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MDC Alliance To Camp At ZEC Until Demands Are Met

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

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High Court Postpones Chamisa Voter’s Roll Case

HIGH Court Judge Justice Happias Zhou on Friday last week postponed to Thursday this week the hearing of an urgent chamber application filed by some political formations and some pro-democracy campaigners challenging a petition filed by a registered voter, who is seeking to bar the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) from releasing a voters’ roll bearing prospective voters’ photographs as stipulated by the law.

Justice Zhou postponed the matter to allow lawyers representing Ethel Mpezeni, the registered voter, to serve the opposition political parties and the pro-democracy campaigners with the urgent chamber application which she filed early last week and to also allow the opposition political formations to file their opposing papers by Monday while Mpezeni should file her answering affidavit by Wednesday.

Mpezeni recently filed an urgent chamber application in the High Court seeking to stop ZEC from acceding to demands by various political parties for the electoral management body to provide them with a voters’ roll including her photograph or anyone else’s.

In her application, Mpezeni argued that the demands by the opposition political parties violated her constitutional right to privacy.

But in their application filed by Denford Halimani of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, the opposition political parties and the pro-democracy campaigners, who include MDC Alliance, Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe, People’s Democratic Party, Coalition for Democrats, National Constitutional Assembly, Theresa Manase, Evan Mawarire, Harrison Nkomo, Jeremiah Bamu, Douglas Coltart and Warship Dumba, protested that they will be seriously prejudiced by the order sought by Mpezeni, who wants to bar ZEC from releasing a voters’ roll bearing voters’ photographs.

The opposition political parties and the pro-democracy campaigners argued that the order sought by Mpezeni will have a negative implication on the credibility of the 30 July 2018 general elections, which in turn will adversely jeopardise the prospects of economic recovery in Zimbabwe, which is dependent on the outcome of the polls.

Several political parties have asked ZEC to furnish them with a voters’ roll with photographs in line with the provision of section 9(c) of the Electoral (Voter Registration) Regulations of 2017. The political parties argue that provision of the voters’ roll in this format would enhance the transparency of the voters’ roll, which has been a hotly contested issue in previous elections thereby undermining the credibility of the outcome of past elections.

The opposition political parties and some pro-democracy campaigners argued that it is in the public interest for ZEC to issue a voters’ roll with photographs to minimise areas of contestation after elections.

The applicants reasoned that the relief sought by Mpezeni is not in the public interest as it has the effect of undermining widespread calls for transparency and integrity of the electoral process.

The pro-democracy campaigners and the opposition political parties argued that every election process must be structured to ensure that only legitimately registered individuals who appear at the polls to vote are in fact who they claim to be.

This process, the applicants argued, helps to prevent electoral fraud because a photograph is a very useful tool to verify the accuracy of the voters list, to check impersonation and to detect and prevent multiple registration and curb presence of ghost voters.

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Lloyd Mutasa Fumes Over Poor Officiating

Dynamos coach Llyod Mutasa

Terrence Mawawa

Dynamos coach Lloyd Mutasa has expressed disappointment at how the referee handled their game against Shabanie Mine on Sunday.

The Glamour Boys settled for a 2-2 draw, but Mutasa felt the home team’s first goal from the spot came as a result of bad officiating.

The coach believes Nigel Papias dived when he received a challenge inside the box.

Speaking to the club’s media after the game, Mutasa said: “It’s a pity some of these matches are not televised, and some people get off scot-free.

“Each time you say something about the referee you get fined.

“They want us to close our mouths, yet they are not doing their jobs properly. Such is football in Zimbabwe, we have to move on.”

The coach also described the pitch as unfavourable which affected his game plan.

“Even the playing field was not even, we know each time we come here, we don’t expect everything to go in our favour, but we lacked the character and zeal to understand we are playing away from home,” he added.

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Mugabe is gone, But His Tactics Persist in Zimbabwe Elections

Most Zimbabweans have only ever known one president: Robert Mugabe.

But on July 30, a new man will represent Zimbabwe’s ruling party on the ballot for the first time in 38 years. Emmerson Mnangagwa, who went from being Mugabe’s right-hand man to his unseater, has taken the reins.

Although he’s a party stalwart, Mnangagwa, 75, has cast himself as a beacon of change. And after decades of authoritarian rule that isolated Zimbabwe, he is promising to end the political violence and intimidation that characterized Mugabe-era elections. International observers are in Zimbabwe for the first time in decades. But accounts from opposition supporters in this rural constituency, 50 miles from the capital city of Harare, show how the ruling party’s intimidation and patronage apparatus is still very much intact.

While observers have avoided saying outright that the campaign season has not been “free and fair,” human rights organizations and opposition groups are compiling an ever-growing number of reports of electoral malpractice, including death threats to opposition candidates, forced attendance at rallies and the distribution of government handouts to Mnangagwa supporters. (Only a small fraction — less than 50 reports — have indicated physical violence.)

Since mid-June, more than 500 reports have streamed in from all of Zimbabwe’s provinces, and nearly all were attributed to Mnangagwa’s party, ZANU-PF. A consortium of seven civil society organizations, operating together under the name We the People, has set up a call center to field and verify the reports.

The benchmark for most Zimbabweans is the 2008 election. That year, Mugabe lost the first round to his perennial challenger, Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, or MDC. Between the election and the runoff, ZANU-PF and the military carried out a campaign known internally as CIBD: coercion, intimidation, beating and displacement. More than 80 were killed, and Tsvangirai himself was brutally beaten.

“The intimidation is more subtle this time. The modus operandi has changed, but the message is the same as it was under Mugabe: ‘If you choose the wrong side, the violence will be terrible,’ ” said Zachariah Godi, who works with We the People to verify the reports the call center receives.

Bindura South is a rural constituency that saw waves of violence and displacement in 2008, and We the People is seeing a high number of reports from there this year, too. On a trip to the area in early July, nearly everyone interviewed by The Washington Post agreed that Zimbabwe is somewhat freer under Mnangagwa than Mugabe. But the trauma of 2008 is still very much alive.

In April 2008, Clifton Mawire, then 23, had his hands tied behind his back before he was shoved to the ground and beaten with wooden planks. He knew the men who thrashed him — they had grown up together. As they beat him, they asked: “ ‘Why don’t we see you at the ZANU rallies? Are you an MDC supporter?’ ”

Mawire says this year’s election feels a bit too much like 2008 to him for comfort.

“Right now, Mnangagwa is preaching peace to the world, but here ZANU is saying, ‘We know who you are, we will know who you voted for, we have your fingerprints,’” said Mawire. The government has introduced a biometric voter registration system, which has figured regularly in reported threats and raised fears, probably unfounded, that the vote will not be secret.

On the surface, much does look different a decade after 2008. Mugabe has been removed from power, and many ZANU-PF supporters speak openly about his brutality and mismanagement of the economy. Mnangagwa’s campaign is centered on “opening up Zimbabwe” for foreign investment, rather than the anti-imperialist rallying cries that made Mugabe famous.

Some ZANU-PF and army officials are still subject to international sanctions but are hoping the appearance of a free and fair election will help lift them.

Outcry over reports of irregularities has been lukewarm in part because ZANU-PF’s opposition isn’t as strong as it could be. Morgan Tsvangirai died in February after a long battle with cancer, and a 40-year-old lawyer named Nelson Chamisa has taken the helm. He speaks, improbably, of turning the country into a technology hub. He is prone to histrionics, saying he’ll boycott the election one day and relenting the next. MDC posters are rare, compared to the ubiquitous Mnangagwa banners, but they aren’t torn down immediately, like in the past.

Over decades in power, ZANU-PF conflated itself with the state, developing pervasive systems of patronage and controlling access to information. The party also demonstrated what could happen to dissenters: denial of public services, social ostracism and, in extreme cases, disappearances and killings. The army and police are widely perceived to be on its side, though the army reaffirmed its neutrality in a statement this month.

On a recent day in the call center, however, volunteers were contacted by a farmer named Saini Saini, from the Gokwe North district. He told The Post that local ZANU-PF supporters came to his home and said they would kill him if he voted for Chamisa.

“How can I report this to the police when they themselves openly wear ZANU-PF regalia?” said Saini. “We need help.”

Fear and distrust are the undercurrents of Zimbabwean opposition politics and may discourage many from voting. According to a recent Afrobarometer survey, a third of Zimbabweans believe their vote will not be counted, nearly half believe an incorrect result will be announced, and almost as many believe there will be violence after the announcement.

Nevertheless, ZANU-PF officials are adamant that a new era has begun in Zimbabwe.

At a rally in a small village in Bindura South, Remigious T. Matangira, ZANU-PF’s sitting member of parliament for the area, bellowed to the crowd: “We must show the world how democratic we are! Let the observers come and see. We have nothing to hide.”

On the sidelines of the rally, Matangira acknowledged that ZANU-PF had engaged in “hate speech” in the past but said that Zimbabwe now needed re-engagement with the wider world and that “true democracy” was the way forward. Then he named Libya’s Moammar Gaddafi and Cuba’s Fidel Castro as model leaders who “commanded the love of their people.”

While Matangira spoke, a truck arrived with 600 sacks of fertilizer. Alwin Ngoshi, a local ZANU-PF ward councilor, confirmed that the fertilizer was from the state-owned Grain Marketing Board and that village chiefs had compiled lists of loyal ZANU-PF supporters for distribution — a clear breach of electoral code.

In the secrecy of a car parked on a rural stretch of road, Baison Baison, an MDC candidate from Bindura South, showed a reporter a text message he received from a friend who had been attending a Matangira rally where the news media were not present.

“He has just threatened to kill you,” it read. “Please be careful.”

Baison said he received a similar threat from his direct opponent in the election, a ZANU-PF official named Bigboy Nyakudya. (Nyakudya denied threatening Baison.) When Baison reported it to police, he says, they told him they couldn’t help because they had no fuel for their vehicles, which had flat tires anyway. Charity Charamba, an assistant police commissioner in Harare, said that she would follow up with Baison and that all police are “adequately resourced.”

Asked about allegations of intimidation, Matangira said: “In any jungle, one may find a tame lion. A weak person may say, ‘That lion is threatening me.’ We are that lion. And the MDC is weak. The real threat to them is simply that they have no supporters.”

Zimbabwe’s minister of justice said he tended to agree.

“The only problem so far in this election is false perceptions,” said Ziyambi Ziyambi, whose position is one that Mnangagwa held for 15 years. “As for what you have seen regarding the distribution of fertilizer, you must understand that we have a culture of providing inputs to mitigate against drought and hunger. This is something that has always been done.”

Source: Max Bearak, Washington Post

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MDC-Alliance Youths Assault Journalist

MDC-Alliance youths have been accused of assaulting freelance journalist Tamuka Charakupa in Harare’s dormitory town of Chitungwiza on Sunday.

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 Tuesday on charges of assault and theft.

The Media Institute of Southern Africa MISA, expressed concerns on the attack of the journalist. The organisation urged political parties to desist from the habit of assaulting journalists who are doing their work.

“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,” said the media monitoring body in a statement.

