Correspondent|A man from Bulawayo learned the hard way that some men do not take too kindly to other men enjoying the company of their wives, even if it is for short distances like 100 metres only. Nkosilathi Zulu of Pelandaba suburb appeared in court facing charges of assault for beating up his neighbour Mendiatta Sibanda after he saw him strolling with his wife.

The court heard that Zulu saw his wife strolling with Sibanda, and waited to see how much distance they would cover alongside each other. When the two unsuspecting strollers reached a 100 metres, an irate Zulu could not control himself and charged towards them where he promptly gave Sibanda a thorough beating. Sibanda suffered massive bleeding from his left ear and his back was severely damaged due to the beatings. Sibanda did not fight back but chose to take his beating like a man, and reported Zulu to the police afterwards.

Zulu pleaded guilty to the crime but in his defence, he told Western Commonage magistrate Lungile Ncube that he suspected that Sibanda was having an affair with his wife. Said Zulu,

I suspected that Sibanda was having an affair with my wife after they walked over 100 metres together and that got me upset.

Magistrate Ncube convicted Zulu on his own plea and fined him $100. In the event that he fails to pay the $100, he will spend 90 days in prison.

Jane Mlambo| Zimbabwe could descend into chaos if government continues with its 1:1 rate between the local bond notes and United States Dollars.

This is amid the current impasse between junior doctors and government which has entered day 30 and threats by teachers not to turn up for duty when schools open next term.

On the other hand, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union (ZCTU) has also joined the bandwagon and have threatened to shutdown the country if government fails to pay workers in United States dollars.

Government insistence that Bond note is at par with US dollars could be the reason why things are upside down as this means workers salaries which have been devalued due to a sharp rise in the price of basic commodities, will not be increased as it will mean that the treasury has to avail foreign currency to settle wages should the country dump the greenback.

Let us shutdown the country until the Government start to listen to the suffering citizens. All of us are suffering nomatter which political party you support. Let's unite , we deserve better@povozim @263Chat @DailyNewsZim @NewsDayZimbabwe @RMajongwe @Zinasuzim
@CHRA_Zim pic.twitter.com/uXCHz9XQK0

— ZCTU – Zimbabwe (@ZctuZimbabwe) December 30, 2018

Four foreign nationals have been arrested for submitting fraudulent documents during the City of Johannesburg’s security personnel insourcing project.

It is alleged that the suspects, who are all Zimbabwean nationals, submitted fraudulent identity documents when they applied for the permanent positions with the City. They were arrested on Friday.

A statement from Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba’s office said it was established that one of the suspects used information of a deceased person and the other suspects’ fingerprints could not be validated.

One of the suspects recently approached the City Group Forensic and Investigation Department and indicated that their supervisor wanted money from them every month to keep quiet, and that he had now grown tired of this arrangement.

A sting operation was then set up by GFIS working together with the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) where the suspects were arrested.

When they were questioned, all four suspects admitted that they bought fraudulent identity documents.

The suspects will appear in the Hillbrow Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

“I’m appealing to anyone who might have information on other security personnel that might have secured a job fraudulently to please come forward,” Mashaba said. “The information will assist our law enforcement officials as they continue to investigate this case.

“Corruption has no place in this administration and we will work tirelessly, and in collaboration with institutions such as the Hawks, SAPS and all other institutions within the criminal justice system to ensure that the residents of Johannesburg receive the quality services they deserve.

“I would also like to encourage people to report any fraud and corruption activities through our 24-hour tip-off hotline 0800 002 587 or visit GFIS offices situated at 48 Ameshoff Street, Braamfontein.”

– African News Agency (ANA)

Norton independent legislator Temba Mliswa yesterday defended the demands made by Members of Parliament saying they must be given enough resources because the other two arms of the State; the Executive and the Judiciary are having the same benefits.

This comes after President Emmerson Mnangagwa and many other people blasted the legislators saying they are greedy.

Mliswa said legislators are required to do their work effectively and they must be given enough resources.

“My view is that people representation should not be equated to destitution neither should it be equated to self-aggrandisement. Overheads are incurred as with any other enterprise and being an MP is no exception, it is a cost centre.

“In fact, even more so during these economically challenging times where even the most basic constituency requirements that naturally should be catered for by the government are not being catered for and the deficit needs to be addressed.

“The Executive and Judiciary receive a Discovery Autobiography (off road), Mercedes Benz and a Ford Ranger. Ministers receive the same three vehicles against MPs who receive one for the full five-year term.

“As I see it one good, safe, tough and durable land cruiser is therefore sufficient for all if we refer to austerity, I’ll leave you to draw any further conclusions.”

He added that they worked diligently while poorly-resourced much like the efforts of doctors, nurses and teachers.

“The very same people that complain that their legislators are not visible should be mindful of the restrictions faced by their MPs. The areas that their MPs need to cover in the effective delivery of their mandate cannot be covered by public transport as has been suggested in some quarters. It becomes imperative that the motor vehicles issue be addressed.

“Which brings us to the crux of the matter, what calibre of representation do people expect to have? Interestingly, I have noted comments raised that MPs should be people who have personal financial capacity and who are able to debate and effectively represent their constituent’s needs in Parliament.” He added that in Zimbabwe constituency requirements are so profound and juggling those needs with parliamentary representation naturally makes being an MP a full time job.

“This issue is a point of some difficulty for me as I must ask – well, who voted for people without their choice of credentials in the first place? I will let it be known and stated for the record that I was attacked for bringing up what was deemed to be a ‘preposterous’ suggestion during election campaigning when I said aspiring MPs should have degrees and their own auditable proof of wealth and capacity in order to be allowed to run for a seat.

“I have always thought that such criteria would significantly curtail corruption and would promote a servant leadership credo in the legislature.

“If the collective grouping of MPs was to this standard, the categorisation of MPs into a different standard of resourcing would be done away with,” he said.

-Daily News

With a few days to go into the new year, the omens don’t look good politically in 2019, following the Zanu PF youth league’s ominous threats this week against the country’s opposition forces, the Daily News can report.

In shocking remarks which have evoked bad memories of Zimbabwe’s body politic under former president Robert Mugabe’s decades of violent and ruinous rule, the ruling party’s youth league boss, Pupurai Togarepi,  promised that they would crush all dissenting voices in the new year.

Mugabe, who was toppled from power in November 2017 — after nearly four decades as Zimbabwe’s supreme leader — routinely unleashed violent youths, war veterans and law enforcement agents to crush dissent.

At the height of his power, he even boasted at one time that he and Zanu PF had “degrees in violence” — in mortifying comments which shocked the world.

Analysts who spoke to the Daily News yesterday said the youth league’s utterances, if acted out, would plunge the country into a bigger political and economic crisis than is currently being experienced.

Zimbabwe is going through its worst economic crises since the horror of a decade ago, as the country battles shortages of fuel, basic consumer goods and medical drugs.

This has seen President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who narrowly avoided defeat to opposition leader Nelson Chamisa in the hotly-contested July 30 election, increasingly coming under pressure to stem the rot.

In his remarks, which have been widely condemned, Togarepi warned on social media this week that they would deal ruthlessly with “anyone who tries to remove or attack Mnangagwa” in 2019.

“We have been tolerant … before and after elections. We won’t take any prisoners in 2019. Any provocation will be confronted head-on. The rules of the game have completely changed.

“Don’t insult others if you don’t want to be insulted. If you insult our leaders we will insult you. If you harass us in any way we will respond with equal measure. If you respect the president’s call for peace and unity we’ll respect you,” he said.

“We have been preaching peace while some insult and call for sanctions. Mnangagwa calls for unity and peace and some insult him and his leadership.

“The president focuses on economy, others are still in election mode. We can also insult. Your choice will be reciprocated,” Togarepi added in his ill-conceived rant.

It was not clear yesterday what had triggered Togarepi’s rant, although its timing coincided with widespread disgruntlement by long-suffering Zimbabweans who are enduring one of the worst festive seasons since the country’s independence from Britain in 1980.

The main MDC said the threats by the Zanu PF youth league were regrettable, but added that they would not stop them from pressuring Mnangagwa’s government into addressing the country’s deepening economic crisis.

“His (Togarepi’s) statement is criminal and unfortunate. In an era where countries are competing and bragging about innovation, transformation and opportunity creation, it is shocking that a senior member of a political party brags about the violent nature of his organisation.

“Togarepi is a national embarrassment who unfortunately represents the wider violent nature of Zanu PF,” MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume said.

Togarepi’s threats came as popular dancehall musician Winky D was forced to ditch a show in Kwekwe last week, after rowdy crowds — said to be Zanu PF sympathisers — threw missiles at the stage in protest over his presence in the gold mining town.

Winky D is currently riding high with his new offering titled KaSong KeJecha, which has found resonance among MDC supporters who popularised the “kudira jecha” statement when Chamisa approached the Constitutional Court (Con-Court) in August — after he rejected the July 30 presidential election result.

“Kudira jecha” is Shona street lingo which loosely means playing a spoiling game.

Political analysts also told the Daily News yesterday that Togarepi’s statements exposed the culture of “Mugabeism” which was still rampant within many sections of Zanu PF when it came to dealing with dissenting voices.

“Togarepi’s statements betray the truth about Zanu PF’s view and approach in dealing with dissenting voices, which is an indication of the continuation of the Mugabe politics.

“These messages undo the cheap talk that the ED government is about democracy and economic revival since these people are close associates of ED.

“We can say without doubt that these people’s views represent those of the leadership and in this regard Zimbabwe is in for more years of authoritarianism,” political analyst Rashweat Mukundu said.

