STATEMENT: The Police are looking for Mr. Charles Godwin Chanetsa Kuyeri (pictured) – wanted for serious fraud. Anyone with information is asked to please inform nearby police or CID Breaside Police Station 0771604094. He was last seen in Budiriro Harare. Picture below –
Terrence Mawawa
Teachers in Masvingo are secretly celebrating the High Court ruling that bars Zanu PF from forcing teachers and pupils to attend its rallies.
High Court Judge Justice Joseph Mafusire last week ruled that the ruling party should not force teachers and pupils to attend its political gatherings.
Teachers in the city of Masvingo told ZimEye.com the landmark ruling had brought relief to school authorities, parents and pupils.
“When Mnangagwa came to Masvingo three weeks ago, we were forced to suspend all learning activities and his rally disrupted our daily rhythm.
We are happy with the High Court because our learning programmes will no longer be affected by Zanu PF rallies,” said a Masvingo based primary school teacher.
“We would like to thank the High Court of Zimbabwe for instructing Zanu PF to desist from forcing teachers and pupils attend its political rallies,” said a student teacher who identified herself as Linda.
Terrence Mawawa
The main opposition party, MDC is determined to take on Zanu PF in rural constituencies generally regarded as ruling party strongholds.
Below is MDC Alliance Masvingo Province’ s statement:
In Zaka East, Masvingo, MDC Alliance provincial chairperson Mr James Gumbi was the guest of honour at Zion Church yesterday morning.
Later in the afternoon, Mr Gumbi launched the Zaka East youth soccer tournament.
In Chiredzi the campaign teams were very busy yesterday. Aspiring MP for Chiredzi West Constituency, Mr Temba was satisfied with the campaign programme.
Terrence Mawawa
A woman who filed court papers claiming she had been raped by a magistrate stunned the court when she later changed her statement and said she had sex with the accused by consent.
According to the State outline Penia Mugota(22) had filed a report claiming she had been raped by her sister’s husband, Edwin Marecha(former Gutu District Resident Magistrate).She however changed her statement and said she had sex with Marecha by consent.
In her initial report Mugota claimed Marecha forced her to have sex with him.
Marecha was acquitted of two counts of rape by a Harare 
Magistrate last week.
Terrence Mawawa
Ruling party Zanu PF honchos who have been sitting on their laurels have realised that they have a daunting task to accomplish before the July 30 elections.
The ruling party has deployed former freedom fighters to different parts of the country in a desperate bid to drum up support for President Emmerson Mnangagwa, House of Assembly and local government candidates before the elections.
Impeccable sources in the ruling party told ZimEye.com on Friday war veterans were instructed to campaign rigorously for the ruling party in all the 26 constituencies in Masvingo
Province.
“War veterans are moving around the province campaigning peacefully. Like all the citizens of this country, war veterans also have the right to participate in national processes,” Zanu PF sources said.
FORMER Zanu PF Harare South MP, Shadreck Mashayamombe was on Wednesday reportedly kidnapped by suspected Zanu PF supporters who demanded that he withdraws his candidature from the constituency before taking his Parliament-issued Chevrolet vehicle and dumping it along the Harare-Bulawayo Highway.
Mashayamombe narrated his ordeal to the media on Saturday, claiming he was waylaid at Avondale Shopping Centre on Wednesday evening around 10pm by three armed men and one woman in a Honda Fit without registration plates.
“Three men came out of the Honda Fit, demanded my car keys and forced me out of the car. They blindfolded me and drove off with me in my car. They parked the car and told me they had an instruction to dump me in Kariba Dam if I don’t want to withdraw my candidature against the President’s nephew. They later removed the blindfold and I saw one man with a gun, the other one with a metal rod, while the other two were unarmed. I could not recognise any one of them,” he said.
Mashayamombe was expelled from Zanu PF last November after the military operation that ended former President Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule. He will contest the July 30 election on an MDC Alliance ticket against Zanu PF’s Tongai Mnangagwa and several other candidates from various political parties.
Mashayamombe has been on a collision course with Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga who told a rally recently the former Zanu PF member was as good as finished.
Mashayamombe said after hours of emotional torture, one of the men said he was against the idea of killing him, advising others to only take his money and set him free.
“After they realised that I did not have money, they took my other cellphone and groceries, gave me $5 for transport and drove off in my car. I called a taxi and went home and at around 3am, someone called me and told me to go and take my car along Bulawayo Road near N Richards shops.
They told me they had left the keys inside. I could not go there during the night for fear of an attack and went to the scene at daybreak and indeed, I recovered my car.”
Mashayamombe said he did not report the matter to the police because he had reported several cases since November last year when he was kidnapped by the military, after his home was raided and money stolen from his car business; and when his clothes were stolen, but no action was taken. “Why should I waste my time when I have reported many cases, giving evidence, names of perpetrators and even vehicle registration numbers and nothing happened?” Mashay- amombe asked.
“I am now living in fear, but I don’t have anywhere to turn to for protection.”
But police national spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said if Mashayamombe was not happy with the way he had been served by the police, there were always mechanisms for redress and these included reporting the matter to the officer-in-charge, officer commanding district or go straight to the complaints desk at the Charge Office.
“I cannot comment on the many cases he is referring to because I don’t have the records,” Charamba said.
Newsday Weekender
Terrence Mawawa
A Zanu PF MP believed to be sympathetic to former First Grace Mugabe is being haunted by members of the intelligence unit, it has emerged.
Chiredzi West MP , Darlington Chiwa, a declared G-40 member, is being trailed by members of the Central Intelligence Organisation who are determined to block his political activities in the area.
Police sources in Chiredzi have disclosed there is a plot to arrest Chihwa a few days before the polls in a move calculated to prevent him from contesting in the Chiredzi West Constituency Parliamentary election.
“The plot is very simple, perceived G-40 members will not be allowed to contest in the coming polls.
There is a plot to arrest Chihwa before the July 30 elections.He is not the only MP under the spotlight.We are working with instructions from Harare,” police sources in Chiredzi said last week.
THE opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has hauled President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his ruling ZANU PF party to court in the hunt for an order compelling them not to engage in electoral malpractices by seeking to procure the support or assistance of traditional leaders and making them to act in a partisan manner or further the interests of their political party or cause.
In an urgent chamber application filed in the Electoral Court on Tuesday 26 June 2018 by Jeremiah Bamu of Mbidzo, Muchadehama and Makoni Legal Practitioners and supported by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC party argued that President Mnangagwa had early this month urged his party members contesting in the harmonised elections scheduled for 30 July 2018 to offer trinkets to chiefs and traditional leaders to procure their support in the elections.
The MDC party argued that President Mnangagwa’s utterances, which were made on 09 June 2018 to his ZANU PF party supporters in Mutoko in Mashonaland East province, motivate some ruling party members to engage in corrupt practices for the purposes of vote buying ahead of the elections scheduled for 30 July 2018.
The opposition party said President Mnangagwa’s utterances also invite chiefs and other traditional leaders to engage in intimidatory practices and coerce their subjects, who will be voters in the forthcoming elections, to cast their vote in favour of candidates sponsored by ZANU PF party including but not limited to President Mnangagwa.
The MDC party argued that President Mnangagwa’s utterances constitute a threat to the free expression of political will and undermines the possibility of holding a free and fair poll on 30 July 2018.
President Mnangagwa’s actions, the MDC party said, are in direct violation of the Constitution, the Electoral Act (Chapter 2:13) and the Traditional Leaders Act (Chapter 29:17).
The opposition party also protested against the attendance of traditional leaders at partisan political gatherings such as at the political rally held in Mutoko in Mashonaland East province arguing that it is a direct violation of the constitution and electoral laws.
Such attendance the MDC party said, confirms fears that traditional leaders are partisan and pander to the whims of ZANU PF party. The MDC party said should such conduct persist, it will be impossible to hold a free and fair poll on 30 July 2018.
Besides barring President Mnangagwa, the MDC party also wants the Electoral Court to order Chief Fortune Charumbira in his capacity as President of the National Council of Chiefs to circulate the obtained provisional court order widely through the auspices of the National Council of Chiefs and Provincial Assemblies of Chiefs.
In addition, the MDC party wants the Electoral Court to bar all traditional leaders under the purview of the National Council of Chiefs led by Chief Charumbira not to engage in partisan political activities such as attending partisan political rallies and/or uttering partisan political statements.
The MDC party also complained about the conduct of Chief Zvimba, known as Alfred Tome, who on 4 June 2018 2018 in Zvimba South, in Mashonaland West province addressed a ZANU PF rally and publicly chanted the ruling party’s political slogans and openly declared support for President Mnangagwa and ZANU PF party before his subjects.
The MDC party’s lawyers argued that public endorsement of political candidates by traditional leaders constitutes a violation of the Constitution and the Act which governs them and more so in an election period such as the one Zimbabwe is currently in.
Source: Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
Terrence Mawawa
The country’ s largest opposition party MDC is concerned about ZEC Chairperson Priscilla Chigumba’ s shenanigans with Presidential 
advisor Chris Mutsvangwa.
The party has pointed out that Chigumba’ s sincerity regarding the holding of free and fair polls is questionable.
Below is a statement that has been posted on the party’ s Facebook page under the name Nelson Chamisa for President:
On a very serious note, why did Priscilla Chigumba go to Russia with
Chris Mutsvangwa and in what capacity since
Mutsvangwa doesn’t work for the government but
for Zanu PF?
Are we a bunch of gullible cowards? Why do we always accept mediocrity with both hands as long as it comes from Zanu PF?
Hello Editor, please hide id.
Admin I work at KG6 and please inform Nelson Chamisa about that yesterday there were two tanks which came to Zimbabwe from Russia carrying bullot papers for ED to rig elections but they lied that it was money for RBZ.
Right now the ballot papers are about to be placed at Fidelis Printers, but the problem is there is a tight security so that they are trying to pull everyone away.
There is a trench which passes to Fidelis printers so that it will be easier for them to mix ballot papers now that things are not going well.
All things will be done at night when the observers are asleep, but I will try by all means to expose all they are doing; But please I beg you don’t expose my name my job will be over.
Please don’t think Chigumba is at home now; she is planning to do what she is instructed to do by Chiwenga don’t take this as a joke. I am a senior worker at KG6; take it or ignore it.
GodIsInIt
ccc
The Mthwakazi Human Rights Restoration Movement has announced that it will be demonstrating against MDC leader Nelson Chamisa in London this month.
Below was their statement in which they made a series of allegations against Chamisa and the current president Emmerson Mnangagwa:
By Thembani Dube, 1893 MHRRM Secretary for Information and Publicity | The 1893 Mthwakazi Human Rights Restoration Movement’s (1893 MHRRM’s) UK Chapter hereby announces that it will be holding another Matebele “Gukurahundi” Genocide Demonstration against the Zimbabwean government on the 28th July 2018. The Demonstration will take place outside Zimbabwe’s UK embassy, the Zimbabwe House, located at number 429 Strand, London, WC2R 0JR from 1pm to 5pm.
The Demo will be denouncing the following:
• Zanu PF Government’s Matebele “Gukurahundi Genocide” and its on-going systematic Human Rights violations of the Matebele people using state security apparatus like the intelligence, army, war-veterans, ethnic militia youth groups and the police as well as using civil servant leadership, traditional leaders, leadership in institutions of academia and corporate businesses to enforce these Human Rights violations.
• The importation of violence, bombs and terrorism acts into Matebeleland by the genocidal Zanu PF government of Zimbabwe and the full scale deployment of the security apparatus of the state of Zimbabwe that includes the army, para-military intelligence, the intelligence and the police after the Zanu PF leadership wrangle inspired bombing incident at the White City Stadium in Bulawayo on the 23rd June 2018. This bombing incident draws parallels with the abduction and killing of White Tourists in Matebeleland in 1982 that was blamed on the Matebele, selling a dummy to the International world that Matebeleland was engaging in acts of terrorism while the real culprits were Zanu PF whose agenda was to unleash a genocide on the unsuspecting and peace-loving Matebele people.
• The importation of violence into Matebeleland by the MDC-T Chamisa faction party using its youth militia called “The Order of The Vanguard” that has descended into Matebeleland targeting Nkosazana Khuphe and the Matebele and shedding blood in the process.
• The elections that are being conducted in a heavy cloud of terrorism, full scale deployment of the security apparatus to intimidate the people and send shock waves across Matebeleland and elsewhere in Zimbabwe.
The Demo will also be calling on:
• SADC, ECOWAS and the African Union to intervene in Zimbabwe to prevent the country sliding quickly into a civic war.
• The International Community, particularly the United States of America, the former colonial power of Zimbabwe, Britain and the West to show leadership and avoid assisting and supporting Genocide-loving “strong man” leadership of Africa to continue to spill African blood wantonly while Africans suffer and emigrate, in large numbers to other African countries and Europe, whom Europe shuts out while at the same time contributing hugely to the problems they face in their countries of origin.
All human rights defenders are therefore invited to attend the Demo on the eve of the already rigged Zimbabwean elections.
Released by the 1893 Mthwakazi Human Rights Restoration Movement’s Information and Publicity Department
Nehanda Nyakasikana A BLESSING or CURSE to modern Zimbabwe?
— ZimEye (@ZimEye) June 30, 2018
IS THIS TRUE? LIVE – Army Was Protecting Povo From The Criminals, Says Mnangagwa Man LIVE In Canada
— ZimEye (@ZimEye) July 1, 2018
Open letter to Unicef Harare – Mnangagwa must bestopped in his wicked abuse of children
Dear Unicef Harare Resident Representative,
Unfortunately, the United Nations seems to ignore the abuse of children by Zanu PF. Now that the High Court has made a ruling to bar Zanu PF, Emmerson Mnangagwa’s party, from frog marching children to attend rallies addressed by Emerson Mnangagwa when Unicef had been paying a blind eye since the days of Robert Mugabe, now does Unicef Harare in particular, UNICEF Global and the entire United Nations system account for its role in preventing the political abuse of children?
