“…I said it will be rough, but it’s gonna be rougher but thereafter we will have a ZW we all want. This monopoly and idiocy shall be challenged. With or without,2023 is coming.Tatamba zvakwana!…”

Farai Dziva|One of the founder members of the Movement for Democratic Change Lawson Mapfaira popularly known as Dhara Rada has died.

Mapfaira died in Chivi in the early hours of today.

“When you talk of people who contributed to the launch of the party in Masvingo Province you will not miss his name.In 2000 Dhara Rada was one of the members who led the Recruitment Committee.

Mapfaira was a fearless and dedicated leader.Rest in peace Dhara Rada Lawson Mapfaira.

In 2000 he was at Chitungwiza Aquatic Centre at the party’s first Congress of the MDC,” said MDC A official Jeffryson Chitando.

By Own Correspondent- Deputy minister of Labour and Social Welfare Lovemore Matuke told parliament that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration is yet to review upwards the monthly allowance given to the elderly in Zimbabwe revealing that they are currently getting $25 RTGs bond.

He said this while responding to a question from Zanu-PF Nkayi South Member of Parliament Stars Mathe.

Said Matuke:

“In our Constitution, there is a clause which states that elderly people and young children are the burden of Government.  Government has put in place mechanisms to support such people.  For school going ages, there is BEAM which caters for them.  In our Constituencies we have our structures which recommend for support of the elderly and young ones who are in need. Government is responsible for that burden.  They can even get cash per month and also food aid is supposed to be given to those people.

I urge Members of Parliament in your constituencies to assist Government to identify such people so that they get assistance from Government.  Social Welfare officers will come to your areas to verify the existence of such people and then they get help.  I thank you.

It is the duty of the Government to take care of the elderly.  However, we have economic and financial problems at the moment.  Our funding might not be sufficient like other countries that you have mentioned but in accordance to what we have as a country, the Government is supposed to help the elderly with money.  At the moment they were being given $25 per month.  However it has been noted that the money is too little, it cannot buy anything.  The money is going to be increased so that it can buy something in order to take care of our elderly and young ones as stipulated in our Constitution.”

By Own Correspondent- Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has said that the arrest of a suspect only acts as a way of ensuring that they attend trial and it should not be used as a method to investigate a crime.

Ziyambi said this Thursday during a question without notice session at parliament.

He said:

“Arrest is a method of securing the attendance of somebody at trial and it is not supposed to be used as a method to investigate. When somebody is being arrested, there must be reasonable suspicion that an offence has been committed and they are ready for trial. That is one of the methods that are used to secure the attendance of that particular person at trial.”

Paul Nyathi|Giant Financial Weekly Newspaper, the Financial Gazette has issued a statement apologising to its readers for publishing a misleading article that DSTV South Africa was working on disconnecting Zimbabwean viewers who are subscribing in South Africa.

The same article was captured and credited to the same media here by ZimEye.com correspondents. The error is regretted.

Below the full statement by the Financial Gazette who originated the article which has also been captured by several other online publications.

“When we first published this article, we wrote that DSTV was switching off customers who were accessing South African accounts from Zimbabwe.

This is not true however. We profusely apologise for carrying that story.

The truth is a bit more complicated and we will publish on that very soon explaining exactly what’s going on.

Yes, accessing South African DSTV content from anywhere outside South Africa is illegal and not permitted by Multichoivce. They just don’t have a way of stopping such pirate accounts from receiving signal.

Again, very sorry for running an inaccurate story. We will give you details soon.

Farai Dziva| Government has, through a directive from Emmerson Mnangagwa suspended the operations of a Masvingo based Non Governmental Organisation (NGO).

Community Tolerance Reconciliation and Development has been banned for allegedly funding public protests.

Officials at the organization have confirmed the suspension is with immediate effect.

Community Tolerance and Reconciliation Development Trust is a youth organization that promotes democracy, development and human rights issues.

By Own Correspondent-  Deputy minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement Douglas Karoro has revealed that all is set for the 2019 tobacco marketing season.

Karoro said TIMB had confirmed that the buyers were ready in terms of cash and floor space and the organisation was only waiting for the announcement of the tobacco auctioning date.

He said this while responding to a question from Zanu Pf’s Wedza North legislator, David Musabayana on progress made towards the commencement of tobacco auctioning.

Said Karoro:

“We visited TIMB offices who are the ones who control the tobacco auctioning to check on the preparedness. They informed us that all is in place. They were waiting for the date of the auctioning to come, including cash to be used to buy the tobacco. According to assessments, the buyers are ready in terms of cash and floor space.

When I say the preparations are at an advanced stage, I am telling the truth.  The issue of vendors who disturb the tobacco farmers when they come to sell their tobacco; we have looked at that and prepared for them.  We even looked at the issue of health and there was a comprehensive inspection that was done on the facilities so that they are able to hold many people who would be coming to sell their tobacco.”

By Own Correspondent- Two Masvingo coucillors nearly exchanged blows in the Masvingo City Council chambers over a resolution to create an audit department.

Ward 4 and 10 Councilors Godfrey Kurauone and Sengerayi Manyanga engaged into a heated argument and Mayor Collen Maboke had a torrid time restraining the two who were sitting next to each other.

Commotion started after Kurauone proposed to rescind a resolution which was made by the last full council, stating that the council was wasting resources and time going to see the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing with a proposal to have a stand-alone audit department.

A heated debate ensued over the issue with the majority of councillors against Kurauone until Manyanga challenged Kurauone to move a motion which could be seconded.

Manyanga started accusing Kurauone of wasting the full council’s time by not making it clear from the start that his question was just a motion.

“Kurauone was supposed to ask his question, like he has done now. He is wasting council’s time and taking us for fools. Your Worship, whenever you give him a chance to speak, give me also,” Manyanga said, seething with anger.

“He thinks he is clever and we are foolish, taking this whole house for a ride,” a charged Manyanga said.

Kurauone then stood up and told the mayor that Manyanga was on his phone during the debate, at which Manyanga interjected saying Kurauone was in South Africa when the issue was resolved and can cannot rescind something that was resolved in his absence.

“We are not fools here, we are councilors. You are the thief that is why you are opposed to a stand-alone audit department,” Manyanga charged.
The two councilors then stood up and started exchanging insults, during which Kurauone told Manyanga that the full council was not a Border Gezi camp.

“This is not a Border Gezi camp. You cannot bully everyone here,” an angry Kurauone said.

It took the intervention of Ward 1 councillor Selina Maridza to stop the two councilors from bickering, after which Mayor Maboke gave an order that the council will stand with the resolution to go see the minister of local government.-TellZim

By Own Correspondent- Addressing the media soon after the post cabinet meeting in Harare Thursday, Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obediah Moyo denied that doctors are on strike.

Moyo challenged anyone who claimed that senior doctors were on strike to visit any hospital and confirm for themselves that they were reporting for duty.

Said Moyo:

“I would like to clarify the fact that there is no one on strike in the health sector. If reporters would like, you can even go and confirm with the consultants at Parirenyatwa hospital. They called us for a meeting because they had had a meeting the previous day with their local administration at Parirenyatwa and they were advising me on some of the issues they were not happy with.”

By Own Correspondent- Management at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals has reportedly ignored an electrical fault which occurred after a fire broke out and damaged part of the Mbuya Nehanda maternity division last month, rendering the institution a death trap for newly born babies.

The absence of power in the maternity ward has also worsened the situation as some babies are now being born deformed.

Paediatrician, Dr Azza Mashumba said that the government has to urgently deal with the issue.

She said:

“There is no urgency at all, this fire happened on the second of February 2019 but they are painting the outside. How is that important, how is that going to help at all? There is just no urgency at all.

We are trying so hard, we have tried coming up with contingency plans but nothing is moving.”

However, Parirenyatwa Hospitals Chief Executive Officer, Mr Thomas Zigora said that the painting of the hospital is being done by a well-wisher while the electrical fault would be addressed very so.

By Own Correspondent- Opposition MDC has described the ongoing strike by doctors as a reflection of a failed government which is implementing a soft genocide on its citizens.

National spokesperson for the MDC Jacob Mafume said in a statement:

“The strike of specialist doctors’ at Parirenyatwa Hospital is an indictment on the failed military government.

It is a high-level manifestation of a nation in crisis. Mnangagwa and his cabal must humble themselves and accept failure. They must apologise for failing the Zimbabwean people and concede to the convening of urgent dialogue.

Zimbabweans cannot continue to lose lives unnecessarily, the statement released by the doctors makes this point. They state that lives are being lost while doctors watch because there are no consumables required to do the work.

That emergency cases are now taking longer than normal while patients have to source consumables on their own. Doctors have also said they would be attending to emergencies only while resources reserved for these situations will last just a month.

This is a national disaster, it cannot be business as usual.

The military government has been committing a soft genocide – loved ones have been lost.