Chamisa has been brawling with Mnangagwa ever since he narrowly lost the hotly-disputed July 30 presidential election — whose result he vigorously challenged at the Con-Court.

The youthful opposition leader even went to the extent of accusing the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) of manipulating the poll results in favour of the Zanu PF leader.

But Mnangagwa’s victory was upheld by the Con-Court, which ruled that Chamisa had failed to provide evidence that he had won the election.

Last month, he held a massive demonstration in Harare where he lashed Mnangagwa, exhorting the president to act on the deteriorating political and economic situation
in the country.

Meanwhile, church leaders and other influential people have implored both Mnangagwa and Chamisa to end their bickering by holding talks aimed at addressing the deteriorating economic and political situation in the country.

Chamisa recently met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as part of his efforts to try and resolve the current crises in the country.

“I told him that there is no confidence (in Zimbabwe) because there is no political stability … the elections were rigged.

“The elections were rigged because the result of what the people voted for was not the one that was announced. So, there is need to go back to what the source of the problem is,” Chamisa said of his meeting with Ramaphosa in Pretoria.

South Africa, which is Zimbabwe’s biggest trading partner, is seen as having the greatest potential influence on local national politics, including the mooted dialogue between Chamisa and Mnangagwa.

In 2008, the neighbouring country’s former president, Thabo Mbeki, was instrumental in brokering talks which led to the formation of a GNU between Mugabe and the late MDC founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai — following that year’s hotly-disputed elections.

Mbeki’s mediation culminated in the signing of the global political agreement (GPA), which paved the way for the formation of the unity government in February 2009.
The popular Tsvangirai had trounced Mugabe hands down in the disputed 2008 presidential election.

The results of those elections were withheld for six long weeks by stunned authorities — amid widespread allegations of ballot tampering and fraud, which were later confirmed by former bigwigs of the ruling party.

In the ensuing sham presidential run-off, which authorities claimed was needed to determine the winner, Zanu PF apparatchiks engaged in an orgy of violence in which hundreds of Tsvangirai’s supporters were killed — forcing the former prime minister in the inclusive government to withdraw from the discredited race altogether.

Mugabe went on to stand in a widely-condemned one-man race in which he shamelessly declared himself the winner.

Zimbabwe is currently deep in the throes of a mega economic crisis which has resulted in shortages of basic consumer goods and medicines.

Apart from shortages of drugs and basic goods, the government is also battling acute shortages of foreign currency which have seen the re-emergence of long fuel queues.

The government is also struggling to end the doctors’ strike which has crippled services within the country’s failing public health sector.

-Daily News

THE country this year recorded 13 murder cases on Boxing Day, with the assailants reportedly using knives, bottles and iron bars to commit the crimes.

Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba, said police were highly concerned with the recent surge in crimes such as those of passion, assault, rape, attempted murder and murder.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police is concerned with the recent upsurge of violent crimes such as assault, rape, attempted murder, and murder.

Thirteen murder cases were recorded in one day on 26 December 2018. In most cases, the perpetrators use weapons such as knives, broken bottles or iron bars,” she said.

Snr Asst Comm Charamba said this while relating to cases that occurred in parts of the country during the holidays.

“In a recent case which occurred in Nkayi, one man was stabbed to death, after a brawl with a drinking partner who used an Okapi knife to stab him. In a similar incident in Mufakose, a man was stabbed to death with a broken beer bottle after he had questioned why the accused was at his gate with his girlfriend.

“In Gwelutshena also in Nkayi, an 80-year-old woman was struck once on the head with an iron bar, before she was raped and robbed of her belongings,” said Snr Asst Comm Charamba.

She urged people to value the sanctity of human life and find amicable ways of dealing with anger than to resort to violence that would lead to unnecessary loss of life.

State Media

A suspected thief who allegedly used a rod to fish out cell phones and clothes from houses is on the verge of losing his private parts after he was bitten by three dogs as he fled the scene in the wee hours of the morning.

Chamunorwa Dick, 43, of Kambuzuma suburb was ravaged by the dogs after jumping over a precast wall into their territory when one of the complainants screamed for help.

Sources privy to the case told the Daily News that Dick sought medical attention at one of the hospitals but could not be attended to as there were no doctors. Junior doctors are currently on strike.

“I accompanied him to the hospital yesterday (Thursday) but he was advised to seek medical attention at private hospitals. Unfortunately, he does not have the money.
The dogs ravaged his testicles, thighs and buttocks, it’s so bad,” he said.

When Dick was brought to the Harare Magistrates’ Courts for initial hearing, he could not walk on his own and was aided by two relatives, including his wife.

He wailed and moaned in pain, drawing attention of members of the public who had attended court.

When he was brought out to the holding cells he dropped his trousers at the courts entrance and demanded that they do not dress him as he was in excruciating pain.

When his trousers fell to the knee level, visible dog bites could be seen on his thighs. Dick, who was walking barefoot, was also still bleeding from his feet.

“Maiwee! Musandipfekedze! Ndarwadziwa,” he screamed as one member of the public pulled up his jeans and dressed him.

Presiding magistrate Victoria Mashamba had to improvise and remand Dick, who is facing two counts of unlawful entry in aggravating circumstances, at the prison holding cells.

Mashamba remanded him out of custody to January 11 on free bail.

Prosecutor Sebastian Mutizirwa alleged that on December 27 at around 3am, the complainant Melisa Manuwere was sleeping when she heard one Tawanda Matanhire screaming that there was a thief.

Matanhire allegedly saw Dick stealing through the window.

When Manuwere woke up, she saw a long stick which Dick allegedly used to steal phones through the window.

The court heard that Manuwere and other community members gave chase and Dick was badly bitten by three dogs.

When police later arrived at the scene, they searched the suspect and found him armed with an okapi knife and a catapult.

He was allegedly caught with a pair of slopes, a pair of trousers, two T-shirts and suspected duplicate keys which he allegedly fished out from Victor Manuwere who was sleeping in the other room.

He was escorted to ZRP Warren Park where a report was filed.

-Daily News

Correspondent|Consultants and registrars at state hospitals in Zimbabwe have threatened to go on strike if President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government does not address striking junior and senior doctors’ grievances, which include payment of salaries in United States dollars, provision of equipment and drugs, revival of a vehicle loan scheme and other issues.

The consultants and registrars, affiliated to the Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZIMA), told reporters in Harare that they have given the government 48 hours to address the striking doctors’ concerns or face a crippling industrial action.

Dr. Sacrifice Chirisa, secretary general of the Zimbabwe Medical Association, said, “… ZIMA is grieved with the process since the 1st of December to date and what’s grieving us the most is that it is the general public that is suffering, our patients that we have cared for, that we have prescribed medicines, that we booked for operations, that need our care that are suffering the most.

Dr. Sacrifice Chirisa and Dr Mthabisi Bhebhe
“We want to say that as ZIMA we feel and are fully persuaded that the issues that our counterparts, let me say that our fellow doctors, these are not students, these are doctors, the issues that they have brought to the fore for consideration are genuine.”

He said the situation at public health institutions is no longer tenable following the junior and middle level doctors’ industrial action.

“We stand with the junior doctors in seeking a speedy resolution of these matters. Therefore we are urging HSB (Health Service Board) to resolve this impasse within the next 48 hours. Consultants have been working very hard under these very difficult circumstances and will not be able to continue beyond the stated time period.”

Dr. Chirisa urged HSB to table the doctors’ grievances instead of suspending them. “We believe the door to dialogue must never be closed and we hope the HSB considers this statement in the good spirit it has been delivered.”

Striking doctors’ representative Dr. Mthabisi Bhebhe, secretary general of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors’ Association, said doctors have vowed to continue their strike until their grievances are met even if they have been suspended by the HSB for participating in an industrial action declared illegal by the Labor Court.

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga lashed out at the striking doctors Thursday saying those that are on strike are in a wrong profession, adding that they should be disciplined for engaging in a so-called illegal strike.

The same doctors went on strike early this year after making similar demands. The government promised to address their needs, a promise it never fulfilled.

Correspondent|of two armed robbers who killed a woman and injured three other passengers when they attacked a Beitbridge-bound bus has been arrested.

The duo robbed passengers of cash and other valuables just outside the border town earlier this month.

Thandazani Mandhlazi was arrested on December 27 in Manicaland and was brought before magistrate Tendai Mahwe by police who were applying for his further detention to Saturday when he is expected to appear in a Beitbridge court charged with murder and armed robbery.

He is being charged with murder as defined in section 47 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act chapter 9:23 and robbery as defined by section 126 of the same act.

Mandhlazi and his accomplice who is still at large allegedly ordered the driver of a Smart Express Bus which was coming from Mutare to stop at Mapai School turn-off 20km before Beitbridge before robbing passengers and the crew. The two were travelling in the same bus before turning on their fellow passengers.

They allegedly fired a volley of rounds indiscriminately shooting four passengers including Margaret Mungani who died on admission to Beitbridge District Hospital.

The pair is alleged to have then robbed other passengers of an undisclosed amount of cash and cell-phones before disappearing into the darkness.

The bus driver, Lovi Dama, told police that one of the robbers walked from the back of the bus to the front and asked to be dropped off around 3:30am, but instead he produced a pistol before firing a shot into the air, ordering everyone to lie down.

“He stood near me and ordered me off the wheel, and then started firing shots. He asked all people to hand over cash and mobile phones,” Dama told the media after the robbery.

