Parirenyatwa Hospital has threatened to fire striking doctors if they do not report to work today, as the stand-off between the government and medical practitioners intensified yesterday.

In a statement yesterday, the hospital’s clinical director, Noah Madziva, said the institution will introduce a daily roll call beginning today and those that are not at work will be removed from the duty roaster and will not be paid.

“Therefore, anyone who voluntarily withdraws his or her services will be removed from the duty roaster,” a statement attributed to Madziva read.

“The same will not be allowed to enter the wards or to see any patients until reinstatement upon submission of an application to return to duty.

“It follows that while one is removed from the duty roaster, the same will not receive remuneration accordingly.”
The statement said the roll call will be held at 9am every morning.

“Anyone not available at the time will be deemed not available for service and subject to the above mentioned arrangements,” the statement read.

The doctors’ strike enters its second day today, with the medical practitioners accusing the government of failing to concretise its promise of creating more posts and improving their welfare.

Striking doctors vowed to continue with their industrial action until they are furnished with real dates, timelines and the locations of the posts that Health minister David Parirenyatwa announced had been created.

Parirenyatwa, on Tuesday, said the government had opened up 250 posts for doctors and 2 000 posts for nurses, but did not give further details on how soon this would be implemented.

“In the next two weeks, 120 trained doctors will be rendered jobless as a result of an ill-timed freeze on health sector posts,” the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors’ Association (ZHDA) said.

“The ministry issued a notice that posts would be created to accommodate the cadres completing internship in the next two weeks. The notice, however, falls short of absolute clarity on when the posts will be availed and an update can only be given by October 14, 2017.

“This arrangement will render our cadres jobless and detached from the payroll for eight months. Revision of this position will definitely unlock avenues of collaborative engagement,” Edgar Munatsi, the ZHDA president, said.

In a statement to its members, ZHDA said the industrial action was deeply anchored on the “unpalatable inability” of the Health ministry to resolve the long-standing issues.

These included that doctors were currently earning around $1,20 per hour as on-call allowances despite an October 2014 agreement between the doctors’ association and the Health minister.

“ZHDA unequivocally reiterates that the agreed minimum of $720 per month be immediately implemented and also the duty-free vehicle policy for health workers,” the association said.

ZHDA said it had been actively engaged in consultations, negotiations and meetings with a view to resolving the current impasse.

“The proposed dates for resolving on-call allowances and duty-free facility are not an accurate reflection of both the urgency, which this matter deserves and the time for which they have been outstanding,” Munatsi said.

ZHDA was yesterday consulting its members on quick ways to resolve the impasse in a manner that causes the least harm to patients and country.

Efforts to get a comment from Parirenyatwa Hospital’s CEO, Thomas Zigora, as well as from Harare Central Hospital were fruitless.

Meanwhile, ZHDA said there was an overwhelming response from government doctors across the country on the call to go on strike.

“Central hospitals such as Mpilo, Parirenyatwa and Harare hospital today literally closed their out-patients’ department and cancelled emergencies. ZHDA deployed a few doctors in casualty and emergency departments to cover for emergency cases,” the association said in a statement. – Newsday/Phylllis Mbanje

The Sheriff of the High Court yesterday towed away a Range Rover Sport vehicle belonging to politician Didymus Mutasa and an assortment of other movable property for auctioning to recover a $26 900 debt.

Mutasa, the former zanu-pf secretary for Administration, owes Nyakutombwa Mugabe Legal Counsel $26 900 in outstanding legal fees.
The fees accrued when the politician engaged the lawyers to fight his legal battles against zanu-pf in 2015.

A bid by Mutasa to stop the removal of the property from his Umwinsdale house through an urgent interdict proved academic because the Sheriff had already taken the movables.
Mutasa, through his new lawyers, Mwonzora and Associates, filed an urgent chamber application for stay of execution, together with another court application for rescission of judgment at the High Court. He argued that he was never served with the order compelling him to pay the debt and that the billing by the lawyers was unreasonable.
It is Mutasa’s argument that the bill in question was never taxed, neither was it calculated in terms of the Law Society General Tariff of 2011.
The applications are still pending, but the property was moved to LM Auctions yard in Southerton.

Household goods under attachment included: Three sets of leather sofas, dining table and eight chairs, two fridges, a coffee table and stools, two water tanks, microwave, carpets, television stands, Kipor generator, DStv decoder, DVD player and two flower pots.
Last year, the High Court ordered Mutasa to pay Nyakutombwa Mugabe Legal Counsel outstanding legal fees to the tune of $26 900.

Efforts to make him pay the debt hit a brickwall and the lawyers this month instructed the Sheriff to attach the property. Mutasa, together with Rugare Gumbo and Temba Mliswa, were in 2015 expelled from zanu-pf for allegedly trying to topple President Mugabe.
Mutasa and Gumbo are now with a new political outfit Zimbabwe People First, while Mliswa is now legislator for Norton on an independent candidate ticket. The trio engaged the services of Nyakutombwa Mugabe Legal Counsel to fight the expulsion.

They also sought to nullify the amendment made to the revolutionary party’s constitution at the 2014 people’s congress.

After filing several applications, the trio later chickened out and dropped the challenge.
Gumbo and Mliswa are contesting the claim and their matter is yet to be heard at the High Court.

In coming up with the bill, the law firm charged the trio for all opted services rendered and for all court attendances in terms of the Law Society of Zimbabwe General Tariff of 2011.- state media

Four Budiriro family members, who perished in a well earlier this week, could not be buried yesterday following clashes between the family and church over burial procedures.

Mr Cleopas Jokomera (63) and his three sons, Maclliff, Tom and Cleopas Jr died in a suspected case of toxic inhalations and were supposed to be buried in Harare yesterday.

Funeral proceedings hit a snag when church elders from the Johanne Masowe WeChishanu Bethlehem of Judea, which the late Mr Jokomera headed said their church did not allow body viewing.

Witnesses to the incident said relatives refused to let church rules prevail over their deceased relatives.

“There was a scuffle as church members blocked the relatives from bringing down the coffins from the truck transporting the bodies, saying it was against their church regulations to conduct body viewing,” the witness said.

The heated arguments are said to have continued until police intervened. Relatives who spoke to The Herald expressed disdain over the church’s decision.

Mr Tichaona Mundandanda, a nephew to the late Mr Jokomera, said the couple should have communicated their pacts with the family.

“The problem is with the couple, they did not inform their families what they had signed up for at their church. Now we are not sure if their church members are telling the truth,” he said.

He said after deliberations, the Jokomera family agreed for the church to “do what they want”.

“It hurts to think that we are going to bury four of my uncles without body viewing them.

“They had relatives and colleagues who need to see them and pay their last respects,” Mundandanda said.

Family members were also complaining that they had heard cases of sinister rituals performed on bodies and wanted to confirm if indeed their relatives were in the coffins before burial.

Church leaders, however, claimed that body viewing was sinful. The church elders fled the place on hearing of the presence of journalists.

A church member, who preferred anonymity, equated the tragedy to suicide, so they could not allow the body viewing.

“The way in which our fellow church members died is questionable, hence some have been saying that it is not proper to view their bodies,” he said.

He said the late Mr Jokomera, as a church leader, insisted on burying church members without body viewing.

“The man who died is the founder of our church and he buried a lot of people the same way. Rules cannot bend on him. Where were his relatives when he was burying our own relatives?” he added.

Mr Jokomera’s wife and mother to the three late sons, Ms Grace Chikembe, insisted that the agreement with the church had to stand.

“It is our fault. We had not told our relatives what we had agreed to. Truth is, this is the life we chose and our relatives should accept it,” she said.

The bodies were still stuck in the truck late last night with indications that the burial would be conducted today. -state media

The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare says it has unfrozen doctors posts hiring.

Doctors had gone on strike, citing the government’s hiring freeze as one of the main complaints.

The government says the doctors’ strike which started today was limited to Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo and Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare, and has since urged doctors to return to work saying that there were now 250 posts which are available.

Robert Mugabe’s administration says all doctors who finish their internship will now be able to get a job.

Below was their Press Statement:

Update on the Partial withdrawal of services by some public hospital doctors

Harare, 15 February 2017

We note that there has been partial withdrawal of services by some Junior Resident Medical Offices (JRMOs) and Senior Resident Medical Officers (SRMOs) only at Parirentatwa Group of Hospitals and Mpilo Central Hospital following indication by the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association that they would, among other things, withdrawal services (sic) until issues they had put on the table are resolved.

Treasury has granted concurrence to 250 posts for GMOs HMOs hence posts are available for all doctors who successfully complete their internship. The Ministry is urging all doctors to report for duty for the patients’ sake in these difficult times.

Ministry of Health and Child Care

Public Relations Department

Long time allegations by opposition members against Joice Mujuru that she is a Zanu PF plant have been given a lease of life by controversial former State Security minister Dydimus Mutasa.

In a sensational claim reported in the local daily Daily News Mutasa, has accused former Vice President Joice Mujuru of working with the country’s dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO).

Speaking to journalists yesterday, while responding to claims by the Mujuru camp that he and the other ZPF elder, Rugare Gumbo, were working with intelligence operatives to derail her, Mutasa — who superintended over the CIO for a long time while still in government — counter-claimed that it was in fact the former VP who was allegedly collaborating with spooks.

He also said that contrary to the belief by many members of the public, Mujuru was still being “guarded and protected” by intelligence operatives, more than two years after she was hounded out of the ruling Zanu PF and subsequently fired from the government by President Robert Mugabe.

However, and according to the law, Mujuru is entitled to all the benefits accorded to sitting vice presidents — including pensions and holiday allowances, although there is no specific mention of security.

“I have not talked to any official in Zanu PF other than the president. How could we be infiltrated as we stand? We are surprised that that accusation (about working with Zanu PF and the CIO) comes from her because she is the one who is working with the CIO,” Mutasa told the Daily News in the exclusive interview.

“She is surrounded by the CIO, from her driver to her back people. The people who support her are people that I know very well. I even know them by name, so it is surprising to me that she would make such accusations.

“That accusation against Gumbo and myself . . . is what she is doing, and she thinks that is what we are also doing. If I was (working with the CIO) you would be the first to know,” the miffed Mutasa added.

But ZPF spokesperson Jealousy Mawarire scoffed at his claims, accusing Mutasa and other fired officials of working against progressive ideas.

“I used to think he is old, but I think he has gone beyond what old signifies. He was part of us and being the former CIO minister, it should have been his duty to fish out these elements for the good of the party.

“That he didn’t, and those CIO elements are still in the party as he claims, shows two things. Either that Mutasa is deliberately lying in a futile attempt to alienate supporters from the party, or that those elements were planted by him and were doing work for him,” Mawarire fumed.

“At first they didn’t want us to hold the 10 provincial rallies we did last year, and they didn’t want the party to elect a substantive leadership at the convention. They also didn’t want the party to enter into a coalition with other democratic forces.

“In fact, they didn’t want anything good for the party and worked so hard just to make sure they remained in control of every activity and everybody in the party.

“Their idea of a party was a cultist organisation where Didymus Mutasa was the deity and Rugare Gumbo his prophet,” Mawarire added.

According to the Constitution, with regards to the remuneration and perks of the executive, “A person who has ceased to be president or vice president is entitled to receive a pension equivalent to the salary of a sitting president or vice president, as the case may be, and such allowances and other benefits as may be prescribed under an Act of Parliament”.

The pensions and allowances are paid from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
Mutasa and other ZPF party bigwigs have been feuding with Mujuru since their stunning public fall-out last week, which left the one-year-old movement on the brink.

This was after Mujuru that had expelled Gumbo and Mutasa, together with five other party heavyweights — on account of them being alleged Zanu PF agents and working to topple her from her interim position.

“Having done extensive consultation within the rank and file of the party and also in my capacity as the president with the executive authority to ensure its wellbeing, I hereby announce the expulsion of the following members from Zimbabwe People First with immediate effect: Rugare Gumbo, Didymus Mutasa, Margaret Dongo, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, Luckson Kandemiri, Munacho Mutezo and Claudious Makova,” Mujuru  said, justifying her decision to axe the bigwigs.

But no sooner had she completed her briefing than the situation turned into a complete farce, when Mutasa and Gumbo announced at their own press conference that they had also similarly and summarily expelled Mujuru from ZPF.

Mutasa and Gumbo have since taken control of the party’s affairs after they claimed that they were the owners of the fledgling opposition party and its image rights.

Apart from her bickering with Mutasa and the other senior officials, Mujuru was also dealt a body blow when she suffered mass desertions, including receiving resignations from some of her longtime aides such as Sylvester Nguni, Ray Kaukonde and retired brigadier-general Aggripa Mutambara.

