Below are pictures of the diamond company, DTZ-OZGEO Chimanimani’s assets as they were attached last week. At the height of its mining, the Chiadzwa company’s diamonds were sold for $49 per carat, Marange $67, and Mbada at a dismal $23,94 per carat.
Catholic Priest Beds 14-yr-Old Girl
A CHECHECHE Roman Catholic priest who committed his life to celibacy is under fire for bedding a young girl.
Father Charles Makowa of St Peter’s Catholic Church in Checheche has been allegedly involved with several women from his church with the latest being a minor whose mother is the Parish Youth Advisor (tete). The mother’s name cannot be mentioned to protect the minor.
The man of cloth confirmed the developments that are making him leave the church, while the girl’s mother said if the story sees the light of the day the writers would die.
Father Makowa is alleged to have bedded the minor from 2014 when she was 14-years-old.
A source said the minor’s mother sold her child to the Father for favours such as having the minor’s school fees paid for by the priest.
“The girl’s mother became vulnerable to Father Makowa’s manipulations as she fell right into his trap, literally trading her first-born daughter to him in exchange for school fees payment for all her kids and upkeep of the whole family.
“This worked according to the priest and girl’s mother’s plan and the minor has completed her studies at St Anthony High School in Zaka – all paid for by Fr Makowa,” said the source who preferred anonymity stating that the man of cloth was very violent such that he feared for her life.
“I am planning to marry the girl soon. She is not pregnant. I am not aware of any other relationship you are talking about. I will be leaving this parish soon,” said Fr Makowa. -state media
Mugabe Loses As “Ndebele Man” Rises to Become Zimbabwe’s Most Powerful Judge Since 1980 | HISTORY SEALED
What will Mugabe do now after this, will he play “a Gubbay” again?
Staff Reporter| After receiving pressure from legal experts and analysts, President Robert Mugabe yesterday decided to give into the winds of change and appoint Justice Luke Malaba the new Chief Justice. Before yesterday, Mugabe and his successor in the wait, Emmerson Mnangagwa had been fighting judges attempting to disregard the interview process for the top job which saw Malaba win. But history was made when the President finally chose to bow to the wind of change and appoint Malaba who scored highest in the interviews. ALSO READ – Mnangagwa Didn’t Want a Ndebele Chief Justice.
Many Zimbabweans have wondered why the President’s office had been at loggerheads with judges over the appointment of another Chief Justice.
This is all because whoever becomes Chief Justice will rule Zimbabwe. A solicitor writing in the ZimEye newsroom last year said, “the events surrounding the appointment of the CJ are most worrying. We have a fairly new Constitution that was made through some outreach programme. The CJ’s position is important because he/she is the head of the Judiciary both administratively and judicially. That’s the reason why the independence of the CJ should be safeguarded. The reason to seek to have the CJ appointed by the President is probably calculated to ensure that the CJ knows where the allegiance should be. It may also be because it is anticipated that there will be tricky electoral litigation come 2018. It’s a shameless attack on the independence of the Judiciary. It’s senseless”. READ MORE
Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba confirmed the appointment last night.
Deputy Chief Justice Malaba had been Acting Chief Justice since March 1 following the retirement of Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku.
Malaba takes over office from last night. Below is a history of Zimbabwe’s CJs since 1980.
2017 to current – Luke Malaba, a Ndebele who is known for opposing the verdict granting Robert Mugabe powers to hold the 2013 “NIKUV” elections, was appointed boss yesterday.
2001 to 2017 – Godfrey Chidyausiku (A former minister in Mugabe’s cabinet, and a chief Mugabe propagandist who later on attempted staying on beyond the legal age of 70. He was blocked from his attempts and forced to retire this year.)
1990 to 2001 – Anthony Gubbay (a Jewish Zimbabwean, who was fired by Mugabe as punishement for ruling Mugabe’s violent land reform program unlawful)
1984 to 1990 – Enoch Dumbutshena, Zimbabwe’s first black judge in 1980 and served as Chief Justice from 1984 to 1990
1980 to 1984 – John Fieldsend, a British lawyer, the first Chief Justice of Zimbabwe. He was appointed for a fixed term and assumed office on 1 July 1980. Born in England, Sir John (as he later became) was brought up in Southern Rhodesia. After graduating in law he practised as an advocate in Bulawayo. In 1962 he was appointed a judge of the High Court, but resigned in 1968 in protest against the decision of the Appellate Court to grant judicial recognition to the government of former premier, Ian Smith.
Chivi School Closes Over ‘Witchcraft’
Terrence Mawawa, Chivi| A local school has been closed over suspected acts of witchcraft, it has emerged.
Nyahonde Secondary School in Chivi South was closed indefinitely last Monday following bizarre incidents blamed on so called “witchcraft”.
According to local parents pupils fainted mysteriously for successive days.
The parents claimed evil spirits linked to witchcraft were tormenting pupils. “Mysterious incidents have been taking place at the school. Some pupils passed out under mysterious circumstances while a form two girl went into a trance for a long time,” said one parent who declined to be named.
Ward 32 Councillor, Wilson Machingambi, said angry parents withdrew their children from the school prompting authorities to suspend lessons. “The parents said that a new schoolgirl was behind the acts of witchcraft,” he said.
“Goblins also manifested at the school,” added Machingambi.
School Development Committee chairperson identified as Matsukudure confirmed the matter.
” Lessons have been suspended due to mysterious incidents at the school,” he said.
The deputy head of the school, Howard Vulanda declined to comment and referred all questions to the Provincial Education Director, Zedius Chitiga, who was not immediately available for comment.
” I cannot say anything at the moment you can contact the Provincial Education Director on the issue,” said Vulanda.
FULL TEXT: Chief Justices Of Zimbabwe Since 1980
Below is the short history of Zimbabwe’s Chief Justices since 1980. Legal experts in the ZimEye newsroom reveal that the Chief Justice job is crucial for the Presidency because the CJ effectively rules Zimbabwe as they can with a simple dot of the ink, stop President Robert Mugabe.
2017 to current – Luke Malaba, a Ndebele who is known for opposing the verdict granting Robert Mugabe powers to hold the 2013 “NIKUV” elections, was appointed CJ yesterday 28th March 2017.
2001 to 2017 – Godfrey Chidyausiku (A former minister in Mugabe’s cabinet, and a chief Mugabe propagandist who later on attempted staying on beyond the legal age of 70. He was blocked from his attempts and forced to retire this year.)
1990 to 2001 – Anthony Gubbay (a Jewish Zimbabwean, who was fired by Mugabe as punishement for ruling Mugabe’s violent land reform program unlawful)
1984 to 1990 – Enoch Dumbutshena, Zimbabwe’s first black judge in 1980 and served as Chief Justice from 1984 to 1990. He later attempted politics but failed as ZimEye reveals. Presidential aspirant Noah Manyika tells ZimEye he came out of the system to challenged Robert Mugabe.
1980 to 1984 – John Fieldsend, a British lawyer, the first Chief Justice of Zimbabwe. He was appointed for a fixed term and assumed office on 1 July 1980. Born in England, Sir John (as he later became) was brought up in Southern Rhodesia. After graduating in law he practised as an advocate in Bulawayo. In 1962 he was appointed a judge of the High Court, but resigned in 1968 in protest against the decision of the Appellate Court to grant judicial recognition to the government of former premier, Ian Smith. – ZimEye
Why Online Dating Advice Could Ruin Your Relationship!
By Nimi Princewill| The internet has programmed itself, into a non-degree awarding college of diverse knowledge, where almost everyone suddenly runs to for a quick fix on how to polish what’s left of their relationship, or dust dwindling emotions off, without necessarily having to endure long hours of exhaustive classroom lectures.
The internet is saturated with so much misconception, through the assumed ‘conventional standards’ it believes every relationship must meet up with, for it to be considered ideal and not toxic.
So, it begins to proffer solutions… “5 Reasons Why He Or She Is Not Right For You”, “10 Things You Shouldn’t Do For Your Partner No Matter How Much You Love Him/Her”, “4 Warning Signs Your Relationship Is On The Brink of Collapse”, “11 Accurate Signs To Know If Your Partner Is Cheating” and many others.
Some online dating articles, advice women (including the married ones) to keep an open mind in their relationship, as it is considered healthy to maintain a crush on other men they possibly find attractive. Some others, advice people to walkout on their relationship if they mostly quarrel and argue with their partner (which according to them, is a glaring sign they don’t belong together), or if both partners don’t seem to share similar interests and aspirations.
Isn’t it funny how some commenters on these articles, who possibly endure ‘toxic relationships’ at home, will advice other people to quit theirs? It’s important to note, that while online dating advice can be helpful to some, it could ruin others who haven’t put in much work in trying to understand the ‘love language’ of their partner (which could be extremely different from theirs), or haven’t exhausted all available options in reconciliation and vital communication.
You don’t really need an online article to validate whether you’re doing it right or wrong in your relationship. The quality of love you give and the feedback you receive, provides all the information you require!
On the other hand, if you put in so much love but receive a scarcely positive feedback in return, you’re required to invest a lot more love, by consistently giving a healthy series of nag-free communication a shot! A therapist will tell you the same (perhaps in a different language), but of course, at the expense of a little pocket money, which I’m sure you want to hold back in the purse!
Relationships vary, and likewise the love language of the people involved. What works for another, may profit little to you and what ruins your affair, may seem exaggerated to another. Pay more attention to your relationship and recline a bit from getting series of dating advice online. What’s good for the goose, may not always be as good for the gander!
Bio: Nimi Princewill is a Nigerian Creative writer / Poet / ‘Social Reformer’. He’s very passionate about the reformation and development of Africa. Born in Nigeria on the 5th of July 1991, he’s most notable for his usual ‘controversial’ opinion on issues that cut across Religion, Sports, Social Lifestyle and Politics.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @princewill_nimi
Dokora Abuses Rural School Kids
Teachers speak against Education Minister, Lazarus Dokora.
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No electricity,
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No textbooks, no chalkboards
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7 compulsory subjects but non can give a combination of subjects at A Level.
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Forces national pledge down kids’ throats
By Obert Masaraure| The new Curriculum exposing exclusion, deepening exploitation and cultivating patronage.
The government of Zimbabwe have finally taken heed of the recommendations of the Nziramasanga commission which was published more than a decade ago. They claim they have adopted the recommendations and international best practices in the newly formulated curriculum. The new learning program however exposes the structural exclusion of rural learners, deepens exploitation of the workers and cultivates patronage.
In simple terms a curriculum is the whole package of learning experiences undergone by a learner in the school environment. The realignment of this learning environment has opened our eyes to the stark reality that rural learners are structurally excluded from accessing quality education.
During the colonial era, exclusion was explicit with blacks being prohibited from progressing academically and being forced to practical learning of vocational subjects. After independence the government made cosmetic changes and declared that education was now open to all. In practical sense some learners remained excluded.
The government have never seriously developed infrastructure in most areas to support learning. Learners still learn under trees and in some better circumstances in disused tobacco barns. The Basic Education Access Model ( BEAM), has not been disbursing funds to these schools so the schools can’t afford teaching material, there are no textbooks, chalkboards and any instructional media to help learners.
The rural schools also fail to retain and attract quality teachers and are usually manned by inexperienced, under qualified and demotivated teachers. Rural schools thus constantly record zero % pass rates.
The nation had learnt to normalise this abnormal situation until the new curriculum was introduced.
The new learning program emphasises the use of Information technology yet the bulk of rural schools do not have electricity. There is another thrust of introducing pure sciences like Biology, physics and chemistry yet rural schools don’t have the laboratories to support the learning of science. The teachers manning rural schools are also not able to cope with the demands of the new curriculum. In essence the majority of our rural schools can’t implement either the new curriculum or the old, and yet amid all this, are now forced to learn a new one. We had become used to barring rural learners but the new curriculum is now torturing us and our conscience is now in trouble. But very soon we will learn to ignore and state media will once again declare the changes as a success.
For the workers the new curriculum brings more work and more exploitation. The government has categorically stated that they will not deploy new teachers but new learning areas have been introduced which means the teachers have to shoulder a heavier burden. There are no prospects of salaries being reviewed upward but the workload is being increased.
The new learning program also targets patronising learners by introducing a schools pledge which Dokora loves to call national. Learners are also forced to study something called heritage studies which focuses on the heroic acts of our liberators. Government argues that all this is aimed at instilling patriotism which is a laughable assertion as we all know that citizens can only be patriotic to a state that caters for their needs and they feel duty bound to reciprocate. Patriotism cannot be forced down kid’s throats in a classroom.
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7 compulsory subjects but non can give a combination of subjects at A Level.
At O level government, introduces 7 compulsory subjects but non of them can give a learner a combination of subjects at A level. Learners are therefore forced to elect 3 more subjects to make a total of 10 subjects including 7 useless but compulsory learning areas. It is interesting to note that government does not pay for exam fees of the learners but parents do. A parent is thus forced to pay a total of US $150 for their kid to sit for O level. This burdens parents unnecessarily and further marginalise rural learners from attaining O levels.
Continuous assessment is now being introduced in new curriculum. The marks awarded to learners from Form 3 to Form 4 will now constitute 30% of the grade awarded to a learner at the conclusion of O level. The first challenge with this model is that there is no standard format of assessing and evaluating learner performance and the teachers have not been trained to do the assessment. Chaos will reign supreme in the implementation of this new paradigm and the results produced will not be a true reflection of learner performance. The second challenge is possibility of corruption from underpaid and demotivated teachers.
All the same the changes to a curriculum are imminent since a learning program should be compatible with contextual realities obtaining at any given point in time. The realities are dynamic and so must be our package of instruction. The government must however make realistic changes and get buy in from citizens. The government must also introduce an education equalisation fund to upgrade rural schools. A attraction and retention allowance must be introduced in rural schools to compensate rural teachers for the multiple challenges they endure discharging their duties.
For now citizens must employ all methods at their disposal to resist the changes introduced in our education until the government learn to consult.
Obert Masaraure
ARTUZ NATIONAL PRESIDENT.
[email protected]
Grace Kicks Out Mahoka, Guns for Kasukuwere
The Zanu-PF Women’s League yesterday resolved at its national executive meeting to expel its two senior members Nomthandazo Eunice Moyo (deputy secretary) and Sarah Mahoka (secretary for finance).
The two are accused of undermining the First Lady, who is secretary for Women’s Affairs, corruption, insubordination and fanning factionalism with Mahoka facing further charges of denigrating Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Presidential spokesman Mr George Charamba.
Sources who attended the meeting said the duo’s case will be referred to the disciplinary committee of the party and if confirmed, will then be ratified by the Politburo, according to party procedure, rules and regulations.
The sources said the Women’s League national executive meeting at the party’s headquarters also recommended that national commissar Saviour Kasukuwere be put to his defence on a number of charges, among them trying to block last week’s nationwide demonstrations against Moyo and Mahoka.