The MDC calls for urgent measures to combat avoidable deaths.

Only dialogue can resolve these issues. The People’s President, Adv Nelson Chamisa has already availed himself to deal with the challenges bedevilling our country.”

By Own Correspondent- Zimbabwe has agreed to allow South African officials to sit in official meetings of the Ministry of Finance.

This was revealed in confidential minutes of Tuesday’s South Africa-Zimbabwe Bi-national Commission, exclusively obtained by the Zimbabwe Independent, the publication claims.

According to the Independent, South Africa has demanded to monitor Zimbabwe’s economic affairs, and get latest updates if it was to engage Zimbabwe’s creditors. An official well-briefed on the developments told The Independent that:

Ramaphosa has taken a firmer position to build closer relations between South Africa and Zimbabwe than his predecessors as a way of trying to reinforce his control over the situation, help out Harare and stabilise the country while containing huge problems the local crisis is causing south of the Limpopo.

He really wants to help; his administration realises that South African can only contain problems Zimbabwe is causing in its backyard and in the region by stabilising it and assisting it to recover.

This is a much more sustainable solution than allowing Zimbabwe to sink, become South Africa’s poor 10th province or take advantage of its problems to tap into its labour reservoir, shrinking market and resources.

Already Zimbabwe is like a huge South African warehouse, but Ramaphosa wants to help with a sustainable solution. It is both in South Africa and Zimbabwe’s national interest.

… Zimbabwe is to extend an invitation to South Africa to participate in stakeholder meetings which Zimbabwe’s Finance minister holds on a regular basis, during which feedback is provided on the state of the economy and policy measures by the government (of Zimbabwe).

Going forward, the two ministers agreed to work together on engagements with international partners to provide support towards the economic reform agenda of Zimbabwe.

Earlier this year our government shut down the internet to stifle protests and when the internet was restored the government the government made sure that we still didn’t have our beloved social media platforms to communicate. This was the case for a couple of days but then order was later restored and Zimbos have been chatting away on these platforms with no problems since then.

In Chad, unfortunately, there is a different reality. Internet access was cut off towards the end of March. 28 March if we’re being exact and since then nothing has changed. Of course, the internet shutdown came about as a result of political and economic tensions in the country. In Zimbabwe, it was the fuel crisis and the subsequent raising of fuel prices that led to the shutdown. In Chad, it was a proposed constitutional change that would allow the allegedly unpopular ruling party to stay in power until 2033 that triggered the social media apocalypse. Prior to this extended shutdown, the Chad government had already established their reputation for having a quick trigger finger when it came to shutting down the internet, as a similar move was made in 2016.

Though the shutdowns were quite common for the country with a 6% internet penetration rate, they never lasted as long as this one has. For the mobile operators following a political directive, they’ve resorted to calling the disruption a ‘technical challenge’ which is a big reflection of how powerless mobile network operators at the mercy of dictatorial regimes have become.

human rights activists and groups like Africa Freedom of Expression Exchange have been campaigning to bring an end to the internet blackout but thus far this has not been fruitful.

The MDC today received with sadness disturbing news of the death of Blessing Toronga – a member of the MDC District Executive in Highfield.

Toronga was abducted by individuals driving an unmarked Foton vehicle back in January days after the ZCTU-called stay away.

The MDC made efforts to publicise his abduction and sort assistance in his location to no avail only to be told of the discovery of his body in a mortuary in Chitungwiza.

We are concerned by the consolidation of a predatory military state which devours its citizens. Zimbabwe cannot continue on this path.

Citizens are killed for exercising the right to form, join and participate in activities of political organisations of their own choice as enshrined in section 67 of the Constitution.

Zimbabweans now live in fear of disappearing as was during Ian Douglas Smith’s time when members of the special branch instituted forced disappearances on activists of black majority rule.

The idea of politically motivated deaths defeats the idea of the liberation struggle, it is a reversal of the gains and is unacceptable. The people who hijacked the agenda of independence must be jettisoned, they are a danger to society.

The Party send its condolences to the Toronga family and the Highfield community. May they find comfort in these trying times.

Rest In Power Mr Toronga

Jacob Mafume

By Own Correspondent- Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Martin Makonese has denied Tashinga Musonza bail arguing the accused was a flight risk.

Musonza (29), an Air force of Zimbabwe pilot based at Josiah Tungamirai Airbase in Gweru, reportedly killed his lawyer girlfriend, Lucky Duve (32) last year accusing her of cheating on him with his unnamed colleague.

Musonza had applied for bail at the High Court through his lawyer James Makiya.

Justice Makonese dismissed Musonza’s application. He said:

It is now trite, that where the evidence against an applicant is overwhelming, the risk of abscondment is high. The court is aware that the applicant does not deny assaulting the deceased.

The court observes that the applicant’s defence is at variance with the cause of death recorded in the postmortem report. The question that arises is why the applicant seeks to mislead this court on the cause of death?

It is my view, that an applicant in a bail application who seeks to mislead the court is not a suitable candidate for bail.

By Own Correspondent- Panic has gripped the Bulawayo community after shocking and controversial statistics revealed that 80 percent of Bulawayo men that patronise bars and the red light districts are sleeping with other men.

The shocking and yet to be confirmed revelations were made by Bulawayo male sex workers to a local media outlet.

Outraged Bulawayo men took to micro-blogging site Twitter to express their disgruntlement and distaste at the allegations.

Some people made a joke of it while most women were panicking that they could be sharing their partners with men.

“We are having trouble dealing with omakhwapheni (small houses), and then we have to worry about other men at men’s conference? The drinking buddies! It just can’t be!” said one Lisa Khanye on Twitter.

Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) said they were aware of the statistics that have almost got Bulawayo Twitter crashing. They, however, said they could neither dismiss nor confirm the said figures.

In a statement to a local publication, GALZ regional director Teddy Munyimani said his organisation was aware of the statistics mentioned in the allegations, made online.

He said such claims would be credible if backed by evidence from a study.

“Statistics have to be backed by evidence, maybe of a study concluded of which we are not aware of any that has been done or its results shared or published,” said Munyimani.

He, however, highlighted that he would not dismiss the claims as sex was a private matter and hence it was difficult to really know for sure what happens behind closed doors.

“It is difficult to establish statistics of men in sexual relations, sex is a private matter and we are not in the business nor would we want to advocate for the policing of people’s bedrooms,” he said.

Some Twimbos were in denial, saying there was no such thing as male pr0stitution in the city of kings.

However, a local publication interviewed a network of the male sex workers community, who claimed to have many clients that were heterosexual during the day.

The male sex workers are however, not the ones behind the 20 percent revelation, which is alleged to be part of a study being carried out by a local organisation.

One of the male sex workers who spoke to B-Metro, Ayanda, said most men were in denial of having a fetish for other men.

“I have been in this business for a long time and people do not mind me anymore. However, the interesting part about my job is that I get to see the different side of people that other people never get to see.

“I am popular in clubs in Harare and Bulawayo and I often have clients that are married. The men are straight and heterosexual during the day but it is a totally different story after hours. I am happy because they enjoy my services but it sometimes beats me why they live a life of pretence during the day,” said Ayanda.

“When these men are with me, they get to live their fantasy and that is something that they will never get to experience in their marriages, as they are just for cover up,” said Ayanda.

Ayanda alleged that some very prominent pastors of popular Pentecostal churches were some of his regular clients.

He said the charismatic religious leaders were some of his best paying clients as they also took him away for holidays while pretending to be on business trips.

“Their wives are very comfortable with them having male personal assistants but they do not know that I am the side guy. I get annoyed though when the big men start wanting to own me. I do not date, I am in business. I also have my boyfriend and he supports my hustle.”

Sources said the statistics stem from a study that is being carried out by a local organisation. However, details were still sketchy as the study was not yet complete.

If there is some truth to the allegations, it looks like the city is surely in crisis.

JAMES Rubin, a lead lobbyist for a Donald Trump-linked lobby firm which was recently hired by the Zimbabwean Government to lobby for the easing of relations with the Trump administration, has defended the human rights record of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration.

Rubin said that in any case, it is better for the Zimbabwean administration to be working with Americans than the Chinese “who don’t care at all about human rights.”

Rubin has told a top US political magazine Politico that while Zimbabwe’s new leadership has made mistakes, including a crackdown on demonstrators in January that reportedly killed at least 17 people, “it now is far, far better than Zimbabwe’s government was under Mugabe.”

“I’d rather Zimbabwe work with us (Americans) than with the Chinese, who don’t care at all about human rights,” Rubin said.

Rubin served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs in the Clinton Administration from 1997–2000. He has been assigned by Ballard as the lead lobbyist for Zimbabwe. Brian Ballard, the founder of the lobby firm, has strong ties to US president Donald Trump, having chaired the Trump Victory organization in Florida, a major swing state, during the US elections. He has also lobbied on behalf of the Trump Organization in the state for more than a decade. 