Mutasa also moved to blame Mujuru yesterday for allegedly causing mayhem in ZPF, further narrating how they, during their time together in Zanu PF, had apparently plotted how to catapult her to power.

“We started talking about this thing (for Joice to lead) when we were still in Zanu PF.  Simon Khaya Moyo, Webster Shamu, Gumbo and myself used to go to her office (for this),” Mutasa told the Daily News.

“Sometimes we would go to the meetings together, sometimes we would go separately. But she knew that this could come about and as far as we were concerned we didn’t see the reason why she took such a long time to make up her mind and become our leader,” he added.

Mutasa said the three of them (him, Mujuru and Gumbo) had initially agreed that they would have equal power “but someone whispered in her ears the wrong words”, leading to the current ruckus.

“The question about whether we can go back and talk to her can best be answered by Mai Mujuru. It’s three people; two on one side and the other one on her side alone.

“We had agreed in principle that we would work together as equals, and that if there were any disagreements between us, we would stop and go and think, and then resume discussions the following time. But we had never had such an issue or position,” Mutasa said ruefully.

Despite the cracks in ZPF, Mujuru, who has been working behind the scenes with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and other smaller parties towards the formation of the planned grand opposition coalition, remains confident of participating in the 2018 national polls.

And although Tsvangirai was said to be disappointed with the turmoil engulfing ZPF, the former prime minister in the government of national unity has said that Mujuru has proved to be a significant opposition player — and that the two would work together with others to dethrone Mugabe and Zanu PF from power next year.

Analysts have also consistently said that a united opposition, fighting with one purpose, would bring to an end Mugabe’s long rule — especially at this time when the country’s economy is dying and the increasingly frail nonagenarian is battling to keep his warring Zanu PF united. – Daily News

Prominent human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa has said judges must by all means avoid playing to the whims of politicians as this defies the separation of powers principle provided for in the Constitution.

Her sentiments come at a time the Executive is seeking to amend the Constitution to allow President Robert Mugabe to have the sole power to appoint the Chief Justice (CJ) — a development that has been linked to Zanu PF factional and succession fights.

Speaking to the Daily News in an interview yesterday, Mtetwa said the Constitution stated very clearly that judges must not meddle in politics.

“This is right across the board, you find lawyers that are openly factional, … judges that are also openly aligning themselves with political players and … that really is a very sad development, particularly given the attempt at ensuring that there is full separation between all three arms of government (Executive, Judiciary and the Legislature),” she said.

“I think we just could have a whole lot less political interference within the Judiciary and I wish judges would stop aligning themselves with the members of the Executive,” Mtetwa said.

She said that is why she took part in a Supreme Court appeal challenging High Court judge Charles Hungwe’s ruling that wanted to do away with the holding of public interviews to select out-going CJ Godfrey Chidyausiku’s successor. Chidyausiku leaves the bench at the end of this month after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70.

“I would really like the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to ensure that there is true separation, that there is no overlap and that judicial officers are left to do their work without interference,” Mtetwa said.

She said the country is seeing gains in terms of the improvement of the rule of law because of the coming in of the new Constitution, as compared to what it was 15 years ago.

“This is why some of us were extremely concerned by the haste with which members of the Executive were starting to tinker with the Constitution. With the new appointment procedure for judges, we believe this was also meant to enhance rule of law issues, because if judges are picked transparently from a pool of lawyers, they are unlikely to be beholden to the appointing authority because they would not have been chosen through some secret non-transparent way,” Mtetwa said.

She added that “if a person has gone through a public interview, my view is that they are more likely to be independent and that would enhance the rule of law and improve the country’s ranking on the rule of law index”.

Mtetwa said if people allow the Constitution to be changed willy-nilly, it will open a floodgate of alterations of other legislation with dire consequences.

The Supreme Court set aside Hungwe’s decision, legalising the public interviews that were held late last year, after ruling that the Executive’s plans to amend the law did not in itself nullify the Constitution. – Daily News

Embattled former Vice President Joice Mujuru has suffered another setback after the Constitutional Court struck her bond notes challenge off the roll.

Mujuru was represented by Doctor Lovemore Madhuku.

Last September, the apex court threw out Dr Mujuru’s request to nullify the executive decree saying the challenge was premature and speculative because the disputed currency was not yet in circulation.

Two months later, in November, Dr Mujuru went back to the Constitutional Court to contest the legality of a Presidential decree providing a legal framework for the introduction of bond notes as legal tender in a fresh case.

She wants an order declaring that President Mugabe, by exercising Parliament’s primary law-making power through Statutory Instrument 133 of 2016, failed to fulfil his constitutional obligations to obey certain provisions of the Constitution.

She also wants the regulations to be nullified for want of fulfilling the constitutional obligations. It is her contention that President Mugabe has no constitutional authority to make statutory instruments and/or amend Acts of Parliament.

The bond notes, which are backed by a $200 million African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) loan facility, are at par with the US dollar.

Bond notes were introduced in $2 and $5 denominations would follow in March before the gradual rolling out of the $10 and $20 notes. The first phase of the bond notes introduction saw $75 million being released by end of last month.

EMBATTLED Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) leader, Joice Mujuru, has accused a group of party elders she expelled last week of seeking to turn her into a sex slave, after proposing that she be the opposition party’s “queen bee”.

Zimbabwe People First leader Joice Mujuru in an audio recording of her address to provincial structures in Masvingo at the weekend, Mujuru accused her former close allies, notably Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo, of wanting her to sleep with male colleagues in the party, taking advantage of the fact that she was a widow. “I want you to Google then advise each other. They said Mai Mujuru, we want you to be our queen bee. I was supposed to mate with all the men in the party. I was supposed to be their wife,” she said.

“I was supposed to work for them because they had seen that while I was still in Egypt (Zanu PF) I used to work hard. “So they wanted to borrow that hard-working spirit to work for them and I told them that I can’t be your queen bee. I am a woman of substance even though I am a widow, I have an image to protect and since the death of my husband (Solomon Mujuru), I have no appetite for men.

I told them that I am here to work for Zimbabwe and this did not make them happy.”

But, Gumbo yesterday hit back at Mujuru, accusing her of having a shallow understanding of political dichotomy and processes. “She does not have an understanding of a beehive,” he shot back. “We indeed said she was supposed to be the queen bee. Not that we wanted to sleep with her, but we were supposed to do all the dirty work, fight for her, protect her and not expose her because we understood her limitations.

“We knew if she was exposed, she would make mistakes like she has been making after being exposed. Now, how can you have a leader, who does not understand such simple things?” A queen bee is the fertile egg-laying matriarch in a beehive. Mujuru went further, accusing Gumbo and Mutasa of wanting to use ZimPF as a money-spinning venture for their personal gain. “The people were planning to oust me for a very long time. I have not refused to vacate my post, but why do they want me to vacate the seat?” she queried. “When I was asked to lead People First (PF), I said PF was not started so that people can treat it as a business.

“That is when I started (clashing)with the two gentlemen, namely Rugare Gumbo and Didymus Mutasa. They wanted the party to be a money- spinning machine for their personal needs. That’s why you heard people saying there was a fund bringing money from Britain to the party.” Mujuru said there was no single meeting that the party held that Gumbo and Mutasa would not demand vehicles, money and fuel. “I told them that we once were all ministers and, I think, we have some savings from that, let’s build the party first. We can’t start wanting money because we will be cheating ourselves,” she said.

Mujuru claimed that there was a clandestine plan to unseat her from power after using her to build ZimPF. “Our constitution says we are not going to hero- worship anyone and on our apparels we are not going to put anyone’s face,” she said. “I was begged to put my face because people said we can’t sell the party if people don’t know who is the leader, you are the brand that people are coming for at PF, so are your picture and the party name. “Their plan was to say after I have worked and there is no clear leader in the party, they would then step in and take over the reins as they were now trying to do.”

The former Vice-President added: “They are now saying they don’t want to be led by a woman. Male chauvinism is bad. Let’s work together because we have been fighting for equal opportunities wherever they are. We were fighting for equal opportunities. “Each time, they would say the party is ours, we started the party. We know they started it and they are supposed to be respected, but if you are demanding, every day, to be respected, I start to question and think maybe you are barren.” Gumbo dismissed the allegations as lies, saying Mujuru should come clean on the source of funding for her livelihood, saying she was heavily funded by President Robert Mugabe’s government. “She is the one who has cars and she receives fuel from Mugabe, her cars are serviced by government and she gets money from there, she is the one who wants money. I have never been one for that, I drive a Honda Fit and I like it simple,” he said.

Mutasa was not reached for comment. Meanwhile, Gumbo and his group yesterday said they would today announce their new political plans following their nasty fallout with Mujuru last week. He dismissed Mujuru’s move to visit various provinces to consolidate her power base, saying it would come to nothing, as she was meeting people who were not in ZimPF structures. “We don’t believe in going around the provinces meeting vendors and so on, as if that is what can change the Zimbabwean situation,” he said. “Those people she is meeting are not bona fide members. These are just ordinary people, who are keen to see what Mujuru looks like. “This is what we were critical of. Instead of spending time building structures of the party speaking about your ideology and what can be done to win people’s confidence, she chooses to spend time wondering about doing useless rallies. We don’t believe in that.” Already, Mujuru has visited Masvingo, Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South and Mashonaland Central provinces. Tomorrow, she will be in Manicaland. – Newsday

Fadzayi Mahere | Did you know that the current doctors’ on-call allowance amounts to $1.20 per hour?
Did you know that a pint of blood at a government hospital costs $130.00?
To put things into perspective, it means that doctors have to work for 100 hours on call in order to afford a pint of blood.

One of their key demands is that the rate goes up to $10 per hour which amounts to $720.00 a month. One shift lasts between 8 and 12 hours.
We must all rally behind them and support their cause. Their nationwide strike action which starts today is designed to achieve some sort of improvement to the public health delivery system. We can’t expect them to exhibit a perfect bedside manner and be attentive when dealing with us when their working conditions are poor.

We went to Parirenyatwa General Hospital to speak to the President of the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association. Advocate Fadzayi Mahere

Zimbabwe Human Rights (ZimRights) has condemned as “uncalled for”, a weekend attack on members of the opposition Transform Zimbabwe (TZ) by suspected Zanu PF activists, angered by their move to clean the streets of Chitungwiza and Harare to curb the spread of typhoid and other water-borne diseases.

In a statement, ZimRights noted with grave concern the politically-motivated attack on three TZ members by suspected Zanu PF youth.

“ZimRights condemns the gross violation of human rights, the unruly behaviour by the Zanu-PF youths, and warns of the dire effects of political violence especially as the country heads towards elections in 2018.

“The unwarranted disruption of the clean-up campaign and political violence are an unfortunate case of unconstitutional behaviour and a gross violation of the law for which the perpetrators must be brought to book.”

The organization said Section 58 of the Constitution gives Zimbabweans the right to associate and assembly. It also said Section 67 of Constitution makes it clear that people in Zimbabwe have the freedom to participate the activities of their political party or organisation of their choice.

ZimRights called upon the government to safeguard these fundamental human rights.

The three victims were reportedly attacked during a clean-up campaign at a flea market at Makoni Shopping Centre in Chitungwiza on Saturday.

One of the Transform Zimbabwe members, Kudakwashe Chikwanha, sustained a cut on the head during the assault after the Zanu-PF youth allegedly disrupted the event, which had been cleared by police.

Meanwhile, Heal Zimbabwe has expressed grave concern over reports of intimidation of citizens recorded in Mwenezi East constituency in Masvingo Province, ahead of the April 8^th 2017 parliamentary by election.

It said, “On 8 January 2017, Zanu PF Ward 4 chairperson, Tobias Mahowa, held a meeting at Chimbudzi Business Centre. At the meeting, he encouraged people to register to vote as soon as possible as voter registration for the by election commences.

“Mahowa also announced that as soon as people finish registering, they should all proceed to his homestead and show him their registration slips. He also pointed out that if people defy his orders, Zanu PF was going to unleash a terror campaign on anyone who defies the order.”

Heal Zimbabwe also claimed that on the same day in Ward 2, Zanu PF youth led by their Ward vice chairperson, Ezra Mashindi, moved around the ward threatening people that on 15 February 2017 they should all go to the ward centre and purchase Zanu PF membership cards that cost $3.

“The youths announced that anyone who defies the order will not receive any food aid that comes into the ward. In ward 5, Zanu PF ward chairperson Pinias Shoko also addressed a rally at Chingani Primary school on 8 February 2017 and warned that if people fail to register to vote in the coming by election, Zanu PF was going to unleash violence on people.