Kasukuwere then accused another party cadre Jimayi Muduvuri of leaking information to The Herald to the effect that he was against the Women’s League programmes.
The Women’s League, one of the party’s three arms, yesterday called Kasukuwere to order, saying he was not a member of the wing.
“The Women’s League resolved that Moyo and Mahoka should be expelled,” said the source. “That has to be endorsed by the Politburo, but a position has already been taken.
“Also on notice is Kasukuwere whom the wing felt is fanning factionalism and is also accused of attempting to stop our demonstrations last week.”
Zanu-PF secretary for Women’s Affairs and First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe, told the wing’s members at the beginning of the meeting that they wanted to investigate all charges being levelled against Moyo and Mahoka, after which they would make recommendations to the Politburo.
“We are to analyse what has been happening this past week up to the weekend,” Dr Mugabe said. “It is about the Women’s League deputy Sandi Moyo and finance secretary Sarah Mahoka.
“So we are still looking to see if the charges against them are true or not. So that is why we are meeting here today.
“But we as the Women’s League executive can’t make a decision on whether what happened is true or not, but we will write down what we think will please the majority. After this we will then send our report to the Politburo as per procedure.
“We follow procedure so that we show them what the women from all the provinces agreed on. Women came in their numbers to show that they are not happy with the way the top 10 in the Women’s League national executive are working.
“So we are here to see if what was written is true and whether are we agreeing with it.
“We then write the points and then we send to our leaders and tell them that this is what the women have said and they are not happy about it. So the decision will be taken from there. There is disciplinary committee that will then decide.”
Before the wing’s secretary for information and publicity Thokozile Mathuthu gave her Press statement after the meeting, journalists were allowed to enter the conference room.
Some of the Women’s League members were shouting and clapping their hands saying:
“These ( Sandi Moyo and Mahoka) we fired them, we now want () Kasukuwere.”
Another member shouted: “Don’t say that, there are media people here”, to which another voice shouted from the floor: “But is it a lie?”
In her statement on the outcome of the meeting, Mathuthu said: “Last week members of the Zanu-PF Women’s League staged a nationwide demonstration against Eunice Sandi Moyo, deputy secretary for Women’s Affairs and Sarah Mahoka, secretary for finance, over various allegations of impropriety and conduct unbecoming of persons in such high profile positions.
“On Monday 27 March, 2017, the wing’s top leadership referred to as the Top 10 met to deliberate on these demonstrations against the pair. The provincial chairpersons submitted petitions from their respective areas highlighting grievances they were raising against Sandi Moyo and Mahoka.
“Today, Tuesday 28 March, 2017, the Women’s League national executive also met here at Harare party headquarters as a follow up to the Monday meeting by the top 10.
“Again, chairpersons of the Women’s League presented petitions from their respective provinces against the two executive members, which were discussed at length.
“Following those deliberations, it suffices at this stage to say that due processes regarding the resolution of disciplinary cases of this nature will be followed through according to the rules and guidelines of our revolutionary party.
“The nation will be advised about the fate of the two in the fullness of time. The nation will be appraised of the outcome after we conclude the requirements of our Zanu-PF party constitution. No action has been taken against them yet, as we are still to conclude the requirements of our Zanu-PF constitution.”
Asked on claims by Kasukuwere that the Women’s League was hijacked, Mathuthu said: “I am sorry Kasukuwere is not part of the national executive of the Women’s League.” – state media
WATCH: Zimbabwean Caught Stealing in China, Forced To Drink Whole Bottle Of Wine
Zim Student in China stole a bottle of wine. He did not know he was being watched via CCTV, and the shop owners made him drink the whole bottle as punishment.
Mnangagwa Loses as Mugabe Appoints Justice Malaba Chief Justice
President Robert Mugabe has with immediate effect appointed Deputy Chief Justice Luke Malaba as Chief Justice-designate.
He will be sworn in as Chief Justice next week as he is out of the country on a Foreign Affairs assignment.
Many Zimbabweans have wondered why the President’s office had been at loggerheads with judges over the appointment of another Chief Justice.
This is all because whoever becomes Chief Justice will rule Zimbabwe. A solicitor writing in the ZimEye newsroom last year said, “the events surrounding the appointment of the CJ are most worrying. We have a fairly new Constitution that was made through some outreach programme. The CJ’s position is important because he/she is the head of the Judiciary both administratively and judicially. That’s the reason why the independence of the CJ should be safeguarded. The reason to seek to have the CJ appointed by the President is probably calculated to ensure that the CJ knows where the allegiance should be. It may also be because it is anticipated that there will be tricky electoral litigation come 2018. It’s a shameless attack on the independence of the Judiciary. It’s senseless”. READ MORE
Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba confirmed the appointment last night.
Deputy Chief Justice Malaba had been Acting Chief Justice since March 1 following the retirement of Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku.
Said Mr Charamba: “He was appointed with effect from the 27th of March and what is left is judicial oath of office, which might be done next week because the new CJ designate, Justice Malaba is on a Foreign Affairs assignment.”
During the interviews in December, the Chief Justice-designate scored 92 percent, while JSC acting secretary Justice Rita Makarau garnered 90 percent and Justice Paddington Garwe came out third with 52 percent.
Under section 180 of the country’s Constitution, the Chief Justice is appointed by the President from a list of three nominees selected by the JSC following advertisements and the holding of public interviews.
In mid-October last year the JSC advertised the position extensively and invited the public including the President if he wished to nominate qualified persons.
The names of Justices Malaba, Makarau and Garwe were submitted to President Mugabe for his consideration according the country’s Constitution.
However, while the process was in motion, the High Court suspended public interviews for a new Chief Justice pending proposed amendments to the Constitution, but the JSC appealed the decision at the Supreme Court.
Justice Charles Hungwe had barred the interviews following a successful application by University of Zimbabwe law student Mr Romeo Taombera Zibani to do away with the interviews and grant President Mugabe unfettered discretion to appoint a Chief Justice of his choice.
However, the JSC appeal suspended the decision of the High Court.
Justice Malaba was appointed Acting Chief Justice on March 1 this year and has served the judiciary for the past 35 years.
He has been a judge of the High Court, Supreme Court and Constitutional Court.
Chief Justice-designate Malaba handed down 50 judgments and 15 of them were reportable between 2013 and 2016.
Justice Makarau has not been sitting in court for the past years hence the commission resolved to judge her by using the four years she was Judge President of the High Court.
During that period, Justice Makarau handed down 88 judgments, 52 of which were reported in the Zimbabwe Law Reports.
Justice Garwe in the past four years delivered 34 judgments, of which 14 were reported in the Zimbabwe Law Reports.
Makarau Humiliated as Mugabe Appoints “A Ndebele Man” Zimbabwe’s New Chief Justice
Staff Reporter| President Robert Mugabe yesterday decided to ditch his election protege’ Rita Makarau choosing rather to appoint a Ndebele, Justice Luke Malaba Zimbabwe’s new Chief Justice. Before yesterday, Mugabe and his successor in the wait, Emmerson Mnangagwa had been fighting judges attempting to disregard the interview process for the top job. But history was made when the President finally chose to bow to the wind of change and appoint Malaba who scored highest in the interviews.
Many Zimbabweans have wondered why the President’s office had been at loggerheads with judges over the appointment of another Chief Justice.
This is all because whoever becomes Chief Justice will rule Zimbabwe. A solicitor writing in the ZimEye newsroom last year said, “the events surrounding the appointment of the CJ are most worrying. We have a fairly new Constitution that was made through some outreach programme. The CJ’s position is important because he/she is the head of the Judiciary both administratively and judicially. That’s the reason why the independence of the CJ should be safeguarded. The reason to seek to have the CJ appointed by the President is probably calculated to ensure that the CJ knows where the allegiance should be. It may also be because it is anticipated that there will be tricky electoral litigation come 2018. It’s a shameless attack on the independence of the Judiciary. It’s senseless”. READ MORE
Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba confirmed the appointment last night.
Deputy Chief Justice Malaba had been Acting Chief Justice since March 1 following the retirement of Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku.
Malaba takes over office from last night. Below is a history of Zimbabwe’s CJs since 1980.
2017 to current – Luke Malaba, a Ndebele who is known for opposing the verdict granting Robert Mugabe powers to hold the 2013 “NIKUV” elections, was appointed boss yesterday.
2001 to 2017 – Godfrey Chidyausiku (A former minister in Mugabe’s cabinet, and a chief Mugabe propagandist who later on attempted staying on beyond the legal age of 70. He was blocked from his attempts and forced to retire this year.)
1990 to 2001 – Anthony Gubbay (a Jewish Zimbabwean, who was fired by Mugabe as punishement for ruling Mugabe’s violent land reform program unlawful)
1984 to 1990 – Enoch Dumbutshena, Zimbabwe’s first black judge in 1980 and served as Chief Justice from 1984 to 1990
1980 to 1984 – John Fieldsend, a British lawyer, the first Chief Justice of Zimbabwe. He was appointed for a fixed term and assumed office on 1 July 1980. Born in England, Sir John (as he later became) was brought up in Southern Rhodesia. After graduating in law he practised as an advocate in Bulawayo. In 1962 he was appointed a judge of the High Court, but resigned in 1968 in protest against the decision of the Appellate Court to grant judicial recognition to the government of former premier, Ian Smith.
Mafela Died A Free Man
By the time Joe Mafela died, he had already done everything he could in the entertainment industry.
This was what family representative Peter Ntamu said at the memorial service held for the popular actor at the SABC studios in Auckland Park, Joburg on Monday.
“The songs he was supposed to write, he wrote. We’re comforted because he died empty.”
Peter said Joe, who had just returned from a cruise with his wife at the time of his death, was a simple man who was dedicated to his family.
Jerry Phele, Lillian Dube, Mara Louw, David Phetoe and Mzwakhe Mbuli were among the celebrities who attended the service.
There was more laughter and dancing than crying in the packed auditorium as the speakers shared their memories of Joe. Veteran actor Sam Phillips said when Joe died, they were planning a project together. He said he got to know Joe’s work through repeats of his old shows. He said the SABC might have been broadcasting them to cover the fact that it was not producing enough new material.
“I have a script that has been collecting dust at the SABC for 15 years.”
SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago said when Joe died he was shooting a TV licence advert. He said the SABC was airing repeats because it wanted people to learn from old talent.
Phele said: “About three weeks ago, Joe told me something was bothering him. He said the industry is full of people who can’t act and who just follow the money.” – DailySun
SHOCKER: Midlands Tops Machete Murders
Midlands province has recorded the highest number of murder cases involving weapons such as machetes, especially in areas associated with illegal gold mining, amid reports that some of the killings were being perpetrated at the instigation of politicians.
This has prompted police in Midlands and Matabeleland North provinces to ban the carrying of catapults, machetes, axes, knobkerries, swords, knives or daggers or any traditional weapon in public whether openly or by concealment for the next three months.
According to police, carrying such weapons will attract a six-month jail term.
Speaking during a meeting with members of the Zanu-PF Midlands provincial coordinating council on development, Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs, Cde Jason Machaya said the province was topping the list of violent murders using machetes.
“I must inform the leadership that it has come to the attention of Government that Midlands is topping the list of violent murders using machetes,” he said.
“Over a dozen people have lost their lives and many have been seriously injured.
“Kwekwe and Zvishavane have been singled out. Illegal gold mining is the major cause of the violence. Some politicians are being accused as being the ring leaders of the violence and beneficiaries of the process. As a province, we must seriously address the issue.”
This came as police in Midlands and Matabeleland North issued a prohibition order of carrying of catapults, machetes, axes, knobkerries, swords, knives or daggers or any traditional weapon in public whether openly or by concealment for the next three months in Zvishavane, Mberengwa, Kwekwe and Lupane.
According to police statements, the weapons have been used in murder, armed robbery, assaults, domestic violence, malicious damage to property, unlawful entry and theft in Zvishavane, Lupane and Kwekwe.
Any person failing to comply with such a prohibition shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level five or imprisonment for six months or both. – State Media
Parents Kill Son Through Illegal Electricity Connection
A SIX-YEAR-OLD boy was allegedly electrocuted after his parents connected electricity illegally to a cage in which they were keeping some chickens, police have confirmed.
Joseph Mademba of Mademba Village, Headman Chipindu under Chief Chivi was found lying unconscious on the ground by his parents who rushed him to Zvishavane District Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Acting Masvingo police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Kudakwashe Dehwa said the incident occurred on Sunday at around 8 AM.
“I confirm receiving a report of sudden death by electrocution of a Grade One pupil at Madamombe Primary School in Chivi. His body was taken to Zvishavane District Hospital mortuary for postmortem,” said Asst Insp Dehwa.
He said on the fateful day the boy, who was in Grade One was outside his parents’ house located at Madamombe Secondary School playing with his eight-year-old sister.
“The two were playing outside while their parents, Mr Cleopas Mudemba (35) and Ms Vimbai Sorovha (33) were in the bedroom. While playing, Tanyaradzwa allegedly tampered with one of the two conductors connected to the steel cage leading to electrocution,” he said. – State Media
Vumba Plane Crash Victims Named | LATEST
The bodies of the six people who perished in a plane in Vumba yesterday morning have been identified.
A Zimbabwean national Mr Banele Sibanda, who was finance director of Cornelder de Mozambique, a sister company for Green Motor Services (GMS) based in Mutare was among the six people that were killed.
The other directors of Cornelder de Mozambique namely Adelino Mequito (managing director), Isaic Noor (administration and finance director), Jorge Ucucho (chief legal council), pilot and co-pilot who were father and son, Rui Perreira and Luis Barroso also perished in the horror crash.
Meanwhile, the repatriation process of the bodies of five Mozambican nationals is underway.
Family members and workmates from GMS and Cornelder de Mozambique came to Mutare Provincial Hospital to identify the bodies.
The pilot and co-pilot are expected to be buried in Maputo while the three others are to be buried in Beira and the body of the late Mr Sibanda has since been taken to Harare.
The general manager of GMS Mr Lawrence Takawira who was waiting to pick up the directors expressed shock and said the GMS family has been robbed of figure heads who were driving the organisation.
The commercial manager for Cornelder de Mozambique Jan de Vries commended the Zimbabwean and Mozambican governments for the support rendered, and saluted the army personnel for searching and airlifting the bodies from the mountainous Zohwe area in border stream.
The wreckage is yet to be removed from the mountain as investigations are still in progress, but according to information from villagers, the pilot could have lost visibility due to the misty conditions prevailing at the time of the crash. – State Media
Dzamara Haunts Mugabe
Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo | The video clip produced during the Itai Dzamara Commemoration Event has become so popular with jittery state security agents now threatening residents over the footage.
The video footage was filmed in Manchester UK on the 11th of March.The event was facilitated by Zimbabwe Citizens’ Initiative-an organisation formed by exiled Zimbabweans.