Zimbabwe has tried to retain lobbyists with presidential connections before. In 2008, Zimbabwean government officials agreed to hire two men who claimed have connections to Obama, who were later convicted of illegally attempting to lobby to lift U.S. sanctions on the country.

To emphasize his point, Ballard says last year it turned down lobbying requests from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a repressive regime accused of human rights abuses. After being turned down, the DRC government later approached “an obscure firm” called Sonoran Policy Group owned by one Robert Stryk where they paid $1.5 million, according to Justice Department disclosures, the Politico reports.

Regarding the arrangement with Zimbabwe, Ballard will work “to encourage a re-examination of Zimbabwe by the State Department with a view to establishing the best possible bilateral relationship with the United States and facilitating the restoration of Zimbabwe’s membership in good standing in the community of nations,” according to the firm’s contract.

But Michelle Gavin, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former U.S. ambassador to Botswana, said that while Zimbabwe’s new government had undertaken some reforms since Mugabe was ousted, the country is still plagued by corruption and human rights abuses.

“What we’re seeing on the ground I don’t think gives many observers any confidence there is genuine respect for the rule of law,” she said.

Bruce Wharton, a former U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, tweeted last week that the country’s decision to hire Ballard was a “[t]ragic waste of public funds.”

James Rubin is married to Christiane Maria Amanpour, a British-Iranian journalist and television host. Amanpour is the Chief International Anchor for CNN and host of CNN International’s nightly interview program Amanpour, and she is the one who interviewed President Mnangagwa in September last year when he was attending the UN General Assembly.

Zimbabwe will pay US$500,000 every year until 13 February 2021, and the payments will be made quarterly, The first payment was made immediately after the signing of the contract by Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sibusiso Moyo on 13 February 2019.

Apart from the US$500,000 annual fee, Zimbabwe will also pat the lobbysts any other incidental costs such as airline fees, hotel and travel fees, meals, car services etc which costs will be incurred during the execution of the duties.

By Own Correspondent- Seven people have died following an Ulemu bus accident.

Ulemu Bus Service overturned 10 kilometers from Nyamapanda on its way to South Africa.

The bus reportedly overturned as the driver was trying to avoid hitting a school kid.

Some of the injured are currently admitted at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare.

Senior Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi was not immediately available for comment.

Said Nyathi:

“I am in a very important meeting at Interpol offices. Call me around 2 pm.”

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

By Own Correspondent- An official from CIMAS reportedly died following an accident along Samora Machel in Harare this (Friday) morning.

Sources privy to the details allege that the official stopped his car along Samora Machel to speak with his yet to be identified friend.

The duo were standing between their cars which were parked in a convoy like manner.

A third car reportedly bumped into the car which was at the far end of the convoy and the official was crashed as he was trapped between the cars.

Efforts to get a comment from the police regarding the accident were futile by the time of writing as Senior Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi told ZimEye to call after 2 pm.

“I am in a meeting, please call me after 2pm” said Assistant Commissioner Nyathi.

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

Feedback from Chiredzi District Civil Protection Unit meeting:

Cyclone Idai is forecasted to reach us this evening or tomorrow morning.
It’s causing havoc in Mozambique and up to the noon today it had claimed 66 human lives.

Parents are advised to exercise discretion tomorrow on whether to allow their children to go to school or not especially where children cross streams and rivers.

People should move from low lying areas to high ground areas should they feel threatened

Rainfall in excess of 50mm is expected from tomorrow up to Saturday.
Let’s all be on standby to assist whoever will be in need.

Thank you

R. Zireva
Secretary General Mkwasine Management Committee (Interim)

By Own Correspondent- A Harare woman’s attempt to stop her husband’s secret wedding yesterday at the Magistrates’ Court hit a snag after she arrived moments after the conclusion of the signing ceremony and the duo had been declared married.

Only identified as Mrs Chidzoka, the blind woman only arrived at the court when her husband John Chidzoka and his new bride Charity Tembo were heading for a photo shoot.

Chidzoka was at a loss for words after she discovered it was too late for her to stop the wedding.

“I never thought that my husband would betray me in this manner. I would have understood if it was any other woman but not my tenant.

These people are taking advantage of the fact that I am blind hence I cannot see what will be happening right under my nose. Honestly, I am heartbroken.”

It is understood that John has been married to Mrs Chidzoka for more than 11 years now but they did not bear children during their marriage.

Tembo, who is said to have been a tenant at Chidzoka’s homestead for about two years, is alleged to have been enjoying an illicit affair with John.

“Charity does not have a husband of her own and she has a habit of cooking food which she offers to my husband without my knowledge.

Ever since my husband started eating her food, his behaviour has changed because he has turned into a drunkard.

There was a time when I visited my parents in the rural areas for about 11 days and on my return, I caught my husband red-handed as he was sleeping naked in my kitchen with Tembo who was also naked.

After this incident, Tembo has been threatening me and she once told me that she will take over my home, now she has.

John’s relatives are the ones who informed me early in the morning that my husband was getting married today at the court and I arrived late because I would have stopped this fake marriage from proceeding,” added Chidzoka.

Asked by the wife’s relatives who were also present at the court yesterday why John did what he did, he claimed he got married because he wanted to commence lessons at a bible school hence he needed a marriage certificate for registration since it is a must.

By Own Correspondent- Economist John Robertson has expressed optimism that the country’s economic trajectory is brighter following the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) decision to float the local currency last month.

Speaking at a meeting on the state of the economy organised by the British Council, Robertson said:

“At last, our situation has started to look promising. We all know the uncertainties that we have been battling with for years.

We have had shortages of bread, cash, fuel and various imports, including job opportunities and everyone, has their list of which I can say that our lists are now shorter. In spite of that, I would still say our situation looks more promising anyway.

What has changed? Well, the government has decided to let market forces decide the exchange rate for what is our almost new currency with our virtual RTGS dollars . . . Stability is an important objective from so many points of view, that if it can be reached, it would be a very worthy achievement.

We still have a lot to do to improve, but stable conditions would encourage investment and investment is the most important prerequisite for job creation.

Price stability will encourage business expansion, the efforts needed to establish new markets, the resourcefulness needed to design better products and the courage needed to venture into new areas of business opportunity.

And job creation will alleviate poverty and poverty is one of the more serious problems right now.”-Newsday

By Own Correspondent- Telecel Zimbabwe (Pvt) Ltd faces eviction from two rented premises over failure to settle rental arrears amounting to US$40 843.

The two properties belong to First Mutual Investment Company (Pvt) Ltd.

First Mutual has approached the High Court to force Telecel to settle the arrears and vacate its properties in Harare and Gweru.

In respect to First Mutual Gweru, the two parties entered into a lease agreement on August 14, 2013.

Telecel wanted to to operate a base station at its premises and pay a monthly rental of US$1 000.

First Mutual said:

“In breach of the parties agreement, the defendant (Telecel) failed to pay rentals and operating costs on due dates, resulting in the cancellation of the lease agreement and the lease also expired on July 31, 2018.”-Newsday

Correspondent|Masvingo District Administrator Ray Hove has with immediate effect suspended the Community Tolerance and Reconciliation Development Trust, a youth organization that promotes democracy, development and human rights issues.

The NGO is  alleged to have encouraged people to stage public protests early this year over the high cost of living following Emmerson Mnangagwa’s announcement of fuel prices of up to 150 percent.

When reached for comment, Hove declined to shed light on the circumstances leading to the suspension of NGO when he was asked by VOA Zimbabwe Service to provide details of the allegations being made against it.

Community Tolerance and Reconciliation Development Trust programs manager Zivanai Muzorodzi dismissed claims that the organization encouraged people to revolt against the government, adding that they are properly registered in Zimbabwe.

He claimed that the government does not tolerate any criticism.

This comes barely a month after President Mnangagwa told Zanu PF supporters in Masvingo province that his government will deal ruthlessly with NGOs that allegedly encouraged Zimbabweans to stage public protests in January this year “with a regime change agenda”.

By Own Correspondent- Former Midlands Provincial Affairs minister, Jason Machaya, has denied wrongdoing over the questionable allocation of stands when he was still in office arguing that he was merely implementing duties assigned to him by ousted leader Robert Mugabe..

Machaya is facing charges of criminal abuse of office for unlawfully parcelling out land in the Midlands Province.

He argues that he was arrested for doing duties assigned to him by former President Robert Mugabe.

Said Machaya:

“When I was appointed Governor and Resident Minister, I found a national housing project in place. I simply took over what the late governor Cephas Msipa was doing.

Further, the President (Mugabe then) also gave me directives on how I was to do my work. In respect to the charges for which I was/am to be tried, President RG Mugabe specifically directed me to do my work as I did.

