Former President, Robert Mugabe’s son in law, Simba Chikore was arrested last night at the Robert Mugabe International Airport and is currently in police custody, according to state media sources.

State Media scribe Larry Moyo said he was arrested last night

Simba Chikore ARRESTED at RGM International airport last night, in custody of lawyer and should be in court this morning

— Larry Moyo (@larry_moyo) October 23, 2018

Opposition MDC-T leader Thokozani Khupe says she was shocked that women were seeking her assistance on various matters when they did not vote her in the July 30 presidential elections in which a victory would have placed her in a better position to give them a helping hand.

She told the Gender Commission Forum held in Bulawayo last week that after opting not to vote for her and other female candidates, the women were now seeking her support.

“We had four female presidential candidates, but women completely refused to vote for women as presidential candidates. Only 25 women were elected out of the 210 candidates for Parliament. Women refused to send 105 women into that Parliament,” she said.

“Women refused to send (fellow) women to the local authorities and only 13% women were elected into the local authorities. But women are the first ones to say we are being marginalised, we are being discriminated. The President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) has appointed six women ministers and where did you expect the President to appoint those women from when you failed to send 105 women into that Parliament?”

She said if 105 female candidates had been voted into Parliament, President Emmerson Mnangagwa would have had no justification for appointing less than 50% of women in the government.

Khupe described women as their own enemies because all the female candidates who contested as MPs, councillors and presidents lost because very few women voted for them.

“So, what I would like to urge our women and men in politics for 2023 is that, women, you have the power in your hands to achieve the 50/50 gender priority and let us use it,” she said. She urged the Gender Commission, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and women’s organisations to start pushing dialogue and get women to vote for their own.

“Let’s go to all the 1 958 wards, all the 210 constituencies and the 10 provinces and have a serious conversation with the women on the importance of voting for other women. What happens is that the Gender Commission and other women’s organisations only start to run when it is six months down the line towards elections, and it will be too late,” she said.

Addressing the same meeting, MDC Alliance chairperson Thabitha Khumalo said those aspiring to contest in the next elections should start campaigning immediately.

“From the day the elections ended, I started campaigning for the next election. So whoever wants to be a candidate must start now and come 2023, you are just icing the cake. It becomes easier and it’s more equitable and your penetration even becomes greater,” she said.

Combined Harare Residents’ Association director Mfundo Mlilo’s attempt to block the recently announced 2 percent tax on electronic money transfers yesterday hit a snag after the High Court yesterday threw out the matter for lack of urgency.

Mlilo had taken Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube to the High Court contesting the legality of the 2 percent electronic transactions tax.

After going through the record, Justice Felistus Chatukuta saw no urgency in the matter and ruled that it should be brought as ordinary court application. The judge stated on the record her reasons for dismissing the application.

“The applicant having become aware of the decision of the Minister of Finance on 3 October, 2018 does not explain why it took him almost two weeks to file the present application,” she said.

“The perception by the applicant that the tax is illegal is not a basis for urgency. The matter is not urgent and is accordingly removed from the urgent chamber application roll.”

After the ruling, Mlilo’s lawyers filed a fresh court application.

Minister Ncube introduced the tax a fortnight ago in his Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) that came into effect last week.

In his application, Mlilo argued that the Government’s decision was made without the necessary backing of the law, citing in particular the amendment of the income tax or the regulation of the tax in a Statutory Instrument.

Mlilo further argued that on October 12, Minister Ncube enacted the Finance (Rate and Incidence of Intermediated Monetary Transfer Tax) Regulations Statutory Instrument (SI205 /2018) to legalise and actualise his announcement done on October 1, 2018.

He said the Statutory Instrument remained unconstitutional and a nullity, arguing the minister cannot amend an Act of Parliament in terms of the law.

To this end, Mlilo wanted the higher court to put on hold the minister’s decision to review the intermediate tax from five cents per transaction to two cents per dollar.

The activists also wanted the immediate suspension of the Finance (Rate and Incidence of Intermediated Money Transfer Tax) Regulations published in SI205 /2018.

President Mnangagwa recently put more weight on the intermediary money transfer tax of 2 cents saying it would remain in force.

The tax, he said, was critical in transforming the economy that has suffered from two decades of stagnation.

The President said the tax was not designed to hurt the ordinary people and companies, but to help the manufacturing sector to get funds for retooling and modernisation as the economy gears to ramp up production.

He hinted there was room for the tax to be refined going forward if suggestions were proffered, to create a win-win situation for individuals and companies.

-State Media

 

Final year media studies student at Midlands State University, Prince Danda (21) was sentenced to perform free labour for 70 hours
after he was convicted of stealing girls’ underwear from washing lines.
He pleaded guilty when he appeared before Gweru magistrate Ms Beauty Dube saying he stole the pants as he is used to masturbating while holding girls’ underwear. Ms Dube
sentenced him to perform 70 hours of community service at Senga Poly Clinic.
The court heard that on October 14 at around 12:30PM, Danda was seen by the complainant entering a residence where she is a tenant. Upon entering, Danda went straight to the back of the house where there were some clothes on the washing line. He stole the complainant’s pant
which was on the washing line and hid it in his jeans pocket. On the way out, the complainant asked Danda what he wanted and he replied that
he was lost before he went out of the yard. When the complainant went to check for her clothes, she found that her pant had been stolen.
She followed Danda and met some police officers on patrol and reported her case.Chronicle

A Bulawayo woman has taken her ex-husband to the Civil Court demanding an increase in maintenance following countrywide price hikes.

Blessing Kanombirira, who was demanding that maintenance be doubled from $100 to $200 a month, told magistrate Ms Ulukile Mlea that the $100 that was being contributed towards the upkeep of their two minor children was insufficient because prices and school fees had gone up.

Ms Kanombirira told the court that her husband, Kudakwashe Mukurunge has been contributing $100 and was once in arrears that led her to apply for a garnishee order that was granted in March last year.
She told the court that the children’s fees changed from $50 a term to $75.

“I want an upward variation from $100 to $200 because everything has gone up groceries, school fees, and clothes, generally everything hence $100 cannot cover all the expenses for our two children,” she said.

Mukurunge agreed to increase maintenance for his minor children stating that he understands the reasons behind the need for increase.

“I am offering $100 as increase. I understand why there is need for me to add $100 especially since she is not employed,” he said.

The magistrate ordered Mukurunge to contribute $200 as maintenance with effect from October.

“By consent upward variation is granted from $100 to $200 with effect from October 31 with reference to the previous conditions and the garnishee,” said Ms Mlea.

The court heard Mukurunge is a police officer and the children are five and three years old. – state media

ZIFA president Philip Chiyangwa has demanded that his leadership be accorded respect as they battle to keep national football afloat in a tough operating environment under which many an institution could easily have closed shop.

The association has battled long and hard in a harsh economic climate to ensure that national teams fulfil their international obligations with Chiyangwa, his deputy Omega Sibanda and board member Philemon Machana the principal figures in that tireless fight.

The latest of such crucial obligations were the back-to-back African Cup of Nations qualifying matches against the Democratic Republic of Congo where ZIFA had to part with more than $200 000 to ensure a successful fulfilment of the home and away assignments.

Yet in fulfilling such international obligations for the Warriors, the Mighty Warriors and the Young Warriors, the association have had to dig deeper into their own resources and rely on the ingenuity of their board.

It is against this background that Chiyangwa believes his leadership deserves some respect for bringing back a business approach to an institution that had earlier in 2015 been declared technically insolvent, only for the Sport and Recreation Commission to sit on the findings of the Obadiah Moyo probe team.

The ZIFA boss has been telling those who care to listen, especially those in a poisoned football environment that his board needed to make some tough business decisions for the association to stay afloat and ensure that the Warriors are back playing again.

As the Warriors stand on the threshold of a return to the Nations Cup show-piece, Chiyangwa said his ZIFA would continue with their business approach and ensure there is stability in all of the domestic game’s organs.

The Harare business tycoon had earlier also taken time to tell listeners on Capitalk 100.4 FM that his board would continue to pull all the stops to ensure they fulfil their mandate to govern and develop the game in the country.

A case in point is when the Warriors travelled to Kinshasa where they had to source for the scarce foreign currency for the airfares to fly the players from their different bases in Europe and South Africa mostly for the training camp.

The association also needed the hard currency for the Warriors trip to Kinshasa, their upkeep in the DRC capital where to their credit Chidzambwa’s men went a little earlier in order to accord themselves enough time to settle down, get down to some hard work and still have occasion to recover.

“I think when I came in (December 2015) there was a crisis which you are all well aware of and I sort of came in as a crisis manager.

“We had to get rid of the negativity that had become the order of the day, there was no day that would pass without the media reporting on the negativity that was prevalent in the game.

“I am doing the best I can with the team that I have and we are not going to look back, we just want to continue to achieve more,’’ Chiyangwa said.

World soccer governing body FIFA have also restored confidence in ZIFA and have resumed release of tranches of FIFA Forward Funds upon presentation of audited accounts and budgets.

Chiyangwa admitted, however, that ZIFA still needed to improve on game management with the Warriors night match against the Leopards which raked in just over $78 000 providing them some harsh lessons from the problems encountered during that match.

ZIFA also apologised to the fans who ensured a frustrating night at the turnstiles with Chiyangwa indicating that the future solution lies in securing machines that would scan out any fake tickets.

“Zimbabwe Football Association would like to express sincere gratitude to all supporters who watched the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier match between the Warriors and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Tuesday night. We are humbled by your support. A total of 13 090 fans paid to watch the match and we collected a gross amount of $78 669,00. However, it is the organising committee’s contention that approximately over 30 000 were at the National Sports Stadium to watch the match.

“The Association regrets the unfortunate crowd trouble and stampede which occurred at some entry points. We are very thankful that no life was lost.

“The match organisation committee which comprises of all relevant stakeholders met on Friday, the 19th of October to introspect on what went wrong and to proffer solutions going into the future.

“We would like to inform our beloved fans that gates were opened at 4pm, well ahead of the 7pm kick-off. Twenty-one (21) gates were opened out of the thirty (30) gates because the other nine (9) were not functioning,’’ ZIFA said in a statement.

But it is the bigger picture of the achievements that the national teams have recorded that Chiyangwa, who also dramatically rose to become the COSAFA president and a member of the CAF executive committee, believes even their biggest critics and detractors, needed to respect them.- state media

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (RBZ) must not give traffic cops manning roadblocks targets as this fuels corruption and other forms of misconduct, Home Affairs and Culture Secretary Dr Melusi Matshiya, has said.

Responding to questions from the Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services yesterday while presenting requirements on the 2019 National Budget, Dr Matshiya also indicated that the ZRP had dismissed some of its members for engaging in corruption.

“Corruption in ZRP was there and those who were caught red-handed by their bosses were fired. On the aspect of targets, I was not aware. The problem with targets is that you will push officers into doing something which ordinarily they would not want to do. This creates a problem,” he said.

“In terms of our image and how we now relate to the public and the mentioning of too many roadblocks we are rationalising to come up with an appropriate number. The critical issue is when the police mount a roadblock.

“It is to look at the dangers within the society which are speeding, unroadworthy vehicles and many other societal ills such as theft.