The robber’s alleged accomplice collected cash and phones from passengers before the two men bolted.

Correspondent|Errant and negligent motorists who flagrantly disregard road rules will have to contend with hefty traffic penalties when the new standard scale of fines, which prescribe a maximum penalty of $700 and imprisonment, become operational on Tuesday.

Road traffic offences are currently classified under levels 1 to 3 of the standard scale of fines and attract a maximum fine of $30.

However, under new revenue measures announced in the 2019 National Budget, most of which become operational this week, the fines are now placed in levels eight to 10.

Parliament approved the Finance Bill on December 20. It now awaits approval by Senate when it resumes sitting next year.

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said last week although the Budget has not been approved by the Upper House, the measures contained therein will become operational on the prescribed dates since the Finance Bill was unique.

“The Finance Bill is a different kind of Bill compared to others that come to Parliament. Certain processes do not apply to it,” said Minister Ziyambi.

“That is why you find even the measures set by the Minister of Finance (and Economic Development) that are effective midnight on the day he presented the budget, automatically become effective.

“All those measures that are effective on January 1 2019 will come to effect.

“Also note that the Finance Bill sailed through in the National Assembly, and if we look at the Constitution and other rules of Parliament with regard the Finance Bill, Senate cannot reject it or amend it.

“What they can simply do is refer back to the Lower House. So, effectively, all proposals in the budget are allowed and they take effect.”

The country’s roads are increasingly becoming death traps as fatalities from traffic accidents have progressively risen since the beginning of the year, something the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe (TSCZ) blames on errors of commission and omission by motorists.

Traffic accidents during last week’s Christmas holidays claimed 12 lives – an increase from the nine people that were killed during the same period last year – and injured 63 others.

Worryingly, all the 122 accidents that were recorded during the period were blamed on human error.

TSCZ spokesperson Mr Tatenda Chinoda cheered Treasury’s intervention, describing it as “a step in the right direction”.

“The increased fines are among a raft of measures to deal with traffic offenders and curb road accidents.

“Punitive fines are a step in the right direction and as the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe we are fully in support.

“High traffic fines are in line with international best practice on road traffic safety enforcement.”

In his maiden budget speech on November 22, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said the carnage on the country’s roads are “a result of human error arising from failure to observe road traffic regulations”.

“The most common offences committed include proceeding against a red robot, overtaking over solid line, in particular, at robots, encroaching onto oncoming traffic to avoid congestion, dropping passengers at undesignated points, driving without head or side lights, cutting corners when turning right and failing to stop when instructed to do so by the police, among others,” he said.

The proposed traffic fines are part of broader revenue measures that will kick-in on Tuesday.

Notably, the 42-day moratorium on payment of motor vehicle import duty in foreign currency – which caters for persons seeking exemption for vehicles imported on or before 22 November – will also expire this week.

It is understood that the biometric registration exercise for Government employees, meant to weed out ghost workers, gets impetus this week, while a 5 percent cut on remuneration of senior civil servants and parastatal bosses also comes into effect.

Further, there are tax relief measures for employees as the tax-free threshold will rise from $300 to $350, while the maximum tax rate will come down to 45 percent from 50 percent.

Government has also extended duty-free importation of fertilised chicken eggs as a measure to cushion the poultry sector that lost over 180 000 breeding hens to Avian Influenza last year.

There is also a facility for the import of 100 public service buses with a sitting capacity of 60 passengers at 5 percent duty.

The 2019 Budget was presented under the theme: “Austerity for Prosperity”.

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries, the country’s biggest industry representative group, is lobbying the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to consider partially floating the exchange rate in order to minimise distortions arising from the present currency peg, but critics have said this would worsen an already precarious situation.

CZI president Mr Sifelani Jabangwe told The Sunday Mail Business last week that the partial liberalisation of the exchange rate would allow businesses generating foreign currency to realise “fair value” for money.

Government maintains that bond note and RTGS values are at par with the US dollar. But Mr Jabangwe said while Government’s decision to separate the Foreign Currency Accounts/Nostro and FCA/RTGS holding accounts was welcome, companies that generate foreign currency are reluctant to trade their dollars at a rate of 1:1.
“It’s a stalemate,” Mr Jabangwe said.

“Forex generators are sitting on their money; they can’t trade because there is no fair value at a rate of 1:1. We have proposed a trading mechanism to the authorities for a partial free-floating system. It does not necessarily have to be a full float. We are still waiting for the response (from the RBZ).”

Some critics have, however, said any piecemeal approach towards reforming the currency regime without necessarily dealing with the underlying structural imbalances would only create more distortions in the market.

Economist Mr Brains Muchemwa, who is also founder and managing director of Oxylink Capital, said the big RTGS balances in the market cannot be easily sterilised through open market operations, neither will the proposed austerity measures be implemented in full in the face of rising inflation.

“Therefore, floating the exchange rate is the only lever to optimise consumption and allocate resources efficiently in order for the economy to preserve jobs and attract fresh capital at a time the Government has been scouting for fresh investment under the ‘Zimbabwe is open for business’ drive,” said Mr Muchemwa.

Dr Gift Mugano said while keeping the exchange at par was not ideal under normal circumstances, maintaining the bond note and RTGS at par with the United States dollar was the “best Zimbabwe can have given its current situation”.

“If we float on the back of foreign currency shortages in this economy, the rate will shoot up. This will result in serious erosion on savings and pensions.

“Workers will demand salary increases. How many companies are going to get cash flows to meet salary increments? Floating the exchange rate is not a desirable situation because the economy will certainly crash.

“Probably it is critical for those calling for the floating of the exchange rate to do a cost-benefit analysis so that there is robust, comprehensive and undisputed evidence that support their position.

“What we need to see from the Government is robust implementation of its policies so that it can build confidence,” said Dr Mugano.

While the official exchange rate between the US dollar and the bond note or RTGS has remained at par, analysts say the separation of the FCA/Nostro and FCA/RTGS accounts was an admission by the monetary authorities that the RTGS balances were not equal in value to the dollar. Following the announcement on the separation of the accounts by the central bank, the rates went up by as much as 500 percent on the black market, but have since settled at around 350 percent. As such, some economists argue that any effort to liberalise RTGS and US dollar accounts or rates will be tragic as account holders will move all their excess RTGS balances into the market, which will result in a skyrocketing exchange rate and an inflation spiral.
RBZ Governor Dr John Mangudya was not available for comment by the time of going to Press.

-State Media

In a notice dated 28 December 2018 and signed by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Mrs Tumisang Thabela, the ministry announced that it would be carrying out a registration exercise for the recruitment of teachers to fill vacant posts throughout the country.

“The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education will be carrying out a registration exercise for prospective teachers who will possibly fill limited vacancies that are available for the 2019 financial year. Prospective candidates can register at their nearest District Education Office from 2 January 2019 to 3 January 2019,” read the notice.

The Ministry urged applicants to register at only one district upon producing their original teacher qualification certificate, birth certificate and national identification card.

In a telephone interview, Mrs Thabela confirmed that her ministry was recruiting and said they needed more teachers but were being restricted because of budgetary constraints.

“We have been allowed to recruit 3 000 teachers at the moment due to our small purse but we do need more because we have huge gaps in the system,” she said.

She added that the Government has taken serious steps in addressing issues of language in line with the country’s Constitution.

Mrs Thabela urged applicants for the Infant Education module to provide proof of proficiency in the local languages (especially for formerly marginalised indigenous languages) spoken in the district of choice.

“We also want teachers who are proficient in local languages because the Language Policy states that children from Early Childhood Development (ECD) up to Grade Two must be taught in their mother tongue so the teachers must be able to use the local languages spoken in that area too. The ECD level is where we need good teachers and that is where many shortages are,” she said.

The ministry further warned applicants against falling prey to fraudsters that would purport to be facilitating jobs for them.

“The ministry has not employed any third party or agent to carry out the registration. The exercise is only done at District Education Offices,” read the notice.

The teacher recruitment exercise is expected to play a big part in reducing the teacher to pupil ration, which had scaled up as high as 1:50 at some schools. It is also expected to improve the staffing levels especially in most remote areas of Matabeleland region and some parts of Masvingo Province.

The latest development is also in line with the country’s economic blueprint, the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP), which gives prominence to the human development agenda making education a key factor.

According to the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting, at least 3 000 teachers will get the opportunity to be employed.

Former President Robert Mugabe “did not at all” confiscate Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri’s so called book.

Speaking on Twitter, former Higher Education Minister Jonathan Moyo dismissed Muchinguri’s claim that
Mugabe confiscated a book detailing the circumstances surrounding the
death of the late Zimbabwe National Liberation Army (Zanla) commander, General Josiah Magama Tongogara.

Moyo said Muchinguri-Kashiri claim to have written a book is fake because she cannot write a sentence. He urged her to address claims that she finished off Tongogara after the accident.
Said Moyo:
1. How can someone who can’t write a sentence claim to have written a book?
2. If Oppah wants to come clean on
Tongo’s death, why not address
persistent claims that she finished him off after the accident!
Muchinguri said: I wrote a book on the story [of Tongogara’s death]. I did not know that I was not allowed. Maybe now we can say it because the people are dead.When I wrote the book, I was summoned by former President Mugabe [then Prime Minister], who was in the company of the country’s military commanders Generals Solomon Mujuru, Vitalis Zvinavashe and Josiah Tungamirai, all bedecked in their official uniforms. You know how scary that is. I was asked to hand over the book.

MDC youth assembly chairperson Happymore Chidziva said he will not seek reelection at the opposition party’s congress next year.