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Gun Totting Man: ZRP Speaks

By Own Correspondent| The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has revealed that the cops are already in the process of identifying the gun totting criminal who fired a live bullet in the air in Harare whose video is doing the rounds on social media.

Said the ZRP on their official Twitter account:

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VIDEO: Is Mnangagwa Directly Telling Us That “The Evil Bygones” Are Running State House Right Now?

 

By Own Correspondent | The same man who criticised former First Lady Grace Mugabe for using church podiums for politics, the very same reason he declared a coup on his boss, Robert Mugabe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, caused a scene at a vapositori church in Marange. This incident comes just 8 months after Mnangagwa wrote a strongly worded letter declaring while fleeing Zimbabwe, that he would return to lead and Grace Mugabe would be punished for abusing church platforms. Mnangagwa can be seen in the below fresh video declaring to a completely silent congregation: “Pamberi ne ZANU PF, pamberi ne ZANU PF! [NO ANSWER].”

After realising the lack of interest, he then continues to immediately announce, “we shall hand all of you t-shirts,” once again to a totally unresponsive church crowd. SEE THE BELOW FOOTAGE:

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Kwese TV To Broadcast COSAFA U-17 Tournament

Terrence Mawawa

Kwese TV will broadcast the 2018 edition of the COSAFA Under-17 tournament.

The competition will be held on 19 to 29 July in Mauritius.

All games will be live on Kwese Free Sports (KFS) channel.

“The 2018 @COSAFAMEDIA Under-17 Championship starts on July 19 and runs to July 29 LIVE on KFS with the tournament open to all 14 of the COSAFA nations. #KweseFootballpic.twitter.com/Trf1arTFrN”

— Kwesé ESPN (@kwesesports) July 16, 2018

Meanwhile, the final batch of the Zimbabwe squad arrived in the hosting country yesterday and will play their first game against Swaziland on the 20th of July.

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“The Elders” In Historic Zim Visit

By Own Correspondent| A delegation of The Elders led by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and comprising of Mary Robinson and Lakhdar Brahimi will from 19 to 21 July visit Zimbabwe to try and ensure a free, fair and credible poll.

The Elders, who identify themselves as an independent group of global leaders working together for peace and human rights [who] represent an independent voice, not bound by the interests of any nation, government or institution will meet with political parties to try to ensure a free, fair and credible election.

In a statement, The Elders said:

“Kofi Annan, Chair of The Elders and the Kofi Annan Foundation and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, will lead the delegation.

He will be joined by Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Lakhdar Brahimi, former Foreign Minister of Algeria and UN diplomat.

The delegation expects to meet political leaders, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, the diplomatic community, civil society representatives and media.”

In November 2008, former president Robert Mugabe barred The Elders from entering the country.

The delegation which was barred by Mugabe included Kofi Annan, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Nelson Mandela’s wife, Graca Machel.

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MDC Alliance Partners Clash In Bikita

Terrence Mawawa

The MDC Alliance is likely to field two candidates in Bikita East Constituency as confusion continues to rock the coalition.

According to sources in the alliance, the seat was initially allocated to Transform Zimbabwe leader, Jacob Ngarivhume and one Boniface Mudzingwa, an MDC member was allegedly imposed by senior party officials.

Ngarivhume has vowed to stand as the MDC Alliance Parliamentary Candidate for Bikita East Constituency while Mudzingwa is also claiming he is the chosen candidate for the same constituency.

“We are likely to have two candidates in Bikita East because both of them are unwilling to step down,” MDC Alliance sources said yesterday.

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Senior MDC Official Defects To Zanu PF

“I was visited by my ancestors in a dream and they told me to join Zanu-PF.”

Terrence Mawawa| A senior MDC official has dumped the opposition party to join Zanu PF.

Former MDC deputy provincial youth chairperson(Masvingo Province), Tavengegweyi Machingura yesterday publicly denounced the MDC and indicated he had decided to join the ruling party because of its viable policies.

Machingura, a seasoned MDC cadre stunned all and sundry when he dumped the opposition party.

“This is my personal decision and I am happy to join the revolutionary party.

There is no coordination in the MDC so I have decided to distance myself from the chaos,” said Machingura.

He said in full: “I was visited by my ancestors in a dream and they told me to join Zanu-PF. To those who knew me in this area, I was one of the founders of the party and I was walking side by side with Nelson Chamisa. I have come back to Zanu-PF after realising that there is darkness in MDC-Alliance. I have not benefited anything in MDC-Alliance and have decided to be in the light in the Zanu-PF, a party which has a visionary leader in the person of President Mnangagwa.”

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Gumbi ‘Imposes’ MDC Cadres As Parliamentary Candidates

 

Terrence Mawawa

Internecine battles have hit the MDC Alliance two weeks before the crucial General Elections, according to sources in the coalition.

Coalition partners in Masvingo Province are unhappy with MDC Provincial Chairperson James Gumbi’ s alleged imposition of cadres from the opposition party as Parliamentary candidates.

Below is Gumbi’ s letter:

This memo serves to inform the Masvingo MDC Alliance members that the following cadres will represent MDC Alliance in the forth coming harmonised elections.

This was done by the MDC Alliance national directorate to solve the issue of double candidates in Masvingo Province.

Therefore all cadres are requested to support these cadres.

ZakaWest: Mr F. Dumbu

G

MDC-T Masvingo Chairman

utu West : Mr S. Manguma

Bikita East:
Mr Mudzingwa

Chiredzi West ward 2: Mazuru.

I will resolve the Gutu Central issue today through council as directed by the President Nelson Chamisa.

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Chamisa, Ngarivhume Clash Over Imposition Of Candidates

Nelson Chamisa

Terrence Mawawa

Tension is simmering in the MDC Alliance following the alleged imposition of candidates in several constituencies across the country.

Sources in the coalition yesterday claimed MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa and Transform Zimbabwe president Jacob Ngarivhume clashed over the imposition of candidates in constituencies in Masvingo Province and other parts of the country- when the two leaders met for a briefing.

“There is rising tension between Chamisa and Ngarivhume because the latter feels he is being shortchanged by his alliance partner.

Yesterday the two had an altercation over the imposition of candidates,” sources in the alliance claimed.

“Ngarivhume is demanding political space, which he is being denied resulting in friction between the two leaders,” an official in the MDC Alliance said yesterday.

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Why Is President Mnangagwa Imitating Grace Mugabe?

 

By Own Correspondent | The same man who criticised former First Lady Grace Mugabe for using church podiums for politics, the very same reason he declared a coup on his boss, Robert Mugabe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, caused a scene at a vapositori church in Marange. This incident comes just 8 months after Mnangagwa wrote a strongly worded letter declaring while fleeing Zimbabwe, that he would return to lead and Grace Mugabe would be punished for abusing church platforms. Mnangagwa can be seen in the below fresh video declaring to a completely silent congregation: “Pamberi ne ZANU PF, pamberi ne ZANU PF! [NO ANSWER].”

After realising the lack of interest, he then continues to immediately announce, “we shall hand all of you t-shirts,” once again to a totally unresponsive church crowd. SEE THE BELOW FOOTAGE:

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SA “Public Prosecutor” Posts Shocking Tweet Containing Allegations On Uebert Angel’s Wife And Pastor Chris

As Uebert Mudzanire’s wife continues to be called “Queen Mother” by her church, the South African legal blogger, “Public Prosecutor” has published the below tweet.

FULL TEXT:

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Culprit Who Pulled LIVE Gunshot Identified

By Farai D Hove| The man who was filmed while firing a LIVE bullet in front of his colleagues, has been named as Trevor J Kudenga.

The Harare man is seen in pictures while at front seats at ZANU PF meetings(see pictures). The Zimbabwean community was enraged yesterday when the man’s gunshot video was posted online. Many expressed dismay saying that he might not even be arrested due to his political connections. Some commentators made allegations that he is in fact an MDC member. But ZimEye can reliably reveal that he is Mr Kudenga who is a well known ZANU PF card carrying member.

MORE TO FOLLOW…

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BREAKING- Kazembe Kazembe Allies Convicted Of Theft

By Own Correspondent| A Bindura magistrate, Vongai Muchuchuti has convicted two Zanu PF stalwarts both of whom are staunch allies of Mashonaland Central provincial chairman Kazembe Kazembe of stealing from a Harare businessman food stuffs which were meant for his campaign team during the Zanu PF primaries in Concession.

Tafadzwa Musarara, who was in the race with Kazembe during Zanu Pf primary elections lost food stuffs valued at over $10 000 after Kazembe’s allies allegedly stole the goods.

Muchuchuti convicted two of the four men who were identified in the looting, Jonah Ngwenya and Boyd Fungulani and moved the sentence to this afternoon.

Ngwenya is Zanu PF Mashonaland Central provincial secretary for Transport.

However, the other two accomplices to Ngwenya and Fungulani did not pitch up for the sentencing since last week on Friday when they were supposed to be sentenced, forcing the magistrate to postpone sentencing to today.

This is a developing story. Details to follow.

Refresh the page for updates.

 

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“I Have Not Resigned”: ZEC Chairperson

By Own Correspondent| The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) Chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba has denied news reports circulating on social media that she has resigned.

ZEC boss, Chigumba desribed as fake  social media reports that she has resigned from her post.

The reports attributed Chigumba’s purported resignation to pressure from preparations for the July 30 harmonised elections.

Dismissing the reports, Zec commissioner Qhubani Moyo said:

“Take note of this fake news story in circulation meant to derail elections.”

Last week, Chigumba also dismissed reports that she had resigned from her position as the ZEC boss saying:

“I am hearing it from you. I am yet to be told of my resignation. I will surely tell you about it when I am advised.”

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ZEC Cancels Presser

ZEC Chairperson, Justice Priscilla Chigumba

By Own Correspondent| The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has cancelled today’s Monday brief to the media.

The reasons behind the cancellation of the presser could not be confirmed.

The ZEC Chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba is on record saying the elections body will ensure a free, fair, transparent poll, an assertion which the opposition MDC Alliance has disputed arguing that the ZEC is a biased umpire who is protecting the interests of Zanu Pf.

MDC Alliance principal Tendai Biti told a local publication over the weekend that the Alliance was preparing to take to the streets until election day if the ZEC does not implement the demands of opposition political parties as presented in their petition.

Last week, the Alliance painted Harare red when protestors took to the streets in a peaceful demonstration against “election irregularities by the ZEC” some of which include failure to provide an auditable voters roll with pictures and failure by ZEC to allow political parties to observe ballot printing

“The ZEC is guided and only acts within the confines of the law,” Justice Chigumba is on record saying.

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Four Nabbed Over Social Media Abuse

By Own Correspondent| Four people have been arrested over peddling falsehoods and spreading hate messages on various social media sites the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) commander for 2018 harmonised elections Senior Assistant Commissioner Erasmus Makodza, has revealed.

Commissioner Makodza said since the election dates were proclaimed, the four had abused social media through publishing falsehoods and hate speech but the police were also investigating other cases of interest.

