By Own Correspondent| MDC president Nelson Chamisa is in Gaborone, Botswana, as part of his party’s regional engagements.

Writing on social media, Chamisa said:

“I’m grateful for the warm welcome I have received in Gaborone where I’m currently visiting as part of our regional engagements as we seek an urgent solution to our challenges as Zimbabweans.

We are part of the bigger African family, African counsel and support is fundamental.

I’m also humbled by the kindness and empathy shown by our neighbours at a time of tragedy in Zimbabwe. We are one people and we share the burden of our challenges.

That is why we engage and share counsel, helping us see the whole picture and our respective place and role in it.”

By Own Correspondent- The trial of Prophetic Healing and Deliverances (PHD) Ministries led by Walter Magaya, which is accused of evading paying income tax for sales valued at $28 706 040, kicked off Tuesday with the church denying the allegations.

PHD Ministries representative Nelson Marimo, who appeared before Harare magistrate Hosea Mujaya, pleaded not guilty to four counts of violating the Income Tax Act, saying the church only received donations, tithes, offerings and contributions from its members, which he said were not taxable.

Marimo, who was represented by Admire Rubaya and instructed by Oliver Marwa and Everson Chatambudza, said PHD Ministries, as a church, did not carry any trade through any company or other statutory corporation. He added that the church did not generate any taxable income through operating guest houses or accruals from any investments.

“The accused denies generating taxable income through selling church regalia, anointing oil, and holy water or from conducting any trade in the manner alleged. All the monies received by the accused are exempted from income tax considering that all these receipts and accruals are donations, tithes, offerings and contributions from its members, nothing more than that,” Rubaya submitted.

“The accused person disputes the alleged financial statements allegedly from Commercial Bank of Zimbabwe, purporting that there were sales amounting to $28 706 040 in the manner alleged or at all. The accused will challenge the extraction of any evidence from such disputed documents.”

On the count where Magaya and wife Tendai allegedly received $2,4 million and $$954 522 respectively, the defence said the amounts in question were not covered by the definition of remuneration in terms of the 13th schedule of Income Tax.

The defence claimed the amounts were for loan repayments and the couple’s bank accounts were used as conduits for easy accounting purposes. Marimo said the allegations were simply to embarrass the accused person and they were clearly designed to destroy the church.

The State represented by George Manokore led evidence from Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) chief investigation officer Tinashe Madakadze, who told the court that PHD Ministries registered with the tax agency on October 20, 2014 as a voluntary church organisation.

Madakadze told the court that he wrote two letters to PHD Ministries asking for information, but the letters were not responded to, leading to them raid their computers in terms of sections of the Income Tax Act.

The Zimra official told the court that he went on to ask for further information from the banks which hold accounts for the church.

Allegations are that sometime in October 2018, Madakadze conducted tax investigations on PHD Ministries and recovered financial statements from the church computer covering the period 2013 to 2017.

The State alleges that the accused did not declare or submit income tax returns for the said period to Zimra in violation of the Income Tax Act.-Newsday

By Own Correspondent- South Africa’s police service in partnership with a non-governmental organisation Gift of the Givers, on Tuesday presented four sniffer dogs to assist in identifying and retrieving dead bodies in Chimanimani and Chipinge folowing the ravaging effects of Tropical Cyclone Idai.

Addressing the media Tuesday, Local government minister July Moyo confirmed that government had no capacity to locate the buried dead bodies since they did not have sniffer dogs.

He however said government had made an appeal to neighbouring South Africa for the sniffer dogs and President Cycril Ramaphosa’s administration was sending two teams to assist .

“We do not have those type of dogs to assist in sniffing the dead bodies… but South Africa is bringing teams including these sniffer dogs,” said Moyo.

The 4 sniffer dogs were presented to the country’s ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mphakama Mbete.

Speaking to journalists in Harare on Tuesday, Ambassador Mbete said:

“In the aftermath of Cyclone Idai, members of the South African government and Gift of the Givers have come here largely at the request of the government of Zimbabwe.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted me and indicated that what they needed currently were sniffer dogs and South Africa has sent a team of people to assist in this regard.”

Freelance journalist Edmund Kudzayi on Tuesday appeared in court facing charges of possessing a camouflage umbrella.

Kudzayi, who is the editor for Kukurigo News, an online media outlet, pleaded not guilty to a charge of unlawful possession or wearing of camouflage uniforms, as defined under section 32 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act when he appeared before Harare magistrate Victoria Mashamba.

The freelance journalist, who is represented by Obey Shava of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, was arrested on February 22 at a police check-point along Domboshava Road in Harare after he was allegedly found in possession of a camouflage umbrella with a pouch in his vehicle. 

When trial commenced Tuesday, Shava filed an application for exception to the charges, wherein Kudzayi denied committing the offence as alleged by the prosecution.

The journalist returns to court on Wednesday 27 March for the continuation of his trial.

His arrest in February came after the Zimbabwe National Army announced that it was conducting a snap search in residential areas for military regalia, which it alleged was stolen during the 14 January mass protests.

Kudzayi rose to fame in 2014 after he was arrested and accused of being the shadowy character running the Baba Jukwa Facebook page.

In the run-up to and after the July 2013 elections, the Facebook page would publish highly sensitive and classified information about the ruling Zanu-PF party and meetings held by VVIP officials.

African News Agency (ANA)

Dear Family, Friends and Colleagues,

Please be advised of and invited to join us in celebrating the life of Inviolata “Vee” Dumbutshena daughter of Mr. T. Mukute and Ambassador T. Dumbutshena as follows:

• Monday, 25th March 2019: Join us to pass your respects at 5 Denis Close, Helensvale, Borrowdale and a church service led by Bishop Dambaza from Upper Room Ministries at 18:30hrs
• Tuesday, 26th March 2019: 15:00hrs – Chapel Service at Moonlight Funeral Assurance, 138 Herbert Chitepo Ave, Harare (opposite the Passport Office)
  • From the Chapel Service we will proceed to Borrowdale, where the late Inviolata Dumbutshena will lie in state at 5 Denis Close, Helensvale, Borrowdale. Church service at 19:00hrs

Wednesday, 27th March 2019

• 09:00hrs Final Church Service for the late Inviolata Dumbutshena to take place at 5 Denis Close, Helensvale, Borrowdale.
• Departure for Glen Forest at 10:00hrs
• Burial at Glen Forest, 11:00hrs
• 13:30hrs Luncheon at 5 Denis Close, Helensvale, Borrowdale

Please accept this kind intimation for an amazing, vibrant young lady gone too soon.

“Had a hugely enriching engagement with H.E Ian Khama,the former President of the Republic of Botswana. So fulfilling to tap and drink from this well of wisdom. Fixing African problems to make all African countries citadels of democracy and prosperity is key!#leadershipmatters” Nelson Chamisa said.

By Own Correspondent| Former ZBC news anchor Oscar Pambuka’s wife of six years Nyasha Makota has filed for divorce.

Makota approached the courts seeking the nullification of the duo’s marriage vows arguing that her marriage with Pambuka had irretrievably broken down.

Pambuka was early this year convicted and jailed 6 and a half years for duping Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) of over $12 000. He was however, sentenced to three and a half years after part of the sentence was made to run concurrently.

According to court papers, the two got married on June 21, 2013 in Harare under the Marriage Act (Chapter 5:11) and their marriage was blessed with two children.

Nyasha wants custody of the children with Pambuka enjoying reasonable access to them every weekend. She wants Pambuka to pay US$150 per child for maintenance while she covers school fees.

The matter is pending.-Newsday

The rising stench of decomposing Cyclone Idai victims buried under debris at Ngangu in Chimanimani is now helping the recovery of bodies with residents saying sniffer dogs will quicken the pace of recovery of their missing relatives.

NewsDay yesterday witnessed the body of a boy aged around 12 years being retrieved from debris of a house washed away by floods at Ngangu township’s new stands after being guided by the stench, two weeks after the cyclone wreaked havoc in the Eastern Highlands.

Residents failed to positively identify the body of the boy who was covered in blankets, suggesting that he was washed away while in his sleep.

According to a villager Tatenda Zhambe, some residents were looking for hardware equipment believed to be buried under the debris when they were suddenly chocked by the stench.
Soldiers involved in the rescue operation later came and retrieved the body.

“We are now being guided by the stench to recover our relatives. There are a lot of people buried under these huge rocks and mud,” Zhambe said.

“We call on government to bring sniffer dogs as quickly as possible. I lost two sisters and we don’t know where they are.”

Zhambe said sniffer dogs would help to get more bodies – estimated to be over 100 – dug up before they deteriorate further.

In what reads like a sad horror tale, residents near the most affected parts of Ngangu – where mud and boulders slid from the nearby mountains and destroyed dozens of houses – are now scouring the area, identifying where stench is emanating from before digging up.

Meanwhile, most parts of Chimanimani continued to receive aid, but some residents were complaining that undeserving beneficiaries were getting priority over victims.

At Border Timbers, some villagers broke a security gate to gain entry into the premises in the hope of getting food aid that was being dropped off by two South African helicopters.

The villagers claimed they had been locked out because their names did not appear on the list of beneficiaries.

Some relief agencies were also taking foodstuffs to affected areas following the repair of the Charter-Ngangu Road.

NewsDay

Zimbabwe is too divided politically and needs a national dialogue to settle the political standoff between Zanu PF and MDC before the 2023 elections, opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has said.

Chamisa said the much-needed electoral, political and economic reforms must be put in place in order to heal deep divisions in the electorate before the next polls.

“What we can’t afford to do is to go into any other election without resolving the political dispute. We have to ensure that we restore the sanctity of the vote. What the people voted for must be respected,” Chamisa told NewsDay recently.

The MDC leader said several years of hate politics, violence and poverty had pushed Zimbabweans to the edge leaving a nation that is deeply divided, insisting that these wounds can only be healed by genuine political dialogue and a transitional mechanism.

“This is a deeply divided country. We have to come together and say how do we move forward on the fundamental and comprehensive reforms we want to see — on nation-building, peace-building and on resolving the economic questions,” he said.

Despite losing a Constitutional Court (ConCourt) challenge on the contested presidential election results, Chamisa said the dispute was far from over and he was willing to force for a settlement with President Emmerson Mnangagwa through demonstrations.

“This dispute does not get resolved because the ConCourt has declared, it has to be resolved politically because the dispute is political, it’s not legal anymore. Mnangagwa is the one that is purporting to be the President of the country, but we want people to be respected, let there be political dialogue.”

“If Mr Mnangawga is not willing to dialogue, we are going to deal with him on the streets. We have the constitutional right to do so — to occupy the streets. When the people feel that we have to occupy the State and when they are ready we will be availed,” he said.

Chamisa, a lawyer, has been asked to respect the ConCourt ruling which endorsed Mnangagwa’s election, but he insists that the ConCourt delivered law and not justice.

“Sovereignty of Zimbabwe resides in two institutions, the people as a sovereign authority and also the Constitution . . . the court ruled, the court is not a court of justice, it’s not just a court of the truth, it’s a court of law. The law took Mr Mnangagwa to be President, but it does not take away what the people voted for and that dispute has to be resolved,” he said.

