By Own Correspondent- Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has said parliament is set to discuss a Bill that will raise the age of sexual consent from 16 to 18 years, at the same time criminalising the marrying off of minors.

Ziyambi told a local publication that the drafting of the Bill has been completed.

Said Ziyambi:

“The Bill is ready and we will be taking it to Cabinet soon. . .

Among some of the issues, the law will deal with is that court judgment which ruled that one cannot marry before the age of 18 — we have put it in the law.

The other issue the law deals with is Section 26 of the Constitution, which speaks about consent and we need to give effect to it. Effectively, it will provide the minimum age of consent.

We will also give full effect to provisions that children are not pledged into marriages.”-StateMedia

Effectively, the Bill will outlaw child marriages, which has been a very contentious issue in recent times. It will also take care of issues that have to do with gender equality, which we are aligning with Section 3 of the Constitution.

By Own Correspondent- Local government minister, July Moyo has revealed chilling statistics following confirmation that a whole township in Rusitu Valley, Chimanimani was washed away by floods caused by Tropical Cyclone Idai.

Speaking in Mutare after receiving a donation of various goods worth $400 000 from Inscor Africa, Moyo, said:

“At first, we were saying we were missing 147 people, now it is turning out that we are missing people whose 147 houses have been destroyed. So it is no longer people, but households which have been destroyed.

In Rusitu (Valley), we had a police camp which was wiped out, we had Agritex officers who were housed there. We had some schools there. We had a school where we lost three teachers, the headmaster and 39 pupils. These are areas we frantically want to reach, but there are many others.

In Machongwe area they need to get food and there was a township that was completely wiped out. We do not know the number of survivors. We also understand that there were miners and we cannot accurately tell the number of those who perished there. The villagers are not able to identify those who were doing gold mining in the area.”

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has hired a luxurious private jet for his trips locally and regionally, with the Airbus A318-100 being kept on standby ahead of his trip to South Africa tomorrow.

The jet flew seven hours and 16 minutes from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday to be in position in Harare before Mnangagwa’s flight to Bulawayo on Thursday, remained in the country ahead of another foreign trip by Mnangagwa to South Africa tomorrow.

“Then coming to the Bulawayo issue, the aircraft you are talking about came in on Thursday and has been here preparing to take the president to South Africa for the Sadc Solidarity Conference on Western Sahara, scheduled for 25-26 March 2019 in Pretoria,” Charamba said in an interview with The Standard.

“We booked the aircraft to be here until it brings back the president from the summit on Tuesday. If you were going to check, the aircraft is currently at the tarmac of the domestic flights and it is cheaper to hire the aircraft for days than to hire it on the day when the president wants to fly out.”

Since he took over through a military-assisted process in 2017, Mnangagwa has projected himself as a simple leader who wants to cut costs, but instead he has often used hired private jets for most of his foreign trips.

Last week he had to use a hired jet for a local trip to Bulawayo where he met civil society members, raising questions on his sincerity to tackle public expenditure.

Charamba said his boss was committed to cost-cutting and his officials were feeling the pinch.

“Let me pre-empt you; I know you would want to ask why not use scheduled flights for the president. Here is the tricky issue. One, it is very risky to do that for both the president and the airline. In this case, we are talking of a national airline which has one aircraft to service all its routes. If the president was to use a scheduled flight, it means that all the luggage in that flight will be opened and subjected to search by our security systems,” he said.

‘This inconveniences the reputation of the airline and the passengers. Also the passengers themselves will have to be subjected to those security systems and this definitely will lead in some people leaving the airline and it loses business. Also when the president is flying, he would fly in the business class and no one will be allowed there.”

Charamba added: “Just imagine you as a reporter you are supposed to fly to South Africa and you have bought your business class ticket and just because the president has joined the flight, you will have to move to the economy class. This will definitely lead to some people abandoning the airline. Remember the aviation business works on a patronage system and losing one customer is a big blow, which no airline would risk.”

“So we look at all those factors and if you are to look at the opportunity cost, you are bound to agree with us that hiring an aircraft for the president is much better than going through all those challenges. Key to this, the scheduled flight will have to change its time to suit the president. This is dangerous for any airline. Talking about the Bulawayo trip and the idea that the president could have used a scheduled flight, it meant that he would need to divert the Harare-Johannesburg route to go via Bulawayo. Do you think people were going to agree to that? So really let us be realistic when we discuss some of these issues,” Charamba said.

The deputy chief secretary also defended the use of private jets by Vice-Presidents Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi and other senior government officials whenever they fall ill, saying it was part of their conditions of service.

“This is part of conditions of service for the top three. Even ministers, if their conditions of service stipulate that they should be airlifted whenever they need medical attention at the expense of the state, it must be done. Even top civil servants, if their benefits include airlifting, there is nothing that we can do to change that, it is in their contracts,” Charamba said.

He, however, said if it was not an emergency, VPs and ministers should use scheduled flights as long as that does not compromise their safety and the country’s international image. — The Standard

By Takavafira Zhou| Mberengwa Communal Share Ownership Trust is getting $1 million every year from Mimosa but nothing has been ploughed back for communal development over the past years. The money has been going down the drains abused by Mberengwa DA and traditional leaders. The trustees’ identity is unknown and priorities have been very defective. Impeccable sources point to the effect that Trustees decided to build a fancy office block at Mberengwa which is not even complete in spite of receiving millions of Share Owbership Trusts for some years. One wonders whether office space is a priority to the community of Mberengwa.

What is worrisome is none of the four MPs in Mberengwa seem to care about the abuse of such funds by the DA and his entourage. It is such poverty of leadership, corruption and warped priorities that have kept Mberengwa poverty stricken and underdeveloped. Such development of underdevelopment can only be eradicated by visionary leadership that summons the collective wisdom of the people of Mberengwa for development. Unless and until the people of Mberengwa realise that development knows no political party but calls for harnessing of both natural and human resources for progress, it will remain locked behind the bars of poverty, backwardness and anguish

Cry the beloved people of Mberengwa

Dr Takavafira M. Zhou

NURSES at Zimbabwe’s foremost medical institution, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, have resorted to washing bandages to dress burns on patients as health crisis at the institution deepens, plastic surgeon Doctor Faith Muchemwa revealed last week.

According to Muchemwa, so dire is the situation that cross infections including, among medical staff has become common.

“They (nurses) alternate days. They wash them (bandages), they hang them in the bathroom, they use these one today, tomorrow they take those ones which are now dry, they re-use them,” said Muchemwa.

Muchemwa said in the last two months, patients have been dying due to re-infections and lack of bandages which are made locally and can be acquired easily.

“Emergency is always our mode, because I am in charge of a team that takes care of the burns unit.

“Every single day we admit patients. At the moment, in the burns unit, we have no bandages. These bandages are made locally; there are companies in Kwekwe (Midlands town). I can show you pictures. You go to the burns unit they wash bandages,” an emotional Muchemwa told Health Minister Obadiah Moyo during a recent emergency meeting at the hospital.

“And obviously they are not sterilised. We have seen so much infection in the burns unit because we don’t have any caps to wear.”

Muchemwa said even health workers are at risk because they do not have access to protective clothing.

“We are dealing with puss. These are open wounds and we are coming from this patient to the next patient.

“So there are lots of infections now. Patients are dying more than ever and it’s just hospital acquired infection. The doctors and nurses are also at risk because we are not protected as well from possible infections,” she said.

“We are operating once every two weeks. As plastic surgeons, our operations sometimes take two hours, sometimes three hours, we operating only two patients.”

Muchemwa added the hospital has had to turn away patients because of the desperate situation including shortages of basic consumables.

“We don’t have even betadine (antiseptic) to just clean the wounds. We don’t have pain killers you can imagine. Those nurses, their hearts are so strong and when they are washing the wounds. I just walk out helpless,” the medical doctor said.

Senior doctors at Parirenyatwa downed tools last week in protest over government failure to provide essentials for their work. Moyo promised he would look into the issue laying the blame on hospital management.

All Africa

A Twitter mole by the name African or Ali Naka has exposed unnamed government officials who are said to have demanded and paid $70 000 before going to Chimanimani to assess the situation after cyclone Idai destroyed the area leaving more than 200 people dead.

Though Ali Naka could not reveal names, he urged the culprits to return the money before he names them.

Ali Naka has also exposed people whom h said are working with some white person to loot gold in the Midlands province.

Those who demanded and got paid $70 000 before going to Chimanimani, have 72 hours to return it to the State Coffers before we name and Shame @InfoMinZW #CicloneIdai

— African (@ali_naka) March 23, 2019

A WOMAN from Bulawayo has appeared in court for allegedly defrauding a colleague who was based in the diaspora of US$40 000 after she duped him to pay for a property when in fact she was converting the money to her own use.

Yvonne Sakala (59) from Montrose suburb allegedly masqueraded as overseer of a certain family trust which sells several properties and defrauded Mr Gordon Virimai of US$41 870. Sakala appeared last week before Bulawayo magistrate Ms Sithembiso Ncube facing charges of fraud as defined in Section 136 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.

 She was released on $300 bail and will appear in court on 29 March for trial.

Prosecuting, Ms Constance Mathaba told the court that the two knew each other not only in connection with this case but Mr Virimai knew Sakala as a bank manager at MBCA since he used to do some electrical work at the same bank. Sometime in 2007 Mr Virimai left Zimbabwe for Australia where he settled with his family and while he was there he maintained contact with Sakala.

The court heard that Sakala allegedly called Virimai advising him that she had been appointed an overseer of a certain trust in which several properties were for sale. 

Ms Mathaba also said Sakala allegedly lied to Mr Virimai that she had been given first preference to purchase the properties but had no money.

She then extended the offer to Mr Virimai and advised him to send the money to her so she could purchase the property for him. The court heard that Mr Virimai went on to pay amounts towards the purchase of the said property and fees for capital gains for change of ownership of the said property.

However, instead of paying the money, Sakala converted all the money for her own use. 

The matter came to fore when Mr Virimai returned to Zimbabwe and found no property. 

