WATCH VIDEO BELOW…

Government business could grind to a complete halt next week if government fails to meet the demands made by civil service as the wheels of governance continue to come off on President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration.

Representatives of the workers – through the Apex Council – and government are set to meet again this week to deliberate on the demands.

The meeting came as government has already indicated that the fiscal space and environment obtaining in the country did not permit it to increase the civil servants’ salaries without further hurting the economy.

In an interview yesterday, Apex Council secretary David Dzatsunga said a full blown strike could be the only avenue by which to force government to review its position.

Dzatsunga said workers were not worried that government had indicated its inability to meet their demands, but said it was government’s duty to find resources to meet their demands.

“We have no option, but to embark on a full-scale strike in the event that the talks that we have been asked to sit in this week fail to yield the desired results,” he said.

Dzatsunga added that the strike was inevitable as they would not accept any offers that would insult their membership. The workers are demanding a $1 700 salary for the lowest paid civil servant and $3 000 for the highest paid worker.

Government on Monday indicated that it would unveil its salary offer to the representatives of the workers at the next meeting likely to be held today.

“As workers, we are yet to be told that which government says is a package for our members. They have not even told us as the representatives of the workers. All that has been kept under wraps.

Public Service Commission chairperson, Vincent Hungwe said the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) meeting will address issues to enhance the capacity of government workers to effectively discharge their duties.

In a statement, Hungwe said government will announce an integrated cost of living adjustment and the NJNC will meet not later than tomorrow to discuss the issue.

He said the meeting will adopt a common position on the need to integrate a programmatic approach in determining monetary and non-monetary benefits of civil servants in future.

“(Meeting) will agree on a roadmap to roll-out the establishment of a Public Service Pension Scheme based on a funded and defined benefit modality that is guaranteed by government to protect contributors,” Hungwe said.

-Newsday

 

Former First Lady Grace Mugabe’s sister, Shuvai Junior Gumbochuma, who is accused of fraudulently acquiring vast tracts of government land worth more than $2 million, is negotiating a deal to turn into a State witness in a case in which former Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere is accused of parcelling out the land to her.

Prosecutor Zivanai Macharaga yesterday asked magistrate Elisha Singano to postpone the case to January 22 to allow him to finalise talks with Gumbochuma’s defence team, led by Lovemore Madhuku.

“We are now in possession of the docket, and we need to finalise the discussions we are having with the defence, with a possibility to come up with a trial date,” Macharaga said.

But Singano asked Macharaga to explain to the court the nature of the discussions.

Madhuku came to Macharaga’s defence, telling the magistrate that the State had dangled an offer to his client to be a State witness and those discussions have to be completed before a trial date could be provided.

“Your Worship, we are discussing a matter where our client is regarded as a witness and the State gave us an offer and we haven’t clarified our position regarding the offer and that is the discussion we are engaging in,” Madhuku told court.

Allegations are that sometime in August 2014, stand number 139 and 140 Gillingham Estate in Dzivarasekwa, Harare, was made available for sale to developers who could develop high-density urban residential stands.

It is alleged Gumbochuma, in a bid to acquire the land, misrepresented that she had the capacity to develop it.

The State alleges that on March 27, 2015, Gumbochuma was offered stand number 140 Gillingham, as evidenced by the offer letter that originated from the ministry.

She was then required to pay an intrinsic land value of $424 426 to the Local Government ministry.

It is further alleged that Gumbochuma, who neither had the capacity to pay the intrinsic land value nor to develop the land, then created and registered a company Scanlen (Pvt) Ltd as a vehicle to further her fraudulent transaction.

Gumbochuma allegedly sold the said land for $2 060 000, without paying for the land.

N-Frasys then paid the intrinsic land value to the Local Government ministry and paid the balance to Gumbochuma.

It is alleged that Gumbochuma’s conduct was prejudicial to the good administration of the ministry, as she profiteered from State land, thereby distorting the market value of the State land from a mere $424 426 to an inflated value of $2 060 000.

In February 2016, Gumbochuma, a former director of Rodonior and Bojunior Investments, is also accused of misrepresenting facts that Rodonior was a registered company, capable of contracting as a legal persona.

It is also alleged the ministry allocated 150 hectares of land in Goodhope to Rodonior Investments.

Investigations were made with the Registrar of Deeds of Companies and confirmed that Rodonior was not registered.

The State alleges that due to Gumbochuma’s actions, the ministry suffered prejudice to its good administration.

Sometime in August 2016, she was again allocated 20 hectares in Chishawasha, although the offer letter was withdrawn on September 15 last year.

-Newsday

It is alleged that Prof Mthuli Ncube is staying at Meikles Hotel since he became Minister of Finance and each monthend he visits his family in Switzerland!! Iwe uchingoti #ED Pfeee! Phelekezela Mphoko Loading…..!! pic.twitter.com/72wDuhIy7P

— LynneM ??? (@LynneStactia) January 9, 2019

Arbitrage profits/opportunities – the connected buying fuel with the bond and selling it @ $1 hard currency, and selling the hard currency on the parallel market in order for them to reorder more fuel. This has created instant/microwave multimillionaires without any corresponding value addition.

Initial outlay = US$1,000
Transaction 1 – exchange the $1000 @ $3.5 = RTGS 3,500.
Buy diesel at bond 1.34 you buy 2612 litres that is sold for $2612 real money.

Transaction 2, parallel exchange of $2612 @ 3.5 = RTGS 9403.
Buy fuel @ bond 1.34 to get 7017 litres that you push at $1 and collect $7017.

Transaction 3, exchange on the parallel market $7017 @ 3.5= RTGS 24,560 and buy fuel.

RTGS 24,560/1.34= 18328 litres

Transaction 4
$18328 x 3.5= RTGS 64,150

64,150/1.34= 47874 litres

Transaction 5
$47,874 x 3.5= RTGS167,558

RTGS 167,558/1.34 =125,043 litres

Transaction 6
$125,043 x 3.5= RTGS437651

RTGS 437651/1.34= 326,606 litres

Transaction 7
$326,606 x 3.5 = RTGS1,143,120

RTGS 1,143,120/1.34 =
853,075 litres.