The commission of inquiry into the post-election violence led by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, recommended an internationally assisted dialogue noting that Zimbabweans were deeply divided.

Mnangagwa on setting up the commission said he would implement the resolutions by the commission, but instead of getting international mediation he has opted for local solutions, which he is leading.

The MDC, facing its own internal challenges ahead of a watershed congress in May, has refused to sit on the table with Mnangagwa on his own terms and conditions saying such talks would be meaningless.

NewsDay

Television personality, Oscar Pambuka’s six-year-old marriage to Nyasha Makota has hit a rocky patch with the wife instigating divorce procedures.

Makota recently filed divorce papers, arguing that her marriage with Pambuka had irretrievably broken down to such an extent that there was no prospect of restoration of a normal relationship.

According to the court papers, the two got married on June 21, 2013 in Harare under the Marriage Act (Chapter 5:11) and their marriage was blessed with two children.

“The plaintiff (Nyasha) avers that the marriage relationship between the parties has irretrievably broken down to such an extent that there is no prospect of restoration of a normal marriage relationship between them in that the parties have developed irreconcilable differences over the years, the parties have lost love and affection for each other, the parties have not been living together as husband and wife for over 12 months,” Nyasha said in her declaration.

She added that during the subsistence of the couple’s marriage, they acquired a few household items which they shared upon their separation and it was just and equitable that each party retains property that was in his or her possession.

However, Nyasha said it was in the best interest of the minor children that their custody be granted to her with Pambuka enjoying reasonable access to them every weekend. She demanded that Pambuka should pay US$150 per child for their upkeep.

“It is also in (the) best interest(s) of the minor children for the parties to contribute to their welfare as follows, that the defendant (Pambuka) makes a monthly contribution of US$150 per child while the plaintiff will cover for the rest of the expenses, that the defendant pays school fees for all the minor children while the plaintiff will be responsible for the rest of the school needs,” she said.

The matter is pending.

NewsDay

OPPOSITION MDC deputy national chairman and constitutional lawyer Tendai Biti told a Durban audience on Tuesday night that Zimbabwe invented state capture and South Africans merely refined it.  

Biti was speaking at the Hilton Hotel during the launch of the book Democracy Works – Rewiring Politics to Africa’s Advantage, hosted by the Xubera Institute for Research and Development, Brenthurst Foundation and Pan MacMillan South Africa. 

“I come from a country called Zimbabwe, in respect of which for 39 years, power has been monopolised by a political party called Zanu-PF, on which decision making has been based on the desire and agenda for power retention and the desire and agenda for personal aggrandisement. 

“That which you call state capture, we invented it in Zimbabwe, you just refined it,” said Biti, to laughter from the crowd.  

Biti, Brenthurst Foundation director Greg Mills, former president and CEO of the Washington DC-based Newseum Jeffrey Herbst, and former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo authored the book. 

Herbst was not at the launch, but former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – who wrote the forward – joined the other authors at the Hilton. 

Also on the panel of speakers was leader of South African political party Women Forward, Nana Ngobese-Nxumalo, who is the granddaughter of Nobel peace laureate Chief Albert Luthuli. 

Biti said that while writing the book, the connection between sustainability, development and democracy was made clear.

“Here in the southern African region, the superiority of that narrative should be so self-evident.” 

He said that almost four decades after independence, 75% of Zimbabweans lived on USD1.25 per day.  “In fact, the majority are living in extreme poverty, surviving on less than 35 US cents a day, which is equivalent to R5.”   

He said that 39 years after independence, only 30% of Zimbabweans had access to clean water. This was thanks to “the exclusion of consent, monopolisation of power and the denial of political space and denial of the right to choose”.  

It was easy as a South African to “adopt whinging and whining” and forget where citizens had come from and what was there before – apartheid, exclusion and lack of consent, Biti said.

“Some of you don’t know what is north of the Limpopo and some of us live north of the Limpopo. Democracy is key, the capacity to choose is key.”

5He said the democracy Zimbabwe “craved”, and which the book spoke of, was more than an election day every five years.  “Democracy must be substantive, it must be more than mere mascara and lipstick. That is why the issue of making a democracy with economic development is key. The issue of ensuring that that democracy actually uplifts the ordinary citizen from poverty is key.

“Democracy must be guaranteed and safeguarded by a number of things, the first one is a good constitution. Here in South Africa, you have a decent constitution, one which recognises the citizen,” he said.

There could be no democracy without the citizen, civil society, change, powerful trade unions and an independent judiciary, said Biti. “Where I come from, the judiciary is an extension of the ruling party.”

Corruption was a threat to democracy, he said, as it was a tax that was paid by citizens. It was a fundamental issue that had to be addressed when focusing on the sustainability of democracy.

— African News Agency (ANA)

By A Correspondent| Just as the nation continued its struggle with the cyclone Idai crisis for which the ZANU PF leader, Emmerson Mnangagwa has proclaimed a 2 day moaning for victims, his own officials have been caught on camera taking away food aid delivered by a helicopter.

The crime scene is a bushy chopper landing spot in Chipinge, our source tells ZimEye.com. “Do not take zanu-pf lightly when they tell you that their strongholds are in the rural areas, don’t mess with them because this is exactly what they mean – food aid,” they continue.

In the below video, as a white helicopter touches down, a very long queue of 4 x 4 party trucks have already arrived up to fill up their … with the food aid. The food stuffs are mainly mealie meal packs donated for the cyclone survivors.

Towards the end of the footage it becomes apparent that the helicopter will make several trips and until perhaps all the trucks are filled up. While the quantum of food aid taken away inside these party tracks is not clear, our source continues to explain:

“When you hear at election time the government talking about assisted voters, this is what they mean – all this food aid is being taken to only registered voters. Those who are not on the list of recognised individuals will not receive anything. This is how it is done,” our source continues to explain.

“The registered voters are told that if they do not comply they will be struck off even social welfare benefits. This includes food handouts.

“ZANU PF will not allow you to deliver food aid to the victims. They order you to send it through the district administrator. The DA will then contact the chiefs and the ZANU PF leadership, and the chiefs are not the ones who draft this list, it comes from the ZANU PF chairperson.

“This has been the system since the year 2000,” our source concludes.

ZimEye reveals that the individuals named behind this scheme are: Provincial Women’s League Chairperson, Dorothy Mabika, Provincial Vice Chairperson for Manicaland Province, Tawanda Mukodza, the National Secretary for Finance Youth League, Thasin Dube. Efforts to obtain a comment from ZANU PF headquarters were impossible at the time of writing.
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ZANU OF looting cyclone food aid pic.twitter.com/Y4fZQMILFq

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) March 27, 2019

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Farai Dziva| A Bulawayo clergyman has sensationally said Emmerson Mnangagwa is a God given leader.

The preacher’s remarks resulted in chaotic scenes during an interdenominational Cyclone Idai memorial prayer meeting. Pastor Frank Kunda openly castigated opposition political parties.

What was supposed to be a service to remember hundreds of people who were killed by Cyclone Idai turned into a ZAPU PF event.

“Pastor Kunda said Mnangagwa was God and he further said opposition parties are enemies of the State and God,” said an MDC A official.

“That was unexpected from a senior pastor like him; Imagine he turned the emotional Sunday service into a Zanu PF praise rally.”

GWERU – A girl from Gweru, Tariro Shumba (21) was stabbed and killed with a knife by her stepfather while trying to persuade the latter from assaulting her mother.

The incident happened at Mataga area at around 9pm on Sunday and Police are looking for the suspect who is at large. 
Midlands Province Acting Police Spokesperson Assistant Inspector Ethel Mukwende confirmed the incident.

The accused is Aaron Moyo (44) of Maromo Village, Chief Mataga in Mberengwa and the deceased’s mother is Colletta Ncube.
“I can confirm that on March 17, 2019 at around 9pm Moyo stabbed his stepdaughter with a kitchen knife and she died on the spot”, said Mukwende.

Sources said the suspect came back home and found his wife sleeping in their bedroom as usual and he woke her up and ordered her to leave the bedroom. He told the wife to go and sleep with her daughter but did not state the reason why,” said Mukwende.

Ncube did not dispute or question her husband’s orders, so she left the bedroom but Moyo allegedly followed her holding a knife and now asked her to leave their homestead.

The incident woke up the deceased and she tried to calm the accused but he got more aggressive, picked up a log and started to beat the deceased all over the body.
The deceased and the mother ran away but Moyo followed and caught up with the deceased and allegedly stabbed her twice before he fled from the scene.
A report was made to the Police.

Xenophobia has once again hit then and the victims had to run for their lives. With just the clothing on their backs, a group of foreign nationals fled from their homes in Durban to seek shelter in a police station after they were attacked early on Tuesday morning.

Five babies were among the group of about 50 men and women.

KwaZulu-Natal police said residents were protesting at the Burnwood informal settlement in Sydenham at 2 am.
“They were forcing the foreign nationals out of their homes. No one was injured or assaulted. Police had to intervene and monitor the situation,” said Lt-Col Thulani Zwane.

However, Satish Dhupelia of the local community policing forum said that five people were assaulted and were taken to the hospital.

“Around 2.30am, residents living in the Burnwood informal settlement started banging and kicking open the doors of shacks belonging to foreign nationals,” he said.

He said the foreigners had been living in the settlement for “a number of years”. It is believed that a group of unemployed South Africans living in the settlement were angry that they had jobs.

“The police are expected to negotiate with the protesters to try to resolve this so the group of people can go back to their homes,” said Dhupelia.

With the assistance of the public, Dhupelia was able to secure meals for the displaced group. “They have nothing. They are at the police station with nothing but the clothing on their backs,” he said.

On Monday truck drivers operating in the vicinity of the Durban port were caught in a blockade by a group of people protesting against poor working conditions and local truck companies employing foreign nationals.

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FOUNDER of #ThisFlag citizens’ movement Pastor Evan Mawarire has been admitted into the 18th cohort of 2019 Yale World Fellows Program.

Yale World Fellows is an international fellowship program at Yale University for mid-career emerging leaders who have distinguished themselves in their profession, discipline, or geographic region. Each year, between fifteen and twenty participants, known as World Fellows, reside at Yale for the fall academic term.

Welcoming the selection, Mawarire said he felt honoured.

“I’m most honored and thankful to be selected among only 16 emerging leaders globally for the 2019 Yale World Fellows program at Yale University. The challenges we face today mean we must seek new ways and new partnerships to bring change to our regions.” 

The Yale University has profiled Evan Mawarire as a Zimbabwean clergyman who founded #ThisFlag Citizen’s Movement to challenge corruption, injustice, and poverty in Zimbabwe. 

“The movement empowers citizens to hold government to account,” says the university. “Through viral videos, the movement has organized multiple successful non-violent protests in response to unjust government policy. For his work, Evan was imprisoned in 2016, 2017, and 2019 and charged with treason. 

