Chief Fortune Charumbira has been re-elected unopposed as the President of the chiefs council while Chief Lucas Mtshane Khumalo of Bubi District has also been retained as the vice president.

The election was held on Wednesday morning.

A TOTAL of 35 chiefs have been elected into the National Council of Chiefs.

The election for the full council was conducted on July 11 in terms of Section 37 of the Traditional Leaders Act [Chapter2:13], the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has announced.

On August 1, the Chiefs will meet again to elect two Senator Chiefs for each of the eight non-metropolitan provinces.

“The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission will preside over those elections,’’ said Zec chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba in a statement.

The Zimbabwe Council of Chiefs (ZCC) is an assembly of traditional leaders throughout Zimbabwe .The president and deputy president of the ZCC are both members of the Senate since 2007 and ZCC appoints 10 chiefs to the Senate under the constitution.

Zimbabwe adopted a new Constitution in 2013 which, among other things, recognises the role of the institution of traditional leadership which operates alongside modern State structures.

Chiefs play important roles including judicial, developmental and co-ordinative roles, land and traditional matters.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced the launch of Pathways, a five-year $35 million program that will offer services to 250,000 HIV-affected orphans and vulnerable children, 59,500 households, and 15,000 vulnerable youth.

Operating in nine districts in Zimbabwe with high HIV burden, Pathways will put communities on a path to self-reliance by building capacity in local institutions to provide a comprehensive set of services that improve health, nutrition, and psychosocial wellbeing of HIV-affected and infected children.

Funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), through USAID, Pathways will be implemented by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in collaboration with key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Ministry of Health and Child Care, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Child Protection Services, communities, and others.

Although much progress has been made in the past decade, HIV remains one of the top health threats facing the people of Zimbabwe. Since 2000, over 1.2 million adults have died from AIDS, leaving 16 percent of Zimbabwean children orphaned by one or both of their parents. The United States Government, through PEPFAR, supports lifesaving treatment for nearly 1 million Zimbabweans living with HIV.

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For more than 30 years, the American people, through USAID, have contributed over $3 billion in assistance to Zimbabwe. Current projects include initiatives to increase food security, support economic resilience, improve health systems and services, and promote democratic governance.

MDC Alliance’s council candidate for ward 3 in Gwanda has been named in a scandal involving the illegal sale of repossessed housing stands in the Matabeleland South capital.

The alleged scam was unearthed during a council internal audit.

The municipality has since placed Tyson Moyo, the aspiring Gwanda ward 3 councillor under investigation over the illegal sale of three stands in the Hlalani Kuhle area.

Moyo was allegedly working in cahoots with a municipality employee, Nomathamsanqa Sibanda, a secretary in the council’s housing department, according to the audit report.

According to the report, Moyo and Sibanda illegally sold three repossessed stands on May 3 and pocketed the proceeds. The illegal sale was done before the date set by a council for the stands to be put on sale.

“Audit questions: Why were the three stands sold before the official date? Was their sale urgent? What documents were used for verification? What role did Tyson Moyo and Mugadziri Shoko play in the sale of the above stands?” the audit report read in part.

One of the stands was sold to one Sithengisiwe Sibanda.

The report says the aspiring councillor showed Sibanda the stand before a down payment of $2 400 was made through a mobile money transfer.

Sitshengisiwe argued in the audit report that she met the council secretary in the housing department in West Nicholson in May, where she had visited a friend, a male nurse by the name Mugadziri Shoko who brokered the deal.

“Sitshengisiwe Sibanda said the purchase of the stand had a claim of agents as follows, Mugadziri Shoko, Thembinkosi, Nicol Vudzi and Tyson Moyo. She said she didn’t get in touch with Ms Nomathamsanqa Sibanda but only got information that she was the lady who had access to the municipality stands. Sitshengisiwe claims she was shown the stand by Tyson Moyo,” the report said.

The matter has already claimed the scalp of deputy director of housing, Kenneth Khumalo who was last week dismissed from his post.

Khumalo has since approached the High Court challenging his dismissal.

Newsday

Former US President Barack Obama mounted a passionate defense of democracy and warned against the rise of “strongman politics,” in a speech in South Africa a day after his successor, Donald Trump, was heavily criticized for a humiliating news conference with Vladimir Putin.

In an address Tuesday in honor of the late Nelson Mandela ahead of the 100th anniversary of his birth, Obama criticized populist movements toward authoritarianism around the world and ridiculed the “utter loss of shame among political leaders” who lie.

Obama has made an art of criticizing the current President’s values without explicitly naming Trump, peppering his speech Tuesday with warnings against some of Trump’s key policies, including protectionism, climate change denial and closed borders.

“The politics of fear and resentment and retrenchment began to appear. And that kind of politics is now on the move. It’s on the move at a pace that would have seemed unimaginable just a few years ago,” he told the crowd of around 15,000 people in Johannesburg.

“I am not being alarmist, I’m simply stating the facts. Look around — strongman politics are ascendant, suddenly, whereby elections and some pretense of democracy are maintained, the form of it, where those in powers seek to undermine every institution or norm that gives democracy meaning.”

Obama’s remarks come a day after Trump’s news conference in Helsinki, Finland, in which the US leader sided with Putin over his own country’s intelligence agencies on whether Russia interfered in the 2016 US election.

Trump had been expected by some observers to confront Putin over the issue after the US Department of Justice indicted 12 Russians, accused of hacking the Democrat’s emails and computer networks to target Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

The President flip-flopped on his stance on the matter, having said last year he believed Russia was behind the interference, but back-pedaling Monday to claim he believed Putin’s account that Russia was not involved.

Obama mocked the way politicians lie and reminded his audience of the importance of facts.