He said this during his 38th birthday celebrations.He said he will continue under whichever post he will be allocated. Chidziva said he wants to pass the baton to the next generation.

Said Chidziva:”This is my last term as the commander of this movement’s youth assembly, next year at congress I am passing the baton to a new generation. Nonetheless, I will remain youthful in mind and deeds and will carry on with the struggle at a position which the assembly will deploy.”

Jane Mlambo| Yesterday, medical doctors under the Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZIMA) gave government 48 hours to resolve the impasse with striking junior doctors, failure of which they will take action as they felt they had worked under very difficult conditions to cover up the problem created by the absence of their juniors.

With only 24 hours remaining, it appears a solution is still far as there has not been communication or update on the ongoing engagements with the striking junior doctors.

In a statement released yesterday, the senior doctors said,  “Therefore we are urging the HSB, to resolve this impasse within the next 48 hours. Consultants have been working very hard under these very difficult circumstances and will not be able to continue beyond the stated time period.

“We believe the door to dialogue must never be closed and we hope the HSB considers this statement in the good spirit it has been delivered.”

The situation in most government hospitals is not pleasing amid reports that a lot of patients are losing lives as there are no medical staff to attend to them.

If senior doctors chose to also follow suit and strike, Zimbabwe could have its worst health crisis.

Two police detectives from Minerals Unit have appeared before Zvishavane resident magistrate Shepherd Munjanja in connection with a case of robbery which occurred at Carmlak Mine earlier this month.

The two detectives Moses Karumbidza, 30, and Isaac Kawundura, 33, were arraigned together with six other suspects in connection with the Carmlak Mine robbery case which saw mine owners losing valuables, unquantified gold and cash.

It is the state’s case that on 25^th of December 2018 at around 1300 hours, the first accused was caught in possession of a Vivo X21 cellphone which had been stolen during the robbery.

The first accused also made indications at the scene and the recovered property was positively identified by the complainant.

He (first accused) then implicated seven other suspects who include two detectives from the Minerals Unit.

It is alleged that the 16 member gang, disguised as police officers, went to Mimosa turn off in the town, fired shots and force marched security details at Carmlak Mine to the mill.

During their numerous raids at Chinese residence, the gang vanished with cash amounting to US$8 820, $6 800 bond notes and 2 155 Chinese yuan.

The eight accused were denied bail and were remanded in custody until the 11^th of January 2019 by Zvishavane resident magistrate Mr Munjanja and advised to apply for bail through the High Court.

Meanwhile, eight other suspected gang members are still at large.

-State Media

A serious human-wildlife conflict is brewing in Tsholotsho with hyenas terrorising people in the district’s two wards.

Villagers in the two wards have already lost over 30 goats and about 25 calves.

Besides the livestock loss, the villagers in the two wards are now worried the predators might end up attacking people.

Tsholotsho Council Chairperson Mr Esau Siwela told the ZBC News that the wild animals have become a source of worry.

“The issue of hyenas is a serious issue. In another village 25 calves and 6 goats were killed and villagers are requesting to take matter into their hands but we did not give them any go ahead to kill the animals as it is illegal,” said Mr Siwela.

The matter has not yet been reported to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority since it became an issue, as the authorities in Tsholotsho had been hoping to neutralise the situation.

-State Media

Jane Mlambo| Opposition leader has contrasted long held beliefs that Zimbabwe is facing severe cash shortages, arguing that the country has surplus money which is being held in the pockets of a few high and mighty in power.

Chamisa said Zimbabwe’s problem had nothing to do with cash shortage but confidence and legitimacy of the current government which retained power through rigging the just ended harmonised elections.

Chamisa was responding to a question from a Twitter user who said government does not have foreign currency to pay doctors and civil servants.

The Twitter user by the name Pablo Chimusoro said the government would not be able to pay civil servants in foreign currency since it was struggling to procure fuel, medication and other basics but Chamisa had other ideas as he insisted the problem is corruption and lack of confidence in the Mnangagwa administration hence people including the informal market prefers to keep their cash far away from banks.

Confidence, bankability and legitimacy of government will do it all.There is surplus money in Zimbabwe ..only that most of it is in the pockets of a few high and mighty in power.Some of it is in the informal and subterranean.

— nelson chamisa (@nelsonchamisa) December 29, 2018

Jane Mlambo| Opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa has lambasted the Emmerson Mnangagwa administration for using macho tactics against striking doctors saying they need their money for them to save lives.

Chamisa who has been consistent in his call for dialogue said teachers and other civil servants deserve to earn their salaries in foreign currency and not the local bond note which has lost value since the July 30 elections.

The youthful politician said command politics has always failed, hence the need for dialogue to address the current economic problems facing the country.

GIVE DOCTORS THEIR MONEY…Pay teachers & civil servants in forex. ‘Sledgehammer’ politics always fail. It’s unwise for the powerful to use command or macho tactics to threaten skill and expertise.Give life to Doctors to save lives.Doctors can’t save lives when they have no life!

— nelson chamisa (@nelsonchamisa) December 29, 2018

Jane Mlambo| Opposition MDC leader, Nelson Chamisa has urged government pay teachers and the rest of civil servants in foreign currency, discouraging against command tactics which he said only threaten skills and expertise.

Posting on Twitter this afternoon, Chamisa also urged government to give life to Doctors so that they can also save lives.

GIVE DOCTORS THEIR MONEY…Pay teachers & civil servants in forex. ‘Sledgehammer’ politics always fail. It’s unwise for the powerful to use command or macho tactics to threaten skill and expertise.Give life to Doctors to save lives.Doctors can’t save lives when they have no life!

— nelson chamisa (@nelsonchamisa) December 29, 2018

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) says it is concerned with the spate of murder cases that are occurring around the country especially in Harare, Tsholotsho, Nyanga and Filabusi.

In a statement, police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said on 10 November 2018 at around 2230 hours, a 54 year old female was attacked at Seke Flyover in Harare by unknown assailants and sustained a deep cut before she succumbed to the injuries and died on the 19^th of this month.

Senior Assistant Commissioner Charamba said, in another incident on the 25^th of this month at around 1900 hours, a 19 year old teenager was stabbed to death after he was accused by his two assailants of stealing a cellphone.

In a related incident, on the same day in Nyanga at around 1830 hours, a 57 year old man was stabbed to death after he had called a colleague by a nickname he did not like.

The police spokesperson said on Christmas Day, an 18 year old man was killed in Filabusi at around 2300 hours after an altercation.

She said the now deceased was hit with a stone once on the forehead and he fell down.

Senior Assistant Commissioner Charamba said the ZRP urges the members of the public to respect the sanctity of life.

She said the police are still investigating the murder cases and warns perpetrators of this heinous crime that the long arm of the law will soon catch up with them.

-State Media

By Victor Bhoroma| As the festive mood grips the nation, there is a feeling among most Zimbabweans that the 2018 Christmas will be dull. Economic woes headlined by cash shortages, fuel shortages, multi-tier pricing and price hikes for basic goods and services are rapidly pushing the majority of the population into poverty. A wave of price increases in September has left disposable incomes depleted for the majority of the local workforce.

The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) last recorded the Poverty Datum Line (PDL) at $691.00 as of October 2018. With month on month (M-O-M) inflation rate increasing to 16.44% in the same month, chances are that the PDL has risen beyond $800 in December.

The PDL represents the cost of a given standard of living that must be attained if a person is deemed not to be poor. The index is also linked to the monthly family basket which gauges the average market prices of basic goods and services for a family of six as measured by the Consumer Council of Zimbabwe (CCZ).

These indicators show that the cost of living has gone beyond the reach of many in a country where net salaries for civil servants average $500.00 and unemployment rate is as high as 92%.

Even though the unemployment rate is debatable due to the surging number of Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) where most survive on, there is no doubt that most of those that have found respite in small businesses were pushed out of employment by economic conditions.

People living in poverty are those who are considerably worse-off than the majority of the population. Their level of deprivation means they are unable to access basic goods and services that are considered necessary to an acceptable standard of living. World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than US$1.90 per day as per October 2015 standard. Prior to that, the global line was $1.25 a day.

A recent report by World Poverty Clock pointed out that over 72.3% of the Zimbabwean population are poor with about 5.7 million people living in extreme poverty. Individual poverty prevalence is 84.3% in rural areas compared to 46.5% in urban areas, while extreme poverty is 30.3% in rural areas compared to only 5.6% in urban areas. These numbers are further worsened by El Nino droughts that have hit southern African countries in the last 2 years and affected agricultural productivity.

Agriculture provides direct and indirect employment for over 70% of the Zimbabwean population, as such the recent price hikes for agric inputs have serious ramifications on many livelihoods in the country. As farmers are planting for the 2018/2019 cropping season, prices for seeds, farm implements and fertilizers have more than doubled from last season prices.

Most retailers charge in Bond/RTGS but their prices are pegged on the parallel market US Dollar rate where the greenback is fetching as high as 350%. The price increases affect the whole chain with transport providers also hiking prices for their services due to fuel shortages. The result could be low productivity and food insecurity for most small holder farmers who rely on agriculture as their source of their livelihood.

Health services in Zimbabwe have long been dominated by private players due to the collapse of the public health institutions over the years. Drugs now look as if they are a “luxury” due to the exorbitant prices charged by private health service providers and pharmacies. Retailers and service providers have long resorted to using the black market Bond to US Dollar rate of 350%.

Medical Insurance service providers are slowly indexing their services to the US dollar to protect themselves from losses that arise when patients do their claims. The high prices have pushed medication beyond the rich of a majority of patients especially the poor.