Further, I wrote detailed monthly reports in respect of all the works I am being tried for, to the President. I also reported my work to the President and Cabinet.

The President and Cabinet guided my work and approved everything that I did, especially issues to do with things that are in the charges.

The President who authorised me to do what I did is no longer in office. The State has not interviewed him or recorded a statement from him concerning my activities.

I challenge them to do so. My conduct was only adjudged unlawful in about January 2018 after the removal of President RG Mugabe, yet he authorised my work.

Is there a law for one government and another law for another government? How was I supposed to know that what I was doing was criminal when what I was doing was being directed and authorised?”

Machaya made the remarks in his founding affidavit in his application to the High Court where he is seeking a review of his trial proceedings following the dismissal of his application for permanent stay of prosecution.-Newsday

By Own Correspondent- The remaining two bodies of miners who were trapped underground in a mine at Battlefields near Kadoma have finally been retrieved, a senior government minister has revealed.

Addressing the media at a post Cabinet briefing on Thursday, acting Information minister Sekai Nzenza said the two remaining bodies which had been trapped underground for over a month.

Said Nzenza:

“This brings closure to the rescue efforts pertaining to the Battlefields Mine Disaster. Cabinet once again expresses its deepest condolences to the affected families and the artisanal mining fraternity in general.”

Eight people were rescued alive after being trapped underground for four days when mine shafts at the Cricket 3 Mine were inundated with flood waters on February 12. At least 28 miners died in the disaster.

The Battlefields Mine Disaster has prompted Cabinet Ministers to pledge law reforms to legalise the activities of the artisanal miners which they hope will lead to greater safety.

Fidelity Printers and Refiners (FPR), a subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe responsible for the purchasing, refining and exporting of gold, is under fire for buying “stolen gold” from illegal artisanal miners who have invaded Gaika Mine in Kwekwe.

Court documents seen by this publication show that FPR was ordered by the High Court not to buy any gold being mined by the mainly Zanu PF youths who invaded Gaika Mine from February 2018.

Duration Gold Investments, Gaika mine owners, approached the High Court seeking an interdict to stop FPR from purchasing “stolen gold”.

Court documents issued in March 2018 under case number HC 622/18 ordered FPR, which is cited as the fourth respondent, “not to accept any gold won return from Gaika Mine from any person other than an authorised representative of applicant, that fourth respondent be and is, hereby, ordered to pay to an authorised signatory or credit applicant’s bank.”

However, an investigation this week revealed that FPR agents were buying gold from the illegal miners in defiance of the court order.

“I have a certificate to buy gold and this is legal,” an FPR agent in Kwekwe said.

“FPR has agents in and around Kwekwe who buy gold. We do not smuggle gold, we take it to Fidelity.”

Former Mbizo legislator Vongaishe Mupereri (Zanu PF), who is said to be the ring leader of the invaders, was also ordered by High Court judge Justice Nicholas Mathonsi to pay all the costs which were met by Duration Gold Investments.

“That first respondent (Mupereri) be and is, hereby, ordered to pay the costs of suit of this application on the attorney and client scale,” part of the court order read.

The court also ordered FPR not to be involved in any dealings with illegal miners from Gaika, since it would be a violation of the mine owner’s rights.

“That fourth respondent be and is, hereby, ordered not to deal with anyone other than an authorised representative of applicant in respect of any gold won from Gaika mine,” the court order read.

Illegal miners on the ground confirmed to this publication that they sold their gold to FPR agents in Kwekwe.

FPR spokesperson Chelesani Moyo directed all questions to Mehluleli Dube, who is the head of gold operations at FPR.

Dube told NewsDay that: “I am not aware of any court order, but if that is the case, then it will be easier for the complainant to track how much gold they would have lost. My logic is, if it is not bought by Fidelity, then it will be taken to the black market.”

-Newsday

By Own Correspondent- A Chinese multinational corporation Touchroad International is set to partner a local company, Mashonaland Holdings Limited, and convert Charter House in Harare into a five-star hotel.

The building will be remodelled into an 80-room hotel, with state-of-the-art facilities at an estimated cost of over US$10 million..

Touchroad International Holdings chairman, He Liehui revealed that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Mashonaland Holdings has been signed.

Said Liehui:

“It’s a very big investment because the building is old, it’s over 60 years old now, so a lot of systems need to be built. There is a need for new technology and security systems.

The investment will probably draw a lot of thousands (of dollars), I think we will invest more than $10 million.

Our policy is localisation, and since the building is here, the tourists will come here and pay here and they check in here.

It’s our first time to partner with a local company. If we hear it can be a success, we can partner with other countries.”

Tourism minister Priscah Mupfumira said that the project will revitalise the country’s tourism sector.-Newsday

President Mnangagwa has warned parastatals that continue to under-perform despite Government support saying days of perennial poor performances and failure to complete projects they would have embarked on are over.

The President said this in Beitbridge on Wednesday during the commissioning of the National Backbone Fibre Link, which connects the country with the rest of the world through South Africa.

His remarks come on the back of TelOne having accounted for every cent of the funds used under the US$98 million National Broadband Project (NBB) kitty.

The funds were availed by the China Eximbank as part of the mega deals signed by President Mnangagwa during his five-day State visit to the Asian country last year.

“I commend TelOne for the prudent manner they utilised the financial resources for this Government initiated and guaranteed project,” said President Mnangagwa.

“I urge all public entities to take a leaf from this good example and instil a culture of good stewardship, hard honest work, accountability and transparency in the implementation of national projects. The days of incomplete projects and non-payment of loans are over.”

TelOne was assisted by Government to get the US$98 million loan, with its sister company NetOne, being the guarantor.

TelOne managing director Chipo Mutasa said of the US$98 million, a total of US$23,6 million was used on the National Backbone Fibre Link while the rest of the funds went to the establishment of Data Centres in Harare, Bulawayo and Mazowe as well as upgrading of the entire voice/ broadband systems and some access systems, including fibre to the home.

Parastatals have become notorious for failing to deliver, with management paying themselves fatty cheques despite the abject performance of the firms.

Perennially, parastatals look to Government support, with the funds usually looted immediately after being received, which has prompted Treasury to call for the firms’ reforms.

In 2016, 30 out of 93 State owned Enterprises that were audited recorded a staggering loss of $270 million due to weak corporate governance systems and ineffective control mechanisms.

Zimbabwe has 107 parastatals. Plans are now afoot to reform 41 parastatals and state companies to ensure they return to profitability and relieve central Government of the burden of financing them annually.

The reform agenda includes full and partial privatisation of some firms, listing on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, re-bundling and “killing” those that have no hope of recovery.

TelOne is one of the companies earmarked for reform.

Meanwhile, TelOne’s National Backbone Fibre Link project was implemented by Huawei Technologies of China together with the parastatal’s team of engineers.

The project was done in record time of 18 months. Some of the sub-contractors who worked on the project include Best Group, RH Engineering and Pachedu.

Upstream internet bandwidth service providers through whom the connectivity to the rest of the world was facilitated include the West Indian Ocean Cable Company (WIOCC), Telkom of South Africa and TDM Mozambique for provision of back-haul services and Orange France.

State Media

Fidelity Printers and Refiners (FPR), a subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe responsible for the purchasing, refining and exporting of gold, is under fire for buying “stolen gold” from illegal artisanal miners who have invaded Gaika Mine in Kwekwe.

Court documents seen by this publication show that FPR was ordered by the High Court not to buy any gold being mined by the mainly Zanu PF youths who invaded Gaika Mine from February 2018.

Duration Gold Investments, Gaika mine owners, approached the High Court seeking an interdict to stop FPR from purchasing “stolen gold”.

Court documents issued in March 2018 under case number HC 622/18 ordered FPR, which is cited as the fourth respondent, “not to accept any gold won return from Gaika Mine from any person other than an authorised representative of applicant, that fourth respondent be and is, hereby, ordered to pay to an authorised signatory or credit applicant’s bank.”

However, an investigation this week revealed that FPR agents were buying gold from the illegal miners in defiance of the court order.

“I have a certificate to buy gold and this is legal,” an FPR agent in Kwekwe said.

“FPR has agents in and around Kwekwe who buy gold. We do not smuggle gold, we take it to Fidelity.”

Former Mbizo legislator Vongaishe Mupereri (Zanu PF), who is said to be the ring leader of the invaders, was also ordered by High Court judge Justice Nicholas Mathonsi to pay all the costs which were met by Duration Gold Investments.

“That first respondent (Mupereri) be and is, hereby, ordered to pay the costs of suit of this application on the attorney and client scale,” part of the court order read.

The court also ordered FPR not to be involved in any dealings with illegal miners from Gaika, since it would be a violation of the mine owner’s rights.

“That fourth respondent be and is, hereby, ordered not to deal with anyone other than an authorised representative of applicant in respect of any gold won from Gaika mine,” the court order read.