As a 14 year old growing up in Chinhoyi, I used to enjoy attending Zanu PF rallies, back in the mid-1980s. I attended the rallies willingly, without being forced by anyone. I loved politics from that tender age, and it was good. I recall the speeches by the likes of the late Swithan Mombeshora, the late Provincial Governor Mudhomeni Chivende, Comrade Katyamaenza (not sure if he is still alive), the late Robison Manyika, the late Mayor Urimbo among others.
However, when the Mugabe regime started losing control, especially after the coming on to the political scene by the Tsvangirai led Movement for Democratic Change, Zanu PF started forcing people to support it, and this extended to forcing school children to attend its rallies, and indoctrinating children with political poison. It is unfortunate, Emerson Mnangagwa has continued on the Mugabe path in this regard. Shame on you Emerson Mnangagwa and your Zanu PF.
If Emerson Mnangagwa has really changed to what he wants people to believe, and if he was not aware that his officials were abusing children by forcing them to attend his rallies, then he must investigate those who were responsible, and heads must roll. Failure to do that, Emerson Mnangagwa has exposed himself for what he really is, that crocodile which sheds false tears.
The one thing that this should tell all Zimbabweans, the entire Zanu PF system is rotten and must go. Vote them out come 30 July 2018. Zimbabwe needs a new beginning.
My appeal to the United Nations, especially Unicef Harare Office, please monitor political parties’ rallies to ensure that school children are not forced to attend. It is very easy to tell when children are forced or have willingly attended a rally. When they attend willingly, they are joyful, as opposed to the children abused by Zanu PF who sometimes come with clothes in the bags as they are most of the times bused from far away districts as Mnangagwa wants to give a false impression that he has the support by showing off numbers at rallies.
While this an open letter that I have also sent to the media, I need an official response from Unicef on this, failure which I will make more noise in the media.
As I do not have Emmerson Mnangagwa’s email account, I have copied this email to the Speaker of Parliament and the Clerk of Parliament who I kindly request to forward my open letter to UNICEF to Comrade President.
Mnangagwa, please just STOP IT.
Kennedy Kaitano
By Own Correspondent| President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said any changes to the current administration should come through the ballot box instead of violence or bloodshed.
Mnangagwa’s statement follows an incident at White City Stadium in Bulawayo where a hand grenade was thrown at him and senior party officials just after he had finished addressing Zanu-PF supporters at a rally.
Said Mnangagwa:
“We will not allow the use of violence to mould our thoughts, ideology or politics. The only instrument for change will be through the ballot box, and not the gun, the explosives or other tools of violence and bloodshed.
Those who tried to hurt me are not my enemies, they are the enemies of our new Zimbabwe which we are striving together to reach. The forces of peace, progress and democracy cannot be stopped.”
Mnangagwa, is however on record implicating Generation 40, a faction within Zanu Pf which was fronted by former first lady, Dr Grace Mugabe, former Zanu Pf National Political Commisser Saviour Kasukuwere and self exiled former minister of Higher and Tertiary Education Professor Jonathan Moyo among others to be behind the attack which claimed 2 lives and left 47 others injured.
They have come to embody football in this modern era, almost outgrowing their clubs and countries to be whole global entities of their own, but within six hours both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were on Saturday booted out from the 2018 World Cup.
The ramifications of this for both men individually is pretty huge. As Messi and Ronaldo have reached the latter, ever-so-slightly post-peak stages of their career, their shared sole objective has been to outdo the other, and to earn the right to sit one place higher in history’s mythical “greatest ever player” leaderboard.
But now, confirmation has almost certainly arrived that neither man will win a World Cup. Ronaldo will be 37 in four years’ time and Messi — who has history of prematurely retiring from the Argentina side and is tipped to do so again in the aftermath of this tournament — will be 35.
Neither has scored a goal in the knockout stages of the World Cup in their careers. Messi has played in one final, Ronaldo one semi-final, but this major honour, the medal that was supposed to rule all medals and definitively end the debate once and for all, has eluded both of them.
They will be crushed by that. But for us, the regular football fan who has just seen the game’s two modern greats eliminated three games short of a final, the fun is just getting started.
This has been a thrilling World Cup so far, featuring drama and quality and gripping storylines on a daily basis. Messi and Ronaldo have made their sporadic marks, but this is a World Cup not at all reliant on the superstar pair — and it is better for it.
You can take Saturday as an example. While Messi grew increasingly despondent as N’Golo Kante thwarted his every move, keeping his contribution only to assists and nothing close to match-defining, Kylian Mbappe was confirming that his name will soon be filling Balon d’Or ballots for a decade or more.
While Ronaldo ran down blind alleys and bewildered only himself with his stepovers against Uruguay, Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez were combining their incredible work rates with understanding and brilliant technical quality to great effect.
Perhaps the aura has grown too big, that no team — certainly no international team with its limited preparation time and decreased chemistry — can handle the weight of such giants and expect to be able to keep moving forward.
Because aside from the snap moments of individual brilliance, Ronaldo did not make Portugal play better, and Argentina spent its whole tournament desperately trying to find a system that Messi would be happy with and could thrive in, and failed.
This is not going to be a tournament where one player puts his team on his back and carries them to the crown. Neymar has been overshadowed by Philippe Coutinho for Brazil, Harry Kane’s goals don’t come without the overall excellence of England’s attacking movement, and it’s almost impossible to pick one single key figure for Spain or Belgium.
The best players at this World Cup — players like Luka Modric, Isco and Juan Quintero — fit into their teams and make them better. Neither Messi or Ronaldo have done that in Russia.
And so the show must go on, with or without its supposed headline acts. Some salivated over a potential Ronaldo v Messi quarter-final battle between Portugal and Argentina, when in truth France against Uruguay really is a much more tantalising game in nearly every way.
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has temporarily stopped giving US dollars to banks for withdrawal by individuals, as the latter are said to be at the centre of black market currency dealings.
The central bank has been importing cash to ease shortages, but the money is quickly diverted to the black market.
The RBZ is now concentrating on funnelling money to productive sectors to increase production for exports and boost foreign currency earnings.
In an interview with The Sunday News, RBZ Governor Dr John Mangudya said, “Even if we put a lot of money into ATMs, people will take the money and go and sell it because the US dollar is being looked to as an investment as opposed to being a medium of exchange.
“So what makes people take money from the ATM is that they want to sell it 50 cents above its value … it has become an industry of selling money but we need to sell products.
“… should we put more money into ATMs for people to get money or should we put more money into the industry, which is employing people? It’s better to go for the latter.”
Dr Mangudya said the apex bank would continue advocating for the multiple-currency regime until macro-economic fundamentals were addressed.
“Currency reforms require that we address the challenges that the economy is facing, which are your fiscal deficit, which is the major source of money in the market.
‘‘That fiscal deficit also affects the current account deficit because it feeds into more money even into the people’s pockets thus it increases the demand for imports.
“So the major economic challenge we are facing is that we need to first of all deal with fundamentals. Our issue is not a currency phenomenon. It’s about a production phenomenon. It’s about dealing with the fiscal deficit so that we bring the economy into balance,” said Dr Mangudya.
The central bank boss expressed satisfaction with the impact of the RBZ’s export incentive scheme.
He said several companies had increased exports by more than 70 percent and capacity utilisation by over 80 percent.
“We are quite happy that the export incentives that we are giving to the industry or to the economy are paying plenty of dividends. If you check all companies that are exporting now, they will tell you that the export incentive scheme was and is the panacea for increasing exports in Zimbabwe,” said Dr Mangudya.
He said the new political dispensation’s ease of doing business reforms were bearing fruit.
“If you put policy measures against capital people won’t invest because they will be skeptical that they will channel their investment for an empty cause but right now Zimbabwe is open for business.
‘‘These are the fruits of opening up the economy for business, just imagine it’s only six months (since President Emmerson Mnangagwa assumed office).
“Right now we feel we have done very well as a country under very difficult circumstances but we are not saying there are no challenges.
‘‘We need to celebrate that success as opposed to undermining ourselves, because companies have improved and people are getting employed,” said Dr Mangudya. – state media
The War Veterans of the Liberation Struggle (Rights and Benefits) Bill is ready, and consultations to increase war veterans’ monthly pensions are underway.
The Bill – which seeks to provide a legal basis for vetting war collaborators, nationalists and non-combatant cadres so that they can receive compensation from Government – is likely to be be tabled in the Ninth Parliament of Zimbabwe.
Currently, the War Veterans Act and the Ex-Political Prisoners, Detainees and Restrictees Act provide the framework for administering war veterans’ affairs.
The new Bill seeks to recognise war collaborators, non-combatant cadres and nationalists who may not have been at the war front but made immense contributions to Zimbabwe’s Independence.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, principal director for war veterans in the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans Affairs, Major-General (Retired) Richard Ruwodo said: “We drafted the new Bill and presented it to the Cabinet Legal Committee last September, and the Bill went before Cabinet for considerations which are now waiting for the approval of the Vice-Presidents.”
Government has been vetting war veterans, ex-political prisoners, detainees and restrictees for the past 21 years.
The Constitution prescribes the provision of pensions and access to basic healthcare to veterans of the Second Chimurenga.
The War Veterans Act also stipulates that a board should superintend over administration of war veterans’ issues.
The term of the last board, which was led by Cde Dumiso Dabengwa, ended last year.
The board that will be put in place after the enactment of the new law will cover previously excluded groups such as collaborators, non-combatant cadres and nationalists.
“Since the process of harmonising the Constitution and the two Acts started, we are waiting for the Bill to sail through so (that) we can include representatives from the other three groups.
“The Minister (of Defence and War Veterans’ Affairs) will make recommendations to the President on who should be part of the new board to be formed post passing of the Bill,” said Rtd Maj-Gen Ruwodo.
In addition, Government is working on on upward review of war veterans’ pensions.
“In terms of how what percentage increase we are talking about, it hasn’t been finalised yet. But we have been given a task to come up with some figures which we will present,” Rtd Maj-Gen Ruwodo said.
War veterans currently get a little above $200 in monthly pay-outs, and the figure was last adjusted in 2014.
At a meeting with war veterans in Harare on May 11, 2018, President Emmerson Mnangagwa gave an assurance that pensions and other living conditions would be improved. – state media
A fleet of unmanned aircraft will be sent out on manoeuvres to improve the security of the president and his officials, it has emerged.
Zimbabwe’s security cluster has activated robust anti-terrorism measures which will see police introduce special anti-terror personnel, drones and other monitoring mechanisms commensurate with the magnitude of all political gatherings countrywide.
The measures come as police boost security ahead of the July 30, 2018 harmonised elections, and follow the June 23 attempt on President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s life soon after addressing a rally at White City Stadium in Bulawayo.
The attack has been roundly condemned locally and internationally, and President Mnangagwa has said it will not stop elections from going ahead as constitutionally scheduled.
In an interview in Harare last week, Zimbabwe Republic Police Commander for the 2018 Harmonised Elections Committee, Senior Assistant Commissioner Erasmus Makodza said at least 45 000 specially trained police officers had been tasked to handle security countrywide.
“There will be increased vigilance and increased police visibility at all rallies. We will also ensure that we deploy more plain clothes police office amongst the crowds and we shall be using drones to monitor activities at rallies and capture what is going on.
“As of our deadline which is 30 June 2018 (yesterday), we expect to have officially trained 45 000 officers ahead of the elections.
“Our training is focusing on management of harmonised elections, the Electoral Act, public order and disorder training, and human rights.
“We also have a manual that we have produced for all officers involved. It basically contains the key elements of the Electoral Act which the police will be using during the elections.”
Snr Asst Comm Makodza said police district and provincial commanders were in the process of issuing bans on dangerous weapons, a process that would culminate in a national prohibition order.
“In terms of the bans on dangerous weapons, officers commanding in districts that include Masvingo, Mashonaland Central, Manicaland, Midlands, Mashonaland East have already started issuing the bans that make certain weapons illegal prohibited weapons are catapults, knobkerries, bows and arrows, knives, machetes, axes and spears.
He said the environment was relatively calm with cases of intra-party violence having been recorded mostly during party primary elections.
Snr Asst Comm Makodza said most cases of intra-party violence had not gone to prosecution as those involved opted for out-of-court settlements.
“The ZRP acknowledges that the nation has heeded the call by His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa to carry out elections campaigns in a peaceful environment,” he said.
“Besides the Bulawayo incident, which we have come up with practical measures to prevent in the future, this election is very peaceful. We are confident the call for peace has been received by most Zimbabweans.
“During our assessment in the provinces, on the state of preparedness for the elections, we note traditional and religious leaders are in line with us, they agree that the elections this time are peaceful, compared to the previous polls.” – state media
By Dorrothy Moyo| The Zimbabwe Republic Police have managed at a grant for further detention of the two Suspects in the White City bombing case.
The police during the day, Saturday applied to the sitting magistrate at the Western Commonage Court in Bulawayo.
Their application for a warrant authorising them to further detain John Zulu and Douglas Musekiwa, was granted.
The two are the main suspects in the genade attack on President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Zanu PF rally at White City the 23rd June 2018. – More to follow…
Was Laizah Marimo Assassinated?
— ZimEye (@ZimEye) July 1, 2018
By A Correspondent| The late Laizah Marimo was likely assassinated, it has emerged.
“I’ve received a disturbing letter from the late Laizah Marimo’s family. They believe her death was politically motivated & that ZANUPF members may be involved. I’ll be taking up the matter with Zim Human Rights Commission whilst investigations take place,” wrote Norton MP Temba Mliswa in response to the below letter. FULL TEXT
This was after Masarira issued the below public statement having reported Nelson Chamisa’s MP to the police. Below was the statement-
By Linda Masarira: These levels of intolerance are sickening. I would expect this kind of behavior from ZanuPF. Pulling down posters is a criminal offence. All candidates signed electoral code of conduct and when one wants to use vulnerable youthies to pull down posters and replace them with theirs I will deal with them legally.