“His message of inspiring positive social change and national pride has resonated with diverse groups of citizens and attracted international attention. Evan has addressed audiences at The Atlantic Council, Yale Association for African Peace and Development, Harvard University’s Human Rights Centre, The Oxford Union (UK), the Oslo Freedom Forum, and the Geneva Summit for Human Rights & Democracy. Foreign Policy named him one of the 100 global thinkers of 2016. The Daily Maverick named him 2016 African person of the year. 

“Evan is a 2018 Stanford University fellow of the Centre for Democracy Development and the Rule of Law. He is a nominee of the 2017 Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression awards and the 2018 Swedish government’s Per Anger Prize for democracy actors.” 

An open data innovator from China, a Nigerian Olympian and sports advocate, and a Chilean National Geographic environmental activist are among the 16 women and men who have been selected as 2019 World Fellows.

This cohort brings the total number of World Fellows since the program’s start in 2002 to 346 Fellows, representing 91 countries. This year marks the 18^th cohort of World Fellows.

The World Fellows program is Yale University’s signature global leadership development initiative and a core element of Yale’s ongoing commitment to internationalization. Each year, the University invites a group of exemplary practitioners from a wide range of fields and countries for an intensive four-month period of academic enrichment and leadership training.

The mission of World Fellows is to cultivate and empower a network of globally engaged leaders committed to making the world a better place. The program is part of the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, which prepares Yale students for global leadership and service through its master’s program in global affairs, master of advanced study in global affairs and undergraduate major in global affairs.

The full list of selected fellows is given below:

Simidele AdeagboOLYMPIAN, ADVOCATE, AND ENTREPRENEUR	Ahmed AlbasheerCOMEDIANTHE ALBASHEER SHOW
Katrin EggenbergerHEAD, COMMUNITY OF CHAIRPERSONSOFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM	Feng GaoDIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDEROPEN DATA CHINA
Beverly Lorraine C. HoSPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE SECRETARY OF HEALTHDEPARTMENT OF HEALTH – PHILIPPINES	Wajahat S. KhanFOUNDER AND CEOPIVOT CONSULTING
Nicolás MassotMAJORITY LEADERCHAMBER OF DEPUTIES – ARGENTINE NATIONAL CONGRESS	Evan MawarireFOUNDER#THISFLAG CITIZEN’S MOVEMENT
Wanjiru MukomaEXECUTIVE DIRECTORLVCT HEALTH	Alex MuñozPRISTINE SEAS DIRECTOR FOR LATIN AMERICANATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
Ali SharwanFOUNDERRESILIENT COMMUNITIES ORGANIZATION	Olena SotnykMEMBER OF THE PARLIAMENT OF UKRAINETHE VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE
Rebecca SullivanAUTHORWARNDU	Diego A. TituañaSECOND SECRETARYPERMANENT MISSION OF ECUADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS
Neha UpadhyayaFOUNDERGUNA ORGANICS	Cristina Vélez ValenciaSECRETARYSECRETARIAT OF SOCIAL INTEGRATION – BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA

By Own Correspondent| Police and officials here have begun looking for alternative accomodation to temporarily house foreign nationals displaced during a “xenophobic attack” at a Durban informal settlement.

Fifty people including five babies fled to the Sydenham police station when their unemployed neighbours in the Burnwood informal settlement kicked down their doors at 2am.

By midday, the number had swelled to more than 105 people reported a local South African publication.

While community members rallied around the group to provide meals, police and city officials scrambled to find shelter for the evening for the group.

“We are looking for a council-run hall so they have somewhere to stay tonight. We are confident that we will find something,” said Sydenham community policing forum spokesperson Satish Dhupelia.

Stanley Chilembu from Malawi told TimesLIVE that the displaced group was “left with nothing”.

OPPOSITION leader Nelson Chamisa, pictured, has warned President Emmerson Mnangagwa and government that the high levels of unemployment could lead to yet another civil unrest unless they quickly address the deepening economic crisis.

This comes as the stabilisation measures unveiled by government are threatened by drought and the recent tropical Cyclone Idai whose scale of destruction has added pressure to Treasury.
Zimbabwe is facing a severe drought which aid and relief agencies say will leave five million needing food support in the ravaged communities.

In an interview with the Daily News, Chamisa warned that the deepening economic crisis and runaway unemployment could spark yet another fury from long-suffering youths.
“The plight of young people is a threat to the national stability, youth unemployment is a ticking time bomb that has to be resolved in the context of national dialogue and engagement,” Chamisa said.

The youthful opposition leader also said Mnangagwa’s foreign trips appeared to be misplaced “because they were not bringing anything tangible”.
“I am getting worried with his trips it seems he is not appreciating the problems that Zimbabwe has, especially the young people,” he said.

In January this year, police and soldiers were engaged in running battles with protesters who flooded the streets of Harare, Bulawayo and other towns — to protest the steep fuel price hikes which were announced by Mnangagwa ahead of his tour of Eastern Europe.

Mnangagwa, who was feted like a king when he replaced ousted former president Robert Mugabe in November 2017, initially lifted the mood of crisis-weary Zimbabweans who were hopeful at the time that he would turn around the country’s economic fortunes.

However, the post-July 30, 2018 election shootings — which left at least six civilians dead when the military used live ammunition to quell an ugly demonstration in Harare’s central business district (CBD) — and dozens of deaths during this year’s fuel riots, as well as the subsequent vicious clampdown of dissenting voices — are seen as having dented his international image significantly, in addition to harming his chances of getting financial support from Western countries.

Information deputy minister Energy Mutodi said Mnangagwa was working hard to attract investors but the opposition was “choosing to criticise him for the sake of gaining relevance”.
“The opposition is overlooking what government is doing. We are creating wealth…the president has hosted South Africa and Botswana and travelled to other countries.

“The message that we are getting is that we are going to get development partners. We have taken measures towards reducing costs…trying to instil confidence in investors and laying the foundation for them,” Mutodi said.

“There is no need for people to demonstrate because demonstrations are retrogressive. We know the opposition want to manipulate every situation to remove the government.
“Those in the opposition should know that the law will take its course and those who are on the wrong side of the law will be punished,” he added.

Zimbabwe is currently in the grip of a ginormous economic crisis which sparked riots in January when protesters who headed calls for a stay-away by labour unions clashed with heavily armed security forces, leading to several deaths.

Property worth hundreds of thousands of dollars was destroyed and looted in the mayhem which ensued, after a three-day strike call by labour unions.

At the same time, security forces unleashed a brutal crackdown against the protesters, the opposition and civil society leaders, in a move which received wide condemnation in the country and around the world.

MDC leader Nelson Chamisa is currently in Botswana on a re-engagement drive to “find solutions to the challenges facing Zimbabwe.”

Chamisa says he feels well-received in the neighboring country whose leader Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi was in Zimbabwe during the last week of February for the inaugural Zimbabwe-Botswana Bi-National Commission (BNC).

“I’m grateful for the warm welcome I have received in Gaborone where I’m currently visiting as part of our regional engagements as we seek a urgent solution to our challenges as Zimbabweans. We are part of the bigger African family, African counsel and support is fundamental,” Chamisa revealed Tuesday afternoon.

“I’m also humbled by the kindness and empathy shown by our neighbours at a time of tragedy in Zimbabwe.We are one people and we share the burden of our challenges.That is why we engage and share counsel, helping us see the whole picture and our respective place and role in it,” he added.

Chamisa did not meet the Botswana President when he visited in Zimbabwe.

The MDC leader also indicated he was going to doorstep South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa who visited Zimbabwe barely two weeks after Masisi for the Zimbabwe-South Africa Bi-National Commission. Ramaphosa, however, left without meeting Chamisa.

Neither the MDC leader nor his party have been forthcoming with information regarding which government or party officials Chamisa has met in Botswana.

BARELY a day after Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa indicated that he was going to reward the granny who carried gifts on her head all the way from Mbare to Highlands in Harare, there are fears that Masiyiwa might reward the “wrong” Gogo.

Two different-looking images of the elderly woman, who has been identified as Plaxedes Dilon aka Gogo Magombo in the State media, have since emerged. With a new house at  and a lifetime $1,000 monthly allowance in the offing, it is important that the “right” Gogo that Strive Masiyiwa refers to in his Facebook post gets rewarded.

As this report shows, there is a real and present danger that a “wrong” Gogo may be rewarded as the circumstances of the two elderly ladies are strikingly similar.

Version 1

A Sunday Mail article identified the selfless elderly woman as 70-year-old Gogo Magombo from Block C, Mbare Flats. The paper says she has been a widow since 2008 and was born in 1948 in Chegutu. She said she has never been to Chipinge and has no relatives there, but was touched when she heard the plight of cyclone survivors on radio.

“I have never been to Chipinge or Chimanimani all my life. I do not have relatives in that part of the country. I come from Uzumba. However, when I heard of the cyclone, I knew I had to do something. Being able to feel each other’s pain and to carry each other’s burden is what makes humanity great and better than other species.”

Born Plaxedes Dilon in Chegutu in 1948, Gogo Magombo, as she is known by her peers, is not rich. On Monday, the great grandmother of nine walked all the way from her humble lodgings – a single room subdivided by a curtain that separates the kitchen space from the bedroom area – in Mbare to Star FM studios to deliver a bagful of clothes.

Version 2

The Highlands Presbyterian Church, on March 19 at 7:45PM, posted on its Facebook page that: “This gogo had no 50c for combi, walked the whole way from Mbare to Highlands just to donate her pots to give to people in Chimanimani.”

The article publishes her image as the one given below, but does not go on to identify the Gogo by her name, which sort of complicates the argument:

Many Zimbabweans were touched by granny’s gesture, and several went into the Facebook comments section requesting for granny’s EcoCash number or banking details so that they could thank her for her kindness.

A response by the Presbyterian church Facebook administrator shows that they did not have her details or name right away. Below is the mugshot of one of the conversation with well-wishers looking for granny’s contact details, and the response the church gave.

A scroll down the thread failed to locate a response by the church giving the name or contact details of the granny. An inquiry by message to the church has also not been responded to, 24 hours later.

Which Gogo is Masiyiwa willing to reward?

Strive Masiyiwa’s Facebook post is clear which Gogo he intends to reward. At the end of his post, which he published on 20 March at 6:06 PM, Masiyiwa attaches the picture of the same Gogo on the Presbyterian Church Facebook page, and he credits the same page for the image, saying: Image Credit: Facebook page of Highlands Presbyterian Church – Harare.

But there is a small problem…

While both the Gogos in the Sunday mail and on the Presbyterian church Facebook page are clearly indicated to have walked from Mbare (we even placed it in bold above for emphasis), the Gogo in Strive Masiyiwa’s post walked from Fiyo (street parlance for Highfields). Says masiyiwa: “Gogo walked all the way from her home in Fiyo because she didnt have money for a combi but she packed her saga on her head and walked to Highlands to donate the saga full of pots….”