To compound the situation, doctors at various public institutions downed tools on the 10^th of December in protest to poor working conditions. Part of their demands is to be paid in foreign currency by the employer and for the government to prioritize procurement of medicine.

The incessant foreign currency shortages and liquidity constraints in the market have also forced most producers especially miners and manufacturers to lay off part of their workforce in order to stay afloat.

The government has for long talked about creating jobs with a clear understanding that high unemployment levels lead to extreme poverty. In its Poverty Reduction Strategy Report for 2016 to 2018, the Zimbabwean government identified unemployment and economic recession as major causes of poverty.

Parents with school going children are also finding the going tough as most schools hiked tuition fees and uniform prices to shield themselves from the advancing inflation. School dropout numbers will certainly increase under such conditions.

Cross border traders who make a living through importing various merchandise for resale locally have not been spared as well. High exchange rates have pushed prices beyond the reach of most customers. Business has never been the same since September.

One of the major causes of poverty in the world is economic inequality. The economic meltdown is helping to widen the rift between the rich and the poor in Zimbabwe.

The rich have unlimited access to clean water, food, clothing, shelter, medication, transport, employment opportunities and state resources among other needs. As economic woes bite, the rich maximize their opportunities and live large while the poor slide into extreme poverty. There is an urgent need for the government to find lasting solutions to key economic problems bedeviling the nation such as exchange rate disparities that cause multi-tier pricing, cash shortages, foreign currency shortages and price hikes that lead to high inflation levels. The economic meltdown is being felt more by vulnerable groups such as the elderly, women, school children, AIDS patients, the youth and the disabled. A number of groups such as civil servants, small holder farmers, pensioners, farm workers and other unskilled workers are in great danger of sliding into extreme poverty.

Victor Bhoroma is business and economic analyst with expertise in business management aspects. He is a marketer by profession and holds an MBA from the University of Zimbabwe (UZ). For feedback, mail him on [email protected] or Skype: victor.bhoroma1.

A children’s doctor who lied to the Child Support Agency to avoid paying maintenance has been struck off in the United Kingdom.

Dr Collen Nkomo, from Greater Manchester, was ruled unfit to practise by a tribunal because of fraud and drink-driving convictions.

The Medical Practitioners’ Tribunal in Manchester found that Dr Nkomo’s misconduct was “fundamentally incompatible” with being a doctor.

He worked as a locum GP and at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool.
The tribunal was told that Dr Nkomo was given a 20-month suspended jail term after admitting fraud in Manchester in 2017.
He admitted withholding details about his finances from the Child Support Agency to avoid paying £40 800 over two years and seven months to his former partner.

The tribunal also heard that in 2015 he admitted drink-driving, driving without a licence and failing to co-operate with a preliminary breath test.

Dr Nkomo, who lived in Altrincham, did not notify the GMC of any of his criminal convictions.
The Zimbabwe-born doctor, who qualified in 2002, had worked in the UK since 2013.
The tribunal said that Dr Nkomo’s “clear expressions of remorse and apology” were genuine.

— BBC.

President Mnangagwa is expected to commission Shurugwi-based Anglo-American platinum miners, Unki Mine’s $62 million platinum processing plant next month.

Construction of the plant began in 2016 and was completed this year.

The project was a response to calls by Government for value addition and beneficiation as espoused in the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (ZimAsset).

Unki Mine general manager Mr Walter Nemasasi confirmed President Mnangagwa was expected to commission the plant.

He said detailed information regarding the plant would be availed to the public once the plant was commissioned.

“We are expecting President Mnangagwa to open the plant sometime in January. Unfortunately, there will be no press briefings until then,” he said.

Unki Mine smelting plant project manager Mr Clifford Mutevhe recently told The Herald that all the structural and engineering work on the plant was complete.

He said the plant would start operating at full throttle by 2019.

“This is a huge project that the mine is undertaking. All the structural work has been done,” he said at the time.

Mr Mutevhe said the smelting plant, which will consume over 11 megawatts, would see the company smelting about 623 000 tonnes of platinum concentrate per annum.

Platinum mining companies operating in the country agreed to set up refineries at their respective mining sites and to share a single platinum processing plant.

The platinum processing plant will enable the country to realise more from its minerals and curb leakages.

In May last year Government signed an agreement that will see the construction of a $300 million platinum refinery which is expected to boost platinum export earnings.

Kelltech, an Australian firm, will form a joint venture company with the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation.

The total output from platinum companies is forecast to rise to 0,49 million ounces in 2026 from 0,42 million this year.

-State Media

GOVERNMENT is expected to scale up its cost-cutting measures with a five percent salary cut for ministers as well as biometric registration of all civil servants coming into effect next week.

Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube has said all civil servants must undergo biometric registration to weed out ghost workers.

Presenting the National budget last month, Prof Ncube said Government has come up with measures aimed at reducing public spending on employment costs.

The measures will come into effect when the New Year starts on Tuesday.

“Mr Speaker Sir, it is critical that we reduce public spending on employment costs. As a first step, Government has decided that effective 1 January 2019, a five percent cut on basic salary, be effected for all senior positions from principal directors, permanent secretaries and their equivalents up to deputy ministers, ministers and the Presidium,” said Prof Ncube.

He said this would also extended to basic salaries of those in designated posts in State-owned enterprises (chief executive officers, executive directors and equivalent grades) including constitutional commissions and grant-aided institutions.

“A standardisation or alignment exercise in remuneration including benefits for constitutional commissions, will also be undertaken to remove inequity and disparities,” said Prof Ncube.

Turning to the biometric register for civil servants in 2019, Prof Ncube said the previous civil service audits undertaken by Government pointed to the possible existence of ghost workers in the service, contributing to the burgeoning public service wage bill which accounts for over 90 percent of total revenues.

“Clearly, this goes against the thrust of re-orienting budget expenditures towards growth enhancing and poverty reducing developmental programmes and projects through rationalisation of the public service wage bill. Mr Speaker Sir, to weed out these ghost workers, I propose to introduce a biometric registration of all civil servants, with effect from 1 January 2019,” said Prof Ncube.

The Finance Minister said the registration process will be rigorous and will involve capturing data on letter of appointment, academic and professional qualifications, national identification documents, employment code numbers, and biometric data.

He said the biometric data will involve capturing of one’s unique physical attributes such as fingerprints, DNA, iris and retina pattern, using ICT.

“The above system will ensure that every person being paid by Government for services rendered is properly accounted for,” said Prof Ncube.

Government has already initiated the process of retiring 3 384 youth officers from the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation as part of the first phase of implementing civil service reforms.

The Public Service Commission said the retirement of the youth officers was part of a number of measures that Government is implementing and these include rightsizing, reassignment and restructuring of the civil service.

-State Media

Jane Mlambo| Following Government denial that it did not procure expires drugs, seasoned journalist, Grace Mutandwa believes the Emmerson Mnangagwa administration has a habit of denying everything, something she described as command denialism.

Information Permanent Secretary, Nick Mangwana appeared in the state owned Herald refuting claims that the procured drugs at Natpharm were expired.

But Mutandwa said she is not surprised by the Mangwana’s remarks as it has become the norm for government to deny everything.

#Denialists No surprises there. Government is into serious Command Denialism.https://t.co/hc9bnPzdng

— Grace Mutandwa (@GraceMutandwa1) December 29, 2018

There are no expired medicines being dispensed at public health institutions as there are systems to ensure the safety of citizens, Government has said.

In a statement yesterday, the Government said there were laid down procedures for the disposal of all expired drugs.

Secretary for Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Mr Nick Mangwana dismissed social media footage suggesting Government hospitals were dispensing expired drugs, exposing the public to serious health risks.

“Government has been made aware of footage on social media purporting to show that expired medical drugs are being dispensed for use by patients in the country,” said Mr Mangwana in a statement to The Herald.

“Government wishes to assure the Zimbabwean public that it takes the safety of its citizens and patients seriously and there are systems in place to ensure that expired medication is disposed of, and not used irregularly,” he said.

He said there were laid down procedures for the disposal of expired drugs.

“Expired medication cannot be disposed of without a formal process that involves instituting a board of survey to scrutinise and verify the medicines targeted for destruction. The board goes through all the expired medicines, item by item, and provides the monetary value of such medication,” said Mr Mangwana.

He said expired medicines were destroyed with Treasury’s concurrence.

The process is also witnessed by various stakeholders.

“The expired medicine is only destroyed after Treasury has authorised such destruction through the issuance of a Certificate of Destruction. The destruction is witnessed by the Environmental Management Agency in conjunction with the Environmental Health Department of the Ministry of Health and Child Care and is also independently witnessed and documented,” said Mr Mangwana.

The process takes months.

“This whole process takes between six and nine months. Before destruction, the medication is kept in separate pallets in the same warehouse (but different aisle) with unexpired medication because of storage space limitations,” said Mr Mangwana.

He said for the year 2017, expired drugs were kept at below one percent of available drugs in line with World Health Organisation standards.

“Expiries are normal to any health setting but have to be kept to a minimum. For the year 2017 and up to the third quarter of 2018, expiries in the country’s public health systems have consistently been below one percent of commodities available.

“This is well within the WHO nationally acceptable loss of one percent,” said Mr Mangwana.

He said the expired drugs circulating on social media could have been taken during Acting President Constantino Chiwenga’s tour of the National Pharmaceuticals warehouse on Thursday.

This may have been the basis of the misrepresentation that expired drugs were being dispensed.