The footage features popular UK based artist Sylvanos Mudzvova who imitates Dzamara’ s voice in the clip. Fearing the footage would spread on social media platforms, three suspected state security agents pounced on four Great Zimbabwe University on Saturday night and forced them to delete the footage.
“We were coming from the Great Zimbabwe University main campus when three men approached us and confiscated our cellphones. They forced us to delete the video clip produced during the Itai Dzamara Commemoration event. They warned us to distance ourselves from political events,” said a Sociology student. Dzamara ,a journalist and human rights activist was abducted by suspected state security agents in March 2015 .He has not been seen since that time. Zimbabwe Citizens’ Initiative Information and Publicity Officer, UK,Farai Nhakaniso called on the people of Zimbabwe to unite against tyranny and dictatorship.
“Let us remain vigilant ,we will not tolerate the torture and abduction of innocent civilians,”he said.
Grace Deals Moyo A Heavy Blow
As expected, powerful First Lady Grace Mugabe and her influential Zanu PF women’s league yesterday sacked embattled party heavyweights Eunice Sandi Moyo and Sarah Mahoka from within their ranks — meaning that it may be a matter of time before the two are in turn jettisoned altogether from President Robert Mugabe’s warring former liberation movement.
The move — which is likely to further fuel Zanu PF’s deadly tribal, factional and succession brawls — prompted a stunned sympathiser of the two ladies to tell the Daily News last night that “musha waparara”, which loosely translated means the party is finished.
Other well-placed sources said after a marathon, all-day meeting of the women’s league’s top 10 office bearers, Sandi Moyo and the vocal Mahoka had been summarily booted out of the key organ, amid further reports that discussions leading to the decision had been both “heavy and heated”.
Curiously, both Sandi Moyo and Mahoka, as well as Tabetha Kanengoni-Malinga, the minister of State in Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko’s office, did not attend the meeting even though all of them are part of the league’s top 10.
While the league itself was tight-lipped about what had transpired, the sources said an official announcement about the expulsions would be made today — when the rest of the women’s league’s executives, including provincial leaders, are expected to congregate in Harare.
“They (Sandi Moyo and Mahoka) have been expelled. Amai (Grace) showed her power today and from now on they are nobodies.
“Amai will chair a meeting of the women’s league top 50 at the Zanu PF Headquarters on Tuesday, and we understand that both Sandi and Mahoka are barred from attending that meeting,” one of the sources who spoke to the Daily News said.
Women’s league secretary for administration, Leticia Undenge, referred all questions to the wing’s secretary for information and publicity, Thokozile Mathuthu, whose cellphone was not reachable last night.“Talk to the information secretary (Mathuthu). She is the one who speaks for the wing,” was all Undenge would say.
But in truth, the expulsion was wholly predictable as the axe had been hovering over the heads of the two women since last week, after irate party members held demonstrations across the country, alleging that Grace’s former top allies had now allegedly turned to undermining the first lady.
Mahoka, who is famed for having publicly dressed down Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa in front of Mugabe last year, is the women’s league treasurer, while Sandi Moyo is Grace’s deputy.
The women’s league has been closely linked to a party faction going by the name Generation 40 (G40), which is rabidly opposed to Mnangagwa succeeding Mugabe.
In February last year, Mahoka brazenly heckled Mnangagwa — calling the stunned VP in front of Mugabe and other bigwigs a lame duck.
Mahoka and Sandi Moyo were also among the group of women’s league members who have been aggressively pushing for the revival of the debate about the need for a woman to become one of Zanu PF’s two vice presidents.
Their calls for a woman to be elevated to the presidency were seen as directed against Mnangagwa, as the appointment of Mphoko was part of the conditions of the country’s unity accord which resulted in the post of the second VP being reserved for senior former Zapu officials.
Sources had previously told the Daily News that it was inevitable that Sandi Moyo and Mahoka would face the boot, after Sandi Moyo shocked the league by allegedly openly declaring her interest in becoming the woman Zanu PF VP, when the women’s quota system kicks in.
Party insiders also said while Mahoka had been sacrificed for “her own demeanours” Sandi Moyo had further angered Grace by holding a defiant press conference in Bulawayo on Thursday, in response to Wednesday’s demonstrations against her.
Then, an emotional Sandi Moyo told the media at her hastily-arranged press briefing that she would only resign or leave the warring ruling party at the express insistence of Mugabe who had appointed her as a minister and Zanu PF politburo member.
Mahoka was until yesterday in the United States on party business. Sources said she had been sacrificed because she had become “head strong and obstinate” within the women’s league executive, claims that she has previously dismissed as false.
In the meantime, political analysts have warned that the sacking of Sandi Moyo and Mahoka would likely further widen fissures in the deeply-divided former liberation movement.
“Zanu PF is imploding right before our eyes. The party is being destroyed by the insatiable desire of the president to remain in power, and being too old, he is now relying on his wife who is a novice in all this, to achieve this,” political analyst Gladys Hlatywayo said.
“At the rate at which things are going, Zanu PF might even find it hard to rig the 2018 elections due to the lack of elite cohesion. The First Family is stepping on everyone’s toes and now have no permanent friends.
“The opposition can take advantage of these fissures to get an upper hand in the elections. Given the interviews the expelled duo has given thus far, it also appears as if they are determined to fight Grace and this may see the shifting of allegiances and them joining forces with Team Lacoste,” Hlatywayo added.
“This is yet another sign of possible covert moves by Grace to consolidate her grip on the women’s league through the purging of perceived opponents, seeing that the two women were sacked without following any clear party disciplinary procedures,” weighed in another analyst Dewa Mavhinga.
Zanu PF insiders also told the Daily News that the events of the past few days and the firing of Sandi Moyo and Mahoka could see factional re-alignments within the party.
They said the expulsions were also likely to further fuel the party’s deadly succession brawls, which had gone a notch higher ever since the nonagenarian’s 93rd birthday interview with the ZBC, in which he appeared to slam the door shut on ambitious party bigwigs angling to succeed him.
They said the expulsions were also likely to further fuel the party’s deadly succession brawls, which had gone a notch higher ever since the nonagenarian’s 93rd birthday interview with the ZBC, in which he appeared to slam the door shut on ambitious party bigwigs angling to succeed him.
Sulu Arrested, Pleads “Kids Too Expensive”
Musician Suluman Chimbetu feels the judgment granted against him by a Harare Civil magistrate in a matter in which his ex-wife was claiming maintenance for their minor children last year was a bit harsh.
Sulu, as he is known in entertainment circles, after he was arrested for failing to pay the maintenance, said the judgment forced him to sail in debt after he borrowed money to pay the maintenance.
A Harare Civil magistrate last year in December ordered him to pay US$800 for the upkeep of his two children.
The order was granted in favour of Sulu’s ex-wife Marygold Rutendo Mutemasango who approached the court claiming money for the upkeep of their two children, both below 10 years.
Sulu expressed his feelings in a warned and cautioned statement recorded by the police after he was arrested for failing to adhere to the Civil Court order.
“I did not pay the maintenance because I feel the judgment which was granted by the court in the case is a bit harsh considering the economic situation and the nature of my job.
“Hence I made an appeal against the judgment which is still pending at court.
“I had to borrow US$800 from a companion so that I could settle the first instalment for the month of December 2016 and I am still to pay back that amount.
Sulu said in his warned and cautioned statement that as a parent he feels that he should pay maintenance within his means.
The 35-year-old musician was yesterday taken to the Harare magistrates’ court by his former wife complaining that he had failed to comply with a Civil Court order.
Marigold hauled Sulu to court complaining that he had accrued US$1 600 in maintenance arrears.
Sulu, who was being represented by lawyer Simudzai Machingauta, pleaded not guilty when he appeared before magistrate Joy Chikodzore charged with failure to pay maintenance.
Magistrate Chikodzore ordered Sulu to return to court on March 30 for trial before remanding him out of custody on free bail.
State counsel, Devoted Gwashavanhu-Nyagano alleges that on December 20 last year Sulu was ordered to pay US$800 per month as maintenance for the upkeep of his two children.
The maintenance was supposed to be paid starting December 3.
Prosecutor Gwashavanhu-Nyagano alleges that Sulu failed to pay for the month of January and February 2017 accruing US$1 600 in arrears. – State Media
Mujuru Attacks “Power Drunk” Tsvangirai
Former Vice President Joice Mujuru’s fledgling National People’s Party (NPP) has once again cast doubt about its participation in the mooted grand opposition coalition — attacking MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai as “power drunk”, while expressing reservations about him leading the alliance in next year’s watershed national elections.
The NPP, through its rash spokesperson Jealousy Mawarire, also slammed at the weekend what it said was desperation ostensibly on Tsvangirai’s part to have him endorsed as the leader of the planned coalition.
“The desperation to have Tsvangirai as the coalition leader is manifest in some contrived and funny endorsements by politically tainted people like (Zimbabwe People First elder Didymus) Mutasa who, only yesterday, were fighting tooth and nail to stall any progress that we were making to ensure an MoU (memorandum of understanding) between our parties was signed.
“It should, however, be made abundantly clear that Mujuru and NPP are amenable to a coalition but we are against individuals who are so power drunk to the extent of wanting to be endorsed by questionable characters who have no political party, have a dirty and murderous past and are known now for their desperate attempts at getting back to good terms with (President Robert) Mugabe,” Mawarire thundered in a statement.
“It is imperative that political parties form a coalition but it is politically dangerous to have characters that are so desperate to lead the coalition that they don’t want a democratic process to select the leader of the coalition.
“We don’t want leaders who are so power drunk that they would turn a Nera (The National Electoral Reform Agenda) platform into an endorsement pedestal even from people that we know are working with the ruling party to foil any prospects of the opposition going into the next election as a united front,” he added, in the injudicious reaction to the ringing endorsements that Tsvangirai has received from other opposition leaders.
This comes as Mujuru was conspicuous by her absence at the Nera rally in Harare last Wednesday, where opposition parties demonstrated against the government’s hijacking of the country’s quests to procure biometric voter registration (BVR) kits.
Because of this and other developments of the past few weeks, question marks are increasingly being raised about Mujuru’s role in the proposed opposition coalition, particularly as she has also had a nasty public fallout with Mutasa, who is playing a leading role in Nera.
Reacting to the NPP’s allegations yesterday that he had a tainted past, Mutasa told the Daily News that he was “miles better than Mawarire”.
“If you look at me and Jealousy, who has a better past? He thinks we don’t know about him, we do. However, I don’t want to talk about individuals. What I can say to him is that he should mind his own business.
“Before he starts attacking me he should also look at the person who is leading him first. We know that he was used by Zanu PF to cause the last election (in 2013). Was that a good thing to do?” Mutasa fired back.
The former State Security minister, who for long superintended over the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) also recently told the Daily News, following ZPF’s brawl with Mujuru, that the former VP was allegedly still collaborating with spooks.
He added that contrary to the belief by many members of the public, Mujuru was still being “guarded and protected” by intelligence operatives, more than two years after she was hounded out of the ruling Zanu PF and subsequently fired from the government by Mugabe.
“She is surrounded by the CIO, from her driver to her back people. The people who support her are people that I know very well. I even know them by name, so it is surprising to me that she would make such (counter) accusations.
“That accusation against Rugare Gumbo and myself (that the two men are Zanu PF plants) . . . is what she is doing, and she thinks that is what we are also doing. If I was (working with the CIO) you would be the first to know,” the miffed Mutasa said further.
Mujuru announced last month that she had expelled Mutasa, Gumbo and five other party heavyweights — on account of them being alleged Zanu PF agents, and working to topple her from her then interim ZPF position.
But no sooner had she made this surprise announcement than Mutasa and Gumbo also announced at their own press conference that they had similarly and summarily also expelled Mujuru from ZPF.
Mujuru was later dealt a further body blow when she suffered mass desertions; including receiving resignations from some of her other long-time top aides such as Sylvester Nguni, Ray Kaukonde and retired Brigadier-General Aggripa Mutambara.
Meanwhile, analysts have said the mooted grand opposition coalition could bring to an end Mugabe and Zanu PF’s long rule in the much-awaited 2018 polls.
A large cross-section of Zimbabweans — including politicians and civic society — have also been making loud calls for Tsvangirai to be the face of the proposed electoral alliance, with Mutasa among those rooting for the MDC president to lead it.
Apart from Mutasa, former Finance minister and leader of Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn, Simba Makoni, has also thrown his weight behind the dogged former labour union leader. – Daily News
Drama As Widows Exchange Blows Over Late Hubby’s Estate
Two widows, embroiled in an estate row, on Thursday exchanged blows at the Master of High Court’s offices and damaged court property.
Business came to a halt at the Master’s House at the Corner of Samora Machel Avenue and Sam Nujoma Street as the women fought over the estate of their late husband.
Police had to be called in to restrain the rivals, but the damage had already been done.
The two – Ms Faith Dhliwayo and Ms Portia Makoni – were married to the late Mr Patrick Banda.
A glass door to Room 13 of the Master’s House was damaged and the floor tiles were scratched in the skirmishes.
A report to the police was made and the two, apart from public fighting, stand accused of damaging the property and disrespecting the courts.
The damage was yet to be evaluated.
The women had come for a special meeting to determine the marital status of Mr Banda considering that both claimed to be surviving spouses.
Ms Makoni claims to be the first wife, while Ms Dhliwayo was the new wife who was staying with Mr Banda at the time of his death.
Mr Banda died in July last year at Parirenyatwa Hospital and he left behind five children and the two wives, although their correct statuses are yet to be determined in terms of the law.
The estate has a 10-hectare plot, a house in Chitungwiza, residential stands in Waterfalls, Nyatsime and Zengeza.
The late Mr Banda also owned a shop in Mabvuku and two Mercedes Benz vehicles and a Lexus form part of the estate.
According to the deceased estate file, the women once clashed when one of them reportedly sought to sell part of the estate without the approval of the Master of High Court.
The damaged door has since been repaired, but the criminal case is still pending at the police. – State Media
BREAKING NEWS – OIinda ‘Back In Bed’ with Stunner
Showbiz Reporter| History was broken today when Olinda Chapel once again took the 100th spin to woo Stunner by pampering him with goodies.
She recently sought a pastor’s help to regain her marriage.
The two are back in bed together barely 2 months after Olinda hung Stunner’s underwear in public and before the whole world made a spectacle of him destroying his image altogether. That last incident was not the first, and many other times Olinda performed sudden u-turns, one of the times when she was LIVE on ZimEye.com would again attack Stunner saying she is divorcing him, and in the same breadth, would contradict her own words to suddenly say she was longing to sleep with him.
Today, Olinda was seen inside the famous Spanish, Zara designer shop in Reading, UK buying Stunner clothes, SEE PICTURES.
Olinda was also at the weekend seen with her so called brother, Yanso who she was once filmed assigning him to do a hit job on Stunner, shortly before Stunner would come out injured after being assaulted by unknown assailants.