“You have to believe in facts. Without facts there’s no basis for cooperation. If I say this is a podium and you say this is an elephant, it’s going to be hard for us to cooperate,” he said.

“I can’t find common ground if somebody says that climate change just isn’t happening, when almost all the world’s scientists tell us it is. I don’t know where to start talking to you about this. If you say it’s an elaborate hoax, where do we start?”

He added that politics today often rejected the concept of objective truth.

“People just make stuff up. They just make stuff up. We see it in the growth of state sponsored propaganda. We see it in internet fabrications. We see it in the blurring of lines between news and entertainment. We see the utter loss of shame among political leaders where they’re caught in a lie and they just double down and they lie some more. It used to be that if you caught them lying, they’d be like, oh man — now they just keep on lying,” he said, to laughter in the crowd.

Obama had opened his speech reflecting on the recent chaos of the world that gave him the opportunity to seek perspective.

“But in the strange and uncertain times that we are in — and they are strange, and they are uncertain, with each day’s news cycles bringing more head-spinning and disturbing headlines — I thought maybe it would be useful to step back for a moment and try to get some perspective, so I hope you’ll indulge me,” he said.

He warned that the press was under attack, that censorship and state control of media is on the rise and that social media was being used to promote hate, propaganda and conspiracy theories.

“So, on Madiba’s 100 birthday, we now stand at a crossroads,” he said, using a clan name of affection for Mandela.

He said that there was a choice between two visions of humanity’s future that the world must choose between.

“How should we respond? Should we see that wave of hope that we felt with Madiba’s release from prison? From the Berlin Wall coming down? Should we see that hope that we had as naïve and misguided?” he asked.

“Let me tell you what I believe. I believe in Nelson Mandela’s vision, I believe in a vision shared by Gandhi and King, and Abraham Lincoln, I believe in a vision of equality and justice and freedom and multi-racial democracy built on the premise that all people are created equal and are endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights.”

His lecture, titled “Renewing the Mandela legacy and promoting active citizenship in a changing world,” tracked the transformation of the world, particularly in terms of race relations and human rights, over the past 100 years.

“It is a plain fact that racial discrimination still exists in both the United States and South Africa,” he said.

Obama’s speech followed remarks by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Mandela’s widow, Graça Machel, formerly a freedom fighter and minister in Mozambique’s government.

Machel drew several parallels between Mandela and Obama, portraying them both as modest men as “symbols of victory over adversity.”

“From the humblest of beginnings, they are representatives of the masses and reached to the pinnacle of power and influence. But in doing so they were able to elevate the rights and ambitions of the disenfranchised and the weak. Of young and old, of both men and women, of black and white,” she said of both leaders.

Ramaphosa said South Africans celebrated Obama because he shared similar leadership qualities as Mandela and had the same ability to inspire hope and action.

Mandela died in 2013 at the age of 95. He helped South Africa break the practice of racial segregation and do away with white minority rule.

Imprisoned for nearly three decades for his fight against state-sanctioned racial segregation, he was freed in 1990 and quickly set about working to unite the nation through forgiveness and reconciliation, becoming South Africa’s first black president. Obama, who became the US’ first black president in 2009, has referred to Mandela as a mentor.

CNN

THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has effectively shut the door on opposition MDC Alliance presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa, declaring that the printing of the ballot papers was non-negotiable and now “water under the bridge.”

Speaking during a radio interview on Monday evening, Zec chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba said Zec had completed printing of ballot papers for both the presidential and National Assembly elections and would not bow down to pressure to restart the process.

“It’s water under the bridge. The difficulty is I must balance being nice and being liked and simply just telling the truth,” she said.

“The danger in misleading the people in saying something can be done about the design, about observing the printing of the ballot is that I will be accused of being dishonest and I will be dishonest. Let us just put a little bit of perspective, this is 15 days before the elections. It is dishonest to mislead Zimbabwe saying 15 days before the day of the election we have not printed that ballot or we are likely to abandon the ballot paper that we printed and start afresh. We simply don’t have the time.”

Her remarks came as Chamisa has vowed to block the elections until their grievances have been addressed.

Chigumba added that Zec had given all political parties a copy of the ballot paper, showed them security features and asked them to test the papers, hence could not find the basis of Chamisa’s demands.

“All political parties actually received a copy of the ballot paper. They were given a copy of the ballot paper. They were shown the ballot paper, they were shown the security features, the water mark and were actually told to take the ballot paper put your X on it and if after 12 hours the X migrates, bring it back to Zec,” she said.

But Chamisa yesterday dismissed Chigumba’s utterances saying: “It can’t be water under the bridge, because there is neither water nor bridge as regards ballot papers.”

Newsday

By Farai D Hove| In unexplained circumstances, a male worker has been found dead at Robert Mugabe’s former business partner, Billy Rautenbach’s farm property. (The excessive farm lands taken from demolished ancestral properties, were handed Rautenbach by government when he in 2011 lied that he was going to electrify the whole of Manicaland year in year out.)

Although investigations were on-going,  Mr Lovemore Mthombeni was at the time of writing said to have been crushed alive by a Cane Harvester while at work.

The man, aged 38 Years who is from the Chinyamukwakwa Village, Chief Garahwa, was employed by Rautenbach’s Macdom Green-fuel company as a harvesting clerk.

His duties were to record the number of loaded trucks and issuing receipts to the drivers at the sugarcane fields.

It is suspected that the deceased fell asleep in the sugarcane fields and was crushed together with the sugar canes and loaded into the trucks conveyed to the mill where his remains were processed together with the sugarcane.