“We place on record and emphasise that expired medication is not for use by patients,” said Mr Mangwana.

“Should anyone suspect that they have been issued with expired medicines, they should contact the regulator, Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe,” he added.

-State Media

GOVERNMENT is expected to scale up its cost cutting measures with a five percent salary cut for Ministers as well as biometric registration of all civil servants coming into effect next week.

Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube has said all civil servants must undergo biometric registration to weed out ghost workers in the system.

Presenting the National budget last month, Prof Ncube said Government has come up with measures aimed at reducing public spending on employment costs.

The measures will come into effect when the New Year starts on Tuesday.

“Mr Speaker Sir, it is critical that we reduce public spending on employment costs. As a first step, Government has decided that effective 1 January 2019, a five percent cut on basic salary, be effected for all senior positions from Principal Directors, Permanent Secretaries and their equivalents up to Deputy Ministers, Ministers and the Presidium,” said Prof Ncube.

He said this would also extend to basic salaries of those in designated posts in State owned enterprises (chief executive officers, executive directors and equivalent grades) including Constitutional Commissions and grant aided institutions.

“A standardisation or alignment exercise in remuneration including benefits for Constitutional Commissions, will also be undertaken to remove inequity and disparities,” said Prof Ncube.

Turning to the biometric register for civil servants in 2019, Prof Ncube said the previous civil service audits undertaken by Government pointed to the possible existence of ghost workers in the service, contributing to the burgeoning public service wage bill which accounts for over 90 percent of total revenues.

“Clearly, this goes against the thrust of re-orienting Budget expenditures towards growth enhancing and poverty reducing developmental programmes and projects through rationalisation of the Public Service Wage Bill.

“Mr Speaker Sir, to weed out these ghost workers, I propose to introduce a biometric registration of all civil servants, with effect from 1 January 2019,” said Prof Ncube.

The Finance Minister said the registration process will be rigorous and will involve capturing data on Letter of Appointment, Academic and Professional Qualifications, National Identification Documents, Employment Code Numbers, and Biometric Data.

He said the biometric data will involve capturing of one’s unique physical attributes such as fingerprints, DNA, iris and retina pattern, using ICT.

“The above system will ensure that every person being paid by Government for services rendered is properly accounted for,” said Prof Ncube.

Government has already initiated the process of retiring 3 384 youth officers from the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation as part of the first phase of implementing civil service reforms.

The Public Service Commission said the retirement of the youth officers was part of a number of measures that Government is implementing and these include right sizing, reassignment and restructuring of the civil service.

State Media

A MEMBER of a four-man gang of robbers from Bulawayo’s Cowdray Park suburb allegedly broke his leg while escaping from police officers after a robbery in the city and law enforcement agents ended up taking him to hospital.

Last Sanganai fell into a ditch and fractured his right leg while escaping from police officers.

The incident is said to have occurred on Saturday night near a night club in the city.

Sanganai was rushed to Mpilo Central Hospital where he is admitted under police guard.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Chief Inspector Precious Simango yesterday confirmed Sanganai’s arrest. “Police arrested a man from Cowdray Park who was part of a four-man gang which was robbing people of their belongings at a night club along 12th Avenue in the city. The suspects were intercepted by police officers who were conducting patrols soon after robbing a club patron of his money and cellphone,” said Chief Insp Simango.

“While his partners in crime handed themselves to the cops after being spotted, one of them tried to escape from the scene. This led to alert police officers chasing after him, but before they could catch and arrest him he fell in a ditch and broke his right leg.”

Chief Insp Simango warned criminals that cops were on full alert this festive season.

“Our members will continue to do crime awareness campaigns during this festive season. We have also increased the number of officers on patrol. Criminals are warned that the law will catch up with them,” said Chief Insp Simango.

State Media

A Kwekwe-based traditional healer (inyanga) has made sensational claims that he possesses spiritual
powers that can restore girls’ virginity.

The inyanga who claims to be half a prophet and half inyanga, said he can also lock couples, give enriching charms as well as enlarge men’s
manhood. Erdington Virimayi popularly known as Doctor Samanyika said restoring virginity was a walk in the park for him.

“I restore virginity to girls as long as they follow what I tell them to do. It’s just most men know me for enlarging manhood to the sizes of their choices but I also have a service for women,” he said.

He said he once enlarged a soldier’s manhood and the particular soldier is talk of the town for the size of his manhood.

“He came back to me and thanked me for the service saying girls were falling over him after the service. That is how we do it,” he bragged.
Virimayi, a member of the Mugodhi Apostolic Church said there was nothing wrong with mixing traditional
practices and Christianity.
He said he reads a Bible for his clients as he is both a prophet and an inyanga.
“I started healing in 1989 when I was in Grade 7 when I was receiving prophetic visions. I was then
taken by a mermaid and I was initiated into traditional healing.
So I was a prophet until 2000 and now I am both a prophet and a traditional healer,” he said.

Virimayi claims his clientele base has gone regional with some of his clients coming from as far as South
Africa, Botswana and Namibia.B-Metro

Own Correspondent|THE Deputy Minister for Media, Information and Broadcasting Services, Energy Mutodi has torn into her boss, Monica Mutsvangwa.

Mutodi says Mutsvangwa is in a crusade to get him fired so that she can have her minion take over Mutodi’s place.

Mutodi had this to say, “Minister Monica Mutsvangwa is working with a rogue driver who is claiming to have been assaulted by me.

“She wants me fired from the Information Ministry and replaced by her loyalist. She has captured the state media & AMH newspapers. It’s game on.”

Minister Monica Mutsvangwa is working with a rogue driver who is claiming to have been assaulted by me. She wants me fired from the Information Ministry and replaced by her loyalist. She has captured the state media & AMH newspapers. It’s game on.

— Dr Energy Mutodi (@energymutodi) December 28, 2018

A MAN from Bulawayo was taught a fast lesson not to walk a suspiciously long distance with a married woman.

Nkosilathi Zulu of Pelandaba suburb did not take it lightly when he spotted his neighbour Mendiatta Sibanda strolling with his wife.

At first he waited just to see how far Sibanda intended to accompany his wife and when Sibanda trekked further than 100 metres his ego did not allow him to stand and watch his wife vanish in the dark with another man.

In a bid to teach Sibanda a lesson he strode towards them and meted instant justice on Sibanda.Sibanda could not punch back but rather reported Zulu to the police.Zulu was arrested and appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Lungile Ncube and pleaded guilty to assault charges.B-Metro

HARARE – The United States Agency for International Development has warned of an imminent drought in Zimbabwe, following delays in rainfall being experienced in the 2018/2019 season.

A food security report published by the agency titled “Zimbabwe Food Security outlook (December 2018 to May 2019)” notes that low rainfall will increase the national maize deficit to below the average for the 2018-19 marketing season to March 2019.

“The start of the 2018-19 rainfall season has been delayed and rains have been erratic so far.Rainfall levels across most of the country are
below normal long-term average.
“This has adversely affected on-farm activities such as land preparatory, planting and casual labour opportunities which are below typical level

for this time of the year,” reads the report.Daily News

The state media reports that the Zimbabwe Republic police has arrested 478 forex dealers. Systematic arrests of forex dealers began after a new law was put into effect in September 2017  – Statutory Instrument 122A of 2017, Exchange Control (Amendment) Regulations, 2017 (No. 5). The arrests intensified at the end of November this year.

Of the 478, 209 were arrested in Bulawayo, 65 in Harare and the rest in other parts of the country.

Police spokesperson Charity Charamba said:”Thirty cases were sent to court and five were convicted. The rest are still pending. People should refrain from engaging in these illicit dealing.”

The report did not mention the period the arrests were made.

ZimEye can reveal the Tongogara family has taken a stand to build their video presentation which will be the first ever investigate on the late gen Josiah Tongogara’s sudden death on the 26th December 1979.

Gen Tongogara was the second most powerful person in the ZANLA guerrilla movement next to Robert Mugabe and he is seen in iconic pictures standing aside the only two heads of states since 1980, Mugabe and Emmerson Mnangagwa.

On Wednesday, Muchinguri-Kashiri revealed that she was with Gen Tongogara in the same vehicle when he died in the accident, which occurred in Massinga District, Inhambane Province, Mozambique, on December 26, 1979 soon after the Lancaster House Agreement which gave birth to independent Zimbabwe.

Muchinguri narrated details she said she has kept a secret on former president Robert Mugabe’s orders. Also speaking was Lt-Gen Chimonyo who said he was the first to open the vehicle after the accident.

She dismissed claims that she killed Gen Tongogara, saying there was nothing sinister about the accident.

Claims that Gen Tongogara was killed by fellow party members were escalated by the CIA through a briefing on December 28, 1979 and Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith who wrote in his memoirs that “Tongogara’s own people killed him”.

In an interview with ZBC News, Gen Tongogara’s widow, Senator Angeline Tongogara said such information will help bring closure to the narrative.
She said she was happy that the key witnesses had made revelations on what transpired on the fateful day.
“Yaingova yekunzi, aaah vakaita accident, aaah vakaita accident asi kuti unyatsowana kuti tsanangudzo yacho yekuti accident yacho yakambofamba seiko, zvigagozodini zvigagozodini,” she said.

Sen Tongogara paid tribute to the new Government for efforts made so far in honouring Gen Tongogara. Gen Tongo’s children — Hondo, Tichafa, Bvumai and Nyaradzo — said they never had a chance to be with their father during the liberation struggle, adding that the revelations made gave them an opportunity to appreciate their father better.