The court heard that by means of this misrepresentation Mr Virimai suffered an actual prejudice of US$41 870.

WARNING ?
The community is notified that Manyera dam wall in Vumba has weakened.

— Ministry of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting (@InfoMinZW) March 23, 2019

What should the community do in light of your notification?

— Prof Jonathan Moyo (@ProfJNMoyo) March 23, 2019

What does it mean it has weakened? Is collapse of dam wall imminent? What should folks downstream do? Which settlements are in danger? If it’s evacuating when should they do this? Where to? PS @nickmangwana ministry isaite mafunnies nehupenyu hwevanhu please

— zándā tōto (@zandatoto) March 24, 2019

So you expect a rural population to be active on Twitter?Is it too hard to use Common Sense?

— Gladman Tendai Mubonani (@GTMubonani) March 23, 2019

So you expect a rural population to be active on Twitter?Is it too hard to use Common Sense?

— Gladman Tendai Mubonani (@GTMubonani) March 23, 2019

Twitter isn't the best platform to convey u message to villagers in remote areas. Rather, community radios that u have denied these people for political reasons is the best vehicle. Whoever is behind this Twitter feed has their priorities misplaced

— William Muchayi (@MuchayiWilliam) March 23, 2019

No disrespect but the lady heading CPU was on the news, she spoke so calmly & slowly. The methods she discussed were archaic in these times. We need younger energetic people in such positions

— Suspect (@tyna_shh) March 23, 2019

So you think the government’s role is just to notify people then sit back?? Zimbabweans are easy to rule??

— Revesayi Mutede (@revesaymutede) March 23, 2019

Twitter can't reach everyone.
Thst why we kept crying for community radio stations.

— mzet (@mzet_mzamisto) March 23, 2019

By Own Correspondent- The government is investigating circumstances around a botched US$100 million deal to supply the country’s major public hospitals with modern equipment, Head of the Special Anti Corruption Unit Thabani Mpofu has revealed..

The deal was reportedly entered into several years ago but nothing was delivered while payments continue to be made.

The Minister of Health and Child Care confirmed that investigations were in progress.

Mpofu said:

“The Minister of Health (and Child Care) Dr Moyo has indeed contacted the Special Anti-Corruption Unit and we are in the process of constructing an action plan on the information he has provided.

I cannot divulge the nature of the information provided to the unit as it has to be passed to various law-enforcement agencies for a full investigation, but I can confirm, in light of information received, remedial action will be taken.”

By Own Correspondent- ZESA Holdings has revealed that the parastatal has come up with measures to deal with low water levels in Lake Kariba as a away of ensuring consistent power generation and cushioning the country against regular electricity supply

Zesa chief executive officer Patrick Chivaura revealed that the company has been forced to reduce power generation when the demand for electricity is low.

Said Chivaura:

Definitely, it will have an impact because our power supply situation is dependent on the availability of internal generation at Hwange Power Station, Kariba Power Station and small thermals (Bulawayo, Munyati and Harare), and, above all, imports (from the region.

In January, we were sitting at over 22 billion cubic metres of water and this was reduced by the end of January to 19 billion cubic metres.

That translates to something like 490MW. But as of now, it has been reduced to 445MW because we were allocated 18 billion cubic metres. That is an average (power generation) figure that we are talking about.

So, we can generate 445MW continuously, but that is not exactly what we do. We take care of our peaks (peak period of demand) during the morning and in the evening, but that (445MW) is just the average we have been given by ZRA.-StateMedia

The government is advising communities living downstream of Manyera dam in Vumba that the dam wall has weakened. The warning was released through the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services.

This has been caused by Tropical Cyclone Idai-induced rains — which continue to pound the vicinity, filling up dams, affecting their walls.

Vumba District has seen massive landslides, a development likely to prevent authorities from fully appreciating the threat that exists.

WARNING ?
The community is notified that Manyera dam wall in Vumba has weakened.

— Ministry of Information, Publicity & Broadcasting (@InfoMinZW) March 23, 2019

Roads have collapsed in landslides in the sparsely-populated Chimanimani and Rusitu Valley.

Meanwhile, government also advises that only positively identified bodies are ferried by helicopters for burial by relatives.

18 unidentified bodies are yet to be buried but are now in a decomposing state. Vhimba area in Chimanimani still to be reached, government said.

Priority remains to save lives first Operations are still underway in Kopa and Rusitu areas. Efforts are also being made to recover mudslide and rubble covered bodies, however the process is slow, the statement said.

A 62 year old man appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Franklin Mkwananzi for allegedly raping a 22 year old woman.

Bulawayo Tredgold Magistrate Court was left in stitches after Columbus Gangata of house number V-63 Mzilikazi suburb in Bulawayo who is facing rape charges denied the allegations citing that he did not last more than a minute in the sexual encounter and they had a monetary agreement with the complainant.

The court heard that on an unknown date in January this year, the complainant asked for water at the accused place of residence where the accused person forcibly grabbed the complainant into his bedroom and forcibly inserted his manhood once into the complainant.

Prosecuting, Mufaro Mageza told the court that after the act, the accused Gangata gave the complainant $RTGS10 as payment for the services rendered as per agreement.        

However, the victim who only made a report three months after the alleged rape when she discovered that she was pregnant claims she was verbally threatened by the perpetrator.

Gangata was remanded in custody to the 2^nd of April for continuation of trial.

By Own Correspondent| Deputy Information Minister Energy Mutodi has accused opposition MDC leader of being an attention seeker adding that government could not evacuate villagers in Chimanimani as this would have attracted more sanctions.

In a tweet posted Friday, Mutodi said:

“The attention seeking opposition MDC Chamisa is complaining that government should have earlier on evicted people from low lying areas affected by Tropical Cyclone Idai but we are sure they would have complained bitterly citing human rights abuses and called for more sanctions if we did that.”

The attention seeking opposition MDC-Chamisa is complaining that gvt should ’ve earlier on evicted people from low lying areas affected by Cyclone Idai but we are sure they would have complained bitterly citing human rights abuses and called for more sanctions if we did that.

— Dr Energy Mutodi (@energymutodi) March 21, 2019

HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared two days of mourning the victims of Cyclone Idai – and then left on a trip to Angola, his 28^th foreign visit in the 15 months since he assumed power.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) accused Mnangagwa of having an “infantile and embarrassing love of flying.”

Mnangagwa is in Angola to attend the first anniversary of Southern African Liberation Day, which was declared by the Southern African Development Community in August 2018.

The day is commemorated every March 23 to mark the end of the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale in Angola and the South African Border War. The People’s Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA), backed by the Soviet Union, Cuba, South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) fighters from Namibia and Umkhonto Wesizwe fighters from South Africa, pegged back and forced the withdrawal of insurgents of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), who were supported by apartheid South Africa.

Most SADC heads of state are stayed at home and sent ministers to one-day event.

MDC spokesman Jacob Mafume accused Mnangagwa of being a “selfie President” who cannot pass up an opportunity to travel, even when situations demand that he stays home.

“Hundreds of people dying won’t change his programme,” Mafume said as the United Nations confirmed at least 259 people had died from Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe.

“He declared two days of mourning this weekend, but as the chief mourner he has left on the first day of that mourning. What will it take for him to see that things are not normal, and it can’t be business as usual?”

Mnangagwa left on a private jet, hired from Dubai at a cost of $12,500 per hour of flying time.

The MDC’s Harare East MP Tendai Biti said on Twitter: “The usurper declares two days of mourning. Our people did not require mourning, they required effective disaster management. They required schools to be closed and communities evacuated. This did not happen. Then the usurper has the indecency of running away during mourning.”

At least 259 people were killed in Zimbabwe by Cyclone Idai, and some 217 are missing, the United Nations migration agency said on Friday.

Hundreds of people had been injured and authorities had confirmed that 16,000 households had been displaced, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said in a statement.

Most of the deaths occurred in Manicaland province after the cyclone swept in from Mozambique. Heavy rains caused mudslides and floods which destroyed thousands of homes in their path, burying scores of people under rubble and boulders, while some were swept away.

Mnangagwa’s Foreign Trips Since Taking Power in 2017 (Source: ZimLive)

1. December 2017: Pretoria, South Africa
2. January 2018: Davos, Switzerland
3. January 2018: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
4. January 2018: Luanda, Angola
5. January 2018: Lusaka, Zambia
6. January 2018: Windhoek, Namibia
7. January 2018: Maputo, Mozambique
8. February 2018: Gaberone, Botswana
9. March 2018: Gaberone, Botswana
10. March 2018: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
11. March 2018: Kigali, Rwanda
12. April 2018: Beijing, China
13. June 2018: Nouakchott, Mauritania
14. June 2018: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
15. July 2018: Johannesburg, South Africa
16. August 2018: Windhoek, Namibia
17. September 2018: Beijing, China
18. September 2018: New York, United States
19. October 2018: Lusaka, Zambia
20. November 2018: Conakry, Guinea
21. November 2018: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
22. January 2019: Moscow, Russia
23. January 2019: Minsk, Belarus
24. January 2019: Baku, Azerbaijan
25. January 2019: Astana, Kazakhstan
26. February 2019: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
27. March 2019: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
28. March 2019: Luanda, Angola

-zimlive.com

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has made a name for himself as a lover of expensive jets which he uses to travel within and outside the country. In January he hired an expensive jet on a round trip to EuroAsia. That was just a few months after he hired an expensive jet for the former First Lady Grace Mugabe from Singapore.

On Thursday he was reported to have flown to Bulawayo in a private jet to hired from Durban.

Political analysts say the widely condemned expensive hiring of jets is a business deal that is being run to benefit an elite ruling clique fronted by Mary Chiwenga.

South African based analyst Fortune Mlalazi said, “The country is run by a mafia that is treating it as a milk cow. You will recall that in 2018 there were reports that Vice President (Constantino) Chiwenga’s wife was given a tender to offer travel services to the Office of the President and Cabinet.
So all these expensive trips to EuroAsia and the useless trip to UAE last week including the hiring of a Durban jet to Bulawayo are meant to transfer money from the government coffers to the pockets of Mary Chiwenga and her circle of friends.”