 

Sources as ZimEye reveals, told police that on the 13th day of July 2018 at around 1700hrs, Lovemore Mthombeni commenced his shift G15A block Green-fuel sugarcane fields, Chisumbanje and his shift was supposed to end at 0500 hours the following morning. He was working with Cane Harvester operator, Warren Musiwaro.

 

At around 0300hrs, the same day the now deceased could not be located at work by Warren Musiwaro. Warren Musiwaro stopped the cane harvester and as he was looking about for Lovemore Mthombeni he discovered some blood stains on the harvester conveyor belt. He then made a report to his superiors who teamed up in search of the now deceased and failed to locate him.

 

A report was made to the police on 14 July 2018 at around 0900hrs.

POLICE INVESTIGATION:
 Scene was attended by police and upon checks about 80 grams of suspected crushed human flesh was discovered on the cane harvester belt.
 The suspected crushed human remains were taken to St Peters Hospital Mortuary pending further investigations.
 Next of kin of deceased has been advised
 Investigations are still in progress under Chisumbanje RRB 3511883.

Police told ZimEye, considering the heavy machinery that is involved in the operations it was very difficult to obtain much evidence in terms of human remains. – MORE TO FOLLOW…

 

 

President Mnangagwa has acknowledged that his government took the country backwards by twenty years in terms of development compared to other countries.

Addressing a bumper crowd at Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) Sports Grounds on Tuesday, President Mnangagwa said it was Government’s goal to restore the country’s lost economic glory.

“The 20 years that we lost while other nations were developing, we would want to leapfrog and jump to catch up with other nations in the region and other African countries and beyond.

“Zimbabwe must leapfrog and catch up with the rest of the developing countries and to do so we agreed as Government we shall engage and re-engage.”

President Mnangagwa said the re-engagement policy would see Zimbabwe work to restore relationships with its erstwhile friends across the world.

“Those who had severed relationships with us are being asked to restore these, but those who are not interested will not be forced to review these relations,” he said.

He said Zimbabwe had opened its doors to the outside world.

“Zimbabwe is open for business, for you friends to come, all of you to come. Those who do not want, we cannot force friendship upon those who do not want.

“But we are happy that across the board, across the entire world, Zimbabwe is being received, Zimbabwe is being respected, Zimbabwe is being accepted with the policies that we have; that let us relate, let us re-engage, let us be a member of the international community.”

President Mnangagwa said the business community had acknowledged that there could be no development without agriculture, mining and infrastructure development.

“For the months that we have been in the new dispensation, you can see that the situation has changed. The roads are being maintained and constructed.

“Even in Harare where there were potholes, everywhere you go you will see workers maintaining the roads while in the rural areas the DDF and council are working on the roads and building bridges,” he said.

A married couple was killed while on their way to Mnangagwa prophet Mudzidzi Wimbo.

Emmanuel Mavazhe (50) and his wife Monica (48) from Nkulumane suburb in Bulawayo died on the spot in a car crash near Shangani on their way from the burial of Johane Masowe eChishanu Vadzidzi VaJesu Church founder Aaron Mhukuta Gomo. (Mudzidzi Wimbo)

The couple was buried at West Park Cemetery.

They were passengers in a Toyota Ace alongside four other people when the accident occurred on Sunday evening.

The driver of the vehicle, who declined to be named told the state media that some suspected robbers could have deliberately driven the cattle onto the road to cause the accident and later rob the victims. The driver said: “That is what the haulage truck driver said. He said he saw some people trying to drive a herd of cattle into the road. So in trying to evade the truck, I failed to control the vehicle.”

They were both accountants with the husband employed by Bulawayo Polytechnic while his wife was the chief auditor in the Ministry of Local Government.- state media

MDC Alliance spokesperson, Welshman Ncube on Friday last week insinuated that some politicians in the country were suffering from cannabis effects.

Ncube was speaking in reference to Alliance for People’s Agenda leader Nkosana Moyo whom he said was contesting for the presidency without a single aspiring House of Assembly candidate.

Ncube made the remarks while addressing supporters in Hwange.

“To give you examples so that you see that in Zimbabwe we have a problem of mbanje, there is Nkosana. He wants to be a president. He is alone. He has no other candidate,” he said.

“Where will he appoint ministers from? In Parliament, who will vote for your laws? If you go to Parliament without MPs they will chase you away.”

He said it would be a waste of votes for the electorate to vote for such people and they should be wary of them.

Addressing guests at his party manifesto launch recently, Moyo said if he gets the presidency he will hold interviews for ministers based on their qualifications and will not make appointments.

“Zimbabwe has a lot of skilled people who can take up ministerial posts, but the problem is that it is impossible to identify them and know where all of them are,” he said.

“I will not appoint ministers, but our requirements will be that one needs to apply in order to get a ministerial post so that ministers are chosen on merit and not through appointments because what stops a President from appointing his relatives.”

Government has announced a 17,5 percent Special Civil Service Allowance to all its workers just two weeks before the landmark elections.

It will also meet other demands by the workers, including cash-in-lieu-of leave (CIL).

This was confirmed by Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and Monitoring Implementation of Government Programmes Simbarashe Mumbengegwi in a statement to state media on Tuesday.

“Government has received correspondence from the Civil Service Apex Council with respect to the general conditions of service of all public service employees. Government takes the concerns therein seriously.

“The correspondence captures the shared commitment between the Government of Zimbabwe and the Apex Council to enhance the conditions of service of all employees in the public service.

“Negotiations through the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC) resulted in a signed agreement whose contents are being implemented with effect from July 2018 as follows:

“Payment of the 17.5 percent Special Civil Service allowance; cash-in-lieu of leave (CIL) for teachers who have accrued more than 123 days of vacation leave. Treasury will be releasing funds to clear these leave days over the next six months and; reduction and alignment of rentals at institutional accommodation to housing allowances paid to various grades of civil servants,” he said.