Olinda’s brother and sister once telephoned ZimEye publicly ordering journalists to stop giving Olinda interviews. They said this is because she is unwell. SEE VIDEO:
Dokora’s Muslim Syllabus for Zimbabwe Officially Offloaded, as Makandiwa, Magaya Remain Silent | BREAKING NEWS
PART 1
Education Minister, Lazarus Dokora’s Muslim syllabus recently introduced with which he last year unilaterally banned voluntary club Scripture Union claiming that it is part of the old curriculum, has been revealed. The Minister has declared that Islam was Zimbabwe’s first faith at independence in 1980. When he banned SU, Dokora announced this through the state media but would deny it all saying to ZimEye that Sunday Mail Religion editor “Fatima Bulla lied,” the latter who published the minister’s first recorded interview.
Dokora’s curriculum is 90% more about religion than anything else, analysts reveal. The three other areas are Dokora’s imposition of studies on Sexuality, Conflict Management and the imposition of the internet based e-learning, the latter which is now forced onto schools which have neither electricity nor computer equipment.
Meanwhile, the below comprises Dokora’s syllabus for O’Level pupils and this is what Dokora used to ban voluntary club Scripture Union as is revealed in the state media. He did it on his own without consulting anyone and before even understanding the long known fact that Scripture Union has no connection whatsover with any syllabus. His explanation was in the claim that Scripture Union is part of the old curriculum and so must be removed. Zimbabweans later learnt that he had been offered a $20million loan by an Islamic States company and had to quickly rush to change the syllabus to their liking, SEE DIRECT QUOTES.
During the same period the Minister without any consultations, also unilaterally banned Grade 7 applications for Form 1 and forced the entire Zimbabwean nation to start using a dodgy website, which does not work, resulting in thousands of kids becoming stranded and the nation’s whole education system was ground to a halt.
During the same time, he also unilaterally began forcing kids into militant recitations at school assembly, something unheard of in the nation and now school kids are obliged to make militant vows before entering classrooms. SEE VIDEOS:…
https://youtu.be/jA0MtelPUiI
Meanwhile, in February this year, Dokora explained his motivation for all this saying Islam was ranked Zimbabwe’s number 1 religion in 1980. While making illustrations (SEE VIDEO), he pushed Christianity to number 4 of his list, later on to change his file and after being exposed by ZimEye, has now reversed that order as his final document now shows.
[As ZimEye begins this expose’, we ask our valued readers to carefully scrutinise these documents and send in your feedback]
Mugabe Protégé, Mujuru Allows Voter Intimidation And Violence
Terry Moyo | National People’s Party leader Joice Mujuru seems to be following in the footsteps of her mentor President Robert Mugabe, by the way she has allowed voter intimidation and violence to characterise the just ended party elections.
Members of the NPP who were involved in the weekend elections claim that they were heavily threatened by some senior party members against voting for certain candidates.
The members who spoke to ZimEye.com specifically exposed elected National Chairman Dzikamai Mavhaire and a Munyaradzi Banda from Harare as the chief culprits in forcing them to vote against certain candidates.
According to the sources Mavhaire and Banda visited and phoned members in most of Mashonaland provinces and warned members against voting particularly for Mavhaire’s challenger Bekezela Maduma and Vice President candidate Cuthbert Ncube from Matabeleland on tribal lines. The sources claim that Mavhaire and Banda went further to engage provincial chairpersons from all the country’s provinces except Matabeleland South and Bulawayo ordering them to make sure that the Matabeleland duo of Ncube who was standing for Vice Presidency against Mavhaire’s faithful Samuel Sipepa Nkomo and Maduma were not voted for whatever it took.
The sources claim to have attended a meeting in Harare where the Provincial Chairpersons and other provincial leaders were addressed by Mavhaire and Banda, where the character assassination of Maduma and Ncube was carried out, with the duo being accused of being CIO agents planted in the party by Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo to destabilise the party.
In the meeting Mavhaire is reported to have told the members that the party has been investigating Maduma for a while on allegations of tribalism for suspected links with Mthwakazi cessation agents in Matabeleland and is due to be dismissed from the party as soon as a full fledged National Executive Committee and disciplinary committee is set up.
According to the sources, Mavhaire and Banda warned provincial chairpersons in the meeting they risked being sidelined if their provinces by any chance manage to vote for any of the two Matabeleland leaders. According to the sources, the provincial leaders were warned against entertaining in their provinces the Cuthbert Ncube led campaign team which included Maduma, First Vice President candidate Elliot Kasu, Secretary General candidate Petronella Musarurwa and Treasurer General candidate Wilbert Mubaiwa.
The sources further claim that in Harare in their pursuit to hear the other side of the campaigns they ended up having midnight meetings with the Ncube team in hiding to avoid being detected by Banda who they described as a warlord who was capable of doing anything to them if he would pick it up that they had met the Ncube team.
Barclays in Talks to Sell Zimbabwe Bank to Malawi Bank
(Reuters) – Barclays is in exclusive talks to sell its stake in its Zimbabwe unit to Malawi-based First Merchant Bank, the lenders said on Tuesday, as the British bank continues its exit from Africa.
First Merchant Bank said in a statement on its website it was in exclusive talks to buy out the 68 percent of Barclays Bank of Zimbabwe owned by the British company.
A spokeswoman for Barclays confirmed the bank was in early discussions with a prospective buyer for its stake in the Zimbabwe bank.
Neither party disclosed a value for the prospective deal. Barclays Bank of Zimbabwe has a market capitalisation of $60 million, according to Thomson Reuters data.
Barclays previously said it was looking to sell the stake as part of a broader exit from Africa announced a year ago when Chief Executive Jes Staley said the lender would instead focus on a transatlantic strategy in the United States and Britain.
Barclays Bank of Zimbabwe is one of two banks together with Barclays Bank Egypt that do not form part of the lender’s South Africa-based Barclays Africa Group, which is also up for sale.
The remaining 32 percent of Barclays Bank of Zimbabwe’s shares are traded on the Zimbabwe stock exchange. (Reporting by Lawrence White; Editing by Mark Potter).
Sekeramayi Military Accounts In Shambles
The Defence ministry’s books are in shambles, with revenue returns and payments accounts improperly filed while an asset register has not been maintained, a report by Auditor-General (AG) Mildred Chiri has revealed.
According to Chiri’s damning forensic audit report tabled in the National Assembly a fortnight ago, the Sydney Sekeramayi-led ministry failed to present for scrutiny paperwork for the consolidated revenue fund (CRF) — an account from which government’s income and expenditure is managed.
“This was notwithstanding the fact that the PFMS (public finance management systems) report for the same ministry had a total revenue received of $969 071. There was no explanation given,” the AG said, adding there was a risk that revenue received may have been understated.
“Treasury should insist that line ministries with sub votes submit consolidated revenue returns so as to ensure completeness of revenue reported,” she said.
The AG said she asked for a Defence ministry management response to the matter, but it had “not been received at the time of finalising the report”.
She said the ministry was granted an “unsatisfactory” grade because auditors found out that internal controls, government and risk-management processes were either not established or not functioning well.
The ministry received $1, 9 million from the Finance ministry for fuels, oils and lubricants, which it then paid to Sakunda Private Limited (Sakunda) for the procurement of fuel on January 20, 2015, without following tender procedures.
“This was in contravention to Statutory Instrument 171 of 2002 read in conjunction with the Procurement (Amendment) Regulations, 2012 (No. 17) which required that goods and services above $300 000 be done by formal tenders,” Chiri said.
“I could not verify the quantity of the purchased fuel as there was no supporting documentation in the form of purchase requisition, purchase order and the goods received voucher,” she said.
“The fuel could also not be verified as the purchase was not recorded in the register.”
Chiri said “failure to follow laid down procurement regulations may result in uneconomic buying”.
Asked why the ministry paid Sakunda without State Procurement Board (SPB) approval, Defence ministry management responded: “The expenditure was liquidation of a debt to Sakunda . . . The investigation on whether the fuel was received is still underway.”
The AG also raised a red flag on $25,9 million directly paid by Treasury to service providers on behalf of the Defence ministry.
“Treasury advised that confirmation of payments be made from each respective service provider. However, an amount of $4 879 774 had not been confirmed as at May 23, 2015,” she said, adding that “therefore, I could not confirm whether the direct payments made by Treasury were paid against existing debts, and that the ministry accounts were subsequently credited with the same amounts”.
“In the absence of confirmation of payments from respective service providers, it will be difficult to monitor the debts the ministry owes to service providers. Errors made by both parties will not be detected.”
The auditors also found out that the Defence ministry did not maintain an asset register contrary to Treasury’s instructions.
Chiri said a book with no entries was submitted for audit as an asset register, resulting in her being unable to confirm that assets had been properly accounted for during the year.
“The ministry should maintain an asset register capturing all relevant details such as serial or asset number, type or model of assets and location,” the AG’s damning report said.
It also raised concerns that the Defence ministry has not set up an audit committee as required by Section 84 of the Public Finance Management Act (Chapter 22:19).
The ministry said it was yet to get guidance from Treasury on the appointment of the committee.- Daily News
Another Naked Couple Found Dead
A Kuwadzana Phase 3 couple was found dead in their one-roomed house on Saturday. They were last seen on Thursday. The na_ked body of the woman only identified as mai Lulu was on the floor while her husband Stan Chibika was on the bed, dressed, raising questions about what had happened. The incident took place at house 0213. One of the residents told H-Metro that they suspect food poisoning while some suspected that the two could have been suffocated by gas since they were cooking. The couple never showed any misunderstanding and were working together selling bread and air time by the road side,” said one of the residents.
“A driver who supplies them with bread is the one who came expecting to get his money for the bread supplied on Thursday and found the door locked from inside. He informed one of their relatives who came and forced the door open only to find the two dead. A pot with maize cobs was left on the gas stove while fresh chips and guavas were also in the house. But what confused us is the wife’s na_ked body on the floor and the husband was dressed, akatosunga bhandi akarara pamubhedha,” said the resident. Police took the bodies to Parirenyatwa mortuary. – State Media
The Hazards Of Building In Wetlands
Liberty Nhengu | Africa is under the threat of experiencing the worst floods if countries continue to neglect the importance of keeping their buildings away from wetlands. Zimbabwe is one of the countries with very arrogant professionals when it comes to sustainable development. Many houses both in the rural and urban areas are being constructed in wetlands, putting them close to resources and for accessibility.
Some are even doing so with a myopic argument that land is becoming more scarce. Scarce in Zimbabwe? Really? If you visit Chipinge town, one will be shocked to see how wetlands are being abused. The town is becoming the arena of land barons, the number of slums is surpassing that of standard houses. The grave part of the case is that the slums are being built right at the centre of wetlands.
Sustainable development goals were set to advocate and emphasise the need to consider sustainability as a key issue in our day to day business. Many contemporary buildings such as the Long Cheng Plaza were built only to serve the interests of few people, while neglecting the malicious problems that will emanate there in a few years to come. Putting the buildings on top of underground streams stresses the sources of water and so when ever rain comes, the source will become full and saturated in a short period of time. The water will find it’s way to the buildings that are located close to or within these wetlands. How funny is it to know that some people have to relocate from their homes for a couple of weeks or months during the rainy season.They return after the rain has gone down to avoid floods and outbreak of diseases.
Some Zimbabweans argue that they gained the knowledge of utilising the wetlands from the Chinese community, but the sad thing is that even the Chinese government is now campaigning against using these wetlands as building sites. The Chinese are helping Africa in ensuring that the sustainable development goals are achieved. So what is wrong with us then? Wetlands acts as water purification sources. After run off, the water gets dirty and muddy, but as it passes through a wetland it gets purified and finds its way to the dam in a clean state. Therefore, if we take these areas as building sites, it means that natural purifiers will no longer exist.
By Liberty Nhengu ( University of Zimbabwe student)
Department of rural and urban planning
[email protected]
Man Arrested For Selling Catapult
A Harare man appeared in court last week after he was arrested for selling a catapult in defiance of a police order banning the sale of such weapons in the city.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police recently issued a statement banning weapons such as catapults and axes, which they deemed a threat to peace, security and order. Zebediah Mambondiani appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Barbra Chimboza.
He was charged with contravening the temporary prohibition of possession of certain weapons within police districts and was remanded out of custody to tomorrow. Prosecutor Ms Anesu Matorofa alleged that on March 22, at the corner of Kenneth Kaunda Avenue and Innez Terrace in Harare, Mambondiani was found in possession of 14 catapults by Purity Meke, a police officer.
Police fear such weapons maybe used to cause public disorder. Mambondiani told the court that he was not aware that possession of catapult was now illegal. He claimed police only arrested him after he refused to pay a $4 bribe. – agencies
ZANU PF In Forced Door to Door Registration
Shyleen Mtandwa | Residents of Sizinda Township in Bulawayo are being forced to register as Zanu PF supporters under the dubious pretense that that they are being registered for food aid data collation, ZimEye can reveal.
The residents told ZimEye.com that ZANU PF members have been having intensive forced door to door registration of people into ZANU PF records on a promise that they are collecting data for food aid.
The residents who spoke to ZimEye.com in confidence said the aggressive ZANU PF members have been getting into every home in the township and demanding identity documents of everyone above the age of 18 in the homes and documenting them.
In neighbouring Nkulumane township residents claim that the ruling party has been carrying out a similar exercise but this time distributing rice in a door to door exercise and documenting recipients and demanding 25 cents for a 2kg packet of rice.
It is not yet clear why the ruling party is carrying out this exercise. Officials at the party offices in Bulawayo refused to comment on the matter.
Miss Deaf Contest Winner Gets $8
Ray Nkosi | Winners of the Miss Deaf pageant got the shock of their lives recently when they were given $8.50 as their winning prizes, a local newspaper has revealed. Organisers of the pageant had no cash prizes before the event and tried to raise some cash from well-wishers in the crowd and only got $26.
The money the paper reports that was later shared among the three winners and each walked away with $8.50 and hampers from Oceane Perfumes.
Chiedza Hukuimwe was crowned for Miss Deaf 2017 will represent the country at Miss Deaf World in July in Czech Republic and Miss Deaf Africa in South Africa. As part of her reign, Hukuimwe will work with other deaf girls, as motivator and a voice for social responsibility. Ruth Mukome (24), was voted first princess while 21-year-old Natasha Sibanda was crowned the second princess in the beauty pageant which ran under the theme, ‘Beauty with Silent Voice’. Miss Personality crown went to Thandynkosi Sibanda. The event was held at LongChen Plaza Mall with ZiFM’s bubbly Rebecca Muchenje and dancer John Cole as hosts of the ceremony. Angeline Matambudziko was the interpreter for the night. Edgar’s stylist Marshal Maliluka, award-winning singer Willis Wataffi and choreographer Edric Godzongere were the judges of the pageant.