In 2018 the Deputy Chief Secretary Ray Ndhlukula admitted that he irregularly awarded a contract to provide travel arrangements for the Office of the President and Cabinet without going to tender.

The contract was awarded to Mary Chiwenga’s company East Town Holdings, despite the fact that it had not submitted most of the required documents such as tax clearances.

Posting on Twitter on Thursday seasoned journalist Mduduzi Mathuthu said, “You have an incestuous business thing going on at the top of government for VIP travel where Mary Chiwenga is the travel agent. She likes it when they travel and will hire the furthest available plane because she makes more money from it. It’s crazy it’s almost evil.

A popular Kwekwe gold dealer died on the spot after about 15 people attacked him and a colleague with machetes and knives before running over his body with a vehicle.

Tinovimba Mahachi of T78 Torwood, Redcliff died on the spot while his colleague Shadreck Shosherai (36) is battling for life at Kwekwe General Hospital following the attack in the wee hours of last Saturday morning outside Yoyo Night Club.

The matter came to light when two of the accused, Daniel Tembo (24) and Brian Maseko (23), appeared before Kwekwe Magistrate Mr Storey Rushambwa on Tuesday facing murder charges. The duo was remanded in custody to April 2 and was advised to apply for bail at the High Court.

The State led by Mrs Ethel Bhumure alleged that on March 16 around 1 AM, Mahachi and Shosherai were sleeping in a Toyota Mark X outside Yoyo Night Club when the gang pounced.

“A group of about 15 people approached the vehicle armed with iron bars, knives and machetes. They force opened the vehicle’s doors and began assaulting the occupants without saying anything,” read the court papers.

One of the accused persons, the court heard, opened the passenger door and stabbed Mahachi once in the chest using an okapi knife. As Mahachi staggered out of the car, the other assailants who were standing guard hacked him with machetes and knives and he fell on the road.

Shosherai, who was sleeping in the driver seat, managed to escape with minor injuries and made a police report.

While Mahachi was still lying in a pool of blood, the court heard, the accused persons went on to assault him with iron bars, machetes and kicked him savagely.

One of the accused persons got into a vehicle and ran over Mahachi.

His body was ferried to Kwekwe General Hospital where it awaits a post-mortem.

A motive for the vicious attack has not been established.

BINGA traditional leader Chief Sinampande ‘s car overturned at Siabuwa turn off in Binga, Matebeleland North province, on Thursday. 

The car, an Isuzu KB truck, overturned and landed on its roof.

Reports say the car was being driven by a relative, and that the traditional leader himself was not in the car when the accident occurred.

More details to follow… 

President Emerson Mnangagwa has returned home from his one day visit to Angola with his fierce critic and former colleague in ZANU PF Professor Jonathan Moyo labeling him the new Vasco da Gama due to his penchant for travelling.

Mnangagwa declared two days of mourning those who perished in Chipinge and Chimanimani due to cyclone Idai but could not wait to see the days run as he left for Angola to attend what ZBC said was a day visit, to attend the commemoration of Southern African Liberation Day: Cuito Cuanavale.

IDEAL Zimbabwe leader Tinashe Jonasi, who is accused undermining President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s authority, has said the head of State was not the only person called Mnangagwa and challenged the State to prove that the alleged slur targeted him.

Jonasi has filed for bail at the High Court after Harare magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa remanded him in custody.
He was represented by Nontokozo Tachiona of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.

“The appellant is accused of insulting one Mnangagwa. The State has a mammoth task to prove that the appellant was referring to (His Excellency) Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa and to also prove that indeed there is no other Mnangagwa who could have been the subject of the talk,” Tachiona said.

“It also has to prove that there was an insult in the words that he allegedly uttered and in the unlikely event that they prove this at a trial they will have to prove that what was said is untrue…until his guilt is proved.”

Tachiona submitted that Jonasi’s passport had expired, ruling out the possibility that he could skip the border to avoid prosecution 
She said her client was of fixed abode, residing in Matsikidze Village in Masvingo. Prosecutor Edmore Nyazamba will respond to the application on March 27.

According to State papers, on an unknown date, Jonasi was invited to DStv channel 405 for an interview and allegedly insulted Mnangagwa in his remarks, suggesting Mnangagwa was engaged in sexual proclivities with his advisor Chris Mutsvangwa’s wife, Monica, the Information minister. 

-Daily News

By Own Correspondent| The Midlands State University has delivered its donation to the victims of Tropical Cyclone Idai.

The donation follows the destruction of property, homes and loss of lives in Chipinge, Chimanimani and other parts of Manicaland, Mashonaland East and Masvingo Provinces.

The donation was handed over yesterday (Friday) at Silverstone and Skyline command centers in Chimanimani.

The donation consisted of clothing, food and other goods.

“To those who lost their lives, may their souls rest in eternal peace,” said the MSU in a statement.

Exiled former Zanu PF politician Jonathan has celebrated reports that President Emmerson Mnangagwa will not see through his first term since assuming power.

Posting on Twitter today, Moyo only wrote “No Comment”

"MNANGAGWA'S DAYS IN OFFICE NOW NUMBERED", says website that has previously been used by the #ZDF "Command Element" to leak developing situations after it predicted in 2016 the November 2017 military coup with Mnangagwa as its political head.

No comment!https://t.co/x2zrujM48h

— Prof Jonathan Moyo (@ProfJNMoyo) March 23, 2019

A special delegation of senior military officials reportedly told Chinese generals that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s political reign will expire in 2020, and that he was going to be an interim caretaker president up to the period, before the military replaces him with their preferred successor, a few days prior to former leader Robert Mugabe’s November 2017 coup, Spotlight Zimbabwe, can reveal.

According to a Zimbabwean military attache stationed in Beijing at the time when former Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) Commander and now vice president, Rtd General Constantino Chiwenga, visited China between November 8 to November 10 2017, shortly before Mugabe was ousted from office, an elite delegation comprising officials from the army and air force travelling with VP Chiwenga told their Chinese counterparts that Mnangagwa would be in power “for no more than three years” as a “stopgap measure” to stabilise the country, with a Zimbabwean general likely to takeover until 2023 to finish off Mnangagwa’s presidential term and then handover the country to a civilian leadership.

Chiwenga’s trip to China in 2017, which was initially reported to be a medical check-up that had coincided with a “normal military exchange mutually agreed upon by China and Zimbabwe” has hitherto been shrouded in mystrey.
The VP met with General Li Zuocheng, a member of China’s Central Military Commission, which is the highest decision-making body for China’s armed forces, together with that country’s former defense minister General Chang Wanquan. Wanquan was succeeded by General Wei Fenghe, who was appointed to head China’s defense ministry in March 2018.

“Mnangagwa’s days in office are now numbered,” said the military attache. “Most Zimbabweans are not aware that Mnangagwa’s tenure as president was discussed before the November coup that toppled Mugabe. An elite delegation of military officers travelling with Chiwenga met with Chinese generals, who were told that the current leader will be in power for no more than three years. Our military sees him (Mnangagwa) as a stopgap measure for stability, and he is just but a figurehead with no real power. His presidency expires in 2020, and we are going to see a retired general taking over soon to finish his term, like what Mnangagwa did to Mugabe. The military general coming in will then lay the ground for a civilian leader agreed upon by the Joint Operations Command. They already have four former ministers names who served under Mugabe in mind. This is the shock you people can’t see coming.”

Mnangagwa is a product of the November 15 2017 early morning national television announcement by Rtd Lieutenant-General Sibusiso Moyo, who his now the country’s foreign affairs minister. Moyo in announcing the “military intervention” said Mugabe and family were safe and that the army was going after criminals in his government.
“Mugabe, and his family are safe and sound and their security is guaranteed,” he said. “We are only targeting criminals around him who are committing crimes that are causing social and economic suffering in the country … As soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy,” Moyo added.
Spotlight Zimbabwe, was the first publication to report about Mnangagwa becoming Zimbabwe president approximately a year before he disloged Mugabe in a putsch.
This publication and reporter also accurately reported that VP Chiwenga was on his way to become vice president, before his official appointment by Mnangagwa in our online edition of 18 March 2016.

Today we can also report with certainty, that Mnangagwa is on his embarassing way out of power and that a new leader from the military is being prepared to dethrone him. Spotlight Zimbabwe, also has it on good authority that VP Chiwenga and his successor ZDF Commander, General Philip Valerio Sibanda, alongside their inner circle, worked out all possible power scenarios before the execution of the coup and that China has been kept in the loop of all new developments.

Intelligence information at hand also suggests that the army is reportedly not happy with Mnangagwa’s failure to fix the economy and that he has allegedly been signing off the country’s mineral resources and land assets for a song without their approval.
It is also coming to light that former defence minister under Mugabe, Sydney Sekeramayi, has been playing allegiance to the military before and after the November 2017 coup, and could be earmarked for a slot in the presidium order of a looming post-Mnangagwa administration.

Defence minister, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, was not reachable throughout the week for comment as her mobile phone remained unreachable.

-Spotlight

Jane Mlambo| Opposition Transform Zimbabwe leader Jacob Ngarivhume has castigated President Emmerson Mnangagwa over his lavish trips that continues to gobble millions of dollars, saying the new leader is on the verge of overtaking former leader Robert Mugabe’s international travelling record.

Posting on Twitter, Ngarivhume said Mnangagwa’s trips have not yielded results except facilitating benefits for vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s wife who was awarded a tender as the executive travel agent.

At current rate @edmnangagwa is about to shutter Mugabe's international traveling record. The sad part is that all the trips have yielded nothing except travel facilitation commissions to Chiwenga's wife, a burden on the fiscus and allowances for ED and his bloated entourage!

— Jacob Ngarivhume (@jngarivhume) March 23, 2019

He added that Mnangagwa’s trips are a burden on the fiscus as he carries with him a bloated entourage.

There was a major break through this week after the once inaccessible road that connects Chipinge and Chimanimani was cleared to pave way for relief initiatives to now reach the affected areas in Chimanimani.