“Shoko also announced that he has already deployed a team of Zanu PF youths in the ward to compile names of people and their identity numbers so that he can monitor (sic) when the voter registration process commences.”

Heal Zimbabwe said such practices and threats ahead of the by-election “are a total disregard of constitutional provision 67 which provides for political rights. The said provision states that “every citizen has the right to form, join and to participate in the activities of a political party of their choice”.

It further noted that Section 156 of the constitution compelled the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to eliminate electoral violence and other electoral malpractices.

There was no immediate Zanu PF reaction on both issues. – VOA

Ray Nkosi | Pastor Evan Mawarire has received Minister Supa Mandiwanzira’s apology.

Wrote Mawarire on twitter, “Thank you for your apology minister Supa Mandiwanzira. Unfortunately he blocked me so can someone please convey my sincere thanks #Thisflag.”

Yesterday Mandiwanzira wrote the following apology to Mawarire, “In my meeting with @CatrionaLaingl last week, after she had brought up the arrest of Pastor Evan Mawarire in our discussion, I gave the impression that the Pastor had skipped bail thus his arrest. At the time of my meeting with the Ambassador, this had been presented to me as fact and also thought it to be true. Today, having had sight of the court record, I recognize that I was wrong. The true facts are that the pastor did not skip bail and was not arrested for this reason. I wish to apologise to Pastor Mawarire and to anyone else who was offended by this mistake. I am also taking this opportunity to correct the misstatement to @CatrionaLaingl @UKinZimbabwe.”

#ThisFlag founder Evan Mawarire is back in Zimbabwe after a six-month self-imposed sabbatical. He has since been arrested and charged with subversion, among other charges, but declares in this interview with NewsDay Senior Reporter Richard Chidza (ND) that he will not be silenced even by the government’s controversial ban on the use of the flag. Mawarire (EM) wants Zimbabweans to close ranks against President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF ahead of elections next year. Below are excerpts:

GOVERNMENT yesterday swiftly moved to avert a crippling strike by its overworked public hospital doctors and offered to open up 250 new posts for junior doctors and 2 000 posts for nurses, but the Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA), dismissed the offer as piecemeal and threatened to continue with its work stoppage starting today.

In an interview after yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Health minister David Parirenyatwa said: “We have been negotiating with the ministry of Finance for posts since November and so we have been offered 250 posts for doctors and 2 000 posts for nurses. This is a welcome move.

“I am urging them not to go ahead with the industrial action. We need to look after our patients. This is solved by negotiations.”

But, ZHDA members have vowed to go ahead with their indefinite strike today to press the government to, among other issues, retain their contracts upon completion of their internship and revise upwards their on-call allowance.

Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors’ Association (ZHDA) president Edgar Munatsi said negotiations had not yielded anything concrete.

“We were told that Treasury would be approached for a possible extra budget allocation but we have not seen anything in writing and so we are going ahead today with the strike,” he said.

Early this week, ZHDA sent out a circular to its members telling them to go on industrial action from today until their concerns have been addressed.

“In light of the recommendations gathered from the nationwide consultations and guided by the notice and petition served to the Health minister and the Health Service Board (HSB) more than two weeks ago, the association wishes to announce with effect from February 15, there shall be a fully-fledged nationwide industrial action,” the circular read.

“All doctors from the consultant level upwards are advised to co-operate, as this historic action will prevent the ensuing cancerous destruction of our profession.”

The long standing tiff between the doctors and the ministry came to a head when the government announced it would no longer employ them upon completion of the two year internship, rendering many jobless. The doctors, in response, had implored the government to either not terminate their contracts or give them open practising certificates.

The issue of on call allowances is also another contentious issue. They want it revised to $720 from the current $288 for the lowest paid doctor.

“The association is puzzled by the lipstick approach from the Health ministry, to honour the agreed on call allowances with our previous leadership. Our doctors, including well-trained consultants, still travel to work on public transport despite the earlier promise to unveil a motor vehicle duty-free facility to the sector,” the doctors said.

The doctors are also demanding that the HSB urgently implement the agreed duty-free car imports framework for them.
Contacted for comment on the strike, HSB executive chairman, Lovemore Mbengeranwa said: “The issues are being discussed at board level. Recommendations were made and the (Health) minister (David Parirenyatwa) will make an announcement soon.”

The strike comes at a time when the health delivery system in the country is on its knees, with many public health facilities facing severe drug outages and a depleted, demoralised workforce. – Newsday

The lack of wisdom by Morgan Tsvangirai in firing MPs aligned to Tendai Biti’s People’s Democratic Party, has resulted in his party losing the leadership of key committees in Parliament.

It is reported that Harare West MP, Jessie Majome (MDC-T), was yesterday deposed as the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice chairperson and was replaced with Zvimba West MP, Ziyambi Ziyambi (Zanu PF).

Speaker of the National Assembly, Jacob Mudenda, made the announcement, telling the House that her removal was a decision made by the Standing Rules and Orders Committee.

“Ziyambi is now chairperson of the Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee. The appointment is made with immediate effect,” he said without giving any further explanation.

Reports say after the MDC-T fired their MPs, who crossed over to former secretary-general, Tendai Biti’s People’s Democratic Party, their numbers in the House dwindled and Parliament regulations require that they also lose chairmanship of some committees.

The committee is pivotal, as it looks at electoral issues, the judiciary and several laws pertaining to human rights.

Meanwhile, in an unrelated matter, MPs decried the poor working conditions at Hwange Colliery Company (HCC), National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) and Dete Refractories.

This was during debate on the second report of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service on the working conditions of workers at the three companies. MPs said the sorry state of affairs now required President Robert Mugabe’s intervention.

Legislators from the committee revealed that when they visited the companies, they observed ill-treatment of workers, non-payment of salaries and pensions and wanton breaking of the Labour Relations Act.

Binga South MP, Joel Gabuza

(MDC-T), said Mugabe should intervene, as there was plundering of equipment at the parastatals, and appointment of people without Ordinary Levels to sit in the HCC board.

St Mary’s MP, Unganai Tarusenga (MDC-T), said when the committee visited HCC, workers told them they were denied tea breaks and worked without protective clothing.

Bindura South MP, Remigious Matangira (Zanu PF), said the working conditions at NRZ were deplorable to the extent people were sent on pension with peanuts, resulting in former employees living in abject poverty.

HCC employees and people residing within the vicinity of the mines, were reportedly living in a hazardous environment, where they were exposed to tuberculosis and air pollution.

“Some workers have now developed very dark skin due to pollutants from coal smoke,” Shamva South MP, Joseph Mapiki (Zanu PF), said.

MPs demanded that boards of parastatals must, from now on, be chosen with Parliament’s involvement to ensure qualified people are appointed, adding policies to stipulate reasonable pensions should also be set. Legislators from across the political divide blamed the destruction of the companies on corruption and looting by government officials.

Public Service deputy minister Tapiwanashe Matangaidze concurred that there were serious problems at HCC and NRZ.

“NRZ has 16 months in outstanding salaries, while Hwange Colliery has over three years in outstanding salaries.

About $7 million has been secured from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and HCC intends to pay employees 22% in the first months and then stagger payments,” he said.

Matangaidze said HCC admitted that employees at times worked without protective clothing, while the committee raised concern over NRZ employees working in dangerous situations fixing rails at places infested with lions. – Newsday

A SOUTH African inyanga has been linked to the brutal murder of a Bulawayo man who was shot and killed by a suspected serial killer in the city.

The inyanga — only identified as Ndimande — allegedly enticed Rodney Tongai Jindu (26) of Glengarry suburb with promises of instant riches if he delivered the body of a person with a Ncube surname.

Jindu, who is on remand for the murders of his friends Mboneli Joko Ncube (30) and Cyprian Kudzurunga (28), was allegedly introduced to Ndimande by a man he went to college with in South Africa.

Senior police sources told The Chronicle last night that Ndimande and Jindu’s unidentified collegemate came to Bulawayo sometime last month and approached him with a proposal to harvest body parts for ritual purposes.

They said Jindu then set in motion a plan to murder Ncube.
“On 12 January at about 7PM, Jindu met Ncube and his friend at a supermarket at the intersection of Robert Mugabe Way and 11th Avenue. They drove to Burnside where they dropped off Ncube’s friend who lives in the same suburb before proceeding to number 13 Westmount Road – a vacant residential stand.

“Ncube had been told that they were going to meet Ndimande to discuss a business proposal. Once they got to the site, Jindu asked Ncube to lead the way towards the cottage. He then cocked his gun but told Ncube not to worry as he was doing it in case there were snakes around.

“He then shot him once and he fell but did not die instantly. The second shot finished him off. Jindu then called Ndimande using a simcard he had been given specifically for the purposes of calling the inyanga. Ndimande came with some unidentified men and Jindu handed them the body,” said a source familiar with the investigations.

On the same night, Jindu allegedly removed Ncube’s simcard and inserted it into his phone before sending a message to the latter’s mother informing her that he was leaving for South Africa.

“He did this to throw her off track — the same modus operandi he later used to sidetrack Kudzurunga’s mother into thinking that her son had left the country,” said the source.
According to the source, Ndimande and his men called Jindu on the morning of January 13 and handed him the remains of Ncube with several body parts missing.

A post-mortem report released yesterday revealed that apart from the hand, head and both legs, the heart was also missing from the dismembered body of Ncube.

Ndimande and his men are believed to have crossed back to South Africa with the body parts but were yet to make good on the promises of $20 000 and a Toyota Quantum they had offered Jindu at the time he was arrested.

“When we interviewed him, he was visibly frustrated that Ndimande was no longer reachable and might never pay him for the job.

“He also told us Ndimande had said he should urinate and conduct some rituals on the four sites where he buried Ncube’s remains so that he could have good luck and attain riches,” said the source.

It has also emerged that Jindu opened up to his friend, Kudzurunga, about the murder of Ncube on January 29 – the day he killed him. The two had spent the day drinking alcohol at Jindu’s home.

“The matter was eating him inside and he decided to offload to his close friend. It seems Kudzurunga was shocked by the revelation that Jindu had murdered their mutual friend and this unsettled the latter.

“They argued over the matter but Kudzurunga could not stomach the disturbing news. That’s when Jindu decided to kill him,” said the source.

Jindu (25) allegedly shot Kudzurunga before before burying him in a shallow grave next to Ncube’s remains.

A DNA report set to be released this week is expected to confirm the identity of the mutilated remains found in Burnside. Jindu allegedly told investigators the body is that of Ncube who was last seen with him on January 12 this year.

He allegedly cut the dismembered body into four pieces, burnt them and buried them in four shallow graves. Police arrested Jindu on February 3 for allegedly killing Kudzurunga .
He was remanded in custody to February 21 for both murder cases and the magistrate advised him to apply to the High Court for bail.

Meanwhile, police in Bulawayo are carrying out a firearm audit on all gun owners following an upsurge in crimes involving firearms. The audit will be done to update police records.
Bulawayo Metropolitan Province police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango urged residents with firearms to report to the nearest police station with their firearms and certificates.

“In terms of Section 4 (1) of the Firearms Act chapter 10: 09, it is an offence to purchase, acquire or have in possession any firearm or ammunition without a firearms certificate. We therefore call upon all firearm holders to report to their nearest police stations with their firearms and certificates to enable us to update our records,” said Insp Simango.

“We also take this opportunity to call upon all those who are keeping firearms that were left behind by their late relatives or relatives who relocated to other areas or countries to hand them over to the police for proper procedures to be followed,” she said.

Insp Simango said those who brought registered firearms from other areas outside Bulawayo should report to the nearest police stations for change of addresses to be recorded.

“In terms of Section 6(1) (a) of the Firearms Act 10:09, it is an offence to keep a firearm at an address not given on the certificate.

“Police are urging members of the public to comply with the provision of Section 27 (2) of the Firearms Act Chapter 10:09 which compels authorised holders of firearms to take necessary precautions to prevent firearms from falling into possession of unauthorised persons. Most firearms are feared to be in the wrong hands because authorised holders of firearms are lending them to strangers, employees, friends and relatives,” she said.

Insp Simango urged members of the public to report to the nearest police station, any person (s) in their neighbourhoods suspected to be in possession of a firearm (s).
“Identities of whistle blowers will be kept secret,” she said.

Insp Simango listed procedures to be followed for a person to obtain a gun licence.
“A certificate from AREX or District Administrator’s office if the firearm is needed for crop and livestock protection.

“If the firearm is for hunting, a certificate from the department of National parks and owner of the farm is needed.

“Applications for firearms for target shooting should be accompanied by supporting documents from the chairman, secretary or treasurer of the Gun Club.

“If the firearm is for home protection, it should be accompanied by a recommendation letter from the officer commanding police in the province, a current bank statement and a letter from the bank manager.

“A gun cabinet inspection certificate from the local police station should be produced.
“Police clearance from your nearest police station is needed and finally a firearm certificate application form is then completed and sent to central Firearm registry,” said the police spokesperson.

Last Wednesday, armed robbers brandishing pistols and an AK47 rifle raided two service stations in Bulawayo and fired a shot at one of them before getting away with cash.

In the first robbery, three men armed with pistols got away with airtime recharge cards and cash worth $1 260 and two cellphones at Zuva Service Station in Woodlands suburb.
One man slinging an AK47 rifle robbed attendants of about $150 and a cellphone at a Total Service Station at the corner of 10th Avenue and Robert Mugabe Way in the city centre.- State Media

Treasury has given the Ministry of Health and Child Care the greenlight to employ over 2 200 doctors and nurses who are graduating this month, a move that is likely to avert a strike by the health professions that was scheduled to begin today.

Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa, in an interview yesterday, assured all doctors set to graduate of absorption into the public health delivery system as Government medical officers.

“I am very excited about this development and I want to assure all doctors who will be graduating this February that we will be ready for them,” he said.

“We have been negotiating with the Ministry of Finance since November on review of staff establishments for both doctors and nurses and I am happy that we have been given the greeenlight to employ over 250 doctors and 2 000 nurses.”

Dr Parirenyatwa said his ministry was now looking at the provision of posts for other professionals such as pharmacists and laboratory scientists.

He said Government has since communicated the latest development to the doctors and appealed to them not to go on strike as they had scheduled for today, since some of their grievances have been solved.

Although our Harare Bureau did not see the letter, the doctors insisted that there was nothing concrete as yet from Government since they had not received the letter assuring them their grieviences had been addressed.

Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors’ Association (ZHDA) president Dr Farai Munatsi said last night that they were still consulting with their membership on the way forward regarding the latest promises.

Earlier in the day, the doctors had circulated a memo among themselves insisting that today’s strike would go ahead and they had not withdrawn it by last night.

“We have not received any concrete solution from the relevant authorities concerning our demands,” said Dr Munatsi. “Tomorrow (today) we stand united and firm. We have to save our health delivery system in Zimbabwe.

“The ZDHA urges all its members nationwide to withdraw their services from 15th of February till our demands are met.”

The doctors are demanding issuance of their practising certificates upon completion of their two-year internship and an upward revision of the on-call allowance to $720 for the lowest paid doctor.

After completion of their studies, doctors are required to undergo a two-year internship after which they are given a temporary certificate to practise in a Government institution for another year.

It is only after completion of the additional year as a Government medical officer (GMO), will they get their open practice certificate, enabling them to search for employment from elsewhere.

Government recently announced that it was no longer guaranteeing GMO posts because the current establishment was now full, prompting the junior doctors to demand their open practice certificates to enable them seek employment.

Health Services Board spokesperson Mr Nyasha Maravanyika said the board understood some of the doctor’s demands and was engaging with Treasury.

“The issue of on-call allowance revision is before Treasury and the HSB has always been having it on its agenda, including non monetary incentives such as the duty free framework,” he said.

“As far as we are concerned, these are issues that Treasury is seized with.” Herald

BULAWAYO-born music video producer Vusumuzi “Blaqs” Hlatshwayo has come out in defence of Killer T’s new video for Bvunza Tinzwe of the chanter in a coffin, saying it was all about creativity that people will understand when it is released.

This video comes after another controversial one by Ammara Brown and her sister Chengeto — Watchu want — where the former had a python slithering on her body that left people in awe.

Now some pictures from Killer T’s video shoot for the hit track Bvunza Tinzwe on Monday and yesterday found their way onto social media depicting the chanter as a dead man in a coffin.

While some viewed it as plainly ingenuity those with deep seated superstitions have been criticising the chanter likening the scene to satanism initiation.

It seemed the comments on social media perturbed Blaqs and he went on Facebook live yesterday to set the record straight and defend the music video.

Vusa Blaqs said the video was depicting death which everyone will go through.
“I’m here to demystify the issue of Killer T being dead. This is part of the art that we’re creating.

“What we want to do is to cross boundaries and really address the issues people are afraid to address.

“Death is just death guys everyone will die even me I’ll die. Don’t be hung up with a coffin it’s just a piece of wood and we did that to create art and visuals for a song that talks about what it talks about,” said Blaqs.

He said the music video will be out sometime soon. “Soon people will understand what we were doing with the concept of the music video.
“They shall love it for our creativity,” said Blaqs. – State Media

Veteran CIO Boss, the expelled former State Security minister Dydimus Mutasa has lost assets due to unpaid bills.

The state media reports that the former Zanu-PF secretary for Administration Didymus Mutasa had his two top-of-the-range vehicles and household property attached over legal fees he owes lawyers who represented him in his battles with Robert Mugabe’s party. On February 1 this year, the Sheriff unsuccessfully attempted to attach property at the politician’s Umwinsdale house after the workers at the residence locked up the gates and doors.

This week, the Sheriff succeeded in attaching the property in the presence of Mutasa. The Sheriff will today remove the attached assets from 13D 16 Chishawasha Road in Umwinsdale.

Two SUVs, a Land Rover Discovery and a Range Rover Sport, will be driven away together with an assortment of household goods. Household goods under attachment include:

Three sets of leather sofas, dining table and eight chairs, two fridges, a coffee table and stools, two water tanks, microwave, carpets, television stands, Kipor generator, DStv decoder, DVD player and two flower pots.

Last year, the High Court ordered Mutasa to pay Nyakutombwa Mugabe Legal Counsel outstanding legal fees to the tune of $26 900. Efforts to make him pay the debt hit a brick wall and the lawyers this month instructed the Sheriff to attach the property.

Mutasa together, with Rugare Gumbo and Temba Mliswa, were expelled from Zanu-PF in 2015 and engaged the services of Nyakutombwa Mugabe Legal Counsel to fight the expulsion.

After filing several applications, the trio chickened out and dropped the challenge, but the lawyers billed them $26 900 for the work done. Gumbo and Mliswa are contesting the claim and their matter is yet to be heard at the High Court.

In coming up with the bill, the law firm charged the trio for all opted services rendered and for all court attendances in terms of the Law Society of Zimbabwe General Tariff of 2011. No guarantee of success was given nor was failure of the cases a basis for non-payment of the due fees, the lawyers argued.

In one of the cases in which Mutasa and Gumbo were contesting expulsion at the High Court, the court ordered them to pay legal costs incurred by Zanu-PF and President Mugabe in defending the aborted court application.

Professor Jonathan Moyo has sued Zimbabwe Newspapers (1980) Limited which is apparently controlled by his nemesis Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The state media reports that Zim papers will not be silenced and will defend a $9 million defamatory lawsuit filed against the media house at the High Court by Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo.

In his summons, Prof Moyo cited Zimpapers, its editors and reporters whom he accused of publishing stories whose effect, he alleged, impaired his dignity.

The articles, most of which were equally covered by the private media, stemmed from an investigation launched by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (zacc) regarding how he used funds from the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef).

Some of the cited articles emanated from Press conferences that were covered by all media houses and addressed by commissioners from zacc, while others were lifted from his Twitter handle, while others arose from parliamentary proceedings.

Prof Moyo cited articles published by The Herald, Chronicle, The Sunday News and The Sunday Mail and alleged that they portrayed him as a dishonest man, a thief and a corrupt minister unfit to hold public office.

The articles he cited had the following headlines: “Probe into Prof Moyo,” “Probe into Prof Moyo, Dr Gandawa: The Details,” “Moyo likens self to Robin Hood,” “Prof Moyo ‘admits’ funds abuse,” “Zanu-PF didn’t get Zimdef loot,” “Parly summons Professor Moyo” and “Parly summons Professor Moyo to explain Zimdef abuse allegations.”

It is Prof Moyo’s averment that the articles, most of which he said were published in the 40 days prior to the issuance of summons, were in furtherance of the media’s bid to defame and malign him.

“The claims, allegations and assertions made by the defendants as set out above are false, malicious, scandalous, wrongful and defamatory of plaintiff in the extreme in that on their plain and ordinary meaning, they simply allege theft, corruption and a penchant for lawlessness by plaintiff and were intended by the defendants and understood by the readers of The Herald, The Chronicle, The Sunday Mail and The Sunday News to mean that the plaintiff is corrupt, that plaintiff is a thief who diverted fuel coupons meant for Zimbabwe Youth Council and sold them on the black market for personal profit,” read the summons.

Prof Moyo also alleged that the articles were understood to mean that he was engaged in subversive and unlawful conduct demonstrative of disloyalty to the President, his appointing authority by plotting student demonstrations against the Head of State and utilised funds to bankroll the said demonstrations during a graduation ceremony at the University of Zimbabwe last year.

“In addition to the plain and defamatory per se, contents of the articles as set out above, the defamatory allegations carry with them the secondary meaning, innuendo and sting that the plaintiff is not a law abiding citizen and therefore unfit to hold public office,” he said.

In the litigation, Prof Moyo cited Caeser Zvayi (The Herald editor), Brian Chitemba (The Sunday Mail investigations editor), Mabasa Sasa (The Sunday Mail editor), Limukani Ncube (The Sunday News editor), Lloyd Gumbo and Zvamaida Murwira (both The Herald senior reporters), Innocent Madonko (The Chronicle acting editor) and Zimpapers, as respondents.

Staff Reporter | Disgruntled founding elders of the Zimbabwe People First party Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo, have told party President Joyce Mujuru to immediately stop using the name of the party in her activities.

In a letter to Mujuru dated the 13th of February 2017 and core signed by Mutasa and Gumbo, the two veteran politicians claim to own the name of the party and consequently barring Mujuru from using the name.

The elders claim that the name of the party was coined by them and so remains with their side of the factions. Mujuru is warned of unspecified action if she continues using the name.

Mujuru’s supporters have called on the party to change the name of the party and not waste time squabbling over the name with the ousted elders. Sources within the party indicated to ZimEye.com that the party was already in the process of establishing a new name.

Terrence Mawawa, Zvishavane | Opposition Movement for Democratic Change leader, Morgan Tsvangirai has dismissed four councillors for sympathising with President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party ZimEye.com can reveal.

The four MDC councillors were dismissed after joining Zanu PF councillors in the signing of a petition against Zvishavane Town Council chairman Esau Dube. Party sources said Tsvangirai ordered the dismissal of the officials during his visit to the mining town last Tuesday.

Tsvangirai was angered by the fact that the councillors had violated party principles. MDC Provincial Secretary for Midlands, Zenzo Hove confirmed the four councillors had deliberately breached party principles and expectations. He said the four councillors Fatima Phiri, Itai Pasira, Andrew Mare and Samuel Gadziwa ignored a directive from the party and signed a petition against Dube.

“We sat down and recommended the expulsion of all councillors who signed the petition to sack Dube,” said Hove.

Party sources said Tsvangirai personally ordered the dismissal of the four councillors. “He(Tsvangirai) was furious and he said the councillors should be fired for sympathising with Zanu PF,”said a party official. Morgan Tsvangirai’s Spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka said the party had the mandate to take disciplinary measures against rogue party elements. The affected councillors said they were not worried about both Hove and Tsvangirai’s utterances because they did the right thing.

By Staff Reporter | Zimbabwe People First President, Joyce Mujuru will on Wednesday storm the Constitutional Court, to challenge her former boss President Robert Mugabe’s decree introducing bond notes.

Mujuru will attend the case in which she is challenging the legality of bond notes.

Mujuru, recently revived her bond notes case after government had enacted a law authorising their use.

Last September, the apex court threw out Dr Mujuru’s request to nullify the executive decree saying the challenge was premature and speculative because the disputed currency was not yet in circulation.

Two months later, in November, Dr Mujuru went back to the Constitutional Court to contest the legality of a Presidential decree providing a legal framework for the introduction of bond notes as legal tender in a fresh case.

She listed President Mugabe, Parliament, Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr John Mangudya and Attorney-General Advocate Prince Machaya as respondents.

She wants an order declaring that President Mugabe, by exercising Parliament’s primary law-making power through Statutory Instrument 133 of 2016, failed to fulfil his constitutional obligations to obey certain provisions of the Constitution.

She also wants the regulations to be nullified for want of fulfilling the constitutional obligations. It is her contention that President Mugabe has no constitutional authority to make statutory instruments and/or amend Acts of Parliament.

The bond notes, which are backed by a $200 million African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) loan facility, are at par with the US dollar.

Bond notes were introduced in $2 and $5 denominations would follow in March before the gradual rolling out of the $10 and $20 notes. The first phase of the bond notes introduction saw $75 million being released by end of last month.

Staff Reporter | Movement for Democratic Change President Morgan Tsvangirai continued his national meet the people tour, landing in Manicaland this morning.

The party says he engaged opinion leaders in Mutasa district, Honde Valley in Manicaland.

“The The script remains the same. The pastors, traditional leaders, business people and church leaders had grievances to do with intimidation, violence and selective distribution of food on political lines,” wrote the MDC.

“They all agreed that 2018 presented the country with the perfect opportunity to resolve the national grievances by voting in a new government. The people’s President will hold a similar engagement in Nyanga this afternoon.”

Embattled radio and television personality Tichafa ‘Tich Mataz’ Matambanadzo on Sunday visited controversial pastor Paul Sanyangore’s church service at the Kingstones House in search of spiritual help.

Reasons for his presence were not clear but he was pictured on his knees before Sanyangore leaving many speculating that he was seeking spiritual help following his legal battles. Mataz was last week hauled before the courts on allegations of smuggling clothes he had brought from China into the country.

The 48-year old was not asked to plead to the charges when he appeared before magistrate Lazini Ncube who remanded him out of custody to February 27 on $100 bail.

Tich Mataz was also ordered to surrender his passport as part of his bail conditions. Prosecutor Francesca Mukumbiri alleges that on January 7, Tich Mataz arrived at the Harare International Airport aboard a Kenyan Airways from China. Reports are that Tich Mataz picked his boxes from the carousal and went to the green route where he was stopped by Patrick Mukanganwi.

Mukunganwi is said to have ordered him to go at the route where there was one Mhanda, who was manning one of the cubicles. Mhanda allegedly asked Tich Mataz to complete a declaration form and searched his bags. It is said that Tich Mataz was found with several suits, track bottom and shoes which required $538, 75 as duty.

The court heard that Tich Mataz vanished without paying the duty which Mhanda went to another cubicle. He was later arrested and taken to court charged with smuggling. Church authorities could not give reasons why Mataz was in church leaving much to speculation.

“This is a church and it is open to everyone and for us to share the reasons why one is in church is not proper. Our doors are open and everyone is welcome,” said Sanyangore’s right hand man Andy.

Inside sources said the radio and television personality might be helping the preacher in launching a television channel.

“There are plans by the church to have a television channel and this might be the reason for having him in church,” said a source. Speaking on the television issue, church authorities said.

“This is something we are working on and we will announce when it is done. Again it is something that we cannot share at the moment.  This not the first time that popular figures have visited the preacher’s church with Beverly Sibanda, Mathias Mhere and Tafadzwa Mapako among others to have visited him. – State Media

Staff Reporter | As the Zimbabwe People First party saga rages on, spokesperson for the Joyce Mujuru led faction Jealous Mawarire has issued a press statement claiming that ousted women’s wing leader Margaret Dongo cannot convene meetings for the party’s women’s wing.

In his statement where he describes Dongo and other fired party leaders as “nuisance variables,” Mawarire claims that the defiant Dongo has been summoning women from the party structures throughout the country for a women’s wing meeting in Harare purportedly to be addressed by President Mujuru.

Mawarire warns his party members that all party meetings at this stage are only being communicated to the members through the national mobiliser Dzikamai Mavhaire.

The cunning Dongo is reportedly fighting to regroup women in the party into the fired Rugare Gumbo and Didymus Mutasa faction which she belongs to.

Mujuru is on the other hand going on a nationwide tour of the country’s provinces checking on the party structures and seeking ratification by the provinces of her move to fire seven senior party officials last week.

By Staff Reporter | In a shocking development which further impoverishes the poor, the Norton Town Council on Monday did not only destroy market stalls used by informal traders to sell their wares, but burnt down their wares in the process.

According to eyewitnesses, clothes amounting to thousands of dollars were destroyed in the arson attack on vendors by the local authority.

Norton MP, Temba Mliswa said he was driving “there “, when ZimEye.com called him for a comment on Tuesday.

Norton Town Council is said to be on a crusade of cleaning up the town.

Staff Reporter | In an interview with television personality, Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa,  Olinda Chideme blows open on issues that have not been in the public domain. Olinda for instance tells a LIVE audience that she was pregnant and suffered a miscarriage in the presence of her family members, in the process that triggered her public outbursts against Husband Stunner.

Olinda says her husband knew nothing of the pregnancy, and she did not want to use the matter as a blackmail tool, when their marital issues started.

“I know people say that my anger is misdirected, ” Olinda explains why she then resorted to social media. “It is my fault, I have taken this publicly, I owe people an explanation to the end.”

“The last two days we have spent time speaking to each other, I was speaking to Desmond, and Desmond was speaking to the rational side of Olinda,” she tells Ruvheneko. More to follow…

Olinda Chapel has revealed Stunner has been a good father for her kids.

“He has been a great dad for my kids…,” she said.

WATCH VIDEO:

Tajamuka leader Promise Mkwananzi’s attorney has slammed the Sheriff of the High Court for bungling the case in which the Constitutional Court (Con-Court) dismissed the activist’s challenge that President Robert Mugabe was violating the Constitution by violently quashing protests.

The Con-Court bench — led by Deputy Chief Justice Luke Malaba — threw out the case last Wednesday after ruling that Mkwananzi had flouted proper procedure by lodging his application to the wrong address.

Instead of delivering his court papers at Mugabe’s offices at Munhumutapa Building — the citadel of government power — Mkwananzi served the papers at the New Government Complex.

But yesterday, Mkwananzi’s lawyer, Kudzayi Kadzere — who consented to the decision — told the Daily News yesterday that the sheriff, Mcdoff Madhega, had submitted fake returns of service and false service to the courts.-*

The sheriff, his deputy or assistant deputy, execute all sentences, decrees, judgments, writs, summonses, rules, orders, warrants, commands and other process of the courts, and is obliged to make a return to the court, together with the manner of the execution.

“He was supposed to serve the president at his Munhumutapa office in terms of Rule 9 of the Constitutional Court rules but instead of doing so, filed a return of service showing that service was effected at New Government Complex.

“The sheriff is an officer of court and ought to take his duties seriously!” Kadzere fumed.
“For him to bungle such an important case, which has never been heard before in our jurisdiction, is unfortunate,” he said.

“Even more disturbing is that our client paid the requisite fees for the sheriff’s services considering the risk involved in us having to serve the application ourselves on the president.”

Efforts to reach Madhega at the High Court yesterday were futile.
But Attorney-General Prince Machaya, who was the government lawyer during the court hearing, in asking the Con-Court to dismiss the case, cited the bungled return of service and also noted the application to the president was supposed to be served within two days after filing it in the Con-Court, which Kadzere said the sheriff again failed to do.

“He was also supposed to have served the application within two days of it having been filed as per Rule 27 but he fumbled around for seven straight days.

“For these reasons, the otherwise meritable application was dismissed,” the 2015 northern region human rights lawyer of the year, said.

Central to the case was Mkwananzi’s accusation that Mugabe was overstepping his authority, and that the police force and army had gone under the president’s partisan control, which he argued was ultra vires the Constitution.

He cited Mugabe’s remarks at a war veterans meeting that followed one of #Tajamuka/Sesijikile’s protests last year, where the veteran leader said his ruling Zanu PF disciplined renegades during the 70s liberation war against white minority rule by burying them “underground like rats, in bunkers” — threatening to unleash the same treatment on the protest group leaders.

Mkwananzi described Mugabe’s threats as “unconstitutional and un-president like verbal onslaught.”

Mkwananzi wanted the Con-Court to declare Mugabe’s actions unconstitutional.
Kadzere has said they are going to re-apply within 30 days in terms of the Constitution, adding that “we are not giving up”. – Daily News

Staff Reporter | The Meteorological Services Department (MSD) has warned that a tropical cyclone will hit the country on Thursday with Matabeleland South, Masvingo and Manicaland provinces expected to be the hardest hit.

In a statement, the MSD said the cyclone may result in extreme flooding. “The Meteorological Services Department wishes to issue a high alert for tropical cyclone-type rainfall that is forecast from Thursday 16 to Monday 20 February 2017.

“The areas likely to be impacted most are Masvingo and Matabeleland South provinces as well as the southern areas of Manicaland Province,” read the statement.

“Tropical cyclones are preceded by very strong and damaging winds followed by extreme flooding. The MSD is closely monitoring the situation and will issue another alert as soon as the level of significance warrants it.”

The MSD said in case of heavy rains and flooding, if possible, people should stay indoors and off the roads.

“Avoid crossing flooded rivers and swollen streams where the depth is unknown. Avoid driving on a road covered by water and be very cautious at night when it’s harder to recognise flood dangers. In case of severe thunderstorms, if outdoors, seek shelter immediately but do not seek shelter under a tree or in isolated sheds,” the MSD said.
Most parts of the country have experienced heavy rains that have resulted in flooding and damage to property in some areas.

Some people have also lost their lives while attempting to cross flooded rivers while others have been struck by lightning. Late last month, Umzingwane River and its tributaries notably Insiza, Nkankezi and others were flooded. Part of the Bulawayo–Beitbridge highway was flooded blocking traffic for nearly 12 hours.

In 2000 Cyclone Eline, with speeds of up to 120km per hour, hit Zimbabwe with devastating effects. During the Cyclone Eline-induced floods, a total of 136 deaths were reported while 59 184 houses and huts were destroyed, 14 999 toilets caved in, 538 schools and 54 clinics were damaged. About 230 dams burst while a total of 20 000 head of livestock were lost.

A Botswana national who escaped from a prison in the neighbouring country has been arrested in Zimbabwe for illegal migration.

Givemore Chaloba (26) from Francistown last month fled from Gerald Estates Centre in the neighbouring country together with two other Botswana nationals and 15 Zimbabweans.

Chaloba allegedly entered Zimbabwe through an illegal entry point at Maitengwe Border Post and started living with his relatives in Bulilima District.

He was convicted on his own plea of guilty to illegal migration by Plumtree magistrate Mr Joshua Mawere.

Chaloba was fined $200 or two months imprisonment in case of default.

He told the court that he was arrested after his relatives, who had been promised a reward by Botswana authorities, sold him out.

“I fled from a prison in Botswana where I was being held for theft and I went to my mother’s homestead in Bambadzi area in Bulilima District.

My cousins who are in Botswana learnt that I was on the run and they informed my relatives in Zimbabwe.

My uncle informed the police who arrested me while I was in Bambadzi.

“On the day that I fled from prison, I saw some of my inmates escaping during lunchtime and I joined them. I was not involved in planning the escape,” he said.

Prosecuting, Mrs Rose Sibanda said Chaloba was arrested on February 8 at around 4PM.

She said police officers were on patrol in Maitengwe when they received information that Chaloba, who was an illegal immigrant, was at a homestead in Nsuluba Village in Bambadzi Ward.

Mrs Sibanda said police officers went to the area and asked Chaloba to produce his identification documents but he failed to do so, leading to his arrest.

Botswana Prison Service Northern Regional Commander Senior Assistant Commissioner Sekano Sekano said they would apply for Ndlovu’s extradition.

Eighteen inmates among them three Botswana nationals last month escaped from Gerald Estates Centre in Francistown during lunchtime.

They used the lid of a manhole to cut a security fence at the prison and escaped.

Three of them were arrested a day after escaping from custody.

The escapees were arrested for different crimes in Botswana which include murder, robbery, and possession of ivory, housebreaking and theft.

A Zimbabwean man who also escaped from the prison was recently jailed for 18 months for unlawful entry and theft in Plumtree.

Thembelani Ndlovu (27) stole property valued at R3 600 from Mr Brian Sibanda of Makuzeze Village who had offered him a place to sleep for the night on January 16.

Five other Zimbabweans who escaped from prison in Botswana were said to have been arrested last month. – State Media

A Bulawayo man, Rodney Tongai Jindu, 26, of Glengarry, was yesterday pulled into court on a second murder charge.

Jindu was charged with the murder of Mboneli Joko Ncube (35).

Prosecution papers saying Jindu shot Ncube and dismembered his body, set the pieces on fire before burying them in four shallow graves.

The man appeared in court yesterday when the magistrate advised him to apply for bail at the High Court.

He was remanded him in custody to next week, 21st of February.

Jindu is at present facing another murder charge, that of the late Cyprian Kudzurunga (28).

Jindu allegedly shot Kudzurunga dead with a shotgun before burying his body in a shallow grave.

It is alleged he killed Ncube for Satanist ritual promises, while Kudzurunga was killed to silence him as he had stumbled on evidence of Ncube’s murder.

The state media says Jindu yesterday appeared relaxed and unfazed by the huge crowd that spilled out of the gallery into the corridors yesterday, was represented by Mr Simba Mawere.

On his first court appearance, Jindu had no legal representation after his lawyer, Mr Byron Sengweni, ditched him at the last minute under unclear circumstances.

Clad in prison garb, Jindu was brought to court by armed detectives from the CID Homicide Section in leg irons, drawing the attention of members of the public and court officials who jostled to catch a glimpse of the alleged serial killer.

Prosecuting, Mr Taurai Hondoyemoto said on January 12 this year, Jindu drove to a supermarket situated at corner Robert Mugabe Way and 11th Avenue and met Ncube.

They proceeded to Burnside suburb, but the reason for the trip was not mentioned in court papers.

Mr Hondoyemoto said on arrival in Burnside, Jindu pulled out an Optima pistol serial number 13752 from his car and allegedly shot Ncube twice in the chest and he died on the spot.

He then allegedly chopped the body into pieces, set them on fire before burying them in four different shallow graves.

Police investigations led to the arrest of Jindu and he confessed to the killing.

He allegedly made indications which led to the recovery of the body parts in four different sites where they were buried.

The firearm allegedly used in committing the offence was recovered.

A SUSPECTED serial killer from Bulawayo who allegedly shot dead his friend and a neighbour before burying them in shallow graves in Burnside suburb, was yesterday back in court.

Scores of people turned up to catch a glimpse of Rodney Tongai Jindu (26) of Glengarry suburb when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Tinashe Tashaya facing a second murder charge in connection with the death of Mboneli Joko Ncube (30).

Police arrested Jindu on February 3 for allegedly killing his childhood friend Cyprian Kudzurunga (28) of Queens Park East on January 29.

In the second charge, he allegedly shot Ncube and cut the dismembered body and set the pieces on fire before burying them in four shallow graves.

The magistrate remanded Jindu in custody to February 21 and advised him to apply to the High Court for bail.

Jindu, who appeared relaxed and unfazed by the huge crowd that spilled out of the gallery into the corridors yesterday, was represented by Mr Simba Mawere.

On his first court appearance, Jindu had no legal representation after his lawyer, Mr Byron Sengweni, ditched him at the last minute under unclear circumstances.

Clad in prison garb, Jindu was brought to court by armed detectives from the CID Homicide Section in leg irons, drawing the attention of members of the public and court officials who jostled to catch a glimpse of the alleged serial killer.

Prosecuting, Mr Taurai Hondoyemoto said on January 12 this year, Jindu drove to a supermarket situated at corner Robert Mugabe Way and 11th Avenue and met Ncube.

They proceeded to Burnside suburb, but the reason for the trip was not mentioned in court papers.

Mr Hondoyemoto said on arrival in Burnside, Jindu pulled out an Optima pistol serial number 13752 from his car and allegedly shot Ncube twice in the chest and he died on the spot.

He then allegedly chopped the body into pieces, set them on fire before burying them in four different shallow graves.

Police investigations led to the arrest of Jindu and he confessed to the killing.

He allegedly made indications which led to the recovery of the body parts in four different sites where they were buried.

The firearm allegedly used in committing the offence was recovered. – State Media

Staff Reporter | Beleaguered Zimbabwe People First President, Joice Mujuru, yesterday shocked all and sundry after the entire party leadership in Mashonaland East Province went out in full force to express their allegiance to her.

In a Provincial Council meeting held in Bindura yesterday, the entire leadership of the province took turns to stand up and express their support for Mujuru and endorsed her decision to dismiss party founding elders Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo with five other senior party members.

The members urged Mujuru not to waste time fighting with Mutasa and Gumbo on the party name and instead opt for a different name for the party.

The provincial council meeting which was meant to be attended only by party leaders in the constituency structures saw hundreds of other party members and sympathetic members of the public battling with party security personnel who were trying to restrict entry into the hall.

The purported provincal council meeting ended up turning to be a near rally as hundreds of people thronged the small hall singing praises to Mujuru.

According to party officials Mujuru who is on a nation wide tour of the provinces to check on her party structures will be going to Mutare on Thursday before making a long trip to Gwanda on Saturday.

Staff Reporter | Matabeleland South Minister for Presidential Affairs Abednico Ncube, and his two sons are reportedly on a blitz grabbing prime land in Gwanda town and evicting vendors using the land.

Information made available to ZimEye.com by sources within the Municipality of Gwanda indicates that Minister Ncube and his son Lesley who is a senior ZANU PF member have ordered council to move vendors from land in the town’s Central Business District and Jacaranda Low Density suburb to take over the pieces of land for their own selfish purposes.

The sources indicate that the corrupt family has already started telling the vendors to vacate the pieces of land before their application to acquire the land is approved by council.

In an interview Mayor Knowledge Ndlovu expressed ignorance on the said land grab by the Minister and his family. Ndlovu said that the application for the land in question has not yet been presented to full council.

However, minutes of the council’s health and housing committee made available to ZimEye.com by the sources indicate that the committee has all but approved allocation of the land to the Minister and his sons Lesley and Jonathan.

Over 150 vendors who have been using the land for the last twenty years will be evicted from the areas to make way for the Minister and his sons.

The Gwanda Residents Association could not immediately be reached for a comment on the matter.

First Lady Grace Mugabe and Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa will face each other in a key politburo meeting tomorrow.

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe will once again come face to face with warring protagonists in the intriguing ruling party succession matrix when he presides over the former liberation movement’s politburo meeting tomorrow.

It will be the first meeting of the party’s administrative body since the soon-to-be 93-year-old leader left the country for his annual leave late last year and party insiders say warring factions will go all out to outdo each other.

Senior party sources yesterday said tomorrow’s meeting would tackle the leadership crisis in Masvingo province following attempts by party heavyweights and the provincial leadership to reinstate former chairperson, Ezra Chadzamira, as the head of the province after forcing out acting chairperson, Amasa Nenjana.

NewsDay heard that the politburo would have to deal with some politburo and senior party members who are alleged to have orchestrated Nenjana’s removal from office despite party secretary for administration, Ignatius Chombo, having written a letter indicating Chadzamira remained an ordinary card-carrying member.

Chombo confirmed the meeting, but would not reveal the agenda, saying it was only known by the President.

“Yes, the politburo will meet, but I do not have the agenda with me. It’s with the President,” he said.

But sources said factional fights in Masvingo and preparations for Mugabe’s birthday celebrations were bound to top the agenda.

“The Masvingo nonsense will have to be put to rest on Wednesday because we can’t have people who do things in a manner that brings the party into disrepute. Chadzamira was given a letter by Chombo on December 15 and there has been no meeting thereof to change that,” a senior party member said.

According to informed sources, the politburo will also get a report from the two Vice-Presidents Emmerson Mnangagwa and Phelekezela Mphoko, who stood in for Mugabe while he was away on leave.

Mnangagwa’s contentious December “mug-meeting” will likely also come up for discussion, with his enemies in the G40 faction accusing Mugabe’s long-time lieutenant of supping with “enemies”.

Another source said Zanu PF political commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere was expected to give a report on the state of the party, which could centre on growing dissent within Zanu PF.

“The issues of chairpersons [acting chairpersons] and the idea of co-option will also come under discussion. They are people, who are pushing for elections of chairpersons, so that instead of us having unelected people being anointed as substantive, it would cost the party. Let the will of the people prevail,” NewsDay heard. – Newsday

Connect with HON Buhera South MP, Joseph Chinotimba on ZimEye.com at 8am (Zim time) today for his Valentine’s special message to Zimbabweans around the world.

CIVIL servants yesterday rejected the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) saying the prevailing economic conditions are not conducive for such a scheme as the Government is struggling to meet its current obligations to its employees.

Civil servants, through the Apex Council, a body bringing together civil servants’ unions, said although the scheme is noble, Government does not have financial muscle to augment its sustenance because of the negative economic conditions.

Appearing before the Parliamentary committee on Public Service Labour and Social Welfare, Apex Council executive comprising the chairperson Mrs Cecilia Alexander, her deputy Mr Ladislous Zunde, information and publicity secretary Mr George Mushipe, called on Government to shelve the scheme and resume it when conditions are favourable.

“The timing for the introduction of this scheme could never be more offside. Civil servants in Zimbabwe have not had a salary increment in years now, this in spite of the salaries being below the poverty datum line,” she said.

“Regardless of this fact, in the past year, Government has unilaterally deducted an average $40 per month from every worker towards pension and more recently NSSA has had to regularise contributions by increasing Government workers contributions by 0,5 percent.

“It should be brought to the attention of Government that the milking cow has no milk anymore. Civil servants are now overtaxed, underpaid and overworked.”

The sentiments by the Apex Council come after Cabinet in November last year, approved the setting up of the scheme to assist allow the majority of Zimbabweans to access universal healthcare.

All sections of the community, including those in the informal sector and farmers, will be considered to ensure all citizens have access to health cover.

Drafting for the Bill started following the approval of principles presented to Cabinet by Public Service, Labour and Social Services Minister Prisca Mupfumira, supported by her Health and Child Care counterpart Dr David Parirenyatwa.

Civil servants, Mrs Alexander said, were not consulted on the Bill and are surprised that Government proceeded with the scheme even after they rejected it last year.

She said the timing was offside considering that they have not had salary increments for the past three years, and that they are yet to receive their 13th cheque for 2016.

PSMAS, Mrs Alexander said, was owed thousands of dollars by Government and against such background, it would be favourable to bankroll PSMAS first before undertaking a big project such as the proposed NHIS.

“The Government of Zimbabwe has an obligation to consult all workers before implementing this scheme. Disturbingly, the Government seems determined to proceed without such consultation and in breach of Section 65 of the Constitution and ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which gives workers the right to consult and be consulted,” she said.

“This omission will not augur well for the success of the scheme if key stakeholders do not have a buy-in. It is also indisputable that the state of healthcare delivery in Zimbabwe is in deplorable state with our health institutions incapacitated to provide the most basic care. Workers feel that this will be just another tax with no guaranteed health service to them.”

Establishing the NHIS was mooted in 2007 but was shot down by workers as they argued that it would further strain overtaxed workers since the initial proposal was to tax workers five percent. – State Media

SUSPENDED Prosecutor-General Johannes Tomana (pictured), who is facing six counts of criminal abuse of office, is now challenging the constitutional validity of his prosecution at the High Court. Tomana’s trial had been set for yesterday, but Advocate Thabani Mpofu instructed by Mambosasa Legal Practice, filed an application for stay of prosecution. The lawyers are arguing that the prosecution was invalid and that it must be stayed.

Alternatively, the lawyers are seeking an order stopping the trial pending finalisation of the Disciplinary Tribunal to determine Tomana’s suitability to continue holding the esteemed office.

The lawyers will today make oral submissions in court. Tomana, in his affidavit, is challenging the constitutional validity of the prosecution. “I submit that it is in breach of the protection of the law guarantee as set out under Section 56(1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe and is accordingly and on account of Section 2(1) of the same Constitution void,” reads the affidavit.

He argues that the trial has not been brought within a reasonable period of time.

“The charges raised against me date back to the year 2009. The Nherera matter concerns what is alleged to have occurred on or around the 19th of November 2009. The Basile matter is also a 2009 matter and so is the Mavros matter. That is also true for the Matonga matters.

“There has been no change in the Government of Zimbabwe. There has been no change in her constitutional framework and statutory laws. The forces that are behind the activation of this process, whatever/whoever they are, have been in existence as at the respective dates of the conduct now impugned.

“Nothing stopped those forces from activating this process earlier and indeed, before I made the transition from Attorney-General to Prosecutor-General,” Tomana argues.

He contends that his right to a fair hearing within a reasonable time as enshrined under Section 69 of the Constitution will be violated if the trial starts. Tomana argues that the delay in bringing the criminal proceedings was inordinate and no tangible reasons exist to substantiate it.

Memory, according to Tomana, had been affected by the passage of time. Tomana argues that the decision by the Acting PG to charge him amounted to breach of the Constitution.

“Both in terms of the former and the current Constitution, I have a constitutional discretion to decide what matters to prosecute and what matters not to prosecute. “The exercise of such discretion cannot be reviewed particularly under these circumstances where it is not alleged neither is it intended to be proved that I corrupted myself,” he said.

Tomana argued that the criminal trial and the tribunal cannot run concurrently, hence the court must wait until finalisation of the disciplinary proceedings.

“To the extent that the tribunal processes are constitutionally mandated to place recommendations before the President of the Republic, it is by law that tribunal must inquire into these issues. If the tribunal takes the view that I conducted myself criminally, it is for that tribunal to recommend a prosecution.

“In the meantime and for those reasons, the prosecution should be stayed. These processes cannot run concurrently,” he said. Tomana is facing trial for criminal abuse of office after he allegedly dropped charges against suspects accused of attempting to bomb Gushungo Dairy.

Allegations in the other cases are that in 2004, Bright Matonga, then chief executive of Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (Zupco), was charged with culpable homicide. It is alleged that the charge arose from a road traffic accident that claimed the life of magistrate Ms Chipo Chikowore.

Tomana allegedly called for the docket and instructed that the charges be dropped. In 2006, Matonga was charged with contravening sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. In December 2008, Tomana allegedly instructed Morgan Dube to drop charges after plea against Matonga.

The court heard that in 2006, Zupco board chairman Charles Nherera was charged with corruption. Tomana testified as a defence witness and Nherera was sentenced to three years in prison.

After sentence, Nherera unsuccessfully applied for bail, pending appeal at the High Court. Nherera served his sentence and was released from prison in December 2008. When Tomana was appointed AG, he declared that Nherera was innocent and wrongfully convicted.

The court heard that former Bindura Hospital acting medical superintendent Beauty Basile was charged with criminal abuse of duty. She appeared before the Harare Regional Magistrates Court.

Tomana allegedly ordered the withdrawal of charges after plea on November 24, 2009. The court heard that in October 2009, Patrick Mavros, a gold dealer, was charged with possession of gold without a licence. Mavros admitted to the charges but Tomana directed that prosecution be declined, it is alleged.- State Media

Legislators were stunned yesterday after Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo accused the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission of being behind a break-in at his offices in August last year. Prof Moyo accused Zacc of leaking the information to the media several documents he said the anti-graft body “unlawfully got” from his offices at the New Government Complex.

He was giving oral evidence before a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development chaired by Chinhoyi MP Dr Peter Mataruse (MDC-T).

In his evidence, Prof Moyo said it was surprising that the documents that The Sunday Mail reported as having “stumbled” upon by Zacc, were the very documents that went missing when the ministry’s offices were broken into.

“How do they stumble on the ministry’s work. These documents that they claim to have stumbled on are 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. These are documents that were not lawfully taken from the ministry and now they think they are clever to say we have stumbled on them,” said Prof Moyo.

He said his office, his permanent secretary, Dr Machivenyika Mapuranga and seven directors had their offices broken into and ransacked. “Then we hear people boasting that they have stumbled on documents. You do not take documents by breaking into offices, that is unlawful. You use warrants,” he said.

He said the majority of the $4,5 million worth of transactions deemed to be suspicious by the media had been approved by his predecessors.

Prof Moyo also attacked Zacc’s decision to write to Speaker of the National Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda justifying corruption allegations the anti-graft body had levelled against him in respect of the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund.

He said what was strange was that Zacc copied the letter to Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Home Affairs Minister Ignatious Chombo and Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet Dr Misheck Sibanda.

Adv Mudenda was head of a Zanu-PF panel constituted to probe claims by Prof Moyo that the money he took from Zimdef funded party activities. Prof Moyo said as a result of Zacc’s conduct, which he said did not take the sub-judice rule, officers in his ministry were now living in fear and sometimes failed to cooperate with him on some issues.

“I want you to take note of the fact that it has been very difficult for us in the ministry to discharge our policy and legislative responsibility because of this.

“I want you to take note that it is my considered view that we have been derailed not necessarily of the law, but because of issues which have nothing to do with the law,” Prof Moyo told the committee.

“On the 9th of December 2016, Zacc wrote a letter to the Speaker raising all sorts of issues and if the rule of sub judice applies, it is surprising that the matter is at the courts but Zacc is writing to the Speaker, in the signature of the chairperson, but clearly raising issues that are of interest to a particular commissioner,” said Prof Moyo.

“That cannot be hidden from the public. The idea that people do things behind the scenes and do so in violation of the legal proceedings is unacceptable. “We think that if the Zimdef issue is going to come to Parliament, it has to do so through this committee. We think it is unprocedural and even illegal to do it in this manner,” he said.

Prof Moyo said it was now unworkable to discharge his duties in the ministry and even if the President was to assign another person in future to steer his ministry, he would not deliver as long as that person was targeted.

“But even if that somebody else is not targeted they are going to find a bureaucracy that is now in a state of crippling fear,” he said. Prof Moyo urged the committee to take interest in Zacc so that it could be held to account to Parliament.

Legislators did not however grill Prof Moyo on justification of buying bicycles for traditional leaders in his Tsholotsho North constituency. Instead, some of them requested to be given laptops and that the ministry should facilitate workshops for them to have an appreciation on the ministry’s Sustainable Development Goals.

They also requested to have the ministry facilitate field visits of projects funded by Zimdef.- State Media

Dear Editor | A Chitungwiza man has killed his wife over used condoms.

The man whose identity we will reveal later, at the weekend killed his wife (also pictured) after the latter had found used condoms in the former’s pockets.

According to the late lady’s close friends, the body of the inquisitive wife was found under the bed in her matrimonial home Sunday morning. More details to follow..

Ray Nkosi | Another court in Matebeleland has humiliated Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa once again, ruling in favour of Matobo villagers.

The villagers have been fighting plans by Mnangagwa to move them from their traditional lands to make way for an extension of the ARDA Maphisa estate under a programme he leads with Trek Petroleum company.

27 Villagers from four villages in the Matobo District who have been to and fro the courts for protesting the land grab order in September last year, have all been acquitted by a Kezi magistrate.

The 27 including MDC- T Senator from the area Sithembile Mlotshwa who were being charged with holding an illegal demonstration and obstructing free movement of traffic were cleared this morning of all charges laid against them.

The magistrate threw away the charges against the 27 on the grounds that the state’s case against them was weak and did not warrant any punishment against the villagers.

The villagers were arrested by police as they were gathering to meet the District Administrator at Maphisa Growth Point, to demand for a reversal on eviction orders that were issued against them.

Ray Nkosi | President Robert Mugabe is reported to be mulling over a cabinet reshuffle. Mugabe will meet the Zanu PF supreme decision making body this Wednesday for the first time this year, with reports that the 93 year old leader is going to undertake a massive cabinet shake up.

Reports indicate that Mugabe who last year declared corrupt ministers be arrested for at least five years, will use this opportunity to prune and get rid of dead wood in his cabinet.

The state media reports that the party’s supreme decision- making body outside Congress meets after the successful hosting of the 16th Annual National People’s Conference hosted by Masvingo Province in December last year.

Zanu-PF National Secretary for Administration Ignatius Chombo yesterday said the Politburo would meet at the party headquarters.

“The Politburo is meeting on Wednesday and all members should attend and be seated by 10am,” he said. Chombo could not, however, disclose the agenda for the meeting.
The revolutionary party holds the meeting buoyed by its recent victory in the Bikita West National Assembly by-election. The party’s candidate, Beauty Chabaya, romped to a landslide victory, garnering 13 156 votes against the embattled ZimPF candidate Mr Kudakwashe Gopo, who had 2 453 votes.

A lawyer has appeared before a Harare magistrate facing allegations of embezzling more than $8 000 in trust funds.

Moses Shingiriro Chinyenze, of MS Chinyenze and Associates, was remanded out of custody to February 15 by Ms Tilda Mazhandu.

The court heard that an estate, which includes stand number 1521 Mabelreign, belonging to the late Christopher Tavhiringwa Chimbumu, was to be transferred to his children after an order had been granted by the High Court.

Prosecuting, Mrs Moleen Murozvi-Sibanda told the court that Chinyenze was appointed by the High Court to do a transfer of the immovable property and documents which included title deeds and the consent paper were handed to him.

It is alleged that consent was granted by the Master of the High Court after a decision to sell the estate was made by the beneficiaries.

It is further alleged that in January 2016, Joseph Ngondonga bought the property and deposited a payment amounting to $8 450 on different occasions into Chinyenze’s ZB Bank account.

The court heard that Chinyenze did not process the transfer of the estate into Ngondonga’s name as per obligation.

After failing to locate Chinyenze, Ngondonga reported the matter to police.

Investigations indicated that Chinyenze had withdrawn the deposited money, but did not do the transfer of the immovable property into Ngondonga’s name.

It is the State’s case that a total of $8 450 was lost and nothing was recovered. – State Media

A Rusape motor mechanic recently committed suicide when the police had launched a manhunt for him after he had kidnapped a female traffic officer before throwing her out his moving vehicle seriously injuring her in the process.

Cosmas Mufambi (34) was found by his wife at Lakeview area of Rusape Dam hanging from a tree with his neck tied by a rope last Wednesday morning.

Mufambi had been arrested at Panmart Supermarket for a traffic offence but failed to raise the required spot fine and a policewoman was tasked to accompany him to Rusape Central Police Station for opening of a docket against him.

Rusape District police spokesman Assistant Inspector Muzondiwa Clean confirmed the incident saying the police officer was admitted at Rusape General Hospital.

“On 7 February, 2017 at around 1845hrs Cosmas Mufambi was driving a Nissan Sunny vehicle registration ADC 6896 and was arrested at Panmart Supermarket by National Highway Patrol Traffic Enforcement team for a traffic offence. He did not have the money to pay the fine.

“A police woman was tasked to escort Mufambi to ZRP Rusape for docket compilation. Instead of driving to ZRP Rusape Central he drove at a high speed along Mutare –Harare highway for about 2km and at 172km peg he reduced speed and pushed the police officer out of the vehicle.

“He sped off towards Mutare and the police officer was rescued by her teammates who followed Mufambi using a well wisher’s vehicle and took her to Rusape General Hospital. On 8 February, 2017 at 0800hrs Mufambi was found hanging from a tree branch near Lakeview at Rusape Dam about 500 metres from their homestead by his wife Shylet Gwemwe 27.

“A report was then made to police who attended the scene and took the body to Rusape General Hospital for a post-mortem. Investigations are in progress.  As police we want to urge members of the public to always comply and obey police instructions and always co-operate. Being arrested does not mean the end of the world,’’ said Assistant Inspector Clean. – State Media

Staff Reporter | Denford Ngadziore popularly known as “Madhuku,” who was arrested for demonstrating against Higher and Tertiary Education Minister, Jonathan Moyo and calling for his arrest, has been acquitted.

“It was a Zimdef scandal where we tried to effect citizen arrests on Jonathan Moyo and l was arrested and have been on trial for over 4 months now and today was acquitted, ” said Madhuku.

A Harare Magistrate had previously released on $100 bail, the MDC-T youth assembly secretary for Harare.

Staff Reporter | Contrary to all other opposition parties, Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), President Professor Welshman Ncube says that there is nothing wrong with President Robert Mugabe having his birthday celebrations in the Gukurahundi atrocities sites in Matobo.

Speaking in an interview with journalists over the weekend, Ncube said that Zimbabwe is a free country and Mugabe is free to hold his birthday celebrations anywhere he sees fit in the country including the Matobo district where thousands of Gukurahundi atrocities victims lie buried in shallow graves and disused mines.

According to Ncube, the venue of Mugabe’s birthday celebrations can never erase the brutality which Mugabe inflicted on Zimbabweans which is what should be of concern and not the venue of the birthday.

“Zimbabwe is one indivisible whole. Mugabe is free to party and feast in any corner of Zimbabwe and equally his cronies are free to join him in celebrating the anguish he has inflicted on the people of this country throughout his rule,” he said.

“Whether the celebrations are done in Zvimba, Chiredzi, Nyanga, Matopo or Tsholotsho is neither here nor there and does not change an iota of anything relating to his cruel rule which is marked by the many mass graves in many parts of the Southern Provinces,” Ncube emphasised.

Ncube’s sentiments came amidst a huge hullabaloo from other opposition parties and pressure groups against Mugabe holding the celebrations in the district not far from Balagwe Mine which was used as a Gukurahundi concentration camp and where thousands of people were killed and thrown down the disused mine.

The pressure groups viewed the move by Mugabe as being arrogant and disrespectful of the people he killed during his Gukurahundi era which he calls a moment of madness. The pressure groups eventually forced Mugabe to move his venue from within the Gukurahundi sites to near by Cecil John Rhodes Estate.

Professor Ncube urged Zimbabweans to instead unite to bring the perpetrators of the atrocities to book.

“Our task should not be to castigate Mugabe and ZANU PF over where they hold their celebration but to unite and work together as a people to bring his rule to an end and to put on trial and punish all those guilty of the Gukurahundi atrocities. Nothing else matters except justice for the victims and their relatives.”

Shyleen Mtandwa | Morgan Tsvangirai and Joice Mujuru clashed over the weekend in the ancient town of Masvingo.

Mujuru who is in a bitter internal struggle within her Zimbabwe People First party chose Masvingo as the venue to mobilise her party grassroots structures, pictures of which her supporters would soon flaunt on social media.

Wrote Mujuru of the meeting, “Today l addressed the Masvingo Provincial Executive Committee ,l was accompanied to the province by members of the National Executive Council. The Party continues to build Brick by Brick as we proceed with our party programs .”

Meanwhile, Tsvangirai addressed the party’s Masvingo provincial assembly. He wound up his Masvingo tour and left for Manicaland.

A SUSPECTED serial killer from Bulawayo allegedly cut the dismembered body of his second victim and set the pieces on fire before burying them in four shallow graves.

Rodney Tongai Jindu (25) was arrested on February 3 for allegedly killing his childhood friend Cyprian Kudzurunga (28) and burying his body at a plot in Burnside.

Police last Friday exhumed the mutilated remains of the second victim, which Jindu allegedly said belonged to Mboneli Ncube (30), his neighbour and friend who lived four houses away from his home in Glengarry.

The head, a hand and both legs had been cut off.

Fear has gripped Jindu’s friends and neighbours as details of the cold blooded killing emerged over the weekend.

Jindu allegedly shot Kudzurunga, from Queens Park suburb at point blank range with a shotgun on January 29 before burying the body at a vacant residential stand in Burnside suburb.

On Friday, he led officers from the Criminal Investigations Department Homicide Section to the same piece of land — Number 13 Westmount Road — where the body of his second victim, was discovered next to the spot where he allegedly buried Kudzurunga.

Jindu told detectives that a malayitsha offered him $20 000 or a Toyota Quantum for body parts belonging to people with a Ncube surname.

He is said to have told police that he was arrested before he collected the promised money.

Glengarry residents said they first knew Jindu owned a shotgun when they saw him on January 29 — the day he allegedly killed Kudzurunga — chasing after one of his dogs in a fit of rage, saying he wanted to shoot it.

“It was probably target practice in preparation for shooting his friend later that night,” said a resident.

National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Charity Charamba said: “I‘m aware this man confessed to having killed this second person. At the moment I haven’t received details on the matter.”

Sources said Jindu allegedly told police that the human remains were those of his neighbour, Ncube, also known as Keith.

Ncube went missing on January 12 this year.

Jindu allegedly confessed he shot and killed Ncube on the same day.

A family member who preferred anonymity said the Ncube family had not yet gathered for mourning as they awaited DNA results to confirm that the decomposed remains belonged to their relative.

Sources close to investigations said Jindu told police that he killed Ncube for ritual purposes and went on to kill Kudzurunga because he feared he would expose him after he (Kudzurunga) allegedly stumbled on evidence of the murder.

“Forensic tests may determine if more body parts are missing,” said a source.

“Jindu said he shot Ncube dead and handed over the body to the cross border transporters who harvested body parts and gave him the remains in a plastic bag for burial.

“Jindu took the dismembered body, cut it to pieces which he set on fire to conceal evidence before he buried them in four separate graves,” said the source.

“DNA results will prove if Jindu told the truth that those parts indeed belong to Ncube’s body.”

When the Chronicle visited Glengarry and Burnside suburbs yesterday, some residents had locked themselves in their houses, with one revealing that they are living in fear after discovering the mystery behind Jindu.

Another neighbour from Glengarry, who was close to Jindu, said everyone’s gates were locked as they are not sure if Jindu worked on his project alone.

“What if his accomplices are unsuspected people close by?

“We never knew or suspected that we were living with a deadly serial killer. Jindu was an extremely quiet character, who respected everyone. We never got to know what exactly he was doing for a living but he lived a flashy life, driving an expensive white Nissan Gloria with a V6 engine,” said a neighbour who asked not to be named.

A neighbour in Burnside said recently they had seen Jindu digging the graves and he told them he wanted to install water pipes and the meter.

“We knew him as a caretaker, who frequented the stand, would fix the fence and dig pits. We didn’t really mind what he was doing although not much has been done on the vacant stand.

“In the past month, we would see him urinating at that same spot where he had been digging pits. We now suspect it was part of a sick satanic ritual,” said the shaken neighbour.

The man added: “We still cannot believe what we saw, police digging one grave after the other as they exhumed the decomposed pieces of human flesh.”
Jindu’s mother, who only identified herself as Mrs Jindu told The Chronicle last week that she was aware her son owned a gun.

She said he needed it for hunting and protection as their neighbourhood was not safe.

However, yesterday neighbours refuted the statement saying Jindu could be the only person who had a gun in the area.

Jindu got a licence for the shotgun he allegedly used to kill Kudzurunga in November last year.

Ballistic reports indicate that about 36 bullets have since been fired from the shotgun.

There is allegedly no record of Jindu going hunting or visiting a firing range for target practice.

He was often seen around the city centre selling second hand phones and laptops.

Jindu was arrested on February 3 after making inconsistent statements to the police.

A source close to the investigations claimed that Jindu killed Kudzurunga at a footpath linking Glengarry and Queens Park East after 10PM after spending the day drinking beer with him. Jindu offered to escort him and allegedly killed him along the way. – State Media

Cleric, Evan Mawarire, leader of #ThisFlag campaign, has demanded an apology from Information Communication Techonology minister Supa Mandiwanzira, for accusing him of skipping bail.

This follows Mandiwanzira’s claims to British ambassador, Catriona Laing, that Mawarire breached his bail conditions in July last year, when he went into self-imposed exile in the United States.

In a tweet posted on his official @PastorEvanLive account, the cleric said: “@SupaCollinsM please retract and apologise for your shameful lie to @CatrionaLaing1 that I was arrested for breaching bail conditions. You have no shame?”

That was a reference to Mandiwanzira’s claims last week to Laing that Mawarire’s arrest proved there was rule of law in Zimbabwe because “if you breach your bail conditions you will definitely get arrested”.

But, contrary to Mandiwanzira’s claims, Mawarire was not on bail when he left Zimbabwe last July.

Charges against him had been dropped. Mawarire was slapped with fresh charges of trying to overthrow President Robert Mugabe’s government when he returned from exile on February 1. He is due in court on Friday.

Mandiwanzira yesterday laughed off Mawarire’s demands, saying: “I am not aware of this demand and the basis of it. So I have no comment to make on News24 reports or a pastor who is on bail.” – Newsday

FIRST Lady Grace Mugabe is on Friday set to resume her countrywide rallies, making her first stop over in Buhera North, as she rolls out the roadmap for her husband President Robert Mugabe and the ruling party’s election campaign ahead of next year’s general elections.

Zanu PF Manicaland provincial chairperson, Samuel Undenge yesterday told provincial co-ordinating committee members in Mutare that Grace would be in Buhera, MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai’s home area, on Friday.

“We are here to discuss a number of issues and one of them is that our First Lady Grace Mugabe will be in Buhera on the 17th of this month,” he said.

“I think our Provincial Affairs minister (Mandiitawepi Chimene) can give us a briefing on our First Lady’s visit to the province since the letter came through her office.”

Chimene confirmed the visit, but could not give details, claiming that she was still on leave.

Provincial women’s league secretary for administration, Letina Undenge, said she was expecting a bumper crowd at the rally.

“We love our mother, we are supporting her and we did this at our recently-held conference,” she said.

“This is more like the rally we held at Mutambara in Chimanimani. She is energetic and very keen to empower women.

“She empowered women, including youths, the last time she came to Chimanimani. This is going to be a roadmap going to the elections, come 2018.

“We are preparing to come in numbers. We are delighted because we are also going to celebrate the birthday of our President.”

The sharp-tongued Zanu PF women’s league boss normally uses such platforms to rail against her rivals in the ruling party, and in this particular instance her target could be Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is reportedly eyeing succeeding Mugabe.

Grace, who is believed to be the leader of the G40 faction comprising of the ruling party’s Young Turks, is reportedly also eyeing Mugabe’s seat.

On the other hand, Mnangagwa and his Team Lacoste faction, are believed to have the backing of war veterans and the security sector.

Grace marked her grand entry into mainstream Zanu PF politics in 2014 with a string of campaign rallies that spilled into 2015, culminating in the axing of Vice-President Joice Mujuru and several other former ruling party bigwigs on allegations of plotting Mugabe’s downfall.

Mujuru and her team, which at the time included former Presidential Affairs minister Didymus Mutasa and ex-Zanu PF spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo, later regrouped and formed the opposition Zimbabwe People First before their spectacular break up last week. – State Media

Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai has said his party is making wide consultations regarding the formation of the grand coalition indicating nothing solid has been put in place yet.

Addressing party members at a meeting held at the provincial party offices in Masvingo , Tsvangirai said his party would maintain a cautious approach towards the formation of the grand coalition. Civic organisations and pro-democracy forces are pushing for the formation of a grand formation expected to challenge President Robert Mugabe ‘s tight grip on power.

Tsvangirai and former Vice President Joice Mujuru are expected to spearhead the formation of the much anticipated coalition. Tsvangirai said it was too early to pre-empty facts on the grand coalition since his party was making the necessary consultations.

“We are eager to work with all democratic forces but at the moment we are in the process of consulting our members and supporters across the country.As such we cannot say much about the coalition,”said Tsvangirai. The former premier added:”There are people who are concerned about the conditions guiding the formation of the coalition. Let me assure you that the MDC will not be neutralised by the formation of the coalition. Nothing like that will happen.We are guided by laid down party principles.”

Former MDC provincial secretary, Tongai Matutu who had deserted the party to join Tendai Biti’s PDP attended the meeting after dumping Biti’s party. “Let us embrace those who are coming back home. It happens in politics and let us work with those who are returning to us.We have to bury our differences and move forward,”said Tsvangirai.

 Terrence Mawawa Masvingo Vocal Masvingo State Minister Shuvai Ben Mahofa’s office has submitted more than 60 names of party sympathisers for nurse training at Masvingo Provincial Hospital it has emerged.

Sources at the hospital’s School of Nursing told ZimEye.com the recruitment process was in disarray following the submission of more than 60 names of Zanu PF youths by Mahofa’s office. The sources claimed Mahofa stamped the name list and instructed officials at the government run hospital to consider the party youths for nursing training despite the fact that they did not have the suitable qualifications.

“Minister Mahofa instructed us to consider at least 60 Zanu PF youths for nursing training.The process has become complicated because the majority of the youths do not have the suitable qualifications.This is a difficult situation.

We have been told more names are coming. This makes our job very difficult,”said a senior employee at the hospital. Mahofa was not immediately available to comment on the matter. Officials at Mahofa’s Benjamin Burombo Building offices denied they wrote a letter to Masvingo Provincial Hospital concerning the recruitment of nurses. “It is unheard of – we did not write such a letter to Masvingo Provincial Hospital.Who said that?We are actually hearing it from you,”said a government official who declined to disclose her name.

Church leaders have put up a fight against Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa urging Zimbabweans to resist the proposed first amendment to the Constitution, which is aimed at changing the process of choosing the country’s Chief Justice (CJ), warning this creates room for more alterations to the country’s supreme law.

The church leaders spoke alongside other civil society leaders at a public meeting organised by the Christian Alliance of Zimbabwe (CAZ), Public Policy Institute of Zimbabwe and the Southern African Parliamentary Support Trust to discuss the proposed amendment to the Constitution.

In an open devotion to the workshop, a Roman Catholic priest and convenor of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) in the Matabeleland region, Peter Nkomozana, reminded citizens that they “are the salt of the earth”, pointing to their important role in defending democracy.

“There are times when we have failed to be brave enough to point out where there have been shortcomings,” he said. “As community leaders, there are times when we have become tasteless and are no longer effective. Let us stay as the salt of the earth.”

CAZ leader, Useni Sibanda said the Constitution needed to be defended.

Human rights lawyer, Matshobana Ncube encouraged citizens to lobby MPs to block the amendment when it goes before Parliament.

“There are three arms of government: the legislature, the judiciary and the Executive, and the Constitution says these three arms of government are independent of each other,” he said.

“What is the interest of the Executive in appointing the head of the judiciary arm? The judiciary is supposed to be independent, which means that the Executive is not supposed to be involved in the appointment of its head, the CJ,” he said.

“The ruling party does have a two-thirds majority in Parliament and can amend the Constitution. But I believe that there are people here, who associate with the ruling party somehow, but don’t agree to the amendment. This is a factional issue. If we can, let us lobby some Zanu PF members and MPs. Let us lobby, especially those who are against the amendment.”