Said Senior Assistant Commissioner Makodza while speaking to a local publication:

“We are already making investigations on certain cases that have been reported to us. We need more resources to equip the police so as to function efficiently. So far, four people have been arrested for hate speech and falsehoods since the election season began.”

Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) acting chief elections officer Utoile Silaigwana also said:

“The Commission has on a few occasions been asked to respond to such news, we warn perpetrators of fake news to desist from such conduct as it is not only criminal, it is also an abuse of social media…

The Commission has begun to roll out a nationwide voter education campaign where the public will be sensitised on these and other issues and possible consequences thereof.”-Sunday Mail.

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Massive Street Vigil Over ZEC Imminent

By Own Correspondent| The MDC Alliance has given the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) until end of day today to implement opposition’s demands for a free, fair and transparent poll failure of which the Alliance will organise a massive vigil at the elections body head offices.

MDC Alliance Principal Tendai Biti told a local publication thaf failure by ZEC to implement the opposition’s demands will see citizens camp at the elections body offices until election day on July 30.

Said Biti: “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. 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.”

MDC-T deputy treasurer-general Charlton Hwende on his Facebook page confirmed the development and called on companies with mobile toilets to contact the party.

Wrote Hwende: “Companies renting mobile toilets, please get in touch urgently looking for 500 mobile toilets.”

However, Zanu-PF’ s deputy legal Secretary Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana dismissed the opposition’s threats, arguing that the MDC Alliance had no mandate to dictate the country’s  agenda.

“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?”

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SCARY TEXT MESSAGES: Lawyers Sue ZANU PF

“they know where you stay; they know your phone number, that is scary…”

By Gerald C Juma| Lawyers from the Zimbabwe Lawyers For Human Rights are suing ZANU PF members over sms messages said to be scary, which were sent out as a coordinated mass marketing service.

This was revealed at a meeting where the ZLHR’s Noble Chinhano said they are preparing papers..

He said they are furthermore looking into challenging the candidacy of some candidates involved in vote buying. Chinhano said, “we are working on a chamber application, but we can’t point at ZEC because there is no proof; still, political parties are not allowed to send such messages to people.

“When the messages were initially sent we thought it was a service provider, but we got to understand it could not be. We don’t think it’s (industry regulator) POTRAZ because they (the persons who provided the information to Zanu PF) have more information than what these guys have. We think that only the commission has that information. It is very intimidating to receive such information because you would know they know where you stay; they know your phone number, that is scary.”

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ZANU PF Takes Swipe At Matabeleland “Cry Babies”

George Nare

PEOPLE from Matabeleland region should grab opportunities availed by Government instead of endlessly crying about marginalisation, a senior Zanu-PF official said on Sunday.

Addressing Zanu-PF rallies held in Nketa and Cowdray suburbs, the party’s commissariat director Retired Colonel George Nare said people from Matabeleland were shying away from opportunities and using marginalisation as an excuse for their failures.

Rtd Col Nare was addressing rallies that were initially supposed to be addressed by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga who could not make it as he was committed elsewhere.

He challenged people from Matabeleland region to take advantage of the opportunities availed by Government instead of always crying about marginalisation which was not there.

“The problem we have in Bulawayo, it might sadden some of you but the fact is that people from Bulawayo always shy away from opportunities. They do so based on history. Things that occurred we know what happened, it’s painful it’s saddening, but that does not stop you from focusing on the future and your children’s future,” he said.

Rtd Col Nare said people from the region have always been sceptical about opportunities availed by Government.

He said youths from the region were not applying to join the police, military, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services and Central Intelligence Organisation under Government’s quota system.

“As we are speaking the selection of officers to join the army is ongoing but youths from the region are not taking up these opportunities. We know that there is something called marginalisation but if you look at this issue more closely you will realise that at times we are marginalising ourselves,” he said.

Rtd Col Nare highlighted the Command Livestock programme, loans being offered through the Women’s Bank and Empower Bank as some of the opportunities that people from the region should take advantage of.

Rtd Col Nare urged party supporters to be cautious of people who use the Gukurahundi issue to solicit for votes.

He said President Mnangagwa set up the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission to address the issue.

“In other words he is already addressing the issue unlike the opposition, the likes of Chamisa (Nelson) who are campaigning using Gukurahundi. They come to you who were affected by Gukurahundi crying more than the bereaved in order to solict for your votes,” he said.

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ED’s Masowe Boob

For my Zanu friends who are close to ED.

By Ndaba Nhuku| The ED Masowe war cry is a reflection of African politicians’ lack of preparation for public presentations.

What was ED saying? Inspiring? A borrowed war cry? Marketing his t-shirts? Campaigning? Preaching like a madzibaba? Am embarrassed for him and mainly his advisors who let him down! It’s about time our leaders accepted advisors’ role and the need to prepare their speeches in advance. Nkomo and Mugabe were excellent at preparing and reading their speeches and matching them with their audiences. Chamisa is a natural orator aided by charisma. He is however unable to read and respond to audiences’ reactions. The rest need to prepare thoroughly for their presentations.

ED team must advice him to prepare his speeches in front of a mirror with the aid of his advisors. Advisors should not fear coaching their bosses behind the scenes. Those are the people he should be free with the most. They know his needs, strengths and weaknesses. They know how he speaks, when he is tired, when he needs water, and his likes.

Our African leaders must not thrive on being feared and having everyone cow in their presence. Over the last six months he has been in power, ED must have improved in his presentations. If he failed to learn anything under Mugabe, he should by now have set up his own media advisory team and exclude that arrogant Charamba who may one day give him a wrong speech!! ED is not a natural at public speaking. He doesn’t think fast on his feet like most politicians. He therefore needs to prepare and practice his speeches with his team before standing in front of the world. This is a man marketing his leadership to the world and does want the world to see this crap.

Do mapositori wear his colourful t-shirts? No. They wear their white uniform gowns. So this is a very misplaced speech or sermon, whatever his advisors thought it was. Guys, get your act together and stop embarrassing ED. Ndaba Nhuku

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Development Coming To Nkayi: Lovemore Nkomazana

By Mangosuthu Mbele| The MRP senate candidate for Nkayi North and South Lovemore Nkomazana has pledged his total support for devolution and development in his area. In an interview with this reporter, Nkomazana said the people of Nkayi have welcomed the MRP message and will vote for it.

The aspiring Senator Nkomazana, a passionate construction worker, decried the continued regional segregation in areas of job creation and infrastructural development. Giving Nkayi as an example, Nkomazana pointed out that the mining claims must be under the control of local government so as to benefit the locals.

“Lapho kutsho ukuthi ilocal government izoqatsha amalocals njalo izinto ezifana lesikorokoza ziyobe zingasekho ngoba indawo abakorokoza khona ziyophendulwa amamines baqhashwe khona on monthly pay basis on safe working conditions with provision for human,engineering, proper environmental support and safe infrastructure.(this will ensure that local authorites employ their locals so that illegal mining activities can be eradicated and gold panners may be employed on monthly pay)” said Nkomazana.

He said despite ZanuPF and opposition having so called seasoned politicians as candidates in his area he was confident MRP would win by a landslide and stop the brain drain currently affecting the country.

“My plan is to share this idea to my leaders in my constituency and to try and implement it. Ngifuna abantu bakithi bathole imisebenzi enamapensions and abatsha nabo bathole amathuba azayenza bangayi phandle kwelizwe ngobunengi (I will share this idea with my local leaders. I want our people to get employment with pensions so as to stop brain drain en-mass to other countries)” added Nkomazana.

Though MRP might face stiff competition from ZanuPF, MDCT and MDC Alliance for the gold rich Nkayi area, Mr. Nkomazana pointed out that MRP had become a house hold name in Nkayi and people were ready to vote for it.

Nkomazana further added that although resources were hard to come-by, the sacrifice from local donors was making the campaign to proceed well. He said despite other parties getting political parties fund allocation from the government, MRP did not receive anything and they relied heavily on well wishers.

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Khupe Endorses ZEC, Cries For Cash From Gvt

Thokozani Khupe

MDC-T president Dr Thokozani Khupe has lashed out at political parties that are threatening to boycott the July 30 harmonised elections saying they are confused.

Dr Khupe attacked the parties while she was addressing journalists at the Bulawayo Press Club on Saturday.

MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has repeatedly threatened to boycott the polls.

“As MDC-T, we are contesting in this election. We are aware that there is a lot of confusion where reports are saying that some parties are contemplating boycotting this election. As for us, we are not part of that confusion. We are contesting this election come 30 July. We are calling on Zimbabweans to come in their numbers to vote for us,” she said.

Dr Khupe said the party has issues that they need to be addressed by Zec.

“As a party we have issues with Zec and we will by Monday write legally to them raising these issues. It should be noted that our issues are not in any way connected to any legal reforms because as it stands, the law states in Section 157 sub-section 5 that you cannot change anything at this stage when we are almost on the 30th. We are asking Zec to implement Section 239 of the Constitution and its regulations,” said Dr Khupe.

She applead to Government to assist political parties with resources to deploy polling agents to the 11 000 polling stations across the country.

“My party does not have the capacity to deploy 22 000 polling agents to the 11 000 polling stations, hence the appeal to Government to assist with resources,” she said.

Dr Khupe said it was in the Government’s interest to ensure that the election is not disputed and as such must assist all political parties to monitor the voting process at every polling station.

She said her party was worried about the security of the vote, hence it wants agents to be deployed to all polling stations.

“We value secrecy of the ballot and voting process but we are told that you vote with your back to the polling agents, literally in the open and we condemn that. We are calling on Zec to rectify that and we also call upon Zec to ensure that polling stations are big enough to accommodate all polling agents,’’ she said.

The MDC-T president said Zec should ensure voting facilities accommodate people living with disabilities and expectant mothers.

Dr Khupe said Zec should urgently avail a sample of the ballot paper to political parties.

She said her party was not moved by the Bulawayo Ross Camp Police postal voting incident, which has been the subject in most political debates.

“As MDC-T, we are not so much worried about the voting that happened at Ross Camp by the police a few days ago because it is provided for in Sections 71 and 73 of the electoral Act. The clause talks about the receipt of the ballot papers but does not specify when it should start. To us, that is not much of an issue,” she said.

“Our concern however is the rumour that the police officers were forced by their seniors to vote. If that is the case, we are calling upon the forced officers to use channels available to them to rectify the abuse. It is everyone’s constitutional right to vote freely,”she said.

State Media

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Chigumba Says Whether You Like It Or Not, Last Week’s Ross Camp Postal Votes Are Valid

By Dorrothy Moyo| The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s boss has said that postal votes that were cast in Bulawayo last week remain valid and cannot be nullified unless there is evidence of electoral malpractice that warrants their cancellation.

“Unless we actually have evidence that somebody was intimidated or forced to exercise the postal vote against their will. So my preliminary answer will be ‘yes’ they will be valid unless there is evidence of electoral malpractice around the exercise of that postal vote,” said Justice Chigumba.

She comtinued saying postal voting was optional and applicants were free to withdraw and present themselves to a polling station.