On Thursday my posters were pulled down at Braeside Musika and some at Braeside shops and I engaged the current sitting MP Murisi Zwizwai after being informed that the removers of the posters were chanting that this is a Zwizwai area. I had a conversation with Hon. Murisi Zwizwai and he advised me to get all those pulling my posters down in his name. Ignorance is not an excuse in a court of law.
Tolerance of differing political opinions is key in our quest to have credible elections. I have reported the Montagu case to Harare Central Police Stations and investigations commence on Monday.
Nehanda Nyakasikana A BLESSING or CURSE to modern Zimbabwe?
— ZimEye (@ZimEye) June 30, 2018
…..
Can You Be ZANU PF And Be A Christian At The Same Time?
— ZimEye (@ZimEye) June 30, 2018
Nehanda Nyakasikana A BLESSING or CURSE to modern Zimbabwe?
— ZimEye (@ZimEye) June 30, 2018
ZANU PF Twerkers Will Never Enjoy Foreign Medical FlyOuts Like Oppah & Mohadi?
— ZimEye (@ZimEye) June 30, 2018
By Farai D Hove| Vice president Constantino is in Harare’s Arcadia preparing to officiate a rally here.
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state media pics:
"G40 Will Never Vote Chamisa" – Wafawarova
— ZimEye (@ZimEye) June 30, 2018
Kripper Peter Mliswa(Shumba)
Today, 30th June 2018, is a somber day that marks exactly one year since my father passed on. It is also one month before the upcoming elections set for the 30th July 2018 where both my sister Mary and myself will be contesting. This is a first for our family and as I reflect on the teachings of my father, I have no doubt that we will prevail and make him proud.
It will also be a striking victory where one, myself and the other Mary are both Independent and ZANUPF respectively.
Whilst celebrating a life well lived and in anticipation of success, it is an emotional time as I would have loved for TATA to have been here to share the experience. I am however grateful for the lessons learnt and the legacy that he left with us. I dedicate this election to my father and we are where we are because of his way of doing things. He was a free man who allowed us the freedom to be ourselves which is the reason why I focussed on my passion for sport. At that time it was a field that many indigenous parents shunned in favour of the more academic subjects. However with my parents support I had the confidence to explore the sports territory to my great satisfaction and success.
One of the things I vividly remembering him sharing with me was his sense of dedication and responsibility. He was ill and lying on his hospital bed but despite me saying that I wanted to stay by his side, he urged me to go and attend my meetings in Norton as I could not let down the people who had elected me. He stressed that it was more important for me to go to Norton than to see him lying there and I should prioritise my responsibilities in Norton.
His passing before he had the opportunity to visit Norton upon his return from England is a source of great regret but I know that his heart was in Norton.
I remember that during the Kingsdale saga, when things were at a peak, he was unwell but he insisted that I should go and fight for the people. I remember that vividly…”Go and fight for the Kingsdsle people” and I further remember recounting the incident to the residents of Kingsdale that my father had said that I must come and fight for you. When we triumphed he was happy and his words always ring in my ears and are a great source of motivation that keeps me fighting for the people with all my heart, soul, body and mind.
Norton will never be the same again because of that spirit in me. Whenever things may get tough and thoughts of quitting filter through my mind, I hear Baba’s voice echoing in my head……. “Go and fight for the Kingsdale people!” and my resolve is set, *I AM HERE TO FIGHT FOR THE NORTON PEOPLE and Zimbabwe at large*
That’s my contribution to my dad, Kripper Peter Mliswa, losing him is tough but that’s reality and I have kept on working hard to uphold his memory. He can be assured that we are looking after mum and I have stepped up my family responsibilities. We look forward to the unveiling of his tombstone on the 21st July 2018 where we will celebrate the life of a great man. His favourite song that has been playing in my head, “Munoziva kusasimba kwangu” the popular Methodist hymn makes me smile.
One year….thank you dad you were a great man Tat whose spirit lives on in your children and thus we can never fail.
*Temba Peter Mliswa*
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has arrived in Mauritania for the 31st Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) summit.
The President landed at Oum Tounsi International Airport early Saturday morning, accompanied by Industry, Commerce and Enterprise Development Minister Dr Mike Bimha, permanent secretaries Mr George Charamba and Ambassador Joey Bimha and senior government officials.
Mnangagwa was received by Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Algeria Cde Edwin George Mandaza, Zimbabwe Permanent Representative to the AU in Addis Ababa and Mauritanian government officials.
President Mnangagwa left Harare for Mauritania late last night.
He joins other continental leaders for the AU mid-year summit which is focusing on fighting corruption on the continent and sharing experiences on how it can be eradicated.
It is widely believed that corruption has stifled development and economic growth on the African continent with resources meant for economic growth and uplifting standards of life being diverted by some of the leaders, hence the choice of the theme of this summit.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Retired Lieutenant General Sibusiso Moyo travelled ahead and was already in Nouakchott for the Executive Council Meeting of the AU summit which prepares for the gathering of the continental leaders.-state media
By Mangosuthu Mbele| A toad doesn’t run in the day light for nothing. It’s either its running away from a scotching sun or it’s looking for the coolness of a shade, whichever way the toad has to move.
The Saturday “firecracker” explosion on people at White City stadium is no different. Someone somewhere is responsible and stands to benefit one way or the other. Before we even get carried away, lets remove any suspicion on the Colonel, opposition, political extremists for the arson. They are simply not capable.
There are four possible scenarios in existence then- First: the country executive knew nothing about the attack; Second: The executive knew and did nothing to stop it; Third: Either Gen knew and did nothing; Fourth: ED knew before hand and did nothing.
First scenario: The very thought of the country executive knowing nothing about such an attack is unsettling to say the least. As a nation it makes us uncomfortable to know how ignorant our leaders are as far as the security of the country is concerned. We have the CIO, PISI, MI as top dogs in detecting any threats to Zimbabwe, both of internal and external origin. If genuinely the executive was in the dark then the Directors of our security units must be fired on the spot for incompetence.
Second scenario: It’s also possible that the executive actually knew and orchestrated the whole fire cracker incident to get sympathy vote. That’s how much Zanu-PF cares less about lives of the citizens. Zanu-PF can maim the whole family just to gain one vote. That’s how dangerously desperate it can get once it’s cornered. Its overtly clear Chamisa has ED cornered in these 2018 elections and Zanu-PF knows fully well it is at its weakest point with ED at the helm.
Remember ED is the most “sought after and harassed” politician in Zimbabwe. Talk about the cyanide attacks, unsolved break ins in offices which have 24 hr surveillance, border jumping and now “firecracker attack” conveniently 40 days before the elections. The guy is an expect when it comes to milking the sympathy vote from voters.
Hitler once said there is nothing called “bad publicity”. Publicity is publicity. Good or bad. This whole week the talk on Zimbabwe has been how an innocent president survived a terrorist attack!…..No one is talking about how ZEC is planning on rigging the elections. We are now concerned about how many explosives were detonated and who planted them instead of concerning our selves about the 130 000 polling officers (teachers and police) who will not be allowed to vote come the 31 of July.
ED is a master on political survival tricks. Remember how we cleansed and converted a bloodthirsty predator into a harmless fluffy teddy bear just by a single lick of an ice-cream in Gwanda? We had to remove a sitting president so that the “innocent” ED takes over. We marched the streets of Harare to fight for our beloved border jumper and office break-in victim. The Master of manipulation at his best.
It’s one thing to plot a coup, it’s another to trust a General who orchestrated a coup once you take over the reigns. ED is definitely not comfortable with the General. What with the reports that the General still uses his ZDF offices? To secure himself, removing the Gen from the picture is most prudent thing to do for ED. He could have not only known but actually put the Gen at the centre of the cross hairs. With the Gen gone, ED gets the sympathy vote and also gets the threat from his back. Double jackpot.
It’s also possible, though to a smaller extent, that ED was a genuine victim of gen political maneuvers. But why would Gen want to do that?
See Gen knows ED is not comfortable about having a 2IC who orchestrated a coup. He knows that once ED gets elected into power, there are chances of the Gen being left out of the presidium or cabinet. If ED loses, he may gracefully step down for most probably Chamisa who will obviously protect his home boy but will throw the Gen under the bus. So whether Ed loses or wins, Gen is not guaranteed of a job. The only way Gen can get job security is if he takes over the presidency.
If Ed had been incapacitated by the firecracker, obviously Gen takes over (don’t worry about the Colonel, he is a place holder), but his major problem is that the nomination court has closed. This means come 31 July ruling party may not have a presidential candidate. That’s a tricky situation.
So once the Gen takes over power, he will most likely institutive a state of emergency, renewable every six months. Parliament will likely be suspended, elections postponed, media throttled…… for those still in the dark m describing a military state.
Military autocratic state is the only way the Gen can survive. He had/still has motive. He has military connection capabilities. He is not safe from the list of suspects.
Now whether ED or Gen or both are suspects in this case doesn’t matter, just know that Zanu-PF does all in its capacity to make sure it retains power, even it means shedding blood of its own supporters. This election is our only opportunity to remove this blood thirsty animal from power before it devours us all.
Make sure you are registered to vote and armed with knowledge. Voting anyone from Zanu-PF or any of the Zanu proxy candidates is tantamount to digging your own grave. This is the only availed chance to remove ED and Zanu-PF by voting Chamisa. Zanu-pf is at its weakest with ED at the helm. Lets bury it once and for all.
Zimbabweans in the diaspora Saturday rushed to help a female teacher stranded on the streets after Seke Teachers’ College withheld her certificates. Watch the LIVE program below:
By Showbiz Reporter| Jah Prayzah has jetted into Canada and yesterday was jamming in Torronto. Today he will be in Edmonton LIVE and promises fireworks.
Below are the details:
By Paul Nyathi|The Minister of Water and Climate Affairs Oppah Muchinguri has rubbished media reports suggesting that she is undergoing re-constructive medical operation on her breast following injuries sustained at a bombing incident on Saturday last week.
Highly reliable sources close to the Minister told ZimEye.com that the Minister was shocked to read the news that she ruptured a breast in the bombing incident at White City stadium last week.
Media reports on Friday indicated that Muchinguri, who was airlifted to South Africa after the bombing incident, was recovering from an operation to restore one of her breasts which was completely ruptured when a bomb went off in the VVIP area at the end of a ZANU PF rally in Bulawayo last week.
“Minister Muchinguri is shocked by the report,” said the source.
“She sustained chest injuries but definitely didn’t rupture a breast as reported by the media, we don’t know where they are getting that sensational Information,” She said.
Some social media reports also claimed that Vice President Kembo Mohadi who is also in South Africa was amputated on the leg following the bombing. ZimEye.com could not substantiate the claims as sources close to the Vice President declined to comment on the matter.
A bomb was thrown at the top ZANU PF officials as they were walking out of White City Stadium in Bulawayo last week in what is suspected to have been an assassination attempt on President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The President escaped unharmed but 49 other people including Muchinguri and Mohadi were injured. Two have since died.
Break away MDC-T leader Thokozani Khupe, has claimed that MDC Alliance council candidates in Hwange area had dumped their presidential candidate, Nelson Chamisa, and were now campaigning for her.
Khupe’s spokesperson Linda Masarira said the majority of candidates who filed to contest the elections under the MDC Alliance banner had turned their backs on Chamisa, accusing him of imposing his preferred candidates in certain areas.
“I have heard that some candidates from the alliance are campaigning for our candidates and our President in these coming elections. This has been caused by the irregularities in the alliance itself, the imposition of candidates and the dictatorial tendencies that are being exhibited in the alliance,” she said.
“This year’s election is different from other elections we held in the past years where people voted for a political party. Now people look at the quality of the candidate and I think that is the scenario happening in Hwange.”
But, Binga North MP, Prince Dubeko Sibanda a Chamisa ally, dismissed the claims as false saying there was no such discord in the alliance structures in Matabeleland North province.
“It is not true. We might have one or two isolated incidents but we are in control, Khupe has no traction,” he said.
MDC-T Matabeleland North interim chairman and Binga South MP Joel Gabhuza said he had not received reports of alliance candidates campaigning for Khupe.
“They have not yet advised me on that. The situation on the ground is generally fine, we, however, have our own challenges,” he said.
Newsday
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has confirmed an investigation that a hand grenade was used in the White City Stadium rally blast that killed two people last week.
His statement confirmed what an analyst picked up LIVE on ZimEye.com within the hour of the incident last Saturday.
Mnangagwa revealed this at a Press conference at State House in Tanzania after holding talks with host President Dr John Magufuli.
Mnangagwa’s confession however comes at a time when his security was criticised and a former police intelligence officer says the details are not adding up… ” I have worked for the security team around Mugabe when I was at PPU , then CID. For those who do not know, the teams work like this. A week before the rally we are deployed. The PISI section of the police station which polices area where there is a rally gathers information. The CID also deploy. The army also deploys. The CIO also deploy. So there are four groups here…” (click to read more).
Notwithstanding, Mnangagwa said, “You might be aware about the events that took place Saturday when a hand grenade was thrown at me. But since you see me here, it means I am now fine. That was a minor incident, we are going to proceed with elections. We have opened up democratic space and we now have 133 political parties, but (for) President, we are better (than) Tanzania, we are 23 (candidates); here (in Tanzania), you had 42 candidates.”
By Paul Nyathi|Two Bulawayo commuter omnibus touts are reported to be the key suspects in last Saturday’s attempted assassination of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Renowned journalist Mduduzi Mathuthu made the revelation in his Twitter post on Friday claiming that the two touts will appear in court on Saturday.