CIO Operative Threatens To Shoot Cops At Roadblock
Terrence Mawawa, Chiredzi | Notorious Central Intelligence(CIO) operative,Tinasho Muyambo last week threatened to shoot cops at a roadblock after the police officers had arrested his business partner.
Last year, Muyambo made the headlines when he assaulted a government official for walking past while the national flag was being brought down.
Muyambo confronted the cops for arresting Rabson Muzunguza who was driving a commuter omnibus without route authority. The incident happened along the Chiredzi-Mleme Road. After being arrested, Muzunguza called Muyambo who came to the scene and advanced towards the cops. He then accused the cops of mounting an illegal roadblock .
After being arrested, Muzunguza called Muyambo who came to the scene and advanced towards the cops.He then accused the cops of mounting an illegal roadblock. “Muyambo recorded video clips as he harassed the cops. He claimed he had informed the Chiredzi Officer-in -Charge about the incident. He is getting protection from his bosses but it is very unfortunate.
He is causing havoc but police officers are afraid of arresting him.It is really disturbing but we cannot do anything about it,” said a Chiredzi based female cop. Muyambo also allegedly assaulted a soldier last month. Muyambo also boasted he would never be arrested because of his political background.
CIO operatives have gained notoriety for descending ruthlessly on President Robert Mugabe’ s political foes.
Businessman Fights Grace Mugabe
LEBANESE businessman Jamal Ahmed has approached the High Court in a bid to force First Lady Grace Mugabe off his properties in the botched $1,35 million diamond ring saga.
The businessman now wants the court to force the Deputy Sheriff of Zimbabwe and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to perform their constitutional mandates.
Ahmed last week filed an application seeking to compel the Sheriff “to perform his statutory obligation and to bring to an end the unlawful occupation” of his three properties as ordered by the High Court in December last year.
The businessman and his three firms – Thatchfree Investment (Pvt) Ltd (registered owner of a Pomona property in Harare), Super Earth (Pvt) Ltd (registered owner of a house in Avondale) and Itchester Investments (Pvt) Ltd (registered owner a house along King George, Avondale in Harare) – cited Deputy Sheriff Macduff Madega and the JSC as respondents.
Ahmed said on January 7 this year, ejection of those illegally occupying the properties was supposed to have been effected but Madega developed cold feet and later raised security concerns.
“I also point out that this was clearly an afterthought which was designed to explain the failure to timeously execute the writ. If there was a genuine need for police assistance, it would not have taken Mr Madega up to 11th of January to advise the need for police assistance,” he said. “I also point out that Number 75 King George Road, Avondale, is not occupied as respondents in the main action simply put a large chain and padlock at the main gate and all the first respondent (Sheriff) needs is a locksmith to unlock the padlock and hand over the property.”
Ahmed also said the Sheriff had “continued with his dillydallying and has not to date, explained why he needs police escort in an eviction where his authority has not been threatened”.
The businessman said it was clear the Sheriff was also afraid of the First Lady.
“I contend that the failure to substantially respond to issues raised in all my legal practitioners’ letters is because there is simply no explanation from the first respondent for his failure other than that one of the respondents in the main application is the First Lady,” Ahmed said.
“I contend that Mr Walter Chikwanha’s (JSC secretary) response, apart from being grossly inadequate, is unhelpful in the extreme as it does not explain what assistance is sought and why such assistance is being sought. It is as bereft of reasoning as is the first respondent’s request to the police which also merely seeks unspecified assistance from the police without explaining why such assistance is required.”
The matter is yet to be heard. – Newsday
Accident: Kombi Kills School Child On The Spot | BREAKING NEWS
NOTE: A full and final official statement from the police was not possible at the time of printing.
Dear Editor.
A speeding kombi this morning ran over a child near NOCZIM, killing the toddler (age not given) on the spot.
The kombi was heading for the capital Bulawayo just after the Vapositori shrine near NOCZIM.
Traffic was brought to a halt when the entire road was blocked. Traffic police are still at the scene right now.
– Edmore Bvunga, Bulawayo
Tsvangirai Fires Kasukuwere Mayor
Shyleen Mtandwa | MDC President Morgan Tsvangirai has fired deputy Mayor Chris Mbanga.
Mbanga has been booted out over longstanding allegations that he has been taking sides with Local Government minister Savior Kasukuwere against party directives.
Although Mbanga wrote a letter claiming he is resigning, ZimEye can reveal this was no resignation at all, but a jumping out of the hot pan.
Mbanga, was on Monday relieved of his duties as deputy Mayor after being found guilty of supporting Local government minister, Kasukuwere’s decision last year of barring James Mushore from assuming the duties of the Town Clerk. A senior MDC-T official who attended the meeting which fired Mbanga told ZimEye.com that the former deputy Mayor remains an MDC-T councilor.
‘RED LIPPED’ MAKARAU SAYS: “ZEC Incapable of Monitoring Elections”
In what echoes a repeat of the 2013 NIKUV election conditions, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is incapable of monitoring elections, it has emerged.
In 2013, SADC and other African bodies blew the sirene and ordered Robert Mugabe not to go for elections citing the ZEC’s un-preparedness for elections. During that time the ZEC also admitted the same saying they needed time and money to conduct free and fair elections.
The latest development set to mirror the 2018 election outcome, was revealed in a by-elections report presented in parliament by Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mnangagwa said the ZEC is crippled due to lack of funding which is compromising the quality of the electoral process.
The report signed by ZEC boss Justice Rita Makarau, reads: “Reducing the number of voter education days compromised the quality of voter education. Reducing personnel affected the swift processing of voters in queues and led to multi-tasking of polling officers, which exposed them to error.
“The challenges of late release of election funds and under-funding continue to recur during elections in Zimbabwe. These have a negative impact on the handling of election processes, especially in procurement of goods and services, deployment of human resources and implementing the electoral process.”
Mnangagwa said the ZEC needs the voter registration to be funded separately from the election budget.
“The commission should be funded in all phases of the electoral cycle so that goods and services are provided and tested on time,” reads the report.
ZEC said it was hiring vehicles and demanded that it be availed with funds to have its own fleet.
“The commission relied on aged, unserviceable and dysfunctional vehicles for the conduct of the April 23, 2016 (Guruve South constituency) by-elections,” reads the report.
“Some of the vehicles were not roadworthy and were a risk to both the staff and election operations. The State should capacitate ZEC with funds to purchase and maintain its own vehicles.
“Notwithstanding the logistical and financial challenges encountered, the commission discharged its constitutional mandate in a transparent and professional manner.”
In respect of Guruve South constituency, Bubi Rural District council (ward15) and Vungu RDC (ward 2) by elections, ZEC got $340 000 against a requirement of $1,3 million. – state media/additional reporting
Khama Quits State House, Leaves Mugabe Hanging
Obert Mundevere Ncube | Zimbabweans have one more reason to envy their neighbours after Botswana’s President Ian Khama announced that he will be stepping down in the year a 94-year-old Mugabe will be standing for re-election, 2018.
As Mugabe remains hanging on a thread at the age of 93 amid a pro Mnangagwa insurrection, Khama has called it quits.
The Southern Times newspaper Monday says President Khama, who also leads the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), will be replaced by his deputy President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
Seretse Ian Khama – the son of Sir Seretse Khama, Botswana’s first post-independence leader – took over as president in April 2008.
He was the chosen successor of Festus Mogae, who stepped down at the end of his second term, after a decade at the helm.
The younger Khama secured a five-year term in October 2009 after the BDP swept to victory in a parliamentary election.
He secured a second term following the August 2014 polls, in which his party won most of the seats.
He had been Botswana’s vice-president since 1998.
The forthcoming transfer of power will take place during the BDP congress, the Southern Times newspaper reported.
Grace Mugabe Wins
In the intrigue characterising the succession war in Zanu PF First Lady Grace Mugabe has countered coup d’etat strategy within her ranks.
The state media reports that the Zanu-PF Women’s League leadership reportedly endorsed the ouster of senior members Eunice Sandi Moyo and Sarah Mahoka yesterday, with the national executive meeting of the organ expected to confirm the decision today.
The wing’s top 10 met in Harare yesterday, but Sandi Moyo (deputy secretary for Women’s Affairs) and Mahoka (secretary for Finance) did not attend the meeting. There were indications that secretary for External Relations in the Women’s League, Tabeth Kanengoni-Malinga was also absent.
While efforts to get comment from Women’s League secretary for Information and Publicity, Thokozile Mathuthu were fruitless, it is understood that the leadership did not object to the calls by lower structures of the organ for the duo to be removed.
It was also not clear if the duo would be suspended or expelled from Zanu-PF.
Last week saw Women’s League members from the grassroots staging demonstrations against Sandi Moyo and Mahoka in all the country’s 10 provinces over a litany of allegations, principally undermining the chairperson of the wing and First Lady, Amai Grace Mugabe.
Sources said the top leadership yesterday deliberated on the demonstrations and accepted the concerns raised by party women. “But it was agreed that the final decision would be made by the national executive when it meets in Harare tomorrow (today),” said a source.
“The (Women’s League) national executive is the one that must come up with the final say when it comes to disciplinary issues concerning the League.” The Women’s League national executive is made up of top 40 members of the wing, with 20 heads and 20 deputies.
It is understood that Women’s League provincial chairpersons were likely to present petitions from their respective provinces soon to the national executive. During last Wednesday’s demonstrations, the organ’s lower structures presented petitions to the Women’s League provincial chairpersons for onward submission to the organ’s national executive.
The provincial chairpersons and members of the Youth League also joined members of the Women’s League and their provincial chairpersons in Bulawayo on Friday and reaffirmed calls for the duo’s ouster.
The provincial chairpersons and members of the Youth League also joined members of the Women’s League and their provincial chairpersons in Bulawayo on Friday and reaffirmed calls for the duo’s ouster.
Charges against Sandi Moyo and Mahoka are that they were working against Amai Mugabe and President Mugabe. Mahoka also stands accused of denigrating Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Presidential spokesperson Mr George Charamba early last year.
Apart from undermining the First Lady’s authority, Mahoka and Sandi-Moyo stand accused of embezzling funds sourced from local prophets, business people and corporates using Dr Mugabe’s name without her knowledge. Some of the placards were inscribed: “Sandi and Mahoka handlers bhasopo!”, “Stealing Sisters bring back the money”, “Musangano hauputswe nenhiyo dzeGamatox”, “Sandi, the mother of tribalism”, “No to Sandi and Sarah parallel structures” and “We will cleanse the party of all Sandists.”
Sandi Moyo has already said she was not moved by the protests, but conceded that if the wing wanted her out, it was free to do so.
Sandi Moyo has already said she was not moved by the protests, but conceded that if the wing wanted her out, it was free to do so.
She claimed the demonstrations were being sponsored by people who wanted to create a wedge between her and the First Family. Asked why she did not attend yesterday’s meeting, Sandi Moyo said: “Am I reporting to you now? No, I don’t report to you! I don’t talk to you about these things.”
Mahoka was not answering her phone yesterday. – State Media
“Kill Me” – Chimene Dares Mnangagwa
Outspoken Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister, Mandiitawepi Chimene has dared Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa to kill her for supporting his rival First Lady Grace mugabe.
Chimene says “only death can stop me” from continuing to defend President Robert Mugabe and his powerful wife Grace.
This comes as the ruling party’s ugly tribal, factional and succession wars have become even more chaotic and confused, following last week’s demonstrations against fellow women’s league heavyweights Eunice Sandi Moyo and Sarah Mahoka — who are under the cosh for allegedly undermining Grace and embezzling party funds, among a litany of other charges. At the same time, Chimene and other members of the ruling party faction going by the moniker Generation 40 (G40) — who are rabidly opposed to Mnangagwa succeeding Mugabe — are ratcheting up their claims that the current women’s league demonstrations have been hijacked by the VP’s allies, Team Lacoste, to sow divisions within the G40 and the party generally. Reacting to today’s planned demo against her, the defiant Chimene came out guns blazing yesterday, telling the Daily News that she was not losing sleep over the issue — claiming further that the mooted march was being orchestrated by Team Lacoste and not Grace, who leads the women’s league.
“Assassinating me will be a better deal than carrying out demonstrations against me. Demonstrations are not a problem to me. The best thing (for her Zanu PF enemies to do to her) is to eliminate me,” Chimene said. “I can’t stop them. Ngavaite zvavanoda (let them do what they want). Ndeyekwavo iyo ( it’s their problem). Vakatondiita izvozvo vanenge vachitondipa mbiri (if they demonstrate against me they will be elevating me).
“They definitely won’t be damaging me. Kutondiwedzera masimba (they would be making me stronger). In fact, I will be part of those that will be dancing during the demonstrations,” the forthright Chimene thundered. This comes as a shadowy State media columnist, Bishop Lazarus, hinted yesterday that the planned demonstration today by the women’s league would target Chimene on account of her attacks on Mnangagwa last year.
“For those who missed the reasons behind the demos against Sandi Moyo and Mahoka, the two are being accused of undermining the First Lady … In addition, the two are being accused of denigrating VP Mnangagwa and presidential spokesperson George Charamba. Pana VP Mnangagwa ndipo pari kutanga maone aMandi Chimene (Chimene’s troubles emanate from insulting Mnangagwa).
“By the way, did anyone see Mandi during the (last week’s) demonstration in Manicaland? This story has not yet been told in full. Soon it will turn very, very scary and nasty,” the columnist said. But Chimene told the Daily News yesterday that those who planned to demonstrate against her should not only focus on those who had allegedly insulted Mnangagwa, but broaden their programme to include those who had insulted Mugabe and Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko if they meant well.
“Ibvai mabatanidza dzese zvibve zvaonekwa kuti vari kutuka vakuru vabve vangoridzirwa marecords pamwe chete (Let all those who insulted leaders face the music at the same time). Pamarecords anonyanyotamba ibenzi (fools are the ones who dance most energetically at music concerts). “They should do it at once because we will spend the whole year doing demonstrations if we decide to do them separately,” she said.
In her no-holds-barred blitzkrieg last year, Chimene savaged Mnangagwa and likened him to a wild animal, saying all problem animals were culled at the country’s national parks — adding ominously that Zanu PF also needed to implement the same policy to deal with its “problem animals”. “Crocodiles must remain in the water. They must stay in the river. They must not stay with the people. Zanu PF is not a dam for crocodiles,” she said then. “Some of your ministers are now well known that they do not support you (Mugabe). We now have two governments. What are we supposed to do?” Chimene asked, also calling for an extra-ordinary Zanu PF congress to deal with the party’s deadly succession headache.
“We fail to understand how we are supposed to behave. So, your people are asking for an extra-ordinary congress in light of the current problematic situation so that we vote and deal with the issue once and for all.
“It will not be a problem. If you think organising a congress will be expensive, we can actually do the process now and let people chose the leader of their choice. We are tired of threats. “We are now asking that you expel those that are plotting against you (Mugabe) because you have the powers to appoint and remove these leaders. And if that fails, we can assist you through an extra-ordinary congress,” Chimene added.