“The public said roadblocks are required, but within certain parameters. It is those parameters we are trying to develop to make sure we weed (out) corruption. There is an issue of accountability where we want to see money reaching its intended destiny.”

Dr Matshiya said measures were being put in place to restore the public’s confidence in the police.

These include removal of mandatory spot-fines and giving the public at least seven days to pay their traffic fines.

“The public could now swipe, EcoCash, or pay the fines when they are paying their licence fees or even take their case to the court if they felt duped by the traffic police officers,” he said.

Dr Matshiya said the ZRP was struggling in its operations because of the minimal budget allocation it was receiving from Treasury.

He said the security of the country should be prioritised in terms of funding.

On immigration, Dr Matshiya said there was need for the upgrading of computerisation system.

ZRP Deputy Commissioner-General Levy Sibanda said the police were failing to provide decent accommodation to its members and some of them were living in pathetic conditions.

The ZRP is also facing challenges of vehicles and this has seen police failing to attend to accidents and crime scenes on time.

“Provision of security and prevention of crime is not a menial business. It is quite expensive and it needs a lot of support in terms of the fiscus. We are provided with 30 to 40 percent budget allocations from what we request,” he said.

“The ZRP as an organisation is seriously underfunded and that compromises its operations in terms of accommodation and the communication sector. Without these issues being looked into more objectively, it means we might stay with this problem and our performance will be next to zero.”- state media

A man from Bulawayo’s Kumalo suburb allegedly lost US$10 000 and R160 000 after thieves broke into his car which he left unattended while watching a street fight in the Central Business District on Saturday.

The man who was only identified as Mr Moyo is alleged to have lost the money after he left a bag which had cash in the car at about 12 noon.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Chief Inspector Precious Simango confirmed the incident saying two people have since been arrested in connection with the theft.

“We’re investigating a case where a man from Kumalo suburb lost $10 000 and R160 000 which he had left in his car. The victim is alleged to have parked his vehicle a Toyota Fortuner to watch a fight which was happening along Robert Mugabe Way between 4th and 5th Avenue on Saturday afternoon. When he returned a few minutes later he found that his car doors had been unlocked, and the money which was in a green bag was missing,” said Chief Insp Simango.

She said a passerby informed Mr Moyo that he saw two people milling around his car and later the suspects left in a Honda Fit vehicle.

“The victim claimed the Honda Fit was still in the vicinity and he managed to pursue it before catching up with it at Highlanders Sports Club. He told the police that he confronted the three guys who however claimed they had nothing to do with the theft from his car.

“He called the police who assisted in searching the vehicle but the bag and the money were not there,” she said.

Chief Insp Simango said police arrested the driver and the passenger of the Honda Fit who are assisting police with investigations.

She urged motorists to avoid keeping large sums of money in their vehicles as this exposes them to criminals. “We continue to record theft from vehicle incidents and we want to urge motorists to avoid keeping valuable possessions in their vehicles.

“The cases that are continuously being reported to us prove that motorists are not heeding our calls. We can’t effectively fight crime when residents are not complementing our efforts,” she said.

The incident comes just a few days after an alleged money changer Mrs Lindiwe Moyo lost $90 000 belonging to local musician Mrs Sandra Ndebele-Sibindi in Colleen Bawn after a vehicle she had sought a lift from sped off leaving her behind.- state media

Combined Harare Residents’ Association director Mfundo Mlilo’s attempt to block recently imposed 2 cents tax on electronic money transfers yesterday hit a snag after the High Court yesterday threw out the matter for lack of urgency.

Mlilo had taken Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube to the High Court contesting the legality of the 2 cents electronic transactions tax.

After going through the record, Justice Felistus Chatukuta saw no urgency in the matter and ruled that it should be brought as an ordinary court application. The judge stated on the record her reasons for dismissing the application.

“The applicant having become aware of the decision of the Minister of Finance on 3 October 2018 does not explain why it took him almost two weeks to file the present application,” she said.

“The perception by the applicant that the tax is illegal is not a basis for urgency. The matter is not urgent and is accordingly removed from the urgent chamber application roll.”
After the ruling, Mlilo’s lawyers filed a fresh court application.

Minister Ncube introduced the tax a fortnight ago in his transitional stabilisation programme (STP) that came into effect last week.

In his application, Mlilo argued that the Government’s decision was made without the necessary backing of the law, citing in particular the amendment of the income tax or the regulation of the tax in a statutory instrument.

Mlilo further argued that on October 12 Minister Ncube enacted the Finance (Rate and Incidence of Intermediated Monetary Transfer Tax) Regulations Statutory Instrument (SI205/2018) to legalise and actualise his announcement done on October 1, 2018.

He said the statutory instrument remained unconstitutional and a nullity, arguing the Minister cannot amend an Act of Parliament in terms of the law. To this end, Mlilo wanted the higher court to put on hold the Minister’s decision to review the intermediate tax from five cents per transaction to two cents per dollar.

The activist also wanted the immediate suspension of the Finance (Rate and Incidence of Intermediated Money Transfer Tax) Regulations published in SI205/2018.
President Mnangagwa recently put more weight on the intermediary money transfer tax of 2 cents saying it would remain in force.

The tax, he said, was critical in transforming the economy that has suffered from two decades of stagnation.

The President said the tax was not designed to hurt the ordinary people and companies, but to help the manufacturing sector to get funds for retooling and modernisation as the economy gears to ramp up production.

He hinted there was room for the tax to be refined going forward if suggestions were proffered, to create a win-win situation for individuals and companies on the one hand, and the economy on the other.

Paul Nyathi|Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor John Mangudya dismissed four of his senior staff members on Monday afternoon through a notice dated the following day Tuesday 23 October.

The Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services ministry have voiced concern over the controversial appointment of Acie Lumumba as head of the newly-created Finance ministry communications committee.

Deputy Information minister Energy Mutodi yesterday said that the appointment came as a surprise to them, as they were never consulted.

“I am afraid that the appointment of a communications chairperson in the ministry of Finance may undermine the role that is to be played by the Information ministry. Most governments realise the world over that not all ministers, especially those appointed for their technical expertise have good communication skills, hence the need for an Information ministry that communicates government policy to the public,” Mutodi said.

Lumumba, whose real name is William Gerald Mutumanje, was appointed to chair a communications “taskforce” in the Finance ministry.

However, Ncube came under fire over the appointment, which was made on Friday, as several citizens, argued this was an ill-informed decision.

The Finance minister, who is one of the technocrats appointed by Mnangagwa after the July 30 elections, has however, not yet made public the names of the other members of the committee.

But Mutodi, yesterday said if all government ministries were to go by Ncube’s stance, the government will end up with an inflated workforce.

“If all ministries manned by technocrats would resort to communications chairpersons we will eventually have a bloated workforce and a duplication of duties as the Information ministry must continue to maintain its oversight role on all policy communications.

“We have a minister, a deputy minister and a permanent secretary in the Information ministry and I think this is enough staff complement to cover government communications. We even further have a deputy chief secretary for presidential communications hence the need for us to limit recruitment of any additional communications personnel at government level,” Mutodi said.

He further said that people with a passion for communications such as Lumumba could assist as members of the ZBC board that they are currently putting together.

Lumumba, who is a former Zanu PF member, quit the liberation movement in 2016, citing failure to deliver on its electoral promises.

He later launched his own opposition party, Viva Zimbabwe, after he was fired as the chairperson of a steering committee on the Zimbabwe Youth Empowerment Strategy for Investment, amid allegations of misappropriation of funds meant for the Zimbabwe Youth Council.

He was also at the centre of controversy after he was filmed performing a sexual act with his partner. The sex tape was recovered from his house during a police raid.

Lumumba, who has three unresolved fraud cases, was also previously in the eye of a storm when he was accused of “lying” that he had obtained a degree from the prestigious Harvard University.

Daily News

Jane Mlambo| Following controversial Zanu PF politician, Acie Lumumba’s allegations that top Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe officials were fueling the mess on the foreign currency black market, central bank Governor Dr John Mangudya has suspended four employees pending investigation on their involvement in the said crimes.

In a statement released this afternoon, Mangudya said Mirirai Chiwenga, Norman Mataruka, Gresham Muradzikwa and Azvinandawa Saburi have been suspended for the sake transparency and good corporate governance.

 

Terrence Mawawa|Prominent social media analyst Antony Taruvinga believes MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has the capacity to lead the party after the 2019 congress.

Below is Taruvinga’ s argument:
I have for a couple of times come across debates centred on the MDC Congress, especially on whether or not the president should be contested.

So intriguing that a person who won the election with 2 674 032 is being contested.Competition is the beauty and foundation of democratic institutions and society. The MDC and its president Nelson Chamisa cherish and promote competitive internal democracy.

That having been said, we are practising democracy in a country ruled by merciless autocrats who will always try to infiltrate and destabilise institutions run by their competitors.

They will hit hard until they find a weak spot and they will use it to get to the epicentre of the organization and start the destruction and destabilisation process.

Lets be suspciously prudent because the vultures are out to destroy the people’s movement. They attempted it using Thokozani Khupe and hit a brick wall resulting in Khupe getting booted out of the party.

They are not done. Zanu PF’s primary priority is to have the weakest and the least popular candidate emerging from the MDC at any cost.We will not be quick to expose the individuals who are being used to destabilize the people’s struggle, but we will. We will release the can’s lid and the worms will flood the floor. We will make them lose at the National Congress by voting enmasse against them.

In my well thought and considered view, the need not to have Chamisa contested outweighs the need to. The elective Congress is a competition full of liars and propagandists. We may unnecessarily cause bruises on our “horse.” The task will still be ours to treat and clean the “horse” for 2023.

Newly appointed chairman of the Ministry of Finance communications taskforce Acie Lumumba has labelled Advocete Fadzayi Mahere a marriage wrecker and husband snatcher after the lawyer had accused Lumumba of acting “mahumbwe and jokes when dealing with national issues.”

Lumumba shot back: “You want due process, yet you have been snatching married men from their wives!”

In a Facebook Live video Sunday evening, Lumumba named RBZ Director Bank Supervision Norman Mataruka, Director Financial Markets Azvinandaa Saburi, Director Financial Intelligence Mirirai Chiremba and Head of Security Gresham Muradzikwa, accusing them of crimes ranging from off-the-books bond notes to corrupt allocation of foreign currency.

Mahere said that Acie Lumumba must have done due process according to the law instead of going live on Facebook as he did last night.

“Where you suspect you have corrupt officials in Govt, you don’t do a FB live,” Mahere said, referring to Lumumba’s facebook live video on Sunday night where he named RBZ divisional directors he said were running parallel forex deals.

“You notify them of their alleged offences, suspend them, investigate then conduct a hearing. If they’re guilty, you may fire them/cause their arrest. Due process 101 – s68 & 69 Con,” Mahere said.

Fadzayi Mahere continued: “I don’t like mahumbwe & jokes when we are dealing with national issues that have huge implications for our livelihoods. It detracts from the seriousness of it all. If @MthuliNcube is ready to go after the RBZ officials, he must do so using the correct means & get them locked up.”

In a fight-back, Lumumba virtually labelled Mahere a husband-snatcher.

“Due process iwe uchiswera kundandanisa varume vevanhu kunge riot police. Life 101, ukanamata unokunda Fadzi,” said Lumumba.