Could Masiyiwa have missed this glaring detail? The Facebook post on the Presbyterian Church from which he acknowledges he took the accompanying photo, has just one sentence and clearly states the lady walked from Mbare. It reads: ‘”This gogo had no 50c for combi, walked the whole way from Mbare to Highlands just to donate her pots to give to people in Chimanimani.”

Highfields to Mbare is a distance of 7km, requiring one to walk for not less than an hour, according to Google Maps:

But since no other Gogo has been so far reported to have walked from Highfields, we can assume Masiyiwa made an error on the lady’s place of residence. Let’s focus on the place where the “two ladies” took their gifts.

In the Sunday Mail article, the lady took her gifts to Star FM studios, which is just along Simon Mazorodze Road, not too far from where the Sunday Mail granny lives. The Presbyterian church lady, who also lives in Mbare, delivered her presents to the church’s premises in Highlands, which is very much across town.

Another key distinguishing feature is the kind of gifts each lady gave. The Sunday Mail Gogo donated clothes which she intended to sell at her vending stall. The Presbyterian Gogo donated pots and other kitchen utensils.

However, we thank both Grannies (if indeed they are different persons) for their random acts of kindness towards the cyclone Idai victims. It is easy to take an armchair and start criticizing those putting in a pound of their money or belongings to this cause, yet quite hard for many to chip in with some assistance.

As Strive Masiyiwa says: “She gave more than us all! What she did is one of the most remarkable acts of compassion I have ever seen! When this is over, I’m going to find her, and invite her to come and see me, if possible:

“Then: I will spend time in prayer with her! Then I will BUILD HER A HOUSE, ANYWHERE SHE WANTS IN ZIMBABWE! It will have solar power and running water! Then: I WILL GIVE HER A MONTHLY ALLOWANCE OF $1000 for life!

“Why? I admire people who are moved to ACT in a crisis! God bless you, if you are moved to ACT as she did. It is not about how much you have.

“How many young men, and even women in their cars watched her carry that sack, and never asked to help? This is how you miss the Angel of God…”

As one reader Last Mashipe said to ZOOMZimbabwe, “These two grannies are clearly not the same but pane tsoro irikutambwa apa, the real person might not get the prize!”

Zz

By Own Correspondent| Tropical Cyclone Idai brought Zimbabweans together in a unique way but recent reports alleging that Zanu Pf stalwarts are diverting the aid for victims of the natural disaster are disturbing.

Jacob Ngarivhume implored the ruling party to stop such evil acts.

He said:

“Tropical Cyclone Idai brought Zimbabweans together in a unique way. But we will always have President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Zanu Pf to spoil it for the nation with reports of Zanu Pf members looting food aid and distributing aid based on affiliation to the ruinous party. This evil should stop.”

#CycloneIdaiZW brought Zimbabweans together in a unique way. But we will always have @edmnangagwa and @ZANUPF_Official to spoil it for the nation with reports of Zanu Pf members looting food aid and distributing aid based on affiliation to the ruinous party. This evil should stop

— Jacob Ngarivhume (@jngarivhume) March 26, 2019

FREELANCE journalist Edmund Kudzayi on Tuesday 26 March 2019 pleaded not guilty to charges of possessing an army uniform as his trial
commenced in Harare.

Kudzayi, the Editor of Kukurigo News, an online newspaper, pleaded not
guilty to charges of unlawful possession or wearing of camouflage
uniforms as defined in section 32 of the Criminal Law (Codification
and Reform) Act, when he appeared before Harare Magistrate Victoria
Mashamba.

The freelance journalist, who is represented by Obey Shava of Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights, was arrested on Friday 22 February 2019 at a
police check-point along Domboshava road in Harare after he was
allegedly found in possession of a camouflage umbrella with a pouch in
his vehicle.

When trial commenced, Shava filed an application for exception to the
charges, wherein the freelance journalist denied committing the
offence as alleged by State Prosecutor Idah Marimo.

Kudzayi returns to court on Wednesday 27 March 2019 for continuation
of his trial.

Farai Dziva|Elements sympathetic to Masvingo Provincial chairperson James Gumbi have been fingered in the violent scenes that marred the MDC A ward elections at the weekend.

” Some unruly elements resorted to violence after realising that tables were being turned against them in Masvingo Urban Ward 7 MDC Congress.

The unruly elements caused havoc in Ward 7 as they chased away Gibson Murinye the Organising Secretary from the ward Congress at the weekend, ” impeccable party sources revealed.

” The drunk hooligans were sponsored by the provincial chairperson.

Several party members had to run away from the venue of the ward Congress as the hooligans used all sorts of weapons to beat up people,” added the

Farai Dziva|A senior health worker collapsed because health workers have not received their salaries for the past three months.

Government sources yesterday said: “Masvingo General Hospital Primary Counsellor collapsed after being told salaries will come after 2 weeks.

Global Fund supported staff in the Ministry of health have not been paid their salaries for over 3 months. Aids and TB unit bosses have blamed Standard Chartered Bank for the mishap but nurses are getting allowances from The Global Fund in their respective bank accounts.

Many are asking if this is not abuse of office by AIDS and TB Unit by taking over 3000 employees for granted. Data Capture Clerks, Microscopists and Primary Counsellors form the majority of the unpaid lot.”

Farai Dziva|MDC A leader Nelson Chamisa has described the Zimbabwe Warriors’ victory as a ray of hope for the suffering people.

“Saluting our Warriors for making us all the winners and proudly Zimbabwean.

Well done for making us smile.Wishing you all the best in Egypt. Thank you Zimbabwe for the Oneness and great show of support.

GoWarriorsGo !”

The Warriors beat Congo Brazzaville’ s Red Devils 2-0 to qualify for the 2019 AFCON Tournament in Egypt.

#RinemanyangaHariputirwi
There's now incontrovertible evidence that Mnangagwa got just 33% of the presidential vote in the 30 July 2018 elections. Waiting for Luke Malaba to give the promised "FULLY DRESSED JUDGMENT" to be given "IN DUE COURSE". And a can of worms will be opened! pic.twitter.com/LBMNaW8902

— Prof Jonathan Moyo (@ProfJNMoyo) March 26, 2019

By Own Correspondent| Former Zanu Pf cabinet minister who is on self imposed exile following the November 2017 soft coup on former president Robert Mugabe has claimed possessing evidence that President Emmerson Mnangagwa lost the July 2018 elections.

Moyo dared Chief Justice Luke Malaga to avail the “fully dressed judgement” of the Constitutional court challenge which saw Mnangagwa being declared winner ahead his closest contender MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa.

Said Moyo:

“There is now incontrovertible evidence that Mnangagwa got just 33% of the presidential vote in the July 30 2018 elections. Waiting for Luke Malaga to give the promised FULLY DRESSED JUDGEMENT to be given IN DUE COURSE. And a can of worms will be opened.”

By Own Correspondent_ In his brief to the private sector on Tropical Cyclone Idai induced disaster, Local government minister July Moyo said over 40 000 people were rendered food insecure following the natural disaster which ravaged Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi last week.

Moyo said a total of 40 064 were rendered food insecure in Chipinge, Chimanimani and Bikita, areas which were severely affected by Tropical Cyclone Idai.

Said Moyo:

“Government recorded confirmed 329 cases of missing people, 186 injuries 38 of which are severe and 52 who were airlifted to Skyline.

A total of 6 788 people were displaced from their homes while 3 500 children were affected by the cyclone induced floods and destruction. Government also recorded 2 000 displaced refugees and 7 703 houses were affected one way or the other by the cyclone. At least 10 bridges were damaged and 40 064 people rendered food insecure.”

Unconfirmed reports indicate that Econet Wireless has pulled out of the Cyclone Idai victim support after Zanu PF grabbed control of the distribution of aid.

There have been reports that Zanu PF officials in Chimanimani have politicised aid and only giving to those aligned to the ruling party.

Below is an unconfirmed report circulating to the effect that the mobile network giant has thrown the towel and ordered its manpower to return to Harare.

Zanu PF members have been spotted in Chimanimani clad in party regalia circling food aid that has been flocking the area since cyclone idai left a trail of destruction to property and homes.

Below is the picture that has made rounds on social media…

By Own Correspondent- Civic society organisations (CSOs) here have called on government to set-up a missing persons database for suspected abduction victims dating back to the Gukurahundi period.

The call was made by CSOs at an enforced disappearances indaba organised by the Habakkuk Trust in Bulawayo last Friday. 

Habakkuk trust director Dumisani Nkomo urged government to set up a missing persons database to help bring closure to victims’ families.

Said Nkomo:

“The Gukurahundi issue must be talked about in public. This was highlighted to the President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) at State House last week. We should have a detailed database for the missing persons. There is need to put names to those faces of people who died, not just a figure. This will bring closure to the issue of missing persons.”

He added that the database would be used by survivors in terms of economic benefits for the dependents of those who disappeared or who were killed since some left properties.-Newsday

By Own Correspondent| Opposition MDC has responded to claims that Zanu Pf is diverting aid meant for Tropical Cyclone Idai adding that such acts by the ruling party members were “evil”.

Said MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume:

“Owing to the Zanu PF Military government’s gross negligence and incompetency cyclone Idai hit with no proper mitigation and management plan.

Lives were lost, families displaced, property was destroyed, livelihoods destroyed and many were left homeless.

The citizens of the motherland came together and made sacrifices in an attempt to help fellow countrymen get back on their feet.

It is shameless and evil for the party which failed the people of Manicaland to be raiding the aid.

They lack concern and heart which is why they flew leather couches to sit comfortably in a crisis and mourning zone.

Their leader runs a WiFi government, keeps hiring private jets, sometimes visits the motherland and hears about Zimbabwean problems on Facebook, Twitter and such other platforms.

There must be an immediate stop to the raiding of aid in Manicaland, the people are in need.

The people of Zimbabwe must unite and put a stop to the madness.

MDC: Defining a New Course for Zimbabwe!

Jacob Mafume
MDC National Spokesperson

Civic society organisations (CSOs) are calling on the government to set-up a missing persons database for suspected abduction victims dating back to the Gukurahundi period.

The call was made by CSOs at an enforced disappearances indaba organised by the Habakkuk Trust in Bulawayo last Friday.

During the Gukurahundi atrocities in the early 1980s, several people in Matabeleland and Midlands were abducted and have never been seen again when the Fifth Brigade was deployed to deal with suspected dissidents.

In the past two decades, many MDC activists, including Patrick Nabanyama, Paul Chizuze and Itai Dzamara disappeared after being abducted by suspected State security agents.
Habakkuk trust director Dumisani Nkomo implored the government to set up a missing persons database to help bring closure to victims’ families.

“The Gukurahundi issue must be talked about in public. This was highlighted to the President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) at State House last week. We should have a detailed database for the missing persons,’’ Nkomo said.

He added that the database would be used by survivors in terms of economic benefits for the dependents of those who disappeared or who were killed since some left properties.
“There is need to put names to those faces of people who died, not just a figure. This will bring closure to the issue of missing persons,” he said.

Nkomo said the missing persons need to be quantified for the nation to be able to come up with means of laying the issue to rest.