Other G40-linked sources told our sister publication, the Daily News On Sunday over the weekend, that Team Lacoste had allegedly latched onto the women’s league demonstrations against Sandi Moyo and Mahoka in a bid to destabilise their faction. This came as Grace was said to be at the centre of the warring Zanu PF’s latest factional and succession inferno, after she was allegedly angered by Sandi Moyo.
Consistently-reliable Zanu PF sources said at the weekend that Mugabe’s influential wife was “most unhappy” with Sandi Moyo and Mahoka, which had resulted in the party demonstrations of the past few days against the duo. This also came as the key women’s organ, backed by party youths, is apparently fighting hard for the convening of the extra-ordinary congress to push through their contentious resolution for a female to become one of Zanu PF’s two vice presidents.
Another party bigwig said although the public had been “fed” the story that the duo were under the cosh for allegedly undermining Grace and abusing funds, the “real issue is purely a power battle within the women’s league”. This was after one of the two women, whom the Daily News understands to be Sandi Moyo, recently shocked the league by allegedly openly declaring her interest in becoming the woman Zanu PF VP when the women’s quota system kicks in.
Mahoka, who is famed for having also publicly dressed down Mnangagwa in front of Mugabe last year, is the women’s league secretary for finance while Sandi Moyo is Grace’s deputy.
On Friday, the youth league joined the women’s league provincial chairpersons to stage another demo against Sandi Moyo and Mahoka in Bulawayo, which left their political careers hanging by a thread.
Party insiders told the Daily News that last Friday’s demonstration against the duo was in response to the alleged “disdain” which Sandi Moyo had shown towards Grace through the ‘‘ill-advised’’ press conference which she had held on Thursday to respond to the allegations against the duo.
Then, an emotional Sandi Moyo told the media at her hastily-arranged press briefing that she would only resign or leave the warring ruling party at the express insistence of Mugabe who had appointed her as a minister and Zanu PF politburo member. – Daily News
Manager Attacks ‘Careless’ Manyuchi
With debate still raging on what went wrong with Zimbabwe’s boxer Charles Manyuchi following the embarrassing first round defeat to rising star Qudratillo Abduqaxorov, his management team have also criticised the showboating which cost him the WBC welterweight silver title at the weekend.
Manyuchi’s manager Chris Malunga told the Singaporean media that the 27-year old was “careless” in his approach.
The Uzbek boxer capitalised on Manyuchi’s clowning early in the match and sent him to the canvas twice to bag the match in just two minutes and 56 seconds.
“The technical approach was a bit bad on our side,” said Malunga.
“Charles was careless. That (the showboating) is his style of fighting, but I felt it was a bit early for him to do that.”
Manyuchi, whose record has now been dented to 20-3-1, will now need to go back and prepare for a possible rematch with the 23-year-old.
Malunga remained confident that Manyuchi will still rise.
But it is usually not easy to get a rematch and his Zambian stable Oriental Quarries Boxing Promotions would need to make and aggressive bid against the Uzbek.
Abduqaxorov’s camp has since indicated that he will defend his title against Russian Dmitry Mikhylenko, the man who was defeated by Manyuchi last year for the belt.
It may take time before Manyuchi gets another shot.
However, Malunga said they have not given up on their dream as they were still eyeing the gold title.
Malunga said the knockout should spur Manyuchi to work harder on his shortcomings.
“Good boxers have taken such knockout (defeats) and come back. So it’s a learning process for us,” he said.
Malunga, who is now heading to Mexico for a title fight with another member of his stable Esther Phiri, also dismissed stories circulating on social media that the match might have been fixed.
“With due respect to everyone’s comments let’s be very careful. I am appealing to everybody on the group that let’s be very careful with the comments we are making.
“Some of these comments are very negative and total rubbish, unacceptable and I have stated clearly that we are going to issue a comprehensive statement once we come back from Mexico, right now we are still on tour of duty and we do not want to get involved in too much of this.
“What we want make to ensure that we defend the other title in Mexico.
“So all those comments which are coming up are very dangerous to the sport and certain individuals might end answering charges in courts of law because those are serious allegations so let’s be very careful with our comments.
“I know that everyone is at liberty to comment the way they comment but certain comments are false and alarming,” said Malunga.
But many in the boxing fraternity have raised concerns over Manyuchi’s showboating and clowning approach in his fight.
The way Manyuchi lost disappointed many of his fans and colleagues. Boxing trainer, Issa Phiri of Hard Rock, said Manyuchi’s approach to the fight was unprofessional.
“The way Charles performed, I don’t think they did a lot of work as a camp to come up with a game plan towards the fight. I didn’t see the team work, I didn’t see what the camp did to help Charles to come up with a good approach.
“The approach in the first round was not very professional. “I just thought maybe they just felt since this young man is just new into the line, they can just take him easily. That’s why, the way I looked at the video, how Charles performed, he was just Charles without the corner man who told him what to do and he was not on guard.
“He was not serious. “He performed as an amateur and he performed as someone who is at home I don’t know why?” said Phiri.
However, Phiri is convinced Manyuchi, given another chance, will bounce back.
Former Zimbabwe National Boxing Control Board member, Patrick Mkondiwa, who is also a referee, said Manyuchi was responsible for his defeat.
“First of all we are all disappointed. We were not really expecting this although in boxing a boxer can lose. The problem with this bout is our boy did not protect himself. “From a referee’s perspective, we always tell them to protect themselves. It may be his style of fighting but it has cost him now. He is a good boxer but the problem is the guard,” said Mkondiwa.
“I was disappointed but it’s a good lesson although it cost him his belt. Hopefully he comes back strong.
“Because he removed the guard, he was caught unaware and off guard.
”When he fell, what he should have done was to wait until the referee counted to eight. He was still dizzy and the other boxer went for a straight follow-up before he had recovered,” said Mkondiwa. State Media
Bev Says No To Andy Muridzo
WHILE most celebrities and artistes attended Andy Muridzo’s album launch in Harare last Wednesday, there was one person who was notably absent — Beverly Sibanda.
The pole dancer and Andy’s side chick had fans in a frenzy last month after she announced that she was pregnant with the fast rising artiste’s child. As a result, most expected to see her sitting in the front row singing along to Andy’s new tracks, but alas, that was not to be as she was nowhere near the 7 Arts Theatre.
Speaking through her confidante and manager Harpers Mapimhidze, Beverly or simply Bev to her fans, said she was not invited to the Tichambotenderera album launch.
“We’re not in the habit of gatecrashing and since we were not invited, we couldn’t attend the event,” said Mapimhidze.
He said everything was going on smoothly between the two lovers.
Among the glitterati that attended the album launch were businessman Wicknell Chivayo, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority chief Karikoga Kaseke, MP Mike Gava, Honourable Simba Mudarikwa as well as comedians Madam Boss and Mai Titi. Also present were members of the Military Touch Movement record label — Jah Prayzah, ExQ, Tahle and Nutty O. Andy is signed under the label.
However, for now, people await the birth of Andy’s alleged child. It remains to be seen if Andy will contribute to the child’s welfare as he has made it clear that he is not responsible for the pregnancy.
“I agree that the affair with Bev happened some time back but I’m surprised that she’s saying she’s carrying my child. Is it by the Holy spirit that she got pregnant,” quizzed Andy last month after hearing that Bev was pregnant. – State Media
More And More Zimbos Declared Loony
THE country has no capacity to train psychiatric doctors at a time when the number of people suffering from mental illness is on the increase, the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr Aldrin Musiiwa, has said.
The Deputy Minister said the number of Zimbabweans suffering from mental illness was now higher than a few years ago.
Responding to questions from The Chronicle yesterday, Dr Musiiwa said the country has 12 psychiatrists only.
He said Government was working to provide mental patients with drugs and necessary services they need.
“We have always relied on other countries for training and as we know Government salary scales are lower than other countries so it’s very difficult to retain them. However, we have many psychiatric nurses in all our institutions to help contain the situation.”
“It’s true that we have about 12 psychiatrists for our public health institutions which is not so much of a shortage though we could do with more. The problem we have as a country is that we only have the capacity of training psychiatric nurses and not doctors which has affected us a lot,” said Dr Musiiwa.
He said Government was working on programming for mental cases to strengthen its six mental institutions.
Dr Musiiwa said mental cases were on the increase.
He said mental problems were caused by a numbers of factors.
The use of illicit drugs and alcohol have been cited as some of the causes of mental illness.
Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) director Mr Itai Rusike said there was a need to mobilise resources to address the shortfall in specialist health workers.
“Poor wages and working conditions, the increased diseases burden and high demand for services as well as low staff motivation have exacerbated the situation,” he said. – State Media
Tsvangirai Kicks Out ‘Double Agent’ Deputy Mayor
By Shyleen Mtandwa | MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai has fired Harare Deputy Mayor Chris Mbanga for insubordination and double dealing.
Mbanga, was on Monday relieved of his duties as deputy Mayor after being found guilty of supporting Local government minister, Saviour Kasukuwere’s decision last year of barring James Mushore from assuming the duties of the Town Clerk. A senior MDC-T official who attended the meeting which fired Mbanga told ZimEye.com that the former deputy Mayor remains an MDC-T councilor.
“He will remain a councilor. MDC forced him to resign from deputy Mayor or risk being recalled from council,”he said.
Mugabe’s Zanu-PF Fires Senior Official For Incompetency
By Shyleen Mtandwa Kariba | Zanu-PF here has fired a senior party official for failing to recruit people ahead of next year’s watershed election.
The party’s Mashonaland West Provincial Political Commissar, John Yotamu, at the weekend dissolved, the Kariba urban Mahombekombe’s Mbuyanehanda district and its leader Martin Ndambakuwa replacing him with Moses “White” Mpukuta.
The firing happened at a meeting which was also attended by the area’s local member of parliamen Isaac Mackenzie. The meeting also ordered two other leaders Clever Chitofu and Nomore Gosa of Takunda and Kuwirirana districts in Nyamhunga suburbs two days to structure.
Zanu PF wants each District to have 5000 members.
“You’re Just For Quickies” – Wife To Small House In Court
You were just renting him!
A Bulawayo woman’s statement that her husband’s girlfriend was just a “day rental lover” because she never spent a night with him was heard in court where the latter sought a protection order.
Evelyne Padya approached the courts because her married lover’s wife, Thubelihle Kazenga, was tormenting her.The man at the centre of the fight is local businessman, Raycon Masanjala, who owns furniture shops in the city centre.
Padya claimed she was married to the same husband with Kazenga who was in the habit of beating her up despite the fact that she was pregnant.
“I am married to the same husband with Thubelihle Kazenga. She beats me up and this affects me since I am pregnant. She also stalks me at my workplace. I want her barred from harassing me and coming to my workplace,” pleaded Padya.
In response, Kazenga said Padya misled the court by claiming that they were married to the same man. “We are not married to the same man. She is having an affair with my husband whom I have been customarily married to for 10 years and we stay together in Paddonhurst. My husband has never slept away from home. How can she say she is married to him when he has never slept at her house and he only goes there during the day,” she said.
Kazenga said her suspicions that Padya was having an affair with her husband turned out to be true when she discovered that they had a three-year-old child together and that she was also expecting a second child.
“On the day she claimed I attacked her what happened is that on my way to Morningside I saw my husband’s car parked at her workplace and when I went to see why he was there I found them together. When I questioned them what was going on since I had already heard rumours that they were having an affair, my husband tried to run away from the scene but I stopped him.
“He later confessed saying she (Padya) was just his girlfriend and he needed some time to break-up with her since she was pregnant. I didn’t assault her and as a nurse I could not beat a pregnant woman,” she said.
When Padya was asked by the presiding magistrate Sheunesu Matova whether she was married to Masanjala, she said: “He is yet to pay lobola. He intended to do so last year in December but it was postponed to another date in January but he couldn’t do so because my sister lost her husband.”
The magistrate, in a bid to maintain peace between the two parties, ordered Kazenga not to go to Padya’s workplace and that the two parties should not conduct themselves in a violent manner towards one another or insult each other. – State Media
The Many Lives Of Zanu PF, Strongest When Challenged
BY Dr Masimba Mavaza|True cadres passionately believe in the Strength and the future of ZANU PF.
ZANU PF is at its best strength when it looks fragile. Like any other strong party when there is no common enemy they turn against each other. It may have started out of convenience and threatens to break the party apart. The embarrassing situation and state of affairs leaves an expression that the centre is not holding. But it is when it looks like it’s breaking up that it is actually getting stronger.The point to note clearly is that the worrying infighting in ZANU PF is engineered by selfish power hungry bigots who have no party interest at heart.
During the liberation war there were so many instances of splits. ANC to ZAPU to ZANU. Then a surprising unity towards independence. ZANU has seen splits and it is not a stranger to such splits.
The difference is in the yesteryears the cause was nipped in the bud. Comrades were disciplined detained and rehabilitated. This made the party stronger and it stood against all the weathers.
ZANU PF at war with imperialists needed a secure stronger united front. History has shown us that ZANU PF works better when it has a common enemy to focus on. The current situation which everybody is afraid to say is that there is a belief that there will be a vacuum to be created soon. The prophets of doom have predicted the departure of the president sooner and vultures and selfish idiots have started to jostle for positions. Some have started elbowing others.
Even in a family people start fighting for positions. Despite the fact that ZANU PF has the most democratic constitution which talks extensively on succession. People still want to position themselves in positions of power.
This zeal for power has threatened the party and shaking it to its roots.
The party financially unstable after the failure economic down turn needed economic respite and the rich members seized the opportunity to flash their money in a bid to gain control of the party.
The party is a revolutionary roots and can not be bought by money. But seriously those criminals splashing money did cause havoc to the party.
But what should inspire us – and continues to inspire me – is what came after. The unity of purpose and the revolutionary spirit.
Together, we turned a small, off-shore Political party into the one of the most powerful party known to the world.
In the 80s the Party helped create the sense of possibility that inspired the titans of the Enlightenment and that created an icon.
And in the 1982-85 we not only remained stable in the face of…the totalitarianisms that were the scourge of mainland Zimbabwe but we confronted them till we formed a formidable unity which has united the country.
STATE OF THE PARTY TODAY
the party is in a pathetic state and if its not controlled it destroys itself. We are having senior ministers attacking government and party projects on Twitter. We have the first lady ridiculed by her subordinates in social media. We have senior ministers threatening the national press in public. We have the VPs insulted publicly and the once strong party resembles a dogs breakfast.
But so much for the confusion It is our desire and duty to help shape the future of the party.
And the future of our Party is looking more fragile – more threatened – than at any time in recent history. Those responsible have no interest of the party at heart. They direct their passion to their pockets.
At the same times there are those in The party who want the Opposition to succeed, who would like to see the Party fracture.
They seek to use grievances to foster a narrow Zanu pf nationalism.