Hope is on the dawn as an alternative route that links Chimanimani and Chipinge has been re-constructed.

The development will enable rescuers to reach areas like Rusitu which were the most affected by Cyclone Idai.

At least the road is now accessible and food relief can now reach those affected by the cyclone.

The uniformed forces and community members are working tirelessly at the Skyliner juncture to aid transport and human movement.

“We have managed to reach Kopa-Rusitu where it was not accessible. We navigated this route so that relief will reach the area fast through road,” said Captain Normal Hungotida from the Para regiments special forces.

Chimanimani east legislator Cde Joshua Sacco said the cleared road network will enable them to reach Rusitu-Kopa where most deaths were recorded.

Police have also cleared families to proceed with the burial of their loved ones who were identified, while those bodies which are yet to be identified and still are at the nearest hospital.

-State Media

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, her son Prince Charles and her grandsons and their wives the Dukes and Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex have conveyed their heartfelt condolences to the government and the people of Zimbabwe following deaths, injuries and widespread destruction caused by Cyclone Idai. 

Britain’s top diplomat to Zimbabwe Ambassador Melanie Robinson delivered the three letters to President Emmerson Mnangagwa this morning where she also announced a $23 million package for the three affected Southern African countries.

Messages of condolences continue to pour in from all corners of the world and this morning, Ambassador Robinson, who was accompanied by communications and corporate manager for the Department for International Development (DfID) Ms Nicky Russell – Smith and officials from Britain’s embassy offices in Harare paid a courtesy call on President Mnangagwa at his Munhumutapa offices to deliver the three letters of condolences.

The confirmed death toll in Zimbabwe, neighboring Mozambique and Malawi is now over 500, with hundreds more feared dead in towns and villages that were completely submerged.

Ambassador Robinson said a needs assessment is underway and more resources will be availed to ease the crisis.

The UK has been supporting Zimbabwe’s debt clearance plan with the Bretton Woods institutions and mediating with international financial institutions to support a bailout for the country and there is hope that when the group of 7 meet in May this year, UK’s influence will aid Zimbabwe’s cause. 

The ambassador also briefed President Mnangagwa on issues surrounding Britain’s withdrawal from the EU grouping and what it would mean for Zimbabwe.

The Queen is seen as a key figure in mending relations between Britain and Zimbabwe while her influence in Zimbabwe’s plans to rejoin the Commonwealth grouping cannot be ignored.

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Retired Lieutenant General Dr Sibusiso Moyo and Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet – Presidential Communications Mr George Charamba and other senior government officials attended the meeting. 

-State Media

By Own Correspondent- Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, her son Prince Charles and her grandsons and their wives the Dukes and Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex have conveyed their heartfelt condolences to the government and the people of Zimbabwe following the devastating effects caused by Tropical Cyclone Idai.

Britain’s top diplomat to Zimbabwe Ambassador Melanie Robinson delivered the three letters to President Emmerson Mnangagwa where she also announced a $23 million package for the three affected Southern African countries.

Messages of condolences continue to pour in from all corners of the world and Ambassador Robinson, who was accompanied by communications and corporate manager for the Department for International Development (DfID) Nicky Russell – Smith and officials from Britain’s embassy offices in Harare paid a courtesy call on President Mnangagwa at his Munhumutapa offices to deliver the three letters of condolences.

The confirmed death toll in Zimbabwe, neighboring Mozambique and Malawi is now over 500, with hundreds more feared dead in towns and villages that were completely submerged.

Ambassador Robinson said a needs assessment is underway and more resources will be availed to ease the crisis.-StateMedia

By Own Correspondent- Local government minister July Moyo has said government had put in place mechanisms to ensure that all donations received for Tropical Cyclone Idai victims are recorded and accounted for to ensure transparency and accountability.

He urged those donating to coordinate with government officials on the ground in order to ensure that donations are distributed equally among the affected.

Said Moyo:

“As donations continue coming, we have coordinated ourselves and established mechanisms to ensure that everything that we receive is accounted for.

Our job is to make sure that reconciliations are done in a transparent manner. Anybody who wants to see what has been received can do so because these donations are coming from the public.

We want people to know that we are transparent, accountable and can balance what we have been given and dispatched.”

 Two men, Francois Swart and Dale Collins, were seriously injured during the attack, sparking outrage in a country with some of the world’s worst rates of violent crime.

South Africa police have launched a manhunt for the suspects, who used armour-piercing bullets in the robbery, and fled the scene in a VW Golf. P

olice spokesperson Kay Makhubele said the two occupants of the Toyota were injured after their car was riddled with bullets and are battling for life in hospital where they are receiving specialist medical care.

“They were transporting gold along the R21 in Jet Park in Boksburg when they were attacked by the group,” Makhubele said.

“Unfortunately, two guards were shot and seriously wounded during the attempt.”

The suspects fled in two sedans without being able to take anything, and police have appealed to anyone with information to come forward.

“We urge any member of the public who might have information which could lead to the arrests of these suspects to contact their nearest police station,” Makhubele added.

The South African-based gold trader AMG said scenes from the CIT robbery on the R21 in Gauteng were horrific and a regular occurence in South Africa.

“AMG Group is deeply saddened by the events of yesterday. We would like to send our prayers and heartfelt thoughts to the families of Francois Swart and Dale Collins, who operate in our industry,” he said in a statement released on the company’s social media platforms.

AMG said the shootings have once again highlighted the phenomenon of gun violence in South Africa.

Even though South Africa’s murder rate has been gradually dropping, it remains one of the world’s most violent countries.

“AMG is saddened by the high levels of crime in South Africa and continues to pray for a better and safer South Africa.”

AMG – an African initiative raising awareness on wealth creation and wealth inclusion of fellow Africans – based in Sandton, is one of Africa’s greatest bullion money-making machines and develops and distributes precious metals – mostly gold and related products such as medallions and krugerrands.

Since its inception in 2017, AMG – known for its intense innovation – has produced and sold plenty of medallions within this short period of time.

This included the sale of Pan African 1/4 Oz Fine Gold Medallion released last April, which sold out in record time .

The start-up has continued to break records and set new standards of excellence since then.

But the gold industry it operates in in South Africa is faced with a severe crisis as a result of the daily spate of cash-in-transit attacks and gold heists that threaten the safety of employees.

-Daily News

By Own Correspondent- Following the devastating impact of Tropical Cyclone Idai in Manicaland last week, President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared Saturday and Sunday official days of mourning for the nation.

Ironically, the country’s first citizen left Harare to attend the inaugural commemoration of the Southern African Liberation Day.

The day was declared at the Windhoek Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit in August 2018.

On the March 23, 1988, the South African Defence Forces launched its last offensive against the Angolan Forces and the Cubans a battle known as Cuito Cuanavale.

By Own Correspondent- Black First Land First (BLF) said in a statement on Friday that Tropical Cyclone Idai is not a natural disaster but a direct consequence of the white, Western system of ecological assault for profits.

BLF called on the African Union (AU) to demand reparations and relief from the European Union (EU) and the US for Cyclone Idai.

Part of the statement reads:

Those who pollute and destroy our ecosystems must pay ecological reparations to those who suffer as a consequence of their irresponsible actions. It’s no longer speculation – even the white man’s own science corroborates what we blacks know: Africa is paying a heavy price for the actions of the white world. The West pollutes and the West must pay. Part of driving their conspiracy of recolonisation is to profit from disasters. The West has no incentive to stop destroying our planet. The West knows only one value and that is to make profits. If the West is not stopped soon, then we should prepare for the extinction of our species.

Firebrand Norton legislator has posted a picture while addressing mourners at the funeral of one of former first lady, Grace Mugabe’s former employees.

The late Eldrick Musambazi according to Mliswa was from Ward 2 in Norton.

Details on his death were not made public at the time of writing.

Am saddened by the passing away of Mr Eldrick Musambazi from Ward 2 in Norton. He used to work for Gushungo Holdings. pic.twitter.com/jPMDNzJ9LQ

— Sabhuku Temba P. Mliswa (@TembaMliswa) March 23, 2019

Intratrek managing director Mr Wicknell Chivayo  was yesterday absolved of any criminal liability in the $5,6 million fraud charge involving Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC)’s Gwanda solar project.

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

It was also the court’s finding that considering the circumstances of Mr Chivayo’s case, allowing prosecution or at worst his conviction  would amount to violation of Section 42 of the Constitution, which provides protection upon the doctrine of sanctity of contracts while the judgment underscored that criminal sanctions would not apply in inherently civil cases as the present.

Mr Chivayo had in the lower court attempted to quash the charges through an application for exception, but this was thrown out by magistrate Mr Lazini Ncube, presiding over the trial.

-State Media

A 33-YEAR-OLD Mazowe man died after taking too much of an illicit beer called musombodhiya at Hidden Valley farm on Thursday night.

Walter Masasire (33) was found dead in his bedroom yesterday morning by his brother Sauro Mapfumo (32) after the pair spent the previous night drinking the illicit brew in the farm compound.

Mashonaland Central provincial police spokesperson Inspector Milton Mundembe confirmed the incident.

“I can confirm a case of sudden death in Mazowe where a male adult died due to excessive alcohol content in his body, the man was drinking an illicit beer called musombodhiya and was discovered the following morning that he had died after retiring to bed,” Mundembe said.

Mapfumo told NewsDay that his brother was a heavy drinker and died in his sleep.

“My brother was a heavy drinker and on the date in question I warned him not to take too much musombo, but he did not listen to me. We went to bed around 10pm and on Friday morning around 11am we thought he was still asleep. I went to check on him and I found him dead. I then filed a police report at Mazowe police base,” he said.

Police warned people to shun drinking illicit brews.

“We are warning the general public not to consume unregistered beer as the after effects will not be known to them, in many cases it leads to death so it is better to save life by not taking the illicit beers.”

-Newsday

Cyclone Idai Update: UN figures show Zimbabwe had the highest number of deaths due to Cyclone Idai with 259 deaths, compared to Mozambique 242 and Malawi 56. Land slides made the situation worse in Zimbabwe. There are fears the cyclone will return within days.