Transaction 8
$853,075 x 3.5 =
RTGS 2,985,761

RTGS 2,985,761/1.34 = 2,228,180 litres

Transaction 9
$2,228,180 @ 3.5 =
RTGS7,798,631

7,798,621/1.34 =
5,819, 874 litres

Transaction 10
$5,819,874 @3.5 parallel rate = RTGS 20,369,560

20,369,560/1.34 =
15,201,164 litres

Transaction 11
$15,201,164

$15,201,[email protected] =
RTGS53,​204​0,736

Where have you seen such a casino economy? The elephant in the room is the bond. Our leaders must just take a bold decision otherwise we are building a bridge to nowhere. The madness at the Central bank will catch up with all of us very soon, and the consequences will be atomic. We can’t continue on this path. The market is distorted big time but will self correct is we do away with the bond.

Just imagine, from a mere USD$1,000.00 to over RTGS50 million on transaction number 11.

-Copied From Whatsapp

Jane Mlambo| Political analyst, Dr Pedzisai Ruhanya has slammed the ruling Zanu PF for engaging in what he termed village politics after the state owned Herald carried a story in which Gutu villagers allegedly attacked MDC President Nelson Chamisa for failing to develop his own community.

Ruhanya, an outspoken critic of the Zanu PF regime accused government of failing the nation and not dealing with the current fuel crisis that is on verge of stirring civil unrest in the country.

Posting on Twitter, Ruhanya said;

While Zimbabwe burns and with the fuel crisis grinding it to a halt, this is what we get, descending into jealousy village politics in the midst of a national disaster not witnessed even under Bob! pic.twitter.com/yi11aWdooO

— Pedzisai Ruhanya (@PedzisaiRuhanya) January 9, 2019

A week before Christmas, parliamentarians including those from the ruling Zanu PF teamed up against Minister of Finance, Professor Mthuli Ncube forcing him t adjust his 2019 budget to accomodate their demand for expensive cars.

A few weeks after, Zanu-PF Chief whip, Pupurai Togarepi has appeared in the state owned Herald saying ruling party MPs resolved to forgo luxury vehicles and other privileges they are entitled to as legislators to allow the Government to direct resources towards more pressing national needs.

“Our economic situation, just like the health sector, has bled for over a decade and the solutions so required to put the nation on a recovery path again, are by no means simple but being implemented nonetheless as Zimbabwe rediscovers its lost glory,” said Cde Togarepi.

Does this not reveal that they have been forced to forgo their demands in support of Finance Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube’s austerity for prosperity measures.

 

WATCH VIDEO BELOW…

FOUR families in Lubangwe in Hwange district cheated death when a villager allegedly went berserk and torched their huts in separate incidents in one night.

Police arrested Hloniphani Moyo (24) of Isla Farm in Lubangwe on Monday morning.

He had allegedly committed the crimes on Sunday night.

At one of the homesteads in Isla Village 1, seven minor siblings were sleeping when Moyo allegedly threw a burning log through the window and it burnt a bed and blankets.

Moments earlier Moyo had allegedly set alight a hut in which a couple, Mr Bhekimpilo Ndlovu, his wife Nkosinothando Mpala and their six-month old baby were sleeping in Isla Village 3.

The couple and the baby escaped unhurt.

Moyo had earlier in the night burnt down a hut at Ms Sithembiso Dube’s homestead in neighbouring Isla Village 1 destroying property.

Ms Dube is Mr Ndlovu’s mother.

“We just heard noise around midnight and when we checked we saw that one of the huts was on fire. The fire burnt a bed, clothes and some important documents,” she said.

Villagers apprehended Moyo at his homestead in the morning and handed him to the police.

They had identified him through some clothes which he left at an elderly woman’s homestead where he had sneaked into a bedroom and fled half naked after hearing voices of people approaching the homestead.

Villagers suspect he wanted to rape the woman.

Matabeleland North province police spokesperson Chief Inspector Siphiwe Makonese confirmed Moyo’s arrest.

She said two reports had been filed while police yesterday expected to record two more as four homesteads were targeted.

In all cases no-one was injured while the motive for the burning spree is not known, said Chief Insp Makonese.

-State Media

Hong Kong — A luxury villa previously occupied by the wife and daughter of Zimbabwe’s former strongman Robert Mugabe – itself the subject of a dispute in the Hong Kong courts – has been sold for a 15% loss, according to sales agents.

Part of former President Robert Mugabe’s Hong Kong villa, which his wife Grace and daughter Bona, had been staying since 2008 while the latter attended City University, was sold for US$4,3 million. The transaction may bring closure to the long-running dispute in the Hong Kong High Court over the ownership of the villa.

House 3 of JC Castle has been sold for HK$34 million ($4,3 million), a loss of 15% from its 2008 purchase price of HK$40 million, ($5,6 million) according to Century 21 Deluxe Home Property, which handled the transaction. The agency did not identify the property’s buyer.

The villa’s seller, identified as a foreigner, “is not living here”, said the agency’s director Thomas Lo. “A loss is unusual for this area.”

The transaction may close the chapter on a long-running dispute in the Hong Kong High Court over the villa’s ownership.

The villa was bought in 2008 by a company called Cross Global, and sold two years later at cost to its sole shareholder Hsieh Ping Sung, a Taiwan-born South African businessman and one-time Mugabe confidant.

Mugabe’s government sued Cross Global and Hsieh in 2014 to claim ownership of the 2 761-square foot villa, claiming “100% beneficial” ownership of it, saying that the businessman had merely been holding it on trust.

The former President’s wife Grace and their daughter Bona, had been staying in the villa since 2008 while the latter attended City University of Hong Kong under an alias.

Mugabe, who was pushed out of his presidency in 2017, retains full diplomatic status and a lavish retirement package that included a house in Harare, vehicles and 23 staff members, according to a Government Gazette. While in power, Mugabe had applied to the Hong Kong courts to annul Cross Global’s 2010 transfer of the JC Castle villa to Hsieh.

JC Castle, named in honour of action star Jackie Chan, was developed by real estate-and-entertainment tycoon Albert Yeung’s Emperor Group in 2002, comprising 26 villas clustered around three swimming pools.

CEFC, the former private energy conglomerate owned by missing Chinese oligarch Ye Jianming, offered a villa for sale in March last year, bought for HK$16 million in 2015.

A project called The Regent, developed by China Overseas Land & Investment, will be released for sale soon, marking the first launch this year for Hong Kong’s cooling home market. The first 324 units of the apartment project will launch for HK$10 688 per square foot after discounts of about 32% from the other projects in Tai Po.

The launch of The Regent would stimulate the neighbourhood’s luxury residential projects, Lo said.