Illegal miners on the ground confirmed to this publication that they sold their gold to FPR agents in Kwekwe.

FPR spokesperson Chelesani Moyo directed all questions to Mehluleli Dube, who is the head of gold operations at FPR.

Dube told NewsDay that: “I am not aware of any court order, but if that is the case, then it will be easier for the complainant to track how much gold they would have lost. My logic is, if it is not bought by Fidelity, then it will be taken to the black market.”

NewsDay

Correspondent|MDC deputy chairperson and Harare East legislator Tendai Biti was left furious after the President’s Office reportedly seized a consignment of copies of a book he co-authored with two former Presidents of West African states.

The book, titled Democracy Works: Re-Wiring Politics to Africa’s Advantage, was written by Biti, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo as well as Gregory John Barrington “Greg” Mills, who heads the Brenthurst Foundation, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, established in 2005 by the Oppenheimers to strengthen African economic performance. Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf provided a foreword to the book which is set to be launched on 27 March in Johannesburg.

American political scientist Jeffrey Herbst, who is also the President of the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, California, co-authored the book. Picador Africa published the book in January this year.

Narrating his ordeal, Biti said: “In early January our publishers sent to Zimbabwe 18 copies of our book Democracy Works through DHL . We were ridiculously asked to pay duty by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), which we did. Now the President’s Office, a euphemism for the CIO, has abducted these books.”

Biti said the courier company DHL just told him the books had been seized by the President’s Office. They were meant to act as samples for his own use ahead of the Johannesburg launch.

Democracy Works explores how we can learn to nurture and deepen democracy in Africa to ensure economic growth and political stability. It identifies a ‘democratic playbook’ to meet the threats to free and fair elections.

The authors also argue that substantive democracy demands more than simply regular polls, but that democracy is fundamentally about the inner working of institutions, the rule of law, separation of powers, checks and balances, and leadership in government and civil society, as much as it is about values and the welfare and well-being of its citizens.

The authors also argue in the 266-page book that democracy demands that local leadership has a plan for the country beyond simply winning the popular vote. 

The seizure of Biti;s consignment is not expected to affect the official launch on 27 March, 2019.

The book is expected to be a big hit on the market, with bookshops at OR Tambo International airport as well as leading SA bookseller Executive Books already displaying the copies for sale.

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is today expected to interface with thousands of youths at the inaugural National Youth Indaba, Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry has said.

The interface will take place at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) under the theme: “My Future is Today’’.

The Indaba started yesterday with thousands of youths thronging the HICC where they shared their concerns which include youth empowerment among others.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Indaba, Minister Coventry said President Mnangagwa is expected to have some dialogue with the young people today.

“The President will be part of us tomorrow (today) and there will be some dialogue with the young people. The youths raised some real concerns and solutions which they feel they need to share with their President.

“As the Minister, I am really excited about this. I have been speaking to many youth groups here and I am glad the youths will be sharing with the President. It will all not be about concerns alone; the youths will proffer solutions to those concerns and share them with the President,” she said.

Minister Coventry said more than 200 youths from all the provinces are expected today to meet and dialogue with the Head of State.

“We are expecting more than 200 youths tomorrow. As a ministry, we have supplied transportation to all the provinces which will ferry the youths so they can share their opinions, concerns and solutions with the President.

She reiterated that the Indaba is not of political nature but is open to all youths of Zimbabwe.

“And let me be clear on one aspect, this is not a political youth gathering, it’s totally non-partisan. When we started planning this event, some people were saying it’s a politically-related event, but no! This is a platform organised for youths of Zimbabwe,” she said.

Some of the concerns expected to be discussed during the indaba today include youth empowerment, job creation and youth participation in national development.

Amongst Government officials who attended yesterday’s meeting are Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube who challenged youths to be innovative and use their skills to empower themselves.

State Media

By Own Correspondent- Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube said Zimbabweans should accept the new currency, the RTGS Dollar since it is the official currency.

Speaking at the inaugural Youth Indaba, organised by Ministry of Youth and attended by youths from all the country’s 10 provinces, he said:

“We have introduced the RTGS dollar. Citizens have to accept the introduction of the RTGS dollar. Whether you like the name or not, it is the domestic currency now, let’s respect it and support it.

I and the Governor (of the Reserve Bank, John Mangudya) are going to defend it. Defend its value, that’s our job.

Zimbabwe is the cheapest buy in Africa in terms of investment. It has gotten cheaper because there were coming at $1US to $1 bond note, now they are coming at US$1: RTGS$2.50 or depending on where the market is headed.

… But then it (value) can go anywhere. It is the business of the market. Our job is to manage the volatility, but not the level. Those of you who did statistics there is a difference between standard deviation and the mean.

The RTGS dollar was introduced as the new currency by the Central Bank governor John Mangudya as part of the basket of multi-currencies when he presented the Monetary Policy Statement.

Ideal Zimbabwe political party Tinashe Jonas will remain in prison custody after Harare Magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa denied him bail after he was arrested on Monday 11 March 2019 and charged with insulting or undermining authority of President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Magistrate Mugwagwa ruled that Jonas, who is represented by Nontokozo Dube-Tachiona of ZLHR, is not a good candidate to be granted bail as he is likely to abscond attending trial after he allegedly entered the country illegally.

The Youth Interface concept was birthed by former First Lady Grace Mugabe – ZANU PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa today attends his own interface rally at the inaugural National Youth Indaba.

This was revealed by Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry who said it will take place at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) under the theme ‘’My Future is Today’’.

According to the program, Mnangagwa will have some dialogue with the young people today.

Coventry said, “the President will be part of us tomorrow (today) and there will be some dialogue with the young people. The youths raised some real concerns and solutions which they feel they need to share with their President.

“As the minister, I am really excited about this. I have been speaking to many youth groups here and I am glad the youths will be sharing with the President. It will all not be about concerns alone; the youths will proffer solutions to those concerns and share them with the President,” she said.

Coventry added saying more than 200 youths from all the provinces are expected today to meet and dialogue with Mnangagwa.

“We are expecting more than 200 youths tomorrow. As a ministry, we have supplied transportation to all the provinces which will ferry the youths so they can share their opinions, concerns and solutions with the President.

She reiterated that the indaba was apolitical and open to all youths of Zimbabwe.

“And let me be clear on one aspect. This is not a political youth gathering, it’s totally non-partisan. When we started planning this event, some people were saying it’s a politically-related event, but no! This is a platform organised for youths of Zimbabwe,” she said. – state media

Farai Dziva | The president of the United Democratic Alliance, Daniel Shumba has castigated Emmerson Mnangagwa for equating himself to God.

Shumba,whose party withdrew from the Mnangagwa brokered dialogue, was at one point fired from the ruling party for supporting the Midlands godfather.

An irate Shumba said:”That’s clearly an arrogant and vindictive view from a President who claims he wants to promote unity but don’t take him seriously for equating himself to God, that is just a limitation of descriptive English.

That is the best he could do under the circumstances.”

Correspondent|Zimbabwe mining companies – which include units of Anglo Platinum, Impala Platinum and Caledonia Mining – are to award a wage increase of just under 80% to mine workers, with the salary for the lowest-paid worker in the industry rising to about 480 RTGS dollars* per month.

At current rates, this amounts to approximately US$192 or R2 800.

Protracted negotiations between the Associated Mine Workers Union of Zimbabwe (AMWUZ) and the Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines resulted in the salary adjustment for employees in the industry. The cost of living in the country rose dramatically after inflation for January surged to above 50%.

“Following extensive negotiations between the AMWUZ and the Zimbabwe chamber of mines, we managed to cobble out an agreement of 80% wage/salary increase for the mining industry covering the period January to December 2019,” Tinago Ruzive, president of the mine workers’ union, said Thursday.

Hardships

This effectively raised the minimum wage for the industry from 262.32 to 468.58 RTGS dollars at a time other companies in Zimbabwe have been introducing allowances to cushion workers from the current economic hardships Zimbabwe is experiencing.

These include price increases and unavailability of basic commodities, while transport costs have also risen, after President Emerson Mnangagwa instituted a hike in the price of petrol which sparked protests in January.

“This (mine workers’ salary) increase is based on the dollar value increase for those mines who may be paying above the minimum due to various reasons…therefore no employee shall fail to get an increase,” added Ruzive.

Some Zimbabwean miners are said to be paying their workers in foreign currency, although others have been struggling to secure forex earnings from the Reserve Bank.

Zimbabweans have been facing foreign currency shortages and the continued devaluation in the local RTGS dollar unit.

Mining executives at mining groups such as Metallon Corporation and Zimplats say they are still studying the impact of new currency directives from the central bank, which devalued the country’s local currency and directed that bank accounts earning local funds and those earning forex be separated.

According to Zimplats, the demand for foreign currency – which is necessary for its operations and business capital requirements – tends to fluctuate.