Last night, in a live Facebook video which has gone viral, Acie Lumumba accused RBZ Head of Security Gresham Muradzikwa of the bond notes leakage to the parallel market.

“Muradzikwa has more money in his bank account than all his bosses … I do not believe Mangudya is involved,” Lumumba said.

Lumumba went on to accuse Muradzikwa of using his access to the flight manifest that guides the movement of bond notes from their printing press in Eastern Europe up to delivery in Harare.

According to Lumumba, the delivery plane always stops by Mozambique or South Africa where a chunk of the newly minted bond notes are offloaded and then smuggled into Zimbabwe in bales.

“Five RBZ directors have made Mthuli’s life impossible. I will not allow that. This country is being run by a cartel and Minister Ncube is going to break that cartel … This cartel is being run by Queen B … I used to go to Kasukuwere’s house and Queen B was always there … Queen B gave us the money for the Amai Mugabe rallies.”

Sakunda’s Kudakwashe Tagwirei who dominates the fuel industry and Command Agriculture was also named as a part of the supposed Queen B cartel.

Lumumba claimed to have access to financial intelligence provided to him during briefings with Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube.

Zoom Zim

By Own Correspondent| Deputy Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Energy Mutodi has expressed fears that the appointment of Acie Lumumba as the chairperson of the Ministry of Finance’s Communications Taskforce will likely result in a bloated workforce within government.

Lumumba, whose real name is William Gerald Mutumanje, was appointed by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube to become the spokesperson for his Ministry.

Mutodi however said that his ministry was surprised by the appointment as the Information Ministry was responsible for communicating government policy.

Speaking to a local publication, Mutodi said:

“I am afraid that the appointment of a communications chairperson in the ministry of Finance may undermine the role that is to be played by the Information ministry.

Most governments realise the world over that not all ministers, especially those appointed for their technical expertise have good communication skills, hence the need for an Information ministry that communicates government policy to the public…If all ministries manned by technocrats would resort to communications chairpersons we will eventually have a bloated workforce and a duplication of duties as the Information ministry must continue to maintain its oversight role on all policy communications.”-DailyNews

FUEL consumption in the country has gone up by 100 percent in recent months, the Minister of Energy and Power Development, Dr Joram Gumbo, said yesterday.

In an interview, Dr Gumbo said the new dispensation had brought about business confidence which has seen a surge in demand for fuel.

He said Zimbabweans have also imported thousands of vehicles leading to a sharp demand for petrol and diesel.

The minister said everyday, scores of imported cars are being cleared at the country’s borders, leading to an increase in fuel demand.

Dr Gumbo said some elements were also hoarding fuel for speculative purposes.

“The country has in the past months witnessed a surge in fuel usage. The country is at the moment consuming 4 million litres of diesel up from 2,5 million litres a week while 3 million litres of petrol is being pumped, up from 1,5million litres per week.

This high demand we believe is due to the increase in people doing business in the country due to the Zimbabwe is open for business mantra set by the new dispensation,” he said.

“At the same time the volume of vehicles in the country has increased to unprecedented levels. Everyday several vehicles are cleared to enter the country at our borders and they also add to the rise in demand for fuel. We can’t also rule out a few unscrupulous people hoarding fuel for speculative purposes.”

Dr Gumbo’s comments come at a time of long fuel queues.

Some motorists are now resorting to the black market where the commodity is sold at a higher price with some dealers demanding payment in foreign currency.

Dr Gumbo said fuel shortages will be a thing of the past soon.

He said owing to the increase in demand for fuel on the market, the RBZ’s weekly allocation to petroleum companies for procurement of the commodity will increase to about $35 million per week.
The Government was previously allocating $20 million for fuel every week.

“The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is going to be providing between $32 million and $35 million per week to fuel companies in order to satisfy the market,” Dr Gumbo said.
He ruled out a hike in the price of fuel in the near future.

-State Media

FINANCE minister Mthuli Ncube will this week meet with the country’s State security agents for a briefing on the soaring foreign currency shortages as government tightens the noose on highly-placed forex dealers believed to have “captured” the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) and are willy-nilly pushing up the parallel market exchange rate.

Ncube’s spokesperson William Mutumanje, popularly known as Acie Lumumba, yesterday confirmed that his boss would meet with the securocrats this week amid indications that the Financial Intelligence Unit, Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and the Zimbabwe Republic Police would be roped in to play a key role in sniffing out the “economic saboteurs”.

Mutumanje told NewsDay that it has since been established that top RBZ officials were fuelling the mess on the
market and would soon be placed under surveillance.

“The minister is receiving briefs, yes, and will meet them (security sector) this week.

The minister is committed to arresting the situation and the security agencies have narrowed down the source of the criminal activities. It’s clear we have dirty hands collaborating with government officials and it’s only a matter of time now before government shuts down the aggressive influence of the black market and clean up errant government complicity,” he said.

He added that the level at which RBZ had been “captured” by the suspected saboteurs required the intervention of the security sector, as Ncube would not be able to execute the job alone.

“There are directors at RBZ, especially, who are holding industry captive. The corruption at director level of the RBZ is pure poison and there is no single business that doesn’t know that the directors are out of control.

RBZ has been captured and the governor will need security sector support to clean that up,” he said.

Mutumanje said Ncube would release a statement over the crisis later.

The government dragnet is also reportedly targeting top politicians working in cahoots with officials at the central bank
The move comes as new taxes gazetted by government, uncontrollable price escalations and fuel shortages had all coalesced to create a sense of anger and despondency among citizens, who believe they are being punished for government’s unjustified profligacy.

Since the July 30 harmonised elections, the economy has taken a nosedive, with critics questioning President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ability to deal with the crisis.

Already, some retailers have either closed shop or hiked prices of most goods, while others have resorted to a multi-tier pricing system to stay afloat.

Mnangagwa last week claimed that the crisis was being triggered by an intricate network of currency speculators, mostly in high places, and tasked Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi to urgently craft tough policies and penalties targeted at illegal foreign currency dealers.

However, the opposition and political analysts said the move by Mnangagwa to come up with tough measures to deal with the crisis were unlikely to pay dividends.
Economist Eddie Cross said the move would unlikely produce intended results.

“The fundamental problem is that we have created opportunities for money vultures and we need to correct the policy environment and the only way to do it is to liberalise as (former Finance minister Patrick) Chinamasa did in 2009,” Cross said, adding that at the moment, the artificial rates would be difficult to deal with.
Political analyst Dewa Mavhinga said there was need for the government to now walk the talk, as Zimbabweans were fast losing confidence in the system.

“Currency manipulators are linked closely to those in power. Most are mere runners for the political elite. Mnangagwa should just act and not make promises that will remain unfulfilled,” he said.

Another analyst, Rejoice Ngwenya, questioned the sincerity of the government in dealing with the crisis.

“In the first place, there are laws already to deal with the issue. First, there is no such thing as foreign currency in Zimbabwe because multi-currencies are legal since 2009. Secondly, the Banking Act controls who buys and sells money, registered finance institutions, not street vendors,” he said.

MDC’s Tapiwa Mashakada said the State was the culprit in the crisis.

“The culprit is the State itself. Who is supplying brand new bond notes to currency dealers on the streets of Harare? Why are these dealers not arrested and why is government keen on keeping the bond note in circulation? These issues cannot be addressed by legislation, but by policy,” he said.

Another political analyst, Richard Mahomva, said the matter needed commitment from all stakeholders to succeed.

“There is need for absolute bureaucratic commitment to dealing with this matter other than having to compel an entire President to intervene over what financial administrators could have handled. Did we have to wait for this crisis to escalate, yet in this age of digital banking, we could easily trace the source of illicit financial flows?” he asked.

However, MDC-T vice-president Obert Gutu said there was need to clamp down on illegal parallel money market dealings.
He said Mnangagwa had to be tough to save the economy from total collapse at the hands of unscrupulous currency manipulators, citing Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s effective and successful stance against corruption in the East African country.

Gutu said people must not hide behind human rights mantra.

“Do people eat human rights laws written in a statute book somewhere? People eat food and not some fancy Western-styled model of human rights. Mnangagwa has to get at these thieves and deal them a sucker punch. This is not time for playing around,” he said.

“The majority of Zimbabweans are suffering as a direct result of these selfish and corrupt currency manipulators.

These people deserve absolutely no mercy.

Let them cry out and allege that their so-called human rights are being trampled upon, but then who cares as long as the living conditions of the majority of Zimbabweans are going to be improved?”

Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga weighed in, saying those seeking to profiteer from the current economic situation by arbitrarily increasing prices of basic goods would be dealt with.

“I want to make this clear. There are those who think they have an opportunity, they are wasting their time,” he told a family function at his rural home in Wedza yesterday.

“We are solving that, and they will be ashamed. We do not want people to take this nation for granted. It came after bloodshed. It is pointless to note that my pocket is full yet others have nothing. It is pointless that others are in poverty, while you are full. So we will build the nation all of us so that we have a Zimbabwe that we all want.”

Opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa’s bid to get the African Commission for Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) hear his bid to overturn President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s slim election victory has apparently died.

Following the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec)’s declaration of Mnangagwa as winner of the July 30 presidential election with a 50,67% margin, Chamisa, who came a close second with 44,3% of the vote, approached the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) arguing he had been defrauded of victory by collusion between Zec and the ruling Zanu PF party.

But the ConCourt on August 24, after a full hearing, dismissed the petition on the grounds that it lacked evidence, forcing Chamisa to escalate his fight to the continental body.

Highly-placed sources within the MDC Alliance this week claimed the move to approach the ACHPR was a “publicity stunt”.
“It was nothing beyond public posturing. It was a publicity stunt that has never been followed. In all meetings that we have had since then, this issue has never been raised. Nobody, not even the president, has brought it up for discussion,” NewsDay heard.

But Chamisa’s spokesperson Nkululeko Sibanda said such issues take long.

“The matter has not been set down for hearing. We are yet to hear from the ACHPR. Such cases take long and really we had no basis to request that it be heard on an urgent basis,” Sibanda said.

-Newsday

The era of fake prophets who hide behind the name of God to attack the national leadership and extort money from the public has ended, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga has said.

He said people should now unite and work towards a Zimbabwe desired by all citizens.

Vice-President Chiwenga made these remarks while addressing thousands of Christians who came to pray with him at his rural homestead in Hwedza following his discharge from hospital where he was receiving thorough medical attention after he was affected by the White City bombing incident.

The Christian community that came to pray with the VP was led by the Roman Catholic Church.

After the White City bombing incident in June, VP Chiwenga could not receive thorough medical attention at the time as he soldiered on to complete the Zanu-PF campaign trail.

In his usual jovial mood, VP Chiwenga attended a church service and interacted with Zanu-PF members who also came to see him for the first time after his return from South Africa last week before he delivered a speech that lasted more than 30 minutes.

“There are others who are now calling themselves prophets,” said VP Chiwenga.

“Aripo uyo anonzi ani, Talent (Muzuva). That should come to an end today. Zvatoperera pano. We don’t have that culture where one moves around attacking leaders under the guise of preaching the word of God. God does not say move around attacking other people.