Newsday

Jane Mlambo| Controversial Deputy minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Energy Mutodi has dashed to the defence of underfire business tycoon and Econet Wireless founder, Strive Masiyiwa over his support for President Emmerson Mnangagwa and call for the removal of sanctions.

Mutodi said there was nothing wrong in Masiyiwa’s actions urging Zimbabweans to know when and when not to fight.

In a Twitter post this morning, Mutodi said said Zimbabweans must fight against sanctions including Mnangagwa’s fiercest critic Professor Jonathan Moyo.

There is nothing wrong with Strive Masiyiwa supporting President Mnangagwa in the fight against sanctions. Zimbabweans must know when to fight & when to unite. We need everyone’s voice in the fight against sanctions including the opposition & Prof JN Moyo.

— Dr Energy Mutodi (@energymutodi) January 9, 2019

A soldier and his colleague were on Tuesday arraigned before Harare Magistrates’ Court on allegations stealing water tapes and electrical cables from former President Robert Mugabe’s Blue Roof residence.

The duo, Ngonidzashe Kapasura (26) stationed at the Presidential Guard unit, State House and his accomplice Raymond Chahwanda (23) were both remanded in custody to today for trial when they appeared before magistrate Victoria Mashamba charged with unlawful entry.

TIt is the State’s case that on January 6 this year, Peter was carrying out perimeter wall checks when he met Kapasura and Chahwanda, who had unlawfully entered the property.

Peter then searched the pair and recovered two water tapes, 15 metres of electric cables and a wall switch stolen from one of the rooms.

The State alleges the stolen property valued at $150 was later handed over to the police and will be submitted in court as exhibits.

-Newsday

Jane Mlambo| The current fuel situation in the country has reached a new high with most fuel stations dry while public transport operators have hiked fares due to shortage of the precious liquid.

A picture circulating on social media has also exposed that even ambulances which in a normal situation should be ready to assist in emergencies have also joined queues.

Is the government still in control of its business, one wonders.

https://twitter.com/acielumumba/status/1082887887081926656?s=21

A 34-YEAR-OLD Bulawayo man, who was on the Interpol red flag for allegedly defrauding Sable Chemicals of 300 tonnes of fertiliser worth $174 000 four years ago, was last week apprehended outside the United States embassy in Harare where he had gone to process his travelling documents.

Manase Manjova of Pumula South, yesterday pleaded not guilty to a fraud charge before Kwekwe magistrate Vimbai Mutukwa who granted him $3 000 bail and remanded him to January 21.

The State alleges on June 17, 2013, Manjova approached Paul Mwanza, who is employed by Sable Chemicals as a sales and debtors officer, at a fast food outlet in Kwekwe.

Manjova claimed to be an employee of Friends Without Boarders, a non-governmental organisation which allegedly wanted to purchase ammonium nitrate fertiliser from Sable Chemicals.

Accused was told to make a formal request through electronic mail which he allegedly did. He requested for an offshore account to make a quicker transfer of the funds and was supplied with a profoma invoice with the banking details of Sasol, a South African company which supplies Sable Chemicals with ammonia so that he could transfer the $174 000.

He was told that the order will be released after payment has been confirmed.

On July 5, 2013, Manjova forged a Sasol email address and sent correspondence to Sable Chemicals confirming payment to ABSA Bank while pretending to be the South African company’s finance manager, Eldine Holmes.

Sable then released 300 tonnes of fertiliser the following day which Manjova sold. The company later received an alert from Sasol that the email which was being used was not theirs.

The company made a report to the police, but Manjova fled and was then put on red notice by Interpol NCB Harare. Manjova was arrested on January 2 outside the US embassy after detectives got wind of his intensions to fly out of Zimbabwe.

In granting bail, the magistrate ordered him to surrender his travelling documents, report once a week at Criminal Division (Crime) Bulawayo and continue residing at his given address and not to interfere with State witnesses.

Freddy Ndoro represented the State.

NewsDay

A SCHOOLBOY from Nkulumane suburb in Bulawayo who was certified by a post-mortem last month to have died due to excessive alcohol consumption was actually killed, a second post-mortem has revealed.

The latest report also states that Prichard Ndlovu (16) who was a Form Three pupil at Founders High School, had no alcohol in his system at the time of his death.

Prichard allegedly died last month following teenage gang violence in Nketa 6 suburb and police opened murder investigations after his decomposing body was found dumped in a bushy area inside Nketa High School, not outside the school as was earlier reported.

Police closed the murder case and released four suspects after the initial post mortem said he had died due to severe alcohol intoxication.

The first post-mortem report which concluded that the boy had died from alcohol abuse was compiled at United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH).

The latest post-mortem was conducted at Mpilo Central Hospital.

Prichard’s family rejected the first post-mortem results as they suspected foul play and demanded a second one.

His friends had told the family that the boy had last been seen escaping from a teenage gang which was attacking him and his friends.

Prior to Prichard’s burial in December his family with the help of Nkulumane MP Advocate Kucaca Phulu sought a second opinion on the cause of his death at Mpilo Central Hospital.

The second post-mortem compiled by a pathologist at Mpilo Central Hospital revealed that Prichard’s death was not due to excessive alcohol abuse but extensive muscle injury and assault.

The Chronicle is in possession of the post mortem report.

The report states that there were marks inflicted through violence which could have led to the boy’s death.

The post-mortem said shoddy work was done in the initial UBH post mortem.

According to the second report, doctors at Mpilo Central Hospital discovered that Prichard’s brain was missing and cotton wool was stashed in his empty skull.

“This is not a natural death. It was most likely a result of the trauma to the body i.e limbs, pelvis, back, face and neck. All visceral organs of the chest and abdomen were intact and were not opened or dissected during the initial post-mortem done on 12 December 2018 i.e they were not opened and examined internally.

However, we did not see the brain,” reads the report.

According to the report, procedurally the brain should have been there, stored on the chest or abdominal cavities.

The report states that police should institute investigations on the boy’s murder.

“The now deceased’s body was traumatised before death. On 24 December 2018 I saw the pictures taken by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at the scene where the body was found. Picture images DSC 0519, 0520, 0522 and 0523 match with some of the bruises and underlying soft tissue and muscle injuries found on the day of repost-mortem,” the report reads.

“This was not a natural death. I did not see the UBH post-mortem report No 1191/1190/2018 (UBH) before, during and after the “repost-morteming.”

Dr Jekenya’s report found “scanty brownish liquid substance in his stomach and no beer sediments or food”.

Adv Phulu said the new findings entail that police revisit the matter.

“I’m happy that the family can now find closure in learning the truth about what happened to their child. We are looking forward that there would be proper investigations on the boy’s death. It’s a case where the system responded to the family’s concerns and inquiries.

“As the MP, I’m also happy I spoke to the boy’s mother; she is happy it’s unfortunate you haven’t been able to reach her. We now know that the child did not die due to alcohol abuse. The law has to take its course,” said Adv Phulu.

The lawyer said that the missing brain issue does not amount to anything as it is normally removed and replaced with cotton wool during post mortem.

No comment could be obtained immediately from the police.

— State Media

CHURCHES working under the banner of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) have offered to provide a framework for President Emmmerson Mnangagwa and opposition leader Nelson Chamisa of the MDC to come to the negotiating table as the economic crisis worsens.

This comes as Chamisa, who initially refused to recognise Mnangagwa’s victory, has of late offered himself for dialogue “for the sake of the suffering masses”.

ZANU-PF, whose initial offer for dialogue was spurned several times by Chamisa, has continued rebuffing the opposition leader’s calls for talks, saying he lacks maturity.

“We can choose the route of engagement or the route of conflict, the route of individual solutions or that of a shared vision, the route that entrenches greed or one that leads to the common good. As the Church of Jesus Christ, we serve as a sign of hope by being truthful in looking at the current challenges and their root causes,” ZCC said in a statement yesterday.

Shortly before the July 30 polls, the Catholic Church made similar offers as they anticipated a disputed outcome.

Mnangagwa, on the other hand, has rebuffed the MDC leader, saying he does not talk to losers.

“We also remain committed to proffering solutions which are inclusive, realistic and sustainable. The church, therefore, commits to create a shared space for a collaborative national consensus building process aimed at creating a space of trust in which all Zimbabweans can shape a new national imagination.”

Analysts and the clergy have reiterated the need for dialogue to resolve the unfolding crisis and political logjam between Mnangagwa and Chamisa following last year’s July 30 disputed presidential poll results.

The Constitutional Court endorsed Mnangagwa’s win, but Chamisa insisted he won resoundingly against the incumbent.

Zanu PF and MDC, however, set preconditions for dialogue, stalling any prospects for a quick breakthrough in what the interdenominational group said did not bode well for the country.

According to ZCC, a majority of Zimbabweans lack confidence in Mnangagwa and his administration’s capacity to solve the deepening socio-economic crisis bedevilling the country.

“Many people have a low opinion of the willingness and capability of government and other leaders to resolve pressing challenges due to lack of clarity of communication on the nature of the problems and how they are being addressed,” ZCC said.

“We, therefore, call for a broad-based consultative process to come up with a national economic vision and a fundamental redistribution of wealth for the benefit of all Zimbabweans.”

Mnangagwa’s administration faces a groundswell of anger and protests over the economic crisis that has all, but eroded salaries of the majority of workers, with civil servants embarking on an industrial action for better remuneration this week.

MDC spokesperson, Jacob Mafume said every problem in the world was solved through dialogue.

“As the MDC, we are willing to talk unconditionally, based on the five principles that we set out. We are waiting for the Zanu PF leader to come forward and open the dialogue,” Mafume said.

“All we want is to solve our crisis as a country. No problem is insurmountable when people sit down and talk.”

But Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo challenged the church to come up with parameters for the proposed engagement.

“In any case, the church has been praying for these problems that we are facing as a country, and if they think dialogue is the solution, they must lead the process in earnest,” he said.

“They have an edge over us, because they are church leaders and it is their duty to lead the process, but with a clear agenda and roadmap.”

— NewsDay

First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa has no apologies to make to anyone for meeting the leadership of striking junior doctors last week and the few people attacking her personality belong to a tribe of heartless political activists who do not care about people’s lives, Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba said yesterday.

Charamba said the First Lady, who is the ambassador for maternal and child health, has been involved in humanitarian work for a long time and no amount of name-calling will change her unique character.

The First Lady last Friday met the leadership of junior doctors who were on strike and urged them to return to work. The move saw her receiving attacks from misguided opposition forces who accused her of politicking.

“The First Lady from the word go committed herself to doing humanitarian work, which is why she let go of her constituency in order to apply herself on a full time basis to humanitarian work,” Charamba said.

“Well, before the latest industrial action in the health sector, the First Lady was already engaged and involved in humanitarian work as it relates to health delivery. On many occasions, Zimbabweans saw her at work at different health facilities across the country in the service of the sick and those recuperating.”

He added: “It is in this character that when the striking junior doctors approached her for her involvement in the ongoing industrial action, she readily obliged — obliged as a mother and as part of the team of humanitarian care givers who would be concerned at the breakdown of relations in the health sector.”

Charamba said it would have been surprising had the First Lady refused to meet the doctors.

“So what would have been unusual and untoward would have been for her to remain indifferent to this very sad development in the health sector which negatively impinges on her humanitarian work,” he said.

“I am confident that both the junior doctors who approached her in the first place and, more importantly, the thousands of the sick and distressed in our hospitals are only too happy to have her involved.

“The few who have been bad-mouthing her belong to a tribe of heartless political activists who think that there is something to be gained politically from the continued industrial action even at the expense of lives.”

He said it was revealing that the charge being levelled against the First Lady was that of engaging in politics.

“By reverse logic, this charge is an admission that indeed there is a political hand at play in the ongoing industrial action and who to better know that than those aiding and abetting the few ringleaders of the junior doctors?” Charamba said.

“I want to make it clear that the First Lady has no apologies to make to anyone in helping find a solution to the strike and what is more, wherever possible, in saving one life more that could have been lost. It is preposterous for those hot-lipped persons to invent a personality mould for the First Lady.

“She is a unique individual with a unique compassion for the weak and suffering and no amount of name-calling or aspersions will change that.”

State Media

A South African-based Zimbabwean domestic worker shocked a Western Cape couple when she told them she had completed her LLB degree.

Actor Tim Theron and his wife said their 30-year-old SweepSouth domestic worker Barbra Gurupira informed them that she had pushed her way through law school by using her salary to fund her studies. She completed her studies in October, bagging a few distinctions in the process.

Now all she needs is her articles to get her law career off the ground – and the Therons are on a mission to help her.