To this end, the company – controlled by Implats – continues “to engage the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe where necessary to ensure that our operations are not interrupted”.

Acie Lumumba on Wednesday sparked confusion when he sent out a congratulatory message to Olinda Chapel and Tytan which suggested Olinda had given birth. While Lumumba suggested Olinda had given birth the business woman was silent on social media, so was her husband Tytan.

Comments were mixed with some congratulating Olinda and Tytan while others queried the athenticity of the image which was posted of Tytan holding a baby and smiling. Some suggested the picture posted by Lumumba was an old one while others even went on to suggest the instagram account used may not be Lumumba’s.

Others criticised Lumumba for the post given the frosty relations he has with Olinda. A nasty social media fight between Lumumba and Olinda erupted on social media recently with Olinda alleging she had turned down love requests from Acie Lumumba who denied this and said he would never have any interest in her.

Olinda recently put out an instagram post which pointed out how difficult it is to go through a 9 month pregnancy as she hinted the birth of her baby should be expected anytime soon. Surprisingly Lumumba has already posted about the couple having welcomed their new baby yet Olinda and Tytan are yet to post anything about it.

Given the fight that erupted between Olinda and Lumumba some question why Lumunba would be sending out his congratulations.

As fans ponder at whether Lumumba’s remarks are true, all eyes will be on Tytan and Olinda’s instagram accounts as it is through their posts that confirmation of their new born baby can be derived from.

WASHINGTON. – Congress plans to scrutinise why the United States waited so many days to ground all Boeing Co 737 MAX jets involved in Sunday’s crash in Ethiopia as other countries and airlines acted more quickly.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the order on Wednesday was the result of “new evidence collected at the site and analysed today” and “newly refined satellite data” that Canada had cited earlier in its decision to halt flights.

The FAA did not disclose the new evidence at the scene but said it was “the missing pieces” that aligned the track of the two fatal Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashes since October.

For decades, the United States has led the world in aviation safety, often setting standards that were later adopted by other countries. The agency came under heavy criticism from US lawmakers and others who questioned why the FAA waited so long to ground the Boeing 737 MAX.

While President Donald Trump announced the ban on television, acting FAA Administrator Dan Elwell said he made the decision with the support of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

“We were resolute in our position that we would not take action until we had data to support taking action,” Elwell told reporters. “That data coalesced today and we made the call.”

Canada grounded the planes earlier on Wednesday while the European Union acted on Tuesday. China and some airlines ordered the planes not to fly within hours of the crash on Sunday.

As of Wednesday night, regulators in Argentina and Mexico had not grounded planes.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio, a Democrat, said “it has become abundantly clear to us that not only should the 737 MAX be grounded but also that there must be a rigorous investigation into why the aircraft, which has critical safety systems that did not exist on prior models, was certified without requiring additional pilot training.”

Elwell said Wednesday he was confident in the 737’s certification.

The Senate Commerce Committee also plans to hold a hearing as early as April. Senator Ted Cruz said he plans “to investigate these crashes, determine their contributing factors, and ensure that the United States aviation industry remains the safest in the world.”

The grounding was an abrupt reversal as the United States had repeatedly insisted the airplane was safe to fly even as regulators and airlines around the world grounded the airplane.

Trump spoke to Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg on Wednesday before the announcement.

United Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines Co all fly versions of the 737 MAX and immediately halted flights on Wednesday.

American, with 24 737 MAX airplanes, said it will be “working to re-book customers as quickly as possible, and we apologize for any inconvenience.”

Boeing said it supported the action to temporarily ground 737 max operations after it consulted with the FAA, NTSB and its customers. Boeing shares were down 2 percent.

The shift came less than a day after US regulators had again insisted the plane was safe. Even Chao flew aboard a 737 MAX on Tuesday.

The FAA plans to mandate design changes by April that have been in the works for months for the 737 MAX 8 fleet. Boeing said late Monday it will deploy a software upgrade across the 737 MAX 8 fleet “in the coming weeks.”

The company confirmed it had for several months “been developing a flight control software enhancement for the 737 MAX, designed to make an already safe aircraft even safer.”

The FAA said the changes will “provide reduced reliance on procedures associated with required pilot memory items.”

Elwell said Wednesday he was hopeful software improvements “will be ready in a couple months” after testing and evaluation is completed by the FAA of what he called a “software patch.” – Reuters

Ideal Zimbabwe party leader Tinashe Jonas, who is in detention on charges of undermining the authority of the President, has said he stands by his allegations of adultery against President Mnangagwa.

Jonas got into trouble after he claimed that President Emmerson Mnangagwa was bedding Information Minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, has challenged the Zanu PF leader to prove him wrong.

He, according to the state, accused the President of infidelity and having a child with war veterans leader Christopher Mutsvangwa’s wife. 

FILE PICTURE: President Mnangagwa congratulates the new minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Monica Mutsvangwa, while vice presidents Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi look on at State House in Harare in September 2018

Jonasi argued that charges brought against him did not constitute any crime. This is contained in his bail application filed by his lawyer Nontokozo Dube Tachiona before Harare magistrate Vongai Muchuchuti on Thursday.

“The court should consider the accused innocent because the state has not placed any evidence against him. The state claims that the accused claimed that the President bedded Monica Mutsvangwa and had a child with her but there is no statement from her disputing that.

“The accused is alleged to have called Vice President (Constantino) Chiwenga a bleaching moron but he has not written any statement disputing that. He also accused Mohadi of being a killer but the same situation prevails,” Jonasi’s lawyer Nontokozo Dube Tachiona told court.

“What has to be done is to prove that what the accused said is false. The people the police say they intend to call as witnesses have nothing to say against the allegations. Chiwenga must come and prove he doesn’t bleach. So should everyone who is involved in the allegations,” said Dube.

The lawyer also told court that her client is not a flight risk since he is a political leader. 

“He wants to stay here and campaign in preparation for elections,” she said.

Prosecutors have opposed bail arguing that Jonasi was a flight risk since he doesn’t have a valid passport. It is argued that the opposition leader sneaked into Zimbabwe after committing the crime in South Africa.

It is the State’s contention that Jonasi is of no fixed aboard since he gave different addresses. According to the State, Jonasi undermined the President’s authority during an interview he had with a South African television station.

Moses Mapanga appeared for the state. Muchuchuti is yet to rule on the matter.

ZoomZim

The Southern African Development Community Climate Service Centre (SADC-CSC) on March 13, 2019, issued a tropical cyclone alert whose forecast period is 13-17 March.

The Tropical Cyclone has been named Cyclone Idai which, as of March 13, was still moving towards central Mozambique with a speed of 176km/h. It has already killed hundreds in parts of Malawi and Mozambique.

Cyclone Idai is expected to make landfall on 15 March 2019.

Tropical Cyclone Idai has regained intensity and is expected to make landfall near Beira City in central Mozambique on the evening of 14 March, with maximum sustained winds of 180 to 190 kilometres per hour. On 14 March at 0.00 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the cyclone’s centre was located approximately 315 kilometres east of Beira in Sofala Province, with maximum sustained winds of 194 kilometres per hour.

Tropical Cyclone Idai is forecast to bring strong winds, heavy rains and storm surge to Zambezia, Sofala, Manica and Inhambane Provinces in Mozambique from 14 to 17 March.

Heavy rain and strong winds could also affect Niassa and Cabo Delgado provinces in the north of Mozambique, as well as eastern Zimbabwe and southern Malawi. Several experts predict that Cyclone Idai could be the strongest cyclone to make landfall in Mozambique since Tropical Cyclone Eline, which struck Mozambique in February 2000.

Flooding caused by the Tropical Cyclone Idai weather system since early March had affected more than 1 million people and caused at least 122 deaths as of 13 March.

In Malawi, more than 922,900 people had been impacted, according to the Government, with 56 deaths and 577 injuries recorded. More than 82,700 people are estimated to be displaced, while rapid needs assessments continue in the hardest-hit areas to verify initial estimates and determine the number of people in need of immediate humanitarian assistance.

Satellite imagery shows Chikawa district as particularly affected. In Mozambique, 141,000 people have been affected with 66 deaths recorded and 111 people injured, according to media reports quoting government officials. More than 17,100 people are estimated to be displaced in Zambezia and Tete, with 10 transit centres established in Zambezia and two in Tete. More than 168,000 hectares of crops have been impacted, according to media reports.

The Mozambican authorities have issued a red alert regarding Tropical Cyclone Idai and humanitarian response is ongoing in Malawi and Mozambique. In Mozambique, assistance is being provided in transit centres for people already displaced by floods, with the government providing food and non-food items, with support from local and international partners, including the private sector.

However, access remains challenging due to extensive damage to roads. In Malawi, delivery of humanitarian assistance, including food and non-food items, is underway in the hardest-hit districts, led by the Government with support from local and international partners.