“Around the issue of validity of the postal vote. For those people who have been asked to use the postal vote it was firstly out of concern, with particular regards to ZRP they will be posted to do duties on polling day outside their polling stations, so this was the rationale. Instead of denying them their right to vote because of deployment, why can’t we utilise the postal vote? I encourage those who are not willing to exercise postal vote to simply decline and present themselves to their polling station on polling day,” she added.

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Chiwenga Exposes Mnangagwa’s Lies

General Sibanda

Vice President Constatino Chiwenga has told a Contradicting story to sensitional reports by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on how he escaped from the country when under siege from former President Robert Mugabe last year.

Chiwenga revealed that the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Commander General Phillip Valerio Sibanda actually helped in the safe escape of Mnangagwa not the border jumping story which Mnangagwa related.

Addressing mourners at the burial of Gogo Yowana Kubvoruno, mother to General Sibanda in Gokwe’s Dera area on Sunday, Chiwenga said he first got the information about the President’s dismissal from Government from Gen Sibanda.

Chiwenga said acting on his instruction, Gen Sibanda played a pivotal role in the escape of Mnangagwa to Mozambique until he got a safe temporary shelter in that country.

“Today I want to tell you something I had never told anyone, a secret that has been between me and General Sibanda whose mother we are burying today.

“At the height of the madness that had rocked the country in November last year when senior officials in Government were being rebuked in public, a development which culminated in the dismissal of President Mnangagwa from Government and his position as Vice President of the party, I was out of the country in China on duty.

“General Sibanda then phoned to brief me on the sad developments and I asked him what we were supposed to do.

“We then had a discussion and I said to him, this man’s life is in danger he might be killed please do everything possible to make sure that he (President Mnangagwa) gets out of the country safe and alive. Gen Sibanda acted on that instruction and the President was taken out safely,” he said.

Chiwenga said Gen Sibanda dispatched three security details who escorted President Mnangagwa out of the country before they returned into Zimbabwe through the Mozambique border despite the fact that one of them had no passport.

“General Sibanda managed to take out President Mnangagwa safely. One of the three security details who took the President out had no passport but they managed to return home through the Mozambique border without passports.

“This man did a sterling job which I thought he would not accomplish,” said VP Chiwenga.

“After taking the President out, the army under the leadership of General Sibanda remained calm, maintaining peace while the country was at a standstill until I returned.

“I returned some few days later and we had an emergency meeting and decided to launch an operation, again when we were deliberating on the name of the operation, General Sibanda was the one who came up with the name Operation Restore Legacy, which became a huge success.”

Chiwenga described Gen Sibanda as a gallant hero who left some indelible marks in the country’s liberation struggle and in neighbouring countries where he operated.

He said the General’s mother was resting in peace knowing well that she bore the country a true hero.

Mnangagwa’s sensational story included him having to walk through the Mozambique jungle through the night after escaping gun shots at the border.

“I was fired at 4pm and left the office and by 6.30 pm, one of the security guys came to inform me that he must be part of a group that had a mission to eliminate me,” he said.

“I didn’t think it was pleasurable to wait to be eliminated. I left within four hours of being fired for the Mozambican border. I arrived at the border and our side of the border stamped my passport, but before they could lift the boom for me to cross into Mozambique, it was closed. The message came that I was not allowed to leave Zimbabwe. I said in that case there was no need, I (will) go back. They said again I was not allowed to go back into Zimbabwe but I said ‘you can’t stop me’. What case have I committed? As I was walking away, they tried to fire (at me) but I have one young man, one of my twin sons, was there. He is an officer and was able to grab the weapon and I was not shot.”

The President went on: “Then you know for many years I operated in Mozambique in the department of security. I know the area and it’s infested with land mines. Those things are still there, you walk in-between strings to avoid landmines. I did (that) from about 9 pm until about 7.30 the next day. I arrived in Mozambique and we had a lift back to the border to have my passport stamped again on the Mozambican side. Then I phoned a colleague from South Africa that I was on my way to Beira. By the time we arrived in Beira, a small plane had arrived from South Africa to pick me up and I went to South Africa.”

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Dear H.E Nelson Nero Chamisa

Dear H.E Nelson Nero Chamisa

I hope I find you well mwanangu. I haven’t been feeling too well this week, flue is killing me. However my bed rest was brought to a sudden halt with your press conference nezuro ku-Harvest house. Mmmhhh I was touched. I felt like crying. Why is ED rigging like this?

Today morning I got an invite to the MaKhuphe MDC-T press conference as well. Aaahh it was so sad to hear those words from Linda. How can police vote without any observers or political party agents? Nhai Chamisa what is this ED up to?

Mwanangu Nero let me remind you that it’s only about 17 days before Election Day. I’m rather disappointed in you Chamisa. You are big let down in our lives. I’m equally disappointed in Makhuphe as well. Infact I’m disappointed with Zimbabwean politicians. We are in this mess today because of you.

I may not be schooled Advocate Chamisa but I feel like challenging your LLB. Are you sure it’s even authentic? Mmhhh I smell a Dr Amai here.

Chamisa (Between me and you) did you even read the electoral act? Did you read section 71 on postal voting?

Mwanangu which part of the electoral act says postal voting must be observed by political agents or ZEC? Chamisa and MaKhuphe you embarrass me. I feel so sad to think that you guys have been our trusted legislators since early 2000s. Instead of reading legislations and understanding them, you spent 5 years arguing about sitting allowances and building bridges only to waste our time with your demos today blaming ZEC for your own ignorance.

Where were you both when the electoral act was amended to remove Special Voting? Did ED amend it unilaterally? Did u even debate on the bill before it became law?

Cde Chamisa let me help you: Postal voting doesn’t require any ZEC official nor any political party agent to be present. The only thing we can say is that voters must be free from any intimidation. If you think the police commanding officer would have intimidated his officers, why didn’t you insert an amendment in the electoral act making sure the political observers and ZEC reps are allowed when ever people vote at police stations?

These are the MDC fruits of giving us council material to put into parliament. These are the fruits of voting popular rich people who promise to build bridges without even knowing that the major job of an MP is legislative.

Chamisa and MaKhuphe can you make sure your MPs know what a job of an MP is. I wonder what you guys were doing for the past 5 years in parliament though besides singing.

When you Honourables (as you like to be called) manage to go into parliament this time please insert this amendment in section 71 of Electoral act:

No voting must take place at a police camp or army barracks. ZEC must publish dates and venues of postal voting for disciplined forces within Zimbabwe which must take place in present of ZEC, political party agents as well as election observers.

Mwanangu I hope you won’t take offence. Pass my message to my daughter MaKhuphe.

Ndini tetevako

Mai Chiko.

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“No Change To Schools Calendar”: Mavima

By Own Correspondent| The November Zimbabwe School Examination Council (Zimsec) will not be affected by the forthcoming plebiscite and examinations will go ahead as scheduled, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Professor Paul Mavima has said.

Professor Mavima dispelled rumours that the school calendar would be disrupted by the elections revealing that Zimsec examinations will proceed as scheduled.

Said Mavima:

“This is not the first time we have held elections, we have been holding elections in the past but we have never suspended examinations or classes. There is definitely no reason for us to suspend examinations. These are works of mischievous people who feel they can temper around with the education sector.

There are mechanisms put in place to ensure that lost time is recovered. We are closing schools on 26 July and reopening a week earlier. We will also allow holiday lessons to take place as long as they are approved by the ministry. So we are doing everything to make sure that we cover up for lost time.”

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“Chamisa Is Annointed”

Thousands of MDC Alliance supporters and residents of Masvingo yesterday (Sunday) braved the rain and flocked to the coalition’s star rally at Mucheke Stadium.

Citizens reacted differently to the story run by ZimEye on Chamisa addressing party supporters despite the rains with others alleging that the winter rain which fell at Mucheke stadium was a signal that the Alliance President was “annointed”.

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Why Is Mnangagwa Suddenly Copying Grace Mugabe?

By Own Correspondent | The same man who criticised former First Lady Grace Mugabe for using church podiums for politics, the very same reason he declared a coup on his boss, Robert Mugabe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, caused a scene at a vapositori church in Marange. This incident comes just 8 months after Mnangagwa wrote a strongly worded letter declaring while fleeing Zimbabwe, that he would return to lead and Grace Mugabe would be punished for abusing church platforms. Mnangagwa can be seen in the below fresh video declaring to a completely silent congregation: “Pamberi ne ZANU PF, pamberi ne ZANU PF! [NO ANSWER].”

After realising the lack of interest, he then continues to immediately announce, “we shall hand all of you t-shirts,” once again to a totally unresponsive church crowd. SEE THE BELOW FOOTAGE:

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ZANU PF Man Filmed Firing LIVE Bullets In Front Of Everyone Named

By Farai D Hove| The man who was filmed while firing a LIVE bullet in front of his colleagues, has been named as Trevor J Kudenga.

The Harare man is seen in pictures while at front seats at ZANU PF meetings(see pictures). The Zimbabwean community was enraged yesterday when the man’s gunshot video was posted online. Many expressed dismay saying that he might not even be arrested due to his political connections. Some commentators made allegations that he is in fact an MDC member. But ZimEye can reliably reveal that he is Mr Kudenga who is a well known ZANU PF card carrying member.


MORE TO FOLLOW…

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“Africa Stuck With Fossils?” Zimbabwe Will Have A Young President In Two Weeks!

Below is a series of discussions at the weekend on future leadership:

https://twitter.com/LordScott_II/status/1018568709525340160?s=19

https://twitter.com/Ed_Almighty/status/1018551159521533953?s=19

https://twitter.com/KingAbsolute_/status/1018585929726996481?s=19

https://twitter.com/gilbertnya/status/1018600906437332994?s=19

 

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Paul Chingoka Sudden Death

Paul Chingoka
TENNIS Zimbabwe president Martin Lock has said the late Paul Chingoka will always be remembered for his tireless efforts to develop the game in the country.

The former tennis president passed on last Friday and will be buried today at Warren Hills Cemetery.
Under Chingoka’s leadership, the Zimbabwean Davis Cup team scaled great heights as they were promoted into the World Group and played against some of the best teams in the world at the time. Zimbabwe then, had built their core around the Black brothers – Wayne and Byron and doubles specialist Kevin Ullyett.

The Zimbabwe Davis Cup team competed at the same level with the United States of America and Australian teams that had the likes of Andre Agassi, Marcelo Rios, Pat Rafter, Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge.

“It’s very sad to hear. Paul was president in the heydays when we had the likes of Byron Black Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyet. Those were the glory days of Zimbabwean tennis because we competed at the highest level.

“He did very well mobilising sponsors and spearheading support as well. The results were there for everyone to see and we would want to thank him for his immense contributions. “Even after he had completed his stint as Tennis Zimbabwe president we were still in touch with him. He came to support Davis Cup matches although he had largely taken a back seat from the administration of the game.
“We will sadly miss him. Our thoughts are with the Chingoka family at this sad hour. Allow me to pass our sincere condolences as Tennis Zimbabwe” said Lock.

During his tenure, tennis in Zimbabwe was transformed from an elitist sport and was popularised across the country. The period also saw the rise of black players such as Genius Chidzikwe, Gwinyai Tongoona and Martin Dzuwa.