Asked how Gurupira shared her story with them, Theron said it came up in a simple conversation about her five-year-old child, who she had left back at home in Zimbabwe with her grandparents.

“She said she was studying and we asked her what she was studying. She said she had just finished her LLB degree, but being from Zimbabwe, she had no massive network to get her connected to people who could assist her in doing her articles,” said Theron.

“My wife and I decided to help.”

The couple posted Gurupira’s story on their social media accounts.

“She’s clearly a disciplined hard worker. After all, you don’t work AND study this hard if you’re not. Her English proficiency is impressive and it was clear that she has a good head on her shoulders. We got the impression that she is working with a goal in mind,” reads part of their post.

Within hours, several people had responded, tagging law firms and lawyers they knew. Others requested Gurupira’s CV.

On Monday, Theron said Gurupira had prepared her CV and was certifying her documents in the hope of finally putting domestic work behind her.

Theron said he and his wife were impressed when they went through Barbra’s CV. “She did extremely well in school and had a good job in Zimbabwe before coming to South Africa for better studying opportunities,” said Theron.

He said Gurupira had worked as a branch controller at an esteemed law society in Zimbabwe but wanted to move up in the ranks of law.

— TimesLIVE

TEACHERS were divided at the start of an indefinite strike on Tuesday, with those in towns reporting for class while their rural colleagues largely heeded calls by unions to boycott work to press the government to pay US dollar salaries.

The southern African nation is gripped by its worst shortage of dollars since a military coup ended nearly four decades of rule by Robert Mugabe in November 2017, leading to shortages of everything from fuel to medicines to soft drinks.

Teachers, like doctors who stopped work more than a month ago, say their salaries paid in electronic dollars are fast losing value compared to physical cash which they are demanding.

As the dollar crunch worsens and social unrest grows, Mnangagwa could find it harder to convince sceptical Zimbabweans that he is capable of reviving the economy after decades of missteps under his predecessor and mentor Mugabe.

At some schools around central Harare visited by Reuters, teachers were present and conducting classes.

Zimbabwe Teachers Association president Richard Gundane said a survey on Tuesday showed that urban teachers had reported for duty but most in rural areas did not go to work and pupils were turned away.

“We don’t want to call it (strike) successful because we are not celebrating,” Gundane said, adding that teachers hoped promises by government to review salaries could end the impasse.

Gundane could not say how many of ZIMTA’s 44 000 members stayed at home but that more teachers would join the job boycott in the coming days if their demands were not quickly met.

Zimbabwe employs more than 100 000 teachers.

The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) and Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe told a news conference that although teachers attended school, most were not teaching but could not provide statistics.

Raymond Majongwe, PTUZ secretary-general said his members would work twice a week until the government met their demands.

“The issue of the demand to be paid in U.S. dollars is a reality and we are not going to flinch on that,” said Majongwe.

After a meeting with public sector unions on Monday, acting Labour Minister July Moyo promised to review their pay and allowances although no money was set aside for this in the 2019 budget presented in November. He did not give a timeline.

This would scupper government’s ambitious plan to cut the fiscal deficit by more than half to 5 percent of GDP this year and bring down the wage bill to 70 percent of the budget from more than 90 percent previously.

— Reuters

Correspondent|ZANU PF Youth League has commenced the process of identifying graduates who are not working to replace the teachers and nurses who are on industrial action.

Writing on Facebook Secretary for Youth Affairs Lewis Matutu said the country needs patriotic civil servants.

“We have started activating our structures identifying qualified personnel to replace those that are not satisfied with jobs they occupy.”Said Matutu. “There are so many unemployed graduates in education, health and many other critical sectors who deserve these jobs and they are patriotic enough to understand what our country is going through and what everyone of us need to do for the good of our country, as for those that are pushing for instability stop wasting time and resources.”

Doctors and nurses have been engaged in an industrial action that has threatened to cripple the health sector. Recently nurses also joined them.

Teachers from all the Unions have issued statements that they are not going to school on Tuesday if the government has not addressed their demands. The teachers want to be paid in United Sates Dollars.

Today the government invited all staff associations to a crunch meeting in Harare to discuss way forward on civil servants welfare.

Correspondent|Former Minister of Energy Elton Mangoma, Zesa CEO Joshua Chifamba and Managing Director of Zesa Enterprises Mr Tererai Mutasa, have appeared in court facing fresh charges of criminal abuse of office.

The three were picked up by police yesterday and held at Avondale Police Station.

They are being charged with corruptly awarding a tender in a deal which involves a Korean company.

Chifamba still has a pending case on a corruption charge of $35 million worth of underhand deals involving an Indian company, PME.

According to the State, the trio’s actions caused Zesa Enterprises to suffer an actual prejudice of $850 000. They appeared before magistrate Ms Ruramai Chitumbura, who released them on $1 000 bail each with the prosecution’s consent.

They will be back in court on January 29 for their routine remand.

As part of their bail conditions, the three were ordered to surrender their passports, report once a week to police and to continue to reside at their given addresses until the matter is finalised.

By A Correspondent | Residents in the small farming town of Raffingora are up in arms with ZANU PF officials over what they termed haphazard distribution of the Presidential Fertiliser inputs which were allegedly diverted and given to certain people, as a thank you for participating in the clean – up exercise held last Friday.

Residents who spoke to ZimEye.com accuse one Tonderai Chinyanga the ZANU PF youth leader of Kamwaza Township in Raffingora and Councillor Spencer Magaya (ZANU PF) for using party muscles in the distribution exercise.

“Tonderai Chinyanga paid people who had taken part in the presidential clean up campaign with a 50kg bag of compound D fertiliser per person, which is supposed to benefit everyone in the community,” said Joseph Amigo a Raffingora resident.

The clean up campaign is set to take place the first Friday of every month.

“While calling out the names of beneficiaries, the overzealous young man dared anyone who resisted this move to a fist fight much to the chagrin of to be beneficiaries who included teachers, nurses and all.” Amigo said.

But Chinyanga denied the allegations saying its the works of the G40 functionaries bent on tarnishing ZANU PF.

“Its the work of our enemies, the G40 who want to tarnish our good name. The distribution went properly as witnessed by officials from GMB and AREX,” said Chinyanga.

Angry residents who participated in the clean – up campaign but are not politically correct also want their lion’s share.

“What would happen if the whole community had turned up for the campaign ? How was he going to make sure they get paid and did the president say the clean up campaign is food for work or voluntary?,” asked a local resident who could not be identified.

Cllr Magaya was there at the distribution place and seemed to be in agreement that people get paid for doing community service.

Efforts to get a comment from Marian Chombo MP (Zvimba North) were fruitless.

Raffingora residents have called for transparency in distribution of food aid without the involvement of political parties.

ZANU PF officials and traditional leaders have on many occasions been accused for politicising food aid.-ZimEye

Zanu PF Members of Parliament have resolved to “forgo luxury vehicles and other privileges” that come with being a legislator to allow Government direct more resources towards more pressing needs facing the country.

This was said by Zanu PF Chief Whip

Pupurai Togarepi in a statement yesterday. Togarepi, who the state Media referred to as a comrade in what appeared to be a political posture and an attack on MDC leader Nelson Chamisa’s MPs, also called on striking doctors and other civil servants to be patient with Government.

“Our economic situation, just like the health sector, has bled for over a decade and the solutions so required to put the nation on a recovery path again are by no means simple but being implemented nonetheless as Zimbabwe rediscovers its lost glory,” Togarepi said. – state media

A 26 -year-old self confessed traditional healer from Zvishavane was sentenced to 20 years in prison for aggravated indecent assault on two children from a home he had gone to “exorcise” evil spirits.

Tatenda Masiiwa of Maglas, Zvishavane appeared before Regional magistrate Mrs Phathekile Msipa facing two counts of aggravated indecent assault.

Masiiwa was convicted after a full trial against his own plea of not guilty. Mrs Msipa sentenced him to 20 years but he will serve 17 years after three years of his sentence were suspended on condition of good behaviour.

It was the State case that on count one and on October 18 last year around 9PM, Masiiwa was invited to the complainants homestead to remove evil spirits.

The following day, Masiiwa invited the first complainant (13) to accompany him to his homestead where he sodomised him the whole night before giving him $200 to conceal the act.

On October 24, Masiiwa returned to the homestead and was told to sleep in the same room with the second complainant (16) whom he sodomised once before the boy fled. The matter was reported to the police leading to his arrest.

Mr Kelvin Guveya appeared for the State. -state media

A 34-year old woman from Nkulumane suburb in Bulawayo was sentenced to three months in prison for falsely accusing her husband of throttling her.

Senzeni Gumbo, who falsely accused Mr Vincent Mazvoni of strangling her, had her sentence wholly suspended. Gumbo appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Mr Stephen Ndlovu and pleaded guilty to a charge of deliberately supplying false information to a public authority.

“I admit that l lied about being strangled and l take full responsibility. I apologise for my actions and l hope this court and my husband will forgive me,” she pleaded.
Facts of the matter were not discussed in court.

Prosecuting Mrs Tembeni Mpofu said on January 1, Gumbo reported to Nkulumane Police Station that her husband grabbed and choked her so much that she almost fainted.

“Gumbo approached the police station screaming while holding her neck. She laid charges against her husband that he had strangled her but did not give reasons why,” said Mrs Mpofu.

Investigations showed that Gumbo was lying and she was arrested, the court heard. – state media

STATE MEDIA FULL PRINT:
First Lady Cde Auxillia Mnangagwa has no apologies to make to anyone for meeting the leadership of striking junior doctors last week and the few people attacking her personality belong to a tribe of heartless political activists who do not care about people’s lives, Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba said yesterday.

Mr Charamba said Cde Mnangagwa, who is the ambassador for maternal and child health, has been involved in humanitarian work for a long time and no amount of name-calling will change her unique character.

The First Lady last Friday met the leadership of junior doctors who were on strike and urged them to return to work.

The move saw her receiving attacks from misguided opposition forces who accused her of politicking.

“The First Lady from the word go committed herself to doing humanitarian work, which is why she let go of her constituency in order to apply herself on a full time basis to humanitarian work,” Mr Charamba said.

“Well, before the latest industrial action in the health sector, the First Lady was already engaged and involved in humanitarian work as it relates to health delivery. On many occasions, Zimbabweans saw her at work at different health facilities across the country in the service of the sick and those recuperating.”

He added: “It is in this character that when the striking junior doctors approached her for her involvement in the ongoing industrial action, she readily obliged—obliged as a mother and as part of the team of humanitarian care givers who would be concerned at the breakdown of relations in the health sector.”

Mr Charamba said it would have been surprising had the First Lady refused to meet the doctors. “So what would have been unusual and untoward would have been for her to remain indifferent to this very sad development in the health sector which negatively impinges on her humanitarian work,” he said.

“I am confident that both the junior doctors who approached her in the first place and, more importantly, the thousands of the sick and distressed in our hospitals are only too happy to have her involved. The few who have been bad-mouthing her belong to a tribe of heartless political activists who think that there is something to be gained politically from the continued industrial action even at the expense of lives.”

He said it was revealing that the charge being levelled against the First Lady was that of engaging in politics.

“By reverse logic, this charge is an admission that indeed there is a political hand at play in the ongoing industrial action and who to better know that than those aiding and abetting the few ringleaders of the junior doctors?” Mr Charamba said.

“I want to make it clear that the First Lady has no apologies to make to anyone in helping find a solution to the strike and what is more, wherever possible, in saving one life more that could have been lost.

“It is preposterous for those hot-lipped persons to invent a personality mould for the First Lady. She is a unique individual with a unique compassion for the weak and suffering and no amount of name-calling or aspersions will change that.”- state media

As the nation continues struggling, ZANU PF leader Emmerson Mnangagwa is next week flying out to Russia and Europe for 5 days.

This is for a so-called engagement and re-engagement drive, his spokesperson Mr George Charamba said yesterday.

The visit comes at a time when the man is supposed to be on holiday but he returned in the last few days to assist his deputy Constantino Chiwenga.

Mr Charamba said Mnangagwa will visit Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. He will also visit Switzerland for the World Economic Forum.

Charamba told the state media the pending visits by Mnangagwa were strategic and Zimbabwe was expecting “quite a bumper harvest of agreements and Memoranda of Understanding”.

“In respect of the first four, they are at the invitation of his counterparts,” he said.
“The countries, which are in the same region, are strategic both bilaterally and multilaterally.”

Charamba said Russia was an economic player in terms of investments in Zimbabwe, particularly in the mining and agriculture sectors.

Mnangagwa last month commissioned a Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) crushing plant in Chiadzwa that was procured from Belarus.