The direct and extended danger area covers the central part of Mozambique, Malawi, east Botswana, Zimbabwe, central-east Zambia and extreme south DRC.

Parts of northwestern, central and north-east Zimbabwe are likely to receive increased rainfall amounts with direct impact due to Tropical Cyclone Idai around the 15th to 17th March 2019.

East Botswana, extreme south DDRC, Malawi, Mozambique, north South Africa, central Zambia and Zimbabwe are expected to be impacted heavily by the tropical cyclone.

Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has set the cat among the pigeons in his party, after he recently suggested that one of the MDC’s three posts of vice president should be reserved for a woman, amid indications that hardworking women’s assembly chairperson Lynette Karenyi-Kore is being nudged into the position.

This has agitated some of his ambitious lieutenants who intend to go for the posts when the country’s main opposition gathers at its elective congress in May — as their chances of falling by the wayside have just gone a notch up.

This comes as an insane rate race for the posts has ensued in the party, with nearly a dozen heavyweights expected to throw their names into the ring at the eagerly-anticipated elective congress. The MDC will hold the congress from May 24 to 26, to choose a new party leadership — including the substantive successor to its revered founding president Morgan Tsvangirai, who died early last year after losing his valiant battle against cancer of the colon.

The popular and charismatic Chamisa, who narrowly lost to President Emmerson Mnangagwa in last year’s historic elections, could face competition from either Elias Mudzuri or respected secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora at the gathering.

However, it is the three posts of vice president which could ignite real fireworks, with well-placed party sources confirming to the Daily News yesterday that these would be contested by a number of senior officials. But in a new twist to the eagerly-awaited elections, Chamisa appeared to have thrown spanners in the works of some of his powerful colleagues, after he indicated that the party’s presidium needed gender balance.

“We want to advance you. We want to elevate you. That is why we came here to celebrate balance … which is the theme for this celebration. “We want to make sure we have balanced our leadership … as we go to the congress. Let us balance leadership in the party structures,” the MDC leader told women who gathered in Chitungwiza last weekend to celebrate International Women’s Day.

Chamisa went on to heap praise on women’s assembly boss Lynnet Karenyi-Kore, whom he lauded for having provided “inspiring leadership which he was proud of” in the party. “We have known Karenyi-Kore for a long time when she was a councillor in Mutare. She has developed tremendously.

“I know she is going to school, she is advancing herself. All women wherever you are continue to advance and we want you to feel encouraged that MDC is the home for all women who want to develop, including young female leaders,” he said further.

MDC insiders told the Daily News yesterday that while it was “not cast in stone” that Karenyi-Kore would get one of the party’s VP posts, it was “very telling” that Chamisa had praised her at a time that she was actively pushing for promotion.

The MDC’s three current vice presidents are all men — comprising Welshman Ncube, Morgen Komichi and Mudzuri. Thus far, it is also not clear if the party will keep this structure intact or return to its old arrangement where it had only two vice presidents.

Among the notable party bigwigs who are said to be vying for the VPs’ posts include Komichi, Ncube, vice chairperson Tendai Biti, Mwonzora, chairperson Tabitha Khumalo and secretary for elections Murisi Zwizwai. Karenyi-Kore, former Labour minister Paurina Mpariwa, Midlands Senator Lillian Timveos and treasurer-general Theresa Makone are the other women said to be also eyeing the posts.

While none of these bigwigs have openly declared their ambitions yet, preferring to wait until they are officially nominated by party structures for the positions, Karenyi-Kore recently hinted at her higher ambitions by calling for the elevation of women to the MDC’s top decision-making positions.

She also said that she was aware that her supporters wanted to know what position she would contest at the May elective congress, but said cryptically: “I would like to throw the ball in your court my beloved MDC … family”. “What is your advice as leaders and supporters of our party? I will be willing to take up a position of the people’s choice where supporters feel I can best represent the movement.

“In the meantime, speaking on behalf of many women in the movement, my wish is to see a balanced leadership that also puts the issue of gender into consideration. “I also wish to see a reasonable number of women in senior positions, including the standing committee, national executive, provincial executives, district executives, ward executives and branch executives,” Karenyi-Kore said.

Other party sources told the Daily News yesterday that Chamisa’s weekend remarks could spell trouble for many bigwigs among the prospective male candidates for the VP posts — including Biti and Ncube who only returned to the main opposition party in August 2017 when, the late Tsvangirai formed an alliance with their respective parties.

Both Biti and Ncube are former secretaries-general of the original united MDC. In 2005, Ncube walked out of the party accusing Tsvangirai of being a dictator — while Biti similarly packed his bags in 2014 after also accusing Tsvangirai of having dictatorial tendencies.

The sources added that Komichi and Mudzuri, who are already in the presidium, could be favoured by their intimate knowledge of party structures — where Biti and Ncube allegedly had “all to do to win over support”. One of these insiders also said while Ncube appeared “a shoo-in” to retain his post, this could change if the party decided to reserve one of the VP posts for a woman from Matabeleland.

Previously, one of the party’s then two VP posts was occupied by Thokozani Khupe — who later formed her own breakaway party last year, following an ugly leadership wrangle in the MDC.

Another insider said should the party decide to have a woman from the Shona-speaking side of the country as one of its VPs, as was “most likely” given Chamisa’s recent remarks, this would mean that the likes of Biti, Zwizwai, Mudzuri and Komichi would fall by the wayside. — Read more in the DailyNews

Correspondent|STATE broadcaster Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) has lost another senior journalist. The ZBC Masvingo Bureau Chief Desmond Duri has died.

He was 40.

Duri died early today after a short illness.

Duri died just a few hours before the ZBC’s Diplomatic Correspondent Judith Makwanya was laid to rest in Harare on Thursday afternoon at Warren Hills cemetery.

Makwanya passed away early this week at West End Clinic in Harare after blood pressure complications. Her death was also “after a short illness”.

Health and Child Care Minister Dr Obadiah Moyo has denied reports that doctors went on strike yesterday telling the media during a cabinet briefing that they were advising him on some issues they were not happy about.

Yesterday, doctors reportedly went on strike complaining that they did not have resources to use in their work including bandages which they said patients were having to recycle due to shortages.

But Obadiah Moyo flatly denied it was a strike.

Below is a the letter doctors wrote to the minister announcing their industrial action;

To: The Group CEO
Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals

Re: Service provision at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals
Dear Sir
Background of problems
As you are aware Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals has been facing challenges since November 2018 with a prolonged industrial action. One of the major grievances which culminated into the industrial action was the persistent shortage of basic essential drugs, equipment and sundries. As consultants who were and are concerned with return to normalcy, we stepped in and persuaded the junior doctors to return to work in good faith that our parent ministry would improve the supply of the basic consumables. However, the situation with regards to medical consumables and equipment is now even worse than it was in December 2018. This has continued to cause severe compromise in the safety and working conditions of staff and a reduced capacity to deliver services to patients. We feel that these compounding factors have compromised patient care, putting patients’ health and lives at risk at the very institution which is supposed to restore health and life.

Current service provision
Since the beginning of the year we have been unable to resume normal service, especially in the areas of anaesthesia, surgery and critical care due to the above-mentioned constraints. We have tried to make adjustments to no avail. Currently most surgical firms are only operating on elective patients twice a month. Statistics show that for January and February this year, we have operated less than 20% of the elective cases that we were doing in same period in 2018. For emergencies, the time taken before the patient goes to theatre is now unnecessarily to long as their relatives have to privately source for the necessary supplies. Furthermore, patients with simple conditions like appendicitis and diabetic foot ulcers are going for days without the required antibiotics leading to unnecessary complications. This is just one simple example of the dire conditions patients are currently facing.

Way forward
As the consultants of Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, we have decided to rationalize use of the limited and very finite resources that are currently available. We are now forced with immediate effect to further scale down the services which we are offering, to deal with dire emergencies only until the situation normalizes.
The currently available resources might not be able to sustain the emergency service provision beyond the end of the month.

We thank you and the clinical director for giving us some insight into your efforts to address the issues at hand. As consultants, our hearts bleed because of what is prevailing and feels that if we continue pretending we can offer full services we would be complicit in the deaths of our patients. In this vein we have urgently sort for audience with the Honourable Minister of Health and hope he will put efforts to address these grave concerns.

Thank you

Consultants of Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals

MDC President Nelson Chamisa has today met with the Australian ambassador to Zimbabwe Bronte Moules to discuss various issues of mutual interest.

Tweeting soon after the meeting, Chamisa could only say the future is bright.

Farai Dziva| Barely 48 hours after the death of ZBC diplomatic correspondent Judith Makwanya, another journalist from the state broadcaster, Desmond Duri has died.

According to a statement read on ZBC the former Masvingo Bureau Chief died in the capital today after a short illness.