“We want people to go to church and pray to God. This habit of using the name of the church to extort money is not good. How can you say that on the one hand you are practising Satanism and on the other you say you are a prophet, what kind of a prophecy is that? It’s not good and we don’t want that.

“Tiri kutaura ini madziChiwenga kuno uku.

Tiri kutaura padzinza. Vamwewo vakateerera kuti kuno ndokwazviri. Isu tinorova. So that should end and work towards building the Zimbabwe we want. The Zimbabwe we want is the one we explained that it is endowed with vast minerals. God has blessed us with good soil and we should utilise it to develop our country.

“We are all Zimbabweans from all the corners of the country and no one is superior to the other. Ndozvatakaita musi wa20 November 2017 kuti tinoda kusiya nhaka yekuti vana nevana vazoziva kwete kana inini ndagara zvangu chete ndizvo zvinofanira kufamba. Iwewe sani?”
VP Chiwenga called for unity of purpose among Zimbabweans.

He said there were some who wanted to exploit the current economic challenges for political ends but they would not succeed.
“Chikuru kugadzirisa nyaya yehupfumi hwenyika yedu inova vamwe vakufunga kuti zvavo zvaita,” said VP Chiwenga.

“Aihwa hapana chaita. Apa tinoda kutauririrana zvakanaka kuti tisaridze ngoma nedemo togara pfumo. Hazviitwe. Ino nyika tichavaka nenzira inogutsa munhu wese. We are going to rebuild this country together to have a Zimbabwe that we all desire. That is what we are working on.

“We don’t want people to play games with this country. Several people lost their lives to liberate this country. It does not make sense for one person to accumulate wealth while others are suffering. Where will you enjoy that wealth from? What we want is unity to build the Zimbabwe we want.”

Among high-ranking officials who attended the church service were Ministers Perrance Shiri (Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement), Joel Biggie Matiza (Transport and Infrastructural Development), Apollonia Munzverengi (Minister of State for Mashonaland East province), Mr George Charamba (Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet), Politburo members Cdes Sydney Sekeramayi and Dr David Parirenyatwa, among others.

-State Media

By A Correspondent| Former First Lady, Grace Mugabe has reportedly flown back from Singapore.

Sources told ZimEye, Mrs Mugabe flew into the country last week on the 15th October.

“She is still unwell, and flew back home last week,” sources told ZimEye.

They did not go into further details.

While it was not immediately clear what Mrs Mugabe is suffering from, she flew to Singapore in August where she underwent a surgery for an undisclosed ailment.

Three years ago, Grace spent several weeks in Singapore, for an operation to remove her appendix. But around the time, sources told a weekly she actually had surgery for colon cancer.

It was not possible at the time of writing, to obtain pictorial confirmation to prove Mrs Mugabe’s return.

– More to follow

By Paul Nyathi|MDC youth wing leader Happymore Chudziva recently visited Zimbabweans in the United Kingdom and gave a key address at the Zimbabwean Embassy.

In his address he reiterated the MDC’s stance that Preaident Emmerson Mnangagwa lost the July elections to Nelson Chamisa of the MDC Alliance coalition.

Below is his full speech:

Revolutionary greetings to you my fellow Comrades, friends, brothers and sisters,from all corners of the United Kingdom.

It is a great honour for me to stand before you with a responsibility to speak on the affairs of our great nation Zimbabwe.

This is an important occasion because it is a fervent belief that the correct Zimbabwean story must be told now, tomorrow and forever.

For long the world has fallen victim of lies peddled by the ZANU-PF party in their quest to legitimize the illegitimate presidency of Mnangagwa.

As you all know, we held elections in July where Zimbabweans overwhelmingly voted for President Nelson Chamisa. It’s on record that Mnangagwa was rejected by the people of Zimbabwe, but regrettably the unthinkable happened.

Instead of the people’s Will and vote be respected, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) as usual went on to subvert that vote by declaring a loser as the winner. Ever since that day the nation is stuck in the murky waters of a deep and unending crisis.

It is against this background that I am here to briefly explain the situation in a bid to save the people of Zimbabwe from the unbearable suffering they are enduring.

• Let the vote count:
Zimbabweans voted in their numbers on July 30, they made a choice that Adv. Nelson Chamisa is their President. That was an undiluted stament on the direction they want our country to take.

The people’s will must be respected because we can’t be a nation that votes for the sake of voting and not respect the outcome of the same vote.

• The legitimate remains legitimate and the illegitimate remains illegitimate:

The mandate to lead is derived from the people, the electorate, hence the reason why we have mandatory elections after every five years. We did exactly that, people voted for President Chamisa not Mnangagwa. Legitimacy comes from the people hence we say #LetThePeopleLead and people led by voting for their preferred president, who is Adv Nelson Chamisa.

• We expect a results not a bullets:
When people cast their votes like what we did in July, we expect nothing short of election results. Instead Mnangagwa unleashed military hardwares and live bullets on unarmed civilians for asking for the results of their vote.

• Caring leadership
Brutal and uncaring government is not what people voted for. When people became anxious and in fear of the repeat of the 2008 theft, the military saw it fit to despatch bullets and several lives were lost. Such are characteristics of a careless leadership which has no respect for human life.

• Ailing economy:
After stealing the people’s victory and sanitizing it through a bogus constitutional court, the ED led administration has failed to manage the economy. Inflation shot up and prices are skyrocketing each passing day. Cash and other essential commodities are running dry leaving people to struggle.

A look into these issues shows us that we have a government that is deliberately subduing and killing it’s people, either by live bullets or bad economics perpetuating the breeding of poverty. This is the the genocide we are confronted with, the genocide we need to stop.

All these challenges we are facing are a product of an illegitimate leadership that is in power through unscrupulous means. However, these challenges have a solution and the solution is the return to legitimacy. We need to return to legitimacy and everything else will fall into…

How do we return to legitimacy?
By respecting the people’s wishes as truely reflected on 30th of July 2018 election. ZEC should declare the actual winner of the 2018 elections and the legitimacy crisis that has been haunting our country will come to a lasting solution.

As we work towards improving and stabilising the flow of foreign exchange into the productive sector, we must at the same time ensure and enforce discipline in the market.

This means everyone must play to rules and norms, including respecting the laws of the land.

Sadly, events of the past two weeks have shown this is not so. Not everyone is playing to the rules. Partly because of wanton illicit currency deals happening in what is known as the black market, our economy has been disturbed.

We have suffered massive market failures, manifesting in complete collapse of the pricing framework for virtually all commodities, regardless of import component. There has been a run on the bond note.

In all this, there have been no winners, given that at the end of the day we are all consumers who demand and buy goods and services at any one stage for our survival.

Those hit hardest are the sick, the unemployed, the poor and the vulnerable, including our hard-pressed workforce.

Reports and submissions before me on illicit currency dealings point to an intricate network of currency speculators mostly in high places and in places of trust.

In a number of cases which have now been brought to Government’s attention, some of our guardians of the financial services sector have either not discharged their roles fully, or have not done so honestly.

In other cases, some have colluded with negative elements, both inside and outside the banking system, to aid and abet these illicit transactions. Considering that more than $9 billion is passing through different electronic platforms and leaving an “electronic trail”, it is inconceivable that these illicit transactions have and can ever go on undetected or unnoticed.

It simply cannot be. Someone somewhere sees this, or simply winks.

Overall, it is a story of sins of both omission and commission. Our whole financial sector risks disrepute, and therefore sanity has to be restored.

In most economies, sudden huge movements of money or unexplained “swelling” of deposits raise eyebrows. Millions have been moved unexplained in our financial services sector, with no one batting an eyelid.

In the United States of America, they have the Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac). We need a similar measure in our financial services sector.

The information before me shows that individuals and shelf companies not involved in any gainful or productive economic activity are engaged in fuelling instability in the economy.

Zimra is neither aware of this, nor does it get its own share of taxes or revenue.

Lately, our law enforcement agencies have been investigating these illicit activities. It has come to light that the money changers we see in street corners are mere “runners” who work for big currency sharks who operate from high places in air-conditioned offices.

The real culprits are not these “runners” who are but a tip of a big and scandalous financial iceberg.

Almost all these runners are on pittance commission from large sharks who are the real offenders we should bring to book. And we will do just that.

Currently we have no legislation to deal with currency manipulators.

We therefore need urgent and robust measures to deal with this financial menace. Of course, I am aware of what else needs to be done by way of policy changes and key adjustments in different sectors and aspects of the economy, including in the public sector.

These changes and adjustments are already being done, and will continue to be done until Government plays its own part in stabilising the economy by living strictly within its means.

But balancing books in the public sector cannot atone for the wanton criminality in the currency market which I have outlined above.

We need to show all offenders that crime does not pay, but that it is painfully paid for by way of compounded grief it visits upon all such offenders.

Accordingly, I have now instructed the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to work closely and expeditiously with the Attorney-General in order to produce a new set of regulations which will be promulgated under temporary law-making powers which I, as President, am allowed by the Constitution.

These regulations will remain in force for a statutory period of six months, during which a Bill will have to be processed for consideration by our legislators.

We face a challenge which requires unity of purpose on the part of the three pillars of the State namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.

We have to end this menace which now threatens the very fabric of our economy and society.

Like I said, there will be a raft of other interventions which, for obvious reasons, I am not at liberty to disclose.

Those who walk the straight and narrow need not fear.

State Media

MIDLANDS State University (MSU) has suspended a second-year student believed to be behind a social media post calling for the shutdown of the institution for not addressing the grievances of students.

Kudzai Zimwara, a geography and environmental science student, was suspended through a letter signed by MSU acting vice-chancellor, Zandile Doreen Moyo.

“It has come to my attention that you are the source of and originator of a Whatsapp message calling on students to embark on an illegal demonstration and shut down Midlands State University. Your message, if heeded to, poses a serious security threat to the university in that the demonstration will not only disrupt teaching and learning but will more likely lead to anarchy and mayhem in the university, wrote Moyo.

She cited a section of the University Act as basis for suspension pending Zimwara’s appearance before the student disciplinary committee.

Zimbabwe National Students Union (Zinasu) Midlands chapter chairperson, Tapiwanashe Chiriga, slammed the suspension.

“We believe this is an attempt to silence and instil fear within students as well as prevent them from asking questions. University is not primary school where students are afraid of asking critical questions with regards to their welfare. The grievances that students have must be addressed and not target those who present them,” he said.

Chiriga also highlighted that his body had formally handed a petition to the university seeking redress on issues affecting students.

“We have challenges with the exorbitant fees we pay that our parents are struggling to meet and we have asked the university to review them downwards. We also have a problem of poor meals at the dining hall.

“Wi-fi at campus is now a problem and we do not want students to be chased out of lectures and barred from writing exams because they will not have afforded to raise the high fees. These are the issues we want the authorities at MSU to address,” he added.

NewsDay

Independent legislator for Norton Temba Mliswa has called on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to take charge of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development until things stabilise. Mliswa said that current minister, Mthuli Ncube was playing with people’s lives due to his inconsistencies. Mliswa also echoed former Finance Minister Tendai Biti’s sentiments that Mthuli Ncube’s predecessor Patrick Chinamasa seems to be a better choice.

There have been shortages of basic goods and prices of the commodities have been rising while foreign currency exchange rates have been spiralling ever since Mthuli Ncube and Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor John Mandgudya made policy announcements when presenting the fiscal policies and the mid-term monetary policy.

Writing on Twitter, Mliswa said

“It’s about time President Emmerson Mnangagwa puts (the) Ministry of Finance under his ambit until things stabilise, he’s capable. Mthuli Ncube has displayed too many policy inconsistencies and must stop playing with the country. If this is what Mthuli Ncube is about then Patrick Chinamasa was better!”

Pindula

Finance minister Mthuli Ncube will this week meet with the country’s State security agents for a briefing on the soaring foreign currency shortages as government tightens the noose on highly-placed forex dealers believed to have “captured” the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) and are willy-nilly pushing up the parallel market exchange rate.

Ncube’s spokesperson William Mutumanje, popularly known as Acie Lumumba, yesterday confirmed that his boss would meet with the securocrats this week amid indications that the Financial Intelligence Unit, Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and the Zimbabwe Republic Police would be roped in to play a key role in sniffing out the “economic saboteurs”.

Mutumanje told NewsDay that it has since been established that top RBZ officials were fuelling the mess on the
market and would soon be placed under surveillance.

“The minister is receiving briefs, yes, and will meet them (security sector) this week. The minister is committed to arresting the situation and the security agencies have narrowed down the source of the criminal activities. It’s clear we have dirty hands collaborating with government officials and it’s only a matter of time now before government shuts down the aggressive influence of the black market and clean up errant government complicity,” he said.

He added that the level at which RBZ had been “captured” by the suspected saboteurs required the intervention of the security sector, as Ncube would not be able to execute the job alone.

“There are directors at RBZ, especially, who are holding industry captive. The corruption at director level of the RBZ is pure poison and there is no single business that doesn’t know that the directors are out of control. RBZ has been captured and the governor will need security sector support to clean that up,” he said.

Mutumanje said Ncube would release a statement over the crisis later.

The government dragnet is also reportedly targeting top politicians working in cahoots with officials at the central bank.

The move comes as new taxes gazetted by government, uncontrollable price escalations and fuel shortages had all coalesced to create a sense of anger and despondency among citizens, who believe they are being punished for government’s unjustified profligacy.

Since the July 30 harmonised elections, the economy has taken a nosedive, with critics questioning President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ability to deal with the crisis.

Already, some retailers have either closed shop or hiked prices of most goods, while others have resorted to a multi-tier pricing system to stay afloat.

Mnangagwa last week claimed that the crisis was being triggered by an intricate network of currency speculators, mostly in high places, and tasked Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi to urgently craft tough policies and penalties targeted at illegal foreign currency dealers.

However, the opposition and political analysts said the move by Mnangagwa to come up with tough measures to deal with the crisis were unlikely to pay dividends.

Economist Eddie Cross said the move would unlikely produce intended results.

“The fundamental problem is that we have created opportunities for money vultures and we need to correct the policy environment and the only way to do it is to liberalise as (former Finance minister Patrick) Chinamasa did in 2009,” Cross said, adding that at the moment, the artificial rates would be difficult to deal with.

Political analyst Dewa Mavhinga said there was need for the government to now walk the talk, as Zimbabweans were fast losing confidence in the system.

“Currency manipulators are linked closely to those in power. Most are mere runners for the political elite. Mnangagwa should just act and not make promises that will remain unfulfilled,” he said.

Another analyst, Rejoice Ngwenya, questioned the sincerity of the government in dealing with the crisis.

“In the first place, there are laws already to deal with the issue. First, there is no such thing as foreign currency in Zimbabwe because multi-currencies are legal since 2009. Secondly, the Banking Act controls who buys and sells money, registered finance institutions, not street vendors,” he said.

MDC’s Tapiwa Mashakada said the State was the culprit in the crisis.

“The culprit is the State itself. Who is supplying brand new bond notes to currency dealers on the streets of Harare? Why are these dealers not arrested and why is government keen on keeping the bond note in circulation? These issues cannot be addressed by legislation, but by policy,” he said.

Another political analyst, Richard Mahomva, said the matter needed commitment from all stakeholders to succeed.

“There is need for absolute bureaucratic commitment to dealing with this matter other than having to compel an entire President to intervene over what financial administrators could have handled. Did we have to wait for this crisis to escalate, yet in this age of digital banking, we could easily trace the source of illicit financial flows?” he asked.

However, MDC-T vice-president Obert Gutu said there was need to clamp down on illegal parallel money market dealings.

He said Mnangagwa had to be tough to save the economy from total collapse at the hands of unscrupulous currency manipulators, citing Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s effective and successful stance against corruption in the East African country.

Gutu said people must not hide behind human rights mantra.

“Do people eat human rights laws written in a statute book somewhere? People eat food and not some fancy Western-styled model of human rights. Mnangagwa has to get at these thieves and deal them a sucker punch. This is not time for playing around,” he said.

“The majority of Zimbabweans are suffering as a direct result of these selfish and corrupt currency manipulators.
These people deserve absolutely no mercy. Let them cry out and allege that their so-called human rights are being trampled upon, but then who cares as long as the living conditions of the majority of Zimbabweans are going to be improved?”

Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga weighed in, saying those seeking to profiteer from the current economic situation by arbitrarily increasing prices of basic goods would be dealt with.

“I want to make this clear. There are those who think they have an opportunity, they are wasting their time,” he told a family function at his rural home in Wedza yesterday.

“We are solving that, and they will be ashamed. We do not want people to take this nation for granted. It came after bloodshed. It is pointless to note that my pocket is full yet others have nothing. It is pointless that others are in poverty, while you are full. So we will build the nation all of us so that we have a Zimbabwe that we all want.”

Newsday

Correspondent|The Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) has impounded over 60 trucks for illegally smuggling cheap fuel in the country from Zimbabwe, Namibia and Mozambique via the Katima Mulilo and Chanida borders.

During an operation at Katima Mulilo Border Post, the trucks were found have a concealed false belly where fuel was contained and not being used by the respective vehicles.

The companies whose trucks have been impounded are Capital Fisheries with the fuel being used internally for their operations.

ZRA has moved in to ensure that they collect the requisite tax from the owners of the trucks.

ZRA Communications Manager said that the trucks were intercepted using installed scanners at the border posts.

Some of the impounded trucks are expected to be forfeited to the state.

The operations has covered Katima Mulilo, Chanida and Chirundu border posts.

Seven of the trucks are detained at Katima Mulilo with four already seized after customs officers recorded statements while 23 trucks conducting a similar illegality have also been impounded at Chanida border, Eastern Province.

A similar operation in Chirundu has seen 30 trucks impounded with 15 of found to have been illegally carrying fuel.

The false belly tanks carry as much as 1,800 litres.

ZRA has valued the confiscated fuel five hundred and seventy six kwacha.

https://youtu.be/ujm_Bw2sMxE

Fuel consumption in the country has gone up by 100 percent in recent months, the Minister of Energy and Power Development, Dr Joram Gumbo, said yesterday.

In an interview, Dr Gumbo said the new dispensation led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa had brought about business confidence which has seen a surge in demand for fuel.

He said locals have also imported thousands of vehicles leading to a sharp demand for petrol and diesel.

The Minister said everyday, scores of imported cars are being cleared at the country’s borders, leading to an increase in fuel demand.

Dr Gumbo said some elements were also hoarding fuel for speculative purposes.

“The country has in the past months witnessed a surge in fuel usage. The country is at the moment consuming 4 million litres of diesel up from 2,5 million litres a week while 3 million litres of petrol is being pumped, up from 1,5 million litres per week. This high demand we believe is due to the increase in people doing business in the country due to the Zimbabwe is open for business mantra set by the new dispensation,” he said.

“At the same time the volume of vehicles in the country has increased to unprecedented levels.

“Everyday several vehicles are cleared to enter the country at our borders and they also add to the rise in demand for fuel. We can’t also rule out a few unscrupulous people hoarding fuel for speculative purposes.”

Dr Gumbo’s comments come at a time when there are endless fuel queues across the country.

Some motorists are now resorting to the black market where the commodity is sold at a higher price with some dealers demanding payment in foreign currency.

Dr Gumbo said fuel shortages will be a thing of the past soon.

He said owing to the increase in demand for fuel on the market, the RBZ’s weekly allocation to petroleum companies for procurement of the commodity will increase to about $35 million per week.

The Government was previously allocating $20 million for fuel every week.

“The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is going to be providing between $32 million and $35 million per week to fuel companies in order to satisfy the market,” Dr Gumbo said.

He ruled out a hike in the price of fuel in the near future.

“The Government is not going to increase fuel prices in the near future. Our fuel prices remain low in the region but we are cognisant of the suffering of the people. To that effect there won’t be any fuel price increases anytime soon,” he said.

In an effort to address the fuel situation, Government released $17 million for procurement of diesel and petrol on Wednesday last week.

Two weeks ago, Government also provided $40 million for the importation of fuel.

MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa’s bid to get the African Commission for Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) hear his bid to overturn President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s slim election victory has apparently died.

An MDC top member said: “It was nothing beyond public posturing. It was a publicity stunt that has never been followed. In all meetings that we have had since then, this issue has never been raised. Nobody, not even the president, has brought it up for discussion.”

Following the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec)’s declaration of Mnangagwa as winner of the July 30 presidential election with a 50,67% margin, Chamisa, who came a close second with 44,3% of the vote, approached the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) arguing he had been defrauded of victory by collusion between Zec and the ruling Zanu PF party.

But the ConCourt on August 24, after a full hearing, dismissed the petition on the grounds that it lacked evidence, forcing Chamisa to escalate his fight to the continental body.

Highly-placed sources within the MDC Alliance this week claimed the move to approach the ACHPR was a “publicity stunt”.

“It was nothing beyond public posturing. It was a publicity stunt that has never been followed. In all meetings that we have had since then, this issue has never been raised. Nobody, not even the president, has brought it up for discussion,” NewsDay heard.

But Chamisa’s spokesperson Nkululeko Sibanda said such issues take long.

“The matter has not been set down for hearing. We are yet to hear from the ACHPR. Such cases take long and really we had no basis to request that it be heard on an urgent basis,” Sibanda said.

Chamisa had filed papers with the country’s apex court challenging Mnangagwa’s narrow victory, while claiming massive poll fraud.

But the ConCourt threw the petition out on the basis that it lacked sufficient evidence.

Chamisa argued the ConCourt had inherent bias towards Mnangagwa, hence his move to seek the intervention of the regional body.

“The MDC Alliance has instructed its local and international lawyers to immediately lodge a petition with the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (the ACHPR), otherwise known as the Banjul Commission, to challenge the August 24 Constitutional Court (ConCourt) controversial decision validating Zec’s decision that Mnangagwa won the July 30, 2018 harmonised general elections,” the petition read in part.

According to the petition, the ConCourt and the government are guilty of violating the rights of citizens.

“The grounds of the petition are based on the flagrant and multiple violations of the universal human rights of the voters and people of Zimbabwe by the current Zimbabwean regime and the ConCourt, including the right to free and fair elections, right to a fair hearing before an impartial court, right to legal representation by counsel of choice, right against undue political interference and the right to be governed by a legitimate government,” Chamisa said.

He added that the ACHPR has power to declare human rights violations and use that to overturn Mnangagwa’s victory in his favour.

NewsDay

The ex-model wife of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has spoken out about her bandaged hands and a harrowing story of an explosion that rocked a Zanu PF rally at White City Stadium in Bulawayo that could have ended in her being amputated.

In an interview at her Harare home, Marry Chiwenga said she was undergoing treatment for injuries sustained from the bomb attack which apparently targeted President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

She also denied claims that she was bleaching her skin together with her husband, saying the hand injuries were the result of the Bulawayo bombing.

At least 49 people, including both of Zimbabwe’s vice presidents Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi, were injured by the explosion that occurred close to the VIP podium immediately after Mnangagwa finished his speech.

Still looking vivacious, it was clear she was not fully healed, with hands wrapped in bandages that extended up her slightly-swollen hands to her elbows.

She said her husband — who was also admitted at a top South African hospital where he was discharged last Wednesday and flew back home via Manyame Airbase — was also on the mend.

The public acknowledgment is a rare disclosure of a health matter in the top echelons of the state.

Ailing top officials usually treat such issues as grave national security secrets, a closely guarded secret even as they appear frail in public.

In the rare interview with the Daily News on Sunday, she said the couple were taking care of each other as they recover from the condition.

Marry said they were doing fine and are not in critical condition as claimed on social media.

“Why are people concerned about my sickness in that way? They should instead be praying for me. Was I not part of the bomb blast in Bulawayo where some people even lost their lives? People should be asking how their families are carrying on,” she said.

“I have these bandages on but my hands are no longer swollen, the bandages are to cover the wounds from infection. Yes, my hands and legs were affected during that bomb blast, but I am recovering well. I feel fine. I even go to work and I even drive, I have carried on living as I used to. But you can’t expect the effects to just disappear.

“I read somewhere where they were saying the Health minister (deputy minister John Mangwiro) was babysitting us. No, we do not need anyone to take care of us. He (Chiwenga) is taking care of me and I am taking care of him,” she said of her husband.

Asked about the woman who claimed to be Chiwenga’s niece who got a “prophecy” from South Africa-based prophet Alph Lukau, claiming that Chiwenga was a victim of witchcraft, Marry said they did not even know the woman and that they did not have relatives in South Africa.

“No, she’s not a relative, I do not know her and the VP does not know her, and to be honest I didn’t see any prophecy there because the woman had said the name.

Whatever he said about witchcraft I don’t know, I know what the doctors told us,” Marry said.

Daily News

Correspondent|Police in South Africa are still looking for clues that could help them land the men who assassinated two security guards, Eric Ngobese, 38 and Zimbabwean Boykie Moyo, 47, behind bars.

The two men caught on dash-cam callously killing two security guards in Soweto remain on the run.

Captain Mavela Masondo told The Star newspaper that the police were still looking for clues that could help them land the men who assassinated Eric Ngobese, 38 and Boykie Moyo, 47, behind bars.

Ngobese and Moyo, attached to 24/7 Security Services, were shot dead near Maponya Mall last Wednesday.

A 30-second video clip showing them being ambushed and fatally shot while sitting in their work car went viral.

The two men ran off after taking a pistol from one of the guards.

It appeared that they pounced on Ngobese and Moyo to rob them of their firearms.

An off-duty metro police officer was also killed for his gun on the streets of Hillbrow last month.

Earlier, police dismissed as fake news a claim that the two killers had been nabbed during an operation by the tactical response team.

“They have still not been arrested,” Masondo said.

“The police have launched a manhunt for the suspects who shot and killed the two security guards in Soweto.

“We’re appealing to the community that if there’s anyone with information that can help us arrest these suspects, please come forward.

“They can call the nearest police station or 10111,” said Masondo.

Correspondent|Dynamos’s charge towards safety continued after they secured a 2-1 victory over Black Rhinos in the Zimbabwe Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.

Valentine Kadonzvo gave Dembare the lead in the 23rd minute. Tapuwa Sibanda equalised on 81 minutes but the Glamour Boys would not be denied as Marshall Machazani got the winner late on.

Tendai Ndlovu gave Highlanders an early lead only for Sipho Ndlovu and Ozias Zibandle to pick the maximum points for a beleagured Bulawayo City. That match ended 2-1.

Tatenda Tumba scored late for Harare City in their 1-0 victory over Shabanie Mine.

In the other matches Herentals beat Triangle 1-0 while Yadah defeated Mutare City Rovers 1-0.

The Daily News on Sunday’s Pauline Hurungudo sits down for a wide-ranging interview with former Finance minister Tendai Biti, who is also the deputy national chairperson for the MDC, about the state of the economy.

Find below excerpts of the interview.

Q: What do you make of the 2 percent tax on electronic transactions imposed by Finance and Economic Development minister Mthuli Ncube?

A: Well, the decision to impose that tax, to vary that tax from 5 cents a transaction to 2 cents in a dollar, I think is a disaster, ill-thought, ill-informed, ill-founded and we are paying the price for it.

(Mthuli) Ncube is paying the price of it, because the response to that tax has been cataclysmic.

It knighted a chain reaction which he possibly could have foreseen. Prices have shot up, our inflation is way above 200 percent, goods have disappeared, and there are snake queues for gas in every quarter of Zimbabwe.

Q: There has been a legal challenge to the 2 percent tax?

A: The court applications have been filed. It is blatantly illegal.

Q: Are you saying this was a purely wrong decision?

A: From a purely economic point of view, it was a wrong decision and that’s why I question Mthuli’s qualification and ability as an economist.

The challenge in Zimbabwe is of course that of the budget deficit, but the deficit has been created not because we are collecting less revenue, we collect around $400 million a month.

That’s a lot of money. The problem is actually the expenditure.

We are just spending and spending and spending, so if we were to go through structural reform, the major challenge should be retrenchment of your major expenditure lines.

We are spending too much on the wage bill, 90 or 95 percent is spent on over 200 000 workers on wage bill, so we have to reduce the wage bill from what it is right now, namely 95 percent total of expenditure to at least 30 percent of total expenditure, from the 25 percent of GDP wage bill to at least 7 percent of GDP.

Then you have got government appetite, it is killing this economy. Zanu PF’s insatiable appetite for goodies is killing this economy.

They spend on luxury jets, joints to the UN, Singapore, South Africa and Bali. The delegation in Bali spent 12 days. What were they doing….? It’s ridiculous.

Q: What needs to be done to contain this runaway expenditure by the executive?

A: We have to decapitate Zanu PF’s insatiable appetite for goodies. We have to devalue their appetite for champagne, for nice expensive perfumes and holidays, because it is costing the economy.

Look at their vehicles, if you go to Sam Levy Village, the most expensive cars belong to someone who is in government. So, that has to be entrenched but it requires political courage and conviction; and its certainly not there in Zimbabwe, in Mthuli Ncube and Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Thirdly, we have to deal with corruption in parastatals; millions of dollars are being lost in the parastatals.

Air Zimbabwe is making losses like $12 million a month but government keeps financing and funding it. We are spending billions of dollars through the GMB and the GMB perennially makes losses.

It is a dysfunctional institution. GMB and Air Zimbabwe alone are symptoms, indices reflective of what is happening in our country. The point I’m making here is the focus should not be on sources of revenue but curtailing expenditure; secondly, management of the economy.

Vane huyanga,vanotoda kubikirwa (They are clumsy, they are highly immoral. They need to be exorcised at a traditional ceremony.) They can’t manage the economy.

Q: Minister Ncube has said the people have to shoulder the pain of transformation, because no pain no gain.

A: They should take the pain. Are we the ones hiring luxury jets? Are we the ones driving limousines?

Are we the ones building castles on top of sands because of corruption? So why should people feel the pain?

The pain should be suffered by the regime. They must retrench expenditure. They must undergo structural reform.

They themselves created the mess, they must undo the mess, but unfortunately, they can’t undo the mess because undoing the mess means carrying out real reforms, but if they have to carry out real reform this country actually requires, it will have political implications.

They will be reforming themselves out of power.

As (Russian communist revolutionary, politician, and political theorist) Lenin says, “No class commits suicide.” They will never reform themselves out of power.

Q: What is your take on the debt overhang that Zimbabwe currently has?

A: Debt is what really worries me, because it means tax on future generations. So, your children, your grandchildren have to pay this debt. I said in Parliament the other day, a little child that is being born in Mbuya Nehanda Maternity right now has a debt of over $200 000. We are mortgaging future generations.

Is it right to mortgage future generations?

If you were to build roads, power stations, bullet trains, spaghetti roads, future generations would also use those stations.

Ninety percent of the roads we are using in Zimbabwe were built before 1980 but these people are borrowing for consumption, to buy cars, to buy perfumes for their girlfriends and boyfriends. That is ridiculous.

We have gotten so bad that our domestic debt is suddenly higher than our external sovereign debt; that is ridiculous.

That is unheard of. I am yet to research on it and ask my friends overseas if this is possible. I don’t know of a situation like this. Your external debt must be more than your domestic debt.

Your external debt is USD and your domestic debt is hard currency accrued in domestic currency. In the olden days, it will be acquired by the Zimdollar and now it is the bond note and the RTGS and so forth.

When you see your domestic debt now exceeding your external debt, munengozi, munemashavi, munofanirwa kubikirwa doro remadzinza (it means you have an avenging spirit, you must convene a traditional ceremony to exorcise you of theft), it’s unbelievable. I’m yet to find a metaphor to explain this because it can’t happen, it is an aberration.

The thing which affects me about debt is the lack of a strategic solution to this debt problem.

This (Mthuli) Ncube is a total disaster. I was reading in the State-run media that he was pushing for Highly Indebted Poor country (HIPC) (a group of developing countries with high levels of poverty and debt overhang which are eligible for special assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank) as a solution.

However, in his own midterm policy, he doesn’t talk about this, he talks about the discredited Lima process, the October 8th 2015 plan in Peru.

Daily News

The Grain Millers’ Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) has come up with a six months-wheat procurement programme to ensure constant supply and avert bread shortages in the country.

GMAZ chairman Mr Tafadzwa Musarara said this in an interview at Nkulumane Provincial Heroes’ Acre in Bulawayo after the burial of the association’s national vice president Mr Thembinkosi Ndhlovu on Friday.

“We have come up with a six months-wheat procurement plan so that we build a three-month cover and at an given time in the country, we should have wheat equivalent to three months cover in order to avoid the occurrences like now where we have got wheat at the border and then logistical problems happen and immediately it impacts on the flour supply,” he said.

A fortnight ago, the GMAZ announced that it had started receiving 30 000 tonnes of wheat imported recently and millers who had temporarily closed shop due to the unavailability of the cereal were expected to resume operations.

GMAZ has said it is facing logistical challenges to bring in the 30 000 tonnes consignment it procured on instalment prepayment arrangement.

“They (National Railways of Zimbabwe) tell us that there is a serious shortage of loco-power and also there are other competing imports like fertiliser getting into Zimbabwe and Zambia. Since September 16, 2018, NRZ has only delivered 68 wagons and as we speak we have got 200 wagons that are currently loaded and stuck in Beira that need to come into the country,” said Mr Musarara.

