criminal abuse case of former Minister Supa Mandwanzira and ordered investigations into his alleged misconduct. Mr Edmore Nyazamba is being accused of gross misconduct after he allegedly failed to obey instructions to file a response opposing Mr Mandiwanzira’s application for review.

Mr Mandiwanzira obtained a default judgment against the prosecution in the case in which he sought to quash the charges of corruption involving the $218 million consultancy deal signed between NetOne and South Africa-based Megawatt Energy.

Justice Mathonsi granted the application and acquitted Mr Mandiwanzira of the charge.

In a statement yesterday, Mr Hodzi said the State did not file a response to Mr Mandiwanzira’s application for review and has since ordered an investigation into his conduct.

He said Mr Nyazamba did not file a response within the stipulated time frame as duly instructed and that his office had activated internal disciplinary processes.

“I have ordered a thorough investigation into the matter, particularly the conduct of the prosecutor who was assigned to handle the matter,” he said.

“It is completely unacceptable for any prosecutor to fail to abide by court rules or court procedures. This constitutes gross misconduct and the prosecutor concerned has been ordered to stop all prosecutorial duties forthwith, until the investigations into his conduct have been finalised.

“We will leave no stone unturned as we interrogate the facts at hand, to see why procedures and due process were flouted by our own prosecutor. We have also reported the matter to the police.”

Mr Hodzi said when he perused the record of proceedings, he noted with dismay that the State did not file a response to the matter.

The matter, he said, was then heard as unopposed, which was not supposed to be the case, as the State was opposed to the matter.

“The matter was decided on the merits and this gives us room to appeal. We are preparing our notice of appeal which will be filed next week,” he said.

Mr Hodzi also said he and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) were not served with the notice of set-down in the review hearing of Mr Mandiwanzira’s case.

He reassured the public that his office and the NPA take all court appearances seriously, particularly in the superior courts, saying the prosecution of high-profile anti-corruption matters remains a top priority.

“In that regard, I have put in place stringent guidelines and measures to ensure that all high-profile anti-corruption matters are handled with speed and efficiency.

“These are handled by a minimum of three highly experienced public prosecutors, and of these three, one prosecutor is a member of the elite Specialised Anti-Corruption Unit.”

-Online

Energy and Power Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo has allayed fears that fuel prices will go up next week, saying Government had no intention of adjusting current charges.

Gumbo said he has asked the Minister of Finance to allow mining companies with foreign currency to import their own fuel to ease the burden on the central bank.

“I have also asked the Minister of Finance to allow mining companies with forex to import their fuel so as to ease the burden on the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe,” Minister Gumbo.

“Cabinet has already taken a decision on that. The biggest problem is not about fuel per se, but provision of forex. We have facilities in place but those handling the finances have foreign currency challenges which were compounded by the cyclone disaster which happened recently.

“Resources and much fuel has also been going there. They are working on the allocation of finances, but they are a bit constrained, but things will normalise. I engaged the RBZ yesterday (Tuesday) and they have promised to pay for supplies to improve. We are also doing winter cropping and a lot of power is also needed and paid for to cater for that and this means the monetary authorities have to balance all this.”

He said pumping of fuel from Beira was going on smoothly and people should not panic as enough stocks were in the country.

“Our people should also not rely on social media,” Minister Gumbo said.

“Even after the cyclone, we resumed pumping on March 24 and fuel is coming into the country. Enough stocks are there in bond.

“We are negotiating with big companies like Trafigura and IPG with whom we have big facilities to understand our situation and give us a leeway as we mobilise funds to pay them. We have delayed and failed to meet our commitment because of the challenges we experienced recently.”

He said Government had no intentions of increasing the prices of fuel.

“Our people should also know that there is no consideration of increasing the prices at the moment,” he said.

-State Media