Chingoka also sat in the ITF board and the Davis Cup Committee for Africa. He was chef de mission of tennis at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and was chef de mission of the ZOC in Sydney for the 2000 Olympics.- state media

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“Thokozani Khupe And Obert Gutu Fighting Chamisa Not ZEC”

ZEC Chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba reminds me of Tobaiwa Mudede: an arrogant, Zanu PF sympathiser and a man who presided over a biased election for years writes Gus Manatsa.

Below are thoughts from Manatsa on ZEC, President Emmerson Mnangagwa and MDC Alliance President Nelson Chamisa.

What Zanu Pf President Emmerson Mnangagwa fails to realise is that he is a coup president. Noone elected him. He has no legitimacy. He is one of the most unelectable politicians in the country. He inspires no one except those hardcore Zanu supporters. But then the hardcore Zanuists are fast becoming a rare breed.

But let’s give him benefit of the doubt. Mnangagwa needs legitimacy before any country or big business can consider investing in this country. He should be the one pushing ZEC to be transparent to ensure free, fair and credible election.

If by some miracle, Mnangagwa is elected president in a free and fair environment, he will gain instant legitimacy. The world will be ready to talk business with him. In a nutshell, ED needs a transparent electoral commission than any other candidate in this race.

Satisfied

It is good for MDC Alliance President Nelson Chamisa to hold ZEC to account. The Alliance has had to return to the streets because everything has failed- letter, election agent, telephone calls. The Alliance has the numbers, it has the people behind it. Additionally, the Alliance seems to be the only party concerned with the ZEC disorder. All the other 22 presidential candidates seem to be satisfied with the ZEC shenanigans.

Nelson Chamisa is the only opposition party with MPs in parliament. It is therefore futile for ZEC to try to treat Chamisa the same as other presidential contestants. Only Chamisa and Mnangagwa have parliamentary representation. In reality, the contest is between these two.

Some opposition parties are fighting Chamisa, not ZEC, especially Obert Gutu and Thokozani Khupe.

Confusion

There are real worries that ZEC is hiding the ballot paper to ensure Mnangagwa has an urge. Come polling day, Mnangagwa’s name will be at the top, while Khupe’s MDC will be placed next to Chamisa’s to maximise voter confusion. The MDC Alliance and MDC Thokozani have similar symbols likely to confuse voters especially seniors.

Given all this, it makes sense for Chamisa to use people power to get ZEC moving. Otherwise its back to the Mudede era.

By keeping quiet or being dismissive, Mnangagwa is further eroding the goodwill Zimbabweans and the world had given him. He is showing that he is no different from his predecessor. He is a dangerous smooth talker but very thin on doing anything effective.

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Zanu PF Wary Of Chamisa’s Massive Crowds

MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa

Terrence Mawawa

Zanu PF is terribly afraid of losing the coming elections,a leading research organisation has said.

According to the International Political Research Institute (IPRI), fear has gripped the Zimbabwean government as
Nelson Chamisa has broken a record crowd pulling attendance in African political history.

The visionary and youthful MDC leader has gathered so much support and rally attendance that has not been witnessed in African history.

Such crowds have only been pulled by former president HE R.G Mugabe in 1980 after the white minority rule in Zimbabwe, followed by Nelson Mandela in post apartheid South Africa soon after his release from prison, according to the institute.

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“ZEC Will Not Investigate Postal Voting Allegations Since Noone Has Complained”: Chigumba

By Own Correspondent| The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) boss Justice Priscilla Chigumba has revealed that the elections body was not investigating allegations that police officers were forced to cast their votes in front of their commanders arguing that no one had formally lodged a complaint on the issue.

Chigumba insisted that since nothing untoward happened at Ross  Camp in Bulawayo, her organisation would not investigate the matter.

In an interview with a local publication, Chigumba said:

“…The acting chief elections officer did not deny that postal voting was underway, but denied that the commission had set up polling stations for that purpose.

The law does not envisage the setting-up of polling stations for postal voting, but that applicants exercise their right in secrecy before sealing their ballots in provided envelopes and returning same to the chief elections officer by a prescribed date.

… The videos have already been dismissed as fake by the police and this information was also given to observers by Senior Assistant Commissioner Erasmus Makodza during the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s briefing to local and international observers on its state of preparedness.

No official complaint has also been received from aggrieved persons to date and, therefore, there is nothing to investigate at this moment.”-Standard.

 

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Zanu PF Rubbishes Chamisa Rigging Claims

HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s
ruling Zanu PF has rubbished MDC Alliance leader
Nelson Chamisa’s claims that it is colluding with
the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) in an
elaborate plot to rig next month’s elections using
Russian cyber experts.

Chamisa made the sensational claims on
Wednesday while addressing thousands of his
supporters after a demonstration meant to force
Zec to meet their demands for free, fair and
credible elections on July 30.

Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo reacted
angrily to the allegations calling them “childish”.

“He (Chamisa) must come forth with evidence to
back his claim. Can he identify the Russians he is
talking about? We are sick and tired of such
childish allegations that are meant for media
attention. If there is anything like that, why doesn’t
he prove it?”
Khaya Moyo said in an interview with
the Daily News on Sunday.

Chamisa said he was getting classified information
from Mnangagwa’s inner circle as well as elements
in the Zimbabwe National Army’s intelligence
department. He suggested the centre could no
longer hold in the ruling establishment, which he
said was leaking like a sieve.

“We know what they are doing and now they have
brought in about 64 Russians who are tampering
with the ballot papers and the voters’ roll,” Chamisa
claimed.

“If they are helping Zanu PF, then we have an issue
with them because we are a sovereign nation and
foreigners must not interfere with our internal
electoral processes,” he said.

This is not the first time that suspicions of foreign
actors in the country’s electoral processes have
been raised.
Zimbabwe is just the latest country to be
confronted with untested allegations of cyber
attacks relating to State-supported interference in
elections: ranging from email hacking and doxing,
in the 2016 US presidential election, to cyber
attacks on the Bundestag surrounding the 2015
German parliamentary elections, to dissemination of
“fake news” surrounding 2016 Italian referendum
votes.
International law gives States limited means by
which to respond to election interference.
Last month, exiled former Cabinet minister and
Zanu PF politburo member, Jonathan Moyo claimed
the ruling party had colluded with Zec to rig much-
awaited elections using hired Chinese experts.

Moyo, who fled the country at the height of a
military operation which facilitated former president
Robert Mugabe’s ouster last November, claimed
the rigging plot was on an industrial scale and was
going to be carried out in 14 different ways.

“Government has seconded to Zec a team of
Chinese BVR (Biometric Voter Registration) & cyber
experts from the People’s Liberation Army linked to
a top Chinese university.
“Their remit is to manipulate the voters’ roll through
shadowy & virtual polling stations and fake voters,”
he said in a post on his Twitter handle.

“The plot is to rig on an industrial scale. The rigging
is centred on (1) manipulation of the BVR voters’
roll; (2) manipulation of polling stations by Zec
technical staff from security organs and (3) army
intimidation of voters in villages,” Moyo, who once
served as government propagandist, said.

Zec is however, on record dismissing Moyo’s
claims as highly mischievous and claiming that the
elections body was independent from both Zanu PF
and government- Daily News.

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WATCH: Mnangagwa Suddenly Wakes Up Wearing Grace Mugabe’s Regalia – WHAT’S GOING ON NOW?

By Own Correspondent | The same man who criticised former First Lady Grace Mugabe for using church podiums for politics, the very same reason he declared a coup on his boss, Robert Mugabe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, caused a scene at a vapositori church in Marange. This incident comes just 8 months after Mnangagwa wrote a strongly worded letter declaring while fleeing Zimbabwe, that he would return to lead and Grace Mugabe would be punished for abusing church platforms. Mnangagwa can be seen in the below fresh video declaring to a completely silent congregation: “Pamberi ne ZANU PF, pamberi ne ZANU PF! [NO ANSWER].”

After realising the lack of interest, he then continues to immediately announce, “we shall hand all of you t-shirts,” once again to a totally unresponsive church crowd. SEE THE BELOW FOOTAGE:

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France Are The Champs!

By Terrence Mawawa| 1998 World Soccer Champions France have done it again!

The Blues beat Croatia 4-2 in a pulsating World Cup Final in Russia.

France dismissed a spirited Croatia to win the World Cup for the second time having won the trophy on home soil in 1998.

Real Madrid utility player Luka Modric and Barcelona’ s Ivan Raktic could not inspire Croatia to victory.

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Thousands Brave Heavy Downpour To Attend Chamisa Rally

Terrence Mawawa

Despite the heavy downpour in Masvingo, thousands of MDC Alliance supporters and residents of the ancient city of Masvingo are flocking to the coalition’s star rally at Mucheke Stadium.

Residents of the ancient city have vowed to brave the heavy showers to meet the charismatic leader who will take on President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the July 30 polls.

Earlier today Chamisa addressed thousands of MDC Alliance supporters in Bikita District.

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Thousands Brave Heavy Downpour To Attend Chamisa Rally

Nelson Chamisa

Terrence Mawawa

Despite the heavy downpour in Masvingo, thousands of MDC Alliance supporters and residents of the ancient city of Masvingo are flocking to the coalition’s star rally at Mucheke Stadium.

Residents of the ancient city have vowed to brave the heavy showers to meet the charismatic leader who will take on President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the July 30 polls.

Earlier today Chamisa addressed thousands of MDC Alliance supporters in Bikita District.

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MDC Honours Slain Cadres

MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa

Terrence Mawawa

Members of the Movement for Democratic Change’ s Veteran Activists Association yesterday honoured fallen cadres who were allegedly murdered by Zanu PF supporters in 2008.

Below is a statement written by MDC’ s Veteran Activists Association:

“Mashonaland Veteran Matamisa Silas’ grave has been rehabilitated.

The veterans have done it again, the construction and laying of tombstone on our veteran’s grave has been carried out successfully.

We applaud the veterans who have helped in cash or kind to support the noble exercise.

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Chiwenga Says Mbare Will Get Flats With Swimming Pools

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga

VICE-President Constantino Chiwenga yesterday promised residents of Harare’s oldest suburb modern apartments with swimming pools as Zanu PF stepped up its campaign to wrestle control of the capital from the opposition.

Chiwenga told a campaign rally in Mbare that the dilapidated hostels in the poor neighbourhood would be transformed after the elections.

Zanu PF supporters, who first fought for T-shirts before Chiwenga arrived, cheered as the VP also promised that the entire infrastructure in Mbare would be modernised.

He said those that had relocated to affluent suburbs like Borrowdale would flock back to Mbare.

“We have a comprehensive master plan for the home industries and the Mbare hostels to the extent that wherever we reconstruct a block of flats, there will be swimming pools for children and kindergartens,” Chiwenga said.
“Mbare will be the first place that we are going to develop in Harare, and those that had relocated to Borrowdale and Mount Pleasant will come back to Mbare.”

Chiwenga blamed the MDC-T-run council for the poor state of Mbare. He said residents were staying in dilapidated buildings with broken windows, potholed roads, and dirty surroundings with uncollected litter because of the incompetence of the council.