“We’re waiting for NRZ to do its best . . . and we are hopeful that the 200 wagons which are equivalent to 8 000 tonnes should be in Zimbabwe as soon as possible.”

Mr Musarara said the GMAZ has already escalated their case to Government with the Ministry of
Transport and Infrastructural Development indicating commitment to addressing the matter.
He said Zimbabwe’s bakery sector requires close to 800 tonnes of flour daily.

“We’ve just started to mill the wheat that came in but we should be at around 35 tonnes . . . and the wheat flour supply has improved since Wednesday (last week) but we don’t bake bread. The bakeries have been receiving our flour but they’re citing other cost pressures relating to other ingredients other than flour and as a result of that they’ve kind of reduced production to below 20 percent citing serious unavailability of some raw materials to make bread,” Mr Musarara said.

“Indications that we have received from them (bakeries) are that there are serious cost pressures that they are getting at the moment in respect of other raw materials.”

Meanwhile, media reports say some stakeholders in the baking industry have held clandestine consultations over the past week to unilaterally peg the price of a standard loaf of bread to the prevailing black market rate of the United States dollar against the bond note.

It is understood the bakers want to start implementing the pricing mechanism this week, raising the price of bread from $1,10 to $4-$5.

However, some players within the baking industry were shocked by the intended pricing mechanism as the Government was meeting the bulk of their input requirements, while other key cost drivers such as labour, water and electricity have remained constant.

The National Bakers Association of Zimbabwe president Mr Ngoni Mazango has confirmed that the bread price hike was imminent.

The baking sector was among those that were receiving priority from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to secure foreign currency. – state media

Commercial sex workers have descended on Nottingham and Bishopstone citrus farms in Beitbridge district where they are targeting seasonal farm workers earning foreign currency, thereby fuelling an increase in sexually transmitted infections in the border town.

A Chronicle news crew went out to investigate prostitution activities at the two popular citrus farms and unearthed startling revelations of how prostitutes, mostly teenage girls, have turned the areas into prime hot spots for HIV among other STIs.

Most of the girls are from neighbouring Mwenezi district in Masvingo province among other outlying areas such as Gokwe, Mberengwa, Chiredzi and Zvishavane.

The prostitutes, some as young as 14 years, have virtually turned compounds at the two farms into red-light districts. The two farms are situated on the outskirts of Beitbridge Town.

When The Chronicle recently visited Bishopstone Estate, the farm compound was teeming with several young girls mostly in tight fitting jean trousers and revealing mini-skirts.

The sex workers, who mainly operate from makeshift grass thatched huts on farm compounds, are lured into prostitution by the power of the United States dollar earned by seasonal farmers.
One of the sex workers from Gokwe, who identified herself as Memory Moyo (23), said she was driven by poverty to peddle her flesh.

“I didn’t choose to be a hooker. In fact, I was forced into this business of selling my body following the death of my father who was the sole breadwinner. I arrived in Beitbridge in August after one of my friends tipped me of the abundance of foreign currency from seasonal farm workers who are employed at the orange orchards,” she said.

Memory, who operates from Bishopstone Estates, said for the past two months she had been camped
at the farm targeting sex starved farm workers.

“There is a lot of money here and it is in United States dollars. I have quite a number of regular clients who opt for my services and they pay me in foreign currency. In fact, on a good day I rake in between US$30 and US$50,” she said.

Another teenage girl from Maranda area in Mwenezi district, who preferred to remain anonymous, said: “I come to Bishopstone Estates every year during this time of the year when the orange harvesting season begins. Most seasonal farm workers, especially the elderly, prefer young girls to older women.”

Another 15-year-old girl from Chiredzi, who operates from Nottingham Estate, said they were forced into prostitution to support their families back home.She said she was forced to drop out of school two years ago after the death of her mother in 2015.

“As the eldest sister I resorted to prostitution to raise money to fend for my siblings,” she said.
Beitbridge District Medical Officer Dr Lenos Samhere said HIV indicators showed that the district recorded an increase in the number of STIs in the last three months, a development which he attributed to commercial sex work in farms. The orange harvesting season traditionally starts from July to the end of October or November.

“The number of commercial sex workers differs in term of their age groups and our statistics show that teenagers constitute the highest number. Their clients are mostly clearing agents and truck drivers who also contribute to the high number of STIs. In areas such as Nottingham and Bishopstone farms, there is definitely an increase in the number of STIs especially during the orange harvesting season because of the influx of people, among them commercial sex workers, invading those farms. We have therefore noted a corresponding increase in STI cases in those farming areas,” he said.

Dr Samhere said commercial sex workers are categorised as a high risk group with a potential of contracting HIV.

“We continue to urge such groups to take up post-exposure prophylaxis or PEP everyday, which is a form of HIV prevention because if you suffer from an STI, you are also likely to contract HIV since the skin surfaces would have been damaged,” he said.

According to statistics, the number of people treated for STIs in Beitbridge increased from 384 in January to 412 in August. Dr Samhere said Beitbridge is one of the worst affected districts in the country in terms of HIV infections with 17 047 patients on antiretroviral therapy.

He said the number of patients on ART has since the beginning of the year been on the rise.
“We do handle a number of STIs in our hospital and clinics but you will find that most of commercial sex workers whom we categorise as special populations, prefer to utilise Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) night clinics and wellness centres where they don’t pay for treatment and drugs. Commercial sex workers tend to visit these facilities because the set up in those facilities is friendly to them since they don’t mix with other members of the community hence they can be very open when discussing about their profession,” he said – state media

The era of fake prophets who hide behind the name of God to attack the national leadership and extort money from the public has ended, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga has said.

He said people should now unite and work towards a Zimbabwe desired by all citizens.

Vice-President Chiwenga made these remarks while addressing thousands of Christians who came to pray with him at his rural homestead in Hwedza following his discharge from hospital where he was receiving thorough medical attention after he was affected by the White City bombing incident.

The Christian community that came to pray with the VP was led by the Roman Catholic Church.

After the White City bombing incident in June, VP Chiwenga could not receive thorough medical attention at the time as he soldiered on to complete the Zanu-PF campaign trail.

In his usual jovial mood, VP Chiwenga attended a church service and interacted with Zanu-PF members who also came to see him for the first time after his return from South Africa last week before he delivered a speech that lasted more than 30 minutes.

“There are others who are now calling themselves prophets,” said VP Chiwenga. “Aripo uyo anonzi ani, Talent. That should come to an end today. Zvatoperera pano. We don’t have that culture where one moves around attacking leaders under the guise of preaching the word of God. God does not say move around attacking other people.

“We want people to go to church and pray to God. This habit of using the name of the church to extort money is not good. How can you say that on the one hand you are practising satanism and on the other you say you are a prophet, what kind of a prophecy is that? It’s not good and we don’t want that.

“Tiri kutaura ini madziChiwenga kuno uku. Tiri kutaura padzinza. Vamwewo vakateerera kuti kuno ndokwazviri. Isu tinorova. So that should end and work towards building the Zimbabwe we want. The Zimbabwe we want is the one we explained that it is endowed with vast minerals. God has blessed us with good soil and we should utilise it to develop our country.

“We are all Zimbabweans from all the corners of the country and no one is superior to the other. Ndozvatakaita musi wa20 November 2017 kuti tinoda kusiya nhaka yekuti vana nevana vazoziva kwete kana inini ndagara zvangu chete ndizvo zvinofanira kufamba. Iwewe sani?”

VP Chiwenga called for unity of purpose among Zimbabweans. He said there were some who wanted to exploit the current economic challenges for political ends but they would not succeed.

“Chikuru kugadzirisa nyaya yehupfumi hwenyika yedu inova vamwe vakufunga kuti zvavo zvaita,” said VP Chiwenga.

“Aihwa hapana chaita. Apa tinoda kutauririrana zvakanaka kuti tisaridze ngoma nedemo togara pfumo. Hazviitwe. Ino nyika tichavaka nenzira inogutsa munhu wese. We are going to rebuild this country together to have a Zimbabwe that we all desire. That is what we are working on.

“We don’t want people to play games with this country. Many people lost their lives to liberate this country. It does not make sense for one person to accumulate wealth while others are suffering. Where will you enjoy that wealth from? What we want is unity to build the Zimbabwe we want.”

Among high-ranking officials who attended the church service were Ministers Perrance Shiri (Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement), Joel Biggie Matiza (Transport and Infrastructural Development), Apollonia Munzverengi (Minister of State for Mashonaland East province), Mr George Charamba (Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet), Politburo members Cdes Sydney Sekeramayi and Dr David Parirenyatwa, among others.-state media

Vice President Retired General Constantino Chiwenga has urged Zimbabweans to be united in building the country’s economy which has been distorted by unscrupulous individuals bent on profiteering.

The Vice President was speaking to thousands of people from Wedza who gathered at his homestead in Chigondo area for a thanksgiving mass.

‘Let us all unite and build our nation which has been destroyed by some selfish individuals who are bent on profiteering,” he said.

Chiwenga also took a swipe at false prophets who are concentrating on fake prophesies mainly to do with people’s health and deaths at the expense of preaching peace and love.

“I see there are some people who are specialising on false prophesy like one called Talent who should be stopped. Let them be warned,” he said.

The public appearance of Dr Chiwenga, who has not been well but has since recovered and looked fit speaking for over half an hours, was welcomed by the Zanu PF leadership from Mashonaland East led by Politburo member, Dr Sydney Sekeramayi.

The thanksgiving mass was conducted by Father Willie Muzondiwa of the Mt. St. Marys Parish and Father Riberio from Highfield, Harare.

Dr Chiwenga took part in the entire service and later laid wreaths at the family shrine in memory of his family members.

The service was attended by several cabinet ministers, the Deputy Chief Secretary Presidential Communications George Charamba, close family members, legislators from Mashonaland East Province, political leaders and traditional leaders from the province as well as Masvingo and Matabeleland. – state media

Facebook Opinion By Discent Bajila| Those close to other GoZ Ministers please ask them to establish Taskforces and appoint Jones Musara.

The fellow is bitter about the appointment of Gerald Mutumanje (nick named Acie Lumumba). Some of us are very indifferent about this.

Exactly 10 years ago there was a Media Subcommittee of Government. There was no Committee from which the subcommittee was drawn. It was just a subcommittee. George Charamba was Chairman of the subcommittee. Other members included Rugare Gumbo and the late Sikhanyiso Ndlovu.

The 2008 Media Subcommittee and the 2018 Ministry of Finance Communications Taskforce (MFCT) are two sides of the same coin. They are destined for the dustbins of history. The 2018 MFCT might also help increase the bank balance of Mr Mutumanje and add a few things to his CV.

In the 1940s, Adolf Hitler had a Minister of Public Enlightement called Joseph Gobbels. Eventually he lost the war. In the late 1990’s Zimbabwe had Chenhamo Chakezha Chimutengwende as Minister of Public and Interactive Affairs. He too failed.

Year in year out Zimbabweans swindle the international community by writing flowery project proposals. This has immunised them against the effects of sweet tongue. They are the greatest sweet talkers. Unfortunately the international community is watching Zimbabwe ngamehlo abomvu and therefore bitter tongue can’t work too.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t!!!!! But hey remember Jones, please.

Discent Bajila is thw MDC Youth organising secretary and this post was extracted from his personal Facebook page.