Minister Mumbengegwi said Government would also consider reviewing civil servants’ conditions of service.

“In addition, the signed memorandum of agreement did not close room for continuous negotiations to explore and consider other additional non-monetary benefits to enhance the conditions of service of civil servants.

“In this regard, the Public Service Commission in partnership with the National Social Security (NSSA) has structured a $60 million Public Service Housing Facility for civil servants managed through the National Building Society (NBS),” he said.

Minister Mumbengegwi said Government was cognisant that the conditions of service for all its workers had been constrained by the state of the economy and the limited fiscal space.

He said Government remained committed to improving conditions of service for its workforce.

“Government therefore will urgently engage and work with its partners under the National Joint Negotiating Council to formulate an integrated, holistic and equitable remuneration framework for all its employees,” said Minister Mumbengegwi.

“This framework would address any discrepancies in the conditions of service of workers in the various sectors of Government,” he added.

Minister Mumbengegwi said a body meant to address workers’ issues was being set up.

“In addition, Government is currently working on the establishment of a Public Service Collective Bargaining Council that will deal with workers’ issues in a holistic manner.

“May I once gain re-iterate Government’s commitment to improving its workers’ conditions of service in a manner that does not create discrepancies and disharmony,” he said.

THREE members of a Tribunal recently appointed to inquire into the question of removal of Prosecutor General Advocate Ray Goba from office, yesterday took oaths of office before President Mnangagwa.

The Tribunal chairperson, Retired High Court judge Justice November Mtshiya and two other members — Advocate Takawira Nzombe and Mrs Wendy Mangeya-Mandizira — vowed to faithfully and impartially execute their duties at a ceremony held at State House in Harare.

Speaking after the ceremony, permanent secretary for Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Mrs Virginia Mabiza said the Tribunal was expected to complete its investigations and make the necessary findings in the next four months.

“The Tribunal is supposed to deliver within four months from the date of appointment, which is today.

“In the next four months, we should be able to know whether the PG will retain his office or will be removed from office,” she said.

Mrs Mabiza said the secretariat, which provides the necessary support to the Tribunal, will be headed by a director from her ministry.

“The secretariat will be headed by a director from the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.

“Our duty as the secretariat is to make provisions for the Tribunal to operate efficiently. We also provide evidence and see to it that the matter is presented well before the commission,” said Mrs Mabiza.

Mrs Mabiza said the President was yet to appoint the Acting PG.

“Acting PG will be announced in due course, not later than Friday,” she said.

The three members of the Tribunal are renowned lawyers who have excelled in different areas of the practice of law.

“The chairperson is a veteran judge who retired last year after serving at the High Court bench for years. Mrs Chingeya-Mandizira is a lawyer of repute who was part of the secretary during another Tribunal set years back to decide on former Attorney-General Mr Sobuza Gula-Ndebele.

“Adv Nzombe is a seasoned lawyer and a retired senior police officer. He served as head of legal services in the police force for many years and he has the necessary experience for the task,” said Mrs Mabiza.

Mrs Mabiza said Government was determined to fight corruption and that whoever is appointed to take over from Adv Goba as Acting PG must prioritise prosecution of high profile graft cases.

“Adv Goba was suspended on allegations of failing to prosecute high profile cases, among other charges.

“Whoever will take over the reins, must prioritise the fight against corruption, especially prosecution of high-profile cases,” said Mrs Mabiza.

Last week, President Mnangagwa suspended Adv Goba from office, to pave way for an investigation into his suitability to continue holding office.

The Tribunal will investigate the PG on the charges of failing to prosecute high profile graft cases, travelling without Cabinet approval, using abusive language, general abuse of office among others.

The suspension followed recommendations by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to embark on a process leading to the removal of the PG from office in terms of Section 187 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

Adv Goba was sworn in as the country’s substantive head of prosecutions in December last year.

His appointment was firstly revoked by former head of State Mr Robert Mugabe last year but the new dispensation reinstated him.

Adv Goba replaced former PG Mr Johannes Tomana, who was fired for incompetence and misconduct. A disciplinary tribunal chaired by Retired High Court judge Justice Moses Chinhengo found him guilty of a host of charges and recommended his removal from office.

State Media

Paul Nyathi|President Emmerson Mnangagwa leaves Harare on Wednesday for Lusaka, Zambia where he will attend the 20th Summit of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa).

Heads of State and Government from the regional bloc’s 19 member states are expected to attend the summit, which ends on Thursday and the much talked about Zimbabwean elections to be held in a fortnight are not on the agenda.

Zimbabwean opposition parties particularly the lead opposition, the MDC Alliance have been calling on the international community and African states to intervene in what they claim to be a flowed process in the run up to the elections.

The summit will be held under the theme “Comesa: Towards Digital Economic Integration.”

The theme rallies member states towards the full adoption of digital technologies to establish seamless processes across the Comesa region to enable the ease of doing business and to enhance regional integration using information and communication technologies.

The programme of the summit at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in the Zambian capital started on Monday last week with meetings of the grouping’s policy organs. The Council of Ministers met on Saturday and Sunday.

They welcomed the peace deal reached between Ethiopia and Eritrea that ended a 20-year conflict between the two Comesa member states.

Ethiopia and Eritrea were involved in a border dispute between 1998 and 2000 but the neighbours only recently agreed to restore the diplomatic, trade and transportation links that had been cut during that war.

Key issues on the summit agenda include the consideration of membership to Comesa by Tunisia and Somalia. Negotiations for their admission were concluded a few months ago.

The only highlight involving Zimbabwe will be the appointment of a new Comesa secretary general to replace Mr Sindiso Ngwenya, a Zimbabwean who has held that position since May 2008.

Zambia’s Vice President, Mrs Inonge Wina, speaking at the opening of the 16th meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs praised Mr Ngwenya for steering the regional body over the past decade.

“When he was appointed as Secretary General our programme on peace and security was operating with three programmes and a relatively small budget,” she said.

“Through his tenure, he has overseen an increase in cooperating partners and programmes. He oversaw the development and implementation of the Comesa conflict early warning system, as well as a programme on democracy including the professional observation of over 20 elections.”

State Media – President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s policies under the new dispensation have created a lot of employment and empowerment opportunities for women which have improved their livelihoods.

It’s no longer business as usual said Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development Permanent Secretary, Mrs Sibusisiwe Zembe as employment and empowerment opportunities brought about by the new dispensation have resulted in more work for their officers who now have more projects to monitor.

“The new dispensation has brought a lot of opportunities for women as a result our officers are now always busy on the ground monitoring the projects,” she said.

As part of ensuring the officers are mobile, the ministry handed over motor bikes to them at Jamaica National Training Centre for Rural Women in Goromonzi.

“These motorbikes we have disbursed today (Tuesday) are meant to improve our officers’ mobility as they monitor the projects in communities,” Mrs Zembe said.

As part of empowering rural women, the ministry is also conducting a garment making training course for women from Matabeleland North Province.

The women thanked the ministry for giving them the opportunity to train resulting in them being empowered.

“I would like to thank the ministry for having initiated this training programme which has given me the opportunity to train in garment making,” said some of the beneficiaries.

The ministry has also funded a number of projects countrywide which include eight community gardens, eight mining projects and registered 50 savings and credit cooperatives.- state media

By Own Correspondent| Former MDC T legislator for Harare West has unveiled a document dubbed “Report Of My 2013-2018 Parliament of Zimbabwe Term in National Assembly for Harare West” where she details her contributions as member of parliament for the past two terms.

Majome, who is standing as an independent in the forthcoming polls set to be held in 15 days, appealed to the electorate to give her a fresh mandate saying she “will work her hardest” to deliver as a representative of Harare westerners in the National House of Assembly.

Below is the full text of Majome’s report.

I hope I find you well. It is my pleasure to present to you the attached report which is my account to you as your Member of Parliament in the National Assembly for Harare West in the 2013-2018 term which will end on midnight of 29 July to pave way for the elections. The picture is from last year’s Parliamentof Zimbabwe opening.

It has always been important to me to, despite the absence of constituency offices, meeting venues and an administrative budget, constantly endeavour to account to you for my work for and in your name. As such I constantly communicate with you through my social media platforms, telephones and meetings at my law chambers, and in our communities, using contact details are at the end of this letter, and which I invite you to use.

From the outset I wish to thank you most sincerely for the honour of holding your mandate in the august House, and for interacting with me as that helps to make my representation authentic.

My report has a parliamentary part and a constituency part, and due to the volume of work done, represents only highlights of my representation of you. I invite those who can to see the Hansard on www.parlzim.gov.zw for my full Parliamentary contributions.

Among the accomplishments you and I should be proud of are that it is our constituency, through questions to ministers by me, which brought the constitutional State of The Nation Address, independent committee annual reports, and through my ZINARA motion, caused government to rethink the collection of car licence road maintenance revenue by ZINARA and restore it to councils which has in the meantime seen Treasury allocating money to reconstruct the following 13 roads in our constituency and others nationwide in the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme :
1.Elizabeth Windsor Road
2. Harare Drive (Kirkman Rd to Lomagundi Rd)
3. Good Hope Road
4. Belfast Road
5. Marlborough Drive
6. Gilchrist Road
7. Quendon Road
8. Bingley Drive
9. Ashdown Drive
10. Avonlea Drive
11. Tynwald North Road
12. Lorraine Drive
13. Suffolk Road.

In addition history will record that we in Harare West contributed to the removal from office of the former President Robert Mugabe by having its MP, namely myself, having the distinction of being one of the five MPs chosen from both houses, debate the motion to impeach him in terms of section 97 of the Constitution that ultimately pressurized him to resign.

It has been an honour to serve you. I will end by borrowing the meaning of a quotation by Julia Gillard Australian Prime Minister I hope that by this sample of my work it will show that “Can I say to the (Harare West) people there will be days I delight you, there may be days I disappoint you. On every day I will be working my absolute hardest for you’’

It has been an absolute honour to serve you, for which I thank you, and which I will be humbly seeking again, as an independent candidate at the end of my term.

PICTURE- WHAT’S GOING ON NOW? – Mnangagwa Face In Didymus Style – WHAT DOES THIS MEAN, IF ANYTHING?

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) July 17, 2018

By Farai D Hove| The MDC Alliance spokesperson Welshman Ncube has claimed that the leader of the Alliance for the People’s Agenda (APA) Nkosana Moyo is an example of mbanje-taking.

Prof Ncubescoffed at Nkosana-Moyo’s single handed candidature saying he seems to be suffering from mbanje symptoms by thinking he will lead the country without a single candidate for the house of assembly or local government elections. Ncube said, “to give you examples so that you see that in Zimbabwe we have a problem of mbanje, there is Nkosana. He wants to be a president. He is alone. He has no other candidate. Where will he appoint ministers from? In Parliament, who will vote for your laws? If you go to Parliament without MPs they will chase you away.”

Prof Ncube was speaking in Hwange.

By Own Correspondent| Former president Robert Mugabe’s son Robert Junior was reportedly rushed to hospital over an undisclosed ailment.