How do you have a President checking on the injured before the source of the threat on his life is known? Queries NPF Mwenezi.
Below is the full text of an insight into the mystery surrounding the White City Stadium explosion which claimed two lives and injured 47 others.
Writes NPF Mwenezi in a facebook post:
“I have worked for the security team around Mugabe when I was at PPU , then CID. Fr those who do not kno , the teams work like this. A week before the rally we are deployed. The PISI section of the police station which polices area where there is a rally gathers information. The CID also deploy. The army also deploys. The CIO also deploy. So there are four groups here.
Ok the PISI section of the ZRP and CIO give a no threat signal from information gathered and we scan that stadium on the third day. Sniffer dogs and bomb squad. After a full scan the army takes over and guards the venue day and night. We also snoop around beer halls and surroundings. Venue is guarded to ensure no invasion. Usually the army team do not know each other. This means they are drawn from diffrent barracks to ensure they do not connive. So the trick is that they will do their job because they do not trust each other. Now on the actual day the rescannimg occurs. We ensure the place is safe. The stage is prepared with scanned material.
There is the drill on rally day. More operatives come with the president. About 100 are in civilian clothing and should make part of the crowd. So the 100 operatives occupy what we call a CZ radius. For you who are not civilians know a CZ pistol. So the range of any kill shot is 20 metres and below. Anything over that is likely to miss….. Now we watch the crowd. A rally is composed of three distinct features.
1. The supporters – these are clearly in party regalia. So that first 20 metres the duty uniform branch of the ZRP and Army are ordered to push back all non party regalia attendants and eliminate possible threats from our radius.
2. The supporter not in party regalia. That one is watched closely for anything unusual eg We cannot have a person clad in a suit or jacker when its hot etc.
3. Any unusual person – this is where we look at your mood. Your eyes. Any commucation you might be having.
Now my problem is here. The critical passage. We call it that. It is when the president comes on and off stage. There we all close in. If you have attended Bob’s rallies you could have realised a lot of movement during these two stages. When he comes in its about ten operatives around him. By the time he approaches or leaves stage it doubles. So now my question is…That there is a C5 grenade which was thrown when #Mnangagwa went off stage. How was it thrown because we close in and cordon?
So there lies my problem. Who threw the grenade?. That person , if not part of the president was going to be seen and caught. I rest my case .What of supporters..are they not a potential threat but they form the least of their worries.
Supporters during the critical passage are even assaulted and pushed roughly to clear the way. A supporter can only throw a grenade by then frm 15 metres away. It would be thrown at a loop pple not straight because there are many people surrounding the president. So if thrown at a loop it means you would be seen. It also must be caught on camera somehow. Note that at most after removing the pin the grenade takes 3 to 4 seconds at most to explode.
The loop if from a distance will make it explode in mid air. Now do the math. That thing was thrown by someone not far away. Meaning that person was among the group with #Mnangagwa , not the operatives. If he was among the operatives he was going to be seen…I rest my case
Its probably a way of saying we have terrorists in the country.
So if anything happens to Chamisa it will be blamed on them. How do you explain a president who is everywhere checking the injured before the source of the threat is known. Why is he so fast in reminding pple and the international community that he has always been a target? It just does not add up.
You will see the next phase of this movie. Never ever lie to yourself that ED and Chiwenga will ever fight. Those two are dearest friends. Chiwenga uplifted ED to SA when he was poisoned and lied to Bob that he had taken him to Gweru. He put his body on the line for ED. Saying they are fighting is just a wish.
Quassi military people are used to a chain of command. Chiwenga is no politician. I can tell you now that he does not wish to be the president right now. Its just way too tricky a territory. That much he knows. That post makes him powerful and he will stick to that and avoid being in charge.”
Retired Chief Air Marshal Perrance Shiri believes that the party could have erred in giving former President Robert Mugabe carte blanche to stay in office for as long as he pleased, as this seems to have made him vulnerable, especially when he became old, to the political designs of a faction led by ex-First Lady Grace Mugabe, which wanted to take over the levers of power in the party and Government.
The ZANU PF Politburo member, who is also the Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, said this while introducing President Mnangagwa during a meeting with Zimbabweans based in Tanzania at Hyatt Hotel in Dar es Salaam.
Minister Shiri said the G40 faction, whose political ambitions were blunted by the military’s operation in November last year — Operation Restore Legacy — was angling to first elevate the former First Lady first as Vice President of both the party and State, before catapulting her to the Presidency.
This, he said, was at variance with the practice of other liberation movements in the region such as the ANC in South Africa, Swapo in Namibia and Frelimo in Mozambique.
“In November last year, after a lot of jockeying in the party for what appeared to be a vacuum there, I think we all know the former president (Cde Robert Mugabe) of the party was 94 years old, and we all know the challenges associated with old age,” said Minister Shiri.
“We had a cabal which worked with the wife of the former president for the purposes of capturing both State power as well as the party’s leadership. And in order to achieve that, they had to sideline and discredit credible leaders within the party.
“That led to the dismissal of our Guest of Honour (President Mnangagwa) from the post of Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Vice President of the party. And it appeared that the party, through the influence of the cabal, were set to appoint Dr Grace Mugabe to take over the Deputy Presidency of the party and possibly of Government. The objective being ultimately for her to become the party leader.”
Min Shiri said other liberation movements seemed to have a “predictable” succession pattern.
He said: “We might want to take a leaf from other liberation movements in our region. We had Swapo. At independence, their founding father was Sam Nujoma. He led for 15 years, then left his deputy to take over; that was Mr (Hifikepunye) Pohamba, who ran the country for 10 years and also handed over the party to his deputy, current president (Hage Geingob) —all veterans of the liberation struggle.
“In Mozambique, it started with the late President Samora Machel after his unfortunate demise. His immediate deputy, Cde Joaquim Chissano, took over leadership of both the party and the country. After 10 years, he handed over to the next most senior individual, Cde (Armando) Guebuza, who also did the same.
“Same story for South Africa, from Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma; it was so predictable, the succession pattern.”
But in Zimbabwe’s case, he said, this was quite different.
“But in our case, it was quite different: Wrongly or correctly, we had allowed our founding father to remain in office for as long as he wanted, but due to old age, then we had this cabal coming into place and trying to wrestle power through unorthodox means, and one sure way to make it was to discredit and sideline credible leaders of the party.
“That’s how we ended up with the Guest of Honour (President Mnangagwa) being dismissed from the leadership of this party.”
This act, he said, led to an inexorable process, through Operation Restore Legacy, which culminated in the resignation of ex-president Robert Mugabe on November 21 and reinstatement and elevation of Cde Mnangagwa as President of both the party and State.
Minister Shiri said the Head of State and Government, who he described as an “immensely experienced” individual, was currently correcting the shortcomings of the previous administration, and was largely expected to deliver Zimbabwe to the Promised Land.
“He is very much aware of the points of the previous dispensation and he has proved his determination to uphold those while correcting the shortcomings of the previous dispensation,” he said.
President Mnangagwa was in Tanzania for a two-day State visit at the invitation of Tanzanian President Dr John Magufuli, which ended on Friday.
State Media
By Paul Nyathi|President Mnangagwa left the country on Friday for Mauritania, where he is set to join other African Heads of State and Government for the 31st Ordinary Session of the African Union Summit.
Mnangagwa, is accompanied by several senior Government officials. Vice President Constantino Chiwenga is the Acting President.
Mnangagwa left the country just hours after arriving from a two day state visit to Tanzania.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Secretary Ambassador Joey Bimha described the summit as a high-level meeting that spoke to the new dispensation’s objective of eradicating corruption as Government sets focus on transforming the country into a middle income economy by 2030.
“We regard this summit as an important meeting because it goes along with the thrust of the new dispensation,” said Ambassador Bimha.
“The summit will give His Excellency the President an opportunity to interact with his counterparts across the continent and share experiences how they have tackled the vice in their respective countries, especially those that have managed to do better in this regard.”
By Paul Nyathi|The Minister of Water and Climate Affairs Oppah Muchinguri has rubbished media reports suggesting that she is undergoing re-construction medical operation on her breast following injuries sustained at a bombing incident on Saturday last week.
Highly reliable sources close to the Minister told ZimEye.com that the Minister was shocked to read the news that she ruptured a breast in the bombing incident at White City stadium last week.
Media reports on Friday indicated that Muchinguri, who was airlifted to South Africa after the bombing incident, was recovering from an operation to restore one of her breasts which was completely ruptured when a bomb went off in the VVIP area at the end of a ZANU PF rally in Bulawayo last week.
“Minister Muchinguri is shocked by the report,” said the source.
“She sustained chest injuries but definitely didn’t rupture a breast as reported by the media, we don’t know where they are getting that sensational Information,” She said.
Some social media reports also claimed that Vice President Kembo Mohadi who is also in South Africa was amputated on the leg following the bombing. ZimEye.com could not substantiate the claims as sources close to the Vice President declined to comment on the matter.
A bomb was thrown at the top ZANU PF officials as they were walking out of White City Stadium in Bulawayo last week in what is suspected to have been an assassination attempt on President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The President escaped unharmed but 49 other people including Muchinguri and Mohadi were injured. Two have since died.
A ZIMBABWEAN bogus lawyer who was arrested in Botswana for allegedly practising without proper qualifications has been using his late brother’s certificates obtained from the University of Zimbabwe.
The latest development emerged when Meshack Nyakaswa (42) of Nyakaswa Legal Services appeared before a Broadhurst magistrate Mr Tshepo Thedi facing charges of forgery and practising law without proper qualifications.
The investigating officer in the matter, Detective Senior Superintendent Sergeant Marapo told the court that Nyakaswa claimed to have graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor Degree in Law from the UZ.
“Nyakaswa claimed to be a holder of a Bachelor Degree in Law from the University in Zimbabwe having graduated back in 2004, but it turned out that the certificate belonged to his late brother. His operating in Botswana as a lawyer is not genuine and I have discovered that back in 2014, Nyakaswa did his Diploma in Law at Gaborone University College,” he said.
“Something is fishy here. How can someone who holds a degree later enrol for a diploma course?” Det Snr Supt Marapo said he seized 312 files for people that Nyakaswa allegedly represented at both the Magistrates’ and High Courts.
According to media reports in the neighbouring country, Nyakaswa and his accomplice, Nkosana Admire Ngwenya (27) of Ngwenya and Associates were arrested on Tuesday last week.
Ngwenya, despite being a trained lawyer from the University of Botswana, is facing charges of operating his law firm in Gaborone illegally as its permit had expired last year.
He is also alleged to be in Botswana illegally following the expiry of his residence and work permits.
According to Mmegi newspaper, Ngwenya has been operating a law firm in Phase 2, Gaborone without residence and work permits from September 2017 to date and allegedly unlawfully remained in Botswana for more than 292 days.
‘
The particulars of Nyakaswa’s obtaining by false pretences charge state that between October 22, 2015 and February 19, 2016 in Gaborone with intent to defraud obtained P6 300 from Loeto Rebatenne of Gaborekwe General Dealer and Fresh Produce as legal fees by falsely pretending that he was a duly registered lawyer and admitted as such in Botswana while he knew that the information was false.- state media
The Bulawayo “bombing” incident last Saturday has brought into sharp focus the deteriorating relations between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his deputy Constantino Chiwenga at a time a multi-agency security team has been established to investigate the attack which experts say was an inside job.
The explosion occurred soon after Mnangagwa left the stage following his address at White City Stadium. Co-Vice-President Kembo Mohadi and Chiwenga were behind Mnangagwa.
Scores of people, among them, Chiwenga and Mohadi security aides, were injured in the explosion, while many others were treated for shock. Chiwenga and Mohadi security aides later died from injuries.
Zanu PF and security insiders say although the suspects and motive of the attack have not yet been established, the incident had resulted in suspicions and mistrust deepening between the Mnangagwa and Chiwenga camps.
The Zimbabwe Independent has, since February, been reporting on the gradually intensifying tension between Mnangagwa and the military clique surrounding him, amid concerns that the army has been exerting overbearing influence on the executive.
Official sources say the military has been exercising veto power in some instances, while also influencing the operations of government and other security organs.
Senior government officials have been telling the Independent that the military element in Zanu PF has serious political ambitions, to the extent that they want Mnangagwa to serve only one term, if he wins the July 30 presidential elections, before handing the baton over to Chiwenga, who is also in charge of the ministries of defence and war veterans. Hardliners want him to leave before finishing his first term, hence the impeachment plot.
“Tension has been simmering between the two for some time despite the show of unity in public. Given that there has been mistrust between the two most powerful persons in the country and that the target and motive of the attack has not been established, it is difficult to rule out the possibility that the attack could have originated from the unresolved leadership issues,” a Zanu PF official said.
“In any assassination attempt there is usually a target and rarely do you have two or more targets. It’s possible that Chiwenga was the target because the explosion occurred soon after Mnangagwa had left and Chiwenga was about to leave the stage.
“It’s also possible that Mnangagwa was the target and the assassins missed their target. The device used had a low impact range, which indicates that possibly there was an attempt to limit collateral damage, and this may have contributed to the target escaping.”
Mnangagwa, who assumed power following a military coup which deposed former president Robert Mugabe, on Wednesday said he does not trust former first lady Grace.
Grace was the leader of the G40 faction which tried to derail Mnangagwa’s succession ambitions before being defeated in last November’s coup. He said his G40 enemies could have tried to assassinate him.
Only last month Mnangagwa claimed he had unearthed a plot by disgruntled party parliamentary candidates to impeach him soon after winning the general elections.
Addressing a Zanu PF healing and reconciliation workshop in Harare, Mnangagwa said he had gathered from state security agents that the alleged plot involved party members sympathetic to Mugabe.