A commission set to investigate the August 1 deadly shooting of protestors began public hearings last week to establish what led to the killings.

The inquiry led by former South African president Kgalema Motlanthe has been criticised for its alleged bias because some of its members are linked to Zanu PF.

Journalist Violet Gonda (VG) interviewed one of the commissioners, Lovemore Madhuku (LM), who insisted that the investigation will be conducted in a professional manner.

He revealed that the military and police will appear before the commission to give their version of the events. Below are excerpts from the interview.

VG: How are you feeling when it seems many of the people who have came out today, especially from the MDC questioned your role in this commission. They say you are not an impartial commissioner. They have also mentioned Charity Manyeruke and Vimbai Nyemba.

LM: We are very impartial and they know we are very impartial. So we really have no issues with that. I think that they are just playing politics. I think there is no basis for anyone to suspect that we can have any secret agendas, why should we have a secret agenda?

VG: Don’t you think people are justified to point that out that this is not a neutral commission given it has Zanu PF people?

LM: Well, I am not sure what they should have done. I am not the one who made the appointments, but all what was required was to get three Zimbabweans to add to four non-Zimbabweans who constitute the majority there and they are very independent. We were appointed not so much from any political angle. Vimbai is a lawyer. I am an academic, constitutional law academic and then Charity was appointed for her political science.

The understanding that we got from the appointing authority was that it was an independent commission based on expertise that has nothing to do with political regions, and that when we to do the work that we are doing we are never going to utilise that political formula.

VG: Why is it that the commission seems to be interrogating the victims and also opposition supporters more than the Zanu PF supporters?

LM: Well, I think it’s a very misleading observation you have made. This is just the beginning of a long process of public hearings, we are going to hear everyone and the secretariat was going by on a first come, first served basis.

The persons that gave evidence yesterday were persons that were the first ones to attend to the invitation to come. So we decided that we would not analyse the evidence before calling them.

We will actually hear every person as they were coming, so they are going through a list [and] I think you heard them saying this is the witness for day one, witness for day two, that whole book goes to witnesses for day nine and its simply by first come, first served basis.

So it’s clear that those people from the Zanu PF provincial office all decided to come for their own best reasons.

So we actually made a deliberate decision that let’s not make decisions prior to hearing evidence.

Even when they were coming, we were just hearing people as they were coming. You will be surprised that the next few hearings, I mean the next days of the hearing process, there will be lots and lots of persons that will be giving different evidence.

VG: Some have argued the line of questioning by commissioners like Manyeruke is targeting victims. What is your comment on that?

LM: Well, I think let’s be very sure that there can be no basis at this point for characterising the commission as following any partisan direction because while we are here, we are listening to evidence. You will be surprised when you read the report, the report is going to be a very objective assessment of what actually happened on August 1 because our terms of reference are to determine what happened.

We will tell the people from the evidence what actually happened.

We would want to then see after our report who will say this did not happen because what is coming out at the moment is the evidence of the first persons that rushed to give their evidence and these persons came from the Zanu PF provincial office.

I am sure they are now finished. I am not sure how many people Zanu PF employs at their provincial offices because even as a commission, we kept wondering how many people are employed there, many people came in the name of being employed by Zanu PF.

We will make an assessment, in fact, not just an assessment on what we heard, but we will even make a determination whether that particular witness was actually employed.

So people are jumping the gun, we are taking notes and we are asking questions, but we will make a determination on a factual basis.

Even if we were to have a million people claiming that we were employed by Zanu PF and say ‘I worked at Zanu PF headquarters. I was there on this day’ that is not the end of the matter, that is simply what they are telling us.

We will make an assessment. We might determine that some of them were never employed and they were not giving correct evidence, all this is for assessment.

VG: But when are people going to hear from the soldiers who were on the streets, the soldiers that shot the people and also the police?

LM: Yes, I think first they are all going to testify.

VG: So you have their names already?

LM: We are making arrangements for them to come.

We have said firstly let’s get to hear from the non-security people, so we hear from everyone who is not the police and who is not the army.

And then once all that evidence has come, we will then face the army with all the evidence.

They have to answer to each and every assertion of fact by the witnesses.

So you cannot just bring the army in front, it’s like putting the cart before the horse.

You should make it clear to the public and everyone that you are informing as the media that this is a process which is well thought out, at the end we just have to hear, look at those people saying the bullets were coming from all over the place.

When the military comes, we then ask them those questions because they will have to respond to each and every question.

You saw a bit of it today when we were asking (Lovemore) Chinoputsa his evidence, for example that there was no MDC person, I mean all those protestors were not related in any way to the MDC? I wanted him to help us because then we heard the name of that person from Epworth, who is deceased and you were there when the evidence was given that this was an MDC member, so he will have to respond.

We are not saying whether that is true or not, but they will have to be responding to what? So the army will be coming, the police will be coming.

The Standard

Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube has said its only fair for Zimbabweans to judge him after 6 months.

Zimbabwe’s  economy continues  dwindling  characterized by  speculative activities, especially illegal foreign currency trading,  which have caused a marked depreciation of bond notes and RTGS balances against the United States dollar, triggering hikes in the prices of basic commodities, panic-buying and product shortages.

Following the imposition of a  levy which sparked a public outcry Presindent Mnangagwa and his Finance Minister, hold a view that  the road to economic recovery is painful but necessary part of the government’s attempts to revive the economy.

In an interview with State Media, Minister Ncube said,“I have only been a minister for one month. We need patience, we know what we are doing. What I can say to Zimbabweans is that they should give me six months to see the full impact of the changes from the policies that we have pursued.

“Of course, I need a year to make a formal report with things such as the Budget, but judge me after six months. We would have made very good progress in various fronts, both in terms of arrears clearance agenda and progress on the fiscal front, dealing with the revenue front which we have acted on and cutting Government expenditure.”

Writing on his Twitter page Minister Ncube  also said government is set set to reduce expenditure so that it survives within its means.

He added that the forthcoming Budget presentation  will show that government  is serious about cutting expenditure.

-263Chat

A mother of one of the victims of the August 1 army shootings is yet to know about the death of her son.

Gavin Dean Charles’ mother has not been told that her son was one of the seven people suspected to have died when soldiers opened fire on protestors in central Harare because her family fears the news could complicate her health.

Charles sister Elizabeth Robertson told the commission of inquiry investigating the killings and is led by former South African president Kgalema Motlanthe that her brother’s death had traumatised the family.

Robertson said Charles was gunned down in cold blood by the same people he joined on the streets on November 18, 2017 to celebrate the fall of former president Robert Mugabe.

“He danced and joined everyone on November 18, thinking that things had changed, that the new Zimbabwe had been born,” she said while shedding tears.

“As a minority community, we thought that we would finally find our place in Zimbabwe, but nothing has changed.

“My brother was shot twice in the pelvis and shoulder by the same people whom he joined on the streets.”

She told the commission that Charles was a Rastafarian who also believed in God and was not a member of any political party.

Robertson said her brother was not part of the demonstrations, which rocked Harare as protestors demanded the release of the July 30 presidential elections.

“He was born prematurely and as a result he grew up with love around him,” she said.

“He was not violent and did not take part in any political activities.

“As a minority group, we do not take part in political activities because we have not had any representation in those areas.

“He was not armed but was shot dead. We can’t tell our mom because it could kill her.”

Robertson said there was an attempt to hide the cause of Charles death with a postmortem report showing that he had died of stab wounds.

The cause of death was changed after the family raised questions.

Tinei Zhuwao, who lost his brother Brain during the shootings, said the airtime vendor was a Zanu PF supporter who had nothing to do with the protests.

He said his brother was shot in the leg from behind as he ran away from soldiers who were using live ammunition to disperse demonstrators.

The commission was told of an alleged plot by government officials to cover up for the deaths and further suppress the numbers of those gunned down by the army.

Ignatius Neshava the brother -in-law of the late Ishmail Kumire who was gunned down close to Copacabana claimed that he saw more than eight bodies in the aftermath of the shooting.

“The police initially said three people had been killed on the spot, but I know six people were shot dead in the streets and others died in hospital like my brother-in-law,” Neshava said.

“When we were at Parirenyatwa Hospital, we saw eight bodies of people that had been shot.

“At Harare Hospital there were other bodies, but the official voice of government has kept that number at six.”

Neshava said Kumire, who sold fruits and other food items on the streets, was wearing Zanu PF regalia when he was shot at close range.

“He was shot and he fell on my feet,” he said. “Initially I did not realise that he had been shot.

“I thought he had been tripped and fell because we were just standing next to his truck carrying fruits while waiting for the soldiers to pass.”

Doctors at Parirenyatwa Hospital have been accused by relatives of five deceased persons of trying to misrepresent that victims of the shootings died of stab wounds.

Neshava said after relatives exposed the ploy to tamper with postmortem results, doctors claimed it was a mistake by Cuban doctors.

“We noticed that the postmortem had been signed by one Masango and we then asked how a Masango could have come from Cuba,” he said.

Maxwell Taurai father of another vendor killed during the shootings said his son was killed by the army as he tried to flee the commotion caused by the military intervention.

He also told the inquiry that more than six people could have been killed in the demonstrations because he sawa number of dead bodies as he was looking for his son.

Zanu PF employee Zivanai Mugwira who had his car reduced to ashes said the protestors appeared to be highly trained and sophisticated people because they managed to drive his car without keys.

He said the manner in which protestors attacked the Harare Provincial Zanu PF offices, was well-co-ordinated and showed that there was planning; reconnaissance and skill on the part of the demonstrations whom he alleged were from the MDC Alliance.

MDC youth Secretary Lovemore Chinoputsa claimed that members of the military intelligence could have been part of the protestors as the protests appeared to be well-co-ordinated.

Standard

Suspected smuggling of Zimbabwean fuel across the border is propelling the country’s demand to record highs, with fuel consumption  spiking by a staggering 30 percent since July this year, permanent secretary in the Finance ministry George Guvamatanga has said.

That rapid growth in appetite for fuel means the country has been forced to ramp up spending on the commodity to $4,3 million a day.

Guvamatanga said before this upsurge, government used to spend $2,5 million daily.

To deal with rising consumption, a government probe has unearthed suspicious activities in the market, amid reports of fuel finding its way through the borders for resale.

The permanent secretary explained how government was grappling with the inexplicable domestic demand growth which is limiting its ability to service markets after he arrived late for a Zimra workshop in Harare on Friday.

Guvamatanga apologised, explaining he had been locked up in a meeting discussing the ballooning fuel crisis.

“My apologies, I was held up in a meeting, attending to a crisis; the fuel crisis. I want to assure you that from next week, that problem has been resolved. Expect deliveries to start increasing from next week,” he said.

“There has been an unexplainable increase in the consumption of fuel since July by 30 percent. At first, we thought it was because of the elections and we expected a decline by August but that was not the case. The country is using $4,3 million per day for fuel consumption, compared to $2,5 million per day in August.”

Guvamantanga said this increase in fuel consumption was perplexing to government.

“There are claims of fuel being smuggled across borders; and of hoarding whereby fuel is finding its way to other places where it’s not supposed to be.  At the moment we are trying to solve the crisis and we do have the solution,” he said, without elaborating.

-Daily News