Patson Dzamara, brother to the missing journalist-cum-activist Itai, said he now bears the burden of taking care of his abducted brother’s family, while also fighting to ensure that the government is held to account.

“We must talk with one voice. The new dispensation has to be taken to task until such issues have been addressed. If ever this country is to move forward, we must re-engineer our social fabric. For us to deal with this, we need to invoke a truly sincere healing process because we are a wounded lot. Unless we speak out, there is not going to be closure in Gukurahundi, Murambatsvina issues and farm invasions that were done haphazardly,’’ Dzamara said.

Human rights activist Jestina Mukoko, who was abducted by State security agents and spent almost three weeks at an unknown detention area in 2008 after being accused of plotting to topple then President Robert Mugabe’s administration.

She said many survivors were still traumatised.

“If you throw a stone in Tsholotsho and other places in Matabeleland, it is likely to hit a widow of a Gukurahundi victim. Up to now, people in Tsholotsho are still traumatised,’’ Mukoko said.

-Newsday

A 35-year-old Chiredzi man, Austine Chitema, was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly killed Castina Moyo (71) and skinned her with a machete.

Masvingo police spokesperson Chief Inspector Charity Mazula has confirmed the incident.

According to a police report, Moyo of village 4 Chiumburu, under Chief Chitanga in Mwenezi and her four-year-old grandchild, were tending their millet field when Chitema of Dumela village under Chief Sengwe, Chiredzi, approached them.

Without provocation, he picked a machete which was lying on the ground and allegedly struck the deceased twice on the neck and several times on the head.

He went on to skin Moyo’s head with the machete, knocked out her front teeth and gouged out her left eye. Chitema then walked away from the crime scene, still armed with the machete.

When Moyo’s two other grandchildren, both aged 10, returned home from the pastures that evening, their four-year-old sibling narrated the incident.

The three siblings informed their neighbour, who immediately notified Moyo’s daughter Kudzai Moyo who resides in the same village. The villagers then teamed up and effected a citizen’s arrest on Chitema after finding him asleep a few metres from the scene of the crime. They handed him over to the police in Triangle, where he is currently in detention awaiting trial.

The deceased’s body was taken to Chiredzi General Hospital mortuary for post-mortem.

-Newsday

By Own Correspondent- Parties to President Emmerson Mnangagwa initiated dialogue are set to meet on Friday to choose the convener.

National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) chair retired Justice Selo Masole Nare said the talks will continue this Friday.

At least 23 parties which took part in last year’s harmonised elections were supposed to be part of the national dialogue process initiated by Mnangagwa.

However, only 17, including small and insignificant parties, according to poll results, are making the numbers.

Said Nare:

“It’s going to continue on Friday the 29th, we should have held it on the 22nd, but as you know, there were these disasters in the country and the President was running around meeting people and assessing the situation in Chimanimani. Friday I went to his office to hand him the report, our last report. So Friday will be the day when we will go back to discuss the final analysis of the report. The committees have met and produced reports, which we consolidated into one report and it will be presented to the President and then he will present his remarks. The political parties’ gurus will make their remarks on Friday. If everything goes well, they will choose the convener as well, then the meetings will take place in a normal situation, depending on when and where the convener would like to have those meetings.”

Own Correspondent|Kariba Town Council Deputy Mayor Councillor Farai Mageva has refused to be moved into apologising for nude pictures of her that have been circulating on social media.

Mageva had nude pictures of her making headlines on as MDC Alliance WhatsApp chat group after the pictures were leaked into the group without her permission.

Residents of the town quickly demanded that she apologises for the pictures to which she has continue to bow down to.

Mageva has stood her ground saying that she has nothing to apologise for as the images were meant to highlight a medical condition that she has developed.

When reached for comment Mageva said she was not sorry over the publication of the photos she claimed were a private issue with family members.

The photographs were of me and destined to a family group although they leaked into an MDC WhatsApp group.

I have been receiving calls from various people including journalists, but the truth is that the photographs were to show that my heart is swelling.

I visited my doctor who told me that it was an ECO and I saw nothing bad in informing and showing my relatives about such an illness.

As we speak I am not feeling well and many people are wishing me speedy recovery so I do not see the need to apologise to anyone in the community.

By Own Correspondent- A Chiredzi man was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly killed an elderly woman Castina Moyo (71) and skinned her with a machete.

The 35-year-old man, Austine Chitema, killed the woman without any provocation.

Chitema reportedly approached the elderly woman who was tending her millet in a field with her four-year-old grandchild.

The accused then picked up a machete which was lying on the ground and allegedly struck the deceased twice on the neck and several times on the head.

Chitema was arrested by villagers who had been alerted over the incident, who then handed him over to the police in Triangle, where he is currently in detention awaiting trial.

Masvingo police spokesperson Chief Inspector Charity Mazula has confirmed the incident.

By Own Correspondent- Speaking at a media briefing, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa urged Zimbabweans to rely on correct and verified information dispelling rumors of another cyclone in the country.

Mutsvangwa said Cyclone Joanina will not hit Zimbabwe as it is forecast to start and end in the Indian Ocean.

She said:

“It is understandable that people are anxious after the calamity which befell us in the form of Cyclone Idai but it is strongly advisable that people should rely on correct information sources.

The new phenomenon of social media is not an official and authoritative source of information as more often it is replete with rumours, falsehoods and sometimes downright mischief which should be taken with caution.”

She said the Meteorological Department will however continue to monitor for any changes should they occur.

By A Correspondent| Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (Potraz) director general, Gift Machengete’s bid to temporarily get his passport back for three weeks for government travel was turned down by a Harare magistrate.

The former Central Intelligence Director is facing charges of violating the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (General) Regulations 2018 prejudicing the state of over $1 million.

He had applied for a temporary release of his passport to travel to Tanzania for a workshop and subsequently an Annual General Meeting between today and the 30th of this month. The regulatory boss further requested for a further two weeks until April the 16th on unspecificied government business.

This Monday, Harare magistrate Hosea Mujaya ordered him to return the passport on March 30 before a judgement on his application challenging prosecution will be handed down.

Machengete wanted a longer time out of the country but prosecutor Zivanai Macharaga opposed his application on grounds that he had no cabinet approval.

“The accused has not brought cabinet approval to show that he is travelling on government business beyond the 30th of April, until he avails that document, the state challenges his application,” said the prosecutor.

Machengete on his last court appearance applied for charges levelled against him to be dropped after the State altered its charge sheet.

Machengete was facing criminal abuse of office charges but the charge has now been changed to “induce a procuring entity to engage in procurement by a method that is prohibited by the Act.”

Machengete now argues that the new charge does not show a criminal offence.

The ruling was scheduled for this Monday but was postponed after the state indicated that it has not yet filed its submissions responding to Machengete’s claims.

Allegations are that sometime in December 2017, Potraz, a procuring entity, resolved to procure village information centres (CVICs) which were going to be mounted countrywide.

In February 2018, Machengete allegedly wrote to the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) requesting a waiver of procurement regulations to enable the organisation to purchase CVICs through quotations for reasons that it was a specialised area.

The procurement body insisted that Machengete follows laid down procedures in section 30 of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Act.

A week later Machengete went ahead with his plan and directed Potraz to subsequently purchase the 24 CVICs from B Smart business solutions at $70 682.95 each making a total value of $ 1 494 104, 33 through comparative schedule.

The court heard B Smart Solutions has since erected 20 CVICs and the accused has already approved payments amounting to $1 032 755. 38 without going through the competitive bid procedures.

By Own Correspondent- A Roman Catholic priest caused a planned wedding by a Bulawayo couple to be called off after the groom discovered that he was dating the bride.

Whatsapp chats between Father Itai Mangenda and the would be bride, Rutendo Mudzingwa were discovered by the would-be bridegroom, McDonald Majaya.

Majaya confirmed the development and said:

“I discovered that the two were in a relationship since last year and we have been having misunderstandings with my girlfriend over the issue. This is unacceptable, how can a priest who vowed not to marry interfere with my relationship?

I don’t know what to do because right now, I’m really hurt. This is disturbing especially considering that l was putting my all into the relationship and was thinking of paying something (lobola) in April.”

When Father Mangenda was contacted for comment, he said that Mudzingwa was only a believer he knew.

He said:

“I know her as a believer and l once went to their home to visit her sick grandmother. The correct position is that l am not dating her, she is just a friend unless if befriending people has become a crime.”- StateMedia

By Own Correspondent- Inmates at Mutare Remand Prison have raised concern over the inhumane conditions that they are subjected to at the correctional centre and prison officials have appealed for aid to alleviate the dire situation.

The prisoners told a local publication that they have acute shortages of clean water, balanced diet, clothing, and blankets.

This is despite that the country’s first citizen, President Emmerson Mnangagwa is always in the skies using private jets whose costs have been described by analysts as unnecessary for an already ailing fiscus.

Member-in-charge of Mutare Remand Prison, Maplan Kakoto said:

“We need help to be a real correctional service, but the government can’t afford it alone, so we need partners, who can help in any way.”

Prisoners said:

“It’s difficult here. We are overcrowded. There is no space to sleep; sometimes we sleep seated.

We are urging the government to come up with a solution because we will continue to suffer.

… Our diet is not balanced. Sometimes we eat relish without cooking oil. We don’t have adequate blankets and prisoners who are on anti-retroviral treatment are struggling to get medication.”

By Own Correspondent- Zimdancehall artist Wallace Chirumiko whose stage name is Winky D’s video featuring Gemma Griffiths “Mugarden” is number 5 on BBC charts.

The video, which became an instant hit soon after its release on Valentine’s Day this year, amassed close to 15,000 views on YouTube in just an hour following its release.

Winky D is an award-winning Zimbabwe dancehall artist popularly known as the Ninja President or Big Man.

The Big Man” who is also known as Dancehall Igwe is one of Zimbabwe’s Zimdancehall pioneers. He was born in Kambuzuma, Harare and is popular for his poverty biting and poverty protesting lyrics.

ZANU PF central committee member and Mashonaland Central provincial council member Martin Mavhangira has died.

He was 68.

Mavhangira, who was an arch-rival to the province’s G40 kingpins Saviour Kasukuwere and his brother Dickson Mafios, died at his home in Bindura on Friday after battling prostate cancer for a long time.

He was accorded a provincial hero status and buried at the Provincial Heroes Acre in Bindura yesterday.

Party provincial chairperson Kazembe Kazembe confirmed the death.

“It is a huge loss to the province. He was a workhorse in the party who worked tirelessly for the party. As a province, we want to thank his Excellency the President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) for according him the liberation war hero status,” Kazembe said.

“He was a provincial political commissar for the party for almost two decades. He was a principled man and a hard talker, who called a spade a spade. If he saw things getting out of hand, he would say it straightaway, without fear or favour.”

Former Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs minister Martin Dinha described the late Mavhangira as a fighter.

“He was a fighter and we fought the G40 cabal together. We were known for our stance and it is on record that we publicly denounced Saviour Kasukuwere and Mafios and their G40 elements, leading to our persecution, suspension and expulsion from the party during [former President Robert] Mugabe’s era,” Dinha said.

“We were only saved from further retribution and persecution by the timely ouster of the G40-captured regime in November 2017. He [Mavhangira] was a member of the central committee and a long-serving party activist and liberation war collaborator, hence a war veteran. I say go well comrade, namesake and friend.”

Mavhangira is survived by his wife Tsitsi, six children and eight grandchildren.

By Own Correspondent- Zimbabwe National Roads Administration (ZINARA) allegedly spent an estimated RTGs$71 million under Special Projects, all of which were done without going to tender.

The parastatal’s workers have also been accused of looting the parastatal’s coffers by awarding themselves ‘extraordinary’ benefits.

This was revealed when ZINARA management appeared before the Public Accounts Portfolio Committee on Monday.

Chairperson of the Committee, former Finance Minister Tendai Biti said:

“There were amazing (extraordinary) perks and benefits, that you have been awarding yourselves as Zinara employees which you have not been acknowledging as payment for purposes of taxation. We see huge amounts of allowances on that wage bill.

I suspect that if you take away the allowances and probably comply with that 2.5 per cent, once you put the allowances, it becomes a very dangerous wage bill.

Zinara has no authority to engage in special projects. We are now aware that Zinara has spent RTGS$71 million on special projects without going to tender.

… There is looting under this creature called special projects.”

ZINARA acting chief executive officer Mathlene Mujokoro dismissed some of the allegations but admitted to incompetence in some instances.

By Own Correspondent- Zanu-PF will not lose sleep or be intimidated by former cabinet minister and G40 stalwart Saviour Kasukuwere’s warning that he is geared to take the party head on.

War Veterans leader Victor Matemadanda told delegates attending an interface meeting between government, war veterans, war collaborators and detainees in Bindura last week that his party will never be intimidated by Kasukuwere’s remarks because he is nothing but a hopeless man.

Said Matemadanda:

“Kasukuwere is saying it will be rough. To who? As a party, we will not lose sleep or be disturbed from making babies by a goat which is rubbing its body against the bedroom walls. Kasukuwere is a hopeless man and there is nothing he can do to the party. Professor Jonathan Moyo thinks he is a great schemer. Let us see him scheme, while out there in the cold, outside the country. Once you are beaten and driven out of the village and you tell yourself that you are going to scheme, what are you going to scheme, don’t fool yourself. They are now saying we have the likes of Mutumwa Mawere. Since you are a professor, why can’t you just write educational curriculums for schools and tertiary institutions where you belong because politics is our game, where we belong. You cannot tell us about penetration ability that is our job.”-StateMedia

Jostling for positions in the MDC has heightened with many high-ranking officials vying for senior positions ahead of the congress coming in two months’ time.

Almost 10 names have been thrown into the ring for the vice-presidents’ positions and while others are reportedly lining themselves for the remaining top positions, among them secretary-general and the youth assembly.

Although the congress process is progressing according to timelines provided in the guiding template, violence has been reported in other areas as some party members try to block their rivals who might influence the selection of other top officials into key positions.

National organising secretary Amos Chibaya said the high number of people expressing interest in some positions was a sign of growing internal democracy and that calls for celebration.

“MDC is like a freedom train and everyone is free to join in, that is what we mean when we say our democracy if flourishing. In some instances, we have even up to 20 people expressing interest in one position and we encourage that as long as people qualify,” Chibaya said.

“The process is moving on well. We have completed the branches and the ward process. This Friday, we will start on the districts before the provincial at a later stage. So far the process has been violence free,” he said.

Insiders said the names popping up for the vice-presidency include Morgen Komichi, Welshman Ncube, Tendai Biti, Murisi Zwizwai, Lynette Karenyi-Kore, Theresa Makone, Paurina Mupariwa, among others.

“A lot of people want these senior positions and even some who don’t qualify have their names being thrown into the ring. However, we hope the list might start to get smaller as congress approaches because some people who had promised backing for these leaders are falling by the wayside at the lower structures. As it stands, it’s dog-eat-dog affair,” an insider, who refused to be named said.

As the euphoria engulfs the structures, some dirty tricks have also been the order of the day.

Another tight contest is expected at the presidency where secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora will likely contest Nelson Chamisa as well as vice-president Elias Mudzuri who has reportedly set his eyes for the presidency.

Youth leader Happymore Chidziva will be ceding his position and is expected to battle it out with others, including Job Sikhala and Blessing Chebundo for the deputy national chairperson’s position.

Although Chidziva is likely to have safe passage, he refused to discuss the position yesterday, but urged unity and peace in the run-up to the MDC elective congress in May.

“In an election people differ and as the president has said, this process is going to drag emotions – bitter and sweet it’s going to be – but we must focus on the greater goal, which is to democratically elect our leaders.

“We know the party is going to emerge stronger, but for now we advise our members not to engage in violence. We must abide by the template and at the same time we must be clear on pursuing our national agenda and liberate the country,” Chidziva said.

The youth assembly will likely stage some more drama as many candidates are coming out to take over from Chidziva.

These include current secretary-general Lovemore Chinoputsa and Makomborero Haruziviishe, among others.

Chinoputsa said his experience will likely count on the position.

“Congress is a time to rejuvenate our party and it’s not time for unnecessary mudslinging and infighting. We have been in the trenches long enough to understand the task at hand and if given the nominations to stand and ultimately lead the youth assembly, we are ready to lead,” he said.

Haruziviishe said the majority of the party supporters being youths, they must, therefore, be entrusted with powerful positions.

“I want to elevate the youth assembly into an inclusive hub of collective youths’ interest articulation whose endgame is to mobilise two million new voters for MDC and president Nelson Chamisa. This will be done through deliberate social, economic and political mobilisation tactics that will see the youths taking on the military junta head-on,” he said.

-Newsday

Jane Mlambo|Norton independent legislator, Temba Mliswa has taken his fight with Zanu PF legislator and land baron Killer Zivhu to another level after posting a picture of a woman he claims sired a baby with the former Chivi council chairperson.

Mliswa said Zivhu used the woman in question, who is the Norton Town Council Engineer to have his paperwork for stands processed while he got extensions.

“When we argue about corrupt individuals its not that we enjoy making unnecessary noise but the nation is suffering due to corruption and such people need to be unmasked as we continuosly push for justice to take its course. I have accused @KZivhu before, it wasnt empty noise.

“As i promised to bring the V11 here is Norton TC Engineer Maramba who sired that baby boy with @KZivhu. Zivhu used this illicit affair to have his paperwork for stands illicitly done, she gave him extensions and has allowed for houses to be built under power lines.

Mliswa has been fighting with Zivhu for some time with both men throwing accusations against each other.

Mliswa has now gone a step further, but questions remain on his decision to post pictures of a woman without her consent and also making serious allegations which smacks of serious disregard for the rights of women.

GWERU magistrate Mildred Matuvi yesterday removed from remand Chiwundura legislator Livingstone Chimina (MDC Alliance) and two other Gweru City Council employees in a case in which they are being accused of allegedly assaulting Zanu PF youths.

Chimina, Charles Machangira and a bus company supervisor Leticia Mteliso are accused of assaulting three Zanu PF activists who stormed Kudzanayi long-distance bus terminus in January to collect ranking fees from transport operators.

Matuvi said the matter would proceed by way of summons after prosecutor, Bernard Nyoni submitted that he would return the docket to police for further investigations.

Nyoni said the State needed to interview more “independent” State witnesses since the incident occurred at a public place at Kudzanai rank.

The trio’s lawyers, Brian Dube and Shepherd Mafa also submitted that the State’s decision to agree to remove their clients from remand was “long overdue” because the trial has been postponed on several occasions under unclear circumstances.

The lawyers also maintained that it was the complainants who must be charged for extortion.

NewsDay

JOSTLING for positions in the MDC has heightened with many high-ranking officials vying for senior positions ahead of the congress coming in two months’ time.

Almost 10 names have been thrown into the ring for the vice-presidents’ positions and while others are reportedly lining themselves for the remaining top positions, among them secretary-general and the youth assembly.

Although the congress process is progressing according to timelines provided in the guiding template, violence has been reported in other areas as some party members try to block their rivals who might influence the selection of other top officials into key positions.

National organising secretary Amos Chibaya said the high number of people expressing interest in some positions was a sign of growing internal democracy and that calls for celebration.

“MDC is like a freedom train and everyone is free to join in, that is what we mean when we say our democracy if flourishing. In some instances, we have even up to 20 people expressing interest in one position and we encourage that as long as people qualify,” Chibaya said.

“The process is moving on well. We have completed the branches and the ward process. This Friday, we will start on the districts before the provincial at a later stage. So far the process has been violence free,” he said.

Insiders said the names popping up for the vice-presidency include Morgen Komichi, Welshman Ncube, Tendai Biti, Murisi Zwizwai, Lynette Karenyi-Kore, Theresa Makone, Paurina Mupariwa, among others.

“A lot of people want these senior positions and even some who don’t qualify have their names being thrown into the ring. However, we hope the list might start to get smaller as congress approaches because some people who had promised backing for these leaders are falling by the wayside at the lower structures. As it stands, it’s dog-eat-dog affair,” an insider, who refused to be named said.

As the euphoria engulfs the structures, some dirty tricks have also been the order of the day.

Another tight contest is expected at the presidency where secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora will likely contest Nelson Chamisa as well as vice-president Elias Mudzuri who has reportedly set his eyes for the presidency.

Youth leader Happymore Chidziva will be ceding his position and is expected to battle it out with others, including Job Sikhala and Blessing Chebundo for the deputy national chairperson’s position.

Although Chidziva is likely to have safe passage, he refused to discuss the position yesterday, but urged unity and peace in the run-up to the MDC elective congress in May.

“In an election people differ and as the president has said, this process is going to drag emotions – bitter and sweet it’s going to be – but we must focus on the greater goal, which is to democratically elect our leaders.

“We know the party is going to emerge stronger, but for now we advise our members not to engage in violence. We must abide by the template and at the same time we must be clear on pursuing our national agenda and liberate the country,” Chidziva said.

The youth assembly will likely stage some more drama as many candidates are coming out to take over from Chidziva.

These include current secretary-general Lovemore Chinoputsa and Makomborero Haruziviishe, among others.

Chinoputsa said his experience will likely count on the position.

“Congress is a time to rejuvenate our party and it’s not time for unnecessary mudslinging and infighting. We have been in the trenches long enough to understand the task at hand and if given the nominations to stand and ultimately lead the youth assembly, we are ready to lead,” he said.

Haruziviishe said the majority of the party supporters being youths, they must, therefore, be entrusted with powerful positions.

“I want to elevate the youth assembly into an inclusive hub of collective youths’ interest articulation whose endgame is to mobilise two million new voters for MDC and president Nelson Chamisa. This will be done through deliberate social, economic and political mobilisation tactics that will see the youths taking on the military junta head-on,” he said.

NewsDay

ZIMBABWE has dropped two places and is now ranked the 146th happiest country out of 156 nations, which is a strong indictment on the country’s economy under President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a United Nations report has shown.