Mnangagwa’s spokesman George Charamba told a local daily this week that the assassination attempt could have been caused by internal leadership contestation that has not been resolved.
“Why don’t we wait and see what the investigation will yield? Except we are saying these attempts have been done in the past, and that tells you that it might have something to do with the contestation that has not yet been resolved, even internally,” Charamba said.
Security experts and investigators told the Independent that the assassination attempt had all the hallmarks of an inside job and was executed by someone with a security background.
They said in an assassination or criminal investigation, it is always crucial to determine the motive and whether the attacker was acting alone, while the means used is also crucial in identifying suspects.
Security experts have ruled out the possibility that the attack could have been carried out by opposition party members, Bulawayo’s vocal pressure groups or a civilian.
“You have to look at who would have benefitted most if either Mnangagwa or Chiwenga was assassinated. It’s certainly not the opposition, because Zanu PF will just choose another leader and there is a possibility of a severe crackdown. So there is no motive there,” said a security expert.
“Besides, the opposition has no history of such type of violence and they do not have ready access to things such as bombs and grenades. So the opposition and pressure groups have been ruled out, expect of course the G40 element in Zanu PF because they are part of the system.
“The question is who then? It’s obvious it’s people with access to weapons such as bombs or grenades and this would be people linked to the government and security services, such as the military. In any case, whoever detonated the explosive device had knowledge of how it works, hence the indications that it was carried out by someone from the security sector, but most likely the perpetrator had a brief from someone.”
Divisions between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga started showing soon after the military coup in November last year. The coup catapulted Mnangagwa to high office, ending Mugabe’s 37-year grip on power. Chiwenga was the commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces when the coup occurred.
Mnangagwa had initially appointed Oppah Muchinguri as one of his deputies, but the military demanded that the position be given to Chiwenga, who also insisted on being in charge of defence and war veterans.
Mnangagwa also wanted to appoint war veteran Victor Matemadanda as Zanu PF’s national commissar, but the military demanded that one of the senior commanders secure the post, resulting in Retired Lieutenant-General Engelbert Rugeje’s appointment.
Rugeje, with the help of the military, ran the Zanu PF primary elections on April 29, which resulted in Mnangagwa’s key backers losing, culminating in a fallout.
The internal elections were marred by a series of problems ranging from logistical difficulties, delays in delivering ballot papers and other material, missing names of candidates, mix-ups, violence, manipulation, vote-buying and fraud. – Zimbabwe Independent
By Dorrothy Moyo| The EU Observer Miasion has suddenly reversed a report that two of their workers were harassed by a CIO agent in Chiredzi.
The earlier report quotes their own worker stating that he was harassed by the well known CIO agent.
But in a sudden twist of events the organisation has issued a corporate statement acknowledging that they were truly approached by the Intelligence agent. But then the new report claims that there was no harassment. Below was the full text of the statement:
In response to newspaper articles regarding EU long-term observers based in Chiredzi:
EU long-term observers have been present in all provinces of the country since Saturday 23 June. During this time they have met a broad range of stakeholders, including election administration, political parties, media, local government and police.
On Tuesday 26 June, the long-term team in Chiredzi met with the District Administrator and two members of the CIO requested a copy of their ID. The request was polite and was not harassment as portrayed by some media.
The European Union Election Observation Mission emphasises that any reports describing the encounter differently are inaccurate and statements attributed to the observers are incorrect.
Jane Doka’s album launch is on on Saturday night at the – DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel,
Stadium Way West, Bletchley, MK1 1st.
The album is dubbed: “First Love”
The event is free and strictly by invite. Expect an exclusive live band performance of “First Love” by Jane Doka, a two course hot and cold buffet meal and a few other surprises on the night. CDs will be available.
Dress code: Evening wear
FAQs
Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?
Children and toddlers cannot attend due to safeguarding issues at the event.
By Own Correspondent| Former cabinet minister who is also nephew to former president Robert Mugabe, Patrick Zhuwao has castigated British Prime Minister Theresa May and her government for assisting President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s illegitimate government in what he described as “a plot to unleash a blood bath” in Zimbabwe.
In his Brief Reloaded Article 19 released on Wednesday, Zhuwao warned May that history will judge her actions and that of her government if it assists Mnangagwa in the massacre of innocent people through believing in lies and fabrications.
“The British government, and I dare say various British institutions, are colluding with Mnangagwa in his despicable subterfuge that has the hallmark of the 1980s Gukurahundi Massacres that saw the loss of thousands of lives.
“My letter to you places these matters on the record so that history will judge your actions and those of your government in the full knowledge that you were complicit in the blood bath that Mnangagwa is plotting to unleash,” said Zhuwao.
In the letter, Zhuwao also blamed the British government of supporting the November, 2017 coup which toppled former president Mugabe.
“Your government, with the support of institutions such as the BBC, has sought to sanitize that coup by presenting it as a transition and by pressuring governments in the region and on the continent to similarly condone the coup.
“Your government’s role in propagating, through the BBC, Mnangagwa’s diabolical #MyHunchWithoutEvidence justification to violence will soil your hands with blood as happened to Margaret Thatcher,” added Zhuwao.
“Your despicable liaison with the reptilian Mnangagwa will not stem the tide of Zimbabwe’s Second Republic set to be ushered in by the assured election of Nelson Chamisa on 30 July 2018,” Zhuwao stated.
The former minister challenged Mnangagwa’s statements on the BBC Wednesday where he implicated former first Lady Grace Mugabe’s G40 faction in last Saturday’s White City Stadium rally blast which killed two people, injuring 49 others.
Zhuwao said Mnangagwa’s lies were “a hunch without evidence” as he urged May to assist with the investigations that killed the two aides at the Bulawayo rally rather than try to support the “devil.”
According to Zhuwao, three quarters of the violence in Zimbabwe since 1980 has been perpetrated and directed by President Mnangagwa.
“My knowledge of the way Mnangagwa operates is that he is planning to launch a crack-down in the same way that he has done over the last 38 years, notably in 2008 and during the Gukurahundi massacres.
“Contrary to Mnangagwa’s claim in the BBC interview that Zimbabwe is the most peaceful country in the region; the fact is that the country is the most politically violent state in Southern Africa adding the country has the dishonorable record of accounting for 40% of all political violence in the region,” added Zhuwao.
By Paul Nyathi|MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has visited the Holy City of Nazareth ahead of the crucial 2018 harmonised elections set for end of July.
The youthful opposition leader showed photos of him visiting the holy city where Jesus Christ spent his early life.
Chamisa who is himself a trained pastor also visited the miraculous River Jordan on his private visit to the Middle East.
Wrote Chamisa on his Twotter:
In Israel..I’ve just been to Nazareth, Cana, Sea of Galilee, River Jordan, Bethlehem, Mount of Olives & Jericho on a private visit. I’m fortified in my faith.Israel has a fantastic road network & superb architecture in housing.We will get there in our New Zimbabwe.”
Terrence Mawawa
Dynamos FC have released midfielder Raphael Manuvire after terminating his contract through mutual consent.
Manuvire “wanted out” of the Glamour Boys citing unfulfilled contractual obligations.
The player, on the other hand, saw little game time at the Harare Giants, having failed to command a regular spot in the starting eleven during the six months that he was at the club.
The former Motor Action and ZPC Kariba player is now heavily linked with a move to Triangle FC.
By Paul Nyathi|The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission began printing ballot papers for the 2018 harmonised elections on Friday morning.
The exercise began in earnest at the Fidelity Printers in Harare open to political parties’ monitoring and scrutiny for the first time.
ZimEye.com could not establish how many political parties attended the first day of printing. The exercise is expected to take up to three weeks to have all the ballot papers ready.
Fidelity Printers is running the presidential and parliamentary ballot papers while another government run company Printflow is running the local government election ballot papers.
ZimEye.com could not get an immediate comment from the main opposition the MDC Alliance. The party is the one that pushed to have ballot papers printed locally and to have political parties monitor the printing.
By Own Correspondent| The MDC led by Nelson Chamisa has hauled President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his ruling Zanu PF party to court seeking an order compelling them not to engage in electoral malpractices through procuring the support or assistance of traditional leaders and making them to act in a partisan manner and furthering the interests of their political party.
In an urgent chamber application filed in the Electoral Court on Tuesday 26 June 2018 by Jeremiah Bamu of Mbidzo, Muchadehama and Makoni Legal Practitioners and supported by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, the party argued that President Mnangagwa had early this month urged his party members contesting in the harmonised elections scheduled for 30 July 2018 to offer trinkets to chiefs and traditional leaders to procure their support in the elections.
The party argued that President Mnangagwa’s utterances, which were made on 09 June 2018 to his Zanu PF party supporters in Mutoko in Mashonaland East province, motivate some ruling party members to engage in corrupt practices for the purposes of vote buying ahead of the harmonised elections.
The opposition party said President Mnangagwa’s utterances also invite chiefs and other traditional leaders to engage in intimidatory practices and coerce their subjects, who will be voters in the forthcoming elections, to cast their vote in favour of candidates sponsored by Zanu PF party including but not limited to President Mnangagwa.
The MDC party argued that President Mnangagwa’s utterances constitute a threat to the free expression of political will and undermines the possibility of holding a free and fair poll on 30 July 2018.
President Mnangagwa’s actions, the MDC party said, are in direct violation of the Constitution, the Electoral Act (Chapter 2:13) and the Traditional Leaders Act (Chapter 29:17).
The opposition party also protested against the attendance of traditional leaders at partisan political gatherings such as at the political rally held in Mutoko in Mashonaland East province arguing that it is a direct violation of the constitution and electoral laws.
Such attendance the MDC party said, confirms fears that traditional leaders are partisan and pander to the whims of Zanu PF party. The MDC party said should such conduct persist, it will be impossible to hold a free and fair poll on 30 July 2018.
Besides barring President Mnangagwa, the MDC party also wants the Electoral Court to order Chief Fortune Charumbira in his capacity as President of the National Council of Chiefs to circulate the obtained provisional court order widely through the auspices of the National Council of Chiefs and Provincial Assemblies of Chiefs.
In addition, the MDC party wants the Electoral Court to bar all traditional leaders under the purview of the National Council of Chiefs led by Chief Charumbira not to engage in partisan political activities such as attending partisan political rallies and/or uttering partisan political statements.
The MDC party also complained about the conduct of Chief Zvimba, known as Alfred Tome, who on 4 June 2018 2018 in Zvimba South, in Mashonaland West province addressed a Zanu PF rally and publicly chanted the ruling party’s political slogans and openly declared support for President Mnangagwa and Zanu PF party before his subjects.
The MDC party’s lawyers argued that public endorsement of political candidates by traditional leaders constitutes a violation of the Constitution and the Act which governs them and more so in an election period such as the one Zimbabwe is currently in.
Terrence Mawawa
England manager Gareth Southgate has said the 1966 World Cup Winners were too reluctant in yesterday’ s game.
England lost 1-0 to the Red Devils in Kaliningrad as Real Sociedad winger Adnan Januzaj scored a second half goal to win the group for his side, while the Three Lions ended the group stages in second place.
It was suggested that both teams may prefer to not finish first as the Group G winner would face either Brazil or Mexico in the quarterfinals, while the other team would play Sweden or Switzerland.
However, Southgate said the teams were even on the night and that England were hoping for a win to achieve maximum points in the group stages.
“They had better controlled possession and the best chances in the first half,”
Southgate told reporters after the game.
“We had some good ones in the second half. It was a good test for us. It didn’t happen for Marcus Rashford tonight.
We want to win football matches so we’re not happy to come away being beaten.”
England will play Colombia in the Round of 16 on Tuesday.
By Own Correspondent| The person who reportedly threw the projectile which exploded at President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s White City Stadium Zanu Pf rally in Bulawayo was allegedly arrested by the military and his whereabouts remain a mystery to the Criminal Investigations Department officers dealing with the case, it has emerged.
According to a report by The Zimbabwe Independent, the suspect was arrested in the aftermath of the explosion.
However, the local publication reports that the police’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has been unable to question the suspect as he has not been seen since his arrest by the military.
Security officials who spoke to the local publication said,
“Investigations are continuing; we have come across some good leads yet there are also complications. We have discovered the suspect we are looking for was seized by the army soon after the grenade attack incident.
Witnesses told us this. We have interviewed many witnesses and they have given us useful information. However, we want to interview the suspect; but we don’t have access to him. So the investigations can’t proceed properly.
…After the grenade attack, police interviewed people who told them that they saw some guy who launched an object that was directed towards the VIP stage. The witnesses said the man lobbed the item from about 30 metres to 35 metres from the podium, but it was diverted by a rope before shaving off a security aide’s cheek prior to landing and detonating.
Before launching the object, some people had seen him fiddling around. The suspect was wearing a yellow Zanu PF T-shirt, dark in complexion and nearly 1,7 metres tall. He is about 25 years old. After the incident, he melted in the crowd and disappeared before soldiers and police went on his trail. Police were late and found him already seized by soldiers.”
The explosion injured at least 49 people two of whom died from the injuries sustained during the bomb blast.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has has said that he suspects that the G40 faction was behind the attack.-Zimbabwe Independent.
Terrence Mawawa
Two Zanu PF youths are harassing opposition members at will in Chirumanzu Area in Midlands Province, it has emerged.
The two youths identified as Chikowore and Mahida have not been arrested although they are openly threatening opposition supporters with unspecified action.The two also allegedly assaulted a news reporter from a Masvingo based weekly newspaper.
“We have made several police reports but the two have not been arrested,” villagers in the area said.
Police sources in Mvuma have indicated the two are untouchable because they are working with officials from the Office of the President.
“The police are afraid of confronting them because they claim they are working with senior party officials,” villagers in Chirumanzu told ZimEye.com.
By Ndaba Nhuku | When it comes to politics and development, we ZIMBABWEANS are generally a naive people!