They said the revelations made were very informative.

Bvumai said: “They kind of shed light on how our father passed on and everything. I think it was very informative.”

Meanwhile, sources inside the family have told ZimEye they will be rolling out their doocumentary soon. “We are now assembling the documentary after her (Muchinguri’s) statement,” they told ZimEye.

By Dorrothy Moyo| The exiled Prof Jonathan Moyo has repeated standing allegations that say Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri “finished off” the late Gen Josiah Tongogara following the fateful accident that ended his life on 26th December 1979.

Prof Moyo was commenting following the publishing of an article titled “MUGABE SEIZED MY BOOK ON TONGOGARA.”

Wrote Prof Moyo: ” Muchinguri

1. How can someone who can’t write a sentence claim to have written a book?

2. If Oppah wants to come clean on Tongo’s death, why not address persistent claims that she finished him off after the accident!,” he posted on his microblogging portal.

VIDEO LOADING BELOW:

#ChiwengaChallenge @ZimEye @NewsDayZimbabwe @GTMubonani @sheikhpzet @ZHDAofficial pic.twitter.com/IyHuVUT7nE

— L M ?? (@lovemuronda) December 28, 2018

But Patients Are Still To Suffer Until Next Week

By Farai D Hove| The government has announced it will reverse the Nov coup leader, Gen Constanino Chiwenga’s suspension of doctors.

The latest following Chiwenga’s press conference yesterday (Thursday) when he claimed that the suspended doctors are mere students, has seen the assigned Minister Of Health choosing to reinstate the doctors.

Chiwenga, who flies away to South Africa for treatment, also said the door was now closed for the doctors as he said their strike was illegal. He furthermore played the previous “nurse-trick” on them by declaring that he would easily replace their posts. But on Friday afternoon as ZimEye revealed, senior doctors and senior consultations joined hands to condemn Chiwenga and the Health Service Board’s move.

Negotiations to reinstate suspended junior doctors have since commenced as government works to find an amicable solution to end the impasse, the state media reported late Friday evening.

Patients will however continue to struggle without doctors for the whole weekend since government has shifted the meeting from Friday to Monday next week.

The state broadcaster quoted the Health and Child Care Minister Obediah Moyo saying his ministry, the Health Service Board (HSB), consultants and senior registrars “have been in dialogue with regards to the issue of suspended junior doctors and a bipartite meeting has been scheduled for next week Monday.”

Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Medical Association held a media briefing this Friday amid calls for the disagreeing parties to dialogue which is key in resolving the impasse between doctors who have withdrawn their services and their employer, the HSB.

Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association Secretary General Dr Anele Bhebhe welcomed the intervention by the consultants.

On Thursday, Acting President Retired General Constantino Chiwenga toured Natpharm as well as Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals to get a clearer situation of events on the ground.

FORMER Home Affairs minister Giles Mutsekwa’s daughter, Jacqueline is on the police wanted list after she allegedly teamed up with her accomplices to rob a Harare vendor of valuables and cash, using her father’s car.

Mutsekwa, who is the opposition MDC party secretary for defence and security, unsuccessfully approached the courts last week, seeking the release of his vehicle. He told magistrate Morgan Nemadire, through his lawyers from Mahuni Gidiri Law Chambers, that he was being prejudiced as the rightful owner of the vehicle.

In his affidavit, Mutsekwa stated that he is Jacqueline’s father– a suspect in the armed robbery.

Mutsekwa submitted that in October, the police came to his house in Mutare and seized his Toyota Prado and Isuzu vehicles.

“Sometime in October 2018, the police came to my house in Mutare and seized my motor vehicles in connection with a criminal case. They also took the Isuzu motor vehicle since they found it on the crime scene, but critical to mention is that all the accused persons in this matter are not the owners of the said motor vehicle,” Mutsekwa submitted.

Mutsekwa submitted that the accused persons had not been given their trial date yet, and to wait for finalisation of the matter was prejudicial to him as the rightful owner of the motor vehicles.

But the State represented by Shepherd Makonde opposed the application, saying the vehicles would be used as exhibits in court.

Nemadire upheld the State’s arguments that the vehicles must be presented in court as exhibits before being released to the owner.

The Toyota Prado was allegedly tracked from the scene after suspected armed robbers, who include, John Dengure, Edson Dandare, Roy Mugavazi Mutemagazi, Taurai Chitepo, Abel Mukandawire Marufu, Edmore Marwizi Mapuranga, Steven Katewa, Fruitano Billiat and Godwin Kusikwenyu pounced on vendor Tapiwa Muteweye’s residence and robbed him of $1 600 and R2 600.

Some of the suspects appeared in court in October.

NewsDay

ThE Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) National Executive would like to update the press, members of the public, stakeholders and its members on new developments in the industrial action which has entered its 27th day (Thursday).

The Minister of Health and Child Care, Mr O. Moyo and his deputy, Dr J.0 Mangwiro have misinformed the Acting President General CDGN Chiwenga (R(d) on the reality of the prevailing situation in the health sector. This act is a poor attempt at covering up their shortcomings in the ministry and running a smear campaign on the doctors. We intend to set the record straight so that members of the public are not misinformed by these individuals in the ministry of health seeking to gain mileage.

1. The Junior doctors who initiated the strike and have been suspended are wholly qualified doctors who hold two Bachelor Degrees of Medicine and Surgery (MB. St ChB) from accredited institutions and have graduated from university. They have undergone five and a half years of intense training including clinical rotations and are not under the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education as the ministry would like the Presidium and the public to believe. The government would not be stating that hospitals are at a standstill and chasing after them if these doctors were just students. Students do not treat patients and do not perform surgery on pregnant women, as this would be inhumane and illegal. Having gone through medical school, the Minister and his deputy should be fully aware of this.

2. The government ceased offering financial assistance to medical students years ago. They did not spend ANY money in sending our members to school and this was an effort of the parents, guardians and sponsors of our doctors. Moreso, these doctors earn a basic salary of $329 RTGS, and the bulk of their remuneration are extra hours done on call.

3. When we visited NatPharm, we did not see the protective clothing and laboratory machines we requested. Instead we noted that some of the medication which was being peddled as stocks was beyond expiry date, and the said consignment has donor drugs which should not be passed for bought drugs to the taxpayer. Furthermore, the minister said the medication was procured two weeks ago but none has reached our hospitals. We would like to know whether the medication was kept until it expired or was procured ‘as is’, both of which are acts of sabotage to the nation and the Presidium, and the minister should be taken to task.

4. Not only Junior doctors are on industrial action, but middle level and senior doctors from central, provincial and district hospitals have Joined as the ministry drags its feet. No form of recruitment can replace the already low staffing levels, and stating that the situation is ‘normal’ is an untrue statement.

5. Instead of resolving grievances, the Minister is trying to push constitutional amendments to prevent further strikes. This will enable him to sleep on the job as the health sector crumbles, like he has been doing when these grievances were raised in October and he turned a deaf ear.
We are disappointed that the Minister and his team continue to play politics with people’s lives instead of addressing the situation at hand. The Minister, his deputy and the Health Services Board have failed dismally in their mandate to uphold our fellow countrymen’s health and workers safety.

We hope the Presidium will find a lasting solution to the current impasse for the benefit of our nation. We are ready to offer our services once our grievances have been addressed. We urge the public to steer clear of propaganda and to pray for us as we try to restore sanity to our health sector.

MDC leader Nelson Chamisa has warned his party will deal with legislators who demanded that government should buy them luxurious Land Cruiser SUV vehicles before they can approve the budget.

Chamisa said the MPs from his party had lost the map and traction of the party by seeking to greedily enrich themselves, instead of fighting for the interests of the people.

“It’s not about my position to say I am against, it’s wrong priorities, and I don’t think it’s our MPs. I am sure it’s one or two MPs who said it, but obviously, those who said it, said it out of tune with the party’s position. In fact, they have to account for why they are pursuing that. They were never sent by the people to represent themselves, but to represent their constituencies,” Chamisa said.

The youthful leader, who is currently taking a sabbatical at his rural Gutu home, said at a time doctors had downed tools and lives were at risk, it was only sensible for parliamentarians and those in President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government to cut on luxurious spending and channel scarce resources to critical areas.

“Mr Mnangagwa’s administration seems to take a macho approach and a hooligan approach to dealing with issues of doctors. Instead of engaging them, hearing their concerns, they want to commandeer them into command salaries, command working conditions and command economy.

These things don’t work. Command politics does not work we need to respect our doctors and our nurses. Listen to them, cut on certain other things. Why should we have chartered aeroplanes and expensive trips when we have sectors that want our priority? Why should cars, be imported? Zanu PF imported cars even at district level. If they are serious about raising resources, one car can pay more than 100 doctors because these are expensive cars. We just need to re-order our priorities and prioritise our doctors,” Chamisa said.

Teachers have also demanded that they get a salary hike to a whopping $3 000 per month from the current $280 to cushion them from recent price hikes.
They have vowed not to report for duty next year unless their demands were met.

-Newsday

South Africa’s most advanced nanosatellite to date, ZACube-2, has been launched into space today with the Russian Soyuz Kanopus mission from Siberia, Russia.

The ZACube-2 was launched together with small satellites from the United States, Japan, Spain, and Germany and will be orbited as secondary payload in a launch mission designed for real-time monitoring of natural and man-made disasters and other emergencies.

ZACUBE-2, described as the most advanced on the continent, will provide cutting-edge remote sensing and communication services to South Africa and the region.