“We can confirm that ZBC News reporter Desmond Duri has died.We are yet to get full details of the cause of his death,” reported the state broadcaster.

Feedback from Chiredzi District Civil Protection Unit meeting:

1. Cyclone Idai is forecasted to reach us this evening or tomorrow morning.
2. It’s causing havoc in Mozambique and up to the noon today it had claimed 66 human lives
3. Parents are advised to exercise discretion tomorrow on whether to allow their children to go to school or not especially where children cross streams and rivers.
4. People should move from low lying areas to high ground areas should they feel threatened
5. Rainfall in excess of 50mm is expected from tomorrow up to Saturday.
6. Let’s all be on standby to assist whoever will be in need.

Thank you

R. Zireva
Secretary General Mkwasine Management Committee (Interim)

Farai Dziva|Health and Child Care Minister Obadiah Moyo has blamed restrictive measures imposed on Zanu PF officials – for the shortage of equipment in government hospitals.

Moyo made the remarks at a post Cabinet briefing in Harare.

“As you know, sanctions are severely affecting us but we are trying our best to resolve the critical shortage of equipment in our hospitals.

We met with several medical experts who expressed their views on the current state of affairs in hospital and we are looking into it,” said Moyo.

A medical expert at Parirenyatwa Hospital, Dr Mashumba described the situation at the country’s largest health institution as pathetic.

Farai Dziva | The president of the United Democratic Alliance, Daniel Shumba has castigated Emmerson Mnangagwa for equating himself to God.

Shumba,whose party withdrew from the Mnangagwa brokered dialogue, was at one point fired from the ruling party for supporting the Midlands godfather.

An irate Shumba said:”That’s clearly an arrogant and vindictive view from a President who claims he wants to promote unity but don’t take him seriously for equating himself to God, that is just a limitation of descriptive English.

That is the best he could do under the circumstances.”

Farai Dziva|The MDC A has described the harassment of Harare West legislator Joanna Mamombe by Zanu PF MPs in Parliament as ” thuggery and barbarism of the worst kind. “

In a statement on Wednesday the MDC A Information and Publicity Department strongly condemned Zanu PF’ s shocking level of misogyny:

Insults hurled at Hon Mamombe reflect Zanu PF’s failure.

The MDC is appalled by the derogatory comments from Zanu PF MPs against Hon Joanna Mamombe.

The use of such derogatory and unprintable language -as that was used on her- does not only set a bad example but reduces the level of Parliament from an esteemed house which sets laws in Zimbabwe to an common house.

The abuse of the young female MP has no place in a democratic society. It reflects Zanu PF’s disrespect of women.

The MDC is also concerned about the level of hatred of Hon Mamombe and this cannot be divorced from her arrest while on Parliamentary duty last week.

There is need for nation building – when the representatives of the people in Parliament are the ones reflecting such hatred then there is a serious problem.
MDC: Defining a New Course for Zimbabwe
Hon Bekithemba Mpofu
MDC Deputy Spokesperson

MDC Secretary-General Douglas Mwonzora is going to contest for the party presidency at the Congress set for May, dismissing recent media reports that he had had a change of heart and was aiming at party vice presidency.

This will be the second time in two successive MDC Congresses that the two — party leader Nelson Chamisa and Mwonzora — will square off. They previously locked horns in 2014, with Mwonzora soundly beating Chamisa for the secretary-general position that year.

In an interview with NewsDay yesterday, Mwonzora said he would not be swayed from contesting any position, but maintained that he would, however, make the announcement at an appropriate time.

“What is being circulated is false,” he said.

“When the right time comes, the people shall know which post I am contesting at congress. There are so many stories being manufactured by people. I am very clear that the MDC is a democratic party, where people chose their leaders.”

Mwonzora said no position would be ring-fenced, including the presidency.

The MDC secretary-general claimed some unknown persons placed suspicious liquid, believed to be juju, in his parliamentary pigeon hole on Tuesday, stroking fears of witchcraft ahead of the party’s elective congress in May.

Mwonzora said he reported the matter to security at Parliament, but was unfazed by the incident.

“I went to Parliament and I then decided to check my mail at the pigeon hole and there were two police officers in that room,” Mwonzora said.

“As I approached my pigeon hole, I discovered that there was a plastic bottle with a strange-looking liquid and it was half full. I asked the police officers about it and they didn’t know who had put it there.

“I then alerted the Parliament security, but I don’t know what they did with it. I didn’t touch it.”

Mwonzora said he does not feel threatened.

“Whoever put it there either intended to threaten me with these superstitions, but it is strange that some people will find time to put that into my pigeon hole. I don’t know what the liquid is,” he said.

NewsDay

MDC Secretary General Douglas Mwonzora has supported a move by his party president Nelson Chamisa to have a female vice President saying it is of no debate.

Posting on Twitter, Mwonzora said appointing a female vice President is the right and progressive thing to do as the party move towards establishing Zimbabwe as a democratic and non sexist society.

Below is a picture of empty seats in parliament today.

WATCH LIVE VIDEO OF PARLY SEATING…

By Own Correspondent- The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) has denied social media claims that it is set to increase electricity tariffs by 150percent starting this Friday.

A notice published by the power utility on Thursday reads:

SOCIAL MEDIA REPORTS ON TARIFF INCREASE FALSE

The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) would like to advise its valued customers that it is not increasing electricity tariffs by 150% starting Friday, 15th March 2019 as is being reported on social media.

ZETDC would like to express its concern over the malicious social media messages that are urging customers to buy electricity in bulk in order to beat a purported 150% increase in the price of power.

The power utility urges consumers to disregard the misleading social media messages that are creating unnecessary panic buying and inconvenience to consumers.

Tariff increase is a process that is not haphazardly implemented but is done through a thorough consultative process in consultation with consumers, the regulator and shareholder, among other key stakeholders.

The inconvenience is sincerely regretted.

A Zimbabwean woman based in South Africa Gugu Ncube who once claimed to be MDC Vice President Professor Welshman Ncube’s daughter continues to make headlines for the wrong reasons and this time claiming her manager asked for sexual favours to keep her in a job, and sacked her when she turned him down .

Welshman Ncube, the deputy president of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said on Wednesday that Gugu was not his child, as she had convinced herself.

“I don’t know this woman. I read somewhere she was born in 1981. I was in high school at Mzilikazi in 1980 when she was conceived … Her mother is not known to me, there’s just no conceivable possibility she could be my daughter,” Ncube said by phone.

A friend who grew up with Gugu in Gwanda said: “She’s psychotic, she’s delusional and it’s just unfortunate a lot of people will fall victim to her before she gets the help she needs.”

WATCH VIDEO BELOW…

We publish below the various reactions to the video by a specialist doctor at Parirenyatwa Hospital, Dr Mashumba, who cried while narrating the dire situations at public institutions which has seen the unnecessary loss of life.

The video of the crying doctor has since gone viral on social media. ‏

Nelson Chamisa: This is a disaster we must all urgently fix! Why is it so difficult to deal with our common challenges??

David Coltart: If this heartfelt appeal from a #Zimbabwean paediatrician doesn’t move you nothing will. We desperately need a government which puts the needs of the most vulnerable above it is leadership’s desire for security and obscene wealth.

@RangaMberi: They won’t notice till we put Dr Mashumba on SkyTV.

Fadzayi Mahere: The sad state of the public health sector is cause for @edmnangagwa to hang his head in shame. His Govt will spend money on anything – PR, foreign trips, luxury jets, trips to New York/London, Davos, fairy lights, talk shops anything – BUT the welfare of the people. Disgusted.Z

Zenzele: What happened to the drugs worth $25 million Chiwenga told us about. Was it a satanic narrative?.

Kholwani Nyathi: This doctor’s passionate and tearful plea is likely to fall on deaf ears. The government would rather listen to that doctor who cried at the Gweru rally because those are the things they always want to hear. Those who watch @ZBCNewsonline, did they air this?Alex T Magaisa  

@Wamagaisa: The tragedy is that instead of dealing with the issues she is raising, some members of the regime who earn their living by getting angry on behalf of their bosses will start a witch-hunt against that senior doctor at Parirenyatwa. They will say she’s Western-sponsored.S

Shingi Munyeza: The breaking point of our service delivery when our doctors reach their breaking point. I salute every health worker who is working under these bad conditions. Basics can’t be that unaffordable, we have our priorities wrong here!

Takunda Mandura: It’s so painful, we should not have such situations whereby one goes to the hospital to be worse instead of betterYimbisai weZhira.

Trevor Ncube: US sanctions on Zimbabwe are choking the health services and the economy. They talk about human rights, yet they are infringing on the human rights of ordinary Zimbabweans.

Rashweat Mukundu: Senior Docs protest shortages of medicine in GVT hospitals and poor working conditions. Meanwhile $500 000 USD goes to a US-based PR firm. Sanctions indeed.