ZANU Imported From Overseas HUNDREDS Of Brand New Jeeps But Could Not Fly Out 47 Poor Bombed Members For Medical Treatment. – WHAT HAPPENED?
— ZimEye (@ZimEye) June 29, 2018
At its peak period under Tsvangirai, MDCT had so much money the guys thought it was mana from heaven. Everyone wanted to donate to it. Global political political and financial institutions players had a revolving door with the party leadership. Zim diaspora communities of all races never hesitated to give money to the party. Literally the party was swimming in money which went to party regalia and cars and still unaccounted for properties. In 2013 l criticised the party for its recklessness with money. Word was going out about reckless expenditure. I questioned why not spend the money starting income generating projects for the Youth? Why not change members’ lives than spend the money recklessly with leaders stealing it as well. I even gave an example of Hamas whose immense support matches what it does for its members on the ground. Well soon after the unexpectedly disastrous 2013 elections, MDCT was broke to the bone.
Come to 2018, Zanu is literally in the same position as was the MDCT. I know Zanu also looted our resources via its leaders. But today Zanu is swimming in millions if not billions. And its members remain the same poor it has been confining ti to the dungeons of poverty. It’s youth is jobless and sleeps on gnawing tummies, yet there is the party spending millions on cars and regalia. This is the party not speaking about what it has achieved since 1980. Instead it’s trying to do as if all of its leaders who have been in govt and party top 20 leadership were sleeping and waiting to be leaders in 2018. Zanu should be running some of the most profitable industries and income generating projects for its members, yet they remain the poorest in the entire region. Zanu owned big companies run down by the Lacoste. Even though, it has nothing to boast about as a successful party able to successfully the economy of the nation.
But in all this, who is holding our politicians accountable? Who is asking these leaders why spend so much dressing people on t-shirts and cars and other useless electioneering regalia when the youth are unemployed and starving.
We can not have rich parties they only boasts of buying expensive campaign and electioneering material when it’s members are poor, have no hospital equipment, have no food, have no clothes to wear to go for a job interview! Madness. We are a naive people. Let’s turn all these organisations into accountable institutions that care for their members. They should not continue with western parties’ models whose govts are rich take care of their citizens basic needs. Our parties spend millions in the midst of poverty! Govt is broke and yet the masses are impressed by t-shirts and cars!
The police have arrested two suspects who are all from Bulawayo, over the White City bombing incident.
The arrested are appearing in court tomorrow, Saturday.
Sources said the two are well known for spending time loitering the streets of Pumula.
They will appear in court at Tredgold courts in Bulawayo tomorrow morning.
Their names were not revealed at time of writing.
Meanwhile analysts made claims that the two fingered in order to save the security services from the embarrassment of failing to defend the President. – More to follow…
Terrence Mawawa
Four rebellious MDC officials in Midlands Province have vowed to stand as independent candidates despite being warned of impending expulsion by
party officials.
Four MDC candidates in Shurugwi, Dickson Chioko ward 2, Godfrey Marisa, ward 4, Bulle Madzitire, ward 4 and Pastor Saide Alubi will stand as independent candidates despite the directive from the party leadership to all rebellious officials to withdraw their papers.
A campaign manager for one of the candidates accused MDC leader Nelson Chamisa of imposing his will on the ordinary party members.
“My brother there is no going back on the issue of independent candidates. You think they will withdraw their nomination papers it is too late to do so,” said the MDC official.
Terrence Mawawa
An emotionally charged Zanu PF meeting yesterday ended abruptly as angry youths accused the party’ s aspiring MP for Masvingo Urban Constituency, Benjamin Taguma Mazarire of failing to address their concerns.
Party sources told ZimEye.com the aspiring MP’ s aides nearly exchanged blows with angry party youths at Chiefs’ Hall in Masvingo.
“The aspiring MP is too smart for the people. We want him to address our concerns but he is refusing to attend to our problems,” Zanu PF youths said yesterday.
“There was drama at Chiefs’ Hall yesterday as MP Mazarire’ s aides nearly exchanged blows with irate party youths.
The meeting ended prematurely because of mounting tension,” added party sources.
PRESIDENT EMMERSON MNANGAGWA was Friday afternoon slammed by a journalist Simba Nyanhanga over sending Environment Minister Oppah Muchinguri to South Africa.
Muchinguri was flown to the neighbouring country following the bombing of Mnangagwa’s rally last Saturday. 47 other injured junior party members were left at the run-down government hospital, Mpilo.
Writing late Friday afternoon, Nyanhanga said, “Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa as I regain my freedom temporarily, thank you for sending Oppah Muchinguri & Kembo Mohadi to get REAL quality and expert healthcare.
“Please for once be honest to Zimbabweans, how many ordinary Zimbabwean can be guaranteed this. Indeed, the voice of the people is the voice of God but your voice is not.”
Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo
Masvingo Residents’ Trust(MRT), has urged the electorate to vote for candidates who will make an impact after being elected into office.
Speaking in an interview with ZimEye.com yesterday, MRT Advocacy Officer, Ephraim Mutombeni said the residents of Masvingo were fed up with empty promises from politicians.
“This election is not about political parties, rather it is about issues that are affecting ordinary residents.
We are therefore imploring residents to vote wisely.Gone are the days of political bootlicking. Let us focus on the real issues that affect local residents.
Our message is clear and straight forward, we want to elect community leaders into office,” said Mutombeni.
“We will soon hold a public dialogue to give aspiring candidates the platform to express their views,” added Mutombeni.
Independent aspiring MP for Masvingo Urban Constituency, Sam Chapfudza is expected to present his manifesto at the public dialogue.
By A Correspondent | A Zimbabwean transgender “woman” Tatelicious Karigamombe has advertised that she is providing human trafficking services in Europe.
In her LIVE video in which she revealed the reasons why she became gay, Tatelicious promised to relocate Zimbabweans to Europe and this for a fee.
Tatelicious confessed saying she became gay in order to obtain immigration settlement. In the below LIVE video, the Sweden based “activist” said “On the faeces matter, would you have travelled for the thing of the faeces or what? I say this one of faeces it is us who relocated for it, this is what made us enter, it is the one which made us get married and get settled. As for you, yours is to enter to work and do your own thing. The one of faeces has consequences.”
The full text of her LIVE video statements is as follows:
TIMELINE 56:43. to. 58:18. This issue of faeces leave it to us it belongs to us the seniors, qualified servers…. Come on let’s go to Europe, good people! But when you have been chosen to go to the faeces be ready, the human waste remains will flow down your legs if you are wearing Pampers… Someone just said there are elderly people watching, so what? Even if they are listening I will speak because I am a Korekore. I will have to get straight to the point and be clear because people are asking me about relocating to Europe, and some are saying I might not be able to help them cross over, give me some LIKES please. They are saying am I not going to make them cross over to those men of faeces. On the faeces, would you have travelled for the thing of the faeces or what? I say this one of faeces it is us who relocated for it, this is what made us enter, it is the one which made us get married and get settled. As for you, yours is to enter to work and do your own thing. The one of faeces has consequences. We the seniors of sewage we are here, but we are just wearing the pampers, you will just be making sounds, and posturing with hugs. Better when you are wearing pampers… ”
TIMELINE 58:19. to 58:57. Whoever is in Europe already let them write to us we will assist them. Those who are in Europe, yes the process is much easier because they are already in Europe… but when they are an asylum seeker and full refugee status was declined in that country, those who have been rejected and are about to be deported, we will change you, remove you and put you into another country, we are no longer applying for you in the same country because in countries like Sweden you will be given for instance four years for you to be re-registered so we cannot start again the process. We will have to take you to another country.
She then advertised her phone number as well. WATCH THE LIVE VIDEO BELOW:
Zanu PF Second Secretary who is also the Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Retired General Constantino Chiwenga told thousands of Zanu PF supporters in Gokwe Chireya that government will soon introduce command cotton in Gokwe which will be sold through an auction system to create competition in the pricing of the crop.
Cotton is the second most important crop in the country and the major source of income for the Gokwe community.
The announcement of command cotton which is set to boost the crop production and revive many ailing industries that depended on cotton for its operations drew loud applause from the excited Gokwe community.
Addressing thousands of party supporters, Retired General Chiwenga said government will roll out command cotton that will be sold through an auction system, thus creating competitive prices in Gokwe.
“Visions and aspirations envisaged in the party’s manifesto can be realised if people vote for Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa, a people centred leader who is focused on developing and transforming the country for the better,” said Retired General Chiwenga.
He went on to acknowledge the challenges affecting the people of Gokwe and pledged that government will prioritise road network and schools construction.
Before addressing the gathering, Retired General Chiwenga observed a minute of silence in honour of the two security men who lost their lives during the white city stadium explosion. – state media
By Paul Nyathi|Unconfirmed media reports indicate that the army is holding on to a suspected bomb thrower from last Saturday incident at White City Stadium in Bulawayo.
The reports indicate that the suspect who is a middle aged man was picked up by the army in the course of the week following a tip off from members of the public.
According to the reports, the man was spotted throwing the object some thirty metres from the VIP stage as President Emmerson Mnangagwa was leaving the stage at the end of a ZANU PF rally.
The man was according to the informants was dressed in a yellow ZANU PF T-Shirt and fled from the scene immediately after throwing the suspected hand grenade.
At least 49 people were injured in the bomb blast including Vice President Kembo Mohadi and Minister Oppah Muchinguri who are currently in South Africa receiving treatment. Two security officers are confirmed to have died from the bombing while unofficial reports indicate that at least four people may have been killed.
Police officers in Bulawayo declined any knowledge of the arrest referring ZimEye.com to the national police spokesperson Charity Charamba who could not be reached for a comment.
By Own Correspondent| Former Zanu PF legislator for Harare South who is now MDC Alliance candidate for the same area, Shadreck Mashayamombe has dismissed President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s pledge for free and fair elections accusing his administration of harassment of opposition political candidates.
Mashayamombe, a former Zanu PF Harare provincial commissar has been in and out of court after Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga addressed a rally in the constituency early this month threatening to descend hard on him.
He told a local publication that he was hunted down by the police a day before the sitting of the nomination court and was arrested over a 2014 case of violence when he was coming out of the nomination court.
Mashayamombe yesterday claimed that since Chiwenga’s threats, he has been hounded in an attempt to derail his campaign bid against Mnangagwa’s close relative, Tongai Mnangagwa, the Zanu PF candidate for the area.
“How can we say we have free and fair elections when other candidates are victimised day in, day out?” he asked.
“I respect Chiwenga as my father, as a person who I once worked with, but it is sad that since his address in the constituency, day in and day out, people are being forced to testify against me,” he said.
Mashayamombe said VP Chiwenga’s utterances were very unfortunate coming from a government leader.
“We thought the new dispensation would usher in equal opportunities without victimisation of others.
The police arrested me on trumped up charges and the intention was obvious, to prevent me from filing as an MDC Alliance candidate.”
Mashayamombe was fired from Zanu PF in November last year over his G40 links after the military intervention that catapulted Mnangagwa to power.
“If they want to arrest me, they can; little as I am, but it is sad they have been trying to influence the decisions of the judiciary to harass me because I am a candidate while they tell the world they are committed to free and fair elections.
“I was expelled from the party and have the right to represent any party I want without harassment.”
Mashayamombe claimed Harare South residents were being told every day by Zanu PF that he would be arrested soon.
He said hounding people after they leave office should be condemned because it promotes a culture where leaders resist leaving power, which has been the case with Zanu PF members.- Newsday.
By Dorrothy Moyo| Following the Bukawayo bomb attack, President Emmerson Mnangagwa was 2days ago questioned on the criteria his administration used to fly out Environment Minister Oppah Muchinguri and Vice President Kembo Mohadi for treatnent to South Africa whike leaving 47 other victims at Mpilo hospital.
Another observer, Mr Smart Masasa on a different note, said, “May their souls rest in peace but Mr President I think this must apply to all fellow Zimbabweans nomatter which party they belong.i still have the memories of ZAKA petrol bombing of opposition supporters but you were vice President no condolences messages from you and your entire Elite.”
Below were some of the reader interactions.
Minister of State in the President’s Office Responsible for National Scholarships Cde Christopher Mushohwe, who was among the Zanu-PF top brass that survived a bomb blast at White City Stadium that claimed two and injured 47 others, has relived the “terrifying” day-time attack that has left him petrified for life.
Cde Mushohwe said that the suspects involved must be brought to justice since President Emmerson Mnangagwa was the prime target.
He was still by the podium when the explosion took place. “About the horrific bomb attack, it was terrifying — totally unexpected,” said Cde Mushohwe.
“I was at the top table where President Mnangagwa, the two Vice Presidents, the national chairman and the national political commissar were seated. I was just one person away from Vice President (Kembo) Mohadi in our seating arrangement.
“I do not know how God saved me because as people were going down the podium that is when the explosion took place. There was pandemonium, with people running in all directions, and some rushed back to where I was and fell down, including myself. People stampeded on each other trying to run away. No one expected that there was going to be that kind of terrifying attack.
“The day after the explosion I was feeling some back and chest pains and had a scan and an X-ray which ruled out any major problem. I did not sustain any injuries. I was not the only one who was affected, as you know many people were injured, sadly 49 and we have lost two now, and some are still in hospital. Honestly we would like to thank God because it could have been a major disaster far greater than it was, especially the fact that God really saved the President. And we know the target was the President, and God just saved him,” said Cde Mushohwe.
He added: “Such an incident does not just happen. It’s an act of terrorism meant to cause terror and instil terror in the mind of the people as we move towards elections. The President was the target, and you know he has many enemies that have made several attempts on his life, but God is on his side. I would like to wish a speedy recovery to those who are still hospitalised and convey condolences to those whose relatives have passed away.”
Cde Mushohwe said President Mnangagwa has survived many attempts on his life through the grace of God.