We must not allow the illegitimate and affectionate doubling up of patriotic pride by those corrupt power hungry leaders.
ZANU PF must not be pushed aside by a coarse and casual nationalism led by selfish buffoons masquerading as cadres.
We must confront and defeat the ugly stain of factionalism seeping through the Party flag.
BETTER AN IMPERFECT PARTY THAN A BROKEN ONE
This is where we should stand, here in this great and beautiful dream saying clearly today and for all time that The country and the party comes first.
For It is true that we are stronger together.
Stronger together: Zimbabweans more, much more than the sum of our parts.
That if it should ever come to a choice between constitutional perfection and the preservation of our party and nation, I choose our Party and our nation.
Better an imperfect party than a broken one.
One part of the challenge to our Party is the need the people feel today for a clear identity. A clear stand on corruption and discipline.
But in this search for identity, here in ZANU PF we have the best possible start.
That is because being ZANU PF is one of the most successful examples of inclusive civic nationalism in the world. We are a shining example of what a multi-ethnic, multi-faith and multi society can and should be. ZANU PF is a party which is part of the country. There can never be Zimbabwe without ZANU PF.
And the challenge now is to renew that sense of belonging by creating a positive vision of ZANU PF that really stands for something and makes people want to be part of it. The party without infighting the party which is not tainted by corruption and where juniors respect their seniors and discipline rules the party again.
A party in which we are held together by a strong sense of shared history and common values and institutions we cherish. The party which is watered by the blood of the heroes who laid their lives down for us today.
A party which encourages active members not a passive standing on the sidelines used by the corrupt rich.
A party which people are not bullied to join, but are actively inspired to join.
We should be saying loudly and proudly: together, we are stronger we are ZANU PF.
So yes, together we are stronger. We are the only party which has ruled the country for 37 years. We must never throw that legacy away. We must never surrender to factionalism.
It means saying loudly boldly and proudly: together, we are safer.
It’s vital we get this right.
We talk about values but ZANU PF isn’t just about values – liberty, fair play, openness – are general, unspecific, almost universal.
They are virtues which could be as easily associated with ZANU PF.
ZANU PF is also about institutions, attachment to our President admiration for our armed forces, understanding of our history, recognising that our liberty is rooted in the rule of law and respect for people.
Just as people seek identity in this new world of freedom, so they seek opportunity to be good in ZANU PF.
And we never will, because we believe in the party and we will never do anything to put it at risk.
Consider all our Party’s history, not just the recent past. Consider the impression left in the hearts of the people. Why destroy it in one day.
We are a party of the People and as long as Mugabe leads it that is how it will stay; and we should work tirelessly for consent and consensus so we strengthen the party and stop factionalism
We will not play your game to break up our ZANU PF.
And we will not stop fighting to meet ZANU PF needs.
So let us scrub out the stain of FACTIONALISM that is starting to disfigure our party.
Let us search for practical and reasonable solutions to our factional challenges.
But let us do so in a spirit of unity and purpose that will see ZANU PF move forward together into the 2018 election with confidence and pride.
Stronger together; weaker apart.
Stronger together: let us keep that precious idea forever in our hearts.”
EXPOSED: ZRP Cops Faked Own Abduction
Terrence Mawawa Chivhu | Two ZRP cops made a false abduction report after failing to get a bribe from a First Class Bus crew, it has emerged.
In a story published by ZimEye.com last year, the cops falsely claimed they were kidnapped by the driver and conductor of the Harare -bound First Class Bus.
Chivhu Magistrate, Fadzai Mutombeni, humiliated the two cops, Constable Austin Chakwenya and Constable Cephas Munyamana when she acquitted the accused members of the bus crew.
It was also discovered in court that the two cops had another pending fraud case. In this particular case the two were nabbed while demanding a bribe.
It was the State case that on November 18, 2016, the Harare-bound First Class bus was stopped at a roadblock near Chivhu Police and the two demanded a kickback from the members of the bus crew. The two cops boarded the bus and insisted they wanted to be given the money they had demanded.
The two officers refused to disembark from the bus despite pleas from the members of the bus crew. At Featherstone Police Camp the driver Willis Mhandu (47) and the conductor Courage Munetsi (20) explained the situation to other cops but the two refused to disembark from the bus.
On arrival in Beatrice Chakwenya and Munyamana claimed they had been kidnapped leading to the arrest of the driver and the conductor.
Magistrate Mutombeni ruled that Mhandu and Munetsi were not guilty of the offence.
War Vets Killed And Plundered, A Leopard Can’t Change Its Spots
Patrick Guramatunhu | The rogue (not all war veterans betrayed the revolution and the masses) war veterans led by the late “Hitler” Chenjerai Hunzvi, Jabulani Sibanda and now Chris Mutsvangwa have come a long way. Since the late 1990s they have betrayed the value of the struggle for independence by allowing themselves to be use as President Mugabe’s storm troopers imposing his corrupt and tyrannical rule on the nation. It is only in the last two years or so that they have mellowed considerable.
“The war vets will now go to give the masses the consciousness of the tasks ahead, which are to fight corruption, fight creation of a Mugabe dynasty, fight regionalism and fight dictatorship as well as all other social and economic ills,” secretary-general of Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA), Victor Matemadanda, told NewsDay.
Coming from the organisation whose members have beaten, raped and even murdered innocent people to impose the very regime they are now fighting; that is sweet music to the ears! Who would believe that these rogue war veterans would ever concede the basic truth that quality leaders can come from anyone regardless of whether he/she fought in the liberation war or not.
“The only way to do it is to vote and find a suitable leader even among those that did not take part in the liberation struggle. We are 14 million citizens and if we choose well among us, they should be able to serve our common interests as a people,” conceded ZNLWVA spokesman Douglas Mahiya.
“It is not possible that there is no one who can lead better than those in power today. We can always find one because nobody is indispensable. Zimbabwe is greater than individuals and will be there long after we are all gone.”
Another spell binding melodious refrain!
“We presented the war veterans as the heroes of the Zimbabweans, the heroes of Africa. That is the biggest success that we got and it will marginalise the elements that are against progress particularly as epitomised by the G40 (faction of Zanu PF). The G40 is the opposite of what we want in Zimbabwe. We have demolished them and reworked the image of war veterans and removed the element of caricature,” chipped in the current ZNLWVA national chairperson, Chris Mutsvangwa.
Ever since the split between the rogue war veterans and President Mugabe started two years ago, growing into the unbridgeable chasm we see today; the wedge driving them apart was the tyrant’s failure to deliver economic prosperity to the war veterans. Many of the war veterans still live in abject poverty and the current economic meltdown which has seen millions of our people sink into poverty and despair has not spared the war veterans.
But was has made the rogue war veterans panic was the prospect of the G40 faction in Zanu PF taking over power after President Mugabe. Grace Mugabe, the undeclared leader of G40, has already made her position crystal clear that there will be privileges extended to war veterans.
Chris Mutsvangwa and company are pulling all the stops to make sure G40 does not succeed Mugabe; they know if that happened, they are well and truly sunk!
“We are clear Zimbabweans understand what we are saying and will know who to vote for. It (G40) is a small group of people with no social base. Next year’s elections will tell,” said Mahiya.
If Chris Mutsvangwa and his band of war veterans have truly repented and now value the freedoms and rights of all Zimbabweans including the right to free and fair elections then they must demand the implementation of all the democratic reforms necessary for free and fair elections BEFORE the next elections. Why are they keen to contest elections knowing fully well whoever has totally control of the institutions of government will rig the vote as has happened so many times in the past unless they are hoping their man will have a firm hand on the helm and they can assist in the usual dirty work to secure his victory!
Mutsvangwa et al are fighting to end the Mugabe dictatorship and to stop the creation of a Mugabe dynasty but only to replace it with a Mnangagwa dictatorship! We want a free a democratic Zimbabwe and all corrupt and tyrannical dictatorial rule banished forever! Our starting point is demanding that the next elections are free, fair and credible, we will not settle for anything short of that!
“Imweneimwe shiri inamaririro iyo!” (A bird may change its plumage but not its signature call!) as one would say in Shona. Mutsvangwa and his band of rogue war veterans imposed the Mugabe dictatorship on us in the past and they do so again if we do not stop them.
6 Killed In Vumba Mountains Plane Crash
Six people among them four Green Motors Services (GMS) directors died in a plane crash at Vumba Mountain this morning.
The four directors were on their way from Beira to attend a board meeting in Mutare. Investigations to establish the cause of the accident are underway but preliminary investigations attribute the crash to bad weather.
The wreckage of the eight seater plane and body parts of the victims were strewn all over the place near the mountain peak. – State Media
Mnangagwa Man Nabbed For Fraud
Terrence Mawawa, Mvuma | A Zanu PF Midlands Provincial member and Team Lacoste member, Norest Musindo has been dragged to court for fraud.
Musindo a declared Team Lacoste member allegedly defrauded a land seeker of $1 500 cash. He is also alleged to have attempted to use his political influence to suppress the matter.
Musindo is one the Midlands godfather Mnangagwa’ s staunch backers. Musindo sold a non-existent piece of land for $ 1500 to Agrippa Ndlovu.
The incident happened at Nyuke Bottle Store in Mvuma in December 2014. Musindo who was drinking beer with Pascal Kunyenyiwa received cash from Ndlovu , ostensibly for the residential stand. However the stand did not exist.
Musindo was charged with fraud under Section 136 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23.
He was granted $100 bail by MagistrateTayengwa Chibanda.
Ironically Musindo also has a pending rape case, with sources saying he has remained untouchable because of his political influence.
“We are working on the issue and we will clear everything very soon,”said a Zanu PF official.
According to Zanu PF provincial officials for Midlands Province senior party members had been briefed on the matter.
” The matter is being handled by our bosses so we will not lose sleep,” said a Zanu PF provincial official. Zanu PF officials have remained untouchable despite the commission due to political connotations.
Mukoko Fights Former CIO Boss
ZLHR | HIGH Court Judge Justice Nyaradzo Munangati-Manongwa will on Monday 27 March 2017 hear a petition filed by former State Security Minister Didymus Mutasa and two other state security agents objecting to a lawsuit filed by prominent human rights campaigner Jestina Mukoko wherein they deny liability for their actions in torturing the director of the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP).
Lawyers from the Attorney General’s Civil Division Office who are representing Mutasa, who is now one of the leaders of the opposition Zimbabwe People First party, Brigadier Asher Walter Tapfumaneyi and Chief Superintendent Peter Magwenzi have objected to have their clients cited in their personal capacity and want them to be cited only in their official capacity.
The lawyers argue that the trio should not have been cited as respondents in their personal capacity as they were acting in their official capacity.
However, Mukoko through her lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights has opposed the State’s application and argues that no one is employed in his or her official capacity to commit heinous crimes such as torture and therefore Mutasa, Tapfumaneyi and Magwenzi could not have been acting in their official capacity when they violated Mukoko’s fundamental rights.
Mukoko was abducted from her Norton home and held incommunicado for almost one month in December 2008. During the period that she was in incommunicado detention, Mukoko, the director of ZPP, which monitors and documents human rights violations, was repeatedly tortured by being assaulted, being forced to kneel on sharp gravel and subjected to psychological torture. She was also deprived access to lawyers and was only delivered to the police “blindfolded” on 22 December 2008 after vigorous campaigns by her family, and civil society groups such as ZLHR, where she was then slapped with criminal charges of plotting to unseat President Robert Mugabe’s government. In 2009, the human rights campaigner filed a $220 000 lawsuit against four cabinet ministers including Mutasa, who at the time of her abduction served as State Security, Lands and Land Reform Minister, Co-Ministers of Home Affairs Kembo Mohadi and Giles Mutsekwa, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri, Chief Superintendent Magwenzi of the ZRP Serious Frauds Squad, Attorney General of Zimbabwe and Brigadier Tapfumaneyi for damages she suffered after she was abducted and held incommunicado and tortured for three weeks at various locations by state security agents.
This was after the Supreme Court in September 2009 granted a stay of prosecution on charges of banditry and terrorism which she faced after ruling that several of her fundamental rights were violated when she was abducted, tortured and held incommunicado.
Mutasa, who was fired from President Mugabe’s Zanu PF party in 2015 and now serves as one of the leaders of Zimbabwe People First party defended the actions of the abductors and refused to divulge their identities, indicating that they had abducted Mukoko in fulfilment of their national duties.
“A Dollar Or I Scream” – Hooker
Desperate hookers in Harare are now approaching complete strangers and demanding money or they will cause them embarrassment.
Here Andrew Moyo of The Sunday Mail had an encounter with three of them. I was on my way home coming from the gym last Monday when I decided to pass through OK Fife Avenue to grab a couple of things. Had I been a prophet, I would have headed straight home. Little did I know that I would encounter one of the most embarrassing episodes of my life on this day.
As I was pushing my trolley heading for the tills, three girls who looked to be barely 18 approached and one of them greeted me as if we had met before. While I was still trying to figure out what these girls wanted, the one who had greeted me started accusing me of running away without paying for the sexual services she had rendered to me in my car near Parirenyatwa some time ago. Mind you, I don’t even drive.
I was shocked because I had never seen any of these girls before and when I tried to explain that she was mistaking me for someone else, she blocked my path and highlighted that she was about to raise her voice and cause a scene if I continued denying any knowledge of what she was saying.
As I was still trying to come to grips with what was happening, the girl then demanded that I give her a dollar if I did not want to suffer any embarrassment.
At first I thought that it was a mere joke but then I realised that these people were serious and since I did not want to draw any attention I complied and told them that I would give them the dollar but only after I had paid for my groceries because I didn’t have loose (excuse the pun) money.
They agreed and all this while I was thinking that I could take the matter to the security guard but it dawned on me that if these characters were to cause a scene, the guard would just tell us to take it outside and I would even suffer more embarrassment so I decided to just pay, it was a dollar anyway. One of the girls even asked if she could add a bottle of water on my tab and when I tried to ignore her, the one who was making accusations and seemed to be the gang leader insisted that I comply.
I was now regaining a bit of composure and my frustration was reaching boiling point and despite the fact that I could have easily overpowered the three of them in a physical confrontation, taking that route would have simply made things worse. I even tried to call one of my cousins who stays nearby hoping that he would come and help me deal with the situation but apparently his phone was not reachable. At this point, one of the girls panicked but the group leader highlighted that even if I called someone she did not care, all she wanted was the dollar I was about to give her.
Although I tried to make as little conversation as possible this girl continued reiterating that she was not mistaken and that it was me she had hooked up with and this caused some of the people who were nearby to start staring.
While we were standing in the queue by the till, a journalist from a local newspaper who I happen to know walked in and I went to talk to him. As I narrated my ordeal, he advised me to show him my tormentors but when I turned around they had vanished.
Apparently they had recognised him as it turned out they realised that they might just end up in the newspaper which is why they decided to bolt.