“The other two (Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan) are oil rich nations with some of the fastest growing economies and interests in mining, energy and tourism,” Mr Charamba said.

“In the case of Azerbaijan, we are exploring cooperation in the tobacco sector as well as polishing of granite for their construction industry. As for Kazakhstan, they have interests in mining and food processing but critically, alongside Belarus, fertiliser and chemical industries.”

Charamba said all this was in the context of the engagement and re-engagement policy.
“The whole idea is to put Zimbabwe firmly on the map so that we leave behind us the dark days when we were perceived as a pariah state,” he said.

“In all our interactions, we are putting in the forefront the need to attract and secure investments as well as cooperation in order to grow and transform our economy.”

He went on: “One key vision of the President is that the Zimbabwean economy morphs from being an exporter of primary commodities which are susceptible to price fluctuations to being an economy that exports semi- and finished goods which fetch better and higher prices on the international market but which also allows Zimbabwe to industrialise and thus create quality jobs. After all, we have long exceeded the threshold of literacy, which means really our capacity to absorb higher tertiary skills is remarkably better.”

Mr Charamba said for Zimbabwe to break isolation, expand and transform its economy, mutually beneficial partnerships were needed with “peoples and nations of goodwill”.

He said Mnangagwa would for the second consecutive time be in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, a sign that there was growing interest in the Zimbabwean economy.
He said the invitation was also a sign that the jinx of isolation had been broken.

“On the whole, the future of Zimbabwe is positively bright, with better prospects in store given the gradual improvement of the domestic investment environment,” Charamba said.

“For the first time in the history of the country, we are inching closer and closer towards a budget surplus. The level of inflation which was threatening to run away is beginning to show a downward trend and more critically, with the multiple investments in the energy sector, Zimbabwe is putting behind it the energy deficit which is so critical to both domestic and foreign investment.”

He said the future of the economy would be built on the basis of 3Rs, namely restructuring, rebuilding and reforming.

“In respect of reforming, the President made it clear to me today (yesterday) that 2019 will see red tape and bureaucracy being dealt with as these relate to business decisions.”

Government is working on the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) Bill which is meant to provide assurance to investors about the country’s commitment to property rights.

“More critically, the President has indicated that 2019 will see Government privatising a number of parastatals and State enterprises as well as offloading inefficient public entities,” Charamba said.

“On savings, in simple economic terms, they (savings) amount to postponed consumption, which means that Zimbabweans will have to forgo the propensity to consume excessively to save for domestic investments.

That is the vision he has for us to realise our Vision 2030, by which year we expect to have become an upper middle income economy.”

Correspondent|FORMER Bikita West legislator (ZANU-PF) Munyaradzi Kereke who is serving 10 years in prison was delighted after he got a visit from Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi at Harare Central Prisons today.

Dressed in clean white apparel, the former advisor to past Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono kneels down to Ziyambi, and refers to him in highly respectful terms.

Kereke was jailed in July 2016 for ten years after a long gruelling trial. In March 2018, court documents showed Kereke had three years struck off his sentence on account of good behavior.

Further, Kereke was set to be moved from Chikurubi’s D-section to Connemara open prison in Gweru.

By Dorrothy Moyo| The man who was earlier during the day advertised by ZimEye.com to be missing, Mr James Mutupe has been found.

ZimEye is told the grandpa was found shortly after the matter was published today. The family has sent messages thanking members of the public for assisting.

Guys PLEASE HELP. My grandad is missing in Zimbabwe. He has dementia and has been missing for 9 hours. I'm begging you to repost this – someone in Zim might see. Please help. #Zimbabwe pic.twitter.com/mqop2OqvOU

— Sifiso (@Sifiso7) January 7, 2019

Last seen in Bulawayo CBD, Main Street (JMN Street) near Esats, wearing a blue, white and black scotch shirt, grey pants.(07/01/19).He's name is James Mutupe. Please call/WhatsApp +263776844524 or +263771908613.

— Sifiso ?? (@Sifiso7) January 8, 2019

A 24 year old Zimbabwean man committed suicide by hanging after he was kidnapped, severely assaulted and left for dead in Durban – KZN on New Years Day.

Yesterday (Sunday) at approximately 05:30 Reaction Officers & RUSA Medics were called out to the scene after a member of public found the man hanging by a rope from a tree between the R102 and Old Main Road near the steel bridge in Verulam. Upon arrival Medics assessed the individual. He showed no signs of life and was declared deceased.

His brother informed Reaction Officers that the deceased, Michael Chikura arrived in South Africa from Masivingo in Zimbabwe approximately three years ago. After spending some time in Hillbrow – Johannesburg he settled in Waterloo – Verulam.

On New Year’s day he was accosted by four African males in Waterloo. They began assaulting him before he was loaded into their vehicle and driven to North Beach where he was further assaulted for almost five hours. He was left for dead after he was robbed of his and his brother’s passports as well as R600 in cash. Chikura was located by Police and transported to hospital. He registered a criminal case at SAPS Durban.

His brother went on to explain that since the day of the assault Chikura has been concerned for his safety and feared that his attackers may return. He believes that this lead to his brother’s suicide six days after the kidnapping.

The deceased’s family is currently making arrangements to transport his body to Zimbabwe to conduct his final rights. They are requesting for information from the public regarding the alleged kidnapping and attempted murder.

If anyone has information that could lead to the arrest of Chikura’s kidnappers contact Reaction Unit South Africa on 086 1234 333.

The Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Monica Mutsvangwa has sent her condolences to the family of Lovemore Mangwende the former CEO of Multichoice Zimbabwe who succumbed to heart failure on Sunday.

In a statement Mutsvangwa said, “The Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Hon Monica Mutsvangwa, the Deputy Minister Hon Mutodi, the Permanent Secretary Mr Mangwana and the entire Ministry wish to condole with the Mangwende Family on the sad loss of Mr Lovemore Mangwende the Multichoice CEO.

“The late Mr Lovemore Mangwende CEO of Multichoice was a pioneer in multichannel digital broadcasting. He was a prime mover in opening up of broadcasting. And the entry of private broadcasting player. He is a loss to the media industry” Sen Mutsvangwa further said.

Mangwende’s former employer said he was a considered as a father figure in the company.

“Lovemore was an inspirational leader and a father figure to many. He guided and fought tirelessly for the betterment of his countrymen and the management and staff of his company. His larger-than-life persona will be missed,” Multichoice said in a statement.