“His life is in God’s hands. People should understand that President Mnangagwa’s angel is always with him. How many times have attempts been made on his life? You look at attempts that were made at his office at Zanu PF headquarters; more than five times his offices were broken into. Cyanide was put in his office, but always God saved him.
“His Government offices as the then Minister of Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, where there are always policemen, were broken into more than four times, and again God saved him. He was humiliated and expelled from the party, and had to escape out of the country knowing that his enemies were after him, and he survived all those, so God is with him.
“God wants him to lead the country into becoming what Zimbabwe should actually be. He has charmed the international community in a manner that Africa has never seen. We are so grateful that we have the leadership of President Mnangagwa.
“His enemies and enemies of Zanu-PF are wasting their time because Zanu-PF will romp to victory come July 30,”he said, adding that Zanu-PF was focused on ensuring that the elections are peaceful, credible and internationally acclaimed. State media
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday ditched the struggling Air Zimbabwe and hired a private Swiss luxury jet to fly him to Tanzania for a meeting with his counterpart, John Magufuli.
According to government sources, Mnangagwa ignored Air Zimbabwe which had charged him $131 000 for his two-day trip to Tanzania and opted for the luxurious jet — Comlux — headquartered in Switzerland with a global presence around the world. The plane, according to sources, flew from its Swiss base to Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport to fetch the President. In April, Mnangagwa reportedly blew $2,3 million to charter the same plane on his State visit to Beijing, China.
“The Office of President had approached Air Zimbabwe for a quote on how much they would charge the President, for a regional trip, but we were all surprised when he opted to hire the private jet. Normally, regional routes are given to Air Zimbabwe, but we don’t understand why he opted otherwise,” said a senior government official.
Presidential spokesperson George Charamba was not available for comment as he was said to have travelled together with Mnangagwa. At the time of going to print last night, Charamba had not responded to a text message sent to him, but sources said the decision to hire Comlux was made on
Tuesday while Air Zimbabwe was only informed on Wednesday evening.
“The bookings for the presidential flights are normally made by the department of protocol in the OPC and we still don’t know why the national airline was left out,” another source said.
Attempts to get a quotation from Comlux were fruitless as their marketing department had not responded to emailed questions from NewsDay.
Mnangagwa’s special adviser, Christopher Mutsvangwa said: “I don’t know really because I am in Norton campaigning, but I think it is because he is due to proceed to the AU (African Union) Summit in Mauritania so that could be the reason, but as I said, I am not in office at the moment.”
Mnangagwa is supposed to join 30 other Heads of State and government in Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital for an ordinary session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government meeting.
Since he took over from former President Robert Mugabe last November, Mnangagwa has been accused of snubbing the limping national airline, preferring expensive chartered private jets.
In January, Mnangagwa also hired a private jet to Davos, Switzerland, as well as when he travelled to South Africa early this year.
Internationally-recognised rating agent, S&P Global, indicates that Comlux is rated as an integrated group in the aviation sector specialising in Airbus and Boeing, with the former typically chartered by Heads of State, royal families, business leaders or sports teams.
The aircraft includes a private bedroom with en-suite bathroom, office, dining and living room, plus room for entourage and staff.
It has cargo space for over 250 bags, and can even transport multiple cars.
Efforts to get comment from Foreign Affairs permanent secretary, Joey Bimha were fruitless.
The new Zanu PF leader, who seems to have taken over from where Mugabe left in terms of trips outside the country, has been to Mozambique, twice to Botswana, Namibia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Angola, Rwanda, Ethiopia and the Ivory Coast within three months. Newsday
Responding to questions during a public lecture on the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo at the University of Zimbabwe yesterday, Chiwenga, who led last year’s military intervention as Zimbabwe Defence Commander, said the military would never intervene in politics again.
“What mechanisms are we putting in place to avoid a recurrence (of Operation Restore Legacy) now? There will not be a recurrence, let me assure you… we had created a situation which was bad for ourselves and that will not happen again,” he said.
Chiwenga said Operation Restore Legacy happened because constitutional power had been usurped by non-State actors and the economy had been allowed to collapse.
“… note that even if we were under sanctions, we could have done something … people were not sure of what tomorrow would hold for them. There was no policy consistency, people who were not constitutionally in government were making decisions and even battering the judicial service, firing people left right and centre,” he said.
Chiwenga said military intervention became necessary because Mugabe’s regime had become toxic, vindictive and issued decrees as if Zimbabwe had become a personal empire.
“We code named it Operation Restore Legacy advisedly. When you are foremost commander whose roots are steeped in the liberation struggle and you see the very fabric and foundation of the society you helped build as a cadre of the struggle, the very society you protected and defended as a commander threatened with implosion and collapse, what becomes uppermost on your mind is not political terminology or jargon, but your responsibilities as a man in charge of an institution which is the State’s line of defence as provided by section 212 of the Constitution,” he said.
Mugabe, according to Chiwenga, who was the symbol of State had become a victim in the whole matrix allowing non-State actors to abuse State institutions and without the army’s intervention the body politic of Zimbabwe would have collapsed.
Chiwenga said the Saturday bombing at White City Stadium was an act of spoilers who did not cherish peace and wanted to create instability in Zimbabwe.
“The recent terror attack on the national leadership at the White City Stadium on June 23, 2018 barely hours after His Excellency the President Mnangagwa had visited Ekusileni Hospital, itself Umdala Wethu’s dream for healing our society, brought to the fore the sheer fragility of national peace if taken for granted and left undefended. Dr Nkomo’s reaction to this heinous terror attack is predictable as is obvious, he would have denounced it as cowardly and inhumane,” he said.- Newsday
Justice Mafusire yesterday ruled that the ZANU PF Party should stop abusing learners, teachers and school property in pursuit of private political interests. The matter was heard at Masvingo High Court chambers.
Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) was the Applicant being ably represented by Doug Coltart of Mtetwa and Nyambirai law firm. Veritas engaged the lawyers on behalf of ARTUZ. ZANU PF and Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education were the Respondents.
The court wholesomely adopted ARTUZ recommendations that;
i) School children should not be forced to attend rallies.
ii) Political parties should not use school property such as buses to pursue private political interests.
iii) Teachers should not be forced to fund and participate in private political processes.
An interim court interdict was granted in the presence of both ZANU PF and MoPSE.
Initially ZANU PF had tried to block the case by citing technicalities in the application but the court boldly ruled that the application was urgent and must be heard.
After the two respondents submitted their heads of arguments the Judge noted that the Respondents were not going to be prejudiced if the interdict was granted.
As ARTUZ, we are grateful to our partners Veritas and we are so excited with this victory.
Toady, Friday 29 is the Red Friday victory celebration. Wear Red and celebrate the victory.-ARTUZ
MINISTER of Water, Environment and Climate Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, who was injured in a bomb blast at White City Stadium has been airlifted to South Africa for reconstruction surgery after her breast was ripped off during the explosion, a Cabinet Minister from Manicaland has revealed.
The Minister of State in the President’s Office Responsible for National Scholarships Christopher Mushohwe who was also caught up in the Bulawayo bomb blast, told The Manica Post on Wednesday that he was out of danger after being treated of chest and back pains while the latest he heard about Muchinguri-Kashiri was that she was “recovering well” outside the country.
Mushohwe said he has not had an opportunity to visit and commiserate with Muchinguri-Kashiri and was relying on information from close relatives frequently visiting her and the Minister of Health and Child Care Dr David Parirenyatwa.
“What happened after the bomb blast is we rushed to the (Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International) Airport, and at that point we did not even know who had been injured. We were later informed that Muchinguri-Kashiri had been injured and taken to hospital. We thought we would visit her in hospital, but she is perhaps out of the country.
“We are in touch with those visiting her, and the Minister Dr Parirenyatwa is following her progress. The latest we have is that she is very stable,” said Mushohwe, without disclosing the country.
Efforts to contact Dr Parirenyatwa yesterday were fruitless as his mobile number was continuously unreachable.
The Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs Monica Mutsvangwa, who is in Angola attending the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Parliament in Angola described the incident as barbaric.
“I am very disturbed by the Bulawayo explosion. This is barbarism at its highest. The President is calling for peace while others are calling for his elimination. What a paradox. This is unacceptable and all perpetrators of this barbarism should be found, arrested and prosecuted. Words alone can’t convey the profound pain and crushing feeling arising from the event that unfolded in Bulawayo, it’s an emotional moment. Precious lives were lost and people injured. May God bless the victims, favour their families and loved ones, especially the wives and kids as they come to terms with the tragic atrocities,” said Mutsvangwa.
Zanu-PF Manicaland provincial chairman Mike Madiro also described the bomb attack as “satanic and barbaric”.
“Our mother, one of our own, the national chairman Muchinguri-Kashiri was injured in that incident, but we want to thank God for saving her life and we wish her and other colleagues a speedy recovery. We call upon the security agencies to ensure that our leaders are well protected all times given the nature of the enemy. We cannot afford to have the leadership of the party and country exposed.
“I cannot divulge the nature of her injuries, but what I know is that she is out of danger. We thank God that she is recovering well and out of danger. That is what is important. The enemy failed to eliminate our leaders and I will soon be leading a delegation to commiserate with her,” said Madiro, refusing to disclose her exact location for security reasons. – state media
By Silindiwe Ndhlovu | How can Mnangagwa say it was a minor incident when others lost their lives(clock to read) and others suffered life changing injuries?
I thought they said two people died. Were they lying? This is selfishness. Thinking about power and not thinking about those who were affected and families. This shows what kind of a president he is. Vote wisely.
By Own Correspondent| The Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC) have issued a pastoral etter expressing hope that the forthcoming polls will be peaceful and usher in a new developmental era for Zimbabweans.
Said the ZCBC,
“Our vision is that of a sovereign and democratic nation characterised by good governance as reflected in all its structures and operations at all levels and in all our institutions.
The current vision of our Conference (ZCBC) is of a reconciled Zimbabwean society living in harmony, justice and peace, in a democratic developmental State.”
Below is the full text of the Pastoral letter.
Vice President Kembo Mohadi’s aide Nelson Dube, who succumbed to injuries sustained during last week’s White City Stadium blast and was declared a liberation war hero, was buried yesterday.
Dube, who died on Monday at Mpilo Central Hospital, was buried at his farm in Featherstone, about 100 kilometres south of Harare.
Director-General of the Central Intelligence Organisation Ambassador Elphas Moyo said Dube’s death was a loss to the nation.
“Nelson showed his dedication to his work throughout his service,” he said. “The numbers that are here are a testimony of the man he was. We are proud of the work he did.
Mashonaland East Provincial Minister David Musabayana condemned the circumstances which led to Dube’s death.
“Dube`s death was caused by an act of evil,” he said. “President Mnangagwa is preaching unity and peace, but there were some who found it fit to perpetrate the act of terror. It is painful.
Dube fought in the liberation struggle, where he survived the Chimoio bombing in 1978 which killed thousands of freedom fighters.
After independence, he joined the Zimbabwean National Army for four years before resigning in 1983.
He spent two years completing his high school which had been disrupted by the war.
In 1985, he joined the Central Intelligence Organisation which he served for 33 years, rising to the rank of Chief Security Aide.
Dube was 57 at the time of his untimely death and is survived by his wife Emilia and three children.
By Paul Nyathi|Shares in African budget airline Fastjet collapsed on Wednesday after warning it could go bust unless it obtains new funding.
The airlines financial report indicates that the company has just $3.3m in cash, of which $1.75m is held in Zimbabwean Bond notes and is not readily accessible.
Zimbabwean travellers pay the company using the Bond Notes or Zimbabwean transfers that can not be used outside the country.
The airline, set up by easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, flies in several African countries including South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
It is talking to major shareholders about an equity fundraising.
However, if no new funds emerge, Fastjet said it may not be “able to continue trading as a going concern”.
“Whilst initial discussions with certain shareholders have been positive, discussions are ongoing and there can be no guarantee of a successful outcome,” the company said.
Shares fell 72% to 4.25p in afternoon trading in London, valuing the company at less than £20m.
If the talks fail, Fastjet said it could be suspended from trading on the AIM market.
Sir Stelios has been Fastjet’s major shareholder but now has a stake of less than 3% in the company.
Two years ago he was involved in a boardroom dispute about leadership at the airline.
The ZANU PF regime and in particular Gen Constantino Chiwenga, have mocked Nelson Chamisa’s spaghetti road network concept saying it is childish.
Today ZimEye reveals how the UK economy after building spaghetti junction networks has boomed from a paltry $192 bil to $2.624 trillion (2017). UK completed its largest spaghetti junction (in Birmingham) during the cold war in 1973. Had Zimbabwe pursued a Chamisa-scope policy, it could have followed through by building its own earlier as planned in 1959; and the Zimbabwean government picked up from the Rhodesian design (see the 1959 architecture) at the earliest, but they did not.
What do spaghetti road networks do? – they improve the management of traffic and thereby strengthen local industry with predictable deliveries, while lowering risk of loss through inevitable fates such as accidents. An effective transport network system will see insurance companies lowering their costs thereby directly and instantly boosting GDP. – WATCH and follow ZimEye.com today…
By Dorrothy Moyo| Following the bombing incident in Bulawayo at the weekend, it has emerged that Environment Minister Oppah Muchinguri and Vice President Kembo Mohadi were flown to South Africa, since they were reportedly seriously injured.
The two were bombed at President Mnangagwa’s campaign rally at White City Stadium in Bulawayo last Saturday, the incident which could have easily seen the president and his first deputy, Constantino Chiwenga being injured as well.
Speaking in Tanzania yesterday, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Mohadi was seriously injured.
He also said Muchinguri-Kashiri ‘was operated on as shrapnel reportedly pierced through her chest.’
Mnangagwa spoke at a Press conference at State House in Tanzania after holding talks with host President Dr John Magufuli.