If it was not for him I would have given them the money they were demanding not because I know them but in order to avoid causing a scene and to protect my reputation. Andrew Moyo Sunday Mail
Kasukuwere: Grace and Bob Got Zimbabwe In Their Arms
ZANU PF National Commissar and Zimbabwe’s Minister of Local government, Saviour Kasukuwere has said Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace are holding the nation together.
If they leave, the whole nation would fall apart, said Kasukuwere.
The minister made these comments in an interview with a local daily.
“What I would like to say is that the party stands 100 percent benind the president and the first lady,” he told the Daily News.
He continued saying, “the First Lady is the mother of the nation and thus the loyalty towards the two is beyond doubt, and it must be clear to all and sundry.
“The president and the first lady are the keys that hold the nation together and thus deserve the utmost respect.”
Kasukuwere took opportunity to attack the Lacoste Faction saying:
“What we must ensure is that we do not have other players jumping in with their regime change agenda.”
Addressing the matter of the Women’s League demonstrations against Sarah Mahoka and Eunice Sandi-Moyo, Kasukuwere said: “The party is strong and the demonstrations are disciplinary issues and purely women’s league issues that they will deal with.
“We are happy at the support that has been shown by the women’s league to the first lady…the bottom line is that the party is solidly behind the president and the First Lady.”
Makandiwa Shocking Miracles to Fix “All Potholes In Zimbabwe’s Roads”
Zimbabwe’s greatest Satanic attack which has seen hundreds killed on the roads is the pothole demon. “Controversial preacher, Emmanuel Makandiwa perform pothole fixing miracles so that we can believe his claims!,” Zimbabweans complained to the preacher at the weekend.
At a time when Makandiwa says he makes women give birth 3 days after sex, and the preacher says he also has anointing powers to fix and remove people’s dangerous fat tissues,
claims that have been disproved, the man has been called upon to fix Zimbabwe’s roads, if his healing powers are anything to by. FULL TEXT:
By Phil Chirikure | Ko ngavaite miracle yekuvaka ma roads togofumawo ma roads ese avenetara. Why do they do miracles that are obvious? Kana kuyenda kumakuva vomutsa vaanemakore vakafa. If they can go to heroes acre monomutsa magamba ipapo ndingabvume. Wducation yekuti ndinoziva bible is maundane. Wducation inodiwa kuti mota dzamunoda kufambanadzo dzigadzirwe. Zvekuziva ma verse emuBible even ambuya vangu vasina kumboyenda kuchikoro vanomaziva ese.
Mugabe’s Rigging Machine And Clueless Bhasikiti
Nomusa Garikayi | The relative ease with which President Robert Mugabe managed to boot out former VP Joice Mujuru and 150 other Zanu PF bigwigs out of the party shocked many observers. There is no doubt that they were all caught by surprise and therein is the real BIG surprise.
President Mugabe has been rigging national and party elections all his life. When Mai Mujuru started amassing popular support from the party members; surely, it must have occurred to her and her close associates that President Mugabe may rig the process for his own selfish reasons. After all he did just that in 2004, or be it she is the one who benefited then.
In 2004 Zanu PF was going to have an elective congress to elect a new VP to replace the late Simon Muzenda. Emerson Mnangagwa had managed to get six out of the ten provinces to support him and so she, his main challenger then, was set to lose. President Mugabe changed the party constitution, without bothering to follow laid down constitutional procedures as usual, to introduce a new amendment demanding one of the top four post in the party must be filled by a woman. Since the other three position were already occupied by a man it meant the vacant VP post must be filled by a woman. She, Mai Mujuru got the job!
In 2014, all the four top posts were up for grabs and she was fighting to keep her job!
When Grace Mugabe had her metronomic climb from holding no party position even at village level to become the chairperson of the party’s influential Women’s League just a few months before the elective congress, alarm bells should have started to ring in Mai Mujuru’s camp. When Graced launched her “baby dumping” attach on Mujuru she must have known she her number was up and launched her own rear guard defence. She did not!
Mai Mujuru and her supporters did not even mount a feeble defence they just went quietly like sheep to the slaughter – proof they never expected the attack and when it came they had no clue what to do anyway. How is it possible that anyone could be so naïve?
The hopelessness and naivety of Zanu PF leaders must be what prompted Margaret Dongo, a freedom fighter, CIO and then Zanu PF MP before she was booted out of the party to become an independent MP, to call them “vakadzi vaMugabe!” (Mugabe’s subservient concubines!). Sadly, even now, two years after they were booted out of Zanu PF, some of Mai Mujuru’s group of naïve leaders are still as helpless as ever!
“We have to force ZEC to reform and this is what we are going to do,” explained former Zanu PF Masvingo Provincial Minister, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti. “At the moment we have made a resolution as opposition parties to have a tripartite electoral management body involving SADC, AU and UN to take over the full functions of ZEC as defined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
“We agreed that ZEC is failing to manage the elections and to represent political parties as an independent electoral body, hence a resolution that the parties want to see ZEC disbanded because it is failing to live to its mandate of making the electoral ground free and fair to every participant, but is working in Zanu PF’s corner.”
Bhasikiti was the ZimPF candidate in the Mwenezi East by-election. He withdrew last week complained of intimidation and vote rigging by Zanu PF operatives. As a former Zanu PF MP and Minister himself he should have expected all those dirty tricks and we will ignore his tongue-in cheek complains. What is shocking is that as an ex- Zanu PF Minister one expected him to now help the opposition to come up with resolutions that make sense.
A resolution designed to address the inadequacies of ZEC alone will not deliver free, fair and credible elections. Bhasikiti should know that it is not for ZEC or whoever takes over from them to investigate and arrest those committing the politically motived acts of violence, for example. It is for the Police to investigate such matters. We all know that the Police have turned a blind to Zanu PF inspired violence at best, at worst the Police have even punished the victims of the crime! So are the opposition parties waiting for this to happen first and then propose another resolution designed to replace all the ZRP staff from top to bottom!
The opposition parties must demand the implementation of all the democratic reforms, which is what Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC friends should have done during the GNU, and stop wasting everyone’s time with these meaningless resolutions designed to address one issue at a time! No one in SADC, AU or UN will take the opposition’s proposals seriously as long as it is clear those behind the proposals are have no clue what must be done to deliver free, fair and credible elections.
Pentecostal Pastors Attacked By Killer Zivhu
Pentecostal preachers have been attacked by Cross Borders Association boss, Killer Zivhu.
Zivhu on Saturday accused pentecostal preachers of exploiting congregants financially.
He warned members of his association not to use loan funds to pay tithes in churches instead of growing their businesses.
The man was speaking on the occasion of the announcing of a $15million RBZ fund released to assist traders.
“They (pastors) are sweet-talkers; they group you and make some of you partners, then expect more (tithes) from you,” he was quoted in the local Newsday saying.
He continued, “the pastor rests his hand longer in prayer on the partner than ordinary members as if to bring them closer to God yet it’s all about the money you pay.
“He was addressing about 150 aspiring members of his association at Beitbridge where he was on a recruitment drive during which he explained the $15 million revolving fund facility availed by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ).”
The CBTA is currently targeting 10 000 traders in Matabeleland region to benefit under the $15 million loan facility unveiled by Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), Zivhu revealed last week.
Zivhu told the state media the facility will provide a platform for traders to formalise their operations.
He said since the introduction of bond notes cross border traders have been struggling to access foreign currency, which is critical in their business.
Dr Zivhu said this resulted in some of the traders increasing the prices of their goods, which in turn affected their business.
He said upon engaging the RBZ over support the central bank availed the $15 million loan facility that will see thousands of CBTA members benefiting.
“In Bulawayo for the mean time we’re targeting our 5 000 members, but all in all we’re targeting 10 000 people in Matabeleland region. We have members in Beitbridge, Gwanda, Victoria Falls and other districts as well,” said Dr Zivhu.
He said the new set up will ensure the security of operators as they would not need to hoard cash any more. “Now everyone is going to take their money to the bank because most of the traders were at risk of losing large sums of money. This was putting them at risk of being robbed as they had to carry cash wherever they were. Now they can use Visa cards to order more stock with that the risk of being robbed is reduced,” said Dr Zivhu.
He called on CBTA members to visit their local offices so that they can learn about the new facilities.
Dr Zivhu said members will be asked to open bank accounts with Agribank. He said they are in the process of coming up with a set up which will ensure that no one abuses the loan facility by externalising cash.
Under Siege Makarau Buckles
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) chairperson Justice Rita Makarau has buckled under pressure and assured opposition parties that the government will not fiddle with the procurement process for biometric voter registration (BVR) kits or the independence of her commission.
In a letter to the National Electoral Reform Agenda (Nera), a grouping of 13 political parties pushing for her ouster among other electoral reforms, Makarau said government was only providing funding and would not interfere with the procurement.
“We wish to reiterate our position, as indicated to you in the meeting, that government has not taken over the procurement process of BVR kits. Government, instead of UNDP [United Nations Development Programme], is now providing the funding, while Zec becomes the procuring entity,” she said.
Parties under the Nera banner held a demonstration last week demanding that government fires Justice Makarau and allow a United Nations as well as Sadc-supervised poll. She walked out of a meeting with opposition parties demanding “respect”, claiming she had been undermined and abused.
Tempers have flared with opposition political parties accusing Zec and the Zanu PF-led government of trying to rig the election by tampering with the transparent procurement of BVR kits which was being run by the UNDP.
Justice Makarau said: “The commission wishes to assure all stakeholders that transparency shall be maintained throughout the procurement process of the BVR kits. There will be no retendering or invitation of new bidders in the process. Only those who were involved from the beginning will be considered.”
Zec did not, however, clarify whether all 14 companies that placed their bids would be included or it would stick to the seven who qualified under the UNDP vetting.
Justice Makarau also said the commission would continue to work with UNDP using their money to pay for other unfunded aspects of its operations.
“The funds which had been sourced by the UNDP for BVR kits will be channelled to other needy areas by the commission. Be rest assured that the move does not threaten Zec’s independence in any way,” she said in the letter. MDC-T secretary-general and Nera legal adviser Douglas Mwonzora called for more pressure, adding last week’s demonstration had worked.
“It was not in vain. We shall continue keeping our eyes open to ensure that it’s not government which will seek to procure these kits. We will continue to fight,” Mwonzora said. – Newsday
War Fighters Refuse Mugabe Dynasty
War fighters from Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle period have rubbished the idea of a Mugabe dynasty.
The vets said they will work hard in the coming month to stop President Robert Mugabe’s bid to create a political dynasty in the country.
In an interview following the conclusion of a meeting of the former fighters organised by the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association (ZNLWVA) last week, secretary-general Victor Matemadanda was categorical that the ex-combatants would not allow Mugabe — already endorsed by Zanu PF as its presidential candidate — to win another term next year.
“The war vets will now go to give the masses the consciousness of the tasks ahead, which are to fight corruption, fight creation of a Mugabe dynasty, fight regionalism and fight dictatorship as well as all other social and economic ills,” Matemadanda told the local NewsDay.
While Mugabe, in his traditional birthday interview last month, claimed he remained in office because there was no one suitable to take over, ZNLWVA spokesperson Douglas Mahiya said Zimbabweans could still choose a leader even someone without liberation war credentials.
“The only way to do it is to vote and find a suitable leader even among those that did not take part in the liberation struggle. We are 14 million citizens and if we choose well among us, they should be able to serve our common interests as a people,” Mahiya said.
“It is not possible that there is no one who can lead better than those in power today. We can always find one because nobody is indispensable. Zimbabwe is greater than individuals and will be there long after we are all gone.”
ZNLWVA national chairperson Christopher Mutsvangwa also called for a change of tack with the economy virtually on its knees and the deepening political problems in the country.
“We need to reach out to [the] Diaspora … engendered by the illegal sanctions and the ham-fisted response of the clueless, vapid and vacuous G40 in their illicit control of the apex of Executive power,” he said.
In the scathing communiqué issued last July, the war veterans accused Mugabe of manipulating the ruling Zanu PF party for selfish ends, describing him as “genocidal”.
Before last week’s meeting, the ZNLWVA distributed flyers detailing their “commitments to the Zimbabwe we want”.
The former fighters committed to servant and responsive leadership, rule of law and according citizens all civil liberties “without prejudice”.
As their relationship with Mugabe and Zanu PF continues on a downward spiral, Mutsvangwa said last week’s meeting re-established the war veterans as “a people’s force”.
“It was a watershed, game-changing meeting. It recast the image of the war veteran. He [war veteran] has recovered that integrity and seriousness befitting a revolutionary hero of the Chimurenga independence war.
“It banished his image and standing, doing away with the idiosyncratic caricature of violence and mayhem. Zimbabweans are once again proud of the stellar military actors who did so much to restore the battered bias against modern African military prowess,” Mutsvangwa said.
“We presented the war veterans as the heroes of the Zimbabweans, the heroes of Africa. That is the biggest success that we got and it will marginalise the elements that are against progress particularly as epitomised by the G40 (faction of Zanu PF). The G40 is the opposite of what we want in Zimbabwe. We have demolished them and reworked the image of war veterans and removed the element of caricature.”
Mahiya admitted the demands by the war veterans might not be achieved under Mugabe’s current government, accusing some senior officials of being counter-revolutionaries.
“…the people who are holding positions today, for example, the Minister of Home Affairs [Ignatius Chombo], Higher Education [Jonathan Moyo] and Local Government [Saviour Kasukuwere], are counter-revolutionaries and would never accept our demands,” Mahiya said.
“We are clear Zimbabweans understand what we are saying and will know who to vote for. It is a small group of people with no social base. Next year’s elections will tell.”
Mugabe, who will contest next year’s election aged 94, should have retired a long time ago, argued Mahiya.
“At his age, the President was supposed to have retired and be able to write books and putting down what he has done for the country for future generations to benefit from the wisdom, if any, that he has. Those who are in the corridors of power are only interested in looting the country’s economy,” he said. – Newsday
By Prof Jonathan Moyo| This statement is pursuant to the lead story in today’s Sunday Mail headlined, ‘Prof Moyo benefited from Command Agric’. In the afternoon of Friday 24 March 2017, I had a chance encounter at State House with Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa who had just returned from a Command Agriculture field day in Mt Darwin. As I greeted him, VP Mnangagwa immediately said he “did not know that I had one of the best maize crops at my farm in Mashonaland Central after receiving support from Command Agriculture” and that he “had over the farm by helicopter and seen the a yet was attacking programme”.
For many decades now, it is quite painful and heartbreaking to continuously see a trend of barbaric and banditry behavior spreading across African states. Most recently we have started witnessing a new form of violence mushrooming in South Africa. We should come to this realization that when two brothers fight, strangers reap the rewards. This expression best describes the cancerous xenophobia that has characterized the post Mandela South Africa. The spirit of brotherhood is continuously being eroded because of a few individuals who are planting hatred. We cannot stand aside and look as our pillars of African hope are being demolished.