Robert Junior revealed in an instagram post that he was much better.

“I have never felt so ill in my life but I am much better now,” he wrote.

While bloggers wrote claiming he was taken to Parirenyatwa hospital, it was not confirmed at the time of writing which hospital it is he was rushed to. MORE TO FOLLOW…

 

 

ROWDY suspected MDC Alliance youths in Masvingo caused a stir on Sunday when they harassed a ZBC television crew covering the party’s rally at Mucheke stadium where their president Mr Nelson Chamisa was addressing.

The youths, who appeared drunk, hurled obscenities at the crew and took away an umbrella from the public broadcaster’s cameraman Pullen Siampepu who was protecting a camera from showers which lashed the ancient city.

An MDC Alliance member wrestled the umbrella from the youths who seemed bent on humiliating the reporters.

They accused the public broadcaster of being biased and reporting inaccurately about their party.

“ZBC TV should cover Chamisa in a fair and positive manner. You are being used by the ruling party and we do not want to see you here as you are a biased lot,” said one youth from the crowd.

“Whether you keep reporting lies or not, Chamisa is going to win resoundingly and very soon you will lose your jobs as he will be in control of the national television. Better you get soaked in the rains, you are useless,” shouted one of the youths as he snatched the umbrella.

The ZBC camera was damaged by rain after MDC Alliance supporters grabbed the umbrella that was shielding it.

It took the intervention of party’s presidential candidate, Nelson Chamisa to get the umbrella back.

At a time when the media has been walking the path affording all political parties coverage as mandated by the constitution and electoral laws, the ZBC Masvingo news crew had a torrid time with the opposition party’s rowdy supporters.

The party supporters snatched the umbrella demanding the crew to leave the spot, forcing Chamisa to momentarily stop his address and demand that the group returns the umbrella.

Chamisa apologised to the ZBC crew after the rally.

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has appointed a three-member tribunal to establish whether or not suspended Prosecutor-General Advocate Ray Goba is still fit to continue as the country’s prosecution boss. Members of the tribunal chaired by Retired High Court judge Justice November Mtshiya, will be sworn in at State House on Tuesday.

Rtd Justice Mtshiya will be working with Advocate Takawira Nzombe, and another lawyer Ms Wendy Chingeya.
Secretary for Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Mrs Virginia Mabiza said the swearing-in ceremony will take place at 10am.

“Retired Justice Mtshiya, Adv Nzombe (formerly with the Zimbabwe Republic Police) and another practising lawyer Ms Wendy Chingeya will take their oaths before President Mnangagwa tomorrow (Tuesday) at 10am,” she said.

Mrs Mabiza said she will oversee the secretariat responsible for the Tribunal.

“The secretariat will come from the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and I will be in-charge of the section,” she said.

Mrs Mabiza said President Mnangagwa was yet to announce the Acting Prosecutor General.

“The Acting PG will be announced in due course,” she said.

Mrs Mabiza said Government was determined to fight corruption and that whoever is appointed to take over from Adv Goba as Acting PG must prioritise prosecution of high profile graft cases.

“Adv Goba was suspended on allegations of failing to prosecute high profile cases, among other charges.
“Whoever will take over the reign, must prioritise the fight against corruption, especially prosecution of high-profile cases,” said Mrs Mabiza.

Last week, President Mnangagwa suspended Adv Goba from office to pave way for an investigation into his suitability to continue holding office.

The tribunal will investigate the PG on the charges of failing to prosecute high profile graft cases, travelling without Cabinet approval, using abusive language, general abuse of office, among others.

The suspension followed recommendations by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to embark on a process leading to the removal of the PG from office in terms of Section 187 of the Constitution.

The matters are now ready for prosecution, but the PG stands accused of failing to play his part to prosecute the suspects.

Government has since complained of the alleged incompetence or inefficiency of the National Prosecuting Authority, a development that resulted in the setting up of a special prosecuting section within the office of the President.

Adv Goba was sworn in as the country’s substantive head of prosecutions in December last year.

Adv Goba replaced former PG Mr Johannes Tomana, who was fired for incompetence and misconduct.

A disciplinary tribunal chaired by Retired High Court judge Justice Moses Chinhengo found him guilty of a host of charges and recommended his removal from office.

State Media

NATIONAL Council of Chiefs president, Fortune Charumbira has declared that traditional leaders would not hesitate to intervene in political issues when national interests were under threat.

Addressing delegates during the installation of Taaziva Morgan Gatsi as new Chief Mangwende in Murewa last Thursday, Charumbira said although traditional leaders were not politicians, they could “chip in” if need be to defend their inheritance.

“On the issue of politics, we are not politicians, chiefs do not do politics but they keep on talking about us in relation to politics. If you see us getting involved in politics, we do so when we realise that there is a serious threat to the interest of the country, the interest of our own institution. If we realise that there is a threat to the institution or the country, yes we can express our minds and opinion, and of course we can give direction,” he said.

Charumbira, a Zanu PF apologist, currently faces a contempt of High Court order compelling him to publicly apologise for declaring traditional leaders’ support for the ruling party.

“Let me give you an example, if someone is screaming inside a house, we do not ignore, we open the locked doors and see what is happening inside. That is what we do. We get involved in politics when things turn bad.

“Look at history, we have traditional leaders who were beheaded and some of the heads were taken overseas, that is politics. The likes of Mbuya Nehanda, they were defending their own country and heritage,” Charumbira said.

The traditional leader also defended government’s move to provide them with all-terrain vehicles, saying there was nothing political in them receiving the vehicles a few months before elections.