— Dr Energy Mutodi (@energymutodi) March 22, 2019

MDC secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora has declared null and void any suspensions and expulsions made ahead of the party’s May elective congress.

This means the structures put in place at the 2014 congress, at which he soundly beat party leader Nelson Chamisa for the post of secretary-general and are seen as loyal to him, will be the ones to chose the new leadership of the party.

The opposition party hopes that the election of a new leadership would calm the discord which has held sway since the death of founding president Morgan Tsvangirai in February last year, which led to the rise of
Chamisa.

Mwonzora, who is expected to challenge Chamisa for the position of party president, wrote to all provincial, district and ward chairpersons amid allegations that there were senior officials tampering with the structures to impose their preferred people who will vote at the congress.

“Please, be advised that the national standing committee has directed that after the setting of main congress dates by the national council, no expulsion or suspension of members shall be valid without the specific approval of the standing committee,” the letter, dated March 21, reads.

He also clarified the party’ position on members who stood as independent candidates, that they are not eligible to contest, while those that supported them can stand. In several constituencies, the party lost to Zanu PF after fielding multiple candidates.

“Please, further note that the only people disqualified from contesting congress positions are, (a) those who stood as independents, (b) those who stood as candidates for other political parties.

“Specifically, it was ruled that those who allegedly supported independent candidates or other candidates are not covered by this disqualification,” the letter, which was copied to Chamisa, national chairperson Tabitha Khumalo and organising secretary Amos Chibaya, added.

Canvassing for support has reached fever pitch in the MDC, with the majority openly endorsing Chamisa, although there is fear of another surprise victory for Mwonzora, who will enter the race as an underdog.

Chibaya said preparations for the congress were on course.

“The branch congresses have now been completed and the ward congresses in the 1 958 wards across the country taking place this weekend. By Sunday, 24 March 2019, there will be newly-elected ward executives across the length and breadth of Zimbabwe,” he said.

“District congresses are slated for March 29 to 31, while the provincial congresses will take place from April 7 to 16, 2019, starting with Matabeleland South province.

“The process so far has gone on peacefully and without incident. Notwithstanding misleading Press reports of chaos, our congress is living true to the democratic culture and character as encapsulated in chapter 4 of the MDC constitution.”

Chibaya said the May 24 to 26 congress would prioritise “propositions and not positions”.

-Newsday

MDC secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora has declared null and void any suspensions and expulsions made ahead of the party’s May elective congress.

This means the structures put in place at the 2014 congress, at which he soundly beat party leader Nelson Chamisa for the post of secretary-general and are seen as loyal to him, will be the ones to chose the new leadership of the party.

The opposition party hopes that the election of a new leadership would calm the discord which has held sway since the death of founding president Morgan Tsvangirai in February last year, which led to the rise of
Chamisa.

Mwonzora, who is expected to challenge Chamisa for the position of party president, wrote to all provincial, district and ward chairpersons amid allegations that there were senior officials tampering with the structures to impose their preferred people who will vote at the congress.

“Please, be advised that the national standing committee has directed that after the setting of main congress dates by the national council, no expulsion or suspension of members shall be valid without the specific approval of the standing committee,” the letter, dated March 21, reads.

He also clarified the party’ position on members who stood as independent candidates, that they are not eligible to contest, while those that supported them can stand. In several constituencies, the party lost to Zanu PF after fielding multiple candidates.

“Please, further note that the only people disqualified from contesting congress positions are, (a) those who stood as independents, (b) those who stood as candidates for other political parties.

“Specifically, it was ruled that those who allegedly supported independent candidates or other candidates are not covered by this disqualification,” the letter, which was copied to Chamisa, national chairperson Tabitha Khumalo and organising secretary Amos Chibaya, added.

Canvassing for support has reached fever pitch in the MDC, with the majority openly endorsing Chamisa, although there is fear of another surprise victory for Mwonzora, who will enter the race as an underdog.

Chibaya said preparations for the congress were on course.

“The branch congresses have now been completed and the ward congresses in the 1 958 wards across the country taking place this weekend. By Sunday, 24 March 2019, there will be newly-elected ward executives across the length and breadth of Zimbabwe,” he said.

“District congresses are slated for March 29 to 31, while the provincial congresses will take place from April 7 to 16, 2019, starting with Matabeleland South province.

“The process so far has gone on peacefully and without incident. Notwithstanding misleading Press reports of chaos, our congress is living true to the democratic culture and character as encapsulated in chapter 4 of the MDC constitution.”

Chibaya said the May 24 to 26 congress would prioritise “propositions and not positions”.

-Newsday

JOHN Mufudza rolled down a huge and steep mountain leading to the Rusitu valley, which housed Dzingere growth point, popularly known as Kopa in Chipinge.

He looked devastated and tired, physically and emotionally.

The man stopped walking, looked down into the valley, rolled up his blue cotton T-shirt and wiped the sweat flooding his face.

He made a few more steps down the hill and again stopped, hunched on a huge boulder, sighed in obvious disbelief of what his eyes were feeding on.

What used to be a residential place had been washed away by ferocious floods that left monstrous boulders strewn all over the valley.

For anyone who did not know the place, only graphic communicators could convince them to believe that this area used to be a residential suburbs occupied by agriculture extension workers, teachers, banana traders and a police station on the north.

“This is where my son-in-law’s house used to be,” Mufudza whispered, pointing at a huge tree that stood tall and proud beside the huge rocks deposited on the valley by the furious floods.

“All is history now. My brother-in-law and his two children are no more.”

Mufudza had been told of what befell his son-in-law and his two children and set off from Masvingo to the valley to satisfy his anxiety on what he had been told had happened.

He narrated: “My son-in-law was a businessman. He owned a grocery shop close to the residential place and his children attended school near the suburb, on the eastern side of the police station. He heard people talking about the floods and rushed to pick up his children, but was trapped by the floods and washed away. No one knows where he is.”

Down the valley, anxious people are crossing to and from a makeshift bridge to the place where over 80 housed had been washed away. There is no trace that the place used to be a residential place. Huge stones, debris of bridges and trees litter the whole place.

While others were coming to see things for themselves, most people were coming to listen to President Emmerson Mnangagwa promise them food, shelter and medicines. Most of them wanted to be assured that government would do all in its capacity to recover the bodies of their missing relatives and bring closure to their lives.

One women, who miraculously survived, gave harrowing experienced of what happened, disclosing that some families with as high as nine members had been washed away and no one has been accounted for.

“This place now covered by these rocks is where our houses used to be. The houses were washed away by floods after three rivers, Nyahode, Rusitu and Chipita changed course and flooded the whole valley. The house next to mine, there were nine people and they all perished,” one of the survivors rescued by fellow villagers using a rope, Joice Mudzokora, said.

One of the villagers, she said, who worked at the growth point, but did not stay with his wife and children, had invited his family for the weekend and none of his children survived.

Only his wife, who did not come with the children, survived.

-Newsday

Own Correspondent|President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Thursday declared this weekend as two days of national mourning for the victims of cyclone Idai.

In a surprise move, the President who expected everyone to down tools and get into mourning, himself left Harare for Angola.

Mnangagwa is set to attend the inaugural commemoration of the Southern African Liberation Day that was declared at the Windhoek Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit in August 2018.

On the 23^rd of March 1988, the South African Defence Forces launched its last offensive against the Angolan Forces and the Cubans a battle known as Cuito Cuanavale that redefined the politics of the region.

Two weeks ago, Mnangagwa left the country in the middle of the cyclone only to send a condolence message to the affected from outside the country. His message attracted him heavy criticism which saw him rush back to the country cutting short his overseas trip.

Jane Mlambo| Prominent Aljazeera journalist Haru Mutasa has accused unnamed African journalists of throwing her under the bus, vowing never to assist anyone in the future.

Though Mutasa could not reveal details of the whole debacle, she appeared angry and let down by people she claim to have assisted in the past.

Below is Haru’s Tweet

I have tried for more than 10 years to help African journalists get a break working for international media, or those who were already in, helped them look good, but today I was thrown under the bus, accused of all sorts. Why shld I keep helping other Africans? It’s disappointing

— harumutasa/aljazeera (@harumutasa) March 22, 2019

There is additionally a typical conviction that ladies are compelled to stray subsequent to their spouses are famous womanizers… they are practically denied their matrimonial rights and could starve for a while on occasion.

This sold out lady will in this way begin sniffing other men to get even or the much consideration they miss.

We can attempt to apply these hypotheses to the Royal Swazi sex embarrassment. Other than his political duties, King Mswati has 13 wives; one may ponder what kind of a course of action he has made to guarantee every one of them are candidly cooked for.

Being human, it may take him a few weeks or even months to satisfy his conjugal commitments. Maybe this could mean LaDube was sexually starved and needed to have a striking resemblance, may apply to Ntuli Zuma.

Different human rights gatherings hold that King Mswati ought not rebuff the wife or the blundering pastor since he made this chaos. They attest that he has shrouded his unfaithfulness under the veil of polygamy.

With the changing unfaithfulness designs in the landmass putting more ladies on the spotlight, one may jest that LaDube and her group ought not be pushed to the brink of collapse over additional conjugal issues since there is something else entirely to it than only a meandering eye.

4. Nompumelelo Ntuli Zuma

The second on the list is South Africa. Aside from President Zuma’s adoration for skirts, his second wife Nompumelelo Ntuli Zuma purportedly had a hot illicit relationship with her bodyguard Phinda Thomo, who later on took his own life.

Nompumelelo Ntuli Zuma was said to be pregnant with Mr Zuma’s 21st kid, yet the assertions brought up issues over the child’s paternity.

A letter from “concerned relatives” of Mr Zuma, asserting that one of his three current wives had gone behind his back with Phinda Thomo, one of her bodyguards, was sent to the Zulu-dialect daily paper Ilanga.

This however did not arrive anyone in prison like the Swazi’s case subsequent to the president’s family minimized it to “ensure Zuma’s picture”.