“The [Zanu PF] Mbare National Assembly candidate Tendai Savanhu asked if I was aware of the conditions at the hostels and I told him that I have visited the place in disguise,” he claimed.

“After noticing the poor living conditions, we then came up with the master plan for Mbare and Harare.

“There are serious health issues like cholera and typhoid because of the MDC-T-led council.
“The water pipes and sewer reticulation systems are archaic and they failed to replace them.” -Standard

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WHAT’S GOING ON NOW? – Did President Mnangagwa Actually Say That?

Did he really say that?

By Dorrothy Moyo| President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been slammed for belittling church folk yesterday when he blew “pamberi” slogans into their ears and at the same time announcing that he will give them t-shirts. Zimbabweans were yesterday enraged over the below incident in which Mnangagwa is heard screaming to vapositori, “pamberi ne ZANU PF, pamberi ne ZANU PF!  [THERE ARE T SHIRTS WHICH WE SHALL GIVE YOU]Kune ma t shirts atichakupayi!”

Political Commentator, Rvesayi Mutede said Mnangagwa has patronised the vapositori church members. She alleged that he is “not presidential material.” VIDEO:

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Mnangagwa Confesses ZANU PF Rallies Strategy To VaPostori

President Emmerson Mnangagwa at VaPostori Shrine

President Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday admitted that Zanu PF was drawing huge crowds at rallies by bussing people, moving door-to-door and luring participants with T-shirts and other goodies.

Addressing members of the Noah Taguta-led Johane Marange apostolic church at Mafararikwa in Marange, Mnangagwa said he had never seen such a huge crowd gathered freely without being coerced or lured by goodies.

“I have never seen such a gathering in my entire life, a huge gathering of people who have freely come here on their own,” he said.

“When we hold our party rallies we normally mobilise people door-to-door, some come to receive T-shirts and so on, but you came freely, I am happy.

“As the church, you have a role to play in our nation building.”

The Zanu Pf presidential candidate has been visiting the apostolic sects, especially the Marange community. He was told by Taguta that he would win the elections on July 30.

“A lot of people yearn to have a prophet like Mutumwa Taguta in their midst, I am privileged to have been invited by him,” Mnangagwa said.

He promised to assist the church in improving its environment as well as other needs before he pleaded for them to pray for him and for peaceful elections.

Taguta described former president Robert Mugabe as Samson who allowed a Delilah (Grace) to overpower him resulting in his downfall.

In the build-up to the 2013 elections, Mugabe addressed the same gathering and was assured of an election victory by the same cleric.

Standard

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“Ballot Paper Design Is Our Exclusive Right”: ZEC’s Priscilla Chigumba

ZEC Chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba

By Own Correspondent| The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairperson Priscilla Chigumba has refuted allegations that the design of the presidential ballot paper favours Zanu Pf’s Presidential candidate, Emmerson Mnangagwa revealing that the design of the ballot was the exclusive right of ZEC.

In an exclusive interview with a local publication, Justice Chigumba said the elections body decided not to use the traditional single column for all candidates, which would have resulted in Mnangagwa’s name appearing somewhere in the middle and opted to use two columns.

The first column of the presidential ballot has 14 candidates with Mnangagwa’ s name appearing at the top of the second column which has only 9 candidates.

Chigumba insisted that ZEC had followed the letter of the law and reminded people that the design of the ballot paper is the exclusive right of the elections body.

Said Chigumba:

“The allegations are regrettable and the commission, as already explained to stakeholders including observers, it did consider all options in coming up with the design of the ballot paper.

The proposed one column design by a concerned stakeholder would have resulted in a long ballot paper of A3 plus in size and required double the amount of paper. It would also have been difficult for the folded ballot paper to fit in the aperture of the ballot box because of its small size.

Further, that would have meant more ballot boxes would fill up quickly leading to more being required for procurement. The cost-benefit analysis revealed that the option would have required not only an increase in ballot paper but also an increase in the production time plus number of ballot boxes to be procured.

The two-column design is the design that has been adopted by the commission for all ballot papers with candidates in excess of 14 people regardless of the type of election, using its discretion after weighing the available options. The candidates’ names will still retain the alphabetical order of surnames as provided for in section 3 (11) (b) (i) of the Electoral Regulations SI21 of 2005.

However, stakeholders are reminded that issues to do with the design and printing of ballot paper remain the exclusive right of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission in terms of Section 239 (g) of the constitution of Zimbabwe.”- The Standard.

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Chigumba Claims ZEC Has Not Done Anything Wrong, Full Interview.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC)’s handling of the July 30 presidential, parliamentary and local government elections came under sharp scrutiny last week after the opposition MDC Alliance claimed to have discovered police officers clandestinely voting at a camp in Bulawayo.

ZEC acting chief elections officer Utoile Silaigwana sparked controversy when he told the state-controlled Herald’s online edition reports of postal voting being undertaken at Ross Camp were “hogwash”.

The story was later removed from the publication’s website after police confirmed that voting was underway.

However, Zec chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba insisted that nothing untoward happened at Ross Camp.

Chigumba (PC) told Standard Newdpaper senior reporter Xolisani Ncube (XN) that her commission would not investigate the allegations that police officers were forced to cast their ballots in front of their commanders because no one had lodged a complaint.

She also argued that her critics were raising “sensationalised allegations and extra-judicial requests presented as legal rights contrary to the legal framework that governs elections”.

Below are excerpts from the interview.

XN: Last Thursday there was confusion after Zec acting chief elections officer Utoile Silaigwana issued a statement denying that postal voting was underway while police confirmed that officers were voting at Ross Camp in Bulawayo. What caused this confusion if Zec is solely in charge of the process?

PC: The acting chief elections officer did not deny that postal voting was underway, but denied that the commission had set up polling stations for that purpose.

The law does not envisage the setting-up of polling stations for postal voting, but that applicants exercise their right in secrecy before sealing their ballots in provided envelopes and returning same to the chief elections officer by a prescribed date.

The true version of his response is as in the Herald of July 13, 2018.

XN: Why was the postal voting process not advertised like in previous elections?

PC: There is no provision in the law that requires the commission to publish the postal voting process and the commission has placed all issues to do with the postal voting process in the public domain through disclosure of entities and statistics of those who were participating to all stakeholders.

XN: Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Senegal Trudy Stevenson tweeted last week that her embassy had not received postal ballots. What assurances can you give that Zec is abiding by the law in handling the postal votes?

PC: As far as Zec is concerned, it has despatched the postal ballots for successful applicants to the relevant ministry and it is now up to the ministry to forward the same for them to exercise their right.

It is also incumbent upon the ministry to meet the deadlines set by the law.

XN: There are videos circulating on social media showing police officers voting in front of their superiors. Is that how the voting process is supposed to be handled? Is Zec going to investigate claims by some police officers that they were forced to vote under the watch of their superiors?

PC: The videos have already been dismissed as fake by the police and this information was also given to observers by Senior Assistant Commissioner Erasmus Makodza during the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s briefing to local and international observers on its state of preparedness.

No official complaint has also been received from aggrieved persons to date and, therefore, there is nothing to investigate at this moment.

XN: How many ballots have you despatched through the postal voting system and what measures are in place to ensure the system is not manipulated?

PC: The commission received a total of 7 646 applications for postal voting. Out of that figure, 185 were disqualified for the reason of not being on the voters roll.

The commission is, therefore, processing a total of 7 461 successful applications.

The information on the postal ballot processing is available for the public to inspect and verify, so the issue of manipulation does not arise.

XN: What is your reaction to allegations that the presidential election ballot paper has been designed to favour President Emmerson Mnangagwa?

PC: The allegations are regrettable and the commission, as already explained to stakeholders including observers, it did consider all options in coming up with the design of the ballot paper.

The proposed one column design by a concerned stakeholder would have resulted in a long ballot paper of A3 plus in size and required double the amount of paper.

It would also have been difficult for the folded ballot paper to fit in the aperture of the ballot box because of its small size.

Further, that would have meant more ballot boxes would fill up quickly leading to more being required for procurement.

The cost-benefit analysis revealed that the option would have required not only an increase in ballot paper, but also an increase in the production time plus number of ballot boxes to be procured.

The two-column design is the design that has been adopted by the commission for all ballot papers with candidates in excess of 14 people regardless of the type of election, using its discretion after weighing the available options.

The candidates’ names will still retain the alphabetical order of surnames as provided for in section 3 (11) (b) (i) of the Electoral Regulations SI21 of 2005.

However, stakeholders are reminded that issues to do with the design and printing of ballot paper remain the exclusive right of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission in terms of Section 239 (g) of the constitution of Zimbabwe.

XN: Why is Zec refusing to accede to demands by the opposition to inspect the ballot paper printing process?

PC: This is not a legal requirement and Zec in attempting to build consensus invited political parties to observe the printing of the ballot on the 12th of June 2018, but which gesture was abandoned following unlawful and unreasonable demands by some stakeholders on the process.

However, interested stakeholders were provided with the sample ballot paper for them to assess the quality and for comparison on election day if they had doubts.

XN: Do you think Zimbabweans still have confidence in Zec following last week’s incidents that included a massive demonstration against the way you are handling the pre-election period?

PC: That the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission may not know, but it is convinced that it has not broken any law.

Moreover, the demonstration and complaints were from a single stakeholder to the electoral process.

XN: Independent observers have been picking serious mistakes on the voters roll since it was made public. What assurance can you give Zimbabweans that these are genuine mistakes and not deliberate attempts to rig the elections?

PC: The problem has been that the media has also failed to uphold the right to reply.

It has gone on to publish falsehoods using sensationalised headlines without seeking the view or explanation of the commission on issues raised on the voters roll.

However, the commission has already issued public notices in the print media explaining some of the misrepresentations made.

The voters roll produced by the commission is a good product owing to the technology used to weed out duplicates and to avoid doubling registration.

XN: What is Zec doing to regain public trust that it will be impartial in running the elections?

PC: The commission will continue adhering to the law and providing the electorate with the correct information through its voter education programmes and responses to issues raised.

XN: What is your reaction to reports that there are polling stations with only two voters?

PC: That is also false. The commission has since published the polling stations for the forthcoming elections.

There was confusion by stakeholders between registration/inspection centres and polling stations.

XN: What are some of the challenges you have encountered since your appointment as Zec chairperson and did you anticipate them prior to accepting the appointment?

PC: The challenges are dealing with sensationalised allegations and extra-judicial requests presented as legal rights contrary to the legal framework that governs elections.

Yes, I did anticipate them because Zimbabwe is a country under transition and some habits by stakeholders will need time for stakeholders to discard them.

The Standard.

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ZEC Reports MDC Alliance Threats To The Police

ZEC Chairperson, Justice Priscilla Chigumba

By Own Correspondent| The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has revealed that following threats against its staff by opposition political parties, the elections body has lodged formal reports to the Zimbabwe Republic Police to ensure the security of its staff.

ZEC deputy chair Commissioner Emmanuel Magade said this during a meeting with election observers in Harare recently.

Said Commissioner Magade:

“I can confirm that threats have been issued to ZEC staff, some of it is captured on camera.

Some unkind and uncharitable things have been said about us. We find it totally, totally dispeakable and unconscionable and deplorable.

What we have done as law-abiding citizens is to refer those threats to the police and other law enforcement agencies.”

He refuted allegations that ZEC was a biased umpire in the Electoral process arguing that contrary to this belief, the elections body was conducting itself professionally without bias.

“Our wish and our ambition is that we should have an incident-free election. It is very regrettable that people like us who are supposed to be neutral umpires (are subjected to this).

We are not in the hands of anybody. We are not in the pockets of anybody; we belong to the people of Zimbabwe. So please help us to make the process straightforward and something that we can all be proud of.

Come July 30, we want to come up with a product that is fit for the purpose. These threats will not deter us in our endeavor to deliver free, verifiable and credible elections and once again I find the threats totally deplorable and in fact diabolical,” he said.

Opposition MDC Alliance, a coalition of 7 political parties last week marched to the ZEC and handed a petition with a raft of demands some of which included that ZEC should allow political parties to view the printing of the ballot papers, that ZEC avails an auditable voters roll with pictures and that the organisation should conduct itself professionally.

However, the MDC Alliance President Nelson Chamisa and other top stalwarts could not hand over their petition as the ZEC Chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba was nowhere to be found.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Itai Dzamara Kidnapper Revealed?

Ambassador Mike Sango

Self-exiled former minister Jonathan Moyo has spilled the beans on the mystery of Itai Dzamara’s abduction and his disappearance.

“In the spirit & letter of the new Constitution & the Second Republic that is crying for a new generation of leadership with a new ethos, I wish to disclose privileged information I got about what happened to Itai Dzamara & why. I share this as a potentially useful detail!” he tweeted

I got to know from a high level source with access to the information; that ZDF’s Military Intelligence Department (MID) abducted Itai Dzamara & subjected him to extreme torture like in the gukurahundi & State of Emergency days. Mnangagwa, Chiwenga & Mohadi know about this!

The MID officer who oversaw this is Brigadier General Mike Sango who was then CID & is now Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to Russia. Why did they do this? To build a case against President Mugabe; as they did on 7 March 2007 with their savage attack on the late Morgan Tsvangirai!

The government is yet to respond to Prof Moyo’s claims.

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Chamisa Dumps “Tsvangirai” Permanently

Nelson Chamisa

MDC Alliance president Nelson Chamisa has now publicly disowned the MDC-T name saying his party would not be using the name ever again.

Addressing thousands of party supporters at Mutasa on Saturday , Chamisa warned his supporters not to be confused by the name and symbols on the ballot paper saying that his party had dumped the name which is being used by a rival Thokozani Khupe MDC faction in the election.

It is unclear what name Chamisa’s party will adopt after the election.

“Be careful during voting, there is now an MDC tsotsi (crook) which is using the MDC-T symbols. It now stands for MDC tsotsi… MDC thokoloshi…We will never use this name again,” Chamisa said.

The name previously referred to MDC Tsvangirai after the iconic late founding MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai. It was adopted in the run up to the 2008 elections after the party split in 2005.

Turning to the ongoing storm over postal ballots, Chamisa said the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) had completely lost credibility in delivering a free and fair election.

He said the MDC Alliance will be pushing for Zec’s suspension from conducting the elections.

“We failed to agree with Zec and we now want Zec to be excused and have another body to referee the election,” Chamisa said,  adding he would take the grievance to regional and international bodies like (Southern Africa Development Committee) Sadc and African Union (AU).

He said it was embarrassing that the country was still bickering over electoral rights four decades after independence which should have brought full voting rights to Zimbabweans.

“What did (Josiah) Tongogara and (Herbert) Chitepo die for when we are still arguing over a vote? …it means someone slept on duty. It means Zanu-PF only took over the position that was previously occupied by the Rhodesian Front without any reforms,” Chamisa charged.

He said rigging was going to be difficult for Zanu-PF in this election as he was being alerted of  any suspicious manoeuvres to subvert the electoral process.

Among the problems they are having with Zec is its alleged failure to order ZBC to report impartially.

“Our other problem is Zec’s failure to rein-in ZBC. We are concerned because it remains so partisan. It even acts on behalf of Zanu-PF. We are concerned at the direction it is on. It’s a public broadcaster but reports like it belongs to Zanu-PF,” Chamisa said, before threatening legal action on it to ensure that it reports impartially.

“We want to task, even taking them to court,” Chamisa said.

Daily News

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Professionals Tell ZEC To Postpone Elections To Sort Out Irregularities

Zimbabweans voting

By the Zimbabwe Election Watch|The past few days have been marked by electoral scandals of enormous proportions. ZANU-PF apparently has access to registered voters’ private data, specifically mobile numbers which it is using to solicit for votes for its Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Government candidates. Not only is the issue of privacy at stake here. With a party whose 38-year-old rule has depended on violence, the mere receipt of a message from ZANU-PF is enough to strike serious fear in an ordinary Zimbabwean citizen.

The second scandal is the alleged duplicate entries in the voters roll. There is to us, more than prima facie evidence that the voters roll is not only in shambles but is an outright fraud. The nation cannot go to the polls in the current state of affairs.

With regard to the SMS messages, there is need for an independent region-led investigation into how ZANU-PF was able to access voters’ private data; and all those responsible for this scandal, including ZEC and ZANU-PF, should make an unreserved apology to those it targeted for solicitation and to the generality of Zimbabweans. They also need to publicly take steps to correct this fraud. This would help restore confidence in the elections, or what is left of it.

With regard to the voters roll, the elections need to be postponed to enable ZEC to remove duplicate and fraudulent entries. If they do not have the capacity to do so as is currently evident, they can call upon international expertise to assist them in the cleaning of the voters roll. But we believe that the duplicate voters so far unearthed by some of the stakeholders are just a tip of the iceberg. Our hunch, based on rational deduction, is that there are many more ghost citizens who have recently been added to the national civil registry enabling them to get enrolled on the voters roll with new identities to enable them to vote several times. An audit of the national civil registry is also necessary in order to flag out suspicious recent registrations.

It is always tempting for opposition parties and Civil Society Organisations to rush to the courts for redress. We strongly advise against the litigation route as it is heavily booby trapped. The small victories on the abuse of school children and on the impartiality of traditional leaders should never lead stakeholders to believe that much has changed in our judiciary. We already see worrying trends reminiscent of 2013 and before: Urgent matters with a bearing on elections are referred to trial thereby defeating all the urgency in them; and from the shadows, obscure individuals are suddenly emerging and approaching the courts to protest against the use of their faces on the voters roll, feeding into the argument that ZEC has used before when pressed for the release of the voters roll that includes voters’ photographs.

We know all too well how in 2013 Zimbabweans were stampeded into an election by an individual emerging from the shadows and screaming for the holding of the elections without delay. We also know how the Constitutional Court was so eager to hear that individual and to sympathize with them and to declare their fear as well founded. Yet the same judges had in the past refused or delayed the opposition judicial remedies in cases where their rights had been brazenly violated. Unfortunately that choreographed charade involving ZANU-PF, ZEC and sponsored litigants appears to be repeating itself yet again.

So our advice to the opposition parties and CSOs is to ignore the litigation process for once and instead approach the highest institutions of the AU and SADC (not just the AU and SADC election observer missions on the ground) and implore them to prevail over all relevant institutions to have the elections postponed so that the above matters, in addition to the many others that have so far been raised by stakeholders, are attended to and satisfactorily addressed. Of course, the demonstrations should continue and Mrs Justice Chigumba and her crew should not be given any rest until all the issues have been addressed to the satisfaction of everyone.

And while we are at that, we remind all that the ink is also part of the rigging kit. Its producers, quality, and chain of custody must also be matters that are subject to utmost transparency.

We continue to call upon anyone with evidence or suspicions of electoral malpractice, fraud and intimidation to contact us on using our Facebook Page facebook.com/ZimWatch18 or Twitter on Twitter.com/ZimWatch18.

We are a lean team of five that consists of renowned electoral administration experts, lawyers, journalists and new media specialists, and we guarantee that we will follow up on your reports and safeguard your identity if you so wish. We are also working on coming up with attractive incentives for whistle blowers. That would however depend on whether there are willing cooperating partners who are willing to fund and manage our whistle blowing programme. We know there are many good men and women in many of our public institutions who are forced to do things that are unlawful and against their conscience. We want to assist such people to blow the whistle and to do so knowing that their security and wellbeing are guaranteed. We shall keep you posted once there are any positive developments in this regard.

The Zimbabwe Election Watch 2018 (ZimWatch18) is a consortium of highly engaged professionals working together to influence the credibility of the 2018 Zimbabwean elections. You can follow @ZimWatch18 on Twitter and @ZimWatch18 on Facebook.

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Anonymous Death Threats For ZEC Commissioner

Commissioner Netsai Mushonga

A commissioner with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec), Mrs Netsai Mushonga, has reported death threats received on social media to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), saying she takes them very seriously.

Commissioner Mushonga, who has a strong presence on Twitter, has been using her social media account to post updates on election-related issues. However, last week she received a message from what appeared to be an anonymous Twitter account under the name Solomon Rex Nhongo Mujuru, threatening to shoot her.

“I have reported to the police the case of someone who threatened to shoot me. There are other cases of abuse and insult, but I have chosen to report that particular case because I took it very seriously. The person threatened to shoot me twice,” she said.

She said the threats would not deter her from routinely sharing information with the public through the micro-blogging site.

“I believe that whatever we are doing is right and my conscience is clear. I will not be deterred from doing our job. I will continue giving information to the public and I will continue tweeting because people have a right to information. We cannot deny people the right to information just because of a few malcontents,” she said.

Senior Assistant Commissioner Erasmus Makodza, who is Commander for ZRP 2018 Harmonised Elections Commitee, said law enforcement agents have launched investigations.

“We are looking into these issues and we will be following up with stations where the matter has been reported. I want to warn those that abuse social media that we have mechanisms to catch them if they commit crimes,” he said.

State Media

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ZEC Insists That Nothing Will Stop The Elections

ZEC Commissioner Qhubani Moyo (left)

Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, ZEC, has said it is too late for any political party to blame it for not kowtowing to their demands that are not provided for in the constitutional provisions guiding the holding of elections.

The commission says it has not been rigid but has gone far beyond legislative expectations to meet the demands of the parties and prove transparency. Addressing a media and stakeholders forum on Friday evening in Bulawayo, Zec commissioner Dr Qhubani Moyo said nothing would stop the elections from being held.

“Zec is making it clear and emphatic that the elections would be held. In terms of the legislative framework, the commission is following the rules. There are some stakeholders that may not be happy with the way Zec is following the law. If they wanted things done in a certain way then they should have sought to make provisions for that in Parliament so that the electoral act reflects what they desire.

The commission finds itself falsely being accused of doing things improperly. But in most cases those that are laying the accusations are ignorant of the legal provisions guiding the operations of the commission and it is very unfortunate,” said Dr Moyo.