Weighing just 4kg, the ZACube-2 is South Africa’s second nanosatellite to be launched into space and three times the size of its predecessor, TshepisoSat.

The project is funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), The DST’s entity, the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), in cooperation with the University of Montpellier, the French Embassy and the Paris Chamber of Commerce, manages the project.

-State Media

Opposition leader Nelson Chamisa is ratcheting up the pressure on President Emmerson Mnangagwa in a bid to energise the frustratingly slow tempo of the much-talked about national dialogue meant to end the country’s deepening economic crisis.

This comes as long-suffering citizens are enduring one of the worst festive seasons in the history of post-independent Zimbabwe — marked by debilitating shortages of fuel and basic goods such as cooking oil and soft drinks, among a myriad other challenges.

It also comes as Chamisa has recently held surprise talks with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who political analysts say is “potentially very influential” in brokering tangible talks between the MDC leader and Mnangagwa.

Chamisa told the media this week that he remained keen to engage Mnangagwa, as this was the “only way” to stem the country’s worsening economic rot.

“Zimbabweans are suffering … we can’t afford to go on like this. There is need for leadership … unfortunately Mnangagwa is not willing to provide the kind of leadership that is required.

“We must not think about our parties or about power … let’s think about Zimbabweans. Let’s think about the people whom we are supposed to be leading so that we come together,” he said during a surprise tour of Mbare Musika bus terminus in Harare on Christmas eve.

“We have answers but we can’t provide those answers because there is no platform to provide those answers. Our objective is not to form a government of national unity.

“Our objective is to talk about what the problem is. There was a contestation of the election results … there is no confidence. So, we have to resolve confidence issues.

“The challenges we have in the economy are because the politics is stinking … we must have political dialogue,” Chamisa added.

Efforts by the Daily News yesterday to solicit a response from the government drew a blank.

But Chamisa’s comments this week came as he has been brawling with Mnangagwa ever since he narrowly lost the hotly-disputed July 30 presidential election — whose result he vigorously challenged at the Constitutional Court (Con-Court).

The youthful opposition leader even went to the extent of accusing the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) of manipulating the poll results in favour of the Zanu PF leader.

But Mnangagwa’s victory was upheld by the Con-Court, which ruled that Chamisa had failed to provide evidence that he had won the election.

Last month, he held a massive demonstration in Harare — where he lashed Mnangagwa, exhorting the president to act on the deteriorating political and economic situation in the country.

In the meantime, Mnangagwa has ruled out forming a GNU with Chamisa and the MDC — while also remaining coy on the much-talked about national dialogue.

Chamisa has said that his recent meeting with Ramaphosa was part of his efforts to try and resolve the current political and economic crises in the country.

“The main objective was to sensitise him of our situation, give him our side of the story in terms of the way forward.

“I told him that there is no confidence because there is no political stability … the elections were rigged.

“The elections were rigged because the result of what the people voted for was not the one that was announced. So, there is need to go back to what the source of the problem is,” Chamisa said.

South Africa, which is Zimbabwe’s biggest trading partner, is seen as having the greatest potential influence on local national politics, including the mooted dialogue between Chamisa and Mnangagwa.

In 2008, the neighbouring country’s former president, Thabo Mbeki, was instrumental in brokering talks which led to the formation of a GNU between ousted former president Robert Mugabe and the late MDC founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai — following that year’s hotly-disputed elections.

Mbeki’s mediation culminated in the signing of the global political agreement (GPA), which paved the way for the formation of the unity government in February 2009.
The popular Tsvangirai had trounced Mugabe hands down in the disputed 2008 presidential election.

The results of those elections were withheld for six long weeks by stunned authorities — amid widespread allegations of ballot tampering and fraud, which were later confirmed by former bigwigs of the ruling party.

In the ensuing sham presidential run-off, which authorities claimed was needed to determine the winner, Zanu PF apparatchiks engaged in an orgy of violence in which hundreds of Tsvangirai’s supporters were killed — forcing the former prime minister in the inclusive government to withdraw from the discredited race altogether.

Mugabe went on to stand in a widely-condemned one-man race in which he shamelessly declared himself the winner.

Zimbabwe is currently in the throes of a mega economic crisis which has resulted in shortages of basic consumer goods and medicines.

Apart from shortages of drugs and basic goods, the government is also battling acute shortages of foreign currency which have seen the re-emergence of long fuel queues.

The government is also struggling to end the doctors’ strike which has crippled services within the country’s failing public health sector.

The State’s recent ill-advised decision to fire 500 striking doctors — on the back of a court ruling which deemed their industrial action illegal — has seen provincial medical officers (PMOs) joining their colleagues in solidarity, leaving hospitals in the lurch.

Mnangagwa, who had worked hard to break from Mugabe’s discredited history, suffered a huge setback when deadly violence broke out in Harare on August 1 — leading to the deaths of at least six innocent people when the military joined the police in quelling post-election disturbances which had broken out.

The shootings occurred after millions of Zimbabweans had cast their votes in the polls to choose both a new Parliament and president, following the dramatic fall from power of Mugabe last November.

The elections were the first since 1980 to be held in the country without Mugabe’s participation, whose 37-year, iron-fisted rule was stunningly ended by a military intervention which triggered events that ended with his resignation.

The elections also marked the first time that the main opposition MDC was not represented by Tsvangirai, who lost his brave battle against colon cancer on Valentine’s Day this year.

— DailyNews

ZANU-PF youths in Matabeleland North besieged West Garage in Lupane on Monday complaining about attendants at the facility who were reportedly selling fuel in foreign currency only .

Members of the public and motorists approached the Zanu-PF Matabeleland North provincial youth leadership to complain as fuel attendants were demanding United States dollars and South African rand for fuel.

The party’s provincial youth chair Cde Tamuka Nyoni said concerned youths stormed the service station demanding answers.

“Some people approached us complaining that fuel was there at West Garage but attendants were demanding forex. We drove there and they told us that they were only selling to those with US dollars and rand.

“We started arguing as we wanted to understand why they were doing that. We wanted to lock up the garage until they comply because already they are not taking EcoCash and if they refuse bond notes and swipe how do they expect locals to access fuel?” asked Cde Nyoni.

He said youths left the garage after the intervention of police who had come to ensure there was no violence.

The garage manager Mr Obert Murwira confirmed the encounter with Zanu-PF youths.

He admitted that the garage sells its fuel in forex only, saying that is because they order from outside the country.

He said a litre of petrol costs $1 while R100 is equivalent to US$7.

“Yes we sell our fuel in forex because we get it from outside the country using foreign currency. Some people came here and we tried to explain to them but they would not understand,” he said.

Early this month angry motorists temporarily closed Total Service Station in Victoria Falls in protest over hoarding of fuel and favouritism by the garage attendants.

Similar complaints have emerged from various service stations which are accused of feeding the black market despite getting fuel from Government.

Energy and Power Development Minister, Dr Joram Gumbo has warned fuel traders and filling stations that are withholding fuel and those supplying the black market that they risk losing their trading licences.

Dr Gumbo recently said Police and Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) have been deployed all over the country to carry out random raids on rogue service stations.

This comes after a realisation that some service stations are withholding fuel to supply the black market and pirate taxis.

— Chronicle

Terrence Mawawa| Dr Daniel Shumba has accused Norton MP Temba Mliswa of delving into matters he is oblivious of- without examining concrete facts.

Said Dr Shumba in a statement: ” Themba Mliswa is unqualified to speak on an issue he knows nothing about.

He has no understanding of the issues at this level. I have listed entities on multiple stock exchanges, and yet this youngman is full of thunder signifying nothing.

Whatever he smokes is not only confusing him to think that he is larger than life. To the contrary he knows dangerously too little and covers up this delinquency by being loud.

A quick assessment of his rants indicates that he has no depth, but is only full of insults and unsubstantiated allegations left, right, and center.

He is so superfluous and devoid of knowledge but will pretend to be different from a simple thug.

Such myopia is the cause for why I totally ignore him. This guy has no idea what and how an IPO or PP works and yet wants to talk about Econet. This is not jambaja.

In the circumstances I have no time to waste on someone who adds no value, whose experience is of an unorthodox nature, and with no knowledge or regard to corporate governance processes. His attempt to seek relevance in the Econet matter will only serve to expose his ignorance.

Clearly, such unsophisticated intrusive behaviour is insulting to those who are intellectually and emotionally invested in unpacking the fraud and corruption regarding the shareholder issues undertaken while Mliswa was attempting to get a qualification in England.

I cannot labour or seek to dignify Mliswa’s insults. The merits are certainly too complicated for him to perceive. Mr Westwood’s case and corporate governance processes therein are an ample example. Play in your league please youngman. You’re not Zimbabwe’s Superman.

Eventually you may get there, in the meantime work on your attitude and respect others.

ACTING President Constantino Chiwenga will visit Bulawayo on Sunday to attend a ceremony organised by a group of churches to commemorate the positives of the new dispensation.

The thanksgiving event, to be held at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre — the venue for the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) — is being organised by the Faith for the Nation Campaign, a grouping of different church denominations that was founded in 2000.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services said:

“Acting President, Constantino Chiwenga, will be joining spiritual leaders from various denominations in a Thanksgiving and Faith for the Nation Campaign at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair on December 30, 2018. They will commemorate the positives of the new dispensation.”

Last year, churches invited President Mnangagwa to Bulawayo for the same ceremony soon after he had been sworn in as the country’s new leader.

Held under the theme “God has given Zimbabwe the answer of peace”, the ceremony was to thank God for the new dispensation and a peaceful transition into a new era.

-State Media