3. Winnie Madikizela Mandela

A couple of years back, in the same nation, Winnie Madikizela Mandela additionally supposedly had an unsanctioned romance with Dali Mpofu, her agent in the African National Congress (ANC) social welfare office, something that mostly added to her generally advanced separation.

For quite a while Winnie was Nelson Mandela’s blind side. When he could see the eventual fate of the nation so unmistakably, he neglected to see her inclination. Mr Mandela himself declined to accept an expression of it. Through Winnie’s trial he remained by her, besotted, unpersuaded of her dull nature by the judge’s decision in May 1991 that she was blameworthy of abducting and attacking Stompie and three others. He likewise denied for quite a while to see that two years after his discharge she was carrying on an issue with Dali Mpofu, a legal counselor a large portion of her age.

It wasn’t as though she had pulled out all the stops to shroud what was going on. She delegated him her appointee in the ANC’s social welfare office; she ventured out with him to the United States, flying by Concorde from London, staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Right on time in 1992, she discovered Mpofu was taking part in an extramarital entanglements with another lady. It all spilled out away from any confining influence. On 17 March she kept in touch with him a letter, later distributed by the Johannesburg Sunday Times. “You’re circling fucking at the smallest enthusiastic reason,” she composed. “The way that I haven’t been identifying with Tata [Nelson Mandela] for five months now over you is no more your worry. I continue letting you know the circumstance is breaking down at home. You are not troubled in light of the fact that you are fulfilling yourself consistently with a lady. I won’t be your ridiculous imbecile, Dali.”

After a month, in April 1992, the ANC let go her from the welfare post and Mr Mandela reported that the marriage was over.

This series of disloyalties in the south of the mainland can’t be finished without saying Zambia’s previous first woman Vera Chiluba.

2. Vera Chiluba

She was blamed for having had a sentimental association with a noticeable specialist, Archie Mactribouy, prompting her separate.

This is every one of the an astonishing pattern! In the yester years, it was the male society who stole the spotlight graciousness of their meandering eyes.

Be that as it may, this has subsequent to changed with sexual orientation parts being re-imagined in different social orders. Ladies are currently turning the tables similarly as additional conjugal issues are concerned.

1. Grace Mugabe

Ex-president Robert Mugabe’s wife Grace Mugabe was said to be undermining her spouse on a mystery issue with Zimbabwean Reserve Bank senator Gideon Gono who is additionally a top friend of the president for  mor than fifteen years.

The 53-year old Grace who is 44 years more youthful than Mugabe filled in as his secretary before getting into a marriage. She and Gono allegedly said that they would meet as frequently as three times each month either at her dairy ranch or in inns in neighboring South Africa.

The disclosure as reported in the Sunday Times, said that on her deathbed, Mugabe’s more youthful sister Sabina had cautioned him that he was being double-crossed by Mr. Gono and his wife, Grace.

5. Nothando Dube

News about the claimed shameful affair including Swazi King Mswati III twelfth wife, Nothando Dube, with the nation’s Justice Minister, Ndumiso Mamba, hit the features over the world.

Regardless of all the buildup, “LaDube”, as she is broadly known in Swaziland, is not the only one in this. In 2004, two of Mswati’s wives — Delisa Magwaza (LaMagwaza) and Putsoana Hwala (LaHwala) left the illustrious kraal after disloyalty claim. The unfortunate thing is Nothando Dube died on March 8th, 2019 after a battle with skin cancer which she was reportedly being treated for at a South African hospital.

Senteni Masango, the eighth wife of Mswati, who is Africa’s last absolute monarch also died last year after committing suicide.

May their souls Rest In Peace!!

Daily Advent

By Own Correspondent| Presidential spokesperson George Charamba said government will decide whether to grant former vice-president Phelekezela Mphoko his terminal benefits after the High Court makes a determination on his application.

Charamba said Government is not challenging any of Mphoko’s demands. He clarified that Government feels Mphoko does not qualify because he did not serve a full term.

Said Charamba:

“The issue under dispute is not really that he deserves so much. Those issues are clearly defined in the constitution when you deal with the aspect of the benefits of a former vice-president in Section 102 of the constitution.

The matter that the courts will have to grapple with in this case is whether the former vice-president meets that requirement and definition of a person who has served a full term as a vice-president as enshrined in the constitution.

That section clearly spells out who is a vice-president, what package he is entitled to, and whether he is entitled to a full package or not. If he did meet the requirements, he will be entitled to the full package as enshrined in the constitution. If he does not, which is clear in the case of this former vice-president, then there would be a challenge which needs to be dealt with.”

A ZIMBABWE Revenue Authority (Zimra) official was on Wednesday mauled by dogs at a Chinese-owned warehouse in Southerton during an operation to smoke out smuggling of goods into the country.

According to witnesses, the Zimra officials who were driving in a branded car went and parked at the entrance gate and proceeded to knock. A Chinese lady, one Alice Wang reportedly came out and reportedly watched as her dogs jumped on the female Zimra official.

Zimra spokesperson Francis Chimanda confirmed the incident and said the matter was reported to Southerton Police Station and investigations are in progress.

“A team of Zimra employees visited a client’s premises on March 20, 2019 to conduct a routine verification,” he said.

“Upon arrival at the premises the proprietor of the premises opened the gate to receive the officers, and two of their guard dogs came out of the premises and attacked one of the officers. The officer suffered injuries on the leg and was taken to the hospital by her colleagues for treatment.”

However Wang denied reports that she set the dogs on the official, saying she regretted the incident.

“I didn’t set the dogs. We know each other so as I was greeting her, my dogs probably felt jealous and attacked her. That was a mistake and we went to Southerton Police and we also took her to hospital,” Wang said.

She said they are into the business of making sheets and comforters.

Witnesses told NewsDay Weekender that they suspected the mauling was planned because the business people were probably trying to hide something from Zimra officials.

“They keep dogs at their business premise and on this particular incident; they were trying to avoid being investigated. In these Chinese-owned premises, a lot is happening that must be investigated.

“They also have some cameras outside the gate and they were sure of what they were doing because they didn’t want to be exposed. These people do all they can to cover-up their dealings,” a source privy to the matter said.

Police at Southerton station confirmed receiving the report on Wednesday and said they later forwarded the matter to Mbare, since it falls in that jurisdiction.

-Newsday

Own Correspondent|Representatives of Matabeleland civil society organisations told President Emmerson Mnangagwa to take devolution of power seriously or risk being kicked out of power the Robert Mugabe Way.

Contributing to the discussion on the devolution of power principle in a meeting between Mnangagwa and Matabeleland civic organisations, a member representing civil societies from Binga in Matabeleland North told Mnangagwa that one of the reasons why former President Robert Mugabe was removed from power was because he failed to obey the constitution to implement devolution.

The member told Mnangagwa to his face that if he fails to deliver the devolution of power provision the same method that was used to dislodge Mugabe will be used on him.

Sources who attended the closed door meeting held at the Bulawayo State House on Thursday told ZimEye.com that Mnangagwa reacted in extreme anger to the warning claiming that people who believe that Mugabe was disposed for failing to implement devolution were misinformed.

Mnangagwa told the meeting that his government was serious about implementing devolution as they have since allocated $31 million towards the initial stages of the programme.

Mnangagwa hailed the people of Matabeleland for standing firm in demanding and defending devolution of power claiming that government is finalising legislation that will govern the implementation of the programme.

According to the reports, Matabeleland demand that Mnangagwa compensates the region’s previous marginalisation by giving it more resources and attention compared to the other regions.

In response, Mnangagwa said that councillors in the devolved provincial councils will have to push the demands through and government will consider the submission.

Matabeleland region has been in the forefront in the demand for devolution of power which the region believes is the only means available that can help enhance development after years of marginalisation under the ZANU PF government.

By Own Correspondent| President Emmerson Mnangagwa has promoted three major-generals to the rank of Lieutenant-General and one Air Vice-Marshal to the rank of Air Marshal, as the four officers retire from active  service.

The three major-generals who were elevated to Lieutenant-General are Martin Chedondo, Anselem Sanyatwe and Douglas Nyikayaramba, while Air Vice-Marshal Shebba Shumbayawonda has been promoted to the rank of Air Marshal.

President Mnangagwa made the promotion in terms of Section 15 (1)(B)(2) of the Defence Act (Chapter 11:02) as read with the ZDF policy retirement of ex-combatants and founder members approved on February 28 2002, as well as the ZDF retention inducement and retirement policy for active ex-combatants approved on December 30 2017.

The new ranks are with effect from March 5, 2019.

Speaking during the investiture ceremony, ZDF Commander General Philip Valerio Sibanda challenged the officers to continue working hard at their new assignments in the diplomatic service.

“We are very happy for you and your families. Just to say this has happened as a result of the work you have been doing. It is a recognition of that effort that you have been putting to the work of the ZDF over the years. I am aware you are going to be reassigned, and I want to urge you to continue to work as hard as you have been doing. It might be outside the military but whichever way I want you to remain steadfast because once a soldier always a soldier,” said Gen Sibanda.-StateMedia

The Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Zimbabwe conveys, with deep sadness,
its message of condolence to all the victims of Tropical Cyclone Idai in the affected parts of Zimbabwe, as well as Mozambique and Malawi.

On behalf of the Muslims in Zimbabwe our thoughts are with the bereaving families of the deceased and those whose relatives have not been accounted for.

We pray for the speedy recovery of all those who have been injured. Our thoughts
are with all the victims of the Cyclone whose homes were destroyed and who have lost everything they owned.

We are grateful for the unity in adversity that has been displayed by Zimbabweans
from all walks of life who have given and continue giving in cash and in kind towards the humanitarian effort aimed at alleviating the losses caused by the cyclone.

We also extend our gratitude to the Government of Zimbabwe, the Private
Sector, the International Community, Rescue Agencies, Religious Groups and
Civil Society Organizations for their swift response to this National Disaster as well as for the generosity in giving displayed.