According to the UN World Happiness Report 2019, Zimbabwe dropped two places to 146 out of 156 countries, compared to the comparative 2018 report where it was ranked 144.

“It is not unexpected. If you compare where we are now with where we were last year, certainly last year we were in a better place. Certainly, last year, we did not have the fuel queues, last year expectations were much higher than they are now,” Labour and Economic Development Research Institute of Zimbabwe director Godfrey Kanyenze told NewsDay on Sunday.

He added: “The longer we go, the more disappointed we are now because it is a crisis of expectations. After the elections, people are expecting results, for the economy to begin to pick up and government to address the challenges affecting us.

“It is quite clear that even the growth projections are going to be revised somewhat…it is not looking good at all and with the recent Cyclone Idai it makes matters worse. It was clear from late last year that we were going to have El Nino induced drought. So, effectively when we look at the economy, last year we did 4% and this year it is projected at 3,1% it just shows GDP (gross domestic product) numbers, but we are not doing well.”

The drop in the country’s ranking comes despite promises made by the Mnangagwa-led administration to bring the economy out of the woods and towards an upper middle-income economy by 2030.

Challenges plaguing Zimbabweans include liquidity crunch, high inflation, low productivity constraining exports and employment opportunities, a tough business climate, high fiscal and trade deficits as well as a poor social contract between the citizens and government.

In ranking the individual indicators in Zimbabwe and other countries, the UN looked at six key variables that contribute to explaining the full sample of national annual average scores over the period stretching from 2005-2018.

“These variables are GDP per capita, social support, life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption,” the World Happiness Report 2019 read.

Under these six variables, Zimbabwe ranked 131 under the GDP per capita, social support (110), health life expectancy (135), freedom (96), generosity (141), and corruption (63) out of 156 countries.

“Note that we do not construct our happiness measure in each country using these six factors – the scores are instead based on individuals’ own assessments of their lives, as indicated by the Cantril ladder. Rather, we use the six variables to explain the variation of happiness across countries,” the World Happiness Report 2019 read.

Information ministry secretary Ndavaningi Mangwana did not respond to a message sent to him for a comment on the matter.

– NewsDay

Own Correspondent|Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA) secretary general Victor Matemadanda says Zanu-PF will not lose sleep or be intimidated by the recent chilling warnings issued by former party strongman Saviour Kasukuwere and his G40 collegues that they are ready to take the ruling party head on.

Speaking during a meeting with war veterans, war collaborators and detainees in Bindura last week, Matemadanda said G40 members like Jonathan Moyo should not fool themsleves by thinking they are greater schemers than Zanu-PF.

“Kasukuwere is saying it will be rough,” he said. “To who? As a party, we will not lose sleep or be disturbed from making babies by a goat which is rubbing its body against the bedroom walls. Kasukuwere is a hopeless man and there is nothing he can do to the party.

“Professor Jonathan Moyo thinks he is a great schemer. Let us see him scheme, while out there in the cold, outside the country. Once you are beaten and driven out of the village and you tell yourself that you are going to scheme, what are you going to scheme, don’t fool yourself.

“They are now saying we have the likes of Mutumwa Mawere. Since you are a professor, why can’t you just write educational curriculums for schools and tertiary institutions where you belong because politics is our game, where we belong. You cannot tell us about penetration ability that is our job.”

Activities at the country’s Tobacco Auction Floors are expected to improve this week following the scrapping of the 2 percent electronic transfer tax on all activities being done at the country’s tobacco floors, with prices being offered for the crop beginning to firm.

The Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe also re-affirmed their commitment to pay farmers their entitlement of 50 percent payment in US dollars in their Nostro FCA and the remainder in local unit at the ruling interbank rate.

The marketing season, which started last week begun on low note, as some farmers adopted a wait-and-see attitude, while others who sold their crop were not happy with the low prices on offer.

The first bale was bought for US$4,50 per kilogramme, which is 40 cents less than the price of the first bale last season. Some bales were sold at low prices such as US$0,20 per kg.

In a snap survey carried out at three auction floors — TSF, Boka Tobacco Floors and Premier Sales Floor, prices ranged between $0,50-$4,60 per kg.

Tobacco merchants and auction floor operators, through the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board, requested the Government to scrap the 2 percent tax, arguing it will seriously hurt their margins.

Some of the transactions that are exempted from the 2 percent tax include transfer of funds between an individual’s mobile wallet and or bank account, transfer of funds from mobile money trust funds for the purchase of electricity, transfer of funds to mining houses by the Minerals and Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) as well as transfer of money to producers or sellers of gold by Fidelity Printers and Refiners.

Tobacco industry players had argued that their operations were similar to that of the MMCZ and Fidelity Printers and Refiners. As such, they also wanted to be exempted from the tax.

They had also warned that additional costs arising from the 2 percent tax might result in deliberate lowering of prices by the tobacco merchants.

In an Interview with our sister paper, The Herald Business, Boka Tobacco Floors operations manager Mr Moses Bias said they had registered an increase in the amount of buyers who were participating in tobacco buying and prices had also significantly rose from last week’s prices.

“Farmers are excited because buyers have started coming in this week and participating in the buying of tobacco unlike last week where there were other issues which needed clarity (the main one was the two percent which we have negotiated with the Government and this has been agreed on because it had a ripple effect into the transaction of funds from both the merchants and the auction floors).

“Last week we had only three buyers who were participating at the auction floor so there was no real competition because there was a limited number of buyers, but now because of those compliance issues we are now alright. As for today we had seven major buyers who participated in today’s auction. 

“Today I have seen a jump in prices from the original $4,35 to $4,60. It is still premature to talk about good prices because the tobacco which is still coming in at the moment is still the low quality primings and the primings usually do not sell much,” said Mr Bias.

David Rhodes, a buyer who also spoke to this publication remained upbeat about the marketing season saying that it is still early and they are expecting that when the good quality leaf comes in prices should go up.

“So far the quality is not too bad, what has been on offer so far is actually nice quality. Farmers are complaining that prices are a bit low but they are starting to come up on a daily basis, today we have noticed quite a bit of increase in prices. We are still not sure whether the farmers are going to be happy to be paid RTGS money. 

However, it’s early in the season so what is coming up now is lower storm quality product so when the proper leaf starts coming into the market that is when prices will shoot up and stabilise. Farmers are selling their low stock rippings, you can’t say its sub-standard tobacco but its low quality plant so in a few weeks’ time prices will go up,” said Mr Rhodes.

Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has reaffirmed its commitment to pay tobacco farmers in the United States Dollars. 

Responding to media reports, the central bank in a joint statement with the TIMB said it shall ensure that “all tobacco growers have accessed their entitlement of 50 percent of the net tobacco sale proceeds into their Nostro FCA bank accounts.”

The RBZ also added that, “in addition to accessing cash at a rate of RTGS$0,50 per kg of tobacco sold and up to a maximum of RTGS$300, the small scale tobacco growers, (those growers with 2 hectares and below), are eligible for a United States Dollars cash withdrawal of US$0.10 per kg sold per sale , up to a maximum of US$50 after their Nostro FCA bank accounts have been credited with foreign currency entitlement.”

State Media

The National Aids Council (Nac) sold cars to its excutives for $1 each in October last year, and is now paying the executives $2 000 per month each, for using the same vehicles, since Nac has not yet replaced the vehicles.

This has sparked outrage from stakeholders, who now accuse the managers of scandalously profiteering.

Information gathered by our Harare Bureau indicates that the six Toyota Fortuners were each sold to the directors last year at the book value of $1 each after exceeding the stipulated mileage of 200 000km, in line with the conditions of service of the directors on personal issue vehicles.

The six directors then started receiving at least $2 000 each per month from October to date for using the vehicles for work, further attracting the wrath of stakeholders who say the organisation has several pool cars, which they could have opted for.

The six vehicles were sold together with 10 other Mazda B25 double cab vehicles which were being used by Provincial Aids Coordinators (PACs), which were also disposed of at book value.

Tellingly, the PACs were not given an option to rehire the same vehicles, instead they are using provincial pool cars.

However, Nac communications director Ms Madelina Dube dismissed allegations that the organisation was hiring executives’ vehicles arguing that what they were paying, was an allowance for use of one’s personal vehicle.

“The Board noted that they had a contractual obligation to provide vehicles to the affected employees and resolved to pay an allowance instead of hiring vehicles from CMED at very high rates,” said Ms Dube.

She said Nac last bought vehicles from the Aids Levy in 2011, and the current fleet available was composed of project vehicles from partners.

“Project vehicles come with conditions from the donors and should only be used for project related activities. The Board could therefore not sanction the use of project vehicles for use by staff as condition of service vehicles,” said Ms Dube.

She said further to that, the vehicles in question were procured in 2011 and on average they had a mileage of 400 000 km.

“It is once again important to highlight that the Council has no fleet of cars that can be allocated to non-project activities,” said Ms Dube.

Asked why the facility was only availed to the executives at head office, Ms Dube said “different employees have different conditions of service”.

“It therefore follows that when decisions are made about issues within the Council, each level of employ gets what they are entitled to according to their contract of employment,” she said.

She also said the Nac vehicle policy was derived from the public service vehicle policy as well as international accounting standards on depreciation of assets.

The Nac vehicle policy states that cars should be disposed of after five years and 200 000km. Personal issue vehicles are offered to the driver at book value according to the depreciation policy at the prescribed time of disposal.

Although Nac said all its pool cars were donor-funded, which could not be used by the directors as they wait for their personal issue vehicles to be procured, sources close to the happenings claimed that the same directors use these same cars, when their vehicles go for routine maintenance.

“It is a lie that they cannot use pool vehicles. It is a known fact that when their own cars are not available, they use pool cars. If they have nothing to hide, why are they lying?” said a source who refused to be named.

In January, Government launched an investigation into the operations of Nac over allegations of sexual harassment, corporate sleaze and maladministration.

The probe coincided with the departure of Nac chief executive officer, Dr Tapiwa Magure, after a 14-year tenure.

State Media

By Own Correspondent- Food distribution continues to reach villages that were previously inaccessible with some cyclone victims receiving food hampers for the first time, a report by the State Media has revealed.

Sekuru Kenneth Mkwayo from Utseya village in Chimanimani is one of the victims who lost his houses and belongings due to Tropical Cyclone Idai, and he is one of the many who received food aid for the first time following the disaster.

The aid has made him temporarily forget the problem that his family is facing.

Having worked and built his houses and wealth, the dawn of Cyclone Idai’ s first day strike left him homeless and poor.

Sekuru Mkwayo almost broke into tears after receiving food aid.

“After having lost almost all my hard earned belongings, I am truly grateful for receiving this assistance from government.”

Sekuru Mkwayo is not the only one who eagerly waited for government assistance but is among a number of individuals who expressed appreciation for receiving the much needed support.

“The relief assistance comes at a time when we were about to die of hunger. We are very happy to receive the timely assistance,” said another villager.