He said the commission had fulfilled its commitment in developing a credible voter’s roll.

“The commission took it upon itself to have a voter’s roll that would carry proper identification particulars of the voter. We have 5.6 million Zimbabweans who have been registered under the biometric voter registration system and we want to make it clear that there are no duplicates. Some news publications have been making claims of this. Some made a claim of 250 000 ghost voters and I want to make it clear that those claims are malicious, misleading and this is indicative of a lack of professionalism in some media houses.

“People may have the same name and that we cannot run away from but they don’t have similar IDs and fingerprints. The next issue is about sharing a similar address. We need to look at where this thing started. You will understand that we wanted people who wanted to register to bring proof of residence but people said we wanted to rig.

“In the interest of inclusivity we allowed people to register by means of an affidavit signed by councilors and other authoritative people. Now we have a situation where we have people appearing on similar addresses and it is now the commission’s fault. We should take it as a collective responsibility as Zimbabweans born out of a desire to open up space for all stakeholders.

“The commission designed its ballot and chose its printers in terms of the provision but because there was so much bickering the commission decided to take stakeholders to the printers to see. Some had been making claims that the ballot was being printed elsewhere. We wanted to satisfy them and assure them that it is done here in Zimbabwe. We made sure they saw and witnessed the process,” said Dr Moyo.

He said there were no requirements in terms of the law to allow political parties to be involved in Zec’s primary business, saying inviting parties to witness the process was civil and meant to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

The commission finds itself falsely being accused of doing things improperly. But in most cases those that are laying the accusations are ignorant of the legal provisions guiding the operations of the commission and it is very unfortunate,” said Dr Moyo.

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Mnangagwa Reveals Why He Won’t Fire Obert Mpofu

State Media – President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday paid tribute to Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration Dr Obert Mpofu and Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda’s roles in the political transition that ushered in the new dispensation in November last year.

The two party cadres, who hail from Matabeleland North, played historical roles in process that subsequently led to the recall and resignation of former president Robert Mugabe on November 21.

Mpofu chaired the Zanu-PF Central Committee meeting on November 19 which removed Robert Mugabe as First Secretary of Zanu-PF and expelled several members of the G40 faction who were accused of unprocedurally angling to capture the levers of power in both the party and Government.

Two days later, on November 21, Adv Mudenda presided over the joint sitting of Parliament to impeach Mugabe.

The latter, however, resigned before the impeachment proceedings began.
Addressing thousands of people who attended the party’s rally at Somhlohlo Stadium in Lupane on Friday, President Mnangagwa said the duo were influential in birth of the new political administration.
“When the Vice President (Dr Constantino Chiwenga) was introducing me, he missed something,” President Mnangagwa told the supporters.
He continued: “When I became a border jumper last year, you who had remained behind refused to accept the situation. Your party Zanu-PF met and uMpofu, uObert Mpofu, ukhonapha, sukuma ndoda, nguye lo undoda lo owatshela umhlangano weCentral Committee ukuthi sibe ledawn leyi esesilayo namuhla.
He said at the November 19 Central Committee, 262 members of the 300 were in attendance and resolved to sack G40 cabalists from the party, including Mr Mugabe’s wife, Grace.
“This is now a clean revolutionary Zanu-PF with committed leadership.
“The next decision that was made at that meeting was to reinstate me and you said jump the border back into Zimbabwe to become Vice President again.

“Meanwhile, again, a revolutionary son from Matabeleland North chaired Parliament as Speaker, undoda lo ngu Mudenda and said the former president has abandoned his executive powers and we now want to impeach him. The son of Matabeleland North, uMudenda nguye owayesesi hlalweni for the impeachment process.”

President Mnangagwa said after Mr Mugabe’s resignation, Advocate Mudenda asked Zanu-PF to nominate a candidate within 48 hours to fill the vacancy.

“The former president uMugabe, stepped down, resigned and in terms of our Constitution, within 48 hours, the Speaker demanded that the ruling party, Zanu-PF, should produce a nominee to take over.

“The Central Committee of the party then nominated me to take over as the President of the new Republic. As a result of that, on the 24th I was sworn in as the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe,” he said.

The President said two weeks after his inauguration, the Zanu-PF Extraordinary Congress appointed him the substantive First Secretary of the party.

“After my inauguration, I made a pledge that we will respect the people’s wishes because the voice of the people is the voice of God,” he said.

“I also said we as a revolutionary party shall respect all our icons who led us through the armed revolution that gave us Independence.”

During his visit to Matabelaland North, the President also handed over 1 444 cattle to farmers in Matabeleland North as he officially launched the provincial Command Livestock and Fisheries Programme at Arda Jotsholo Estate in Lupane.

The cattle were distributed to beneficiaries from Matabeleland North’s seven districts.
Addressing beneficiaries and guests, President Mnangagwa said his Government had an all-inclusive approach in its development programme for the country.

He said after considering that not all provinces were the same, Command Livestock was meant to cater for those dry areas that do not receive much rainfall like Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, southern parts of Midlands, Masvingo and part of Manicaland. – state media

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Mupositori Warns ED

By Own Correspondent| A prophet from Johane Marange apostolic sect, Edmore Muchirawehondo has urged President Emmerson Mnangagwa not to involve a woman in his reign as he would suffer the same fate that befell former President Robert Mugabe.

Apostle Muchirawehondo said this while addressing church members gathered for the church’s passover at Mafararikwa shrine in Mutare at an event which was also attended by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Said Muchirawehondo:

“The former President who was deposed was removed because he allowed a woman to take the lead.

This church does not allow women to lead. If you (Mnangagwa) want to be a leader of this country, then don’t allow a woman to ruin it for you.”

Another church elder and prophet Abel Chimbadzo also took a dig at Mugabe through a satire, attributing the former leader’s demise to his wife Dr Grace Mugabe.

“There was a leader who once came here. I have forgotten his name but I will call him Samson. He came with his wife whose name I have forgotten as well but I will call her Delilah.

Samson, when he sat here, he was ordained to be a leader, he was given garment and a holy staff (rod). When he went back to his land , he gave the staff to his wife Delilah. He surrendered his power to the woman.

As a clever woman, she knew there was power in the staff and she took it during the night and the husband looked for it in the morning but couldn’t find it.

The wife then told the husband that his deputy was troublesome and should be chased away. The soldier was chased and ran away through the night…and when he came back ,he went straight to the state house

So today we are saying Mr President, you were a wise soldier who learnt from his predecessor. You learnt from his mistakes. The star you got here today signifies leadership. It’s called the star of David which stands for the name of Israel,” said  Apostle Chimbadzo.

 

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UK: Mdara Isaac Gonese Dies

By Simba Chikanza| The UK Zimbabwean community has been plunged into mourning as news surfaced that the popular Leeds based Mr. Isaac Gonese has passed away.

Mr Gonese, popularly known in Yorkshire as Mdara Isaac, passed away on Friday.

Details were trickling in at the time of writing.

The man many called Mdara lsaac passed away on Friday night after a kidney complication.

He is survived by five children: 3 boys and 2 girls.

He is set to be buried in Zimbabwe sometime next week.

Mourners are gathered at a church at 403 York road, Leeds, LS9 and the funeral is being organised by the Leeds Zimbabwe Commubity organisation.

 

Mr Isaac Gonese

MORE TO FOLLOW…

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“Stop Campaigning”: Mnangagwa Told

By Own Correspondent| Elders of the Johane Marange Apostolic sect have predicted President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s victory as the country heads for the watershed polls advising him to stop campaigning since his victory was already guaranteed.

Speaking during Mnangagwa’s visit at their shrine in Mafararikwa, Marange today, Apostle Abel Chimbadzo, one of the church elders assured the Zanu PF Presidential candidate of victory in the forthcoming polls saying he had already been anointed to lead Zimbabwe.

Said Chimbadzo:

“Mr President, you can even go back and stop campaigning because you have begged the trophy already.

There is nothing that this man (Noah Taguta, leader of the church) says and does not come to pass. My appeal to you is that please keep his word in good faith.”

Addressing thousands of church members gathered at the shrine, Mnangagwa thanked the church for welcoming him and allowing him to address the multitudes of worshippers whom he said had come to the shrine voluntarily unlike those that attend party rallies.

“When we call for rallies, we visit people’s homes inviting them and we tell them that we will give them t-shirts. Some just come for the t-shirts…..but i have never seen such a big crowd come voluntarily. It is God’s hand,” he said.

He thanked the church for endorsing him as the chosen leader,  adding that his government valued the church and would ensure that all their needs were met as long as he was in power.

“When God says or writes anything prophetic, he does not erase it. So I can safely say I am in,” said Mnangagwa who was donning the church’s robe called “gemenzi” in Shona.

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“Mnangagwa Guaranteed Of Victory”: Johane Marange Prophet

By Own Correspondent| A prophet from the Johane Marange Apostolic sect has predicted President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s victory in the forthcoming harmonised elections claiming that the Zanu Pf leader was the country’s annointed leader who should stop campaigning since his victory was “guaranteed”.

Speaking during Mnangagwa’s visit at Mafararikwa shrine in Marange today, Apostle Abel Chimbadzo, one of the church elders assured the Zanu PF Presidential candidate of victory in the forthcoming elections adding that his ascendancy to the Presidency in November last year had been predicted in the spiritual realm.

Said Chimbadzo:

“Mr President, you can even go back and stop campaigning because you have begged the trophy already. There is nothing that this man (Noah Taguta, leader of the church) says that does not come to pass.

My appeal to you is that please keep his word in good faith.”

Chimbadzo took a satirical dig at former president, Robert Mugabe whom he said lost focus at the end of his 38 year reign.

He said:

“There was a leader who once came here. I have forgotten his name but I will call him Samson. He came with his wife whose name I have forgotten as well but I will call her Delilah.

Samson, when he sat here, he was ordained to be a leader, he was given garment and a holy staff (rod). When he went back to his land , he gave the staff to his wife Delilah. He surrendered his power to the woman.

As a clever woman, she knew there was power in the staff and she took it during the night and the husband looked for it in the morning but couldn’t find it.

The wife then told the husband that his deputy was troublesome and should be chased away. The soldier was chased and ran away through the night…and when he came back ,he went straight to the state house.

So today we are saying Mr President, you were a wise soldier who learnt from his predecessor. You learnt from his mistakes. The star you got here today signifies leadership. It’s called the star of David which stands for the name of Israel.”

 

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“ED Areurura Here Pamagedhi?”

“Apinda pamagedhe here ED, just interested to know kuti vaporofita pane zvavaonawo here paari or pane zvaareururawo ??, meaning did President Emmerson pass through the church gates, I am just interested to know whether the prophets saw anything or did he confess anything,” says Fungai Taruva.

Taruva said this while commenting on a facebook post on President Mnangagwa’s visit to Mafararikwa Shrine where the Johane Marange followers are having their annual passover feast.

An evangelist ministering at the event said one leader, whom he preferred to call Samson, once visited the Shrine with his wife, whom he called Delilah, and after receiving blessings from Mutumwa Noah Samson the leader went on to surrender his power to the wife.