We join all people of faith in praying for the victims of Cyclone Idai in all the countries affected by it. It is our sincere prayer that they continue working hard to
restore all communities and destroyed infrastructure back to normal.

The hard work is just beginning as the waters recede and more bodies are found. We invite the people of God to pray for the victims and the governments of the
affected countries as they continue to work hard to restore the situation to
normality.

May the peace and blessings of the Almighty be with all the victims and their
families.

Sheikh Ismail Duwa
President

By Own Correspondent| The Ministry of Health said at least 326 000 men were circumcised last year, representing 90% of the target set.

Sinokuthemba Xaba, director of National Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision in the Health ministry yesterday told a strategic review meeting that more should be done, particularly targeting the older generation to encourage them to get circumcised.

Said Xaba:

“In relation to the targets, our achievement for last year was about 90% of our targets and this was in excess of 326 000 against a target of 350 000 circumcisions.

“This is by any measure very good given the history of the programme when we started in 2009. We used to have annual figures of 2 000.

The previous strategy contributed to the rapid scale up of the programme, and this new strategy that we are unveiling today will set the pace for the new focus in the programme which is geared on transitioning this initiative to sustainability.

Sustainability in our HIV programmes is of critical importance as we need to ensure continued quality service provision, even in light of dwindling donor funding.”Newsday

By Own Correspondent| A Zimbabwean businessman Ali Naka has threatened to name and shame individuals who demanded and got paid $70 000 before going to Chimanimani after Cyclone Idai struck.

Naka has given the individuals 72 hours to return the money.

Speaking on Twitter, Naka said:

“Those who demanded and got paid $70 000 before going to Chimanimani, have 72 hours to return it to the State Coffers before we name and Shame.”

MDC leader Nelson Chamisa reportedly defied advice from his security team and some of his party leaders who had advised him against visiting Chimanimani and Chipinge districts, which were devastated by Cyclone Idai early this week, highly-placed sources said yesterday.

At a meeting held at Richard Morgan Tsvangirai House (formerly Harvest House) on Saturday, MDC leaders were divided over Chamisa’s planned visit to Manicaland, with others expressing concern over his safety.

“There was debate on whether doing so (visit) now would take focus away from helping people because a good size of our structures will then focus on the president’s visit. Chamisa was, however, keen on that, but his technical team asked him to wait while they assess the feasibility of the visit,” a source told NewsDay.

Those against Chamisa going to Manicaland had insisted on the party deploying a high-powered delegation including vice-president Morgen Komichi, party secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora, MPs and other leaders, while they kept their president safe in Harare.

But the source said Chamisa insisted on going, saying people both within the party and outside needed moral support as well as aid, and that his safety was secondary.

“He told his security that he was not a coward and would not hide in Harare, while people suffered, insisting that as a leader he had to be at the front,” the source said.

As the MDC heads for congress in May, party insiders said if Chamisa had listened to the advice of his team his chances of retaining the presidency would have been “washed away” in the aftermath of the storm.

Against the advice of his technical team and security, Chamisa mobilised aid through other lawyers, party structures and partners before teaming up with Mwonzora, Komichi and another vice-president Elias Mudzuri to head to Manicaland province on Monday morning.

Chamisa’s spokesperson Nkululeko Sibanda could neither confirm nor deny the debate surrounding Chamisa’s visit. He only said: “President Chamisa has a team that gives him advice, he is not a one man band. He, however, has the power to override advice he receives.”

Chamisa’s tour in Manicaland ignited a social media debate with some accusing him of using the disaster for political mileage and photo opportunities, while his supporters commended him for providing leadership.

Spokesperson for the Thokozani Khupe-led MDC-T, Linda Masarira accused Chamisa of using dead bodies to gain political mileage. — NewsDay

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has left Harare to attend the inaugural commemoration of the Southern African Liberation Day that was declared at the Windhoek Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit in August 2018.

On the 23^rd of March 1988, the South African Defence Forces launched its last offensive against the Angolan Forces and the Cubans a battle known as Cuito Cuanavale that redefined the politics of the region.

 More to follow:

By Own Correspondent| The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) has been ordered to pay Housing Corporation of Zimbabwe (HCZ) $30 million with interests for breach of contract after the pension fund cancelled a housing deal.

NSSA had accused HCZ representatives Adam Molai, Stephen Duggan and Alec Nyatanga of swindling the public pension fund of $16 million in a botched housing investment deal which they had terminated. 

But an independent arbitrator Peter Lloyd ruled that NSSA had no case against HCZ. He also ruled that the manner in which NSSA handled the matter was wrong hence, they must compensate the property developer $30 million plus interest and legal fees.

A TOP medical pathologist in Bulawayo is at the centre of a messy abuse storm amid sensational revelations by his wife that he allegedly threatened to kill her.

The shocking details are contained in court papers in which Dr Rodger Kruger Chigangacha’s wife Tholakele Ncube filed at the Bulawayo Civil Court while seeking an interim protection order against him.

So dreadful were the threats that Ncube had since vacated their matrimonial home in Killarney suburb to stay with her parents in Barbourfields.

“I have been customarily married to Dr Roger K H Chigangacha for 20 years. We have four children together aged 18, 13, 11 and four years old. On 8 March this year, he physically abused me with fists, demanding car keys saying I should not drive as I wanted to reap where I did not sow.

“He violently chased me away from the matrimonial home on 8 March and took two of our children aged 11 and four.

“He later left the children at home without someone to look after them and he never returned. He sends me abusive text messages threatening to kill me. He also sent those threatening messages to end my life to my relatives.

“My left eye is permanently damaged as a result of the physical abuse he perpetrated on me. He brags about it and is refusing to give me money so that I undergo surgery. He no longer provides financial assistance for his children’s needs such as fuel for transporting them to school, school trips and it affects the children’s wellbeing. I now fear for my life and I am asking for a restraining order to be granted against him so that he stops abusing me,” begged Ncube.

She said her husband also spits at her and refuses her to socialise with other women.

Ncube further claimed her husband was also involved in an adulterous relationship with a former secretary at his surgery.

In her ruling presiding magistrate Rachel Mukanga ordered the top doctor not to physically, emotionally or verbally abuse his wife or threaten her in any way.

In 2014 Ncube once dragged former Amakorokoza actress Natasha Popova Sibanda to court accusing her of having an adulterous relationship with her husband. Ncube said Sibanda was in the habit of coming to her matrimonial house threatening her with marching orders saying she was now the doctor’s new and loving wife.

In response Natasha openly declared her undying love for the doctor saying Ncube should come to terms with the fact that they were now both Dr Chigangacha’s wives.

A Chinese owner of a warehouse in Southerton, Harare, watched in glee as her dogs mauled a female ZIMRA official and her colleague who had gone there to smoke out the smuggling of goods into the country, an incident which Zimra spokesperson Francis Chimanda has confirmed.

The Chinese lady, identified as Alice Wang, has since been reported to the police.

The Zimra officials who were driving in a branded car when they went and parked at the entrance gate and proceeded to knock.

“A team of Zimra employees visited a client’s premises on March 20, 2019 to conduct a routine verification,” he said.

“Upon arrival at the premises the proprietor of the premises opened the gate to receive the officers, and two of their guard dogs came out of the premises and attacked one of the officers. The officer suffered injuries on the leg and was taken to the hospital by her colleagues for treatment.”

However Wang denied reports that she set the dogs on the official, saying she regretted the incident.

“I didn’t set the dogs. We know each other so as I was greeting her, my dogs probably felt jealous and attacked her. That was a mistake and we went to Southerton Police and we also took her to hospital,” Wang told NewsDay.

She said they are into the business of making sheets and comforters.

Police at Southerton station confirmed receiving the report on Wednesday and said they later forwarded the matter to Mbare, since it falls in that jurisdiction.

NewsDay

By Own Correspondent| President Emmerson Mnangagwa has left Harare for Angola where he is set to attend the inaugural commemoration of the Southern African Liberation Day.

The day was declared at the Windhoek Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit in August 2018. On the March 23, 1988, the South African Defence Forces launched its last offensive against the Angolan Forces and the Cubans a battle known as Cuito Cuanavale.-StateMedia

A self-styled prophet in Bulawayo was jailed for 3 months by the Western Commonage court after he pleaded guilty to stealing a congregant’s Nokia Lumia and selling it for $7 because he wanted “quick money.”

Givemore Mujeyi (23) of Paddonhurst suburb took Mr Shakemore Marange’s phone while they were at a prayer meeting at Marange’s home in Matshobane suburb under the pretext that he wanted to pray over it as it was the source of his misfortunes.

Western Commonage magistrate Ms Tancy Dube heard how Mujeyi ordered Marange to wrap the phone in a white cloth before he put it in a spare bedroom and asked people not to open the room.

Mujeyi told the court that he stole the phone and sold it for $7 because he wanted quick money.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of theft and was sentenced to three months in jail. The magistrate said Mujeyi was not fit to perform community service as investigations showed that he did not have a fixed place of residence.

The prosecutor, Mrs Thembeni Mpofu said on Thursday last week, Mujeyi attended a prayer meeting at Marange’s home.

“During the meeting he asked Marange to wrap his phone with a white cloth and give it to him so he could pray over it because it was the reason why things were not going well in his life.

The court heard that Mujeyi put the phone in a clay pot, prayed over it and later asked to put the clay pot in a spare bedroom so that no one could see or touch it.

Marange said he could not believe he had been tricked by a church member.

“For about three days no one opened the spare bedroom. I later thought l should check on the phone since it had been three days and we had not heard anything from Mujeyi. When l got into the room there was no phone in the pot,” he said.

Marange confronted Mujeyi and he said he took the phone and sold it.

A police report was made and Mujeyi was arrested.

The police and magistrates’ courts have with immediate effect increased fines for criminal offences by 100 percent.

According to the new figures, an accused person will now pay minimum of RTGS$20 admission of guilt fine for Level One offences from a previous charge of $10 and a maximum of RTGS$$10 000 for Level 14 offences from RTGS$5 000. The new fines were published in the Government Gazette recently and have since become law.