Mnangagwa said: “You might be aware about the events that took place Saturday when a hand grenade was thrown at me. But since you see me here, it means I am now fine.
“That was a minor incident, we are going to proceed with elections. We have opened up democratic space and we now have 133 political parties, but (for) President, we are better (than) Tanzania, we are 23 (candidates); here (in Tanzania), you had 42 candidates.”
Meanwhile Mnangagwa gave assurances that his administration will always highly regard his former boss Robert Mugabe’s legacy as that of an icon, founding father of the republic and Pan-Africanist.
He said his political administration will only borrow the good lessons from the past in order to forge a sustainable platform for the country’s future growth.
WHEN THE WOLF SEEKS PEACE AMONG THE SHEEP, BE WARY OF THE GESTURE
By Jonathan Chando| The old adage, “violence begets violence”, is best summed up by Martin Luther King in his pronouncements during his time.
In 1956, King said, “As you press on for justice, be sure to move with dignity and discipline, using only the weapon of love. Let no man pull you so low as to hate him. Always avoid violence. If you succumb to the temptation of using violence in your struggle, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness, and your chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos.”
In 1958, King stated, “Hate begets hate, violence begets violence, toughness begets greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love.”
But I liked most, King’s pronouncement of 1963, where he said, “Darkness cannot drive darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence and toughness multiplies toughness, in a descending spiral of destruction. The chain of evil must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.”
Looking back at the events this past weekend at White City Stadium, where an incident of violence was witnessed, I have reflected on Zimbabwe’s history, and come to the understanding that Martin Luther King’s pronouncements resonate well with our country’s situation. It was a barbaric and callous act which should be condemned and castigated in the highest form. It’s an act that should not be given space in Zimbabwe or anywhere in a civilised society. No form of rivalry is worth shedding innocent blood, no matter the emotional rage for revenge or hunger for power.
But given the trend of violent acts the country has witnessed since the war of liberation, it is not surprising that such would happen. Violence has been in the veins of our governance system all along and should not surprise any right thinking individual.
During and after the events of November 2017, when the military moved tanks and guns onto the streets of the capital, to seize power from the purportedly civilian government, under the so called operation restore legacy, I expressed my disdain and disapproval of such action. I went on social media, predicting that any form of military power takeover, widely known as a coup detat, always results in perpetual instability in the country. I even wrote against the military’s assault on civilian targets who were senior ZANU PF officials and Cabinet Ministers in Mugabe’s government. My concern was not in sympathy with the victims, but on principles of Human Rights law.
I implored upon so called Human Rights defenders to sound their voices against the abduction and detention of civilians by the military in barracks, regardless of their crimes, which is wholly unlawful. But none of them, save for one David Coltart, expressed disdain for such. The so called Human Rights defenders had become part of the celebrations of the power grab by the military.
Even the opposition, with its troupe of law experts, despite having been victims of violence by the same military since 1999, euphorically abandoned common sense and constitutionality, and naively joined the bandwagon, only to change course and declare it a coup, after being sidelined in the days that followed. It showed that they are neither concerned with constitutionality or the people’s cause, but power and self aggrandisement.
The public had also been hoodwinked into believing that they had been liberated from the claws of the 37 year autocratic rule. But when the military installed Mnangagwa, who had been part of the active autocratic regime, it became clear to those who could analyse that it was a continuation of the status quo, albeit with a more visible hand of the military. The war veterans made it clear that it was a ZANU PF issue, and had nothing to do with the people. That should have been noted as part of the long standing internal violence within ZANU PF, which has claimed many lives.
If more than 100 AK47 rounds of ammunition were fired at one target house during the power takeover, would we not call that a violent power take over? Then, I wrote a detailed article giving in full, constitutional violations by the military in what some would still want to believe was not a coup.
As a result of the coup, would we as a nation believe that there were no aggrieved persons to the extent that we would not anticipate retaliation or a fight back? If we do, then we’re either a naive or hypocritical lot. Many individuals, in the civil service, intelligence, police and the military were victims of this violent takeover. Many suffered injury or died but it was kept under wrap.
It was a violent takeover and only created divisions within the competing forces.
If I may add, violence did not start on that day. I have written before, that ZANU PF has never had a democratically elected leader, save for Ndabaningi Sithole, who was elected at its Congress in August 1964. Sithole was deposed by a military coup, sitting at Mgagao in Tanzania in 1975, which imposed Mugabe as leader. So it was not surprising when Mugabe was deposed in November 2017. It was a continuation of the military reign on both ZANU PF and the country at large. The military has always run the country through a civilian proxy.
The military has unleashed violence on citizens throughout the country’s so called independent era, with mainly opposition members baring the ugliest brunt. Rivalries have always been rife in both ZANU PF and the military, with unexplained deaths of many senior party and military leaders, like , Chitepo, Tongogara, Ndangana, Chindori-Chininga, Brig Gen Gunda and Amos Midzi, to name a few. Edgar Tekere was once a target for assassination, which resulted in the suicide of a senior police officer in Mutare after the plot was leaked to Tekere, and he confronted the officer.
Violence was unleashed on citizens by the military in 2008, followed by violent death of Solomon Mujuru in 2011. All this was continuation of the power struggles within ZANU PF , culminating in the expulsion of Joice Mujuru and the Gamatox faction. When Mujuru was expelled, under false machinations, Mnangagwa is on record saying ZANU PF was self chlorinating. The self chlorination was the elimination of rival factions and individuals, by both peaceful and violent means. While the Lacoste and G40 factions joined hands in deposing Mujuru and the Gamatox faction, they turned against each other when they discovered that they were both eyeing the throne and the other would hinder victory. The self chlorination saw Mnangagwa being expelled himself, and the result being the coup to ouster Mugabe. So it is either naive or hypocritical to believe that peace would suddenly befall the violent party.
There are now too many factions, allegiances and rivalries within both the party and its affiliate military, for anyone to believe peace will be achieved.
The coup spokesman mentioned criminals around the then President Mugabe as their pretext for the power takeover, but to date none has been apprehended and jailed, let alone brought to trial. Does this not tell us that either there were never any so called criminals, but only rivals in the fight for power, and they are still out there preparing for a fight back? How then should we expect calm to prevail in the advent of such occurrences?
President Mnangagwa preaches peace but always makes the slogan, “pasi nemhandu!”. Who are these people he terms mhandu? Does that not say a lot about unresolved factional issues? How can one preach peace and yet unleash verbal vitriol on opponents? He says let bygones be bygones, but continues to purge rival members both in the party, government, intelligence service, police and the military. All those purged are men and women of military or other crucial value and are capable of doing damage to the establishment in their quest for power or revenge.
Not long ago, we read in the media about a grenade incident at General VP Chiwenga’s residence. Years ago we learnt of the attempt on Air Marshal (Rtd) Perrence Shiri’s life. Ain’t all these the continuation of violent rivalry between and among competing power brokers? This brings us to Martin Luther King’s pronouncement, quoted earlier, which says, “darkness cannot drive darkness, hate cannot drive hate.” Zimbanweans must not blindly believe someone with a dark past to suddenly preach peace. That should tell them that something sinister is in the making.
Are we then supposed to be surprised by the White City incident? I bet not. The rivalries are actually creeping deeper and the nation should expect much more violence, before any calm will come. We need to pray that innocent blood is not shed in crossfire as happened in Bulawayo. I will not dwell on the flaws resulting from the disbanding or purging of the Police VIP Protection Unit, together with the Presidential Guard, and replacing it with military personnel. It was evident that there was no police presence to contain and manage the crowds, or protect the leadership. The poor execution of the security protocol at White City Stadium was clearly visible, but it’s a topic for another article.
On 23 July 1952, General Neguib, Colonel Abdel Nasar and Colonel Anwar Sadat, of the Egyptian military, staged a coup, that ended the rule of King Farouk and his son Fu’ad II. The coup was executed with the intention of removing the dynasty from ruling the country. Does this not sound familiar or similar to Zimbabwe’s November 2017 event? In videos posted on social media, war veterans declared their fight against a so called Mugabe dynasty. This resonates with the Egyptian coup.
The Egyptian military replaced then Prime Minister Hilaly Pasha, with Aly Maher, who had also been a member of the old regime. Coincidentally, Mugabe was replaced by Mnangagwa, who also had been part of the old regime.
However, Maher did not last long, as General Neguib removed him, and appointed himself President. I do not want to speculate but history always repeats itself, in one way or the other.
In 1954, General Neguib was deposed by Colonel Abdel Nasar, with whom he had planned and executed the ouster of the King. Nasar ruled Egypt until his death in 1970 after which his fellow coup plotter, Colonel Sadat took over.
I am just bringing this Egyptian history to highlight the historically proven trend when military takeovers, termed coup detats, are executed on a country. Rivalries emerge within the military and their civilian alliances, so much that instability becomes perpetually inevitable, as correctly stated by King. The Zimbabwe situation points to the fact that this rivalry will only end with the continued phasing out of all those who were part of the liberation struggle, through age and death. While they are still able to exercise their power to control the arms of both party and government, it will be ingenious to believe that the violence so ingrained in them will blow away.
There’s a historical slogan in ZANU PF which says, “ZANU ndeyeropa”, literally meaning ZANU is endowed in spilling blood. This is a slogan that has deeper meaning than mere rhetoric. It is borne out of the power struggles and and spilling of the blood of leaders in the quest to outdo each other in controlling and leading the party and its military wing. It also resonates with ZANU PF’s violent nature, be it within itself or against political opponents. It is therefore ingenuous to believe that the recent incident is just an isolated one, or that it will easily be contained.
The current President has had a string of malicious attempts at his life, according to press reports. In 2014, at the height of the ouster of Dr Joice Mujuru and the Gamatox faction, Mnangagwa , while Justice Minister, was hit by a Ford Transit van belonging to Paritenyatwa Group of Hospitals. There was much speculation about the incident being an attack on the life of the then Minister. This was attributed to the Gamatox faction, although the results of the investigation into the accident were never published.
Soon after his appointment as Zimbabwe’s Vice President, reports came out that there was an acid attack at Mnangagwa’s offices, targeted at his person. He was not affected but some who worked in his office had to be hospitalised.
In August 2017, the then VP Mnangagwa was allegedly poisoned through an ice cream at a rally in Gwanda. He was airlifted to Gweru enroute to South Africa to receive treatment.
Ironically, investigations into all these incidents were never published and the nation knows not, whether any suspects were arrested. Should we use these incidents as a precursor to the White City incident? False flags are a common tool in the world of politics and military tactics. They are used to gain sympathy, by playing victim, sometimes without regard to collateral damage that may suffer in the process. While I’m not suggesting any malice on the part of the incumbent, I’m just highlighting common shenanigans used in such power struggles and rivalries. Only those involved would know exactly what has been happening. All the public can do is speculate and draw own conclusions.
In November 2017, Zimbabweans came out in their numbers to march against Mugabe’s rule, on the false impression that they were getting rid of the callous regime that had terrorised them in the past 37 years. Little did they know that they were being used to remove only a faction in the blood thirsty party. It is the same factional fights that still manifest, with the culmination of the White City attack.
Zimbabweans must therefore realise that the power to stop such blood thirsty mafia gangs, lies in their collective effort. These elections will not bring any end to the bloody fights in ZANU PF, nor the country. As long as these people are in control of the state machinery, no peace will prevail. A lot will happen before and after these elections regarding violence.
With collective effort, Zimbabweans can declare their country free of such leaders by refusing to be fooled, be it through the ballot box or through collective demonstrations. That power which was falsely used to remove Mugabe, can still be used by citizens to demonstrate and March for their freedom. The security sector can only resist the people’s power to an extend.
People must remember that the generality of the security sector does not condone the manipulation of power by the elite in their ranks. They will not stand against their people in the advent of a national revolution against a violent elite. The military has already been used to protect and defend a clique which had its own selfish agenda. It is apparent that even some in the higher ranks have realised that they were used by their their colleagues in the top brass to seize power for selfish factional benefit, and will not succumb to such manipulation again.
The military has some very professional personnel among its high ranks, who would stand by the people, if they were to march against violence and manipulation of state machinery.
A revolution must never be led by the military, but the military must stand by its revolutionary people. The November power grab in which the military led the power takeover was flawed. It should have been the people on the streets first, joined by the military, not the other way round. Until Zimbabweans learn to stand together against such violence and manipulation by those fighting for power, violence will prevail both in the ZANU PF and in the country.
By Jonathan Chando-
Lawyer, Political Analyst and Commentator on International Law and Politics
Yesterday we took a tour of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s special android phone app. It is a latest android piece of software who’s architecture was upgraded early this month on the 7th of June 2018. It is meant to update the nation on his movements and activities and has also been dubbed ‘a Presidential News and citizen engagement platform.’ But yesterday afternoon Zimbabweans protested exclaiming how “the app literally takes 37 years to open.” See the video below –
When the military coup was carried out in November last year, the sole motive was to remove criminals surrounding the former President “and bring them to justice,” as announced by Gen SB Moyo. But 7 months later, there is not a single one of them who has been prosecuted and President Emmerson Mnangagwa furthermore tolerates a well known G40 sponsor and serial crook, and a man who publicly financed former First Lady Grace Mugabe’s G40 faction, Walter Magaya. Why, why, why?, Zimbabweans asked this week, following an expose’ that shows how the preacher has defrauded many Zimbabweans hundreds of thousands of dollars through a dodgy investment program exposed by ZimEye.com and saw Magaya’s spokesman Oscar Pambuka being grilled LIVE below –
Why Do Chiwenga, Mnangagwa Tolerate G40 Criminal Walter Magaya?
— ZimEye (@ZimEye) June 29, 2018
One of the victims threatened to commit suicide while LIVE on ZimEye.com and below were the series of programs:
