THE Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) will open flood gates of dams that are now full in flood prone areas in a bid to safeguard lives and destruction of infrastructure amid revelations that the country is likely to experience another tropical cyclone soon.

The Meteorological Services Department has forecasted that Zimbabwe was likely to experience another tropical cyclone in the coming days.

The imminent tropical cyclone is brewing east of Madagascar and is most likely to affect the country. This comes against the backdrop of Cyclone Dineo that resulted in floods that affected all parts of the country.

“The cyclone is coming at a time when most of the country’s dams are now full and spilling, raising the risk of flooding in areas downstream of the dams and those traditionally flood-prone areas. To ensure dam safety and the safety of people and property, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority would like to advise the nation that it will be opening flood gates and valves of those filled up to release water and create space for the dams to handle the anticipated flood water inflows,” said Zinwa corporate communications and marketing manager Mrs Marjorie Munyonga in a statement.

She said Zinwa has already deployed personnel in flood prone areas such as Chikwalakwala, Gokwe North, Gokwe South, Tsholotsho and Muzarabani to monitor and report flooding in dam basins, roads and low lying areas as well as monitor and report the safety of all dams and water infrastructure.

“The authority is working closely with the Local Civil Protection Unit personnel and other stakeholders in disseminating information and to alert communities who could be potentially affected by flooding. Communities will be advised at district level on flood risks in their areas as well as the available flood response and mitigation measures,” she said.

Zinwa has urged communities to remain on high alert and observe any dams in their areas that may be under threat.

For emergency members of the public should alert Zinwa on the following 24 hour emergency numbers: 0774859958, 0712632970 and 0779407109. – State Media

Two men, among them a herdboy from Jotsholo are feared dead, after they went missing close to the boundary of Hwange National Park in two separate incidents.

Fisani Moyo a herdboy in Jabatshaba in Jotsholo, Lupane went missing on 16 February while Tabani Shoko (31) from Gamba village, Lukosi in Hwange went missing on 3 February close to the Hwange National Park.

Both men are suspected to have been attacked by wild animals, probably lions because there have been reports of lions being seen in areas they went missing from.

Acting Matabeleland North police provincial police spokesperson Sergeant Namatarira Mashona could not immediately confirm the reports saying she was yet to receive information on the two incidents.

“We are yet to receive reports of the two cases so we cannot comment at the moment,” she said.

Villagers in Jabatshaba told Sunday News that they feared that Fisani could have been attacked by wild animals especially lions as some of the animals have strayed out of the park due to rains. The Civil Protection Unit reported last week that due to flooding in some areas in the province, lions, zebras and buffaloes were being spotted in some areas close to villages, raising fears among the people. Villagers said the fear over the missing men has also been heightened after reports that a professional hunter shot and injured a male lion and failed to track it down.

“Villagers are prone to wild animals attacks especially lions and hyenas and of late we have been living in fear as lions were spotted in the areas. We also understand that on 15 February there was a hunt that went wrong when a hunter shot a lion but failed to track it. The lion has not been located and we know that a wounded lion is very dangerous to people,” said Mr Martin Moyo, a villager from Jabatshaba near Halfway hotel.

Areas which have also been affected by the attacks are Ngundwane, Manganganga and Quarry in Lupane District.

According to Fusani’s employer, Mr Headman Nkomo, the herdboy drove the cattle to the grazing area on 15 February but never returned.

“We got worried when he didn’t return and tried to look for him but only found the cattle unattended and since it was dark we went back home thinking he would return. At first we thought he had gone to visit a relative or friend and was failing to return because of the rains. We have been searching for him but we are not getting any luck. We have since reported the matter to the police,” said Mr Nkomo.

He said combined searches by the police, rangers and members of the community in suspected areas had yielded nothing.

Meanwhile, Zimparks rangers said on 3 February Shoko and Mr Tapiwa Zulu went to Sinametela National Park intending to poach. After setting their wire snares, the two retreated close to the Hwange National Park boundary where they started a fire to roast some meat.

“After a while Shoko informed his friend that he was going to check on the wire snares and that he would return shortly but he never returned. Zulu ended up heading back home after efforts to locate his friend failed,” said a ranger who could not be named since he is not authorised to speak to the media.

The matter came to light on 23 February when Shoko’s parents confronted Zulu over their missing son since he was said to be the last person who had been seen with him. They made a report police in Hwange who together with the rangers conducted a search but to no avail.

Shoko was on a warrant of arrest after he failed to turn up for sentencing in January when he was found guilty of possession of wild game meat. Search efforts have also been hindered by the rains pounding the area.

Zimparks spokesperson Mrs Caroline Washaya-Moyo could not be reached for a comment. – state media

Hundreds of women from different church denominations were on Friday gathered at United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) in Njube, Bulawayo praying for the end to domestic violence and abuse to women under the theme, “Am I Being Unfair to You”.

The event was to mark the World Day of Prayer, which is a global movement which brings together Christians of many traditions and churches to observe a common day of prayer each year. Through preparation and participation in the worship service, people come to know other countries, languages and cultures. It is celebrated annually in over 170 countries on the first Friday of March. The movement aims to bring together women of various races, cultures and traditions in a yearly common Day of Prayer, as well as in closer fellowship, understanding and action throughout the year.

The chairperson of Better Bulawayo, Mrs Evans Mthombeni, said they were in solidarity with all women across the globe.

“We can hear their concerns and needs and can feel ourselves in solidarity with them as we pray with and for them. In this way, it is possible to enrich our Christian faith as it grows deeper and broader in an international, ecumenical expression.”

Reverent Japheth Masuku said; “We are happy to have such a great day because it’s the only day we have as Christians to come together, from different denominations and pray to God.”

He said that the attendance had improved compared to the previous year and with different churches coming on board.

“People who have their different ways of worshipping and praising God were able to come together, putting aside their differences. Even some of the pastors are here to intercede for the people who are facing difficulties in their daily living,” he said.

A number of churches brought food and money, which organisers said will be donated to the less privileged, who come from different communities.

He said that 85 percent of people in Zimbabwe are Christians and if they stop corruption the country will move in “correct and orderly ways because of the influence that they (Christians) have in the nation as a whole.”

Rev Masuku encouraged people to continue praying for their denominations and their leaders. – State Media

Three people died while four others were injured when a Volkswagen Golf they were travelling in collided head-on with a Toyota Corolla along Harare-Bulawayo highway on Friday night.

The accident occurred at around 11pm at the 268km peg along the Harare-Bulawayo highway near Regina Mundi High School when a Gweru-bound Volkswagen Golf which had five people on board encroached onto the right lane ahead of an oncoming Toyota Corolla resulting in the head on collision.

Gweru Provincial Hospital medical superintendent Dr Fabian Mashingaidze confirmed that three bodies from the accident were taken to Gweru Provincial Hospital mortuary while the four injured persons were treated and discharged.

“I can confirm that we received three bodies of people who died in an accident which occurred along the Harare-Bulawayo highway on Friday night.

“Four people were injured in the same accident but they were treated and discharged because they sustained minor injuries,” he said.

A police officer told Sunday News that the two vehicles collided head on when the driver of the Volkswagen Golf encroached onto the right lane, resulting in the head on.

The officer said three people, one person from the Toyota Corolla and two from the Volkswagen Golf died on the spot.

He said the bodies of the three were taken to Gweru Provincial Hospital mortuary while the injured people were taken to the same hospital for treatment. – State Media

THE Bulawayo City Council has passed a resolution to establish an new high density suburb with more than 2 000 stands, at a time when the new mortgage lender, the National Building Society (NBS) has announced that it will deliver 10 000 units of houses this year across the country with priority given to Harare and Bulawayo.

The new suburb to be known as Norwood Tracks Phase One is located in an area adjacent to Cowdray Park Phase One.
According to the latest council report, the new suburb is meant to cater for the low income earners as well as self-employed members of the society. The local authority has since submitted plans for the new suburb to the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing for approval.

“The proposed Norwood Tracks Phase One residential development is meant to cater for the low income earners as well as self-employed members of the society, who are increasing in numbers on a daily basis as evidenced by the council waiting list which now is fast approaching the
200 000 mark.

“The area is located approximately 11 kilometres north-west of the Central Business District, off the Cowdray Road. The site lies adjacent to the existing Cowdray Park Phase one suburb. To the south-east the site is bounded by the famous Ngozi Mine, to the south by Umvumila Industrial Site. In terms of the operative city of Bulawayo Master Plan, the proposed site is zoned for agricultural or residential development,” read part of the report.

The suburb measures a total of 165,68 hectares and the area will be connected to the existing water lines in Cowdray Park.
“There will be 2 020 residential stands proposed, each covering an average area of between 200 square metres in extent. In addition to these, a flat or detached housing is left aside to accommodate more deserving members of the society.

“There are open spaces within the planning area with the largest located along streams which traverse the planning area, particularly on the stream banks. On these spaces the planting of lawn, deciduous trees and shrubs will be encouraged. By doing so, the original flora and fauna will be kept intact within the built environment,” reads part of the report.

Among the institutional sites which will be located at the new suburb include community facility sites, local authority sites, a secondary school site, and sites for place of assembly. The local authority has also put in place two commercial sites in the suburb to cater for the community.

In terms of electricity, the local authority noted that connecting the new suburb will be relatively cheap, as in Luveve, an adjacent suburb there are facilities and there is an existing underground and overhead cable traversing the area from the Zesa sub-stations in and around the proposed development.

“In designing this high-density residential suburb, a number of town planning issues were taken into consideration. These include safety, convenience, compatibility and uniformity. Other considerations were those of connectivity and environmental sustainability.

“There are existing 40-metre roads that serve as major roads on the site linking the proposed development to the adjoining suburb. The site is also accessible through the 20-metre road that runs north to south to the existing Cowdray Park Phase One,” reads the report. Norwood would have on site sewer treatment facilities.

Meanwhile, NBS head of marketing Mr Andrew Tawodzera said the bank has identified development partners across the country including Bulawayo to finance the delivery of the affordable low cash housing. In Bulawayo, he said the bank has agreed with the local authority to avail land where housing units will be developed although he could not readily identify the areas. The same facility has also been arranged with Umguza District Council.

Last month, NBS embarked on a number of nationwide roadshows where they sought the engagement of strategic partnerships with players in the housing development. Bank officials met with various land developers, contractors and building material suppliers in areas that included but not limited to Harare, Mutare, Masvingo, Bulawayo and Gweru.

“It is through these events that NBS identified development partnerships throughout the country and is still looking for additional partners for collaborative relationships towards the delivery of affordable low cost housing. Beyond the housing development projects NBS also extends mortgage finance to individuals who may already have stands or require assistance in finishing houses that are already under construction within any urban development area,” said Mr Tawodzera.

He said the bank’s primary target market was the low to middle income earners as well as individuals in the informal sector and small to medium enterprises.

“We believe that our mortgage product is the most competitive on the market. Our interest rates are between 9,5 percent and 11,5 percent per annum with the lower applying to first time home owners who want mortgages in the high-density developments while the later interest rates will apply to individuals applying for medium density housing establishments,” he said.

The bank will also open four branches and a number of agencies in various parts of the country as well as introducing a number of mobile cash transaction platforms as it moves to improve convenience and efficiency to its clients. – State Media

Doctors and nurses will resume duties tomorrow after reaching an agreement with Government to report for work while their grievances are being addressed. Secretary for Health and Child Care Dr Gerald Gwinji said Government reached an understanding with doctors and nurses’ representatives on Friday.

“They will be returning to work but the bonus meeting will be held on Monday. We reached an understanding in terms of on-call allowances which will be increased while night duty for nurses will also go up. Re-grading issues were resolved while 2 000 posts for nurses and 250 for doctors will be availed,” he said.

Dr Gwinji urged healthcare practitioners to put the lives of patients first.
“There are other issues such as vehicle purchase which take a little longer to put in place but we are saying let’s talk about those while offering services,” he said.

Zimbabwe Nurses Association secretary-general Mr Enoch Dongo said, “We did not agree but compromised because we are also human beings and we don’t want to lose lives.
‘‘We have agreed to go back to work on Monday (tomorrow) and we will be waiting for the outcome of the bonus meeting,” he said.

Nurses’ night duty allowances were increased from US$50 to US$65, although Mr Dongo said they wanted more.

“The US$15 increase is a mockery; it’s not a welcome development. However, people are dying and we are going back to work to save lives,” he said.

Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors’ Association president Dr Edgar Munatsi said they would “begrudgingly” report for duty.

“The ZHDA members will begrudgingly retreat, advise its members to resume duties as we strategically canvass for a fresh, nationwide strike … The ZHDA will not rest until the on-call allowances are revised upwards to a minimum of US$720 as agreed upon in 2014, the motor vehicle assistance programme is in motion and all doctors are rightfully graded and are assured of employment from university and Internship,” he said.

Doctors last month downed their tools demanding on-call allowances be increased from US$288 to US$720.

Nurses joined the strike a week later, demanding a review of night duty allowances. Some hospitals have been turning away patients following the strike, and military healthcare professionals immediately stepped in to try and avert unnecessary loss of lives.- State Media

State-run primary and secondary schools will get US$4 000 each while those with farms will get irrigation equipment to support implementation of the updated education curriculum. The United Nations Children’s Fund has already released US$5 million towards the initiative, with public-private partnerships expected to fund irrigation.
Zimbabwe is implementing the updated curriculum that focuses on developing learners’ cognitive and psychomotor skills, among other areas.
The US$5 million chest will cover essential teaching and learning materials, while schools with farms will retain 20 percent of proceeds under the irrigation initiative.
The remaining 80 percent will pay for irrigation equipment purchased on credit.
Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Lazarus Dokora told The Sunday Mail last week, “We are distributing US$4 000 to each primary school in the country under school improvements grants. Some satellite schools will also benefit from the scheme.
‘‘The money is primarily meant to improve our children’s learning environment.
“We want every child to access quality education, and these grants might be used to buy computers or anything school administrators and parents might see necessary. On the overall, implementation of the new curriculum is progressing well in spite of unfounded allegations and misconceptions circulating on social media.”
Regarding irrigation support, Dr Dokora said, “This will mean that apart from our learners experiencing agricultural activities during their studies, schools will also benefit because they will be feeding themselves, especially boarding schools or those under the National School Feeding Scheme.
“The irrigation facilities will see schools grow crops throughout the year, and we are also encouraging breeding of small livestock. What is more, the public-private partnerships we have proposed mean that participating schools will retain 20 percent of produce while the balance will be put on the market. The arrangement also involves agricultural extension officers so that schools benefit from their vast practical experience.”
Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association secretary-general Mr John Mlilo said, “The coming in of our partners to improve the learning environment of our children is welcome, and has come at the right time.
‘‘It shows that the direction we are taking is positive in implementing the new curriculum. The drilling of boreholes will also ensure that our teachers and learners will have access to clean and safe water.”
Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe secretary-general Mr Raymond Majongwe added: “I hope this development will not turn our schools into concentration camps or institutions that focus more on agriculture at the expense of other learning areas. But like what I have always said, these things should involve all stakeholders in the sector for them to get optimum support.” – State Media

The biometric voter registration (BVR) kit supplier for the 2018 harmonised elections will be known on March 20, 2017 in keeping with a Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s roadmap for the polls. The supplier will be picked from three companies shortlisted from an initial list of 12 comprising Zimbabwean, Belgian, Canadian and Israeli firms.
The BVR system will capture prospective voters’ biometric data such as fingerprints and photographs to eliminate voter duplication and remove deceased people’s names from the voters’ rolls.
Government and the United Nations Development Programme will jointly purchase the US$30 million equipment, marking the first time Zimbabwe will use such technology.
Many countries have adopted the innovation, which engenders greater transparency and minimises the possibility of electoral disputes.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail last week, ZEC Chairperson Justice Rita Makarau said the State Procurement Board would assist with adjudication.
“We are in the process of procuring BVR kits, and have set the 20th of March for site validation tests after the three top bidders have shown us what they have. The process of site validation means that we want the companies to do the tests locally and demonstrate how the equipment will be used so that we have a practical test of how the process will be conducted.
“The names of the three companies will be made public once they have confirmed their coming to Zimbabwe to undergo the evaluation process,” she said.
Justice Makarau said polling station demarcation could be extended to accommodate areas that have become inaccessible due to flooding, and ZEC now expected to complete the mapping process in the first week of April instead of the end of March.
“However, the mapping delays will not affect our deadlines and plan to start voter registration by the end of March or the beginning of May. We are still working with that timeframe in mind,” she added.
ZEC is working with July 31, 2018 as the deadline by which harmonised elections must be held, and it plans to wrap up major logistics this year.
Between 800 and 1 500 voters will be assigned to a particular polling station within their ward. – State Media

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating 40 serving and former Harare councillors and executives over a US$13 million tender to rehabilitate Firle Sewage Works. Information gathered by The Sunday Mail last week shows that Zacc opened the probe two months ago, with indications that 32 councillors and eight top officials could have connived to prejudice ratepayers of millions of dollars.

In 2011, Harare City Council is said to have unprocedurally awarded Energy Resources Africa Consortium a US$13,8 million tender when the company was not registered in accordance with Zimbabwe’s laws.

Zacc investigators told this publication that the net was fast-closing in on some councillors who served under former mayor Mr Muchadeyi Masunda’s administration and some executives led by ex-town clerk Dr Tendai Mahachi. The investigators said Mr Masunda’s was not under investigation.

The matter came to light after a special investigation committee comprising lawyer Mr Francis Nyamayaro; Engineer Israel Rwodzi; financial specialist Mr Clifford Mteneri; and councillors Joshua Nyatsuro, Joseph Rose, Samuel Chinyowa and Luckmore Mangawa alleged procurement procedures had been thrown out of window.

The committee established that Erac was awarded the tender ahead of Specgas, whose charges were US$1,5 million lower. The then Harare Water director Eng Christopher Zvobgo told the committee that Specgas lost because it did not have a bid bond. However, the committee determined that Erac, which had a bid bond, was unregistered and had no tax clearance.

Zacc is also looking into allegations of possible tax evasion, externalisation, forgery, perjury, contract fraud and collusion by City of Harare and Portriver Investments which was part of Erac. This came to light after one of Erac’s directors, Mr Dave Mashayamombe, blew the whistle on his former partner in Erac, Mr Harold Crown of Portriver Investments.

According to documents seen by The Sunday Mail, Mr Mashayamombe’s lawyer Mr Gerald Mlotshwa wrote to Zacc on December 5, 2016 saying, “We refer to proceedings between litigants in several High Court cases: HC9749/15, HH945-15, HC 1437/16, HC 5388/16, HC 11841/16. Pleadings and evidence filed in the court record have given rise to our client’s complaint of possible tax evasion, externalisation, forgery, perjury, contract fraud and collusion by the City of Harare and a company called Portriver Investments (Private) Limited wholly owned by a South African entity.

“… The court record filed therein, however, exhibits evidence of possible criminal acts that contravene Sections 136, 137, 171, 174 and 183 of the Criminal Law (Codification) Act (Chapter 9:23).”

In his judgment in a dispute between Messrs Mashayamombe and Crown, Justice Owen Tagu raised concern over non-payment of taxes to Zimra by Mr Crown’s Portriver Investments.
“… What is clear as day light is that the respondents (Mr Crown and Portriver Investments) want to continue trading and receiving large sums of money without paying taxes. This is unacceptable. There may be disagreements over other issues that resulted in the issuance of summons which is pending but that does not stop the parties from complying with the mandatory requirements of the law.”

Harare city councillors and officials also stand accused of manufacturing minutes of a meeting between the local authority and Mr Crown.
According to a letter dated June 29, 2016 by Mr Chris Mutangadura of the National Prosecuting Authority to the Department of Immigration concerning Mr Crown’s immigration status, allegations of fraud and perjury were also raised.
He wrote, “Pleadings filed in the court record have given rise to a complaint of perjury and fraud as against some employees of City of Harare who alleged that Mr Harold Crown participated in a meeting with City of Harare employees. Those minutes are allegedly manufactured to influence the outcome of the proceedings.
“In order for us to determine whether or not there is a criminal offence as suspected, we kindly request your good office to provide us with details of entry or exit of Mr Harold Crown from 1 October 2015 to 10 October 2015. Mr Crown is a South African citizen with I.D Number 6711225167085 date of birth 22 November 1967. This period alone will highlight the details of whether or not the alleged meeting between Mr Crown and City of Harare employees took place in Harare on the 6th of October 2015.”
On July 1, 2016, Mr P Kambarami of the Department of Immigration responded to Mr Mutangadura saying there was no evidence that Mr Crown was in Zimbabwe between October 1, 2015 and October 10, 2015.
“Diligent checks on both our manual and electronic systems for both entry and exit records were made. Harold Crown is not appearing in either for the period cited, that is 1 October 2015 to 10th December 2015,” he said.
A council special investigation committee raised a red flag regarding Mr Crown’s contracts given that he was involved in Crowborough Works via Cemo Pumps when the main contractor was Sidal Engineering, and on Firle via Port River with Erac as the main contractor.
Investigators suspect that Harare councillors and executives were conniving to implement some of the projects for their personal benefit. – State Media

The Zanu PF enemies of vocal businessman-turned-politician, Energy Mutodi, moved closer to kicking him out of the warring ruling party — after its Mashonaland East executive held a disciplinary hearing in the wake of his recent statements on the former liberation movement’s burning succession riddle.

The outspoken Mutodi, a self-confessed supporter of Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, has been critical of President Robert Mugabe’s unwillingness to groom a successor — blaming the 93-year-old for allegedly fuelling Zanu PF’s ugly tribal, factional and succession wars.

“The hearing has ended and there is no ruling yet.
They said they will advise me,” Mutodi told the Daily News yesterday, adding the panel that had presided over his case appeared clueless about the law.

Mutodi was slapped with a litany of charges by his Zanu PF comrades in February, weeks after images of him with Mnangagwa holding a coffee mug were made public.

Since those images surfaced, where Mnangagwa was seen holding the coffee mug inscribed with the words “I Am The Boss”, the VP’s party foes have gone to town about the issue, interpreting it as his open statement that he harbours unbridled presidential ambitions.

Matters were not helped when Mutodi seemingly stoked the raging fires further, when he implored Zanu PF to hold a special congress to choose Mugabe’s successor.
It was in the wake of these statements that the Mashonaland East Zanu PF executive summoned him to appear before a disciplinary hearing, to answer myriad charges.

“The hearing is to consider and discuss disciplinary allegations of misconduct charges that include undermining the authority and powers of the national people’s conference to declare the president of the party elected at the congress as the State presidential candidate of the party, as outlined in the Zanu PF constitution of 2014, Article 6 on membership section 33 (3).

“If you are found guilty of the allegations . . . then we may recommend disciplinary sanctions, including suspension and cancellation of your Zanu PF membership,” read the letter which contained the charges which Mutodi was answering to yesterday in Marondera.

The ruling party is deeply divided mainly over its unresolved succession riddle, which has split the former liberation movement right through the middle — with the Team Lacoste faction rallying behind Mnangagwa’s mooted presidential aspirations, and the Generation 40 (G40) group rabidly opposed to the Midlands godfather succeeding Mugabe.

In January, Mutodi threw the cat among the pigeons when he implored Zanu PF to hold an extra-ordinary congress to choose Mugabe’s successor.

He claimed then that Mugabe had become so unpopular in Zanu PF that “99 percent” of the party’s
members now wanted him to resign before the eagerly-anticipated 2018 national elections, as there was allegedly no way that the nonagenarian could win elections against the popular Tsvangirai.
“Mugabe must retire. What we must be discussing now is how we share power in Zanu PF post-Mugabe.

“It’s up to Mugabe himself to be really thankful to his loyalists who have helped him to remain in power for this long and not the opportunists who praise him during the day and denigrate him during the night,” Mutodi said.

This week Mutodi, while welcoming Mugabe’s hint that Zanu PF could hold a special congress if he felt he was no longer able to continue, said it was unimaginable that anyone would want the nonagenarian to stand in the 2018 elections.

“Since he (Mugabe) has said he does not want to impose anyone on the people, the elective extra-ordinary congress is the only way to go.

“We cannot fathom the fact that some amongst us are still calling for him to stand in 2018. Surely when do they want him to rest? A good leader cannot plan to rest in his grave. A good leader earns respect by allowing others to lead while he takes rest.

“A bad leader, however, thinks that no one is better than himself. When Sir Alex Ferguson left Manchester United with the best premier league record, he was not too old to lead but he realised that he needed to rest and give others a chance,” Mutodi told the Daily News.

“Nelson Mandela was also not too old to lead when he retired for (Thabo) Mbeki. The same can be said about Sam Nujoma, Julius Nyerere, (Ian) Khama and even (Eduardo) Dos Santos of Angola who will not seek re-election in 2018,” he added. Daily News

The United States (US) embassy in Harare will be reaching out to President Donald Trump not to slash foreign aid to Zimbabwe, ambassador Harry Thomas Jnr has said.
This comes as Trump has proposed large cuts to foreign aid at a time of acute need in Zimbabwe.

The details of Trump’s budget proposal have not been released, and so far, US funding for the hunger and health crises in Africa has come out of a budget approved last year under ex-President Barack Obama.

Responding to a question on Thursday whether the move would affect Zimbabwe during a tour of Musasa Project — a recipient of US aid — Thomas said they would be negotiating with Washington.

“We will have to see what our administration wants to do, but our messages to Washington will be: look at performance and results. In Zimbabwe, HIV and Aids, we have reduced that greatly from 25 per cent to just over 12 percent prevalence. So, it has been effective use of American tax payers’ money.

“We are humanitarians, and in feeding food-insecure people, we do that without regard to nationality. We are the world’s oldest democracy; we want to help sustain democracies in every country.

“And I think every American that we speak to would want us to continue to find ways to help projects like Musasa,” Thomas — a former director-general of the Foreign Service at the US State Department said.

“ . . . We are very proud that the US government is the largest donor to Zimbabwe, that we are giving a $150 million each year to combat HIV/Aids, another $150 million to feed 2,1 million food-insecure people of the 4,8 million in Zimbabwe, $10 million for democracy and governance; and of course, we are one of the leading, if not the leading, provider of fellowships and scholarships with over 1 300 Zimbabweans studying in the United States.”

The White House Office of Management and Budget proposed cuts of 37 percent at two agencies that provide US foreign aid, as part of Trump’s plan to fund an increase in defence spending, according to reports.  The State Department and USAid had requested more than $50 billion for 2017.

Thomas said Zimbabwe would help this endeavour by improving human rights and democracy and the holding of violence-free and credible election

“We have increased funding every year for the last 15 years under president (George) Bush and president (Barack) Obama, we have to see where we are going with (president) Trump. Our message to Zimbabwean government is we support and encourage economic reform, the Lima process, we would hope that will continue. – Daily News

Two Zimbabwean journalists were arrested on Friday over a newspaper report that described President Robert Mugabe as “in bad shape” when he flew to Singapore for what officials called a scheduled medical check-up.

Editor of independent newspaper NewsDay Wisdom Mudzungairi and journalist Richard Chidza were released ahead of a court appearance on Saturday.

The front-page story said that Mugabe, 93, had “sneaked out of the country” this week, and quoted an unnamed source saying “it’s a tricky health situation”.

The report, headlined “Mugabe in fresh health scare”, said that first lady Grace Mugabe had flown to Dubai to organise the charter flight.

“They have been arrested and charged with undermining and insulting the office of the president,” said their lawyer Obey Shava before their release.

He said their arrest was “in relation to the paper’s lead story”.

Mugabe’s trip to Singapore, shortly after his lavish 93rd birthday party, was announced by his press spokesperson on Wednesday.

The president is expected to return early next week.

Mugabe’s health has been subject of increased speculation in recent years, and he regularly flies to Singapore for medical attention.

Despite his advanced age, Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF party last year endorsed him as its candidate for the 2018 general elections.

In recent speeches, he has paused for lengthy periods and mumbled at times. News24

Floods in Zimbabwe have killed 246 people and left nearly 2,000 homeless since December, according to the government.

The southern African country has appealed to international donors for $100 million to help those affected by the floods, which have washed away some bridges and roads and cut off some communities from surrounding areas.

Saviour Kasukuwere, Zimbabwe’s minister of local government, announced the death toll Thursday. He says 128 people were injured in the floods, which were caused by heavy rains.

President Robert Mugabe, currently in Singapore for a medical checkup, declared the floods a national disaster this week.

The floods have mainly affected southern Zimbabwe, where the air force has transported some marooned villagers to safety. Dams have also overflowed, raising concerns about communities living downstream.

Five bridges on major highways have been swept away nationwide, Transport Minister Joram Gumbo said.

“Our roads have deteriorated to the extent that some sections of the national road network have become impassable,” Zimbabwe’s Daily News newspaper quoted Gumbo as saying.

Zimbabwe’s cash-strapped government is struggling to meet routine commitments such as the payment of state workers’ salaries.

Also, thousands of nurses in state hospitals in Zimbabwe went on strike this week over a lack of bonus payments, straining an already dire situation at the poorly resourced hospitals. State hospital doctors have been on strike since February 15, forcing the government to send in army and police doctors to care for patients. – VOA

Terrence Mawawa, Mwenezi | Two overzealous men from Madziya Village ,under Chief Murove,Mwenezi shocked the local community when they murdered a 53-year-old woman for wearing a miniskirt.

The two, Personally Ngundu(29) and Torerai Gambaza(47) are expected to appear before a High Court Judge in Masvingo for allegedly beating Lessie Temai to death for wearing a miniskirt at a traditional beer drinking party. The two are being charged with contravening Section 47(1)of the Criminal Law and Codification Reform Act Chapter 9:23.

On March 21,2015,around 1600 hrs , Ngundu , Gambaza and Temai were drinking beer with other villagers at Esnath Ngundu’ s homestead when Temai picked an argument with her boyfriend Mukowa Moyo over the skirt she was wearing. Moyo was not happy with the miniskirt Temai was wearing.

Ngundu and Gambaza then began to assault Temai as she lay on the ground.

Temai was taken into the house by Esnath.She eventually died after bleeding profusely.
“We were surprised when the two assaulted Temai for wearing a miniskirt.We tried to intervene but it was too late,” said a local villager.

Police in Mwenezi said the matter would be heard at the High Court in Masvingo.
“The matter will be heard before a High Court Judge .Ngundu and Gambaza attacked the helpless woman for no apparent reason.The claimed they were drunk when they committed the offence,” police in Mwenezi said.

FOURTEEN-year-old visibly drunk Nelia stands by the nightclub door anticipating that one of the truck drivers parking their heavy vehicles will become her second client of the night.

Sporting a skimpy dress that exposes the greater part of thighs and matching high heels, the teenager wriggles her waist upon seeing two men approaching the nightclub.

The men feign disinterest, although they cast longing gazes at her as they walk into the nightclub.

“They will come back. I have to meet my target. I need three more clients for me to get a bigger commission. My boss is waiting for her money, otherwise she will fire me and get another girl,” she says.

Nelia is one of the young girls employed by senior commercial sex workers who provide them with accommodation before demanding three-quarters of their earnings from each client.

The senior sex workers, often referred to as “retired generals”, are recruiting young girls who have proved to be favourites of truck drivers.

“This is a clean deal. If I charge $5 for a quickie, I get $2 and surrender the rest to the boss. The boss can also find clients for me. I can take home $12 per night on a good day. Sometimes I get more if the clients demands unprotected sex,” she said.

This has become the trend in many nightspots and border areas in the country.

In a snap survey in Marondera, NewsDay Weekender established that some bar owners hire teenagers from local schools as dancers before sexually exploiting them.

Martha Rumano (39), who resides near a popular nightclub in Dombotombo, Marondera, where most young girls ply their trade, said young children are sexually exploited and end up infected with HIV.

“It is a sorry state, especially at night. Young girls are running the show here. The girls will be drunk, half-naked and shouting vulgar words,” she said.

According to a 2016 report recently launched by the Zimbabwe National Council for the Welfare of Children (ZNCWC) titled Young Women In Commercial Sexual Exploitation Along Two Transport Corridors in Zimbabwe: Causes, Initiation Prevalence and Use of HIV And Social Services, 64,6% of young women reportedly started selling sex below the age of 18.

ZNCWC director Taylor Nyanhete said there is need to monitor social gathering centres so that children are not exploited.

“We would want monitoring of social centres so that children are not exploited; they are not part of syndicates or rings in communities. It’s a practice where older women tend to recruit children, it is known, so we would want those places be monitored and where officials think it’s happening, they must ensure that those people are arrested and convicted,” Nyanhete said.

Zimbabwe has ratified key international conventions concerning Child Labour (ILO.C182), Worst Forms of Child Labour and UN CRC Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.

The prohibition of commercial sexual exploitation of children is embraced in section 87 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act and section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act.

According to the ZNWC report, government departments have been sluggish in combating commercial sex exploitation of children.

National Aids Council Mashonaland East provincial co-ordinator Wilfred Dube confirmed the development saying this is spreading new infections as children are vulnerable.

“We have old commercial sex workers who are established and have accommodation, now they have lost business because of age they now act like barons who recruits young girls who are very attractive and offer them men for sex work.

The elderly sex workers are the ones who are paid while the young girls are given commission. This is the scenario that we are getting almost in all the hotspots,” he said.

“The biggest challenge now is that those young girls, because of their age, if they contract sexual transmitted infections, don’t have information on what they are expected to do. And also in terms of the law they are not considered sex workers but children. Because they don’t have information they are very vulnerable to HIV infection.”

Dube said the young sex workers need to be sensitised on HIV and Aids.

According to Progressio Southern Africa Sub-Region manager Fiona Mwashita, who helped in the study, 66,7% of those involved in commercial sexual exploitation are school dropouts. – Newsday

A MUCHENA woman broke down in court last Wednesday while narrating how her son defiled her after he kicked her on her private parts.

The elderly woman, who was only identified as Mbuya Dzanza described her son, Tendai Dzanza, as evil and a womaniser, who only cared about himself, ignoring the plight of his family.

She had to be escorted out of the court room by police officers after she started weeping uncontrollably banging herself on the benches. The drama occurred at the Mutare Civil Courts before magistrate, Miss Nyasha Kuture after Zvisinei Kachigamba had dragged her husband, Dzanza, to the courts seeking protection.

As Miss Kuture questioned Kachigamba on how Dzanza was disturbing her peace, Mbuya Dzanza raised her hand from the gallery and requested to say a few words over the application. She begged the court to rule the matter in favour of her daughter-in-law, Kachigamba, whom she said was also being abused by her son.

“I have had enough of Tendai Your Worship. He calls me wicked and he always assaults me. He does the same to his wife,” she said.

Mbuya Dzanza stunned the court when she revealed that her son kicked her on her private parts countless times. She also claimed that Dzanza was a womaniser who is well-known in the Penhalonga-Muchena area.

“He defiled me Your Worship. He kicked me on my private parts and that is abomination and unheard of in our tradition,” she said.

Dzanza opposed his wife’s protection order application. “Your Worship, she is my ex-wife because she has since moved out of our matrimonial house and is now staying with my mother. She and my mother are now jealous that I have married someone else and now want to come back home.”

He also alleged that out of jealousy, Kachigamba and his mother had assaulted his new wife.

He thus requested the court for a binding order. A binding over protection order which orders both parties to keep peace with each other was granted to both Kachigamba and Dzanza by Miss Kuture. – Manica Post

Prominent businessman Shingi Munyeza has warned opposition parties that they must be ready to participate in 2018’s elections on an uneven ground, as Zanu PF will not reform itself out of power.

Writing on his Facebook page, he said “many are looking forward to an evening of the playing field by those already in power; this is wishful thinking”.

“…there is never anyone in power who would be silly enough to transform themselves out of power,” he said, adding that “get ready to play in an uneven playing field and knowing that to win this time you have to be on the right side of history”.

“In my scriptural allegory Caesar Augustus could not be bothered that Mary was nearly due to give birth and that the inn would be fully booked and that no one had the kindness to allow a first time pregnant young woman to give birth in a safe environment,” the Faith Ministries Church senior pastor said.

Zanu PF politburo member Jonathan Moyo has also made the assertion that the ruling party will not reform itself out of power.

Munyeza — owner of the upmarket Ocean Basket and News Café restaurants franchises in Zimbabwe — said “let those who are participating in this landmark election not be fooled to think that there will be an even level playing field”.

This comes as over 10 opposition parties have joined the MDC to form the National Electoral Reform Agenda (Nera) in the call for a truly credible election as a precondition for the return to legitimacy, which the parties agreed must become an issue of national priority.

Nera demands that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) introduces the biometric vote and also wants the next 2018 poll to be run and supervised by the United Nations.

Besides a biometric voter register, Nera also calls for the complete and total independence of Zec, the abandonment of the use of voter registration slips in polling, the use of postal voting strictly in accordance with the Sadc Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections, an accurate and up to date electronic voters roll to be made available to all interested political players in a searchable and analysable format, and that traditional leaders should be apolitical.

It also calls for the harmonisation of all laws with the new Constitution of Zimbabwe and also envisages that members of the security services — the real power behind President Robert Mugabe’s throne — should not participate in any political activities.

The parties also want the Diaspora vote to immediately adopted and implemented and that those in prisons and other places of incarceration should be allowed to vote in accordance with the ruling of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and other regional jurisprudence.
The 50-year-old Munyeza said Zimbabwe has entered into an election mode.

“The other smaller political parties have agreed on a coalition and started the journey of campaigning. At the moment, we have 26 registered political parties. And there is a distant noise about a third way or even fourth way,” he said.

“All I can say is that the 2018 elections will be more significant than the 2008. They will usher in a new era in our political history as well as our destiny as a nation.”
Munyeza added: “It would be irresponsible for a Zimbabwean of a voting age not to register and participate in this crucial destiny-changing moment.

“It does not matter whether you are at home or in the Diaspora, even Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem although the most sensible thing was to stay at home.” Daily News

Women in unregistered customary marriages will now be awarded part of property accumulated during the subsistence of such unions following a recent landmark High Court ruling. The judgment — which was handed down last month and only made available on Thursday — was for a case brought by Harare woman, Ms Melody Kurebgaseka. Ms Kurebgaseka approached the court seeking relief after she was denied part of the property when her unregistered customary union of 14 years to Tinei Mautsa collapsed.

Justice Alfas Chitakunye held the law governing such unions as unjust and awarded Ms Kurebgaseka part of the property accumulated during the subsistence of the marriage.

He called for an amendment of the law to protect the interests of women who stand to be left destitute after such marriages are dissolved.

“I wish to add my voice to the call for the legislative intervention, just as what happened with the situation of surviving spouses at the demise of their husbands in terms of the Administrative Estates Act, (Chapter 6:01),” said Justice Chitakunye.

“While the efforts by the courts in providing relief to such women may be commendable, a more decisive and definitive remedy should be provided by changes in the law pertaining the rights of parties at the termination of such unions.

“Where parties have met all the customary law marriage rites, a recognition of their marriage albeit unregistered as a marriage for purposes of distribution of assets acquired during the union, would go a long way in eliminating discrimination against women on the basis of the type of marriage contracted.”

The law does not recognise an unregistered customary union as a marriage and treats it as co-habitation, and upon dissolution of that union, the woman is only entitled to leave with “umai” or “mawoko” property.

“Umai” or “mawoko” property refers to goods such as utensils and linen, which in most cases do not have any value of note.

This often left women impoverished after having spent a significant part of their lives in the union performing all the duties and helping in acquiring valuable properties as is expected of a wife.

Justice Chitakunye ruled that the law position, whereby a wife under customary law was only entitled to “umai/mawoko” property had been found to be unjust in many instances.

He said Ms Kurebgaseka’s “umai/mawoko” property in terms of customary law in the circumstance of the case would be unjust and an affront to a modern day democratic society, where both local and international calls have been made for equal rights and opportunities.

“This is a union that lasted for 14 years and to expect the defendant (Ms Kurebgaseka) to move out with only “umai/mawoko” property would be the height of judicial injustice,” said Justice Chitakunye.

“Besides, the submissions by the parties to this court is also vested with the discretion to determine whether or not the justice of the case demands that general law or customary law should apply. It is in that regard that I firmly hold the view that the circumstances of this case require that general law should apply.”

Justice Chitakunye noted that Mautsa, while denying that the general law should apply, did not give his own basis for seeking the matter to be determined in terms of customary law, given the lifestyle alluded to by Ms Kurebgaseka.

“He did not refute the surrounding circumstances that the defendant identified as indicative of the family’s lifestyle,” he said.

Justice Chitakunye found that Mautsa’s position was informed by a desire to take advantage of the customary law emplacement where Ms Kurebgaseka would only be entitled to “umai/mawoko” property on dissolution of the marriage.

Ms Kurebgaseka had claimed 50 percent of Number 2 Yardley Close Chisipite, registered in her erstwhile husband’s name, but Justice Chitakunye reduced the claim to 25 percent.

“Accordingly, it is hereby ordered that the defendant is awarded a 25 percent share in the immovable property namely 2 Yardley Close, Chisipite, Harare, whilst the plaintiff retains a 75 percent share of the same,” ruled Justice Chitakunye.

“The parties shall within 30 days of this order appoint a mutually agreed valuator to value the property. Should the parties fail to agree on a valuator, one shall be appointed for them by the Registrar of the High Court.”

Justice Chitakunye granted Mautsa the option to buy out Ms Kurebgaseka’s share in the immovable property within 12 months from the date of the valuation report.

But he found no justification to award maintenance.

The couple also have another house in Mandara, which is registered in the name of their children.

Ms Kurebgaseka was given the custody of the two minor children, who will be maintained at $350 each per month.

The court also allowed her to stay with the children at the Mandara property.

In his testimony, Mautsa told the court that the couple was married in 1996 and Ms Kurebgaseka was a house wife who brought no skill or asset into the marriage.

He insisted that there was no tacit universal partnership as this was purely a customary law marriage.

Through his lawyer, Mautsa also accused Ms Kurebgaseka of unjust enrichment, arguing that she was not engaged in any income generating activity from which she could have contributed to the business or welfare of the family.

As far as he was concerned, he acquired all the assets without his wife’s contribution.

He testified that he acquired Number 25 Coucal Drive, Mandara in 2000, while he bought the Chisipite house in 2006 on his own, as an investment, without Ms Kurebgaseka’s contribution.

He said the position was the same with the various movable assets that were at the centre of dispute.

Ms Kurebgaseka, who was represented by Advocate Daphine Sanhanga, told the court that she entered into a tacit universal partnership on July 6, 1996, the day Mautsa paid lobola for her when she was 20 years old.

During the subsistence of the marriage, her responsibility as a wife was to ensure that Mautsa and the children were looked after well.

She said she also contributed to Mautsa’s business by giving advice to him when asked.

It was argued by Add Sanhanga that Mautsa would be unjustly enriched if Ms Kurebgaseka only took the assets he offered to her.

Her client, she argued, deserved a substantial share in the assets.

Also at the centre of the determination was the choice of law, which the parties wanted applied to their case given their lifestyle.

Mautsa argued that since theirs was an unregistered customary law marriage, it ought to be governed by customary law.

In that regard, he argued, Ms Kurebgaseka was only entitled to that which customary law dictates – “umai/maoko” property.

But Adv Sanhanga argued that the general law should apply as the parties maintained a Western lifestyle and were not governed by African customs and practices.

The couple lived in a low density area, Mautsa was a businessman and farmer; their children attended private schools where they were taught and lived Western lifestyle, and the couple would go on holidays and shopping trips outside the country.

Justice Chitakunye said Ms Kurebgaseka was also entitled to all household appurtenances at 25 Coucal Drive, Mandara, two vehicles, namely a Ford Mondeo, a Mercedes Benz 300D, two tractors of medium size and one disc harrow. – State Media

Four men from Gwanda allegedly beat a resident to death over 50 cents.

The attacker bust open Wellington Moyo (29)’s skull, leaving his brains splattered on the roadside outside his home.

They were allegedly demanding that he should add an extra 50c to make a dollar on the money he offered to be transported to his   home.

Moyo was killed on Sunday and police arrested the unnamed suspects on Thursday.

A source close to investigations said Moyo boarded the car outside a bar in Gwanda Town.

The suspects allegedly revealed that they got angry when Moyo offered to pay only 50 cents after he was delivered to his home.

“When they arrived at Moyo’s home, he produced 50 cents and the four refused to take the money, demanding 50 cents more. They argued and Moyo’s wife could hear them from the bedroom,” said the source.

“It is suspected that the four attacked                   Moyo with blunt objects and left him dead at the gate.”

“His whole body was seriously bruised as if he had been dragged on a rough surface. He had deep cuts on both his arms and on the soles of his feet,” said the neighbour.

He said there was an indication of heavy struggle where Moyo’s body was found.

Matabeleland South police spokesperson Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the murder case and said investigations were underway.

“Four men (whose names cannot be immediately disclosed) have been arrested for the alleged murder of a 29-year-old man who was heavily assaulted at the gate of his home.

“We are still investigating. The deceased was last seen in the company of the four suspects in the early hours of Sunday,” he said.

Insp Ndebele said Moyo’s body was taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals for a postmortem.

“We are appealing to members of the public to desist from violence as it results in unnecessary loss of lives.

“People should learn to solve their disputes amicably without being violent to each other,” he said. – State Media

Four Gweru teenagers aged between 18 and 19 allegedly drugged and gang raped a 15-year-old girl whom they had invited to a beer drinking party.

One of the accused, Emmanuel Mandizvidza of Mkoba Village 13 in Gweru, yesterday appeared before Gweru Magistrate Mrs Judith Taruvinga facing a rape charge. His three accomplices, who were not named in court, are on the run.

Mandizvidza was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody to March 13.

Mrs Taruvinga advised him to apply for bail at the High Court.

Prosecuting, Ms Helen Khosa told the court that on November 25 last year at around 2PM, the complainant visited Mandizvidza, who is her boyfriend, at his house and found him in the company of his three friends.

“When the complainant entered the house, the accused immediately locked the doors before hiding the keys,” said Ms Khosa.

She further alleged that Mandizvidza and his accomplices gave the complainant a liquid substance to drink after which she became weak.

“The accused person dragged the complainant into his bedroom where he undressed her,” said Ms Khosa.

She said the teen raped the complainant once before inviting his friends who took turns to rape her.

The girl later regained consciousness and escaped after her boyfriend opened the door.

Ms Khosa said when the complainant got home she told her mother what had happened and the matter was reported to the police leading to Mandizvidza’s arrest.

“The complainant was referred to Gweru Provincial Hospital where she was medically examined. The medical report revealed that there was penetration,” said Ms Khosa.

Meanwhile, a 19-year-old man from Gweru will receive nine strokes after he was found guilty of sexually abusing a three-year-old neighbour’s daughter before giving her sweets in an attempt to conceal the heinous act.

Taurai Chakoma of Athlone low density suburb in Gweru pleaded guilty to aggravated indecent assault when he appeared before Gweru Regional Magistrate Mr Morgan Nemadire.

The magistrate sentenced Chakoma to three months and nine strokes with a rattan cane at Whawha Prison.

Mr Nemadire, however, suspended the three months on condition of good behaviour.

For the State, Mr Lloyd Mavhiza told the court that on September 12 last year around 9AM, the complainant was playing at her home when Chakoma lured her to his house.

“The accused person inserted his finger into her privates. He told the complainant not to tell anyone and he gave her some sweets,” he said.

The matter came to light when the child’s mother noticed that her daughter’s privates were swollen and bruised.

The complainant told her mother what had transpired.

The matter was reported to the police leading to Chakoma’s arrest. – State Media

A “SERIAL” thief who asked to be given time to pray in the middle of a trial before pleading guilty and confessing his misdeeds, was yesterday sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Farai Mlauzi (32) of Rangemore suburb in Bulawayo, who found God in court on Wednesday this week, is already serving a 19 years jail term for robbery and carjacking.

Bulawayo magistrate Mr Joseph Mabeza convicted Mlauzi on his own guilty plea to hijacking a taxi which he later burnt in a bid to conceal fingerprints evidence.

He sentenced him to 10 years in prison but suspended five years on condition that he changes his behaviour and also restitutes the complainant.

“Four years are suspended on condition that you do not commit a similar crime in the next five years and the remaining year is suspended on a condition that you restitute the complainant,” he said.

Mr Mabeza said he considered Mlauzi’s repentance as mitigatory but said courts were worried that robbery cases were on the increase hence deterrent sentences were called for.

Mlauzi’s co-accused Hloniphani Ndlovu (31) of Cowdray Park suburb who has pleaded not guilty, will be back in court on March 10 for continuation of trial.

On Wednesday, Mlauzi told the magistrate that he was tired of lying in court and asked the court to forgive him for wasting time.

“We committed these offences. I told Ndlovu not to take the cell phone (police used the gadget to track the duo). There’s no way the police would just pick on us and allege that we committed an offence. God has spoken to me. I’m willing to confess and tell the court all that transpired but before I do that may I be granted permission to pray,” said Mlauzi.

Mr Mabeza granted Mlauzi’s request.

Mlauzi prayed: “God, creator of heaven and earth, I’m sorry about these crimes that I have committed. I won’t do it again. Please give me strength to tell the whole truth during this trial. Amen.”

He thereafter went on to narrate his story to the court.

Prosecuting, Mr Tinashe Dzipe, told the court that on January 27 this year, Mlauzi, Ndlovu and another accomplice who is still at large, asked for a lift to Esigodini from Zhou.

“Mlauzi asked Zhou to turn at Falcon turnoff. He, Ndlovu and the other accused person ordered Zhou to disembark from his vehicle. They assaulted him but he managed to escape into a nearby bush. They took $40, a worksuit, a tool box and two cell phones before torching the vehicle,” said Mr Dzipe. – State Media

A kombi driver from Emakhandeni suburb in Bulawayo was killed by unknown assailants who assaulted and stabbed him on the neck, leaving him to die by a roadside yesterday.

Residents alerted the police and Gift Moyo (38)’s family when they found him dead at about 6AM.

The Chronicle visited the spot where he was found dead and residents from nearby houses said they heard people quarrelling at about 12AM.

The dead man’s relatives allege a mystery woman who allegedly knocked on two houses near the place he was killed at midnight, could identify his attackers.

His brother Mr Mthokozisi Moyo said: “I don’t really know what happened. It still doesn’t make sense to me. But I was told that there is a woman who was heard knocking at two houses in the area near where his body was found,” said Mr Moyo.

“The residents didn’t open their doors for her so she slept in the toilet of one of the houses. The house owner found her still sleeping today this morning.

She refused to view his (Gift’s) body,” he said.

Mr Moyo said the unknown woman told residents that she was from Njube suburb.

“She is said to have told the residents that she didn’t want to see my brother’s body. But that story is not clear to me. She could know the events leading to my brother’s death,” he said.

His family said they got worried when Gift did not return home the previous night.

Mr Moyo said the family last saw him alive on Wednesday night.

“He arrived home at about 8PM but didn’t enter the house. He left and never returned. We only heard this morning (yesterday) that there was Gift Moyo who was killed. I went to Luveve Police Station where I described my brother’s clothes and police confirmed it was him,” said Mr Moyo.

He said he did not even go to identify his body as the information that the police gave him satisfied him.

He said police had not found any leads by late afternoon yesterday.

Residents expressed shock on waking up to Gift’s body.

One of the residents, a granny, Mrs Beauty Moyo, said the painful incident traumatised her.

“He was just lying there,” said Mrs Moyo, pointing to the spot where Gift’s body was found.

“On closer look we discovered that he was dead. I’ve been terrified ever since. I’m diabetic and due to shock I failed to eat and take my pills. Some residents have said they heard people arguing in the middle of the night,” .

The Chronicle observed that the spot where Gift was killed had been covered with soil and some grass.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango could not be reached for comment. – State Media

Women in unregistered customary marriage will now be awarded part of the property accumulated during the existence of such a union following a landmark ruling made by the High Court in their favour.

The judgment, in a case brought by a Harare woman Ms Melody Kurebgaseka, was made available on Thursday.

Ms Kurebgaseka approached the court seeking relief after she was denied part of the property when her unregistered customary union of 14 years to Tinei Mautsa collapsed.

Justice Alfas Chitakunye held the law governing such a union as unjust and awarded Ms Kurebgaseka part of the property, which was accumulated during the existence the marriage.

He called for an amendment of the law to protect the interests of women, who stand to be left destitute after such marriages are dissolved.

“I wish to add my voice to the call for the legislative intervention, just as what happened with the situation of surviving spouses at the demise of their husbands in terms of the Administrative Estates Act, (Chapter 6:01),” said Justice Chitakunye.

“While the efforts by the courts in providing relief to such women may be commendable, a more decisive and definitive remedy should be provided by changes in the law pertaining the rights of parties at the termination of such unions.

“Where parties have met all the customary law marriage rites, a recognition of their marriage albeit unregistered as a marriage for purposes of distribution of assets acquired during the union, would go a long way in eliminating discrimination against women on the basis of the type of marriage contracted.”

The law does not recognise an unregistered customary union as a marriage and treats it as as akin to co-habitation, and upon dissolution of that union, the woman is only entitled to leave with “umai” or “mawoko” property.

“Umai” or “mawoko” property refers to goods such as utensils and linen, which in most cases do not have any value of note.

This often left women impoverished after having spent a significant part of their lives in the union performing all the duties and helping in acquiring valuable properties as is expected of a wife.

Justice Chitakunye ruled that the law position, whereby a wife under customary law was only entitled to “umai/mawoko” property had been found to be unjust in many instances.

He said Ms Kurebgaseka’s “umai/mawoko” property in terms of customary law in the circumstance of the case would be unjust and an affront to a modern day democratic society, where both local and international calls have been made for equal rights and opportunities.

“This is a union that lasted for 14 years and to expect the defendant (Ms Kurebgaseka) to move out with only “umai/mawoko” property would be the height of judicial injustice,” said Justice Chitakunye.

“Besides, the submissions by the parties to this court is also vested with the discretion to determine whether or not the justice of the case demands that general law or customary law should apply. It is in that regard that I firmly hold the view that the circumstances of this case require that general law should apply.”

Justice Chitakunye noted that Mautsa, while denying that the general law should apply, did not give his own basis for seeking the matter to be determined in terms of customary law, given the lifestyle alluded to by Ms Kurebgaseka.

“He did not refute the surrounding circumstances that the defendant identified as indicative of the family’s lifestyle,” he said.

Justice Chitakunye found that Mautsa’s position was informed by a desire to take advantage of the customary law emplacement where Ms Kurebgaseka would only be entitled to “umai/mawoko” property on dissolution of the marriage.

Ms Kurebgaseka had claimed 50 percent of Number 2 Yardley Close, Chisipite, registered in her erstwhile husband’s name, but Justice Chitakunye reduced the claim to 25 percent.
“Accordingly, it is hereby ordered that the defendant is awarded a 25 percent share in the immovable property namely 2 Yardley Close, Chisipite, Harare, whilst the plaintiff retains a 75 percent share of the same,” ruled Justice Chitakunye.

“The parties shall within 30 days of this order appoint a mutually agreed valuator to value the property. Should the parties fail to agree on a valuator, one shall be appointed for them by the Registrar of the High Court.”

Justice Chitakunye granted Mautsa the option to buy out Ms Kurebgaseka’s share in the immovable property within 12 months from the date of the valuation report.
But he found no justification to award maintenance.

The couple also have another house in Mandara, which is registered in the name of their children.

Ms Kurebgaseka was given the custody of the two minor children, who will be maintained at $350 each per month.

The court also allowed her to stay with the children at the Mandara property.
In his testimony, Mautsa told the court that the couple was married in 1996 and Ms Kurebgaseka was a house wife who brought no skill or asset into the marriage.
He insisted that there was no tacit universal partnership as this was purely a customary law marriage.

Through his lawyer, Mautsa also accused Ms Kurebgaseka of unjust enrichment, arguing that she was not engaged in any income generating activity from which she could have contributed to the business or welfare of the family.

As far as he was concerned, he acquired all the assets without his wife’s contribution.
He testified that he acquired Number 25 Coucal Drive, Mandara in 2000, while he bought the Chisipite house in 2006 on his own, as an investment, without Ms Kurebgaseka’s contribution.

He said the position was the same with the various movable assets that were at the centre of dispute.

Ms Kurebgaseka, who was represented by Advocate Daphine Sanhanga, told the court that she entered into a tacit universal partnership on July 6, 1996, the day Mautsa paid lobola for her when she was 20 years old.

During the subsistence of the marriage, her responsibility as a wife was to ensure that Mautsa and the children were looked after well.

She said she also contributed to Mautsa’s business by giving advice to him when asked.
It was argued by Add Sanhanga that Mautsa would be unjustly enriched if Ms Kurebgaseka only took the assets he offered to her.

Her client, she argued, deserved a substantial share in the assets. Also at the centre of the determination was the choice of law, which the parties wanted applied to their case given their lifestyle.

Mautsa argued that since theirs was an unregistered customary law marriage, it ought to be governed by customary law. In that regard, he argued, Ms Kurebgaseka was only entitled to that which customary law dictates – “umai/maoko” property.

But Adv Sanhanga argued that the general law should apply as the parties maintained a Western lifestyle and were not governed by African customs and practices.

The couple lived in a low density area, Mautsa was a businessman and farmer; their children attended private schools where they were taught and lived Western lifestyle, and the couple would go on holidays and shopping trips outside the country.

Justice Chitakunye said Ms Kurebgaseka was also entitled to all household at 25 Coucal Drive, Mandara, two vehicles, namely a Ford Mondeo, a Mercedes Benz 300D, two tractors of medium size and one disc harrow.

Angry opposition parties coalescing under the banner of the National Electoral Reform Agenda (Nera) will hold mass protests on March 22, to force the government to abandon its plans to hijack the procurement of biometric voter registration (BVR) kits for next year’s make-or-break national elections.

This comes amid grave concerns that the controversial decision by the government to take over the procurement process of the BVR kits from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a thinly-disguised attempt to rig the 2018 polls.

This is more so after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said earlier this week that Mugabe and his warring ruling Zanu PF were already allegedly working feverishly to steal next year’s watershed elections.

Nera’s head of legal affairs, Douglas Mwonzora, told the Daily News yesterday that they had been left “with no option but to protest” after the government’s suspicious decision to hijack the BVR procurement process.

“We have therefore set the 22nd of March as the date for a massive demonstration against this political abomination and we call upon all responsible Zimbabweans regardless of their political affiliation to rise up against this thuggery.

“We can ill-afford another stolen election next year. Depending on government’s reaction, the Harare protests will trigger more countrywide demonstrations and we are certainly aware that the authorities will respond with their usual heavy-handedness, but we are not afraid anymore.

“The demonstration will define whether Zimbabweans will make progress or will forever be confined to poverty under this regime,” Mwonzora, who is also the secretary-general of the MDC, said.

Controversy has erupted over the past few weeks following the government’s sudden decision to sideline the UNDP from assisting in the procurement of the BVR kits, with unanswered questions being raised about how and where the stone-broke administration was able to secure funding for this, to the staggering tune of $17 million.

A tender was floated in December and interested companies had an opportunity to present their bids through a process that was digitally-managed from Copenhagen, Denmark.

However, following the conclusion of the bidding process, the government announced two weeks ago that it would fund the purchase of the equipment, after pumping in $17 million.

This raised eye brows, with the opposition alleging that the government was hijacking the process to rig next year’s eagerly-anticipated national elections.

Last week, Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa told Parliament that the government was providing the funds required to buy the equipment, and that it was not booting out the UNDP.

But Mwonzora said opposition parties were certain the move by the government “marks the commencement of a well-planned rigging system for 2018 in which Mnangagwa is central”.

“What we are saying is that Mnangagwa lied in Parliament because we know he is part of the grand design to steal the election,” Mwonzora said.

This week, during his tour of Mashonaland East, Tsvangirai was told of an alleged elaborate plan by Zanu PF to rig next year’s polls, including misrepresenting to the villagers about the functioning of the BVR kits.

Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka said the former prime minister during the era of the stability-inducing government of national unity was gravely concerned by the “overwhelming information” that the MDC had received, which pointed to the fact that Zanu PF was “already in the process of stealing next year’s elections”.

“There is a plan by Zanu PF to steal next year’s elections. We have been on the ground here in Mashonaland East and what we are seeing and hearing is that Zanu PF wants to steal the next elections again, after they took over the BVR process, in addition to commandeering chiefs, village heads and headmen on board this devious scheme.

“However, we will do all that we can to ensure that traditional leaders are not abused and absorbed into Zanu PF structures? Indeed, the rights of traditional leaders must and will be observed,” the resolute Tamborinyoka said.

Traditional chief after traditional chief had apparently told Tsvangirai during his tour of the restive Mashonaland East province, which is traditionally a Zanu PF stronghold, that they were being forced to not only join the ruling party, but to also lead its cells and wards — and to actively work to help rig next year’s polls.

“The fearful village heads all said they were forced to be chairpersons of Zanu PF’s cells. That way, Zanu PF will coerce them to frog-march people to vote for the ruling party.

“So, the sum total of Zanu PF’s ploy is that it is assimilating traditional leaders into its partisan structures, abusing them in the process,” Tamborinyoka added.

And during his meetings in Mukumbura, Mashonaland Central, on Wednesday, village heads, pastors and civic leaders also told Tsvangirai how Zanu PF had allegedly manipulated the hotly-disputed 2013 polls.

It was claimed that Zanu PF had won the vote by directing voters to give their ballot-paper serial numbers to their headmen, who had marshalled the villagers to the polling stations and made them queue in a predetermined order.

Speaker after speaker spoke of how endemic fear and the rampant intimidation of communities, as well as the abuse of traditional leaders by Zanu PF had forced them to do the ruling party’s dirty bidding.

The Daily News was also told how a retired policeman had told Tsvangirai how he was allegedly forced to be an assisted voter, adding that several literate teachers and school heads had also been assisted to vote by known Zanu PF youths.

This comes as observer group, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (Zesn), has asked the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) “to interrogate the huge numbers of assisted voters” in the 2013 poll.

Tamborinyoka also said community leaders had told the opposition leader of how they were often forced to engage in partisan food distribution and to coerce and frog-march people to vote for Zanu PF.

It was also claimed that during election times, villages were overwhelmed by Mozambicans who were allegedly provided with Zimbabwean identity cards to enable them to vote for Zanu PF.

“It was heartening to hear forsaken communities pledging to finish it all off by voting in a new dispensation in the watershed election of 2018,” Tamborinyoka said, adding that his boss had urged them to turn out in their numbers to register to vote so that they could vote for change.

Since last year, the MDC — working with other opposition parties through Nera — has been demanding comprehensive electoral reforms to level the political playing field.

It has also been engaging Zec, which it says is infested with Zanu PF functionaries who are there only to look after the interests of the ruling party. – Daily News

Terrence Mawawa, Mutare | Unruly Zanu PF youths have vowed to defy Mutare City Council’ s land distribution procedure claiming the local authority is biased towards the Movement for Democratic Change.

The youths told ZimEye.com last week they would allocate themselves residential stands in Dangamvura and Chikanga Suburbs regardless of the council procedures.

Zanu youth chairperson for Manicaland Province , Mubuso Chinguno said ruling party youths would allocate themselves land because the city fathers were deliberately thwarting their efforts to get land. Chinguno said the ruling party youths were tired of the MDC councillors’ political games.

“We have waited for too long to get the stands.This is mainly because the council is dominated by corrupt MDC councillors.The MDC councillors are thwarting development here,” said Chinguno.

He added:”Let me say nothing will stop us from taking over the stands. We have discovered unoccupied land in Dangamvura and Chikanga Suburbs.We are going to occupy the land by force in the coming two weeks. Remember the Jambanja days-there is no going back.”
Mutare City Mayor, Tatenda Nhamarare said the council would stick to the normal land allocation procedure.

“We have a clear housing policy and we will not shift our stance. Residential stands are not for free. If the Zanu PF youths want stands, they must go through the expected process.It means will not allow the youths to take the land by force. Everything is very clear,” said Nhamarare.

#ThisFlag campaign championed by Pastor Evan Mawarire has blasted Linda Masarira’s unjust conviction, below is their statement.

We started this together to fight POVERTY, INJUSTICE and CORRUPTION. Lynda Tsungie Masarira has been unjustly convicted for the July 6th 2016 #SHUTDOWN and will be sentenced this coming Monday. She faces a Fine of up to $500 and 6 months in Jail. If we all chip in a huge problem can become very small! Lets show THEM than WE are united. Injustice for 1 is injustice for all! If you are in the Diaspora you can you WorldRemit or Western Union. Linda has told us she has $159 on her Ecocash already which she need to pay her Child minder (screenshot below in comments). She will update us with screenshots and when (YES WHEN) we reach out target we will let you guys know! Lets do this!

MDC deputy national youth chairman Shakespear Mukoyi, accused of threatening to assault police officers during a rally, was yesterday acquitted of the charges.

He was represented by Gift Mtisi.

Mukoyi — charged with inciting public violence — was acquitted by Harare magistrate Nomsa Sabarauta after full trial.

Sabarauta ruled that the State had failed to prove a prima facie case against the 40-year-old before granting his application for discharge at the close of the State case.
His lawyer had argued that “in the present case, to put the accused person to his defence would be a disservice and wrong approach since the State through its witnesses had failed to lead incriminating evidence”.

“This was not an incitement nor a threat but more of a reminder of the constitutional duties of the police. The alleged words were a mere fabrication by the witnesses and a gross misinterpretation of what was actually said,” Mtisi said.

Prosecutor Desire Chidanire called constable Memory Zvenyika, who manned the rally, to the witness stand and said Mukuyu’s utterances made her uncomfortable.

“I was instructed to make sure the rally was conducted peacefully and I felt threatened when the accused person started saying he would assault police in uniform,” Zvenyika said.
However, Zvenyika confirmed during cross examination by Mtisi that Mukuyu did not incite public violence through his utterances.

Zvenyika was in the company of Munyaradzi Mutuzungari, manning the rally on the day.
Mutuzungari also confirmed that there was no threat of public violence following Mukuyu’s utterances.

According to court papers, on October 16 last year, the MDC made an application to hold a political rally at Mukandabhutsu Open Space in Msasa in Harare.

The rally was held on October 23 and Mukoyi allegedly said: “Kana mapurisa angotirova ngaachigara kuChikurubi Camp nekuti tikazomuona aine uniform achifamba-famba, tichamurovawo. (If police officers assault us, they must go and live at Chikurubi Camp because we will retaliate and assault every cop we will see walking around in uniform). Daily News

Ray Nkosi | Activist Linda Masarira has been found guilty of obstructing traffic, by a magistrate’s court.

A Zanu PF youth was raped as she walked from Matopo to Bulawayo after President Robert Mugabe’s birthday party which saw dozens more also endure a 40km plus walk after being dumped at the venue.

According to a petition sent to President Mugabe and his top leadership within Zanu PF, youths were forced to take the walk after some party officials allegedly stole fuel which was meant for their transport back home.

The youths were among thousands of party supporters who had attended the 93 year-old leader’s bash which was held in the Matebeleland South area last Saturday.

“The province received 6 800 litres of fuel for the transportation of youths to Matopos,” angry party youths revealed in the petition.

“Through a systematic and corrupt way, the secretary for transport Maqhawe Sibanda, conniving with Dean Hlomai converted 3 600 litres (of the allocation) into their personal use.

“A total of 15 buses were left with no fuel as the pair was alleging all the fuel allocation was being administered by Eunice Sandi Moyo who they also secretly accuse of taking the larger part (sic) of the stolen fuel.”

The fuel scam, youths allege, saw one of their members raped after separating with her colleagues while walking home in the dead of night. No further details were revealed.

In the petition, the youths recommended that the officials cited as culprits in the scam and several other misdeeds be sacked from the party.

Zanu PF national youth chairperson Kudzanai Chipanga was not taking calls when attempts to seek his comment were made.

Mugabe’s annual birthday festivities have in the past been rocked by allegations of corruption by senior party officials who allegedly use the event to misappropriate resources meant for the gala.

A million-man march organised by party youths last year was also marred by a similar debacle as several youths were left stranded in Harare’s streets as they could not get transport or travelling allowances.

During preparations for the latest celebrations, party provincial youth members, Munashe Mtutsa and David Muhambi were reportedly suspended for allegedly mishandling preparations for the event.

Funds embezzlement allegations have also followed football matches which have also been staged before to celebrate the nonagenarian leader’s birthdays. Radio Vop

The downing of tools by overwhelmed midwives at Parirenyatwa Hospital has put lives of women and their babies in mortal danger as they are now going through childbirth without expert care.

The adverse consequences are already being felt with unconfirmed reports that some babies may have died at Mbuya Nehanda maternity wing due to unavailability of expert midwives and doctors.
“My sister lost her baby yesterday and as a family we believe she did not receive enough attention (akaregererwa),” said a relative of a patient whose baby died on Wednesday night.

A tour of the facility revealed that even women who had been discharged after giving birth were displeased with the service.  “All is not well because we were being managed by student nurses. This is my third baby, but I was nervous after learning that the midwives were on strike along with doctors,” a woman, who had been discharged along with her newborn baby boy, said.

The reception was quite busy with patients checking in. Many were clearly unsettled about the fact that there were no doctors and midwives.

“I have no choice because I cannot afford private care. All my pregnancies have complications and I was referred from a clinic,” Moreen Chitenje said with a resigned voice.

Midwives at Parirenyatwa joined other healthcare personnel who are on strike to press the government for better remuneration and working conditions and on Wednesday claimed that the situation was now beyond them.

“We are overwhelmed with the continuous inflow of patients due to the fact that the other hospitals are not functioning and are working under stressful conditions with little resources,” part of a statement from midwives dated March 1 read.

The midwives also said their situation was no longer bearable for them and patients.
The role of midwives has been key in addressing the challenge of maternal deaths currently pegged at 525 mothers per 100 000 live births down from an all-time high of 960 deaths per 100 000.

Two-thirds of the deaths are avoidable if there is a regulated system which provides for the midwives and caters for their concerns which are currently not being addressed adequately.

“People are dying in hospitals because there are no doctors and nurses,” Itai Rusike, director of the Community Working Group on Health, said.

Rusike also said there was need for honest dialogue that delivers lasting solutions to the problems facing health workers while at the same time prioritising the lives of the majority poor.

“In as much as the Minister of Health, David Parirenyatwa, has tried to address the grievances of health workers, we genuinely believe that the ministry has been more reactive than proactive,” he said.

He added: “These kneejerk reactions of opening up 250 new posts for junior doctors and 2 000 for nurses at the last minute just to avoid an impending strike breeds suspicion and mistrust. The deployment of security medical personnel in the hospital is just a stop-gap measure, we need a lasting solution.”

Meanwhile, Chitungwiza Central Hospital CEO Obadiah Moyo has dispelled reports that all admitted patients had been discharged due to the critical shortage of staff.

While admitting that they were operating on skeletal staff beefed up by some Congolese and Cuban doctors, Moyo said the situation was under control.

“We have combined wards and are attending to all critical cases. Our casualty department is open as well as the maternity wing,” he said.

The situation remains dire as the government continues to dither on the demands that have been tabled by the healthcare personnel.

The strike was initiated by public hospital junior doctors some two weeks ago. Since then, senior and expert medical officers and nurses have joined in, further crippling the services of the struggling health facilities. Newsday

CBZ Bank Limited has suspended one of its employees on charges of being allegedly involved in fraudulent activities and underhand foreign currency dealings which involved about US$600 000, it has been established.

The Zimbabwe Independent understands that Chipo Meda, who had been working at the CBZ Westgate branch as operations manager or teller, was suspended as part of the company’s disciplinary hearing.

The group’s marketing and corporate affairs executive, Laura Gwatiringa, confirmed Meda’s suspension, adding that investigations were ongoing.

“We confirm that Chipo Meda was suspended from the bank following some misconduct. Investigations, which are still being finalised, have established that the extent of the potential prejudice is not material, whilst recovery prospects are very high,” Gwatiringa said in a written response to questions sent by this paper.

Sources at the CBZ said the bank demanded that she pay back US$100 000, which was the actual prejudice, as she had allegedly been debiting from customer accounts for personal use. It is understood that Meda engaged in the actions with the help of her boyfriend.

Since the adoption of the multi-currency system in 2009, several banks have reported cases of fraud and corruption involving banking employees.

Last week, the Independent reported that Steward Bank had been prejudiced of more than US$200 000 through a scam suspected to involve the financial institution’s employees who electronically approved point-of-sale transactions from a closed and underfunded account.

The bank is investigating the matter to establish how one Jonathan Nhamburo from Mt Darwin managed to swipe US$215 800 yet his account had been closed six months prior to the numerous transactions. Independent

REVIVAL Centre World Mission Church founder – Prophet Adventure Mutepfa – is at the centre of a shocking adulterous case in which a senior church member is accusing the cleric of having an affair with his wife which he uncovered late last year.

This was revealed at the Mutasa Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday during a civil matter in which the prophet made a spoliation application, demanding back his BMW 735i sedan which he allegedly gave the congregate in a bid to buy his silence over the extra-marital affair.

In his application done by his lawyer, Mr Lloyd Mvere of Mvere, Chikamhi, Mareanadzo Legal Practitioners, before Nyanga magistrate, Mrs Gloria Takundwa, Prophet Mutepfa said he was forced to give Vincent Ndlovu his car through blackmail.

However, Ndlovu of House Number 9641, Pegasus in Dangamvura, who was represented by Mrs Ndafa Muchanyara of Pundu and Company Legal Practitioners, refuted the blackmail claims, saying Mutepfa freely gave him his car as compensation for the adulterous relationship he was having with his wife.

He told the court that he was in possession of WhatsApp text messages between his wife and the prophet that confirmed that the two were madly in love.

Ndlovu said he was at liberty to show the court the nude pictures which the prophet sent to his wife. Conversely, in his founding affidavit, Prophet Mutepfa, said he was a victim of blackmail.

“I have been suffering blackmail from the respondent for some time. Respondent is claiming that he is in possession of nude pictures of myself and is threatening to publish them if I do not give him my blue Toyota Prado. The threats were made most of the time when I will be in Mutasa on business.

“Out of abundance of caution and upon receiving legal advice to the effect that attaching copies of the pictures to this application may constitute a criminal offence I have omitted to annex the alleged photos of myself to the application. I am, however, willing to produce the copies on the return date subject to the condition that the hearing will be done in camera,” he said and added:

“On the 14 of February 2017, the respondent successfully exerted his undue influence over me resulting in me handing over my BMW 735i and registration book to him against my will. I was convinced by respondent that if I did not give my BMW he will publish the pictures and that would affect my reputation within my church congregation, my business, my family and my marriage. The vehicle was in Watsomba at the time but is now in respondent’s possession in Mutare.”

The prophet said he was not the one shown in the nude pictures. “I am not the person who appears on the pictures. In fact the face of the person is not shown. However, a publication of the photos and respondent’s claims will still reflect badly on my reputation even if I later manage to prove my innocence. Respondent is aware of this and that is why he has devised this scam in order to extort me of my property. I was in peaceful and undisturbed possession of my brown BMW 735i motor vehicle prior to the respondent’s wrongful actions,” he said.

Prophet Mutepfa said Ndlovu continued to extort more property from him through blackmail tactics.

“Respondent has been phoning me on a daily basis demanding my Toyota Prado and the only reason why he has not executed his threats is that I told him that the vehicle is undergoing repairs in Nyanga.”

In his opposition papers Ndlovu – a soldier based in Harare – said the Mutasa Court does not have jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

“This is because the respondent resides at Number 9641 Pegasus Dangamvura and the applicant resides at Number 133 Louise Road Fern Valley. The cause of action, that is, the towing of the motor vehicle took place here in Mutare. The motor vehicle was towed from Number 133 Louise Raod Fern Valley. To further support that is the supporting affidavit of Moses Mujaji who towed the motor vehicle. Respondent was never at any time in Mutasa. He never at any point met the applicant in Mutasa.

“The applicant has misled the court with intent to cause this court to have jurisdiction over the matter. There is nothing that gives this court jurisdiction on this matter.”

Ndlovu agreed that he towed the BMW 735i which the applicant had given him.

“I do not dispute that the applicant owns his Toyota Prado. The applicant donated to me the BMW …and I have attached hereto a copy of the agreed donation. The applicant gave me the BMW with intent to lure me to conceal his adultery affair with my wife. Sometime in 2016, I learnt that the applicant was in a love relationship with my wife to whom I confronted her and she admitted. I also confronted the applicant and he admitted and he told me not to tell anyone even his wife. He told me that he was going to give me a BMW in a bid to conceal this information because of his position in society. The applicant then phoned me inviting me to his office on 3 February 2017 in the presence of his son and wife and they wrote an agreement of donation. He advised me to tow the vehicle since it was dysfunctional,” he said.

Ndlovu said he never threatened the prophet, saying he was in possession of communication that took place between his wife and the prophet.

On claims that the prophet was not the one in the nude pictures, Ndlovu said conversations on the phone clearly show that it was the prophet. He said Mutepfa was the very person communicating with his wife sending nude pictures.

Mrs Takundwa granted the spoliation order by consent after both parties agreed on some of the contents of the Rule Nisi.

Ndlovu said he no longer wanted the broken down BMW 735i which he tried to repair but to no avail.

Soon after court, Ndlovu and his lawyer, Mrs Muchanyara, revealed that they were going to file adultery damages against the prophet and claim compensation. They said they were in possession overwhelming evidence to support their claim in the form of text messages and pictures. – Manica Post

Zimbabwe Republic Police law and order officers interviewed deputy Higher Education minister Godfrey Gandawa last month as part of an investigation into last year’s break-in at the ministry’s office where several confidential documents reportedly went missing.

This came after his boss Jonathan Moyo complained to President Robert Mugabe and other ministers over the lax security at his office, prompting police Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri to launch an investigation into the unlawful entry.

Moyo has suggested to the National Assembly that the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) probably broke into his office and unlawfully seized documents, an insinuation they denied.

It is understood that following Moyo’s complaint, Mugabe then ordered an investigation into the break-in after suggestions that either Zacc or its agents were behind the incident.

A probe into the break-in follows a cabinet meeting held last year where Moyo reportedly accused the state-run Sunday Mail of publishing confidential documents that disappeared after intruders broke into his government office and stole computers and confidential documents.

Sources said during the meeting in December, after Defence minister Sydney Sekeramayi had presented a report on security, Moyo raised concern over lax security at government offices.

Moyo, sources said, cited a Sunday Mail article alleging that Zacc had gathered more incriminating evidence against Moyo.

Moyo is accused of abusing nearly US$400 000 of state funds administered by the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef).

Moyo and Gandawa were last year arrested for allegedly siphoning Zimdef funds through private companies Wisebone Trading and Fuzzy Technologies.

Gandawa confirmed that police had interviewed him over the matter.

“I can confirm that the officers from law and order interviewed me. I cannot divulge the details of what they wanted since the matter is under investigation,” Gandawa said in a written response to questions sent by this newspaper.
Contacted for comment on the investigation, police spokesperson Charity Charamba referred all questions to national spokesperson, Paul Nyathi, who said he was engaged in a meeting.

Last August, nine offices at the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Development were broken into and ransacked. Official documents and laptops belonging to directors were reportedly stolen.

Moyo, speaking in parliament recently, all but accused Zacc of unlawfully accessing confidential documents from his ministry.

“How do they stumble on the ministry’s work? These documents that they claim to have stumbled on the same or among them are documents that went missing from the ministry when it was broken into on the 6th and 7th of August last year,” Moyo told lawmakers.

“These documents were not lawfully taken from the ministry and now they think they are clever to say we have stumbled on them. Then we hear people boasting that they stumbled on documents. You do not take documents by breaking into offices; that is unlawful. You use warrants.”

Investigators that were also quoted in the Sunday Mail story also said they believed that Gandawa moved US$16 000 from his company and personal bank accounts to a Harare firm. In its story published on December 18, the weekly reported that Zacc was investigating a new case allegedly linking Moyo and other government officials to “suspicious” transactions involving over US$6,4 million.

The transactions, according to investigators cited in the article, include payments made from Zimdef between 2014 and 2016.

Following the December cabinet meeting, Moyo wrote to police chief Augustine Chihuri complaining how the matter had been handled and also advising him on the cabinet resolution.

“On Tuesday 20 December 2016 cabinet directed that I bring to your attention suspected criminal use by the Sunday Mail of 18 December 2016, government documents stolen from our ministry’s office . . . It turns out that some of the examples of transactions cited in the Sunday Mail story that the documents which the paper claims to have seen and which Zacc is alleged to have stumbled on leading to the start of a new investigation, are among the documents that were stolen from the ministry when its offices were broken into on 6/7 August 2016,” Moyo wrote in a letter dated December 23 that was also copied to Home Affairs minister Igantius Chombo and senior officials in the Ministry of Higher Education.

“This revelation is the reason for this complaint which is being brought to your attention on the directive of cabinet. May I also use the opportunity to report two other incidents that the ministry believes point to the criminal correspondence between some Zacc officials and other third parties in a manner similar to Zacc’s unlawful engagement with the Sunday Mail.

“In one case last September, protected and confidential government documents were legally given by Zacc to a person not authorised to receive documents. The ministry has evidence of this and we believe a crime was committed. In another case, we have since learnt that following my report to cabinet on 20 December 2016 about Sunday Mail’s use of stolen documents obtained through Zacc, the chief secretary to the cabinet, Misheck Sibanda, contacted Zacc and directed them to withdraw from the investigation Verify Engineering, whose transactions are specifically mentioned in the Sunday Mail. The ministry is the view that the directive was illegal and thus warrants investigation.” – Independent

Ray Nkosi | The Zimbabwe Republic Police has arrested three senior journalists, Richard Chidza (Chidza Sachidza), Wisdom Mudzungairi and Sifikile Thabete over a story they covered on President Robert Mugabe’s health condition.

The Zimbabwe Lawyers For Human Rights (ZHLR) reports that lawyer Obey shava is offering emergency services to get the three journalists freed.

“Chidza, Mudzungairi and Thabete have now been formally charged with undermining or insulting the President in contravention of Section 33 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act,” writes ZHLR in an alert.

The police also claim that the journalists insulted President Mugabe after they published an article titled “Mugabe in fresh health scare” on Thursday 02 March 2017 where they alleged that Mugabe is afflicted by prostate cancer.

Ray Nkosi | Former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s European Union Representative Elliot Pvebve has been honoured by Leicester University, recognising his political and academic journey over the years. The university wrote on its website;

Elliot Pfebve, MBA Business Administration – 2012

Elliot is currently the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) EU Envoy (Ambassador). He also advises the MDC President, and former Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Dr Morgan Tsvangirai on International Affairs, with a focus on EU bilateral relationship. In 2014 Elliot attended the EU/AU Summit in Brussels, with Former President of Botswana, Festus Mogae.

”I attend Forums and Summits on Africa – EU bilateral relations; I therefore have to be acquainted with socio-economic issues on both sides of the continents. The MBA qualification I gained from the University of Leicester has given me competitive advantage to articulate and impress on political and economic issues.”

Previously Elliot was the MDC Zimbabwe MP Candidate for Bindura and is currently the preferred and official MP candidate since 2000.

Elliot also lectures in Management and Leadership at Coventry University. His role involves lecturing and giving tutorials in Leadership, Business Strategy, Strategic Marketing, Organisational Development and Organisational Behaviour. He also teaches part time in Corporate Finance. Alongside this Elliot is the West Midlands STEM Ambassador, illuminating students to reach their potential in becoming future scientists, engineers and mathematicians.

Elliot is a member of the Royal African Society, a think tanker of African Affairs, which advises Westminster party parliamentarians on African bilateral relations, engagements and conflict resolutions.

Elliot’s political career started at the age of just 27, when he was appointed as one of the founders of MDC. He has been campaigning for democracy and the rule of law, including taking President Robert Mugabe to US Federal court in 2000 and 2001. He has attended numerous forums and summits in Lisbon, Geneva and America. He also receives annual invitation to EU forums and seating’s in Brussels.

Elliot’s motivations for enrolling on a course at the University of Leicester stemmed from the global recognition of the University. He explains, ” I wanted my qualification to give me an edge in politics. I was interested in the micro and macro economic perspective, finance, leadership, and policy marker. Furthermore global recognition was very important to me and the fact that University of Leicester is one of the very few universities in UK to offer an MBA under the banner of a global brand was the pull for me. As a politician, globalisation is a sensitive issue and any qualification has to be internationally convertible.”

If you would like to get in touch with Elliot, he is reachable across a number of platforms: LinkedIn, YouTube, Blog and Email.

Terrence Mawawa, Chiredzi | Controversial Masvingo State Minister Shuvai Ben Mahofa has accused three Zanu PF MPs  aligned to First Lady Grace Mugabe of looting rice donated by President Robert Mugabe.

In response to calls by the Members of Parliament on Mugabe to fire her, Mahofa instead lashed out at Kalisto Gwanetsa (Chiredzi North), Denford Masiya (Chiredzi East) and Robert Mukwena (Chiredzi South)-accusing the trio of looting rice meant for the socially disadvantaged. All the three legislators are known G-40 members.

Mahofa’ s utterances come at a time the ruling party is grappling with internecine factional battles.
Addressing party supporters at a Zanu PF inter-district meeting Mahofa threatened to report the matter to the police. Mahofa further claimed she had overwhelming evidence to prove the three MPs stole the Presidential rice.

“We are giving them time to address the issue or else we will report the matter to the police. We will not tolerate such behaviour,” said Mahofa. Gwanetsa dismissed the allegations and said Mahofa was out of sync with reality. He said the rice was yet to be distributed. Masiya also described Mahofa’s threats as null and void.

Mahofa was incensed the caucus meeting held at Flamboyant Hotel.At the meeting,the MPs agreed they would call on Mugabe to dismiss Mahofa and Psychomotor Minister Josaya Dunira Hungwe
.
“Mahofa is battling to expose the MPs who attacked her. Her comments epitomise the battle between G-40 and Team Lacoste,” said a party official.

Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment minister, Patrick Zhuwao has invited opposition parties and human rights organisations to raise their concerns over the National Youth Service (NYS) programme with him.

Opposition and human rights activists often accuse the programme, a brain child of the late Zanu PF national commissar, Border Gezi, of producing Zanu PF militias terrorising people during election times.

But Zhuwao defended the programme saying it was provided for in the Constitution, before challenging the opposition to come to his office with evidence proving graduates of the programme were engaging in human rights abuses.

“Opposition parties should come to me to complain, if they have anything to talk about (national youth service),” Zhuwao said on the sidelines of the Midlands provincial youth expo in Gweru yesterday.

“I want to be able to engage them and not this futile conversation through the media. I know there was something said by ZPP (Zimbabwe Peace Project), I will engage them directly so that I can understand their concerns and so that they can also understand what the youth service is all about.”

He said the fact that he was Zanu PF did not mean that the programme was a ruling party project.

Zhuwao said everyone, regardless of political affiliation, was welcome to join the youth service, which he claimed was a national programme meant to instil discipline and national pride in youths.

“The Constitution provides that the national youth service programme should be conducted in a non-partisan manner,” he said.

Addressing guests at his 93rd birthday celebrations in Matobo last Saturday, President Robert Mugabe promised to re-launch the NYS programme saying the training, was slowing down.

War veterans have said their much-anticipated meeting will be held in Harare on March 10 to map the way forward on a wide range of issues affecting their members.

In an interview yesterday, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans’ Association spokesperson Douglas Mahiya said police had been notified about the event, but had not yet been given a response.

Last year, war veterans were teargassed after they tried to meet in the capital to push the government to address their grievances.

“We notified police about nine days ago and they couldn’t give us a response. So we complained to them that we might take time to organise an event that might not materialise. We were left with no option, but to seek legal advice and we were told that police must not approve, but must be notified. We don’t want a repeat of what happened last time,” Mahiya said.

He said the meeting is meant to take stock of what they have achieved with regards to their objectives as war veterans.

“We want to look at ourselves as people who joined the liberation struggle and what did we want as groups or as individuals. When we did that, what did we achieve?

“Did we achieve our objectives of going to the liberation war? And if we failed, why did we fail and what is it that we failed, what is it that made us to fail? We will come out with a way forward,” Mahiya said.

He said they will also be looking at why, after investing so much for the freedom of Zimbabwe, they were allegedly being rendered irrelevant.

Mahiya said the meeting would also seek progress reports regarding their meeting with President Robert Mugabe last year. – Newsday

The Grace Mugabe WhatsApp boob in which her conversations with a Lebanese businessman leaked, has seen Police Commissioner General Augustine Chihuri stepping in.

Chihuri has accused prominent human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa of seeking to jeopardise police investigations into Lebanese businessman Ahmed Jamal.

Jamal is embroiled in a nasty $1,35 million diamond ring wrangle with First Lady Grace Mugabe.

In his bid to shield the force in the pending civil suit, Chihuri this week issued the warning through the Officer Commanding Crime, CID Law and Order, Superintendent Nyambo Viera.

According to Jamal’s application deposited by Mtetwa, the Lebanese said Chihuri, Viera and Senior Assistant Commissioner Thulani Ncube should be joined in his civil suit in which he is suing First Lady Grace, her son Russell Goreraza and one Kennedy Fero for the return of his properties that were allegedly seized by police at the behest of President Robert Mugabe’s wife.

Commenting on the First Lady’s involvement in the matter, Viera said: “The insinuation that the police are acting in concert with the second respondent (Grace) in the main case is ludicrous and meritless. The police are carrying out their mandate by investigating cases in which the second respondent in the main case is a complainant.”

But communication between Grace and Jamal allegedly showed the First Lady warning that Jamal could be barred from entering the country.

Viera said Mtetwa’s application on behalf of Jamal was “meant to jeopardise police investigations that are underway and are not connected” to the diamond ring saga.

“The police cannot divulge the finer details of the investigations to Ms Beatrice Mtetwa, who is representing the first applicant (Jamal), who is on the run. I remain cognisant of my duty to inform the applicant upon his arrest of the reason for his arrest. I cannot pre-empt to him as doing so will impact negatively on the investigations,” Viera said.

“One wonders why his (Jamal) lawyer, who is an officer of this honourable court, is assisting her client to play hide-and-seek with the police. Ms Mtetwa is entitled to her thinking, but she should desist from interfering with police investigations.”

He said Mtetwa was surreptitiously hoping to get information which concerns police investigations by seeking the joinder of the law enforcement agency in her civil action.

“I aver that joining the police to the civil action will seriously prejudice police investigations as information which is going to be used against the first applicant will be availed to him and that would afford him the opportunity to conceal or destroy evidence, thereby defeating police efforts,” Viera said.

The police boss said he had been investigating Jamal since 2016 and had uncovered evidence that the Lebanese had committed a series of offences.

“For the sake of clarity, it must be noted that I (Viera) commenced investigating applicant (Jamal) in early 2016 after receiving information about his suspicious criminal exploits which include theft, fraud, money-laundering, contravention of the Exchange Control Act, contravention of the Immigration Act and his dealings in diamonds,” Viera said.

“So far investigations have unravelled that there is credence to the information the police have gathered as a number of suspicious activities by the first applicant have been established which amounts to offences.”
Jamal has accused the police of acting on Grace’s orders rather than follow due process.

Viera further said investigations had also shown that Jamal accumulated vast wealth and properties which included both movable and immovable properties whose acquisition was also the subject of investigations, adding “a warrant of arrest has been issued against him (Jamal).” – Newsday

A KOMBI driver from Emakhandeni suburb in Bulawayo was killed by unknown assailants who assaulted and stabbed him on the neck, leaving him to die by a roadside yesterday.

Residents alerted the police and Gift Moyo (38)’s family when they found him dead at about 6AM.

The Chronicle visited the spot where he was found dead and residents from nearby houses said they heard people quarrelling at about 12AM.

The dead man’s relatives allege a mystery woman who allegedly knocked on two houses near the place he was killed at midnight, could identify his attackers.

His brother Mr Mthokozisi Moyo said: “I don’t really know what happened. It still doesn’t make sense to me. But I was told that there is a woman who was heard knocking at two houses in the area near where his body was found,” said Mr Moyo.

“The residents didn’t open their doors for her so she slept in the toilet of one of the houses. The house owner found her still sleeping today this morning.

She refused to view his (Gift’s) body,” he said.

Mr Moyo said the unknown woman told residents that she was from Njube suburb.

“She is said to have told the residents that she didn’t want to see my brother’s body. But that story is not clear to me. She could know the events leading to my brother’s death,” he said.

His family said they got worried when Gift did not return home the previous night.

Mr Moyo said the family last saw him alive on Wednesday night.

“He arrived home at about 8PM but didn’t enter the house. He left and never returned. We only heard this morning (yesterday) that there was Gift Moyo who was killed. I went to Luveve Police Station where I described my brother’s clothes and police confirmed it was him,” said Mr Moyo.

He said he did not even go to identify his body as the information that the police gave him satisfied him.

He said police had not found any leads by late afternoon yesterday.

Residents expressed shock on waking up to Gift’s body.

One of the residents, a granny, Mrs Beauty Moyo, said the painful incident traumatised her.

“He was just lying there,” said Mrs Moyo, pointing to the spot where Gift’s body was found.

“On closer look we discovered that he was dead. I’ve been terrified ever since. I’m diabetic and due to shock I failed to eat and take my pills. Some residents have said they heard people arguing in the middle of the night,” .

The Chronicle observed that the spot where Gift was killed had been covered with soil and some grass.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango could not be reached for comment.-state media

Beitbridge (Newsday)- Five people have died of malaria and close to 1 000 positive cases have been recorded in Beitbridge district since the onset of the rainy season.

Beitbridge acting district administrator Kilibone Ndou this week confirmed the development and said the cases were announced by the district health services committee.

“It’s true we have such a development, we got that report from one of our district development committees,” she said.

Government officials at Beitbridge had in turn through usual channels informed central government hoping for assistance.

Although exact places of death occurrence were not mentioned, five people were confirmed to have died of malaria.
Another 879 people had been found to be malaria-positive across the district.

The malaria outbreak was likely to bring a poorly-funded health system in Beitbridge further down to its knees and with more questions than answers.

Already Beitbridge district is struggling to feed patients admitted at its 120-bed referral hospital amid other claims that their ambulance fleet was now being funded by patients.

“We are educating people about the disease through the usual existing channels,” Ndou, who is also the chairperson of the district civil protection committee, said.

In 2008-2009 Beitbridge recorded close to 4 000 cholera deaths in one of the worst outbreaks in the country.

Health services in Zimbabwe are in the intensive care due to prohibitive funding and most non-governmental organisations have withdrawn services.

Acting President Phelekezela Mphoko has said the Government will not dig up mass graves of people who died during post-independence disturbances in Midlands Province and Matabeleland region, saying doing so is un-African.

The acting President who is also the Minister of National Healing, Peace and Reconciliation said the Peace and Reconciliation Bill was already in place and would be tabled before Parliament next week.

“We cannot go to the mass graves and start digging. It’s not in our African culture. What we are only going to do is to put a big plaque which will indicate that there are people who were buried there,” he told Parliament on Wednesday.

“Those with bones that are visible by the grave site, we will take the bones and rebury them properly. It will be done within the law.”

He said the drafting of the Peace and Reconciliation Bill was now complete to address the “five scars of the disturbances.”

“I would like to indicate that the Act is coming next week to Parliament. What is important is that what the Member of Parliament is asking is where we are exactly. I would like to indicate that we have five major points that we are looking at as the minister responsible, which is what we refer to as the scars of Gukurahundi,” said Acting President Mphoko.

He said among the scars was the issue of identity documents and reburial of people buried in open graves.

“I’ve said there are five scars of Gukurahundi. The first one is death and birth certificates. The second one is the reburial of people especially those who had bones that are still visible outside the graves. The third one is empowering the people. Mr Speaker Sir, those five points are critical because we have already spoken to the Minister of Home Affairs about it,” he said.

An announcement would be made and there will be mobile stations in all the areas all over the country for people to get birth certificates.

“The second one is where we will be dealing with the open graves and those are the only points we will be dealing with,” said the Acting President. – State Media

Five people in Beitbridge District have died following an outbreak of a strain of falciparum malaria, while over 800 cases have tested positive, it has emerged. The disease, which at the onset of the rainy season was concentrated on the eastern parts of the district, has spread rapidly across Beitbridge. Sources in the border town said three of the victims are reported to be children while two others are adults.

Malaria is a life-threatening disease typically transmitted through bites by an infected anopheles mosquito.

Known signs and symptoms of malaria include: vomiting, profuse sweating, nausea, diarrhoea, anaemia, headache, high fever and shaking chills that range from moderate to severe among others.

Matabeleland South Provincial Medical Director, Dr Chipo Chikodzore, could not be drawn to comment on the issue and referred all questions to Dr Portia Manangazira, who is the Director of Epidemiology and Disease Control in the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

“I am not allowed to discuss any health-related issues with members of the media. You may call Dr Manangazira”, she said.

Dr Manangazira further referred this paper to Dr Joseph Mberikunahse who is the National Malaria Control Programme Director.

“You may contact Dr Mberikunashe. He is the one dealing with issues relating to malaria,” said Dr Manangazira.

However, Dr Mberikunashe said he was out of the country and was yet to get a brief on the matter.

The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Gerald Gwinji promised to respond to questions sent to him, though he had not done so by the time of going to print.

A health expert who preferred to be anonymous said cases of malaria started increasing across the country as the rainfall heightened.

“The rains have created breeding places for mosquitoes, which also spread malaria and that is not a problem peculiar to Beitbridge.

“Most malaria-risk areas were sprayed between October and December last year, though some people from Beitbridge were somehow resistant.

“In some cases, the deaths are a direct result of delays in accessing medication attention by the victims, ”said the official.

Beitbridge District Administrator, Mrs Kiliboni Ndou, who also chairs the local Civil Protection Unit confirmed the outbreak, but could not release any figures.

“Yes, we have an outbreak of malaria and we have started mobilising resources from other players to combat the disease.

“It’s unfortunate you will have to contact the Ministry of Health for the actual figures,” she said.

Mrs Ndou said they had teams on the ground educating people on the disease and the importance of seeking early treatment to reduce mortality in the district. – State Media

The government through minister Savior Kasukuwere yesterday launched an international humanitarian appeal following floods that affected nearly all parts of the country’s provinces and killed 246 people.

At least 128 people were injured, 1 576 marooned, while  1 985 were left homeless in floods that left a trail of destruction.

The floods have also resulted in 74 schools being damaged, 70 dams breached and five health institutions damaged.

The appeal for assistance comes after President Mugabe this week declared the floods a state of disaster as they have ravaged most parts of the country, with $100 million needed to repair road infrastructure.

Speaking on behalf of other line ministries yesterday, Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Kasukuwere, said the affected people were in dire need of assistance to rebuild their homes, rehabilitate social amenities as well as recover lost property and livelihoods.

As such he said, gaps still existed, therefore interventions from different stakeholders were needed to assist the affected families. “It’s apparent that extraordinary response measures to alleviate suffering of citizens of this country in communal, resettlement and urban areas have to be intensified. The thrust of the Government is to go beyond emergency response to ‘building back better in the post disaster recovery period’,” he said.

“I’m therefore appealing to the development partners, private sector and general public, inclusive of those in the Diaspora, to rally with the Government to support the emergency relief programmes in line with policy, which requires that every citizen has a responsibility to avert and/or limit the effects of a disaster.

“There is an inadequate supply of tents, foodstuffs, drugs for the displaced people. There is need for blankets and clothing for the affected families as they are at risk of contracting pneumonia and acute respiratory infections. Girls and women need sanitary wear and school children need stationery and classrooms,” said Minister Kasukuwere.

The flood disaster, Minister Kasukuwere said, was to be managed by the Cabinet Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management Committee under his chairmanship as well as Provincial and District Administrators.

He added that Government would be moving in most areas to continue with the assessment so that they have clear areas of engagements.

Minister Kasukuwere said hydrological indications were that the rainfall season was expected to continue with 85 percent of dams in the country already full and spilling.

Chances of river banks bursting were high.

To date, Minister Kasukuwere said, there have been heavy rain falls, which have surpassed all previous years as Rupike, which is 70km from Masvingo received 224 millimetres, Bikita District received 200 millimetres and Zaka received 196 millimetres in 24 hours.

“The 2016-2017 La-Nina season is in contradiction to the 2016/16 seasoned characterised by the El-Nino phenomenon. This entails an outstanding shift from a drought condition to an excessively wet situation. By mid-February 2017, most areas in the country had received above normal rainfall, and the ground was already saturated,” he said.

The worst affected areas include Tsholotsho, Lupane, Nkayi, Binga, Umguza and Hwange urban in Matabeleland North Province where a total of 859 people in Tsholotsho were left homeless and are currently in a transit camp with an additional 100 households being at risk.

In Chitungwiza, Old St Mary’s suburb, nine aged houses collapsed and more than 2 500 houses are at risk of collapsing.

In Harare’s Mabvuku suburb, about 500 aged houses are at risk of collapsing with Mbare,  Epworth, Waterfalls, Hopley and Budiriro also affected.

Matabeleland South Province’s affected areas are Matobo, Umzingwane, Bulilima, Insiza, Beitbridge and Gwanda

In Midlands Province the worst affected areas are Gokwe North and South, and Mberengwa; while in Masvingo Province it is Chivi, Mwenezi, Chiredzi, Masvingo rural and Bikita.

Mashonaland West Province’s affected areas are Kariba, Zvimba and Hurungwe, while in Manicaland, it is Mutare rural, Mutasa, Buhera, Chipinge and Chimanimani.

In Mashonaland Central Province, Guruve and Mt Darwin have been affected while in Mashonaland East Province it is Mutoko and Marondera Rural District.

In Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Mahatshula, Four Winds, Kingsdale, Emganwini, Nketa 8 and Cowdray Park have been affected.

United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Zimbabwe Bishow Parajuli, said it was a sad development, which required partners to join in and support the Government.

He said they have heeded the appeal and will see how they would mobilise resources.

“It is a sad development, after working hard responding to the effects of drought as now, the same people are now suffering because of excessive floods. UN stands committed in working with partners to support. We have demonstrated great partnership and l am hoping we will respond to the needs of the people,” he said.

Line Ministers present were Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa; Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Dr Joram Gumbo, and his secretary Mr Munesu Munodawafa; Defence Minister Dr Sydney Sekeramayi; Environment, Water and Climate Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri; Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Deputy Minister Tapiwa Matangaidze; Local Government Public Works and National Housing secretary Engineer George Mlilo; Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet Colonel (Retired) Christian Katsande; humanitarian partners; principal directors and different stakeholders. – State Media

Staff Reporter| The husband of a prominent lawyer, who was last year indecently assaulted by a Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) pastor, has seen the church revenge on him.

The man (NAME WITHHELD) has since taken the church to court for slapping him with a seven-month censure without conducting a proper disciplinary hearing.  Church elders insisted that the matter was not reported to them as said by the complainant. But documented correspondences show that they received fully a written complaint dated 26 June 2016, (SEE BACKGROUND AT THE BOTTOM OF ARTICLE).

The man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his wife, said he was censured by members of the board, deacons, deaconesses and elders’ councils for confronting the pastor who had indecently harassed his wife and reported him to the police.

The censure bars the applicant from participating, by voice or vote, in the affairs of the church. It also prevents him from leading any church-related activity and terminates his election or appointment to all positions in church.

“The church set in motion a process of investigating my wife and I after Pastor Brighton Ndebele was convicted of indecently assaulting my wife in October 2016. My wife was told that she was being investigated for failing to follow Matthew 18 after the pastor abused her,” he said.

The church allegedly used verses 15 to 17 in the chapter, which read: “15- Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

“16- But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.

“[b] 17- And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.”

The man said his traumatised wife went through a counselling process after the abuse.

Last year Bulawayo magistrate Ms Adelaide Mbeure convicted Ndebele (32) of indecent assault and sentenced him to 12 months in jail. After suspensions, Ndebele performed 315 hours of community service at Hillside Police Station.

The lawyer’s husband yesterday filed an application at the Bulawayo High Court citing SDA’s Bulawayo City Centre branch and the church’s headquarters, South Zimbabwe Conference of the SDA Church, as respondents.

On April 20 last year at around midday, Ndebele went to the lawyer’s workplace to discuss church business since the complainant was also a head of social committees in the church.

After the discussion and when he was about to leave office, the pastor solicited for a hug from the complainant and she declined.

He then forcibly pulled the woman by the hand and squeezed her to his chest, before holding her waist and caressing her back and buttocks.

The complainant narrated her ordeal to a fellow congregant before she reported the matter to the police, leading to Ndebele’s arrest.

The victim said the church’s failure to deal with the matter gave her an impression that it accepts as normal “predatory sexual proclivities from its pastors”.

She accused the church of allegedly trying to sweep Ndebele’s sexual mess under the carpet.

BACKGROUND.

After the attack last year, Pastor Ndebele sent Whatsapp messages to the woman asking for another encounter with her but she turned him down and that whole encounter infuriated her, prompting her to expose him. ZimEye.com is in possession of some of the WhatsApp exchanges after they leaked to the media.

Speaking during the church business meeting held at the church, one of the elders, Elder Promise Ncube said they were not aware of the issue concerning the sexual harassment although he said they will investigate the matter following the publication of the story in the state media. “We as the church were not aware of such an issue and the complainant did not inform the church about this matter and we only heard about it in the media. We are urging the congregation not to be iudgemental on this issue or to speak to anyone until we carry out our own investigations, said Elder Ncube.

Church elders insisted that the matter was not reported to them as said by the complainant. But documented correspondences show that they received fully a written complaint dated 26 June 2016.

The lawyer who is married woman has since decided to lay charges on the pastor.

A daring Bulawayo tout has been fined $100 for sending an insulting message to his girlfriend’s husband via WhatsApp.

Brighton Mpofu (32) of Richmond suburb pleaded guilty to contravening a section of Postal and Telecommunication Act when he appeared before Bulawayo Provincial Magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya.

He was sentenced to 40 days in prison (or a $100 fine).

Mr Tashaya warned Mpofu to stay away from married women and find his own girlfriend.

“You grossly offended the complainant. People are being murdered everyday out there for snatching people’s partners. You should be grateful that the complainant didn’t beat you up. Find your own woman,” he said.

Mpofu told the court that he was not aware that his girlfriend, whose name was not mentioned in court, was married.

“Your Worship I’m very sorry for my conduct. My girlfriend didn’t tell me that she was married. When her husband sent me messages telling me to stay away from her I thought he was just a jealous boyfriend. I sent that message to spite him,” said Mpofu.

Prosecuting, Miss Leane Nkomo told the court that on January 23 this year, Mpofu sent messages to Mgcini Mafu calling him an idiot.

“Complainant saw love messages from accused in his wife’s phone. He sent accused messages advising him to stay away from his wife because she was already married. Accused felt offended and responded with an insulting message,” said Miss Nkomo.

Part of Mpofu’s message read: “Do whatever you please. You shouldn’t force a woman to be with you. Leave her alone. You’re only with her because she gave you a love potion. I’m sleeping with her too you fool. I always sleep with her behind a bush close to your house. Mark my words that even if you leave her she won’t suffer because I will take care of her. Stop being a pain in her flesh. Just enjoy her while you can you idiot.” – State Media

Terrence Mawawa, Chiredzi | A Chiredzi Christian College school bus was involved in a terrible crash while ferrying Zanu PF supporters to President Robert Mugabe’ s birthday bash.

Schools across the country were ordered to provide transport to and from Matopos.
Sources at the school told ZimEye. com that Chiredzi West MP Darlington Chiwa, ordered the authorities to provide transport for Zanu PF supporters. “We were ordered to provide transport for the ruling party supporters and we had no option. The sad part is that the bus was involved in an accident. Nothing has been said in terms of compensation,” said a staff member at the school.

The bus was hit from behind by a GMB truck along the Tanganda- Ngundu Road. Several party supporters were injured in the accident. “The bus was involved in an accident but there was nothing grave. I believe the bus will remain on the road,” Chiwa tried to downplay the incident.

Chiredzi Christian College head, Johnson Chikwati confirmed the accident. Police in Chiredzi also said they were aware of the accident. “We reported the matter at Chiredzi Police Station but no action has been taken so far. We hope the police will act on the matter. It seems the police are unwilling to take action ,” said a staff member at the school.

ZimEye.com would like to announce to our valued readers and contributors the appointment of Grace Kwinjeh to the ZimEye network.

Miss Kwinjeh brings a wealth of experience spanning over 19 years of media creation and management.

She is now a senior editorial moderator in the news network.

ONE of Zimbabwe’s veteran politicians, Didymus Mutasa (DM) took some time this week to chat, in his personal capacity, with the Financial Gazette News Editor, Nelson Chenga (NC) over many issues, including the recent fallout in the Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) party. Below are excerpts from the interview.

NC: Nyathi (Mutasa’s totem) it’s good to see you. How are you?
DM: Oh I am great, how are you yourself?
NC: I am very well Nyathi. I notice that you have a very interesting ringing tone these days on your cell phone. You have the gospel tune Mhepo inoperekedza. What inspired you to choose that particular song as your ringing tone?
DM: (laughs) I set it (ringtone) by mere mistake. Someone wanted to share with me that song and in the process of getting it, it ended up where it is now and people have been asking about it. And honestly, I don’t know how to remove it (more laughs).
NC: You have had quite an illustrious career and you have written a book called Rhodesian Black Man Behind Bars. Do you have any plans to write another sequel of your life journey since independence in 1980?
DM: Definitely, but I seem not to be finding the time as you can see that instead of resting at my age, I am still running around doing exactly the same things that I have been doing the whole of my life. I hate, let me repeat, I hate injustice and I will fight it wherever I might find it. I found it as regards the Tangwena people and we fought it successfully to the extent that the late Chief Tangwena became a very important person in this country. Before independence, we were fighting against the white people’s government in this country which was not just. I started fighting for justice in 1946 when I was 11 years old by trying to let our people see that there was something wrong in this country. I got that revelation from the treatment of my father by the native commissioner. The whites were very arrogant and they were oppressors. When I later worked for the white government during the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, I realised even more injustices as regards the differences in salaries. Blacks used to get half of what whites were earning in nursing, for instance, and we fought it successfully… At one time I was detained in solitary confinement because of my activism. And during that time I learnt a lot about human beings. I got to understand what a human being is and I realised that our people are afraid, they are very, very afraid of challenging injustice. Right up to today people are still living under situations that are totally undesirable. They could free themselves if they free themselves from that fear.
NC: You sacrificed quite a lot for this country, have you enjoyed any fruits of that sacrifice?
DM: No! No! I am still fighting because there is no justice and it is a lie that any educated person who is not a member of ZANU-PF is happy. No one is happy because the situation is just bad. No one should ever lie to themselves that we are in a free country. There is no freedom in this country. And I doubt if there is anyone, even in ZANU-PF, who is enjoying the situation we are currently experiencing.
NC: You are slowly being stripped of all your assets through debts. How much do you owe and what effect is this having on your net worth?
DM: I don’t owe anyone anything. They are taking me to court fraudulently and I have asked from this lawyer (Nyakutombwa Mugabe Legal Counsel) an itemised bill of the things they claim they did, but they haven’t given me. Unfortunately, the justice system in this country is complicated in that to be in court you have to have a lawyer and the process of affidavits and all is just something else. We have very good judges who are very straight forward, but the system is just too complicated. To appear in court you need a lawyer, and the lawyer needs money. And I had a lawyer who now wanted money for work he had not done. The work I know, was done by (Tendai) Biti and the rest of the work was done by (Mbizvo) Muchadehama (Makoni Legal Practitioners) and not this Nyakutombwa Mugabe Legal Counsel; no! And they are demanding US$26 000 and I am asking them, US$26 000 for what? I am demanding an itemised bill which they are not giving me.
NC: Can there be some politics at play here?
DM: I don’t know whether its politics or not, but I am only telling you what is happening. They even went as far as to lie that I locked the Sheriff of the High Court out of my house. I was not even there and when they later came back when I was at home I let them in and they took whatever they wanted and I never fought them. I answered every question they asked me…And for goodness sake that is happening in Zimbabwe today; in a country where a lot of blood was shed for our freedom… This is shameful. But I am glad that it happened to me because I am able to tell you what happened and to complain. But it is happening to a lot of other people, who can’t complain; who cannot be visited by reporters like you and tell them why their properties are being taken away. This is terrible, terrible, very terrible! And when I say lets fight against this, I don’t mean physically. I am a non-violent person and I have always advocated for non-violence.

NC: You must have helped a lot of people make it through in life during your lengthy tenure in government, with some of them now owning big businesses in Zimbabwe today. Have they abandoned you seeing how creditors are descending on your assets without them chipping in to assist you?
DM: They are scared to help me. I have a case of a businessman who approached me wanting to assist me till my farm and he begged me to never ever tell anyone that he had assisted me. Two of them, three of them have approached me and that is the fear I have been describing. It’s very serious. They are very scared. What is happening now is happening in exactly the same manner as it happened when I got arrested in the 1970s by the (Ian) Smith regime. The fear I was talking to you about exists… But as we fought, many in ZANU-PF had hoped that the Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) would win (the forthcoming poll) and then they would have come later and reap where they didn’t sow.
NC: Being a war veteran yourself, why is there so much bad blood between the war veterans?
DM: I really don’t know, but what I think is what I would describe as corruptive leadership; corruptive political leadership. Why should anyone have all these people(bodyguards) behind them to protect them, from what? All leaders, even those in the opposition have selfish interests and always seek protection. Protection from what in your own country? I move around unprotected and if I get killed by Zimbabweans, fine, I don’t care.
NC: What is your comment on how war veterans have been treated so far?
DM: They have been treated very badly and they don’t have the correct leadership. Their leaders should come out in the open and demand an audience with President Mugabe and all the political leaders in the country because they fought for the freedom of this country… but unfortunately if they do that they will be tear-gassed after being provoked. I have been telling my fellow war veterans that we should approach the President and assure him that we don’t want to harm him, all we want is a better Zimbabwe. We just want to assist him.
NC: Is this why you phoned him last year?
DM: That is very true. I used to talk to him almost every day and so why should I not talk to him now? I merely wanted to talk to him about these issues. He probably mistook it as if I was seeking to come back to ZANU-PF. But no, there is no ZANU-PF to return to, it’s in pieces.
NC: In 2014, you were at the forefront of a cabal that stood by Joice Mujuru when she came under attack in ZANU-PF, which eventually led to your dismissal. Do you still feel you were right in your decision to support her given the bad blood that now exists between you?
DM: There is no bad blood between me and Amai Mujuru although I don’t know why she expelled me. Did she expel me because she alleges I wanted to sleep with her? Did she expel me because I wanted to steal her money? Otherwise there is no bad blood between us. Similarly there is no bad blood between me and President Mugabe nothwithstanding the fact that he has not explained to me why he expelled me.
NC: Was Emmerson Mnangagwa, the man who benefited the most from the purge, involved in your persecution? Who else was behind it?
DM: The truth is I don’t know and I don’t want to lie. The person who expelled me from ZANU-PF was President Mugabe. I have nothing to do with all the others who might have played a part in my expulsion.
NC: Professor Jonathan Moyo once remarked that it’s cold outside ZANU-PF; are you feeling the cold?
DM: (laughs) That’s a very wrong assumption. It’s actually the opposite. If I was still in ZANU-PF I would currently be very ashamed to be associated with that party. In other words, he (Moyo) was saying there is nothing to be ashamed of being associated with the rot that ZANU-PF has brought about. Can anyone be proud to be associated with ZANU-PF in its current state?
NC: You are one of those people who went out of their way to lure Professor Moyo back into ZANU-PF in what became his second coming. What did you see in him that led you to beg him to return to the revolutionary party? Do you regret it?
DM: The man is very hard working. He is the one who, in 2012 or there about, wrote the manifesto that gave birth to Zim-Asset. He is such an intelligent man. If we can have such brains like Jonathan Moyo and we use them properly, this country would be one of the best. But if then you misuse them, how can you be better as a country when you misuse brains like Jonathan Moyo and many others. They are there free of charge for you to use, but you misuse them.
NC: So you don’t regret to have helped bring back Moyo back into ZANU-PF?
DM: Nooo! No! No because he is a brain to reckon with; and a brain to use and not to misuse. And if you use him properly, that would be good. There are others, but don’t misuse them.
NC: In very few words, what led to the fallout in the Zimbabwe People First?

DM: There were some decisions that were made by the National Committee that we wanted implemented. One of those things was the removal of Dzikamai Mavhaire from organising party activities because there had been many complaints about him from the structures. We then advised Mai Mujuru to find him another job instead. And we agreed. Mai Mujuru did not act immediately and we asked her the reason and she said she would act on it. Then she called me the other day from her house saying Mavhaire was at her house so should she tell him the National Committee’s decision to reassign him to another post, and I said of course yes tell him. Then soon after that conversation I heard that she had actually called for a press conference at her house to fire us.
NC: Will the current problems in ZPF end soon enough for the party to prepare for the 2018 elections?
DM: Yes, our side of the party is preparing and we will be ready.
NC: But you are currently fighting over the name of the party?
DM: It’s ours. The name is ours and we are taking the issue to court because we are the ones who started this organisation.
NC: But Mujuru is already active on the ground; she is all over the place using the ZPF name.
DM: She is all over destroying herself and if she had taken our advice she would not be doing that. We told her that “old woman you don’t know anything so can you step aside and let those who know do the job, and you just relax like a queen bee”. But she refused to listen to us.
NC: What did you actually mean by referring to her as queen bee?
DM: (Laughs) That was just figurative speech to implore her to just step aside and rest while the party takes care of things. We indicated that this job was very different from what she used to do in government and so that is why we had asked her to step aside.
NC: So are you saying she took that out of context?
DM: Certainly! Certainly, yes!
NC: Has ZPF approached Mliswa or anyone else for that matter regarding leadership of the party?
NC: No, that’s not true. We never ever approached him. I mean, why should we approach a leader of another political group to come and lead our political group? He was in it before and went away complaining.
NC: Are there any particular individuals you have approached to lead the party?
DM: Yes of course there are.
NC: Who in particular?
DM: No I can’t tell you that.
NC: Are these individuals from within or outside the country?
DM: Some are within and some from outside, but these names will only be announced at a later date when we are ready.
NC: But does Mliswa qualify?

DM: (laughs) No I don’t know; the committee will have to decide that. We are scanning as a group.
NC: When you were asked in 2015 on your 80th birthday whether it was not high time you retired you said it was actually time for you to take up more responsibilities because you were now wiser. Do you still feel the same?
DM: If there weren’t these injustices happening today I should have retired long back to my home in Rusape. I have never seen such a beautiful place like Rusape. Our leadership, our political leadership is not serving the interests of the people. There is too much corruption… and many of the leaders don’t even understand that they are in leadership to serve the people.
NC: What chances do you and the opposition in general have against ZANU-PF and President Mugabe come 2018?
DM: Can’t you see the corruption that is going on there (in ZANU-PF)?
NC: So are you saying corruption in ZANU-PF is good enough reason for people to vote for the opposition?
DM: Corruption is sitting right in the midst of ZANU-PF. For instance, what happened to the US$15 billion diamond money? Should we accept that the money simply vanished and that is it? Is it not this money that they are now using for their campaigns?
NC: You have also been accused of looting of the diamonds. What is your comment?
DM: How can you go to fight for freedom and then come back to steal from the very thing that you were fighting for?
NC: You have claimed before that ZANU-PF has been cheating during past elections. Is ZPF or any party for that matter capable of stopping the ruling party from the alleged cheating?
DM: That is why NERA (National Electoral Reform Agenda) is engaging the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to create a conducive environment for free and fair elections.
NC: But government has already sidelined the UNDP is procuring the biometric voter registration kit.
DM: Then the regional and international community should come to our assistance.
NC: When they have never come to the country’s assistance over past electoral disputes?
DM: (Mockingly) Now that there is Donald Trump in America things could be different.
NC: So you reckon Trump may get involved in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs?
DM: No I don’t know, but he is a straight forward man.
NC: Zimbabweans are wary of the security forces’ involvement in the country’s politics. You have been a state security minister yourself before. In the event that the opposition outrightly wins next year’s elections, how is the security establishment likely to react?
DM: I am sure if they have their country at heart they will act in the best interest of our country.
NC: You have indicated before that President Mugabe is now powerless and some “vultures” around him have usurped his power. Who are those “vultures”?
DM: I will respond by giving an example. People had to demonstrate against Vice President (Phelekezela) Mphoko for staying at a hotel. Was that demonstration wrong? We have leadership in this country that is selfish and is serving own interests.
NC: Did you ever actually get to know President Mugabe in person? If so, what sort of person is he?
DM: He was a very good man.
NC: He was; what do you mean he was?
DM: He was a good man until some people came along. I will end it at that.
NC: President Mugabe says there appears to be no one capable of leading this country in both ZANU-PF and the opposition. What is your comment?
DM: Well, our dear old man should not say that. There are many in this country who are capable of leading. We have very capable leaders. (laughs) He says there are no capable people when he has stayed for 37 years in power; why didn’t he train someone to be a capable leader?
NC: In the event that President Mugabe suddenly decides to leave office today, what do you think will happen in ZANU-PF?
DM: Ah there would be fights. There would be real physical ones, not these ones you are seeing. They will fight each other because nobody has trained them to be good leaders, as such they have no time for others.
NC: You and the opposition and many others seem to have a common enemy. Why are you all failing to work together?
DM: We are actually working together as NERA and there are others working as CODE (Coalition of Democrats) and we should be able to finally come up with a single (presidential) candidate whom we will all support for 2018. We should be able to bring all opposition parties together. The situation that pertained in the 1960s persists up to today. As I have been working among the opposition I have been asking people: ‘Why do we keep fighting each other because what we want is exactly the same so let’s get together and fight together’; and I am glad that is what is going on right now. But what pains me is to fight against who? To fight against ZANU-PF; ZANU-PF which was fighting for the freedom of this country and is now the very same party that is denying others freedom. And the opposition have got to organise themselves to fight against them; an African government for that matter. It doesn’t make much sense. It doesn’t. But I support those who are fighting for justice because I am for justice. If it were possible the government should come from a grouping like NERA because it represents the people’s aspirations.
NC: In the past, you have described MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai as a sellout. Do you still hold this view?
DM: No I don’t speak like that of other people. In fact, I like Morgan Tsvangirai very much because he is very courageous. I like him as well because he has done as much as he can do under very difficult conditions and anybody who calls him a sellout, I don’t think they know what they would be talking about.
NC: Are you willing to work with him in a coalition to dislodge ZANU-PF and President Mugabe from power?
DM: Yes I will work with him in a coalition. I am working with him now and I used work with him in the Government of National Unity and I used to speak very frankly each time he was being unfairly criticised.
NC: How would you want to be remembered?
DM: As Didymus Mutasa (chuckles).
NC: Thank you very much for your time Nyati.
DM: Thank you too.

Government’s surrogate currency known as bond notes has negatively affected vendors at the country’s biggest informal market of Mbare in Harare, Parliament heard yesterday.

Vendors at the bustling market told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that the bond notes have a tendency to be devalued by their suppliers when they seek to replenish their stocks.

“The introduction of bond notes has really affected us. When we go to buy stocks to places like South Africa using the Rand we have to exchange the bond notes on the black market.
“Some people reject the bond notes and in the instances where they are accepted they devalue the currency which leaves a huge dent on our pockets,” Memory Taonenguwo, secretary for Mbare Musika women’s League said.

The SMEs also said that they were facing challenges with plastic money. “We do not want to use mobile money transfer as a means of buying and selling because sometimes the charges are too high,” Agnes Watungwa said.

“We are proposing charges of less than 3%. Currently we are charged between 10 to 15%, which is unprofitable when dealing with perishable goods. We cannot afford to borrow from banks right now because their rates are also beyond our reach. If we borrow, to a greater extent we are bound to fail to pay them back and the banks will end up suing us. Our businesses are unpredictable, we sell perishable goods hence they rot and profit is not guaranteed.”

The committee, which was on a tour of the market collecting views on the Movable Property Bill, also heard that vendors and people in the informal sector had challenges accessing cheap finance to fund their businesses.

“If the Movable Property Bill is to be passed we would be very glad. Some of us we have got more than 50 cattle that the banks can actually use as collateral but cannot borrow money from banks because we do not have properties such as houses and payslips,” Abel Dzotizei said.
The Movable Property Bill seeks to allow the use of assets such as cattle as collateral in financial transactions. Newsday

Harare mayor Bernard Manyenyeni has jumped to his Bulawayo counterpart Martin Moyo’s defence, over the latter’s acquisition of a top-of-the range car a year before elections.

Manyenyeni took to social media to argue that Bulawayo residents needed to accept the car, which will be used by successive mayors going forward.

While acknowledging Moyo’s mounting troubles over the vehicle, Manyenyeni said he has had to use alternatives.

Manyenyeni, however, indicated Bulawayo has the capacity to buy its mayor the expensive car.

“The City of Kings (Bulawayo) is our second largest city and is bigger than some government ministries which are headed by ministers and deputies with two cars which they walk away with – no excuse, but just to compare. The mayor heads the best-run municipality in the country – having enjoyed significant levels of independence from central government for many years,” he said.

Manyenyeni added that Bulawayo has also largely been spared Harare’s run-ins with the Local Government ministry.

“This has allowed the Bulawayo city managers to be very professional – with obvious results. Bulawayo politicians across the divide have (in the past) defended their municipality to run without too much politicking from Harare.

Their mayor is probably busier than most MPs and some ministers. ‘His’ current car has seen its better days.

“I know that black BT50 Mazda double-cab well. Mayoral jobs in Zimbabwe are impossible missions – largely because of the rough political terrain, the non-executive template, and poor resources (collection and management),” he said.

According to Manyenyeni, there was failure to understand the “underlying” issues to service delivery, adding “three or so council managers (out of nearly 50 of them) can gobble the same cost per month as all 45 councillors and mayor combined”.

The Harare mayor has had a proposal to reduce salaries of city executives blocked by councillors.

“Our residents don’t even bother to understand that … we are just labelled as one greedy bunch. I don’t know how many times I have been accused of enjoying my big fat salary,” he said.

While arguing he has had to defer Harare’s purchase of the mayor’s $200 000 executive car, he had reduced the budget to $70 000, Manyenyeni told Bulawayo residents.

“To the residents and ratepayers, please, receive the new mayoral (not mayor’s) vehicle without protest. Look after it well … it is yours and it does not really kill service delivery, check out the numbers!” Manyenyeni said.

Moyo took delivery of the Mercedes Benz recently, causing an uproar in the city. – Newsday

The intrigue surrounding clergyman, Evan Mawarire, never ceases to grab anyone’s attention.

Days before Mawarire disappeared into South Africa following months of heightened political temperatures over his highly-charged social media protests against the ZANU-PF government’s rule, the maverick cleric’s popularity had soared after being arrested and released on a technicality.

The State failed to charge him for inciting public violence under the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) of 2002 following his involvement in calling for a nationwide work boycott which successfully shutdown the whole country on July 11 and 12 last year.

During the trial, the State tried to alter the charges to that of subverting a constitutionally elected government, but that too failed leading to his release from custody.

The social media following Mawarire had amassed back then had been so phenomenal that his sudden disappearance left many followers dejected.
But six months later, Mawarire has resurfaced from the United States after his disillusioned followers had packed their bags and moved on. Returning from a self-imposed exile recently Mawarire fell straight into the waiting hands of State security agents at the Harare International Airport.

He has appeared before the courts to face charges of subverting a constitutionally elected government and has been released on a US$300 bail after spending a few days in remand.

And his sudden return from the US has set tongues wagging both at home and abroad as many a Zimbabwean questioned the wisdom of his return.
His revelation last week that he would not mind running for the country’s top job has excited those of his followers who still believe in him.
“If the need arises or if it becomes necessary for me to participate in the elections I really want to be available for that,” he told reporters outside court last week.
“I believe it is my duty as a citizen to serve my nation in that way… I haven’t made that decision as yet but certainly I don’t want that door to be closed.” That slightest hint that he may want to throw his hat into the ring may embolden those behind his persecution. It may also pollute the atmosphere in the opposition camp, where every leader would want to lead the country one day.

Instead of standing with Mawarire at this critical juncture in his life as an activist, opposition leaders might distance themselves from him, seeing he has become a competitor. Be that as it may, his supporters are happy to have him around.
Perhaps it could explain why he took the bold decision to come back home knowing full well that the thought police would be waiting for him.
About his return, Mawarire denies a rumour doing the rounds that his visa had expired. He also denied that he went to the US on a green card, an immigration process of becoming a permanent US resident. The green card serves as proof that its holder, a lawful permanent resident, has been officially granted immigration benefits, which include permission to reside and take employment in the US.
“I have a personal visa which is still valid. I can travel to the US tomorrow on that visa if I got my passport back,” said the clergyman, whose bail conditions include passport forfeiture.
He said his family would return home when it is safe for them to do so.
“One of the reasons why we left the country was that they were harassing my family. Mobs of people would come to my place and harass them. Even when I was arrested at the airport, the people who arrested me asked me to disclose the whereabouts of my wife and children, but they are not part of what I am doing. I decided that it was wiser that they stay where they are safe until such a time when it would be safe for them to come back home and be with us,” he said.

He also added that he never applied for asylum as some have previously suggested, stating that he was always determined to come back home. He hoped that his return would inspire scores of Zimbabweans living outside the country to return and try to solve the country’s problems along with the others.

“To say I sought asylum is an absolute lie. I never applied for it. If you followed my communications from the time I left, you would realise that I have always wanted to come back home. I was not fooled or pushed by anyone to return. I am a Zimbabwean by birth. I needed to use my return to inspire all Zimbabweans who have fled the country because of economic hardships or any other cause to come back home so that we work together to improve the situation. This is the season when we need each other more than ever,” he explained.

But for any student of history, answers to topical present-day issues are never far away because history almost always repeats itself. Mawarire’s arrest mirrors the arrests of the nationalists during their fight against colonial rule.

Without any weapons of war, decades ago President Robert Mugabe, the late vice president Joshua Nkomo and many other nationalist were detained for years by the late Ian Smith regime for merely demanding equal rights between the black majority and racist minority white people. That the same script is repeating itself in the same country and in the same interesting milieu has been described by analysts as sad to say the least.

Political observers, however, expressed optimism that Mawarire could have his Lazarus moment if he keeps the faith of his convictions.
The Lazarus moment phrase is borrowed from the biblical narrative of a character called Lazarus who was dead for four days, but was brought back to life by Jesus Christ. But given how things have changed over the past months to lopsidedly skew against all voices of dissent it is difficult to even imagine Mawarire’s defence team of Harrison Nkomo and Fadzai Mahere achieving much.
And even if they did manage to win him his freedom, the many followers that once followed him seem to have made other plans in the past six months that he was in self-imposed exile. Political analyst, Otto Saki, recons that the problem lies with a cowed Zimbabwean citizenry and not with Mawarire.

“Many of us are used to cowing in our cocoons, be overly critical of the few that have taken great personal risks to raise the political cost of the predatory and poor governance. In fact, we place the burden of making Zimbabwe better on their shoulders, not ours and after that, we condemn them. We have a theory for every move they make. We fail to identify with their cause because we think it is money-driven or counter-intelligence plots, never that they desire for a better Zimbabwe,” Saki lamented.

“The campaign is once again on the global radar because of the punitive arrest,” he added. Political commentator, Rashweat Mukundu, believes Mawarire could still salvage something from his waning political movement, although he is likely to face a rutted road.

“The change of fortunes which we have witnessed on his return suggests that he is entering into an entirely new game which demands more from him in terms of organisation and mobilisation. Mawarire will end the year 2018 (when there are general elections) either as somebody or a nonentity,” Mukundu opined.
The great teacher, history, too is not short on examples of promising political phenomena that fatally miscalculated situations and ended up in sheer embarrassment.

Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn leader, Simba Makoni and youthful former British Labour Party leader, Ed Miliband, are examples of political stars whose brightness only shone brightly and went out. Indeed, even as observed by satirical American writer, Chuck Palahniuk in his 1999 book, Survivor, modern day events are nothing more than new patterns underlain by old patterns. The satirical book has a paragraph which poetically goes like this: “There are only patterns, patterns on top of patterns, patterns that affect other patterns; patterns hidden by patterns; patterns within patterns. If you watch close, history does nothing, but repeat itself.

“What we call chaos is just patterns we haven’t recognised. What we call random is just patterns we can’t decipher. What we can’t understand we call nonsense. What we can’t read we call gibberish. There is no free will. There are no variables.”
In the same vein, while what both Mawarire and the State are up to might be difficult to decipher or understand, they and their actions are part of the Zimbabwean narrative: A history that does not benefit present, but future generations; the generations whose futures, maybe Mawarire and a few others are genuinely fighting for.
Or maybe not! – Fingaz

MORE than 1,4 million villagers in 11 districts are set to benefit from a £12 million grant availed by UK’s Department of International Development (DFID) for the extended rural Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme.

Speaking during the announcement of the new grant, teputy representative for Unicef Zimbabwe, Jane Muita said access to safe water and adequate sanitation remained critical to the realisation of fundamental human rights.

Muita said poverty assessment research shows that improved access to water is the most important element to the creation of strategies that alleviate poverty.

“Lack of access to water, sanitation and hygiene remains a major concern to Unicef, as it has a great bearing on the health and wellbeing of women and children,” she said.

A strong gender imbalance exists in rural areas, where women and girls do the great majority of manual and management work for water and sanitation services at the household level.

“These activities can deprive women of time to engage in economic activities to enhance their livelihoods and compromise the girl child’s ability to reach her full education potential,” Muita said.

DFID head of mission, Annabel Gerry said the grant will improve the lives of some of the poorest people in Zimbabwe and mitigate the risk of catastrophic diseases.

“The programme has already improved access to drinking water for over three million people across 33 rural districts of Zimbabwe,” Gerry said.

Under the first phase of the Rural WASH programme 1 620 new boreholes have been drilled; 1 600 schools have access to adequate gender sensitive sanitation facilities; 2 500 villages have been declared Open Defecation Free; 32 piped water schemes rehabilitation and over 10 000 boreholes have been rehabilitated.

Permanent secretary in the Water, Climate and Environment ministry and also chairperson of the National Action Committee (NAC) for WASH, Prince Mupazviriho said the grant will greatly assist the country to achieve the SDGs targets that require government to ensure safe water and dignified sanitation for all.

According to Unicef, at least 32% of people in rural Zimbabwe do not have access to improved sources of drinking water, while about 52% do not have access to safe sanitation facilities. – Newsday

MOST parts of Harare’s Central Business District have been dry for the past two days after council experienced technical challenges at Warren Control.

Harare City Council spokesperson, Michael Chideme confirmed the local authority was facing water supply problems in the city centre, the northern suburbs, Msasa and the heavy industrial area.

“Warren Control had a power failure and this affected our delivery lines into the city,” Chideme said.

“We are currently working on the technical faults and expect complete restoration of water supplies by 1 March (yesterday).

He said the western and southern suburbs and Mbare were not affected by the shortages as they get their water directly from Prince Edward and a direct feed from Morton Jaffray. – Newsday

The case in which Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, is being sued for allegedly failing to pay for political consultancy allegedly rendered by a Harare man in the run-up to the 2013 harmonised elections will be heard in the Labour Court next week.

Justice Lilian Hove will on March 6 hear a case in which Moreprecision Muzadzi, president of little known Voice of the People party, is seeking the court’s permission to sue Tsvangirai out of time saying he could not have instituted legal proceedings earlier because he had confidence that a person the former Prime Minister’s stature would act in good faith and honour his side of the bargain.

Muzadzi claims his consultancy services to Tsvangirai involved lobbying leaders of all opposition parties in Zimbabwe not to contest the 2013 presidential elections, but to rally behind the MDC-T candidate, on the understanding that Tsvangirai would pay him in cash and kind, which promise Tsvangirai has since reneged on.

“I did a job for Morgan Richard Tsvangirai from January 2013 to July 2013 as a negotiator for his opposition grand coalition project for his presidential candidature in 2013 presidential elections,” wrote Muzadzi in his founding affidavit.

Muzadzi said he together with Kisinoti Mukwazhe, the leader of another microscopic political outfit, the Zimbabwe Democratic Party, managed to get leaders of at least 16 opposition parties to agree to stand aside in favour of Tsvangirai in the 2013 presidential election.

Muzadzi said together with Mukwazhe, they were each promised US$7 800 and a Nissan NP200 vehicle by Tsvangirai.

He claims the embassies of Australia, the United States of America and the head of the European Union delegation in Zimbabwe were supporting the clandestine project.

However, the deal later did not materialise, resulting in Tsvangirai refusing to pay for the services rendered.

Muzadzi said a follow up on Tsvangirai showed that the former trade unionist was unwilling to pay for the work done for him, hence his belated decision to approach the Labour Court.

“The applicant didn’t want to tarnish the reputation of the former prime minister of Zimbabwe over the ‘paltry’ allowances (US$7 800 and Nissan PN200),” said Muzadzi.

Under Zimbabwean law, claims of a labour nature usually prescribe after two years, which is the reason why Muzadzi has applied for condonation of late noting of his appeal. Fingaz

President Mugabe is a great pride of the nation and a source of inspiration to many people including his enemies, Retired Chief Justice Godfrey Guwa Chidyausiku has said.
He made the remarks at a farewell dinner hosted for him by the Judicial Service Commission in Harare on Tuesday.

Justice Chidyausiku’s tenure of office ended on Tuesday after serving as the head of Judiciary for 16 years after reaching the mandatory 70 years of age last week. He told the gathering that President Mugabe’s sense of propriety was beyond reproach.

“I do not think there is anybody in my generation who fails to be inspired by His Excellency, the President,” said Justice Chidyausiku. “He (President Mugabe) is the kind of person who inspires people whether you like it or not, even his enemies talk well of him.

“He is the single Zimbabwean, I can say who has provided more inspiration to me than anybody else.”

The former Chief Justice said during his tenure as either a judge, Attorney-General or Chief Justice, President Mugabe never influenced his decisions.

“On occasions, I did brief him on what was going on,” said Justice Chidyausiku.
“He just listened without comments and he would never ever attempt to influence you.”
The former Chief Justice took the occasion to reflect on his successes and challenges he faced during his more than 40-year-long career, as a lawyer, attorney-general, and in the judiciary.

He spoke of the decentralisation of the High Court, the work he left unfinished, transformation of the Judicial Service Commission and the decisions made by his bench.
He highlighted the role he played in the land reform programme as a major achievement in his career as Chief Justice.

Justice Chidyausiku expressed no regret on the landmark decision he made on the land case, which ended up at the disbanded Sadc Tribunal in Namibia. The Retired Chief Justice said he belonged to the generation that fought the liberation struggle to correct the historical land imbalances.

“The most satisfying thing to me is the role that I played in the land reform programme,” he said.

“Some people believe the judiciary was not independent because some of the judgments were perceived to be in favour of the Government.

“But the real reason is, I belong to that generation that fought for this country. And that is what really impressed my perception, not that I wanted to please anybody.”

The former Chief Justice said both his paternal and maternal grandfathers Chief Chinamhora and Chief Chiweshe respectively, lost land to the colonial regime.
To this end, he said, it would have been betrayal to the ancestry if he had not performed a key role in the land reform programme, as the head of the judiciary.

Justice Chidyausiku singled the discord over his successor as the biggest disappointment in his professional career.

“There are times when things are not going the way they should. One of them (disappointments) is the way we are quarrelling about my successor,” he said.

“It’s a big disappointment, but it is nothing that we cannot overcome. I am sure we will overcome it without any difficulty. My view is, there is really no dispute, there is really no issue. With the passage of time, things are going to fall into place.

“I would have wanted to leave one, very united judiciary that is fearless, independent and with the back bone of steel.”

Justice Chidyausiku was appointed as Zimbabwe’s new Chief Justice in July 2001.
Born on February 23, 1947 in Domboshava, Chief Justice Chidyausiku attended Mutake School at Makumbi Mission, and then St Ignatius College in Chishawasha.
He got a place at the then University of Rhodesia from 1968 to 1972 where he read law. He then went into private legal practice.

At the 1974 general election, Justice Chidyausiku won the Harare African Roll Constituency, standing with the unofficial support of the African National Council which had been set up by Zanu, Zapu and Frolizi. He acted in opposition to the government of Ian Douglas Smith.

Justice Chidyausiku stood down at the 1977 election. In the 1980 election, Chief Justice Chidyausiku was elected as 12th on Zanu-PF’s list for Mashonaland East Province when Zanu-PF won 14 seats.

He was Deputy Minister in the then Ministry of Local Government and Housing and of Justice from 1980, and was promoted to be Attorney-General in 1982.

Chief Justice Chidyausiku was later promoted to be a judge and served as chair of the constitutional convention charged with drafting a new Constitution for Zimbabwe in 2000.
After the resignation of former Chief Justice Anthony Gubbay, Chief Justice Chidyausiku was named as Zimbabwe’s new Chief Justice in July 2001. – State Media

Terrence Mawawa, Mutare| A senior official of the Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC has accused the police of lying that he evaded arrest.

MDC Manicaland Provincial chairperson, David Anthony Chimhini said claims by the police he evaded arrest were baseless. The police last week claimed Chimhini evaded arrest during an unsanctioned NERA demonstration last year.

Chimhini was initially arrested following the NERA demonstration and was released after the court ruled that the case would proceed by way of summons. Chimhini said he was shocked when the police claimed he ran away during the NERA demonstration.

“The police said I took part in the NERA demonstration and went into hiding but that is not true.I have always been around because the state said I would be called to court by way of summons. I will therefore wait to hear from them,” said Chimhini.
Party sources said the police got angry when Tsvangirai expressed concern at the presence of cops at a meeting he addressed in Mutare.

“Honourable Chimhini was called by the police who said he was facing charges of barring officers on duty from attending the meeting that was addressed by President Tsvangirai. The police later accused Honourable Chimhini of running away from the law enforcement agents,” said Takudzwa Magwere, the MDC Provincial Youth Organising Secretary.

The High Court has ordered the release of three bogus cops who were last year each sentenced to five years in jail after they used fake police identification cards to mount illegal road blocks and extort $70 from two motorists.

Zibusiso Sikhosana (23) and Brian Mbewe (27) both of Greenhill and Marvellous Ndlovu (23) of Cowdray Park were convicted of extortion and impersonating a police officer by magistrate Mr Stephen Ndhlovu who sentenced them to an effective three years imprisonment after conditionally suspending two years.

Justice Nicholas Mathonsi, who was sitting with Justice Maxwell Takuva during the criminal appeals court, set aside the sentence. The judge said the sentence imposed by the lower court did not fit the offence committed by the trio.

He said the three men were supposed to have been fined or given community service.

“This is a case in which the penal provision being applied allowed the sentencer to impose a fine. The offenders were youthful first offenders who committed the offence under the influence of intoxicating liquor and they only extorted $70 which is no doubt a very small. Of that amount $50 had already been repaid to the complainants at the time of the conviction,” he said.

Justice Mathonsi substituted the sentence with 12 months in jail for each of the trio.

He suspended six months for five years on condition that they do not within that period commit a similar offence.

Of the remaining six months, the judge set aside three-and-half months on condition they jointly and severally restituted the two complainants $20.

Justice Mathonsi said since the three men had already served two-and- half months, they were entitled to immediate release.

The court heard that on November 23, last year at around 7PM, the three men were travelling in a Honda Fit along Nketa Drive when they mounted a fake police vehicle check point and stopped motorists. Sikhosana and Mbewe waved at Mr Tapiwa Pikirai, a prison officer stationed at Khami Remand Prison to stop.

They produced fake police identity cards and told him that they were plain clothes police officers conducting an operation targeting illegal pirate taxis.

The court heard that the bogus traffic police officers told Mr Pikirai that they were taking his car to the Vehicle Inspection Department (VID). Mbewe asked Mr Pikirai if he had any money on him, and he produced a $50 note.

Upon receiving the “fine”, they got out of the complainant’s car and told him to drive off.

Mr Pikirai saw the trio at another place soliciting a bribe from a different motorist and then teamed up with him to report them to the police.

On the second count, the trio extorted $20 from Mr Lawrence Zingwevhu of Nketa 8 suburb. They used the same method of impersonating a police officer. – State Media

The High Court has issued a landmark ruling outlawing beating of children at school and in homes.

Justice David Mangota held that parents and teachers must not lay their hands on children even if they misbehave.

Recently another High Court judge Justice Esther Muremba, ruled out caning of juveniles as judicial punishment, but the decision now awaits confirmation at the Constitutional Court.

Justice Mangota also declared unconstitutional Section 69(2) (c) of the Education Act which permits corporal punishment.

Sections 3 to 7 of the Education Disciplinary Regulations 1985 contained in Statutory Instrument 362 of 1998, was declared to be in violation of the Constitution.

Justice Mangota will write a detailed judgment giving reasons for his decision. However, the matter will be sent to the Constitutional Court for confirmation.

Constitutional law expert Mr Tendai Biti, filed the court application at the High Court in June last year on behalf of a parent whose child was being beaten by a teacher at Belvedere Primary School in Harare.

Mrs Linah Pfungwa, with the support of Justice for Children’s Trust, filed the court application arguing that corporal punishment was a form of violence and must be abolished. She indicated in her affidavit that her daughter who was in Grade One, was severely assaulted with a rubber pipe by her teacher identified as Mrs Chemhere.

The reason for the punishment, Mrs Pfungwa said, was that the girl’s reading book had not been signed by guardians as confirmation that she had done her homework.

“My child suffered major bruises and I took photographs and pictures of the same. She had deep bruises on her back and she could hardly sleep properly.
“I posted the pictures of my daughter on our WhatsApp group for other parents to observe and it turned out that other children had also been assaulted.”

Mrs Pfungwa and other family members approached the headmistress at Belvedere Primary School with the complaint and she undertook to investigate.

The woman’s lawyers even wrote to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education complaining before filing the court application.

Mrs Pfungwa argued that that corporal punishment was inhuman. “I believe corporal punishment is violence against children and I do not believe that children should be subjected to any form of violence. I further believe that corporal punishment is a physical abuse of children.

“It amounts to deliberately hurting a child, which causes injuries such as bruises, broken bones, burns or cuts..”

She also argued that corporal punishment in schools was dangerous because it was administered indiscriminately without any measure of control.

At home, Mrs Pfungwa said, she did not beat up her child.

“If my child misbehaves, I ground her by denying her access to television as well as denying her pocket money or other goodies like sweets and presents.

“If she does well, I reward her by presents or extra hours of watching television.

“My child is well-behaved and well-brought up simply as a result of the dialogue that I use as a means of discipline,” she said. – State Media

One of the four armed robbers that allegedly killed a security guard at a Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church-run primary school in Bulawayo’s Pelandaba suburb last month, was back in court yesterday facing charges of possessing a gun without a licence.

Martin Dlamini (36) of New Magwegwe whose hand got fractured last month during his arrest, is still in plaster.

Police arrested Dlamini last month with Tomson Phuthi (40) of Mabuthweni suburb, Ndabezinhle Mpofu (25) of Old Pumula suburb and Onious Bhebhe of Old Magwegwe suburb for allegedly killing Mr Burton Sikalonga and savagely attacking Mr Vusumuzi Tshuma who were guarding the school’s premises.

Dlamini pleaded not guilty to possessing a gun without a licence and the magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya remanded him in custody to March 14.

Prosecuting, Mr Nkathazo Dlodlo said on January 23, police received a tip off that Dlamini had a gun.

“Police carried out a search at his place of residence leading to recovery of a star pistol and one live round of ammunition hidden in a disused refrigerator in his kitchen,” he said.

Mr Dlodlo said Dlamini initially admitted ownership of the firearm.

The state said it could produce the star pistol and bullet as exhibits in court.

Mr Sikalonga died on admission to Mpilo Central Hospital following the attack while his workmate Mr Tshuma sustained injuries.

The four robbers who were allegedly armed with a gun, stole three laptops, five SDA T-shirts and nearly $300 at the school and church which are on the same premises.

The court heard that the suspects struck Sikalonga with an iron bar on the head and all over his body before stabbing him with a hunter’s knife on January 17 at around 3AM.

The four accused who are facing murder charges were last month remanded in custody to March 17. – State Media

A Gweru man allegedly doused his wife with paraffin and set her on fire resulting in her death while the couple’s seven- year old son watched.

Eddy Mpofu was allegedly angry after his wife, Bongani Nyathi received a message on her phone.

The boy testified that he saw his father dousing his mother with paraffin before setting her on fire but Mpofu maintains that his wife committed suicide.

Gweru Magistrate Mr Musaiwona Shotgame sitting as a coroner heard that Nyathi died after her husband, attacked her in August last year.

The couple’s seven-year-old son told the coroner that Mpofu found him and his mother at the shops.

“At the time he entered the shop my mother received a text message and my father demanded to be given the phone.

“My mother gave him the phone and he started asking her who had sent her the text message. “Father gave back the phone to my mother and he proceeded to a bar.

“When he came home later that evening my father refused to eat, locked the door and started beating my mother demanding to know who had sent her the text message.

“He pushed her against the wall, took a bottle that contained paraffin and poured it on her before he lit a match.

“My mother who was now on fire screamed for help, that is when my father took a blanket that was on the bed and covered her.

“He called for a car which rushed my burnt mother to the clinic,” said the child.

Mpofu said he had a domestic dispute with his wife that led to a fight.

“My wife then went on to pour paraffin all over her body and lit herself up with a match. I then put out the fire by covering her body with a blanket and took her to the hospital,” he told the coroner.

The inquest continues on March 20. – State Media

In yet another major setback for Zimbabwe’s international standing, the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) yesterday released a damning report in which 10 000 tourists complained about the police — with 500 of them promising never to return to the country again, citing harassment by law enforcement agents.

At the same time, 14 358 tourists also condemned the sorry state of the country’s roads, which they branded as “very poor” in a visitor survey conducted by the government at the country’s 10 ports of exit between July 2015 and June 2016.

This comes as Zimbabwe’s tourist industry, already battered by the country’s poor international political standing, is struggling to attract visitors because of its uncompetitive product offering and the complaints of harassment by police on the country’s roads.
ZimStat’s tourist survey findings come amid the outcry by locals that pervasive, bribe-seeking police roadblocks are making travelling by car in the country an impossible mission.

“Roads were rated poor and very poor by 42,4 percent of visitors. Similarly, police services were rated poor and very poor by 25,1 percent of the visitors.

“Visitors who had no intentions of visiting again or recommending destination Zimbabwe to others were asked for the reasons and the major one cited were high prices (63,2 percent), harassment by police (43,2 percent) and poor infrastructure and other facilities which accounted for 31,1 percent,” the survey concluded.

A cross section of Zimbabweans, including Parliament and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), has regularly raised serious concerns about the heavy presence of police on the roads, saying it was a hindrance to both the growth of the tourism sector and commerce generally.

Zimbabwe boasts of having some of the world’s most renowned tourist destinations, including the majestic Victoria Falls and scenic Eastern Highlands attractions among many others.

However, poor local infrastructure and the ubiquitous police roadblocks have seen deep-pocketed international tourists giving the country a wide berth, in favour of other regional destinations like South Africa and Mauritius.

“We have observed as Parliament that there is no law concerning roadblocks and they are just being erected willy-nilly.

“Tourists driving from Beitbridge to Victoria Falls on average go through about 20
roadblocks. They have been checked at the border and passed through customs and immigration,” National Assembly Speaker Jacob Mudenda complained last year.

“In Tanzania, road blocks have been reduced from 58 to 15. In Kenya, they used to have 35 police road blocks between Mombasa and Malawi but by 2013 all road blocks had been removed.

“Now you bring an investor from outside and they land at Harare International Airport, they go through Customs and Immigration and just as they leave the airport, where there is our independence banner there is a road block!

“Can this investor be a criminal in that five metres they have travelled? Come on, this does not make sense. Let us not be our own enemies against strengthening the ease of doing business,” Mudenda added.

In a desperate bid to maintain acceptable occupancy levels, one of Zimbabwe’s most popular hotels, Leopard Rock, last year took the unprecedented step of re-imbursing tourists their money which they would have spent on paying traffic fines en route to the hotel.

Last week, the High Court ruled that there was no law that allowed police to confiscate licences and impound vehicles of drivers who refuse to pay spot fines.

In the High Court application filed by Andrew Makunura, who was represented by Tonderai Bhatasara, in which he sought an order barring police from demanding spot fines, and that he be given back his driver’s licence, police made the welcome concession that paying spot fines was optional.

Judge Esther Muremba subsequently ruled that spot fines were illegal.
“In their plea, the defendants (including Home Affairs minister Ignatius Chombo and Chihuri) denied that when the plaintiff failed to pay the spot fine he was detained or compelled to pay it as paying a spot fine is optional to motorists who are willing to do so.

“The defendants averred that spot fines have already been declared to be unconstitutional in terms of the old Constitution and as such they (defendants) have no reason to disrespect the law,” Muremba noted. – Daily News