“It is with deep regret and great sadness that we advise of the passing of our chief executive officer, Lovemore Mangwende Makono, on January 6, 2019,” part of the statement read.

“Lovemore was an inspirational leader and a father figure to many. He guided and fought tirelessly for the betterment of his countrymen and the management and staff of his company. His larger-than-life persona will be missed. Lovemore joined MultiChoice Zimbabwe in 2005 and has been the CEO since 2008.

“Our sincere and heartfelt condolences go to his wife and family.”

Own Correspondent|KUWADZANA legislator Chalton Hwende (MDC) has appealed to individual and corporate well-wishers to donate books and other reading materials for the recently opened Kuwadzana community library.

Located at Kuwadzana 4 shopping centre, the library, which has been under construction for more than two decades, was finally completed and opened to the public towards the end of 2018.

Hwende said: “Public appeal for Books donations to Kuwadzana Library. Our library is still short of Books.

“Please if you have books that you no longer use donate and help our kids. Even e-books are welcome.”

Harare City Council promised to ensure the library has internet connectivity and will be open to everyone, according to City spokesperson Michael Chideme.

“We are looking forward to the public enjoying the services of the library. The library will be connected to the internet, so we will have computers in the library so that people can actually do their research and we will always have E-books in the library,” Chideme said.

Chideme said the library has a children section, so that children in primary school can actually enjoy using the library.

“The library is for everybody, it’s a composed library to benefit the community and its part of our drive to decentralize services to the people, and we bring such facilities closer to the people so that people can enjoy different services to where they stay,” said Chideme.

He also confirmed that there was another library being constructed.

“There is another library being constructed in Glen Norah, and we are also looking at revamping the existing libraries so they match our world class vision by 2025,” said Chideme.

“We will be pioneering the e-library concept in high density locations and we will be providing free wifi to the students.”

Chideme said they were appealing for reading materials in their libraries so that they have up to date reading materials.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent condolences to the victims of the train accident which occurred on Tuesday morning in Pretoria at the Mountain View station. The collision left hundreds injured and at least three dead.

“I have learned with sadness of the train accident, with three fatalities at this point and over 600 being attended to at various hospitals, mostly with light injuries. Our thoughts are with those who lost their lives and their families. To the injured, I would like to wish you all a speedy recovery, ” said Ramaphosa.

“I would like to also encourage emergency services team on the scene to do all in their powers to help those who are still trapped under the train.”

Ramaphosa said he welcomed the efforts by Gauteng Metrorail to institute a board of enquiry to determine the cause of the accident.

Earlier, acting provincial police commissioner of Gauteng Major General Max Masha, said they were going to open an inquest docket to investigate the cause of the collision.

“If it’s found that there’s been negligence a charge culpable homicide might be opened,” he said.

The trains were carrying more than 800 passengers at the time of the accident. The circumstances leading up to the collision were still unclear.

There are also conflicting reports about the number of deaths, with Masha stating four people had died, while Gauteng Metrorail spokesperson Lillian Mofokeng said the death toll stood at three.

Mofokeng confirmed that over 300 commuters were injured, with 82 suffering moderate injuries and 159 light injuries.

At around lunchtime, she confirmed that there were two or three people still trapped inside the trains.

“For now we don’t have the full details of what caused the accident,” Mofokeng said.

Both trains were from Mabopane station and heading towards Pretoria station.

“Unfortunately one was stationary on the platform when the other one hit it at the back,” said Mofokeng.

Fifty ambulances were at the scene and three helicopters assisted with getting critically injured patients to hospitals.

Tshwane Mayor Solly Msimanga said he has always raised concerns about the infrastructure of railway lines and their outdated resources.

“I don’t want to speculate about what happened this morning because they are still investigating. But I think there’s a need now to immediately have a meeting with Prasa (Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa). We cannot lose any more lives, there needs to be some kind of upgrade in terms of signalling that is in here.”

Msimanga said he plans to meet with the families of the deceased.

—African News Agency (ANA)

Jane Mlambo| MDC Secretary General, Douglas Mwonzora has torn into the ruling Zanu PF saying the current problems facing the country are beyond their capacity.

Posting on Twitter, Mwonzora accused Zanu PF of failing to handle the ongoing strikes by civil servants describing their actions as ‘inept and clumsy.’

Clearly the government has handled the strikes in an inept and clumsy manner. The Zimbabwe crisis is obviously beyond the capacity of the ruling party.

— Sen Douglas Mwonzora (@DMwonzora) January 8, 2019

THE chief witness in the case of MDC deputy president Morgen Komichi, who is being accused of disrupting the announcement of the presidential results last year, told the court yesterday that he reported an offence that he did not see being committed.

Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) acting chief election officer Utoile Silaigwana, the chief State witness, told Harare magistrate Ruramai Chitumbura that he received a phone call from someone telling him of the disturbances that occurred during a break.

Responding to Komichi’s lawyer Obey Shava, Silaigwana said he reported the case to the police despite him not witnessing the commission of the offence.

“Confirm you are the one who reported the matter to the police?” Shava asked.

“Yes,” Silaigwana replied.

“We are here because of the report?” Shava further asked.

“Yes,” Silaigwana again responded.

“Please confirm that you did not see the accused committing the offence,” Shava said.

“Yes,” replied the Zec acting chief elections officer.

Shava, who sought to file his application for discharge at the close of the State case, will now submit his application on January 14 and the State is expected to respond on January 18. The court will provide a ruling on January 21.

Three State witnesses, who include Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation producer Phineas Gutu, investigation officer Patrick Siyakwimbi and Zec security officer Concree Chivinda gave conflicting testimonies.

Siyakwimbi told the magistrate that he did not witness the commission of the offence, but only saw a Zanu PF female member shouting at Komichi who was walking away from the room.

Gutu said he only witnessed the incident from the outside broadcasting van which was providing live coverage of the presidential election results announcement. While Chivinda said Komichi committed the offence at around 10pm, other witnesses said it was around 11pm.

Allegations are that on August 2, 2018, Komichi was at Harare International Conference Centre where Zec was announcing the July 30 presidential election results.

After a break, Komichi went to the podium reserved for commissioners announcing the results, took the microphone and began to announce what he called the MDC Alliance’s rejection of the results.

Komichi claimed that Zec had not followed due process as MDC Alliance agents had not been asked to verify the results. The State alleges he was stopped by the police from making further announcements and was later arrested.

-Newsday