Food aid and other provisions are now being distributed to all affected villages in Chimanimani with light aircrafts and helicopters distributing provisions to areas that still cannot be accessed by road.-StateMedia

Farai Dziva|Fiery social media analyst Antony Taruvinga has declared that Emmerson Mnangagwa will never transform the country’ s economy.

Taruvinga also castigated the Zanu PF leader for flying around the globe with “dandruff” arguing he is portraying a negative image of the country in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Idai.

Analysts say Mnangagwa’s numerous trips are insignificant at a time the nation is grappling with the ravaging effects of Tropical Cyclone Idai which has- to date left some communities in Manicaland marooned more than a week after the area was hit by strong winds and rain.

While Mozambique has appealed to neighbouring South Africa to assist marooned citizens in that country, Mnangagwa has gone on an offensive globe trotting spree while citizens are in urgent need of rescue.

Victims of the ferocious cyclone have been left at the mercy of well wishers who to date have availed their own private helicopters to assist.

Mnangagwa’ s so called diplomatic offensive is yet to bring results and of late, he has all but overtaken former President Robert Mugabe in terms of globetrotting.

“Expecting economic recovery under Mnangagwa, when he can carry dandruff to as far as Russia and Kazakhstan, is actually equivalent to expecting growth of horns on a donkey,” declared Taruvinga as he took a swipe at Mnangagwa whose 2018 electoral victory remains a subject of dispute.

The government has allayed fears of another cyclone which has been widely circulated on social media that it will hit Zimbabwe soon.

Speaking at a media briefing, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Cde Monica Mutsvangwa urged Zimbabweans to rely on correct and verified information.

Minister Mutsvangwa said Cyclone Joanina will not hit Zimbabwe as it is forecast to start and end in the Indian Ocean.

She said the country’s Meteorological Services Department will continually monitor the weather developments in the Indian Ocean.

“It is understandable that people are anxious after the calamity which befell us in the form of Cyclone Idai but it is strongly advisable that people should rely on correct information sources,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.

The new phenomenon of social media is not an official and authoritative source of information as more often it is replete with rumours, falsehoods and sometimes downright mischief which should be taken with cautions.

Social media is awash with reports that suggest that the sub-Saharan continent including Zimbabwe will suffer from another cyclone in the near future. 

Any information reported in international weather forecast that Cyclone Joanina is gathering momentum in the Indian Ocean and will affect Zimbabwe is not correct. 

Cyclones are a weather phenomenon that keep recurring over time and can affect any part of the world. 

Whilst Cyclone Joanina is indeed a reality, it is based in the Indian Ocean far away from the African mainland. 

Cyclones that affect our part of the mainland mostly originate in the Mozambican channel so far expert evidence suggest that Cyclone Joanina will start and end in the Indian Ocean not even affecting Madagascar which shields the sub continent from the high seas, however, we remain on high alert.

-State Media

Media Statement|There are three SADC countries which were hard hit by Cyclone Idai. Thousands of lives have been lost in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. Many people are still uncounted for, thousands are homeless, and survivors are facing many huddles in getting themselves on their feet once more. They face starvation with no water to drink, they were subjected to serious psychological torture resulting in psychological inflammation. Countless families are homeless, villages were wiped off, roads, clinics, schools and bridges were devoured by the aggressive wind and water.

The MDC contends that a lot could have been done considering there is a whole floor dedicated for disaster management at the SADC head office in Botswana. We have seen individual efforts from member States particularly assistance sent by President Magufuli on behalf of the people of Tanzania. This is much appreciated.

Citizens of SADC countries also coordinated themselves to assist fellow countrymen.
We are of the view that an urgent extra-ordinary summit of SADC should be convened with the view to do the following:

1. To set up an intervention framework to deal with urgent needs including food, health, shelter and essential infrastructure.

2. To review the challenges faced by the department on disaster management at SADC and provide necessary support.

3. To deal with rescue missions specifically in countries lacking in capacity.

4. To put in place urgent mitigation and management measures with information of yet another storm looming.

These being purely people issues, the MDC hopes the absence of the cynicism that comes from perpetual immersion in the region’s plague infested waters of politics, will give optimism that leadership will be provided.

MDC: Defining a New Course for Zimbabwe!

Jacob Mafume
MDC National Spokesperson

MDC Councillors walked out of a prayer meeting for Cyclone Idai victims at Harvest House International Church in Bulawayo after a senior pastor at the church began openly praising President Emmerson Mnangagwa while giving his sermon.

The city Fathers led by Bulawayo Mayor Solomon Mguni (pictured) felt offended after Pastor Frank Kunda said President Mnangagwa was gifted with “foresight and visionary leadership”.

Councillors Mlandu Ncube , Sikhululekile Moyo, Shadreck Sibanda, Donaldson Mabutho, Arnold Batirai, Pilate Moyo and Tawanda Ruzive, who were all elected on an MDC ticket, scrambled for the exit after the men of cloth sang Mnangagwa’s praises.

“The behaviour offends against the spirit of unity and diversity in the city and more particularly in that, we had been invited to pray for Victims of Cyclone Idai. There was, with respect, no need to politicise the process. It was a call to duty,” Councillor Mguni told media house CITE.

“People must distinguish a political party business from a government function”.

Also present at the sermon were minister of state Judith Ncube, Provincial Administrator Khonzani Ncube, Acting Town Clerk Mrs Sikhangele Zhou and Zanu PF politburo member Absolom Sikhosana.

Cllr Mguni said after they walked out, Minister Ncube tried to do damage control by telling Reverend Sarah Nyathi, who is the wife to the founder of the church, Dr Collin Nyathi, that the Mayor had asked to be excused.

Contacted for comment, Harvest House International Church founder Bishop Colin Nyathi said he was not part of the sermon but there were no political statements said during the prayer meeting.

“My wife was there and would have told me if any problems were encountered. She reported the service was interesting and the mayor even stayed for lunch. We do not make any political statements at our church,” he said. — CITE

The tales of those who witnessed the severity of Cyclone Idai may never be told as many lost their lives but one young pregnant mother from Chimanimani found grace as despite being marooned.

She was able to deliver her baby, thanks to the heroic feat of the husband.

Heroes and heroines are men and women who combat adversity through feats of ingenuity, bravery or strength and the story of a Chimanimani couple perfectly fits this honour.

Marooned and left helplessly stuck on a tree branch Tariro Guvakuva never expected that the shock of Cyclone Idai would trigger labour pains even under such incomprehensible circumstances.

Today admitted at Chipinge hospital where she is nursing her bouncing baby boy, Tariro tells the story of how her husband for that moment became a midwife to save her and the unborn child from a near death encounter.

The story of the young mother brings a little cheer at a time many were not as fortunate as her.

Befittingly so the couple has named the baby Anesu assumedly to say God is with us for indeed his grace located them.

Cyclone Idai wreaked havoc in Manicaland Province and left hundreds dead with thousands displaced. 

Zbc News online

By Own Correspondent| A Bulawayo woman Cherish Muchegwa sustained serious injuries after she was bitten by her landlord’s five dogs.

The attack , left her seriously injured and hospitalised at Mater Dei Hospital before she was transferred to the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) as she could not afford the bills at the private hospital.

Her husband Joseph Masaiti told a local publication that his wife survived the horrific dog attack leaving her with serious injuries on her legs and hands.

Masaiti said his wife was attacked by the dogs two weeks ago and is still hospitalised.

The owner of the dogs was identified only as Mlalazi. Her son Benacious Mlalazi said it was not true that they were not helping the family with medical bills.

Mlalazi said the family has been heavily involved in the case from the day of the incident. He said they were also not sure how the dogs attacked Muchegwa as she has lived at the house for nearly two years.

There was drama at opposition leader Nelson Chamisa’s former school Victoria High School in Masvingo recently when parents nearly exchanged blows with the school head during an annual general meeting (AGM) after he proposed to hike fees to $1 000 from $570 for boarders.

Day scholars pay $184.

The proposed hike irked parents and this reignited allegations that they have been levelling at the school head, Mr John Muzamani, of maladministration and running down the once elite school.

The parents complained that the school was proposing a fees hike when its books have not been audited for the past two years and there was no budget for this school term.

A parent with a child who is in form three called on the provincial education director to reign in Mr Muzamani or transfer him to another school.

“We appeal to the powers that be to transfer Mr Muzamani from Victoria High School as a matter of urgency, preferably to a rural school, he said. We no longer have confidence in his leadership because he has run down this school.”

Another parent charged that the school’s academic performance had deteriorated due to the headmaster’s lack of leadership skills.

“This school used to be one of the academic powerhouses in Masvingo, but is now pale shadow of its former self, it is now a joke, he said. As it is, we are told, there are no Science teachers at Advanced Level.

“The pass rate has drastically dropped with the school failing to score more than 50 percent at both Ordinary and advanced Level every year.”

Mr Muzamani told the parents that the school was performing poorly because it was accepting average pupils.

“I am appealing to parents to allow us to increase fees to at least $1 000 so that we can be able to provide for the pupils up to the end of this term, he said. As for the poor results, it is you parents who give us average pupils and should not expect teachers to perform miracles.

“You can call me names but do not forget that it is me who remain with your children. My employer is fully aware of what is happening here.”

At this point, some parents stood up and advanced towards Mr Muzamani, saying he was being arrogant because he was threatening to deal with their children after the AGM in apparent reference to his earlier statement.

It took the intervention of the provincial Schools Inspector, Mr Cosmas Musasa, who was standing in for the provincial education director at the AGM, to calm the situation.

Mr Musasa appealed to parents to cooperate with the school authorities, as their children’s education was at stake.

“I appeal to you parents to appreciate the school authorities’ efforts in making sure your children get the right education. This is a boarding school where boarders are paying $570 while day scholars pay a paltry $184,” he said.

State Media

Paul Nyathi|Reports just received from sources with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, ZEC, indicate that the Priscilla Chigumba led commission is set to appoint Retired soldier, Utoile Silaigwana, as the new substantive Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) chief elections officer.

According to the sources, Silaigwana who has been acting in the position was recommended for the job following an interview held last week in which he was interviewed by a panel led by Chigumba who he right-handed in the heavily disputed 2018 elections.

Other candidates who contested include Bangajena Benjamin, Benhura Abigail,Chiyangwa Benjamin, Goneso Stephen, Machona Jairos, Mangwiro Robert and Nyamanhare Eurita.

The Panel comprised of Chigumba, ZEC Deputy Chairperson Emmanuel Magade, Commissioners Qhubani Moyo, Joyce Kazembe,Daniel John Chigaru, Sibongile Ndlovu, Netsai Mushonga, Faith Sebata, Ngoni Kundidzora.

Interview documents leaked to the media reveal that Silaigwana got a 63% from Chigumba, Magade gave him 80 %, Kazembe (87%), Chigaru (87%), Ndlovu (86%), Kundidzora (78%), Sebata (77%), Mushonga (62%) while Moyo awarded him 90%.

Silaigwana is one of the disputed numerous former members of the Defence Forces working at ZEC. Opposition parties have been calling for the removal of the former army personnel for the demilitarization of ZEC.