“Recently, the MDC youths were demonstrating in Bulawayo and they were labelling Thokozani Khupe as a prostitute, as a traditional leader you expect me to keep quiet? Politics should be for the good of the country. I want to emphasize, we are not politicians, but to an extent that they affect our institution, to the extent that national interests will also suffer, we then get involved and give direction,” he said.

Charumbira said he was hopeful of extending his tenure as traditional leaders’ boss in elections set for July 18, saying the late Chief Jonathan Mangwende had ordained him to cling on.

“Chief Jonathan Mangwende passed the baton stick to me. He then nominated me and said Charumbira take over. I was made the president by the people of Mangwende. He told me that he has been in Parliament for 35 years and that he was tired. That is how I took over,” he said.

Chief Musarurwa of Mashonaland East last week declared interest in the top post.

THE underfire Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has redesigned the structure of the polling booth so that voters cast their vote in the full glare of election officials, a development likely to compromise the secrecy of the ballot.

Zec Mashonaland West elections officer Austin Ndlovu confirmed the new set-up yesterday, saying it was meant to discourage voters from taking pictures while in the polling booth.

In previous elections, the voting booth faced the wall, with the voter able to vote without anyone closely watching.

“There is a shift to the traditional set-up, where the voting booth faces the wall. This time around, the booth will be in front of election officials at a distance that they will not see how the voter is voting,” he said.

“This was done to avoid unscrupulous people who are in the habit of abusing social media by posting how they would have voted.”

Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) chairperson Andrew Makoni blasted Zec for compromising the secrecy of the ballot.

“It defeats the whole purpose of upholding the secrecy of the ballot. Someone can actually see whether someone voted on top or at the bottom from behind,” he said

Election Resource Centre director Tawanda Chimhini was more blunt, describing Zec as the greatest threat to a free, fair and credible election.

“What reasons Zec is giving is nonsensical. Actually, Zec is the greatest threat to a free, fair and credible elections in the country,” he said.

“When everyone in the world is moving towards making the secrecy of the ballot a priority, Zec is trying hard to do the reverse.”

Newsday

FORMER President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe freely and voluntarily stepped down from power and the assumption of office by his deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa was done in terms of the law, Chief Justice Luke Malaba has ruled.

Dismissing an application by two fringe political outfits seeking nullification of the inauguration of President Mnangagwa in November last year, the judiciary boss said Mugabe’s resignation was free and voluntary.

The Liberal Democrats and Revolutionary Freedom Fighters as well as activists Bongani Nyathi, Linda Masarira and Vusumuzi Sibanda sought the greenlight to contest the legality of the President Mnangagwa-led Government.

They argued that Mugabe tendered the resignation under duress and that the assumption of office by President Mnangagwa was unconstitutional.

It was also argued in the court papers that the impeachment process that was instituted prior to the resignation of Mugabe was unlawful and that it served to coerce him to step down.

However, Chief Justice Luke Malaba, sitting in his Chambers, threw out the request for direct access before rubbishing the intended constitutional challenge as frivolous and vexatious.

He said Mugabe carefully applied his mind and decided to step down without the embarrassment of impeachment.

“The former President’s written notice of resignation speaks for itself. It sets the context in which it was written.

“He candidly reveals the fact that he had communicated with the Speaker of Parliament at 1353 hours. In the communication, the former President expressed to the Speaker his desire to resign from the office of President.

“The Speaker must have advised him that for the resignation to have the legal effect of bringing his presidency to an end, it had to be communicated to him by means of a written notice.

“A written notice of resignation addressed to the Speaker and signed by the President, on the face of it, meets the first requirement of constitutional validity,” said the Chief Justice.

He said the contents of the letter of resignation also confirm that the author freely appended his signature and acted in terms of the law.

“What the former President said in the written notice of resignation is the best evidence available of the state of his mind at the time.

“He said he was free to express his will to resign. Not only does the former President declare in the written notice that he made the decision voluntarily, he gives reasons for doing so in clear and unambiguous language.

“He said he was motivated by the desire to ensure a smooth, peaceful and non-violent transfer of power that underpins national security, peace and sustainability”.

There is no doubt, the Chief Justice said, that Mugabe ensured that his resignation from office was in strict compliance with the letter and spirit of Section 96(1) of the Constitution.

Chief Justice Malaba said President Mnangagwa’s assumption of office was therefore done in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution after a vacancy occurred due to resignation.

“It is common cause that the assumption by the first respondent of the office of President was in accordance with the procedural and substantive requirements of paragraphs 14(4) (b) and 14(5) of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution.

“A vacancy in the office of the President occurred as a result of the resignation by the former incumbent,” he said.

Zanu-PF being the party where the former president belonged, lawfully nominated President Mnangagwa to succeed Mugabe.

‘The Speaker was notified in time and the inauguration was lawfully done within the prescribed timeframes.

“The first respondent took the oath of office within the requisite 48 hours after the Speaker was notified of his name.

“As a result of strict compliance with all the procedural and substantive requirements of a constitutionally valid assumption of the office of President left vacant by reason of resignation in terms of Section 96(1) of the Constitution, the first respondent assumed office as President,” ruled Chief Justice Malaba.

Chief Justice Malaba slapped the two minority political parties and the three activists with an order for costs.

He ruled that their application lacked merit and was tantamount to an abuse of court process.

Chief Justice Malaba blasted the applicants for maliciously tarnishing the Constitutional Court registry and the State security agents in the matter.

“The litigation amounted to abuse of court process. The applicants made malicious allegations of improper conduct against the officials in the registry of the Constitutional Court, accusing them of colluding with State security agents to make documents relating to their case disappear.

“They knew that the allegations were false. They conducted themselves in this manner to attract publicity for political reasons.

“Although the applicants are unsuccessful private parties in a constitutional case, their conduct justifies an award of costs against them,” ruled the Chief Justice.