The new standard scale applies only to offences committed on or after the date it became law, i.e. on or after 20th February. The previous standard scale will continue to apply to offences committed before 20th February and on or after the 23rd March 2017.

See the new fines below:

	NEW SCALE [offences committed on/after 20th February 2019]	FORMER SCALE [offences committed on/after 23rd March 2017 but before 20th February 2019]
Level	Monetary Amount (US $)* Now RTGS or Bond dollars	Monetary Amount (US $)*Now RTGS or Bond dollars
1	20	10
2	30	15
3	60	30
4	100	100
5	200	200
6	400	300
7	800	400
8	1 200	500
9	1 600	600
10	2 000	700
11	2 500	1 000
12	3 000	2 000
13	5 000	3 000
14	10 000	5 000

A FINANCE and administration manager for a beverages company, Lorraine Chitereka, who was recently slapped with a US$50 000 adultery damages order for bedding Harare businesswoman Rudo Boka’s husband, has approached the High Court seeking stay of execution arguing the granted amount is too astronomical compared to other amounts awarded in similar matters.

Chitereka, who last week approached the court seeking rescission of the US$50 000 default judgment said she has been compelled to file an urgent chamber application after getting wind that Boka had instructed her lawyers to seek to attach her property with a view to recover the US$50 000.

“This is an urgent application for the stay of execution of the default judgment granted against me (Chitereka), and in respondent’s (Boka) favour in HC9892/18. It is this default judgment whose rescission I respectfully seek in HC2118/19,” she said through her lawyers Mandizha and Company Legal Practitioners.

“I submit that I would suffer irreparable harm if execution is not stayed for a variety of reasons; the respondent (Boka) is holding on to a judgment in the total sum of US$50 000. My lawyers advise me that this award is most definitely high and in all likelihood, will be set aside.

Chitereka said her legal practitioners had gone further and researched on the legal authorities cited by Boka’s lawyer in justifying the granted amount.

“They have established that the awards range between $4 000 and $8 000 (that is bond notes). I further contend that an appreciation of the currency in which the judgment was granted to respondent, will show that in bond note/ZWR term, the said judgment translate to over $125 000. This is an unprecedentedly astronomical figure by all accounts,” she said.

“With my case herein being that respondent is not even entitled to the $4 000 or $8 000 referred to above, the potentiality of irreparable harm falling me, were execution not to be stayed and I ultimately succeed in the rescission of judgment application, becomes high and not too difficult to appreciate.”

In her founding affidavit recently filed alongside her court application for rescission of judgment, Chitereka said when Boka issued summons against her last year, she filed her appearance to defend with a view to challenge the claim, but as the matter progressed, she consulted lawyers who later turned out to be bogus leading to the default judgment being granted against her.

TEACHERS unions yesterday angrily rejected the $400 million deal struck by government and the Apex Council, accusing their representative body of being compromised and working against the improvement of civil servants’ conditions of service.

Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) secretary-general Raymond Majongwe said they were not accepting the offer and their fight for better salaries would continue.

“We can never be happy with that arrangement because in the first instance, when Cecilia Alexander (Apex chairperson) was presenting her arguments, they told us that they were demanding $1 700 and they end up with less than a 10th of that amount in their increment. So how then can we say I am happy?” he asked.

“A lot of things that they say they agreed on are not practical. They are not clarified and quantified and their timeframe and implementation remain a mirage.”

Majongwe said teachers were being victimised for engaging in industrial action and that the Apex Council was compromised and cannot represent civil servants well.

He said teachers want to go it alone and demand to negotiate on their own.

“The real reason we are in this situation is that the Apex Council is pulling cotton over our eyes, they are not representing anyone,” Majongwe said.

“As far as we are concerned, this is an insult to teachers. We are not going to accept this. The PTUZ is saying no. This is pure dog food and it doesn’t address the suffering of teachers. If you listen carefully, people at Apex are saying they are very happy, but how do you generate happiness when you are giving out a cushion pillow of stones. This is not a cushioning allowance.”

He said the duty-free car importation scheme would only breed corruption because the teachers have no capacity to buy vehicles with their current salaries.

Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) said it was disgusted by the “flawed deal” signed between government and the “illegitimate and highly-compromised Apex Council”.

“The deal offers a meagre US$26 salary increment to the current salary of US$120. In total, an average teacher will be earning US$146 in April 2019. This falls far short of US$1 150 needed to sustain a family of five monthly,” the organisation, in a statement, said.

“ARTUZ reiterates that government should simply honour our 2012 agreement and pay our current salaries in USD or equivalent.”

Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (Zimta) president Richard Gundane said there still existed a gap between the increased salaries and the individual budgets for individual civil servants.

They have, however, accepted the government offer for the sake of moving forward.

“What is important is to monitor the gap between the new salaries and individual budget for a person. It is that gap that we should continue to pursue. We made this concession with the view that by June we will have an opportunity for it to be reviewed,” he said.

Alexander said it was unfair for PTUZ to undermine the Apex Council’s efforts despite that there was no contribution coming from the organisation.

She insisted that they had done their best under the present circumstances to bring something on the table for civil servants.

The council secretary David Dzatsunga hit back at the teachers’ unions, saying they went on a different path to embark on a strike that did not produce anything, hence it would be unfair for them to dismiss their efforts that brought the $400 million package.

“That is false and those allegations are unfounded and are not premised on any substantial and substantive reasons that I could then respond to,” Dzatsunga said.

“We just negotiated as much as we could under the circumstances and some unions went as far as meeting the President [Emmerson Mnangagwa] and they brought nothing. They went on strike and brought nothing. Therefore, they cannot turn around and accuse us of being compromised. That is unfounded.” — NewsDay

Own Correspondent|Activists and Civil Society leaders from Matabeleland have implored on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to work on equalizing all the sixteen official languages in the country and free Matabeleland from being dominated by Shona speaking people.

Sources who attended a closed doors no holds barred dialogue between Mnangagwa and members of the Matabeleland Collective told ZimEye.com that the members of the collective told President Mnangagwa that people from the region which is home to most of the sixteen official languages, feel short changed by the dominance of Shona speaking people especially in government departments in the region who refuse to speak local languages.

Members of the Collective reportedly told Mnangagwa that the region is not happy with the huge deployment of Shona speaking people especially in education where teachers fail to speak to children in local languages.

The collective also questioned the dominance of Shona speaking people in sectors such as the police, health institutions and most government departments where they continue to demand for locals to speak to them in Shona when they seek services from government.

The collective further asked President Mnangagwa to protect local people by barring the importation of menial labour into the region as they accused Shona speaking people of taking over the menial jobs through nepotism and failing to employ locals to do the jobs.

In response President Mnangagwa however failed to commit himself to solving the matter indicating that Zimbabwe should be open for a free movement of people from all corners of the country.

According to the sources, President Mnangagwa said that the government will urgently work on modalities that will make sure that children from primary school level will be mandated to learn more than one of the indigenous languages especially Ndebele and Shona.

Mnangagwa further promised that government will review deployment policies and ensure that all heads of government departments have a bias towards the region they are working in.

Mnangagwa met with over sixty representatives of civic organisations from Matabeleland at State House on Thursday.

MDC Secretary-General Douglas Mwonzora, buoyed by a resurgent support base among the opposition party’s structures across the country, has declared that all expulsions and suspensions of party members are null and void.

Mwonzora said this as Chamisa had given an ultimatum to Masvingo Mayor Advocate Collins Maboke, a Mwonzora ally, to step down and revert to a councillor within a week or risk being fired from the party altogether. Chamisa’s ultimatum, which was issued last Saturday when he held a meeting in Masvingo, expired last night, but Mwonzora has declared that all suspensions of party members that may happen are null and void.

This means the structures put in place at the 2014 congress, at which he soundly beat party leader Nelson Chamisa for the post of secretary-general and are seen as loyal to him, will be the ones to chose the new leadership of the party.

Mwonzora, who is expected to challenge Chamisa for the position of party president, wrote to all provincial, district and ward chairpersons amid allegations that there were senior officials tampering with the structures to impose their preferred people who will vote at the congress.

“Please, be advised that the national standing committee has directed that after the setting of main congress dates by the national council, no expulsion or suspension of members shall be valid without the specific approval of the standing committee,” the letter, dated March 21, reads.

He also clarified the party’ position on members who stood as independent candidates, that they are not eligible to contest, while those that supported them can stand. In several constituencies, the party lost to Zanu PF after fielding multiple candidates.

“Please, further note that the only people disqualified from contesting congress positions are, (a) those who stood as independents, (b) those who stood as candidates for other political parties.

“Specifically, it was ruled that those who allegedly supported independent candidates or other candidates are not covered by this disqualification,” the letter, which was copied to Chamisa, national chairperson Tabitha Khumalo and organising secretary Amos Chibaya, added.

Canvassing for support has reached fever pitch in the MDC, with the majority openly endorsing Chamisa, although there is fear of another surprise victory for Mwonzora, who will enter the race as an underdog.

Mwonzora is expected to challenge Chamisa at the party’s congress slated for 24 May.

By Own Correspondent| McDonald Majaya (32) told a local publication he discovered his then girlfriend had been sleeping with a Roman Catholic Priest behind his back.

Catholic priests take a vow of celibacy and are not supposed to have sex. Majaya came across WhatsApp chats between Father Itai Mangenda, who once stayed in Bulawayo but is now based in Mutare, and his former girlfriend, Rutendo Mudzingwa (24).

Majaya said Father Mangenda has been sleeping with his ex-girlfriend since February last year.

Majaya said the priest’s brother, also a priest from Bulawayo staying in Matsheumhlope suburb, Father Joe Mangenda, tried to bribe him to stop him from exposing the illicit relationship.

Contacted for comment by this publication, Father Mangenda initially said he did not know Mudzingwa. He later changed his story when the reporter told him she had evidence of the affair.

Mudzingwa however said she admitted to having an affair with the priest because Majaya threatened her. When asked about the WhatsApp chats, Mudzingwa started crying and begged The Chronicle not to publish the story.-StateMedia

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