State media

By MISA| MDC Alliance youths on 15 July 2018 assaulted freelance journalist Tamuka Charakupa in Harare’s dormitory town of Chitungwiza.

According to Charakupa, he was assaulted following clashes between MDC Alliance youths and those from Zanu PF.

He said the MDC-Alliance youths were part of a convoy of vehicles that roamed Chitungwiza South for most of the afternoon canvassing for votes for the party’s candidate, Advocate Maxwell Mavhunga.

Four MDC Alliance youths accosted Charakupa as he took pictures of the clashes with his mobile phone. One of the youths snatched his phone. Charakupa’s spectacles were also broken in the process after he received a blow to his ear.
He reported the incident to the police and managed to identify two of his assailants following Mavhunga’s assistance, resulting in their arrest. The suspects who are in custody are expected to appear in court on 17 July 2018 on charges of assault and theft.

MISA Zimbabwe urges supporters of political parties to desist from perpetrating violence and assaulting journalists conducting their constitutionally protected duties of gathering and disseminating information.

By Farai D Hove| The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission boss, Justice Priscilla Chigumba

“The military will not be involved in the distribution of ballot papers,” she said.

Chigumba Says Military Won't Transport Ballot Papers | IS SHE TELLING THE TRUTH?

— ZimEye (@ZimEye) July 16, 2018

She was speaking in a LIVE interview with Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa. The program continues below .

THE MDC-T and MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has threatened to mobilise the opposition party’s supporters to picket at the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) head office starting tomorrow until July 30 if the electoral management body fails to address their demands for transparency in the printing of ballot material by end of business today.

MDC Alliance co-principal Tendai Biti confirmed the development yesterday, saying they had started mobilising mobile toilets and tents for the thousands of opposition supporters expected to participate in the vigil.

“We will be leading from the front, we will be living on the streets. We are not going to allow this election to be stolen. They can kill us. We are prepared to die for free, fair and credible elections. We have given Zec a deadline and if they don’t address the issues raised in the petition by Monday, then we will be living on the streets,” Biti said.

“We have said this over and over again, there will be no voting. Some people talk about us boycotting the election, I don’t know where they get that. We are not boycotting, there will be no election.”

Addressing supporters at Mucheke Stadium in Masvingo yesterday, Chamisa insisted that there would be no elections if Zec does not meet his grouping’s key demands — transparency in the printing of the ballot papers and security of the votes.

“We have to agree on the ballot paper. We say no to a bond ballot, a fake ballot which is pre-determined, but we want a ballot that we all agree on. So Zec is joking when it says they have finished printing the ballot paper. We say to hell with that. We are going to the poll after agreeing on a proper ballot paper,” he said.

MDC-T deputy treasurer-general Charlton Hwende said they were planning to hire 500 mobile toilets for use during their protest at the Zec headquarters in downtown Harare.

“Companies renting mobile toilets, please get in touch urgently looking for 500 mobile toilets,” Hwende said in a Facebook post.

He also threatened to mobilise for disruption of elections at all the 10 895 polling stations on election day if Zec does not give in to their demands.

“If our demands are not met on the 30th of July at all the 11 000 polling stations (sic), no voting will take place.

The only election that will ever take place in Zimbabwe will be a free and fair one. 2013 was the last disputed election. Going forward, the (sic) vote of the people will count,” Hwende said.

This came amid reports that Zec had agreed to a meeting with the youthful opposition leader and other opposition parties, under the auspices of the multi-party liaison committee to iron out their differences.

“We respectfully advise that the full Zec has agreed that your requests are best dealt with at our multi-party liaison committee in order to build consensus with the other political parties that are going to the election,” Zec’s acting chief elections officer Utoile Silaigwana said in a recent letter to Chamisa’s chief election agent, Jameson Timba.

“In the absence of a legal framework to guide us on how best to accommodate your request, a consensus approach is the next best alternative.”

The MDC Alliance threats set a grand stage for civil unrest ahead of an election which is at the heart of Zimbabwe re-joining the international community of nations.

But Zanu PF deputy legal secretary Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana dismissed the opposition threats as “inconsequential”.

“Does the MDC have a country or they are just a political party that is in a country which has a government? They cannot tell this nation what it can and cannot do. They are one of the 55 political parties participating in an election. So where do they get the authority to do declarations as if they are the ruling party?” he asked rhetorically.

Mangwana said Zanu PF was not worried about the threats coming from the MDC Alliance.

“Whether they like it or not, there will be an election. If they disturb the election, the law and order sector will deal with them. As Zanu PF, we are not bothered at all, they can declare, they can talk all sorts of nonsense. After all, nobody has forced them to participate in an election. There is going to be an election in Zimbabwe and if the MDC wants to participate, they are free,” Mangwana said.

Chamisa is also demanding that Zec releases a full biometric voters’ roll complete with pictures in searchable and analysable format, further to an external audit of the voters’ roll.

The opposition has drawn a red line on the ballot papers, especially its printing and designing, which it alleges favours Zanu PF candidate, Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Zec, on the other hand, has been dismissing the demands, saying they were not supported by the law and could, therefore, not be implemented.

Addressing the media on two different occasions, Chigumba said only an earthquake could stop the election from going ahead, and even if there were any errors on the voters’ roll, the polls would go ahead and those who had issues could approach the courts.

She added that Zec had the sole mandate at law of overseeing the designing of the ballot paper and its printing, and there was nowhere in the law that provides for anyone to view the printing of the ballot and help with its designing.

Chigumba said anyone seeking to do that would be compromising the independence of the commission and abusing the goodwill gesture of Zec to reach some form of consensus with the political parties.

Newsday